by S. D. Grimm
I encroached more. “You’re sorry that you won’t train me? All because my big brother threatened to—what? What did he even say, Wyatt?” His name slipped off my tongue with more venom than I intended.
“Ava, relax.” He motioned with his hands for me to calm down.
That only sparked more heat in my veins. I shook my head, disgusted. My words came out dark and deep. “Tell me what he said.”
Wyatt’s features hardened and he stepped closer to me, lowering his head. “Nick is right. I am dangerous to you. Gwen has a power over me that I can’t fight. If I stay away—”
“Wyatt.” I gripped the lapels of his unzipped jacket in my fists as the anger in me melted into something much more volatile: fear. I suddenly realized that I did not want to lose him. I feared losing him. This was why I guarded my heart, and he…he got past my walls. “You promised to train me. You said that if I asked you to stay—”
He grabbed my hands and tugged them free of his jacket. “Your training has been going well. Please, don’t ask me to stay.”
“Why not?”
“Because I will.”
Hope filled my lungs, expanding pain. Why did it hurt so much to hope? “Then why leave? I can get Nick to understand. Don’t you trust me?”
“Ava.” His thumbs brushed against our still-joined hands. “I trust you. It’s me I don’t trust.”
“Because of your darkness.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed and he closed his eyes.
Wyatt wanted to control it. How could he if everyone kept showing him that they’d lost faith in him?
“Will you help…for me?” My voice broke on the last word.
Wyatt breathed deep. “I’ll do anything for you.”
My heart seemed to expand.
But his serious look dampened them. “I need you to hear my warning. Gwen is close. I can feel it. I’ve been on the lookout for her.”
“Like Nick?”
He glanced at me sideways and squinted as if he was studying me. “Something like that.”
“I’m going on a hunt with Nick tonight to make sure I’m ready to fight her. But I’d like to train with you once more.”
He nodded. “Get in the car.”
We drove in silence for a little while, and I studied the perplexed look on his face. As if he was wrestling to do the right thing. To control his temper.
He pulled into a nearly vacant parking lot at the beach. We both got out of the car and the cool, autumn air rushed off the water, chilling me to the bone. Someone had been here and made a campfire. I headed toward it; I should put it out before flames caught the dune grass.
“Ava.” Wyatt’s voice seemed small and unsure in the wind.
I turned toward him. “If she’s stronger than last time, the monsters she’ll create will be harder to kill. Not as difficult as your average vampire maybe, but harder.”
My stomach squeezed into a tight ball. I had no memory of previous monsters she’d created. “So it’s true, she’s found a way to access Cade’s power?”
“It was clear last time. That’s why Nick is scared.”
My throat tightened. Since Wyatt remembered everything, maybe he could help me prepare. “Nick said that she was able to thwart my power usage temporarily once because of a special weapon she used?”
“A Phoenix quill. She found a piece of one. Nick burned it. She can’t control your powers anymore unless she stabs you with the quill.”
“Why didn’t Nick tell me this?”
“He destroyed the quill. He’s probably protecting Cade. He started not pushing your memories a few cycles ago because of that.”
I faced him, the reality of Gwen’s coming starting to squeeze my insides. “Why are you so afraid of her?”
“Do you…remember much?”
“I remember a lot. Enough. Like who you are.”
He stared at me for a few heartbeats. “And?”
“I don’t care.” I stood in front of him, close. Wind off the lake blew the hair out of my face.
“And you still want me to help you?”
“If you’re willing.”
“Willing?” He half laughed and touched the side of my face so gently. I leaned into his palm. “You say the word, Ava, and I will help you do whatever you need.”
The fire behind us sparked, taking my attention from Wyatt. I turned to face it, ready to bury it with sand, but the wood popped and cracked and flames shot high into the air with such force that Wyatt wrapped an arm around me and pushed me away from it. I fell on the sand.
“Ava, get out of here. Now.” Wyatt tugged my sleeve and pulled me up.
“We have to—”
“Come on.” Wyatt placed his hand on my arm in a strong grip. His eyes pleaded with me.
The flames grew. Danced. And changed to a blackish color with a sickly green smoke. I backed away a step, but a voice rose from the fire. “Ava, is that really you?”
Wyatt’s hand trembled.
Firelight reflected in the wild fear in his eyes.
Quaking, I faced the blazing bonfire in front of me. “Gwen?”
“You do remember me?” Her laugh was lyrical. And the fire seemed to move away from the logs, only a trail of sparks connecting her to the base. She was anchored. My heart thrummed. Could I hurt her now? Was this really her? Could she be killed?
“I see you’re still taken with your little pet.”
A flare shot through me like someone struck a match across my skin. I stepped in front of Wyatt. I called the fire in me.
It exploded in my palms.
I tucked my chin and stepped closer to her.
“Ava, what are you doing?” Wyatt’s soft tug on my shoulder wouldn’t stop me now.
“Oh, look. You want to play.” Gwen’s haughty voice grated on my nerves. No wonder everyone hated her. She sparked more flame in her fiery palms.
Mine was healthy and vibrant, orange and red and yellow. Nothing like her sickly flames. I held out my hands and shot fire at her.
She breathed as the reddish blaze sailed toward her. Then with a puff of her black fire, she blew mine out. Snuffed. Gone. I stared at my hands. At her.
Her laugh roared louder than the waves. “I know where you are.”
“I’m ready for you!” I shouted, not sure of myself at all. But I couldn’t let her see that.
“You and what army?”
She held up her hand and fire blazed.
Wyatt stepped in front of me. “Will you run now?”
“No!” I tugged him away from her as she shot her flames toward us. We tumbled to the ground, but a biting heat in a strong wind pushed against me. Flattened me to the ground. Her face was above mine, dancing as the flames making up her form moved. “I will take everyone you love. And then I will kill you.”
“Good luck,” I bit out.
She backed away from me and sent a long tendril of smoke toward Wyatt.
I scrambled to my feet. But the green smoke twirled around Wyatt like a noose.
“Let him go!”
“I will. He’s more useful to me alive. Aren’t you, pet?”
Wyatt’s face scrunched up and he hunched over and screamed.
“What are you doing to him?”
Her eyes, dancing black flames, flickered to meet mine. “Kill her.”
I scanned the beach, looking for any other signs of life. None. Who was she talking to?
Wyatt fell to his knees. “No!” His voice sounded pained.
Her black fire slammed into him. “Kill her!”
“Never!” His eyes opened, the shame and guilt on his face clear. And he choked out, “R-run, Ava. Please.”
“No.” I ignited my hands once more and shot my fire not at Gwen, but at the part of her she’d extended to hurt Wyatt.
She writhed back, screeching, and her eyes blazed as she glared at me. A massive flame shot straight toward me then exploded like a ball of fire. I put up my arms to shield my face and flew back off my feet, hitting hard
on the wet sand of the shoreline.
My arm screamed as I tried to move it and get up. It wouldn’t function like I wanted it to. Shaking, I looked up to see if her next attack would come, but she was gone. The fire on the beach snuffed. And Wyatt raced toward me.
“Ava, are you okay?” He skidded to a halt next to me, his knees sinking into sand.
I sat up, clutching my arm. “I think it’s dislocated.”
“Let me help you.” Wyatt looked into my eyes, the intensity in his showed his concern. “This’ll hurt.”
I braced myself for the pain, but it wasn’t enough to stifle a scream. As soon as it was over, Wyatt pulled me close and held me while I felt the hurt ease away due to my healing ability.
“I didn’t know she could do that,” I whispered into his chest.
“Me, either.” He breathed in a shaky breath. “You have to tell Nick what happened.”
“I will.” My heart stalled. She’d snuffed out my fire. Nick had to know. We—we should run. I was putting everyone in danger. She said she’d take all those I loved from me. The Fieldses. My brothers. Yuki. Wyatt. “I’ll see what Nick says. We might have to go into hiding until I’m stronger. I’ll text you to meet me?”
He shook his head. “Ava, tonight I’m—”
I moved back so I could look at him. “What was she doing to you?”
His eyes scrunched closed and he bowed his head. “She controls my darkness, Ava.” He looked at me, eyes getting red. “That’s why I can’t be around you when she’s there.”
“But you fought her off. I saw you. You didn’t let her win.”
“I was completely useless.”
I stood up. “You were not!”
He stood slowly, dusting sand off his pants. “Yes. I was.”
“No.” I shook my head wildly. “You make me stronger. Look.” I held out my hand and showed him the tiniest flame with purple tips. A spark. It grew. “You believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself.”
“Yes. And I always will. But Gwen is too strong for me. Please don’t ask me to be there when you face her. I couldn’t bear to let her control me again. I couldn’t bear it if I hurt you.”
I placed my hand over his heart. This man who rescued me from a car crash and thought nothing of shielding my body with his, who stood up for little Tommy, and mended Ajax’s paw so gently, his temper didn’t rule him. He was no Dark Phoenix. And tonight, he hadn’t let Gwen control him. “I’ve seen it. You can control it. You aren’t one of them, Wyatt.”
“I want so badly to believe that.” He looked into my eyes now, and I could see the unshed tears in his. “But the truth is, Gwen can control the darkness in me. If she gets close enough…I don’t trust myself. I don’t want to hurt you again.”
Again? I didn’t recall the first time, but right now I didn’t care, because this Wyatt—the one who saved me from my darkness—I trusted. I touched the side of his face, not caring that I was shivering from the cold. That all faded. It was just me and Wyatt, and I had to make him believe in the goodness inside of himself. “You don’t have to trust yourself, Wyatt. I’m not asking you to.” I waited for him to really look at me. “But, please, trust me?”
A pained expression scrunched up his face. “If I hurt you—”
“You won’t. I trust you.” And as I said it, my soul echoed those words. He leaned into my palm, closing his eyes momentarily. “Do I always fall in love with you?”
He smiled softly. “Have you this time?”
“I think I’m starting to recall feelings for you. But remembering feelings and actually feeling them aren’t quite the same, are they?”
“No.”
“Then, I don’t know how deep I am now, but I have fallen for you, Wyatt Wilcox. This time.”
The intensity in his blue eyes—hot like a flame—melted my bones. I leaned closer to him, slid my hand from his cheek to his shoulder. The distance between us closed completely and his lips met mine. And this moment mixed with other moments. Past moments. A thousand kisses flooded back to me. A thousand feelings. A hundred thousand moments. My heart nearly burst from feeling everything. The love. The heartache. But most of all, the knowledge that he was mine. He would give anything for me. And that filled me with hope as much as it hurt.
He pulled me closer, tighter, stronger. And then he looked into my eyes and smiled. “I missed you.”
I knew one thing at this moment: Gwen would take those I loved from me over my dead body.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Cade
The rumble of Nick’s bike told me he was home. He walked into the house like a wolf on the hunt.
I dropped my spoon into my dinner bowl of cereal. “Did you even come home last night?” I called as he walked by me and to the island, which he opened and pulled out the weapons box.
“Yes.”
I waited for him to elaborate. Didn’t happen. “Oh. Okay. Because you weren’t here when I got up, and I didn’t see blood in the sink. So I thought maybe you were dead.”
He paused long enough to glance up at me. Then he resumed his digging. A few seconds later he slammed nunchucks down on the counter. “You want to hunt tonight?”
“Yes.”
He smiled. “Good. I’ll be back in three hours.” He left the weapons there and grabbed his gun case out of his room. Apparently, I was not invited to the shooting range. Oh well. He was in a mood anyway, so whatever.
I took another bite of Frosted Flakes. Five minutes later, someone knocked on the front door.
“Hang on just a second.” I headed to the front door as the knock sharpened.
At least I knew it wasn’t Nick, because he wouldn’t have knocked, which meant it had to be Ava, because no one else liked us. Well, no one liked my socially inept brother. Plenty of people liked me.
Except Yuki. That had come as a surprise and it stung a little. Okay, a lot. I’d opened up a piece of real Cade to her. And then she’d checked out.
Typical.
Nothing I could do about it except reinforce some walls. Ava hadn’t been any help. All she’d said was “Yuki is…complicated.”
You think?
But Nick should really just give Ava a key already; she was over here more than she wasn’t, training. She was making me look bad. Except that last hunt, I had taken out two wraiths and a vampire—on my own. Ava pretty much fumbled through a wraith attack, getting Nick stabbed again. It was painful to watch because I knew I’d made all the same mistakes.
Nick seemed willing to protect both of us, but he was infinitely more patient with Ava than he was with me. Not that it really bothered me. But the fact that both of them babied me when a memory started coming was getting old.
The knocking intensified.
“I’m coming.” I opened the door a crack and did not expect to see Yuki standing on our porch, a stack of books in her arms, dressed in something very different than her normal not-a-uniform-but-looks-like-a-uniform outfits. My pulse raced. Had her avoiding game stopped?
I motioned to her outfit. “Are you wearing jeans? Because you look great in jeans.”
“Hello to you, too,” she said.
“Did I miss a planned meeting for our project?”
“No. You missed history class. I thought you might have skipped out early with a headache or something, and I brought you my notes.” She lifted her shoulders and dipped her head low, like confident Yuki was rattled. I didn’t think that possible.
I leaned against the doorframe, wishing I knew how to play her game. She’d said literally eleven words to me since the date last month that she’d called “amazing” and “exhilarating,” which I thought were pretty good reviews.
Then she was cold and unavailable. Avoiding me expertly.
Ava wouldn’t answer any of my questions about whether or not Yuki was going to call me back. Ever.
When Yuki finally passed me in the hallway at school, the eleven words I got were “maybe we should stay away from each other” and �
�get a room.” In that order, but at separate times.
I thought that was a pretty clear “I’m not interested” signal until this very moment. And now I was mentally kicking myself.
“Thank you.” I held out my hand for the notes. “That was very kind.”
She made no move to give me anything. “You’re not even going to invite me in?”
I stepped aside so she could come in. “Umm, I thought you told me to stay away from you.”
She hesitated, not stepping over the threshold. “I thought you were the type who wouldn’t care if I said that.”
Whoa. Okay. The “mixed signals” alarm had just sounded off in my brain and left me very confused. But maybe she’d been more okay with that glimpse of real Cade than I thought. “Are you going to come in?”
“Maybe this was a stupid idea.”
“What? No. Why would it be a stupid idea?”
Her stare shifted slightly to a glare, and she slammed the notes into my chest. “Weren’t you making out with someone else yesterday?”
Yeah, when I’d gotten the “get a room” comment. And to be fair, it was because I was hurt—by her. Not that explaining that to her would be a good idea. I could just see that conversation heading south. “What do you care? You ended it.”
Yuki glared and turned on her heel.
“It was— Yuki—” I reached for her arm, not even sure why. But it mattered what she thought.
She dropped the books and turned into me, breaking free of my grip before I could even release her. Then she grabbed my collar and pinned me against the door with her forearm pressing into my windpipe.
“I wasn’t expecting that.” I smiled, my voice slightly choked. “First of all, I think you’re overreacting. Second, don’t you even want to hear my side?”
She dug her arm in and fire seemed to ignite in her eyes. “Maybe I don’t care.”
She really knew how to cut deep. This was why I didn’t let people in. I grabbed Yuki’s wrist and spun, pinning her against the door facing the opposite direction. “Maybe not, but you’re here. I’m guessing that means you want to know.” I let her go and headed inside.
A few moments later, Yuki followed, closing the door behind her. It didn’t slam, which I thought noteworthy. “Cade, I don’t know what came over me, and I’m sorry,” she said.