Two Halves Box Set

by Marta Szemik

  It seemed that our ability to hear each other only worked when we wanted to be heard.

  Vulcan stretched his palms out toward the keepers. “Once I have their essence, no one will be able to kill me.”

  I felt him concentrate on the energy he tried to gather from them but failed. Nothing came our way, no power or new strength. The keepers contained their abilities within them.

  Gabriel laughed in a higher tone than his usual. Drake smirked and crossed his arms at his front. Castall’s cane fell to the ground. The old warlock’s hood slid off his head, and the long beard peeled off his chin. The cracking of bones echoed through the room as Gabriel and Castall twisted their spines. Gabriel’s skin softened and shaded with a caramel glow. Castall grew a few inches taller. His wrinkles disappeared, and shoulders broadened.

  The siblings!

  Drake smeared makeup off his face with his sleeve, revealing different bone structure than I expected. Vulcan threw a new blast at the vampire, hitting his target.

  “Father!” Crystal and Ayer ran to his side. They joined hands over his limp body.

  “Shifters!” Vulcan hissed.

  Now that his plan to kill the keepers had been ruined, I felt him contemplate whether to run and hide. I couldn’t let Vulcan get away. Unfortunately, we were nowhere near the hereafter to bind him.

  I grabbed his throat, feeling the pressure on my own as well. My squeeze tightened until my eyes fogged. The room spun, and I had to let go.

  Vulcan turned backward but bumped into an invisible wall. The twins were concentrating with their palms up, the way they had had when Aseret was bound. Their eyes enveloped with white, shining brighter than a light bulb. It was almost like staring directly at the sun, forcing me to look away.

  Familiar chanting sounded in the hall. To the left, where the keepers stood before, Xela, Mrs. G, and Sarah appeared, like they’d been transferred from a ghost realm to this one.

  Vulcan bounced off another invisible wall. He screamed, blasting electricity at the barrier. Strands of lightning flowed along an outline of a sphere above our heads and down to the ground, making its way back to our feet. The strands of power rejuvenated the warlock again. He clenched his fists. The hall shook.

  They contained us! I heard in my mind as he continued to try to break through.

  Someone pulled my arm, once, then another time. My body turned three hundred and sixty degrees, then was pushed to the side. The smell of forget-me-nots swiveled around me as caramel skin swooshed in front of my eyes. When the twirling settled, my shifter friends looked identical to me, standing inside the magical field. Even I wouldn’t be able to recognize myself.

  The chanting outside our enclosure intensified.

  Vulcan’s voice roamed through my mind, What is this?

  “You kill me, and he dies.” Vulcan’s gaze flew from me to the other two look-a-likes.

  One of my clones removed a dagger from the sleeve. It was Mrs. G’s magical blade.

  “There’s no other way, Vulcan. You said it yourself, we’re bound. I will not let my loved ones suffer. I will not let the world be ruled by a maniac.” The clone pushed the blade upward just under the ribs, and jammed it into its own heart.

  My heart pinched by an unseen force. Is this Mira or Xander? What are they thinking?

  “No!” Vulcan yelled. A wet spot appeared on the warlock’s black turtleneck over his left breast, and he fell to his knees.

  I knelt at the shifter’s side and locked eyes with one, then the other, still unable to recognize who they belonged to. The ache inside me increased, as if my own heart had been stabbed.

  “Why, brother?” Vulcan asked.

  “I die, you die. It was the only way to kill you without giving you more power,” the clone answered in a hoarser tone, slumping lower. The other me caught the limping body and rested it on the ground.

  Blood dripped out of Vulcan’s mouth. His breaths shortened, and his pulse slowed. He reached for my arm, but I moved out of the way. If he touched me, he’d know it wasn’t me who was dying.

  Shock clipped my tongue. My trembling heart instinctively knew who lay on the plush floor. I wanted to lie down beside her, and join her, even if it meant dying.

  Why would she do that?

  The chanting continued. Vulcan’s eyes blazed with orange flames. My clone with the dagger closed its eyes and so did Vulcan. The warlock’s spirit detached from its host. White light slammed into him, enclosing him in a white sphere the size of a marble. The round pebble floated through the invisible barrier that held us captive and into Ayer’s palm. He closed his fist around it, took his sister’s hand, and disappeared.

  The hum of the witch’s mantra stopped, and the hall fell silent. Sarah and William disappeared into a void that opened behind them. Mrs. G and Xela rushed to our side.

  I pulled the limp body into my arms, cradling my corpse like an infant’s. “Is this Mira?”

  “Yes.” The other clone held her hand on his lap.

  Devastated, I brushed my fingers through her hair, swaying back and forth as if lulling her to sleep. I skimmed my finger over the burgundy puddle and tasted the drop to make sure but could only identify the iron tang of my own blood.

  “You told her in the letter this was the only way to kill Vulcan.” He twisted his neck and torso. In a few flashes, the body beside me morphed into Xander’s. Xela embraced her mate.

  “But I didn’t mean for her to kill herself!” The whisper barely sounded out of my mouth.

  My hands trembled, wanting to remove the dagger out of Mira’s chest and stab it into mine. I couldn’t let my love pass to the hereafter by herself.

  “She didn’t.” Mrs. G pulled her blade out of Mira’s still-cloned, limp body.

  My heart stilled. The need I’d had to die and join Mira’s soul vanished as hope sparked again. “What?”

  “She’s a shifter, darling.” Mrs. G’s kind eyes found mine. She retrieved a flask out of the pocket in her dress, opened it, and poured a mint-smelling potion over the wound. “Give her a few minutes.”

  The silence in the hall deafened me. I listened for a beating pulse, anything that would tell me Mira was still alive. Her first breath came in a burst like she’d never breathed before, and her body jolted out of my grip.

  Mrs. G helped her lower back down onto the plush carpet. “Let the wound heal, my dear.”

  Mira listened to her mother.

  “I thought you were dead.” I kissed her forehead, which technically was still my own, and held my lips there.

  “I shifted my organs. Where my heart should have been, I left an empty space,” she whispered.

  “But all the blood?” I asked.

  “She jammed a knife into her body. Did you expect water?” Xander rolled his eyes.

  “I need to shift.” Mira thrust her torso up, and in a few cracks and mutations, she was my shifter again, in her own caramel body. “I’m fine. Is he gone?” she asked.

  “Yes. The twins took his soul to the hereafter,” Xander replied.

  “But I didn’t die. How did he die when I didn’t?” I asked.

  “You died in his eyes.” Xela wiggled out of Xander’s hold. “Mira and Xander had shifted to be your clones. The same heartbeat, the same blood and body. According to Vulcan, it was you who died.”

  “But you said she didn’t die.”

  “Vulcan believed in your brotherhood so much, he gave up the minute the dagger entered my chest.” Mira squeezed my hand. “His soul left the body, mine remained within.”

  “I didn’t mean to put you in danger.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “I’d only asked for the keepers to be warned.”

  “I know, but we couldn’t take a chance Vulcan could kill them and return. His powers connected directly into the keepers. He needed to be trapped,” Mira whispered.

  I thought about the extent of my powers to move through time and wondered whether the ability remained. No one should have that much power, even me.

&
nbsp; “You trapped his soul.” I looked to Mrs. G, then helped Mira to her feet.

  “The power of three witches,” the witch answered.

  Xela came to my side. “Eric, I don’t think I can ever repay you. It’s my fault you were punished.”

  The wind blew through the hall, whistling down the corridor. White light flashed in the spot where Crystal and Ayer stood before. Dust swirled, then settled as Castall, Drake, and Gabriel stepped out of a vortex. Calmness filled the cave, and suddenly the overwhelming sensation that the world would be all right, flowed through me.

  “And it’s our fault we wouldn’t allow Eric to use his abilities to evil-bend at his will.” Gabriel spoke in barely a whisper, but my eardrums still shook.

  “Eric, you’ve served us well. We weren’t strong enough to protect you. The warlock should never had been allowed to influence your punishment,” Drake added. The vampire’s resemblance to William outlined his face with lines centuries-old. Now that I looked at him, I realized all vampires resembled this keeper.

  “No. He should have never been punished.” Castall walked toward us, supporting his weight on the cane.

  Gabriel’s gaze rested on Xela. “She’s good, like he said.”

  “Of course she’s good.” Xander sounded offended. “She was always good and should have never been marked with the sphere in the first place.”

  “No, she shouldn’t have,” Gabriel replied.

  Xela’s brows rose.

  The angel’s face softened from its already tender shape. “From now on, a new law of marking will be set by the casters.”

  “Crystal and Ayer?” I asked.

  Drake nodded.

  Castall came to my side. He wrapped his hand around my wrist. “And your ability to evil bend will be used at your own discretion, from now. No evil shall touch you or persuade anyone to think wrongly of you again.”

  My wrist heated, then burned, but not in pain. The touch revived the mark that led my decisions, except now, it would no longer lead me, but I it. A fulfillment I’d never felt before was restored in my heart. I was complete.

  Now, I was evil-bent.

  * * *

  My caramel goddess sat in front of me. I wrapped my arms around her from behind. Her legs leaned to the sides, resting against mine. The sun almost touched the horizon, and wind ruffled the leaves. A unique ringing of the wood’s natural chime floated up toward us, at the ridge of a cliff. We rested atop the rock of Grand Teton Mountains, letting the peaceful evening of our honeymoon begin.

  “Xander said it’s the best view.” She leaned her head against my chest, and I kissed the top of her head, admiring my shifter wife.

  “He was right.” I slid my hands up and down her arms in a repetitive motion until she turned around to face me.

  “You’re still stressed.” Her front pressed to me, and legs wrapped around to the back.

  “It’s a hazard of being a bender.” I exhaled.

  “There are no demons. Crystal and Ayer seem to be thriving in Spain. They’ll keep the peace for the keepers. No one can sway a caster.” She placed a soft kiss on my lips. The warmth of her mouth made me want to forget my duties. My in-laws, Mrs. G and Castall, instructed me to take a break for two weeks. They insisted on grandchildren. Castall broke my connection to the twins, and Sarah with a spell; it would be restored after the honeymoon. Right now, it was only me, and Mira.

  “I know. But evil always lurks. There are still many warlocks to teach, vampires to rehabilitate.”

  “They’ll still be there in two weeks.” She smiled, biting her lip. “Now, what can I do to make you relax?” Mira’s breasts perked higher.

  “Ah, are you shifting for me, sugar?” I marveled at her front.

  “Tonight, my goal is to make you forget who you are and remember how much I love you.” She kissed my neck, touching each healed wound with her lips. It sent electricity through my veins.

  “I never want to forget who I am again, sugar, and I will always remember your love.” I cupped Mira’s face in my palms and pressed my lips against hers. Her body glued to mine, and I moved her to the rocky floor, never parting.

  She weaved her fingers through my hair before pulling my shirt over my head.

  “How about we get started on those grandchildren?” she asked.

  “You read my mind, sugar,” I said, then lost myself in my caramel goddess.

  Evil-Bent Bonus Material

  Mira and Eric meet for the first time.

  The smell of cinnamon cigars filled the bar. Having finished a job for the keepers, I arrived earlier than Castall had asked so I could enjoy a beer, a rare occasion for someone with my bending responsibilities. This town has grown on me since early morning when I checked for stray demons. Having found none, I wondered why the warlock chose Pinedale to meet. My hand curled around the handle of the frosted mug, and I tipped the beer for another gulp.

  The front door of The Grill opened with the sound of a delicate bell. The sweet smell of forget-me-nots blasted my way, and I turned to look whose scent could stir my body with intense interest.

  She strolled in wearing leather pants that looked like they’ve been sewn onto her skin. Her boots rose just over the knee. The white blouse draped down to her cleavage in a wide loop and complemented her caramel skin tone. Auburn hair floated in the draft of the breeze as the front door shut. Her movements seemed to be in slow motion when she passed me.

  The mug slipped out of my hand, spilling the beer on my crotch. I caught the glass before it shattered on the floor and placed the empty container on the bar.

  The goddess who mesmerized me giggled with the most delicious sound I’d heard and sat five bar stools further. She ordered a mug of draft. The beer on my lap cooled my skin.

  Shit!

  The bathroom was in the back of the restaurant so I had to pass her to get there. I wasn’t one to lower my head in shame, especially when an opportunity to talk to a beauty like her presented itself. Adjusting my turtleneck, I walked toward the bathroom, stopping beside her on my way.

  “You wouldn’t happen to have spare pair of pants, would you?” I grinned at her.

  She swiveled on the stool to face me and examined me from my toes to my head. A spark in her eye told me she liked what she saw; what was there not to like? Her hungry breasts perked, and I thought I saw her lick her lower lip. What a tease!

  “Not unless I take mine off.” She leaned back against the bar.

  “Perhaps you want to join me in the bathroom then?” I asked.

  A man sitting beside her turned his head and butted into our conversation. “Did you wet yourself?” He laughed, pointing at my wet stain.

  “Mind your own business,” she scolded at him. Ferocity beamed through her.

  Frightened, he moved away to another seat and resumed watching baseball on the plasma above the bar.

  “I wish I could help, but I’m kind of attached to these.” She smoothed her hand along her thigh.

  “You handle yourself well,” I complimented.

  “Thank you. I guess you could say I’m one of a kind.” She smirked.

  Her comment intrigued me. I’d never met anyone like her before. A commercial for ‘save a pet foundation’ flashed on the screen, and she furrowed at it.

  “You don’t approve helping animals?” I asked, curious why an ad would upset her so much.

  “It’s one thing to advertise help and another to actually do as you say. They’re a bunch of hungry, money-grabbing bureaucrats who spend a fortune on advertisements and their own salaries instead of actual aid. If they put their money where their mouth is and spare a dime on local shelters, their ‘aid foundation’ would do much more good than it does now.” A low growl escaped her throat.

  I thought I saw her take on a greener shade, and I blinked a few times. Her caramel skin basked in its own glowing shade again.

  “Do you work in animal welfare?” I asked the passionate beauty.

  “You could say that. Loo
k, I’d love to chat, but I’m waiting for someone and you look like you could use a minute or so under the dryer.” She pointed to my soaked pants.

  I doubted a minute would be long enough.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to jeopardize your time.” I bowed my head with the apology and strolled toward the bathroom. The heat of her gaze warmed my back.

  I rushed home through a vortex, changed to a similar pair of pants, and flew back to the restaurant through the time hole. The feisty brunette had both looks and brains. As much as I wanted her, I couldn’t move too fast. Somehow, I had more respect for this caramel goddess than anyone else I’ve ever met. When I came out of the restroom, she still sat at the bar, alone. Her company hadn’t shown yet. Karma finally smiled upon me.

  She pulled out the chair beside her without looking at me.

  I took a seat. Her sweet aroma danced around my nostrils. “Your company is late,” I noted.

  “My name is Mira.” She leaned forward, squeezing her front to form a nice valley.

  “So, you’re single, I hope.” I breathed her captivating scent.

  “Yes. Are you interested in what you see?” she asked bluntly, turning my way.

  “Yes. And in what I hear.” I faced a caramel goddess and couldn’t think of anything better to say. She held a spell over me no other woman ever had, and at that moment, I knew I would do anything to have Mira in my life, forever. Except her mortal form would be a punishment for someone with my lifetime. How could nature be so cruel? In no time, her hands were in mine, like they belonged there. Mouth hovered inches away from my lips. Could I be dreaming? The pull felt more natural than anything I’d experienced before.

  “Ahem.” Someone cleared his throat behind me, breaking my dreamlike state.

  I turned around as Mira said, “Hello, Father.”

  “Mira.” Castall’s gaze became like a hawk’s. “Thank you for meeting me on such short notice.”

  “You’re the shifter?” I asked her, my astonishment over her beauty justified.

  “I gather you’ve met my daughter.” Castall circled around me to Mira’s other side.