by Lana Melyan
“Nicky, no one knows about you,” said Nate. “But Nathan Cain exists, and the magical world knows that. Murphy could’ve learned about Vincent and me long before he found out he was a Callahan. And now he has information about us that no one else knows. What’s a mystery for others is as easy as putting two and two together for Murphy. We have no idea what his mother told him in the message. Maybe she knew more than we think.”
“Guys, you said he’ll come here to get to the tree, right?” said Connie. “How is he going to find it? Even if he knows it’s here in River Stones, it won’t be that easy to find one particular tree in the woods.”
“It’s a Family Tree. He is connected to it from birth,” said Nate. “All he needs is a few drops of his blood to do a simple locator spell. If it is Murphy, it’s possible he didn’t even know about River Stones until a locator spell brought him here.”
“Well, if it was him, he’ll make his presence known soon enough,” I said.
“We should go,” said Nate, taking my hand. “I don’t want to leave Bree and Alan alone.”
“Thanks, guys,” I said, and Connie and Logan walked us outside. “The dinner was delicious.”
“Let’s hope next time we get together, it’ll go smoothly, without unexpected visitors,” said Nate.
He probably still felt guilty for Ruby ruining Connie’s birthday celebration.
“Let’s hope,” chuckled Connie. “We don’t want it to become a tradition.”
13
I fell asleep with my arms wrapped around Nate, and I woke up in the same position, except now Nate was already showered and dressed.
“Good morning,” he said, kissing my hair.
“Good morning,” I murmured, tightening my clasp. “Have you slept at all?”
“I have.” He turned me on my back and, covering my body with his, he pressed his lips to my neck.
“Nate,” I laughed, “if we start this now, it might take awhile, and I have to go to school.” His lips moved up to my ear. “Oh, okay, maybe just a few minutes.” But then I froze. “I forgot. We’re in the mansion. And Gran is here. And Mr. Lancaster. This feels even weirder in the morning.”
“Alan already left. And Bree is downstairs, having coffee.”
“Let’s not make her come up here and tell me I’m late for school.”
He kissed me again, then pulled himself up. After Nate left, I sat in bed and looked around. Remembering the day I woke up in this room the first time made me smile.
“Morning, Gran,” I said, walking into the kitchen. In the next moment I stopped, pinned to the spot. “Nate.” I stared at him. “Something is happening.”
I clutched my wrist, and Nate hurried to my side.
“What’s wrong?”
“I think it’s the barrier. My veins are burning.”
“Nicky, are you sure?” asked Gran, getting up from her seat.
Suddenly I felt the pricking all over my arms.
“We need to go,” I said, panic in my voice. “Now.”
“Let’s take my car,” Gran said to Nate. “Yours is too small for all of us.”
The three of us rushed outside. Gran threw the keys to Nate, and she and I sat in the back seat. As we took off, Nate called Logan.
“Get to Nicky’s Family Tree. Now. Connie knows where it is.”
The sensation in my arms was unpleasant, and I kept rubbing them while we drove. After a couple of minutes, the prickling stopped.
“This probably means he’s inside now,” I said. “But it’s okay. It’ll take him a while to get through things. We have enough time.”
However, about five minutes later, my veins started to burn again.
“I don’t understand.” I said. “What’s happening? He can’t be leaving that soon. And this feels different. It’s . . . Aaaa!” I screamed as the pain shot through me. I took my jacket off and threw it aside.
“Nicky?” Nate stared at me through the rearview mirror.
“Oh my God,” Gran gasped as she looked at my hands.
The veins on my wrists were turning red, the pain getting stronger.
“Nathan,” said Gran, alarmed. “What does this mean?”
“What’s going on? I can’t see it.” He pulled over and hit the brakes. “Bree, get out.”
Gran and Nate exchanged places, and Gran took off. Nate’s eyes widened as he looked at my arms.
“Nate, you said it would hurt a little. But this . . . I don’t understand.”
“This isn’t it,” said Nate. “It’s not the barrier anymore.”
I screamed again, and Nate stared at my veins, watching their red lines spread up my forearms. Getting warm, I took off my sweater.
“Nicky, I’m so sorry,” said Nate, looking lost. “Murphy, he’s doing something. He . . . I’ll try to take some pain off.”
Holding my wrists, Nate closed his eyes. He began chanting, barely moving his lips. For a few seconds it felt a little better, but then the veins turned vinous, and I screamed again.
“It’s not working because he’s fighting me.” Nate clenched his teeth. “I know what this is. He found out the barrier and he’s doing a spell. He knows that only another Callahan could have put the barrier there because only another Callahan could’ve removed the veil and seen the door. One version is––he’s trying to find you.”
“How?” I asked, panting from the pain.
“You’re both connected to the tree, and you’re connected to the barrier with your blood. He’s probably doing a locator spell. Trying to see how far the blood will take him.”
My veins were turning darker. Moaning, I bit my lip so I wouldn’t scream again.
“What kind of locator spell is this?” said Gran furiously. “He’ll kill her.”
“Oh God,” gasped Nate. “That’s what he’s doing. He’s trying to . . . that son of a bitch is . . . I have to remove the barrier.” But he froze for a second, and he and Gran exchanged a glance through the rearview mirror.
“What? What is it?” I demanded.
Shaking his head, Nate clenched his teeth.
“If I remove the barrier, he’ll know we know. He knows I’m here, and of course he knows you wouldn’t come alone. He’ll probably try to get away.”
“No,” I shouted. “Don’t you dare remove it.” I gulped air. “I can handle this. He might’ve already taken things. If he gets away with them . . . you can remove it when we get to the woods.”
“Nicky, we still have five minutes to go,” said Gran in dismay.
“I said no.” I yanked my hands out of Nate’s grip.
The lines of my veins were now up under the short sleeves of my blouse.
“I need to see how bad it is,” said Nate, taking off my blouse. And even though I now only had on a tank top, beads of sweat covered my forehead. He stared at my shoulders. “Bree,” he shouted, “step on it.”
“Are you kidding me?” Gran shouted back. “What do you think I’ve been doing?”
“Stop it,” I snapped. “Nate, I’ll be fine.” I kept my voice calm. But I felt the pain getting closer to my heart while my arms kept burning. I grabbed Nate’s hands. “Just hold me tight.”
Looking desperate, Nate opened his mouth to say something, but I shook my head, stopping him.
“Logan and Connie are here, right behind us,” said Nate, looking back. His phone buzzed, and he put it on speaker.
“Guys, what’s going on?” I heard Connie’s alarmed voice.
“It’s Murphy. He knows about the barrier and he’s hurting Nicky,” said Nate.
“What? Hurting how?”
“He’s trying to . . . we’ll tell you later.”
I moaned. Dizzy, with my eyes half closed, I looked down. Half of my chest was covered in black veins. They burned up my neck to my chin.
“That’s it,” said Nate, a muscle jumping in his jaw.
“One more minute,” I murmured. “It’s still far from my heart.”
“Nicky, stop it! You’ve done
enough,” Gran said angrily.
“We’re almost—”
“No,” Nate caught me off, grabbing my wrists. “I don’t care. I shouldn’t have listened to you at all.” He began chanting.
A moment later, the dark lines of my veins pulled back and my breathing became easier. When Nate was done, he wrapped me in his arms.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he whispered into my ear.
“I know. But I’m fine now, so stop torturing yourself.”
“Thank God,” said Gran. “Don’t worry, honey. We’ll get him.”
“Yeah,” I sighed, putting my sweater on. “Let’s hope Murphy will try to grab more things before running away. It’ll give us some time.”
Nate pulled me to his chest and held me in his arms until we arrived.
14
Gran and Logan stopped the cars one after another, and as we got out, we all stared at an old Volvo parked on the unpaved shoulder.
“He found the place, all right,” muttered Gran.
“This is the only shoulder for a few miles,” said Nate. “We can’t be sure it’s his.”
“I think it’s his,” I said. “I can’t explain it, but his spell is still . . . I think I can feel him.”
“Then we better move,” said Nate, heading into the woods. “Keep your eyes open and voices down. We don’t want to scare him off.”
We all followed, stopping only when we reached the Tree. Gran, Nate, and I stared at the ground. The veil was on.
“So?” whispered Connie. “Does this mean he’s gone?”
I remembered that Logan and Connie had no idea what we were looking at. I shook my head.
Nate and I walked around the Tree and stopped, facing the spot where the door was supposed to be. Then Nate signed for the others to take their spots next to us.
We didn’t have to wait for long. A few moments later the door opened, and Murphy’s head appeared above the ground. Connie pressed both hands to her open mouth to suppress a scream.
Murphy was in hurry, and as we all stood at the edge of the veil, he didn’t notice us at first. But when he was all the way out, he raised his head and froze.
“Hello, cousin,” I said, coming forward. I glanced at his bags, one in each hand.
“Those bags look pretty heavy, Murphy,” said Nate. “Maybe you should put them down while we talk.”
Just like in the picture, the fifty-two-year-old Murphy looked not more than thirty. He was tall, had broad shoulders, and something in his face reminded me of Henry from the old photograph I’d seen in the New Orleans's house.
“So, you’re the Callahan.” The corner of his mouth twitched, as he gazed at me.
“Yes. I am,” I said, my heartbeat rising.
He suddenly dropped the bags and raised his hand. But before he could even think of a spell, Nate punched the air. Murphy flew back, hit the Tree hard, and collapsed on the ground.
“You’ve hurt her enough,” hissed Nate. “I won’t let that happen again. I warn you, if you try anything, you’re dead.”
Panting, Murphy pulled himself up.
“Well, look who it is,” he sneered. “Nathan Cain himself.”
“You’ve heard of me. Great. We can skip the handshake and get to the point. Why did you try to kill her?”
“Why did you put up a barrier? I thought I was the only Callahan. I came to check out the Family Tree. Vincent Callahan was the last line, and he died. You’re his daughter, aren’t you?” He gazed at me. “You shouldn’t exist.”
“Yet here I am.” I spread my hands, then dropped them down. “What are you doing here, Murphy? Did you come just for the gold, some family artifacts? What’s in the bags?”
“This is a family matter,” he said, shooting daggers with his eyes. “Maybe we should talk alone.”
My anger and anxiety rose, and I felt my magical energy storm through me.
“You think I’m some helpless girl? You think if you get me alone you can get rid of me?” I said, stepping closer. “You nearly killed me just now, Murphy,” I said, glaring at him. My hand flew up. Aiming it at Murphy’s throat, I curled my fingers into my palm, squeezing the air. Murphy began choking. “Is this how you tried to kill your mother?”
He grabbed his throat. I let go of him.
Gasping for air, he tried to lift his arm, but I aimed my hand at his wrist and slightly twisted my palm. There was the sound of cracking bone. Moaning, he grabbed his broken wrist.
I never thought I'd want to hurt someone. But Nate was right; this was a war, and maybe I should learn how to fight. My heart beating in my throat, I moved forward.
“If you think I’m a little nobody, think again. Now, you’ll stay still and let me see what’s in the bags.”
“Murphy.” Connie smirked. “I’ve seen her do magic. You better do as she says, or she’ll crack your skull open.”
Keeping his eyes on Murphy, Nate came forward. I opened one of the bags, and the first thing I saw were Kenneth’s books.
“You were right.” I glanced at Nate. “He didn’t come for the family reunion.” I turned to Murphy. “What were you planning to do with those books? They’re full of dark spells. What do you need them for?”
“It’s not your business.” He glared at me. “I can take whatever I want. Everything in here is as much mine as it yours. I’m a Callahan too.”
“You see, Murphy,” said Nate, “not everything that's in that vault belongs only to the Callahans. Those things in your bag, I have a right to them, too. So no, you can’t take whatever you want.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. My family members sacrificed their lives for those things. But you already know that, don’t you? We know some things about you, too. We know that you were in jail, that you’re immortal, and that you’ve been practicing black magic.”
“Look who’s talking,” Murphy scoffed. “What kind of magic did you use to become immortal, Cain?”
“That was long ago. I did what I had to do to fight your kind. As a Callahan, you must know what the whole mission is about. The dark powers is exactly what generations of Callahan and Cain have been fighting against. Myself included.”
“I don’t care about the mission.”
“Don’t you? Let’s see. Nicky, what else is there?”
I looked deeper into the bag and saw the chest with the golden coins.
“Well, this is family gold. You need money. I understand,” I said with a smirk, moving to the next bag.
The moment I opened it, my heart hammered. In the bottom lay the silver sword, right next to the wooden chest with the piece of the map and the page from Joseph’s journal.
Staring at Nate, I pulled out the sword. Nate’s jaw tightened.
“Do you even know what this is, Murphy?” he scoffed.
“I know that it has very interesting incantations on it.” Murphy raised a brow.
“That’s one of those things you can’t take,” Gran glared at him and pointed a finger at Nate. “He made it with my son. So you have no right to it whatsoever.”
“Your son?” Murphy narrowed his eyes. “Who are you?”
“You don’t know who I am?” Gran smirked. “Well, that’s a relief.”
“Everything in here is about the mission,” I said, putting the sword back. “Why did you take all those things, Murphy?”
“I said, it’s not your business, you little—”
Nate clenched his fist and punched him in the face. Murphy staggered backward. I didn’t expect a punch, and I jumped. Nate dashed to him, grabbed him by his clothes, and pushed him against the Tree.
“Bless you, Nathan,” said Gran. “I hoped you would do that. I would gladly punch him myself for hurting my girl like he did.”
“I told you to be careful.” Nate glared at Murphy. “Now, answer her.”
Okay, where was I? “You tried to kill me. That means you’re against me,” I said. “Why? Whose side are you fighting on?”
“I’m on my side. I
just found out I'm Callahan, and I came to check out the vault. And that’s it.” He narrowed his eyes at Gran again. “You just said my girl. Are you her . . .” he pointed his finger at me. “Are you Vincent’s mother?” Gran and Nate exchanged a glance. “Bree Callahan,” he sneered. “Shouldn’t you be dead?”
15
“Well, I suppose,” Nate sighed, “this conversation is going to be long and hard. Think about it again, Murphy. There’s five of us and one of you. And you don’t wanna try my skills. So you better answer the questions.” Standing with his feet shoulder-width apart, Nate folded his arms over his chest. “You just said Nicky shouldn’t exist, you know about Bree, you found my mansion. Where did you get all that information? You got your message only a few months ago, and you already know things your mother could not have known.”
“I’m not telling you anything,” barked Murphy.
“You know what?” said Nate. “I changed my mind. I’m not going to torture you. Connie,” he glanced back at her. “It’s your turn. See what you can get out of that skull while it’s still whole.”
Connie came forward, and so did Logan.
“My girl isn’t that tall,” said Logan, gazing at Murphy. “So you’ll have to get on your knees.”
“What for?” Murphy scowled.
“I said, get on your knees,” Logan growled, and for the first time, I saw his vampire face. A chill ran down my spine as I watched the veins around his bloodshot eyes pop out. His fangs protruded from under his upper lip as he glared at Murphy.
“A vampire?” Murphy stared at him.
“I can see your wrist has healed already,” said Logan huskily. Then his face changed back to normal. “If you try anything, if you move a finger to hurt her, I’ll rip your throat out.” Logan put his hand on Murphy’s shoulder and shoved him down. “Now, sit still and be quiet.”
Connie moved closer, and stopped behind Murphy. Looking a bit nervous, she sank her fingers into his short, dark hair and closed her eyes.
“What the hell is she doing?” barked Murphy.
“I said,” Logan gazed at him, speaking in a dangerous, soft voice, “be quiet.”