My grip on his arm tightened. “You’re better than they are. So much better. It doesn’t matter what you went through as a kid. Or even now. That doesn’t define you. I just know you’re going to do something amazing with your life.”
I dropped my hand and his conflicted eyes widened. So much foreign truth to take in. I just hoped some of the seeds I’d planted would take root and help him fight the shadow’s lies when it returned.
After a long pause of indecision, he simply dipped his head and whispered, “Thank you.”
As I replied with the standard, “You’re welcome,” a police car drove by. We took that as our cue to leave.
Once we were out of the man’s earshot, Gregory could hardly contain himself. “Now that is what I call impressive! Most light warriors need years of training to be able to do that with their light. Kyra and Patrick still haven’t mastered it completely.”
My face grew hot. I’d already switched off my aura so there was no question where the heat was coming from…and what it was doing to the hue of my cheeks. I smiled bashfully. I wasn’t used to so much praise, especially from my mentor. “Do what exactly?” I wasn’t sure what to call whatever I’d just done.
“You became one with your light.”
He delivered the statement so plainly, the act didn’t sound very impressive. But maybe that was the point. It was too natural and simple to be easy. All of our own effort and strength meant nothing when it came to an endeavor so pure. We had to strip away every extra part of ourselves and pare down to the true essence of who we were. Only then could such an authentic connection be possible. The resulting feeling of humility mingled with pride was exhilarating. I couldn’t wait to experience it again.
By the time we got back in the car, my high had worn off, and I felt normal again. Kyra and Patrick, however, were still gawking, as if what I’d done had happened seconds ago.
“I don’t know what to say,” Kyra said, still staring at me. “I’m speechless. How did you do that?”
“Honestly, I don’t know.” I shook my head as if pieces would fall into place to form a blueprint of instructions I’d unknowingly followed. But nothing formed. There was no process. I had no idea what I’d done. All I had was a vague recollection of the rush of a feeling as I’d done it. Panic suddenly hit. I leaned forward and grabbed Gregory’s shoulder before he could pull back out onto the street.
He whipped his head around for a second. “What’s wrong, Iris?”
“What if I can’t remember how to do that? I don’t even know what I did this time.”
“Don’t worry. It’ll come to you when you need it most. I have no doubt.”
I leaned back in my seat and attempted to let his faith appease my own doubts. I became one with my aura once, I could do it again.
“Shoot,” Patrick spoke up for the first time, grinning from ear to ear. “Even if it was only a one-time thing, that was way cooler than anything I’ve ever seen a light warrior do. I mean, come on! You—”
Patrick stopped abruptly and his tone became urgent. “Wait. Do you see that?”
Gregory put on the brakes so we could all see where Patrick was pointing. The victim’s ride had apparently already shown up because the sidewalk was vacant. Was I missing something? Then the darkness rippled as though the air were made of water.
“I think it’s Donovan,” Patrick added since none of us had yet spoken.
Donovan. The sound of that name made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I’d only seen him a couple of times, and I didn’t know him personally. But I knew enough about him to despise his very existence.
Hoping to locate his murky silhouette, I leaned forward and squinted. I was fairly certain he was the most defined shadow I’d ever seen.
“There he is.” Kyra pointed to a streetlight. My eyes darted to the area just in time to spot a pitch-black figure, drifting casually with calm strides. Even from our distance, I could easily detect his evil confidence. It emanated from him like visible sound waves vibrating in the air. The vision only lasted a moment before he drifted out of the light.
Was he watching when I’d gotten rid of the guy’s shadow? Good! I hoped he had. Having my second most hated adversary see me successfully take out one of his buddies was gratifying. But then a strange uneasiness churned in my stomach. The same question that always accompanied his or Lucas’s presence remained unanswered. Why was he there in the first place?
Gregory finally pulled back out into the street and started the long trek home. “Guys, I know that the thought of Donovan and Lucas working together is, well, disconcerting to say the least. But don’t ever forget that our light is more powerful than their darkness ever could be. Even with the two of them combined. I’ll get my angel intel on it, though, to see if they can dig up anything. We’ll figure this out. Don’t you worry.”
We all nodded, and I slouched back in my seat with a sigh. “Man, I’m exhausted.”
“Yeah, it’ll do that to you,” Gregory answered my unspoken question. “Being used by such power like that can wear you out.”
I yawned and leaned on Patrick’s shoulder. “I gathered that.” I dozed until we reached my house and Patrick’s nudged me a few times.
“Time for bed,” he whispered.
I didn’t need to be told twice. I opened my door and stepped out but stopped. Something was different in the driveway. An extra car was parked beside Jenny’s.
“Is that Austin’s car?” Patrick said from behind me.
I smiled. “I think it is.” He and Jenny had been spending more time together, but not at our house. He’d probably been ashamed to be seen by any of Jenny’s family. Or maybe it was Jenny that was ashamed of him. Either way, his car’s presence was good news.
Patrick tried to follow me out of the car, but I stopped him. “I’ll be fine. Trust me, I’m awake now. You don’t need to walk me.” I leaned in to say goodbye properly and he moved to meet my lips. Whether because the light’s effects hadn’t quite worn off or I was still half asleep, his tender kiss was sweeter than usual.
“Goodnight, sweetheart,” he breathed.
“Night.” I gave him one more quick peck on the lips and began my short hike up the driveway. I pushed open the front door, and the first sound I heard was carefree laughter from two people who desperately needed to laugh. People I hadn’t heard laugh in ages.
Jenny sat on the couch with her legs draped over Austin’s. No TV was on. No game was out. They were simply talking. Getting to know each other again. Apparently they were enjoying the discovery process.
“Hey, guys.” I didn’t want to interrupt what they had going, so I didn’t sit. I lingered just long enough for them to see the smile on my face. A small encouragement, but I wanted them to know how proud I was of them. They were doing what they needed to do to make amends and stay together, which was harder than I could ever imagine. Their progress must have been substantial because their shadows had withered to faint wisps of gray smoke.
“Hey, sis.” A smile. That was all she offered in reply, but it spoke volumes.
I was still weary from earlier, but surely I could muster up a small glow for my sister and her repentant husband. “Glad to see you here, Austin.” I beamed at them both but then locked eyes with my sister, letting the warmth of my gaze melt over her. “Love you, Jenny.”
Her smile deepened until crinkles formed beside her eyes, reminding me of before the affair. Before the miscarriage. My sister was still in there. She scooted in closer to Austin and laid her head on his shoulder. “Love you too, Iris.”
Chapter 20
I stared at my phone. Lexi’s face smiled back at me as my thumb hovered over the text icon. I glanced up again. The highway was still a monotonous mess of trees and cars, but we’d soon return to civilization and school the next morning where I would have to confront Lexi. The girl who’d been avoiding my texts and calls since three days ago. We had planned to hang out together that night, but an unexpected shadow hunt
had come up. I’d had to cancel with her. There had been two more shadow hunts since then, one on each night, and last night’s was an all-night stakeout just outside town to prevent a burglary. The job had been easy enough but I was tired and worn out. That weariness was compounding my fear of losing my friend.
“Has she still not texted you back?” Patrick furrowed his brows as he glanced from my phone back to the road.
I stuck out my bottom lip and slumped further down my seat. “No.”
“Well…maybe she just got busy and forgot to respond.”
I raised a cynical eyebrow in his direction. “The last three days?
“Iris, It’ll be fine. You’ve had legitimate reasons not to see her.”
“Not that she knows about,” I grumbled.
“Besides,” he continued as if he hadn’t heard me, “didn’t you guys get to hang out a few times earlier this week?”
“Yeah, we did. I just hope this time apart didn’t ruin that time together.” I sat back up, swallowed my fears, and texted her once more. I put my phone back in my purse. There was nothing else I could do.
When I looked back up, one of those extensive convenience stores with about twenty lanes for gas came into view. We were just a few miles outside of town. “When did that get here?”
“Wow,” Kyra said from the back seat, taking me by surprise. She’d fallen asleep the moment our tires had veered off dirt and onto asphalt. “You need to get out of La Fayette more.”
I smirked as she yawned obnoxiously. “Could we stop here for drinks?” Kyra muttered through the end of her yawn. “I think I need some caffeine.”
Patrick swung the car into the vast parking lot and then into one of the lanes. “May as well get gas while we’re here.” Patrick stepped out first as I grabbed my purse.
Kyra pulled a brush from her bag and began tugging through her mess of short brown hair. “You got a mirror?”
I dug through my purse for my compact and tossed it to her. “Here. See ya in there.” I stepped out of the car and twirled around to face Patrick on the other side. “Do you want anything?”
“Yeah, but I’ll be in short—” Patrick froze. His eyes suddenly flooded with horror and locked on something to my right.
I cringed and lowered my voice to a whisper. “Do I want to look?”
“It...it’s my dad.”
“What?” I spun around, not knowing exactly whom to search for since I’d never actually seen his dad. But the first thing that caught my attention was an ominous black silhouette that I was beginning to recognize almost as easily as Lucas. Once Donovan’s eyes met mine, I quickly looked away.
Only then did I notice the tall man with sandy hair less than a foot in front of Donovan. The guy must have been Patrick’s dad. He was an older version of Patrick—handsome and suave, despite an added unpleasant edge about him. He had also stopped in his tracks and was gaping at his son.
“What are you doing here?” he called out across the parking lot. His tone wasn’t completely hostile, but it wasn’t friendly either. He glanced at an incoming SUV and closed just enough distance between us so he’d be out of the way of traffic. “You didn’t tell me you were going anywhere.”
Being with a girl just outside of town early in the morning after having been gone all night must’ve seemed a tad suspect. But then I remembered his dad was anything but ethical. If he had suspected anything, he probably would’ve given his son a high-five.
“Well, you’re always gone on business, so I didn’t think telling you would matter.” Patrick had a strange mixture of pain, anger, and forced respect in his voice that made my heart break for him. Anyone who may have been listening or watching could’ve felt the unhealthy tension between the two of them.
Kyra finally stepped out of the car. “Iris, why haven’t you gone in yet?” Her eyes darted from me to Patrick, and in two seconds flat, she’d reached for her bag where her prism was stashed. When she saw for herself what we’d been staring at, her mouth fell open and she buried her hand deep inside her bag. Surely she wasn’t going to try something. I mean, it was Patrick’s dad whom he still had to live with. And Donovan, no less, whom I was fairly certain was impossible to kill. Otherwise, someone would’ve ended him already.
“Hello, Kyra,” Patrick’s dad said. Brief confusion discolored his face for a moment. “It’s been a while. Don’t you still live in Indianapolis?”
“Hi, Scott. No, we live in Lafayette now, too.” She attempted a smile, and, strangely, Patrick’s dad seemed to warm up to it as if seeing Kyra had brought back old memories of when things had been different. The way things were before Patrick had ditched the light warriors and Donovan had shoved his dad down a spiraling path of corrupt business practices.
“Funny I haven’t seen you around.”
“Well,” Patrick butted in, “you might have if you weren’t gone all the time.”
Ignoring his son’s comment, Scott continued his familiar conversation with Kyra. “So, are you two dating yet?”
Kyra stifled a laugh as Patrick rolled his eyes. “No,” she answered. “We’re not dating.”
“Oh.” Scott looked disappointed, which honestly kind of ticked me off. Had Patrick not told him about us?
“Actually...” Kyra gestured to me. “Iris is his girlfriend.”
Scott’s eyes drifted to me as though seeing me for the first time. He gave me a once-over appraisal. “Really?”
I wasn’t sure how to take that. Was he implying I wasn’t good enough for his son? Was he shocked that Patrick would date someone so beneath him? I quickly realized my assumptions were way off as he raised his eyebrows and nodded approvingly. Gross.
I shrugged off my disgust and then gaped at Patrick incredulously. “You never told him?”
“Yeah, well...” He put the gas pump back. “We don’t exactly talk much.” It was enough of an explanation, but his eyes told me more. He was ashamed of his father and didn’t want me around him. I didn’t blame him. Patrick motioned for me to follow him into the store, and Kyra fell in behind us.
Scott, seeing we were about to ditch him, hurried towards us and grabbed my arm. I flinched but didn’t jerk away as much as I wanted to. It wasn’t so much that he creeped me out—though he did. What made me flinch was Donovan. He was so close I could feel his evil escaping the confines of his menacing form. The waves of his darkness emanated towards me as he whispered into Scott’s ear.
Apparently Donovan knew I could hear shadows because I could tell he was blocking off the sound tunnel I was trying to open. But it didn’t matter. From the way Donovan glared at Patrick, full of spite and arrogance, I knew his scheming had to be bad. Donovan knew exactly where to hurt Patrick and wasn’t about to hold back any punches.
“Iris,” Scott said. “A word of warning. Stay away from Patrick. He may think he’s changed, but he’s still nothing but trouble and a bad influence. Trust me. I know my own son. He’s a bad kid.” He narrowed his eyes at Patrick. Although he directed his words to me, he made it clear whom they were really meant for. “In fact, he’s no better than his old man. I may not be the best father in the world or the most ethical person...” Scott released my arm and stepped closer to Patrick until their faces were inches apart. “But at least I’m not responsible for a young man’s death.”
Patrick’s countenance and entire demeanor fell as though his father had ripped out everything inside his chest and thrown it in the garbage right in front of him. Patrick closed his eyes without a word and lowered his head.
Patrick’s father began to walk off like their confrontation was over, but I was not about to let him end things like that. I didn’t care if what I was about to do was the right thing or not, I was going to give this jerk a piece of my mind. “Hey! He is a completely different person. Better than you will ever be. And just because he’s your son, doesn’t mean he’s some repulsive, despicable slime ball like you, someone so crooked he wouldn’t know the truth if it smacked him in the face.”
To my utter surprise and dismay, he didn’t gasp or glare at me or even hurl some insults in reply. Instead, he grinned. “I like this little firecracker you’ve got here, Patrick.”
Awesome. Instead of ticking him off, I’d won his approval.
He eyed Patrick with a cocky smirk that would have been more fitting for a rival than a father and then sauntered off.
Donovan, however, stayed back for the briefest moment, his black eyes raking me over just as Patrick’s father’s had. After regarding me with the creepiest, most disturbing smirk I had ever seen on a shadow, he hovered to Scott’s side and they both disappeared into Scott’s car.
I shoved aside the revulsion in my stomach and whirled back around to Patrick. There was a bigger problem at hand than my being grossed out by Donovan and Patrick’s dad. Placing my hands on either side of Patrick’s head, I forced him to look at me. “Patrick, don’t listen to him. That’s not you anymore. That person your dad was talking about? He’s long gone. A distant memory. Remember you’ve forgiven yourself for that already. I have too.”
He took my hands from his face and brought my fingers to his lips. But he said nothing. He remained silent all the way to the store.
I glanced at Kyra on the way and motioned to Patrick with my head. She understood immediately and quickened her pace. She caught up to him just inside the store and pulled him aside. Kyra was better at cheering people up than I was, with or without her aura. Besides, she’d known him and his father before. I had never met the guy until just then.
While she worked her magic, I took my time in selecting a drink from the long wall of caffeinated beverages. I finally grabbed on and then searched for Patrick. He was in one of the snack aisles alone.
I approached him cautiously, unsure how successful Kyra had been. “You okay now?”
“Yeah, I suppose.” He peeked at me without moving his head as a faint grin played on his lips. He returned his eyes to the chips in front of him. “Thanks for sicking Kyra on me.”
Luminous Spirits (Shadow Eyes Series Book 2) Page 20