A burst of discordant music ripped me from his arms.
I sat up in bed and turned off my alarm clock, feeling disoriented at finding myself in my bedroom instead of in the forest. Although I’d considered going back to sleep and searching for Re’Vel in my dreams, I reluctantly stumbled out of bed. Alisa and I had plans and I didn’t want to disappoint her.
Alisa’s eyes were puffy when I picked her up. She was clearly not a morning person and looked like a bag lady in her saggy sweats and grass stained tennis shoes. She seemed way less excited that morning than she did when we’d made our plans the night before. We planned to drive over to the school and run the track—that way we could record exactly how many miles we ran and could build from there.
The mid-February morning was cold and damp from a light drizzle the night before. Our tennis shoes were already soaked from our short cut through the grass. We stretched for several minutes before walking once around the track. As we started around the second time, we jogged lightly, then finally began running on the third pass. Alisa was slightly ahead of me as we passed the section of track that bordered the thick, dark woods.
Without warning, a man shot out from the thick trees, knocking Alisa sideways. She stumbled and fell hard on one knee. The attacker started toward me and I swerved to avoid his grasp.
“Don’t let him touch you,” Alisa screamed.
The Hunter and I faced each other. Alisa came up from behind him and launched her body full force into the back of his knees, startling him and knocking him to the ground. “Run, Rachel,” Alisa screamed again. “Listen to my thoughts.”
I immediately focused in on her pleading message. “The Hunter won’t hurt me, but he will hurt you. He can kill you just by touching you. Let me try to distract him long enough for you to make it to your car. As soon as he realizes you’re running, he’ll come after you, so don’t look back to see if I’m okay. Now, go.”
I hesitated long enough for the Hunter to get back on his feet. Alisa was right. She was like an annoying fly buzzing around his head for all the attention he paid her. His red eyes focused on me, and only me.
“Jace,” I screamed through our link. “We’re being attacked. Help us.”
“Where?” Jace demanded.
“The school,” I shouted back, once again focused on Alisa. She leapt onto the Hunter’s back, her fingernails clawing at his eyes. He howled. I started to run toward the parking lot. If I could just get to the car, I could run him over. I sprinted toward the pavement, Jace screaming in my head the whole time. He and Abe were on their way.
“Try to keep running. Don’t let him touch you no matter what,” Jace warned.
I refocused on Alisa’s thoughts. “Rachel, keep going. Don’t stop. I’m fine.”
As I reached the car, I turned to face the track. I threw myself into the car and pushed the button to lock all the doors. The Hunter wasn’t on the track anymore. He was just a few feet away from the car as I turned the key. Alisa was running after him, still trying to keep him from me. As the Hunter reached the driver’s side door, I threw the car into reverse. I couldn’t risk hitting Alisa by putting the car in drive, so I decided to lure him away from her. I reversed slowly, speeding up as he reached the car, then slowing down just long enough to keep him in pursuit.
The Hunter’s angry howls rattled the car windows. No horror movie character ever conceived made such a monstrous and blood-curdling sound.
“We’re almost there,” Jace shouted in my head.
“Hurry.” The Hunter turned away from me and started walking back toward Alisa. Too late, I realized this seemingly mindless creature was smarter than I’d thought. Ruled by hunger perhaps, but not too stupid to try to get me to follow him in order to save my friend. Smart enough to know that’s exactly what I would do to help the person who had tried so hard to protect me. I stopped the car and opened the door.
“Rachel? What the hell are you doing?” Alisa yelled.
“Hey, over here,” I shouted at the Hunter. He looked at me and continued toward Alisa. Clearly, he meant to lure me away from my car. Alisa crouched down low and waited for the attack. The Hunter ran toward her. There was no way she could survive a collision with the huge monster. He was at least a foot taller than her and had to outweigh her by two-hundred pounds.
I staggered in shock when Abe instantly appeared between Alisa and the Hunter. He clutched something in his hand, and when the Hunter crumpled to the ground with a river of red pouring from a wound in his chest, I realized Abe had stabbed the creature.
The sound of a car engine and squealing tires screeched across the parking lot only a moment later. Jace drove across the pavement and through the grass, stopping a few feet away from me. He leapt from the car and ran to me, scooping me up in his arms as I cried against his chest.
Abe asked, “Alisa, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. He barely touched me.”
“Take the girls to the car,” Abe shouted to Jace. “Your mom will be here in a minute.”
“Is he dead?” I whispered.
“Probably. Dad will make sure he is,” Jace replied. He stroked my hair and I clung to him, enjoying the feel of his strong arms around me. “I’m so sorry, baby. I should have come with you this morning. I’ll never let something like this happen again.” He gently placed me in the passenger side of my car.
When Alisa reached us, Jace grabbed her in a hug that seemed to go on forever. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“Just a bruise on my knee, maybe. Jace, I’m fine. Go help your dad.” Alisa seemed embarrassed by Jace’s tearful display.
I watched through the passenger side window as Abe inspected the body of the Hunter. Abe lifted him by his feet and dragged him into the woods with one hand. The expression on his face was grim. Jerica’s car pulled up as Abe returned to the parking lot. She was near hysteria.
“We need to leave, Jerica,” Abe announced. “We’ll talk at the house.”
Jerica cooked breakfast while the rest of us cleaned ourselves up. Alisa was covered in mud and had to borrow a jogging suit from Jerica. We gathered at the kitchen table for breakfast, all of us speaking as little as possible. Abe seemed angry, cold. He was the first to break the silence.
“What the hell happened?” he asked, turning to me. “Why weren’t you wearing your necklace?” Abe’s voice was loud and intimidating.
“I am wearing it,” I stammered, reaching under the neckline of my shirt to show Abe the pendant.
“Abe,” Jerica cautioned.
“Dad, don’t yell at them,” Jace broke in protectively. “They were just jogging. People should be able to go for a run without being attacked. It isn’t Rachel’s fault.”
“Rachel isn’t like everyone else. She needs protection, and the necklace she wears is only part of that protection.” Abe’s voice was softer, but still firm. “I’m not mad at you, dear. And I’m sorry I accused you of leaving your necklace behind. You’re not used to living the way we are. You’re not used to having to worry about Hunters. But I’m going to be honest—you two girls could have been killed. It’s as simple as that. The protection your necklace provides is limited. If you’re not going to agree to let us provide a Protector—or at the very least, train with Jerica so you can learn to mask your magic—there’s not much we can do to protect you.”
“Fortunately, you were able to get in touch with Jace and he was able to call me for help. If Jace hadn’t been able to contact me, if he’d been forced to come alone, he could have been killed too. With his lack of training combined with yours, you and Jace are a tragedy waiting to happen.” Abe wasn’t mincing words and Jerica was letting him have his say.
“Sorry, Dad,” Jace mumbled. “I’m going to train hardcore. I swear.”
“Yes, you will,” Abe snapped. “You know me. I’m all for having fun and enjoying life. But now it’s time to get serious. How long has this communication between the two of you been going on?”
May as well
put it all out there. No more secrets. “Since November. We were able to communicate even while I was in Atlanta. Jace’s ability is limited to reading my thoughts. I can get into nearly anyone’s. We are both able to use Persuasion.”
“In what way?” Abe asked, sounding concerned.
“We can persuade people to do what we want them to do. It isn’t something we’ve tried very often and I’m not sure how effective it is. I got out of a speeding ticket a couple of times, and Jace got out of taking a quiz.” I felt so petty and shameful admitting that I’d used God-given talents in such a way. I was scared to look at Jerica, afraid I’d see disappointment in her eyes.
“That’s a very dangerous thing to do,” Abe said. “Not only for the people you’re trying to influence, but dangerous for yourselves as well. Anytime you mess around inside someone else’s head, you are taking a serious risk.”
Jerica broke in with a question of her own, and I was once again impressed by her perception. “You said you could get into nearly anyone’s head? Who is the exception?”
“My brother, Jeffrey. In fact, the block on his thoughts was so powerful, it almost knocked me out. Literally. It took every ounce of will I possessed just to keep myself from passing out,” I said.
“That’s because of the tattoo. His magic is blocked, so it’s inaccessible to all but the one whose Mark he bears,” Jerica explained.
I thought about mentioning Bryce. I’d tried to get into his head back in December, but most of his thoughts were clouded by anger and unhappiness. I was pretty sure he wasn’t Demon Marked, but I couldn’t penetrate his mind. Of course, I couldn’t very well ask his parents to explain this.
Abe sighed. “Look, I didn’t mean to get so upset, but if we are going to keep everyone safe, we need to agree there can be no more secrets. That goes for Jerica and me as well. There are some things you need to know, Rachel. Maybe if we’d been a little more forthcoming, you would have been more careful.”
Everyone looked visibly relieved over our agreement to be totally open and honest with each other—everyone except Alisa. I could tell she had a secret, one which she was unwilling to reveal. I decided to talk to her later and give her a chance to explain what she was holding back. If that didn’t work, I vowed I would take matters into my own hands. I would use my gift to find out if what she was withholding could threaten the family in any way. Wasn’t it odd that I now felt like I was part of this family?
Abe insisted Alisa and I phone home and make sure it was okay to stay over for a while. He said he had a lot to tell me and would need a couple of hours of uninterrupted time to do so. My mother was irritated I’d stayed out so long and hadn’t yet finished my weekend chores. I begged and promised her the moon. She relented after a couple of minutes, mostly, I think, because she had to leave to go over to the church and didn’t want to waste anymore time listening to me whine.
After clearing the table and tidying up the kitchen, Abe and Jerica spent the next two hours answering all my questions in great detail. I learned that Hunters were traditionally created by Demons to serve as a sort of Army. Most Hunters had since broken from their ancient allegiance with their Demon sires and they run free, stealing magic anywhere they can find it. When they can’t find a Spellbringer to feed from, they siphon energy from regular humans.
“Like vampires?” I asked Jerica.
“Not exactly. Well, maybe in a sense. They can steal energy from a human without ever touching them. The human is usually unaware of the encounter and just thinks they’re coming down with a flu or virus. They’re back to normal in a few days.”
“So they’re like psychic vampires,” Alisa said.
“That’s a good way to put it, I suppose.”
“It’s really bizarre to think there are magical creatures roaming around right under our noses,” Alisa said. “How do Hunters find clothes? Or food to eat? Do they eat food? Where do they sleep at night?”
Jerica chuckled. “You have to understand that most Hunters are hundreds of years old. Most were fathered by a Demon and mothered by a human or Spellbringer.”
“That’s gross,” I said. “Do they grow up like a regular kid? What makes them the way they are?”
“Hunters were never normal. At birth, they’re small and human-like, but no one could ever mistake them for human,” Abe said.
“Yeah, the glowing red eyes and creepy-ass growl probably gives it away,” Jace said, laughing.
“Hunters aren’t nearly as mindless as some Spellbringers would like to believe. They’re ruled by hunger and instinct, but they can be very cunning,” Abe said.
“I think we witnessed a little bit of that today.” I shuddered in remembrance.
Jerica cut in. “Like I said, most Hunters are ancient. They were trained by their Demon sire and taught everything they needed to know for survival. To get back to Alisa’s question, Hunters are smart enough to find clothing and food. They’re like animals, so they sleep in the woods or in the middle of a field. In cities, they’re probably mistaken for homeless people. Hunters will feed on rats, mice, squirrels, rabbits—anything they can find—and they aren’t particular about cooking their food before they eat it. Hunters aren’t susceptible to heat or freezing temperatures, so they are very adaptable. Basically they roam the earth in search of magic.”
“What exactly is a Spellbringer?” I asked. “If Hunters are created from Demons, how were we created?”
“We’re descendants of an ancient group of people known as the Fae. Demons are an offshoot of the Fae…”
“Sort of like Fae gone bad,” Jace interrupted.
Jerica rolled her eyes at her son’s bad joke and continued. “Demons willfully chose a path of darkness. They broke away from the Fae long ago. Few remember—or care to admit—that there is little difference between our ancestors and the Demons who are our enemies. Long ago, the Fae began to mate with humans, and Spellbringers came to be. The Fae died out, or perhaps went into hiding thousands of years ago, and now only Demons, Hunters, and Spellbringers remain.”
“So, this is it? I mean, there aren’t any fairies or gnomes…” I trailed off feeling like an idiot.
“To the best of my knowledge, we are the only magical races who remain,” Jerica replied. To my great relief, she wasn’t laughing at me.
“Does that mean there used to be fairies?” Alisa asked, sounding cautiously excited.
“There are stories,” Abe said. “I believe humans have their own myths and legends too.”
“True,” she agreed.
The room fell silent and I thought about what I’d just heard. Everything Abe and Jerica told me made sense on some deep, psychic level. Perhaps it was good that Abe and Jerica waited a while to tell me all of this because I don’t think I would have believed any of it at first.
“Are Hunters immortal?” Alisa asked.
“No, but they do lead long, long lives. Demons are very close to being immortal. They age very slowly. It takes thousands of years for them to age five human years.”
“If we’re descendents of the Fae, why aren’t we immortal?” I asked.
“Because over time, our race has intermarried with humans,” Jerica replied. “Would you really want to live forever? Forever is a long time.”
It made me feel more connected to the world we lived in to know I had an expiration date just like everyone else. I didn’t want to be too different.
“What exactly is the role of a Watcher or Warrior?” I asked, trying to grasp the hierarchy of this organization of magical people.
“I am a First Watcher,” Jerica explained, her pride evident in the way she sat up just a little straighter. “I supervise other Spellbringers in the area and report any troubling findings to Central Headquarters. My Watchers cover a certain area, looking for Hunters, Shifters, and Innocents.”
Jerica continued. “Abe trained as a Warrior—just like Bryce is doing now. A Warrior’s job is to eliminate Hunters and Demons. It is a dangerous job, and not for ev
eryone.” She paused for a moment, and I knew she was thinking about Royce, her oldest son who died in a training accident. “Not only is it a path you choose with care, but one which is handed down from generation to generation. Abe gave it up when he married me and became my Protector.”
“Is that how he killed that Hunter so easily?” I asked, trembling at the memory of the attack that happened just a few hours before.
“Yes,” Abe replied. “Jerica contacted Central, and a group of Warriors are headed into town to dispose of the body.”
“Are they staying here, Dad?” Jace asked. His excitement revealed a deep fascination with those who shared his birthright.
“No. If something goes wrong, their trail would lead back to this family, and we can’t risk that happening.” Abe’s confidence was reassuring. I imagined that he had a lot of experience in such matters before marrying Jerica.
Spellbound (Spellbringers Book 1) Page 17