After Sundown: Illumination

by Eden Robins

  Jason looked at his watch. Three more minutes. Malcolm had asked him to give him a five-minute window after Daniel disabled the home alarm system. The fairy said he would need that time to “detect and decode” Xander’s spells. Malcolm had said that it never took him longer than three minutes to neutralize a safeguard spell but some spells were more complex than others and since Xander was so powerful they had all agreed to give Malcolm an extra couple minutes to figure it out.

  The minutes passed like hours. Jason kept thinking about Rebecca and his mother. Were they okay? Were they hurt? Were they scared?

  Thirty more seconds. Twenty. Ten. Five.

  Right on the second Jason strode forward, through the doorway, without issue. Good. Malcolm had done his job.

  As he walked into the kitchen, Daniel appeared and Malcolm right after him. They both gave the thumbs-up sign and Jason nodded. They moved through the house silently. Digby had described exactly where to find the basement door. Entering the guest bedroom on the first floor, Jason turned to the right and found the closet door. He’d started to open it when Malcolm grabbed his arm and shook his head.

  Jason understood.

  More security spells.

  Jason nodded his head and he and Daniel moved back, allowing the fairy room to do what he needed to do. Malcolm closed his eyes and raised his hands, palms out, as if feeling the air around the door. He would need a few minutes.

  Impatience boiled up inside him but Jason knew he couldn’t lose it. He tried not to think about what Rebecca was going through. He tried to keep focused on one thing and one thing only. Saving his woman, his heart, his love.

  Rebecca.

  His light and laughter.

  She would be okay. He knew it. His spirit told him so. He didn’t doubt it, just as he didn’t doubt the fact that his mother was still alive. Their connection was strong. He would have felt it if she weren’t.

  He needed to stay on task. Save Rebecca and find his mother. He could do this. He would do this. There were no other options.

  Malcolm finally motioned them forward and they silently moved ahead. The doorway led to stairs taking them down to the basement. They descended slowly, separating themselves by several steps so that if one of them were attacked, the others could prepare. It was standard procedure, each of them taking their positions without thought.

  Jason took the lead, as was his right. This was his gig and they all knew it. And if Xander did attack, Jason wanted to be the one to take him down. Dim lighting along the walls showed them the way. As they reached the bottom of the stairs Jason noticed the instant change in his environment. It no longer looked like the average upper middle-class home. Xander wasn’t hiding what he was truly about down here.

  Heavy wooden doors lined the walls, each without windows, and with locks on the outside. Jason thought back to his “conversation” with Digby. He had pinned the goblin by his neck against the wall outside of Twice Charmed, holding him in place while he waited for the answer to his questions.

  The goblin’s gray skin had darkened as he struggled for breath.

  “Tell me what I need to know, man, and this ends right now,” Jason had demanded.

  “I told you everything,” the goblin had gasped, straining to get air into his starving lungs. “It’s a dungeon down there. It’s all bad. He uses his basement as a prison and torture chamber. The people that end up there never leave. They die there. But their deaths are usually very, very slow and very, very painful. That’s it. Now let me down, gargoyle.”

  Jason had released the goblin, letting him slide to the ground. Digby had fallen to his knees, rubbed his neck, coughed and gulped air into his lungs. He’d bent over, making choking noises until his breathing finally returned to normal. When he’d finally raised his head he had glared at Jason in a way that told him the goblin would gladly kill him if he could.

  “We still have a deal,” Digby had croaked in a hoarse voice. “Don’t forget it.”

  “The deal was that you tell me everything I needed to know, willingly, goblin. You didn’t do that,” Jason had reminded him.

  Digby had grinned then, but it hadn’t been pleasant or friendly. It was dangerous and deadly. It had changed the sniveling, pitiful, droopy-eyed creature’s face into one filled with menace and malevolence.

  “Where I come from, that was willingly, gargoyle,” he had replied. “Now do we still have a deal?”

  “Just one more question. How can you be sure my mother is there?”

  “That’s easy. I saw her there. She was being drugged and tortured,” Digby had explained with a kind of relish that sickened Jason. He had heard goblins enjoyed hardcore S&M, and he had no problem with consenting adults making their own choices. But when it came to his mother, now that was a different story. Rage had filled him and he had taken a threatening step toward Digby.

  The goblin had noticed. In fact, his smile had widened and excitement had filled his gaze.

  “And could she scream. Your mom has one set of lungs on her, bro. And I don’t just mean the kind you breathe with either.”

  That had done it.

  “You son of a bitch,” he had roared, rushing Digby without thought. The goblin’s taunting grin had been the perfect target as Jason pummeled his face with his fist.

  “Thanks for the information, bro,” he had said savagely as Digby finally slipped unconscious to the ground.

  Coming back to the present, Jason put feelers out as he, Malcolm and Daniel passed each closed door. He would know which one his mother or Rebecca was in. His instincts never lied and his connection to each woman was so strong he knew he wouldn’t miss them.

  Unfortunately, opening his senses in that way allowed other people in as well. The agony and despair he felt passing each room was overwhelming. What the hell was Xander doing down here? Once he located his mother and his woman, he needed to find out. Then he would get help and set the wizard’s other prisoners free.

  Xander was even more sick and twisted then Jason first thought.

  He was taking the bastard warlock out as soon as possible.

  Rebecca was taking Xander out as soon as possible.

  If she hadn’t been ready to do it before, she was now.

  The appearance of Jason’s mother had pushed her over the edge.

  After a couple of hours on her own in the small room Rebecca had finally gotten a hold of herself and put things in perspective. Instead of going crazy without her powers, as she’d first thought she would, she discovered a way to find her power through a different channel. She didn’t have to conjure her witchcraft outside herself. She didn’t have to depend on outside sources to bring that power to full force. Everything she needed to defeat Xander was already inside her.

  Rebecca had spent the first hour finding her power again. She had meditated and allowed her mind to wander to all the possibilities. Despite the fact that the inhibitor was still in her system, the sleep drug Xander had given her had finally worn off completely. And as her mind cleared, her plan had crystallized as well.

  She had once done a show about women’s power. Rebecca would never forget it because it addressed so many of the issues she’d encountered growing up. A child development specialist and a child psychologist had discussed the power a woman holds inside herself from the time she is very young. As children, girls and boys both have a strong and true latent power inside. It’s a power filled with confidence, joy, courage, hope, love for others and, just as important, self-love.

  Unfortunately, the experts had explained, as a girl changes, grows and transforms into a women her development sometimes takes a detour, and that detour sometimes leads her to giving up her power. This transition into adulthood can be awkward and confusing not only for her, but for others close to her, like her parents. But the males in her family, like uncles, fathers and brothers are often most affected because they don’t know how to deal with the changes a girl goes through during puberty. Having to view a girl as a woman brings out a whole ne
w set of rules, which the males closest to the girl don’t always handle well. Because of this, they often try to negate the feminine side of the developing girl and concentrate on other aspects of her, or even dismiss those womanly developments so they don’t have to deal with them.

  Alternatively, the female role model in the girl’s life, often the mother, sometimes does nothing about this because they feel awkward or they themselves went through the same thing as they developed. But what the show ended up being about was the fact that the latent power a girl once held can always be taken back, because it’s never really gone. It’s just hidden, deep inside. That little girl who felt like she could do anything, be anyone, and who loved herself is still there. She just had to be rediscovered. That kind of power is one that can’t be inhibited by anything or anyone else, unless the woman allows it.

  As Rebecca called on that power now, she realized what Jason and her grandfather had meant about her possibly having latent powers she chose not to use, or had still not accessed. Understanding dawned, and as it did Rebecca closed her eyes and meditated, calling back to the little girl she once was. She gloried in that child in her, knowing that was such an important part of who she was. That power filled her, comforted her and brought her back to herself.

  Unexpectedly, the fact that the traditional pathways to her witchcraft were disabled somehow seemed to help the process because it cleared the air, allowing her to feel that latent power inside her without any distractions or other hindrances masking it. Now a different kind of energy filled Rebecca. Different from the witchcraft she usually practiced but just as powerful in its own way. And when Xander returned she would use that energy against him.

  She would end this thing between them once and for all.

  But when Xander opened the door and walked in she was thrown by who he was with. It was Jason’s mother. Seeing the similarities in their appearance, Rebecca knew right away that it was Jason’s mom. The female gargoyle didn’t walk into the room as much as she was dragged in by Xander. Once inside the door he dropped her on the ground like she was a sack of sand, oblivious to the fact that her head almost hit the hard floor as he released her. Luckily, the gargoyle lifted it a fraction of an inch just in time to prevent injury.

  Jason’s mother scanned the room warily. She momentarily met Rebecca’s eyes. The gargoyle’s eyes were guarded but also weak and tired. She was almost all used up. Rebecca nodded at her, trying to give her hope with one look. Her eyes widened a moment, as if she were shocked by Rebecca’s appearance, but then she shuttered her expression and continued to take in the room.

  Rebecca saw that Jason’s mother was injured. Her right shoulder was bare where the sleeve had been ripped away and blood slowly seeped out of a large gaping rip in her skin. The wound was red and swollen, with pieces of her shirt stuck to it. Obviously no one had offered this woman any aid, and from the look of the dried blood and slight scabbing around the edges this was no new injury.

  Rebecca’s gaze narrowed on Xander. Fury bubbled up inside her.

  “What is going on, Xander? What have you done to this poor woman, and why is she not receiving any medical care for her wound?”

  Xander shrugged.

  “Don’t worry about her, Rebecca. Shaina’s well-being is of little importance other than what she can do for us. And as long as she’s alive she’ll serve her purpose. I’ll make sure she doesn’t die, yet.”

  Rebecca held herself in check, barely. The power that was building up in her was strong and sure. She took a deep breath and held on. She needed to be in control, to really focus her energy to execute her plan.

  “And what purpose is that?”

  Xander’s grin was arrogant.

  “She’s going to take us to the other side, to the land of the Fae.”

  Rebecca looked at Jason’s mother. She was in no shape to take them anywhere.

  “What do you mean? This woman can barely move, let alone travel.”

  Xander shook his head and chuckled. “I love your naïveté, Rebecca. It really is quite cute.”

  Irritated, Rebecca didn’t bother to respond to his false flattery. She knew what he was about now. Just as she knew what he really thought about her.

  When she didn’t respond, he continued, “Although we’ll drag her along with us, this creature really doesn’t need to physically take us anywhere. This is a spirit journey for her. She will be our spiritual guide in the world of Fae, just like Chandra had her spirit guide when she found the stone. Shaina will guide you to the Stone and the Fae will hand it over to you. I’ve read all about it in the legends. You are the chosen one, Rebecca. The Stone will be ours. And once we have it we will marry, then rule the world together.”

  Rebecca shook her head. “I’m no Chandra, Xander. Whoever told you I am was sorely mistaken.”

  Impatience and anger flared in Xander’s eyes. He grabbed her arm, yanking her close to him. His hold was just a little too tight, painful enough to let her know who was in charge, or at least who he thought was in charge.

  “You’re right, you’re not Chandra. I know that. But you are destined for greatness, Rebecca, whether you want it or not. And I plan on sharing that with you. You and I will hold this awesome power in our hands and rule over every other creature on this planet.”

  The glazed look in his eyes and crazed expression told Rebecca everything she needed to know. If she hadn’t acknowledged it before, she knew it without a doubt now. Xander had gone around the bend and completely lost his marbles. In other words, he was totally, completely insane.

  It was time. She had to do it now while he dreamed of ruling the world with her, while he still thought she might be interested. She barely held back her shudder of revulsion. There was no other choice. She knew on a very basic level that if she refused Xander he would kill her. And then he would probably still try to use Shaina to get what he wanted from the Fae.

  Rebecca forced herself to relax. She pasted a soft smile on her face and widened her eyes. Sidling up beside Xander until her breasts were just pressed against his arm, she laid her palm on his chest.

  He stiffened slightly, staring down at her with a surprised expression.

  Rebecca gathered her strength and stared straight back at him without hesitation.

  “I’ve missed you, Xander. I didn’t realize exactly how much until this very moment. Until you starting talking about our power and ruling the world together.”

  Xander eyed her warily, confusion clouding his eyes. “You have?” he asked.

  She nodded her head, fluttered her eyelashes and widened her smile slightly.

  “Of course. You remember how it was between us. I loved being able to share all that I was with you. I couldn’t do that with anyone else in my family,” Rebecca said in a soft, breathless voice.

  Despite the fact that she was lying through her teeth, she tried to keep as close to the truth as possible. She had enjoyed being able to share her witchcraft with Xander. That connection between them, if nothing else, had been pure and true. And she was aware of the fact that Xander knew it too. That was the one area of their relationship that had been authentic—their love of Wicca and his ability to share that experience with her.

  Xander’s eyes softened and he smiled gently.

  “I miss that too, Becca. I loved that fact that I could connect with you in that way. That we could experience and talk about our craft so genuinely. No one else seemed to understand. That’s why I’ve wanted to stay in contact with you all these years. I’ve never met another person who understood me as well as you, or who I felt as connected with. You have a way about you that makes me feel like I can be all that I want to be with calmness and control. The wizard and the man.”

  Rebecca took a deep breath.

  It was now or never.

  She gently reached over and took his hand in hers. He looked startled for a moment but then glanced down to where they touched. When his gaze rose back to hers once more it was filled with longing and desire
.

  “I’ve waited so long for you to reach out to me. I tried to deny my feelings for you, tried to hate you and, yes, even destroy you. But in the end I knew deep down that by destroying you I would only destroy myself. I need you, Becca. Let’s join together as we were always meant to join and reap all the world has to offer us.”

  It took everything in her to move closer to Xander and give him what she thought was a shy, hopeful smile. She wanted to tell him what she really thought, to let him know how crazed and repugnant he was. His use of his powers in this way was unforgivable.

  She held back.

  Barely.

  “I’d like that, Xander,” she said, moving even closer until there was barely space between them. She placed her hands on either side of his head and brought his lips to hers. With a groan he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight against him. Their bodies touched at almost every point.

  Good. That was just how she wanted it. She needed full contact to get the maximum effect.

  Rebecca let her powers build, flowing smoothly along the new pathway she had created. The inhibitor didn’t activate. It couldn’t. It didn’t recognize what Rebecca’s body was doing.

  In the past she had seen and felt her powers as something outside her, something she drew in and used when necessary. It had always felt wonderful utilizing her energy in this way. Since she was old enough to practice her craft she had thought that was how her craft operated.

  But this felt better. So much better. It felt like she was finally complete because now she didn’t draw the power from outside herself, from others or from the environment, she drew it from deep inside her. From the well of power that had always belonged to her but she’d never known was hers and hers alone.

  This was her witchcraft.

  This was her strength.

  It was all inside her.

  That knowledge drove her forward to finish what she had started.

  Locking her hands behind Xander’s head, she slid her mouth softly along his cheek to his ear and began whispering the draining spell. He stiffened, suddenly recognizing what she was doing, and tried to pull out of her grasp. It was too late. She held on tight. She had to be physically touching him to finish the spell or it wouldn’t bind him.