“Jackson,” I whispered. “Get out of here.” I began pushing him back toward his Jeep. He wore his confusion on his face as he tried to figure out whether I was joking or not. “Seriously. I need you to leave right now,” I added, still listening to the sounds inside the house. “You're right. I'm not feeling well.” My voice came out as a hiss in the dark; more forceful than I'd meant, and Jackson was clearly wondering what in the hell was going on.
“At least let me help you get inside, and make sure you're okay,” he said. I winced at how loud his voice sounded with my senses still stretched. Despite that, I picked up the noise from behind us, in the direction of the jeep. A footstep; probably a lookout for whoever was inside the house. No! That meant there were at least three of them and without a doubt, the one outside was watching Jackson and me at this very moment. His leaving was now out of the question. I couldn't risk the Venator attacking him when he was alone. Only a few moments had passed; a couple of heartbeats, but my time for thinking was over.
I grabbed Jackson's hand and looked into his face. “Jackson, listen to me. You have to do exactly as I say. I know you don't understand, but we're in trouble.” My body was in motion now, and I pulled Jackson up onto the porch, keeping him behind me. Just as I heard the bodies coming toward me, I kicked the door the rest of the way open. It connected with the first man, sending him flying back a few feet into the living room.
This bought me a few moments, and I moved into the house, keeping to the left side of the living room. I could see them now; two Venator dressed in black. They both towered over me, and their bodies were bulging with muscle. The man I'd hit with the door was still surprised, but the other wore a scowl as he came toward me. Then, something happened that I wasn't expecting. One moment, Jackson was behind me and then the next, he was in front, his arm pushing me backward.
His kick hit the man with the force of a truck, and my jaw dropped open. My surprise only lasted a second, because the third man was coming in the door - the one from the street - and my body kicked into action. With a flick of my wrist, the door slammed behind him, and at almost the same time, my fist connected with his nose. While this might have put a normal human out of commission, to the Venator before me, it was only enough to stun him for a second. My eyes flicked to Jackson, and I could see that he was handling himself well. One of the men was picking himself up from the floor, and while I was wondering what Jackson had done to him, my attacker kicked, hitting me in the ribs.
The stab of pain took my breath for a moment, and then I was pissed. The red haze was tinting my vision, and with a few quick moves, I had my attacker pinned. His hand was around my throat, squeezing, but I quickly pulled myself up so that I could get a grip on his head. I slammed it against the wall and my attacker slumped, unconscious. Taking a few quick gulps of air through my stinging throat, I turned to help Jackson.
Only one of the Venator were still standing, and this one was obviously using magick. Jackson was kneeling on one knee, his hands covering his ears and an expression of pain on his face. The Venator was looking at me strangely, probably wondering why whatever he was doing wasn't affecting me the way it was Jackson. When I kicked him, it broke his focus long enough for Jackson to get up. Between the two of us, we dispatched the third man easily enough. This worried me. Typically, the Venator were deadly. The three men we'd just fought had gone down too easily, as if they hadn't even really been trying.
I sucked in air for a few minutes, and Jackson did the same. A million questions were running through my head, but I didn't have time to ask them right now. Jackson didn't voice the questions that were surely plaguing him, either.
“We need to get them to the basement,” I said, grabbing the arms of one of the men. Without commenting, Jackson helped me drag the men down the small stairway that led to the dark basement. It was still cool down there, despite the warm temperatures outside. When we got the third man down, one of them stirred, meaningless noise coming from his mouth. I took a deep breath.
“Okay, Jackson. Go upstairs,” I said, already preparing myself for what I was going to do.
“No. I'm not leaving you down here,” he countered, his amaretto eyes flicking from me to the men on the floor and back. I was only trying to protect him from me, from what I could do. But he'd seen me fighting. He hadn't even reacted to the magick that he'd seen upstairs. There was obviously a long conversation we needed to have as soon as I was finished, but I needed to take care of the hunters first.
“Fine. Get behind me,” I said. Thankfully, he followed this command, and just like I'd done in the forest that day with Everett, I threw my hands out to my sides as if it might somehow further shield Jackson.
The scream was aching to find it's way out of my small body, the red haze deepening in preparation. I felt the anger and adrenaline rushing through me, and then I screamed. The walls in the house shook, some old junk falling off shelves where it had probably been for decades. I could hear a startled exclamation from behind me, but the words didn't make sense. As each of the hunters disappeared into oblivion, I could sense the sparks in them going out. When I was finished, the three bodies that had been on the floor were gone, piles of dust in their places.
With the bodies went my energy. I felt as if my batteries had suddenly been drained, and the pain in my ribs intensified to an almost unbearable ache. I could feel myself falling, and a moment later, Jackson's hands catching me. There was a small moment of panic when I wondered if I was dying. I'd never taken on three hunters before, and definitely not when I was injured. Then the panic was gone, and I didn't care anymore. I could feel Jackson's arms slip around me as he lowered me to the floor, and I could feel the darkness tugging at me. It was beckoning me; cool and peaceful.
Jackson was pulling my shirt up, which was enough to make me fight the darkness a little more.
“Strong women turn you on then, huh?” I said, forcing my eyes to stay open.
Jackson shushed me, but I saw a corner of his mouth turn up, despite his seriousness. I felt his hands touching my ribs and I inhaled sharply. His hands were warm, though, and I felt the air shifting as magick was dispelled from him. Then I understood.
“It's not going to work,” I muttered. He must have had some healing magick like Charlotte. How I wished he would be able to do something for this incredible pain. It throbbed and--and then it was gone. My eyes flew completely open.
“How did you do that?” I asked, trying to sit up.
Jackson put his hand on my face tenderly, and gave me a full smile this time; a brilliant one.
“I told you I was different,” he said. That's when the darkness completely overtook me.
Chapter 11
I swirled around in my own unconsciousness, surfacing only long enough to have a realization or a thought before I was sucked back down under. Images kept flashing before me; playing cards, a guitar, the hunter's face as Jackson had kicked him. I lingered in this state for an indeterminable amount of time before I made a connection. Finally, I could feel my limbs moving as I fought to wake up.
“Bluffing!” I tried to shout it, but it might have come out as a mumble. That's what Erika had called it when you pretended the cards in your hand were something other than what they really were. “You were bluffing,” I said, as my eyes finally fluttered open. I was expecting the cool, damp feeling of the basement but instead I was hit with bright sunlight streaming in through the window. We were no longer in the basement, but in...Jackson's bedroom?
I squinted hard and tried to jump up, immediately embarrassed and ready to at least rough Jackson up a little. Firm hands gripped my arms gently, though, and my strength wasn't completely back, apparently.
“Settle down, Slayer,” came his voice from beside me. “I wasn't able to fully heal you. I managed to take care of the ribs and give you some of your energy back but that...thing you did took a lot out of you.”
My eyes were finally adjusted to the light, and since there was no immediate threat, I
followed his instructions and stopped struggling. He was stretched out on the bed beside me, and I quickly glanced down the length of him. Yep. His clothes were still on. He was gazing at my face intently, the sunlight making his eyes even more beautiful than usual. I imagined he was probably just as confused as I was.
“You brought me here?” I asked, even though it was obvious that he had. What was the reason? He could have just left me in the basement. Most people would have if they'd witnessed what I did.
“I was afraid more would come,” he answered, looking away from me. “I'm so sorry.”
For a moment, it was hard to look away from him. I had inadvertently become vulnerable in front of him, and he'd helped me even though he had no responsibility to do so. Now he was apologizing for bringing me to his house. I almost felt bad for thinking he might have had shady intentions.
Then, suddenly, a million questions were on the tip of my tongue. “Why didn't you tell me?” I asked. Pulling my shirt up, I looked down at the ribs that had been in so much pain after the kick. The skin there was smooth and white; no bruises, no tenderness. How was this possible? We'd proven over and over again that I was immune to magick. Even when my leg had been broken, Charlotte had tried to heal me and had been unable. Even if she'd been successful, her healing magick wasn't this...complete. I was sure at least one rib had been broken and now I was fine. I looked back into Jackson's face, unable to unravel this puzzle.
“Oh yeah. I usually walk up to beautiful girls and tell them that I'm part of some group of evil magick users,” Jackson said, furrowing his brow. Evil. Of course. He'd been around humans too long and now he shared their ideas that Wise Ones were horrible or unnatural. This irritated me to the core. He had made a point, though. He'd had no idea I was a Wise One. He would have had no reason to tell me he was different than other humans. “You didn't tell me either,” he added.
I gazed at him for a moment, still unable to believe that Jackson was actually like me. Was that the reason for the strange attraction I had to him? “Actually, I did tell you,” I countered. I'd said I was an assassin. Sure, that didn't really count, but I was overwhelmed enough to be grasping at straws right now.
Jackson smiled. “That's right. You did, didn't you? Would you like to explain exactly what happened to those men in your basement?” He wrapped his fingers around a strand of my hair and added, “Or how you did it, or why you were so shocked when I healed you...or what you're doing here?” His face held a loaded expression that I couldn't identify when he added that last part. Before I could attempt to answer him, my cell phone rang. It was still in the pocket of my pants, and I grabbed it quickly. It was Ivanna. Boy, did I have some things to tell her.
“Ivanna?” I said, sticking the phone to my ear.
“Olivia,” she said, and I immediately heard the panic in her voice.
“What's wrong?” I felt a sense of dread, wondering if there had been a Venator attack there as well.
“Olivia, I want you to listen closely. Margaret has seen that they're coming to Staves; the Venator. They must have followed Everett at some point and then reported it. She thinks there are only a few, but those will report back and more will be on the way. We're getting ready to leave now, but I wanted you to be--”
“Ivanna,” I interrupted. “Margaret wasn't seeing a future attack. She was seeing something that has already happened. They were already here. I had an...uh...encounter last night,” I said. I didn't add that it would have been nice if she'd have seen this yesterday and called then.
“What?” she practically shrieked, disbelief in her voice.
“It's okay,” I said. “I took care of it. There were three of them. They're gone now.”
“You fought three of them by yourself, Olivia? You could have died!”
I glanced at Jackson, wondering how to explain the situation to Ivanna. I didn't have a chance, though, because she kept talking.
“Do you think they were able to contact anyone before you...took care of them?” She asked.
I tried to think back. I know they hadn't had a chance to call or contact anyone during the time I hesitated on the walkway at the house. I didn't know about before that. Then I remembered something. When Everett had visited me at Stallott's, we'd both heard something in the direction of the woods. Had they been there, watching? Did they follow me to the house at some point and just assume that Everett would be there with me? How had they found the house in the first place?
“I just don't know, Ivanna. I don't think so, but I don't know,” I answered honestly. “But I don't want anyone coming here. You stay there and keep Everett there.”
Ivanna was quiet for a moment. “Margaret is getting closer and closer to figuring out why they want Everett. They're searching for him; looking at Wise Ones closely for some sign that it's him before they try to take him, apparently,” she said.
I thought about the Venator and how they fought last night. Maybe they were trying to keep us alive. Maybe they hadn't known whether Jackson was Everett or not, and maybe they were trying to make sure before they...what? Captured him? Forced him into slavery? I shuddered. That's the reason they'd gone down so easily.
“They don't know what he looks like?” I asked.
“Apparently not. I don't know for sure,” she answered. “In the meantime, I want you to do exactly what you've been doing. Don't call attention to yourself in case more Venator show up looking for Wise Ones. It's important that you look as human as possible, and for the love of the Goddess, don't use your magick.”
“Okay, Ivanna. But promise me that you will stay there,” I said. I didn't tell her that I felt immense relief at the fact that the Venator were looking in Staves. That meant they weren't looking in Eagleton where my family was. “I can handle them if more come here.”
She sighed. “Be careful, Olivia. I know you're immune to the magick, but you're not immune to physical injuries.”
I stayed quiet, not telling her that apparently I wasn't immune to all magick.
She paused a moment and then said, “Don't worry, Olivia. We'll figure out what's going on and get you out of there soon.”
“Oh sure. I can come home if I'm in danger of dying,” I said sourly.
“Just remember that every decision I've made is because I love you.” With that, she hung up. I closed my eyes for a long moment, feeling tension in my neck and head.
“I guess there are some things you and I need to talk about,” Jackson said. I opened my eyes and saw the alarm clock by his bed. It was three-thirty.
“Yes,” I said. “But first, please tell me. Jenny and Erika? The others? Are they...?”
“No,” Jackson said. “Everyone else here is normal.”
I breathed a sigh of relief that Jenny wasn't wielding any supernatural powers. Or Paula.
“I don't understand what is going on here. I don't know why you're not part of a coven or how your magick worked on me last night. There are a lot of things to talk about but right now we have to go to work.”
I sat up and looked at Jackson before continuing. “I know you don't know me, but my brother is in a lot of trouble. The hunters are looking for him, and I need to keep him safe. In order to do that, you and I have to pretend to be as human as we can, which means we have to show up at work like normal.”
“The hunters? The men that were in your house?” Jackson asked, clearly confused.
“Yes. They want my brother, and I have to save him. I don't expect you to help me, but it's what I have to do.”
Jackson let go of my hair and sat up as well. “So, for now we just sort of let things sink in, and we'll talk later? There's so much I want to know.”
“Oh, we're definitely talking later.” I absent-mindedly rubbed my hand across my ribs again. “Hey. Thanks for what you did. For helping, and for...well, everything.” I guessed he could have left me in the basement with the piles of dust rather than bringing me to his house, or he could have left my ribs bruised and broken. But he chose to he
lp, and I was pretty grateful about that.
Instead of replying, Jackson leaned closer to me. When his lips were nearly touching mine, our eyes locked. His thumb brushed my cheek lightly, and then our lips met. This kiss was very different from the one we'd shared last night, and despite the haze I'd had from the alcohol, I remembered it well. This time, his lips tenderly pressed against mine, and lingered so that when he finally did move away to look at me, I was breathless.
Even with all the thoughts flying through my head, I recognized that this was the closest I'd ever been to someone else in this way. I fought hard to collect my thoughts after that kiss, to rally my nerves enough to get ready for work. Every cell in me hoped that those hunters hadn't had the chance to contact anyone. That might mean a delayed arrival of more. Delayed, because surely others would eventually come to check for their fallen brethren.
Before lifting myself off the bed, I said, “Jackson, there's just one more thing. I don't know who else knows about you, but I'm hoping all of this is something that can stay between you and me.”
“I've already told you that your secrets are safe with me,” he said, “and I trust you.” I gazed at him a moment, wondering whether it was really safe to trust this man I didn't know, and then I nodded.
We agreed to go together to my house to collect my work clothes, and although my nerves were stretched, there were no other surprises. After a bit of arguing back and forth, Jackson agreed to me taking a quick shower as long as he was on guard outside of my bedroom door. Standing under the hot water, I realized that I'd gone from thinking Jackson was an oblivious human to him being my...what? My ally? I liked to think that I was a pretty tough girl, but as I put on my work uniform, I couldn't deny being glad that I wasn't alone last night, or today.
I had thought that being at work that night would distract me the way being around the humans normally did. Instead, it made me more tense. I found myself looking at the door all night long to make sure no muscle-bound Venator were walking through it. I doubted the Venator would attack in such a public place, but if we'd really pissed them off, who knew?
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