“Loch wants a war and he will not stop until he gets it. He will continue to try to force you to join him or fight. You are the one missing piece that he has been searching for relentlessly. If you stand by hanging your head in sorrow, we will fail.” Her voice was steady and unwavering like someone who had lived in times far harder than this moment. She cupped her granddaughter’s cheeks in her strong hands, forcing Nicole to face her. “Then Loch will win, killing you, everyone you love and all of fae kind.” It began to rain around them, the red embers on the leaves of the willow hissed as beads of water rolled off them onto the ground, nourishing small green sprouts that pushed through the singed ground. “Time will keep moving even if you refuse to open your eyes.”
*****
"She’s waking up.” Sage’s voice was shrill to the point of being giddy.
The shuffling of feet on pavement met Nicole’s ears as the smell of burning jet fuel and rubber assaulted her nose. A soft hand caressed her cheek as it slid her hair away from her face. She could hear Rhys’ voice in her mind, “I fink the princess needs training beyond me knowledge, I’ve never seen a power like this. Please don’t die princess. You don’t know how much you mean ta me.” His thought was soft and full of worry, a side of Rhys Nicole never knew could exist in a man like him. Maybe he wasn’t all testosterone and lust after all. He was right there laying his life on the line to protect her. She remembered how he pushed her to dig deep in her efforts when she was training, even if his methods were over the top. If he hadn’t pressed her to do her best, then maybe they would have all died tonight.
Rhys’ words were overpowered by Luke’s inside her head, “Don’t give up Nicole, please. We can do this together. I’ve waited centuries for you and I be damned if I’m letting you go now.” His words reminded her of the moments before she had blacked out. The moment when all eyes were focused on her as she watched Spade pull the trigger, ending Kat’s life. If she had never allowed Luke to get close to her, he would have been worried about protecting Kat, the real victim, not her, and Kat would still be alive.
A soft palm cupped her cheek as fingers worked gently to wipe away the tears trailing down her hot face. The thought of her best friend’s bleeding and bruised body lying on the ground broke her down all over again. She rolled to her side on the pavement ignoring the pain of gravel digging into her skin as she covered her ears with her hands, as if that would keep the thoughts from tormenting her, and squeezed her eyes tightly shut as sobs shuddered through her body.
“We are all okay Nicole, thanks to you. Everything is going to be fine.”
Nicole’s breath caught in her throat as she tried to block out all the voices in her head along with the roaring and crackling of the fire from the burning jet. She let her hands fall from her ears as she strained to hear. For a moment there was nothing, not a foot step, not the wind blowing across the air field, only the sound of the blood pumping in her ears as her heart banged in her chest. “It can’t be,” she whispered.
Nicole felt a warm hand on her arm, “You saved me.” The whisper into her ear came from a familiar voice. She opened her eyes to see Kat’s smiling face looking back at her. She shook her head as she pushed herself up from the ground.
“How?” Nicole asked with wide unbelieving eyes. “You were dead, I saw you take your last breath.” She pulled Kat into her arms hugging her tightly then leaned back looking Kat in the face again.
Kat chuckled softly as she pulled Nicole back into a hug, “I don’t know how you did it. I just know you saved me. I knew you would…Through it all, I always knew you would come for me.”
Nicole pulled back, this time really looking at Kat, “Your arms and,” she turned Kat’s arms in her hands then pressed her fingers to Kat’s cheeks, “your face too, all of the bruises are gone.”
“You have the gift of the healing flame,” whispered Sage. “There has only been one other to possess that power…Queen Titania.” She looked over at Rhys and Luke then turned her gaze back to Nicole.
“Did you hit your head Nicole?” Kat snickered. “I think you should be more amazed that I’m no longer dead. I mean, I was dead and now I’m not.” She stressed the words as she stepped back, waving her arms across her body. “If you can bring back the dead, a few black eyes should be easy.”
Nicole laughed at Kat’s dramatic gestures as she leaned her head back looking up into the sky. The stars were shining brightly and the moon was full, lighting up the night as the fire burned around them. She studied the faces of Kat, Rhys, and Sage who were all smiling at her with pride beaming from them. They believed in her now even if she didn’t believe in herself. They would stand by her in the pits of hell if she asked and that scared her. She was the one who had put Kat’s life in danger and, if she didn’t finish this fight, she would be putting them all in danger again.
She looked into Luke’s hardened face with steel in her own eyes. Her heart jumped as pain coursed through her soul but she couldn’t let herself be close to anyone. The price was too high. It was time to throw away foolish dreams and along with them, the feelings for the man standing in front of her. Luke stood with stiff shoulders while his chin rose defiantly as if prepared for the fight of his life. Nicole knew he could follow the direction of her thoughts without her saying the words out loud. It was written on her face. In the darkness in her eyes and the fervor of her lips as she kissed him good bye. “Keep my dad safe.” She turned her back to her friends and her love, engulfing them in a swirling wall of wind as she walked away.
Note from the Author
Thanks so much to my family and friends for all of your kind words as I hid away, writing late into the night, to complete Burden of Blood. I hope you all enjoyed the story and will forgive me for my absence. I would have never reached my dream without your support and love.
Get To Know The Author
Author Wenona Hulsey is a lover of all things written. When she was a child, you could find her reading anything from Edger Allen Poe to the back of cereal boxes. Today you will find her with an ebook reader glued to her hands except for the times when she is writing or spending time with her family. She is also an avid social networker who loves to meet new people. You can friend her on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/WenonaHulsey, like her on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/WenonaHulseyAuthor or follow along on her blog http://www.wenonahulsey.com.
To see how Nicole’s story began look for the novelette:
Available on Amazon
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Note From The Author
Get To Know The Author
Burden Of Blood Page 17