by Allie Burke
He was quiet for a moment. “Kind of like, well, a bubble.”
“Good. Look outside the bubble. Don’t let it trap you inside. What do you see?”
“I see—” Elias’s body shook. “Whoa!—”
Jane laughed. “Ignore that. That’s me. Keep looking.”
“Trees. It’s raining.”
“Christian and Cam. Look farther.”
He didn’t pause this time. It was coming natural to him. “Bright lights.” Stars. “Blue.” Sky. “Now it’s just gray.” Elias opened his eyes. “Just two?”
Jane smiled. She didn’t play fair, it was a trick question. “Three. One is human.”
“You cheated.”
She didn’t laugh. All the violence, it was making her crazy, before it even started. She got out of bed.
“What is it?” Elias asked.
She shook her head. She opened the door, and called for Christian. He walked in, and closed the door.
“You’re gonna get them killed,” Jane said.
“They called me,” Christian answered, staring at everything but her face. She momentarily forgot about her short pajama shorts and skimpy tank top. She sighed, crossing her arms over her breasts.
“Talk them down?”
“I don’t think so,” he said. “They’re here for you.”
“Reckless,” she shook her head again. “Alright. We’ll be out in a minute.”
Christian nodded, only staring her up and down once more before he left.
“Who are they?” Elias asked.
“Friends. Come on. Let’s go be social.”
Chapter 23
Jane and Elias walked out the front door once Jane had changed into some jeans and a sweatshirt. Christian was pacing across the clearing, and the three guests were watching him. Cameron had temporarily stopped the rain. Everyone getting soaked was not exactly comfortable.
“La,” Jane greeted her friend with as much excitement as she could fake. She didn’t want them here. She didn’t want them dead.
Lana West looked back at her, her shiny brown hair breezing around her head as she turned. She was dressed in tight jeans tucked into knee-high, stiletto-heeled boots, and a beautiful pea coat. In the woods. Jane rolled her eyes. Diva.
“Jane!” She walked over as fast as she could without breaking her ankle, but she didn’t hug Jane right away. Instead she stopped right in front of Elias.
“And who is this fine gentleman?” she clicked her tongue.
Elias looked over at Jane. All was normal in this group of friends. Lana had already embarrassed someone.
“Ignore her,” Jane said. “She doesn’t bite.”
“How do you know?!” Lana smiled, stepped to the side, and softly hugged Jane.
Lana turned back to Elias again, and squeezed his bicep. “Mmmm,” she screeched, “strong and gorgeous.”
“Lana,” Jane scolded, “your husband is standing right behind you.”
“I don’t care,” she said, turning around. “Do I, hubby?”
“No, she really doesn’t,” Sean West grinned, stepping forward and embracing Jane in a friendly hug.
“Sean, La, this is my fiancée, Elias.”
Lana’s head snapped at Jane, and her curious eyes quickly found her ring. “Look at that rock! Let me see that.”
Jane held out her hand. “Tiffany’s?” Lana looked up at her. “Tiffany’s!” She looked over at Elias. “You have lovely taste.”
“She’s my woman,” Elias winked charmingly. “She deserves the best.”
Jane pressed her lips together, holding in giggles. He was showing her off.
A gorgeous young man walked across the yard. His brown hair was as shiny as Lana’s. Lana’s younger, human brother.
“Hey, Mark.”
“Hey, Jane. My sister pestering you?”
“What do you think?”
He laughed. “Good to see you,” his lips plumped, as if he was getting ready for a kiss. He was very sure of himself. Jane could never control her hormones when he was around. Enchanters were all beautiful, women and men. But this one, he was the sexiest human she had ever seen.
“You, too,” she succeeded.
Jane watched Cameron pull up in his truck. Her stomach growled. Louisiana chicken.
“Elias, will you show everyone inside? I’ll be right in.”
He kissed her cheek, and opened the door for the guests.
Jane went down the steps, and approached Christian.
“How are you feeling, love?” he asked her, his entire body bending as the words came out of his mouth. Jane didn’t hold it against him. It was his nickname for her for so long, it must be hard to break.
“Alright. What are you thinking?”
Christian pointed at the trail. “They’ll probably come in through here. They won’t chance getting lost.” Christian turned to the other side of the clearing. “Lana and Shawn can dim it from there. The path is narrow. If Cam can strike as they come in, I can advance, and you and Elias can hang back. Your man will probably come last.”
He wasn’t referring to Elias as her man. He was talking about Lewis.
“No,” Jane said.
He looked over at her accusingly. He was the only one who could make her feel so stupid. It angered her.
“Do you have a better idea?” he asked.
“I can’t protect him at his side.” Now she was talking about Elias. “I need to be in front. With you.”
“He should protect you,” Christian said calmly.
“He can’t. You know that.”
He looked to the other side of the clearing, the entrance. “Stupid,” he said.
“Stupid that you think you can take them all out by yourself.”
Christian looked up at the night sky.
“I won’t let you die for me, Chris.”
“It’s not your decision,” he said, and walked into the house, leaving her alone to figure out how she was going to protect both of them.
Elias looked over at the front door as Christian walked in without Jane. He scooted his chair back to get up and go outside, but she walked in soon after. She shot him a constricted smile, and walked down the hallway. He was sitting with Cameron, Lana, Sean and Mark. He had a plate of fried chicken in front of him, but wasn’t really eating it. Based on the “mmm’s” all around him, it must have been delicious.
He got up, and went to the back of the house. He found her in the second bedroom. It was also purple, but not so deep. Lilac bedding, glass tables, white candles. Annabelle’s room.
Jane sat on the bed, her face in her hands. She needed some space.
“Can I get you anything?” he asked her.
She looked up. “Some tea,” she whispered.
He nodded, and walked out. He boiled water with rosemary, ignoring everyone. His movements were robotic, his mind was too busy to pay any attention to his reflexes. He wished there was something he could do for her. The water bubbled, and he turned off the heat. He got a cup, found some tea in the cupboard, and brought it to Jane.
“Thank you,” she said, took it by the handle, and leaned her elbows on her knees.
As difficult as it was, he left her alone. He went to the living room, found Sean alone on the couch. He sat down next to him.
“How’s she doing?” Sean asked.
“Not that great.”
Sean nodded. “She doesn’t really like this. Weird. Most of us, we like the action, the challenge.”
“How do you all know each other?”
Sean shrugged. “Enchanters, we stick together. Makes us feel more human if were with others of our kind, I guess.”
“You guys really don’t consider yourselves human, do you?”
“What do you mean, you guys?” He laughed. “You are one of the Mother elements, aren’t you?”
“Mother elements?”
“Earth. Wind. Water. Fire. That’s you, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So, tell me. Do you co
nsider yourself human?”
“I did, I do. But my opinion doesn’t really count. My aura just formed an hour ago.”
Sean’s eyes widened. “What?! How old are you?”
“Thirty-five.”
Sean made an incredulous sound. “Dude. That sucks.”
Elias laughed. “Thanks.”
Sean was silent, so Elias asked another question. “Why is Mark here?”
“Wicked knife fighter,” Sean said.
Elias shook his head, remembering Christian’s knife. Did he just walk around like that with a knife attached to his belt? Yeah, he must have. Elias had no idea that Enchanters used weapons.
“Why not guns?” he asked.
“Not accurate enough.”
“What?” Elias was not about to profess his knowledge of guns, but most of them were made for accuracy, he thought.
“Auras have holes, but they’re tiny. To be as far away as you would need to be to hold a gun, you would never penetrate. Knives are personal. Up close, they can be more valuable than your element.”
Elias didn’t really have time to think about this, because there was a knock at the front door. A tiny lady stood on the porch. Her blonde hair was spiked around her head, and she wore a long dress. She carried a wooden case with a black handle.
“I’m here to see Jane,” she said.
“And you are…?”
“Brenda Cook,” she said.
That meant nothing to him. Well, if she was here to harm Jane, he would at least know her name. He waved her in, led her to the bedroom where Jane sat.
“Hi, Brenda. Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
“No, problem. You have quite a husky bodyguard, here.”
Jane laughed. The humor in it was nonexistent. “My fiancée, Elias. Elias, meet Brenda Cook.”
He shook the woman’s hand, and turned to walk out.
“Stay,” he heard Jane whisper to his back. He turned around, but stayed by the wall, giving Jane the space to do whatever it was she needed to do.
Brenda sat next to her, and opened the case. She revealed a lineup of knives of all different sizes and colors. Speak of the devil.
Jane picked two of the biggest ones, one with a red handle, the other purple. She held them up. They glimmered in the dim light of the room. They were obviously hand crafted.
“How much do I owe you?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Brenda said.
“Brenda, please—”
Brenda waved her hand in the air. “Jane, I cannot take your money. All your future orders have been paid for.”
I am leaving you everything I have, the letter said, you shall never have to work one day in your life. Annabelle. He wondered what she had done to earn enough money to support Jane her entire life. He didn’t think he would ever find out. If Annabelle was anything like Jane, she kept things like that to herself. Jane probably didn’t even know.
“Thank you, Brenda,” Jane said.
“Anytime,” she said, closed her case, and walked out.
Jane flipped the knife around in one ridiculously swift movement, holding the blade in her hand. Again, Elias wondered if there was anything she wasn’t good at.
He took it, not nearly as smoothly. “What if I wanted the pink one?”
She gave him a bare smile. “Only use it if you have to, Elias.”
“I was talking to Sean—”
“Ignore Sean,” she ordered. “He’s careless.”
“So who can I trust, then?”
“Me. Cam. And Christian.”
“I doubt that last one.”
“Christian is the most dangerous Enchanter here, next to me. He will kill ruthlessly, and he will kill quickly. But he will have your back, no matter what.”
They couldn’t have been talking about the same person. “That really doesn’t sound like him, Jane.”
“He will give his life, for anything he feels has more of a right to live than he. Make no mistake, Elias. He’s a Reed. It’s what he does.”
Chapter 24
Elias held Jane as she suffered another one of her energy attacks. He felt it this time. The house had gone quiet, so he guessed that everyone else had felt it, too.
“It’s time,” she looked up at him. “Kiss me,” she said.
“No,” he said stubbornly. “I won’t kiss you goodbye, Jane.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks. She said, “I love you,” and she walked out. He followed her. Christian, Cameron, Lana, Sean, and Mark stood in the living room, waiting for her. She removed several sticks of rosemary from a vase. She tucked one behind each of Lana’s ears.
“Alright,” she said, positioning herself in the middle of her crowd. Her voice was like the night Lewis was here, firm, angry. Jane was in control.
“Lana, Sean, you’re in back, right side of the clearing. You’re our assets tonight.”
Elias didn’t really think she meant what she said, about Lana and Sean being most important. That was Jane, trying to protect everyone. He wondered who would protect her.
She continued. “Mark, you’re in front of them. We need it dark. Don’t let anyone get to them.”
“Elias,” she gazed at him, her eyes suddenly greener, the bright love in them hypnotizing him. “You’re with Cam, in front. Cam,” she looked back at Cameron, “take care of my man. My little girl needs her father.”
Cameron nodded. “You got it, Janie.”
“Christian,” her voice died down to a whisper. “you’re with me.”
Christian didn’t say a word. Elias had seen him out there, pacing. He was sure Christian had plans to keep Jane back, just as Elias would have planned. Jane must not have listened.
“Let’s get this over with,” she said, and the seven Enchanters walked out the door.
The rain poured down on Jasmyn Lake like no rain Elias had ever seen in Washington: cold, hard, and vicious. He took up his position next to Cameron; Mark, Lana and Sean behind them. Jane and Christian stood in front, their hands intertwined. Elias looked behind him. Lana and Sean held hands as their aura’s formed around them, Lana’s white, Sean’s blue. Darkness drowned out everything except the colorful auras. He couldn’t even see Mark, but he knew that he was standing right behind him.
Elias looked ahead. Enchanters began pouring into the clearing, one by one, lighting up the night with their colored auras. Most were men, only a few women. Their eyes were lined with revenge, all here for one thing. The woman he loved.
Elias lifted his arms, but Cameron patted his shoulder. “Not yet. Half them fools’ll be dead in two minutes.”
As if waiting for Cameron’s cue, Christian and Jane stepped forward. Jasmyn loomed in front of the trees, one large wave swishing in the air, waiting for its command. Christian swung Jane by her arm, and she flipped over his head, landing in a crouch on the ground next to him. His aura sparked a bright emerald green, and suddenly there was debris everywhere. Huge cyclones of dirt and rocks circled every space, blocking everyone’s sight of the next person.
The rain poured harder, and then there was thunder. Elias looked over at Cameron. His silver aura protected him, but he was still. He looked back at Jane. She still stood crouched, her purple aura flickering madly.
Blue flashes brightened Elias’s vision. The angry Enchanters started dropping like flies. He looked at Jane again. Her hands went up and down, up and down, like she was pulling something from the sky. He focused on the blue. It was lightning. Jane was striking people down with lightning.
Christian held out his hand, and Jane took it. They killed gracefully, dancing with the elements. The earth cracked, trapping Enchanters inside. Branches broke off of trees, the wind picking them up and catapulting them, stabbing Enchanters in the heart. Waves crashed down, drowning them out with severe impact. Neither Christian nor Jane ever used their knives.
Eventually, it was just too many people, and the Enchanters ran around Jane and Christian, towards Elias and Cameron.
&nbs
p; “I’m gonna stop the rain,” Cameron said. “Do your thing.”
The rain abruptly stopped, and five Enchanters stood in a line across from them. Elias’s aura burned red around his body and he waved his hand across, burning every one of them with his fire. Elias felt no emotion. If he had to kill to protect Jane, that’s what he would do. Cameron nodded, and it started raining again.
Elias looked up. Bodies and blood covered the clearing. It felt like it had come and gone too fast, but there was no one else. The stars were bright again, as was the full moon. He scrutinized the area in front of him. He only saw Christian, standing in the middle, inhaling the death around him. Elias couldn’t see Jane. His head jerked around the clearing, searching for her.
He saw movement, and she emerged from the trees. She walked towards Christian. His back was to her. There was more movement, and Elias’s eyes twitched as Lewis Clarke appeared behind her.
“Jane!” he yelled, and he ran to her. Christian turned, just as Lewis sunk a sharp blade into her back. “No!” Elias screamed, still running. She was so far away.
Jane turned, and Elias saw the knife sticking out of her back. She pulled the knife out herself, dropping it to the floor. Blood curdled over the wound, reddening her clothing. Christian went to her, and handed her his knife. She grabbed her own from a sheath attached to her leg. Christian walked behind Lewis, got a strong hold on him, and held his arms back. Jane raised her arms, and slashed the knives into an X across Lewis’s face. His cheeks bled, she raised her arms again, and stabbed him in the heart with both blades.
She took a step back as Christian let Lewis fall to the ground. Her knees bent, but Elias finally reached her, and he caught her. He knelt on the ground, cradling her in his arms.
“Elias,” she said, placing her hand on his cheek, “I love you.”
“No,” he sobbed. “You can’t do this, Jane, you can’t leave me here.”
Her hand fell, and her limbs went limp in his arms. She closed her eyes. “No,” he rocked her, “please, no.”
Christian knelt down with him, his expression and body language perfectly calm. He gripped Elias’s shoulder. “Take her to the water,” he said. “Jasmyn will save her.”