by Hood, Holly
“It sure seems that way.”
“Well then, you’re not the person I thought you were.” He unscrewed the cap to his water and took a swig leaving me speechless.
I stood up, shaking my head as I walked across the kitchen, there needed to be some space between Slade and I before I did something I regretted later.
“You’re not the person I thought you were. How dare you say this to me!”
Slade stood up. “I think I just did.” He stepped in front of me. I backed up into the counter and crossed my arms. He stared down at me like I was a pathetic gnat. His teeth grazed at his bottom lip. I looked away from his stare down. He wasn’t going to get the best of me.
“You do a lot of things.” I muttered. The heat from his body reminded me that he was only inches from being pressed against me if he wanted it that way.
“Just tell me you wish you never met me that night at the concert.” Slade inched closer, his body pressing deliciously into mine. He cupped my chin with his fingers forcing me to look at him.
My heart pounded against my chest. “You were the best part of Cherry. And always will be,” I said as his lips smashed into mine, giving me the most powerfully charged kiss I had ever experienced.
I instinctively grabbed the back of his black T-shirt before I fell over the counter, but there was no denying what both of us wanted. His tongue toyed with mine, sending chills across my body. I breathed him in, savoring all that we once had, all that I wanted to hold onto.
I let out a moan as he lifted me onto the counter, knocking over Dad’s creamer and sugar. His hands dug into my skin, dragging me closer until my legs were wrapped tightly around him begging for more.
I fisted his hair, dragging my lips down his tense neck, wanting more of him.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Slade and I broke apart laying eyes on Hutch who obviously knew he had interrupted something. He ran a hand through his hair and turned away, waiting for me on the porch.
I dropped off the counter and headed outside out of breath and warm from our lip lock.
“What’s going on?” I asked. I looked through the door. Slade stood in the doorway arms crossed looking menacing. I couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t give us a few minutes alone.
And I couldn’t figure out what had just gone on between us. Why Slade suddenly wanted to jump my bones.
Hutch leaned against the railing which ended my daydream. “I wanted to check on you.” He left it at that. With Slade nearby it was hard to say much more.
“So far, everything is okay.” I bit my lip frustrated. “The mayor is really trying to change this town.”
Hutch raised an eyebrow, “the mayor?”
I nodded. “It’s sad someone would want to use somebody else to gain anything.” I hoped this was enough to get Hutch’s attention.
The door snapped open. Slade grabbed for my arm, but Hutch stepped in front of me. He didn't understand my message. I imagined the words in my mind and pressed my palm into Hutch’s back to gain a connection to him.
Tucker needs help. Audrey wants to get rid of me. I don’t know how, but I need your help, Hutch.
The connection was broke as soon as Slade shoved Hutch backwards. I jumped out of the way before I was smashed by Hutch’s massive frame.
Hutch caught himself on the railing before Slade took him down.
“Get out of here if you know what’s good for you. None of this concerns you.” Slade warned him.
Hutch ran a hand down the back of his neck. “I don’t want to see anything bad happening to Hope. I thought you would feel the same way.”
Slade shoved him again.
“Slade, stop it now.” I yelled.
“You don’t know anything about me.” Slade watched Hutch gain his footing yet again. He still wouldn't hit him.
Slade’s fist clenched, “you don’t know the first thing about my coven.”
“I broke away from my own. I did the wrong things. I made a lot of mistakes, but here I am. It’s possible. You don’t have to sacrifice the one thing you care about to get what you want.” Hutch nodded in my direction in case Slade wasn’t catching on.
Slade shot me a quick glance and returned his angry scowl to Hutch, “stay the hell away from Hope. This is the last time I’m nice about it.”
Hutch shook his head in disbelief. “You don’t get it. You’re a pawn just as much as Hope. Let her go. I'll keep her safe.”
I held my breath watching everything take place. Hutch was doing his best to talk Slade into letting me go. However, Slade didn’t seem to be budging. Slade let out an aggravated sigh and hauled off clipping Hutch in the face with his fist.
Hutch recoiled in shock. His face red with anger, anger I hadn’t seen before from him. “You’re lucky.”
“I promise you if you come around again that will be it for you,” Slade warned Hutch.
Hutch shook his head giving Slade what he wanted. And he left.
I wasn’t sure if that was the last I was going to see him. Hutch had promised he wouldn’t let anything happen to me. I prayed Hutch was as powerful as he seemed and that Slade's threats hadn't worked.
I looked at Slade. “Is he right? Am I just a pawn?”
“You really need to learn not to trust so easily. Don’t believe anything coming from someone with a lot of power.” Slade opened the door and motioned for me to go in first.
“He might have a lot of power, but at least he is doing good with it,” I countered taking a seat. I was starting to feel like a hostage.
“Who says I was talking about him?” Slade asked me, shooting me a mysterious stare.
Sense
It seemed like hours had passed. Dad still was nowhere to be found, and my brothers conveniently were gone like usual. I was starting to wonder if there was any hope for me.
I tried sending cerebral messages to Hutch to Karsen to anyone who could help me. But it was beyond me if it even worked.
Slade stood up bringing me back to life. “It’s time, let’s go.”
I stared at him confused but stood up. “How do you know?”
He took me by the elbow and led me to the door. “Just call it a feeling.”
***
It was dark. The moon followed reflecting on the ocean as we headed further down the beach and into Henry park.
There was a soft lull of mosquitos, in the distance, and a cool chill to the air.
I started to regret not leaving Dad a note. Something saying good-bye, or that I loved him, maybe just enough to give him peace if I didn’t come back.
I knew that Karsen was going to be kept busy by Kidd. He wouldn’t let her get hurt even if it meant trying to help me. I didn't know if Kidd would help me if it meant going against the coven or Slade. I wasn’t sure of anything.
Slade headed past his Rv, and through the empty field of trampled grass where at one time was the stomping ground for their concerts. The stage was gone; it was all vacant and eerie. He stopped in front of the fence. The fence where I had first realized just how desperate Slade was to be free of his problems.
And as he pulled the chain, and we entered, I gasped. There stood Audrey in the middle of a stone circle. Along with Tucker bound at the ankles and his hands behind his back, I was sure those were tied as well. His mouth was covered with tape, so he couldn’t scream for help. And he looked frightened and miserable.
Audrey clapped her hands at the sight of us heading toward her. Slade stepped over the circle, his hand still on my arm. I reluctantly obliged, my palms starting to sweat.
Audrey took me by the other arm; she pushed me down beside Tucker. His sweaty body touched mine; I pulled away. “What are you going to do?”
I looked at Slade. Slade looked at Audrey for an answer. He never said much when she was around creating chaos.
“Don’t worry your pretty little head,” she told me, she raised her palms to the sky and ignited the circle. Tucker’s muffled pleas were audible beside me.
I watched in fear
. Unsure if I wanted to try to object any further. Audrey only wanted me dead and gone, so Slade could be hers, even if he didn’t want her. They all wanted him, but nobody understood him like I did. Nobody saw the real Slade; they only saw him as something useful as a tool.
And I wondered if ever in Slade’s life he felt accepted, or really human, or loved. As I sat there, my skin starting to heat, the sweat starting to build with each flick of the fire, I realized that I was the only one who showed Slade love. I cared about him, and I wished he had seen that.
I wished he didn’t see me as a pawn like Hutch thought he did. I wished I had talked to my mom. I wished a lot of things, but one thing I would never wish was that I never met Slade.
We locked eyes for a brief moment. His expression changed.
Audrey drew a silver dagger from behind her back revealing its elegant carved blade. She extended her hand to Slade offering him the knife. I swallowed down my fear, my heart in my throat and fear coursing my veins, sickening my gut.
Tucker’s muffled screams and thrashing grew even louder as Slade accepted the knife. I didn’t know what to do or say to comfort him. I couldn’t even comfort myself. I held my breath watching Slade study the knife in his hand. His head finally shot back up. He nodded, pleasing Audrey. And as soon as she turned, Slade did something I didn’t expect.
Audrey let out a blood-curdling scream as Slade plunged the knife straight into her back. She fell forward onto her knees, her eyes huge, filled with alarm and panic. She turned and looked at Slade, the air literally escaping her as she tried to make sense of what just happened.
Slade turned on her.
I jumped to my feet and raced toward him. He grabbed hold of me, pulling me close.
“I couldn’t do it.” He said, letting out a sigh. “I would never do it. I hope you believe me.”
I nodded, pulling away so I could see his face. I grabbed him by the arm turning him away from Audrey’s pathetic body as it crumpled to the ground.
“I trust you. And I’ll always have faith in you,” I told him, squeezing him tightly.
Slade produced a small smile indicating his relief. As soon as I blinked things changed, Slade groaned dropping to his knees. I turned just in time to grab a hold of Audrey’s arm. The blade was inches from my face. She pushed and fought with everything she had left trying to stab me.
I ran back to Slade. He sat up clutching his side.
“Are you okay?” I tried to pry his hand loose from his side, but he refused.
“Don’t worry about me, it was a cheap shot,” he said, staring down at the blood staining his t-shirt.
I still was concerned. I never saw him look so vulnerable.
“I want you to untie Tucker and let him go,” Slade told me.
I hesitated, but got on my feet and made my way over to Tucker. I quickly worked him free from his restraints and pried the tape from his mouth. Tucker jumped to his feet, but he still couldn’t leave. He couldn’t walk through the fire that Audrey had set.
“I’m sorry this had to happen to you,” I told him. “I hope you believe me.”
Tucker refused to look at me. “Kill the fire, so I can go.”
“Tucker, Slade and you have had a lot of bad blood, but I promise you, he would have never hurt you.” I pleaded with him to understand. Somehow this anger between the two of them had to end.
“Kill the fire!” He snapped.
I flinched, closing my eyes and finally conjured up the right spell to end the fiery inferno. Tucker’s feet pounded the sand as soon as the fire died, he was gone, not wanting to understand anything about Slade or I. I didn't think he would ever change no matter what happened to him.
I didn’t know what caused Slade to turn on Audrey. I wasn’t sure if it was Hutch, maybe he had a hand in convincing Slade to do the right thing. Or maybe he was as powerful as he claimed, and he helped me like he had promised he would.
I didn’t know if I would see him again to be able to ask him myself.
Part of me wanted to believe Slade did the right thing on his own. That I was important enough for him to go against everything he was part of.
I turned around to find Slade lifting Audrey’s lifeless body.
“What are you doing?” I asked, confused.
“I can’t leave her laying here. It won’t take long before the coven knows something’s wrong.” Slade hurried toward the Rv and kicked open the door. He dropped Audrey onto the floor.
I shut the door behind me in a panic. “What do we do?”
Slade rubbed his hands together and placed one on Audrey’s head and the other he clamped around my wrist. I screamed in agony as searing pain filled my body. It seemed like an eternity before it ended leaving me depleted.
I dropped back against the wall. My whole body tingled. “What did you do, Slade?” My voice came out unsteady.
“I transferred Audrey’s power over to you,” he said standing up. “Now let’s get out of here.”
“If we’re lucky and make it out of here, we go on the run.” He squeezed my hand as we headed for the exit of Henry Park.
“What about Karsen and Kidd, and what about my family,” I asked in a panic.
I knew by Slade’s reaction seeing my family wasn’t going to happen after everything that occurred. Tucker now knew what we were, which meant the entire town of Cherry soon would too.
And Slade turned on the coven; he killed Audrey, and although I didn’t know what it meant, I knew it was bad for Slade.
Slade tugged me faster toward the gate. “We will find Kidd and Karsen on the way out.”
Slade stopped walking. He took me by the shoulders. “I promise you once things die down you will be able to talk to them.”
He searched my eyes for acceptance. I nodded. I had to listen to Slade, there wasn’t anything else I could do now. And I trusted him.
As soon as we left Henry Park the dark cloud that seemed to be hanging over all of us grew even darker. I gripped Slade’s hand in terror.
“Don’t panic.” Slade told me, as I stared at the entire police force and Mayor Sinclair, along with Tucker right by his side.
“Put your hands above your heads, and maybe we won’t shoot you,” the officer told us. Slade’s hand went up, followed by mine. This wasn’t anything I had experienced before, so I went along with Slade.
“It’s always better to go along with what they say,” Slade said starting toward them. “Sooner or later they will learn not to trust such powerful people.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What are you going to do?”
Slade smirked. “Who said I was talking about me? You’re the girl with the power of an evil dead witch.”
Contact Holly Hood at [email protected]