The Defender (The Elkavians Book 1)

by S. H. Magillian

  The sunlight woke Samil up. Alexis’s mother would be up any moment. He had to leave. “Al,” he kissed her head, “I must go.”

  She opened her eyes to look at him. He was handsome. “What time is it?”

  “I’m not sure. It must be around 6,” he said anxiously. Having Anna finding him in Alexis's bedroom was far from being a good thing. He had to leave.

  She sat. “I want to go after it,” she said firmly. She had to take control of her life. She would make destroying the amulet her priority.

  “Tell your mom the truth, and we will be free to go whenever you want.” He got up trying not to show any sign of excitement. She was too sensitive because of what had happened between her and Ethan, any change in his behavior could trigger distrust.

  She got up and got close to him, their bodies almost touching. “Thank you,” she said sweetly.

  “My pleasure.” He wanted to deviate his eyes to avoid losing control and kissing her, but the way she looked at him made him uncontrollably desire her. He was about to lean in when they heard a noise.

  Perfect timing, mom, she thought sarcastically. She touched his chest, her hand ran to the nape of his neck, and her fingertips softly scratched him. “I’ll talk to her. Will I see you tonight?” she asked sensually.

  “Yes,” he answered promptly. He wanted to touch her, but he feared not being able to hold it back if he did. He walked to the window and left without looking back. He couldn’t let his feelings control his actions. There was too much at stake.

  Alexis could barely believe he had spent the night in her room and they hadn’t kissed. She would fix that later that day. She left her room and went straight to the kitchen. “Morning, mom,” she said calmly.

  “Good morning, Al. It’s early, go back to bed,” said Anna warmly. There was no need for Alexis to be up so early.

  “We need to talk. Can you take the day off?” Alexis asked firmly. She had to talk to her mom as soon as possible, or else she might not have the guts to do so.

  Alexis’s request surprised Anna. “What happened? Were you attacked?” she asked worriedly.

  “Mom, if I needed only 5 minutes, I wouldn’t ask you to take the day off, would I?” she asked seriously.

  “Watch that tone, miss,” Anna reprimanded. “I’ll make a phone call.” She got her phone and left the kitchen. It didn’t matter if she could find someone to replace her or not, she wouldn’t go to work, that was for sure. Never had Alexis asked her to miss a day of work. Luckily for her, a colleague would be able to do her shift. She got back to Alexis. “We can talk now.” Anna sat on a stool. She was tense. Whatever Alexis wanted to talk to her about, it could not be anything good. Her heart was racing; her hands started to sweat.

  Alexis stared at her mom for a while. She could feel that the amulet was not in Grasslin, so she had no other option but to leave with Samil. Therefore, she had to deliver the truth to her mom, even though she had no idea how she would do that. One thing was for sure, she could not simply abandon Anna without explaining her reasons.

  “Al?” Anna was getting more and more nervous. She wondered what could possibly make Alexis hesitate like that.

  “I know why I was attacked.” Alexis saw Anna’s eyes wide open staring at her in shock. “Mom… I… Dad… You…,” she was hit by a dozen of different feelings: fear, anxiety, pain, sorrow; her hands burned. She closed her eyes. She would have to suppress some of it, the other part she would let free to express in actions what she was unable to put in words. She directed her power to a glass on the kitchen island breaking it into hundreds of tiny little pieces, startling her mom.

  Anna wished she was able to say something, anything, but even though she opened her mouth, no sound came out of it. She started to repeat to herself that there was a rational explanation for what had just happened.

  Seeing that her mom refused to believe that she had broken the glass, Alexis directed her power to fix it. She watched an incredulous Anna stand up and cover her mouth with her hands. “I’ve recently found out that dad was like me, but of course that happened after I found out that I was like this. It’s all very recent.” She decided to give her mom a minute before she continued. She understood that Anna would need some time to process all that information. Actually, it would take her mom a lot of time to deal with everything she was about to tell her. She decided to give Anna the information that she believed was the most important for her happiness. “He wrote the letter, mom. It was not Morgan. I am not a hundred percent sure why he did that, but he did it,” she said firmly.

  “Al…,” Anna murmured, tears rolling down her face.

  “Trust me, mom. He did it. I’m truly sorry, but dad had a lot of secrets, and that was certainly one of them,” she said forcefully.

  “What were the others?” Finding out that Scott had been the one responsible for her breakup with Morgan was not easy, but discovering that that was only the tip of the iceberg was even worse. She wanted to know everything Alexis knew about him.

  “I’m still digging, but he was an Elkavian, a creature responsible for the protection of a magical amulet,” said Alexis not so firmly anymore. She felt ridiculous saying that sentence. Creature? Magical amulet? It was hard to believe what her life had turned into. “This,” she looked at a chair and threw it against the wall, “is real”.

  “Gosh… I… I….,” Anna shook her head. That conversation was more than she could handle.

  “Mom, look at me.” Alexis walked to her and held her hands. “I love you, and I know you won’t be okay with any of this anytime soon, maybe neither of us ever will, but I can’t talk to you about it in parts. Time is against us.” Unfortunately, Alexis could not wait until her mom had digested everything she had said before continuing. She had to be ruthless.

  “What does that mean, Al?” Anna was confused and lost.

  “I must leave for a few days, maybe a few weeks,” she said in a low voice, aware that she would break Anna’s heart.

  “What? Why?” Anna felt as if everything she had was being taken away from her. The memories she had of Scott had been ruined, her daughter was leaving town, and the world around her was something she never thought could be real.

  “I need to destroy the amulet before it destroys everything and everyone I love, including myself.” Alexis hoped she had chosen the right words to make her mom understand how urgent it was that Alexis left as quickly as possible.

  “Al, you can’t simply leave everything behind. What about school?” Anna immediately felt stupid for asking that question.

  “Mom, have you heard a word I said?” she asked, perplexed. “Magical amulet,” she pronounced each word slowly and emphatically. “I won’t make it to prom if I don’t go after it. I won’t make it to college if I don’t learn who my enemies are and how to defend myself properly. If I stay here, I’ll do nothing but put us both at risk. I don’t have a choice,” said Alexis gravely.

  Each sentence was like a punch in Anna’s face. She felt as if she had been knocked out. There was nothing she could do but let Alexis go. She couldn’t hold her there, not under those circumstances. Tears wetted her face. “Thanks for telling me the truth, Al,” she said sincerely.

  “I love you, mom.” Alexis hugged her. She knew she was hurt and she wished she could stay and comfort her.

  “When are you leaving?” Anna murmured.

  “Tomorrow morning,” she said firmly. Samil had said they could leave whenever she wanted, and she wanted to go as soon as possible. She would try to track the amulet as soon as she went back to her room. “Mom, go talk to Morgan. We can be together later.” Alexis wanted to be there for Anna in case her conversation with Morgan didn't go as planned. If there was one thing Alexis had learned with the recent events in her life was that people were unpredictable, no matter how well she thought she knew them.

  Anna simply nodded. Alexis wouldn’t have to insist. She missed Morgan too much and knowing that he had told her the truth made her desperate to g
o after him. On top of that, with Alexis gone, she would need him more than ever. She got her car keys and left.

  Alexis got her phone and texted Samil. “I talked to her. We’re leaving tomorrow morning. Meet me tonight.”

  “I can’t wait,” he replied almost immediately.

  She smiled. She couldn’t wait either. Deep inside she thought she should be scared, insecure, but all she felt was excitement. There was something about having Samil with her that made her feel indestructible. She got to her room and sat on her bed. It was time she tried to connect to the amulet. She closed her eyes unsure of what she should focus on to try to track it. She cleared her head and took deep breaths. If she were right, they had been bonded since the day she was born. She just had to let it get to her.

  Alexis's hands started to burn. She felt an acute pain in her chest; it was so strong that she thought she was having a heart attack. Her phone started ringing, but an unknown force didn’t let her open her eyes or move a muscle. She was paralyzed. Excruciating pain caused tears to roll down her face. She felt a bone in her leg break.

  Ethan opened the window and jumped into Alexis’s room. He had to help her, or the amulet would kill her. A protective shield stopped him from getting close to her. “Al, open your eyes,” he begged. He doubted she could hear him. “Al,” he shouted. He tried connecting with her, but her mind was a fortress. He closed his eyes, gathered as much of his power as possible and directed it all to the shield which seemed weakened by his attack. He touched it and screamed. The pain inflicted on him was unbearable. It wouldn’t allow him to touch her. He could hear her bones breaking one by one. “Alexis!”

  “What are you doing here?” asked Samil, threatening. He was surprised to see Ethan in Alexis’s bedroom.

  Ethan stared at him. “You. This is all your fault,” he said angrily.

  “What exactly is my fault?” asked Samil, intrigued.

  “It is killing her!”

  “I wonder if you are really so unprepared or if you fake it that well,” Samil raised his eyebrows. Ethan didn’t answer. “She can hear us, I know it, you know it. You weakened the shield, so she would know you are here, right?”

  “I’m trying to save her.” Ethan couldn't believe Samil was ignoring the fact that Alexis was in pain only to accuse him of being taking advantage of the moment.

  “From what?” Samil asked calmly. He watched the shield regain its full power. She could no longer hear them. “You can stop pretending, Ethan. She can’t hear you anymore.”

  “I don’t know what you are talking about. If we don’t do anything, she will die,” said Ethan desperately.

  “Man, you are good,” said Samil sarcastically. “Why would the amulet kill her? It needs her,” he said, this time not so arrogantly as before. Ethan seemed truly hopeless.

  “It is breaking her bone by bone.” Ethan heard his voice tremble in desperation.

  Samil fixed his eyes on the shield. He could barely see Alexis inside. “Is it?” he asked worriedly.

  “Yes. We gotta do something,” urged Ethan.

  “Why would it hurt her?” asked Samil, confused. “It makes no sense.”

  “We don’t have time for this. We must run.”

  “Sure,” said Samil seriously. “I will try to nullify it for a few seconds. Pull her out of it,” he said firmly. He didn’t wait for Ethan’s answer. They had no time to lose. He touched the shield with both of his hands and took control of it. He felt it tear him apart, but he stayed still. He had to save Alexis. He couldn’t fail her.

  Ethan held her and pulled her out. All the bones he touched were broken. She was soft, her skin pale. He laid her on the floor and gently caressed her face. She was still breathing, but faintly. “Al, can you hear me? I’m with you,” he said sweetly.

  Samil got on his knees, his hands closed. Never in his life had he felt so much pain. He wanted to scream, but that would waste his energy, and he needed everything he got to save Alexis. He was still unable to understand why she had been attacked. He would have to figure that out later. He crawled to her, his legs weak, his vision blurred. “Leave,” he hissed to Ethan.

  “What?” Ethan asked incredulously.

  “Leave,” Samil insisted. He had already given Ethan a one-in-a-life-time opportunity when he had weakened himself to let Alexis free from the shield. He was not willing to do that again.

  “Are you seriously worried about making yourself vulnerable in front of me right now? Is that what concerns you the most?” Ethan asked furiously.

  “I’m not a fool, Ethan,” said Samil enraged. “How convenient is this situation for you?” he asked accusingly.

  “Are you going to let her die?” asked Ethan, perplexed.

  “Are you?” Samil frowned. “Why don’t you save her? Use your magic. Save her,” he challenged.

  “I’m not strong enough,” he said in a low voice.

  “Aren’t you? I have doubts about that.” For the first time, Samil thought that he might have underestimated Ethan.

  “Not everyone is like you.” Ethan wanted to punch Samil, but they were wasting precious time arguing. The truth was that he needed Samil whether he liked it or not. He kissed Alexis’s forehead. “I’m with you,” he whispered in her ear. He stood up and left.

  Samil hurriedly isolated the room. No one could come in; no one could hear a word he said; he was safe. He stroked her head and got closer to her, the tip of his nose running from her neck to her ear. “Baby, I got you.”

  “Samil,” she said almost inaudibly.

  He smiled. The fact that she had responded to him brought joy to his heart. “I’m here. You’ll be okay.” He placed his hand on her chest and let all his power flow to her restoring each of her broken bones. She gulped for air and opened her eyes. “It’s okay, Al,” he said reassuringly.

  “Samil.” She hugged him and started crying. “It tried to kill me.”

  “Did you track it?” he asked straightforwardly. She was safe; they had no time to waste.

  Alexis was confused. She didn’t expect that reaction from him. “Yes,” she answered.

  “Good. We must destroy it before it gets to you again.” He saw she was suspicious. “If Ethan and I were not here, you would be dead by now, Al.” He caressed her cheek; his right hand went from her chest to her hair. “I can’t imagine losing you,” he said warmly.

  “You won’t,” she said sweetly. He had her in more ways than anyone or anything else had ever had. “Is Ethan gone?” She had to show her gratitude to him, after all, he had helped Samil save her life.

  Samil raised his eyebrows. “I think he’s outside,” he said seriously.

  Seeing that Samil was not pleased with her interest in Ethan, she felt the need to explain herself, “I just want to thank him for being around despite everything that happened last night.”

  “You don’t need to justify yourself to me, Al. You are free to do whatever you want.” He tried to sound gentle, but words came out harsh.

  “I know I am.” She looked deep into his eyes. “I am so free that I can justify myself because I want to even if I don’t need to.”

  “I know,” he murmured.

  “Are you jealous?” she asked incisively.

  He gave her a lopsided smile. “Perhaps, but don’t worry, I won’t try to kill him,” he said maliciously.

  Alexis wanted to be upset, but she couldn’t help finding his loss of temper cute. She never thought she would see him jealous, but there he was, failing to play it cool. She touched the nape of his neck and slowly pulled him closer to her. She softly bit his lower lip; her eyes fixed on his. “Please, ask him to come in.” She smiled.

  Samil giggled. “You are mean,” he said, amused. “I can be mean too, you know?” he asked lasciviously.

  “Oh, I know,” she whispered.

  He slowly ran his left hand from her waist to her neck, his fingers ran through her hair and pulled it a bit, then he gently kissed from the lower part of her neck to her ear,
nibbling it lustfully. Her body responded to each of his moves. He was pleased. He stood up and walked to the door leaving Alexis speechless. He smiled and winked sensually. “I’ll see you tonight. Get some rest.” He heard her snort as he left. “She wants to talk to you,” he said to Ethan.

  Ethan was bothered that Samil seemed so happy; that happiness should be his. He took a deep breath and walked into Alexis’s room. She was already sitting on her bed. “How are you feeling?” he asked, concerned.

  “Sore. Every inch of my body hurts,” she complained.

  “I imagine,” he said sympathetically.

  “Thanks for asking,” she said sweetly. “Thanks for being here for me.” She instinctively touched his hand. She noticed that the look in his eyes changed. That touch was not interpreted by him as a blunder which was all that it was. She took her hand off his and looked down. “What were you doing here?”

  “I am supposed to take care of you, remember?” he said sadly. It was better to tell her that than to say that he was there watching her because he was having a hard time dealing with the fact that she didn’t belong to him.

  “There are no words to express how thankful I am for that,” she said sincerely.

  “I am too. I wouldn’t be able to handle losing you…,” he swallowed hard. “I mean, seeing you die.” He looked at her; she was more gorgeous than ever. He desperately wanted to caress her hair, kiss her lips, make her his. He got up and walked to the door. “Did you hear me while you were paralyzed?”

  “No, I heard nothing. I mean, there was a moment when I heard both Samil’s voice and yours, but I couldn’t understand what you were saying. I was completely numb.”