“We can put him in the basement,” Sadie suggested. “It doesn’t have a way out and he’s still here with us. We can get him some…food,” she said, food dripping from her mouth like it was poison.
I turned to Livvie, grasping her arms and facing her to me. “We have to do this, Livvie. We have to keep him safe…as well as ourselves. And the rest of Arrow Rock. He could turn people and not even realize what he’s doing,” I explained. She didn’t know anything about her heritage, and it made me so angry at her parents for keeping everything a secret.
She nodded, stepping back. I held one side of him tightly, while Aiden reluctantly held the other. Grandma and Sadie walked backwards, with Livvie directing their steps, until we went through the hall and found the basement door. Opening it, they stepped inside as we guided him to keep facing them. We moved in a circle, Sadie and Grandma moving a bit, then Aiden and I moving Kyle a bit. Finally, he stood just inside the doorway, while we all made our way out. My heart was heavy when I moved behind the door, intending to slam it at the first possible second.
“Now!” Grandma shouted, dropping her hands. I slammed it shut, coming in contact with Kyle’s strong force. An unearthly scream filled the house, and I saw the tears and fear in Livvie’s eyes. Aiden joined me, both of us pushing on the door with all of our weight.
“Let…me….OUT,” Kyle bellowed, his voice deeper and more desperate than I’d ever heard.
We pushed harder, and I gathered my energy, throwing it into the door. It slammed shut, and we rushed to lock the outer deadbolts.
We all sighed. Sadie leaned against the hall wall, sliding down and hugging her knees. Aiden moved to her side, crouching down to comfort her. The horrible pounding echoed throughout the halls.
“That was horrible,” Livvie cried, holding me tightly.
“It was. We’ll help him,” I promised.
“I can make a blood concoction, to hold him over until we can figure something else out. It’s been used for centuries to control vampire’s thirst,” Grandma suggested, turning to go to her work room.
“Before you go…,” I said, stopping her. “Livvie and I have something to discuss with all of you.”
“Oh, I forgot,” Grandma said. “Let’s go to the kitchen. I’ll gather your mother and father.”
I glanced at Sadie and Aiden, knowing what I was about to say would put even more worry and strain on them. What could I do? I had to tell them about the dream, about what I knew. Aiden needed answers. And I, unfortunately, had a few.
Olivia
We all stood awkwardly around the kitchen, Scott’s parents and Anna sitting at the table. Aiden and Sadie looked absolutely exhausted, physically and emotionally drained. I knew how they felt, all too well. I shifted my weight, feeling uneasy yet eager to hear what Scott had to say. He still hadn’t told me.
“I was visited by The Crimson Calamitous while Livvie and I rested,” he started.
Well, he just jumped in head first, didn’t he? I clasped our hands together, hoping the nearness gave him the courage he needed.
The “what’s”, “Why didn’t you tell us”, and “Oh crap’s” started flying around the room. I held my hand up, hoping to calm everyone so he could continue. “I don’t know anything either, so let’s let Scott tell us what happened,” I suggested.
The room quieted down, all eyes on us. It was worse than a presentation at school, six sets of eyes staring at us, waiting for our next move.
“He wanted to talk to me about Aiden…” he said, focusing his attention on him. “I know what the council meant now. He said…you’re the elite. I don’t know what it means, but he promised he’s coming for you. I don’t know how to stop it. He terrorized me in the dream…he kept showing me…” he paused, giving me a sorrowful gaze. “He showed me Devlin and your dad, Livvie. They’re all working together.”
A collective gasp rang out, and Anna stood quickly. “We have to stop this.”
“I’m not finished, Grandma,” I told her, nodding back to her seat.
“I’ll stand,” she said, Her face was tight, her voice shaky.
“He said he was coming for Aiden soon, whatever that meant, and kept taunting me that Livvie would be his. He insinuated your dad promised him you would be, Livvie. I don’t know how or what it meant, but I think he may be working with them as a way to get to you.”
I groaned, letting my face fall into my open hands. Could this get any worse?
Scott pulled me close, his hands gripping and caressing my arms and back. “It will be ok, love.”
“Is that all he said?” Sabrina asked. She wasn’t as happy and perky as usual. Her eyes were sad, and I imagined her heart heavy.
“Pretty much. The rest of the torture was him telling me we would never beat him,” I admitted, growing angry at the memory.
I tightened my grip on him, smelling the outdoorsy scent of his soap on his skin. Everything about him comforted me, excited me. I couldn’t let this tear us apart, destroy one, or both of us. I couldn’t. We couldn’t. I sighed against him, closing my eyes for a moment’s peace.
Sadie
Everything was falling apart. Kyle was locked in a basement, for crying out loud. And now my brother was being visited by the evil sorcerer who wanted Aiden and Livvie, and would stop at nothing to get them.
I sunk to a seat, feeling Aiden’s presence beside me. I peered up at him, curious about his sudden show of attention. Ever since the council meeting, he’d been more attuned to my every emotion, my every need.
“Let’s go to the living room and relax for a few minutes,” he suggested, “You look drained.”
I nodded, taking his hand and letting him lead me to the other room. I didn’t care about the curious looks, the surprised gazes, or the questions I knew would come later. I needed time to think, time to not think, I didn’t even know, honestly. I needed Aiden.
It was like a punch in the gut, realizing I needed the boy. We sat inches from each other on the couch, and he still held my hand in his. “What’s wrong, Sade?”
I leaned my head on his shoulder, smelling trees and peppermint. He smelled…calm. If that was even a way to describe it. A sense of serenity washed over me after inhaling, slowing my fast beating heart, evening my breathing. “I’m worried, Aiden.”
“Hey, I’ll be alright. I’m the elite, remember?” he joked. I heard the tension behind his words, the small shake they held. He was scared, just as I.
“What does that even mean?” I wondered.
“I wish I knew, Sade,” he sighed. He leaned his chin on my head, his breath hot on me. I snuggled closer, enjoying his warmth, his closeness.
We snuggled for a while, until he suddenly pushed me off him. He closed his eyes tightly, rubbing them wildly with his hands.
“Aiden?” I asked, instantly worried about his well-being. He was being strange…not opening his eyes and thrashing about.
“Aiden!” I yelled, hoping to grab the attention of other family members.
Grandma, Olivia, and Scott reached me first. Grandma pushed me out of the way, with Olivia holding me close, trying to comfort me with soft words and hugs.
Aiden suddenly stopped, laying there silently and motionless. I inched forward, ignoring the protests, and sat by his side. Taking his limp hand in mine, I caressed it, hoping he was ok. His body twitched, and I sunk back. Something was very, very wrong.
He opened his eyes. Gazing at me with a smirk on his face, I gasped. Where his amazing, beautiful blue eyes once were, were dark, menacing gray orbs. He glanced around the room, chuckling to himself, before pulling me to him by my chin.
“You are a pretty little thing. He has good taste,” he said, making my insides coil. “I’ll see you again, Sadie Baby.”
Before Scott could get to him, before Grandma could stop him,and before I could register what exactly just happened, he disappeared, laughing and leaving his echoing words throughout the house. “I’m baaaack.”
Other Titles by Felicia
Tatum
The White Aura
The Vessel
White Aura Book 4, coming Spring 2014
Mangled Hearts
Masked Encounters, coming October 2013.
About the Author
Felicia Tatum was born and raised in Tennessee. She always loved reading, and at the age of twelve began writing. Her passion for creating stories grew and in May 2012, she finally wrote her first novel, The White Aura.
She still lives in Tennessee with her daughter and her kitty. She loves cooking, books, and animals are some of her best friends. She watches a lot of Disney channel and often dreams up new book ideas. She's currently working on various projects, including the rest of the White Aura Series, the Scarred Hearts Series, and a novella series. Her dream is to write as many books as possible while entertaining as many people as possible.
www.feliciatatum.com
www.facebook.com/feliciatatumwriter
www.twitter.com/sassybrunette55
Acknowledgments
I want to thank you for reading my book. This is the third in the series and when I started writing this, I never imagined people would enjoy it as much as they do. It’s a wonderful feeling and I’m so, so blessed and thankful my journey is so great. Writing is a part of my soul and I’m happy to share that piece of me with you all.
A big thank you to all of my family. Thank you so much for all the love and support!
To all my readers: I love you! You are so awesome and I’m so glad I’ve become friends with so many of you. Nikki, Christy, Mally, Liz, Chelsea, and everyone else. You are awesome and inspire me to keep writing.
To the other authors out there: it’s really great sharing this world with you. The author community is magnificent and I’m so blessed to have you.
To my Dauntless Indies ladies: I freakin love you all! Sarah-you are amazing, such a good friend, and so funny! Allie-you crack me up with all your questions and I enjoy our talks so much! Keeley-I can’t wait to hear your accent and I’m gonna need book two soon, K? K.
Table of Contents
Devlin's Descendant
Midpoint
About the Author
Devlin's Descendant Page 16