***
Everything had gone perfectly—well, almost perfectly. Cale Ember sauntered down the hallway of his temporary apartment building, stepping over a mumbling drunk wearing filthy clothes with holes and stains. And the drunk’s smell. Stale urine. The human made the demon want to vomit. Most of the demons he knew were cleaner than the filth occupying the building.
And Evrik, her boyfriend—where was he? He sure was making it much easier for Cale to be alone with her. He was just never around. Maybe he had mistaken Evrik’s abilities; maybe Evrik wasn’t the great warrior Cale had previously thought. But his eyes. . .he had seen Evrik’s eyes outside the bar. It didn’t matter now. He had been successful. She would go with him willingly now.
Cale slammed the door to the apartment, not bothering to lock the door. Why would he? Anyone who dared to enter would get quite the surprise, and never make it out alive to tell.
Cale balled his hands into fists. So what if Evrik’s friend could create elixirs? It didn’t sound like Evrik himself could do anything extraordinary. Cale’s task was going to be less challenging than he’d thought, and it was somewhat disappointing. He had hardly earned the prestige he’d be granted once she was delivered. But, at least it would get him back to the Infernus sooner.
CHAPTER 11
Sam opened her door for him.
“I came as fast as I could.” Evrik touched Sam’s face. “You’ve been crying. Are you okay? What happened?”
“Come in out of the hallway,” she said. She motioned him in, shut the door and staggered back to her bed, sitting down, pulling her knees back up to her chest, and hugging her legs tightly. Evrik sat next to her on the edge of the bed.
“What happened, Sam? You’re scaring me.” Evrik’s words shook.
“There’s so much I have to talk to you about. So much happened tonight—Cale and my dream.” Her words tumbled out of her mouth. She didn’t even know if she made any sense. “The monster chased me, it almost killed me, and Chase, he was a bear! Then Cale, he made me do it. I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t stop.” Sam cried even harder and slobbered unattractively all over herself.
Evrik slid up to her and touched her knee calmly with one hand. She could tell he wasn’t really calm; he was only faking it for her. Evrik’s other hand clutched her sheets so tightly his knuckles turned white. “Slow down. Who is Cale?”
“His name is Cale Ember. The guy from the bar—” She barely finished her sentence. Evrik’s eyes shot to the ground. She could see the veins in his face and neck protrude. His jaw line clenched so tightly even the fine veins in his head outlined every muscle on his face.
“When did you see him? Was it in your dream, or did he seek you out?” He met her frantic gaze. His forehead lined with worry, and his eyes were the scariest silver she’d ever seen—practically glowing.
Sam almost didn’t want to answer him. She’d never had to tell any of her boyfriends she’d cheated on them before. She didn’t consider herself a cheater. In her defense, she didn’t remember Evrik, and Cale had put her under some hypnotic spell. So in this case, it shouldn’t even count if she wasn’t able to control her own actions. Truth be told, Chase was the one she’d actually cheated with. She was in her right mind when she kissed Chase, just not thinking too clearly at the time. Ugh—how had her life become such a mess?
“No, he wasn’t in my dream. I was with him. He took advantage of me. It was like I didn’t have any control over my actions.” Sam held her breath, waiting for Evrik’s reaction.
Evrik’s face turned a deep shade of plum and he let out a deep growl, shaking the room.
Sam recoiled in her bed, hiding her face in her white down pillow. Evrik touched her back. “I’m sorry, Sam. I’m not angry with you. He got to you. I didn’t protect you the way I should have. I thought he was going to leave Baltimore. That was our deal. If anything had happened to you,” he stopped briefly to take a deep breath, “I couldn’t live with myself.”
Sam allowed him to hold her in his arms. “Everything will be okay,” he assured her, but she didn’t believe him. His reaction to Cale made her believe she was in much deeper than she could ever imagine.
A loud banging at the door jolted her from her temporary sense of relief and safety. “Samantha, are you okay? Let me in!” Chase shouted. She peeled herself out of Evrik’s embrace and ran to the door.
“Shh! You’re going to wake the whole dorm,” she snapped, opening the door.
“I heard Evrik. What’s going on?” He spotted Evrik on her bed and stormed by her to approach him. Evrik stood to meet him.
“Did you do something to her?” Chase accused.
“Hold on!” Sam marched over to Chase. “Evrik is here because I called him. Something happened and I needed to talk with him.” Sam thought for a second and then pointed her finger at Chase. “Wait a minute. How did you know Evrik was angry? There’s no way you could have heard him from downstairs and across the building.” She crossed her arms impatiently.
“Have you been crying? Your eyes are all puffy, and you look like shit.”
“Chase, answer my question,” she demanded.
“I have a heightened sense of hearing.”
“Why?” She wasn’t going to let him dodge her questions this time.
“Because I’m part animal.”
“A pit bull, a bear?” she pushed.
His eyes widened. “How did you know?” He turned to Evrik. “You told her!”
Sam tugged on Chase’s arms until he faced her again. “No one told me anything. I figured it out. I had a dream tonight. I dreamed you were a bear, and you saved my life and then turned from a bear back into a human…I mean, into you.” Oh, I’m completely losing it.
“I think it’s time you told her everything,” Evrik said to Chase.
“What about you? Have you told her what you and your friends are? At least I’m human.” Chase glared at Evrik.
“Can we sit down and talk please?” Sam eyed both guys. “Chase, pull up that chair. Evrik, sit down on the bed. I will sit between you until you decide to work with me and straighten this out,” she ordered. With hung heads, both guys did as she instructed.
“You can go first,” Chase barked at Evrik. He slouched in her desk chair with one leg crossed over the other. His arms crossed in front of his chest and he wore a scowl that could kill.
“Stop!” Sam threw her hands in the air. “I’m the one without the memory. I’m the one with questions. I’ll go first!”
“Fine,” both guys agreed.
Sam pressed her sheet flat across her mattress, ironing it with her palms while she thought about where to begin. “Okay, let’s start from the beginning…my dream. What was chasing me? It had red eyes. It was big and grotesque.” She grimaced.
“I’ll let you take this one,” Chase said to Evrik.
Evrik nodded. “They are called the Kavari. The Kavari are mutant demons that crave power and destruction. Their eyes glow red and their teeth resemble those of a ferocious vampire.”
The mental picture Evrik created was horrifying—somewhere between Freddy Krueger and Dracula. “I saw the monster. He was definitely straight out of a horror flick,” she agreed.
Evrik continued. “Hundreds of years ago there was some sort of genetic defect that created a generation of what we now call the Kavari. We don’t know how it happened. Some of us believe it had to do with the misuse of magic within the enchantment community. The Kavari are powerless demons who hunger for magic and will kill anyone to gain it. The Infernus, the underworld created when demons and humans were divided, doesn’t even want them. They are considered outcasts, and certainly evil, but not entirely demon. So they live in hiding among the human world. The Kavari unleashed war on my kind centuries ago in order to obtain our powerful abilities. We’ve been fighting them ever since. The creature chasing you was a Kavari clan’s leader, Valisk.”
“So they keep coming after you?” Sam asked, her once-flattened sheet now gathered
tightly in her fists.
“Have you noticed anything different about me? A physical appearance I have that Alea, Draylan, and Malachi do not?”
“Yes,” she said quickly. “Your eyes are a deep green when you’re not hurt or angry, and their eyes are grayish-silver.”
“You’re right. I’m different from my friends. I was born into a family of status. My mother and father both had green eyes. In our culture, green eyes are a sign of power. I’m predestined to perform greatness. The Kavari have tried to acquire my powers ever since I was born. My parents died protecting me when I was ten.” Sam could see the pain in Evrik’s eyes. She put her hand on his, hoping to offer him some bit of comfort. She knew what it was like to lose someone so close. Her Aunt Rose had died in a horrible car accident when Sam was eight, and it had devastated her.
Evrik continued. “Ever since that day, Alea, Malachi, and Draylan have stayed by my side as brothers and sisters, fighting the Kavari and the demons from the Infernus to help keep me safe and eradicate any evil that sets foot among human society,” Evrik continued, almost in monotone. It was as if he had kept this speech inside of him for many years, rehearsing it over and over, and now he could finally speak. “We are called Lightwarriors, and we are feared by the Infernus. The great Archangel Gabriel assigned us the job of protector. We have been fighting demons ever since Lucifer was kicked out of Heaven. When demons ran rampant, taking advantage of women and murdering humans, they were banished to the Infernus for not following human law. Our ancestors were the warriors who put them there. Lightwarriors make sure demons don’t re-enter human society. We are, in a sense, demon hunters.”
“Lucifer, the fallen angel, as in the Devil—?” Sam tripped over her words. “Wow—” She had to process all that Evrik had just told her—archangels, Lucifer, the Infernus, Kavari, demons, and Lightwarriors. After a silent moment, Sam met Evrik’s eyes again. “Tell me more about your race. How do you even exist?”
“Long ago, my ancestors were human. Because they were considered enlightened, they were transformed into immortal beings, and each was given a unique ability. They were also trained in combat and the magical arts. In a sense, they were soldiers created to keep evil separate from the virtuous. Lightwarriors made sure demons were segregated and that the human world never knew they existed, although some humans have suspected their existence. As generations of Lightwarriors grew, we became stronger, born with the inherent knowledge of how to fight using weapons like the bow and arrow, a blade, or magic. We trained as children to fully expand and master our abilities, but the knowledge and skills came easily to us—they’ve been programmed into our DNA through thousands of years of procreation.”
“So there are more of your kind than just Alea, Malachi, you, and Draylan,” Sam said.
“Yes. Demons are everywhere. We must protect the entire world.”
“And my dream—that really happened. I was almost killed by a demon clan leader.” Sam remembered her conversation with Chase the evening in Baltimore, after her memories were taken…
“You make me feel like myself. I may not remember you, but I feel like I’ve known you forever. And you saved my life,” she said.
“You say that a lot, too.”
“That’s not good. Am I always in these crazy situations?”
“Crazier.”
Evrik’s words chimed through her memories, bringing her back to the conversation. “We defeated the Kavari clan that evening,” he said. “Your dream was a memory. The Kavari leader tried to use my love for you to defeat me. He knew you were my weakness.” Evrik blinked back his emotions. “He almost killed you.” Evrik’s eyes shifted over to Chase. “Then Chase showed up and saved you from immediate death. I found you dying next to him and went to find Alea. She created an elixir and healed you.”
“What about the leader? In my dream, he got away.”
“Valisk has the stolen abilities of premonition, lightning speed, and mind control. He used his lightning speed to get away from Chase—the bear. We never found him,” Evrik said.
Once Sam had partially absorbed everything, her brows rose up to her hairline. She looked over at Chase, who seemed to be barely listening. “Hey!” She tapped his leg with the back of her hand. “You have lots of explaining to do. Pit bulls and bears. What are you exactly, other than the ‘part-animal’ thing?”
“I’m a—” Another knock at the door interrupted Chase.
“Who could that be? It’s almost five in the morning.” Sam didn’t think she had any other boyfriends who could be knocking. Except for Cale—ugh—that was a frightening thought.
“Maybe I should get it,” Evrik suggested. Sam knew he was thinking the same thing.
She gripped her sheets with both fists, preparing to throw her comforter over her head to try to disappear. Her life had become a freakish love circus full of abilities, Lightwarriors, dark-seducers, monsters, and half-animal people.
Evrik opened the door for Vicky. She walked in hesitantly.
“Was there a party someone forgot to invite me to?” she chafed sullenly.
Chase stiffened, suddenly sitting straight up in his chair for the first time since he’d sat down. He uncrossed his leg and put his foot on the floor. All of the color drained from his face, leaving his lips white and straight. He pressed them together tightly, staring at Vicky with uncomfortable anxiety. He looked like he was about to pass out.
“What are you doing here, Vicky?” Sam asked, no longer clutching her sheets. Vicky was annoying and rude, but not scary.
“I didn’t mean to disturb you—well, honestly, I don’t really care, but I was just wondering if Chase would be coming back to his room sometime soon.” She switched her bright blue gaze over to Chase, who had now turned green, appearing as if he could throw up at any moment. “You’ve been gone for like forty-five minutes.” Vicky pointed to her watch, a hint of satisfaction in her tone.
Sam fumed in the uncomfortable silence for what seemed like minutes, unable to force any air into her lungs. Her face reddened, as if all the blood had been squeezed from her heart up to her head. Outrage—complete outrage. If looks could kill, both Chase and Vicky would be cold and stiff.
“Sam—” Evrik said, looking over at Chase, Vicky, then back at Sam again.
Unable to find words, she didn’t answer him.
Evrik placed his hand on her leg. “Sam. What’s wrong?” he drew closer and whispered. “Are you remembering something again?”
“No,” she said coldly. Her hands began to shake. Icicles could have formed around the room the way the temperature plummeted.
“Chase. Leave,” Sam said too calmly, without a glance in his direction.
“Samantha, wait, let me explain.” Chase moved swiftly around the bed and knelt down in front of her.
“Go—now.” She stared at her bed, refusing to look at him. She didn’t even want to see his face. She bit back the urge to scream.
“Just hear me out.” He took her hand. Sam wrenched it out of his grasp. “Don’t touch me.”
“Look, man. I think you should leave,” Evrik suggested sternly.
“Is there something wrong?” Vicky asked. “Look, you figure out whatever it is you need to figure out. Chase, I’ll meet you back in your room. Don’t keep me waiting too long,” she said in a sing-song voice.
Chase’s head whipped around. “Go back to your own room, Vicky.”
“But—”
“Just GO!” Chase shouted.
Vicky yelped, took in a deep breath, and without another word, slammed the door behind her.
Evrik stood up. “You need to go. Now.”
Chase met Evrik’s inflated stance, hanging his shoulders in surrender. Ignoring Evrik, Chase spoke to Sam again. “Just remember what I told you yesterday in my room. I meant it.” A few seconds passed and Sam heard the door slam. Chase was gone.
CHAPTER 12
Sam fell asleep in Evrik’s arms. Now late morning, the sun’s rays danced through
the window, twirling and flickering around the room. Like a light-filtered shade, her heavy eyelids parted just enough to see the muted shades of reds and oranges. She didn’t want to open her eyes, fearing Evrik would be gone. As she moved back into consciousness, she felt her large, warm blanket still wrapped around her and knew she hadn’t been dreaming. Evrik was still there, and he held her as tightly as he had when they’d fallen asleep. His comforting embrace kept her scattered emotions together. She peeled her eyelids open, catching his stare.
“Good morning,” he said. “Did you sleep okay?”
He pressed his lips to the sensitive skin just below her hairline, causing Goosebumps to form against the back of her neck. He gently stroked her hair with his hands, removing every strand from her face. “Would you like to come over to my house for breakfast?” The tips of his fingers made their way down to her neck.
“Uh—what?” She could barely respond. Her legs curled into a ball and she clutched her pillow in her hand.
“Are you even breathing?” He laughed and pulled her hair back over her exposed neck.
“Yes.” She lied.
“I think it’s time to get something to eat.” He was still chuckling.
Evrik looked enormous lying on her bed with his arms propped behind his head. His feet extended at least six inches over the end. It reminded her of an old Dr. Seuss book her mom used to read her.
“You look ridiculous. My bed is entirely too small for you.” She lifted her head off his chest. “Why are you in college anyway?”
He squirmed to make himself more comfortable. “What do you mean?”
“You’re a Lightwarrior. Why are you in college?"
“We do our best to fit into the human world. Since in human years I’m around twenty, college seemed to be the best option. I enjoy learning. Your world fascinates me. Everything moves so quickly. You have a shorter lifespan, which means you need to do everything much more rapidly than we do. And history…humans are always repeating it. You’d think they would learn from their mistakes.”
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