by CC Solomon
Phillip tilted his head and considered me. He then sighed and smiled. “I should have known.”
“Should have known what?” Seth asked, looking over to Phillip, body ready to charge at Felix and myself. “Tell this bitch to fall back before I make her.”
I felt like folks knew my name. “Bitch” was not going to be my going nickname.
Erik flexed his hands. I foresaw a bloody Seth and the whole pack pouncing on Erik. Or worse, him getting carried away with the moment and making a challenge against Seth.
The crowd grew restless and antsy. Some other people shifted closer, and I stopped them too. I’d freeze this whole damn bar if I had to.
Phillip continued to look at me. “Erik, remove Amina from the premises.”
I looked to Erik, whose eyes suddenly went blank and devoid of emotion. His back went straight, and then he looked at me with laser focus before walking over to me and grabbing my hand. I yanked it away. He grabbed at me again, and I moved back before he could touch me, bumping into the table.
“Erik, stop!” Charles shouted.
“Erik, pick her up and carry her out of here,” Phillip stated in an annoyed voice.
Without missing a beat, Erik scooped me up like some damsel in distress and started walking to the front entrance. I was horrified. Once I left the building, the action would start again, and who knows what would happen to Felix or even Charles, Faith, and Lisa.
“Erik put me down on this floor or I will kick your ass!” I yelled, kicking my legs.
He ignored me and continued to walk.
“Put me down, Erik! Now!” I cried.
Erik stopped walking just as we reached the door. He looked down at me and gently lowered me to my feet.
I looked up at him with wide eyes. Had he just listened to me? Act now and question later, I told myself.
“We need to go back and stop them from hurting Felix.”
He looked at me with the same blank eyes he had before and nodded. He followed me back through the frozen crowd to stand in front of Felix.
“This is the second time you’ve broken my magic. You’re the same as me, aren’t you?” Phillip asked me, visually unsettled.
I gave a slight shrug. I wasn’t telling him a thing.
“Phillip, get her to unfreeze my people. We can’t let this asshole get away with murder,” Seth shouted.
“You can’t kill him,” I stated, glancing over at Seth. “I know you knew Luke longer, but Felix is a good man, and this was a mistake. Luke was drunk and out of control. Felix reacted quickly to save our friend.”
“Lock him up if you have to until we figure this all out,” Erik began. I looked back to him, and his eyes were filled with life again. “But he doesn’t get hurt for defending someone. If Luke had attacked one of your wives, you’d want Felix to react the same way. Any of you would want Felix to defend your loved ones the way he did. Lock him up and give this a fair investigation and trial if you have to. We’re not animals.”
Seth looked unconvinced, but the crowd seemed to shift, even while locked in place. Their faces became less certain. If I had any mind control power, now was the time to test it out. I looked at Seth. “Seth, Felix is a good man. He deserves a fair trial. He would never hurt anyone on purpose. You know this,” I stated in a steady voice.
Seth squinted his eyes at me. “We lock him up. He hasn’t shown himself to be a menace. Let’s give him a chance to tell his story,” he stated in a monotone voice.
I sighed and released the crowd from their frozen positions. I looked over to Felix. “Don’t worry. I’ll represent you. We’re going to have a fair trial and get you out of lockup.”
Felix looked sick, and I felt like crying for him. “If you say so, Amina,” he said in a low, pained voice. He was a gentle giant who had only ever protected us. He didn’t deserve this.
Faith turned around, and they embraced. I knew she loved Felix like a brother, and he loved her like a sister. I wasn’t sure anyone would be able to break them up without a fight.
“It won’t be a trial like you’re used to,” Carter whispered, moving closer to me. “But I’ll make sure it’s something as fair and humane as possible.”
I shook my head as two guys I didn’t know roughly grabbed Felix by the arm.
“Get the fuck off of him!” Faith yelled, still hugging Felix.
“Hey, little mama,” Felix said gently. “You gotta let them take me away. I’m going to be okay. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
Faith, who I had never seen cry, reluctantly released him. Her face was wet with tears. “I will come and visit you in lock-up,” she said before raising her voice. “And if he has even one scratch on him, I will hunt you, people, down and end you.”
“Don’t threaten me, bitch,” said a foolish pack member holding one of Felix’s arms.
Faith kneed the male were in the crotch, and the man bent forward. She leaned down and grabbed him roughly by the hair. “I will do what I want to do, you piece of shit,” she said in a tight voice.
The man looked up at her with pained eyes and then paled as he looked at the fire burning in her own. Faith let the man go and then backed away with her hands up in surrender as a couple of other pack members inched towards her.
The man recovered and went back to Felix, walking him towards the door…with a limp.
“Where are they taking him?” Lisa asked, eyes full of tears.
“To the police station,” Erik answered. “There’s a cell.”
“Amina,” Phillip began, suddenly appearing beside me. I jumped slightly and backed into Erik, who balanced me. I hadn’t seen Phillip move through the crowd. “You’ve been holding out on me, corazon. Mind control?”
“I didn’t know I could.”
He gave me a smile that failed to reach his eyes. “Really? And I take it you don’t respond to my monthly messages either.”
I didn’t say anything.
“What do you want, Phillip?” Erik growled, moving between Phillip and me.
Phillip chuckled and walked around him. “Amina, you have some very strong gifts that I just can’t ignore. Most likely, you are the same as me. But you see, what makes this town so successful is order. You have shown here tonight that you are willing to break any rules or processes we have and that you have the strength to do it.”
I frowned. “I haven’t caused any problems here.”
“I think you just did.” Phillip gave a dramatic sigh. “I hate to do this, but I need to confine you for now. Until I decide how to handle you. I hate to say this, but you’re a threat, mi corazon.”
“To who? You?”
“To everything. If you’d picked me over…” He looked to Erik with disdain. “This would not be a problem. But as it is, I can’t trust you. I’m sorry.”
“What? So, you’re putting me under house arrest?” I continued.
“Confinement. I will put you in another apartment.” Phillip quickly reached out and grabbed my hand. “Time to go.” And then we vanished. Teleporting away from the bar and Erik.
Chapter 28
My confinement turned out to be a studio apartment in Phillip’s building that I believe was previously owned by a woman. This particular woman loved bright colors because I was staring at a yellow wall behind a sofa bed, probably meant to be energizing. The sofa bed was forest green, with bright-yellow pillows covering it. I’d been in lesser lockups.
I sighed and sat back down with a book I’d found in the bookcase next to the bed. Some cheesy-looking romance novel. It had been almost a week in confinement, and I was nearing rage. Since Phillip had stuck me in there, he hadn’t bothered to visit me, and I couldn’t find a way out; the place was warded beyond my powers or my understanding, so I couldn’t break it. Some stranger came to drop off food, toiletries, and a change of clothes. There was no laptop or computer to watch streaming movies or surf the limited internet. The TV worked, and I found a few old DVDs to watch but that excitement ended quickly sinc
e the former owner really didn’t have many.
The apartment didn’t have a balcony, so I stared out of the window like a nosey cat for most of the day. I read, I ate, I did some exercises, I prayed, and I slept. Rinse and repeat. Days passed. There were no visits from Erik, Charles, or the others. I could assume Phillip was preventing them from seeing me. No one visited me, except to give me food. And that delivery person didn’t say one word to me, even when I tried to talk to them. I had no clue what was going on in the town. I didn’t know if Felix was still locked up or if there’d been a trial. Phillip was trying to break me.
My door opened, and I expected it to be a food delivery person, but it was Phillip. I remained on the sofa bed, book in my hand, motionless. He walked in with a container of what I assumed was food and headed to the dining area. He placed it on the table and sat down.
“Sorry, it’s been so long since I could come. As you can imagine, it’s been a busy week,” Phillip said, looking at me with sad eyes.
I snapped my book shut, jumped up, and slapped him across the face. He had left me there for a week in solitary confinement. I had no clue how anyone I cared about was doing. I didn’t know if he had kicked the others out or convinced Seth to change his mind and kill Felix.
Phillip froze momentarily. His eyes grew wide, his shoulders raised, but then he relaxed, seemingly unaffected. That only angered me more, so I slapped him again. He didn’t do anything. He just took it. He gave me no words and made no face of anger or apology. He just gave me neutral eyes. I lifted my hand to slap him again but stopped in mid-motion. Hitting him was no longer satisfying.
“I fucking hate you,” I spat, forcing back tears of anger. I spun around and sat back down on the sofa bed, resting my tightly balled fist on my thighs.
“It pains me to hear that, mi corazon. I certainly don’t hate you. I know you don’t understand why I’m doing this, but you will one day.” He sighed. “Felix is fine. He’s still in lock-up. We’re going to have the trial in a week. Mae will defend him, and Tyler, one of my other top advisors, will prosecute.” He looked at me, expecting a response I assume since I was the one who was supposed to defend Felix. “And Lisa is fine. She didn’t catch anything from Luke’s bite. Apparently, fairies are immune. And your students miss you. Looks like you made a good impression already. Or it could be your mind control.” He grinned slightly.
“I want out of here,” I replied in a tight voice.
“I know, but keeping you here is for your own safety. People got scared off by what you did back at the restaurant. Keeping you here makes you under my protection. No one will touch you.”
“You won’t even let me see my friends or my brother.”
Phillip nodded. “Amina, this situation is serious. The pack is…challenging. They aren’t going to believe a newcomer over someone who has been a part of their family. They want blood. Keeping Felix in lock-up is only proper. It’s what the police would do a decade ago…if they weren’t crooked. And keeping you here keeps people from thinking you’ll try anything.”
“So, you’re helping me?” I asked with a sarcastic tone.
“That’s part of it. The other part is that I have to keep control here and understand what you are. Which seems to be a lot like me.”
“So, you don’t really care about me?” I said it more as a statement than a question.
Phillip frowned. “Of course, I do. I would love for you to be by my side in all of this. It’s you who stopped caring about me.”
I didn’t respond, just looked away.
Phillip walked closer to me, and I took a step back. “I am but one man. We can’t work as some fluffy, happy, day camp. This world doesn’t allow for that, it never did. It’s rule or be ruled. Demand respect or be overrun. Weapons don’t work in a town like this. Jails only work for so long on people with power. People will only follow you nowadays if they think they can’t beat you. And I wouldn’t want to do anything like what happened at that prison. We need as many people as we can get to rebuild society. Judge all you want, but what I say makes sense.”
I turned to him and glared. “I don’t like your style, and I think it’s harmful.”
Phillip nodded his head slowly. He looked out of the window in the living space, face in thought. He sighed. “I would do just about anything for you, corazon, but it won’t matter if we lose control here. I’ve been helpless. I’ve seen when those who shouldn’t have power exert control. I can’t allow for that again. I can’t keep someone like Seth in check without making some allowances.”
“You’re trying to make yourself sound innocent, but I’m not buying it. You find us a threat. We could have worked together, but you want things done your way instead. Did you kill the former leader, Thomas?”
Phillip looked at me. “You think I’m the devil, don’t you? Everything bad that’s happened, you blame me.”
“I’ve been in isolation for a week. I had a lot of down-time to figure things out.”
“If I said no to everything you just accused me of, would you believe me?”
I shrugged. I didn’t know. Some part of me still wanted Phillip to be good. Still wanted him to be the man that I remembered from my dreams.
“Amina, we’re not meant to be enemies,” Phillip said in a quiet voice. “I’m a good guy. We got a lead on the other two prisons. We’re still working with Hagerstown, and we’re going to check the towns out.”
I perked up. “I can help.”
Phillip frowned. “Not locked up, you can’t, and I can’t let you out.”
“Look, I won’t get in your way, Phillip. Just let me out. I can help free the other paranormals. Let me see my friends. We can leave, or they can leave if you want me to stay.”
Phillip chuckled, “Always sacrificing yourself, Amina. You’re more than that. But you’re right. You can’t stay here.”
“Thank you.” I got up.
“You can stay with me.”
“Say what now?”
Phillip smiled and walked over to me. “You’ll stay with me.”
I backed away. “Uh, I already have a place.”
“Not anymore.”
“Excuse me?” I placed my hands on my hips.
“I’m not saying I don’t trust you. Buuut, I don’t trust you. You don’t want to get in my way. Fine. Prove it. Let me keep an eye on you. I have a guest room.”
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “I’ll stay here.”
“I just want to make things better, Amina. You may not agree with my methods, but it works. I don’t know why you fight this connection we have. You know we’re meant to be together. We have become better people because of each other.” He reached out and touched my cheek.
I could have pulled away, but I didn’t think fighting with him would get me out of there. I just needed to get away, free Felix, and then we’d all leave.
“Plus, if you stay here, you won’t get to leave this apartment. With me, you can come and go as you please. So, what do you say? Roomies?” He smiled.
I smiled at him in return. “No.” David had kept me in solitary confinement. I wasn’t new to this, sadly.
Phillip sighed again. “You are a tough one, mi corazon. I hope you change your mind,” he stated before leaving.
I could handle this. At least until the trial. Even if it meant I wouldn’t see the others. I was as strong as Phillip assumed. Maybe stronger.
I woke up in the middle of the night to scratching at my window. Had this been the Pre-world, I would have ignored it. In this new, scary world, scratching in the middle of the night was actually something terrifying. I once woke up to a vampire staring at me through the window. He was clawing at the glass trying to get in but, due to the ward, was unsuccessful. I screamed and slept in the windowless bathroom for the rest of the night. Moments like those made me super hate this world.
So, when I heard the scratching this time, my imagination went straight to scary baddie at my window. I’d closed my blinds, so I hoped the scary
monster couldn’t see inside. I pulled the covers up to my eyes, foolishly hoping the fabric would shield me.
“Amina!” came a familiar male voice. “Amina, open up! It’s Charles.”
“Charles?” I cried, jumping out of bed. I paused at the window. It could be a trickster. There were many creatures that could imitate someone else, even beyond the shapeshifter.
“Dude, it’s me. Open up,” My brother called.
I peeked through the blinds. My brother was at the window, hovering in the air. “How? How are you floating, and how are you able to touch the ward without getting zapped?” I asked, eyes wide.
Charles gave me a cocky smile. “Fairy dust, Sis. Lisa threw some on me, and I’m flying like freaking Peter Pan. And she was finally able to break the ward with her magic. She’s on lookout below. Open the window and let’s get out of here. It’s my turn to help you escape now.”
I nodded, drew up the blinds, and opened the window. I pushed the screen out with my magic, Charles gave it to me. I put it on the floor before backing away. “Let me at least put on some tennis,” I stated before bending down to put on my shoes. I only had on some stretch pants and a large T-shirt, but I didn’t need anything here.
“Okay, hurry up,” Charles grumbled.
As I tied my shoelaces, a wave of cold air blew over me. It was summer, and the evenings were beginning to be just as hot as the days. This was not a gust of cold air from the air conditioner. This was something else, something bone-chilling.
“Amina,” said a raspy voice from behind me.
My insides turned to ice.
David.
I looked up towards Charles, who had been half perched on the windowsill. His eyes were wide with shock.
I slowly rose, keeping my eyes on Charles, who was still staring at David.
“Stay the fuck away from her,” Charles spat.
I heard the shuffling of feet behind me. I took a step towards Charles, and the footsteps behind me quickened.
I spun around. “How the hell are you back?” I said through gritted teeth.
He was alive, and he looked like he had clawed his way from hell to return. He was covered in dirt and caked blood from head to toe. His clothes were tattered, and his eyes were bloodshot. Cuts and bruises ran across his face and body.