The Wardens Boxed Set

by Heather D Glidewell

  “It’s worse when the claim is broken. At least, it was with Wesley. My heart actually stopped beating. It was like a piece of me died that day,” I admitted.

  “Now that is a feeling that I can relate to,” she said, smiling.

  “I’m so glad that you’re here,” I said.

  “I’m so glad that I’m here, too.”

  ***

  A week later I was in the study looking through the stacks of magic books my father had shipped in when it hit. The heartbreak of a broken contract tore through me. It hit me hard, but not as hard as the first time. I doubled over in pain, with tears streaming down my face. I knew what this meant and the thought that it was all over made the pain even more unbearable. Aaron’s soul was no longer bound to me.

  “Dawn? What’s wrong?” my mother asked, running across the room and forcing me to sit.

  I could only look at her with tears in my eyes as the pain worked its way through me. For twenty minutes she held onto me as the pain seared through my heart. When I felt the contract finally break it was a bit of a relief. Though I knew he had changed after the attack, I understood that this was not willingly, and definitely not the way that I wanted it to happen.

  I closed my eyes through the slowing of my heart and fought the tears when it stopped beating. After the pain had ended I felt hollow inside. I had become so used to holding claims that without my being tied to the soul of another I just felt dead. The void that I had felt when Wesley first betrayed me felt better than this.

  “I’m okay now, Mom,” I whispered at last.

  “Oh, honey.” She threw her arms around me and no matter how hard I tried to fight it those stupid tears came tumbling down my face again.

  “It’s all going to be better now,” I told my mother between sobs. “I know he’s safe. I know that everything is going to be alright.” I let the tears fall. There was nothing else I could do but allow them to.

  “That doesn’t make it hurt any less, honey.”

  I found my mother’s words oddly soothing. For a woman who had never laid a claim on a soul in her life she was very understanding of what I was going through.

  “I’m glad you never had to go through this,” I said, looking at her.

  “I went through my fair share of pain, honey,” she admitted, running her fingers through my hair.

  “I’m never going to claim another soul,” I whimpered.

  “You will have to one day, honey. You already opened a door that will never close.” And she winked at me sympathetically.

  ***

  It appeared that the murders in Midvale ceased after we left, however there were others in surrounding towns after that. From that we gathered that they were still looking for us, and all the time adding to their numbers. It wouldn’t be long till they found Harrisville. Until then we would keep training.

  My mother kept a close eye on the town, making sure that all those who lived in it were protected, and that there was no magic there. That was why they had chosen to come back to Harrisville in the first place. The house was the only magical location in the area. Nobody would be drawn to the town in search of non-human creatures because there were none. If they did show up they would find nothing, as the spells that surrounded the house were amplified to cover the entire area.

  In due course I received a letter from the school stating that I had passed all my classes and was qualified to graduate from Midvale High School. I didn’t show for graduation as I had to leave everything there behind. I was free from education; now I had a whole new life to learn and a world to save. Wesley wasn’t able to summon me after the resurrection. I assumed that was because I had grown more powerful with Krista back on Earth. Either that or the spells around the house just didn’t allow him to find me.

  I felt a tingle a few times and had a few rounds of dizziness, but nothing blacked me out anymore. I supposed these coincided with his futile attempts to summon me. I knew that there was a small chance it wasn’t a charade, that he was really dying in the desert, but I couldn’t risk finding out. If I was going to save him from Miranda it was going to be with the recon mission that my father and mother were putting together.

  Nick went on vacation, if you want to call it that, checking out visions he had been having concerning a redhead. He sent back any recruits he found along the way, the lost, the scared, the trained. We were growing in number, but were still not quite enough to take on Miranda’s forces.

  I learned new tricks from Shawn and Minerva, things I never knew I could do. Yes, I was the master flame, but I was also the child of a demon and an angel and there was more to my blood than just fire. I was learning how to control my opposing gifts and keep them balanced.

  This meant that when I came face to face with Miranda all that was going to be left was a pile of smoke and ash. Everything was coming up roses in my world. I was confident that we stood a good chance against the queen’s forces. In a matter of time we would have all our ducks in a row.

  Epilogue

  Adam returned on the 6th June with all his clothes packed in suitcases and his father at his heels. Henry looked well compared to the last time I had seen him. He smiled as Adam picked me up and spun me in circles.

  “I’m so happy to see you. I have so much to tell you,” Adam said as I squealed.

  “I missed you so much,” I squealed back as he put me down.

  “I missed you, too, Weathers.” He gave me a soft slap on the arm.

  My mother showed Henry inside and escorted him to the room that she had picked out for him. Adam hung back with me. You wouldn’t have thought that it was just a month since I had seen him last. He looked taller, though I knew that was impossible, and his hair had grown out.

  Once inside the house he pulled me aside and grabbed my hands. There was a determined look on his face, mixed with a hint of excitement.

  “I broke up with Nadine,” he finally revealed, with a look of relief on his face.

  “What? What happened?” I said, wondering why he looked so refreshed after such a devastating blow.

  “She said she knew it was coming because while I was out with mono I didn’t call her,” he answered gleefully.

  “Well, that would do it,” I said, rolling my eyes.

  “Isn’t it great? Now I can focus on training. This summer is going to be the best summer ever!” he said, hugging me.

  How could he be so excited about training? Hell, I wasn’t excited about training.

  “Yeah, well, Mom has quite a lot of fun picked out for you,” I warned. “Let me show you the back yard.”

  I led him through the house to the back door and shoved him outside. His jaw dropped open at the sight of the tents that had popped up on the property.

  “How many?” he asked, stunned.

  “A hundred and twenty so far. Mostly ones that got away, many of them scared of their own power.”

  “Got away?”

  “After the murders stopped in Midvale they started to spread throughout the state, even the country. These are refugees from those attacks,” I said, my heart breaking. “These people have been through a lot. They’ve come to Harrisville to find a safe haven.”

  I was surprised to learn he didn’t already know about the murders in other areas of the state. It had been all over the news where we were, yet not apparently in Midvale.

  “You found water?” he asked, changing the subject.

  “Not yet, but Nick is on the hunt for a redhead in Vegas,” I said, smiling.

  “Yeah, because that’s not vague or anything,” he said flatly.

  “He’ll find her, and when he does Miranda is done for.”

  “Where’s Krista?” he asked.

  “She’s upstairs in her room. I can’t get her nose out of her books. I think she’s read every major series that has come out over the last eighteen years.” I sighed and messed absentmindedly with my ponytail.

  “So she’s taking to everyth
ing. That’s good news.”

  “Yeah, it’s great having her here. She’s an amazing woman.”

  I looked at him again. My palms were getting sweaty and my heart was starting to pound.

  “Why are you staring at me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  I looked away, confused by the budding emotions that were surging through me. “I’m not staring.”

  He looked at me suspiciously. “No?”

  “No.”

  “Okay… well, I suppose we’d better get started.”

  “Why yes, yes we’d better.”

  And we both laughed as we ran off to find my mother.

  BOOK 3

  WILD FIRE

  Prologue

  I still find myself wishing this was all a dream. I long for the days when all I dealt with was rumors. I want to be the one that is feared again, not the one that is sought out for protection. If this was a dream I could still be wrapped in the arms of Wesley as the world passes me by. Maybe this is a spell, and witches do exist after all. Oh, what am I thinking? I know better than that. I can let go of the delusion that it’s fake. I know Wesley is gone and Aaron is gone as well. Then there is me, I’m broken and battered, my heart is empty and alone.

  I think I am cursed. It seems no matter who I get attached to something horrible happens to them. Wesley was taken from me by force, Aaron by accident, all I have now is Adam. Of all the humans in my life, Adam is the one that has held on. No matter what he has been put through he keeps right on trucking.

  I know I will always love Wesley, and I still have every intention of saving him. Yet after seeing the changes in him, I couldn’t be with him even if I wanted to. Wesley and I were pushed apart, we were nothing more than a simple ‘what was.’ I will be roaming the Earth fighting battles with fire in hopes of making a difference while he drained the lives of those around him because it was his only method of living. At least that is what the image said to me, the night that he summoned me to his plain, the once sickly boy suddenly looking bright and alive. There is always a possibility that it was a mirage but I doubt it. They were changing him.

  Yes, I am going to save him. I am going to find Aaron and I am going to protect Adam. My heart is torn in three separate directions. The question remains in the back of my mind: if I have to sacrifice one for another, will I be able to do it?

  Chapter One: Stories

  Dearest Dawn,

  It’s been a while since I sent you a message. Everything is going great here. I’m learning a lot of pretty cool stuff that I wish I could tell you about. I’ve been having dreams, or they could be memories of us together. I can feel the emotions while I sleep and when I wake I am confused. How is it that I can feel for you in my thoughts but not in the real world?

  I know that this must have been hard for you. I mean, I bared my soul to you, told you I loved you and now I have to take it all back. I do love you, it’s just not in the way that I thought I did. I think I was attracted to the idea of love and not so much the emotion itself. I suppose it is true that at our age we have no concept of what love really is. I’m glad in a way that you never confirmed you had the same feelings. Maybe you were more understanding of the concept than I was at the time.

  I do not want to lose you as my friend but once you learn what I have become you may not be so willing to allow me into your world. It’s not the same as yours. There is so much here that I wish I could tell you. I have met things that I thought were only alive in books. If you can believe that.

  I have probably said too much already concerning what is here. I will write you more when they allow me time. I am quite busy right now. They tell me something is coming. I just pray that you will be out of the crossfire on this one.

  I hope you are well. I heard you missed graduation because of your ill grandfather. I hope he finds peace soon and you and your mother can go on with life. Until then I wish you the best. I promise to write more later.

  Your Friend Forever,

  Aaron

  The emails had been more and more like this recently. He had felt compelled to tell me that he didn’t know if he ever loved me quite a bit. I knew he did, and I knew the changes he had gone through had changed how he felt about me even now. So why was he questioning it?

  I hit the ‘reply’ button and sent my message back to Aaron, as I had done each time he had taken a moment to think of me. My fingers flew as my thoughts developed. I didn’t care if the email made sense or not, I just wanted to let him know that I was thinking about him, as I had done every day since his father took him away from me.

  Aaron,

  Sounds like things are going pretty good there. I sure wish I knew where you were. It would make me worry a lot less about you and your family. It has been hard to grasp the fact that you are gone. I understand you had to do what you did in order to move on. There is nothing wrong with moving on. We are young, we bounce back from heartbreak. You just made it easier to get through the hard spots of losing Wesley and I thank you for that.

  My grandfather is doing as well as well can be. My mother spends most days wandering around the house taking care of things. Adam’s dad allowed him to come and spend the summer with us. He has made things a lot easier to deal with. Being around death really opens your eyes to a lot of things going on in the world.

  Now, as for you and me, maybe I did have a better understanding of love when we were together. That could very well have been what brought me to you in the first place. You shared something with me that I wished I could have but was too scared to reach for it. Maybe we really are too young to understand what love is.

  We will always have prom night. I think that’s a pretty good memory to hold on to. One when both of us just let go of inhibition and went with the flow.

  So you have met many new beings where you are? I truly wish you could tell me what they are. I have always thought the supernatural to be something quite fascinating. You never know what could possibly be real and what couldn’t. I hope one day we can talk about things openly and not hide behind candid words. I hope to hear from you soon.

  Sincerely,

  Dawn

  I closed my eyes and shut the lid to the laptop my mother had purchased for me as a graduation gift. She also thought it would be a good way to keep in touch with the few friends that I had made while at Midvale, including Aaron (in his unknown location) and Nadine. I didn’t hear from Nadine too often. Since she and Adam broke up she had been dating the captain of her high school’s football team. She had called him ‘dreamy’ in our last conversation online the other night. I hadn’t told Adam that she was seeing someone else. I didn’t know how he would take it.

  For so long I had listened to how he wanted to dump her, so when she dumped him it changed the perspective of things. I got up from my desk and checked the time. It was just after five, meaning that the festivities were just gearing up outside. I grabbed my phone and beat on the door that connected mine and Adam’s room together.

  “Story time,” I called through the door as I heard the knob begin to jingle.

  “Awesome,” He said, entering my room.

  Adam enjoyed story times with the allies. He learned more about the histories of what was in the world. Who bred with who to get what creature? He enjoyed the war songs of the fae as well as the fireworks provided by the warlocks and witches. We had sessions where the other shard carriers would show us the magic they could pull with their chosen element. It was quite a time and everyone enjoyed these moments to just reflect on those that were here and those that were lost.

  He gave me a hug and, grabbing my hand, yanked me down the stairs and out the back door. I looked out over the campsites toward the newly-constructed barn. My father had a goal of turning it into a place for the allies to live until the time they felt they could go home to their friends and jobs. So far so good. They all had bathrooms installed as well as two extra-large entertainment rooms with large screen TVs and games. He
was going out of his way to make sure that everyone was comfortable.

  We took our seats around the large bonfire just as the allies were pulling their camp chairs and other items toward the flames. We looked like a large AA group from the outside which I always found funny. It was my idea for the meetings; a chance for everyone to get to know each other and blend their heritage.

  My mother figured if everyone knew how the others got here it would solidify our army. So she agreed with me and began the first story night just a few weeks earlier. We weren’t requiring everyone to fight, we left it up to the being to choose when the time came. We just offered food, shelter, and protection to those that had seen firsthand the dangers of the Hybrid Queen’s Army.

  Tonight’s speaker was a sixteen-year-old girl and her boyfriend. They had been one of the first to show when all this began. Covered in dirt and blood, they had traveled by foot from Iowa. She claimed that they were the last living two of their group. My mother had taken them in and cleaned them up, gave them food, and offered them rooms in the house until such a time that they decided they wanted to be with the others.

  The girl was short, just about five foot two with long brown hair and piercing blue eyes. She had a wicked smile which showed the demon blood that ran in her veins. The boy was taller, about five ten with soft brown eyes and a sweet smile showing the angel blood. The complex had been where their parents lived. It was filled with those that had been visited, and most often loved, a being of celestial powers. She could turn anything into a weapon, while he had the ability of supersonic speed as well as light teleportation. The two together were astounding. Being polar opposites had its advantages for these two kids. They were able to use the other’s power for their own gain. This of course made them deadly.

  She flashed her smile at the gathering group while he shyly kept his hands in his pockets. Though not pure-blooded they had both rejected the invite to the Queen’s Army, seeking out the wardens for protection. Both had pledged to fight when the time came, while young they were well-trained. I found myself longing for more than just them to arrive from their compound. When nobody else showed it only solidified the idea that Miranda was ruthless and would kill anyone who opposed her.