by J. N. Colon
He nodded. “Sebastian likes that stuff. He asked me to go once, but it’s really not my thing.”
“It’s not for everyone.” I was surprised he wasn’t making fun of it like some kids.
Austin leaned closer, smelling like mint and soap. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m kind of terrified of ghosts.”
I tilted my head. “Really?”
“Especially little girl ones. They totally freak me out.”
I laughed. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
“Good because the guys on the team would never let me live it down if they found out.” He winked and shifted back on the balls of his feet. “If you’re not busy Saturday night, my friend Cole is throwing a party at his parents’ lake house at the edge of town.” He shrugged. “It’s more like a pond, but a party is a party.” He jerked his chin toward Sebastian and Jessica. “They can come too.”
“I’ll think about it.” Parties weren’t really my thing. Maybe I’d go if Sebastian and Jessica wanted to.
“Cool. Seb knows where it is. You can get directions from him.” Austin’s gaze shifted above my head, his expression suddenly losing all joy.
I glanced over my shoulder as Jayson marched by, shooting a dangerous glare directly at Austin.
What the hell?
The quarterback swallowed hard, his lips tipping into a halfhearted smile. “I’ll see you later, Lena.” He gave a quick wave and marched off as if he couldn’t get away from me fast enough.
Chapter 10
Another chill slithered down my back, and it wasn’t from any supernatural activity. Nope. I was fracken cold. Jessica could have told me to wear something warmer. I was in jeans, a long-sleeve shirt, and a corduroy jacket—pretty much what she had on—but my summer-loving ass was not used to the Virginia autumn nights. My short bob didn’t help matters.
I was walking around alone in a cemetery with a hand-held camera and several other devices used for spirit detection stuffed in my pockets. I was a horror movie waiting to happen. I could see it now, blood and gore splattering the cushy grass. Oh, wait, I didn’t need to be in a horror movie for that to happen. I just needed to trip.
Hopefully, I could keep myself under control for the next hour.
Heavy silence stretched throughout the deserted grounds. My boots sank into the lush grass as I passed cherubs pirouetting beneath demure angels, hands held in prayer. Mystic Hollow Cemetery reminded me of some of the ancient ones back home in Charleston. This was no boring grid of identical stone headers.
The sharp edges of mausoleums were silhouetted in the shadows of towering oaks and maples, ivy crawling over stone and bark. Bouquets of flowers added splashes of color to the green and gray scenery.
Sadly, no ghostly activity yet. Not for me anyway. I’d volunteered to go off on my own to gather more evidence even though the rule was to always have a partner. I reminded them I grew up in a haunted town. I wasn’t afraid. The only danger I was in was tripping and knocking myself out.
A deep voice yanked me out of my thoughts. I perked up. Maybe it was a ghost.
I quickened my pace and shifted left, traveling further into the cemetery. The headstones grew larger, creating nice hiding spots for ghouls to pop out of. Two towering angels appeared, guarding the entrance to another region. An iron gate that reached a few inches above my knees encircled the border.
My brows knit. I didn’t remember this part on Sebastian’s map. Maybe I’d zoned out. I had been doing that a lot lately, thinking of a certain hardheaded neighbor.
I walked between the two stone angels, my skin puckering. Tiny invisible pinpricks traveled all over my body, and the hair on my nape stood on end. I shivered. What the frack? It felt like I’d just walked through a wall of static electricity.
I shook the odd sensation off and continued inside. The headstones were timeworn, some beginning to crumble from age. This had to be old enough to hold soldiers from the Civil War. Lichen and moss crawled over the stone façades as if trying to pull them into the soft soil. The angels weren’t positioned in prayer either. They were alabaster warriors poised for battle, wings on the verge of snapping out to take flight. Some even brandished swords.
“Astaroth has his stench all over this.”
My heart shuddered to a stop at the familiar, husky voice. What was Jayson doing in the cemetery on a Friday night?
I quietly tiptoed closer, ducking behind an angel clutching a long sword. I gave him a pleading look to not stab me while I took cover behind his wing. Jayson and Kale were positioned near a large gothic mausoleum. Ornate columns framed a heavy iron door, and sharp peaks stabbed the night sky. Ice chilled my blood at the way the gargoyles squatting on the roof bared their jagged teeth.
“What do you think he’s up to?” Kale asked from his spot perched on the edge of a tombstone.
“I’m not sure.” Jayson’s back was toward me, and it wasn’t a bad view at all. Nice butt. “With Brenna’s vision, the earthquake, and hellfire lightning—who else would be strong enough to rip a tear so wide?”
Hellfire lightning?
Something beyond the normal realm of reality was going on. I had fallen into a supernatural drama.
Kale nodded while absentmindedly fiddling with his hemp necklace. “What did Nithael say?”
Jayson tensed at the name. “He said an avis was coming to Mystic Hollow.” He paused. “Or it was already here.”
Kale’s brow lifted. “And you think Lena is an avis?”
Woah. Hold the front door. What the heck was an avis?
Jayson shrugged. “It would make sense. A person blessed by Heaven can sometimes see beyond the veil. Maybe that’s why she’s been able to notice what others can’t.” He dragged his fingers through his flaxen hair. “That dweller must have realized it.”
I scratched my head. Hellfire lightning, seers, dwellers, avis, blessed by Heaven… I was so fracken confused.
“Do you think Astaroth needs this avis for whatever he’s planning?” Kale pulled a phone out of his pocket, smiling at something on the screen.
Jayson gave a quick nod, his eyes trained on the mausoleum. “It’s possible. Brenna had that vision last month about dark tides coming, but things didn’t start getting crazy until Lena arrived.”
A smirk curled Kale’s lips. “It’s okay if you like her, Jay. You’re allowed to date.”
The daunting guy turned sideways, shooting Kale a narrowed glare. “It’s not about that,” he growled.
My stupid heart fluttered. Jayson hadn’t exactly denied liking me.
Kale didn’t back down. “I think you’re grasping at straws.”
“And I think you should drop it.” Jayson turned back to the mausoleum, watching the door. “Just because you met your soul mate when you were in kindergarten doesn’t mean the rest of us want that.”
Kale rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
I aimed the thermal camera at them, taking in their heat signatures. Holy Snickers! They were a lot warmer than me.
Of course they were. I was the only one freezing my ass off.
Jayson shifted, something long dangling from his hand. “You can leave if you want. I’ll finish up.”
I pulled the camera away, squinting through the darkness. What the hell is he holding?
Kale shook his head and tucked his phone back into his pocket. “No way. You’re not the lone renegade. We work together.”
“I think you’re just afraid to miss out on the action.” Jayson flicked his hand and sliced the sword he was holding through the air in a fancy little motion.
Wait a minute. Why was he carrying a sword?
Kale stood and grabbed one of his own, demonstrating another elaborate maneuver. “You know me too well, bro.”
I swallowed hard, the hairs on the back of my neck standing at attention. This wasn’t right. Two teenage boys shouldn’t be in a graveyard, waving around swords. And those didn’t look like props or toys. They were weapons.
My gaze flicked to the angel I was current
ly snuggled against, eyeing the sword he carried. In fact, theirs kind of resembled his. A lot.
I lifted the thermal camera again. All the moisture evaporated from my mouth. The blades were hot, several dozen degrees warmer than them or me.
A foul odor suddenly filtered through the air, and my eyes watered. Oh, gawd. What is that? I turned away, shifting the camera.
A figure about ten times hotter than me, the guys, and their swords put together emerged on the little screen.
What…?
I slowly looked up, my heart shuddering to a stop.
An average-sized man appeared, his eyes the color of burning coals. That alone sent chills down my spine. And then his body began to change.
His head snapped back with an unnatural pop like a gunshot echoing through the graveyard. His arms grew and skin molted, revealing sallow, puke-green scales. Sharp, ebony claws lengthened from his fingers, and jagged teeth shined inside of a snarling, drooling mouth. Horns curled from a broad forehead.
What. The. Effing hell. Was. That?
Blood pounded in my ears, drowning out his vicious growls. But I could still feel them rumbling the ground beneath my feet.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the monster stomping through the tombstones. A deep-seated fear ran through me. He wasn’t something of this world. This creature was dark. It was evil.
The beast snarled and shook his head like a wild animal, steam puffing out of his nostrils. A leather bag was strapped around his broad chest, strange symbols burned into the pouch.
My stomach soured. That didn’t look like leather made from animal hide.
“Got one!” Jayson yelled, snapping my attention back to him as he marched toward the monster, sword raised and ready for a fight.
I opened my mouth to utter a warning, but Jayson’s hard, unyielding expression had me faltering. The glowing outline around his body appeared, shifting in and out of focus. His irises were molten gold.
My breath caught. He moved like a warrior, like someone who’d done this countless times. And countless times he’d won.
Once the creature noticed Jayson, he let out a rippling growl and dug his massive, heavy feet into the ground. His clawed hands grabbed the leather bag, twisting it around so it rested on his back. “The totems will be delivered.”
The unholy, baritone voice sent cold sweat down my nape. It reminded me of the EVP Sebastian and Jessica caught at the school a few weeks ago. And this thing spoke the same word, totems.
“More!” Kale yelled.
My eyes reluctantly followed his line of vision. The heavy iron door of the mausoleum trembled. A fiery ember appeared in the center, burning bright in the darkness. Veins of crimson began to spread like cracks in molten lava. The iron turned liquid, melting away until a gaping hole formed.
And through the hole stepped another scaly beast.
Death and sulfur choked the air.
My stomach twisted as I gagged on the stench. I was trembling behind the angel statue, his heavy stone wing the only thing shielding me. My eyes sought Jayson again. He was battling with the first monster, moving with speed and agility no one normal was capable of.
What had I gotten myself into? What kind of supernatural beings was I dealing with?
I wasn’t dreaming, and I sure as hell wasn’t having some kind of concussion hallucination. This was real—as terrifying and unbelievable as it was.
Jayson grabbed the creature by his thick arm, stopping his claws from ripping into him. My jaw dropped at the sheer strength my mysterious neighbor possessed. He whipped the monster around and shoved his sword into its hard chest.
An audible gasp slipped from my mouth.
Jayson’s gold eyes lifted, finding my quivering figure amongst the tombstones.
As it turned out, I wasn’t so hidden behind the angel. I glanced up, my lips thinning. I could have sworn the stone wings had moved, purposely revealing my spot.
Jayson cursed and dropped the monster with a heavy thud, his sword coming away with black, gooey blood. His long, powerful legs ate up the ground as he marched toward me, his expression carved out of stone.
I took two steps back before a thick presence coalesced behind me. Jayson’s eyes widened. I’d never seen that look on him before—cold fear.
Crap on crackers. Something was coming for me.
Chapter 11
My world shifted to slow motion as I turned around, the face of evil greeting me. The camera tumbled from my hands, plastic and metal cracking. Fear was too simple of a word to describe the emotion gripping my body, holding me hostage in my own personal prison.
I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t even blink.
This beast was smaller than the one Jayson had killed but no less terrifying. His scaly skin carried a sickly gray hue. The horns were straighter and tipped in black, the moonlight reflecting off the slick, polished surface.
A snarl curled his mouth, exposing a set of sharp, slimy teeth. A twinkle of glee flared in his burning crimson eyes. He knew he had me.
“Lena, run!”
Jayson’s voice broke the spell I was under, forcing adrenaline through my muscles. I did as he said. Or I tried.
I stepped around the monster ready to sprint. Unfortunately, I tripped over my own damn feet, and sharp claws hooked into the back of my jacket.
A garbled cry tore from my mouth as I struggled in his grasp. I tried in vain to slip out of the sleeves to free my arms, but his long fingers circled my wrist in an iron grip, and he spun me around.
Those terrible scarlet eyes penetrated me, grabbing ahold of my very soul and squeezing tight. And then blinding pain slammed through my chest.
My scream was so violent, it could have ripped apart the heavens.
Who wouldn’t scream at the sight of long black talons protruding from your chest?
“No!” Jayson bellowed.
The monster was snatched away, his claws ripping out of my body. Blood spurted through the air. More soaked my shirt.
Well, that’s not good.
A vicious snarl spread over Jayson’s face as he impaled the thing with the pointy end of his sword.
And then the world tilted, and I found myself on the cold ground.
No. I was cold. Very cold.
Because I was dying.
I thought my life would flash before my eyes like in the movies. Instead, Jayson’s face came into view, a much better sight than my short, boring existence.
“Lena!” He gently cradled my head with one of his large, warm hands.
Kale kneeled beside him, his expression grim. “There’s too much blood, Jay,” he said, shaking his head. “The demon punctured her heart. She’ll bleed out before you can even make it to the hospital.”
A demon? A freaking demon!
A whimper slipped from my mouth as the realization broke over me. I had only moments left before my life drained out in the grass and soil beneath me. My dad would be alone, and I didn’t know if he’d ever recover. I was the only thing left of my mother in the world. She would be completely gone, and so would I.
Pain echoed across Jayson's face. He tenderly stroked my cheek, his fingers like fire on my chilled skin. “It’ll be okay.” He nodded as if trying to convince himself. “You’ll be okay.”
I hated to point out the obvious, but I was so far from okay. Five gaping holes were in my chest, killing me. And this guy was telling me I was okay.
Jayson looked at Kale. They stared at each other for a long moment before Kale’s face paled.
“No, Jayson. You can’t be serious.” The hazy outline around Kale flared brighter for a moment. “You barely know her. Liking her is one thing, but to bind her to you?”
“But Nithael said…” He shook his head, his chest moving rapidly. “She might be important. She’s an avis. Heaven blessed her for a reason. It’s my duty to save her.”
How was I blessed by Heaven?
“Bullshit,” Kale hissed. “This isn’t about anything�
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Jayson snatched Kale’s collar with his free hand, staining his shirt with my blood. “I’m not letting her die.”
Kale’s palms lifted, and he slowly licked his lips. “I’m sorry. ” He shook his head. “You’re talking about a bond. It’s irrevocable. And a human with someone like you… We don’t know the effects or consequences.”
He released Kale, his molten gold eyes lowering to me, slowly roaming over my face like it was the last time he’d see it.
It might be.
I stared right back, my life draining from me, tearing away everything that I was and would ever be.
Something inside of Jayson snapped. His shoulders shifted back, and his jaw tightened. “I’m doing it,” he growled, his gaze boring into mine with an intensity that curled around my soul.
An unrecognizable word tumbled from Kale’s mouth, definitely a curse in a foreign language. He spoke more, but my brain was going fuzzy, and their conversation became static. My lids were heavy, and they closed, darkness expanding around the edges of consciousness.
Someone shook me, dispersing the shadows.
“No, Lena. Stay awake.”
My eyes fought to open. I saw Jayson tearing his jacket off, tossing it aside and pushing up his sleeve to reveal his smooth, tan forearm. Kale was next to him, his hand resting on his friend’s shoulder in a show of support even though it was clear he worried over Jayson’s decision.
What exactly had he decided to do? My brain couldn’t piece reality together long enough to make sense of it. I only knew Jayson was trying to do something to help me.
He clutched his sword, the blade shining and free of black demon goo. He sliced it across his palm, crimson pooling along the surface of the fresh wound. His hand hovered over my chest, blood dripping onto my own ragged gashes.
The moment his blood came into contact with mine, warmth blossomed, spreading across the gaping holes.
I wanted to ask what was happening, but I’d lost the ability to form words long ago. All I could do was stare up at Jayson, his dirty blond hair tousled, and his face outlined by the starlit heavens.