We talked for a while until Aaron received a message from his father telling him he needed to get home. He drove me back to my house and dropped me off in the driveway.
“I’ll call you later,” he promised as I started walking to the house.
“I’ll be here.”
I waved as he pulled out of the drive. I hated that my father had been right. I hated that everything he had said to me that night was true. I should have listened to him before I ever took claim of Aaron’s soul.
“How was it?” my mother asked as soon as I had shut the back door.
“Well, my worst fears have been confirmed,” I said softly, taking a seat at the table.
“I knew it!” She laughed at me.
I felt my face turn red, and fury surged through me for just a moment. I hated how her mother’s intuition was always correct. In fact, I was starting to wonder if she had some neutralizing firepower. That way I couldn’t shoot an inferno of flames at her when I got angry.
“You knew what?” I asked her coolly.
“Honey, how do you think your father met Mona?” She turned to make me some tea, her go-to beverage when she knew someone needed to be comforted.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Mona was in my life before I even had real memories.”
I saw my mother’s shoulders fall. It probably wasn’t a story she particularly wanted to tell.
“Your father met Mona at a conference. She was this young, beautiful girl, fantastic personality, great sense of style. Everything that your father was. We had just split. As I told you, I just couldn’t take it, him always having to be the center of attention.” She put the tea kettle on the stove and turned it on. “He was lonely, and Mona was obviously impressed by his presence. I mean, he is a rich man; he worked hard for his law degree.” She laughed. “He had actually earned it on one of his stints on Earth fifty years before, but with a little magic, he updated his qualification. You will have to ask him how he did it because I’m sure that same deceptive magic is in your blood too.”
“The fact that you feel I have deception in my blood is hurtful, mother,” I responded, narrowing my eyes at her.
She laughed again. “I only say deceptively because of your father’s blood. I mean nothing bad by it.” She patted my hand. “So, as I was saying. Your father was alone, and he was lonely. Mona was available and willing, and after two nights together she had willed her soul to him. Since then she has been tied to him. I’m not saying that he doesn’t love her. In his own way, he does. So, they married, just as I did. Mona is nothing more than a human girl caught in an extraordinary situation. She doesn’t know what your father is, and she never will know. She’s been blinded.”
I looked at her in horror, but she shook her head.
“No, not physically blind. Mentally.”
“Okay… that makes more sense.”
The tea kettle started to sing, and my mother took it off the burner to pour hot water over the tea bags in the two cups that she had gotten out during our conversation.
“What does this have to do with me?” I asked.
“Aaron has fallen for you. Now, my suggestion would be to go with it. I know you hurt from Wesley, but I don’t think he’s coming home any time soon, and we are quite far from being able to get him back on our own.” She put the tea down in front of me. “Once you heal from the heartbreak, you will see what a nice kid Aaron is. I think that he’s great for you, even though I know you think you’re just using him. You haven’t taken the time to tell yourself that you need him just as much as he needs you.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Why do I need him as much as he needs me?” I asked sarcastically. I wasn’t expecting her reply to make sense.
“You need him to heal,” she said simply. “You need him to help you get past your delusion that Wesley is coming back for you. If Wesley comes back, it won’t be to save you. He will want to kill you.” She smiled sweetly at me. “Aaron hasn’t broken your contract yet, and I have a feeling he’s not going to for some time. You may just be in a situation that you cannot get out of. So just go with it.”
I looked at her, conscious that my mouth had dropped open. My mother wasn’t telling me to pretend I was in love with my boyfriend. She was telling me to open up to him so that I could heal and maybe, eventually learn to love him. It probably wasn’t the world’s worst idea. But it definitely wasn’t the best.
Chapter 5
Truth
I was walking to my car after my last class on Monday when I became aware of a tall, well-built young man leaning up against the hood of my black hatchback. I pushed a stray lock of black hair behind my ear and proceeded to walk towards my vehicle. He wasn’t a student. The school was small, so I pretty much knew everyone’s faces. He gave me a half-smile as I stopped in front of my car.
“You Dawn?” he asked me loudly. The man obviously had no volume control.
“That’s me. What can I do ya for?” I asked cautiously, hoping that if something were to happen right now, someone would be brave enough to jump to my rescue before I had to pull out a flaming can of whoop-ass.
“Good.” His voice quieted down some, and his expression softened. “My name is Nick. I need to speak with you concerning a debt.” He winked at me.
“Okay…” I paused uncertainly. Why did he just wink at me? “A debt of what?” Where was he going with this?
“Perhaps I could speak with you in a secluded location where we can discuss this debt without others overhearing?” He winked again.
There must be something in his eye.
“There’s a park about a mile up the road where we can talk,” I suggested, confused, and not knowing at all what was going on.
“One more thing…” He looked at the ground.
“What’s that?”
“Can I catch a ride with you?” He smiled this huge, genuine smile.
I laughed back. “How did you get here in the first place?”
“I’ll tell you in the car.” He looked serious now.
“Okay, well, go ahead and get in.” I was motioning toward my hatchback when I heard a familiar voice behind me.
“Hey, Dawn, who’s this?” Aaron stared at the stranger as he got into the car. He looked and sounded perturbed. I cringed for a second then turned to face him once Nick had shut his door.
“It’s an old friend. There’s nothing to worry about.”
I let Aaron take my hand. He had confessed his feelings for me only the day before. I didn’t need him to feel threatened, even though if it came down to it this stranger could probably take Aaron out in one punch. Still, I had to play along for now, even though my feelings were not at the same level as his.
“You sure? He looks kind of rough,” Aaron said, looking toward my car.
“He’s harmless. I’ll call you as soon as I get home if it makes you feel better.”
He pouted at me. “Well… all right. Will I see you tonight?”
“Maybe.” I hated leading him on this way, but even my mother said it was best just to see where it led.
“Later then.” He gave me a big kiss, one that was a bit much for saying goodbye, but I suspected he was making a point to the male stranger in my car.
I pulled away and got into the driver’s seat.
“He always that affectionate?” Nick asked, looking rather grossed out.
I shrugged. “Yeah.”
“That’s the thing about you demons. When you have something good you want to throw it away,” he remarked, glancing out the window.
Did he just say ‘you demons’?
“Do what?” I asked, hoping that I had heard him wrong.
“You didn’t hear me wrong, Ms. Weathers. When we get to this park, I’ll tell you everything that I know.” He said it as if he had just been inside my head. Just like my father was able to do. I hated it when he did that. It was incredibly intrusive.
I parked my car in the parking lot of Midvale City Park and turned to loo
k at my passenger. He had amazing green eyes and a friendly smile, but I was ready for anything he threw at me. If he was about to launch me into new perils, I only hoped they would help me to free Wesley from the grasp of that redheaded monster Miranda.
“Okay, we’re here. Spill.”
“First, let me apologize to you for what I said back there. I meant no disrespect by calling you a demon. I know your mother was an angel, so you aren’t completely muddied.” He gave me an apologetic smile.
“No, it’s fine. I understand what you meant.”
“Good. Most of the others don’t like to be called either one or the other.” He said it as if I was supposed to understand what he was saying.
Most of the others? I looked at him, confused.
“You’re not the only one, Dawn,” he continued, clearly picking up my thoughts. “There are several others on this Earth with the same blood as you. They tend to fall more to one side than the other. You have done well keeping yourself in balance.”
I pinched myself. I had to be dreaming.
“What are they like?” I asked slowly, intrigued by the way this conversation was going.
“Well, the two that I have met take on the light side of their blood. They can use the darkness in them, but they refuse to. I suppose it depends on who adopts them really.” He looked around the car, not looking all impressed.
“Adopts?”
“Yeah.” Again, he spoke like I was supposed to know all of this already. “You are the only one in existence with an angel mother. It was understood centuries ago that female angels were infertile to hybrid mixes, unable to procreate with man or any other being. Your mother though had a powerful role in Heaven, so she very well could have slipped through the cracks.”
There was a slight pause as he cleared his throat.
“Demon females have a decreased gestational period. Their partners were usually never informed they ever had a child. The child itself was then sent to Earth and raised like any other human child. That is until their parents told them the truth of their existence. You are the only one who has both parents playing a role in her life. The two that I met before have no idea who their mother or father was. All they know is that there is something special about their blood.”
“So, what are you?”
“I’m a Prophet,” he said quickly.
“A Prophet?” I repeated. I tried not to break into laughter though it was impossible to keep a smile from slipping when I considered how young he looked. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-one.” Now he was smiling too. “I haven’t been around since the beginning of time if that is what you mean.”
“What is it that you do?”
The questions wouldn’t stop coming. I was definitely interested in the stranger sitting beside me.
“I do a lot of things, really. I help those that need to be helped.”
He looked at me before he decided to continue.
“I have gifts. Yes, I can read your mind. Maybe even do a little magic. I also have an uncanny gift to calm a room. I cannot erupt into flames, nor can I control wind and the weather like a spirit that I met here recently. I cannot make a harvest grow at a faster rate, nor cause a famine with just a flick of my wrist.”
Had he just given me insight into what the others could do?
“You said spirit? That doesn’t sound like she’s living,” I pointed out as I backtracked some into the conversation. I had a feeling I knew who he was talking about but didn’t want to say anything until I had a little more confirmation.
“She isn’t alive, not in the mortal sense anyway. When the time comes, she will get her second chance. For now, God keeps her busy with other tasks. Mostly saving your ass.” He laughed.
“Krista.”
I remembered how she had told me about her second chance in my dream. This was all the confirmation I needed.
“That would be the one.” He looked at me curiously. “She’s very drawn to you. She finds your fire enticing. At least that is what she says.”
“Is she here now?” I asked him. I always felt that she was near, but I had not seen her since the day of the school invasion.
“She’s always with you. Ever since the day, you saw through her eyes.”
“Seriously?” I was waiting for him to start laughing, or for the scent of sulfur to hit the air.
“Why do you beings always think I’m joking?” he huffed. “I swear that when I tell you something, I’m telling you God’s honest truth.”
“I’m sorry. It gets hard to trust people,” I said quietly.
“I understand that. I was a normal boy until my mother told me that I was special.” He groaned. “I played football in high school and had a free ride to college. One day my mom tells me that I have to travel the world searching for these unique hybrids, says it’s my calling. So, I go, and I meet this guy who then tells me that I have to follow my visions. I go on a tour of the world, and for two years I look for these special beings. I have met just about every type of hybrid that you can possibly think of.” He glanced at me and smiled. “Oh yeah, all of them are real! Just wait till you meet them. And you will meet them.”
I laughed. “You’ll be telling me next that fairies exist.”
“Really? That’s the one you want to pull out of that conversation?” He looked at me; his mouth was agape. “Of course, fairies exist.”
“Like Tinkerbelle?” I giggled under my breath.
“No, not like Tinkerbelle.” He rolled his eyes. “If one were standing in front of you, you wouldn't even know it. Like you, they have a disguise that they have to maintain to remain invisible.”
“Oh.” I felt embarrassed, realizing that by being flippant all I had achieved was to piss him off.
“I know about Lilliana, or Miranda, as you know her. I know of her powers, and I know of her bloodline. I have a feeling I know why she wants Wesley, but I’m not a hundred percent sure yet. Your mother knows more than me right now.”
I blinked at him. “How do you know about Wesley?”
“I think that’s something you need to ask your mom. I am not exactly at liberty to divulge that information,” he replied nervously. I didn’t think he meant to let it out that he knew about Wesley.
“Why is it that everything leads me back to what my mother knows?” I asked dryly.
“I’m going to explain something to you, and you may choose not to believe me, for now...”
It was evident that he wanted to change the subject.
“What’s that?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“Do you ever wonder why fire? I mean, like, really sit there and think about how the only element you can call is fire?”
I nodded.
“What are the differences between the flames, Dawn? Can you tell me that?”
I thought for a moment. “Well, Hellfire burns hot from my hands and my body. It feels heavy and enticing. Heaven’s flame feels cold, almost icy. It hurts more to use because I think I’m getting frostbite on my fingers.” It was the most definite answer I could give him.
“Okay, I hope you are ready for this. The fact is, you are a Warden, one of the chosen who can control both sides of the fire. There are those who can only control one side of the spectrum. These beings are called Carriers. From there it pretty much depends on your generation where you stand. A second generation is going to be stronger than a fourth or a fifth. Very rarely do you find a fourth generation that can do more than make a water hose dribble. You are the master flame or, in this case, the Fire Warden. It really is no wonder you never know which flame will be more potent, not until it hits your fingertips. Only at that last moment can you feel it.”
This guy was nuts! Absolutely bonkers!
“My mother told me about Guardians and Watchers. She never said anything about Wardens.”
“You will need–”
I cut him off. “Let me guess. To ask my mother?” I said, feeling my blood start to boil.
“Yo
u are a powerful Warden, Dawn, I can tell you that much. When the Earth was made, there was a beginning to each element of nature. The first fire, the first rain, the first breeze, and the first harvest. God placed the core of these elements in four chosen celestials who hold the blood of both the righteous and the damned. They are tasked with protecting these cores to keep humanity in balance. If the fire goes out, humanity loses the ability to produce it.”
“If I am so powerful how can John neutralize me?” I asked. Warden or not, this was far-fetched even for me.
“John is a Demon Neutralizer. His job in Miranda’s army is to remove all threats. He is a born assassin. His job is to clear the path, to rob the innocent of their most precious commodity. Like he did to you and Krista. To take your innocence and then kill you. That was supposed to break the balance between the dark and the light. However, there was a small amount of innocence left in you. Either that, or it was the boy that saved you. We’re trying to figure that one out.” He saw the look on my face and softened. “He didn’t know it, but Krista did. It didn’t stop her from falling in love with him though.” He looked at me as if I was supposed to believe everything coming out of his mouth. But I was having trouble buying all of this right now.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air. “He can’t control my mother or my father, but he can control me!”
“Your parents are Purebloods. The Neutralizer goes after half-bloods, the muddied children of angels and demons. He would do well to leave your parents alone. Because they cannot be controlled, they are a danger to him.”
“You mean because they are pure, they can destroy him?”
“Something like that. I wouldn’t so much say destroy as harm. It takes a lot to destroy a Neutralizer.” He shrugged. “That is why Miranda snagged him, because of his bloodline. She’s up to something.” He was serious; I could see it in his eyes. He thought that everything he was saying was gospel.
Smoke & Ash (Wardens Series Book 2) Page 5