by Kensie King
“I know.”
“And I want to fix this.”
“I know,” he said again. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
I took that moment to bolt for the front door. My hand closed over the handle, and I was halfway out when Gage hauled me back in. I used the flames to make him let go. His arm caught on fire and he cursed, releasing my waist.
I reached for the door again, but this time, he dragged me to the floor. I tried to kick him, but he was too fast, too strong as he straddled me.
“Link, please.” His hands found my wrists, pinning them against the hard floor. “Please, don’t do this.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.” My voice was dangerous and full of threats. I could set him on fire right now and make sure he burned.
“Then don’t.” His hold eased, and he traced one hand down my cheek—across the cheekbone with the bruise. “Please, Link. I’m just trying to help. I don’t want something to happen to you. Please.”
My breathing was still heavy, but I saw the love in his eyes. I could hear it in his voice. And I suddenly realized he was doing exactly what I’d try to do if the situation were reversed. He was trying to protect me.
And I was trying to make him burn.
“Oh, my God.” One hot tear slowly slid the length of my cheek. “I’m sorry, Gage,” I choked out.
He released me immediately and pulled me into his arms. The keys dropped to the ground as I clung to him.
“I’m sorry I set you on fire. I shouldn’t—”
“It’s okay. Sweetheart. It’s fine.” He kissed my cheek, then my lips and wiped the trail of tears. “I shouldn’t have influenced you. I didn’t know what else to do.”
I clutched at his shirt, burying my face in his chest and trying to shut everything out. Savannah was barely hovering at the edge of my mind, but she didn’t have enough energy to do anything more than gloat. It was like I could hear her laughing about my mother, promising me more people would get hurt. I squeezed my eyes shut tight.
“Link,” Gage said, breath warm against my ear. “Are you okay?”
I squeezed my eyelids tighter. My chest constricted, making it hard to breathe.
“You’re scaring me, Link. Please, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know what to do. I—she hurt my mom. And now—she’s—she’s—”
“Take a breath. Link.” Gage pulled back and cupped my cheeks in his hands, even as I continued to clench his shirt in my fists. “You need to breathe.”
“Help me,” I whispered. I was hyperventilating.
“You need to calm down.”
“I—I can’t. I’m trying—” I stared into his eyes. “Help me, please. Influence me.”
“Are you sure?”
I gave a jerky nod.
His pupils dilated just slightly. “Look at me, Link.”
I held his gaze while his irises darkened. The rest of the world shrank around me.
“You can breathe,” he said, voice low. “You’re okay. Do you want to sleep?”
“Yes.”
“You can sleep,” he said, thumb brushing my cheek. “I’ll be right here, and you can sleep. Now, close your eyes and take a nap.”
My eyes drooped shut and my entire body slumped as the world faded away and I fell asleep.
Chapter 26
It was quiet when I woke up. I was in my bed with Gage lying next to me, his arm over my waist. He raised his hand to brush his knuckles on my cheek.
“You’re still here,” I said quietly.
He smiled. “Of course.”
The sun was shining through the blinds and his eyes were heavy-lidded like he might have taken a nap as well. It was easy for me to see the strain at the corners of his lips.
I turned on my side, facing him, reaching out to touch his cheek as well because he looked so worried. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re not good at lying anymore,” I said quietly. “At least not to me.”
“I’m not…” He sighed, closed his eyes briefly. “I’m not trying to lie to you.”
“You’re trying to protect me.”
He nodded. “Yes. Exactly.”
“And you influenced me when I asked you to.”
“Yes.”
“Even though you didn’t want to.”
His lips parted, but he hesitated for answering. “No, I didn’t want to.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to do that.”
“I did it for you. Because you wanted me to. You don’t have to apologize.”
But suddenly the fullness of what I’d done, of what’s gone on, hit me, and I sat up. I grabbed his arm, searching for injuries. “I set you on fire. Gage—”
He caught my hands in his as they fumbled over his arm. “Don’t, Link. I’m not hurt.”
I didn’t believe him. I intentionally lashed out at him. “I burned you.” When I didn’t see anything, I pulled away and checked his other arm, pushing his sleeve up to find the mark. “Where…?”
“I told you,” Gage said softly. “I’m not hurt. I can’t say the same for you, though.”
He was right. My whole body ached, especially my shoulders where the rocks hit, and my cheek where I got pelted one last time before we got out.
“Can’t you, you know, bring the fire?” he asked. “To heal yourself?”
I swallowed hard, leaning against the headboard. “I don’t…I don’t want to. I tried to hurt you with it.”
“But you didn’t.”
“I tried.”
He sat in front of me, taking my hands in his. “You also healed Audrey because of it. Her tumor is gone because of the fire. Because of you.”
I couldn’t argue with that. Gage squeezed my hands.
“Still, it’s fueling my anger right now.” I gave him a grim smile. “To take care of Savannah for good this time.”
He grimaced, glancing away. “At least take something, will you? Aspirin?”
“That’s probably a good idea.”
He stood. “Stay here.”
I smiled and pointed. “Right here?”
He leaned down, a smile on his lips. And kissed me. “You blow me away, Link. I’ve never met anyone like you.”
“You’re young still.”
He laughed and kissed me again. “After this is all over, I’m treating you to a vacation.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere you want to go.”
My mood sobered some. “What if we still can’t leave?”
“We’ll figure something out.” He flashed a smile. “I’ll take you camping.”
That made me laugh. “I could probably handle that.”
“I know.” He straightened, blue eyes alight with possibilities. “You can handle anything. Stay here. I’ll get you some water, too.”
He left the room, and I heard him walk down the hallway, footsteps quiet. Stealthy. He’d had no trouble influencing me twice earlier today. His powers were definitely getting stronger.
I sighed. I really needed to figure out how to fix this spell.
“Link.”
My head jerked up. Savannah’s reflection was in the broken mirror, making me cringe. I squeezed my eyes shut tight, willing her to leave me alone.
“I’m not going to hurt you…”
“Too late,” I whispered.
I felt the low hum of something next to me and glanced down. My mouth dropped open when I saw the necklace with the amethyst on it. Hadn’t I hidden that away?
“We both want the same thing in the long run,” she whispered. “To put the spell back in place. I could help you.”
I reached for the necklace as though my hand wasn’t my own. Help me? What if she could? If I let her, Savannah could help me reinstate the spell.
“Then your vampire wouldn’t have to be a vampire anymore…”
My fingers closed over the metal chain. Gage wouldn’t have to be a vampire. He could be normal. He wouldn’t influence me or be
affected by the bloodlust. Dylan wouldn’t be a shifter and Grace wouldn’t be a werewolf. We wouldn’t have to worry about Kane, wherever he was.
“Come on, Link,” she coaxed. “We’re family.”
My breathing was even as I slid on the necklace. Savannah was right. I frowned. No, she wasn’t. She tried to kill me and my mother. But the necklace rested heavy over my heart and Savannah disappeared from the mirror. I heard her quiet laughter all around me, flowing into me until it was in my head.
And then she was in my body.
Gage’s footsteps sounded in the hallway. I tucked the necklace under my shirt and smiled when he entered the room. He passed me two white pills and a glass of water.
“Thanks,” I said.
He joined me on the bed again. “It’s getting close to dinnertime.”
I took the pills and kept my hands clasped around the cup. Inside, I was confused. I tried to sort through what was going on, but Savannah was stronger, and she blocked me out.
I heard her say, in my voice, “I want to see the book.”
Gage’s lips turned down at the corners. “Are you sure? We could wait until tomorrow. Maybe Savannah won’t be back.”
She’s here right now! But I couldn’t form the words. She’d taken over my body completely.
“I don’t feel her,” Savannah forced me to say. “But we should still be careful with the book. Let’s go over there with the others.”
He frowned. She made me smile. Then she made me reach out to take his hand. “We’ll figure it out. Together.”
No, Gage! But he was nodding now, holding my gaze. “Together. Okay, let’s do it.”
#
I tried to fight Savannah all the way there, but she was too strong. Now that I had the necklace on again, I couldn’t seem to break her hold. When we arrived at Gage’s house, instead of getting out, he turned to me.
“You’re quiet.”
Savannah made me smile. It wobbled, but I was sure it just looked like nerves. “I’m fine.”
He reached out and took my hand. I could feel Savannah’s mix of emotions. After all, she was in love with Gage’s great-great-grandfather. But she also hated all vampires.
“We don’t have to do this. We can wait.”
“No. I want to go in there.”
His eyebrows lowered. His look was almost suspicious. It’s not me! If only I could get the words out, Gage would know what I meant. He’d understand right away.
“You’re worried,” he whispered, leaning in.
His lips touched mine and then he traced them across my cheek and down my jawline. Savannah’s senses were going wild.
I tried harder to push through, grabbing his arm with all my strength. “Gage.”
His mouth paused by my ear. “What?”
My tongue was glued to the roof of my mouth. My heart raced out of control and I knew he could hear it but maybe he didn’t understand why. He thought I was worried, which I was. I blinked. I tried again, but the words wouldn’t come.
Gage leaned back, eyes meeting mine. “Link?”
Savannah was there full force again. “It’s nothing. We should get inside.”
“Right.”
We both got out. Savannah was calm and collected. I could feel her mind working. I could hear her thoughts. She wanted to find the book. She wanted to hide it or save it from being destroyed. And she wanted to kill everyone else in the house for helping me try to stop her.
I choked out a noise of horror as we reached the door. Gage cast me a swift glance.
“Yeah, I’m nervous,” Savannah made me say. I grabbed Gage’s hand and squeezed. “It’s fine.”
When we entered, I was aware of his hand on the small of my back. I felt Savannah’s restraint, and it warred with my own need to break through.
Audrey was there the moment we stepped into the foyer. She enfolded me in a hug. Savannah’s anger flared, and it took all she had and all I had to keep the flames inside. To not set Audrey on fire.
Not yet, Savannah said in my head.
“Where’s the Book of Shadows?” I asked.
Audrey’s eyes flashed to Gage. “We have it.”
We followed her into the living room where Dylan and Grace were seated on the couch. The shutters were closed most of the way, blocking out the setting sun, and leaving the room dim. Gage tried to keep my hand tight in his own, but Savannah made me pull away. I looked around the room.
“Where’s the book?”
Audrey walked to a table near the fireplace. “Are we sure we want to destroy it?”
Anger flared inside of me. No, Savannah didn’t want to destroy it. She wanted to find a way to spare it.
“Of course we’re going to.” Dylan looked at me. “If that’s what Link thinks will make Savannah leave her alone.”
You little bitch. Savannah’s words in my head made me flinch.
“Link?” Grace said.
My hands shook. Savannah’s words clawed up my throat. “We are not destroying the book.”
Dylan frowned. “What?”
Savannah forced calm again. “I mean, we have to see how to reset the spell. Right? If we destroy the book without looking for that information, it could be lost forever.”
Grace nodded. “He’s right.”
But she didn’t look entirely convinced and neither did the rest of them. Gage strolled over to the fireplace and flipped a switch. Flames flickered from inside, and he opened the door.
“I say we toss it in. Right now.”
Alarm raced through me. I stepped forward when Gage went for the table. Inside, I was screaming, Yes, do it! But Savannah wouldn’t let me get it out.
“No, Gage.” Savannah smiled through me. “I don’t know if that’s smart.”
But he ignored me and lifted the book. He walked it to the fireplace, head down, examining the cover.
“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” Audrey asked.
It took every ounce of control Savannah had to keep calm. “Yes, are you sure? We should look inside first. Here. I’ll do it right now.”
In response, he held the book closer to the fireplace. “Don’t make me do it.”
Grace stepped closer to him. “Do what? What are you talking about?”
Gage met my eyes from across the room. “Tell her, Savannah.”
Yes! Gage knows! I smiled, but Savannah’s words were in my mouth again. “What? Gage, I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yeah,” Dylan echoed. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“This morning Link was willing to do anything to get this book from you guys,” Gage said. “To destroy it. Now he’s all calm and wants to keep it around? I don’t think so.”
“You think…” Grace peered closely at me. “You think Savannah is doing this?”
“How?” Audrey asked.
“What are you talking about?” I moved to the fireplace. “It’s me. Gage—”
“Prove it,” he said.
My mouth opened. Savannah made me look shocked. I stepped even closer to Gage, fingers itching to snatch the book from his hands.
Instead, I turned. “Dylan. Grace. You guys know me. This whole time we’ve been trying to figure out the spell. If we destroy the book, we might lose our chance.”
“He’s right,” Dylan said.
Grace frowned. “But.”
“Grace,” I started.
She shook her head, turning to Gage. “How is he going to prove it?”
“I’ll influence him.”
Savannah balked. She was trying to hold me back, but her power splintered. I found a break and made myself walk to Gage. “Okay,” I whispered.
No! No! Savannah was shouting inside now, clutching at her hold over me. I stood directly in front of Gage, looking at him. The firelight flickered off his face, and he held the book out of my reach.
“Look into my eyes,” Gage said.
Savannah and I fought, but I could feel his pull already. His eyes we black, capturing
mine and Savannah’s.
“Tell me your name.”
I opened my mouth, but Savannah snapped it shut. Then she broke the stare and made me step back, a long, low laugh rolling from my lips. “You’re so pathetic,” she made me say. I pulled the necklace from under my shirt, glancing around. “All of you. And now you can die.”
She flicked my wrist and the book shot from Gage’s hand, sliding across the hardwood floor. Then I smiled at him and set him on fire.
Chapter 27
Audrey started yelling, and I flung fire in her direction, too. Grace was fast and she raced toward me. I held out my hand and clenched my fist. She clawed at her throat. Savannah was making me strangle her from five feet away.
Dylan tackled me from the side, and I went down hard on the wood floor. He tried to capture my hands in his steel grip, but Savannah gathered her power and slammed it hard into him. He flew from the top of me and landed close to Grace, who was choking and still grabbing her neck.
“The necklace!” Gage yelled.
He managed to put the fire out. Now he ran to me, determined. Savannah held her hands up, stopping him with an invisible wall. Her power wavered. It was her against all four of them and she didn’t have much left.
“Link,” he said. He tried to move forward, but it was like he’s walking through quicksand. “Listen to me. You can stop her.”
I heard what he was saying, and it was reaching me despite Savannah trying to block it. I fought harder against Savannah’s hold, and her block against Gage and the others wavered.
Grace broke through from the side and reached for me. Savannah tried to turn to her, to lash out again, but I held her back.
“Stop,” I said through gritted teeth. “Savannah, stop.”
Gage reached me and grabbed the necklace.
Savannah’s rage was blinding. It took everything I had to rein her in. “Hurry,” I yelled at him.
He ripped the necklace from my neck and threw it across the room. Then he tackled me. Audrey was on the other side, and between the two of them, I couldn’t do anything. Not even with Savannah’s power.
“The book,” Gage said, glancing behind him.
Grace and Dylan both scrambled for it.
“What do we do with it?” Grace asked.
Dylan held it up. “Throw it in the fire?”