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  My body tensed and the sky grew even darker. Ian was so close behind me I could feel his body heat radiate through my clothes. “Es, Davin said Ailaina saw a woman who killed you. I think we should leave,” he spoke softly, but I heard his anxiety.

  “No, I’m finishing this today. No more fighting, no more running away, no more hiding. Damn it, I want to sleep and have dreams of our future, not of this.”

  His hand went to the small of my back. Luna and Dregan both had their hackles raised and their bodies tense, ready to spring into action. My mom and dad walked up to stand next to us, hand in hand, Hela at my mom’s feet. Jarak limped with Maztic to stand next to them.

  “Well, you made your choice, but from the looks of things out here, my money’s on this group.” Davin walked back toward us. He looked directly at Jarak and gave a short nod. “Good luck.” Then he glanced at me. “I’ll be seeing you.” He disappeared into the air. I couldn’t believe he left. What if Ian’s thoughts were right, what if this was the woman who Ailaina saw? I’d hate to be him when he got back to her and told her.

  “MaryAnn,” my mom called out. “You don’t have to do this. We can talk it out, I’m sure.”

  “You don’t know anything. I’m in pain every day and the only way it will stop is if I kill her!” MaryAnn hollered back.

  “Killing her won’t help you,” my dad yelled.

  “It will. Julie said it would. She said it was you who killed my husband. It was you who created the curse on me, causing me pain.”

  Of course it was Julie who’d say that. I really hated that woman. “That’s all a lie. Julie lied to you,” I tried to persuade her.

  “No, it’s not!”

  She sounded unstable, and since I still couldn’t see her that worried me even more.

  “Ian, do you see her?” I whispered right before I saw a flash of light.

  In seconds the world froze around me. Someone screamed. It took a moment before I realized it was me. Thunder boomed continuously in the black sky.

  Someone was in front of me, protecting me, but I couldn’t get my mind to focus on what was happening, or who was standing there, or even why they were in front of me. They fell to the ground and I screamed again.

  My heart stopped as I recognized who was in front of me. I dropped to my knees next to Jarak, who was on the ground bleeding profusely from his chest. My mom ran over next to us. “It’s okay, you’ll be okay,” I heard myself saying, but my voice sounded miles away.

  Ian was at the house before I could blink back the first set of tears. He tackled MaryAnn to the ground by the front door.

  Jarak had jumped in front of me at the same time I saw the flash of light. I pushed as much magic as I could into him. He couldn’t die. No, this was all wrong. It was me who was destined to die, not him, not him.

  My dad came over and lifted Jarak’s head to his lap. I applied as much pressure as I could to stop the bleeding, but still it kept pumping from his body. I cried so hard that sobs erupted from me. I worked harder, faster, but each time I pushed magic into him, it push back at me. I had to save him. He couldn’t die, it wasn’t his time. I mentally chanted any spell I thought that could work, but nothing helped. I pressed my hands down harder, but his blood still flowed steadily. I sniffed back as uncontrollable sobs racked through me once again. I could no longer see clearly as tears streamed in torrents down my face.

  The expression in his eyes softened. “I told you I would do the same thing for you,” he whispered before he began coughing. He grimaced and clenched his shirt over his chest tightly. “Maz…” His voice was barely audible.

  Maztic was already close but he stepped closer, whimpering. He rested a front paw gently on Jarak’s shoulder. Jarak reached out to him, his bloody hand smearing red all over Maztic’s white fur. Maztic whined and nudged Jarak with his muzzle. Jarak’s breathing became heavier, more exaggerated.

  Luna came and sat next to me. Dregan and Hela walked slowly over to us. Dregan whimpered as he sat next to Maztic.

  Ian ran and slid down next to us, blood covering his hands as he helped apply pressure. “Bro, can you hear me?” His body trembled and he kept shaking his head. “Jarak, don’t you dare die on me. We need you.” His voice broke as he choked back his own tears.

  “You…take care…of her...” Jarak looked at me and attempted a smile, which made me cry harder. “Re..remember…you are…the one who…holds my true heart.”

  “Jarak, please don’t leave, just hang on. Mom! Help him, please!” She was chanting so many spells that I couldn’t keep up with her.

  His chest quit rising, and I began shaking him. “Jarak! Come on, please,” I sobbed. “Please don’t die.”

  “He’s gone,” my dad said as he gently lowered Jarak’s head to the grass. Rain poured from the clouds, but I sat there with an ache in my heart too big for anyone to fix. I leaned over Jarak’s body, not wanting to let him go.

  Ian grasped Jarak’s shirt tightly; I could see him trembling as tears fell unashamedly down his face.

  Maztic was there, whimpering loudly. His muzzle pushed against Jarak, but it did no good; he was gone. Maztic lifted his head to stare directly at me then nodded before looking back down at Jarak.

  “Goodbye,” I whispered as I reached out to run my fingers through his coat one last time. Maztic’s body slowly became tiny sparkles of glistening spirit where he sat, then hovered over Jarak’s body, covering him completely. One at a time they faded until Jarak and Maztic were both gone.

  I pulled my knees up to my chest as we just sat there staring at where Jarak had been. “I don’t understand,” I whispered, not really expecting an answer.

  Ian’s jaw clenched as he held up a gun. His gaze was hollow as he stared at Jarak’s face. “She had an 8md.”

  “What is that?” I hadn’t meant to ask out loud.

  My dad stood, helping my mom to her feet as they both cried. “It’s a gun deathly to all magical beings. It means he didn’t have a chance.”

  Ailaina was right, there was a woman who would’ve killed me, but instead she killed Jarak. I thought back to moments before the shooting. Davin had looked at Jarak and told him ‘good luck.’ They must have had a silent understanding that I didn’t catch until it was too late. I couldn’t breathe. I needed to leave, I had to leave.

  I stood up. Ian watched me, but said nothing. I walked away from them all. I heard my dad holler for me, but I raised my hand and shook my head as I started to run. “Just let me leave.”

  The storm mimicked how I felt in every way. Lightning struck all over, giving flashes of eerie and depressed light. I was drenched head to toe. My soul cried and I felt Ian’s cry with mine. Once I was far enough away I fell to my knees. “Davin!” I cried out.

  Davin appeared about five feet in front of me. “I see he succeeded.”

  “Why? I don’t understand. I thought you came to save me, not take him.”

  “My dear, I did.” His voice was quiet as he came and sat next to me. “I’m the Death Keeper, I make deals. In order to save you, I had to make a deal. I made a deal with Jarak to save you.”

  I hit him in the shoulder as hard as I could. “I hate you! You didn’t have to do that.”

  The red in his eyes brightened as his eyes glossed over. “I’ve never let anyone hit me and live to tell about it, but I understand. I had to make a deal to keep Ailaina happy, and Jarak wanted to make a deal so he could be released. You’ll be happy to know that his soul isn’t in my world. I can’t take souls who are unselfish. They wouldn’t fit with my personality.”

  “Es,” Ian cried out for me.

  “I better get back to Ailaina. She’s already too close to kicking my butt in pool and we have eternity to play. I might have to find another game. How is she at chess?”

  “Tell her I love her.” I barely heard my own voice.

  He nodded before leaving again.

  “Es, there you are.” Ian came over to me and collapsed next to me, pulling me in close. H
is hands intertwined in my hair and he cried, his tears mixing with the rain.

  I grabbed his shirt and clung tight as I sobbed into his chest. “I can’t believe he’s gone. I never thought he’d actually die, you know.”

  “I know, I know.”

  I knew more than anyone that death brought a new beginning, but it hurt to continue without those we lost.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The Truth Behind The Reaping

  Esmerelda

  “We’re still going to need to do the Reaping Spell, you know that, right?” My mom sat a cup of hot cocoa down in front of me on the table. “That was the reason behind awakening them from their restful state of death. The last time we tried we failed, but without that spell, we can’t get rid of all the crossbreeds.”

  “I know,” I whispered. “Won’t they just die anyway? I mean, it shouldn’t take long, should it?”

  She shrugged and sat down in the chair next to me. “They’ve been living longer, and I’m afraid they’ll learn how to multiply. How crazy would that be? It’s best if we do what we were destined to do.”

  “What if I don’t want to do whatever it was your Seer said needed to happen?” I yelled, but I didn’t care. I was so angry over everything that I needed to yell. “I’ve never even met this Seer, what if she worked for Nicholas too? Why is it fair that you have yours and I don’t have mine? My best friend, who now lives with the Death Keeper, I might add.”

  “Es, honey, she died a long time ago.”

  I instantly felt bad for practically screaming at her and accusing her Seer. “I’m sorry,” I said much quieter. “I’m just so torn up, everything hurts inside.”

  She pulled me in for a hug. “I know, sweetheart. If I could take the pain away I would. I never got to kiss your boo-boo’s when you were little growing up, or tell you it would be okay after your first breakup with a boy. But I am here right now, and I will always be here for you. I’m so sorry your life is filled with sorrow right now. One day you’ll look back and you will be able to remember all the happy times you had with Jarak. I promise.”

  “What about Ailaina? I miss her already. It’s not like I can just go visit anytime I want. She’s in a different world.”

  “She’s pretty feisty. If Davin doesn’t want to spend eternity on the couch, he’ll let her visit.”

  I pulled back and wiped my tears off. “Eww, Mom, I don’t want to think about Ailaina and Davin like that.”

  She laughed. “Why not? I thought you were all grown up with a man of your own.”

  “Ugh, I am, but it’s still not cool to talk to you about, you know, my sex life. Or Ailaina’s for that matter. It’s just, wrong.”

  She laughed harder. “I wasn’t trying to pry. I was only stating the obvious.”

  I held my hand up. “You can stop.” I laughed with her. It felt good to feel something other than heartache.

  She pat my leg. “So, should we head over to my room and see if the guys are ready for dinner? I’m thinking Chinese. We can order in and just enjoy being a family tonight. The hotel has a soda machine on the second floor so we can stock up on sugary drinks, feed our grief. What do you say?”

  I tried my best at a smile. “It sounds great.”

  I really wasn’t in the mood to talk about the stupid Reaping Spell. It was only two days since Jarak died, but I hadn’t cried enough to wash away the guilt that I felt.

  “Esmerelda, you need to concentrate.”

  I looked over at Moriah. She was still just as beautiful as ever with her long blonde hair, but her face was set in a scowl. “I know you’re hurting, but a lot of innocent people will be hurting if you can’t complete this spell.”

  “How are we gonna do it without Julie anyway?” I asked as I curled my legs up under me on the chair.

  “We all have talked, and believe you are strong enough to not only complete your portion of the spell, but hers as well.”

  My mom plopped down on the bed with a big sigh. “Es, we need you to think positive.”

  “A lot of people are counting on you. We need to stop the crossbreeds.” Gabriella frowned. “We’ve also had confirmation that they found a way to infect people much the same way as a vampire and are multiplying. Except, the newbies aren’t dying, actually their magic is growing and they are quite stronger than the first breeds we have been dealing with. Don’t you see? We have to stop them.”

  I look from her to Moriah then to my mom. “Is she serious? Are they really infecting others?”

  My mom didn’t say anything, but instead glanced down at her feet. I looked at Moriah. “Well?”

  She exhaled long and slow. “Yes, it’s true.”

  I gave in, knowing we had to stop them. That was the whole prophecy anyway, wasn’t it? For me to end the war. Just because I finally killed Nicholas didn’t mean the war was over. If I didn’t end the crossbreeds, then the war might actually be only beginning.

  “Okay, what do we do? Because the last time I didn’t get very far. All I got was a severe headache that lasted days.”

  Moriah smiled. “We need to train your mind to withhold our power, along with yours.”

  “Really? Train my mind? I can call a freaking thunderstorm in seconds. I think I have trained.”

  “Listen to them, Es. They are only trying to help,” Luna spoke in my head.

  “Oh, shush, I don’t need you to make me feel any worse.”

  She never responded.

  It wasn’t that I wanted her to feel bad, I just needed some peace and quiet. I needed time to think.

  “We aren’t talking that kind of training. The last time we tried the Reaping Spell in Tennessee, it failed. Not because you weren’t strong enough, but because we forced our powers into you without your mind knowing how to use them all at once.”

  “And why didn’t you tell me this before? I mean, come on, you knew and still let me try?”

  Gabriella twirled her blonde hair around her finger. “We didn’t know then what the problem was. We’ve done nothing but study these past few months trying to figure it out. It wasn’t until we came across a very old and somewhat questionable scroll that talked about the spell being used like a thousand or so years ago.”

  “Gaby, goodness. It wasn’t a thousand years ago, it was more like six hundred years ago.” Moriah tapped her nails on the tiny table as she tried counting. “Yeah, pretty sure it was around that.”

  I smirked. “Okay, well six hundred years was a long time ago. What did this scroll have to say about it?”

  Gabriella stopped twirling her hair. “It said that the first witch to try the Reaping Spell died from overexertion.”

  My eyes were wide as I stared at them. “What? You mean I’m gonna die after all?”

  Moriah reached over to take my hand. “No, we learned so much more than that. It also told us how they found another witch who they taught to hold more than one power at a time in her mind and apply it to the spell. She didn’t die and actually completed the reaping.”

  I couldn’t breathe. Why were they doing this to me? I needed to see Ian; I needed to get out. I heard the door key slid in and unlock the door, and as if by magic of his own, Ian walked in. Our eyes met and I knew he’d been crying again.

  “Ian, I’m glad you’re here. Can you please talk to Es? She needs to understand how delicate this spell is for her to use.”

  Ian drew his lips in a tight line. “No. Actually, what she needs to be doing right now is living and not worrying about a spell. Come on, Princess.” He held his hand out to me and I jumped from my spot to eagerly take it. I couldn’t have loved him more than I did right then.

  Without waiting for any of them to argue, Ian pulled me out in the hall and let the door close. He pulled me in close and crushed his lips to mine. He tasted of alcohol and I had to push away before I gagged on the taste and smell. “You’ve been drinking.”

  “Only a little. I promise not enough to do anything to me. Besides, that’s another fun fact about guardia
ns; we can’t get drunk. Not even to wash away memories or grief.”

  I understood his need to look for a release, but I hoped he wouldn’t look for it continuously at the bottom of an empty glass—even if he couldn’t get drunk.

  I reached up on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Well, you mind chewing some gum? I’m not fond of the smell of beer or whatever it is that you drank.”

  He chortled. “Yeah, I can do that.”

  I magicked a stick of gum and handed it over to him. “I’m so glad you came to rescue me. I was going crazy in there. They want me to think of the whole world and that stupid spell, but my mind won’t concentrate on any of it yet.”

  He kissed the top of my head. “I know. I could feel your anxiety growing.” He chuckled. “Besides, I have a surprise for you. I know we just lost Jarak, but it might help.”

  “Ian, I’m not in the mood. I don’t want to do anything, and definitely no surprises.”

  We walked down to the stairs hand in hand. I stopped before taking a step down. “Seriously, Ian, I don’t want any surprises.”

  He huffed out a long breath. “Fine. But if she finds out I told you she’d have me killed.”

  “Oh my gosh, is it Ailaina?”

  He smiled and winked at me. “You are just too smart for your own good. She knows you’re sad, and wants to help us. I told her, or rather told Davin, that it was too soon, but he assured me that life was too short and I should live it with you to the fullest. Because not even immortality is for certain. So, I agreed.”

  “Okay, you’re scaring me. What is it we are doing?”

  Ian pulled me with his hand so we started down the stairs. “I’m not sure, but he said something about finding a new game to play with Ailaina.”

  I rolled my eyes as we landed on the second floor. “Yeah, that sounds like him.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh as we pulled into the parking lot after following Davin’s text directions. For a Death Keeper he sure knew how to live.

  “Are you sure you read those right?” Ian looked up over the steering wheel at the indoor miniature golf building.