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  I laughed some more. “Oh yes, it’s right. This is so totally him.”

  Ian scrunched his brow together as he glanced at me. “Pretty strange for a Death Keeper.”

  I nodded. “Oh, I know.” I opened the car door and jumped out. “Come on, let’s go.”

  He got out of the car and the look on his face made me stop. “What?”

  “This is kinda like our first real date. I mean, we haven’t really gone anywhere officially as a couple before.”

  “Yeah, I guess it is, huh.” He still stared at me with a frown. “What is it?”

  “You didn’t let me get the car door.”

  “Oh my gosh, are you freaking serious? Come on, let’s go find them.”

  It wasn’t hard finding them. Ailaina rushed to me, hugging me tighter than ever before. “I was so worried about you. I’m so, so sorry about Jarak. Davin told me everything.” She pulled back and I fought the urge to cry again. I wasn’t going to do it, not tonight. Ailaina was here and we were going to have fun.

  “How are you here? I mean, aren’t you like living in some other world now?” I still couldn’t believe she was there. I thought I’d never see her again.

  “I am living there, but it doesn’t mean I can’t visit. You went there before and Davin comes here all the time. It’s not like he wants to keep me cooped up and hidden for eternity. Jeesh. He knows we need each other.”

  “That is the best news I’ve had all day. I really thought I’d never see you again.”

  “Psh. You can’t get rid of me. I’m your Seer and more importantly I’m your best friend who’s gonna kick your butt in mini-golf.”

  We both laughed. I was so happy to be with her and to know she wasn’t lost to me.

  Davin handed us our mini-clubs and balls. I got a pink one, Ailaina’s was purple, and both guys argued over who got the black one. Finally, Davin gave in and took the red one.

  The course was eighteen holes and Davin was bound and determined to keep score. I didn’t care as long as it wasn’t me who had to do it. Ailaina and I walked into the room with the course first. It was set up like an Appalachian mountain—or some kind of snow-covered mountain with skiers and snow all over the place. Ailaina placed her ball down on the white ground to go first.

  “Hey, maybe I should teach you how to hold a club first,” Davin interceded before she could swing.

  He walked over and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and latched on to her wrists. He whispered something in her ear and she giggled. I couldn’t help but smile at them. Maybe love at first sight was real. I mean, they looked so happy for just meeting.

  Ian leaned down to whisper in my ear, “I bet we can show them up.”

  I elbowed him and walked up to place my ball after Ailaina’s went rolling down the white carpet. I leaned out a little too much and wiggled my backside.

  Ian was behind me almost instantly, wrapping me in his arms much the same way Davin did with Ailaina. It felt so good, so real, so normal—and that was exactly what we both needed. He leaned in and lightly kissed my neck before he pulled my hands back to swing. I didn’t care whether or not I even hit the ball anymore. I was just happy to be there.

  My ball rolled all the way down to the hole but missed it by mere centimeters. I playfully stomped my foot. “Ugh, come on. That should’ve made it. You must have messed me up somehow.”

  We all laughed and talked about all kinds of things as we golfed. It wasn’t until the ninth hole that Davin sobered a little. “So, I heard about the Reaping Spell. Do you think you can do it?”

  And just like that, all my happiness was gone. “I’m gonna try.”

  “You know, the first witch to try died.” He nonchalantly hit his ball, making it right into the hole, then did a cocky dance in a circle until Ailaina pushed him over into the water. We all laughed as he jumped out and grabbed her, soaking the front of her clothes as well.

  “You so deserved that,” I said, still trying to control my laughter.

  His brows rose. “Oh really? Maybe you would like a hug too?”

  I held my hands out in front of me. “Oh no, I’m good, you just hang on to her.”

  “Gee thanks, Es,” Ailaina said as she giggled again.

  Davin put her down and looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then ran his hands over his clothes, drying them instantly. “So, where were we? Oh yeah, the Reaping Spell. So, if you don’t want to die, you have to be able to control more than one power in your mind.”

  I let my head fall back and let out a groan.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I just got told that exact thing, only I didn’t really listen to them.” I looked over at Ian. “I feel like a jerk now.”

  He placed an arm around my waist. “No, you’re just under a lot of stress. We all are.”

  “Okay, so Moriah and Gabriella were right. I need to train my mind. How do I do that exactly?”

  “Well, you aren’t gonna like it.”

  Ian dropped his ball on the carpet and glanced at Davin. “Why? What does she have to do?”

  “The second witch who completed the spell, she had to use dark magic.”

  My blood froze. “I’m sorry. Did you just say dark magic? I’m not making any deals with you, Davin. Someone always ends up dead in your deals.”

  He shook his head. “No, no deals. Not with you. I want to teach you how to open your mind to more than one power. Only dark magic can open you up like that.”

  “And you’re just gonna teach me, without a deal?”

  “I know, I’m a little surprised at myself too.”

  “Will I become, you know, like Maluse?”

  He chuckled, which I thought was highly inappropriate. “No, that only happens when I make a deal and take your soul. You will just be you, only a lot more powerful.”

  I placed one hand on my hip and the other on my club like a cane. “Why are you doing this?”

  He looked at Ailaina. “I have my reasons.”

  I nodded. Love at first sight had to be true. “Thank you. When do we start?”

  “Well, I have a game to finish, but after that I’m open.”

  We walked to the next hole. Ailaina tried to hit her ball through the base of the mountain so it would come out the other side and hopefully into the hole.

  “Where will we train? My hotel room is too small, not to mention that if I stay in a hotel much longer I’m gonna go insane.”

  “I have a room. You might remember it. I’ve added a few things since then, but it should serve to be the perfect place to train.”

  I gulped. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back to wherever it was he lived. I hated thinking of it as Hell. Maybe outside his home was the molten fire and lava, but inside it was like any other house. Okay, maybe house wasn’t the right word. Maybe mansion fit better.

  “She isn’t going without me,” Ian said. Both of his hands rested on his club.

  “I didn’t expect her to,” Davin replied.

  Ailaina’s squeal made us all look. Her ball fell in the hole, giving her a hole in one—her very first. We jumped together and stuck our tongues out at the guys and chanted about how girls were better than boys. Life in that moment was perfect and normal.

  Davin didn’t say anything more about training the rest of the game. I was glad because I probably would have tried hitting him again for ruining my mood.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Training With The Devil

  Esmerelda

  Training was much harder than I thought. Opening my mind to other powers hurt and my head exploded into migraine after migraine. I wasn’t sure I would ever get it down.

  “Again,” Davin instructed.

  I rubbed my throbbing temples. “No, I can’t. I have to stop. We’ve been at this for days and all I have to show for it is a headache.”

  “Just one more then we can take a break.”

  I nodded against my wishes. “Fine. But I can see why that first witch died. This crap
hurts.”

  “Remember, you have to open your mind and as soon as you feel that connection or push, grasp it but don’t let go of your power. Then weave it together and use them both.”

  “Yada yada yada. Let’s just do it already. I’m freaking tired.” I stood with my feet apart, one just a little ahead of the other. My hands hung down at my sides, even though I wanted nothing more than to use the fire in his fireplace and shoot him with it.

  I stared at him as his eyes churned with colors. Immediately I felt his power push against my mind. I grasped it and held it tight. He was strong, much stronger than I was, but I held on regardless. Taking his power, I meshed it with mine in my head. I could feel it weave together and my whole body responded. I tingled everywhere. I lifted one hand and barely even thought about the fireplace when flames danced from my palms to the floor.

  “You did it. I am so proud.” Davin smiled and pulled back his power, leaving me feeling empty.

  “Whoa, that was awesome. I’ve never felt that strong before.”

  “Well, don’t let it get to your head. You won’t meet anyone like me to steal powers from.”

  I cocked my head. “What do you mean, steal powers? I thought everyone would be letting me use them.”

  “No, it takes dark magic to weave powers together, and most aren’t willing to hand their magic over to someone playing in the dark stuff.”

  “How will I know I can do it without you?”

  He chuckled. “You’ll have to practice. Try it with those around you. You’ll know.”

  Ian and Ailaina walked in the room carrying drinks and laughing. Ian gazed over me and smiled. “Did you do it?”

  “Yeah, it’s really hard though.”

  “How’s your head?” He handed me a glass with ice water and winked. “Do you know how hard it was to find ice down here? I thought it’d melt by the time I got it to you.”

  “Oh, I can imagine.” I took a sip of the cold liquid.

  “Actually,” Davin said, taking a glass from Ailaina. “I didn’t think it was all that warm in here.”

  Ian smirked. “It was a joke, dude.”

  Davin smiled at Ailaina before taking a swallow. “I know.”

  “Ugh, you two need to get a room or something,” I joked.

  Ailaina blushed and leaned into me with her shoulder. “Oh shush, you have the same look when Ian’s around.”

  I swallowed wrong and coughed, spitting water all over. Ailaina took my glass and pat me on my back. “My point exactly.”

  I glared at her from the corner of my eyes. “That wasn’t a point, that was me choking and nearly dying on an ice cube.”

  “Always so dramatic.” Ailaina handed me my glass back.

  “Well, I think we should head back and see if you can work your new magic on others.” Davin snapped his fingers; our glasses disappeared then everything became black. Within seconds we were all in my hotel room.

  The room spun for a moment and I grabbed my head, trying to help stop the spinning. “You really should warn people before you do that,” I groaned.

  “Maybe that ice cube did more harm than we thought. I did warn you. I distinctively remember saying we needed to head back.” Davin tapped a finger to his chin.

  I would never win an argument against him. “Okay, fine, whatever you say, Your Deathliness.”

  Davin laughed. “Hey I like that. Your Deathliness. Oh yeah, I can make that work.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

  Ian clapped then rubbed his hands together. “Okay, so what do we do next?”

  “We,” Davin started, “don’t do anything. This one is all her. She has to do it without my help.”

  My gut twisted. I wasn’t ready to experiment on others yet. I really wasn’t ready for another headache. The tension was just beginning to leave from the last one.

  Ian took my hand. “It’ll be okay.”

  I huffed out a breath. “Yeah.”

  Ian called my dad and had them meet us in our room. My mom gave me a long hug. “I’m so sorry about the other day.”

  I leaned back, breaking the hug. “It’s fine. I was just stressed out and didn’t know how to process anything.”

  “When Davin called your father I was so distraught. So many things ran through my mind. I was glad you were safe, but I just couldn’t help but feel responsible for you leaving.”

  “Mom, it’s okay, I promise. Besides, I needed to learn some things that I don’t think you could’ve helped me with.” I wasn’t ready to tell her—or anyone—about the fact that I was learning dark magic. I was still afraid of using what little I learned. What if Davin was wrong and I turned into something dark and creepy, like Maluse? I didn’t want to hurt anyone, especially those I loved.

  “Well, I’ve heard from a certain employee that the new breeds are definitely stronger and are infecting multiple humans a day. If you don’t hurry, and not that I’m against it, but I’ll have a lot more souls I can pull over to my side to work for me.” Davin winked at me and I wanted to gag. He didn’t care that humanity was at stake, or that our lives hung in the unbalance of it all. He probably wanted me to lose this war just so he could gain his employees.

  He leaned in close and whispered in my ear, so quietly that I barely heard. “If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t be helping you.”

  Ugh. I hung my head. I forgot to shut that stupid wall in my head after training with him. I hated that he could hear my thoughts.

  He stood up straight. “So, I guess you should try and do your thing.”

  I glanced around the room at everyone. Moriah held her hand up. “Shouldn’t we wait for Valis and Tamlynn? They should be here anytime.”

  Davin shook his head. “She’s only training and exercising her mind. She needs to have a clear feeling for what she needs to do before trying the spell or she’ll end up like Risha.”

  Gabriella gasped and held her hand to her mouth. “No.”

  I guess that must have been the first witch who tried. Not sure why I hadn’t heard it before. I swallowed hard. “I won’t die. I’m gonna do this.” I hoped I sounded more convincing than I felt.

  We worked into the night. Each time I held onto their powers with mine longer. My eyes drooped. I wasn’t sure if I could stay awake much longer. When I was with Davin in his world, I didn’t feel sleepy, but now, after days of no sleep, I wanted to pass out. It had been weeks since I slept regularly and it was taking its toll on me.

  Chapter Nineteen

  A Last Goodbye

  Esmerelda

  “I think you’ve got it,” Davin said as I released the other powers.

  I smiled. I think he was right. I felt comfortable and at ease taking powers from someone to use them with mine. It sounded sadistic, or at least it did to me, but I knew why I had to do it.

  Valis giggled. “It’s so strange when you’re using my powers. My whole body tingles. We used to think that the spirit wanted you to do the spell because you were the first half breed, but now I see that it’s also because none of us could hang on to more than just our power. If I tried to handle the fire element, I’d probably end up burned. Ambria, the witch who succeeded six hundred years ago, had to be able to control all five elements.”

  “She did,” Davin spoke up. “She had all five elements, not given as a gift like Esmerelda, nor was she born with it.” He looked straight at me. “She was bestowed the five elements after a deal was made. She needed to do the Reaping Spell, but realized the same thing, that she’d need to possess all five in order to use all five.” He looked away, searching each of our faces. “But, it was still hard on her. She almost died using that much power… And she had many other witches she could draw off of. Esmerelda, this is no joke, you must be wary of how you feel. If at any time you reach that breaking point, you must stop. If you don’t, you will risk your death, or draining those you are pulling from.”

  Tamlynn looked at Moriah with wide eyes. “What happens if our powers ar
e drained completely? I mean, since Julie isn’t here, she’s gonna need to draw extra to accomplish the reaping, and Davin just said she could drain us.”

  “In order for her to collect all the tainted souls and end the curse, she will need extra fire magic. We can’t offer that to her since that was Julie’s element. If she drains us, we could die.”

  Great, so now I held their lives in my hands. I wasn’t sure I could handle any more grief or guilt over a death. “I’ll just have to dig deep inside me and use what I have.”

  “Alright. I think my job is done.” Davin rubbed his hands together and looked at Ailaina. “Are you ready?”

  Ailaina gave me a hug. “I’ll be watching and making sure I don’t see any problems for you. If I do, I’ll send Davin to tell you. I love you, girly.”

  I hugged her back tightly. “I love you too.”

  Davin held his hand out for her and she took it. She smiled one last time at me before they disappeared. I felt so worried now that they were gone. I knew he thought I was ready, but what if I wasn’t?

  Ian grabbed my hand and squeezed. “You can do it. I have faith in you.”

  I nodded and released a long breath. I could do it, I could do it, I really hoped I could do it—without dying.

  “So do you want to wait a bit, or should we head on down to the park? It’s already dark out, so we won’t have to conceal as much from mortals.”

  Moriah had a good point. I nodded. “Yeah, we should do it now. No sense waiting until tomorrow.”

  “Good. You can do it. I’m sure of it,” Tamlynn said as we walked out the door.

  I was glad they were all sure of me, because I was so anxious my insides felt like fire ants were trying to bite their way out.

  We walked for what seemed like forever until we reached the lake. I shivered remembering what happened last time we were there, but that was before I killed Nicholas and before Jarak… No, I couldn’t go there, not right now. Now the breeds were stronger, harder to kill—or so Davin and everyone kept telling me.

  I looked around us. All traces of what happened that night were gone. I guess we’d done a good job of cleaning up after all. My mom and Moriah went around and started a concealing spell to keep anyone from seeing or hearing us. Gabriella and Tamlynn worked on gathering sticks for a fire. They said it would be easier for me to have fire close by since Julie was gone and I would be pulling that much harder from that part of myself.