I rolled into Grocer Outlet then shifted the hornet into park. I sat staring at the broken sign for a long time. I really didn't want to go in. Mr. Kline was a mob boss like Matei was. That meant he had a crew or something. And what did Liam mean by contracts? Was it hits for hire? My lack of knowledge about this world was frustrating. I didn't actually know what to expect today.I gathered up my leather purse and opened the squeaky door. The seatbelt stuck. I stabbed it with the butt end of the flashlight on my keys until it popped open. Maybe I should have asked for that ride out here, but then perhaps a full out battle would happen for crossing turf or something. I really didn't know how this stuff worked. I finally escaped my car. I walked across the parking lot with the sun high in the sky. The warmth of it on my skin made me miss the fall back home. I didn't miss the work, though. I took one last whiff of the fall breeze then pushed the door open to the breakroom.Mr. Kline w
My first instinct was to grab my phone and call someone. But if I called Liam, he might actually show up, and that could cause some issues if Mr. Kline was still here. He could bring his gang, but that could start a huge battle. I had no idea what I was going to find.Instead, I returned to my locker and grabbed my purse. I scratched out a note and stuck it on the hood of the hornet. If Liam did come looking for me, he would know where to find me. "In the tunnel in the storage room."There, I did my due diligence. I wasn't a complete idiot. Well, maybe I was. I clutched my purse tight to me and headed for the tunnel. Perhaps I was just overreacting. I stood in front of the dark tunnel. It seemed cold. I brought up the flashlight from my keys and stepped forward into it. After a little way, there was a metal spiral staircase. I took the steps one at a time as I tried to see lower.The staircase must have dropped two stories before it finally spilled out onto level ground. The tunnel
I heard footfalls behind me. I was yanked around from him with an iron grip. A shotgun exploded to my left. Mr. Kline flew backward into the storage room then smashed into the shelf that swung open. He lay sprawled across the tunnel floor. His magic slipped from me."Beloved? Are you okay?" Liam asked. His arm was wrapped around my waist as he held me against his chest.I sagged against him as Mr. Kline's magic loosened. "Thanks for coming."Mr. Kline groaned. He started climbing to his feet.Liam leveled his shotgun at him. "Stay down, or I'll fill you full of another round.""Try it, Ogre.""He's an orc," I corrected.Mr. Kline waved his hand. My body strained against Liam's grip. He released me, thinking it was me controlling my body. I stepped in front of the shotgun."What are you doing, Beloved?" He asked.I tried to shake my head. I tried to say something, but my body wouldn't respond. It was being jerked around by the puppet master. My mouth clamped shut. Even my eyes
I woke up slowly. My stomach felt tight. I could feel the new skin that knitted across it pull as I stretched out my cramped legs. I opened my eyes to the gloomy dungeon. I had no idea what time it was. The wall sconces were still on, so everything looked how it had been when I'd fallen asleep.I slowly stood and stretched again. I started pacing in my cell one step at a time. I wondered if Mr. Kline would bring me food. I wonder if Liam was okay. I wondered if anyone was coming to get me. I stopped. I still had power. I could get out of here. I faced the grated iron and placed my hands on it. I summoned power to my fingertips."Open."My pink power sparked under my fingertips, sending a painful jolt to my heart. I flew across the cell and hit the stone wall. I slid down it like a swatted bug. I gasped in a breath as my heart sped."Okay, no magic then," I said to myself."Reveal," I commanded. My daggers slipped from my skin to my hands. I slashed them at the grate. Their metal c
More hours passed. I slept a little. I had no idea how long I had been in here. It could have been a day. It could have been a week. It had only been two meals, so maybe it could have only been twelve hours. I really wasn't sure anymore. Thinking about it was starting to drive me crazy. I was hungry again, but I knew when I was bored, I got hungry.I thought about Liam. I thought about Remi. I thought about Angandriel. My mind wandered all over the place. I spent a lot of time thinking about what was keeping Mr. Kline. That thought made my stomach churn. I wasn't really concerned about rotting away in here forever, at least not yet. The thing that scared me the most was what he would do when he got bored with me.Voices echoed down the hall. I listened closely."I understand," Mr. Kline's voice echoed as they walked closer."She's not your pet. I need her for the ritual." My heart froze. I'd recognize that voice anywhere. It was Mila."I said, I understood.""Don't get short with
I pulled at his black aura. I sucked all his magic from him. I took every last ounce. His face went slack with pleasure. I didn't look down. I didn't want to see what it did to him. But I was merciless. I took it all. I took every last ounce of the black aura, but I didn't stop. I didn't want to. I wanted all of it. I wanted to make sure he never hurt another person again. He couldn't have any power left. Never again.His body leaned against my hand. I pushed him away. He fell back then slumped into a heap at my feet. His eyes stared up at the ceiling. I froze. What had I done? I saw no aura coming off of him. He wasn't moving. He lay in a sprawl across the floor with a yellow smock and some cum stained kakis. I tried not to look, but it was impossible not to see the huge mess he'd released because of my power. I grimaced. I made him do that. Gross.I took a step forward then very slowly pressed two fingers to his throat. There was no pulse. He was dead. I had killed him. My heart sp
I was about three blocks from Jessie's house when I heard the first motorcycle. Only a few days ago, I would have been running away from that noise. Well, maybe it was more than a few. I really didn't know what day it was.A motorcycle rounded the corner. It came right for me. I stopped as I watched it come to me. I had a moment of terror then remembered Mr. Kline could be right behind me. I would take this form of punishment one hundred times over. I didn't care if they changed their minds and beat the shit out of me. Anything was better than what I'd just been through. The motorcycle stopped. Cole removed his helmet."Beloved, you're okay."I nodded. A deep appreciation struck me. Someone was actually glad I was okay. Someone noticed I was missing. I fought back the tears and failed. Cole reached a hand out for me. "Beloved, please."I almost ran the three steps to him."Where's Liam?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even.Cole brushed the tears from my face awkwardly with
Liam picked me up again, this time cradling me in his arms. He marched up three flights of stairs into my new apartment. Anton sat on the couch, watching television."Oh, hey, you're back. Everyone's been looking for you," Anton said.My eyebrows rose so high I thought they were going to fly off my head. I really couldn't believe him right now. I gave him the finger as Liam walked us by."What's that for?" Anton asked."I can see why you passed on him as a leader," I said as Liam climbed one more set of stairs to my room.My room was completely unpacked. The cubes were set up and filled. The bed was made. Everything looked clean and spotless. It was so spacious. I guess I really didn't have that much stuff after all.Liam set me on the bed. "I'll stand guard. I'll just be outside."I grabbed his jacket and shook my head. I felt like a little kid, but I couldn't help it. "Please. I've never felt so powerless. I'd never felt like a victim before, and I really needed someone I trus
I don't know how long I lay there crying and wailing and sniffling. I couldn't believe he was gone. I'd been played. I'd let the darkness use him and use me. I needed to be smarter. I needed to figure out what she was doing before it happened. How did one even learn those sort of skills? I was no hero. I was nothing.The deep pit of depression pulled at me throughout the hours as I lay on the cold hard ground. I couldn't pull myself up. I couldn't go on. I had killed Mila and now I had killed Remi. I let Kezia and Matei die. No matter what I did, I was never good enough to save the people I loved. I'd even killed my own mother. What was wrong with me? I was living ball of bad luck. Bad Karma.I raised my head. Had Karma done this to me? Was that the reason? I slowly pushed into a sitting position."Karma!" I screamed. I had nothing left; otherwise, I would have pushed so much power into her name; it would have knocked the rest of the castle over. "Karma! Did you do this to me!?" M
Yes, I was looking at a freaking Dragon in front of me. It must have been three stories tall. What is that, thirty feet? It was freaking huge. Its black scales glittered in the moonlight, and if I weren't shaking in my boots and worried about being eaten alive, I would have thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Atlas, it was terrifying. Complete and utter terror gripped my throat, even more than the ominous darkness that used to chase me home from work. This thing had fangs and claws and wings! It was the embodiment of a predator and it was assigned to kill me.The thing reeled back its head after in a great roar as if to bellowed out fire on me, the tiny figure standing in front of it. I instinctively rose the Aurora sword in front of me. Instead of normal flame, it blew out a steady stream of black and purple fire. The sword sliced it in half, protecting me. After the breath, it turned its head and gazed at me with one bright golden hazel eye. The fearsome intel
I woke up bound and gagged in a very cold and dark place. I could hear water dripping somewhere far off. The smell of mold and dirt filled my nostrils while the wet, cold air penetrated my clothing made me shiver. I pulled at the power I had stored inside me, but it was gone. It felt as if I had been completely drained. I even felt drained of life.I wiggled in the grime until I was able to free my gag. "Hello?" My voice echoed off what sounded to be stone walls.I could be anywhere. For a moment, I thought I was dead, but I think I was too uncomfortable to be dead just yet. After much struggling, I was able to sit."Remi?" I whispered. "Angie? Sandriel? Natalia? Anyone? Can anyone hear me?""No one can," a familiar voice echoed.It surprised me at how close it was, maybe only a few feet in front of me. The deep smooth female voice was easy to place. The water dripping in the background grew silent. Even the air around me stopped."Karma," I said."Oh, aren't you just so smart
The dark forest started to clear as I flew forward on my delicate wings. The first thing to catch my eye in the firelight was Kezia strapped to a pole in the middle of the nexus circle surrounded by what looked to be human bones. The rose bushes that were planted six years ago were the size of people, bushy, and well cared for. Their blooms were just starting to fade as the fall equinox rose. A hundred or so crystals sparkled in the moonlight spread out over the complicated circles drawn in the dirt. Mila stood at the edge of the circle chanting in a language I couldn't make out.Kezia's eyes darted towards me as I appeared out of the trees. Mila immediately stopped her chant as she looked in my direction. A wicked, too big smile gaped open. Pointed teeth spilled across her face. She extended her fingers out and flicked them at me.Dark tendrils of shadows leaped from the trees. They wrapped around my ankles and wrists, pulling me down to the ground. I could feel the familiar fear gr
I stood looking out at the stars in the night sky from the roof of the Ardor bar building. The power from the crystals thrummed beneath my skin as I swirled it inside me, converting it to my pink energy. I needed to do this. I had to go all out like I had done for the brothers in order to save Kezia. It wasn't fair that she was taken hostage because of me.I closed my eyes. I searched deep inside the well of power within me and whispered, "Remi." The word escaped my lips with a deep insistence with power behind it.The night pressed in thick around me like a cloud that descended and hung about in a fog. I realized it was Remi's shadow fighting his summoning."Remi," I bit out. The power behind the word was sharp.The shadows merged into his figure. He stumbled forward on to his hands and knees before me."Kira," he heaved a breath. "Where did you learn that trick?""I need you to take me to Kezia."He lifted his head. "Don't do that. Forget about Kezia. She's lost. Just let it b
The evening died down. I was left sitting alone again, but this time my basket of crystals was full of energy. Their surfaces pulsed with pink light. The elves' energy was different, but it was intense. It wasn't as easy to mix with my own, but when I did, I felt powerful.I collected the basket and went downstairs. I bid good night to Cherry with a nod. I carried my basket through the back then started up the stairs."Beloved," Liam's deep voice drew my eyes up from the stair steps.I nodded. "Liam.""Where are you going with all those crystals?""I was taking them to my room to practice."His eyebrow ridges knit down. "Practice what?"I smiled innocently. "I'm just testing what I can do. Don't worry; I'll be careful."He eyed me suspiciously. I tried not to let my smile waiver. I felt like he could see right through me, but I held firm. I had to do this. I couldn't just let Kezia die, not like Mila."Alright, be careful. Good night, Beloved.""Good night." I inched around h
I sat outside in the parking lot were a bar counter, numerous tables and chairs, and many lights decorated the area. The elves sat politely at the tables, drinking their fancy top-shelf drinks. The Ardor Brothers pretended to be having a good time, but the suspicious glances between the two factions put a damper on the party.Lord Quillion finally strode across the parking lot towards us. He took a seat in front of me with a pained look.I remained silent with a smile on my face. No more plastic smiles for me. This one was genuine."Lord Quillion," I said."Beloved," he responded. He said it as if it tasted bitter on his tongue.That made me smile wider.Cole spread the contract out on the table between us. "This claims The Kingdom will be allies to the Ardor Brothers for the next fifty years. They will aid us with whatever we require, including sharing materials and funds. The territories will remain separate, but the people of either territory will be allowed to move across the
"I accept the terms," Lord Quillion said.I extended my hand to him. We shook, then I backed away. Both armies stepped back to give us space.Liam squeezed my shoulder. "Let me fight for you."I shook my head. "This is my fight."He gave me a worried glance but gave a slight nod. "Good luck, Beloved."Granite gave me a soft punch. "We're counting on you." They both turned and stood to block the entrance to the bar. They watched me with their iron-grey eyes. I couldn't help but smile. For such cold, hardened warriors, they had such warmth in their hearts.I turned my attention back to Lord Quillion. He stood at the center and lifted his long sword to the sky. Dark clouds appeared and swirled overhead. Blue lighting ripped from the sky on to the sword. He held pointed it toward me, then screamed a battle cry.I cringed. It sent a primal surge of fear through me. I stood my ground as he ran forward with the sword. For a moment, I felt frozen, but I calmed my thoughts and felt for
I didn't sleep. I paced the room. I tossed and turned in bed, but I never managed a wink of sleep. Hours ticked by. Painful minutes ticked by. There was nothing. No word. No text or message. I was just stuck in the dark and I didn't dare bother them because it could mean life and death. At seven o'clock in the morning, I stumbled down the stairs on tired legs. I wanted to sleep, needed it, but I couldn't. I made some cereal and sat looking out at the sun in the sky over the city. The harsh sun reminded me of my garden. I let my mind wander to that peaceful place. I thought about the blooms, the sun, and the pink glow. Before I knew it, I was standing in my garden.The plants were still there, but they looked wilted. The ones next to the stream were okay, but the rest looked a little frazzled. I added more of the glittering water next to them and they slowly perked up. I touched others and they blossomed again. The tiredness slowly drained from me as I walked through my creations.I