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Chapter 20
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Dusk and Ice Chapter 21: Where is Moira?
Once dismissed by the Storms, I headed back to mom’s. I will much rather go with them to uncover the mystery behind the new development. But for once even Silver took Kayla’s side on this matter. Though she didn’t say anything, her bleak expression was enough confirmation of the dangers ahead. The death of Tessa was just a picture of a puzzle of webs and the fear of more deaths hung over our heads even though none of us said anything before we parted ways.Mom was waiting up in the sitting room for me. Her sweater was so huge she looked tiny in it. Her eyes brightened the moment I pushed the door open.“Where have you been?” she inquired.“I went for a walk, mom.”Her eyes followed me. She rose from her seat. I couldn’t contain the emotions inside me anymore. WhiSare was unsafe yet she and the rest of the townspeople knew nothing about it. I closed the distance between us and threw my hands around her. A few seconds later she was hugging me back. The tension in her shoulders dropped.
Dusk and Ice Chapter 22
“That’s Moira’s cousin Leroy.” Kelly pointed to someone in the crowd. Standing beside a huge burly man was a mid-schooler way taller than most middle schoolers, his gray pullover hoodie hung on his lean frame. He stood awkwardly, waiting for the man and woman who bore a striking resemblance to Moira, to finish greeting the bereaved family. After a while, he looked over and saw Cara and Kelly waving him over. His brows shot up but he strode slowly to meet us.“Hey, Leroy. Is Moira still holed up at home?”His raised brows lowered to a frown. “Moira isn’t home,” he said in a low voice that was once again way too deep for someone of 12 or 13.He glanced at Liam and Jeff his eyes now wide with questions. My heart fell to my stomach. I held my breath to calm my beating heart but I couldn’t shake the fear that my suspicions are right. Moira is not just missing. She has probably fallen victim to the danger under WhiSare’s calm.Leroy’s eyes darted in my direction and he tilted his head sligh
Dusk and Ice Chapter 23
“Uhm guys I need to take a leak.”My heart was beating with anticipation…and was that excitement coursing through my veins?Four pairs of eyes turned to look at me.“Yeah, okay, just be careful, there might be some wild animal on the loose.”“Sure,” I replied quickly and hurried off in the direction of the tunnel before anyone could suggest peeing at a closer distance. My eyes went up, searching through the sparse trees on the cliff for any signs of movement. Maybe Silver or Kayla was up there trying to get my attention.My phone rang again. I picked it the call.“Follow my directions, Pretty boy. Climb the cliff and turn on your right.”Stones and twigs crunched under my boots as I ran up the steep surface of the cliff. Loose stones ran down the slope. I took my steps carefully to avoid drawing the attention of any of the crew down the lake. The view from the top of the cliff in broad daylight was breathtaking. Over the horizon the woods stretched out, below it was the lake and at th
Dusk and Ice Chapter 24
If I could even call them that. Gone was their human features. In place was inhuman beauty and clawed fingers. They had the black and red eyes of hungry daemons. Leo bared at his teeth, red eyes flashing from me to Kayla to Miles and Silver.A chilly wind blew against my flesh but what pricked the hair on my skin was the cold look in Moira’s eyes. Her lips stretched in a terrifying smile.Leo smiled with satisfaction as the rest of us looked shocked at the sight before us. He took a step forward. Silver growled and took a step toward him but Kayla shot out a hand to hold her back.“That’s right. Hold your dog back before I tear her in shreds.”It was Kayla’s turn to step forward, her eyes flashed a glowing red with flashes of amber.“You overstep your boundaries you worthless fool. Silver doesn’t need me to hold her back to destroy you. Why did you do this?” she asked gesturing to the body in the rocky depression. “What do you want?”“Starlight.”Kayla glanced quickly at me. Perfect a
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“Who is Starlight?” No one answered me. My mind was a cave of interwoven thoughts all channeled to one coherent thought. Starlight. “Who is Starlight?” I demanded again. Kayla straightened her shirt and turned, she was avoiding my eyes. Silver stood oblivious to the whipping cold. She stared at the dust at her feet and the injuries still oozing blood from her arms. Miles had shifted back to human form. He too was naked but luckily his jeans wasn’t badly torn so he concerned himself with putting it on. “We need to go to the godfather. He will have answers,” Kayla said dismissively. Ignoring the foolishness in what I was about to do, I ran to Kayla, took her shirt by the neck and shook her. The coldness of her flesh bit through my skin. “Who is Starlight? And what was Leo talking about? Why don’t you drink human blood?” A lot of questions but very little answers. As crazy as it sounds my being here did upstart something that has been brewing for a long time. Kayla’s expression r
Dusk and Ice Chapter 26
The interior of the Storms’ house was classy if a little bare. There were almost no chairs, just one of two couches and a center table in the living room when I walked in. The walls were painted white and the windows were shaded with dark curtains. A staircase wound to the second floor to a landing that had a black rail balcony.“Have a seat,” Kayla motioned, her voice tight as she spoke.I obeyed but I had barely taken my seat when a strange small figure appeared on the landing right above the staircase. I recognized the face immediately. It was the face in my dream. Her ebony black hair fell in a wavy curtain around her shoulders, red eyes set in the most beautiful young face ever peered curiously at me.Kayla made a sound and my eyes drifted to her. She had the look of an overprotective mama bear. “Come here Starlight, someone is dying to see you,” she drawled.Starlight walked down the stairs, her movement ethereal and regal almost like she was floating. She stopped on the bottom
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“Shawn!”“DeShawn Hunter!”The voices were getting closer still. I was already slightly covered with debris but I bent to cover myself in even more dirt to create my alibi.“DeShawn!”“I’m here,” I called out, making sure my voice sounded as weak as possible. Making sure I looked as disheveled as I wanted, I made my way toward the voices and came out to the clearing where Cara, Jeff, Liam and Kelly were searching. They turned around as soon as I came into the clearing.“Jesus! Shawn! Where the hell were you?!” Jeff asked running toward me. Cara was right behind him. She passed him furtively looking behind me as though she was half expecting something to jump through the trees.“I’m sorry guys,” I chuckled hoping I sounded as nervous as I wanted to feel. Deliberately brushing off the visible twigs on my body and hair. “Something jumped at me while I was peeing.”“Something?!” Cara shrieked. “Was it a bear, a wolf, a coyote?! What?”“I-I don’t know. I didn’t get a look at it. I ran as f
Dusk and Ice Chapter 28
I didn’t expect mom to readily agree to my leaving WhiSare, especially during the crisis going on, and truly she wasn’t ready to believe the lie I told that I needed a vacation in dad’s summer villa just yet. She stood over me like an overprotective mama bear watching me pack my bags later that night asking if Cara knew I was leaving, if it was necessary for me to go, if my leaving had anything that do with the missing persons and frankly I wanted to tell her the truth but what good would it do when it would only increase her anxiety and overprotective mama bear instincts? So I repeated the same lies over again. “I just need to go away for a bit. Yes, it’s a bit overwhelming being new in town with all this bad news about missing people.”“But you don’t have to leave. Weren’t you just worried about my safety after Tessa’s Candle service?”“The more reason I should leave because I don’t want to cause you any more worries than you already have. I know this sounds selfish but Logan is he
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EPILOGUEAnd just like that, every Daemon crumbled to dust, screaming and screeching like dying birds.Ashterah's chain fell lose and I rose immediately, running toward Kayla and my child. Kayla was crying crystal tears as she hugged me, her hands tight around my neck.My son, when I looked down had gone to sleep. But his venom, his blood had been the secret to killing Ashterah. Starlight knew this and let it happen even though it meant the death of her mother.Cara crawled out of the corner crying. She was holding my mother and Logan had his arms around both of them.Camila was nowhere to be found although later when we searched the damage we found her limp body, bloodied.Later when we cleared the rubbles there were a lot of questions to answer. Mom had to answer the questions about my birth. Cara needed answers to my identity, my child with Kayla. There was so much to know. Some many questions to answer but most importantly there was healing. Will I tell you everything went back
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A crack in my neck was the only noticed I got as the side of Dad's palm connected with my neck. Mom's wail grew louder. She ran for Logan who tried to step in between me and Dad but Dad's attack was swift. He easily sent the force of his hand through Logan's chest sending the larger man flying into the wall.Logan sputtered blood. Mom screamed and ran toward him. Camila lifted herself and went to a far corner of the room where she sank to the floor in tears. Dad stepped back from me. "You are a Mergant whose powers hasn't finished manifesting. Do you think you could easily hurt me, Shawn. I've been fighting against all sorts of creatures for mankind for years. You think a few venoms flowing through you will make you defeat me?"He laughed.I raised my hand to my neck to see that my neck was still intact but the force of that blow was so bad that my vision was still blurred. "Your powers are manifesting, boy. You are a combination of human, hunter, daemon and vampire. Have you wonde
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"We are in a lot of trouble."I nodded. It hadn't been easy to send Cara off and it sure as hell would not be easy protecting everyone if Sam, Gabe and the rest of their vampire hunters club get in the way of this battle. "First things first," I said. "I need to go to my Mom. If Cara knows I'm here, it won't be long before Jeff hears about my arrival. Eventually, word would get to my Mom." The disadvantage of a small town. "I need to leave now before that happens."Everyone agreed that was the next best course of action. They also agreed that taking Kayla was good too. The Storms had a sedan in the garage with tinted windows. The plan was simple. I go in and reunite with Mom then figure out how to present the lie about Kayla.If I was human anymore I would be sweating buckets but the only since of my anxiety was the tap of my index finger against my thigh as Silver loaded the trunk of the sedan with my things and Kayla went to the front passenger seat. As soon as the car was loaded,
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"We can't turn her away can we?""She's seen us already, the car is outside. She knows we are here.""She's here to see me," I said getting up. If I had a heart it would be racing heavily. How can I meet her now? It's too soon."Maybe I can tell her you're not here," Silver suggested.I was really considering that but right at the moment, Cara pressed the bell again and this time she peeped around the glass door. "I know you're there Shawn. I saw you."I exchanged glances with Kayla and Silver. She's seen me already. There's no point hiding now. I nodded at Silver who came to stand in my path. Felicia had risen too and was standing in front of me defensively. "Are you sure?""You've see how I am. I have enough control where people are concerned. It's not like I'm going to suddenly attack Cara of all people.""Maybe not," Felicia said. "But all she needs is to look at you to know something is different about you.""Not if we act normal."Cara rang the bell again and this time she pre
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The Jeep bounced on loose rocks and uneven ground, sending stones flying in the air as Silver navigated the trail that led up to the Storms house.Unsurprisingly, Felicia and Jared were waiting outside. As soon as Silver brought the car to a stop in front of the garage, they half ran toward it. And then came to a stop when they saw Cleopoda and Phoenix sitting in the third seat at the back.Their eyes were wide."Goddess!"Hold your greeting, Cleopoda told them as she stepped down from the Jeep to the ground. "I have come to save your lives not to be praised."Phoenix on the other hand was not so amused. Felicia and Jared didn't seem to keen to talk to her too. They passed Silver a wary glance full of questions which Silver promised to answer later. There were other pressing issues.Like Kayla.Felicia was the first to notice it even before she stepped out of the vehicle.Her jaw dropped and she looked around for explanation. "You are... pregnant? How?"Then her gaze caught mine and h
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The plan was set, the only thing remaining to do was it's execution and we needed to that as soon as possible. Soon which meant the next day. Silver and Miles left toward midnight to head back to the guest house to get our things while Cleopoda and Phoenix went behind closed doors with their husbands.As for me, I spent the night in Kayla's room, watching her - well lie still. Her skin was pale against the white sheets. A tray lay on a bedside table and it in were six blood bags, three of which were empty. Kayla barely opened her eyes but sometime before we finished the meeting downstairs, Cleopoda had brought the blood and Kayla had taken three at a go.That tells me something. The baby was hungry - very hungry. Unlike me. After transformation there were no pangs of hunger. Sure, I reacted to see blood and being around humans but that was all. Maybe this child is a little more normal than I am.I left the window where I had been standing, keeping watch of Kayla, and made my way towar
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Her voice was hoarse, very throaty with pain. Her face was a grimace, a mask of pain but every time anyone tried to go close to her, Kayla would shrink back, worried that we would try to hold her down to tear the lump in her belly away from her even though it was obviously killing her. In just a few hours her skin had taken on a gray tone, looking dried and shrunken to her skin.Silver was more forceful with trying to get Kayla to see reasons with why we had to get rid of the child but I stood in her way. The last thing I wanted was for her to hurt Kayla in the process of trying to save her."Take it easy, Silver," I told her, pushing her back from Kayla.Her eyes sparked anger at me. "That thing is killing her!" She screamed."I'm fine!" Kayla argued but her voice was weaker. Cleopoda had run to the room with Silver but she withdrew to get something. Maybe to call the others.Silver's gaze softened. She clutched desperately to my shirt, "Shawn you have to do something," she whispere
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We got upstairs together when Kayla stopped, turned around and put a hand on my chest."I meant what I said, I'm keeping this child. I don't care what it is - monster, human or vampire. I'll keep it. You don't have to feel responsible...""I want to be responsible for taking care of it with you. We made it together. It wouldn't be fair if I just up and skipped off - not that I am ever going to do that." Camila came to mind and I took Kayla's hand off my chest to hold between both of my hands.Her eyes encouraged me to explain further which I did. "I did that before. I made a mistake once, slept someone I wasn't supposed to. My stepmom to be. I was worried about getting her pregnant or getting caught. The last thing I wanted was my father getting to know the truth and if j had stayed any longer, he would have known. So I did what I had to do, I packed my things, took off and came to WhiSare. I was a coward but right now, the new me doesn't want to be a coward anymore."She smiled, her
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To say that everyone's jaw dropped is an understatement. One thing I'll say for sure is that the same look of disbelief was etched into every facial feature. That is, until Kayla stood up, pushed her chair back and revealed the bump.Silver nearly fell out of her chair. Same with Miles. Neither of them could believe what they were hearing. And seeing.And so I too because in an hour Kayla's belly seemed to have grown a little more. She noticed this too and turned worried eyes to me. I took her hand in mine to let her know that I was there with her every step of the way. The only people who didn't seem too shocked were Octavius - well, in his case as you have gathered, few things surprise him and he barely shows his feelings in his expressions. He's also a man of few words. And Phoenix. But it looked more like she was angry than unsurprised which in itself was surprising. "H-how?" Silver muttered. She could barely even get the words out. It's the second time since I've known her that
