Chasing Shadows (32 page)

“How were they able to create more like them, if no other supernatural can?” I asked him, curious.

“Because they were not created by the gods, at least that is what legend says.” He winked at me and headed into the house.

I followed him and continued my questioning. “If they weren’t created by the gods like us, how were they created?”

“That is where it gets confusing and goes all over the place. No one really knows how they were created or by whom. There are just a bunch of different stories that are out there.” He went to the fridge, pulled out some blood, and poured it in a cup.

“What did the Cherokee say?” I asked while sitting at the counter.

“They spoke of a time when the world was being created. The Great Spirit would walk the earth and watch his people while asking himself who could keep them safe if something happened. He came up with an idea, one that would preserve his people for years and years: half spirit, half human—half-bloods. The Great Spirit created them with wisdom and courage, as well as heart and compassion. These beings of immense good would protect the innocent around the world, but the natives would always come first, for they were the ones he felt needed the protection most. Half-bloods have the ability to create more through birth because the Great Spirit created them with a good purpose: He created them to protect those who needed it most.”

“But isn’t the Great Spirit basically Zeus, but in Native American form?” I asked, curious.

“No. Zeus is Greek and took care of the Greek people, not all of humanity. See, there are gods and goddesses in every culture. The most famous are the Greek gods, because that is what is taught in school. Asian cultures have their own gods and goddesses, same with Native Americans and ancient Romans. Some paths do cross, but not all. There are no stories or legends about all of them fighting or getting along, because we don’t know all of the gods’ affairs. All that we truly know is that before the gods created the supernaturals, the Great Spirit created the half-bloods,” he answered me as he sipped on his snack.

“So the half-bloods are older than any supernatural out there and are really powerful?” I thought out loud.

“Yes, they have magic that is older than this world, older than we can even imagine. Some say if you could get a taste of that magic, it would drive you insane with power, or it would kill you.” Sebastian’s eyes went far away again, and I just sat there waiting for him to come back.

After a few minutes, I gave up and headed into the living room. Even though I had a lot of homework to do, I was still curious about the half-bloods. My mind wasn’t able to move away from thinking about them, thinking about what they could do and how they were created. If they were supposed to be as good as Sebastian was saying, I wanted to help them so they could still have babies, so that their race would continue. I decided before I even knew how to do it that I was going to help them survive. Knowing I was going to need Clamora’s help, I thought about calling her, but something nagged at me to wait. What I was waiting for, I had no idea.

Chapter 14

The school day went by easily, and I had gotten away from Sebastian after school too, which I thought was going to be a lot harder than it was. Thankfully, he bought my story about needing to grab some more clothes and wanting to spend some time with my little brother and sister. I sat in the kitchen waiting for a text to tell me Luke was there and needed to be let in. My fingers drummed the table impatiently. A few chimes from my phone signaled a text, and I jumped up to look outside.

He stood with his back perfectly straight while his eyes bounced around, looking for someone or something. I let him in and noticed his hair was disheveled and his shoes were soaking wet. We walked back to the kitchen and I motioned for him to sit down. When he finally sat, a weight seemed to be lifted off his shoulders. Luke relaxed and took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes for a minute. Even though I wanted to know what he was so worried about, I knew he was under a lot of stress and he needed to relax before he was able to talk.

“There are a few things you need to know, but if they knew I was telling you, they would kill me.” Luke spoke calmly once he was relaxed enough.

“What do I need to know?” I asked as I leaned forward.

“First, the attack on Clamora had been planned for a long time. They wanted to wait and see how far she would train you and how powerful you were on your own.” He paused and leaned back in his seat. “Now that they have an idea of how powerful you are, they are going to try to send their best after you. And the best they have aren’t ones you want to mess with.” His eyes glittered with fear as he spoke of the u da yv la dv’s best.

“Okay, so how do I protect myself and my family from them?” I asked.

“You don’t. Unless you’ve got some magic up your sleeve that no one knows about yet. If not, then everyone you care about is as good as dead.” Luke shrugged as if it was no big deal.

“How can you act like it’s not a big deal?” I demanded.

“Because, it’s not exactly my problem, and I’m here to help you. If you don’t want the information I have, I can leave.” He started to get up.

“Stay. I need to know this, right?”

He nodded.

“Then please continue.” I gestured for him to sit back down.

“I didn’t intend to give them any information about you or your abilities, but they threatened to kill her, so I had to save her. I hope you understand that. Anyway, don’t do the blood rite. It wasn’t Clamora’s idea. It is a major trap that they intend to use to kill you and ensure their survival and takeover.” Luke leaned back in his chair once again.

“What do you mean it wasn’t Clamora’s idea?” My stomach started to roll at the thought of all the possibilities.

“I mean it wasn’t Clamora’s idea. See, the Clamora that you have been around isn’t the real one,” Luke answered.

“So it’s a shadow, one of the u da yv la dv?” My mind was trying to wrap around his answer.

“Yes. The attack that Willow saw was staged. They made me get them through her barrier and they took her. When I told them that one of you was bound to show up and start asking questions if she was acting strange, they planted the attack. Clamora really did need to speak with you and Sebastian. The conversation between them was real. Everything was set up so you would never know,” he explained.

“That doesn’t make sense. How come I didn’t get the signal that she was u da yv la dv?” I asked him accusingly.

“Because you healed them in the hospital and afterward with that spell you guys did. It messed with their magic, so now they are stuck in her form and can’t do anything about it. And the reason you didn’t sense it in the hospital is because your vampire senses were being overloaded. You wouldn’t have understood even if you did get the tingles in your fingers.” He waved his fingers at me as he said the last part.

“What about my sister? What about RemyAnne?” I asked him, wondering if it really was my sister who I’d met that night or just another mean trick from the shadows.

“Oh, they couldn’t find her anywhere. Clamora really did bring her back, but they don’t know where she is. They wanted her more than they wanted Clamora, so that way they could ensure she wasn’t like you,” he said simply.

“There is nothing about her in the stories, though.” At least that’s what Sebastian told me.

“No, there’s not. But that’s why they were so desperate to get her when they found out she was alive. The leader of the u da yv la dv is looking for any possibility that she is like you. What better way to prevent there being two of you than to kidnap her and kill her just to be on the safe side?” He shrugged again.

“Why not go after me, then? If I am the one that they know of, that legends speak of, so why not me? The likelihood of her being like me is slim. Everyone knows that,” I shot at him.

“They have tried to go after you. But you are so damn protected and powerful now. They can’t touch you even if they wanted to. You’re more immortal than everyone wants you to believe,” Luke spoke honestly.

“What do you mean I’m more immortal than everyone wants me to believe?” Every time he brought up something new, I got confused with the new information.

“It means what it sounds like.” His cool tone told me that he was done talking about my immortality.

“How do I get Clamora back from the u da yv la dv?”

“Ha! That’s a good one.” He laughed at me.

“Hey, I’m being serious, and I don’t get why it’s funny. Can you stop laughing at me now?” I was starting to get frustrated with him.

“Sorry.” He wiped the tears from his eyes. “Unless you have a half-blood hanging around, there’s no way you can get her back. She’s as good as stuck where they have her.”

“Oh,” I answered. “How would I have one if they don’t exist anymore?” I asked him. Even though I felt like I could trust him, there was something that held me back from showing him my hand.

“Yeah, that’s why I laughed so hard.” He smiled at me. “I’m sorry for laughing. Sometimes I forget that you don’t really know much about the u da yv la dv.”

“It’s okay. Now how am I supposed to protect you?” I smiled before changing the subject.

“If you can somehow replace the protection Clamora put on the warehouse and keep it safe from the u da yv la dv, then I could stay there safely,” Luke offered up.

“I don’t know how to do those spells. She did the one on my home here. All I know is that she needed the blood of any supernatural that I wanted to be allowed to enter my home,” I answered him truthfully. After the u da yv la dv searched my house, Clamora did a protection spell to keep them out. Thankfully, it had worked.

“I don’t either. But she was a psychic.” He handed me that piece of information as if I knew what to do with it.

“Okay, what does that have to do with anything?”

“You really don’t know too much about supernaturals, do you?” he asked me incredulously. “Clamora was a psychic, which means she kept a grimoire, which you should start doing too.”

“A what?” I shook my head at him in utter confusion.

“I cannot believe no one has told you about a grimoire. It’s a book of spells and how to create important objects and potions. I’m sure it all sounds like you just stepped into a Harry Potter novel, but trust me, you have not. Anyway, a grimoire is very important to any magical supernaturals. Some families even have them handed down through generations,” he explained.

“All right, where would she have kept hers?” I stood up, a plan already forming in my head.

“I’m not sure. In a secret hiding place somewhere, I would assume. She wouldn’t want it falling into the wrong hands, because if it did it would mean danger for a lot of innocent people.”

“Okay. I will get it and do the spell on the warehouse soon. In the meantime, you have my number. Call me if you need anything immediately.”

“Will do, and thank you.” He stood up and headed for the door.“Thank you for what?” I asked.

“Listening, and helping to protect me from them.” Luke turned and walked out the door before I could respond to his words.

After Luke left, I went upstairs into my old room and stared at everything that I needed to throw in boxes. I sighed and plopped on the floor. This was definitely the wrong time to be packing everything up and moving away from my family. Even though it was important, it still felt like bad timing. Everything was falling apart and somehow falling together all at once. I’d met a half-blood and I was hoping to help save her race. I also hoped she would help me save Clamora. Luke had officially betrayed his creator, something Aphrodite had told us would happen. The u da yv la dv had managed to break through Clamora’s spell and set up an attack for Willow to witness, and they had continued to play the cards as if the fake Clamora was the real one. But that was where it got sticky. I somehow had to prove that it wasn’t the real Clamora in order for Sebastian to believe me.

I gave up trying to pack all of my stuff by myself so I texted Sebastian, asking for help. When he finally replied, he said he would be arriving in an hour. Instead of asking him why it was going to take him so long, I put my phone down and went to my bookshelf. As I packed away the endless number of books, I thought about ways to undo the u da yv la dv’s plan. The sky began to darken outside, and a heavy thud on my floor caused me to turn around with my heart hammering in my chest.

One of the floorboards had somehow popped up slightly. It was the same board that constantly creaked and wobbled when it was stepped on. At first I thought that after all these years it had finally came loose, but something kept making me turn from my shelves to look at it. Curious, I got down on my hands and knees and peered through the tiny crack. The light from my lamp reflected perfectly into the crack, which allowed me to see that something was in there. Luke’s words flashed through my mind. Families sometimes passed grimoires down through the generations. With my heart pounding, I reached my fingers into the space and yanked the board up as hard as I could. I fell back into the wall but successfully removed the plank. My head ached as I crawled to the hole in the floor. A dirty and stained cloth covered what looked like a box. Reaching in to grab it, I snatched my hand back. I thought about waiting for Sebastian so he could kill any possible spiders, but I didn’t want to wait. Trying not to think about eight-legged creatures roaming about, I reached in and quickly pulled it out.