Caged in Darkness (13 page)

“Um, I have one idea.” Willow ducked her
head and her cheeks brightened. She didn’t normally take the lead
in our group and was more likely to follow our plans, not the other
way around. “Well, we could take the time to read the journal, do a
bunch of research, and mostly likely
still
be completely
clueless. We would probably get ourselves killed in the meantime,
or…
We could summon the demon and find out what it wants on
our own territory.”

Willow smirked, but I could feel my courage
plummet to the ground. Summon a demon and not just any demon, but a
fallen angel?
I didn’t think I was that desperate.

“That is a horrible idea.” Izzy voiced,
before I choice say the same. “What if the demon decides to eat us
or something? Are you two powerful enough to take on a freaking
demon?” Izzy had a look of complete horror on her face.

“Well, no. Just listen a second, Savannah is
going to go through her ascension this weekend, which means she
will have full use of her power. I may not be powerful, but I can
be of some help and even you can do minor magic.”

“
I
can do magic?” Izzy’s color came
back at the tidbit of information.

“Yep, and we can put protection spells in
place to confine the demon to our circle. It won’t be able to touch
us. We can even pull on the elements to give the circle that extra
boost of power.” Willow jumped to her feet and grabbed her tote.
She pulled out a few books from the meadow falls library. One of
them was about demons, while the others looked like spell
books.

“How do we
pull on the elements
?”

Willow was busy looking for something in her
books, which meant I was the designated tutor. “Everyone has an
affinity for at least one element. Usually there is a specific
element that is strongest. In Ash’s case, he is strongest in the
fire element. Willow is strongest in Earth. We are going to need to
find out which elements respond to you. That way we will know which
elements you can pull power from.”

“How do we do that? Wouldn’t I know if I
could do magic?”

“Nope. The average human has no idea how to
use magic and the type of books at places like Barnes and Noble do
not teach the correct methods.” Izzy nodded, while the crease that
resided on her forehead gained ground.

“Tonight, I’ll do some research on how to
summon a demon safely. Can you work with Izzy to find out which
elements respond to her?” Willow pushed her books back in her bag,
and stood impatiently.

“Yeah, I’ll work with Izzy. I still don’t
think I like this idea though.”

Willow left and Izzy soon followed. She was
too exhausted to do anything else today and I completely
understood. That night I went to read my mother's journal, when Ash
came into my room. His face was dominated by an irritated
expression he rarely used.

“When are we going to talk about the other
night?” His tone was much lower than normal and I could see he was
restraining anger.

“The sleepwalking? I didn’t think we needed
to. I mean, there isn’t really anything we can do about it. Thank
you for stopping me from leaping to my death.” I laughed. “That
could have been awkward.”

He sighed. “That’s not the part of the night
I want to talk about and you know it.” When I stared in confusion,
he moved forward to stand in front of my bed. He leaned over and
placed one hand on the footboard of the bed and the other around
the pole.

“You’re going to stay in denial then?”

“Denial, about what? Stop being cryptic and
just tell me what you mean!” I couldn’t figure out what he was
talking about. I racked my mind thinking about past few nights and
the only things I could think of were the fight with Liam and my
sleepwalking.

“The kiss.” He growled more than spoke.

My mouth widened in surprise. “How did you
find out that Liam kissed me? Did I talk in my sleep or
something?”

“He what?” Ashes eyes blazed until they
looked like fire pits and his hands tightened on the bedpost.

“Oh, you didn’t know? That what kiss are you
talking about?”

“Ours.” If I was shocked before, I was now
astounded.

“We haven’t kissed.” My hands began to
lightly shake when I remembered my dream from the other night. It
was right smack in the middle between my nightly reminder of my
past and the visit from the demon.

“We kissed the other night when you woke up
from your nightmare.” He blew air out and his eyes lightened. His
hand brushed through his hair and a short laugh escaped his lip.
“Figures. I spend all this time fighting my need to kiss you and
when I finally give in, you don’t even remember!” He moved
backwards to sit in the chair near my desk. He leaned his elbows on
his knees and covered his face with his hands.

My heart broke. I thought the kiss had been
a dream and now I find out I really kissed Ash. I wasn’t certain
how I felt about it, but I could see that he was shaken. I moved
forward, knelt down, and pulled his hands from his face.

“I thought it was a dream. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s my own stupid
fault.” He stood suddenly and almost knocked me over in the
process. I darted towards the door and flung it open.

I followed quickly behind him. “Ash just
listen to me. It’s okay. I’m not angry and it’s my fault too.”

He stopped suddenly on the stairs and turned
to face me. His crimson eyes settled on mine and I saw that the
veins surrounding his eyes were blazing red. He wasn’t angry; he
was furious.

“Your fault too, huh? So, why is it okay for
you to kiss me in your dreams, but not when you’re awake?” His
fangs lengthened, which only occurred when he was threatened or the
one doing the threatening.

“That’s not what I meant. I only meant that
you kissed me and I kissed you back. I just didn’t want you to be
angry with yourself.” I tried to touch his face, but he grabbed my
wrist in an iron grip.

“Yes, you did. Why did you?” His smile
turned mocking.

“Why did I kiss you back?” How was I
supposed to answer that? I started panicking.

He used his grip on my wrist to pull me down
the steps, until I was on the step before him. “I don’t know. I was
scared and I
needed
you.”

“You needed me? Did you need Liam too? Or
are you just going to start making a habit of kissing all the men
in your life?”

That pulled me back. I was shocked and hurt
by his accusation. However, I was mostly horrified by the
realization that Ash was pulling away from me. I could see the
connection between us shattering. It was a bridge I relied on ever
since I came to live with him and Maye. I knew I didn’t make it
easy for people in my life. Ash had always been my safety net. He
made me feel safe and the natural bond between us saved my life. He
was the one person I could not live without.

“It’s not like that. I don’t know what is
happening between me and Liam. What happened between me and you was
different.” Ash let go of my wrist and turned to leave. “No, don’t
go!” Tears welled in my eyes and began to fall. Ash looked up to
see them and his face drastically altered.

He moved back to his previous position and
tilted my chin to brush away my tears. “That’s not fair. You know I
can’t stand to see you cry.” His voice became a soft melody.

“I love you. I don’t want to lose you.” I
grabbed his face and pulled it to mine. He tried to pull away from
my kiss, but I protested. “Let me try.” His original protest
evaporated at the touch of my lips. He ground his to mine and
turned to push my back against the wall.

I had issues with claustrophobia, but with
Ash, I was fine. He melded his body to mine and I pushed to be
closer still. Feelings I never acknowledged came to the surface to
break free. A low growl came from deep in his chest and he grasped
my thighs to pull me higher. I wrapped my legs around his waist and
kissed harder. I moaned, and he stilled.

I opened my eyes to see him staring at me.
“Are you kissing me because you want to or because you’re afraid
you’ll lose me?”

My mind was foggy and it took a few minutes
to process what he asked. During that time, Ash lowered me to the
ground and let go of my thighs. He put some distance between us.
“Well?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I enjoy kissing you,
but I never really thought about you in that way before. I didn’t
know it was an option.”

He groaned. “Okay, well now you know.” He
smiled, and leaned towards my face. Instinctively, I raised my face
to meet his kiss, but he moved away to kiss my forehead. “Let me
know when you figure out what you want.” He pushed away from the
wall and jogged down the steps.

I stood in place and attempted to evaluate
my feelings. Confusion didn’t even begin to weigh on how I felt in
that moment. I wanted to run after him and make him finish what he
started, but then I thought about my kiss with Liam. What was wrong
with me? Why did I keep kissing people and who did I want to keep
kissing?

LIAM

It wasn’t difficult to locate Savannah’s
aura, but it was surprising to find her in a bookstore designated
for witches who participate in the dark arts. Most pagan stores
were owned by humans and contained spell books that would never
work. However, the stores owned by witches tended to have books by
real
witches. On occasion, a store would be designated for
ordinary humans, but would have a back room or a basement for real
witches. The Black Raven was the type of pagan store that
masqueraded as an ordinary store. Inside it contained spell books
that were as useful as a magic wand. However, behind the desk was a
hallway that led to the actual store. It contained everything a
practicing witch would need and was dominated by books on the dark
arts.

I found Savannah sandwiched between
bookcases designated for demonic spells and one for vengeance. I
briefly wondered which of the two she favored when I saw her move
towards the section about demons.

“Did I miss something? When did you go from
despising the dark arts to shopping in a store dedicated to it?”
Her startled reaction was rewarding.

Savannah smoothed her hair away from her
face, which was a feminine trait that announced that she cared what
I thought of how she looked.

“Um, hi. I couldn’t find what I am looking
for at my covens’ library.” She shuffled her feet and avoided
looking at me.

“Why are you looking for a book on demons?
Isn’t that a little out of your league, princess?”

“I was reading my mothers’ journal and
discovered that the royal lineages are descended from Nephilim, but
that the Cross family also fed on the blood of demons.” She
shrugged. “I got curious.”

I could feel that she was holding something
back, but it was never a good idea to push someone who was standing
on a cliff. “You learned about that, huh?”

She blinked in confusion. “You knew?”

I laughed. “Of course, I knew. My whole
coven knows. The Cross family wasn’t
just
part of the Meadow
falls coven. The Cross family was the founding family of the Sacred
Moon coven too.” Her brow furrowed. “Sacred Moon is my coven.”

“Oh. How come my coven never told me
then?”

“I would guess that the Cross family never
told them. It’s not exactly something they would be accepting of.”
She nodded absently and looked down at the book in her hand.

“If you want to know more about it, you
should talk to the elders in my coven. They could tell you anything
you want to know. They could tell you more about your parents too.”
Savannah nibbled on her lower lip, while she considered my
offer.

“How much do they know about my
parents?”

“After they left the Meadow falls coven,
your parents joined mine. When my coven discovered some of your
parents’ intentions, they were removed from our coven. You were
born while your parents were still a part of the Sacred Moon
coven.” That startled her.

I pulled the book from her grip and paged
through it to see what she was researching. The book detailed
information about fallen angels and how demons could increase a
witch’s power.

“Are you curious about fallen angels or
increasing your power, princess?” I raised my eyebrows and she
rolled her eyes.

“Nice.” She attempted to grab the book back,
but I held it out of her reach.

“You want the book and I want an answer.
Care for a compromise?” I rested against the bookcase with the book
held high over my head.

Savannah moved forward with her eyes locked
on mine. “Well, I don’t know.” She leaned her body into my chest.
“What type of compromise were you thinking of?” She smiled, tilted
her face, and when I leaned in to kiss her, she grabbed the book
and danced away. “On second thought, I don’t think a compromise is
in order.”

“Proud of yourself, princess? Using sexual
wiles on me to get what you want.” I sighed. “That’s typical of a
woman.”

“Hey!” She smacked my arm with her book and
looked at me shyly. “Do you really think that your coven could tell
me more about my parents?”

It didn’t take long to convince Savannah to
meet with my coven. I waited while she purchased her book, and she
rode with me in my car to the estate where the elders lived with my
mother. It was a generous estate. The main house was a miniature
model of a lord’s estate from England with an adjoined barn that
seemed out of place.

Savannah gazed around in wonder at the
inside of the hall. “This is where you grew up?”

I followed as Savannah walked from room to
room in amazement. When she neared the study, she stopped at the
sound of voices from within. From the tones, I knew my mother was
one of the parties inside and I guessed from the other voices that
a handful of the elders were arguing with her.