Dark Spirits (7 page)

“Hey,” Brayden hushed, encircling his arms around me. My hair curtained my face, so he mistakenly thought I needed comfort when really I didn’t, but I hugged him anyway. “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it,” I said.

He pulled back but kept his arms around me. “Are you okay?” And then, before I could respond, he quickly answered his own question. “No need to respond. It’s plain on your face that you’re fine.”

I took his hand and pulled him back to the couch. I wanted to know what he learned since he became immortal, but I decided to tell him about my experiences first. I told him everything, except for the power of the ring being inside me now. I told him about seeing my dad when I had played my tin whistle and then seeing both my parents when I’d almost died. I told him about my grandma’s spirit visiting me and hearing Mom’s voice just yesterday. I talked to him about Anwar and what he had taught me. And then, Brayden shared with me everything that had happened to him, and what type of training he’d received. Before I knew it, we burned through a couple of hours.

“So Cassondra took me to a hot spot where the dark spirits hangout and had me cast one out,” Brayden said.

“Are you serious?” It astonished me she allowed him to do that, and I could hear the amazement in my voice. “What was it like for you?” I wished Anwar had trained me like that, and I began to think Cassondra was a better mentor than Anwar.

“It was awe--”

My cell vibrated, cutting Brayden off. I fished it out of my pocket. It was Nathan. I texted him back, then shoved the cell in my pocket. “Nathan is on his way home. I better get back to the house.” I rose to my feet. “But we need to continue this conversation later.”

“Of course,” Brayden said, putting out the flame in the gas lantern, “just let me know when we can meet again. In the meantime, I’ll see what we can do.”

“Okay. Text me if you discover anything, and I’ll do the same.” I went outside and leaped over the railing, landing soundlessly on my feet.

Brayden followed suit and stood beside me with a grin. “I love that we can do this stuff. It’s like being a superhero.”

I laughed. “You sound like Tree.”

He laughed with me. “It’s true though, except we can’t fly or have x-ray vision, which would rock.”

“Tree once told me he and Carrie wanted to be my sidekicks, and I called him a dork. I told him this wasn’t make-believe like when we were kids. I also let him know there was no way I’d let him and Carrie get involved in any of this.”

“Do you mind if I walk you to your back porch?”

“No, that’s fine.” I shook my head, thinking Nathan shouldn’t be home by then and appreciated Brayden asking me.

“I agree with you,” he said, as we headed toward my house. “Tree and Carrie shouldn’t be involved in this. They’re humans and could easily be broken.”

I smiled, relieved he felt the same way as I. “Exactly. Did Tree tell you what I did to him last night?”

Brayden laughed. “He did. I wish I could have seen it. Here you are five-foot nothi--”

“Three,” I said, having the need to add those inches to his statement.

“Three,” he amended to satisfy me. I couldn’t help but grin. Being with Brayden like this felt like old times. I was enjoying myself. “And here’s Tree, six-foot five. I would have loved to have seen you take him down.”

“Well, I hope it worked because both Tree and Carrie are stubborn as hell.”

He kicked at a pile of dried leaves in our path. They popped up like jumping beans, making rustling noises, scattering about. “They are,” he agreed, “but they have to realize by now they can’t be a part of this.”

We were at the halfway point to my house when my ears began to ring.

Crap.

We stopped and looked around. Then a thought occurred to me, a thought I’d never considered.

My blood ran cold.

“Brayden,” I said below a whisper, knowing he could hear me. “What if it’s an ancient dark spirit we can’t cast out?”

He took my hand. “Then we both attack him. But remember, Paige, try to reason with him first and don’t let your guard down.”

“Okay,” I said, feeling my heart slamming against my chest. I saw a beam of light bouncing between the shadows of the trees. It got brighter. I held my breath. A guy and a girl stepped out of the trees. They were both smirking, and I recognized them right away. I released the air from my lungs and squared my shoulders.

“Let’s see what they want first,” Brayden said, watching them walking toward us in a cocky, snide manner. “I think they’re young though.”

“They are. They’re part of Ayperos’ group,” I told him out the corner of my mouth.

“Wow. I must be in Lady Luck’s favor for me to run into you, two nights in a row,” the platinum blonde with the short, spiky hair said. Her eyes shifted on Brayden, and they roamed over his body, stopping on his hand holding mine. She wagged a finger at us. “You two are bad, sneaking behind Mr. Caswell’s back, getting a little something, something on the side.” A laser beam of light flashed across her brown eyes.

I released Brayden’s hand. “It’s not like that,” I said, but then realized she was trying to get inside my head to mess with me. I slipped my hand back into his. “Anyway, I don’t give a crap what you think.”

Her black lips turned into a vicious smile. “Just when I was starting to like you, you had to open your stupid mouth and ruin it.”

I could smell the alcohol on them, which explained why the dark-haired guy–the one who was holding the binoculars last night–kept swaying. He tried to keep a steady grip on the flashlight, but the beam was erratically circling the ground with his swaying motions. They must have been partying deeper in the woods and happen to come across us, I thought.

“Were you two partying?” Brayden asked the guy, obviously thinking along the same lines. He said it like it was the coolest thing ever.

“Yeah, man,” the guy said with a laugh, jerking the light in Brayden’s face, making him squint. Brayden’s hand went up, shielding his eyes. “I just took some creeper, and it’s creeping up right now.” The guy laughed again, and a laser beam flashed across his glazed eyes. “Do you want to party with us?”

The blonde gestured sharply at him. “You idiot! They’re immortals,” she snapped, outraged. “They’re not our friends. We need to kill them.”

“What?” The guy blinked, directing the light on her. He had a blank look on his face and absently scratched his head.

She growled her frustration. “We need to
kill
them,” she repeated through tight lips. “And get that
fucking
light out of my eyes!”

The beam fell back to the ground, creating a huge, golden circle in front of him.“No,” the guy objected. “Remember what Ayperos said. The ‘old one’ wants her alive.”

Brayden and I snuck a peek at each other, knowing if we continued to act like we weren’t there, we might find out some useful information.

The girl bellowed out a disgusted laugh and pointed at me. “Don’t you see the radiance inside her?” she demanded and continued without bothering to wait for his reply. “There’s something not right about her. She’s a
fucking
freak!” She turned to me and narrowed her eyes. They were full of hate. Her last words were like a slap in the face because I’d been living under the freak yolk most of my life. Brayden dropped my hand and stepped aside. “I don’t give a
shit
what the ‘old one’ and Ayperos say. After I kill you, they’ll realize I did them a favor.”

“I wouldn’t do it,” the guy warned, nervously rubbing his brow.

But she ignored him. With raised, clawed hands, she charged at me. Brayden wheeled on the guy, and the guy begged to be left alone.

I quickly stepped aside and rounded on the girl, slamming my foot into her back. She flung her hands out and fell into some bracken. In a flash, I grabbed her ankles and dragged her out. She squirmed radically, trying to break free, cursing at me in Latin. I flipped her over and shoved her when she attempted to get up. Her back slammed against the ground. She inhaled, and her lungs made a harsh scratching sound from the sudden intake of air. I sat on her and took hold of her arm, placing it above her head. But then her other hand flew up, snatching a handful of my hair, totally throwing me off guard. She yanked my head down. I yelped and twisted her wrist above her head. With my other hand, I grabbed her thumb and bent it back. The bones snapped like a dried twig. She screamed and released my hair, still cursing at me. I joined the wrists above her head in a tight grip and placed my palm on her forehead. She became limp, and I thought maybe she had passed out. But as soon as I began the incantation, her eyes popped open in horror, and she thrashed about. I didn’t hesitate and kept chanting in a strong and powerful voice. Her agonizing screams grew louder by the second.

And then I
felt
it, something nobody had ever told me before. Again. I felt the dark spirit shoot out of the body through the feet. In that brief instant, I felt cold and sweaty as a haunting jolt went through my heart, like waking up from a terrible nightmare in the middle of the night. But as soon as the dark spirit vacated, the feeling passed. Pushing my hair off my face, I took a couple deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart from the adrenaline coursing through it. The human beneath me was alive, but unconscious. The left side of her cheek pressed against the ground, her expression as empty as her soulless body. I sat there, stunned that I had cast out a dark spirit. It was surreal. The forest seemed to distort around me, and I felt as if I were out of my body, watching the events from an alternate universe. But then everything congealed together, and I was once again, self-aware, my heart now at an even pace.

The guy was still begging Brayden to leave him alone. “I’m loyal to the ‘old one.’ I’d never go against his orders,” he said in a panicked voice.

Brayden advanced on him. “What do you know?”

The guy dropped the flashlight and threw his hands up. They were shaking. “Only that he wants her alive. Nobody knows what his plans are, except to have her find the incantations. But we do believe he has other plans for her.”

“What are his plans for me?” I asked, now by Brayden’s side. The guy was violently shaking and looked like he might pee himself. I almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

“I told you I don’t know,” he said in a whiny voice that pleaded for us to believe him. “Not even Ayperos knows.”

I suddenly realized Nathan would be home anytime now, and I needed to get back.

“Brayden, I need to go.”

He looked at me and nodded.

“P-p-p-please, don’t cast me out,” the guy stammered.

Brayden gestured toward the motionless girl lying on the ground. “Take her with you then, and don’t ever come near this area again.” He took a step closer, and the guy cowered beneath him. “Don’t make me regret this,” he said in a deep, threatening voice.

 “I-I-I won’t.”

Brayden jerked his head toward the girl. “Go then.”

Cautiously, the guy skirted Brayden. He picked up the flashlight and hurried to the girl. He snatched her by the foot and ran, dragging her behind, her head bumping against the ground, the beam of light bouncing chaotically in front of him.

“I hate to go,” I said, turning to Brayden. “There are things we still need to talk about.”

He smiled. It was gentle, familiar, and reminded me of home.

Something stirred inside me, creating that funny feeling in my belly again, which was so wrong. Nathan should be the only one giving me that feeling, but I found myself stalling for more time with Brayden.

“Do you know why I stepped aside, right before blondie attacked you?”

I didn’t say anything, just stared.

My heart raced.

“Because you’d never cast a spirit out before. You needed to experience it so you’d know you can do it.” He grinned.

“That means a lot to me.” I gave him a quick hug. “We’ll talk later.”

He kissed his first two fingers and placed them on my lips. “Bye, Paige.”

I stood in a daze, feeling the warmth of his fingertips against my mouth. When he pulled them away, I touched my lips and looked up. He winked and took a few steps back and raised his hand. I spun around and took off, wondering again what the hell was wrong with me.

Chapter Seven

As soon as I stepped inside the house, I zipped to my room and changed into my red silk pajamas. Then I went to the bathroom, washed my hands and hurried to the living room. Plopping down on the couch, I grabbed the remote and turned the TV on, just in time. Nathan’s truck was pulling into the driveway beside the house. I took a couple deep breaths, trying to calm the whirlwind of thoughts inside my head.

I still found it almost hard to believe I’d cast out a dark spirit tonight. It seemed like a dream. My mind kept replaying the whole scene, down to the feeling I’d experienced when the dark spirit left the body.

Craziness.

I wondered how long that dark spirit would be in agony until she regained her energy and if she’d get into trouble for going against the “old one’s” orders. Maybe she’d be exiled from the group or something worse.

Could dark spirits kill their own? Nathan said Aosoth killed Ameerah’s girlfriend, but how? I didn’t think it was possible because if that were the case, the immortals would have killed them all.

The doorknob rattled, bringing me back to the present. When Nathan walked in, he smiled, his warm eyes on mine. They seemed to peer into my soul.

My heart skipped a beat.

He looked so happy to see me and to be home that I immediately felt guilty about Brayden. I looked away and turned the TV off.

“What’s wrong?” Nathan asked, sitting on the edge of the couch beside me.

I forced myself to look at him, and I could feel my guilt and confusion stretching between us. I think he felt it too because concern filled his eyes.

 I desperately wanted to wrap my arms around him and say how much I loved him. I wanted to tell him he was the only man I’d ever want to be with, and together we would defy the dark spirits and help humanity. I wanted all this stupid, confusing, secretive, crap to go away and make it like it used to be between us. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. It seemed pointless to me.

He gently brushed a piece of hair off my face. “Are you going to tell me?”

“I’m just worried,” I said, dropping my gaze to my lap.

He reached for me, and the image of me hugging Brayden, popped into my mind. I covered myself with the afghan, blocking his touch. As much as I loved being in Nathan’s arms, I just didn’t feel right at that moment to be in them. He glanced away, but not before I saw the hurt in his eyes, crushing me. Pushing my knees up, I hugged my arms around them when Nathan rose, turning his back. He was but a few feet away, but the distant energy in the air felt like we were miles apart. And then it hit me, and my heart did a nose dive.

He knew.

“You were with Brayden tonight.” It was a statement spoken in a flat, emotionless voice. He didn’t turn to see my response, but his posture was stiff, and his hands were clenched into fists at his side.

“How did you know Brayden was here?” I asked, trying to anchor all the finger pointing feelings that wanted to come out so I’d be clearheaded enough to tell him like it was. I also didn’t want my emotions to lead me to comply with what Nathan wanted me to do. After what happened tonight, finding out how Brayden was trained and casting out a dark spirit myself, I knew now I couldn’t pretend, overlook, or make excuses for how Nathan made me feel with his decision not to include me in his plans. So I would tell him what he wanted to know because, honestly, I hated sneaking around his back. I sat up straight, waiting for his reply.

A short, humorless laugh escaped his lips. “I’m a tracker, remember?”

Dumbfounded, I didn’t respond. It never occurred to me he’d keep tabs on Brayden’s whereabouts. I knew Nathan had a few close friends and some acquaintances who owed him favors, so he probably recruited their help in keeping a close eye on Brayden. I wondered if Brayden or his mentor knew he was being watched.

Nathan blew out a lung full of air and ran a hand through his hair. “Were you with Brayden tonight?” he asked, turning around, his eyes fixed on mine. They looked numb, but I could see sadness and fear flickering in them.

It was kind of ironic in a way. I mean, I felt the same way. Yeah, Brayden and I had a history together, and I could understand Nathan worrying about losing me to Brayden, even though I was only in love with him. But he was keeping things from me, just like I’d kept Brayden’s arrival from him. And now we were at a stalemate.

“Yes, I was,” I said.

He shook his head like parents did to their children when they brought home bad report cards. “How can you trust to be around him after what happened the last time he was here?”

“Because he said he was sorry, and I know Brayden. He’d never hurt me. In fact, I told him if he repeated the same behavior as last time I’d leave.”

“Leave?” Nathan said, regarding me suspiciously. “Weren’t you home?”

“Sort of.” I shrugged. “I met him at our tree house.”

“That’s half a mile away,” he said, his voice raised.

I narrowed my eyes. “How do you know?” I couldn’t believe he knew about the tree house and hadn’t mentioned it to me. I was starting to realize he knew more than I’d thought, like Brayden being in town.

He looked up and made a vibrating sound with his lips. “Remember when I was so pissed off at Brayden for touching you, that I had to run to burn off my anger?” His eyes fell on mine. I nodded, remembering how he wanted to bash Brayden’s head in and afterwards he’d been so furious he was shaking. Then he left me here in the house while he took off in the night. “I saw it then.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I thought you’d share it with me when you were good and ready. But that’s beside the point.” He ran a hand through his hair again and sighed. “So, what happened?”

“What happened with you tonight?” I asked, not willing to tell him until he told me. I crossed my arms, hating the fact we were back to where we were earlier, before I told him about my visions. At that moment I decided this was it. I wasn’t going through this again.

He swiped a hand across his face. “You gotta be kidding me?”

“I don’t want to argue with you, Nathan,” I said, feeling my irritation grow. “Ever since we came home, all we’ve done is argue, and I’m through with it.” I flung the afghan off me and stood. He stepped back, but I got in his space anyway. “Look. I love yo--” A scent on him halted my train of thought. I leaned forward and sniffed his T-shirt. It smelled like cheap floral perfume. I looked up at him, and he had a strange look on his face like somebody getting caught stealing. I sniffed him again, and he backed up. Yup, it was perfume. Tears sprang to my eyes.

“It’s not what you think, Paige,” he quickly said, placing his hands on my shoulders.

I lifted my arms through the space between his and smacked his arms off me. “This is what I’m talking about,” I said, poking his chest. “There should be no secrets between us, and we should be working as a team. Now you smell like a whore!” With shaky hands, I yanked the silver Claddagh ring off my right ring finger.

“Oh, God. No, Paige,” he croaked when I handed it to him. He wouldn’t take it.

I held the ring up. “This ring is supposed to represent friendship, love, and loyalty. Us, tied up into this clever little ring.” I pointed at him, feeling the tears streaming down my face. “Your exact words when you gave this to me. But this isn’t us, not anymore.”

“Please don’t say those words. They’re not true,” he whispered.

“It is true!” my raspy voice cracked. “And I’m not going to keep repeating myself, because you know why.” I thrust the ring back at him, but he still wouldn’t take it. I breathed in through my nose and consciously hardened myself, feeling the water in my eyes dry up. I looked at him. Tears were clinging to his long eyelashes, and he silently pleaded with me not to do it.

I ignored him.

“Fine.” I slammed it on the coffee table as a terrible ache trembled my heart. I didn’t want to do this, but I had no other choice. No matter how much I loved Nathan, I couldn’t be in a one-sided relationship.

“I didn’t cheat on you, Paige,” he said, his voice hoarse, and I believed him because despite the emotional distress in his face, I saw the honesty in it. “You’re the only person who matters to me in this world. I love you. I don’t want to lose you.”

I took a deep breath and tucked my hair behind my ears. “In case you’ve been wondering, I don’t want to be with Brayden. But I have to tell you, he has more faith in me than you do, and it shouldn’t be like that.”

He took my hand, and I desperately wanted to fall into his arms and forget about all of this. But when he pulled me closer, I could smell that dime store perfume on him again. I drew away, glaring at his shirt. He looked down, then yanked it off, tossing it aside.

Great.
How was I supposed to continue with this conversation when his magnificent, muscular body was in my face? I just wouldn’t focus on it. Yeah, don’t focus on it.

“I have faith in you,” he finally said, staring at his empty hand and then looking at me.

I shook my head. “You don’t, Nathan, because if you did, we would never have had this conversation.”

“Why would you say Brayden has more faith in you than I?”

“Because he does,” I shrilled. I felt like Nathan wasn’t getting it. Sometimes I wondered if guys were born with a dense cell in their brains. “Two dark spirits came up to us tonight,” I continued, “and he stepped aside when the female went to attack me beca--”

“What?” Nathan said incredulously. He shook his head like he wasn’t sure he heard me right. He looked at me, his eyes hard on mine. “I can’t believe you’d put yourself at ris--”

I raised my hands. “Let me finish.”

“I don’t like this,” he said between clenched teeth.

I rolled my eyes and chopped the air with my hand. “This is what I’m talking about. You freaking out when there’s any sign of a threat toward me. Anyway, he stepped aside, she attacked me, and I cast her out, which by the way, thanks for telling me what it feels like when a dark spirit vacates the body,” I said sarcastically.

“Sorry about that,” he offhandedly said. “But you shouldn’t have been in that position. It’s not safe. What if there were a bunch of them? Then what would you have done?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know, but that’s not the point. The point is he believed in me enough to allow me to cast a dark spirit out on my own. You see. He’s already done it several times. It was part of his training, which Anwar should have done for me,” I said with a huff.

“You said there were two, so what happened with the other one?” Nathan asked, ignoring my complaint about Anwar.

“Brayden let the other one go because the dude kept begging him to.” I was glad Brayden did because that dark spirit seemed harmless, and he took care of the body. One less thing we had to worry about.

Nathan frowned in disapproval and then began pacing. I sat back on the couch, not caring if he disagreed with what Brayden had done. Or if he was mad at me for that matter. If he wasn’t so overprotective, this would have never happened because I would have been with him instead of Brayden. So now he had to make a choice: he included me in on his plans, or I would be doing things my own way without him.

A vibrating sound on the end table broke the silence. Nathan stopped pacing, and his gaze fell on my cell phone. I picked it up, wondering who it could be. I could feel Nathan’s eyes on me, and as much as I tried not to, I smiled at what the message said:

u kicked ass 2 nite.

I looked up, and Nathan was scowling at my hand. I tried to wipe the smile from my face, but the thrill that went through me made me smile even more. I mean, I did kick some ass tonight, and it felt great.

A gust of air hit me in the face, and my phone was swiftly lifted out of my hand.

“Nathan!” I said when I saw him standing in the middle of the living room, holding my phone, reading it. “Give that back.” I couldn’t believe he’d done that. It wasn’t like I wouldn’t have told him what it said, and it pissed me off.

He shook his head and tossed the phone to me. It landed in my lap. I glanced at it and then at him. He was pacing again.

I texted Brayden a thanks and to have a good night. I placed my phone back on the end table and sat watching Nathan pacing until I couldn’t take it any longer.

“Are you going to tell me what happened tonight and why you had somebody else’s scent on you?”

He stopped and turned to me. “I ran into an old friend, and she hugged me.” His attention fell on the Claddagh ring, and he picked it up. “Please, Paige, will you put this on?” He held it out to me, and my heart clenched when I saw the sadness in his face, but I couldn’t allow my emotions to get in the way of what needed to be resolved.

I cleared my throat and hoped I wouldn’t sound like a cold-hearted bitch. “I can’t wear it until our relationship resembles the meaning of that ring and right now it doesn’t.”

He looked down and nodded, placing the ring back on the coffee table. He sat on the edge of the recliner across from me with his legs spread apart and his arms resting on his knees. He bowed his head, and I could hear him taking deep, slow breaths. I stared at my lap, hating that we were in this position and wondered if we would get through it.