Emanare (Destined, #1) (16 page)

“It sounds like you have great magic around you. I’m happy to hear that they have kept you safe, although Evrik’s world does sound a little dangerous for humans.” Emily eyed Sam with her typical motherly suspicion. “You need to survive the next few weeks. There are those who will attempt to assure that you make a different type of change than the one your family has destined that you become.”

Sam assumed her mother was talking about death and just didn’t want to say the words. It had to be difficult knowing your daughter would leave the earth before you did. “Has anyone in our family been killed before they completed the change?”

“My great-great-great grandmother.” Emily made the sign of the cross. “Bless her soul.” This action shocked Sam, since Emily had never taken her to church. They weren’t even Catholic.

Sam sighed. She felt a connection to her great-times-four grandmother. Sam was currently in a fight for her life, or better yet, her wings. “Uh—yeah, about the whole dying thing. I need to tell you about Cale.” Sam told her mother about the
sanguis
demon and how he had seduced her. As she spoke, she realized that she and her mother had never had a deep conversation before. After minutes of talking, they would usually break out into an argument. Sam would stomp upstairs and slam the door to her bedroom, leaving her mother downstairs wringing her hands. This time they understood each other. Instead of trying to talk at Sam, Emily was talking with her.

“It sounds like this
sanguis
demon is dangerous.”

“Yeah, about that.”

“Yes—” Emily nodded.

“How old am I?”

Emily exhaled. “You’re eighteen.”

Sam jerked from the bed and placed her feet on the floor, snagging her mother’s blanket on her coat. “Sorry.” She turned to face the wall. “This is just so much. Is everything about me a lie?”

“No, please, Sam, sit back down. I only just found out. I can explain.”

Sam spun back around, her face soaked with tears. “Then explain!”

“Your Aunt Rose was only trying to protect you. She knew your fate at age eighteen. She thought by making you a year older she could change what had been done.”

“What was done?”

“That’s not important right now,” she dismissed. “The point is you are who you are, and I’m very worried about your safety. Your protector won’t be able to guard you while you’re going through the change.”

“Protector? I don’t understand.” Sam flipped back through everything she had learned about herself, sorting through her very small mental dictionary on angelings, but she didn’t remember hearing anything about a protector.

 “You can’t be protected by anyone during this time,” Emily explained. “You have to be pure of all supernatural influences to complete your change, good or bad.” She grabbed Sam’s wrist, pulling her back down onto the bed. “No one can stop a demon from harming you when the demon is confronting you directly. You must be able to defend yourself. It is up to you.” She tightened her grip. “Remember, it is vital that you stay pure. Don’t allow yourself to become influenced.” Emily’s body relaxed after a long exhale. She released her grip. “As I said, your protector can’t guard you any longer.” Her words went soft, less urgent.

“What protector? Other than my friends, I don’t have a protector.”

“Yes, you do,” Emily said. “After you left home, your protector could no longer keep you safe. You were assigned a new protector when you arrived at Tolbert. It is someone who is around you, maybe even someone you are close to.”

“Is my protector human?” Sam thought about everyone she knew at Tolbert. 

“Partly, but protectors are usually very strong and posses a non-human ability.”

That answered Sam’s question. If her protector weren’t entirely human, she wouldn’t remember knowing him. Just like she didn’t remember Evrik or Chase.

Jack poked his head in the door. “Hi ladies, can I come in?”

“Sure,” Sam said. “I’m going to head back to school. I have class in the morning.” She turned back to her mom. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

Emily nodded. “It’s getting late. Tell Lauren thank you for bringing you to see me. Remember what I said. Be careful,” she instructed warmly.

“I will. I’ll call you tomorrow to check on you.” Sam bent down and kissed her mother on the forehead. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, my angel.”

CHAPTER 18

After her ten o’clock Monday morning Sociology class, Sam met the girls in the student union for lunch. Sam grabbed a chicken sandwich and fries and slid into a corner table. A student listening to his iPod lifted his head and nodded from the neighboring table and became re-immersed in his music.

Lauren slid her tray of tacos across the table and climbed into the chair next to Sam. “Have you talked to your mom today? How is she doing?”

“I spoke with her before class. She’s in some pain, but other than that, she’s doing okay. She sleeps a lot. Thanks again for taking me to the hospital last night.”

“Of course. That’s what roomies are for.” Lauren winked and took a bite out of her taco.

 Ann bounced into a seat. Her tray of food landed haphazardly on the table, almost spilling her coke. “Hey, girlie, how’s your mom doing?”

“She’s healing. It was a nasty fall down the steps.” Sam’s eyes moved over to the entrance of the building, where Chase and Vicky were walking through. He hesitated, obviously deciding whether to approach her. Instead, he stopped abruptly, did a 360 and left by himself, leaving Vicky babbling to herself. “Uh…thanks for asking,” Sam finally finished her thought. Both Lauren and Ann followed Sam’s gaze.

“Okay, that’s it. What is going on with the two of you?” Lauren put her finger over Sam’s lips before she could answer. “And don’t tell me ‘nothing.’”

“Chase and I have just gotten really close.”

“Really close…how close is really close?” Lauren’s head dipped as she eyed Sam accusingly.

“What about Evrik?” Ann asked, looking at Sam like she had just told them Angelina and Brad had broken up.

“I’m not with either of them.”

“Or you’re with both of them,” Lauren commented.

 “You are?” Ann asked primly.

“No.” Sam poked at her chicken sandwich. “There’s no choice to make. I won’t be able to stay with either of them, no matter who I choose.”

“What do you mean? I know Evrik loves you,” Ann said.

“And I know Chase loves you,” Lauren added.

“It’s complicated.”

“You’ve got that right,” Lauren said.

Sam fought back tears. She was going to miss everyone. She knew it was her destiny, her family inheritance. She had to be strong for her Aunt Rose. Sam had to leave—her only other option was death at the hands of Cale.

“What about Vicky? Are you just going to let her steal Chase?” Lauren moved her head back and forth with attitude. The only thing missing from her back and forth head weave were the snaps. Sam chuckled.

“Chase doesn’t belong to me. If he wants Vicky, he can have her.” Sam spoke through clenched teeth.

“You’re not seriously going to let Chase date that self-absorbed….” Ann threw her hand over her mouth.

“Go ahead, girl, you can do it. Say the word,” Lauren egged.

“No, I can’t,” Ann protested.

“Do it!”

“Okay, fine.” Ann caved. “Self-absorbed…bitch!”

“Yay!” Lauren clapped. “How does it feel to finally say what’s on your mind?”

“Alright, girls. Lunch has been fun, but I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you back at the dorms.” Sam stood and collected her tray.

“Hey, Sam,” Lauren called to her. Sam turned to look back over her shoulder. “I forgot to tell you. Evrik stopped by while you were in class. He left something on your bed.”

Sam found a rectangular box on her pillow, beautifully wrapped in gold paper. She unwrapped it eagerly, careful not to tear the paper. She opened the box and found a black book with the title
Samantha, My Angel
written in gold cursive.

There was an envelope taped to the outside of the book. The letter inside the envelope said…

Samantha,

You appeared to me as an angel. A supernatural being who showed me what it was to truly love and be loved, even before I knew you were actually an angel. For you, I am grateful. No matter what happens, you will always be my angel. Inside this book you will find my final paper from our English Lit last semester. I had it bound for you last Christmas. Hopefully this will help you remember our time together.

I will love you always,

Evrik

Sam clutched the book to her chest, tilting it forward again to read the cover one more time. Under the title, the description read….
Samantha, my compassionate angel, who creates purity, goodness, and selflessness to all she loves.

She opened the cover. The first page read…..

My life was defined the day I met Samantha Rose Campbell. 

Before I met Samantha, I went through life as though I had endless amounts of time to live. Every day meant nothing within my almost immortal world. Life wasn’t defined by days; it was defined by years. When you live for so long…it’s hard to find something worth living for….

It all changed the day an angel walked into my life. Life was no longer just about me. Life became a precious gift. When you are given the opportunity to love beyond the powers of the universe, you realize you are part of something bigger, something much more powerful than yourself. Your life becomes one of purpose. For when you are in the presence of an angel, miracles happen. 

Love happens…

Throughout the book, Evrik used beautifully descriptive language to detail their life together over the last six months. Each passage illustrated the events that had occurred. His feelings depicted his perspective, starting from the first moment he saw her on campus. It was like a portal into his soul. Like her favorite novel,
The
Notebook
, everyday life made exceptional by love. The pages from the middle to the end of the book were blank, leaving plenty of room to add to the story of their life together.

Sam squeezed the book over her heart. The pages would stay blank. Soon she would be gone. She reached back and touched her wings. For the time being, they had stopped growing outward.

She was honored to be chosen, but she also cursed her gift. After reading Evrik’s words, she realized she had found true love. It devastated her to think she’d have to leave him.

CHAPTER 19

Sam propped herself up against her fluffy down pillow. Exhausted, she closed her eyes and found herself dreaming…

Squirrels wrestled on the windowsill above her head. Sam flipped over on the soft mattress to check the time. It was later than she had thought—nine. She reached over and touched the empty spot next to her
on Evrik’s bed. She rose, brushed her hair and teeth in his bathroom, leaving her T-shirt and sweatpants on, and left the room to find Evrik. 

As she passed Alea’s room, she noticed Alea playing around with her bottles. Alea’s room was painted custard yellow with accents of purple, pink, and green. It reminded Sam of an Easter egg. The colors were unlike those in any bedroom she had ever seen. It was anything but calm and serene; instead, it had a wild elegance about it. A sturdy white table stood in front of Alea’s four-poster canopy bed. Long white shelves hung in parallel rows above the table. The shelves held at least a hundred different-colored bottles.

“Good morning,” Alea said.

Sam turned to enter her room. “Hey—what are you up to?”

“I’m just trying out a few combinations for our attack.” Alea set a black bottle down and grabbed one of her pretty iridescent bottles.

“Are you being careful? Should you really be doing that alone?” Sam asked.

“Yes, I’m fine. Are you looking for Evrik?”

“Do you know where he is?”

“He said something about going to get bagels for breakfast and something else about it being what human college kids do. Personally, I think he’s lost it.” Alea attempted to hand Sam the iridescent bottle.

“Oh—no,” Sam said with her palms out.

“I just need you to hold it for a second while I grab another bottle,” Alea insisted. Sam held the bottle cautiously, glancing around the wildly painted room. Alea mixed two more gas-like substances together. 

“Alea, I’ve never seen so many colors in one place. Tell me again how you sleep in here?” Alea laughed, although Sam was serious. It was like sensory overload. “And what exactly are you making?” As always, Sam wasn’t sure if she really wanted to know the answer.

“I’m preparing for the Kavari’s attack. This elixir should hopefully cause them to freeze in place like ugly statues. When I throw this at them, they will be unable to move.” She motioned for Sam to give her back the bottle.

“Did you take more stuff from the university’s Chem lab?”

“Nope, this time I used what I already had.” Alea pointed to Sam’s bottle. “Ashwagandha is a shrub found in India. The roots of the ashwagandha plant can increase the mental activity in humans, but in demons, or partial demons in the Kavari’s case, it slows down their mental activity.”

“How did you turn it into a gas?” Sam studied the bottle and handed it to Alea.

“Breaking down substances is part of my ability. I can change solids or liquids into gases and store them in my elixir bottles for mixing. I’m kind of the ‘magical chemist’ slash ‘herbal medicine girl’ of our race. There are others who practice the art, but I’m the best,” she said proudly.

“What did you mix with the Ash—, uh, root?”

“Ash-wag-and-ha,” Alea said, drawing out the word.

“Yeah, that.” Sam waved her hand dismissively.

“I took the drug Gabapentin from the pharmacy. It increases the freeze messenger in the brain. It is used to treat seizures in humans. When mixed with Ashwagandha root and a few other magically enhanced chemicals I already had, I found I could create an elixir that would freeze the brain, causing the whole body to freeze. It might not be as effective on a ‘non’ demon, but I should at least get an idea if it will work.”

“How are you going to test it?” Sam desperately hoped she wasn’t going to try it out on her.

Alea must have recognized Sam’s oh-shit expression. “Oh, stop worrying, I’m not going to freeze you, either.” She put the top on her concoction and headed out the bedroom door. 

“Good luck,” Sam mumbled.

Sam removed jeans and a sweater from the drawer Evrik had left empty for her to use and jumped in the shower. All spruced up for the day, she headed downstairs. Sam gasped at the sight before her. On the kitchen island stood a large brown paper bag. Four large tubs of cream cheese sat beside it.

“Good morning,” Evrik said a bit too enthusiastically for ten o’clock in the morning.

“What did you do, buy the whole bagel store?” she asked.

“I wasn’t sure what kind you wanted, so I got every kind.” He smiled, obviously proud of his accomplishment.

Sam crossed the kitchen, leaned in, and brushed a quick kiss across his cheek. “Thank you, that was very, very sweet of you.” 

“This is what human college kids do, right?”

“Yes, we just don’t normally buy the whole store.” Sam rummaged through the bag and pulled out a bagel, holding it out for him to see. “For future bagel purchases, I like sesame and veggie cream cheese.” She saw a large tub of veggie cream cheese on the counter along with plain, cinnamon raisin, and lox. “Do you have any knives?”

“Yes, why?”

“Haven’t you ever eaten a bagel before?”

“No, but I’m about to find out what kind I like.” He created a bagel conga line on the kitchen island. “What kind do you recommend?” He plucked the garlic bagel out of the center and gave it a good whiff. After making a noise that sounded like a cross between a cough and a gag, he turned his head, grimacing at the strong scent.

“I suggest you don’t try that one.” Sam removed the garlic bagel from his hand and replaced it with a plain one. “Try this one first to see if you like it, and then we’ll move on to fancier kinds. Besides, if you eat the garlic bagel, I won’t kiss you for the rest of the day.” She smiled playfully. “Now tell me again why you’ve never eaten a bagel? That’s weird. It’s like a dietary staple.”

“I cook everything we eat. I hadn’t even been to a restaurant or ordered a pizza until I met you.”

“They do have bagels at the grocery store,” Sam said.

 “Huh, really?  I’ve never noticed.”

 Sam shook her head and sliced the bagels, spreading veggie cream cheese on both. He loved vegetables, so she figured he would probably like the veggie cream cheese. “Welcome to college as a human.” Sam toasted him with her bagel.

 He took a large bite and chewed. “I like it. See, another human experience I like,” he said proudly. Sam wiped a blob of cream cheese off his top lip with her finger.

 “I appreciate you trying to make life as normal as possible for me, but I also enjoy doing Lightwarrior things.” She put the blob of cream cheese on the tip of his nose. “It’s strange, I’m even getting somewhat used to the magic and mayhem—somewhat. Alea still worries me. I don’t ever want to be turned invisible again.”

“She worries all of us with those elixirs. You aren’t the only one she’s done crazy things to.” Evrik grinned.

Draylan strode into the kitchen, bewildered by the assortment of bagels and cream cheese. “What the fuck?”

“Bagels and cream cheese, want one?” Sam held her bagel out in front of him.

“Ugh—why?” he said, looking at her like she had just asked if he wanted to eat road-kill. “And who put them in a line?”

“They’re actually really good, man. Why don’t you try the garlic one?” Evrik started laughing at an almost inaudible level, at least for Sam. Draylan heard him clearly. She could tell by his pissed-off expression.

“You know…you two are just so funny these days,” Draylan quipped. “Evrik, I’m not sure where you found this new sense of humor—but stop. You’re really not funny, dude.”

“I think he’s funny,” Sam said.

 “You do?” Evrik smiled.

“Really—this lovey-dovey shit is getting old, Bro. I feel like I’m gonna ralph.” Draylan thrust his gigantic body between them, making obnoxious gagging noises on his way into the great room.

“Do you want to finish these outside? I should probably start practicing creating fake houses before the Kavari attack,” Evrik suggested.

Sam nodded, grabbing her jacket.

They stepped outside. The sight before her eyes was straight out of a sci-fi movie. A deer stood motionless on the lawn with rigid, tight muscles and alert ears as if it had been startled into a state of shock. If Sam wasn’t standing so close, she would have sworn the deer was fake. “Is it dead?”

“Sam, it’s standing up.” Evrik coughed to mask his laughter.

 “Well, it looks dead.”

 Alea appeared from around the corner of the house. “Hey, guys.”

“Alea—what did you do to the deer?” Evrik asked.

 “I froze it. I plan on doing the same thing to the Kavari. They can’t fight if they can’t move,” she said nonchalantly.

 “And the deer?” Evrik questioned.

 “Oh—he’ll be fine. It’ll wear off soon.” Alea headed into the house, smiling widely at her success.

 “Okay, it’s your turn, let me see your magic,” Sam said.

 Sam brushed by the deer confidently, knowing it wasn’t going to run. Though she was surprised at how blue its eyes were. Did deer have blue eyes? She’d never been close enough to notice—interesting; she had thought their eyes were brown.

 Finishing the last bite of his bagel, Evrik focused on the forest with intense concentration. He drew in a deep breath, preparing to practice creating the illusion of their house in the distance to fool the Kavari. The plan was to lead the creatures away from Sam, who would be safe inside the real house, and create the illusion of trees in its place.

As Evrik stared into the woods, his eyes turned silver and emitted a subtle glow, similar to the way a deer’s eyes reflect light. But Evrik’s eyes were deeper, and instead of reflecting the light, it came from within.

In the distance his house started to form. Sam could see the triangular peaks take shape, followed by the wraparound porch. She turned her head to see the same house still standing just feet behind her. The real house started to flicker, reminding her of her parents’ old projection TV losing its signal. The house faded in and out until it was gone, replaced with nothing but large, leafless trees.

“You’re doing it, Evrik. I see your house in the distance, and there are trees behind us where your real house used to be.”

“Try blocking my visions. Do whatever you did with me at the frat party, when you blocked my attempt to change your memory,” Evrik said, still holding a steady focus.