Endlessly (19 page)

We were locked in. I eyed the doors,
certain that Ash could break through them, but I had no idea what
would follow. I felt a pang of panic, but Ash was fine.

“Well,” she said, “we are finally
alone.” She smiled seductively and raised an eyebrow.

“Is that all you ever think about?” I
asked.

I helped her take her coat off and she
darted around the room noiselessly. I could not help but stare at
her. With almost no effort she’d acquired all the skills of
stealth. She never made a sound. There in the waiting room she was
only admiring the paintings, but she could’ve snuck up on any
vampire, without their even knowing it. She was beautiful, sexy,
and her thoughts ran to seduction. She lit a fire in me, though I
did my best to resist her.

“Why do you do that?” I asked. “This
isn’t the time or place. These bastards want to kill
us.”

“Sorry,” she muttered. She sat on the
edge of the sofa, adjusting her wings and tail for
comfort.

It was amazing how quickly she had
taken to her new form. Fitting her movements to her new form was
already second nature, as easy as breathing.

I sat beside her and held
her hand. She cocked her head, listening.
They’re not far,
she thought.
Just beyond these doors. They’re talking about
me. One of them is coming.
She paused, and
looked at me confused.
I thought you said
Sara was my age.

“Yeah…maybe 19,” I said.

Just then we heard the lock click. The
French doors opened and the blond man reappeared. “Come with me,”
he said listlessly.

We followed him down a long white-gold
hallway lined with tables holding vases full of white lilies. We
reached another set of French doors, white with gold inlay. I
reached for Ash’s cool hand and gripped it. She tightened her grasp
on my fingers to the point of pain

She
smiled
. Everything is going to be okay.
You are going to have a lot more respect for Hania in a
bit.

Why? What’s
going…

No time to explain, just
trust me and stay back.

What do you mean stay back?
Ash, don’t do anything stupid!
My mind was
moving frantically, but Ash just smiled. I pulled her arm to make
her stop, but she hardly felt it. Finally I accepted the
inevitable, and let her drag me along.

The blond threw open the doors, stood
to one side, and bowed mockingly. We proceeded into the dimly lit
room. Once we got inside, he closed the doors behind us, and we
heard the click of a lock.

It was a large wood-paneled room with a
smell that reminded me of old books in a library. The furniture was
centered around a huge fireplace encased in marble. A fire roared.
On each side of the hearth were floor-to-ceiling
bookcases.

Four large leather chairs created a
half circle.

We were not alone long.

Chapter 19

CHARRED REMAINS

The next part was straight out of
Hollywood. A bookcase slid back, revealing a secret passage into
total darkness.

Pedro appeared dressed as before, in
plain street clothes. As he sat down he seemed to be stifling
laughter. He barely acknowledged us.

Following him was Kale. The moment I
saw him I let loose an involuntary growl. Instinctively I crouched.
Ash pulled at me, and I straightened up.

It’s okay,
she soothed me.

I couldn’t control my low growl, but I
didn’t move. Kale hadn’t changed. His yellow-white hair still fell
to his waist, and he still wore a black suit on his lean frame. His
face, like his body, was slender, and his eerie blue eyes held the
story of his long life. His expression said that he knew something
he would never share. When he smirked at Ash my whole body trembled
with rage.

Kale sat next to Pedro, and they stared
at us, glancing at one another as if to share an inside
joke.

Ash directed a thought
exclusively at me:
You’re right. Those
guys are assholes.

Hania entered, wearing a long brown
cloak. The deep creases in his face gave away his age. His golden
brown skin told of his Native American heritage. He had the same
dark brown eyes, but they now seemed weary. His long black hair was
more peppered with grey, and his magic staff might now be doubling
as a support for his unsteady gait. When I’d seen him last he
hadn’t needed a staff for magic or walking. Hania was suffering
from the weariness of age. He sat, and stared at the floor. It was
as if his spirit had been broken.

I felt Ash’s body tense and release at
the sight of Hania. I was sure she and the old man were having an
unspoken conversation. I tried to break Ash’s wall, but she was far
too strong.

Then Sara appeared. My growling ceased
as my anger turned to shock. She hadn’t aged. In 10 years Sara had
grown only slightly. She was still a fair-skinned child with light
blonde hair and blue eyes. Her iridescent wings were translucent,
and hardly visible. Her face had the same childish roundness. She
wore a white dress. A human would’ve noticed something odd about
her motions. She was as lithe and graceful as a ballerina, which
seemed strange in such an immature body. She was more than a child,
more than human and more than incarnate. She took her seat and
grinned, showing her true self. How could someone so lovely be
filled with so much evil and greed?

I felt numb from the sudden shock of
seeing Sara. Ash kept her eyes locked on Hania.

Sara‘s tinkling voice matched her
child-like looks. To me it was like crystal breaking. “Verloren
what are we going to do with you?” she said. “I couldn’t believe it
when Pedro told me how you’d fucked up again.”

I laughed, feeling as if I had nothing
left to lose. “You have to excuse me Sara, but such harsh words
from such a little girl…you must tell me how you maintain such a
youthful appearance.”

Kale smiled.

Sara’s brow furrowed and her face
reddened. “I don’t answer to you!” she screamed. “You answer to
me!”

Ash glanced at Sara, and wood popped in
the fire. Otherwise the room was silent. Sara took a deep breath,
smoothed her dress, then raised her chin in an attempt at dignity.
She sat on the edge of the chair, crossing her legs. Her feet
barely brushed the floor. She addressed Ash: “I assume you know why
I brought you here.”

“Yes,” Ash replied. “I know everything.
You don’t hide your thoughts well.”

Sara’s jaw clenched and her nostrils
flared.

“You have three,” Ash replied, “They’re
here already. I would make the fourth element.” Ash turned to me.
“She drank their blood while they were sleeping. She’s
immortal.”

“Shut up!” Sara’s voice boomed. She
gripped the arms of her chair. “I don’t give a fuck if she is a
mutant. Let’s get this over with.” She stood and moved toward us
with a strange, unnatural gait.

Hania rose at the same instant, but
kept his eyes down. Though his motions were far slower, he never
fell more than few steps behind her. My body tensed. Kale and Pedro
lounged in their chairs. As Sara neared I stepped in front of Ash.
I knew the dragon’s blood would give Sara incredible strength, far
more than I could handle, but protecting Ash was my first
instinct.

Ash caught my arm and shoved me back.
She froze me with her mind. It was staggering how much stronger
she’d become. Sara glared up at Ash, and Ash glared back. Sara
reached to her side where Hania stood.

Hania pulled a silver dagger from his
cloak. My breathing stopped. I could do nothing. Then I saw that
Sara wasn’t even aware of the dagger. Her eyes were on Ash. It
dawned on me: Silver!

“It’s been a pleasure knowing you,” Ash
said.

Silver. To fairies it was poison. Just
the touch of it burned their skin. Hania raised the dagger above
his head. His head snapped up, his eyes met Ash’s, and he plunged
the dagger deep into Sara’s neck.

A screech burst out. It was Sara. As
the dagger cut into her neck she flailed, trying to pull it out. As
her palms met silver they blistered, and she screamed again. She
fell to her knees.

Hania glared down at her as she
squirmed and writhed.

Ash turned to Kale and Pedro. They sat
transfixed, their eyes glassy with shock. An evil laugh passed
Ash’s lips.

No!
I begged.
I want to kill
Kale!

She ignored my pleading.

What happened next was quicker than the
human eye could follow. Ash spread her wings knocking me back
against the French doors. She launched into the air toward Kale.
The fireplace exploded. Hania and I were knocked to the floor.
Hania nearly fell on top of Sara as she flailed about.

Kale screamed as the fire engulfed him.
Ash landed on him, toppling him and his chair. His legs kicked. Ash
stomped, making a sickening crunch. Kale’s screams stopped. His
kicks stopped. She’d crushed his skull.

The fire had no effect on Ash or her
clothing.

Pedro jumped from his chair, and stared
at the flames consuming Kale. He shifted to werewolf form, ready to
fight. Circling Ash on all fours, he snarled. Shreds of his
clothing hung from him. The rest had fallen to the
floor.

Ash stepped down from Kale’s scorched
body. Keeping her eyes on Pedro, she wiped her boot on the carpet.
He wouldn’t be a problem.

I looked at Sara. Her skin was turning
purple and she barely moved. It wouldn’t be long till she was dead.
The silver had poisoned her blood quickly. She lay on the floor
gasping for air like a fish out of water. Despite her hopes for
immortality she had kept her vulnerable incarnate
traits.

Hania crawled over by me, and leaned
against the wall. His voice a raspy. “Looks like your friend can
take care of herself.”

Ash’s prediction was right. I did have
a lot more respect for him. Ash let go of my mind. I stood and
helped Hania up.

He spoke quietly. “I was so sick of the
lies and betrayal. All I wanted was peace of mind, but I knew they
wanted to kill me.” He shook his head and his hair waved with it
under his hood. “The only reason Sara kept me alive was to get
information. She wanted power—absolute power. I hoped Kale would
keep his mouth shut about the dragons, but he didn’t.”

Pedro had quit moving, but his snarls
and growls were still audible. Ash looked him over. “You know,
Hania thinks it’s best to resend your soul, and I suppose that
would be the proper thing.” She circled him, closing in.

At her silent command Pedro stood up on
his hind legs, his arms dangling. He growled at her. She took his
hand and examined his claws.

She sighed. “I like mine still
‘kicking.’” She dropped his hand. He lunged. She hit him hard in
the chest. His body flew across the room, smashed into the wall and
crumpled to the floor. The blow shook the room, but it wasn’t
final. Pedro jumped back up and leapt at her.

She flew into him, catching his throat.
She raised him up above her head. He growled, tearing at her wrists
and pumping his legs. She slammed him flat on his back. The floor
buckled and splintered. Books tumbled off shelves.

Air gushed from his lungs. She bored
her arm into his stomach, tearing through flesh. His eyes popped
and his mouth opened, but no sound escaped.

Ash thrust her forearm forward into his
chest then yanked. She stood, holding his heart. She smiled and
dropped it.

With one arm covered in blood, she
grabbed the edges of her dress and curtsied to Hania and me. Her
boots were covered in charred remains from Kale.

“Ta-da,” she sang.

We all looked at Sara. The dagger
protruded from her neck. Her skin was wilted and black and her lips
had curled back, exposing her teeth. She’d stopped
breathing.

“It’s safe to say she is dead,” Ash
said.

Hania picked up a vase of lilies from a
nearby table, then dropped the flowers to the floor. He poured the
water onto Kale’s remains. A hiss escaped from the
chair.

Chapter 20

WE CONTINUE

I wake up in a large bed and find
myself alone. I hear small clicking noises and see a dim light
shining from behind me, casting shadows on the wall. I roll over in
the bed and look across the windowless room. Ash sits on a bench at
a large wooden desk typing away on a laptop. She has a blanket
draped across the front of her. Her back is exposed and her wings
are slightly open; this has become their resting state. They hang
over the back of the bench. She stares intently at the computer
screen with headphones in, listening to music. Hania had given her
his old mp3 player and she’s loaded it with her favorite songs.
She’s trying to type quietly so she won’t wake me.

Some time ago a quiet, bashful girl
lived in a small town. Then somehow she began to sense she was
different. Now she is one of the most powerful, if not the most
powerful person in our world.