Obsidian (Mystic Stones Series #1) (34 page)

“Okay,” she said, “I’m gonna go to bed. You should go back to bed too. Aloha Ahiahi!”

“Aloha Ahiahi!” I called back. Alani closed the door behind her and I turned off the bedside lamp. I waited a few minutes, to make sure that everyone had gone to bed. I turned the lamp back on.

Jesse’s stone face haunted me. He knew what I was doing. There was no doubt about it. He couldn’t stop me, not right now.

I felt a little guilt as I threw on my clothes and tennis shoes. I grabbed two daggers and a gun and quickly strapped them to my belt.

“I love you, but I need to do this,” I said to Jesse before I kissed his marble forehead and quietly slipped out the door. I was careful not to walk near anyone’s cabin door. Finally, I made it to the back of the boat and brought the water up to me, and made it carry me off the boat and out of the crevasse.

Soon, I was using the ocean to carry me toward Hilo. I imagined it was what surfing felt like. It was a rush and sent more adrenaline through my veins. Soon, I neared the part of the coast I knew was close to Tom’s house. I came to shore a few houses before his so I could slowly sneak onto his property.

I crept across the neighbor’s yard. I could see lights on in Tom’s house. I tried to see if he was alone. After a few minutes, he passed by a window, another burst of adrenaline coursed through me. I closed in on the house. I was careful to remain unseen until the last possible moment. I’d make him come outside, and then blast him with a ball of ocean water carrying a dagger before he would know what hit him. I was behind a bush just outside the window. I peered inside to find that he was alone.

There was a motion sensor attached to the back door. I got myself into position and tripped the sensor. I conjured up a ball of water, placed a dagger inside, and waited for him to come out.

Tom was quick to respond to the sensor, and as soon as he opened the door, I hurled the ball at him. The dagger was heading straight for him. It was a direct hit that slammed him backward into the house. I ran after him then stopped in the doorway.

Tom was lying on the floor with water everywhere and the dagger was starting to melt away. Tom sat up and glared at me. He flashed his fangs.

“That’s three bloodstones you and your friends have ruined,” he said. I took out the other dagger and gripped it fiercely in my hand.

“You almost killed my friend,” I spat at him.

“Almost? Damn. I was hoping he would die. There are too many hospitals around here. I’m glad to see you’ve recovered. Although, I’m sure your wound still impedes you. I watched as my drudge tried to do his duty. It’s too bad your friend killed him, he would’ve made a good vampire guardian. He took initiative,” Tom said.

“No wound,” I said as I lifted my shirt, “I’m at my full potential.”

Tom smiled, “You are a powerful siren. I’ve underestimated you. Too bad you won’t stop hiding behind that pathetic protection ring. We could have a real battle on our hands.”

“If you discard any bloodstone you have, I’ll take off my ring,” I said.

Tom smiled his sly grin and reached in his pocket to take out three small red and green stones. He tossed them at my feet.

“If that’s how you want it,” he said.

I took off my ring and dropped it on the stone path as I prepared myself once more. I knew I didn’t have his speed or his strength, but I would use the ocean as my strength and I hoped that my reflexes could keep up with him.

Tom slowly stood.

I formed a ring of water around my waist and spun it around me like the rings of Saturn. The obsidian dagger was still in my hand. Suddenly, Tom disappeared from sight. I sent the ring of water bursting outward. I heard Tom’s body hit the ground from behind me, but he was up again as soon as I turned around. He dashed straight toward me and the two of us hit the ground.

I tried to stab Tom with the dagger, but his strength was enough to push it away from himself and he tried to cut me with it. I felt the cold, hard edge just under my jaw and a trickle of blood ran down my neck.

“Siren blood . . . a delicacy,” Tom said as he brought his lips closer to my neck and licked up some of my blood.

I struggled against his hold to no avail. I focused on the ocean again and called on it to give me strength. I felt myself becoming stronger and I pushed the dagger and Tom away from my throat.

“You can’t win. I’m stronger and faster. All you have is a silly dagger and a few drops of water,” Tom said.

I called on the ocean water once more and hit Tom with as much force as I could. I kept it coming. A powerful stream formed in midair. It was like a firefighters’ hose constantly hitting him with extreme pressure. I didn’t let up, and the water finally pushed Tom off of me and against the house.

Paint started to peel off from the pressurized water. I stood at a safe distance and watched as Tom struggled to fight back. I saw my chance and threw my last dagger into the stream. I let it carry the obsidian into his heart.

Once the dagger hit him, I returned the water to the ocean. I turned back to Tom, with the expectation of seeing him withered and shrunken, but he had tricked me.

The dagger had melted away—he was still wearing a bloodstone.

I looked around for my ring. I couldn’t see it anywhere. All the water I’d thrown around had washed it into the grass.

“My turn,” Tom said before he jumped up and tackled me. We rolled to the muddy ground and he grabbed me by the throat.

“This is your last chance. You either join me or die,” he whispered before having another taste of my blood.

“I will never join you,” I said as loud as I could with his hand around my throat.

Tom squeezed tighter, “I guess I’ll have to kill you like I killed your mother then.”

That was all the motivation I needed. My wrath conjured up a tsunami in the nearby ocean.

I felt my spirit leave my body to fuel the gigantic wave. The wave headed straight for Tom and my body. As my spirit came closer to my body, I saw myself from above and noticed my eyes were glowing blue. Tom noticed my eyes as well and he looked up just in time to see the wave coming straight for him. The moment the wave hit Tom, my spirit reentered my body and caused an underwater electric shock to jolt Tom off and away from me.

The water carried him out to sea. I sat up and watched as Tom tried to fight the current, but I could see he was getting nowhere. I regained my strength then stood, and ran toward the water and dove into a cyclone I’d formed to carry myself out to where Tom was, which was already about a mile from shore.

I finally neared him and towered over him in my column of water. He glared up at me with hate in his eyes.

I smiled at him from my watery perch, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Remember that. Next time I won’t make the same mistake I made tonight, and I’ll have more obsidian.”

The water holding me up began to spin faster and faster. The sky above me clouded up. An electric feeling went through me as I lifted my hands to the sky. I looked up to the clouds and pulled energy from them into myself, then turned my gaze back on Tom and shot a bolt of lightning from my hand. The jolt blew him out of the water and down again. I then washed him farther out to sea as an act of spite.

Once he was out of my sight, I formed a mirror out of water in front of me.

I could barely see in the dim moonlight but as I looked at my reflection in the water, I saw my eyes were still glowing but becoming dimmer. I watched in amazement as they faded back to normal. I concluded that it was a side effect of my spirit leaving my body. At least, that’s what I thought had happened.

I returned the makeshift mirror to the ocean and returned to the boat the same way I’d left. I quietly crept back onto the deck and sent the ocean back to its normal state. The sky was turning lighter in color and soon it would be sunrise. I thought about Jesse and rushed back to our cabin to show him that I was okay.

Once inside, I made myself known to Jesse. I let my eyes connect with his and sat on the bed. I knew he would probably be angry with me. I only hoped Jesse could forgive me. I watched out the small window as light spilled in and then Jesse changed back to his human form and leaped from the chair. He tackled me on the bed in a warm embrace.

“Don’t ever do that again!” he said harshly, but with undertones of love in his voice. “You have no idea how anxious I’ve been. What were you thinking? You could have been killed.”

“I’m fine,” I said, “I just needed to get revenge, but it slipped through my fingers again. I was so close. He tricked me.”

“Tell me everything,” Jesse said as he pulled me out from his arms and stared me in the face. Then he noticed something, and I watched his expression as it changed from worry to anger.

“He had his hand around your throat!” he almost yelled.

My hand went to my neck and I stood up and went to the mirror. There were bruises where Tom’s hand had been just under the small cut. The ocean water had washed the blood away.

I turned back to Jesse. His anger was tacit.

“Yes, but I created a tsunami. It was so surreal. My spirit left my body and propelled the wave toward him, and when the wave hit him, my spirit returned and sent a jolt of electricity into him and then he was washed out to sea. My eyes were glowing in a blue color. It was so strange. I think it must have been a side effect of the whole spirit leaving my body thing, but I followed him to send him out even farther. It was then that I discovered something else. If I try hard enough, I can shoot bolts of lightning from my hands,” I explained.

Jesse was still silent.

“Please say something. I’m sorry I worried you, but I had to do something. I had to get him back for hurting Hiu. I just couldn’t let that go unjustified,” I pleaded.

“I know you felt that you needed revenge, but what you did was dangerous. I didn’t wait all this time to find you just so you could be killed by a lowly vampire,” Jesse lectured.

“I’m sorry. You’re right. It was reckless, but now I know I have this incredible new power, and I can use it to defeat them,” I explained.

It seemed I was forgiven. Jesse’s expression lightened and he took me into his arms again. He held me tightly. I didn’t want him to let go, and I knew that he didn’t want to let go either.

“I love you, Ava. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I’m glad you found out more about your abilities, but it could have come at a high price. A price I’m not willing to pay. I won’t sacrifice you for victory against the vampires, I won’t do it.”

“I love you too, Jesse. I wouldn’t sacrifice you either. I know how you feel, and I understand that I worried you beyond belief. I hope you can forgive me,” I said.

“Of course, just don’t do it again or I’ll have to handcuff you to the bed at night,” Jesse said with a grin.

I smiled mischievously. “Why not get out the handcuffs right now?”

Jesse grinned again and pushed me down on the bed. He playfully pinned my wrists down above my head. Then kissed me sweetly and gently before releasing my wrists and bringing his hands down to my rib cage. He lifted up my tattered shirt just slightly. Our reconciliation was interrupted by a knock on the door.

I groaned. I didn’t want to be bothered at the moment. The lack of sleep had caught up with me and I just wanted to enjoy Jesse’s presence before taking a well-deserved nap, but I allowed Jesse to help me up and I went to answer the door anyway.

“Hiu!” I yelled excitedly, “You’re okay!”

I grabbed Hiu and pulled him in for a hug. He smiled and hugged me back.

“Thanks to you!” he replied.

“Hiu, I would do anything for you. I’m just glad that I could heal you,” I replied.

“Me too,” Hiu laughed. Then he noticed what Jesse had noticed before and his expression turned grim, “What’s that on your neck?”

My hand automatically went to my neck to cover the bruise. I was embarrassed. I didn’t want everyone to know that I’d tried to take on Tom by myself.

“I went to get revenge on Tom, because of what he did to you,” I relented.

“Is that a bruise in the shape of his hand?” Hiu asked with outrage.

“Yes. Don’t worry, I’ve already been lectured about the stupidity of what I did,” I said with a glance toward Jesse.

“On the positive side, I did find out that I can shoot bolts of lightning from my hands and that I can create a tsunami.”

Hiu shook his head, “Dat don’t excuse it, you no mo’ start beef with a vampire by yo’self. What happen to him?”

“He’s still alive. He tricked me, I thought he had no bloodstone on him, but it turns out he did. Unfortunately, he’ll live for a while longer,” I said.

“Well, I think we need to lay low, at least, for a few days. People in town are going to be talking about everything that happened. There’s no way the events of yesterday went unnoticed,” Jesse chimed in.

“I agree. They all gonna be talkin’ story,” Hiu replied.

“Me too. Let’s get some breakfast. I’m suddenly starving,” I said as I pulled Jesse and Hiu in the direction of the galley. The three of us arrived in the galley where everyone gathered to enjoy a peaceful breakfast.

Bonus

Read chapter One of Moonstone