Unbound (28 page)

“Annie!” Ethan was shaking me. Hunter was whining next to him.

“What happened?”

“You were screaming.”

“I was?” I straightened up. Somehow I had slid to the ground. “Oh, I had another dream.”

“I’d call it a nightmare. Tell me what happened.”

“Ok, can we go inside, I’m freezing.”

Ethan took my head and led me in. I felt nauseous after I told Ethan about the dream. “I feel like I’m getting sucked into a spiral of dark, evil badness.”

“There has to be a reason for the dreams. I’ll pick you up after school tomorrow and take you to my house. My dad has a shit ton of books on demonic beings. I think we should look through and find those bird-demons.”

I let my hands wander over Ethan’s body. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’ll never know.” Ethan slipped his hands under my shirt.

“Really?” I kissed his neck.

“Mm-hm. I think I’ll keep you around for a while.” He kissed me.

“Who says I’m staying?”

“Guess I’ll just have to convince you.”

He went straight to work on convincing me. It didn’t take long for me to make up my mind.

***

“You look tired,” Marie observed the next morning at school. “You up late with Ethan?”

“Maybe. Well, it wasn’t that late…”

“Oh! Details!” Laney demanded excitedly.

“Did you do it yet?” Marie asked, her tone almost mocking.

“Not
it
. But maybe other stuff.” I tried not to blush. I failed. Luckily the bell rang. Laney and I took off to photography. “Want to get antiquity photos this week?” she asked.

“Sure. It’s not due yet, is it?”

“Not till right before Thanksgiving, but I want to get it done.” Laney nodded and we took our seats. Mr. Jancovich was out sick today and instead of learning about a new photo technique the sub showed us a boring slideshow. Normally I enjoy looking at pictures and I really have a respect for the arts, but I just had too much on my mind to find European architecture interesting today.

My eyelids felt heavy. This whole not getting enough sleep thing was really starting to kick my butt. Darkness enclosed my vision as my eyes shut. I was lying in a grassy field.
 
I felt happy. I felt safe. I felt free. The sun reflected off a pond in the distance. A warm breeze swayed the tall weeds. Birds chirped. No one knew where I was. This was where I went to escape. But there was something wrong. There was something lurking in the shadows. Only I had no idea I was in danger.

Laney elbowed me. “What are you drawing?”

“Huh?” I looked down. When did I pick up my pen?

“That’s really creepy, Annie.”

“SHH! No talking!” the sub yelled at us. I didn’t care. Fear creeped down my spine. Staring up at me from my notebook was the bird-demon.

***

“I’m telling you, there is
no way
I drew this. My art skills top out at stick people, hearts and stars.”

Ethan examined the picture. “This is what they look like?”

“Yea. Sunken black holes for eyes, that creepy beak with nostrils and the gross skin. I mean seriously, these things really should see a dermatologist.”

“This isn’t something to joke about.”

“I know. Sorry.”

Ethan tossed the notebook aside and picked a stack of dingy books. He handed one to me.

“Time to look for the creepo-bird?” I asked.

“Unfortunately.” We settled on the living room couch, leafing through book after boring book.

After half an hour of finding absolutely nothing, Ethan took the book out of my hands and dropped it on the ground. He grabbed my feet and pulled me towards him until I was stretched all the way out on the couch. He moved his hands up my ankles, up my legs, over my thighs, across my stomach and onto my breasts. I laughed as he playfully bit at my sides.

“Ticklish?” he asked. He pushed my shirt up and did it again, having fun with his discovery. After a while of tickle-torture he moved his mouth up to mine. I curled my legs around him and dragged my nails across his back. Someone stomped past us and up the stairs. We both looked; it was Sam. David loudly cleared his throat and shuffled books around in the kitchen. Ethan removed his hands and put his head on my chest. I ran my hands through is hair. After five minutes or so he sat up and pulled me onto his lap. David walked in, stopping behind the couch. He had my notebook in hand.

“This your artwork?” he asked, I think directed to Ethan.

“No, Annie drew it. Well, not completely. She was channeling.”

“It’s really detailed.” He came around and sat down next to us. I wondered if the PDA between Ethan and I offended him. I hoped not because Ethan wasn’t letting me go.

“I’ve had dreams about them. Bad, creepy dreams.”

“What do they do in the dreams?”

“Uh, some sort of rituals and try to kill me.”

David nodded. Then he got up and left. And I mean really left, like got his keys and went out the front door left. Ethan picked me up and set me down at the base of the stairs. Taking my hand, he led me up to his room.

***

Another half hour later and Ethan and I were in a lot better moods. Julia was making dinner when we emerged downstairs again.

“Hi Anora!” she said cheerfully. “How are you?”

“Good.” For the time being, it was honest. “And you?”

“Oh the same. I hope you like chicken parmesan.”

“It’s one of my favorites,” I said and she smiled.

“How long till it’s ready?” Ethan asked, a bit impatiently.

“Like forty minutes probably,” Julia replied. Ethan and I went back to the stack of books in the living room. I curiously turned the pages of an old leather journal about water demons. I shuttered and shut the book. I didn’t think swimming will ever be the same. Julia called us in for dinner. Ethan and I stood.

“After dinner do…”I could see his lips moving but his voice kept getting quieter and quieter, like someone was slowly turning down the volume. My heart pounded in my head. I was walking down the basement stairs again. Someone screamed in pain.

“PLEASE! Why are you doing this? No, no, please, NOOO!” Then I heard a sickening crunch and the person cried out in pain again.

I slowly descended the last stair. Three robed figures were gathered around someone, who was chained to the floor. A white light flashed, blinding me. When I could see again, I was the one chained to the floor. The bird-demons were sitting around me chanting. Out of the shadows, the ram-headed man appeared. The bird-demons bowed to him. He stepped closer. Flickering candlelight spilled across his face. Weird symbols had been cut and scarred over on his chest. My eyes flew open. Ethan, Julia and David were looking down at me. I sat up and felt instantly dizzy.

“What happened?” I felt confused.

“You fainted.” Ethan sat down and scooted me against him.

“I don’t faint.” I looked up at him. His eyebrows were pushed together in concern. Everyone looked at me, apparently waiting for an explanation. “Uh, I had a dream, I think.” If you could call it that. Didn’t you have to sleep to dream? “About the creepy bird-demons.”

“Were you in the basement again?” Ethan asked. I nodded.

“I think this needs to be checked out,” David instructed. Julia and Ethan seemed to agree.

“Did you go in the basement at all?” Julia asked.

“Yea, I just looked around. It was empty and boring so I didn’t spend much time there.” And it creeped me out, but no one needed to know that.

“You said the attic was full of boxes, right?” Ethan asked. He seemed to have an idea about something because he spoke excitedly.

“Yea.”

“But you didn’t go through all of them?”

I shook my head. “I just didn’t have time.”

 
He looked at Julia and his dad. “I think we need to go back into the basement, check to see if any sort of rituals have been preformed there. And the boxes,” he turned back to me, “there might be something, more books, a journal, just something that can give us a clue.”

“Good idea.” David gave an approving nod. “The sooner the better. This quiet before the storm isn’t going to last much longer.” He turned and went into the kitchen. Julia followed and Ethan stood, extending a hand to help me up.

“I’m fine, really,” I said but took it anyway.

Ethan said he would walk me to the front door of my house to make sure I got in safely. But he followed me up stairs and waited with me while I let Hunter out back. “We should go this weekend.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Annie, the Pricolici are one thing, but the way these dreams are taking over…” His voice trailed off. “Remember when I said that sometimes you really will be in danger?”

I looked into his eyes. “Yea.”

“Well, I think this is one of those times. I can’t see the connection yet but something is trying to get to you. And they are trying really, really hard since they had to break through all the protective charms laid on our house.”

An unreal sense of fear made me feel like I was floating above my body, watching this conversation happen. “What do I do?”

“Stay vigilant. Keep the dagger close, practice moving things with-” he tapped my forehead. I nodded.

“What about school? Is anything going to attack me there?”

“I don’t know. Probably not. These things tend to not like crowds.”

“You don’t sound too sure of yourself.”

 
Ethan wrapped his arms around me. “That’s ‘cuz I’m not.”

 
I closed my eyes and rested my head on his chest. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

I looked up at him, surprised he didn’t know what I was talking about. “For everything. For staying with me, for helping me, for your family not only welcoming me but helping me too. You’ve done so much for me.”

He sat down on the deck and motioned for me to sit too. He positioned me in front of him, between his legs. He gently pulled me to him, so my back was resting on his chest. We intertwined our arms. Being wrapped up in Ethan’s body made me feel warm and safe.

“Annie,” he began. “You do know that I’m not only with you because of the whole supernatural stuff, right?”

“I had hoped.” I looked behind me and up into his eyes. He smiled.

“You are the most amazing girl I’ve ever met. And not that I wish demons upon you, but being able to share my messed up world with you makes us possible.”

I held onto Ethan tighter.

“I’m not helping you because it’s my duty and you’re a job. I’m helping you because I can’t stand the thought of anything bad happening to you. Annie,” he moved my shoulders so I was facing him. “You have no idea how happy I am just to be with you.” He tenderly cupped his hands around my face. “I love you, Anora.”

I gazed into his brown eyes. “I love you too.”

***

“Did you hear what happened to Mike?” Natalie asked me Wednesday at lunch.

I shook my head. I never wanted to think about that creep ever again.

“Monday night he got car jacked. I guess two guys beat the crap out of him and totally smashed his car.”

Laney looked at me and mouthed “The curse!” I discreetly shook my head. Magic hadn’t done that to him.

“You don’t look too upset,” Natalie said, judgment apparent on her face.

“What goes around comes around, I guess.” I should have felt horrible for how satisfied I was saying that, but I didn’t feel a drop of guilt.

Since I was dying to talk to Harrison after school, the end of the day took forever to arrive. I waited for him at his locker and dragged him out in the parking lot. Ethan was in his X-terra, the seat reclined and Judas Priest blasting on the radio. My knocking on the window made him slightly jump. He smiled initially but the look soon faded when he saw my expression.