Under A Blood Moon (Elemental Enchanters) (29 page)

“What?” Lance asked. “No she doesn’t.
What he saw is tragic. Gillian can erase that from his mind.”

She shook her head.
“I don’t want anyone to mess with his mind.”

“Ava,
it’s too dangerous. I can’t be held accountable if something happens to him. You can’t bring him around Thomas.”

“After what happened to him, he needs to know.”

“Can’t it wait? Until after we’ve finished off Xavier?”

“No.”

“Why don’t you talk to Savina first?”

“
Because Savina is going to erase me from his memory tomorrow. She wants me to stay away from him. But I won’t let that happen.”

“Do you think he’s going to stick around now? He thinks you’re a killer, Ava.”

“I’ll explain it to him.”

“We have to tell
Savina,” Melissa said. “And if you tell Peter, I’m behind you.”

“
Mel?”

“Oh come on,
Lance. He already saw things, and they’ve already threatened his life. Her dad is a Halfling. It makes sense.”

Lance looked from Melissa to Ava. “He is?”

“Yes.”

“What are you going to say?”
Melissa asked.

“I don’t know
. I really don’t. I have to go home and then I’ll go to Peter’s first thing in the morning.”

Ava drove home through the sleepy rain and thick fog. It was dark and there was only a few streetlamps on the desolate country road. She was tired, scared, and worried about Peter. Most of all, she was disappointed in herself for how things had gone.

She pulled her car into the driveway and slowed it to a stop. The light was on, and she got out and closed the car door. Her dad came outside and rushed toward her.

He
drew her into his arms, and held her tightly. “I was so worried about you. The school bombing was all over the news. Why haven’t you called? Where have you been?”

“Xavier kidnapped us. We found Peter and a couple other
Ephemerals. Then, we escaped and had to go kill Trudy. But she ran away.”

“What?” Her father looked down at her.

“Let’s go inside.”

He held her hand and they walked inside the house. It felt good to be home.

“Your face is all bruised. Do you need to go to Savina’s?”

“No, she and Aaron told us to get some rest and they’d see us tomorrow,” she said with a hint of aggravation.

“Tell me everything.”

Ava was wet and dirty and her stomach growled. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d eaten. But it was three in the morning
and the only thing she wanted to do was clean up and then sleep.

“Can I tell you after I take a shower and eat?”

He frowned. “I’m sorry. I’ll fix you something to eat. Go get cleaned.”

She trudged upstairs, went to the bathroom, and turned the shower
on to hot. She stripped off her dingy clothes and glanced in the mirror. Red welts cluttered her face and body. Her hair was tangled into a clumpy mess. The more she thought about the evening, the more enraged she felt.

Ava stepped into the shower and immediately relaxed as the hot water trickled through her hair and down her back. She watched blood and dirt collect and then
swirl down the drain.

After cleaning herself twice, Ava turned off the water and dried off, then dressed in a navy tank top and black shorts. Once the mirror defogged, she noticed the welts on her face were gone. She checked her body but they were still visible. That’s weird, she thought.

Ava took a deep breath and smelled sausage and eggs and biscuits. It was good to be home. She walked downstairs, stopped in the doorway of the kitchen, and watched her dad. Like always when he cooked, he kept a towel on his shoulder. He stirred gravy and tasted it every so often, adding salt, or pepper. She had missed him and suddenly the want to have Devon dead overcame her.

Her father turned to pour the steaming gravy in a bowl and glanced up at her. “Feel better?”

She moved to the table and sat. “Somewhat. You didn’t have to go through the trouble of making an entire meal.”

“You need to eat.”

He set the gravy bowl on the table and then grabbed water for her and a cup of coffee for him.

Ava picked up a sausage patty and placed it on her plate. Then a biscuit, eggs, grits, and then she poured gravy on her biscuit.

The only sounds were the occasional scrape of the fork on the plate and their chewing. She loved every bite and wished every day could start out like this. It wasn’t just the food. It was being there with her dad, feeling safe, and normal.

“Have you eaten enough?” he asked.

She pushed her plate away. “Yeah. Too much.”

“Good.”

“I don’t even know where to s
tart. This day has been so long; it has felt like several.” Ava launched into explaining everything that had happened, starting with school and the bombs, and ending with Trudy. She told him about the vision, but left out the part that it was from someone else’s point of view, feeling it just wasn’t right. Her father listened intently and hardly asked questions.

“I am sorry, Ava,” he said. “Savina and Aaron are disappointed, but Aaron is right. You all should have practiced more.”

“I know. I wasn’t expecting to see her again. Not like that.” She wiped a tear.

“You will get better at blocking those things from your mind.”

“Maybe. So is Devon that obsessed with Corbin that he calls himself Havok? I mean, could there be someone else?”

“It seems unlikely. The Elders would know.
Devon has been locked up thinking about this and has been tortured. He’s crazy. Especially if he thinks he’s going to absorb all of the Elemental powers.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “He’s not going to succeed.”

Ava nodded, but still felt fear.
She wanted to tell him about Peter, but was afraid. “Dad, there’s a couple of things I left out.”

“Like what?”

“When I took Peter home, it was supposed to be for good. Savina is going to take his memories of me. But instead of drinking the mixture, he…” Just say it. “He followed me.”

“He what?”

“And he saw us kill Milo.”

Her father cursed. “Where is he now?”

“I took him home. Dad, I’m telling him everything today. I want him to be a part of this. But I’m scared that he hates me now after what he saw.”

“
I can’t even imagine what’s going through that kid’s head right now. Just try explaining it the best you can. If he decides to walk away, you have to let him.”

“What will happen to him? Xavier already kidnapped him once. What if
Devon finds out he’s a Paramortal?”

“
Devon won’t find out because he will die.”

“What about Savina?”

“You have to talk to her.”

“I wish I had your confidence.”

“You do. You’re just tired and feeling defeated right now.” He touched her chin and raised her head to look at him. “Don’t let those feelings take over. You are strong and very confident.”

She reached over and wrapped her arms around her father.

He squeezed her and then kissed the top of her head. “I’m so proud of you and glad you’re okay. I would give anything to put myself in your place.”

“I can do this.”

She had to. Xavier, Trudy, and Devon had to die.

The sun never rose. At least, it wasn’t visible behind the thick, pewter clouds that multiplied. Ava half-expected to see Peter even walk outside and brave the world after what he saw last night. But she hoped with everything she had that he would read the text messages she sent, and come outside. It was too early to knock on the door and wake his father.

Deciding to stretch her legs, she exited the car and
leaned against it. She shoved her hands into her hoodie pockets. She inhaled the cool, brisk April air but stayed warm. It came almost natural to her, to use her ability to stay warm.

She jumped when she heard a door
shut, forcing the knocker to slam against its base. She almost dreaded looking up. Peter’s cold eyes bored into her as he walked closer. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach as she got a closer look. His eyes were red and dark puffy bags clung underneath. The disgust emanating from his body was almost too much for her but she knew she deserved it.

“What
do you want?” he demanded. His voice was tired and rough.

“I
dropped off your car.”

“Thanks
. You can leave now.” His tone was harsh.

“Peter, I’m really sorry.”

“Sorry?” He seethed. “That’s all you have to say?”

“Yo
u weren’t supposed to see that.”

“
Yeah. I can’t imagine why. And thanks for the thousands of nightmares I had last night and the many more I’m sure to have for the rest of my life.”

She wanted to apologize
again, but it wasn’t enough. “You won’t tell anyone will you?”

He glared.
“It’s good to know what you really care about. I don’t think anyone would believe me even if I did. I don’t know what to do now. I just—I don’t get why you did it.” Confusion leaked through his angry voice.

“
You don’t understand. It isn’t what it seems. I didn’t ask for this. Don’t you see? This is who I am. I’m not on drugs. Thomas isn’t abusing me. We aren’t psycho serial killers or anything. I can’t break free from this.”

“Why?”

She exhaled. She was tired of placating him. “They’ll kill me, Peter.”

“
Who? That innocent girl was going to kill you last night?”

“
She could’ve. There’s more to it than that. I don’t want to break free from it.”

“Oh, so you
enjoy killing people?”

She
raised her head and peered out into the bleak morning. No sound but the wind whistled in the cool, damp air. How could she possibly tell him?

“
I’m waiting.”

The wind
picked up, sweeping her hair into her face. “We can’t talk here.”

“Okay
. Where?”

“Let’s go for a drive.
”

“Why
? So you can take me to some secret place and kill me too?”

That stung.
“I would
never
hurt you.”

He scrutinized her eyes and relented
. “Fine.”

“
Mind if I drive?”

“Go right ahead.
You never know. I mean, after what you all did to that guy last night. Why am I any different?” he mumbled, and got in.

Ava’s attention maintained on the road, and she watched the rain splatter against the windshield, followed shortly by the wipers clearing the drops. The white dotted line ran past her so fast it looked like a solid line as they traveled down the interstate. She could feel Peter’s eyes piercing at her from the side. How could she explain this? How would he understand? Was it possible for that? And why couldn’t she just stay away from him like she was supposed to have?

“What you saw last night isn’t what you
think,” she finally spoke. Her throat was incredibly dry.

“Oh no
? I didn’t see the four of you crowding around that girl while holding back the guy? I didn’t see…” He shook his head. “I think I’m going to be sick again.”

“
I knew I should’ve kept being mean to you and ignoring you. I’ve seriously messed up and put you in danger.”

“
Are you blaming yourself for what Xavier did?”

“Yes.
But all of this would have been fixed last night had you stayed home and drunk the elixir. Why did you follow me?”

“
What would you have done? I mean, I was just healed by that woman, somehow. Just healed me without even touching me. And you were acting so weird, so I followed you.”

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

“Yeah, I got that. So that’s all I had to do. Drink that vial and I’d be done with all of this?”

Ava gripped the steering wheel, as if it helped keep her together. She wasn’t sure how he would react if she told him the truth. But she already knew he was ashamed of her. She took a deep breath. “
It was to relax your mind so that Savina could erase your memory of all of this. And me. She’s supposed to do it today.”

“What? How is that even possible? What the hell is going on?”

“I don’t even know where to start.”

“You can start from the beginning. I mean, you’ve been swearing this whole time that Thomas isn’t abusing you, yet you show up with horrible burn marks on your arms. I was kidnapped. Some strange woman
miraculously heals me. And then last night.”

“What did you see?”

“I saw the whole thing, Ava.”

She cringed.

“I couldn’t hear anything that was being said because of the rain. And then the lightning was striking, and then I saw what looked like hail attacking you and Jeremy. Then there was this powerful wind like a.” He paused. “Like a tornado and it…you know. I ran and hid but then I saw you running through the woods and crying.”

Last night was already traumatic enough for Ava. She could only imagine how much worse it was for Peter.
“I’m so sorry I did this.”

“
What’s going on?”

“It was my fault Xavier took you. He was trying to get to me. I tried so hard to keep you safe.”

“Stop being so cryptic. Just tell me,” he said, losing the edge in his voice.

She pressed her lips together
. “I’m an Enchanter,” she finally confessed. “We’re all Enchanters…Thomas, Melissa, Gillian, Lance, and Jeremy.”

“
That explains so much,” he said sarcastically. “You like pretending you can actually cast spells on people. Do you all have wands and use broomsticks, too?”

She rolled her eyes and pressed further down on the gas pedal. “This is serious.”

“Right. Like Rachel Higgins and Marie Adaire casting spells on people. It’s ridiculous and they just want attention.”

“
Do you think I’m like them?”

“
No. But what am I supposed to think when you say something like that?”

“
I don’t know. I was born an Enchanter, Peter. I actually have powers unlike Marie and Rachel.”

“Like what
? Force someone to fall in love with you?”

She ignored his bitter tone. “
We are very strong, fast, and can change our internal temperature. We have strong stamina and are agile. All of these abilities surpass Ephemerals by far.”

“Surpass what?”

“Humans. We call them Ephemerals.” 

“But you’re a human.”

“I hardly classify myself as human when I can breathe underwater.”

She could see his jaw drop out of the corner of her eye.

“What?”

“Yeah.”

He shook his head, as if trying to clear the nonsense. “What do you mean by internal temperature?”

“I can make myself warm when I’m cold
or vice versa.”

“How?”

She placed her hand against his warm arm and as quickly as the thought arrived, her hand cooled his skin.

“
Whoa. How’d you do that?”

Ava
returned her hand to the steering wheel and gripped it as her heart raced. “I think of it, and it happens.” She wished so much she knew what he was thinking, but then thought better of it. She wanted to see his face—his reaction—but refused to look, for fear he might be afraid of her.

“That was
amazing.”

“What?
” She had to peek. His eyes found hers and before she could get lost, she turned back to the wet, speeding road ahead.

“Oh come on, you must think that’s cool.”

She hesitated. “Well, yes. There are quite a lot of advantages. But Peter, you saw what we do last night. You noticed Jeremy didn’t use a weapon, at least none that you could see. He used his ability with air.”

“He did
what?”

“He
is an Air Enchanter. He can create wind gusts so powerful that they can, you know, decapitate someone. But even more than that.”

“
Why did you kill him?”

Her
pulse quickened, and her amulet glowed. “I’m worried.”

“About?”

“Your reaction.”

“
Your necklace is glowing. Why does it do that? Is it a tracking device or something?”

“
Sorta. If any of us are in danger, we can find each other. We can sense one another through these necklaces. They can all feel me now.”

“Feel you?”

“They know what I’m feeling right now. It’s like an alarm to keep us safe if anything happens.”

“
Well, that explains some things. What exactly did Thomas feel from you?”

She swallowed
. “I was sad, angry, and confused. He thought I was in danger when I removed my necklace that day and clearly overreacted.”

“
I’ll say,” he mumbled. “When I was about to kiss you…”

“He
endured what I felt for you. Which is why he started a fight with you.”

“Couldn’t you have used your powers against him or something
? To leave you alone?”

“
I tried actually, but the pain was too much. Besides, I don’t want use my powers against them for that. We are in the same Aureole.”

“
Same what?”

“It’s a coven.”

“Okay. But he obviously used his powers against you.”

“
The first time was because he wasn’t focused enough. The second time, he just got out of control.”

“
Bastard,” he muttered. “You’re not indestructible?”

“No
, but if anything happens Savina heals us.”

“Why didn’t you go to her that night he burned you?”

“I wanted to see you.” She paused and noticed the subtle pink of the morning sun struggling for attention with the dark blue clouds. She couldn’t tear her eyes from the beautiful colors. It was as if she were the sun trying to overcome the darkness. “When I’m with you, I feel no pain. I don’t know why.” Maybe he was a Paramortal, but she wasn’t going to get into that right now.

“Is Savina like your leader?”

“Yeah.”

“How many are in your coven?”

“Seven if you count Savina. But there are more Aureoles out there. We’ve only met one other.”

“B
ack to the guy and girl. Why did you kill him?”

“
Milo wasn’t supposed to die. He was an Ephemeral.”

“
H-how many have you killed?”

“
One Ephemeral and one Enchanter.” So far. “This man had morphed into my father, tricking me, but we killed him.”

“Wait. A man
morphed
into your father?”

“Yes
. Some Enchanters have the power to transform into someone else changing their appearance completely. They can make themselves look like anyone they want. Like a shapeshifter.”

“
Whoa. How did you know it wasn’t your dad?”

“I didn’t. Gabriel, another
Enchanter, told me. It wasn’t easy watching him die.”

“
I don’t imagine it was. What did he want?”

“He was a spy for
Devon as well.”

“
Who is he?”

“It’s kinda a long story.”

“Well, looks like we both have all day.”

She inhaled and then exhaled. “Savina was born in 1643 Scotland. Both her parents died, but before her mom died, she had met a man named Corbin Havok. They had a son, Colden. Corbin raised them but began to have a disdain for Colden because he didn’t seem to have a power like most
Enchanters.”

“Why?”

Ava shrugged. “He’s a Droll. An Enchanter born without powers. Anyway, his sister had killed her husband, who was secretly an Enchanter hunter, and then we think that’s when Corbin snapped. He hated Ephemerals. He wanted to kill them all. So he began spreading diseases among villages, so harsh that Savina couldn’t save them all. He continued this for centuries, building armies along the way, and fought with Savina and Colden constantly.”