From Deities
Author: Mary Ting
Date: 2014-10-12 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Mythology; Romance; Young Adult; Paranormal Romance; Paranormal; Greek Mythology; Fiction; Suspense; Magic
Description: The descendants of the gods rise to power … A mysterious stranger enters Skylar’s inner circle, destroying her precarious peace. She begins college with emerging powers, fresh dangers, and a potential stepfather. In New Olympus, Skylar finally gets some answers. But can she trust them as fact? Skylar, Mason, the Grand family, and the other descendants must work together to stop the evolving, evil vultures of Hades. Skylar must learn to control her newfound powers and decide who to trust before it’s too late. ***Ms. Ting seamlessly blends classic mythology with contemporary college life and hei

Copyright © Mary Ting 2014

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

Formatting by Inkstain Interior Book Designing

I dedicate this book to YOU! Thank you for falling in love with Mason and Skylar and all the characters that means so much to me.

Thank you to all my author friends, blogger friends, and everyone who has supported me in any way. To my street team, PR-Damaris Cardinali, PA-Nicole Blanchard, Lisa from The Rock Stars of Romance, editors-Maxine and Melissa, and to my beta readers - Vanessa Strickler, Janie Iturralde, Amber Douglas McCallister, DawnMarie Carpintero, Mary La…you are super stars!!!

Alexandrea Weis and Kara Nichols, this book wouldn’t be perfect without your help.

BOOKS BY M. CLARKE—NEW ADULT

Something Great

Something Wonderful

Something Forever

&

My Clarity (Stand-Alone)

BOOKS BY MARY TING—YOUNG ADULT

CROSSROADS SAGA:

Crossroads

Between

Beyond

Eternity

Halo City

DESCENDANT PROPHECIES:

From Gods

“Sky.”

“Dad?” I murmured, and swallowed nervously.

“Sky.” I heard Mason call my name soon after, but I couldn’t turn to him for even a split second, for fear the stranger would disappear. Instead, I placed my hand on Mason’s arm, letting him know I had heard him. As I waited to hear the answer from the stranger who was standing just a few yards away, my heart pounded out of control and I was frozen in place.

“Sky,” the stranger called softly again.

Though I recognized his voice this time, the voice that sang to me many times before I fell asleep, I had to be sure. “Is that you, Dad?” Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe, and unexpected tears pooled in my eyes from the possibilities after all these years. However, I needed to guard my heart just in case it wasn’t my dad. I didn’t want to be disappointed, but at the same time, I didn’t know what I would do or say if it was him. A part of me wondered if I was dreaming, because it seemed so surreal, but I knew for a fact that I wasn’t.

The stranger took off his black fedora and took a step toward me. It was dark, but the light post was just enough to highlight his body. “Sky, it’s me. Your dad.”

Before he could take another step, Mason stepped in front of me, tightly gripping my arm, preparing to bolt us out of there. I saw the little sparks on the tips of his fingers, but only I could see them since they were curled inward.

“It’s okay, Mason. It’s my father,” I said, but the words barely left my mouth. They got caught in my throat as tears threatened to fall, but I refused to cry. I would not let him know how much I’d missed him, how much I’d ached for him, how heartbroken I was when he left. And how all those nights I’d cried myself to sleep from his absence.

When Mason slowly took a step back, giving me a clear view, my father rushed to stand in front of me. He embraced me tightly and held me for what seemed like an eternity. I felt his body lightly shudder, and I didn’t know what to do.

Stunned by his affection and the familiarity of his scent, confirming he was my dad, my body stiffened with my arms dangling, unsure of how to respond. It should feel natural to wrap my arms around him, but I couldn’t. The last time I had hugged him was ten years ago, when I was eight. My empty heart had blocked the love for my dad to the extent that I felt stone cold toward him.

Backing away, he continued to keep his eyes on me. “I’m sorry for showing up like this, but I didn’t have a choice. We need to talk, but not here and not now. Someone might be watching us.”

He was sorry? After all these years, this was all he had to say to me? Although I was fuming with anger, I had to let it go, especially since there was a possibility that he might be right…someone might be watching us.

“When and where?” I asked, feeling like there was a lump in my throat.

Mason turned toward me with a questioning look, most likely wanting to be included when this happened; he was protective of me that way. It would have been polite to introduce Mason, but I didn’t want to. My father didn’t deserve to know anyone in my life, and Mason wasn’t just anyone.

“How about my place?” Mason intervened.

“Okay,” Dad agreed. “This Friday at eight. I’ll see you then.” Placing his hat back on his head, he gave a nervous smile and started to walk away.

“Wait,” I said out loud, stopping him in his tracks. “You don’t know where he lives.” A part of me wondered if he even intended to meet us at all. Knowing his past, I doubted he would.

Dad turned. “I know where he lives.”

“He’s been watching us, or just me,” I concluded, pacing in my bedroom, seething from anger and frustration. But for how long was the question. How could my dad expect me to wait a week when it had been ten long, dreadful years? What was another week to him?

“I understand why you’re upset. I’m sure he has a good explanation. Don’t let him get to you like this.” Mason was spread out on my bed with his arms tucked behind his head. Seeing the curve of his muscles flexed made him look so incredibly delicious that it stopped me from thinking about my dad for a second. Mason’s body took up the full length of my bed. Under the plain T-shirt, his ripped muscles took shape, and his wicked smile caused all sorts of sparks inside of me. “Come here and lay next to me. I’ll make you feel better.” His tone was sweet, yet playful, adding another level of excitement in me.

Slowly curling my lips, I snuggled my body next to his and released a long sigh. His arms immediately wrapped around me, giving me a sense of comfort and security. When he planted a tender kiss on my forehead, I dissolved into him.

Everything about my life seemed like a dream. Having those creatures—the vultures—after me was bad enough, but to find out I had Hades and Medusa’s blood was even worse. My blood was poison to all descendants of the gods…good or evil. One drop of my blood in their body would cause them to turn into stone, and then into nothing but ashes. I might as well have been Medusa.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t even ask the gods for help. They had all vanished when religion prevailed, or so we were told. Who knew if that was even the truth? With many unanswered questions, we sought the wisdom of the Oracles, but it was useless. Only one Oracle still existed, and while we found some answers, the Oracle wanted me dead when she discovered I was known as the “Keeper of Death.” A prophecy foretold that a Keeper of Death would wipe out all of the gods’ descendants…good and evil.

Luckily for me, I had Mason. It had been only a few days since he confessed how he truly felt about me. Though I felt the same way about him, there was a part of me that would always be uneasy, knowing that I could accidently kill him. It was better to take precautions, just in case.

“Do you have classes tomorrow?” Mason asked, massaging my back idly in a small, circular motion. Somehow, his hand had found its way up inside my sweater when I was lost in my own thoughts.

Quivering from the pleasurable warmth, I enjoyed his simple touch. It made me dizzy and tingly in my stomach. I had forgotten about my father and why I was flustered in the first place. “I have one class in the morning, and then I’m all yours,” I managed to say, peering up into his eyes. They turned shiny silver, indicating he was using his power. They always glowed like that when he used it, and the brightness increased with the intensity of its strength. It was extremely difficult to speak when all I could feel were the tiny sparks of electricity he was purposely inflicting on me.

“You’re always mine, Echo.” Winking, he dove in for a kiss. It was deep, yet soft and tender. When he pulled away, my fingers were still wrung on his T-shirt and I couldn’t help myself…I held him tighter.

“You okay?” Mason asked, caressing my back.

Exhaling a deep sigh, I pulled back and slid my hand slowly down the curve of his forearm…it was so hard and strong. I needed the physical confirmation that he was really here and that it wasn’t a dream. I had been through some rocky times—almost drowning, almost falling off the cliff, almost being killed by Mason’s half-brother, Remus, not to mention the nightmare with Alena—but that was all in the past.

What worried me most was what the future held for us. Now that my identity had been exposed, there would be more dangers ahead. I didn’t handle the unknown well; it frightened me. Alena was working for someone more powerful than herself; and this leader seemed to have the vultures in control. Who or what else would come after us was the question that needed an answer.

“I’m okay,” I mumbled, turning away. I didn’t want Mason to see the worried look in my eyes. “Just thinking about my classes and my exams.”

Lifting my chin with the tip of his fingers, he stared me squarely in the eyes. “Sky, I know you. I know this isn’t about your exams. Don’t worry too much. I’m here and my family will be there for you, too. I have to trust them and learn to ask for help. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you. Do you understand me, Sky?”

I did, because I would do the same for him. I felt his words in the core of my heart. “Yes, I understand.” My lips curled up to show him I felt better, and I molded my body into his again. I moaned softly, taking in the feel of him, the scent of him, making me forget all of my worries. He had that kind of effect on me.

Mason tenderly rubbed his cheek into mine while his fingers laced through my hair. “Are you hungry?”

“I could eat.”

“Good, I’m starving.” He jetted off the bed and extended his hand to help me up. “Since you have a class in the morning, I’ll leave after dinner.”

I didn’t want him to leave, but I knew he had business to take care of. Managing several restaurants must be stressful. Being business partners with his brothers helped, but knowing Mason, he was more of a hands-on type of manager.

After grabbing my jacket and purse, we headed downstairs and walked out together in the dark.

I took Sky out to dinner. We ended up going to a local restaurant since I planned to go back home. Sky barely touched her food, and I knew why. I didn’t blame her, though … plenty of thoughts must be going through her mind. Seeing her dad had shaken her so much, she must be wondering if it was real.

“You need to eat,” I stated, trying to snap her out of it. I wanted to give her time to process, but I also worried that she wasn’t eating. I knew she was hungry.

“I lost my appetite. You want some of mine?” Skylar grumbled through her teeth.

I forked a slice of her fish and placed it close to her mouth. “Eat.” My tone was demanding, but she knew not to take it that way.

She peered up to see what was in front of her and gave me a huge smile, the kind of sexy smile that made my stomach flutter, in a good way. Then she took a bite. “Yes, Dad,” she said, then froze. “I mean….”

“It’s okay, Sky. Tell me how you feel.” But how could she? So many things had happened. Her life changed the moment the others found out about her, and she would never have a normal life. Selfishly, I was more than glad she wasn’t a normal girl, or we would have never met. Although, if given the choice, I wouldn’t want her to be the Keeper of Death.

“Can we talk about something else?” She scooped up the mashed potatoes with a spoon. I felt better when they disappeared into her mouth.

“What do you want to talk about?”

Sky twirled her spoon in circles around the potatoes, following the motion with her eyes, avoiding meeting mine. “About the time you found out about who you were.” Her question came out hesitantly. I had been avoiding this subject, but perhaps it was time to let her know how I’d found out so that it would help her.

I took a sip of my water and waited for her to look at me. The silence got her attention. “Nick’s mom purposely became friends with my mom through mutual friends. She was really nice to us. She even invited us to her house…the house we are living in now. That’s when Nick and I became acquaintances.”

“Did you get along with him?” Sky was intrigued, leaning closer. She even took a bite of her food.

“Nick was Nick. He was always friendly. He had a plan of easing us into trusting them.” I wiggled my index and middle finger when I said the word plan. “He would call me to hang out.”

“Did you?”

“A couple of times. I think he was trying to figure out if I knew anything about being a descendant.”

“So when and how did you find out?”

I exhaled a deep sigh. It was the day that I wished I could do over again. It was one of the turning points in my life. Had I listened carefully and taken it all into consideration, I might have been able to save my mother’s life. “Nick’s mom was over at my house. They had gone shopping together. She asked me casual questions at first, stuff about school. Then she told us about why my dad had left us, and how she’d found out about the gods’ descendants from him. I clearly remember her words. ‘Come with me. Let me show you what Nick can do. You might be like him. You had the same father. You just need guidance.’”

“Wow. That must have been shocking. At least I saw the vultures to make me believe.”

“It was. My mom kicked her out and told her they were no longer friends, but Nick’s mom didn’t give up. However, it was too late.”

Sky released a sympathetic sigh and reached over to rest her hand on mine. “I’m sorry, Mason. I know that you wish you had believed her so you could have saved your mother, but you can’t think that way. You can’t change the past, but you can make the future better. You’ve been there for me so many times, risking your life for me. I don’t even know how to thank you.”

I kissed her hand, piercing her with my eyes. “You don’t need to thank me. I do it because you mean everything to me, Sky. You are my world. Don’t you ever forget that. Now. Eat. Before I take you to the naughty corner.”

Sky rewarded me with an irresistible smirk, and my mind reeled back to that day.

“Get out!” my mom shouted. “Don’t ever come back. I can’t believe you could do this.” Seeing her body shake and her face turning red in anger, I got out of my chair and placed my hand on her, hoping to comfort her.

Nick’s mom cautiously slid out of her chair and stood up. “I know this sounds crazy, but if you would let me explain.” Her tone was soft and calming, which seemed to add more fire to my mom’s rage.

“Out! I don’t care what you have to say. We are not friends anymore. Don’t call me. Don’t come over. Get out now before I do something crazy. You had an affair with my husband, and even had a child with him? I never knew, and I wish I still didn’t know. I thought he left because he couldn’t handle the responsibility. Now you’re telling me you’re not the only one and that he had other affairs? This is….” Mom wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hold it together. When the tears came, I knew I had to do something.

“Mrs. Grand. Please. You need to go.” It was strange calling her by the same last name as mine. It didn’t bother me before, but it did today. Finding out that I had a half-brother and that he’d known about this all along made me irate, but I couldn’t blame this on him. This was between the adults.

Mrs. Grand slung her purse over her shoulder and headed for the entryway. When I opened the door for her, she made it halfway out before turning to me. “Please, Mason, I’m not crazy. I didn’t tell your mom, but your father is dead. He came to me the night before he died and told me everything. How do you think I felt? How do you think Nick felt?” Mrs. Grand showed me her hand and pointed at her fingertips. “I believed when Nick showed me that he could shoot what looks like lightning out of his fingertips, like silver colored sparks. It’s beautiful and frightening.”

I nodded to be polite. Mrs. Grand reached inside of her purse and handed me a slip of paper. “You’ve only been to my house a couple of times, so I wrote down my address and phone number, just in case. Please, Mason. Let us help you. These monsters killed your father, and they are after us too. Do something about it before it’s too late.”

“Close the door, Mason,” Mom ordered.

“I’ll give this to my mom,” I stated, indicating the paper she’d given me. I only said it so she would leave. “I think you’d better go now.”

“Talk to Nick, Mason. He’ll help you. He’ll explain everything.”

“Okay.” I nodded politely again and closed the door behind her. Walking to my mom, I dropped the paper on the dining table. I could have dropped it into the trashcan, but I couldn’t. As crazy as Mrs. Grand sounded, my gut told me she was telling me the truth, yet her story was surreal.

“Mason.” Mom wrapped her arms around me and held on tightly. I didn’t know how long she sobbed, but I let her cry on my shoulder until she was ready to let go. My heart ached for her. I was already used to the fact that I had no dad, so finding out he was dead didn’t affect me. However, discovering that he’d had several affairs must have been unsettling for her, especially since we never knew why he’d left us in the first place.

I could only imagine what was going through her mind. Knowing how distraught she was, I decided not to say a word. I had great respect for my mom. Being a single parent—starting from my elementary years—had been difficult for her. She worked long hours as a paralegal, but always managed to have time for me, and since we didn’t have relatives nearby, it was just us. I respected her for being independent and moving forward with her life, instead of sulking around the house for him. I knew I was one of the main reasons why she was brave. Her love for me was enough to give her the fuel to move on.

I thought about calling Nick, but knowing how Mom felt about the whole situation, I decided against it.

“Hey, Sky,” Kayla greeted over the phone.

“Kayla,” I said cheerfully. “How are you?”

“Good. I’m on my way to my class. I thought I’d give you a call.”

“I’m glad. You know you can call me anytime. Anything new?”

“No. I saw Nick last night. And I can’t wait to do our double date thing this Saturday,” she squealed loudly.

“Do you know where we’re going for dinner?” I had forgotten to ask Mason that question.

“No. Nick says it’s a surprise.”

“Ahhh…” I said aloud. “Uh oh…Kayla, I’ve gotta go. I’m late for class.”

“Sure. If I don’t talk to you before then, I’ll see you Saturday.”

“Okay, love ya and hugs.” I didn’t mean to, but I hung up the phone as soon as I finished saying goodbye. When I talked to Kayla, I lost track of time. Throwing my arms into the sleeves of my jacket, I grabbed my backpack and bolted out the front door.

It had been several weeks since I’d gone to class. Thank goodness, it was in a huge auditorium and the professor didn’t take roll. There was a questionnaire and sign-in sheet on the first day, but that was it.

As I speedily walked to my class, I returned a phone call to my mom. I didn’t want to forget to call, knowing I would be busy studying after class. After I hung up, I noticed there were hardly any students around. What did I expect? After all, it was late and many students preferred the afternoon classes, just so they could sleep in after all the hard-core partying the night before.

I was halfway to class, when the feeling of someone following me suddenly awakened me. Accidently killing Remus and swallowing his blood, I had gained his power of healing, and though I couldn’t move with the same speed as the Grands, my sense of smell had heightened beyond what I could have imagined.

It didn’t happen right away, but I knew when it did. And I knew these enhanced abilities had to have come from Remus. Recalling that dreadful night, Remus was by the stairs with the two women he brought in, when he loudly said that he could smell something sweet. Now I understood. By “smelling something sweet,” Remus was referring to me.

Picking up the pace, I fought the strong urge to look behind me, especially since not a soul was on my path. Not wanting to give away what I suspected, I didn’t turn around. As the stranger approached closer, the scent of wood and wild flowers grew stronger. I recalled the same scent from the night when Mason took me out to dinner, where he had almost gotten into an argument with a stranger.

As my heart hammered faster, I decided to confront this stranger, but I would do it by the building entrance. That way I could yell for help, and all of the people in the auditorium could hear me. I was almost there but just as I grabbed for the door and swung around, the scent disappeared. Hmm…was I just being paranoid?

After class, I hung around the library, where there were tons of people. Since most of the tables were taken, I went to the back and settled there. Sitting in a cubicle with my lecture notes splayed out in front of me, I tried to study, but was interrupted by my cell buzzing. It was a text from Mason.

I’m staring at you.

I wish I could stare back at you. What are you doing?

I’m at Bella Amore with Nick. What are you doing?

I’m trying to study.

At the library, right?

How do you know?

Tracker.

Oh, yeah. Can you tell if I’m with another guy?

No, but if I find out, I’ll ace him with my volts. Just kidding. Don’t want to sound possessive.

I like that you are.

Don’t forget to keep your cell phone with you at all times.

Okay.

Pick you up at 6. Gotta go, kiss.

Longer kiss back.

Always on my mind. Sending you a love shock, baby! See you then.

My heart did a happy flip and a soft giggle escaped my mouth. Excitement and warmth flushed through me, just from reading Mason’s text. How hot was that? He could send me a love shock anytime.

After I put the phone away, I dove into my notes, but I couldn’t stop thinking of my dad and what he needed to tell us. Eventually, I was able to get some studying done… somewhat.

Stretching my arms and legs, I realized it was close to noon. Feeling tired from studying and wanting some fresh air, I packed up my bag. Suddenly, the same scent I smelled on the way to class wafted through my nose. I glanced around to find out where the smell was coming from, but saw nothing. Brushing it off, I decided it was time for me to leave.

I slid my chair back to get up, but something froze my chair in place and at the same time, I heard a ‘thud’ sound. I turned quickly. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry,” I whispered, fidgeting with my hands, unsure how to help or if he needed help at all. When I felt the gaze from other students, my face flushed with warmth from my embarrassment.

The stranger was hunched over so I couldn’t make out his face at first, but the scent of him was strong. The smell of wood and wild flowers tickled my nostrils. It was definitely the same smell as the one at Starla. Then I saw for sure, it was the guy at Starla who tried to ask me out…at least I thought that was what he was trying to do. And what were the odds of him going to the same school as me?

“That’s okay,” he replied, standing tall, trying not to disturb the others around us. “I’m fine.” Then he paused, seemingly surprised to see me. His face lit up with a huge smile. “So, we meet again. What a coincidence.”

My shoulders relaxed, confirming it wasn’t some weird stranger tailing me; then again, I didn’t actually know him. He could be one for all I knew. I thought he would have given me the evil eye or say something nasty, but he didn’t. Taken aback by his handsome face and how much less intimidating he looked under these lights compared to the dim mood-lighting at Starla, I smiled. “Uh…yeah.” It was all I could say. I didn’t want him to think I remembered him.

“My name is Ian.” He held out his hand and gave a flirty, cool smile.

Though I was hesitant to shake his hand, I didn’t want to be rude. There was something familiar about him, besides the fact that he was at Starla, but I couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Perhaps it was just me.

Ian wore jeans and a dark gray sweater that clung to his well-defined chest. His body frame reminded me of Mason. Although I couldn’t recall the color of his eyes from that night at the bar, he stood before me with the most pretty, piercing blue eyes. It was like looking at turquoise gemstones—glossy and smooth, extremely hypnotizing.

Taking his hand, I finally shook it. “Hi. You can call me Skylar.” At least he didn’t shock me this time. Perhaps I was paranoid at our last encounter, and the shock was just a coincidence.

“Well, Sky—”

“Skylar,” I corrected quickly. Only two people were allowed to call me Sky, my dad and Mason. And, I wasn’t so sure about my dad anymore.

“Skylar.” He nodded. “I got it. Looks like you were studying the statistics notes. Do you have Professor Mead at eight in the morning?”

“Yes.” I held up my notes in my hand. “I missed some classes and I was trying to catch up.” I didn’t mean to give him more information then I needed to. “I was sick,” I said quickly, answering the question that would most likely have come next.

“I see. That explains it. If you need any help, I would be more than happy to. Just call me Mr. Statistic. It’s is my favorite subject.” He grinned, noting my cell phone in my other hand. Without warning, he took it from me, punched some keys, and gave it back. “I just put in my number. If you ever need my help, just call me.”

I looked at him blankly, unsure of how to respond to that. I was just hoping he wasn’t trying to ask me out. “Thanks.” I smiled. Shoving my lecture notes into my half-zipped backpack, I glanced back to see him still standing there. I was just about to leave when he spoke again.

“What are you doing Saturday?”

And there it was…that awkward moment. “I already have plans. My boyfriend and I are going out.” The word ‘boyfriend’ slipped over my tongue. I didn’t know if it was the appropriate word to use to define my relationship with Mason.

“That’s okay.” He didn’t look disappointed, as if he already knew. Of course he knew…Mason had been ready to introduce himself to him with his fist. “My roommate and I are throwing a party. If you change your mind, just call me…maybe?” He sort of sang the last four words. He was acting all cute, and what was I doing? Giggling like a schoolgirl. I didn’t like that it felt like he was flirting with me.

“I’d better go.” I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. With Ian standing there staring at me, I felt uncomfortable. Still, I didn’t want to be rude, so I waited for him to leave first, but when he continued to just stand there, I decided to go. Just as I was about to leave, a brunette looped her arms through his, startling him.

“There you are. I thought I’d lost you.” Her tone was sensual and soft. Dressed in skinny jeans and a form-fitting red sweater, she was stunning. When her eyes locked on me, she gave me a look that said ‘back off.’

“You didn’t lose me,” he snapped and dropped his arms, forcing her to let him go when he walked away. I could imagine how loud his voice would have been if they weren’t in the library. He looked irate with an intense frown marking his face.

“What’s your problem?” she sneered, fluttering her eyelashes as if say ‘how dare he?’ Even the sound of her voice was alluring.

“Mia, there is a reason why I didn’t want to be found.” His tone was still not friendly.

“You don’t have to get mad.” She gave a pouty expression, but he wasn’t amused.

Ian rolled his eyes, turned to me with a smile, then left. Mia glanced over her shoulder to get one last good look at me, then disappeared around the cubicle behind Ian.

Weird…and awkward. Whatever. It’s not like I was going to be friends with them anyway. Feeling hunger pangs rumbling in my stomach, I headed out of the library toward the cafeteria.

Friday couldn’t come fast enough. Every day, every minute, every second was  torture. Instead of going out, Mason and Nick cooked dinner for the whole family. Nick didn’t invite Kayla due to the circumstances of this meeting.

After Amanda and I set the table, Mason and Nick placed a wonderful spread on the dining table—spaghetti with meatballs, salad, and garlic bread—and Everett set out the water glasses. Sitting next to me, Mason handed me a napkin and began serving me some food.

“Thanks.” I smiled up at him, watching him pile a mound of food on my plate. I loved it when he took care of me like that. “That’s good, Mason. Thank you.” I held out my hand, gesturing for him to stop. By the amount he placed on my plate, he must have thought I ate like a pig.

Picking up the fork and shoving food into my mouth was the easy part, getting my jaws to work to chew it was something else. The hunger pangs I’d had a minute ago had disappeared and were now overridden by apprehension. Today was the day I finally got to talk to my dad.

“Skylar, do you have any idea what your father meant by ‘someone might be watching him’?” Nick asked, twirling the pasta around his fork.

I turned my attention away from Mason. “I’m not sure. Maybe he’s in some kind of trouble, or—” I started to reply when Amanda interrupted me.

“Maybe he owes gambling debts, or maybe he supplies drugs and he’s running away from the cops…or maybe he’s—”

A small spark of light flashed across the table and landed on Amanda’s shoulder. She jerked back on contact. “Ouch,” she yelped, darting her angry eyes at Mason. “What was that for?”

“Don’t put crazy thoughts in Sky’s head. It’s bad enough she had to wait a week. Let’s all calm down and wait for her father’s explanation.”

With a scoff, Amanda filled her plate and stabbed the fork through her salad. “I was just trying to make her laugh. Lighten up, will ya?”

“That’s not funny. It’s only making things worse for her.”

I put my hand on Mason’s lap to let him know I was fine. Amanda had good intentions, but her humor was off sometimes, and today, it was way off. I found no humor in what she was saying. The scenarios Amanda mentioned had never crossed my mind. Thanks to her, they were added to my ever-growing list.

“He already did lighten up.” Nick chuckled at his own joke. “Get it?” He held up his index finger, allowing small sparks of light to illuminate it, causing Amanda to share a wicked grin.

No matter how many times I saw lights flash out of their fingertips or the palms of their hands, it still amazed me. A part of me wished that I could do it, too.

Everett cleared his throat after chuckling from Nick’s comment and taking a sip from his glass. “Skylar, would you like for us to be in our rooms or wait for you down here?” Ever since we had agreed to act like a family instead of strangers, Everett had been trying his best to be friendly toward me. I appreciated his efforts.

“I think….” I felt lost for words. I didn’t want to be rude, but I needed that private moment with my dad. This was really awkward.

“I think we should give them some privacy,” Mason broke in. “Sky, if you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, we’ll be waiting in our rooms.” He looked at Amanda. “No eavesdropping on their conversation. We’ll keep our bedroom doors closed.”

“Why are you looking at me funny? I’m not going to drop my ears. That’s just gross.” Amanda looked at me and let out a soft giggle. I had to laugh at her remark. She was acting like a child.

“I’d like to see you do it,” Nick challenged.

Amanda pursed her lips and her eyes got smaller, apparently not liking them ganging up on her. “Shut up and suck the balls on your plate,” Amanda smirked, as her body shook from her laughter.

“My meatballs are delicious, but no thanks, I won’t suck my balls. That sounds gross…and uncomfortable. Maybe you need a little reminder of what I can do.” Nick’s chuckle was contagious, and we all joined in laughing. Then Nick zapped the meatball on Amanda’s plate. It broke into tiny pieces and some splashed on her. “Oops…sorry. It was a bit cold.”

Amanda stared at her shirt, which was now splattered with sauce and meat. “You did that on purpose.”

Nick’s lips slowly curled up into a mischievous grin. “Just trying to lighten up the mood…and your meatballs. Want me to do it again?”

I didn’t know what siblings’ quarrels were like since I was an only child, but even though Amanda was not blood related, they sure treated her like a sister.

Before Amanda could answer, the only meatball left on her plate gravitated inches above it. Light was shimmering across the table from Mason’s fingertip. It looked like a long whip. After it had gotten a hold of the meatball, the light split into multiple strands, cutting through it as if each extension was a separate knife. It was the first time I had seen him manipulate his light like that with so much control.

“Let’s not do that again,” Mason said calmly.

“How…when did you…that was awesome! I need to try that.” Nick’s eyes were wide with awe.

“Thanks, Mason. Now I don’t have to cut it.” Amanda went right back to eating, as if nothing happened.

After clearing the table, they all went up to their rooms except for Mason and me. His intention was to stick around until my father arrived. Pacing back and forth across the living room, my heart rate escalated, until it felt like I was continuously running without stopping. Taking deep breaths wasn’t helping my anxiety either.

Checking the time on my cell phone, I saw that it was exactly eight o’clock. An ugly feeling grew in the pit of my stomach, hinting that he would not show up. Feelings of hopelessness settled through me, mostly from not wanting to be disappointed. I couldn’t help it. I would not trust my father after what he had done. As I reached around to shove my phone in my back pocket and then turned forward again, Mason was standing right in front of me.

“Mason.” I jerked back and so did my heart. He was sitting on the sofa only a second ago.

Wrapping one hand around my waist, the other cupped my face. He leaned down and placed his forehead on mine. “You’re going to have a heart attack if you don’t stop pacing. He’ll show up. He’s just running a little late.”

Mason’s words and his touch gave me some comfort, and I momentarily lost myself, but it wasn’t enough; Mason must have noticed, too. Without another word, he crushed his lips onto mine.

That kiss not only made me forget where I was, it awakened every inch of me. Lost in his arms and having those soft, kissable lips taking mine in, I kissed him back. When it intensified, Mason pulled back with ragged breaths and held me tenderly in his arms. “I’m not sure if it’s working for you, but I forgot where we were for a moment,” he said, still catching his breath.

“Believe me, your lips are like magic. I did forget. I’m just glad you didn’t shock me.” I let out a small laugh.

“I’m learning to control it around you, Echo, but I don’t know if I ever will completely. You excite me way too much.”

I blushed from his compliment. “I feel the—” I started to say when my body tensed from the chime of the doorbell.

With one tight but tender squeeze, Mason murmured, “I’m right here. It’ll all be okay. Just say the word and he’s out the door.” Then he released me.

In a fast, fluid motion, Mason was at the door. Oh, how I loved to see him move with such speed. Cautiously, he looked through the small peephole. After confirming who it was, he opened the door.

“Mr. Rome, come in.”

“Thank you. And you must be Mason?” He offered his hand.

“Yes, I’m Mason.” Mason shook his hand and moved aside to let him in.

I clasped my hands together to stop my body from shaking, but I couldn’t control my hammering heart, which felt like it was going to explode. After I took a deep breath, I stepped out of the shadows and showed myself to my dad, but kept my distance.

“Hello, Sky,” he said with a cheerful tone, as if all was right between us. Taking off his black fedora, he dusted the water droplets from it. It must have started to drizzle outside. He then removed his coat and placed both on the rack next to the door, revealing a pair of dark jeans and a gray sweater.

Looking at my dad, he hadn’t aged, from what I could remember. Not a wrinkle creased his smooth, velvet face. He should look ten years older, but then again I couldn’t remember what he looked like ten years ago. My mom had put away all of the photos of him.

“Why don’t you two sit in the living room, and I’ll be in my room upstairs.” Mason looked at me to confirm I was comfortable with this situation.

“Okay.” I nodded, then gestured for my father to follow me into the family room.

Settling on the sofa on the opposite side of my dad, I fiddled with my thumbs. It was a nervous habit, but it was the only thing that was helping to calm my nerves. It was difficult to look him in the eye as I waited for his explanation.

My dad cleared his throat. “I’m not sure where to begin, so I’ll just start from the day you almost drowned.”

That got my attention. Snapping my head up, I listened as the anticipation of that dreadful day, which I could not remember, would be revealed.

“We were at the beach, vacationing in Maui. It was just the three of us; your mom, you, and me, but there were other families around. It was getting late, but you wanted to go into the water one last time before heading back to the hotel. Your mom and I took you out together. Somehow, we drifted a bit too far from where we intended.”

There was a pause. My dad rubbed his forehead, looking distressed, as if he was back there, reliving the moment. His eyes shifted to the floor. “I blacked out. I don’t remember it, of course. Your mother told me that I…I tried to…drown you.”

I gasped softly, shocked by his words. I couldn’t speak or move. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought those words could have come out of his mouth.

He continued, “It wasn’t the only time I blacked out. Shortly after, it happened again, only this time, I had a knife in my hand when I woke up. There were a couple of other times, so your mom and I agreed that I should pack my bags and never come back. I was too dangerous to be near you or your mom. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do. So now you must be wondering why I’m back.”

I couldn’t get my lips to move. My blood had already drained out of me while my mind and body shut down from the news. I wanted Mason to be with me, but I couldn’t even say his name.

“I know this is a lot to take in, but I need to explain more. I know what you are. I know what type of blood runs in your veins. I don’t need to go into details because you already know about the gods and their descendants,” he said.

Slowly, my eyes rose to meet his.

“I didn’t know it back then, when I was living with you. I found out after I discovered the truth about myself. You see, Sky, most people live their daily lives not really knowing who their ancestors are because they are told only what they need to be told. Some people continue their lives as if they were full breed humans, but they are the lucky ones. They are the ones with defective genes, or their bloodlines had been weakened over the years. They will never have powers, or experience what it’s like to be a god’s descendant. What I’m trying to tell you is that you are who you are because of me.” He paused, as if he was letting all of his words sink in…possibly studying me to see if I would freak out.

Of course, I wasn’t surprised at all. I already knew who I was, and that there was a possibility of my dad being a god’s descendant, because I was almost certain my mom wasn’t. Since my father was the one who had left, he had to be the one. I was just glad that he was well and alive, though he had broken my heart. In a way, I understood, especially when he’d tried to kill me. But why? “How did you find out who you were?”

“I was really depressed. I knew I needed help. Something was different about me, that I knew for sure. Needing some answers, I went back to the same beach. It was late into the night when I was attacked by these water creatures. I thought I was going out of my mind. I was near death when a few of Poseidon’s descendants saved me. I would have never believed it had I not experienced it first hand, but I saw what they could do. After we regrouped with other descendants, our main goal became clear…to destroy all of Hades and Medusa’s creations.

“I don’t know why you have Hades and Medusa’s blood in you. I’m not even quite sure which line of gods I’m from. All I know is that over time, between mixing the blood and changes in DNA, we evolve, gaining or losing different types of powers. Think of it like baking a cake; when you use different portions of the ingredients, you get different results.”

“Is your blood poison like mine?” I asked timidly. I didn’t know why I was reserved. I was talking to my father, but he felt like a stranger to me.

“Yes, but it’s not strong enough to kill like yours,” he said sympathetically, standing up. “However, by some unfortunate fate, yours is.”

I stood up as well, feeling guarded, but the second I saw him coming toward me, I retreated a few steps. “Why are you here now?” Tears burned my eyes as I tried desperately to blink them away. I couldn’t let them fall.

“I’ve always been there, watching you, but from afar. You just didn’t know it. I’ve watched you cry over me, as I did the same for you. I was afraid I would hurt you, and…your mother would have called the police. You have to know how difficult and heart breaking it has been for me. You’re my daughter, Sky. I love you with all my heart. I’m the same father who sang you to sleep. The same father that held you when you were scared. The same father that read you books and played board games with you. I….” Pearl-drop tears streaked down his cheeks. It tore me up inside to see that, but I would not let it weaken me.

His tears, along with the sincerity of his words, hit me hard, splitting my heart and lungs into two. I felt as if the air had been sucked out of me; it was extremely difficult to breathe. And the tears I was trying to hold back had no mercy, as they poured down like the rain outside. The pain came crashing through again, the memories of how I felt when he left felt like a dagger in my heart, twisting and turning with every aching word.

“I don’t mean to sound like a stalker,” he spoke again. “I just needed to know you were safe. I sent Noah and Tim to watch over you, because together they could protect you better than I could. My powers are very limited. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t sure if you even needed my protection. It seems like the Grand family has taken you under their protection, but you could use more help now since we know for sure how poisoned your blood really is. Both good and evil will come after you.”

He was right and I knew it, but I didn’t want my father to suddenly tell me what to do. Though he had his good reasons for leaving, my heart was swallowed up by pain and I couldn’t just pretend that everything was right between us. It would take time—a long time—to heal and process all of his words.

“Thank you,” I said politely, wiping my tears. “Mason and his family are more than capable of taking care of me.”

“Yes, I understand, but from what Noah and Tim told me about Alena and how she tried to kill you, I think it’s best that I send some of my men.”

“Your men? So you’re like…their leader or something?” My tone sounded angry. I didn’t know where this was coming from as I recalled Noah mentioning how they had a leader. Perhaps it was ridiculous jealousy. I grew up without a father when all along he was alive, taking care of other kids.

“Yes. This group of kids was young when I met them. They needed a father figure. Someone who was more experienced in life.”

Those words stung me even more. He became a father to these strangers, but where was he when I needed him? “And you didn’t try to kill them…only me?”

“I don’t know why, Sky. Maybe I’ll never know. I don’t even know how it happened. Your mother was too distraught to remember the details. But I want to help you now and make up for all of those lost years. We could meet up with people who understand us. That way if I tried to hurt you again, they could stop it from happening. I want to—”

What about what I wanted? “I don’t know. This is all too much for me right now,” I answered resignedly, feeling like the world had fallen on me. My heart couldn’t take it anymore. Turning, I headed out of the family room, needing Mason right at this moment. He was the only one that made me feel safe.

“Sky.”

I jerked back with a gasp from my father’s sudden appearance in front of me. He moved with the same speed as Mason. Although he had mentioned he had limited powers, it was strange to see him move like the gods’ descendants, especially since I couldn’t.

“Sky, please,” he pleaded with soft eyes, while his fingers gripped my forearm.

My heart hammered a mile a minute, not from what he’d just done, but from what he could do. He had tried to kill me several times before, and now knowing why he had to leave me, I was frightened of him more than I could imagine.

“Let her go,” Mason demanded from the top of the stairs. He’d told me he would give us privacy, but I knew he would be listening. I didn’t mind, especially knowing I could be in danger from my own father.

“I’m not going to hurt my own daughter,” he said to Mason, yet his tone and eyes betrayed him.

Mason was now standing in front of me. His fingers lit up as a warning. When my dad released me, I took a step back.

“Mason,” my dad said carefully, “what happened with Alena was just the beginning, and that was nothing compared to what is sure to come. More danger is on its way. We need to work together. It’s the only way.”

“Mr. Rome, I agree with you, but right now, I think she’s heard enough. We can set up another meeting.”

“Yes, you’re right.” He raked his hair back with a deep sigh. “I understand. And please, you can call me Victor.” His shoulders relaxed and sadness filled his eyes. “I’ll call you next week.” Then he turned to me. “Please don’t tell your mother I came to see you. She has no idea about the gods’ descendants. She may even call the police. In fact, please don’t tell anyone. ”

“I won’t,” I said with conviction.

With a quick, loving smile and one last glance at me, Victor gathered his belongings and walked toward the entryway.

Leaving me standing in place, Mason guided my father out the door. Taking only a few long strides, Mason reached my side. Pulling me into his chest, he held me tightly as if he knew I needed that hug. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay ’cause you’re here.” Resting my head in that perfect space between his head and shoulder, I let out a long sigh and tried to catch my breath.

“You need some rest, Echo. I’m taking you to my room.” With a swift scoop, I was in his arms.

After a warm shower, I slipped into Mason’s clothes and got ready for bed. Mason was waiting for me, spread across the bed with his arms behind his head for support. I plopped on the bed, lay my body alongside of him and rested my head on his chest. He felt so strong, yet soft, and comforting, a serene feeling filled me. Since tomorrow was Saturday and I didn’t have any classes, I agreed to stay the night.

“Were you listening the whole time? I don’t mind if you were,” I said sincerely.

Mason started to caress my hair. “We have intercoms in our bedrooms that link throughout the house. Sorry. I just needed to know you were safe. I knew there was a real possibility that your father was one of us, but I didn’t know which side he was on.”

Closing my eyes, I dissolved into his touch. “I’m actually glad you were listening. I wanted to call out for you, but I couldn’t speak, let alone breathe after all that he’d said.”

“I know.” Mason pulled me tighter and kissed my forehead. “I’m so sorry. It’s who we are. This is the nature of our lives. We’ll always be looking over our shoulders.”

I opened my eyes and gazed lovingly into Mason’s as I ran my hand over his arm. I loved to touch his strong, taut muscles. “As long as we’re together, I can deal with it.”

Mason’s shoulders stiffened and his tone changed. “Promise me, Sky, that you won’t be in the same room with Victor by yourself. I know he’s your father, but from what he told you, he can hurt you without even knowing it. He hasn’t told us everything. Do you understand?”

I nodded to agree, thinking how tortured this situation was. The father I’d known for eight short years was not the father I thought he was. I wanted to jump into his arms the way I used to when I was a little girl, but I couldn’t. Now, it wasn’t even a possibility.

When Mason cupped my cheeks and planted his lips on mine, I broke out of my thoughts. “I don’t know how we’re going to be able to sleep together without me trying anything with you. Maybe you should stay away from me, too.”

“What if I don’t want you to stay away? What if I want to go to the naughty corner? You know, I’ve been really bad. I think I deserve to go there.” As I smiled flirtatiously at him, my tone was playful and so were my eyes.

Mason chuckled at first, then his eyes shifted to my lips with desire. “Naughty corner it is.” There was no stopping now after his tight chest exhaled a growl. He was turned on by my words. Intense desire coursed through me when Mason’s lips conquered mine again. As his hands explored my body, I lost myself in him … and it was the best place to be.

When I placed my hand on his muscular chest, it gave me more tingles. Wanting more, I grasped a handful of his hair in my fist. Mason left my mouth, kissing and nipping my jaw, my neck, and lower. Breathless, I moaned when his body hovered over mine. Excitedly, I wrapped my arms around the back of his strong neck and found his lips again, reaching deeper, trying to fill the empty sadness my father had left me with. I wanted to forget all my father’s words…to forget about him. Mostly, to forget about who I was.

“Sky,” Mason whispered at the tip of my ear, making me quiver. My name spoken from his lips like smooth velvet caused another spark of excitement, and it intensified when I felt warmth pooling inside of me. In that moment, I knew he was using his powers. His eyes glowed silver, as did his hand as it slid under my sweater.

“Mason,” I said softly in the same sensual tone as his. Pleasurable heat surged starting from my stomach, then with soft ripples spread throughout my body. “Mason,” I whimpered, breaking away from the kiss just to call his name, letting him know I was feeling him. However, Mason conquered my mouth again in hunger and desperation.

Just when I couldn’t take it anymore, he broke away and flopped next to me with ragged breaths. “Sorry, I got carried away.” His chest rose up and down to the rhythm of his rapidly beating heart.

Feeling dazed, like I had just awakened from from a beautiful dream, I lay there dumbfounded. “It’s okay. I really didn’t mind.”

“Let’s try to get some sleep. Maybe we can have a lazy day tomorrow and meet Nick and Kayla for dinner.”

“Sounds good,” I agreed, still catching my breath.

“Come here,” he ordered, embracing me and kissing my cheek. As I lay safely in Mason’s arms, my thoughts reverberated back to my father’s words and wondered where he lived.

After our lazy day, Mason took me home to change. It was difficult for me to get ready since I felt like I had no clothes to wear. I didn’t have many dresses, but thank goodness I had one red sweater dress. With light makeup, my hair in curls, and high-heeled black boots, I was all set to go.

Walking down the stairs, I caught Mason’s sparkling eyes on me. He slowly stood up from the sofa and approached the bottom of the stairs. “I think I need to take you out more often. Not that you don’t look beautiful on a daily basis.”

I got the point. I was sure I turned just as red as my dress, looking down from shyness. “Thank you,” I said.

“We better get going before I take it off you.”

I snapped my head back up from his hot words. Before I could reply, Mason hooked his arm into mine and led me out the door. We drove the short distance in companionable silence, and it seemed like only seconds before we were there.

“Is this the place?” I asked, pointing at a building from inside of the car.

He nodded. “Yes. We were going to take you and Kayla to one of our own restaurants, but we decided to take you here instead.”

Mason pulled up to the valet parking, and a gentleman opened the car door for me. It didn’t look overly fancy from the outside, but once inside, it was a whole different story. With wooden floors, elegant dining tables and light fixtures, and soft-lit candles on the tables, I felt underdressed.

“We have a reservation under Mason Grand, party of four at seven,” he said to the hostess.

“Yes, Mr. Grand. Your guests have already arrived. They are seated at the table. Allow me to take you there.”

“Thank you.” He gestured with a nod. Intertwining his fingers through mine, we followed the hostess.

“Skylar,” Kayla almost yelled, but she contained herself and hugged me. She wore a black sweater dress with high-heeled black boots. Her hair was in high ponytail and she looked fabulous.

“It’s good to see you, Kayla,” I greeted, and released her to give Nick a hug. When I turned, I saw Kayla and Mason exchanging a hug, too.

Mason helped me out of my coat, and we settled into our seats just as the waitress came into our room with the menus. After reciting the dinner specials of the evening, she took our beverage orders and left.

Kayla’s smile always beamed like a sunray when I was around. “How are your classes, and did you meet anyone interesting?”

Ian came to mind, but I didn’t want to say anything because there wasn’t anything there. Besides, we had run into each other by accident. “No, but you know how I am. I just go to class and mind my own business. Just trying to stay out of trouble.” I winked at Mason because he knew there was an underlying meaning to ‘staying out of trouble’. They were his orders: Go to class and come back home to be safe. “How about you?”

“You know how much I don’t like school, but it beats working at Kelly’s diner,” she snorted.

The conversation halted when the waitress brought our drinks; four glasses of water and two beers for our guys. After getting our dinner orders, she exited the room and we quickly picked up where we’d left off.

“Any plans for Thanksgiving, ladies?” Nick asked, placing his bottle down after taking a sip.

“Skylar and her mom are coming over to my house,” Kayla started to explain. “We go to Kelly’s diner and celebrate there with Jack and Mona. It’s been our tradition. Maybe next year both of you can come.” Shrugging her shoulders, she gave a nervous smile, seemingly feeling guilty for not inviting them, especially since they didn’t have parents of their own.

Nick looked disappointed. “That’s okay. It’s to be expected. How about you both come over on Friday and we’ll celebrate Thanksgiving at our cabin? You think you can spend the weekend there?”

“Sure. That sounds great. Skylar can spend the night, and I’ll drive us up there.” Kayla looked at me to confirm.

“That sounds like a plan. So, why the cabin?” I asked.

“Because none of us can roast a turkey, but our housekeeper can,” Mason said, crossing his arms on the table. “I bet she can bake a juicier turkey than Jack.” His tone was challenging and playful.

“You’re on,” I squealed. “We’ll even bring some just to compare.”

“And the loser has to do whatever we say?” Kayla added.

“What?” Nick chuckled.

“Afraid of a little competition?” I retorted.

“If you’re the prize, Sky, I’ll bet on it.” Mason twitched his brows impishly. “Just so you know, she bakes turkey for one of our restaurants.”

Suddenly, I got nervous. I was sure Jack made the best turkey—after all, he did cater them, but not on Thanksgiving Day since the diner was closed—but now I was unsure. Losing a bet wasn’t a big deal. I trusted Mason and I wouldn’t mind being his prize. The question was, what did he have in mind?

Due to the bad weather, Mom agreed to meet me at Kelly’s diner. The clouds were thick and dark, promising a thunderstorm. Recognizing the cars parked along the curb, I noted I was the last one there. I grabbed my purse and stepped out of the car, hugging my coat tight to my body because of the freezing wind. Practically running, I pushed the door and heard the familiar chime that I missed from working there.

“Hey, Skylar, how’s my girl?” Jack wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead.

“Hello, Jack.” I curled my lips into a genuine, heartfelt smile.

“Move aside and leave the poor girl alone. It’s my turn,” Mona said playfully, and hugged me tightly. “Miss you working here. In fact, I miss both of you. I felt young again when you were here.”

Cringing, I held my breath. It wasn’t Mona’s fault that my keen sense of smell made her perfume that much stronger, making me feel nauseated.

When Mona released me, I hugged my mom, my Aunt Kelly, and finally, Kayla. Getting settled, I was distracted by the delicious smell of turkey, mashed potatoes, beans, and other items Jack had cooked. I felt like I was in food heaven, causing my stomach to churn inside out from hunger. Having to cook for myself at the dorm, this was one meal I was looking forward to eating. Someday, I would cook like this for Mason, and I would have to ask Jack for help since I was sure his turkey would win the bet.

“Everything smells so good,” I complimented.

Mom placed her hand over mine, which was resting on the table, and smiled. “Honey, I didn’t tell you, but I hope you don’t mind. I asked Steven to join us for dinner.”

Not that I would’ve protested, but it would have been nice if she’d told me ahead of time, since I’d already figured he would be joining us. Having my dad come to visit and unable to tell my mom was frustrating, but at the same time, I didn’t want to upset her or be the cause of a fight between them.

When the door chimed, Mom stood up. “Steven,” she gushed and welcomed him with open arms and a kiss. Mom stepped aside for me.

“Hi,” I said quickly, like how I always greeted him—short and to the point. Before I could move away, he grabbed me for a hug, and I was blown away by that unexpected gesture. Then the rest followed to greet him after he’d let me go.

Underneath the long, black trench coat, which looked similar to my dad’s, he wore black dress pants and a black and blue, pin-striped, long-sleeved shirt. Besides his good looks, being a doctor at the hospital, and having tons of money, I didn’t know what my mom saw in him. To me, he was kind of boring. Then again, I didn’t know him that well. I guessed I’d better start getting used to him being around since they were getting married.

After the dinner plates were set on the table, Jack said grace. “We have many things to be thankful for, but I believe what we all should be most thankful for is our good health and that we are under the same stars.”

“Awww…thank you for that, Jack,” Mona said, in a half mocking, half serious tone.

“I didn’t mean you,” Jack joked.

Mona was trying to contain her laugh. Her lips protruded and her hands were on her hips, but her eyes were friendly. “You better watch yourself, or else I’ll squash that turkey you worked so hard to bake.”

Jack chuckled. “If you just breathe on it, or better yet, just sit on it, that would do it.”

They all glanced between Jack and Mona, laughing. Thank goodness for their humor; it lightened my mood. When they’d had enough, dinner was finally served.

“This turkey is delicious,” Steven gushed, chewing. “I don’t think I’ve ever had such tender turkey before.”

“That’s because you’ve never tasted Jack’s,” my aunt said. “Well, now you’ll have it at least once a year. You’re not only marrying into this family, you’ll be married to Jack’s turkey.”

“Lucky me. Not only do I get to marry the most beautiful woman in the world,” Steven wrapped his arms around my mom and gave her a kiss on the lips, “I get to eat the best turkey in the world.”

“Well, Doc,” Jack started, looking proud while taking a bite from his plate, “you can come over any time. I’ll bake you a turkey any time of the year.”

“That’s a deal,” Steven chuckled. “I was going to bribe you, but I’ll take the offer.” He changed the subject to my aunt. “So, Kelly, Gina told me that you’re single.”

My aunt scowled at my mom playfully. “What else did she tell you?”

“Just good things, of course. If you don’t mind, I could set you up with one of my doctor friends. A beautiful woman should never be alone.”

My aunt’s cheeks turned slightly red. “You’re too kind. I’ll think about it.”

I’m not sure if I liked Steven’s comment. I wouldn’t have liked it if Mason said someone else was beautiful in front of me, even if it was just to be kind, but I ignored it since it didn’t seem to upset Mom. Maybe I was the jealous type.

The dinner was delicious and the conversation was mostly centered on Steven, but he did ask questions about Kayla and me. He asked about what classes we were taking, so he scored some more points with my aunt.

Steven was polite, charming, and attentive, and Mom was in awe of him. It was obvious how much they cared for each. Seeing Mom happy, I told myself that I had to be happy for her. After all, I wouldn’t want anyone to tell me not to see Mason. Before I headed home to spend the night at Kayla’s, I reminded her to pack some slices of turkey for the contest, and to make a mental note to buy a cheesecake for dessert.

Kayla drove us to the cabin just before dark. As soon as we got out of the car, the guys rushed out, grabbed our bags, and brought them in the house like perfect gentleman.

“Missed you, Echo,” Mason murmured, and kissed me tenderly on my lips.

I peered up to see his loving, caring eyes on mine. “I missed you, too.”

After greeting Everett and Amanda, we sat around the table, which was already set with a huge turkey and side dishes—mashed potatoes, beans, salad, and corn. Again, the aroma was a bit overwhelming to me. I wondered if Remus had felt the same, though I didn’t want to think of him at all.

Last time we were here, Everett had tried to kill me. It was reassuring that it wouldn’t happen this time around. After a short thank you speech from Everett, we got ready to compare the turkeys.

“Ready to be defeated and do what we say?” Kayla challenged while her neck did a funny twirl.

“Bring it on, babe,” Nick chuckled, tilting his head back a bit.

Placed in front of Everett and Amanda was a plate of two different slices of turkey. As we stared and watched them take a bite of each slice, we waited for the verdict. And, of course, they chose the turkey made by their housekeeper.

“That’s not fair,” I protested. “Your taste buds are biased.”

“Biased?” Mason chuckled. “I see your point, but….” Mason drew me into his chest. “Don’t you want to be my prize?” He started to nibble my neck.

I twisted and jerked from the tickling sensation. “You win…you win,” I giggled.

“Gross. Get a room,” Amanda scoffed, rolling her eyes, but I knew she was teasing, especially when she made an effort to look at me with a smile.

“Now that we got that stupid contest out of the way, let’s eat. I’m starving,” Everett grumbled.

After Mason sliced the turkey, we all filled our plates with the delicious food and ate. We enjoyed each other’s company and the conversation. It seemed like we ate for hours. It was nice getting to know Everett and Amanda better. And through this dinner, our level of friendship had grown a little bit more.

“Let’s clean up and bring out the dessert,” Everett said, grabbing a few plates to carry to the kitchen. “I’ve been eyeing the cheesecake the girls brought.”

“I second that.” Amanda followed behind Everett with a couple of big plates of her own.

I turned my attention to the tall windows that practically covered one side of the family wall while gathering the empty plates. When I spotted something flash, like a flashlight flickering on and off, I kept my eyes there. When it did it again, I placed the plates back down and headed toward it. It sparkled from the outside. Being that it was dark, I knew for sure the yellow lights flashing were not my imagination. When I saw a dark, shadowy figure of a man that looked like my dad with a long trench coat, I ran toward it.

“Dad?” I questioned. When I couldn’t see a thing, I pressed my forehead on the glass and squinted my eyes to get a better view.

“Hey, Sky, I found the wishbone.” I thought that was what Mason said. He had no idea I was near the window. When he realized what was on the other side, Mason shouted my name in sheer panic. “Sky!”

“Sky!” Mason desperately called again. It was all that I heard before the crash of shattering glass. It came splintering down on me like rain, but before I could react, I was pulled through.

Everything happened so fast. I wasn’t sure who held me captive until I got a whiff of the most dreadful stench, like something had spoiled. Recalling how badly the vultures smelled, I knew I was clutched in one of their hands. As my body bounced from the vulture’s running steps, my arms and feet dangled. Being carried away face down, all I could see was the darkness. I imagined there was nothing but dirt and twigs beneath me from the sounds that surrounded me.

After a short pause, the group of vultures surrounding me took a sharp turn. I felt water splashing my face and soaking into my clothes as they ran through a low stream. I never knew there was one here since I hadn’t ventured to this side of the woods before. Then I heard a lot more splashes, indicating more vultures behind us.

My heart pounded and the intake of my breath was short. I tried to think of ways to escape, but from its strength and the speed with which it moved, there was no hope for me. Not only that, I felt sharp, excruciating pain throughout various parts of my body from the shards of glass that had cut through my clothes. While my body shook to the rhythm of the vulture’s pounding steps, the agonizing pain was too much to bear. However, seeing two glowing lights and lightning bolts flashing across space, gave me hope that it was Mason and Nick.

“It has Sky!” Mason shouted. “Don’t shoot her!”

“I know!” Nick yelled.

“It’s difficult to see.” I heard Everett’s voice, too.

“The one in the middle!”

Their voices were near, yet they seemed far away. Hearing grunts and loud screeching sounds from the dying vultures—and flashing lights from the Grand boys—made me believe I could be rescued soon, but maybe not soon enough. There were more obstacles for them to hurdle. Hearing the trees splitting and loud thumps as they fell to the ground, I could only imagine them having a difficult time getting to me. Not only that, there was another flash of light flaring toward them, and I wondered if it was from a friend or a foe.

I practically had a heart attack when Skylar was taken. My heart dropped so fast, it felt like it jumped out of my chest. It happened in the blink of an eye and I couldn’t save her. What was the point of being able to move with super speed when it was useless to protect her?

Nick followed right behind me, but Everett lagged behind. I knew he’d gone to grab the sword that was safely hidden inside the fireplace. It was difficult to spot the hideous creatures, but I could smell them.

When Everett finally caught up to us, Nick and I lit up like two bright flashlights. After that it was easy to spot the vultures, but in turn, they knew we were on their trail. The one in the middle held Sky. She dangled like a rag doll as he jumped over the broken trees that Nick and I knocked down with our lightning bolts. They were meant to knock him out, but it didn’t work.

There was no way we could have zapped the one holding Sky. There was a possibility that she, too, would feel the electricity and get fired up, and I couldn’t take the chance. I had to let my brothers know, just in case they didn’t see who held her captive.

Running as fast as we could, a speed at which only a god’s descendant could move, we zapped the vultures that surrounded Sky. Retaliating, these vultures knocked down trees and threw lightning at us to slow us down, but we hurdled over and under them. Suddenly, I saw a bright light flash across the space in front of us, which was not fired from the vultures. It seemed to have been meant for the vultures, but it worried me when some came straight at us. Confusion filled my mind. Who would be bold enough to shoot their rays at us? Unfortunately, it was too dark and I couldn’t see that far. My vision was limited to only see within the range my own light projected.

Going after the vultures was bad enough, but following them through the stream was even worse. Their heavy steps disturbed the sleep of the water, but it turned out to be a good thing; it would slow them down. After we crossed the stream, we slipped into another forest.

Suddenly, a group of the vultures jumped in front of us. Little did we know some of them had been hiding up on the branches waiting for us. Damn! I was so pissed. I needed to get to Sky. I also needed to control my anger. It only made the lightning worse, and there was a possibility that I could set this forest on fire if I wasn’t careful.

At first, it seemed as though the vultures didn’t know who to attack since there were three of us. These ugly creatures didn’t have much of a brain. I wasn’t going to stand there and wait for them to decide, so I made the first move. With both of my hands, I jumped and grabbed the first vulture’s shoulders and gave him a jolt of lightning. When Nick saw me in action, he did the same. The vultures convulsed like crazy, sizzled, and turned into ashes.

Apparently, these vultures didn’t have the same powers as us, so we had the upper hand. That was good for Everett. When a vulture went for him, Everett swung his sword for its legs. Instead of swinging all the way, he stopped and diverted his sword to its neck. The stupid vulture had no idea what was happening. It tried to grab Everett while black blood gushed out from its neck, but Everett got away safely.

Thinking we were in the clear, we dashed forward, but suddenly ad to halt when more came at us. This group was a bit more advanced. They, too, shot out lightning. This was going to be bad for Everett. It also meant that Sky would be out of my reach.

“Everett, stand behind us,” I ordered. I didn’t mean to sound forceful and demanding, but his life was at stake. The vultures could seriously hurt him with their bolts. As Nick and I stood side by side and fought back with our lights, Everett managed to stay behind us.

I could tell from the way they maneuvered and worked as a team that this group of vultures was smarter. Not only that, their lights moved like whips. Whack! Whack! Shit! One lashed across my shirt and burnt through it. Then I wondered if I could move my light like them. Before I could try, the five vultures joined their bolts into one, and it was coming straight for us.

“Shit!” Nick yelled, combining his light with mine. “Theirs is so much bigger and brighter. Can we take them?” Our light hit theirs, creating a massive spark, blinding our vision. The impact caused individual lights to shoot out.

“Hell, yes.”

Feeling like more distance was between Sky and me, I became desperate. I didn’t care if I burned down this forest. I was going to get to Sky…now. What I was about to do next would drain me, but it was the only thing I could think of.

Feeling blistering heat course through me, with one hand raised to the sky, I called upon the lightning. Thunder roared loudly as lightning lit up the dark sky. I directed it to the vultures, and to the light Nick and I were emanating.

“Ace in your face!” Nick shouted. Just as Nick said those words, the strength of our light expanded, and at the same time, the lightning impacted on the vultures.

“Get down!” I directed. Nick covered Everett, and I created a shield around us with my light. The vultures exploded, and the intensity of the lights the vultures and we created shot out everywhere. Seeing flames worried me. We’d cause a fire, but right now that was not my main concern. Being that we were free to go, we had to make up for the distance lost. We would take care of the fire later. Although I hated to admit it, it would have been convenient if Poseidon’s descendants were here.

Thunder boomed across the sky, followed by flashes of lightning. It brightened the dark just as long as the duration of the light. When there was no rain, I knew at that moment Mason had caused it. He must have been desperate to use so much power like that. When the smell of burnt wood filled my nose and smoke rose from the air, I got extremely worried. Did Mason cause a fire?

As the vulture that held me captive sidestepped around trees and bushes, the glass lodged in me kept shifting, causing excruciating pain with each movement. Unable to handle the pain, I managed to pull out a long piece of glass that penetrated through my upper arm. With it, I stabbed the vulture’s thigh. The vulture halted from pain, pulled out the piece, and kept on going.

The release of the glass caused the blood to seep out. I could feel the wetness as the liquid streamed down, most likely leaving a trail of my blood behind. With a pool of blood in the palm of my hand, I smeared it into the vulture’s cut, hoping it was enough to turn him into a statue.

Suddenly, it dropped to its knees and released its hold on me. I tumbled to the ground and tried to observe the scenario around me. Seeing lightning bolts from behind gave me a clear view of the icicle darts heading toward me from all different directions.

“Get down!” a voice said out loud.

Hearing the order, I curled myself inward while I watched the vulture—who had turned into stone—get blasted into tiny little pieces that should have splattered on me. When I felt something cold engulf me instead, I looked up to see a bubble of water shielding me.

It was the strangest feeling to be inside something that was created by water. It was hard and cold, like ice, but the shield quickly vanished, leaving me vulnerable again.

Vultures’ horrendous, screeching cries echoed around me, while flashing bolts and icicle spheres darted across my vision. It indicated that this was not over yet. Time seemed to stop as I watched with amazement and horror. Blinded by all of the bright, silver lights, I tried to stay away and keep safe since I had nothing to fight with.

“Sky.” Mason suddenly appeared beside me.

“Don’t touch me.” I panicked, showing the blood on the palm of my hand, then I scurried next to a tree. When I spoke, a cloudy mist puffed out of my mouth from the cold. I had thought my shivering was from being terrified for my friends. Now I knew it was the combination of that and the cold.

“Okay, but I need to help you.” Mason got down on his knees next to me.

“Watch out!” a voice shrieked from the distance and someone landed next to Mason. Nick had stepped on the icy path that had been created by one of Poseidon’s descendants.

“Where the hell did this come from?” Struggling to get up, Nick looked flabbergasted. I could understand why. It was the first time he’d fought alongside them.

“Is everyone okay?” Noah asked, out of breath. Tim stood next to him in much the same condition.

Everett finally let down his sword. “Noah, Tim…this is Nick, our other brother. You didn’t get a chance to meet the last time.”

“Hey.” Noah and Tim nodded in an accord.

“Sorry about that,” Noah said. “These vultures are clumsy on ice.”

“Give us a warning next time. And thanks for being here,” Nick said, rubbing his butt. “Did you guys happen to see the third flashing light near you? It wasn’t from either of us.”

“I don’t know,” Noah replied. “We just assumed it was from one of you.”

“Strange,” Everett mumbled.

“Don’t worry about the fire,” Tim murmured. “We already put it out.”

“Thanks,” Everett said. “I was just about to ask you to do that.”

Mason didn’t seem happy by their appearance. “Were you spying on us again?” His tone was not friendly. “How did you even know?”

“Because I told them to follow my daughter.” Victor stepped out of the shadows.

“Dad?” I whimpered. I was happy to see him yet at the same time I was furious.

“Mr. Rome…I mean, Victor,” Mason started to say with an agitated tone, “we had this under control. You don’t need to have Noah and Tim spying on us.”

“Think of it this way…they came just in time to put out the fire. That was dangerous, what you did. You could have gotten everyone killed. We can talk about it after we get Sky inside,” Victor stated. “And since she’s bleeding, I suggest you all stay away.” He turned to Mason. “Looks like you got some cuts yourself.” Kneeling down to me, my dad brushed the strands of my hair away from my face. “I’m going to pick you up. My blood is your blood. It doesn’t affect me.”

I nodded, since he was the only one that was not affected by my blood, and I had no other choice but to comply.

“I’ve already begun to heal,” I said to my dad, feeling like I had a hold of my body again. The cut on my arm had been extremely painful; that was the biggest gash compared to the rest of them, but it had already started to heal. There were many little ones all along my arms and legs. Although these were small, the shards from the glass were still lodged inside. It felt like pins were pricking all over my body, all at once.

With my dad’s speed, we were back in no time. Nick had asked Amanda to stay with Kayla since he’d knocked her out with his bolt. Kayla was in his bedroom sound asleep. I could imagine Amanda being upset about it since she couldn’t join the action.

“I need to shower,” I said weakly. “I also need to take some glass pieces out of me. Mason and I will be right back.” I don’t know why, but I glanced at my dad when I said this. My words implied that we were going to take a shower together. That was not what I meant, but for some reason, I wanted to make sure my dad knew that, too. A part of me was upset at myself for thinking that way. Why should I care what he thought anyway?

Mason closed his bedroom door behind him after we entered. “Are you okay?” He looked concerned. He lifted his hands to me, wanting to touch me, but placed them down instead. He knew not to touch me.

“I’m okay. I just need to remove some glass pieces from my body. I’ll be right back.” Wobbling, I headed to the dresser to pull out the clothes I needed, and then I proceeded to the bathroom. Closing the door behind me, I could tell how upset Mason was from the look in his eyes. I knew the reason…he couldn’t help me and it was frustrating him.

Pulling my sweater over my head was easy, but the jeans that’d stuck to my legs from blood, water, and dirt were not. Slowly peeling down my pants, I cringed when the pieces of sharp glass shifted. Feeling the cuts deepening, my jaw muscles tightened and I bit my bottom lip from crying out loud. I didn’t want Mason to hear how badly I was hurting. It would make his guilt even worse.

Releasing the deep breath I was holding, I managed to pull out the shards with my trembling hands and throw them into the trashcan. Seeing the blood seep out again made me nauseous, but I had to hold it together and get in the shower.

Under the hot water, I could already feel the aches disappear. After I shampooed and cleansed myself with soap, I felt even better. All of that blood had been washed away and my cuts disappeared, as if I’d never had them. Stepping out of the shower, I quickly got dressed and opened the door to see Mason changed and sitting on the bed, looking drained and lost. And for some strange reason, I could tell he had been thinking about his mom.

Every time Sky was in danger, my mind went back in time to when my mom died. Had I known I had these powers, I would have been able to save her. However, I was young and I didn’t believe Nick’s mom when she’d told us who I was. Now the past would always haunt me. I could clearly remember that day when I saw the vultures for the very first time.

There was a knock on the door. I was expecting some friends to come over, so I turned the knob without thinking. Just as I cracked the door open, it swung so fast that it knocked me to the table that was against the wall. I dropped to the floor and so did the vase, shattering into pieces around me.

It took seconds for me to gather myself from the hit. Seeing those hideous creatures for the first time, not knowing what they were, kept me frozen in place as my heart pounded out of my chest. They were humongous, with ripped muscles…or was it fat? I couldn’t tell. They must have been three times my size. As I rooted my eyes on the one coming toward me, I crawled backward as fast as I could, while dragging my butt on the floor. The other two ran upstairs.

“Mom,” I yelled, but I wasn’t sure if the word escaped my mouth. It took so much effort to breathe, let alone say something, but I had to get up. Mom was in danger.

When I heard her scream, my body jerked to alert. I picked up a shard of glass and somehow managed to get up. Hearing things being broken upstairs, I dashed as fast as I could. I didn’t know if it was my imagination or the adrenaline pumping through me, but I moved pretty fast, faster than I’d ever moved before. What the hell happened? I had no time to think about it. I needed to help my mom.

“Mason!”

“I’m coming, Mom. Just hang on!” Mom couldn’t hear the panic in my voice, but it was there. There was a knot in my stomach, telling me something bad was going to happen. Fear had taken over when I felt heat rush through my body, something I’d never felt before. It burned, flaming, making me feel hot through every inch of me, especially the tips of my fingers.

Knowing that I was being followed, I turned the corner to be out of its view. When its back was turned to me, I jumped on and cut across its neck. Pain ripped through my arm. From the force of using the glass, it had cut through the palm of my hand as well. Black liquid splurged down the creature’s body as it dropped to the floor. With not a moment to waste, I jumped over it and didn’t look back.

“Mom, I’m coming!”

There was no answer, and panic pierced my heart as I ran down the hall. I kicked my mom’s bedroom door open to see her in the arms of one of the creatures. It held her captive, covering her mouth so she couldn’t speak. The other hand wrapped its arm around her waist tightly. My mom’s eyes were wide and full of fear, and tears were streaming down the sides of her face. I wanted to take her away from this awful nightmare, but I couldn’t, because no matter how much I wanted this to be a dream, it wasn’t.

As I looked around for something…anything to fight these monsters, I saw nothing that was worth picking up. There was only the piece of paper that had the directions to Nick’s house and a telephone number. I didn’t know Mom had kept it. I’d seen her pick it up on her way to her bedroom when we first found out from Nick’s mom. I’d thought she would have thrown it away. Mom had asked Nick’s mom to leave our house, thinking she was crazy, but we were the crazy ones not to believe her.

Pictures frames, jewelry boxes, pillows, and whatever Mom could throw at them were on the carpet, scattered in the areas she had struggled for her life. As I wondered where the second one was, the creature that held my mom grunted and gestured with his head. From out of the darkness near the closet, the second one appeared. It seemed like the one holding my mom was the leader.

When the second one jumped in front of me, my reflexes took over. I dodged its swing and jabbed the glass into its chest. The creature growled in anger. Realizing that it had no effect on him, I tumbled over the bed to the other side, unplugged the cord, and threw a lamp at him. With perfect precision, the lamp hit the glass still lodged in its chest and pushed it in deeper. This time, the growl was ear-piercingly loud…so loud, that it was painful to hear.

I managed to weave around when the creature stumbled a few steps, but I wasn’t fast enough. Gripping my arm, it slammed me against the wall. I could hear my mom’s whimpering sounds when I landed, as she struggled to get loose. Out of breath, I used the bedpost as leverage to help me up.

I got up just in time to dodge a fist, which rammed into the bedpost instead of me. As it broke into splinters of wood, I picked up a piece and jabbed it into the creature’s side. This time, when the creature howled in anger and pain, it was so loud that I had to cover my ears. It was trying to find comfort from the wound, but it only kept running into the wall, and then finally through the window.

As I sucked some air into my lungs, I whipped my head around and saw the creature moving toward the door with my mom.

“Hey,” I raised my hands up to show that I was not a threat; whether it understood me or not, I wasn’t sure, but I had to try, “I’m not going to hurt you. Let my mom go and you can leave,” I said softly, in an unthreatening tone. Inching forward, I dragged my feet, trying not to make it obvious that I was moving.

“Mason. Go find Nick’s mom,” Mom said, when the creature released his hand from her mouth.

“No, I’m not leaving you,” I stated sternly. “I’m not going to let it hurt you.” I only said those words to keep us both calm, because at that moment, I needed to hold on to hope. Every fiber in me was telling me it was going to be the last time I saw my mom, and I would do anything to make my premonition wrong.

“Please, baby. Do as I say. Run, before it kills us both,” Mom pleaded in desperation. She knew this wouldn’t end well; I could tell from the look in her eyes. She had given up without trying. I became mad at her for that. If only I had super powers, or if I was stronger…anything to give me an advantage. And Nick’s mom’s words haunted my mind. Come with me. Let me show you what Nick can do. You might be like him. You have the same father. You just need guidance. Unfortunately, I hadn’t believed her. I thought she was crazy. It all sounded nuts. But now….

“No. You can’t make me leave. I won’t leave you.”

I gasped a sharp breath and stopped when it moved its hands to my mom’s neck. At that moment, I lost my breath. Not only that, blazing heat flushed through my body, making me uncomfortable. I felt like I was going to blow up at any second. Feeling frustrated by getting nowhere with this creature, I started moving closer.

What happened next tore my world apart and I was never the same after that. It was quick, yet it felt like it happened in slow motion. “No!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. I reached out my hand to stop the creature, but I was too late. It twisted my mom’s neck and dropped her to the floor, just before I collided with it.

Anger flushed through my veins like it had never done before. My body shuddered, flashing hot and cold. Tingling sensations throbbed in my hands at first, then quickly diminished. Then, light flashed out of my palms when it came in contact with the creature’s thick, scaly skin. The light looked like lightning bolts, but it didn’t blind my vision. It was faint and dim. It gave the creature a shock, but that was all. There was no major damage done. Too stunned by whatever was happening to me, I froze for a second…but that second was crucial.

The creature threw me off of him. When I landed next to my mom’s body, reality settled back in. “Mom,” I cried, reaching out to her and cradling her in my arms. Though I felt no pulse, I didn’t want to believe she was dead. Even knowing there was no chance she could have survived that attack, I didn’t want to face it. I had two choices: run or die.

After I made up my mind—promising Mom that I would come back for her, to give her a proper burial—my shaky, scared out-of-my-mind body managed to stand up. The creature growled with anger and gave me the glare of death as it came for me. Seeing my handprint on his chest confirmed what I’d done to him was real. Somehow, a lightning bolt shot out of my hands. It was a weak one, but it was something. Though it was unfathomable, I had to believe, because that was all I had left, and I needed to get out of there alive.

Recalling how I’d moved fast up the stairs, I knew that was what I needed to do now. Believing that I could do it again, I ran for my life. The creature was in shock as I passed by it in super speed mode. Just before I left, I grabbed the note from Nick’s mom, since that was where I was headed. Hopefully, I had a head start and the creature couldn’t follow me. Oddly, the cut on my hand had disappeared…that had never happened before. Apparently it had healed a while back when I stopped feeling the pain, but I was too distraught to even notice.

“Mason,” I called softly. I didn’t want to see him like this; it was not his fault, but I knew he would blame himself. If I could help it, I would lighten the mood for him. “Here I am. All good and ready.”

Mason stood up just as I reached him. Framing my face with his hands, he pulled me in for a long kiss. Then he unzipped my hooded sweater and checked for the wound on my arm. Since I was wearing a T-shirt underneath, he could clearly see that the wound had completely healed…even though he really didn’t know where the wounds were in the first place. Luckily, seeing the soft smoothness of my intact skin made his frown turn into something of a smile.

Zipping my sweater back up, he exhaled a sigh of relief. “It’s like it never happened! Good.”

“How about you? Are you okay?” I asked. The worried expression on his face finally vanished.

“I’m fine. I’ll take a shower later. Right now, we need to talk to our guests.”

“You’re right.” I was trying to avoid going downstairs, but I knew the faster I got this talk out of the way, the faster my dad would be out of the house.

When I headed downstairs, everyone was seated with a warm mug of some kind of drink, except for my dad. Amanda was talking to Noah, somewhat flirting through her body gestures. As soon as my dad spotted me, he stood up.

“How are you?” Victor asked, looking and sounding a bit nervous. “You look…you’re walking like nothing happened.” He seemed confused.

“I think you need to sit,” I suggested, sitting on the opposite side of him, next to Mason. “I’ll explain something that happened to me.” After I explained about the unfortunate accident with Remus, though I left out lots of gruesome parts of Remus attacking me, my dad could do nothing but nod his head in understanding.

“Can you do that?” I asked, gazing at my dad with a questioning look. “Drink blood and absorb their powers?”

“No,” my dad replied. “I can’t heal like everyone else does either. It’s amazing how quickly you can heal.” Then his eyes lit up. “Maybe you can drink the blood of one of them and gain their powers.”

“What? No! It doesn’t work like that,” I huffed angrily. “If I do, I’ll end up taking their life, too. I’m absorbing their energy.” I wasn’t sure if what I had said was true, but I didn’t want to take that chance.

“Then maybe you can drink the vulture’s blood and absorb their strength and speed.”

Everyone stopped moving; even the mug heading toward Noah’s lips stopped. It was dead silent as their eyes flicked back and forth, from my dad to me.

“I didn’t think of that.” I grimaced. Drinking blood was disgusting enough, but I didn’t know if I could stomach drinking blood from something so hideous and monstrous.

“It could be dangerous,” Mason intervened. “Yes, she will absorb their powers, but there is a possibility that she could take in something evil, too. We have no idea what we are doing. I don’t think it’s a good idea to experiment on her life like that.”

“Look what happened to her,” my dad spat. “She can’t defend herself. This is just the beginning. What if—?”

“You’re not thinking rationally.” Mason stood up. I could tell he was agitated by the sight of his fingertips flickering small bolts of electricity. “I understand you care for her safety, but so do I. This is not the way. I don’t approve.” Mason’s last sentence was strong and final.

My dad sized Mason up, standing with a challenging stare. “You don’t approve?” He raised his tone, surprising me that he had. “I don’t think I need your permission, young man. I’m her father. And I think we should try to make her stronger, just in case none of us are around to help her.”

Noah and Tim stood up, going to stand protectively by my dad’s side. They must have seen the sparks on Mason’s hand, too. That caused Everett, Amanda, and Nick to stand next to Mason.

I’d had enough. I didn’t like the way my father was talking to Mason, and I definitely didn’t like how he was becoming demanding about my life. If anything, it was my decision to make. Feeling my muscles tense from anger, I stood between them and glared into my dad’s eyes. “You don’t have the right to tell me what to do anymore. When you walked out the door, you walked out of my life. You can’t make me do anything.”

It was the first time I’d expressed how I felt to my dad, and it saddened me to talk to him like that. Not wanting to cry in front of him, I ran up the stairs and stopped at the top, behind the shadows where no one could see me. Folding my arms to my chest to hold myself together so I wouldn’t cry, I stepped out enough to listen.

There was a long stretch of silence until my dad spoke. “Sky is right, but there was a good reason for my actions.” There was a pause. “Perhaps you’re right. I just want to make sure she’s safe in case something happens to me. I sound like a broken record, but I’ve been protecting her from afar, afraid that I could hurt her. I just hope that someday she’ll forgive me. If you need me, you can call any one of us. Hopefully soon, when you’re all ready to trust me, you can visit my place and meet the rest of the group.”

Mason cleared his throat. “Sure. I think it would be a good idea to know who’s on our side. I’ll set up the meeting after Skylar and I have a talk. Don’t worry, Victor. My family and I can handle it on this end. If we can’t, we’ll let you know.”

“Thank you,” my dad said. “I’d better go now. I’ve upset Sky. I didn’t mean to.”

I retreated a couple of steps and hid in the dark shadows again. Tears—which I had no idea were pooling in my eyes—started streaming down my cheeks. I wanted to run to my dad and thank him for being there, for making sure I was safe, but I couldn’t. Pride, anger, and hurt got in the way. I needed time…time to forgive, time to heal, and time to forget.

Knowing Mason was on his way up to me, I headed back to his bedroom, attempting to stop the tears from falling.

I dove into my studies, wanting to escape. Pretending what I’d gone through hadn’t happened was a way for me to cope with it all. Mason wanted me to drop out for the semester until things were safe, but I didn’t want to. Not only would it look bad on my record, there was no way I was going to let the monsters ruin my life. Mason finally gave in, but under strict rules.

1. Can’t go out alone after dark.

2. Always have my cell phone with me.

3. Be around people.

4. No talking to boys.

I laughed at rule number four. His jealousy and concern about my safety was adorable.

“Hey Skylar,” Emily shouted from the living room.

I opened my bedroom door and peered down. “What is it, Emily?” Hearing Emily climb the stairs must mean something pretty serious, and I wondered if I had done something to offend her.

“Hey.” She smiled, standing in front of me, fidgeting with her hair. “I don’t know if I told you, but I’m in a sorority…well, I’m pledging. I wanted to have a party at our place. Something small, with few of my pledging sisters and some frat boys. Is that okay?” Her eyes were pleading.

“Sure. When?” I figured it would be on the weekend and I could go to Mason’s house to escape the noise.

“I know this is short notice, but….” She cringed a little from guilt. “Tonight. And you can come. I mean…you’re already here. It will be fun.”

Not that I was planning on joining them, but I didn’t want her to feel bad. I also guessed it would be good for me, since this was what normal college kids did. “Sure. That’s fine.”

Emily gave a sigh of relief, beaming a grateful smile. “Thanks, Skylar. You’re the best roommate anyone could have. If you’re not serious with Mason, I could introduce you to some cute frat boys.”

“I’m good,” I said. If the frat rumors were true, they just cared about getting inside girls’ panties.

Instead of closing my door, I kept it ajar. When my phone buzzed, I knew it was a text from Mason. I quickly headed to my desk, but when I looked at the screen, it was from someone else.

Hey Skylar. It’s me, Ian.

How did he…oh yeah, at the library, when he had punched in his number. Pretty sly. Gotta watch out for him.

Hello.

Do you need help with statistics?

I’m fine. Thank you for asking.

See you at the party.

What party? I thought for a moment, racking my brain. Recalling a party he’d invited me to, I was sure I had told him that I couldn’t make it.

I went out to get dinner and headed back home. The peaceful sky glistened with only a few stars tonight. Thank goodness the rain had settled down, but there was a heavy storm coming next week. At least that was what the news reporter had predicted. The parking lot was not far from the dorm, but I could already hear the bass pumping.

A part of me was excited. It would be my first college party. Yet, I couldn’t see Emily as a sorority type of girl…no, I took it back. Stereotypically speaking, she fit right in, at least for the Delta group. However, what did I know about sororities anyway? I would not judge since I liked my roommate…sometimes.

Taking a deep breath—since I didn’t know a single soul besides Emily—I walked in. The music vibrated loudly through the air. The bass boomed, and I felt as though the place thumped like a beating heart.

Observing the people around me, I saw that they took up every inch of our place. Being that our dorm wasn’t that big in the first place, Emily’s version of a small party seemed a lot larger. A group to the side was dancing, another was taking shots of drinks, and a few people were sitting on top of each other on the sofa, and on the stairs.

“Skylar,” Emily said loudly over the music, holding a red cup in her hand. Placing her hand on my back, she led me into the living room. “Everyone, this is Skylar, my roommate. Isn’t she the cutest?”

“Hey, Skylar,” I heard from the crowd around me.

Waving my hand shyly, I smiled at the group of girls standing adjacent to Emily. They must have been her closest friends.

“Want something to drink?” Emily asked.

I hadn’t noticed until now, but Emily was somewhat tipsy, and her breath stunk of alcohol. At least she was home, but where was Dex, her boyfriend?

“No, thank you. I’ll be back. I need to make a few phone calls,” I said, using that as an excuse to get away. This was not my type of crowd. Heading toward the stairs, I sensed all eyes on me, especially the guys, and it felt as though they were visually undressing me. A few even approached me, but I pointed my hand up. That was a mistake. One boy thought I meant for him to follow me and so he did, right behind me, groping me.

“Hey,” I snapped and turned, feeling irritated. “I’m not that type of girl. Get lost.”

Getting the message, the guy raised both of his hands.

Exhaling a heavy breath, I shook my head and closed the door behind me. I fumbled inside my purse to look for my cell phone so I could call my mom and Mason, but stopped when Ian’s familiar smell tingled my nose. Before I could even wonder why it’d invaded my space, there was a soft knock on the door.

“Come in.” I didn’t need to ask; I was almost certain who it was.

The door cracked opened. “Hey,” Ian greeted. “Why are you upstairs? Are you antisocial or something?”

“Something,” I snorted, and then paused. Why was he here? “When you texted ‘see you at the party,’ did you mean this party?”

Ian shut the door behind him with his feet while holding two red cups in his hands. “Which party did you think I meant? Actually, I’m at all the parties,” he chuckled. Pacing several steps toward me, he handed me a cup. “Here. I got this for you.”

I looked at the cup he’d offered. “Thanks, but I don’t drink alcohol.”

“It’s not alcohol, silly. It’s just punch.” He was staring at me with his charming grin.

It would be easy to let him down if he wasn’t so darn good-looking and amiable. Grabbing the cup out of his hand, I set it down on my desk. “Thanks.” I smiled. “Enjoy the party. I’ve got some studying to do.”

“Do you need help?” His tone was too playful.

“No, thanks.” I laughed lightly; I had to give him some credit for trying.

“Then how about a toast before I go.”

“A toast for what?”

He grinned. “To our new friendship. Hurry up before my arm falls off. I’m not asking you to sleep with me. It’s just punch. You do drink punch, don’t you?”

I grabbed the cup. If it would make him leave, I would do it. “Okay, here.”

“To us…our friendship. To new beginnings, to the future…and to potential.” He clanked my cup and gulped down his drink. Instead of doing the same, I smelled for anything unusual and took only a tiny sip.

“I took a sip. I’ll drink the rest later when I’m thirsty.” I placed it back down again.

“Okay, so how about one dance?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I think you know that I have a boyfriend.”

Taking a step toward me, his beautiful blue eyes reminding me of the ocean, gazed deeply into mine. “If I were your boyfriend, I would never let you out of my sight.”

That was totally a pick up line. A dangerous wave of some kind of unexplained energy jolted through me. I recalled feeling the same way at the bar, when he tried to pick me up. Now, for some reason, I shuddered from this feeling. He hadn’t done anything to make me feel this way, so where did this energy come from?

“I need to make a phone call. If you’ll excuse me,” I mumbled, frantically looking inside my purse again. Hoping he would get the clue, I turned away from him. Where was my phone!

“Sky.”

I heard my name and froze.

I slowly twisted my neck to the door. “Mason?” I murmured under my breath. My eyes shifted to Ian then to Mason, hoping he wouldn’t think that something was going on between us, especially when Mason had seen Ian at the bar. Maybe he wouldn’t remember him? It was dark after all. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait too long. With his head down, Ian walked right out the door without a word.

“It’s not what you think,” I said quickly. “He’s here for the party. He came up to see me. He’s in my statistics class.”

“Uh huh…I’m sure he was.” Mason furrowed his brows. “I’m not mad.” In one fluid motion, he stood in front of me, wrapping one hand around my waist and the other lacing through my hair. “Maybe just a little jealous, but I’m confident enough to know I make you blush…make you dream about me and think of me…make you feel things when I’m not around.” The mini electric jolts he was eliciting were making me tingle in all the right places, blissfully warming me up.

I was just about to say he was egotistical and arrogant, but I lost my train of thought due to his proximity and what he was doing. “You’re bad, Mason,” I said weakly, plopping on the bed to gather myself when he released me.

Mason hovered over me with his elbows steadying him. After brushing strands of my hair away from my face, he caressed my cheeks. “I promise you, when I know it’s time, when we’re both ready, I’ll be the naughtiest boyfriend in existence. You are beautiful, intelligent, kind, and irresistible. I know guys will chase you and ask you out. And yes, there will be times when I get jealous, but I didn’t come here to check up on you. You left your phone at Subway.”

“I’m so sorry, Mason.” I covered my eyes and guilt poured through the sound of my tone. It was no wonder I couldn’t find it in my purse. “I was looking for it. I guess I left it there after I texted Kayla back. You were worried and came right over. I feel so bad and irresponsible.”

Gently removing my hand from my face, Mason pulled me to his side. “It’s okay, Sky. I’m just glad you’re alright. But please make sure you have it with you at all times.”

“Okay,” I sighed.

“It’s loud here. Do you want to go back to my house?”

“No, it’ll be over soon. Besides, I have an early class tomorrow.”

“Statistics?”

“Yes. You remembered.”

“I remember everything about you, Echo.”

His words blissfully tugged at my heart.

“Don’t let any guys sit next to you in class.”

I didn’t know if he was being serious, but I brushed it off when he flashed an irresistible grin. “Possessive, aren’t we?”

“I can be,” he chuckled lightly. “Just be careful. Guys can be tricky, conniving, with one thing on their mind. Remember, I am one of this notorious species. And I’m the only one who gets to stare at you.”

I smiled while tracing my hand down his arm. “Don’t worry.”

“By the way, we’re meeting up with your dad this Saturday. I think it’ll be good for us to meet the others so we’ll know who we can trust.”

“Okay.” I let out a heavy sigh. It had been the first day I hadn’t thought about my dad. Sometimes it didn’t seem real that he was back in my life, not to mention what he was. Closing my eyes, I went to the place in my memory when I really did love my dad; the memory I refused to remember before, the memory that had hurt too much to think about after he left.

“Dad. Why do you call me Sky and not Skylar?” I was sitting on my dad’s lap. He felt strong, yet soft. He was reading a book to me when I suddenly asked the question out of the blue.

“Sky is a shorter name for Skylar.”

“Oh! I get it. You call me Sky because I’m short. And when I’m taller, you’ll call me Skylar, right?”

My dad chuckled, squeezing me tightly in his arms. “Mommy let me pick your name. I named you Skylar because the sky is beautiful. When I first looked at you when you were born, I thought you were the most beautiful, precious baby I had ever seen. I knew that was the perfect name for you.”

“Really, Daddy?”

“Hearts honor,” my dad said, placing his hand over his heart. “When I’m sad or when I’m having a bad day, all I have to do is think of you and Mommy. Then everything bad goes away. You are my heaven, my peace, and my hope. I’ll always protect you from the bad and evil in this world as long as I’m alive. And even when I die, I’ll still watch over you.”

“I don’t want you to die, Daddy.” There was panic in my tone. I rubbed my eyes to stop the tears from falling.

“I’m sorry, Sky.” He brushed my cheek and kissed me on the forehead. “Don’t worry. It will be a very long time before Daddy dies. You’ll be old and gray by then.”

“Okay, Daddy. I’m five now, so when I’m like one hundred years old?”

“Something like that.”

“Promise?”

“Seal the deal.” My dad placed out his thumb.

I thought this was one of the funniest things he’d ever asked me to do. So I took out my thumb and touched his. Peering up to my dad—the dad I admired, the dad I loved—I said with a giggle, “Seal the deal.”

How ironic this situation was. One of the bad and evil my dad was trying to protect me from, was himself.

My cell phone woke me up, as well as the sun peering through the blinds. It was going to be a beautiful day. Mason must have set the alarm for me. I didn’t remembering doing it. Feeling extremely parched, I went downstairs to get a drink in the kitchen. I was expecting to see a big mess, but everything was spic and span. Wow! I guessed there was a clean-up crew…maybe?

“Hey, Skylar,” Emily grumbled while she moaned. She was moving in slow motion, massaging her temples. “Ugh, I don’t feel well. I think I drank too much. Did you have fun at the party?”

My lips protruded, wanting to laugh, but I held it in. She had no recollection that I was in my room the whole time. “Yes. Your sorority sisters were really nice. They also did an amazing job cleaning this place up.”

“Yeah, we have a clean-up crew. I think I was part of it. I don’t remember.” Emily leaned against the wall, looking exhausted. Her hair was a mess and she still had on the clothes she’d worn yesterday. Not only that, I could tell she hadn’t washed off her makeup either. “Do you have Advil or something to help with this headache?”

“I do. Hold on.” I went inside the kitchen and brought back a couple of extra strength pills and the last bottle of water. Darn! Well, Emily needed the water more than I did. I can’t believe there was a full case last night, but now it was gone. “Here. We also need some water.”

Emily gulped it down. “Thanks. I’ll get some today after class. Thanks for being such a great roommate.”

My heart softened. Just a second ago, I was starting to get upset. “Sure.” Then I headed back to my room. The only thing left to drink was the punch Ian had given me. Holding the lukewarm cup in my hands, I contemplated whether to drink it, but I was so thirsty that my throat was aching and burning. Hoping it would soothe the pain, I drank most of it. It tasted nasty and left a bitter aftertaste, but it would tide me over. I had planned to go to the mini market on campus before I headed to class.

Grabbing my backpack and making sure I had my cell phone with me, I turned the knob and stopped. The room started to sway. My vision blurred in and out, my breath caught in my throat and I couldn’t breathe. Heaving, light and dark spots flashed and blended in my view multiple times as acid filled my stomach. Losing control of my muscles, I managed to open the door and drop to the floor.

I was drifting in and out of sleep, feeling like I was heavily sedated. Noticing something soft underneath me, I knew I wasn’t on the ground. I heard whispering voices and thought I was dreaming, especially since I couldn’t open my eyes. Either I was in and out of consciousness or I was delusional.

“Did you draw her blood?” I think that was what he asked, but I couldn’t tell for sure. It must have been the doctor or the nurse. “Take them to my office.”

I didn’t know how long I’d been out, but the pounding in my head was what woke me up first. The queasiness I’d felt earlier had eased somewhat, which was a good thing. Blinking my eyes until my vision cleared, I noted I was not in my bedroom. The window to my left was a clear indication. Feeling somewhat naked underneath the sheet, I peered downward. Yup…that confirmed it; this was not my bed, nor my covers. Glancing around, I realized I was in a hospital room. How did I get there?

The door swung opened. “Skylar.” With a sigh of relief, my mom rushed toward me and sat on the edge of the bed. “I was so worried about you. The doctor said everything would be fine.”

When my mom took my hand, I saw the tube that went straight up into an IV bag. Lowering my eyes, I saw a Band-Aid and assumed blood had been drawn from me. I panicked and my heart dropped. Would they find something inhuman in the testing results? I guess I’d find out soon.

“Do you know what happened?” My mom continued with her questions.

Desperately wanting to remember, I tried to trace my thoughts back from that day, but when my head felt like a hammer hitting the wall, I stopped trying. The only thing that came to my mind at that point was Mason. Knowing I had missed a text or a phone call from him, I was sure he would worry. “Mom, do you know where my cell phone is?”

My mom didn’t answer, but started speaking instead. “Your roommate, Emily, stopped by, and Sky…there’s a boy outside waiting for you. I didn’t let him in because I didn’t know who he was. He says his name is Ian.”

My heart had been steady, thinking my mom would tell me Mason was waiting outside, but then she said Ian’s name instead. However, I had no idea why it instantly thumped harder. “Ian?” What was he doing there?

“Do you want to see him? Is he your boyfriend?”

I shook my head. “No, just a friend. Can you let him in? I would like to talk to him in private.”

“Sure. I’ll go get him.” With one last caress to my hand, Mom headed toward the door.

“Mom?”

She turned, smiling. “Yes.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“To tell you the truth, I don’t know who called. I didn’t answer my phone. There was a message letting me know you were at the hospital so I came as soon as possible.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Hey,” Ian greeted. Wearing jeans, a blue sweater, and a baseball cap, he sauntered through the door. His face looked genuinely concerned.

“Hi,” I replied warily, feeling slightly nervous from his presence. “How did you know I was here?”

Ian pulled up a chair next to the bed. “You didn’t show up to class, so I swung by your place. Your roommate told me you’d passed out. She said you were at the hospital.”

“Oh.” I furrowed my brows in puzzlement. “Do you know why I passed out?”

He shifted his position, sitting tall, then slouched, appearing a bit nervous. “Sorry. I don’t know.”

“Thank you for your concern, but you really didn’t have to come.” I had no idea why he was there. In a way, I wished he wasn’t. We’d just met and he acted as though we were good friends.

“Well, I better let you get some rest.” He stood up and kissed my cheek. “I’m sure your boyfriend will be flying through the door real soon.”

Surprised by his actions, I didn’t know what to do or say. What was that kiss for? Glancing over his shoulder one last time, he winked and left. Mom walked in seconds later, gave me a hug, and told me she would be back after running some errands since I wouldn’t be discharged until later that evening. Though I protested, she insisted I return to her house and spend at least one night with her. Before my mom left, she gave me my cell phone.

As soon as she left the room, Mason charged in. “Sky.”

I flashed my eyes open to the face I knew so well. Hearing his voice was like sunshine after the rain. Suddenly, I felt better. Mason was a huge distraction. When he was around, I could focus only on him and easily forget the world around me.

“Mason.” My eyes watered with tears, but I didn’t understand why. Quickly, I tried to wipe them before he could see them, but it didn’t work. He wiped the remaining ones and took my hands into his, caressing them with his lips. I peered up, gazing into his eyes; they were deep, expressing a lot of trepidation.

“I’ve been so worried about you. Are you okay? What happened?”

There were many questions, but I couldn’t answer them. I remembered somehow managing to open the door, then blacking out. Thank goodness, I’d collapsed on the carpet in my room and not on the concrete on campus…that would have been embarrassing. “I don’t remember much. It happened early this morning. I got up and went to the kitchen. I gave Emily some medicine. I was thirsty, so I headed back to my room so I—”

Oh God! I drank the punch. That warm, leftover punch. Had Ian done something to the drink? Was that why he seemed uncomfortable, or was I reading him wrong? Surely, he didn’t. How could I be so stupid to take a drink from someone who was practically stranger? He came to visit me. Had he been guilty, he wouldn’t have come…he certainly wouldn’t be able to look me straight in the eye. Then again, why was he here? Wanting to investigate further before telling Mason, I decided to wait and confront Ian.

“Sky?” Mason brushed my cheeks.

His voice broke me out of my thoughts. “Don’t stare at me,” I said lightly.

“I wasn’t staring.” His lip curled up just enough to show me he was trying to hold in a laugh.

“Oh, yes you were.”

“Fine, you got me.” His tone became softer, and he laced his fingers through my hair. “When I want to see or feel a bit of heaven, all I have to do is watch you smile. It gives me peace. It’s the only calm I have in this crazy world. I’ll always stare at you, Sky.”

“Mason.” I gazed deeply into his eyes, melting into his sweet, loving words.

“I was worried when you didn’t text me back the second time.”

His words didn’t make sense. “What do you mean? I didn’t get the first text from you.” I lifted the phone from the bed and clicked on Mason’s messages.

8 a.m.

Good morning, sleepy goddess. Just checking in.

I’m wide awake. Miss you.

Always on my mind.

2 p.m.

How was your day, babe?

2:05 p.m.

Sky, you there?

2:10 p.m.

Sky, answer me or I’m coming over.

I worriedly peered up at Mason. My hands were trembling and my lips quivered; I was filled with anxiety and fear. I was having a difficult time uttering the words that seemed to be stuck in my throat. “I…I…don’t…remember texting you back this morning.”

“What do you mean, ‘you don’t remember’?” Mason appeared flustered. His brows pinched at the center. “You texted back, ‘I’m wide awake. I miss you’.”

I tried my best to play out the morning in my mind, but texting was not one of them. Maybe I did and I forgot? Sometimes, things that were done on a daily basis blended in with the daily routine so that they actually became a habit, something a person may not even be aware they were doing.

“It’s okay,” Mason said quickly when he noted the distressed expression forming on my face. “You’ve been through a lot and maybe your body is changing. We’re meeting your dad this Saturday. Maybe he can help us.” He paused, sighing deeply, with a look of guilt in his eyes. “I’m sorry, I don’t have answers for you. I wish I knew how to help you, but I have no clue. The only thing I can do is to protect you the best way I can. My family and I have been hiding since our mothers passed away. It’s time for us to venture out and get some answers. I promise, Sky, I will help you through this. I also think you should stay with me. Not for any other reasons but your safety…and of course, I want to spend every waking second with you.”

“My mom is going to pick me up. She doesn’t know about you yet, unless she read my texts. She wants me to spend at least one night with her. So how about I come the day after?”

Mason squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, then opened them while exhaling with an adorable frown. “Okay, but I’m texting you every hour, so you’d better have the phone right next to you.”

“Deal.” I smiled, placing out my thumb. “Seal the deal, Mace.” I had no idea why I had said that, except for the fact that I had done this with my dad when I was a little girl, so I was a bit shocked that the words came out of my mouth. I hadn’t said that since I was eight years old. Out of habit…maybe?

Mason let out a soft chuckle. “Did you just call me Mace? It sounds hot coming out of your mouth. I’ll seal the deal with my love shock.” Positioning his thumb near mine, small, illuminating sparks flew out from it. They looked like small, glowing branches, yet moved like long spider legs. Slowly, he moved it closer. It sizzled and crackled first, then it wrapped around my thumb. It was the coolest sight. Where our thumbs were touching glowed. The longer the light touched me, the warmer it got in that area. Then it continued to weave from my hand down to my arm, making it shimmer.

Watching in awe, I gave him the biggest smile I could. Suddenly, my body jerked and I dropped my hand. “Ouch.”

Mason captured it and rubbed the area. “Shit! I’m so sorry. Sometimes I can’t control it around you.”

I formed my lips into a wicked, sexy grin. “Sometimes, I don’t want you to.”

“Everything okay?” Nick asked when I walked into the house.

“Everything is fine,” I replied without going into too much detail. Kayla was at our house so that he could be close to us just in case, and they were sitting comfortably on the sofa.

“Did you see Sky today?” Kayla asked.

“I saw her this morning.” I was short and to the point…I didn’t want her to ask me a bunch of questions. She was very good at that. I didn’t know how much to tell, and I didn’t know what Sky wanted Kayla to know. Seeing Everett walking down the stairs, I waved my hand to greet him, happy for the distraction.

“Nick and I already checked up on the restaurants, so we’re free for the evening.”

“Thanks.”

Everett stared at me a bit longer than expected. “You want to talk?”

“No thanks.” My words unintentionally came out too fast and sharp. I’d been trying to make an effort to be more open, but seeing Sky so fragile and weak had thrown me off. “I mean…we can talk later.” My eyes quickly shifted to Kayla, indicating it was a topic she didn’t know about.

Everett nodded in understanding. “Want to go out to dinner with Amanda and me? She’s on her way here.”

“Sure.” I turned my attention to Nick. “You and Kayla coming with us?”

“Not today,” Nick cuddled Kayla in his arms and gave her a kiss. “I have to take Kayla home after dinner. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Mom, I’m feeling better.” I was sprawled out on the sofa with a light blanket covering me.

Sitting on the edge of the sofa, she placed her hand over my forehead. “Good, no fever.”

I quickly peeled her hand off me. All morning and through the afternoon, she’d fussed over me. Although I should be thankful I had a caring mom, enough was enough. “I fainted. It’s not like I had the flu.”

“Do you feel nauseous, dizzy, or sick to your stomach?”

Funny, that was exactly how I felt. How did she know? Then again, those were some of the symptoms people generally had when they were about to faint…I guessed. “No. I feel normal, like it never happened.”

“All right. I know you want to go back to school or the boy you’re dating, but I want you to stay for dinner. Steven is coming over, and it would be nice to sit down and have a family meal.”

“Okay.” I nodded. After all, they were getting married soon so I might as well start getting used to seeing him around more often. However, a part of me felt uneasy. Knowing that my real father was around and I couldn’t tell my mom, I felt torn. It was a promise I made to my dad, though I didn’t know why I had. What did he do to deserve this kind of loyalty from me anyway? My mother was the one who had protected me all this time.

“Hey, Mom, I meant to tell you about Mason. He’s the guy that I’m dating. Not the guy you met at the hospital.”

“I see. Do you want to invite him over for dinner, too?”

I was taken aback by my mom’s question. “No, not today. Maybe some other time?”

“What does Mason do?”

Having my cell phone next to me, since Mason texted every hour like he said he would, I scrolled down the photos and showed her a picture of him.

“My, he is quite handsome. Where did you meet him?”

Warmth rose to my cheeks. Every time I thought of Mason, my heart pumped faster with blissful beats. This was going to be difficult to explain.

“I met him when I went to visit Kayla. We kind of did the double date thing with his brother. He owns restaurants, but don’t worry, he’s not that old.”

“How old is he?”

This was a simple question, but I didn’t know for sure since I’d never asked, so I made it up. “He’s twenty-two.” Being that I was almost nineteen, Mason being twenty-two didn’t seem that bad. “Before you ask me any more questions, I want you to know that he already graduated from college, and because his parents had money, he was able to open up several restaurants.”

I didn’t want to explain about Mason’s parents. The topic eventually would come up, but it wasn’t going to be today.

“Wow, good-looking and successful. Looks like you caught yourself a great fish.”

I smiled to agree. Our conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“How’s school?” Steven asked, buttering the dinner roll on his plate.

Steven was bigger than my dad, with baby blue eyes and flawless skin. How old was he? Speaking of age, I had never asked Mom about Steven’s either. I could see why she had fallen for him, but the thought of them kissing or having sex grossed me out.

“School is great. Thank you,” I replied after swallowing a slice of chicken.

“Your mom tells me that you got a scholarship. That’s wonderful.”

“Yes, well, it’s not a big deal, but thank you.” I didn’t want to be asked any more questions about what classes I took, about my roommate, what I did when I wasn’t at school. He had asked so many that I felt like an open book, a Skylar Rome novel he just read about.

Mom set glasses of something red in front of Steven and me. “Here you go, hun. I just bought some berry blast organic juice.”

Seeing red made my stomach queasy again, but I knew it was just a reaction from what I suspected was the reason I’d fainted. Since this drink was from my mom, I knew it was completely safe.

After the dishes were cleared, we sat in the living room to talk. Again, Steven drilled me with more questions and I answered them to please my mom. But I couldn’t help myself. A part of me wished my dad was there instead, like it used to be.

Steven didn’t stay long. He had an early appointment at the hospital the next day. When my mom walked him to his car, I headed to my room. I wasn’t going to stick around to watch them make out.

After I spoke to Mason and Kayla on the phone, I started to feel that acidic burning feeling again. When the room started spinning, I dropped on my bed and closed my eyes, hoping it was just temporary. Hearing my mom walking back through the front door, I thought about calling for her. Unfortunately, I knew she had to work early in the morning, so I decided not to. All of the strength had drained out of me, and I couldn’t even utter a sound. My body and mind had succumbed to sleep.

Engulfed by the blistering flames, smoke filled the room. I couldn’t feel it, nor did I have a difficult time breathing like I should have. When I realized I was dreaming, I was at ease, somewhat, until I sensed a presence that felt hotter than the fire. It burned within me, as a voice echoed in my mind, “Tame the flame and it will all be yours.”

It was a male’s voice…one I didn’t recognize. His chilling, malicious tone created goose bumps all over my body. My heart pounded rapidly with fear. Looking around, I could only see the fire and nothing else. Then I heard an animalistic growl. “If you don’t, there will be consequences.”

The fire I could not feel a second ago suddenly became real. My whole body was searing from the blaze. I screamed as loud as I could, but no sound escaped my mouth. Scorching, wicked flames swept over my body, and there was nowhere to run.

I woke up, finding myself gasping for air. My chest rose and fell swiftly. Thank God, it was just a nightmare. Liquid trickled down my forehead and my shirt clung to my back from the wetness. Noting that I hadn’t changed out of the shirt I wore the night before, I recalled how I’d felt before I fell asleep. I looked at the digital clock on the nightstand, which read just past midnight. That explained why it was still dark in my room. Wiping the sweat off my forehead, I plopped back down and fell fast asleep again, having no control over my exhaustion.

I felt brand new when I woke up the next morning. The fever and all of the aches in my muscles had vanished overnight. After I stretched and yawned, I reached for my cell phone. Seeing that it was past nine in the morning, I knew Mom had gone to work. She was one of the managers at the local bank.

Wondering why I’d had the episode last night, I tried to recall the dream, but I was only able to hold on to little bits and pieces, and they didn’t make any sense. Hoping this was a twenty-four hour bug, I didn’t think much of it. Since I was better, I certainly didn’t want to tell my mom about it.

I was just about to make a call when the phone vibrated in my hand.

Good morning, Echo.

Good morning, Mace.

Love being called Mace by you.

Good! Mace, Mace, Mace!

Can’t wait to see you tonight.

Me too.

Friday date—the six of us.

Six of us?

Amanda, Everett, Nick and Kayla, you and me.

Got it.

Gotta go. Always on my mind.

I sat up in my bed. That’s when I saw a note from my mom.

Skylar,

Went to work. Call me if you need me.

Be aware of your body’s needs. If you get sick let me know.

Text you later.

Love,

Mom

After I got ready, I headed back to my dorm. I couldn’t wait to talk to Ian and get some answers, though, I didn’t want to sound accusatory when he was trying to be nice, either. The question would have to wait until after the weekend, since it was Friday.

Strobe lights flashed across the dance floor in waves, like the ocean. The sea of dancers filled the floor as their bodies moved to the rhythm of the bass pumping through them. And the excitement only continued to grow. The freedom of losing oneself in the moment with the music, expressing joy, lust, and need, only gave temporary escape from reality.

The dancers on the dance floor pressed against each other. They bumped, grinded, and swayed. With arms up in the air, their hips moved with and against each other. Sweat glistened against the flickering lights on their faces and exposed flesh. And the smell of alcohol, drugs, and perfume filled the air like a euphoric haze.

After dinner, the six of us decided to check out a new nightclub called Pure. As we swayed around the crowd of people, we found a table at the back.

“Perfect. Six chairs,” Amanda stated happily, pulling out a chair for herself.

“Good. You can count to six,” Nick joked, helping Kayla to her seat.

“Shut up before I make it one less.” Amanda raised her brows, challenging Nick. I had to laugh at the banter between them. Although at times they spoke like they couldn’t stand each other, when it came down to it, they would give up their lives for the other person. This I knew for a fact…I’d witnessed it many times before.

“Sit down,” Everett commanded to Amanda, looking annoyed, and nudged her to sit as everyone settled.

Amanda scowled and rolled her eyes. “I’m thirsty.”

Everett stood up and waved his hand. A waitress with a short shirt and skanky top headed toward us. After we ordered our round of drinks and some appetizers, we held a conversation as best we could over the loud music.

Later, the waitress placed our beverages down on the table. “They have great drinks.” Amanda stirred her drink with the straw.

“They all taste the same to me.” Everett shrugged his shoulders, tilting his beer bottle.

“Let’s dance.” Kayla pulled Nick’s arm. He took the last gulp and slammed the glass down on the table, laughing. “Hold on, baby. Come on you guys. Don’t be party poopers. We didn’t come here to sit and warm the seats.”

When Kayla tugged Nick to the dance floor, Mason effortlessly lifted me off the chair. “Come on, Echo. I want to see you dance like the last time. Make me notice you again.”

“Oh, God,” I mumbled through his shirt, recalling the last time we were at Starla. I was drowning into his hold and smell, and didn’t want to let go. My whole face blushed from the embarrassment of that night. When Everett and Amanda got up, I knew I had no choice. I didn’t know when it happened, but my sense of smell had finally settled, and though it was more heightened than before, it wasn’t as strong as compared to when it first happened. Thank God for that. This whole place would have reeked of body order.

“Don’t be shy, Echo. I love to see you move like that. It turns me on. I might even light up for you.” Mason led us right next to Nick and Kayla.

The six of us were on the dance floor, having the time of our lives…no worries or thoughts of who we were or what we were escaping from. Here, we were just normal people doing what normal people do.

My hands draped around Mason’s arms, while his wrapped around my waist. Staring into each other’s eyes, we swayed to the music, where only the two of us existed. I was thankful for him…for risking his life for me, for loving and caring for me the way he was. There were many unfaithful, selfish guys out there—I knew this through personal experience and from seeing what Kayla went through—but Mason and Nick were different, different from what we’d assumed from the start.

After we danced through several songs, smiling and staring lovingly into each other’s eyes, and sometimes exchanging stolen kisses, Mason broke away, frowning.

“What is it?” I asked, a hint of panic in my tone. He must have sensed an unfriendly presence.

“Stay right here with the group. I’ll be right back,” Mason said against my ear, then gave me a succulent kiss on my lips.

I gripped his shirt right before he could turn with speed I had never moved in before, but Mason didn’t have a clue what I had done. Shocked beyond words, thinking it was just my imagination, I brushed it off to ask Mason a question. “Where are you going?”

“Don’t worry, Echo. Stay right here. I’ll be back before you have a chance to miss me.” He kissed my knuckles and turned.

I stood in place, not believing what I had just done, while watching Mason get lost in the crowd. Shortly after, my gaze broke when a stranger bumped into me.

“Excuse me,” he said, almost tripping over me.

Suddenly, people started scattering when a group of men dashed through to the middle of the dance floor. These men were pushing and shoving people, apparently for no reason at all. I was also pushed and shoved by the people around me. Retreating quickly to avoid being stomped on, I was separated from the rest of the group and ended up on the other side of the crowd.

Separating from my friends was not generally a big deal, but when I saw the look on Mason’s face, it terrified me. I didn’t even have to guess what he was thinking. I could smell the strong, foul odor enveloping my senses, taking over my mind.

Before I could move a muscle, someone grabbed me. My gut feeling told me it was one of the vultures. It certainly smelled like one. However, when I had a clear look at him, he was in human form, and he wasn’t the only one. A group of them huddled around me, backing away.

At first, all I could do was stare in fright as my pulsed skyrocketed. The will to survive kicked in, alerting me to come out of my state of confusion and helplessness. It felt like a jolt of lightning, like the way I felt when Mason accidently shocked me. I didn’t know where this energy and strength came from, but it came in full force.

I yanked back my arm and pushed the stranger to get a tiny head start, even knowing my strength was no match for his. To my surprise, bolts of light zapped out of my fingertips just as I made contact with his chest. The stranger flew across the open space, knocking down the others standing near him.

That incident caused confusion and chaos. People scrambled madly, screaming, stumbling, and knocking over tables, chairs, bottles, and glasses. Stunned out of my mind, I stared at my hand as it radiated with warmth. I quickly got into defense mode when more came at me. I was moving with a speed I’d never thought possible, and jetted out electric bolts to those that tried to capture me once again. Not knowing if this power was temporary, I used it to my advantage and fought with every ounce of me. Suddenly, they stopped, creating distance between us.

“Sky, it’s me. I’ve got your back,” Mason said, slightly pressing his back against mine, flickering his light to warn those around us.

“Me too,” Nick said, standing beside Mason

“Me three.” Amanda stood beside me.

“I’m not counting.” Everett was behind Amanda.

When I sensed movement, I peered up. Seeing countless liquid droplets hovering above us, like raindrops frozen in place, was a clear indication that Poseidon’s descendants were somewhere in the room. It was a beautiful sight, yet deadly. I knew at any moment they could change their shapes into something sharp and lethal. I became uneasy, especially when they were right above us.

When I followed the line of the vultures’ vision, I saw liquids of various colors—the colors of whatever drinks had spilled on the floor—slithering toward us. Then they lifted, swirling continuously in a circular motion, and finally forming into a huge sphere.

“Why are they still in human form?” Nicked shouted, having both of his hands raised, ready to attack. “They’ve already scared all the humans away.”

“I have no idea,” Mason replied.

“Where’s Kayla?” I asked frantically. Bewildered by what I was able to do, I had forgotten about my cousin.

“She’s out. She’s underneath the bar,” Nick explained. “I had no choice. It was the safest place.”

I felt horrible. Many times before, Kayla had to be knocked out, but at least she was safe and that was all that mattered.

“What do we do?” Amanda asked. “We’re just standing here in ninja stance, having a staring contest.”

“Maybe they’re not vultures?” Everett added.

“They sure smell like them,” Nick sneered.

“Maybe they’re scared shitless. I would be too if I had those things pointing at me,” Nick commented.

“What do you want?” Mason asked the strangers in an authoritative tone, and asked another when there was no answer. “Who sent you?”

Without a word, they dashed out of there in the blink of an eye, leaving behind a breeze and odor that made me cringe. Just before they escaped, the icicle spears from the ceiling flew toward them. Howling, angry sounds indicated some were hit, but the remaining spears dropped to the floor, creating multiple small puddles.

“Sky, are you okay?” Mason whipped me to him, embracing me, but not tightly. Pulling away, he held up my hands. “How? You can move at the same speed as us?”

“You’re not scared of me, are you?” I joked, recalling Mason’s words when I first saw him work his powers. When he just stared in awe, I lost the humor and continued, “I don’t know.” I shook my head, releasing the heavy breath I was holding. When I saw Tim from the corner of my eye, I turned to him. Noah, and a few others I didn’t recognize, were standing before me.

“Everyone okay?” Noah nodded in greeting.

“When did you get here?” Mason asked, looking annoyed.

“We’ve been here long enough to know you needed our help. Where you go, we go.”

Mason arched his brow as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard, and rolled his eyes. “Oh, joy.”

“I know you’re not happy, but her father asked us to,” Noah retorted, and his usual calm tone became serious. “You have no idea what and whom you’re dealing with. You’ve been hiding, pretending to live like humans, but you haven’t seen anything yet. There is a whole different world out there. Things you’ve never seen or heard about. There is a war coming and we need to work together.”

Mason scowled and nodded, acknowledging his words, as if he had heard them for the hundredth time. “I know. Don’t remind me.”

“What the hell were they?” Nick asked, and then turned to me. “And what, how and…when?”

I understood his confusion. I was just as baffled as he was. “I don’t know.” It was all I could say as I flexed my fingers, examining them, feeling the heat diminish.

“Hey, guys,” Amanda intervened, looking up. “Did you forget? There are still some left. Do you think you can get rid of the pointy looking things? I don’t want one of those things to accidently fall on us. ”

“Oh, sorry.” Tim shrugged his shoulders apologetically. With a wave of the Poseidon’s descendant’s hand, the icicle-shaped objects formed into liquid round balls. They rolled to the corner of the room, then poured down like a soft waterfall.

“Look,” Noah started again, snapping everyone’s attention to him. “Those things you just witnessed are vultures, but they don’t need to change in form to have their powers. They are a new species. Someone is changing their DNA structures, and I’m afraid of what other things will evolve. We have no idea who is doing this or what their motives are, but until we find out, we need to stick together. So you get it now?”

Mason didn’t budge or blink. He just stood there while his eyes were focused on Noah’s, looking like he was either trying to soak in his words, or he’d just blanked out.

Nick draped his arms around Mason’s shoulder with a look of concern, but like always, Nick tried to lighten the mood. “My brother,” Nick lightly shook Mason, “he’s a little bit slow today, but I think he understands now. You and your friends are welcome to follow us any time. Right, bro?” When Mason didn’t answer, Nick smacked his back softly, just enough to snap him out of it. “Wake up.”

Mason jerked forward, then turned to give Nick an evil eye and a growl. “I got it. I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Sky.” Mason turned to me.

“What about Sky? You think of her all the time.” Nick chuckled. “You don’t have to think of her. She’s standing right in front of you. This isn’t a dream.”

Mason’s eyes met mine, but the way he looked at me was different this time. Not in the loving usual way, but as if he’d had an epiphany. “She’s evolving.”

The room grew deadly silent. It felt like Mason had dropped a bomb on us.

I hardly slept that night, thinking about Sky. When I rushed back from searching to find the smell that had caused me to go on alert, Sky was on the other side of the dance floor, looking scared, but also stunned. Next thing I knew, lightning bolts flashed out of her hands. For a second, I froze in place, amazed by her ability that I never thought would happen. Just as it had happened with me, her eyes lit up, but it was dim, indicating the intensity of her voltage was minimal.

Knowing every second mattered, I dashed to her and so did the rest of my family. It bothered me seeing Noah and Tim. I was sure we didn’t just happen to go to the same nightclub by chance. What troubled me most were the vultures. Being in human form was normal, but fighting in human form wasn’t. Some even had swords, and I had never seen vultures fight with swords. And to top that off, they just took off. Surely we did not intimidate them. Their mission was to capture or kill.

“Mason, you okay?” Everett asked, bringing me what looked like a cup of coffee and sitting across from me. Was I that readable?

“Thanks. I didn’t get much sleep last night.” I took a sip. The warmth soothed me, giving me a little bit of comfort. Unfortunately, it only lasted as it went down my throat.

“Thinking of Sky?”

“Yes.” I paused to take another sip. “I’m trying to figure out what’s happening to her.”

“I understand your frustration. The only answer I have for you is that you already know she’s different…special. Her body is changing, so maybe her powers were meant to grow and change with her. Does that even make sense?” Everett chuckled lightly, almost nervously.

“Yes.” I nodded to agree. If it made sense or not, I didn’t care. Nothing about it made sense…we didn’t make sense.

Everett cleared his throat lightly, as if he was either uncomfortable about what he wanted to tell me, or perhaps he worried how I would react to what he was about to say. “I want you to know that…I’m sorry I tried to kill Skylar. It’s just, I was so worried about our safety that I wasn’t thinking.”

I wanted bygones to be bygones. Whatever his reasons were, I understood them. And I also didn’t want to dwell on the past. He had tried to tell me he was sorry in his own way, by helping Sky through this. “It’s okay, Everett. You can stop saying you’re sorry. I get it. I understand why you did it. You could have walked away, but you didn’t. You’ve put your life on the line for Sky and this family time and time again. I appreciate that.”

A huge smile appeared on Everett’s face. “Okay, thanks.”

Approaching footsteps ended our conversation.

“Having a meeting without me?” Nick, who was heading down the stairs, asked.

“Just something we don’t want you to hear,” Everett joked.

Nick plopped right next to me, almost knocking the coffee out of the mug from the force of his strength. “Sorry.” He sat up straight.

“Do you want some?” Everett asked Nick.

“I’m good, thanks. So, were you talking about Sky, or is this a private meeting?” Nick asked, getting ready to get off the couch.

“You can stay.” I pushed him down. “I’m worried as usual.”

“That’s what I figured. I think it’s pretty cool what she did, but I could understand why you’re worried about why and how she’s changing. I think it’s great she can defend herself…just in case we’re not around.”

“True. Then there’s her father issue.”

“You don’t trust him?”

“I don’t know.”

“I don’t blame you, but maybe it will be different this time around,” Everett said, placing his feet on the coffee table and leaning back.

“I agree with Everett. As far as what I’ve seen, he’s been pretty helpful. He hasn’t tried to hurt her, has he?”

“No. Not that I’m aware of.”

“Either way, you know Nick and I are here for you. We’re also getting answers, which is a good thing. We need to find out more about our kind: embrace who we are, stick together, and do what we can to survive.”

“Wow, Everett,” Nick said. “You can be pretty deep when you want to be. Who knew this teddy bear could have such a huge heart?”

Everett shook his head while his lips twisted upward, trying hard not to smile or laugh.

It was great to have the three of us getting along; a big improvement compared to even a month ago. Nick and I always got along, but for some reason, I’d felt indifferent to Everett and Remus for as long as I could remember.

Death followed us, haunted us, even when we were asleep. I clearly remembered that night when Nick’s mom was found a couple of blocks from our home. They classified it as an unsolved crime, but we knew better. Somehow, one of the vultures had gotten to her. We tried to be careful. We always looked behind our backs, and were always aware of our surroundings. It was what she’d taught us, but what went wrong?

That was the day Nick and I stepped up to another level of friendship. We connected through pain, but for some reason, I couldn’t do that with Remus or Everett even though they had lost their mothers, too. Perhaps it was the fact that I knew Nick’s mom. Maybe I just didn’t like Everett’s bossy personality, and Remus was just the definition of “evil.” Everything that came out of his mouth was moody and foul. I only stuck around because I had nowhere to go and Nick wanted me to stay.

“Mason, it’s your turn to go to the market,” Everett said, pulling me from my thoughts. “Make sure to stay on budget.”

“What budget?” Remus sneered. “Make sure to get some steak. Nick’s mom left us lots of money. Don’t be a pussy. Spend it.”

Everett walked away, shaking his head and looking defeated. He always did when Remus spoke up like that. Either he didn’t care or he was scared that he would beat the crap out of him. Just before he was out of my sight, I hollered, “Don’t worry, Everett. I’ll stick to the budget you gave me.”

Remus didn’t like what I’d said. He poked my chest and glared at me in a threatening way. “You listen to me, you little shithead. I’m older than you. In fact, you’re the youngest of all of us, so you don’t get a voice, do you hear me?”

I was getting tired of Remus, the bully. He always needed to have the last word, and whatever he wanted, he got. Not today. I’d had enough of his shit. Anger shot through me. Feeling tingles from the tips of my fingers, I closed them and tried to calm down. He was bigger than I was, but I could seriously hurt him with my volts.

Nick had trained me to fire up my light on demand, as well as how to keep it under my control. I was getting better at it. Nick also told me that my powers were stronger, and there were things I could do that he couldn’t. I just had to experiment on my own. Maybe I should start with Remus. “I do hear you, and I also smell your breath. It stinks like one of the vultures.”

Obviously, Remus didn’t like my comment at all. His eyes grew wide in anger and bored into me with a look that said ‘Kill’. If steam could rise out of his head, it would have. When his shoulders tensed up, I could see the veins down his arms, caused by his fists closing tightly. He was planning to punch me.

I didn’t care if he did. I would give it right back. We had been living together for several months, and because I was new, I had kept my mouth shut. However, today would be different. I was just about to punch his sorry face when his body jerked to the side.

“I’ll come with you,” Nick said, appearing in front of me. He had purposely pushed Remus aside. Feeling a light grip on my arm, Nick led the way.

“Enough!” I heard Everett shout.

Startled by Everett’s loud voice, I looked over my shoulder, wondering why he felt the need to say that when I thought our fight had ended. Remus was holding a sword in his hand. Giving me the most cunning grin, Remus dropped the sword by his side. He was a psycho all right. He seriously needed an intervention. Apparently, his anger issue was going to get him in lots of trouble, not just for himself, but for us, too.

“Ignore him. Let’s go.” Nick started tugging me when I didn’t budge. Just before we left, Nick flashed a spark from his finger, purposely hitting Remus on the shoulder. It was a light dosage of shock.

“Shit. That hurt. You’re going to get it!” Remus yelled.

“Easy.” I heard Everett’s voice. I knew Everett would hold Remus back. Even though I didn’t really know him, he was the oldest. He would maintain peace in this household.

Nick and I shared a good laugh as we got in the car. Thank God, I had Nick around. He understood me. We had the same power. I knew I could trust him. He’d surely proved today that he had my back, and maybe…Everett did, too.

“Would you please stop pacing?” Amanda asked me. Her tone clearly indicated she was annoyed.

I couldn’t help my nervousness. We were meeting up with my dad again. The Grand brothers were waiting outside for his arrival while Amanda and I were waiting inside one of the private rooms in Mason’s restaurant. Not wanting to aggravate Amanda, I stopped. “Sorry, it’s just a bad habit.”

“I don’t think that’s your only habit.”

I crossed my arms. I’d had enough. I wasn’t going to take any crap from Amanda. “Excuse me?”

“Look at your hands.”

I did, and what I saw was unbelievable. Sparks were flickering faintly. I was astounded, glancing from one finger to the next. “I don’t understand why it’s doing this.”

Amanda kept her distance, but stood in front of me. After pulling out a chair for me, she tapped the seat. “Sit. Take deep breaths. You need to calm down. Since this is all new for you, you’re unable to control it. Just relax, make a fist, and think happy thoughts.”

When I did what Amanda suggested, I could feel myself calming down. The lights from my fingers became less apparent…until the door swung open. I jumped out of the seat. I could feel the energy within me intensifying. Embarrassed because the electricity was out of control, I stuck both of my hands in my pockets. Crap! My front pockets were glowing, so I quickly placed them behind my back instead. I was surprised to see not just my dad, but others I hadn’t met walk through the door.

“Sky.” My dad nodded to greet me.

I didn’t say a word. Instead, I flashed my eyes at him to confirm I heard him, but that was all. No greeting. No smile. I was too busy staring at the people besides Noah and Tim. My attention shifted when Mason came toward me for a kiss.

“Please, sit,” Mason instructed everyone, pulling out a chair for me. Mason’s hand on my back helped me to calm down. The light on my fingers disappeared. There were plenty of chairs, and this massive, round table accommodated twenty people.

“I sent the workers home,” Everett informed us. “I told them to take the rest of the day off with pay.”

“Good idea,” Amanda said.

Nick came in with a tray holding multiple glasses of water, and placed them on the table. “Just in case.”

Mason stared at him with a questioning look.

“What?” He shrugged his shoulders. “Noah and Tim are useless without water. I guess if worse comes to worse, they can use their saliva.” Nick raised a brow with a smirk, then winked to show he was fooling around.

“Watch what you say, Nick.” Noah’s tone was half threatening and half playful. “I might give you some of my saliva just to prove your theory.” The water rose high enough out of the cup to know he had caused it.

Mason cleared his throat, trying to break up their conversation before it got worse. “Don’t worry. This room is secure. I had it custom built in case the vultures decided to show up.”

I glanced around. What could Mason have done to it? It was like any ordinary private room, but it was grand, almost the size of a ballroom. Decorated with a few paintings, the main centerpiece was a dark wooden table, surrounded by several matching chairs. Behind Mason was a long wooden cabinet that showcased bottles of wine.

“Good.” My dad nodded in approval. “I’m going to start with the introduction of my trusted leaders, and then I’ll explain our theory. To my left is Colin. He is a descendant from Ares, the God of War.”

I noted Colin had blond hair and beautiful blue eyes, and looked like a warrior with broad shoulders and big muscles. Behind him, he wore a circular shield, a spear, and bow and arrows.

“Next to Colin is Aaron, a descendant of Apollo,” Victor continued. “Apollo was the God of the Sun.”

Aaron flicked his thumb up, imitating the way one would turn on a lighter, and a small fire lit on top of each fingertip. Victor cleared his throat harshly, disapproving of his actions. Instantly, Aaron closed his fingers with an apologetic grin, causing the flames to die.

“Anyway, next to Aaron is Sarah. Sarah is a descendant of Athena.”

Sarah gave a short smile of greeting. Behind her were a shield and a sword. Her hair was in a high ponytail, and the way she sat—seeming guarded—expressed that she was not to be messed with.

Victor shifted his view to his right. “You already know Noah and Tim. Next to Tim is Kevin. He is a descendant of Hephaestus. Hephaestus was a son of Zeus and Hera. If you know your Greek mythology, he was good at making weapons. Thank goodness, this skill was passed down through the generations.”

“Wasn’t Hephaestus somewhat distorted looking?” Amanda asked. “At least that wasn’t passed down.” She snorted.

“Actually….” Kevin waved his hand in front of his face and down his body, revealing a deformed figure. Half of his face had scars, and he had a crooked nose. His shoulders were hunched over like The Hunch Back of Notre Dame.

From the shock of Kevin’s new appearance, all eyes were wide. With one swipe of his hand, he changed back to his original form.

“There are many more from different descendants back home,” Victor said.

“You can meet the rest if we decide we can trust you,” Colin finished my dad’s sentence, but his tone was challenging. I could sense Mason tensing up. His fingers curled tightly into a ball on the hand that was resting on the table. I could feel his anger crawling up my skin.

“Trust us?” Mason huffed angrily. “How do we know we can trust you?” His eyes darted back at Colin.

I placed my hand on Mason’s lap and he looked at me. I could tell he was calming down from my simple touch when his facial expression relaxed.

“What Colin meant to say is that we were lucky to have found each other,” Victor intervened. “Many of the descendants have been on their own for quite a long time. Most of them have lost their families to the vultures. Now that we have the introductions out of the way, let’s talk about what’s happening to Sky.” He paused for a second to look at me. “Noah told me what you are now able to do.”

I cringed when all eyes went to me. I didn’t want my dad to know, but I couldn’t get mad at Noah for reporting back to him after the incident at the club.

“I didn’t do anything. I don’t understand.” I stared at the palms of my hands for a few seconds, but when my dad cleared his throat, I looked up to him.

“As you are already aware, the vultures you encountered can use their powers without needing to change into their hideous form,” my dad informed us. “This is not only bad for us, but for the human population as well. I don’t know what this evil being has in mind. All we know is that he is altering their DNA, but we don’t know how or what is causing their evolution, just like Skylar. Meanwhile, I suggest Skylar stays with us. We can protect—”

“No.” Mason cut in before he could finish his sentence. “There is no way in hell I’m letting Skylar out of my sight.”

“I’m her father,” Victor stated with conviction.

“The one who tried to harm her. The reason you had to leave,” Mason reminded.

“I’m different now.”

“Can you guarantee that?”

“It’s not up to you.”

“You can’t just walk into her life and start ordering her around. We’ve kept her safe to this point, and my family and I are more than capable.”

“You have no idea what you are up against.”

“And I don’t think you really do either.”

“Enough,” I said loudly, glaring back and forth from Mason to my dad. “Victor is right.” It was strange to call my dad by his name, but I refused to say the words “my dad” out loud. “We don’t know what we’re up against, but at the same time, I’m not going to stay with complete strangers.” Those words stung my heart sharply. I could tell they hurt my dad, too. He wasn’t a stranger. I should be able to trust him, but I doubted him. Feeling overwhelmed with mixed emotions I couldn’t control, I stood up and held on to the edge of the table for support. I could feel the warmth tingling in my arm as everyone’s eyes set on me again. Oh God…please don’t start now. Unfortunately, whatever it was had already been triggered; it was too late.

Something was happening. The sensation started from my stomach, spreading outward, through my veins, through my blood, through my muscles. I could feel the energy growing. It always seemed to happen when I was angry or upset. Taking deep breaths and trying to tame my emotions wasn’t working. Before I could blink, electricity zapped out of my fingertips, traveling along the edge of the table, making everyone back away. The whole table lit up with beautiful silver lights, as the volts covered the table.

Shocked and embarrassed by my display, I pulled my hand back. “I’m so sorry,” I said, my words muffled because I was holding my hand against my lips. With one quick look to Mason, I scrambled for the door. I needed air. I needed space. I needed to get out of there.

“Sky,” Mason called and started to follow me, but I ignored him. Just as I reached the door, it was suddenly thrust open. Shocked to see someone there, my reflexes were slow at responding. I had just barely turned around to escape when an arm was placed around my neck, while the older hand held a dagger in front of my chest. Everyone froze. There was dead silence at first, then the weapons were slowly drawn out.

I could see all eyes wide in surprise and ready to attack, only they couldn’t. The wretched smell confirmed a vulture had seized me, but again, it was in human form. And he was not alone.

“Trust us, huh? How did they find us?” Nick hollered angrily. His fingertips lit up.

“We didn’t do it,” Colin, shouted back, ready to shoot his arrow.

“What do you want?” Victor demanded.

“Don’t try anything. Stay back,” it said in a hoarse, raspy voice. The tone was deep and robotic.

I was horrified when I was forced to back away with him. The dagger was nicking, threatening on my neck, but they obviously knew better than to cut me.

“Sky, shock,” Mason yelled, zapping his bolts to the vulture that had entered.

I understood. I was trying to, but for some reason, my fingers wouldn’t light up. Why? Then I remembered. It only came when I was mad. I couldn’t think of anything that upset me at the moment…I was scared for everyone. Until…I broke my eyes away from Mason to my dad, then to the strangers I had just met. The strangers he called his children. He had been their father for the past ten years. Even with his explanation, I couldn’t help my jealousy, my anger at the situation, and not meaning to…I moved toward him.

Feeling the energy building within me, it tingled in the palms of my hands. Placing my hands where I could touch the vulture, light zapped out of them. The vulture convulsed.

When more vultures crashed through the door, I saw arrows, icicle spears, and lightning flashes across the room.

“Light ’em up, Aaron!” I heard Colin shout, and a blast of fire darted across the room like a torch.

Aaron used his power to scorch several of the vultures that came for them. The vultures yelped with a horrendous, piercingly painful cry. They flailed their arms and ran without any direction. When they slammed against the wall, the fire spread rapidly, scaling up the wall. The back wall was on fire within seconds.

It had happened so fast, and smoke quickly filled the room, but thankfully, Noah and Tim extinguished the fire. They used the water from the cups—expanding, creating more water—and put out the flame. It was magical to see the amount of water that grew from the several cups. Unfortunately, it made the floor wet.

“Run, Sky,” Mason yelled, reaching for me after he had turned behind him to push down a bottle of wine. The other remaining bottles of wine darted across the room, hitting the vultures around me. Suddenly, pockets of the floor slid open beneath our feet. Now I understood what Mason meant about how this room was specially built. I watched my dad and his people fall through. I even heard them cursing, most likely wanting to stay and fight…I assumed. At least I knew they were safe.

It was difficult to reach Mason when the vultures were shooting lightning bolts, too.

“Jump,” Nick ordered to Everett and Amanda. “Mason and I will hold them back.” Nick’s light sizzled a couple of them, but more came through the door. There seemed to be an endless number of them.

“Don’t worry about us, and don’t wait too long to close the floor. We’ll meet you at the end. We’re going now.” Everett grabbed Amanda and forced her to jump in with him.

“I’m not going in without you,” I said aloud to Mason, while shooting lights at the vulture coming toward me, but it was no use. The vulture’s light was stronger, blocking mine. It was strange to see this man, who looked absolutely nothing like a vulture, come at me with a growl and an expression of rage.

“Get in,” Mason yelled to Nick. “I’m closing the floor.” Mason leapt over chairs and the table that was split in half, while shooting and blocking the volts aimed at him. I felt his arms wrap around my waist as he drove us into the opening, but just before, he zapped his light on the fake wine bottle. The floor then sealed behind us.

Down and down we went, descending as if we were on a slide. I would have screamed for my life if I’d been alone, but being with Mason calmed me. And though I had no idea what awaited me, I knew I was safe. Mason continued to hold onto me until we landed with a thud.

The underground was lit with small electric lanterns, hung high above and spaced every few feet. The air was dry, filling my nose with the smell of soil. I suddenly shivered from the feel of the cold ground and the change in temperature. It was dim, but I could see my surroundings. The only sound I heard at the moment was a body falling down the slide. Somehow, whoever it was had made it through before the floor sealed. It happened so fast, we didn’t have time to react.

Suddenly…bam! Something landed on us.

With a loud, irritated groan from Mason, he yanked me up next to him, ready to zap the intruder.

“Don’t kill me. I’m one of you,” it said quickly, raising both hands in surrender. He was bent down on his knees with his head low. He was muscular with dark hair. Though he looked like any ordinary human, the stench of him surely indicated he was not.

What in the world? It was the craziest thing, except everything about my life was crazy anyway.

Mason gracefully slid one arm in front of me, pulling me behind him, a way of protecting me. How did he do that so fast without me knowing until after the fact? “Get up,” he ordered. “Why should we believe you? As far as I’m concerned, I’ve yet to meet a friendly vulture.”

“I know. Let me explain.” With his hands still up in the air, he stood up slowly, one leg at a time. He towered over Mason. “He calls me Adam.”

“Who is ‘he’?” Mason asked.

“Victor.”

“Victor? You mean my dad?” When I asked that question, I thought twice. Would Adam even know Victor was my dad?

“Yes. Your father.”

I was shocked and my expression mirrored Mason’s. Confusion filled my mind, wondering why on Earth my dad would associate with a vulture.

“Victor has a lot of explaining to do.” Mason didn’t look thrilled with the news. “I don’t care if you’re friends with Victor, but until I get some clear answers, you’re my prisoner. Now…walk.” He pointed. “Follow the light and don’t turn around. We’ll walk behind you. One funny move, I’ll ace your sorry ass.”

With a nod, Adam started walking.

“Wait. You don’t even know the way,” Mason said, as he waited for Adam to stop.

That’s when I noticed four tunnels. Suddenly, I got worried. What if my father and his people picked the wrong tunnel? Did they all lead to the same destination? “Mason, why are there four?”

“To confuse our enemies, of course.”

“Do they lead to the same place?”

“No. Only one way is correct. The others each lead to a dead end, but they won’t know that until they are miles in. That is how long the tunnels are.”

“Do you think my fa—” I started to say, but stopped. I couldn’t say it out loud. “I mean…Victor and his people picked the right one?” I didn’t know why I was worried. After all, I’d told myself I wasn’t going to care about him.

“Everett and Amanda slipped through the floor almost right after your father and his team. I’m pretty sure they went to the right tunnel together.”

“Which tunnel?” In my mind, I had picked the tunnel to the right, closest to the center.

“None of them,” Mason said.

“What?” My tone went up a notch, feeling baffled. Had I heard Mason’s words correctly?

“There is one tunnel, but you can’t see it because it’s behind the slide we just fell through. The intruders would never have the chance to survive down here, especially if they were lost. We did it to confuse them. Only the five of us knew.” Mason looked somewhat reserved when he said the last sentence, as if he didn’t want to say it, or accidently had said it. He knew how guilty I would feel hearing his name.

Five? I had forgotten about Remus. “Clever,” I said with the most upbeat tone.

“This way, Adam.” Mason pointed to the darkness.

Adam hesitantly dragged his feet through the pebbled ground. Once he passed some distance, as if the lantern was on sensor mode, the tunnel lit up.

“Where does this tunnel lead to?” I asked, walking side by side with Mason.

“To a house. It’s furnished as if a family lives there. We stayed there a couple of times before. We have houses in different cities, just in case. We call this place house number two.”

“I’m going to assume house number one is the one you’re living in now?”

“Yes. Hopefully, we never have to relocate to the other ones.” Mason lightly squeezed my hand. Our conversation stopped when Adam halted.

Following Mason’s order, Adam didn’t look back even when he came to a dead end. He just stood there, looking like a statue without saying a word.

“He listens,” Mason mumbled softly to me, then maneuvered cautiously around Adam. Lightly tapping the wall, he glanced at me. “We’ve only used this secret door once, and that was to make sure it worked. However, seeing that our friends are not here waiting, I’m going to assume they went through and closed the door.” Mason curled his lips into a small grin. “There it is.” After a glance to Adam, Mason pushed through with his shoulder.

What looked like a part of the tunnel wall, suddenly swung open, revealing it was a hidden door. Bright light blinded me at first, but I quickly covered my eyes, giving me time to adjust my vision. In front of me stood the same people I had been separated from. Then the weapons pointed at us. For a second, I thought they aimed at me, but soon realized they were directed at Adam. I had forgotten he was there.

“Duck! A vulture is behind you,” Nick shouted, swinging his arms in motion, preparing to shoot.

“Don’t shoot!” Victor ordered. “It’s Adam.”

“Victor.” Adam walked to him happily.

“What the hell?” Amanda’s eyes were wide and incredulous.

It was strange to see this incredibly big, dangerous looking male cozying up to my dad, almost like a child who wanted acceptance. The oddest thing was to see Victor’s group happy to see Adam as well, like they were longtime friends.

“How did you find us?” Victor asked Adam, peering up to him with a respect I hadn’t expected.

“They found out about your meeting. I don’t know how they knew. I followed them, but I came at the tail end. When I saw Skylar, I jumped to protect her, but the floor opened and I fell through.”

“He’s a spy?” Everett’s tone clearly indicated he was not happy with this news.

“Yes.” Colin took a step next to Adam, as if to protect him.

“How can you trust one of them?” Nick asked, sizing Adam up.

“Why don’t we take a seat? I prefer we talk cordially. I’ll answer all of your questions,” my dad suggested, walking to the sofa.

When the rest followed, I turned to Mason. He was closing the wall to the tunnel. It was built to look like a fireplace from this side, which I thought was a clever idea.

Mason placed his hand at the small of my back, guiding me into the large family room, and we settled on the sofa. The house reminded me of Mason’s home, but smaller. I noted there was only one staircase. The furniture was plain, and there was less of it.

Victor exhaled. “Adam is not one of the vultures. About a year ago, we went to a suspicious location to hunt the vultures. Little did we know, it was a trap and Adam was taken. The odd thing was that only his kind was taken. Adam is the descendant of Hephaestus. We had no way of knowing where they took them.”

Everyone seemed in awe of this newfound information as we sat and listened intently. And to think Mason had almost zapped Adam out of existence, which would have been beyond devastating.

“For months we searched,” my dad continued. “We feared their lives were taken. Then, one day, we came upon Adam. He looked lost and confused. We thought he was a vulture from his disfigured appearance, but he would not fight back. From that action alone, we knew he was different. We imprisoned him in our cell because we had no idea who or what he was. Slowly, his appearance started to change back to what he used to look like, back to his true form, but not completely. The only thing he could remember was that he was being drugged and held captive in the mountain. He didn’t even remember his name. We tried going to the location, but we couldn’t find a thing. No entrance, no cave…nothing.”

“Drugs?” Mason questioned.

“I don’t know what kind or if I can even call it that,” Adam said. “I remember having fevers. My body ached like I had the flu. I was weak and dizzy. After that, I recall being a bit stronger, bigger, and somehow, unexplainably different. I didn’t feel like myself.”

Blinking, I shivered from Adam’s words and recalled my recent similar experience. Surely it was just a coincidence. I wasn’t being drugged…yet, I couldn’t stop the eerie feeling that it was possible, especially when I was able to do things I could never do before.

Adam continued, “When I escaped, I tried to find the others, but they had turned to the darkness. I couldn’t tell them apart. Everything is a somewhat of a blur, but I recall a waterfall and a bridge.”

“Well, that doesn’t tell us much.” Nick threw up his hands in annoyance.

“I’m sorry. That’s all that I could remember.” Adam’s head was down, as if he was ashamed. “Being able to turn back means that the drug is temporary; however, if given enough, the change is irreversible. I can only imagine what my friends are going through.”

“Unless…we accidently killed one of them?” Mason mumbled under his breath.

All eyes flashed to his.

It seemed as though Mason’s words were spilled by accident from the shocked look on his face. “What I meant was…if the drug makes them look like a vulture, and they’re not aware of what they are doing, how do you know if you didn’t kill one of your people? They could have been there today.”

Not a word was spoken as they soaked in Mason’s words.

“You’re right,” Adam finally said, somberly. “Another thing I remember is that we were forced to make weapons, steal for blades, and iron for something. They’re getting ready for a war.”

“It’s okay, Adam. Thanks for going out this time, but no more. Since they’re capturing mostly Hephaestus descendants, you need to stay home.”

“But—”

“This is an order. No buts. Your and Kevin’s safety comes first.”

Victor patting Adam’s shoulder in comfort clearly showed how much he cared for him. It wasn’t just Adam. It was the way he proudly looked at Noah and Tim. For some reason, I felt a sting of jealousy, yet at the same time, admiration for my dad, who cared for them as if they were his children. Suddenly, a question I didn’t want to ever wonder about crept up. Was my dad just as proud of me?

“Then, the question remains....” Everett broke the silence. “Who is doing this and what do they want? It’s obvious they want Skylar, but why the Hephaestus descendants?”

“During an attack, how does the vulture even know who is from what descendant?” Mason asked. His arm around my waist tightened following Everett’s words. Mason constantly worried about me.

“I’m not sure,” Victor replied. “The only explanation is that they can see past the veil, their true form in nature. Kevin already showed you what he looks like.”

“The way I see it, we have only two choices. We either stay put and see what happens, or we go find them,” Nick suggested, shifting his weight and scooting to the edge of the sofa. His jaw and shoulder became tense.

“There are only three places that have both a waterfall and a bridge,” Noah informed. “We’ve already searched, but found nothing. I suggest we wait…try to apprehend one and make him take us to their location. The one we captured is useless. It can only growl.”

“You have one?” Amanda’s tone and curiosity shot up. “I’d like to see one close up. I mean, I already know what they look like, but I would like to study it.”

“Then you’ll have to visit our place,” Tim said. “You think Mason will let you?”

Amanda shot her eyes to Mason. “He doesn’t get to tell me what to do.”

Mason was calm. He didn’t say anything.

“It would be my pleasure if you visit our place,” my dad said. “Sky could see where I’ve been all these years. And I was also instructed by the Elders to bring Sky in. They are very anxious to meet her.”

I wouldn’t look at my dad. Instead, I waited to see what Mason would say.

“You have Elders?” Everett asked. He seemed in awe. Apparently my dad was not the main man to go to. There were others above him.

“Yes. They’ve been around for generations. They guide us in making decisions.”

“Sounds like a plan, so—” Mason started to say.

“We’ll be watching you,” Noah interrupted with a smirk.

Mason scowled. “Just don’t be staring through the window.”

I recalled wondering about the shadow that was in the room across from the bedroom I stayed at in Kayla’s house. When Mason found out it was Nick who was spying, he’d nearly punched him.

“Not this time,” Noah replied with a slight chuckle.

Though Mason tried not to show it, I saw his lips curl up from the corner. This gave me hope that the bickering between them might settle down, and Mason would welcome their help. I knew he would do it for me. “We still don’t have the answer to how they found us,” Mason said, raising a brow.

“It’s simple. We have a traitor among us.” Adam shrugged his shoulders.

Silence filled the air.

“I’ll be right back.” I brushed my lips against Sky’s ear with a light kiss, left the room, and came back with several sets of keys. Silence continued to fill the room as I observed everyone still seated. I tossed one set to Noah when he looked at me, and the other to Tim. “You can borrow my car. Make sure I get it back in one piece. Two cars should do it.”

“How many cars do you have?” Colin asked in astonishment, gathering his shield and weapon from the floor.

“Enough. That is all you have to know.” I was brief and to the point. It was none of their damn business anyway. I didn’t mean to sound rude, I was just furious at the fact that there was a traitor, and it sure wasn’t a member of my family.

With one last glance at the people I’d met, the people that were going to help me protect Sky, I couldn’t help wonder if any of them was a traitor. Even having Noah and Tim prove time and time again that they could be trusted, they were still under my radar. It was better to be safe than sorry. When it came to Sky’s safety, I had to do whatever I could to protect her, even if it meant making enemies.

“Thank you,” Victor said sincerely, standing up. “We appreciate the transportation. We have a long drive ahead. We’ll use your cars for now until we can retrieve ours from your restaurant.”

Victor mentioning the restaurant reminded me of all the damage I had to fix. Being attacked by the vultures had completely ruined the room. The vulture’s bolts had damaged the ceiling, the wall, the table and chairs, and fixtures. Not to mention the fire, thanks to Aaron. But I was fine with it. Material things could be replaced, but not lives.

“Text me to let me know when I can get them back…the sooner the better,” I stressed.

“Tomorrow. Remember, we’ll be around a lot.” There was a hint of gloating in Noah’s tone. He gestured his people off the sofa when he stood. Noah could be a prick at times. He thought he was funny, but it only irritated me. I also didn’t like the way he looked at Sky. I knew guys checked her out, being that she was so attractive and sweet, but one day I was going to lose it and punch his face.

I rolled my eyes, humoring him. “Great. I can’t wait to see you.”

“Awww…that’s so sweet.” Nick joined in, placing his arm around my shoulder. “You two finally realized how much you need each other.”

“Shut up, or else he’ll end up taking your spot,” I said lightly, shoving his arm off me.

“If you cheat on me, I’ll ace your ass.” Nick chuckled out loud.

“Not if I do it first. I’m faster than you.”

Before Nick could make a comeback, Victor stepped forward. “We should get going.” He seemed a little bit on edge. Knowing one of his men was a traitor must have been the reason for the worried expression on his face.

I led them to the garage and showed them my collection of cars. It was going to be the largest garage they’d ever seen, I was assuming. It was spacious enough to fit five cars, and then some.

“Mason,” Noah started, admiring his view of the black, heavily tinted SUV in front of him, “you’re going to be my best friend.”

Hell no! I led Sky to my black Porsche sedan. It was my newest purchase. “We’ll take this car.” I glanced at Noah. “You already have the keys to that car in your hand.” I turned my attention to Tim. “Wrong car.” Tim was admiring my Porsche 911. “Take the other SUV. I gave you the keys to that car. You’re going to need the space.”

“Cool,” Tim said, clicking on the remote in his hand.

Just before Victor got into Tim’s car, he gazed at Sky. It was the kind of look only a father would give to their daughter; one of compassion and love. He also appeared very worried. I could tell he wanted to say something, but he seemed to lack the words. I could understand the reason. Sky has made sure not to give him time to be alone with her, or the opportunity to allow him to say more than a few words to her. A part of me felt for him—he didn’t ask for this—but I was on Sky’s side. As far as I was concerned, he was a danger to her and I would make sure he stayed away from her until further notice.

After we said our good-byes, we went our separate ways.

“Damn,” Nick said out of the blue. “That was so…I can’t even think of the words.”

Sky jolted slightly forward when the back of her headrest shook. Nick had softly punched it from the back. I felt his frustration through that hit.

“Weird,” Amanda added. “I mean, we’ve heard stories, but I never even imagined us meeting the other descendants. Meeting the Poseidon descendants was cool, but it felt overwhelming to meet the others. This is so—”

“Unreal.” Everett finished her sentence with a sigh.

Sky looked at me as if she was waiting for me to say something, but I didn’t. I kept my eyes on the road. Surprisingly, I felt relaxed. With one hand on the steering wheel, I raked my hair back with the other, then turned to look at Skylar for a second. Little did she know I was waiting for her to say something, too. She had been quiet the whole ride.

There were no words exchanged when I slipped my hand in hers, but at that moment I could feel the fear she was trying to hide. It was the way she held my hand tightly that said it all.

Still holding my hand, she stared out of the window, into the darkness. She couldn’t see anything, but that was her way of coping. She didn’t want to think. She didn’t want this dreadful feeling that something terrible was going to happen. I knew all of this because I was doing and feeling the same.

“When did Victor say we’re meeting at his place?” Nick asked.

“Next Saturday,” I replied, focusing my eyes on the road ahead. It was a moonless, starless night. The eerie, dark clouds that loomed over us weren’t helping when I entered the highway. My body itched, feeling a thunderstorm coming our way. I could tell it was going to be a heavy one. For some odd reason, I found comfort in them, as if they were a part of me. As everyone seemed deep in thought, we drove for miles in silence while my mind drifted to another night we had been attacked by vultures. It was my second time.

“Who left the front door open?” Remus shouted angrily. “Was it you, Mason? Get your ass down here and shut it.”

“You don’t have to yell. I’m right here.” My tone was calm and nonchalant, knowing if I didn’t yell back, it would fire him up even more. He hated it when it seemed as though I didn’t give a crap.

“Why are you shouting, Remus? Shut the door yourself. You have hands.” Nick came out of the kitchen with a sandwich. “What if I did it? What you going to do about it?”

Remus’s cheeks turned red. I could have sworn his muscles grew double the size when he tightened his fist. “I’ll tell you what—”

His sentence broke when Everett hollered, “Vultures!” The loud sounds of windows smashing came from the living room.

Nick’s eye turned the color of silver and sparkled when lights flashed out of the palms of his hands. I wondered if mine did the same. Though I was scared out of my mind remembering how they looked and what they could do, I felt safer knowing I wasn’t alone. When we got to Everett, he was fighting with a sword. It was cool how he could work that thing. I had no clue how to even swing one.

Nick hopped over the sofa and rode on one of the vulture’s backs. He moved with such grace and speed. It was the first time I had seen him move like that. The vulture convulsed as light sparked out of Nick’s body, then the creature was on fire and suddenly turned into ashes. Meanwhile, Everett and Remus led the other two out of the house, through the wall they’d smashed to get inside. Seeing Remus with a sword confirmed that he was not a descendant of Zeus.

My trembling got worse when I caught sight of the vulture that was coming straight for me. I tried to remember what Nick had taught me. Take a deep breath. Welcome the energy within me. Curl in my fingers to make a tight fist to get the light pumping, then…BAM! There it was. Just before it had a chance to topple me, I managed to duck and jump on top. It stunk like hell, so it motivated me to kill the thing as fast as I could. With my hands in place, I gave it all I had. Feeling tingles run down my arm and all over my body, I knew it was working. And I felt electrified.

The vulture hollered from the pain, another indication I was using my light. When I concentrated harder and gave it more juice, it started to sizzle. I almost felt bad killing it, but it was going to be its life or mine, and it sure as hell wouldn’t be mine. When I dropped to the floor, I found myself surrounded by ashes. Its whole body had disintegrated under my light. Wow! So much power. When I looked up, they were staring at me.

“You did it, Mace.” Nick was excited for me. “Mace the Ace. You aced it extra crispy. Your first kill using your light.”

“At least he’s good for something,” Remus commented as he walked away.

“Good job,” Everett said. “Nick has trained you well. Now, we need to fix this wall.”

It was great to be back at my dorm and in a normal life setting, but one thing was on my mind…to find Ian. I could not wait to see him in statistics. I thought about calling him and asking him about what really happened that day I was admitted to the hospital, but I thought I’d bring it up casually.

I looked for him in the massive theater-like lecture room, but he was nowhere to be found. This really annoyed me. After class, I decided to head over to the library since that was the one place I had bumped into him before. I took out my lecture notes to study, but I couldn’t concentrate. My head popped up every time someone passed by. As hours passed, I was getting restless.

Shoving everything into my backpack again, I had decided to head back home when I spotted Mia. Damn, she was pretty. I could see the heads of both guys and girls turning as she walked by. She wore a tight mini skirt, a form fitting lavender sweater, and killer black high boots.

Mia gave me the most unwelcome look ever. Her brows lifted at the same time she rolled her eyes. I don’t know what I did for her to dislike me that much. When she looked away, I swung my backpack over my shoulder and pushed in the chair. I jerked, startled to see Mia standing in front of me, blocking my way.

“Hi,” she snapped. Her greeting was not friendly.

“What?” I asked in the same bitter tone.

“Have you seen Ian?”

“No.” I debated whether to tell her I was looking for him, too. “Don’t you have his number?”

“Of course, I do.”

Her arrogant tone and that stupid ‘I should have known better’ expression was the last straw for me. It added to the anger she had already incited. Oh God. I had to remain calm. I could feel the energy growing and I didn’t know if I could control it. All I could do was hope she would walk away, or at least stop giving me dirty looks and sizing me up. Unfortunately, it was too late. I had no idea where this confrontational side came from. Normally I would have just walked away, but not today.

I leaned into her, closing the space between us, and bore my eyes into her. “Then why don’t you call him? You think that would be a good plan instead of giving me your evil, ‘wish I could kill you’ looks? Huh? How about that?”

By now, people in the library were staring at us. Was my voice that loud and threatening? Oh crap! What had I done? Already feeling the heat brewing in the palms of my hands, I curled my fingers in. Mia’s eyes fell to my hands, her jaws dropped, and her eyes were wide and alert. I did not dare look at my hands; if I did, I would be confirming what she saw.

Dropping my eyes to the floor, as if I could hide what was happening, I stepped to the side to swerve around her, but she blocked me again. I peered up to see her arms crossed with an amused smirk on her face. “No. Wonder.” Her words were slow at coming, but I knew so much was meant by those two words.

I stuck my hands inside my pants pockets. “Excuse me?” I pierced my eyes to hers so she would understand the sincerity of what I was about to say. “I’d like for you to not get in my way. Got it?” If anything, my tone should have given her clear indication not to mess with me again, but she didn’t listen.

Mia leaned into me, her lips brushed against my ear. “I saw what you did Sky…lar. I’ll be watching you.” Her words rolled off her tongue, dripping with venom. Then she backed away, giving me a clear path.

I should have kept my mouth shut then everything would have been fine, but for some reason, I couldn’t let her have the last word. There was this hate-filled energy that came from within me, and I had no control over it. I couldn’t even fight it. What was wrong with me? I was not that type of a person.

Glaring at her, I offered a slow, mischievous smile. “It’s no wonder Ian can’t stand the sight of you.”

Her face cringed in disgust and her muscles tightened. Not only did her eyes fill with anger, I could have sworn her eyes sparkled like lightning, turning silver colored, then back to amber. Fascinated from what I’d just seen, I couldn’t move…I wondered if it was real or my imagination.

I didn’t have to wait long to snap out of it; the light above me started to flicker, faster by the second. Then with a ripple, the other lights started to do the same. Suddenly, a light popped, then the rest followed. Sparks started to fly from above. Within seconds, the whole ceiling was blowing up like fireworks. Everyone scrambled to get out, dodging the dangerous sparks. I heard the cries of those who were struck by them. Luckily, it didn’t start a fire.

I didn’t run like everyone else; I didn’t even budge. My eyes were set on Mia, letting her know that I was not afraid of her. This was not my doing. Even with this intense energy building inside of me, I knew it wasn’t me. Mia had done this. It confirmed she was one of us. What worried me most was that she would purposely do this, in front of humans. She didn’t care that she was hurting them. In fact, she wore a satisfied smirk. I wanted to slap it off her face.

“Don’t stand in my way,” I said with conviction, and left.

I angrily stormed into my place. Emily was not home, which was a good thing. One word from her, asking for my permission to have another party, and I would have snapped at her. She had been asking me a lot lately. The second time she held a party, I went to stay with Mason. It wasn’t a big deal, but she’d asked me via text. With a heavy sigh, I replied to let her know that I was okay with it, since I was planning on going to Mason’s place anyway.

As thoughts of Ian and Mia circulated through my mind, I angrily stormed up the stairs to my room. Though Ian seemed highly annoyed by Mia at the last encounter, they knew each other. Seeing Mia show off her powers clearly indicated she was a descendant of the gods. What about Ian?

I swung my door opened and drop my backpack against the wall. When I shifted my vision to my bed, I jolted in surprise. “What the hell?” I snapped angrily. “Who let you in?”

“Hello, Sky. I’m happy to see you, too. A little birdy told me you were looking for me.” Ian was sprawled across my bed. With his arms behind his head for support, he gave me a grin any other girl would find irresistible, but it wasn’t doing anything for me. If he thought he could charm his way into my bed, he was wrong. And this looked so bad. If Mason were to surprise me with a visit and find Ian here like this, I don’t know what he would do.

“Get off my bed.” I swatted him with my hand.

“Relax. What’s wrong with you?”

I gave him a cold stare. I couldn’t believe he would ask me that question. “What’s wrong with me? Are you serious?”

He put up his hands to surrender. “Okay…okay, I know. Your roommate let me in. I told her that I needed to talk to you. First of all, why were you looking for me?”

I leaned against my desk. “How did you even know that?”’

Ian sat up, looked down for a second, and popped his head back up. “I’m being serious now. No one told me, but I guessed you needed more questions answered about that morning you were taken to the hospital. I was going to call you, but I figured you didn’t need me. I’m sure your boyfriend took good care of you.”

“He did.” I pulled out my chair and sat. “So, what really happened?”

Ian sat on the edge of the bed, facing me. He told me the same thing he’d told me at the hospital, and I didn’t know if I believed him. Even though he looked like he was telling me the truth, I couldn’t tell for sure. I didn’t know him well enough to read his body gestures.

“I don’t know if you’re telling me the truth, but I have one question.” I was really hesitant to ask. I would be accusing him of something and I didn’t know how to ask it. But before I had the chance, he answered my question.

“No. I didn’t put anything in your punch. I would never do anything like that and frankly, I’m a little hurt that you would think I would be capable of being that low.”

His gaze into my eyes was stern and honest. It was hard not to believe him.

“It tasted like it did,” I said, challenging him.

“The punch was spiked. It was probably old by the time you drank it.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just that….” I changed the conversation. “How close are you with Mia?”

“Mia?” He stared at me in confusion.

How quickly guys forgot for their own convenience.

“The girl I met…no, you didn’t introduce me to her. She sort of walked in on our conversation at the library. The one you didn’t seem so happy to see.”

Ian raked his hair back and shifted his body a little on the bed. “Oh, that Mia. Why didn’t you say so? I know a lot of girls.”

I bet he did. “Well?”

Ian threw me a cocky smirk. “We dated before. That was a long time ago. She was too crazy for my taste.”

“I don’t like her.” I couldn’t believe I had blurted that out. I tried to fix what I had said, but it was too late.

“Are you jealous?”

“What? No. Get over yourself.”

Ian chuckled. “I don’t think I would like to be over myself, rather over someone else.” He raised his brows as if referring to me. When he saw the blank expression on my face and I hadn’t replied, he continued, letting out a soft, nervous laugh. “I was just joking.”

He was finding our conversation too amusing for my taste. I quickly diverted the attention since he’d made my cheeks warm from his stupid comment. “Is Mia always so…bitchy?” What I really wanted to figure out was if he was one of the descendants, without me coming off as crazy.

“To say the least. She can’t help it. She’s….” He paused. “Listen…try to stay away from her.” His eyes flickered, as if searching for just the right words to say. “She’s having a hard time dealing with our breakup, so she might take it out on you. Did she do something to you?” He seemed genuinely concerned.

I wanted to tell him—I was itching to get it out of me—but what could I say? “No. I ran into her. She gave me a dirty look.” Then a thought occurred. “Wait…she doesn’t think you and I are—”

“She sees you as a threat.” Ian stood up. As he took few steps toward me, his twinkling blue eyes were locked on mine. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t turn away. I was surprised to feel his hands lacing through my hair with each spoken word. “You’re beautiful…intelligent…and brave. What girl wouldn’t?”

Uncomfortable by his proximity, I craned my neck. His hands dropped. “I think you should go now,” I said, pretending what he’d just done never happened. But what did he know about me being brave?

Ian cleared his throat, possibly out of embarrassment. “Yeah, I should go. Want some punch?” He graced me with his wicked smirk.

I giggled lightly. That was all it took to break the awkwardness. If it wasn’t for the fact that I had a feeling he was hiding something from me, I would have brushed him off for good, especially after he pulled this stunt, appearing in my room without my permission. But my gut feeling told me not to. I had to play along.

“Anyway, mid-term exams are right around the corner. My friends and I are having a group study. Want to come along?”

I was going to turn him down, but decided to check out his friends. Perhaps I could get more information out of him.

“Will Mia be there?”

“If she comes, I’ll kick her out…if you want me to.”

“You both hang out with the same crowd?”

Ian was already by the door. “Sometimes.” He turned the knob, then turned to me. “See you around, Sky. Don’t look for me during class. I won’t be there. I’ll text you with our meeting time, but if you need a private tutor, you know where to find me.”

That coy grin he left me with was hot, I had to admit, but I was not interested.

Having nothing to eat at home, I headed out to the school cafeteria. The strange encounter I had with Mia, then with Ian, had screwed up my appetite. Although I was hungry, I didn’t know if I could eat. Constantly looking over my shoulder and sensing beings following me not only gave me the creeps, I was getting tired of it.

The smell of food overpowered me when I stepped into the dining hall. I had come after lunch hours so it wasn’t crowded. A group of guys entered behind me, giving me icy chills. I wondered if they were vultures, but knowing there were humans around, I thought I was safe…I hoped.

Ignoring them, I went to grab a tray. Not having much choice since lunch was almost over, the only thing left was spaghetti.

“Spaghetti with meat sauce,” I requested. “And a bottle of water, please.”

The girl looked at me with a stoic expression, longer than what would be normal. I began to wonder if I had something on my face. After I was served, I paid and looked for a place to sit.

I went to a corner table where I could see every inch of the room, and sat down to eat. My favorite part of the cafeteria was that the walls were glass instead of concrete. I could see the dark clouds and the sun peeping out, just to give warmth to the land. The sun shone where I sat, and for some reason, it gave me reassurance that everything was going to be all right. However, that feeling didn’t last very long.

As I ate my lunch, I glanced around. Group by group, people were leaving. Feeling sharp, spiky tingles crawling along my back worried me.

Thinking I was being paranoid, I took out my phone. Mason had texted me a minute ago. I’m fine, I texted, but I was hesitant to push the send button. As I was wavering on my decision, a warning bell kept ringing in my head. I observed more guys entering. They all had a similar build, and they all held the same serious expression. Their heads were twisting, their eyes searching, and they were determined to find whomever they were searching for.

I glanced down, trying not to make eye contact, but it was impossible when all I could hear were footsteps approaching faster. Sure enough, when I lifted my head, they were coming toward me. I sucked in my breath as panic struck me hard, realizing I had made a mistake by picking the corner of the room; now I only had one direction to run. But I couldn’t move; there were too many of them.

There was no doubt what they were when I saw lights flickering in the palms of their hands. What was I going to do now? The only thing that gave me hope was knowing Mason was on his way. It was a good thing I’d gone with my gut feeling and didn’t press the send button.

Already feeling the warmth inside me, my hands started to tingle. I could feel the heat…brewing, growing. The vultures were within reach, but they didn’t shoot. In fact, they halted as if they were frozen in place. Their hate-filled, killer eyes shifted, now focusing behind me. Whomever, or whatever was on the other side of the glass had made them stop, I was assuming.

I knew better than to look, but I was so curious that I couldn’t help myself. I quickly turned to see if I could spot anything paranormal, but there was no one. Of course, there was no one. What was I thinking? When I turned back to the vultures, they were gone. It had only been a split second, but that was all the time they needed to disappear.

With a heavy, relieved sigh, I sat down and observed the empty cafeteria. Even the workers were gone. Perhaps they went to the back room to clean up. Lunch hour was over, after all. Before I forgot, I sent Mason a message that I was fine. I was lying, though. My frenzied heart was finally slowing down, but it would take a while to become steady again.

There were many questions that ran through my mind. Why didn’t these vultures smell like the other ones? Who had sent them? Were they there to kill me or capture me? It happened in the middle of the day, in front of humans, though there weren’t many in the cafeteria, but the wall was glass. Either they were being careless, wanting to seize the opportunity when they saw me alone, or they didn’t care.

Sitting there, all I could do was stare at the half-eaten spaghetti as water pooled in my eyes. I didn’t want to cry, but I also didn’t realize how scared I was until it was over. When I saw a shadow looming over me, I snapped my head up in alert. My heart steadied quickly when I was rewarded with the smile I missed so much.

“Mason,” I cried. I got up so fast that my chair dropped to the floor. Wrapping every part of my body over his, I squeezed him tightly and let it all out.

I waited a few minutes for Sky to text me back. That was all I could handle. For some strange reason, I had a dreadful feeling and I couldn’t shake it. Without a second to lose, we were there. It didn’t take much convincing; Nick and Everett came with me.

Looking at the cell tracker, I knew exactly where she was located. When we got to campus, we had to slow down because of how fast we were walking. I knew we were almost there. When I turned the corner, I almost bumped into a body. Not just one, but several of them. Nick and Everett almost got knocked over, too.

“Sorry. Excuse me,” I said quickly without making eye contact.

“Watch it,” I heard Everett growl. That was when I glanced over.

They were exchanging dirty looks with each other.

“Let’s go,” I heard another voice say behind me, so I turned to see who it belonged to. Unfortunately, his back was toward me, walking away. It was Ian; there was no doubt in my mind. The guys that followed behind him had the same body structure and the same stoic look. Since they didn’t smell like vultures, I assumed they weren’t, but what was Ian doing hanging out with a group of guys that looked like gangsters? I had my suspicions of Ian, and seeing this only confirmed them.

“Let’s go,” I said to my brothers. Their eyes were still boring into the guys’ backs as they walked away.

“Something is not right with them,” Nick said, grimacing. “They don’t smell like vultures, yet they kind of look the same. Creepy, ugly humans.”

“Like they were bred or made,” Everett added.

“Can we discuss this later? I need to get to Sky.” With a nod, they followed.

After another turn around the structure, which was made of glass, I could see her. Her back was to me and she was fine. It looked like she was eating. Knowing Sky was safe, I released a heavy sigh and my heart reached a steadier beat.

“See? She’s fine.” Nick placed his arm around my shoulder, smiling.

“Yeah,” I said under my breath, but I couldn’t shake this dreadful feeling. It had gotten worse when I saw Ian and those guys.

“What are you going to do, stand here and stare at her all day?” Nick chuckled.

Little did he know that if I could, I would. I could watch her do nothing all day.

“We’re kind of doing that, you know,” Everett said. “The three of us. Standing here. Staring right at her. So I’m going to break this up. Mason, since you don’t need me, I’ll get going.”

“Yeah, me, too.” Nick patted my back, then smacked me harder to get my feet moving. “Looked like you needed a little push.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled sarcastically.

Nick let out a pleased chuckle. “Any time. What are brothers for, if not to annoy the heck out of each other?” Turning to Everett, he asked, “Want to race?”

That was the last thing he said. They disappeared before I could even blink. “No powers. No using powers in front of humans,” I heaved under my breath. It was nearly impossible for them to hear my comment, but I jerked when Nick slightly bumped into me.

“I know you thought I couldn’t hear what you said, but I was listening,” he whispered in my ear. After squeezing me tightly with an affectionate grunt, he was out of my sight again.

Shaking my head at Nick’s humor, I let out a light chuckle and entered the cafeteria. What I saw in front of me tore my heart into pieces. She looked so lost and scared. What could possibly have happened to make her this way? I felt like crap. What kind of boyfriend was I? I should have come sooner. At that moment, anger rose inside me and I wanted to punch the person that did this to her. However, I had to remain calm. I didn’t want to light up in front of humans, though it looked as though there was no one here. Strange.

As I approached her, my eyes were glued to her. She was so deep in thought that she didn’t hear my footsteps. Her eyes popped up in fright and stared at me. She must have thought I was someone to be afraid of. When she realized it was me, she gave me that smile I would die for. Then tears poured down her cheeks, those soft cheeks that never should be drenched with them.

Sky practically jumped on me, wrapping her arms around me tightly. I felt her pain, I felt her grief, like I had been hit by lightning, and I wanted to take it away if I could. Her body shook as she sobbed, and all I could do at that moment was hold her, to let her know that I was there for her.

Her tears seemed endless as she continued to cry. Finally when she was ready, she told me what happened. With each word, my anger grew, my muscles tensed, and I felt the light within me ready to burst. It was mostly out of my own guilt. I should have been here sooner, was the only thing that repeated in my mind. I felt sick to my stomach that she’d had to endure it by herself, even though nothing had happened to her. Again, I couldn’t shake the feeling I’d gotten when I ran into Ian. There was something not right with him and his group of friends.

A second ago, there was sun. Now, the dark clouds covered the sky. Lightning struck, and the thunder would boom next, but before it could even happen, Sky looked at me. She knew what was happening. She knew I was the cause of this drastic change in the weather.

“I’m okay.” She began to caress my cheeks with her delicate hands. Then she pressed her lips to mine.

Her kiss was all I needed. It was my state of calmness, my wholeness. It was what made the sun shine again. Not only did I feel the peace again, I felt the warm sun shining directly upon us. I knew everything was fine…for now. I didn’t care what anyone thought as I made out with my girl. All I cared was that Sky needed this…needed me. There was no doubt that I needed her. We completed each other.

Everything was back to normal, somewhat. The only difference was that Mason texted me more frequently than usual. I didn’t mind after what had happened in the cafeteria. He also told me to stay away from Ian, not because he was jealous, but because he suspected Ian might be up to no good. My choices were limited. Either I drop out for a semester, or I endure Mason’s texts. I agreed on his texts.

“Are you texting him again?” Mom asked from the kitchen, holding a spatula. “You are welcome to ask him over for dinner, you know. You two are acting like teenagers.”

I laughed a little. “I will next time. How about we invite him when Steven isn’t coming over? I would rather you meet him first.” I finished texting Mason to let him know I was fine, then I headed to the dining room to set the table.

“I’ll get the door,” Mom sang, practically running to the door when the bell chimed.

Now who was acting like the teenager? I turned my head when Steven entered, so I could give them a private moment.

“Skylar,” Steven greeted.

I went to shake his hand, but instead he embraced me. My arms were straight down, stiff as anything I could imagine. I guess I was mostly shocked. When he let go, his hand went to my mom’s back as she led the way to the kitchen.

Mom had made my favorite dinner—pot roast. Our dinner conversation was minimal. We mostly talked about the wedding and what Mom was planning. They wanted to have a private wedding ceremony and have a reception that included close family and friends. I was just happy that he didn’t ask me tons of questions this time around. Surprisingly, I laughed and actually enjoyed our conversation.

We were almost done with dinner when suddenly, my stomach churned and my vision started to shift. Acid rose up my throat, and I wanted to vomit. Feeling dizzy, I let my eyes close, but the need to collapse on the floor took over.

“Are you okay, Skylar?” I heard Steven’s voice. It sounded deep and slow at coming.

“Sky…Sky?” My mom held my cheeks with both of her hands, then placed one hand on my forehead.

I was sure the room was swaying and not me, but maybe I was wrong. I didn’t know. All I knew was that I was boiling hot and I had no control over my body. I parted my lips to speak, but not a sound escaped my mouth. Trying to focus on something to help this quietness, I shifted my eyes to the organic berry blast my mom poured for me, but that only made me wanted to throw up.

“Let’s take her to bed,” I heard Steven say.

Steven cradled me in his arms, this I knew for sure. But I couldn’t shake the strange feeling. I felt like my body was still sitting on the chair. It felt as though my mind and body disconnected. My body felt so light, like I could have easily flown away with the breeze.

Steven lay me down on my bed and covered me with a blanket. I shivered like crazy, feeling hot and cold at the same time. This was the third time this had happened. What was wrong with me? Keeping my eyes closed for fear that if I opened them the room would start to spin again, I listened to their conversation.

At first, I wondered if two strangers were with me, but that would have been impossible. It was difficult to follow when their voices sounded so strange, almost foreign. They sounded deep, and each word blended with the next. I couldn’t recognize their voices, but I knew which one was my mom’s by the sound of her concerned tone.

“Do we need to take her to the hospital? Should I call the ambulance?” my mom asked frantically, placing her cold hand over my forehead. The drastic temperature jolted me and made the shuddering worse.

“No. I’m here. I’ll get my medical bag from the car.”

“Okay. Just make my baby better, please.”

“I’ll be right back. Don’t worry, it’s probably the flu.”

Minutes passed.

Something cold was inserted in my mouth. Steven must have been taking my temperature. “She has a high fever, but nothing to be concerned about. I’ll give her a shot of antibiotics. It should help.”

“Thank goodness you came today.”

“It’s always handy to have a doctor in the family.”

Shot? No! But at this point, it didn’t matter what I wanted. I couldn’t move. The sharp sting in my upper arm was a sure sign he had given me an injection. A few seconds later, I felt another sting. I thought perhaps this one was less painful, but who knew? I was on the brink of sleep.

“Give her some time and let her rest. She’ll be good as new.”

“Thank you,” my mom said.

“Anything for you, my love.”

I could imagine him batting his eyes at her and giving her that grin she seemed to melt for. That was the last conversation I heard before I was knocked out.

My eyes slowly fluttered as I tried to recall the events of last night. After I had put the pieces together, the first thing that popped in my mind was Mason. I hadn’t returned his texts for who knew how long. He must be worried about me. Luckily, he knew where I was.

Sliding off my bed wasn’t too bad, but when I planted my feet on the ground, it reminded me how much my body had ached last night. Though it wasn’t as bad, it was still painful. My stiffened muscles made it difficult to move, but I was determined to get to the family room. My cell phone was there and I needed to call Mason.

Walking out of my room like an old lady, I heard voices in the kitchen. As I approached closer with each step, his sweet voice sang in my ear. Mom and Mason were having a nice conversation, both laughing at whatever they were talking about. That produced a smile on my face.

Mason couldn’t see me yet—I was still in the hallway—but I didn’t have to call out his name. He could see me walking toward him now. He gave me the hottest grin that sparked all sorts of tingles in me.

Sky was home with her mom. That was what my text read, and the tracker located her at home. Not that I didn’t believe her, but when I didn’t get a return text from her, I started to get anxious. It was unlike her not to reply. She knew how much I worried about her safety. When I waited as long as I could, I went to her mom’s place.

There was a Mercedes Benz parked on the driveway. I knew it didn’t belong to her mom. Recalling Sky mentioning Steven coming over for dinner, I assumed this car was his. Waiting in the car and having nothing to do, I observed the one-story structure. From the outside it appeared to be a decent size. There were rose bushes along the entrance to the door, and there were short bushes near a window.

Not wanting to disturb them, I waited and texted Sky again. I waited as long as my nerves could handle. My fingers were itching to text again and my body was ready to bolt inside when I finally got a text.

This is Skylar’s mom. Sky isn’t feeling well. I wanted you to know.

After the text I felt better, but I still worried. I headed home and planned to come back in the late morning.

Night turned to day in the blink of an eye. Not getting much sleep, I drove back to Sky’s. I wasn’t sure what I was about to do was the right thing, but when I still didn’t get a text from her, I knew it was bad. I had to see her. I had to know Sky was okay.

When I rang the doorbell, I was suddenly aware that I was going to meet Sky’s mom for the first time. Nervousness shot though me as I waited. Then it dawned on me that I should have brought flowers or something. Stupid idiot! I wasn’t thinking straight.

The door opened. “Yes, can I help you?” Then, before I could ask, she blinked her eyes to adjust to the sunlight and spoke again. “You must be Mason. I recognize your handsome face. I’m Gina, Skylar’s mom. It’s nice to finally meet you.” She shook my hand and stepped aside. “Come in.”

Sky talked about me to her mom rang in my head, and I couldn’t help the giddy feeling that trickled in my stomach. The first thing I noticed was the dark hardwood floor. The furniture was simple, yet nice. The kitchen area was open to the family room, which gave more of a spacious look. Glancing around, I spotted several picture frames and plants.

Gina looked young for her age. I could tell she took care of her body, too. I didn’t see much of Sky resembling her dad, but after meeting her mom, I knew where Sky got her beauty from…not that her dad was bad looking. They were even the same height. “I got your text,” I said, as I followed behind her. “Thank you for letting me know she was sick. I was worried.”

Gina halted and turned to me. “I thought that was so sweet of you. I’m afraid she’s still sick. I think she caught the flu. She’s sleeping right now. Why don’t we head to the kitchen? Have a seat at the table and I’ll make you some tea.”

I didn’t refuse, though I didn’t feel like having any. Wanting to stick around, hoping Sky would wake up soon, I agreed. I just wanted to be near her.

“Sky has told me many things about you. I feel like I already know you,” Gina said, pouring hot water into a mug, then dunking some kind of tea bag inside. “Here you go.” She set it in front of me.

Cupping the mug into the palm of my hands, I took in the warmth. Being so close to Sky and not be able to see or touch her was torture. I thought about using my super speed to take a look at her, then come back. I could’ve done it while she was making my tea. I guessed I could also use the excuse of needing to use the restroom. Being patient was not on the list of what I did best. Knowing I needed to be, I waited like a good human boyfriend as I continued the conversation and buttered up to Gina.

“I hope they were all good things.” I grinned and took a sip.

Gina sat across from me. “How long have you been dating again?”

Now I was stuck. Here comes the river of questions. I didn’t mind answering them, I just didn’t know what Sky had told her mom, and didn’t want our answers conflicting.

“Not that long. We started dating during the summer.”

Gina nodded her head. That was a good sign. “That’s right, Sky told me. She also told me your brother is dating Kayla.”

“My half-brother,” I said, not really knowing why I had to throw that in.

Gina nodded again with a smile and took a sip. “I’m glad Skylar has someone else looking after her besides me. She lost her dad at a young age. I’m sure she’s told you about him.”

“Yes, she did.” It was my turn to nod.

“Skylar also told me about the restaurants you own and that—” Gina started to say, but stopped. A sound distracted her, and I heard it, too. My body tilted sideways to my left and I saw a figure slowly approaching. Her hand was on the wall for support. It was my Sky.

My heart melted from the mere sight of her, and I probably had the dorkiest grin on my face. I hoped Gina wasn’t looking at me. I also wanted to say that she was welcome to come to my restaurant anytime and that dinner would be on me, but that thought vanished when Sky approached.

Without a word to Gina, I ran to Sky and wrapped her firmly in my arms.

“Mason.” Her tone was weak, but it was the sweetest sound to me. Seeing her well, though feeble, filled my heart with joy.

“I’m here, Echo. I’m right here.” Looking into her dull, sleepy eyes, I stroked her hair and took her presence in.

“Sky, you’re up.” Gina’s hand reached out to Sky, and then lowered, apparently confused about what she should do since I was already holding her.

“Let me take you to the sofa,” I said, guiding her there. Once I lay Sky in a comfortable position, her mom came back with a blanket and covered her.

“I’m feeling much better. I’m sure it was only the flu,” Sky said.

Gina sat on the other sofa. “I’m just glad Steven was here. He gave you a shot. I’m sure that helped.”

“I have to thank him when I see him.”

“Well….” Gina stood up. “I’ll leave you two alone. I’ll be in my bedroom if you need me.” With that, she left.

I planted myself on the edge of the sofa and caressed Sky’s cheeks as I spoke. “I was so worried about you, Echo. I knew you were fine when your mom texted me back to tell me you were sick, but I had to come see you.”

“My mom texted you?” Her tone went up a notch.

“She texted me back from your phone. It was probably because I was texting and calling every minute when you weren’t answering. I’m glad she did, or I would have broken down the door.”

Sky gave me a light giggle. “I’m glad you’re here.” She took my hand in hers and kissed the back of it, but I jerked back when I felt a jolt on the very same spot she’d kissed. Both our eyes grew wide.

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly, looking as shocked as I was. Regardless, I couldn’t help the short laugh that escaped me. Sky gave me a wicked hot smile and her tone was seductive. “I can’t help myself around you. Want to see how powerful my sparks can get? Kiss me.”

I had no time to reply. Sky pulled my lips to hers with the speed I had forgotten she had. At first it was a normal, steamy kiss. As always, it intensified and I wanted more, but knowing her mom was just a bedroom away, I tried to slow down.

Sky didn’t slow down. It fact, her kiss was driving me crazy. I wanted her right then and there, not a second later. She showed me what she meant by how powerful she could get. One by one, the light bulbs started popping like small fireworks. Sparks sizzled, lighting up the room. By then we had stopped kissing, but it was too late.

Gina came running. “What happened?”

How do you explain five light bulbs exploding like that?

Sky and I looked at each other, then we both turned to Gina and shrugged our shoulders.

“I think the bulbs are too old.” It was the lamest excuse I had, but she bought it.

“Are you both all right?”

“We’re fine. If you have extra light bulbs, I’ll be happy to help you change them,” I offered.

“Oh…thanks. I’ll go get them.” Gina was too busy examining the damage; she didn’t make eye contact when she spoke.

When she went to the garage, I turned my attention to Sky.

“I didn’t know that would happen,” she confessed. “I was just flirting. I didn’t know that would happen.” Sky looked concerned.

“It’s all right, Sky. I’ve done that before,” I reassured her, trying to comfort her. I thought it worked.

For the next couple of days, Mom went back to work while Mason took care of me. We watched television, played some card games, and even took naps. I also showed him my photo albums from my childhood. There were a couple of pages with my dad’s photos, but Mason didn’t say a word about them.

“My mom doesn’t know I have these,” I said. “As you can see from the pictures that are hung, none of them have my dad in them. My mom threw all of them away. It broke her. She didn’t want any memories of him, even on the walls.”

Mason shifted his weight on the bed and faced me. One leg was tucked under the other and one arm rested on the comforter. “I haven’t asked you this question because I wanted you to get over the shock, but how do you feel about your dad now?”

I looked to the side to gather my thoughts. This question was complicated because I had no answer. “I don’t know. I’m confused. I’m happy he’s alive, but….” I paused. I tried to find the appropriate words without sounding like a spoiled brat, without telling him I was upset that my dad paid more attention to other kids than to me. “He said he was protecting me from afar. Do I believe that’s true? I don’t know. He could have reached out to me, I guess. I feel like he didn’t love me all these years.” Then I felt anger rise in me. “He can’t just walk into my life after ten years and expect things to be the way they were.”

“I know. It’s okay to be angry and hurt. Just don’t let that cloud your judgment.” Mason rubbed his hand on my shoulder to calm me down, then changed the subject. He must have sensed my frustration. “What do you think your mom would do if she found out you have those photos of him?”

“She would have gone crazy if she knew back then, but I think she would be fine with it now. I was forbidden to speak about my dad when I was young. About a month ago when I mentioned him, she still didn’t want to talk about it, but at least her tone was normal. I think it’s because she has someone to love, and who loves her back.”

Mason took my hand in his. “Love can do that to you. Make you forget the pain and anger. It has the power to heal, to mend, to fix what was once broken, but first, you must accept it. I know this because of you, Sky. You broke down my wall with your love, and my love for you that I couldn’t deny any longer.”

His touch, his words, ignited warmth through my heart and spread to the rest of my body. I hadn’t realized how cold I was. I also didn’t realize how much I needed to hear that. “And for that,” Mason continued, sweeping my cheeks with his thumbs, “I thank you.”

Gazing into his loving eyes, I rewarded him with the biggest smile I could muster. And I was sure my eyes twinkled just like his.

“Are you hungry?” Mason asked, snapping me out of my daze. “Since you’re feeling better, guess who I invited for lunch?” Mason closed my album and placed it down.

“Who?” I asked, playfully narrowing my eyes at him while wondering what he had done.

Mason took out his cell, texted, and looked up at me. That expression told me he was up to something. Giving me a sideways glance, he twitched his brows playfully. How that expression could put tingles in every depth of me was beyond me.

“Go to the door and find out.”

“Surprise,” Kayla cheered.

“Kayla!” My tone was just as loud as hers. Being beyond happy to see her, I pulled her in for a long, tight hug. That hug meant a great deal to me. It gave me comfort. It gave me normalcy. Mason knew what I needed and I was grateful that he was so thoughtful.

“Don’t forget, I’m here, too.” Nick stuck out his lower lip. There was no doubt that he had a cute pout. After a warm hug from me, he looked over my head to Mason.

“Mason! Oh my God! I haven’t seen you in so long.” Nick was mimicking us in a playful way; he even sounded like a girl with that high-pitched voice.

Kayla and I glanced at each other, and busted out laughing. When we saw Nick trying to hug Mason, the way we had hugged, we laughed even harder.

“Shut up and get off me.” Mason chuckled, shoving Nick away. “That’s so wrong.”

Nick practically tackled Mason. They were huddled together when suddenly there was a flash of bright light. Nick’s body flew backward a few feet, landing hard on the ground. Luckily, Kayla’s back was turned. She didn’t see the light.

“Nick, stop playing around. You might break something,” Mason chuckled, hiding the fact that he’d just stunned his brother with his light.

“Nick,” Kayla squealed, running to him. “Are you hurt?”

Nick glared at Mason and started laughing. “I’m going to get you back for this. That was freakin’ uncalled for. I just wanted a hug.” Then he turned his attention to Kayla. Standing up, he pointed to his cheek. “I bumped my face. I think I need tender loving there.”

Kayla moved in for a kiss. “There,” she giggled.

“I bumped my arm,” Nick purred.

Kayla kissed it. “There. Better now?”

Nicked nodded and pointed to his lips. “I bumped here, too.”

Okay…I had seen enough and knew where this was going. Mason slid his arms around my waist. His chest felt warm and tight on my back when he squeezed me. “You are the only one I want a hug from.”

“Only me?”

Mason let out a small chuckle. “You’re sort of repeating my words again, Echo.”

“Hey, you want to eat or what?” Nick broke our conversation.

Mason released me. “Did you bring lunch like I asked?”

“It’s in the car.”

“What did you bring?”

“What you asked for.”

“Okay, then. It’s not going to walk itself to the front door. Let’s go get it.” Mason and Nick started to head out the door.

“We can set the table and get the drinks,” I said to Kayla. She followed behind me. Just before I heard the door slam, I heard Mason yelp, “Ouch. That freakin’ hurt.”

“Payback’s a bitch,” Nick laughed. It was cut short when I saw lights from the corners of my eyes.

Kayla was too busy chatting away. Her back was turned again so she missed the light show. Those boys. I shook my head, but I couldn’t control the smile on my face. It was good to see Mason being playful and laughing. It was good to see him relax. And it especially felt good to see the bond between the two brothers.

The Grand brothers, Amanda, and I walked behind my dad. Shuffling the sand beneath our feet, I gazed out at the vast ocean. The waves gently rippling gave me a serene feeling, but when I was reminded of how I’d almost drowned, it gave me cold, icy chills.

Amanda seemed annoyed. “Why did you bring us here? There is nothing here except the ocean.”

“Just a few more steps,” my dad answered, leading us to an area where the sand dipped low and the boulders piled up high. He was calm, in spite of Amanda’s sharp tone. She was not a patient one.

It was the strangest feeling; I still couldn’t get used to the fact that my dad was alive and that he was one of the descendants, too. I didn’t know why, but I had a hunch he wasn’t telling us the whole truth.

“A few more steps to what?” Amanda continued.

I didn’t blame her. I was thinking the same thing, but Amanda had a big mouth and I was more than happy to have her speak for the both of us.

Suddenly, my dad stopped. “The only way you can enter the other side is if someone inside allows it. Once you are allowed to enter, you will be able to see it from now on.” My dad turned away from us, stared into space, and started mumbling something.

“O–o–okay.” Nick furrowed his brows, dragging out the word. “What’s he doing?”

“How should I know? Maybe he’s meditating,” Mason snorted softly.

Nick did a double take of Mason and chuckled lightly. “You cracked a joke! Look at that, Sky actually broke down all of your walls.”

“Shut up.” Mason lightly shoved Nick.

Nick was so busy goofing off that he didn’t notice my dad was talking to someone, but there was no one there.

“What the hell?” Amanda looked flustered. “He’s completely lost it. I think we should go back. They say when you get older that you start talking to yourself. Maybe it’s true.”

Everett shook his head at Amanda’s comment.

I took several steps closer to my dad and tried to listen to what he was saying.

“You can trust them. Let us in.” He paused. “Yes, my daughter is with me.” He paused again. “I know what I’m doing.” Then he turned to us with a smile. “Welcome to the New Olympus.”

Suddenly, a dim light glowed, creating a tunnel of colorful waves that spread massively in its space. Magically, a new world slowly started to appear, as if it was being careful not to reveal itself all at once. And behold, there were my dad’s people, standing, waiting for us to enter.

I gasped at the number of people I saw; a number of descendants I would have never have imagined could exist. It was overwhelming at first, but it was also comforting to know there were many of us out there. I didn’t know what we would be up against, but at least I knew we had a chance at this war—the war Noah kept talking about.

Mason slid his arms around my waist, pulling me out of my trance. When we entered, people moved away like the parting of the Red Sea. Some were smiling at us, while others gawked in disbelief.

What I saw beyond the crowd was breathtaking. Valleys and hills surrounded the land. Soft waterfalls flowed down to a stream. Tall trees gave shelter, and the various multi-colored flowers made it look like we were at the center of a garden. Ahead of us was a huge castle that looked like an ice sculpture. It was majestic and grand; one that you would imagine seeing in a fairy tale. I felt like I had just stepped inside of a story.

“Look at this place. It’s so beautiful.” Amanda turned her head in every direction in wonder. “I don’t understand how this place exists.”

When the grand double doors swung opened, Noah, Tim, Aaron, Colin, and Sarah came toward us, all wearing smiles.

“Welcome,” Noah greeted. “Pretty neat place we got here, don’t you think?” After his eyes met ours, they went straight to Amanda’s.

“I couldn’t agree with you more.” Amanda curled her lips into a flirtatious smile.

Colin stepped into our line of vision, wearing his suit and armor. “We’ll show you the rest of the place.”

Walking further in, light penetrated the high crystal-like ceiling and the glass-like walls. It felt as if I was in the middle of a crystal ball. Furniture was simple and elegantly adorned the room, but there was little of it.

“Where does everyone else live?” Nick asked.

“We all live inside these walls,” my dad explained. “This place is large enough to accommodate a lot more than you can possibly imagine. With multiple layers, or floor levels, we make sure everyone is comfortable.” My dad paused, then turned to his people. “Why don’t you give them a tour? I have a meeting with the Elders. Let’s meet in an hour for dinner.” Dad turned to us. “There is someone very important I would like for you to meet.”

After we agreed, we went our separate ways.

“This is our indoor courtyard,” Sarah said.

“How long have you lived here?” Everett asked, admiring the trees bearing various fruits.

The courtyard was full of flowers and trees. In one corner was a fountain of Poseidon, another one was Zeus, and the third one, and the most surprising, was Hades.

“After we saved Victor from the sea creatures we call sea vultures, we lived in Maui for a couple of months,” Noah explained. “When Victor wanted to move closer to Sky, fate stepped in and we ran into Zara. She led us to this place, called New Olympus.”

“How did she…was this place already here? I mean….” Nick paused, unable to finish his question, raking his hair back. I knew exactly how he felt. Before Nick could continue, Noah answered as if he understood.

“Yes, New Olympus existed before we arrived. In fact, it was created before all of the gods vanished. You’ll meet Zara soon. I’ll let her explain.”

“Zara?” Amanda asked. “I’ve never heard that name before. Who is she?”

“We were quite surprised ourselves. We were told not to say a word, so you’ll have to wait to ask her questions when you meet her,” Tim said. “Let’s move on.”

Noah led us to the west wing. When he opened the door, I expected to see a room with furnishings. Instead, it was a grand chamber filled with various types of weapons—swords, axes, spears to name a few—hanging on the walls or leaning against them. It was amazing to see that many. Everett and Amanda were most excited. Their eyes beamed in delight, taking in the view of the weapons they could use for defense. I could understand their excitement since their powers were limited.

Some people were sparring with a partner, and others were testing the weapons. When they spotted us they stopped, but after a nod from Noah, they continued as if we weren’t there.

Off to the corner was a room that was darker in comparison to where we stood. Sparks of red and orange light flashed, catching my attention. Sounds of machinery and hammers echoed, spiking my curiosity.

Aaron pointed to the room. “Over there is where the descendants of Hephaestus make the weapons. They design and create various types. As you already know, Hephaestus was known for his craftsmanship. He was great at working with iron.”

Aaron peeked in and turned back to us. “You don’t want to go in there. There are a lot of sparks and it’s hot as hell.” Aaron peeked in again and gestured someone to come out.

“Hi.” Adam waved, looking shy, lighting a sheepish grin, but he wouldn’t make eye contact. It was adorable to see this big guy, who could crush a person with his bare hands, look so timid and humble.

“Hi,” we said back.

“I better go back to work. Bye.” Adam kept his eyes glued to the floor, and then he was out of our sight.

“Let’s continue our tour.” Colin led us out of the room. He was our guide now. We followed him into a long hallway. The walls and the floor were made from what appeared to be thick glass, somewhat clear, yet foggy at the same time. After we turned another corner, we came upon another room filled with books.

“This is our library, where you can find just about any book you want to read.” Colin beamed.

From the expression on his proud face, he seemed like a book lover. I understood why he looked the way he did. I was sure I was wearing the same excited expression on my face. Wall to wall, wooden bookcases were lined up from floor to ceiling. Not only was this room humongous, the old English sofas and tables made it appear elegant and antique. There was even a fireplace against the back wall, with a coffee table and sofa that matched the theme of the room.

Something about the smell of books heightened a spark of euphoria in me. It was the love of adventure, action, and romance that dwelled in each book, with each unique plot. I couldn’t help myself as a thrill shivered through me. “Wow! There are so many books, and it’s magical and beautiful in here.”

“You love to read?” Colin asked, looking surprised.

“Yes, I do.” I smiled, unable to take my eyes from this wondrous place.

“You’re welcome to borrow any books you like. We don’t have a librarian here. We borrow on the honor system.”

“Thanks.” My eyes shifted to the color paintings.

“I can spend hours in here,” Sarah added. “There’s no one in here right now. They were asked not to be here during your visit.”

“Okay, enough of this room,” Nick said, already heading out.

“Never mind Nick,” Amanda started to say. “Girls are the only things that occupy his mind. If he only knew the badass girl characters he could fall in love with, he would be reading all the time.”

Nick stopped suddenly, causing everyone behind him to halt. He turned to Amanda and said, “I’d rather fall in love with a real woman.” He turned to Colin. “No offense. To each his own.”

“Never mind my brother.” Mason pointed a finger at him as a small spark nicked Nick from the back.

Nick turned with a playful scowl. “My turn.”

Before Nick could do a thing, Everett slung his arms around him in a tight grip. “Don’t make a move.”

Just as we walked out the door, a short, quick light flashed. Everett yelped while sliding down the hall on his butt, and Nick’s laugh was way too contagious.

Colin led us outside. Walking on the pebbled path, the plush green grass covered the majority of the land. What I noted was how perfect the weather was. It was day, yet I couldn’t see the sun.

“Looking for the sun?” Colin asked, as if he knew what I was looking for.

“Yes.” I nodded. “Is it just me or ….”

“You’re not going crazy, if that’s what you’re thinking. In New Olympus, Zara shields us. She is our light.”

“Do you have night?” Mason was hesitant.

“Yes, we do. The thick shield hides us from the human world, and in order to do so, it also blocks us from the sun. Unfortunately, we can’t see the stars. We are here, yet we’re not. We’re in limbo, a world within a world. However, we’re safe, and that’s all that matters.”

After Colin spoke, my attention shifted to the stream. Though there was no sun, the water shimmered and glistened as if there were diamonds underneath. When I saw water rising from the stream, I knew one of the Poseidon’s descendants was manipulating it. Noah was standing under the tree near the stream with Amanda. The water flowed in his direction, circled, then formed into a rose. It looked so real. I could see the layers of the petals and a long stem, too. It was liquid, but solid looking.

Amanda produced the biggest, heartfelt smile, gushing over what was presented in front of her. She reached out reluctantly, wanting to touch it, then pulled her hand back down. It was a sweet, tender moment, and for the first time, I saw a part of Amanda’s wall come down. It was a moment she could forget her parents were dead, a moment she could forget the vultures were after her, a moment she could be just a normal girl with a crush.

“Isn’t that sweet?” Nick said, half mockingly. His eyes were beaming with a mischievous plan and his fingers flickered, indicating he was up to no good.

Mason nudged him. “Don’t. Let her have this moment. She needs to feel loved. Love can be a powerful remedy.” Mason’s fingers intertwined with mine. “Love can destroy and love can heal. It’s what you decide to do with it that determines the path.”

Noah and Amanda had no idea that we were watching them. I wondered if that was the kind of look Mason and I gave to each other. When Amanda finally reached for the rose, it turned into a heart. Watching her giggle and smile gave me a sense of warmth. There was something about the feeling of love that made everyone feel warm inside, whether you were the receiver or the giver or even the observer.

“Anyway,” Colin said, “we should get going if we want to be on time for dinner.” Aaron turned to Noah and shouted, “Hey, lover boy, stop showing off.”

The solid heart shape liquefied and dropped with a gush of water. Noah and Amanda jumped back, laughing, to keep from getting wet. “Thanks,” Noah scoffed. “And stay out of my business.”

Aaron opened a double door that was big enough for a giant. Upon entering, I spotted my dad first, then two elderly men and two elderly women. They looked to be somewhat older than my father. The room contained nothing but a large round table and chairs; no paintings or other furniture. When my dad saw me, he stood up with a smile.

“These are the children I was talking about. The one in the middle is my daughter, Sky.” My dad looked so proud when he said my name. “Everyone sitting before you are the Elders. They are Zara’s advisors.”

Where was Zara?

“Please, have a seat,” my dad said, gesturing with open arms.

The round table was large enough to accommodate all of us. Just as we all settled in our seats, I looked up when I saw something white appear in my line of vision. A lady in a long, white gown approached us, seemingly gliding across the floor instead of walking. Her long, red, wavy hair reminded me of Alena, causing my heart to skip a beat for a second, but I knew there was no connection there. She was strikingly beautiful with emerald green eyes. I couldn’t keep myself from staring at her.

When the Elders and my dad stood up, we all did the same. At that moment, I knew without a doubt that this lady was Zara.

“Please, have a seat.” Her voice was as sweet and warm as a summer’s breeze. There was something about it that was soothing and sensual at the same time. The chair moved when she pointed to it. I watched her sit, still amused by what she had done. Only after she sat did we do the same. My dad introduced us by name.

“It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard good things about all of you from Victor.” Her smile was genuine.

“Thank you,” I said, and my friends nodded with a smile.

Zara turned to my dad. “Is dinner on its way? I’m sure our guests are hungry. It’s dinnertime, after all.”

“Yes,” my dad replied, glancing to the door. On cue, the door swung open and several people walked in with trays of food.

“Perfect.” Zara shifted her attention to us. “You must be wondering who I am and how this place exists. Let me start from the beginning.” She paused and waited for our feast to be set on the table: lamb chops, mashed potatoes, roast chicken, various mixed vegetables, rice, rolls, and various fruits. Glasses of water and wine were set in front of us.

After we filled our plates, Zara continued, “I’m going to get to the point. I’m one of the Oracles. You already met my sister, Cara.”

The vegetable I was about to eat froze in place. The five of us held our collective breath at her words. When we had encountered Cara, she told us her other sisters were dead. Not only that, they looked nothing alike. Cara had looked hideous, whereas Zara looked like a fairy queen.

Zara placed her glass down after taking a sip of her wine. “My sister probably told you her sisters were dead. That is what we made her believe. You see…at one point, there were the three of us. We were triplets. It was not easy to tell us apart. When Olympus was fading, we did as much as we could to stop that from happening. However, my sister, Cara, became greedy. She was offered eternal life, a sanctuary, if she agreed to side with someone. To this day, I still don’t know who that person was. I’ve been trying to find out. I’m pretty sure the person who planned this scheme has kidnapped my other sister, Tara.

“Tara and I wouldn’t side with Cara. For this reason, we had to flee when the gods were banished. In order to create confusion for the vultures, we went our separate ways after we created this place. This was many generations ago. Our powers were stronger back then, but with age, we have weakened. Tara was supposed to come back here after a month, but she never returned. I fear she has been taken by whoever is controlling the vultures, or she’s—”

Zara stopped speaking. Her eyes glistened with tears, but she tried her best to keep them at bay. I could tell from her expression how much she loved her sister. For someone as powerful as Zara, it was heartbreaking to see that they, too, were vulnerable and had so much to lose. “It’s already sad enough to lose one sister,” she continued. “I do not want to think I’ve lost another. Cara is dead to me. She was dead to me the day she betrayed us. Tara is all that I have left.”

Glancing at the Grand bothers and Amanda, I saw that they looked as shocked as I was.

“What happened to Cara? Why does she look the way she does?” Everett asked.

“Zeus and I were very close; actually, the three of us were very close to him. We were his advisors. When I told him the deal Cara was presented with, he placed a curse on her just in case she took the deal. This was his way of punishing her for even thinking about it. Cara was bound to the realms of the old Olympus and her beauty was taken away. That is the reason why she looks the way she does. That was thousands of years ago.”

“How did you survive?” Amanda asked, seeming baffled. “I mean…if all of the gods are deceased, how is it that you are here?”

“We are not gods. Our entity is different.” Zara released a long sigh. “I miss the gods. It was unjust what happened to them. I feel guilty that I couldn’t save them.”

My dad rested his hand on her shoulder. “It was beyond your control. Let’s not dwell on the past, but help the future. Help our young generation. We need all of your guidance and help on surviving what we fear is to come.”

Nick swallowed the tiny scoop of mashed potatoes he’d shoved into his mouth. He tried to hide the fact that he did, but I saw. And I couldn’t help but smile. I was beyond starving, and I knew he was too since we’d had an early lunch. “What or who are we fearing?” Nick asked.

“I believe the same person who has my sister is getting ready for us. As you have already seen and encountered, these vultures are advanced. They are smarter. They are evolving.” Zara stopped to look at me. “Sky has evolved, too, from what I have heard from your father. We need to figure out how they are doing this. Now that these vultures can use their powers in human form, I fear that they have bigger plans…to take over humanity as well.”

“How would they do this?” Everett asked, appearing appalled. “There are way more people than vultures.”

“They would have to somehow turn the people into vultures,” Zara replied.

“That’s sick.” Nick looked like he wanted to vomit.

“It’s possible,” Zara said. “Never underestimate the powers of evil.”

I knew I shouldn’t have said what I said, but I couldn’t help myself. “But never underestimate the powers of good.” Everyone flashed their eyes at me, especially my dad’s people and the Elders, probably wondering why in the world I would say something to disrespect Zara. I felt like I had spoken back to her or had spoken out of line. I looked down sheepishly until I heard Zara’s voice.

“That’s true.” Zara nodded, looking pleased and smiling. “I’m glad you said that. Now I know you have a fighting chance to beat the vultures and their leader.”

I was thoroughly confused. Why would she say those words? “I don’t understand.”

“Sky, I feel great energy emanating from you. I don’t know why this is happening to you and only you, but I believe it’s because you’re special. You’re what they call the Keeper of Death. While the prophecy is true, the rumors are wrong. You’re not the Keeper of Death. You’re the Keeper of Life.”

Being any sort of keeper and being special was not what I wanted to be, but I had no choice. This was destiny; however, I would rather be a keeper of life than of death. Regardless, confusion filled my mind.

“How could that be?” Everett asked. “She killed Remus with her blood.” He turned to me. “I’m sorry to bring it up, Sky. It just doesn’t make sense.”

“It’s okay, Everett.”

Zara answered, “It makes sense if Remus had some evil blood running through him. Sky can only kill those that have evil blood. What you were told is false.”

“What?” Mason murmured under his breath. He turned to me with a smile, like he had known all along. “That’s good to hear.” He squeezed my hand underneath the table.

I’d been so careful and worried that I would kill my friends, but now it was a relief to know that I couldn’t. I almost felt normal. I also felt all eyes on me. They were relieved as well. I could see it in their eyes and from their grins. They were happy for me. Regardless, I would still be careful just in case she was wrong. Who knew what was right or wrong these days? There were too many contradictions from what we were told. I guessed I shouldn’t believe what Cara had said being that she was evil, but I had to be sure.

“Oracles don’t know the whole facts. We can’t predict the future, but we can see bits and pieces. We try to put them together, but sometimes we’re wrong. Tara and I made my sister believe in the prophecy—the Keeper of Death will destroy us all—so she would fear the one who was to come. We didn’t know who the keeper would be, and we didn’t want the keeper to be in the wrong hands and be tamed by evil. And I can’t believe you are the one. Our time has come.”

“I don’t understand how I can be anything. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do.” My heart started thumping faster and my hands started to tremble. Feeling the warmth tingle in my hands, I clasped them together underneath the table. I didn’t understand the sudden anger that came out of nowhere. Mason must have seen what I was trying to hide. When he grabbed my hand and lightly squeezed it, it soothed me to the point where I could release my hands. And at that moment, I felt embarrassed for my actions and my tone. I sounded upset for no reason.

“Tame the flame, my child, and it will all be yours.”

Zara smiled at me, but I couldn’t give one back. Icy, shocking shivers ran down my spine, pricking me achingly. I tried my best not to look so shocked. Those exact words I’d heard in my nightmare were now in my reality. It stunned me, keeping me from speaking or moving. When my heart found its steady beat, I began to relax and produced a fake smile.

“Now that we’ve all come together and you understand what is at stake, I have a request. With your help—and of course I’ll be sending my best people—I believe we will find my sister and the person behind the vultures. I’m pleading before you for the sake of our future, for the sake of humanity, that we go on a search mission to Mt. Hem. I’m most certain our answers await there.”

The room was silent until Zara spoke again. “This news is overwhelming and you have every right to deny my request; however, I believe our time has finally come. You must think that my only reason for this mission is my sister, but you’re wrong. Tara has the stone we need to win the war. The three of us created this special stone, knowing what was ahead. Stones are very important to us. They are our source of energy and power.”

“My family and I will have to discuss this issue,” Everett said. “We’ve kept to ourselves and blended with the humans successfully. I don’t know if looking for our enemies is a good idea. It’s one thing if it’s knocking at our door, but to purposely search for trouble…I don’t know about this.”

“I understand your worries. I’ll give you a week to think about it; however, I’ve already foreseen the future. We will be on this mission. You cannot change destiny. I can answer more questions later.” Zara looked at our plates. “Let’s eat. Your food will get cold.”

With her permission, everyone started eating again, but Nick was already done.

After dinner, we went into another room that was furnished with sofas. Everyone trickled in except for Zara, my dad, and the Elders

“You are welcome to move to New Olympus,” Noah said, gazing at Amanda.

“I think that’s a great idea.” Amanda looked at Everett.

Everett raised his brows. “I know you do.”

“What does that mean?” she huffed. “At least we’ll be safe behind the shield.”

“I’m not moving here. Plus, we have our restaurants, and there’s Kayla,” Nick added. “Anyway, do you each have your own rooms? And by the way, where do the others eat?”

Tim uncrossed his legs and leaned closer. “We have a large cafeteria that accommodates all of us. We usually eat there. Today was an exception.”

“How about your sleeping arrangements?”

“Oh, don’t worry; the guys and girls sleep in separate wings, and we are forbidden to cross over during the evening or when the night bell goes off.”

“That’s too bad,” Nick commented. “Could be a lot of fun if you were single.”

“Interesting.” Mason yawned, standing up. “Well, Sky and I are going to take a walk.”

I flashed my eyes at him in surprise. That came out of nowhere. Mason grabbed my hand and led the way. As soon as he closed the door behind us, he took off sprinting, still holding onto my hand.

“Mason, where are we going?” I giggled, keeping my speed with him.

He didn’t answer until we were outside. He swung around, pulled me into his arms, and started to kiss the side of my neck. “I wanted to be alone with you. There are way too many people here. I’m so used to my quiet space.”

I knew what he meant. “I like being alone with you, too.” I smiled, gazing into his loving eyes, which sparkled from the lights that hung above. Straight ahead, the trees lined both sides of the path. They were dimly lit with dangling white lights, creating a romantic ambiance. Besides that, this hidden place was engulfed by darkness. There were no stars, like Colin said, only a blanket of blackness above us. The weather was perfect and no breeze brushed against us. The night was still, and it seemed as though everyone was inside so Mason and I were completely alone.

“Let’s go.” Mason tugged my hand as we strolled down the path.

Being here with Mason with no one around made it feel like we were in our own little romantic world. I couldn’t help but marvel at the surrounding lights as we walked down the path, yet at the same time, I felt uneasy about the darkness. I knew we were completely safe, but who knew what was lurking in the blackness? However, glancing back at the castle was one of the most beautiful sights I’d ever seen.

It glowed brightly like one massive white light. It wasn’t so bright that I had to cover my eyes, but it gave me an enchanted feeling. Knowing that the inside wasn’t as bright as the outside structure, I wondered how that came to be. There was only one answer: it was magical.

Mason pulled me into him again, swinging us from side to side. He seemed so happy and relaxed. It was good to see him like this. He was always the worrier type, but when we arrived here, the tension in his face had eased. “Want to see something?” He gave me a naughty grin, biting his bottom lip.

I replied by giving him the biggest smile I could manage. “What did you have in mind?”

“I’m going to light up this place, Sky. I’m going to do it for you. I want you to see how I feel inside when you’re around. You light up my life like this.” Mason released me and placed his hands on the trunk of a tree. Although he was looking at me, I knew he was concentrating on what he was doing by the serious expression on his face.

Suddenly, his light sizzled out of his fingertips, branching out like slithering snakes, continuously wrapping around the trunk of the tree as it reached higher. The dangling lights from the tree he was touching started to flicker, then steadied, glowing brighter and brighter. It didn’t stop there. I didn’t know how he did it, but the adjacent tree began to light just as bright. It rippled down to the next tree, illuminating the path. I had to cover my eyes to adjust to the brightness at first, but then I was able to take in the beauty.

The whole tree didn’t light up, just the veins from the trunk and the branches. It was the coolest thing to witness. It was like seeing their life source ignite.

I was sure my jaw was dropped and my eyes were wide with wonderment. I knew Mason was pretty powerful, but I would never have imagined he could do something like this. I didn’t think he knew either, from the stunned expression on his face.

“Oh, Mason.” I smiled, marveling at him. Knowing he did this for me touched me deeply, especially at hearing his words. If I made him feel like this from my presence, no wonder he shocked me.

I thought Mason was finished, but he wasn’t. Just as the last tree lit up, the lights started to take on lives of their own. From each tree’s center, electrifying light flashed upward to the sky, looking like a lightning show. It was mesmerizing and frightening at the same time.

Mason moved in the fast speed mode that I loved and took me in his arms. Without him guiding the light, it would fade away as quickly as it came.

“I make you feel this much?” I asked, feeling shy all of sudden.

Mason kissed my forehead. “Yes, you do, Sky.”

“And you don’t feel drained or tired? You used up a lot of energy to do what you just did.”

“I did, but it’s strange. I think my body is getting used to it. When we were chasing the vultures to get to you and I called upon the thunder and lightning, I thought it was going to leave me weak, but it didn’t. It’s like my body is building strength from it.”

We both jerked when we heard his name. Mason. It was loud and clear, like someone was talking into a mic, but she wasn’t. It was Zara, speaking into our minds. I knew Mason heard the same thing when he gave me a troubled look. I felt like we were two young children getting caught breaking the rules.

We both snapped our heads to the castle. Zara was standing there with guards. Besides them were Amanda and Nick.

“Time to go.” Mason slipped his hand around my waist as we proceeded back to the castle. Hopefully, Zara wasn’t upset at what Mason had done.

My dad led us to the same location where we teleported in. The same things happened as before, and we exited to the other side after we said our good-byes. As always, it seemed as though my dad was waiting for me to say or do something…like hug him. I could see it in the longing expression on his face and the small smile he gave me, hoping for me to give one back to him. However, I wouldn’t. Even now, I still refused to trust him, refused to let go of the ache.

This time around, Mason seemed more accepting of Noah and his group. Perhaps knowing he had taken an interest in Amanda was one of the reasons. Either way, I liked how Mason was possessive over me.

Unlike New Olympus, here the stars graced us with tiny specks of light that dotted the dark sky. We trudged on the sand, hearing the soft waves rolling on and off the shore as we headed for our car.

“We’re not going, right?” Mason asked his brothers, as we followed them. “Sky can do much more than she was able to before, but I won’t let Zara use her to find her sister. I don’t care who she is. We don’t live in their community. We don’t owe her anything.” Mason kissed the back of my hand. “I won’t allow it.”

Everett kicked a pile of sand and watched it fly into the air, then stopped his steps. “And what did she mean by the Keeper of Life? Remus died because he had a taste of Sky’s blood.” Everett turned to me. “Sorry. I don’t mean anything bad about your part in his death. I don’t agree with what Remus tried to do to you, but that doesn’t make sense. How could he have had evil blood? He had anger issues, but unless…someone fed him vulture’s blood?” Those words came out slowly. “Whatever happened to him, he didn’t deserve to die. Sorry, Sky. Again, not your fault.”

“No…that’s okay.” I meant it. It didn’t matter how many times they apologized for what Remus tried to do to me, Everett was right. Yet, at the same time, killing Remus with my blood was the only thing that had saved me. It also gave me his powers, so did Zara mean that being the Keeper of Life meant taking a life and acquiring their power?

Mason curled his lips into a scowl, obviously unhappy with Everett’s comment.

“Why don’t we go to our cabin at the lake this weekend and make our decision then? We still have a week,” Nick suggested. “We were planning to go there anyway since its winter break for both Sky and Kayla.”

“I like Nick’s idea.” Amanda looked at her watch. “Let’s go. It’s getting late and I don’t like how we’re the only ones here.”

Amanda was right. It was late at night. And I, too, was getting an eerie feeling. I gazed out across the ocean where the full, yellow moon sat just above the water, glistening against the darkness. It was a beautiful sight, but I couldn’t help feeling that something in the water was watching us, giving me goose bumps…everywhere.

“Let’s go,” I murmured, holding on to Mason’s hands tightly. I knew Mason was aware of how I was feeling. It was the way he looked at me. He just knew. He always knew.

I debated if I should go after I got the text from Ian regarding the study session—especially since Mason asked me not to be friends with him—but wanting to find out more about Mia gave me the drive to go. The fact that I really did need some tutoring was another reason.

Ian texted me to meet him at one of the classrooms in the math building. Heading there, I still didn’t know if it was a good idea, yet my gut feeling said Ian wasn’t the one I needed to fear. Pushing the door open, I entered a large room that was set with tables and chairs. Scanning from one end to another, I saw Ian looking at me with a grin. It made me feel uncomfortable…it was the kind of grin that was a bit too friendly.

“Hey, Skylar. You made it.” He guided me to his group.

Seated were his friends, three guys and one girl. They looked like normal human beings; I couldn’t believe I was thinking like that. With the vultures evolving, who knew? After the introductions, I tossed my backpack down and pulled out my notes.

Ian started talking about mode and medium while looking at his lecture notes. I tried to follow as best I could. Missing a few classes had really screwed me over. I was going to have to pray to pass this class. Hopefully, today’s study session would be enough for the test that was scheduled for tomorrow.

The noise caught my attention. The guy across from me, named Todd, kept tapping his pencil annoyingly. His dark hair and body structure reminded me of one of the vultures that had attacked us at the restaurant. When I glanced up to meet his eyes, he stopped tapping, and spoke. “Ian, why don’t you give the real definition of statistics?”

I could tell Ian didn’t like his question and wondered why.

“I already did.” Ian scowled and gave him a confrontational look.

“No, you didn’t.” Todd uncrossed his legs, leaned forward, and bored his eyes to mine. “Statistics is the collection of analysis, explanation, and data for science usage. You see, Sky…lar, statistics is used to measure the outcome of what happens when blood mixes with blood. What is the percentage mode of creating that perfect specimen when given a percentage of the component?”

What was he talking about?

“That’s enough.” Ian’s tone was commanding and sharp.

Todd was explaining statistics all right, but it was definitely not math. Wanting to be as far away from there as possible, I grabbed my bag and stood up. At that moment, I knew if I didn’t get out of there, I might not make it out at all. Now, the rest of his friends were darting their eyes at me as if I was some kind of freak. “I gotta go. Mason is on his way.” I purposely looked at Ian and started heading out the door.

When it didn’t seem like anyone was going to stop me, I sighed in relief and was just about to turn the knob when it opened itself.

“Going somewhere?” Mia goaded. “Now that I’m here, let’s start this session.”

I didn’t get a chance to say a word, nor did I get out of the door. Mia grabbed my arm and tugged me back to my seat. When she pushed me down, she purposely shocked me. Dammit, she’s gonna get one back!

I looked to Ian for support, but he couldn’t offer any. “What do you want?” I asked.

“We know who you are,” Todd said, glaring at me with disgust. “We need you to help us find a stone.”

Stone? Zara talked about stones, but I wasn’t really listening. I recalled her mentioning that her sister had the stone and it would help them with the war that was supposedly coming. Now, my curiosity was piqued. I needed to find an out. “You could have just asked me instead of luring me here,” I snapped. “And what makes you think I’m going to help you? Who are you guys, anyway?”

Todd seemed irate. His eyes turned the color of silver, as his hand sparked with light. He tried to hide it, but how could anyone miss it? “We’re the same as you, but we’re not like you.”

I flashed my eyes to Ian, but he wouldn’t look at me. My gut feeling told me he was a descendant of a god, but I guessed he would let me know when he was ready. “So…why do you need a stone? What kind of stone?”

Mia’s pacing back and forth was driving me nuts. Her high boot heels were clicking away. A part of me was thinking she may do something I wouldn’t like behind my back, such as shock me just for fun. Mia leaned down and hissed in my ear, “Do you have the stone? We know you were with the others.”

They were spying on me?

My anger brewed, and I whipped around, staring her squarely in the eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You guys are crazy.”

“I already told you, she doesn’t have a clue what we’re talking about,” Ian said to Todd.

“She’s Victor’s kid. She has to know,” Todd retorted.

“She doesn’t like her father. They don’t have that kind of relationship.” How did Ian know? My heart dropped hearing his words. He was acting like a friend when all along he was trying to gather information about me. It was the act of betrayal that hurt me the most, not so much from missing his friendship. For sure, from this day forward, I wanted nothing to do with him.

“Are you sure you’re not hiding anything from us?” Mia asked Ian. “I have eyes. I see the way you look at her.” Her tone was full of jealousy.

Ian didn’t say a word.

“Let’s try this again.” Mia lowered herself to me. Her eyes were dark and demanding, as if to show me she was in charge. “Where…is…the…stone?”

“Again. I have no idea what you are asking me. You want a stone, go to the park and find one.” I grabbed my backpack and headed for the door, but just before I turned the knob, Ian was standing there.

“I’m sorry. I should have handled this better. I’ll talk to you later. Just cooperate or there will be consequences by a higher order.” His tone was serious and worried. It didn’t feel like a threat; it felt more like he was concerned for my well-being.

I didn’t care what he had to say to me. As far as I was concerned, our friendship was over. It happened so fast that I didn’t realize I had done anything. My hand went straight for his chest, and because of my powers, he flew back, crashing into a table. Looking over my shoulder, I checked to see if he was hurt, though I didn’t know why I cared. Seeing he was okay, I bolted out the door. Since no one came after me, I assumed they finally got the point. Either they believed that I had no idea what they were talking about, or they would find another way to get an answer from me.

IAN never showed up for the Statistics final exam, which made me wonder if he was even enrolled in the class at all. I was more than happy winter break was starting and I didn’t have to see him, at least for a while…or never, which would be even better. However, his last words stayed with me: “Just cooperate or there will be consequences by a higher order.”

I planned to tell Mason about the incident as soon as I had the chance. I was happy we were going to the lake house—it was going to be a great distraction—somewhere I didn’t have to constantly look over my shoulder. However, it also meant we would have to make the decision about whether we were going to help Zara search for her sister. Although my dad hadn’t paid a personal visit, I knew Noah and Tim were around at times. They never showed themselves, but I felt their presence when I was on campus. I might have protested if I saw them, but honestly, it gave me comfort so I welcomed it.

“You have a beautiful place,” Kayla squealed, glancing around.

I had to agree; the lake house was as beautiful on the inside as out. With simple décor and furniture similar to the cabin, I felt right at home. Just like the cabin, there were no other houses near us. It was peaceful and secluded.

“Why don’t we unpack first?” Nick suggested. “Then we can take a tour of the house and have dinner outside by the lake.”

“That sounds good. Everett and I will kick start the grill.” Amanda grabbed Everett’s arm and tugged him out the door.

After we settled our bags, I called my mom to let her know I was with Mason, then we headed out to the back. It was the coolest thing to see the lake just a short distance away. The grand body of blue water was calm and peaceful. Since there was no one around, we had the whole lake to ourselves.

The smell of chicken and steak roused my hunger pangs and made me turn to the grill. Everett was standing there, humming a song while flipping chicken. Amanda was next to him, doing the same. It was comforting to see them having fun, as if nothing bothered them, but I was certain they had a lot on their minds, just like me. The side dishes they’d brought from home looked delicious, too: salad, corn, rice pilaf, and even cheesecake for dessert.

“I’ll be right back.” I thought that was what Mason said, but I wasn’t sure.

I was just about to help Everett flip the steak when Mason pulled me so fast, I didn’t have a chance to get ahold of the tongs. I guessed when he said “I” he meant we.

“Mason,” I giggled. Having no choice, I ran beside him, down to the lake. His hold was too strong. “What are you doing?”

Mason stopped when we reached a small rowboat next to the dock, which he gently pushed into the water. “Get in.”

After Mason helped me get in, he shoved it away from the dock, giving it momentum and jumped in. Picking up the oar, he stared to push through the water.

“I wanted some alone time with you. I didn’t think you would mind.”

“Nope, not a bit.” I moved next to him. Watching him use his forearm to shift the oar made me want to touch where it flexed. It was hard not to admire that god-like body, perfectly toned with all of the right curves.

Mason grinned. “What are you staring at?”

“You know I’m staring at you, so don’t give me that sexy smile…or I’ll just have to do something about it.”

“You can take me to the naughty corner.” His lips curled into a crooked smirk.

“Now you’ve done it.” I couldn’t help myself; I dove in for a kiss. Mason dropped the oar inside the boat and placed his hand on my face. His tender lips were hard, devouring me with hungry passion, and I was returning it with the same desire. My body started to tingle and become warm; I felt it from the tips of my fingers down to the tips of my toes.

When Mason reached lower and his hand skimmed down to my waist, I lost control. I knew we were lighting up like a light bulb when I had to squeeze my eyes shut to block the brightness. When I opened them out of curiosity, electric lights glowed between us. Not only that, they wrapped around the boat, lighting it up, too. Mason pulled back with laughter, looking at what we had done, and I couldn’t help but laugh, too.

“Well, at least we didn’t shock the hell out of each other.” Mason chuckled, stroking my cheek. Then he became serious, gazing deeply into my eyes. “Always be safe, Sky. I would die if something were to happen to you.”

I snuggled against the palm of his hand. “How do you think I would feel if something were to happen to you? Just keep that in mind before you do something crazy.”

Mason gave me a quick peck on my forehead. “That’s the reason we are all staying close to home.”

Mason put a picnic blanket down and gently lay me next to him. I snuggled against him, stretching our bodies the length of the boat. While we cuddled, Mason stole a few kisses here and there as we stared up at the blue sky. The extra blanket on top of us kept us warm from the winter’s breeze.

“I should probably wait till Christmas to give you your gift, but since I have you all to myself….” The blanket ruffled when Mason reached into his pocket. He lifted my arm and sat up. “I like to think that you’re always mine, Echo, but the truth is…I’m forever yours.” He placed a bracelet in front of me. It was engraved Forever Yours.

“Mason,” I murmured, sitting up, admiring it. “And I’m forever yours. It’s beautiful. I love it.” I gave him a long kiss. “You’ll have to wait till Christmas to get yours.” Little did he know that I had planned ahead. I had asked Nick to place a package in his room for when we got back from our lake trip.

Mason slipped his hand on my waist while the other one pulled me in. “I don’t need anything. I just need you.” Then our lips collided; it was long and sweet. Mason pulled back and rested his head on mine. “We should go back before I kidnap you and never let you go home.”

“Maybe I’ll let you.”

Mason chuckled at my words and settled back into a rowing position. Once we got back to land, he lifted me out of the boat, swung me around, and placed me on dry land. While holding hands, we walked back to the gang.

After we’d had our fill of dinner, we kicked back on the patio sofas and stared out at the lake, except for Nick and Kayla; they went back inside the cabin. The body of water became black and murkier when the sun started to set. I could see the small boat that Mason had tied next to the dock, which seemed endless from here. What gave that area a romantic feel were the dimly lit lights along the dock. It surely stood out from the darkness.

I shivered from the soft cold breeze that brushed against my face, but the blanket kept me warm, and so did Mason’s body next to mine. Feeling me shudder, he pulled me closer and tightened the blanket around us.

“Have we made our decision, yet?” Amanda asked, crossing her legs and leaning back on the reclining lounge chair.

Everett pressed his back against a tree, twirling a stick in his hand. “If we’re voting, I agree with Mason. We stay behind. Something could happen to one of us and I won’t take that chance. We’ve been safe for this long. We’ll be fine.”

Mason kissed my forehead and idly rubbed his thumb on the top of my hand. “What do you think, Sky? I have my own opinion, but I want to know how you feel about this.”

I nestled closer to Mason’s body. We were already aligned together, but I needed more of him. “I don’t know what to do, but I’m concerned about what she said at the end. It’s like she knows it’s going to happen whether we agree to it or not.”

“I hate this,” Amanda added. “Being in constant danger sucks. We can’t catch a break.”

Everett picked up a pebble off the ground and flung it to the lake, but it was difficult to see how far he had thrown it due to the darkness. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.” Everett started walking. Our conversation stopped as we watched him walk across the dock in silence. When he was far enough that he couldn’t hear our conversation, Mason spoke.

“He’s had the worst among us,” Mason explained, keeping his eyes on Everett. “His whole family was wiped out from the vultures…his younger brother, sister, and his mother. Honestly, I don’t know how he survived. He was a mess at the beginning, but now he seems at peace with all of it. I’m sure he has rough days, but he has never complained. He never felt sorry for himself. In turn, he became like a big brother to us. He was the one that kept us safe all these years.”

“He’s a big guy, with tough skin and a big heart,” Amanda said, her eyes locked on Everett.

It was funny that Amanda would say that, because it was exactly how I would have described him.

Mason lifted the blanket halfway. “We should get to bed. It’s getting late and we have a full day of fishing tomorrow.”

Amanda uncrossed her legs and sat up straight. “Yeah, let’s go.”

I swung around to plant my feet on the dirt and looked down when I felt water underneath my shoe. At first I thought I had spilled a drink, but there were no cups around. When I saw more water flowing, I panicked and jolted up so fast that I bumped into Mason. My eyes flew to Everett, who was the closest to the water. I released a sigh of relief, but when I saw yellow specks of light glistening across the body of the lake, my heart took a dive and I lost my voice to call out to Everett.

My wide, frightened eyes and me pointing at the water got Mason and Amanda’s attention. They both shot their eyes to my line of vision. Mason shouted for Everett while he ran toward him, but he stopped suddenly. The calm, steady lake started rocking back and forth, creating waves like the ocean.

What I saw next didn’t seem possible, but it happened. Tiny, ball-shaped water drops started rolling out of the lake, heading toward us. It looked like thousands of small, florescent, glow-in-the-dark marbles. Before they reached us, they gathered into several groups. Then the water balls rapidly started to build and stack on top of each other. It was creating something…lots of things. The only good thing about them was, they were lighting up the darkness. We could clearly see what was around us.

“Everett!” Mason yelled, unable to reach him.

Everett ran toward us, but he had to stop. A wave of water jetted out from the lake and froze in place. It was the same colors as the glowing balls—yellow, orange, and red, overlapping. It completely surrounded Everett, imprisoning him. “Mason, run,” he bellowed. “Take the family and run! Now!”

Mason didn’t respond; I knew he wouldn’t. Our focus was now on what was coming toward us. It was the most amazing, overwhelming sight. The water balls were taking on the shapes of human beings, yet they were as clear as water and they glowed. As I watched them move, they became more solid in appearance, but continued to remain translucent.

At first, I thought they were the water creatures that had tried to drown me, but then I recalled Noah talking about water vultures. Either way, my legs were planted firmly, unable to move from fright. Mason used god-like speed to come stand beside me. I knew he was torn between saving his brother and protecting me.

“Amanda, go get Nick,” Mason ordered.

Amanda snapped out of her shock and took off as fast as possible.

I panicked. “What about Everett?”

“I’ll go after him as soon as Nick is by your side. Ready, Sky? Can you light up?”

My fingers were already twitching. “I’m ready.”

“Whatever you do, stay away from the lake and stay close to Nick.”

“I’ll try.” I nodded.

“That’s not good enough, Sky.” Mason’s tone was stern and urgent. “Do you understand? Nothing can happen to you. Stay. Close. To. Nick.”

Mason twitched when Nick appeared. I’d seen him in action before, cool and collected, but he wasn’t right now. Was he sensing the same feeling as me? That something bad was about to happen?

“What the hell?” Nick had to take a moment to calm down.

“Where’s Kayla?” I asked.

“She fell asleep. I was asleep, too, until Amanda woke me up.”

“Stay beside Sky, I’m going after Everett. Don’t lose sight of Sky.” Mason took off, flashing his bolts. One went through the core of the water creature. It exploded into tiny little water drops, only to fall right back to the shape of its entity as if nothing had happened.

Nick and I followed behind Mason, shooting bolts to help Mason get a clear path to Everett, but when icicle-like spears started coming toward us, it was getting difficult to do our part. Even Amanda’s sword went straight through without harming them.

“We can’t hold them!” Nick shouted, warning Mason to come back, but he was determined. Flashes of bright lights from Mason shot out even faster.

I came to realize that we might not survive this. The water creatures engulfed the three of us, while Mason was surrounded near the dock. My heart was pumping in overdrive from the fear of what was to come next. The icicle spears came at us all at once, too many for us to handle, but we did the best we could. Just before the impact, they dropped to the floor.

A barrier made of water protected us. At that moment, I knew Poseidon’s descendants were there. It was confirmed when I saw icicles colliding against each other. Thank God for the extra help! Unfortunately, something wasn’t right with me. Suddenly, my body felt frigid, like I had a blanket of ice covering me. I looked down at my stomach, right in the middle of the chaos, and saw a spear that had passed through the barrier.

My body went into shock from the drastic temperature change. Then the spear started to move deeper, melting into my body. I tried to stop it, but I couldn’t. My hands couldn’t get a grip on it. It was slippery, not to mention, it was so cold that my hands felt numb. The icicle moved on its own, until I couldn’t see it anymore. The dark sky started to spin and my joints became stiff. Just before I dropped to the ground, I saw Mason’s worried face. He was coming for me.

I don’t know how long I was out. When I came to, my vision had cleared. Seeing everyone around me in one piece, even my dad, confirmed my suspicions that I had blacked out for some time.

“Sky, can you get up?” Mason had brought me closer to the house. “Are you hurt? I don’t see any blood.”

Without answering, I jolted up. “Mason, I feel fine. In fact, I feel…different. I....” I didn’t know what moved me or how I knew what to do. Something changed in me that I couldn’t explain, but my body was my guide. I extended both of my arms as I headed toward the lake, and out of the water formed a sphere the size of a cannon ball. Was this how Poseidon’s descendants felt?

I was not only manipulating the water but at the same time, shafts of electricity were darting out from me. My whole body glowed, almost blinding me from what I needed to see. I couldn’t believe what was happening to me and what I was able to do. A part of me felt out of control, and that part had no power over what I was doing because water started rising from the lake. It shot out toward the sky. I was creating a very massive water show.

“Sky, why are you doing that again?” Mason murmured, standing next to me. “It’s over. The water creatures are all gone. You killed them all. I need you to relax so I can get to Everett. He’s still stuck on the dock. Let the water down.”

“Again? I…I killed them? How? I don’t remember.” I started panicking, losing my breath. I tried to remember, but nothing came to my mind.

“The ones that were close to the lake were pushed back and drowned by the force of the water you created. We took care of the others,” Mason said carefully.

“It’s okay, Sky. Don’t be afraid.” Mason’s hands on my face and his calming tone soothed me. I could feel my adrenaline slowing down. Breathing somewhat normally when my heart found its steadier beat, I became embarrassed by everyone staring at me. When my hands dropped, so did the body of water. And I still couldn’t believe the power I possessed and what I was able to do.

Mason had already sprinted to the dock, but instead of coming back to us with Everett, he was pacing back and forth, gripping his hair in frustration. Unexpectedly, he dropped to his knees. My heart ripped into shreds. It was already broken, but seeing Mason grieve made it a thousand times worse. Even harder was seeing Amanda sobbing in Noah’s arms; she was trying to break from his hold. Noah knew she was going to run to the dock and it was still dangerous at this point. We had no idea what could happen next.

As for me, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I stood frozen, unable to move. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until I felt the need to exhale. Everett was gone! Where did he go? Had I done this?

“I’m sorry about Everett,” Dad said.

Now we had no choice. We would have to go on the mission. We had to find Everett. Zara had predicted we would be going. Did she cause this? Surely, she was on our side.

We went back inside the cabin to discuss our plan, but it was difficult to speak when I felt so many emotions inside of me. I wanted to strangle Zara for being right, and I wanted to punch Poseidon’s descendants for knowing Zara. It was wrong for me to think like that, but I couldn’t help the way I felt. Everett had simply vanished and I didn’t know what to do.

Looking at Nick and Amanda, I could see the confusion and hurt in their eyes. A member of our family was taken and we had no clue as to who had done this or if he was still alive. I tried not to think so much so that I could have a clear mind to figure out how to help find Everett, but the more we talked about it, the angrier I became. Unable to sit still, I walked to the window. I could see the dock from there, and still saw the image of Everett scared out of his mind. Maybe it was a mistake to stand there.

“I’m sorry,” Sky said tenderly, standing beside me. Her eyes were glassy and her face was long and pale. Reaching for her, I held her tightly. She must be feeling all sorts of crazy emotions, too. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined her being able to manipulate water the way she had. It was strange enough for her to have electricity flowing through her, but this…this came from nowhere.

Seeing her survive whatever had been inserted into her stomach was a miracle. I thought I had lost her for sure. This only confirmed that she had been one with the water already and that’s why it had done nothing to her. Somehow, it gave her the power to move water the way she had, but it worried me that she couldn’t remember. Hopefully, it was a temporary thing. To have that much power at once could drain a person.

“It’s not your fault,” I said carefully, stroking her back and moving my hand over her shoulder. Touching her helped me to calm down. “We’ll find him and bring him home. I have to.” Sky’s cheek muscles became tight and her eyes were filled with concern. My hand on her face dropped lower as I idly traced her lips with my thumb. I wanted to kiss those supple lips, but now wasn’t the time.

“I’ll do whatever it takes, Mason. Use me as bait. Do whatever you think you need to do to get Everett.”

“Sky, you know I won’t do that, but thank you for your offer.” My Sky was so brave and caring. It was one of the qualities I loved about her. Knowing she would do anything for me…I was grateful for that.

Our focus changed when Victor cleared his throat. “There is no other way. We’ll have to get to Mt. Hem.”

Nick finally plopped himself onto the sofa. He had been pacing back and forth so fast that he caused a breeze, and I thought he was going to bolt out the door or blow the roof off. “How do we even know Everett is there? What if Zara set this whole thing up.”

“That’s nonsense,” Noah spat. “She’s an Oracle. Give her some respect.”

Amanda placed her hand on Nick’s shoulder. She didn’t need to say a word; that seemed to tone down his anger.

“I don’t care who she is,” Nick seethed through his teeth. “Some asshole has my brother and I’m going to fry him extra crispy. I’ll electrocute him till every cell, bone, and muscle has seared so badly you won’t be able to recognize him.”

“You need to calm down, Nick,” Victor said, leaning forward on the sofa as if he could get to him. “Listen, I have a feeling whomever took Tara also has Everett. I believe they are both alive. They want something from….” He stopped.

Everybody waited for him to finish his sentence, but I knew he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t dare put his daughter out there like that. When his words were lacking, I knew the others knew too, because their eyes went straight to Sky.

I wasn’t going to stand there and let her take this crap, even though I knew they didn’t mean to make her feel uncomfortable. It was natural to look at the person whose name you knew would have been mentioned.

“Who knew you were here?” Colin asked out of the blue.

“This is a secluded area. We also took precautions,” Amanda explained. “We’ve never had any supernatural activities take place here before. What are you assuming? And how do we even know whether Zara was behind this?”

“That is absurd,” Aaron snapped. His eyes were glowing like fire with anger. Although I would never admit it, it was cool how his eyes could do that. It was like seeing an animated creation come to life. “We’ve known her for a long time. She’s the one that has kept us safe.”

“I know I’m changing the subject here, but when did Sky start manipulating water?” Victor asked, looking fascinated and in awe.

“Today,” Sky answered. “Don’t ask me how or why…I have no idea.” Her tone was polite, but I knew she didn’t want to be.

“That’s so awesome,” Colin said. “I’m wondering what else she can do.”

“Here is something else to think about,” Aaron intervened. “She blacked out. Did she even know what she did? What if she uses her powers against us if she blacks out again? She could be a ticking time bomb that could explode any time, right?”

Why Aaron would add more worries and unpleasantness to this meeting I had no idea, but he had just pissed me off even more. I would have zapped his mouth if his friends weren’t around. Asshole! Since I couldn’t do what I wanted to, I used my words instead. “Don’t think about it, Sky,” I said, knowing how uncomfortable she felt. Her body tensed up as I held her. “It’s none of your damn business. Next person that brings this up again, you’ll get the shock of your life from me. Believe me. It’s not going to be pleasant.” I was being rude, but I didn’t care. That shut up everyone. And if they wanted to say something about it…well, they could just deal with the consequences!

Noah broke the silence. “O-kay. So, what do we do next?”

Amanda released a heavy sigh. “All my family cares about is bringing Everett home, so I’m in.”

“I’m in just for that,” Nick added.

“Our family is in, but we can’t go tomorrow,” I said. “It’s Christmas Eve. Sky needs to spend at least one day with her mom. She has no excuse for missing Christmas. We’ll go the day after.”

“How do we even start this?” Nick asked. “Do you know where Mt. Hem is?”

“Zara will direct us,” Victor replied. “I’ll let her know what happened. Meet us the day after Christmas at 10 a.m. sharp. We’ll go from there. Make sure to bring supplies. I don’t know what is stored ahead.”

After we agreed, we went our separate ways.

It was difficult to concentrate on the conversation between my mom and Steven when Everett was on my mind. Even though Mason texted me every hour, his texts didn’t have that same energetic, happy feel. Christmas Eve was our family tradition; that was when we opened our presents and got together with our family. However, this year, my mom decided not to meet up with my aunt. I knew the reason was because of Steven. Mom wanted just the three of us together.

Instead of cooking at home, Steven took us out to a fancy restaurant. It was not how I wanted to spend Christmas Eve. When I was little, Dad insisted we eat at home so we could open up the presents right away. I couldn’t help remembering how dad pulled me aside right before we left the lake cabin.

“Sky, I know you’re still reserved, confused, and probably don’t trust me, but it’s almost Christmas and I won’t be spending it with you.” My dad gave me a smile, but my expression held a stone cold look. I didn’t mean to, but I was guarding my heart. I was afraid once I let go of what was holding me back from forgiving him, I would break down in front of him and wouldn’t be able to let go.

What I said next was awful and I knew I hurt him. A part of me wished I could take it back. “It’s no different from any other Christmas you weren’t there,” I said nonchalantly.

He took a moment while my words soaked in. With a soft sigh, he said, “I know, and I hope one day you’ll be able to forgive me. I will do anything to make up for all the time lost. But right now, I need you to accept this gift. I know you won’t take anything from me, so don’t think of this as a Christmas gift.”

Before I could say a word, my dad went behind me, wrapped his arms around my neck, and clipped something on me. I looked down to see a long, beautiful, clear crystal necklace that reflected blue hues from the light. The smooth surface felt cold to my touch. Regardless, it was exquisite.

“I don’t know who or what we will be facing, but this special necklace has its own magic. It will protect you from the magical entity of the dark forces to a certain degree. This crystal is special. It’s hard to come by, so I was only able to give it to you and not the others. Zara had gifted it to me, but your safety is more important than mine. I don’t know what I would do if something were to happen to you. Please, keep it hidden at all costs.”

I didn’t know what to say. I tried to give him a smile…anything, but nothing happened. Why couldn’t I let it go? He was trying so hard—even giving me space so that I could let time heal the hurt—but my heart was too heavy, too thick, and too stubborn. “Thank you.” Finally, some kindness slipped out of my mouth. Then I did what he requested, and tucked it inside my shirt to keep it hidden.

“I have to be honest. I have no idea what it does. I don’t even know if it ever helped me in all these years. Zara told me that it helps block out spells or magic. All I know is that it will protect you. I promise that on this journey, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. You are my first priority.” My dad closed his eyes, opened them with a smile, and placed his hand over his heart. “Heart’s honor.” Then he walked away.

At that moment, my heart dropped to the floor and my eyes pooled with tears, but I desperately held them at bay. Two words…two little words that got me so wired up, it was unnerving. I wouldn’t let it happen, but there was a little girl inside of me that was crying out to be released. “Heart’s honor, Daddy,” I whispered. However, he didn’t hear me; he was already out the door with his people.

“Skylar?” Hearing my name whipped me back to the present.

I tried my best to look happy and cheerful, but Mom always saw right through me.

“You okay, hun? You’re not getting sick again, are you?” Mom placed her wine glass on the table after taking a sip.

“I’m fine. Maybe a little tired. I just took final exams so, I’m….”

Mom’s brow angled while turning her head sideways. “It’s been a week since your last exams.”

She was right. “I meant—”

“You know how college kids are. After the exams, they party the night away, right?” Steven winked at me, smiling as if I would approve of him taking sides with me. Well, it worked. I watched him shove a piece of meat he had just sliced into his mouth.

“Of course,” Mom giggled. They started talking about their college lives, so I tuned out. Looking at my cell phone, I realized Mason had texted me again.

Where are you?

I’m at a restaurant with Steven and Mom.

I’ll see you tomorrow, right?

Yes. How are you guys holding up?

We’re fine. Don’t worry about us. Just be careful.

I will. And you, too.

I’ll text you later. Have a good time with your family.

I will.

Mason didn’t reply. I could just imagine him pacing in his room or staring at the wall wondering what he could have done to prevent what had happen. Mason was that way. His heart was heavy with the burden of the death of his mother and now this. I knew him well enough to know that he would blame himself for Everett’s disappearance.

Just as I was about to click off, Kayla texted me.

Wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you, too.

Did you get my gift?

Yes, did you get mine?

Yes. I love the picture collage you made.

Thank you! And thank you for my beautiful scarf. I’m wearing it right now.

Really?

Yup.

Nick told me that he’ll be out of town starting tomorrow, and that he didn’t know when he’d be back. He seemed a little off today. Is Mason going with him?

Yes. He is.

I’m sad we aren’t together for Christmas this year.

Me too, but I’ll see you for the New Year’s party, okay?

Can’t wait. Give my love to your mom.

You do the same. Gotta go. Out to dinner.

Hugs!

Hugs back!!!

“Sky, is everything okay?” Mom asked.

I put my phone back into my purse. “Everything is fine. That was Kayla wishing me Merry Christmas.” But it wasn’t fine. Nick had told Kayla he didn’t know when he would be back, and his words broke my heart. Nick was right; we didn’t know when we would be back, and there was a possibility of neither one of us making it back home. That made me sick to my stomach.

Glancing at my mom, and seeing the way she looked at Steven, made me wonder if I looked the same with Mason. I was pretty sure I did. She was in love and so was I. At least I knew if something were to happen to me, she would have him to comfort her. Hopefully, he was that type of a man. Some men sucked in that department. For this, I would try a bit harder to really get to know him and maybe even hug him back when he hugged me.

“Sky?” Mom called again.

I snapped back to their conversation. “Yes.”

“Steven and I wanted to give you something for Christmas, but since we didn’t know what to get you, we thought that a gift certificate would be the best.” Mom handed me a card.

“Thank you. It’ll come in handy. I have your gifts at home.”

“You didn’t have to get us anything,” Steven said, dabbing his lips with the napkin.

“It’s something small.” I’d bought Steven a tie and Mom a scarf. A very generic gift, but I didn’t have time to shop around. I’d bought Everett and Nick ties, too; Amanda was getting a scarf. But for Mason, I made something extra special. I’d created a mini photo album for him. He seemed to love the idea when he’d seen mine. Inside were pictures of our times together and his family, though I only had a few of those. I even bought some picture frames and put some pictures in them. The first time I was in his room, I hadn’t seen any photos of his family. I figured it was about time that he had some, as a reminder that he was not alone and that he was loved.

“You’re in college so we don’t expect much, but when you become successful at whatever you want to be, then you can get us something big.” Mom giggled. “You know I’m just kidding, right, hun?”

“Of course, Mom.” I smiled, hoping that her teasing could come true…that she would see me become successful in the future. Mom had no idea what was in store for me and there was no way I could even explain it to her, so a part of me dreaded this Christmas Eve, thinking that this might be the last time I’d ever see her.

We never really celebrated Christmas anyway, but it was a drag this time around. It had been barely more than a day since Everett disappeared, but it seemed like weeks. Nick and Amanda moped around the house while I just stared at the ceiling in my room. Sometimes, I would stare at the phone and wait for a return text from Sky.

When I woke up that morning, I found two boxes, neatly wrapped in Christmas paper on my bed. I knew immediately they were from Sky. Our family had never exchanged gifts before. Nick or Amanda must have brought them into my room when I dozed off, even though I hardly slept last night.

When I opened my gifts, an overwhelming feeling of joy filled my heart. Not that I’d expected anything from her, but it was a gift that took a lot of thought and preparation. Flipping through the album that was creatively decorated, I couldn’t help the huge smile on my face. It made me miss Sky even more. Looking at the pictures in the frames made me laugh. One was of Sky and me, and the other one was the six of us. Seeing Everett snapped me out of my euphoria, and my heart became heavy again. Placing the frames on my nightstand, I headed out.

I sauntered down the hallway to gather my family. With backpacks in their hands, they were already by the door waiting for me.

“Let’s go get our brother back.” Nick wrapped his arm around my neck with a tight grip to intensify his intentions, and wrapped the other arm around Amanda.

“Whatever it takes,” I said. “First, we need to pick up Sky at her dorm.”

“Let’s go. Let’s do this.” Nick released his hold and handed me my backpack. “Remember this? Here we go again.” Then, he opened the door.

Victor and his people were waiting for us at the same spot on the beach, each with their own backpack. Good. We didn’t have to share our supplies. This time around, Zara was there, too.

Sky tensed up against me. She always seemed to be like that when she was around her dad, and I could understand why. Sky didn’t know how to act natural around him. I could just imagine all of the mixed up emotions she was experiencing since I would be the same way.

Zara stepped closer to us, out of her protected circle, and the breeze tousled her red hair. I had to admit, I had never seen such beautiful hair in my life. Her skin was paler than I remembered. Maybe it had been the florescent light in the dining hall that had given her a different look.

“I’m sorry about your brother. I was hoping my premonition was wrong. Whoever is behind this has been planning it for a long while. They’ve known about Sky, and they are ready. Of course, I’m only assuming, but it makes sense. Now… are you ready?”

“We are, but where are we going?” Nick asked.

“I’m going to open a portal. It will take us close to Mt. Hem. It’s not going to be an easy journey.” Zara waved her hand in a circular motion and mumbled some words I didn’t understand.

A tiny light sparkled and jetted out from the palms of her hands to the ground. It changed from white to blue. The light grew—expanding and stretching—and the wind started blowing. At first I thought it was from this world, but it was coming from the portal. “Jump in after me. Hurry, before it closes.”

Zara went in, then her people followed. I kissed the back of Sky’s hand and held it tightly. I didn’t know what awaited us or where we would land; all I cared about was that Sky and I weren’t separated. I would take every precaution to be sure she was safe. After glancing at each other, we stepped in.

Although I felt like my body had been sucked into a vacuum, I landed hard but steady on my feet with Sky next to me, still hand in hand. The first person I saw was Victor. I knew he was worried about Sky, but he didn’t say a word. It was the way he watched her and his body language.

Up ahead, the sun beamed through the thick clouds. When I gazed in the direction everyone else was staring, icy chills pricked every inch of me. I’d heard of a forest that was dark, even during the day, but I thought it was only a myth. Now, it had become my reality.

Nick cleared his throat nervously. “By any chance, that’s not the Night Forest, is it?”

“Whatever it’s called, I don’t want to go in there.” Amanda grimaced, shaking her head. “It creeps the hell out of me.”

“It’s okay,” Noah assured Amanda, moving to stand next to her. “I’ll protect you.”

Amanda’s sour expression quickly disappeared. “Well…in that case, I’m sure I’ll be fine.” Her flirty tone was enough to have Nick’s eyes rolling.

“I’ve heard that the trees swallow you up,” Nick continued.

“They’ll slice you up first, of course,” Sarah added, showing off her sword. That girl needs to get off her high horse. She might think she’s tough, all armored up, but with one zap of my bolts, she’d be knocked out.

“See if they can pass me!” Colin gloated. His ego was just as big as Sarah’s, but maybe I was being too judgmental. Our family was full of self-admiration.

“Don’t worry so much. I’ll scorch them if they dare to touch us.” Aaron flickered his fingers, showing off his fire.

“Nonsense.” Zara waved her hand like she was swatting a fly. “Stick with me and you’ll be fine. This entrance is the only way to get to Mt. Hem.”

What was she talking about? There was no entrance. There wasn’t even a space for a small animal to pass through.

Zara started walking in first. The trees slithered away, as if the branches knew she was there…or did she use her magic to untangle the unfriendly path? I had no idea, but it opened up when it had been tightly closed just a second ago.

Walking further in, I continued to hold Sky’s hand. Every once in a while she would look at me, but she didn’t say a word. I knew that look. She was checking up on me, trying to read my thoughts. I hadn’t spoken to her once since we got there. I was too busy scanning the surroundings for any freakish activity. Once inside, it was dark except for the miniscule rays of sunlight seeping through the cracks up above. Lucky for us, the sky was cloudless.

Sometimes the sunlight would highlight Sky’s hair, making her look like an angel, and sometimes it would hit that perfect spot on her iris, making it twinkle. In both instances, she was a beautiful vision in my eyes, and I would do anything to protect her.

Black branches weaved tightly together, reminding me of the swamp’s trees. I felt like I was inside one of the massive trees, fighting my way out. Bare branches tangled with adjacent branches, so I couldn’t tell where it started or ended. It was pretty quiet, except for the shuffling sounds of our footsteps, but every once in a while, I heard rumbling sounds from high above. The sudden change in temperature not only gave me goose bumps, but it was getting difficult to breathe, as the air became thick and heavy…or was it just me?

I don’t know how long we’d walked, but my legs started to ache, and they hardly ever ached. I knew Sky’s were hurting, too, by the way she was walking, even stumbling a couple of times. I didn’t mind catching her fall, though; it was a good excuse to hold her close to me.

“You okay?” I asked.

Sky nodded with that sweet, angelic smile that I loved to see. It always caused desire to explode within me. She was a good sport and never complained, unlike Amanda. Figuring that it was a perfect opportunity to speak, I purposely made us lag behind.

“I found your gifts today. Actually, someone placed them on my bed.” I swung our arms as we walked hand in hand. My smile was so big; I probably looked like a lovesick fool. It was true...I loved Sky, this I knew for sure. It was one thing that was holding me together. She was helping me wake up from the dead.

“It was Nick,” she giggled. “Do you like them?”

I smiled again, not from her words, but from the sound of her laughter. She made the cutest sounds when she was happy, not to mention the other sounds I loved to hear whimpering out of her sweet lips, like when I was purposely inflicting my light on her.

“Of course, I do. Thank you. I will always treasure anything you give me.” Swiftly stopping, I turned around and kissed her. It was just going to be a little peck, but I lost it when our lips touched. She tasted like blueberry muffins; guess I know what she must have had for breakfast.

Eyes closed, Skylar pulled back, opening them slowly as if coming out of a daze. Her chest rose and fell quickly; she was enjoying my kiss way too much. “You need to stop. I’m going to want more.” It was a good thing she made us stop. I had forgotten where we were.

After walking for a few hours, we couldn’t see the path in front of us. Zara started to dimly glow, but it wasn’t from her body—like how I would do it—it came from the stone she held in the palm of her hand. The blue light intensified, giving us enough light to see our path, so I decided not to light up myself. I realized Nick was thinking the same thing when he looked at me, shrugged his shoulders, and just kept walking. He was dimly lit, but had quickly shut it off.

“We can take a rest here,” Victor said, looking overcome and tired. “It seems safe enough, don’t you think, Zara?”

Zara glanced around at the surroundings, then looked at her stones. “I think so. I don’t feel any negative energy.”

There was something about her tone of voice that betrayed her words, but I brushed if off. After all, I had no idea what she did with those stones or what they meant.

“I think this is a good open space,” Amanda added. “There are no bushes here,” she glanced around, “just trees, dead grass, and dirt.”

Victor put his backpack down and took out a bottle of water. Everyone else did the same.

Taking out a bottle of water, I handed it to Sky and she gulped half of it down. I knew I was staring, but I couldn’t help it. She could even make drinking water look sexy, and that made me even thirstier. After I drank some, too, I gazed around to see where Nick and Amanda were.

Suddenly, something caught the corner of my eye, and I turned away from Sky. Tiny bubbles of water hovered in the air in front of us. They looked like bubbles, so I zapped one with a small bolt and it popped.

I knew it was Sky’s little joke by the sly, yet innocent smile and her giggling, not to mention a few more bubbles were now coming out of her water bottle. It was amazing to see this transformation, yet she was handling it better than I would have. Perhaps it was the fact that she was getting used to the paranormal life, and she had support around her.

I closed the bottle and handed it to her, just in case she wanted more. Apparently she wasn’t thirsty, but still wanted to be playful. With a shake of my head, I mouthed, “No, no, no.” After planting a kiss on her forehead, I put the bottle back into the backpack.

To my surprise, I saw more water bubbles, so I poked one with my finger. It wasn’t the reaction that I got last time. My finger went right through it, and it retained its form even when I removed my finger. I even used my bolt, but nothing happened.

Turning at the sound of laughter, I saw that water bubbles surrounded us, multiplying by the second. I glanced at Noah and Tim—the two that I thought were behind this—but when they seemed fascinated by it, I knew they had nothing to do with it, especially since their water bottles were closed. The only other person I thought could do this was Sky, but she appeared worried instead of amused.

“Mason, I’m not doing this. I don’t think it’s from one of us,” she said under her breath. Her eyes were wide and frightened, glued to the bubbles dancing in front of her.

Nick, being Nick, cast out electricity through his finger; it also went right through them, just as it had for me…and again, nothing happened. Seeming puzzled, he poked his fingers through one…still nothing.

Colin and Sarah swung their swords while Aaron tried to scorch them with his light, but still nothing. We were in deep trouble if none of our powers had any effect on them.

Worried, I turned to Zara. The stone in the palm of her hand had completely changed to red, unless she had a different stone. I was almost certain it was blue when I saw it give off light earlier. With her eyes locked on the stone, she didn’t move or speak. I was waiting for her guidance when suddenly, Zara jerked back.

“Don’t let them open in front of you. Swat them away,” she said quickly. “It’s a sleeping spell. Hurry, come behind me.”

“What the hell?” I grabbed Sky and made sure Nick and Amada were right behind me.

The bubbles started growing bigger, but that wasn’t our only problem. Something was grabbing me, wrapping around my ankle. It happened so fast that by the time I realized they were the roots from the trees, I was imprisoned against its trunk.

When the initial shock wore off and I managed to snap out of it, I searched for Sky. Everyone else was tied except for Zara, who looked utterly stunned. Baffled, she ran to Victor and tried to help him get loose. The grip on me was too strong, and everything I tried had no effect. Even my light bounced right back at me. I stopped when I felt the pain from my own shock. Damn it!

“Sky, you okay?” She was tied to the tree next to me.

“I’m fine, Mason. How are we going to get out of this?”

There was panic in her voice. I had to do something.

“Can’t you get us out, Zara?” Nick hollered. The roots had completely wrapped him up. He couldn’t move any part of his body, just like the rest of us, but Nick wouldn’t stay still. He kept squirming, cussing, and lighting up, but it wasn’t working.

“What you said was true,” Colin shouted.

“We’re going to be swallowed up!” Amanda shrieked.

“Don’t waste your energy. Get a hold of yourself,” Sarah said to Amanda, who was tied up next to her.

“We’re going to die!” Amanda bawled.

I tried to think of a plan to get us out, but I ran out of time. Plus, Amanda’s cries weren’t helping me either. The bubbles—which were now the size of bowling balls—began to pop. At first, it looked like white vapor swarming around in front of me, before it wafted straight for my face. The next thing I saw was a blurry vision of Sky. As I fought the urge to sleep, I had no choice but to submit, and my last thoughts were of Sky. I hoped I would still find her there when this wore off.

Something was happening to everyone except Zara and me…and something was also happening to the necklace my dad had given me. It felt warm underneath my shirt where it was hidden, as per my dad’s instruction. I assumed this was the reason why I was the only one not asleep, besides Zara. Apparently, it did protect me from the spells.

Although I was still tied up, I could see that everyone else had their eyes closed; hopefully they had just fallen asleep and nothing else was happening to them. I maintained my calmness when I saw Mason’s chest rise and fall. At least he was breathing, as was everyone else, as far as I could see. Images of them waking up as vultures crossed my mind.

What puzzled me the most was that I was still awake and Zara was standing with her back against me. I snapped my eyes shut when Zara swung around. When I thought it was safe, I slowly peeled my eyes open just enough to observe her. She appeared to be talking to someone, but there was no one there.

“I will bring the girl. You have my word.”

Pause

“I will find a way to get rid of the others.”

Pause

“It won’t be easy, but he trusts me, so it won’t be a problem.”

Pause

“The water bubbles worked. How long will they last?”

Pause

“We’ll be on our way as soon as they wake up.”

I shut my eyes again when Zara turned around. The roots started to unravel and gently placed me down in a sitting position, along with everyone else. All I wanted to do was tell everyone what had happened, but my dad and his people trusted Zara. They had a history together, a bond that couldn’t be broken merely by my words. I would look like a fool, so I decided to keep a close eye on her instead.

Sitting there without moving a muscle, I waited to see what Zara would do. She ran to my dad, helping him up just as Mason ran to me.

“Sky, wake up.” Mason was bent down, caressing my face.

I opened my eyes and gave him a small smile, trying to hide what I desperately wanted to tell him. When I had the chance to talk to him privately, I would. Mason smiled back and pulled me up. With a sigh of relief, he held me tightly. “Are you feeling any different?”

“No, just a little sleepy.” I had no idea what to say, but knowing it was some kind of sleeping spell, I said the first thought that popped in my head. My attention was turned to loud voices.

“What the hell happened?” Nick looked like he was ready to punch someone. Standing up, he dusted off his shirt.

“Get off me.” Amanda pushed and pulled the remaining roots off her, grimacing and looking extremely annoyed.

It was clearly evident how much influence Zara had over her people. Mason’s family was blunt, spoke their minds, but the others were compliant and hardly complained.

“What happened?” my dad asked Zara. Their people were standing next to him, as was Amanda. Noah and Amanda seemed to have a sparkling connection every time I saw them together.

“It was a sleeping spell,” Zara replied. “Hurry, we must go before nightfall. We need to get out of the Night Forest. That was a warning.”

Warning from whom? I wanted to ask, but when no one questioned her, I decided not to as well. I didn’t want to give her any indication that I had doubts.

Zara’s words were final; we picked up our bags and followed her. After about a mile, we were finally out of the forest. My lungs immediately expanded, as I took in the cool, fresh air. The sudden icy wind stung my body, so I zipped up the jacket I was wearing.

“The journey through the Night Forest wasn’t as bad as you thought.” Zara looked at each of us. “We were a little tied up, but no slicing bodies or getting eaten up by a tree.” She let out a soft snort and looked at Amanda, who sleepily shrugged her shoulders. “Our real test will be when we get inside Mt. Hem. I have no idea what will await us.” Zara’s cape swirled as it gathered closer to her body. “It’s getting cold. Let’s try to cross the bridge in one piece.”

Mason wrapped his arms around me as we headed for a bridge. Thank God, it wasn’t like the collapsing bridge I was on last time. Although this one was very sturdy, I didn’t understand how it was built, especially since it extended for quite some distance. One thing that gave me an eerie feeling was the water that flowed underneath it. There was nothing wrong with it…it was the fact that I knew it could be manipulated in a dangerous way. Mason, who must have seen the look on my face, squeezed my hand to let me know that everything was going to be fine.

When we crossed the bridge, my body relaxed and so did my frenzied heart, but when I saw the trail, I gulped in terror.

“Seriously? Again?” Amanda looked like she’d had enough. The stairs were narrow and there was nothing to grip for support. Not only that, the stairs were not ordinary ones; the position of them was uneven, and some were barely big enough to place a foot and nothing else.

“This is it,” Zara said, enthusiastically. I think she was the only one that was excited, and I wondered what her real motive was. “These stairs will lead us to the entrance.”

“Oh joy,” Amanda murmured under her breath. She followed behind my dad’s people and Noah climbed after her.

Nick blocked Mason from moving with his hand. “Everett better be alive and be there, or I’m going to lose control with Zara.” Nick’s words might have been for only Mason to hear, but I heard them, too. I felt his anger deep down to my core. I could understand. For Mason’s family, and mine, this journey was all about finding Everett.

Mason placed his hand on Nick’s shoulder in an effort to reassure him, but it did no good. “He’s alive. You can sense him, can’t you?”

“Yes. But I won’t believe it until I see him.”

“Then let’s go. Let’s bring him home.” Mason’s words gave Nick something to hold on to, I could tell by the look in his eyes.

Nodding, Nick trudged forward. Mason grabbed my hand and took a step, then turned to me. “One step at a time. We go slow. Don’t look down, just look at my back and take deep breathes.”

After I nodded, Mason climbed higher, with one of his hands gliding across the rocky mountain surface, the other gripped tightly on mine. Thank goodness, the breeze was soft and not harsh, but it was still difficult to breathe. The altitude and being deathly afraid of heights was a bad combination.

There were a couple of close calls when Aaron and Sarah almost fell, but everything else considered, it was going okay. I didn’t know how long we’d been on the dreadful stairs, but at that point, I wished I had stronger muscles in my thighs; they were burning, aching to no bounds. Without any rest, we were exhausted and thirsty.

“We’re almost there,” Zara said, then she disappeared.

Mason kicked up his leg first, swung around, and lifted me up to another level. It was nothing except dirt and pebbled ground, but looking straight ahead was an entrance—just as I thought it would be—dark and gloomy.

“Let’s rest up here and camp overnight,” Zara directed, pointing to higher ground by the trees and bushes. “We’ll be safe here for the night.”

I didn’t know about Zara, but it didn’t look like a safe place to me, especially when we were not too far from the cave entrance. Who knew what was lurking about? Nick and Noah hustled around, picking up broken branches. After they laid them down, Aaron used his powers and started a small campfire. Huddling around it for warmth, we all settled ourselves as comfortably as we could. Luckily, Mason snuggling behind me gave me extra body heat.

Looking up, the only thing I could see against the dark blanket of the sky was the pale moon. Somehow without the sparkling stars, it made the night eerier, but the fire gave us warmth. The coldness was less noticeable compared to when we were hiking to reach this point, and the breeze was still, making it bearable.

“Here,” my dad said, handing me a granola bar. “You must be hungry.”

“Thanks,” I replied, feeling uncomfortable because he didn’t hand one to anyone else. He was just being a dad, taking care of his daughter. A part of my heart softened when I took it, though I didn’t mean to; it was a natural reflex. Everyone else started to take things out of their bags, too. I guess they were waiting for the green light to eat.

“You can sleep on me like this if you want. I’ll keep you safe and warm.” Mason pulled my hair away from my face and kissed my cheek. He also handed me my water bottle and a bag of mixed trail nuts with dried fruits. Under normal circumstances I would have passed, but I was starving. Along with those items, we had power bars that were easy to eat, compared to the beans and bread we’d had last time we went camping.

I nestled into his hold with a smile. “I will take you up on your offer.”

“I’m not sleeping,” Sarah said, taking the last bite of whatever she was eating. She sat furthest from the fire. “This isn’t time to have fun. We’re not camping.” She wiggled her index and middle fingers together to quote her words.

“Neither am I. I’ll keep watch.” Colin walked closer to the cave, but kept a safe distance from it. He turned his back to us after a quick glance.

“I’ll help Colin.” Sarah got up and sat next to him.

“There’s nothing to fear,” Zara said, standing before us with my dad. “We are safe here. It’s when we enter the cave that I’m worried about.” Her smile was sweet and genuine. I could almost believe her, but not after what I’d seen at the Night Forest.

From the corner of my eye, I could see my dad’s eyes flickering to Mason, to me, then away several times. I wondered if he felt uncomfortable by the way Mason was holding me, taking care of me. If the circumstances were different, I wouldn’t be showing this much affection toward Mason in front of him, but my dad had no right to judge, no right to say anything about whom I dated…still, a part of me wondered if he approved.

Sky didn’t know I was giving her heat from my body. I could do it just enough so that no one would notice. She was shivering so much that I had no choice. I needed to make her comfortable, to make her feel safe.

I needed to focus on Sky right now. Everett being gone was driving me insane; I didn’t want to add the worry to my family, so I kept it to myself. Nick and Amanda would space out at times, and I had an idea what was on their minds. They were closer to Everett than I was, so I could only imagine the agony they were feeling.

So far, the road to our destination wasn’t as bad as I’d thought it would be. If only it would be like that where we were headed. My gut feeling told me Everett was alive, but what condition we would find him in was the question.

Before Sky fell asleep in my arms, we moved next to the tree so I could use it for back support. I wasn’t planning on sleeping, but I felt my eyes close and knew I dozed off several times, yet it didn’t amount to nearly enough sleep. Amanda parked her body close to me, and wherever Amanda was, Noah followed. I was more than happy to know Noah took an interest in Amanda. Not that I felt like there was ever a competition between us, but I didn’t like any guys going after my girl.

Sky craned her neck at the same time she stretched her body. Turning to me, she rewarded me with the sweetest smile; I could stare at it all day. It took me to a place where I could leave all my troubles aside. Hell, it even made me forget who I was.

“Good morning,” she said, then turned to scan the surroundings as if she heard a noise that wasn’t there a second ago. She watched the others gathering their belongings.

“Did you sleep?” she asked, stroking my face. It tickled my skin and tingled inside of me. I wanted to kiss her and suck up that innocent smile she was giving me again, but I had to control my urges. However, if she smiled like that one more time, I was going to lose it. It was too playful, sexy, and beautiful, all at the same time. She had no idea what she was doing to me.

“I slept fine,” I lied, and helped her up.

The sun shimmered through the parted clouds, revealing the tips of the trees and plush green land that I hadn’t seen before. It was a breathtaking sight, and for a second, I forgot where I was. When Sky turned away from me, I started stuffing everything back into the backpack. Her eyes sparkled as she took in the surroundings.

“Let’s go,” I whispered to her, slipping my hand around her waist. We were the last ones to follow Zara.

Sky snapped out of her dreamy haze and took my hand. “I don’t trust Zara,” she said so only I could hear. She was calculating, eyeing the people ahead of us. Sky purposely slowed her pace, creating a distance between us and the others. “I saw something.”

After she told me what happened, I almost exploded. Anger seeped through every cell, bone, and muscle of my being so that I was sure I was lighting up. Having Sky’s hand on mine was the only thing that soothed me. There was a chance that I might hurt her if I lost control, so I retained my composure.

“But, I can’t be sure,” she continued. “She didn’t do anything to us. Maybe I’m reading this all wrong.”

“I’ll tell Nick and Amanda when I get a chance. Stay close to me. As soon as we find Everett and everyone is safe, we’re going home.”

With a nod, we entered the darkness.

Surprisingly, the smell of lavender filled my nose. Zara put her stone away and Mason and Nick’s light became dimmer as we walked further in. Everyone looked guarded and worried, especially Colin and Sarah, who held their swords continuously in front of them. I guess they couldn’t help it; it was in their blood, after all.

Inside, the cave was massively grand; the small entryway that forced us to bend low was nothing compared to what I was seeing now. The ceiling reached higher than I would have expected, and the open space had a small stream, which reflected the colors of the rainbow. There was a garden full of various flowers that appeared magical. How there was light in there, I didn’t know. Had we found the cave for any reason other than why we were there, I would have been enthralled by it, but somehow, I was fearful of the beauty instead.

I knew everyone else was mesmerized by it just as much as I was when I saw their eyes grow wide with wonder. As we cautiously continued on the pebbled path, my heart could not stop racing; it thumped out of control. The stillness of the place gave me goose bumps, and it got worse when Amanda pointed upward. What looked like crystals, or icicles, hung above…not just one or two, but countless of them. They filled up practically the entire ceiling.

“Mason.” His name barely escaped my lips, as fear pricked every muscle in my body.

“Stalactites,” Mason said, pulling me closer to him.

Zara held out her hand, gesturing for us to stop. All was still as my heart pounded against my chest; not even a muscle twitched. I don’t know what caused it, but what happened next seemed implausible. First, light reflected on the crystals, casting hues of various shades of blue, captivating our eyes. The beauty of it was replaced with fear.

“There’s no other way. We have to cut across,” Zara said. We mimicked Zara’s small steps, trying to get through the length of the trail.

We had only taken about twenty steps when the floor shook, like a mini earthquake. One loose crystal unexpectedly plummeted right in front of Zara, kicking up dirt and pebbles, creating a massive dust cloud.

With not a second to lose, Mason and Nick lit up. Amanda, Sarah, Colin, and my dad drew their swords. Aaron’s hands were ready to torch. Noah and Tim borrowed water from the stream and created icicle darts that hovered nearby.

When the dust cleared, Zara jumped back to avoid being hit as another one fell, then another. They started to fall like rain. Suddenly, there was chaos.

“Run! Run to the other side!” my dad bellowed.

Mason grabbed my hand and we ran like there was fire behind us. The crystals fell so quickly that there were times when we had to slow down. Not only did we have to dodge the falling crystals, we had to protect ourselves from the pieces that were breaking apart as they fell.

Noah and Tim waved their hands through the air and guided the icicles to hit other targets just as they fell. Nick and Mason extended their bolts, trying to change their density, and Aaron’s arms were lifted above his head while creating heat, trying to melt them. Unfortunately, I didn’t think it was working; one came right down at him.

“Watch out,” Colin yelled. Using the wall for momentum, he planted his feet on it, flipped over, and landed on one knee to avoid the ones that would have fallen on him. Then he flung his circular armor like a Frisbee. It flew right over Sarah’s head, knocking away one that would have crushed her. She was too busy trying to avoid the one coming at her from the front. The crystals shattered, both in front and behind her, but luckily she had her armor to shield her from the debris. Colin’s shield swung back to him, just like a boomerang.

Coming from behind us were the icicle spears and balls that Noah and Tim created. Nick, Mason, and I used our light energy. Finally, we were in sync, and without a word, we combined our efforts and powers to shatter the crystals before they could touch the ground. As we ran for our lives, I looked over my shoulder to see that my dad was all right. Zara seemed to care about his safety the most.

Out of breath, we made it through and our panicky breaths echoed through the air, but not for long. The floor beneath us started to rumble and shake again. I stood frozen, wondering what danger would come next, and what I saw brought me to another level of sheer terror. With a loud crack, part of the ground ahead divided and split open, the fissure moving toward us. Parts of it crumbled down to the volcano-like fire that erupted out of nowhere.

“This way,” Zara directed.

As we ran for our lives once again, our backs touched the rocky structure. Darting as fast as we could to get to the other side, the blistering heat was overwhelming. Sweat trickled down the sides of my face. I had to squint my eyes along the way because of the smoke that wafted out from underground. The heat under my feet was scorching, and every step was painful. The wall started to take in the flame, and it was getting difficult to use it as an anchor to keep from falling.

“We’re almost there,” Mason encouraged, holding my hand tightly. “Just a few more yards.”

“Hurry up,” Aaron ordered.

“What’s wrong? Too much fire?” Nick asked with a smirk. “You can light up, but can’t take the heat?” Nick always seemed to find humor in whatever situation we were in. “Hold on, Everett. We’re coming for you. Talk about going to hell and back for your brother.”

With one final step, we made it to safety, but we weren’t prepared for the darkness. Just before Nick or Mason had a chance to light up, something glowed. It was a small light, but it was very noticeable.

“Welcome,” a voice said in a deep, muffled tone.

Startled, we cautiously started to slowly back away. It was difficult to see the man behind the voice in the dark shadows. When the light shifted higher, I knew he had stood up and was now heading toward us. The vision of him cleared when he came out of the darkness and the small light disappeared. Dressed in a black cape, his face and his body were completely covered. It was difficult to tell if he was a friend or a foe.

“Please show yourself,” Zara asked. Surprisingly, she wasn’t demanding.

“You have not earned the privilege to see my face,” he answered.

The moment the words left his mouth, I could feel danger from his tone; I knew the others felt it, too. Their heads were turning, and I assumed they were looking for an escape route, because I was doing the same.

“Don’t even bother. There is only one way out.”

“What do you want?” my dad snapped. I didn’t think it was a good idea to piss him off.

The stranger didn’t answer.

“I can explain,” Zara whispered suddenly, only meant for me to hear. Her wide, worried eyes were on my necklace, which had somehow slipped out of my shirt. She knew at that moment I had heard everything. “You weren’t asleep. It’s not what you think!”

Our brief conversation ended when I heard Nick’s angry voice. I didn’t want anyone to see the necklace, so I shoved it back. It didn’t matter what Zara had to say to me. I would only let her explain if she got us all out of there alive.

Nick took a step forward, but dared not get any closer. “Where’s my brother?” His tone was forceful. “I know you’re holding him hostage. Let him go or I’ll kill you myself.” Nick’s words seethed through his clenched teeth, and his eyes glowed to match his anger.

“How was your journey here?” the stranger asked nonchalantly, ignoring Nick’s rage. I hadn’t noticed the tiny sparks coming out of his sleeves, even though we couldn’t see his hands.

“What?” Nick raised a brow, questioning his question. “Are you serious? You’re asking me that question? It was hot. While you’re sitting on your ugly ass, we almost got torched, burnt…however you want to describe it.”

“Really? I didn’t see a thing.”

“Maybe you need to get a pair of glasses. Better yet, how about opening your eyes. Do you even have any?”

I couldn’t believe how unafraid and harsh Nick’s tone was. Mason poking Nick was a way of reminding him to hold his tongue and not piss off this stranger.

“I think it was all in your heads. Such imaginations you all have.” His tone was calm, almost mocking.

Turning to where we were minutes ago, I suddenly realized the air had become cooler. And what I saw next was inexplicable…the ground was solid. But how? It was vomiting hot lava while we tried to cross. Not a single piece of evidence of what we’d endured marked the ground. I was sure all of our eyes were practically bulging out.

“What the hell?” Nick muttered under his breath.

“Impossible,” Noah breathed.

Mason turned with fire in his eyes and his fingertips flickering with light. In this dimly lit darkness, everyone could clearly see that Mason was beyond upset. It was his way of letting off steam. “You put thoughts in our minds. Why? And who are you?”

My dad took several steps to get closer to me. I think his intentions were to block me from the man’s view. “He’s just letting us know we’re in his territory.”

“That is a mystery, isn’t it, Mason?” the man replied, seemingly enjoying toying with us.

“How do you know my name?” Mason huffed with concern.

“I know all of your names, including the one you’re all trying to hide from me.”

My dad took another step, blocking my view completely. His sword was pointing downward with a tight grip, but he was clearly ready for battle. “The hell you do. Don’t even say her name. There’s only one of you. There are a lot more of us. Release Everett and Tara. Then we’ll let you be.”

“You think I’m not prepared?” he laughed wickedly. “I like your humor and bravery, but it’s not going to make me surrender. You need to look closely around you.” He started pacing, making me anxious. My heart pounded harder with every step he took. I was petrified that at any moment, he would do something horribly unexpected.

We all looked for what he could be talking about, and sure enough, he was not there alone. Yellow, glowing eyes appeared out of the darkness…not just one pair, but countless of them. The sight of them made me gasp for breath, and the new shivers were now from their presence.

Slowly emerging into sight, their beaming eyes were faint as their hulk-like bodies stood before us. Some of them were vultures, for sure; I could clearly smell them. The others were the new species of vultures. Though their eyes were illuminated just like the vultures, they were in human form. Their hissing and growling was enough to intimidate me.

With weapons drawn, we stood grounded in ready stances. I focused back on him when he spoke again.

“Don’t worry about them. You really need to worry about me.” Where sparks were before, now tiny flames lit up underneath his long sleeves. He was definitely beyond creepy. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was like me, except I couldn’t light up with flames.

“Tell us who you are, then we’ll negotiate,” Dad demanded.

“Negotiate?” The stranger started to laugh. His chuckle vibrated through his chest and echoed against the wall. “Before I tell you who I am, let me tell you a story first. You might even be fascinated. There are many versions of this story, told by humans of course. It’s funny how they think they know so much about our past: adding, deleting, and changing details.” He paused. “A long time ago when Hades decided to take revenge on his brothers, he reached out to Hephaestus. You might be wondering why. Let me explain.

“Hephaestus was the son of Zeus and Hera. You all know how hideous and monstrous Hephaestus’ appearance was…even his own parents couldn’t stand the sight of him. Therefore, he was taken to the mountains, where Hephaestus discovered he had a talent in creating weapons. He served as the blacksmith for the gods. Zeus had demanded it.

“Hephaestus crafted much of the magnificent equipment of the gods. He designed Hermes’s winged helmet and sandals, Aphrodite’s famed girdle, Achilles’s armor, Eros’s bow and arrows, and the list goes on and on. Yet his greatest creation was the gift that the gods gave to man, the woman Pandora and her pithos. Zeus ordered Hephaestus to mold her out of the earth as part of the punishment for Prometheus’s theft of fire. You’re probably wondering why I’m talking about Pandora and her pithos. Her pithos—known to mankind as Pandora’s box—released all the evils of humanity. Poor Pandora. She opened the box out of simple curiosity and not as a malicious act. And she was blamed.

“You see, Hephaestus was extremely tired, and furious for being treated like he was nothing, when all of the beautiful things were created by him. Thinking of Pandora, he created statues of all the gods he wanted to take revenge on. Instead of using clay, he used iron. But you see, this was a special iron. Once it was touched by the person the statue replicated, it liquefied on contact and spread to their body, covering it entirely. Over time, the iron changed to the color of ivory, making them look like ivory statues. This was a clever way of killing the gods without much effort. However, since you can’t really kill gods, they were stuck there for eternity.

“This is where the revenge part comes in. Hephaestus told the gods that he had created gifts for them; that the replicated statues of them would talk to them once they had touched it. For days, Hephaestus waited. Though the gods were very curious, they were hesitant. Eventually, just like Pandora, they gave in. So the myth about the gods dying because of religion prevailing is false. They became weaker. Even after their capture, Hephaestus got no credit.

“Zeus and Poseidon massively procreating because gods were dying is also false. They had procreated since the beginning of time. When Hades found out about it, he was beyond enraged. Being stuck underground, he couldn’t do anything about it. That is when he created the vultures, with the help of Medusa. When my uncle reached out to me, he ordered the vultures to follow my commands.” He gave a big, proud smirk.

Me? Did he just say…Oh my God! He’s Hephaestus? Was that why he had covered himself with the black robe? So we couldn’t see his disfigured body? And if he was kidnapping only Hephaestus’s descendants, then it all made sense. He was using them to build weapons for him, as well as including them in his army. Before I could even register all that he’d said, because it was just unbelievable, he continued.

“Let me explain all that was happening right under your noses. First, I had to test to see if I could change any of you into vultures. Remus was my test subject. You can blame his love for alcohol. His favorite drinking ladies were my helpers. The day he tried to kill Skylar…and yes, I am aware of the situation…he drank a drop of vulture’s blood. Obviously his body didn’t change, but his aggressive traits gave me an advantage. I knew this would happen from my other test subject. Vulture’s blood triggers the part of the brain that controls the anger in both humans and descendants. However, with the humans, I have to mix a drop of vulture blood with God’s wine, called ambrosia. It gives the human a euphoric feeling…until they vomit from the effect. Then the transformation happens.

“And yes, I am creating my army of vultures, some of whom you have already met. I’m going to take over the human world. I’m going to be the only God they will worship…only, they won’t be humans.” He bellowed a wicked laugh. “And you, Sky, I have to thank Ian. He gave you a taste of his blood, which is the reason you absorbed the power of lightning. When you take the blood from the person by direct contact, like you did with Remus, you take his life, but when it’s taken from the person and you drink a drop of it, the person lives.”

The stranger continued, “And of course, I gave you the blood of Poseidon’s descendant when we had dinner together. How I love organic cranberry juice.”

“You’re sick,” I yelled, feeling light at my fingertips.

“Oh, Sky. You should be grateful I’m giving you all of these powers. I bet you didn’t know you could shoot out fire. Now you are perfect, able to do what I’m going to demand of you.”

“Fire?” I heaved the word out of my mouth, looking at the palms of my hands. “Impossible.”

“Tame the flame and it will be yours.” He winked.

“It was you? You got inside my head?” I pointed at him, feeling flabbergasted.

“Maybe, maybe not. It’s what the gods like to say. Let me show you something. Stay right there.” We had no choice. Our main purpose was to find Everett, so we had to listen to his command.

He glided toward the wall, but when he swiped his arm in a circular motion, as if a veil had been lifted, Everett and a lady that looked like Zara appeared. They seemed frightened, standing next to iron cast replicas of themselves. Recalling what the stranger had said, I instantly knew he was planning to use them as leverage.

“Tara,” Zara whispered. Her eyes twinkled with happiness and sadness.

“Everett!” Nick bellowed, charging for him, but Mason stopped him.

“No, look.”

One of the vultures was behind Everett, ready to force him to touch the iron statue. Everett appeared happy to see us, giving us a smile of relief, but at the same time, there was fear in his eyes.

“Let him go, you beast,” Amanda shouted. Mason had to hold her back, too. The stranger turned around and hissed loudly, but returned to his task, passing Everett and Tara. I guess he hated being called a beast.

“This is not the way,” Mason whispered under his breath.

“Then what do we do?” Noah asked in frustration. “He has the upper hand.”

Before we could conjure up any escape plan, what I saw next turned my world upside down. “Mom?”

“Gina?” I heard my dad mumble. He was just as stunned as I was. Too busy trying to look for a way out, we didn’t see where she had come from.

Mom couldn’t see me yet, but we could clearly see her. We were situated in the darker shade of this place. “Steven, where are we?” I heard my mom say.

“Steven?” Mason’s voice rang in my head. I had thought it at the same time, only I was in too much shock to say it. The next thing I knew, Mom was running toward…Oh my GOD! The stranger had taken off his cape and was now appearing in front of my mom, wearing jeans and a black sweater. She could clearly see the man’s face, even though we couldn’t.

She hugged him and kissed his lips before glancing around. “Where are we?”

Mason gripped my hand, his way of letting me know to stay calm. Hephaestus, the murderer, was dating my mom, promising her forever. He was welcomed into our home, ate dinner with us, pretended to care about my class schedule, pretended to care about me. Oh God! I felt sick to my stomach. I wanted to vomit. And I was mad as hell.

I lightly shocked Mason’s hand, knowing he wouldn’t release me, and ran across the rocky ground. My fingers lit up, and I was going to give Hephaestus the shock of his life. Hearing Mason call my name, made me hesitate for a split second, but the rage inside of me wouldn’t tame. “Steven. You ass—” I started to say, when I was lifted off the ground. Steven used his powers to hold Mason and me in place; he must have run after me.

“Mom! Get away from him. He’s evil. He’s just using you,” I told her as fast as I could, but Mom’s eyes were on Steven’s hand. Blue electrified lights were coming out of his hands to hold Mason and me in mid-air. Seeing my dad and his team gather around, I was hoping that Steven would let go, but he didn’t. Vultures, and to my surprise, Ian, Mia, and his group, were blocking them from reaching Steven.

I glared viciously at Ian when our eyes met for brief second, but he wouldn’t look at me after that. He actually appeared guilty and remorseful, but I didn’t care. He was going to get it.

I knew Ian was no good, but it hurt to see him on Steven’s team. That meant he knew all along who Steven was and knew what was happening to me. He lied to me. He pretended to be my friend, only to spy on me and report back to Steven.

“Have you met Mia, Skylar?”

I didn’t answer.

“Of course you have. She’s not happy with you. You killed her friend, Alena.”

It all came crashing through. Too occupied with what was happening around me, Alena hadn’t crossed my mind, but it now seemed clear. Alena said she was working for someone, but it turned out she was a traitor to both sides. She was told not to kill me, but was going to do it any way.

“She disobeyed your order, didn’t she?” I asked mockingly.

“Maybe,” he answered casually, “but I do have faithful ones…right, Zara? Zara, you may leave with your sister and Victor as you have requested. This was our agreement. If you don’t leave now, I will give them the signal to kill Tara.”

“Then let her go. I will leave with them.”

“You…we trusted you. You lied to me…to us,” my father said to Tara. His eyes were glowing mad. “We believed in you. How could you bring my daughter to danger? How could you betray your people for your own selfish need?”

It dawned on me that the person she was talking to when she thought we were all asleep at the Night Forest was Hephaestus—Steven—or whatever he was called.

“Victor, it’s not what you think. I knew Skylar’s team would work it out. You and I need to leave now. Trust me, it will all be fine. I’m sorry. I had made a deal with Hephaestus that I would bring the one he needed. You may think this is a selfish trade for me, but the world needs Tara. Only she and I can help you defeat the evil that has spread among us, the only reason why I agreed. He’s not going to kill Skylar. She’ll be fine. He needs her.”

“Liar! I’m not going to leave my daughter behind and I’m not going to let you leave.” Dad grabbed Zara, but he was thrown to the ground. Mia had zapped him with her light. She was going to get one back from me.

“Victor?” my mom called softly, as if she couldn’t believe he was there. “What’s happening?” Before she could move, one of Steven’s vultures captured her.

“Let her go. She has nothing to do with this,” my dad pleaded. “Let everyone go. I can help you with what you want.” My dad was only saying whatever necessary to distract him, as his eyes shifted from my mom, to Steven, and finally to Zara, who was hugging Tara. When Steven turned just long enough for Nick to position himself, he zapped Steven’s hand, freeing Mason and me. Then, it was chaos.

Lightning flashed across space. Spear-like icicles and fire darted in my field of vision. There was so much energy and confusion that it was hard to tell which way to go or who to shoot, especially when everyone was moving at a super-fast speed. Having big boulders in the cave helped us hide, just long enough to catch a breath and get back up to fight. As for me, my main goal was to get my mom out of Steven’s hands, and it seemed like it was the same for my dad.

Carefully calculating Steven’s moves, I swirled around after dodging a light that wasn’t meant for me. Steven had no idea I was behind him, which was to my advantage. My dad eyes caught mine and he shook his head. Why was he trying to tell me to stop? He wanted to save my mom, didn’t he? My plan was short lived when my dad’s eyes grew big with fright, and he ducked to dodge the two vultures that swung at him. Seeing my dad was fine, I turned to discover not one, or two, but four vultures holding Mason. The lights from their fingertips protruded out like long silvery whips. Each of his arms and legs were imprisoned by their lights.

“Mason!” Nick bellowed from where he had just released Everett.

Countless lightning bolts were headed right for Mason, while several more came from different directions. I jumped and held up my hand, not knowing what I was doing besides trying to shoot those coming toward me. It was a natural reflex, but it was a stupid move, one that would kill me. However, all I could think of at that moment was saving Mason.

I would die for him, that was how much I loved him, and I didn’t realize it until I was put in this situation. Mason had always put my life first before his. Then it dawned on me how much he loved me back. The greatest kind of love was the kind that was freely given, not asking for anything in return…it was given simply because a person meant everything to you. And Mason was everything to me. If I died right now, I would die happy knowing I had found what love truly meant. It was not selfish, nor bold. There were no limits, no boundaries. It was just there. It was the purest kind of love that expanded one’s heart till they thought it would burst.

“No, Sky!” I heard from both my dad and Mason.

It’s okay, I wanted to say. I wanted to tell my dad that I forgave him, even though I was too stubborn to say it. At that moment, knowing I could die, somehow I let all of the anger go. It melted in my desperation, my fear, as I was staring death right in the face. Yet, nothing came. I felt nothing.

I slowly peered through the arms that blocked my vision. All of the lightning bolts were frozen in place, just inches away from me. What the hell? Not only did I stop them, I froze them. From the heavy weight, they dropped to the floor and liquefied. Holy cow!

Suddenly, the vultures stopped attacking and backed away, except for the ones holding Mason. Steven had his hand held up, and seemed to be motioning for them to back away. Why? He looked at me as if he were proud, and it gave me shivers down my spine, disgusting me.

“Well, well, well,” Steven chuckled. He was standing near the iron statues with my mom. She looked so frightened, still disbelieving what was happening around her. “I knew you could do many things, but I didn’t think this was possible.” He seemed amused and amazed at the same time. “You are more than ready.”

What was he talking about? Ready for what? Before I could ask, he tugged my mom in front of an iron statue of her. He had made one for her, too?

“Let me tell you what’s going to happen. I need Skylar to go down to the Underworld and kill Hades. Yes, Hades is still alive. Since I am unable to go to the Underworld, he was the only one I couldn’t capture. I can’t completely rule the world with him around. I’m sure he’s scheming to get out of there somehow and have me killed. After he is dead, then I can truly be the only God everyone will worship.”

“You’re crazy!” Mason bellowed, trying to free himself.

“I was afraid you might think that, but I’m sure if any of you had the opportunity, you would do the same.”

Nobody said a word, perhaps coming to realize that no matter what we said to him, he was beyond crazy and there was no stopping him.

“Why Sky?” my dad asked, surrounded by vultures.

“Because, she is the only one that can tame the flame. Only the one that has the power of all three gods can go to the Underworld. As you all know, your daughter has a special blood type that can absorb others’ powers. You and Gina had brought Skylar for treatment when she spiked a high fever. She was just a baby then. I took a sample of her blood without anyone knowing. I’ve searched for decades. It was the reason why I became a doctor. I took tons of samples of baby’s blood that I thought would be my salvation, so you can imagine how happy I was when I finally found the one.

“I observed and watched your family from afar until I knew it was time. First, I had to get rid of you. That was the easy part. You were my first experiment. I fed you vulture’s blood without you knowing. I thought you would die…instead, you tried to kill your own daughter. I tried increasing the dosage, but again it didn’t kill you. And because your blood was not like Skylar’s, you didn’t absorb the power. It was just temporary.

“When Gina kicked you out, it was the perfect opportunity to move right in, but of course I waited until she was ready. She really loved you. Your family grieved for you as if you were dead. In retrospect, I should have killed you instead. Look at all the trouble you’ve caused. You found an army of descendants, but soon they will be working under me. Oh, by the way, if you didn’t already know, one drop of Skylar’s blood can multiply when mixed with vulture’s blood. So I have tons of it stored away. It’s also the reason why the vultures turn to stone. They can’t handle the rapid growth. However, when mixed with ambrosia, it tames the growth. Thus, my new evolution of vultures.”

Steven’s eyes were greedy and heated, as if he could smell his own victory.

During Steven’s confession, my heart had dropped to the floor. All those years with my dad and the life we could’ve had had been taken by Steven. He’d robbed us of our happiness and left us with misery and grief. I wanted to rip out his heart, but did he even have one? There was nothing I could do. He had my mom and the vultures surrounded us.

“You’re sick. How could you do this to us? You’re a monster. I never loved you.” Mom tugged and yanked to escape as she spoke. When hope seemed lost, she stopped. Tears fell down her cheeks as she locked her eyes on my dad. I could feel her pain through her words, through her eyes—it was the same pain I was feeling—and I felt my own tears fall.

Steven jerked my mom hard and fast to his chest. “It didn’t bother you when you screamed my name in bed, Gina. Too bad you won’t get another chance. If I can’t have you, certainly Victor can’t.”

I panicked. Those words meant death. “Steven,” I called, “I’ll go to the Underworld for you. I’ll kill Hades for you. Just let my family and friends go. You have my word.”

“No, Sky.” I’d heard Mason, but I didn’t look at him. Right now, my goal was to get us out of there, even if my words were a lie.

That got his attention. “You’ve made the right choice, but I’m not stupid. I need collateral. Your mom and Mason will be my hostages. I’ll let your other friends go so they can help you on your journey.

“No! Let Gina and Mason go,” my dad intervened. “I’ll stay behind. Sky needs Mason. He can help her.”

“Victor,” Noah called softly. He had no voice in this matter and he knew it, but he wanted to tell him not to do it, just like I would have.

I flashed my eyes to my dad. At that moment, I realized that I had missed all of the kindness and thoughtful gestures he had shown me ever since he’d come back into my life. I was so blinded by my own stubbornness, pain, and anger, that I couldn’t see the good man he was.

“Very well.” Steven let my mom go. He watched her run to my dad and continued to stare as she hugged him tightly. Steven’s eyes grew with jealousy, causing his muscles to twitch. His distorted facial features appeared for a second, then calmed.

“Victor.” Mom held on to him as long as she could.

My dad planted a kiss on her forehead. “You’re safe now. Go to Sky.”

Dad watched Mom run to me, then made his way to Steven. The malicious grin on Steven’s face gave me chills.

My dad raised his hands to surrender. “I’m here. Let them go.” In his tone, I could hear defeat. He was preparing himself, but for what?

“How noble of you, but you know what this means, right?”

My dad nodded before looking at my mom and me. “I’m always here,” he pointed to his heart, “heart’s honor.” When he turned to the iron cast that was next to the one meant for Mom, I knew why he had agreed.

“I need hostages, Sky. I need to give you extra incentives. You bring me Hades’s head and the stone, then I will free your dad.”

“You want Hades’s head, and now you’re adding the stone. What stone? What are you talking about?” I hastily asked, recalling Ian’s friend asking me if I had a stone. Why would they ask me that question if they knew Hades had it all along, unless they didn’t know for sure?

“Ask Hades. Tell him to give it to you.”

As if it were that simple. Feeling anger and frustration brewing inside of me, knowing there was nothing I could do, I tried to calm down, but when I saw what Steven was doing, I lost it again.

“No!” I bellowed, shooting out lights from my hand, but Steven blocked them. I was so distraught that my aim sucked. Slipping out of my mom’s grasp, I ran to my dad, but it was too late. Steven had already forced him to touch the cast. “Dad!” I sobbed, pounding on the iron that was covering him, getting harder by the second. “No, no, no.” As tears poured down my face, I refused to let him be covered like this.

“Sky, run. Take all of your friends with you and run. Don’t look back…run away as far as you can. Forget me. I was dead for a long time anyway. Don’t go to the Underworld. You can’t kill Hades. He’ll kill you before you even have a chance.”

My dad’s words were killing me, but what hurt even more was that I couldn’t release him. I was supposedly the Keeper of Life with all these powers, yet I couldn’t even do this simple thing. “Dad!” I panicked, still trying to peel the layers off him. It had already covered up to his waist. “I’m so sorry. I was so mean to you. I hated you for staying away all those years. I should have known better. I should have believed that you wouldn’t hurt me. Oh God! How do I make this stop?”

My hands were moving the way dogs did when digging in the dirt. My lungs hurt from being out of breath; my muscles hurt from moving so fast. I was desperate, and seeing my dad like this, my heart ached as if it was being stabbed over and over again. Finally, knowing there was no hope, I was now begging. “Please forgive me, Dad. I’m so sorry.” I was going to lose him; there was a huge possibility this was going to be the last time I’d ever see him. He was giving up his life so we could have a chance to escape.

“Sky!” my dad shouted. Startled by his stern tone, I paused noting the iron had covered him up to his neck. “Stop. There is nothing you can do. I am so happy that we finally know the truth, and you don’t hate me anymore. That is all that matters. I love you and your mom so much. You’ll always be in my heart. You are my heaven, my sky.”

I placed my hand in his iron hand. “I’ll come back and free you. I’ll find a way. I swear. I won’t stop.”

“No, Sky. Run. Don’t ever look back.” Dad couldn’t speak anymore. The iron had covered his mouth.

“Heart’s honor, Dad. I promise.” I touched the skin of his cheek just before it was covered with iron.

What I saw next ripped me to shreds. A teardrop fell from the corner of his eye, and just before it fell, his eyes were covered. Hearing what sounded like the loud gasp of a dying person, I shuddered. My dad was in there. He wasn’t dead, nor was he alive. I took a moment to gather myself, but that was only for a brief second.

“Bring Mason. It’s his turn.” I heard Steven gloat.

“No!” Nick bellowed, standing next to Everett and Amanda. At least they were standing together.

I snapped my head to Mason, feeling all sorts of energy running through me. There was no way in hell he was going to do this to Mason. My dad just gave up his life for all of us. “You’re supposed to let us go,” I said angrily. “You weren’t supposed to hurt Mason. You promised my dad.”

“That was until your dad told you to run.” Steven strode around the statue of my dad. “How do I know you won’t do as your dad asked? I need more incentives for you.”

“I swear on my life. I’ll get the stone and kill Hades. You already have my dad. You don’t need Mason.”

“But Mason is the one you love. We would do anything for the ones we love.” Steven turned to the vultures holding Mason. “Bring him.”

“You’re not getting another piece of us.” Nick’s eyes glowed in silvery lights and his hand bolted out lightning, and mine did the same. And my dad’s group, which seemed to be lost, found something to fight for again.

“Mason, damn it. Get out of there!” Amanda hollered, dodging a blow. “Stop being a chicken shit and get us out of here. Do that thing you did at the New Olympus, when you lit up the whole freakin’ place.”

Amanda didn’t have to say another word; Mason had heard her loud and clear. He was already lighting up so bright that he was blinding those around him. His lights extended and traveled to the vultures holding him hostage. They formed into a whip, wrapping around the vultures’ arms and ankles, just as they had done to him. It sparked against their bodies, making them “extra crispy,” as Nick had said once before.

Then, Mason disappeared into a tunnel of light. I had never seen him do this before. It was beautiful, yet frightening. The light shot up and started spreading along the ceiling, then crawling down the walls, creating a prison. It traveled and expanded like the way fire did. To my surprise, thunder boomed and lightning flashed. The lightning cracked against the boulders above. They started to teeter, and some started to fall to the ground. It got worse when the ground started to shake.

I had never lit up like this before; I didn’t even know that I could, but seeing Skylar in so much pain took me to another level. She had just been told that her dad was drugged to kill her. She, herself, had been drugged to absorb powers, which I thought was to her advantage, but it still it wasn’t right. Then to find out her future stepdad was Hephaestus, the one who had been scheming this plan all along, was devastating.

When Amanda reminded me of what I did before, I had to try, though she was rude about it. I didn’t blame her. I had to get us out of there. Hephaestus was going to imprison me in the iron cast and send Sky to the Underworld. No way in hell was I going to allow that if I could help it. Nick had told me before that my powers were unlimited, and that I just had to stretch that possibility, but it seemed like it only worked when I was in a dire situation.

As soon as I was free and the boulders broke from high above, I dashed to Skylar and her mom. The shaking ground made the vultures clumsy. Using this to our advantage, we all gathered to run toward where we had come in. There was such chaos that it was difficult to tell which way to go. Since Hephaestus was nowhere to be seen, I assumed he ran to safety. That coward!

Leading our escape, I halted when I heard someone. “This way.” It was Ian, standing next to Zara and Tara.

“Why should we trust the three of you?” I barked out angrily.

“Because I know this place better than anyone, and Zara and Tara are the only ones that can teleport you out of here faster than you can blink.”

Skylar squeezed my hand, letting me know I had no choice. “You better not be leading us into a trap, or so help the gods, you’re dead. I should just kill you right now for all of the trouble you’ve caused.”

“You can kick my ass after I tell you my side of the story. Hurry.”

I didn’t care what his excuse was or what his story was, but we had no choice. Holding Sky’s hand tightly while she held onto her mom’s with the other, we followed as quickly as possible. Since it was dark, Nick and I lit up and so did Ian. Crawling down one dark tunnel, then through another, was not easy when the ground continued to shake below us, and small boulders continued to fall above us. The structure of the tunnels reminded me of the design I had built for our restaurant.

“Sky, how long had you known your dad was back? How were you able to do all that back there? Why does lightning flash out of your hands? And Mason? Who are all these people?” Gina was out of breath, but managed to ask her questions. I was sure she had thousands of them coursing through her mind.

“I’ll tell you later, Mom,”

“Sky, please tell me that I’m dreaming.”

“Mom. I promise to tell you later. Shhh….”

At first I thought it was me, but when Sky gazed around in panic and hushed her mom, I knew she’d heard the evil hissing sounds, and the shadow figure of Hephaestus in his true hideous form flashed before us. The combination of both was enough to give me chills. I tried to ignore it, readying my hand to shoot just in case of an attack. As we trudged as fast as we could to the last tunnel, we had to slow down a bit because it got smaller, causing us to move in a single line formation.

“Jump.” Tara and Zara opened up a portal and she pushed her own sister in, so I figured it was safe.

“Go first,” I told everyone, waving my hand to get them to move faster.

“I’m not going through without you,” Sky demanded. She was being stubborn. I knew there was nothing I could do at this point so I let her wait with me.

The three of us jumped through just in time as the portal started to close. We were almost through when I felt a yank that pulled me back, like a slingshot, then let loose. I fell down on the sand with force.

The first thing I did was jump on Ian. That asshole deserved every one of my punches. After I gave him a few swings, Nick stopped me.

“What the hell was that for?” Ian asked, fuming in anger.

“You said I could kick your ass after we got out, didn’t you?” I smirked, but quickly turned when I heard Sky’s desperate cry.

She was banging on the portal that happened to still be open, about the size of a bowling ball. Oh crap! Her mom was on the other side. How did that happen?

“Mom!” Sky shouted. “Get out!”

I could see the frightened look on Gina’s face. She was pounding her fist, but it wouldn’t budge. Zara dashed to Sky’s side, trying to open the portal, but nothing was happening.

“Get my mom out!” Sky was in tears, begging, pleading Zara. Tara joined in, but it was useless.

“Skylar, you froze the portal. Why?” Zara asked, demanding an answer. She looked flabbergasted.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what I did. I lost my grip on my mom. I tried to bring her back, but the portal was closing. I had to stop it. Get her out!”

The three of them jerked back when Gina’s face was replaced by Steven’s face. “You can’t escape me, Skylar. I need to give you more incentive. I’m not sure how much you care for your dad, but I know how much you care for your mom. You want to see your parents again? Bring me Hades’s stone. You have three days.” His tone was wicked. I could feel the depth of his evil in my bones.

“I gave you my word, asshole. Let her go!” Sky pounded on the portal. “Let her go!” She did it again and again, releasing her anger, frustration, and rage. I let her do it until she was starting to weaken.

“Sky.” I wrapped her in my embrace. We dropped to the ground, and I let her cry in my arms. My poor Sky. She had been through so much.

The sun was bright, high in the sky, indicating it was noon. Three days? First, she needed to rest; we all needed to.

“Please, let me explain,” Zara said. “Getting my sister back was one motive. We need her in order to defeat Hephaestus. Our powers are stronger together. I promise you on my life that I didn’t know he was going to do what he did. I had no idea he had the iron casts made. He told me he needed to talk to Skylar. He just wanted to talk.”

“You. Believed. Him?” I couldn’t believe I was saying these words. She was one of the Oracles, the ones we were supposed to respect. Perhaps she’d done it out of desperation, wanting to find the only sister she had left. I couldn’t judge her. If I were in her situation, I would have done the same to save one of ours.

“He had one made for each of us,” Sarah muttered through her teeth.

“The only way I’m going to believe you, is if you bring Victor back safely,” Noah said. “I can’t believe he is in there right now. I can’t believe he’s gone.”

“He’s like a father to us,” Tim added. His fists and shoulders were tight.

“He trusted you. We trusted you,” Colin said angrily. “You could have explained before we agreed to come on this mission.”

Even though it was clear how much Victor’s team was angered by the situation, they still respected Zara. And in a way, it seemed like they believed her, or at least they hoped she was telling the truth. For some strange reason, I felt she was telling the truth as well. I hoped we were right about her. Right now, Zara and Tara were the only ones that could help Sky travel to the Underworld. We needed their help and their guidance.

Zara seemed remorseful while nodding in understanding, but didn’t answer our questions. “Let’s get some rest.” Her face was long and pale; she looked like she had been through a war. Her cape had been burnt and was smudged with dirt. Her perfect hair, which had been in braids, was mangled and messy.

“Wait. What do we do with Ian?” I growled at him, my fist ready to punch him again.

“Ian was working for me. Nobody knew, not even Victor or the Elders. Now everyone knows. This is how I found out that Hephaestus was looking for the stone.”

“Double traitor,” Nick mumbled. “I don’t trust him.”

“Did you know what Steven was doing to Sky?” I asked Ian, horrified.

“Don’t misunderstand this, but it’s a good thing. If I knew she was in danger I would have stopped it. She is stronger and more capable of helping us defeat that evil monster.”

“You’re crazy,” I bellowed, still furious.

Ian flinched, possibly thinking I was going to jump on him again when I took a step toward him. “We all have someone to lose. He has my mother. I had no choice. And I know you can understand that.”

He was right. I did understand, but I didn’t agree. “Can Sky kill Hades? And how?” I asked Zara.

“Only she knows the answer. She’ll know what to do.”

“That’s absurd.”

“We’ll be with her. Don’t worry too much. It will all work out.”

That was easy for her to say. “Why does he want this stone so badly?”

Everyone stared in silence while waiting for the answer.

“The stone is called a lodestone and is known to heal. It’s mostly beneficial for asthma, blood and circulatory problems, skin, and hair.”

“It doesn’t make sense,” Noah spat.

“It makes perfect sense,” Tara added. Just like her sister, her voice was hypnotic, sensual. “Hephaestus wants to use this stone to heal himself. He wants to look human.”

“Will it work?” I asked.

“Yes.” Tara paused for a moment. “Lodestones are precious and very difficult to find. Though it has the element to heal, it wasn’t strong enough to heal a god. In order to make it stronger, a drop of blood from each of the three gods, along with our combined magic, created it.”

“How did they get ahold of this stone?” I asked, astounded that such a thing could be true.

“My sisters and I gifted it to the three gods when there was peace in Old Olympus,” Tara explained. “This was before Hades was thrown underground. There was a time when he was good. His heart was just as pure. When the three gods announced that the three of us would be their counselors, we gifted them the stone. However, in order to keep the balance and not have one more powerful than the other, the stone was divided in three, to symbolize equality and unity. After a while, Hades’s greed and jealousy brought about his own destruction. But Hephaestus needs all three of the stones to heal himself. Since Hades will not offer it to him, he would have to kill him.”

“I thought Hades and Hephaestus were working together?” Amanda commented.

“They were, but it seems like they each had their motives. Their main goal was to find all three stones. Hephaestus wants to heal his body and Hades wants out of the Underworld.”

“I don’t understand. Hephaestus can conceal himself to look like a human. He was Steven.”

“True, but only because I helped him. It doesn’t last forever, and that’s what he wants. It was the reason why he kept me alive.”

“Wait a minute. Kevin is able to conceal when he wants to. Why can’t Hephaestus?” Noah asked.

“Kevin was born in a different generation. He also has human blood in him. Hephaestus has two stones in his possession. He needs the last one from Hades.”

“I guess this all makes sense now,” Amanda said, looking astounded.

“I’ll bring Sky here tomorrow at this same time,” I stated, pulling her up to stand. “Be ready.” I didn’t look behind me, but I knew they were entering another portal to New Olympus. I wished we could just teleport to our home, too. If only it were that simple.

Cradling Sky in my arms, I became her anchor as we dragged our feet through the sand. My poor Sky. I had never seen her torn, broken, and beaten like this.

“We’ll do whatever we can to help, Sky,” Nick said, draping Sky’s other hand around his neck for support. “Let me help you.”

“We’re coming with you.” Everett walked beside me. His smile gave me comfort. I’d always looked up to him; I just didn’t know how much until now. I was beyond grateful to have him back home.

“I’m coming, too. And you can’t stop me.” Amanda was on the other side of Everett.

A month ago, I would have said no. A month ago, I would have found a way to do it myself. Now, I knew how much I needed them. They risked their lives to help me, to help Sky, and that meant the world to me. They were my family.

“Thank you,” I said.

The three of them flashed their eyes at me, not believing the words that came out of my mouth.

“Really?” Nick raised his brows. “I guess Mace the Ace finally realizes how much he loves us.”

“He really does,” Sky said weakly, leaning her head into my shoulder. She was steadier on her feet now, walking a bit faster. “And I love you guys, too. Thank you for risking your lives for my parents and me. I don’t know how I could ever repay you.”

“You made Mason finally wake up from the dead. I think that’s good enough,” Everett said.

“We’re so happy to have you back,” Skylar muttered.

“You have no idea how happy I am to be back. Hephaestus is one crazy dude. He thinks he’s God.”

As always, Nick liked to lighten the mood. “Why don’t we go out and celebrate right now? I bet people would get kick out of how we look.”

Amanda laughed out loud. “Look at us. Our clothes are torn. My hair looks like it was hit by lightning. In fact, I think I was struck by a bolt, but barely escaped by a hair. We’re smudged with dirt. Although,” she gazed at their chests, “I have to say, you boys are hot with your shirts and jeans torn. It shows off your six packs.”

“We always look hot,” Nick smirked. “Let’s get Sky home. I need to see Kayla and explain to her about my absence, and more to come.”

“There’s our car.” Sky looked somewhat relieved, but her eyes were still teary. I could feel her pain; her pain was my pain.

“Let’s go home,” I said, and we got in the car. I sat in the back with Sky, holding her tightly to let her know that everything was going to work out, but I had no words of comfort. There was dead silence as we drove away.

“i’m not sure what I’m supposed to do.” I pulled back my hair as if the answers would suddenly appear in my mind. My eyes felt heavy and my muscles ached. My wounds healed faster than humans, but there were still lingering pains that took time to go away, especially the ones that affected my heart.

Mason shifted to a comfortable position, tucked his arm under his neck for support, and locked his eyes on mine. “I think you will know what to do when you get there. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

“I’m scared, Mason. What if something bad happens to one of us? Maybe I should go alone.”

“Do you think you can take on Hades and his hell creatures by yourself?”

I turned my eyes to the floor and stared there for a bit.

“I didn’t think so.” Mason placed his fingers under my chin and forced me to meet his eyes. “Don’t do anything by yourself. We all have something to lose and something to gain by going to the Underworld. We need to stop Hephaestus from turning humans into vultures. Besides you, Victor’s team would like their leader back. And we need to find a way to get rid of Hephaestus for good.”

“Okay.” I nodded. A part of me couldn’t help thinking that this was my fight and not theirs, but I had to stop thinking that way. I had no idea what I would be up against, and I needed any help I could get. Having the power of lightning, being able to manipulate water, and now, according to Steven, supposedly I could tame fire. Whatever that meant. I had no clue, but I guessed it would happen when the time came. My body seemed to know. It always did.

“Good. I’m glad you agree.”

I jumped in with an idea I’d been meaning to tell him. “Hades isn’t dead.”

“Then maybe…neither are the other gods.” Mason sat up. We were on the same wavelength with this. I could tell that he knew what I was going to ask next. His eyes grew wide with elation.

“Do you think the statues at Old Olympus are the gods? I mean, Hephaestus said that over time, the iron casts turned the color of ivory, so do you think—”

Mason didn’t give me a chance to finish. “Yes,” he blurted. “Let’s not get our hopes up. We won’t know for sure until we get some answers from Zara when we meet with her, and the rest of the gang tomorrow. Hopefully, she can guide us on how to kill Hades. There’s got to be a way without you going near him.”

I had a bad feeling about this, but I tried not to show it. How on earth was I going to kill a god? “I hope so.”

As time clicked away, swiftly moving to when we were meeting the others, my heart thumped just as fast as the second hand on the clock. I was scared out of my mind, but I couldn’t let fear get in the way; it would make me weak, make me slower…it would totally cloud my judgment.

I had a lot of people helping me. We would kill Hades and free my parents. With the support of my friends, we could conquer evil. Good always won. I had to tell myself that because that was my only hope.

Mason caressed my cheek, and with his finger traced the words on the bracelet he’d given me for Christmas. “You ready, Sky?”

I had hardly slept last night. When I did doze off, it was the result of Mason’s loving caresses, helping me relax. “Yes,” I said, but I really wasn’t. Regardless, I knew I had no choice, and neither did my friends.

Mason helped me off the bed and gave me a long kiss on my forehead. “I’m with you, Sky. Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to let anything hurt you.”

I snuggled up to him, looking at the pictures on the nightstand next to his bed. It was a perfect spot for them. We were all smiling and having a great time. I wished I could go back in time and be at that happy place again. I had to believe that we could. “Okay,” I answered with conviction. Even though I was deathly afraid, I was ready...I had to be.

A SNEAK PEEK OF TAKEN
by Felicia Starr

“You’ve been watching me this whole time?” Could he really be so nervy? Can I not get any privacy?

“No, I was outside. I could feel you getting ready to take flight so I had to let you know I was here.” He paused. I waited.

“I knew there was something about you from the second I laid eyes on you, something special.”

“Yeah, like I was pretty much naked and had the look of a lost puppy dog.”

“Well, there is that.” He nodded and his lips curled up in the corner just enough to let me know his mind was filled with images of me in my birthday suit.

“But there was something more intense. I wasn’t certain if you were the one, but I cannot deny it.” His eyes became sincere and were as solemn as steel.

“Which one, the one with all the great super powers?” I snapped at him. I was so sick of hearing about how special I was and how great I would be.

“Honestly, I really am unaware of what kind of powers you have or if you have any power other than being able to astral project. Anyone can do that. Of course, it just usually takes them years to master what you’ve been able to do in days.”

He closed the space between us. “Hear me out for a minute. Please.

“A long time ago, I crossed paths with a witch, a seer, if you will. She grabbed my arm as I was walking through an outdoor market. Most of the time, I wouldn’t have paid a woman like that any mind. They were almost always looking for a handout.

“When she grabbed me, her grip was that of an iron cuff. I was taken aback by the strength she had. She took hold of both my arms. Time and motion around us all but stopped. Her eyes went completely white.

‘She will need you. You must betray your heart and walk amongst the darkness in order to find the truest light. You will know when The Taker tries to take what can only be yours.’

“She released me and her eyes regained their color. Time no longer stood still. The crowd around me started to roar so loud I almost didn’t notice her still talking to me. Her voice this time was softer but had an edge of agitation.

‘Son, can I help you? Why do you stand in my path, staring at me in that way?’

“She gave me a slight shove and then she was on her way. How long I stood there I will never know. I was stationary for an extended period of time, trying to digest and sort out what she might have been talking about.

“I had no idea who the she was to which she referred. All I got was that there was a female in need of help. At the time, I had no knowledge of anyone called The Taker. The one thing that was real to me was how powerful the encounter with her was. Probably one of the most intense experiences I’ve ever had with a witch or otherwise.

“I have carried her message with me for too many seasons to count. From that day forward, I knew there was a path for me. I have made choices against my heart to find my way to you.”

I uncrossed my arms. “You can’t be serious. You expect me to believe that? I don’t even know you. How dare you blame me for your choice to work with the scum of the earth?”

He tried to interject, but I held up a hand and continued.

“And another thing… How can you refer to me as what can only be yours? Just because this man or evil dark lord has kidnapped me and stolen me from the real world doesn’t make me part of your prophecy or your destiny.”

FROM FELECIA:

I just want to take this opportunity to say a special thank you to Mary Ting and to her fans for giving me an opportunity to share this teaser from the first book in my Breaking the Darkness series. It is such an honor and my pleasure to call such and amazingly brilliant and kindhearted person a friend.

A SNEAK PEEK OF GRAVEL GHOST
by Charyse Allan

Coming December 16th, 2014

Sweat drips down my back and trickles off my forehead. It’s freezing in this tunnel, but my jacket remains tied around my waist. My hair is pulled back in a long braid—I’m sure it’s matted with grime. A nice, thick layer of dust covers my jeans and tank top. My legs are killing me and my stomach keeps growling, but I can’t stop. In this small shaft that tunnels through the Rocky Mountains, I hurry toward the beam of light ahead of me. How can five hours have passed already? I have to move faster or he’ll catch up to me.

My breaths puff like steam in the frozen air to echo in soft whispers off the mineshaft’s walls. A musty smell fills my nose from the stirred up dust. I tread lightly to hold down the echoes of my steps.

Ahead, a small cove screams at me to sit and be hidden. Only for a minute—that should be okay. I hurry toward it like it’s my lifeline. Using the wall as a guide, I slide to the rough ground before my legs give out. I take my last bottle of water out and take a small sip, enough to wet my mouth and wash out the taste of dust. Sweet relaxation lures me to stay, but I know I shouldn’t. I should be moving.

Something shifts against the dirt maybe thirty yards behind me. I let out a groan before starting to my feet, shoving the bottle back in my pack. Too long. Time to run. My legs and feet protest, but adrenaline pushes me forward. The beam of light gets brighter. I’m making more noise, my footfalls echoing through the shaft, but I don’t care now, he’s drawn too close already. His light footfalls advance on me, as he gets nearer. Too close, damn it!

I push harder. Even if I make it through this tunnel, I still have so far to go. The thought makes me wish I were still at home in my soft bed, sleeping the day away. His feet slap against the dirt only yards behind me as I ponder my two choices: keep running or face him. Feet away from the mouth of the tunnel, I make up my mind. Slowing my pace slightly, I hear him, grunting softly. Stopping dead in my tracks, I spin around, seeing his arms stretched out toward me. He’s menacing, so much taller than me, thick muscles bulging against his t-shirt. Even on this trek through a hole in the mountain, he’s clean, which is more irritating than anything else. His hair still in place and his clothes unscathed compared to me—a dirt covered mess.

I dive to the ground past his left side as he lunges for me. He stumbles slightly behind me, but not nearly enough to fall. My hands scrape against the dirt as I turn to see him towering over me. Ignoring the stinging pain in my hands, I wrap my arms around one of his legs, pulling hard against the back of his knee. He falls backward, his head cracking on a rock, sending an echo through the cave as his pack crunches beneath him. I climb on top of him, sending a few good jabs to his face, making him growl in slight discomfort.

Baring his teeth in a snarl, he bucks under me, making me topple to the side. I mutter multiple expletives under my breath, as I stand over his stomach and slam into his gut with both knees and all my body weight. He grunts loudly, doubling over. This would be my opening to pull a dagger out, finish him off. I shake the thought from my mind. This isn’t an assignment, only training. Focus, Payton!

Coming back to my senses, I take off, finally escaping the godforsaken tunnel. When I come out of the mouth of the tunnel, I have no time to look behind me at the Rocky’s, the beautiful trees devouring the slopes. I’m close to the bottom of the mountain, but there’s a minor slope. Jogging down it, I stumble slightly, but catch myself before I fall. Moving forward is my only option.

A road is at the bottom of the hill, I look for cars as I get closer to make sure I won’t be seen. I cannot be spotted or stopped by anyone. None are coming, so I run across as fast as I can. Glancing back, I see that he’s gaining on me again. If he catches me, I know I don’t have the strength to get away again. My calves scream, my lungs burn with every breath. My heart is racing—I have maybe ten miles until I reach my target.

Nine more now—I can make it.

I leap over the large rocks in my path. Up ahead, a cliff shoots up, juts out and flattens at the top. I’ll have to scale it, there’s no way around. Glancing back again I see that he’s only yards behind me now, so I start to climb. I may be short, but my lean muscle helps me pull my way up quickly. I’m careful about feet and hand placement, making sure that every inch I climb up isn’t in vain. I can’t help but glance below—he’s making his way up too fast. Frustration and a little bit of panic shoot through me at the sight of him using tools to scale the cliff. He must have stored them in his pack. I want to smack myself for not thinking to do the same. He’ll be on top of me in seconds if I don’t move.

The top of the cliff seems so close, I’m sure I can reach the top in only a few more moves. I steady my breathing shifting my feet and hands up the cliff. He’s only feet below me when I finally reach the top and huff out a sigh of relief. I pull up at the lip of the cliff, dragging myself to the flat ground. My feet kick below me, and I chuckle at the thought of dust getting kicked into his eyes. He’ll love that. My muscles are like jelly, but this is the last stretch before I get there. I can make it!

I push myself toward the landing strip ahead of me, the Castle beyond that. The three towers with their green, copper spires reach skyward. Right now, that castle is my beacon. I have to get there before him, I have to complete this assignment or he’ll hold it over my head for the rest of forever. I hear him again, closing in. I run over the tarmac beyond the large hangar. His loud grunting and heavy breathing sounds as if he’s right behind me. From here, the training arena—a huge warehouse attached to the Castle—is in my sights. That’s my target. If I make it there before him, the assignment is over.

He makes one more lunge for me when I’m a yard from the door to the arena. I dodge out of the way, but he still has strength left and uses it to intercept my movement. His arm swipes for me, but I duck under and elbow his ribs as hard as I can. He lets out a puff of air, groaning as I reach for the door. Right when I touch the handle and swing the door open, it’s done. I’ve completed this task. Thank God! Now, I need a shower.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author Mary Ting resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one - Something Great. Why the pen name, M Clarke? She tours with the Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children's chapter book - No Bullies Allowed.

Website: www.authormaryting.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CrossroadsBook
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Twitter @MaryTing

Email: authormaryting@outlook.com

Blog: www.marytingbooks.blogspot.com

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Table of Contents

- Copyright
- Dedication
- Books by mary ting
- Prologue
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty one
- Twenty two
- Twenty three
- Twenty four
- Twenty five
- Twenty six
- Twenty seven
- Twenty eight
- Twenty nine
- Thirty
- Thirty one
- Thirty two
- Thirty three
- Thirty four
- Epilogue
- A SNEAK PEEK OF TAKEN
- A SNEAK PEEK OF GRAVEL GHOST
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR