Shift - 02 (8 page)

“He’s a demon. This bite isn’t going to keep him down,” Marcus said.

“Are you sure? Can’t it infect him or something?”

“No,” Vincent said. “He’s already a demon. The shifter virus only transfers to humans.”

Willy was sweating now. Thick drops fell from his messy hair and ran down through the patchy stubble on his face. I reached up and touched his forehead, but it was too hot to keep my hand there. He was burning up.

“Hang in there, Willy.”

Willy tried for a smile but winced in pain. The thought of having yelled at him for wanting to stay home entered my mind. I couldn’t keep the guilt away as it seeped in and threatened me with sadness.

Marcus put the first-aid kit back and pushed the trunk closed. “Let’s go.”

“Don’t we need to stay or something?” Rayna asked.

He shook his head. “This is their mess. Let them clean it up.” He slipped into his seat and slammed the door shut.

I was surprised by Marcus’ reaction, but for the first time, I agreed with him.

Tiki and I lifted Willy into the front seat of the car and the rest of us squeezed into the back. I had never wanted to be this close to Vincent, but after everything that had just happened, I could suck it up. I definitely wasn’t fighting for shotgun now.

Chapter 4

Once we got back to the condo, everyone dispersed. Tiki took Willy upstairs, hoping to bandage the wounds better. Vincent left, and after the fight we just had, Rayna wasn’t up for much but sleeping. I was exhausted and tried to follow her upstairs, but I didn’t get away so easily.

“Chase, I’d like a word please,” Marcus said, his voice its usual unemotional tone, leaving me no idea what I was in for.

He led me into the training room and turned, shooing Rai off my shoulder before closing the door.

“Is it so bad the bird had to go?”

“We need to talk…without any distractions.”

“Umm, alright…”

“How are you?” he asked.

“I’m good. How are you?” I smirked.

“That’s not what I mean.”

I sighed. “I know.”

“I want to know how you’re really doing. I need to know where your head’s at.”

I shrugged. “I’m fine.”

Marcus crossed his arms and his gaze stayed locked on me.

“What?”

“Tonight was…difficult. This past month has been tough on everyone, but it’s been more personal for you. I want you to know you can talk to me. You shouldn’t feel like you have to deal with this alone.”

“Yeah, I get it, but I’m fine,” I said. “Thanks for the pep talk.”

“I mean it, Chase.” Marcus’ voice was soft but commanding. “Your magic is getting stronger, you’ve been ignoring your training, and you’ve been dodging all of us. You’ve hardly spoken to anyone since–”

“What did you expect, Marcus? I’m living in a strange house with people I’ve only known for a few months. My mother–the only person who mattered to me–is dead, murdered at the hands of my father, the same father who had me exiled from the Circle, and tried to kill me. What do you want me to say? I’m dealing with it.”

Marcus sighed. “I know this is a lot to deal with, but we have to stick together. Emotions fuel our elements. If we lose control of them, we can’t properly manage our magic. At the rate your power is growing, you need that control, and we need to be open and able to trust each other. Talking about–”

“I don’t want to talk. I want to be left alone and I want to kill the son of a bitch who murdered my mother!” My blood started to boil with anger. I wasn’t angry with Marcus, but he was pushing this, so he got to be on the receiving end.

“I know you haven’t known us for very long, but I knew your mother my entire life. She trusted me, and you need to know you can too. I understand you’re hesitant, and that’s okay, but I know what you’re feeling.”

“You do?
 
Did your dad kill your mom right after he stuck a knife in your stomach?”

“No…”

“I didn’t think so. You lost a friend. I lost the only person who ever gave a damn about me. So don’t pretend you understand what it’s like. You don’t. Which means you can’t relate or help me.”

“But Rayna does. If you don’t want to talk to me, talk to her. Talk to someone.”

“Did you not hear me? I don’t want to talk. Why are you pushing so damn hard?”

“This meeting with the Circle was just the beginning. If the Circle wants the ring, you can be sure the Underworld will too.”

“You’re warning me about the Underworld? Thanks, but they’ve been after me since I got exiled, so what else is new?”

 
“Once they realize you have it, the last three years are going to seem like a holiday for you. Whatever the ring does, it’s wanted by many. That paints an even bigger target on you. We need to deal with this before that happens, and in order to do that, I need you to have a clear head.”

“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but in all honesty, I don’t give a damn what you or anybody else wants. I want a normal life. I want my mom back. I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder for the next person trying to kill me. If it’s not the Circle, it’s Riley, and if it’s neither of them, it’s a demon who thinks I’m a trophy. But I don’t get what I want, so I don’t give a shit what anyone else wants!”

Blood pushed through my veins in hot waves and hurt my skin. It was going to burn me from the inside out. Magic throbbed at my fingertips and the fire grew in my palms.

“Don’t do this, Chase. Calm yourself.”

I threw my arms in the air and started pacing. “You want to talk? Let’s talk. I’ve lost everything. What have you lost? A friend? A fellow soldier? Your freedom, now that the Circle knows you’re alive?”

“It’s not like that.”

Fire exploded inside me and I keeled over. Pain shot through my head as the magic threatened to explode. Without thinking, I brought my hands up to my face. The burning was instant, and the smell of singed hair stung my nostrils. I screamed as the heat scalded my skin. My palms were pulsing with a bright, red glow and instinct tore my hands away. Raw flesh blistered and ripped from my cheeks. Screams echoed from my lips and I fell to my knees.
 

The lights flickered on and off.
 
Random fluorescent bulbs exploded from the ceiling, raining glass until the room went black. All the candles that lined the wall burst into flame. Flames shot high off their wicks in a rainbow of colors. Blues and greens flickered over the room, mixing with reds and oranges as the temperature spiked.

“Chase, you need to take a breath and calm yourself.”

“Don’t move,” I commanded, pointing a glowing hand towards Marcus as his shadow crept closer.

Marcus froze and I took a few breaths. The scent of burnt hair moved to the back of my throat and stuck to my tongue.

I fought the fire and called my water element. I could hear the babbling brook, trickling over the same stones it had for centuries. The cooling sensation filled my body and the change in temperature stung, causing my muscles to tense. The remaining lights flickered and came back on, but the candlelight didn’t fade. Smoke drifted up from my fingertips, disappearing into the air as water washed my self-inflictions away.

I looked down at the floor and Marcus’ shadow hovered over me.

“I’m sorry. I just…”
 

“I shouldn’t have pushed. I just don’t want anything to happen to you too.”

“What is happening to me?” I asked, staring down at my hands. The bright red glow had faded, and now a soft blue magic rippled beneath my skin. “I’ve never been able to do what I did tonight: the shifters, the candles, the lights.”

“Your power is progressing at an unnatural rate. It could be the ring, the mark, maybe neither, maybe both. It's growing faster than you can control, and without full control of your emotions...you’re a danger to yourself.”

“And everyone else around me,” I whispered.
 

The fluorescent lights flickering above us were dimmer than before. Several had burnt out, and others were empty from shattered bulbs.
 
I looked up at Marcus, towering above me, yet somehow managed to look small in this moment.

“Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together.” Marcus’ brown eyes were calm and sincere, his welcoming aura pulsing around us.

I nodded. I should’ve thanked him for saving me in Drakar, and for taking me in. For everything he’d done. I had never thanked him for any of it because I was always too busy trying to deal with my own problems. Before I could organize a thought and try to share my appreciation, the phone rang. The ring was loud and blared through the room.

Marcus moved with the grace of a man half his size and picked it up. The image I had of him being small vanished as he clutched the tiny receiver in his massive black hand.

“Hello?” His voice was as deep and masculine as ever. “Are you sure?”

I ignored the next part and let the last of my element cycle through me. The water grounded me. I didn’t know how to handle the fire. It was destructive, painful, and unpredictable. I couldn’t imagine being without its rival.

My body ached, but the water coursing through me gave me the energy to stand. Marcus was right–when I lost control, my magic had a power all its own. One I didn’t care to see again, not unless it was on my terms.

“Bad news I’m afraid,” Marcus said.

I cleared my throat and turned to face him. “What’s up?”

“The rogue hunters have had an incident a few states over, in southern Maine. He’s alive, Chase. Riley and the Dark Brothers…”

“Are you sure?” I asked, panic surging through my veins.

Marcus’ dark eyes looked to the floor. “I’m sure. They tried to stop him…they didn’t all make it. I’m going to have to leave for a few days. Unless you need me to stay.” He looked up, and although he tried to hide it, I could see the sadness brewing inside. With him here, it’d make things easier, especially if what he said about the ring was true, but he’d just lost another friend, maybe more. I couldn’t keep him here with my problems.

“We’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure? I can stay Chase, really.”

“I promise. You go. I’ll clear my head.”

Marcus tried for a smile. “I need to speak with Rayna before I leave. Please call me if something happens, or if you need anything.”

I nodded and gave him the most sincere smile I could manage. “I will.”

I waited until the door closed behind him and looked across the room. The candles flickered in the air, still burning in their multicolored warmth. Their energy called to me, as though their own magic moved through the wax.

The blood in my veins pumped faster. Fear and adrenaline danced beside each other, and as my pulse sped, the heat of the candles increased, their flames stretching off the wick. I closed my eyes and focused my mind, trying to calm my element.

Riley was alive. I should’ve been excited to know I would get my revenge, but I wasn’t. I was worried. More than that, I was scared. If Riley was alive, he could be anywhere, and he had powerful warlocks on either side of him. That meant everyone was in danger. If he was alive…our problems had just begun.

Chapter 5

“Let’s go, sleepyhead. Wake up.” Rayna’s voice rang through my ears.

I twisted under the blankets and my eyes winced open. The sun was already high in the sky and sunlight poured into my room.

“No,” I murmured, and turned away from her.

“Come on,” she said, tugging gently at the sheets.

“Careful, you don’t know what I might, or might not, be wearing.”

The covers fell against the side of my bed and I smiled. I could practically feel the color rushing to her face.

“I gave you ‘til eleven. Now get up. We have things to do.”

“Marcus has only been gone a few hours and already you’re pushing?”

“Trust me; when I push, you'll know it. It'll feel a lot like when I punch.” Rayna walked back towards the hall, grasping the door frame and turning around. Her dark hair was pinned on the top of her head, red strands falling down over the back of her neck. ”You've got five minutes.”

“Fine,” I said.
 

Rayna smirked and watched me for a moment before pushing off the frame and disappearing down the hallway.

I groaned and pulled the pillow over my head. It was after eleven, but I wasn’t ready to get up. I didn’t know when the last time I’d slept this late was or when it’d happen again, but one thing I’d learned since staying here was not to keep Rayna waiting.

I rolled out of bed and pulled on one of the few pairs of jeans that littered the floor. I took a gray t-shirt from the dresser and started pulling it over my head when I caught my refection in the mirror.

Dark ink still covered my back, the Mark of the Gods–or so Elyas had told me. A long sword started at my neck and ran down my spine, the tip barely hidden by the waist of my pants. Two glyphs were drawn on the blade: one representing fire, and the other water. Shaded wings covered the rest of my back, spreading out from my shoulders and running down to my hips. I’d never forget this mark. It was–what I believed to be–the turning point that led to my mother’s murder. If I hadn’t gone after Vincent, I wouldn’t have this stupid mark, or the ring. If I had listened and waited for her and Marcus, she’d still be alive.