My whole shift I was preoccupied thinking about Michael’s visit. He would never tell me why he needed a spy on Caleb after I declined the job offer and for him to ask it had to be serious. It took a lot for anything to be serious for Michael; it always had something to do with family business or family threats. And family meant the vampire race.
After our break up I constantly reminded Michael he had no say in my life. That fact went both ways and no matter how curious and worried I was I couldn’t question him. I prayed whatever it was no one I cared about ended up hurt.
My shift ended just before sunset. I was relieved to finally be home and in my comfortable bed. No matter how stressful the day was, or how active my mind was with questions, when I laid down it all faded away and I slept.
I woke a few hours later just before noon and noticed my answering machine was beeping. Jamie called while I had been at work, asking me to come over when I woke up. She sounded down, much like she had when I asked her about Ray. He was her first serious boyfriend and heartbreak. I couldn’t tell her it’d get better or promise some fairytale when five years later I was still hung up on my first love. I could be there though, to listen and be her friend.
After I dressed in my day attire—jeans and an old t-shirt ripped at the waist—I walked over to the Nikolas household. His car wasn’t in the driveway but Caleb was home, he opened the door. I didn’t want to see him. “Is Jamie around?”
“She’s upstairs. Come in, we need to talk.” Caleb was a serious intense man himself except he scared me where as Michael didn’t. Whatever he wanted to talk about wasn’t going to be good for me, his tone hinted as much. Caleb walked over to the mantel. “I found this in Jamie’s room.” He picked up a 9mm revolver.
Jamie came running down the stairs. “My father likes to invade privacy. Well you know that.” She crossed her arms tight and frowned. Her father found a gun in her room but she was the one mad. Humans were strange at times.
I should’ve stayed in bed late. “After what happened three months ago Jamie wanted a way to protect herself. I go to the shooting range all the time and I asked her if she wanted to come along. She’s not like the rest of us Caleb; if she finds trouble she can’t outrun it.”
“You should’ve asked my permission first, she’s a minor.” Caleb was good at hiding his feelings and if I hadn’t gotten to know him somewhat those three months ago I wouldn’t notice the anger piercing his midnight blue eyes. What I wasn’t sure was of was if he was angry at me and the situation or something else entirely.
“Dad, leave her alone. This is your problem, you think I’m some little kid that doesn’t know about life. I asked for Evie’s help and she gave it. You should try that.” Jamie turned on her heel and ran back up the stairs.
I looked at her father. “What does she mean?” I started to think about Michael again and question what the hell was happening in town.
“Nothing. She’s taken to eavesdropping lately and she thinks you’re some sort of super woman.” He ran a frustrated hand over his hair. “She always complains about how I do things but lately it’s different.” He looked to me for answers.
It would come out eventually and it also gave Caleb a piece of mind. “She broke up with Ray and that’s hard for a girl her age. She’s a teenager and like you said a lot has happened lately. Give her time to cool off and try to talk about it. I have to go.” I left, walking very briskly out of the house and down the street. I realized over the last few months I wanted to avoid Caleb because I wasn’t comfortable with how much I opened up to him. When I was terrified and all alone he had been there, it was one big mistake I couldn’t forget when he was standing in front of me.
On the jog up the porch my cellphone started to ring. I was popular that morning. “Hello?”
“It’s Kevin, I need to see you.” he was a childhood friend who came back into my life months ago when I was forced to face my past and stop running from who I was. He treated me for a gunshot wound and I hadn’t heard a peep from him since.
His call made me wary and so did the desperation in his voice. “Why?”
“It’s important, please Evie.”
I mentally cursed. “Ok, where?” a part of me felt I owed him because of the guilt I felt for leaving him behind and the fact he could’ve been against me when so many of our kind wished me dead. It took guts to stand up to our Elders.
He told me to meet him at the park because it was an open space and it wouldn’t seem suspicious if we ran into each other there. That told me Kevin was scared he was being followed. I didn’t want to run into anyone from the Coven. Before I killed one of their members I was already labeled a traitor and wanted dead for disgracing their name, now the list grew and I was wanted dead for killing a member and for escaping the Coven without punishment.
I drove to the park considering if maybe sticking around Celestin wasn’t the best ideas anymore. I knew there was going to come a day I wouldn’t be able to make the choice, it would be made for me.
As I neared the park I called Kevin back and got no answer. Everything in my body told me to leave. The park seemed too empty for that time of day. I tried calling him again and every time it went to voicemail I feared he was in danger. I couldn’t handle it if he died because he was too stupid to turn his back on me.
I mentally put my big girl boots on and got out of the car. He should’ve reported seeing me at the hospital to the Elders and he didn’t. Kevin acted like a friend when we saw each other last and I didn’t deserve that. If Kevin was in danger I owed him enough to help him out of it.
I walked over to the picnic benches and spotted two Coven witches. One was Miranda, we had been friends as children and then fought in a bad way when she helped Nick Tobias keep Caleb from his daughter and torture him. The other witch was a male I didn’t recognize. “Fancy running into you here.” I greeted. I didn’t want to drop Kevin’s name because there was a chance they didn’t know about the call.
“Stop trying so hard Evie, you never were good at being funny.” Miranda said. “Let me save you the trouble of wondering. Yes, we have been watching Kevin and waiting for him to contact you. I knew it was only a matter of time considering how close you used to be. This here is Rex, Steven’s brother…you know the man you killed?”
Well fuck, it wasn’t going to end well. The introduction explained why he was looking at me with dark murderous eyes. “I can’t say it’s a pleasure.” I focused on Miranda. “Where’s Kevin?”
“Learning a lesson in why it’s bad to cover for traitors. It won’t be pleasant but it’s nothing compared to what you have coming. There’s been an order of retrieval placed on you.” Miranda explained with a cheeky satisfied grin. She wanted to see me fry.
An order of retrieval meant the Coven wanted me dragged back home to face a trial where a punishment would be decided. Most likely I’d be sentenced to death. The Coven didn’t like many other forms of punishment. Kevin was suffering because of me and I wished I could fix that but right now I had to save my own ass and get out of there. “And they sent you two? Hell, I thought I’d warrant at least a full team.” I glanced all around the park, there were a few people walking through it but no one paid us any attention. Miranda probably thought I’d go easy if people were around.
Before she could try and match my witty comment I took off running through the surrounding forest of the park hoping to lose them in the trees.
“Damn you Evie Cortez!” Miranda yelled. I’ve been running all my life; did she really expect me to give up now without a fight?
I blocked the hits of energy they tried to use to slow me down and dished out my own magic as they got closer. They were stronger because they had trained longer than me with the Elders. I had to use every trick and all my strength to escape them.
Rex was on me quick, sending us both tumbling to the grass. I kicked him in the chest before he could touch me with any magic. “Just give up.” I panted. “I’m never going back there.”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me. I want you dead and I could always say the fight went too far and I had no other choice.” Rex didn’t want to take me into custody, he planned to kill me right now and that meant he was going to give it his all.
“Great.” We fought hand to hand. There was a lot of pent up anger inside of him, revenge fueling his every move and he didn’t want to kill me easy, he wanted me to hurt and suffer first. I was on the ground and rolled over in time to avoid his boot crashing down into my chest. For a split second, I wondered where Miranda was, probably watching the fight with a stupid smile on her face.
Continuing to fight dirty Rex released a burst of wind that sent me flying into the nearest tree. Ugh, that wasn’t going to end good. I fell and landed on my hands and knees. “No” I held my hand out, creating a barrier before he could get close enough to grab me like a rag doll.
My chest started to burn from all the power I was using to keep him at bay long enough to catch my breath and stand up. My body shook with pain from all the magic I was using. The Coven always taught us not to use too much at once because of the consequences. Your body shook, your eyes turned different colors, and a magic high settled in your body and that type of high wasn’t pleasant. If I got out of the fight alive, I was in for a really bad time.
I couldn’t hold the barrier much longer and Rex was growing impatience with the need to get a hold of me. I needed to run, and fast. There was only one idea that came to mind.
Using every bit of power I had left I released it and sent him flying back into his own tree. I shifted into a wolf and ran out of the park. No matter how powerful Rex and Miranda were they couldn’t keep up with the speed of a wolf. I knew they wouldn’t shift in broad daylight and risk exposure to the Coven. I was already dead meat and didn’t care too much if someone saw me. I was going so fast if someone did see me they’d probably think a dog got spooked and was running very, very fast.
I wanted to go home and it was the only thought I had; home. I never told Kevin where I lived and if the Coven had known they would’ve ambushed me there and dragged me away when I was asleep. Home was the best bet.
I slowed down when I reached my street. Here I wanted to be careful of what people saw. The Charleston’s were outside with their kids and would notice me by the time I ran through my backyard. I kept everything locked, to get inside the house I’d have to shift back. I couldn’t use magic when I was in an animal shape. I looked for another option and saw Jamie getting home. She walked up the porch and when she opened the front door I made my move. I dashed through the opening before anyone could take notice and before Jamie could react.
“What the hell?” Jamie was more curious than anything else. She was used to seeing wolves when she visited the pack’s compound. She closed the door and stared at me in the living room. I knew I’d be safe there. I shifted back, grabbed the fleece throw over the couch before letting myself take a little nap on the floor.
Chapter 3