“You’re not the only ones asked to put your lives on the line. Every Night Watchman, every Elite, we’re all putting them on the line. We’re all holding out hope that the Everlasting will be the answer to a century’s old evil that won’t seem to sizzle out. Are you up for that task?”
He staring at me, and I match his gaze. I match his intensity.
“Would I be here if I wasn’t?” I retort, forgetting about everyone else in the room. Forgetting about their opinions that peck at me like pestering crows, or about the fact that I’m gaining nothing in return. No guarantee. No promise of return or safety. No solid answer to what happens when the seals are broken.
And right now, I don’t care. I just want them to see me as the person I want to be. The one with all the strength, courage, and bravery that I see in Jaxen’s eyes when he looks at me. That I hear from Weldon when he’s chewing me out.
Because I can be that girl.
The general straightens his shoulders and moves his attention back to the rest of us. “Now then, General Tillman has ordered a Double-Wave attack. A strong team of Elites will be sent in to clear out as many Darkyns as they can, granting us a path to the seal. When we get the go ahead, we will escort Middleton into the crypt and straight to the seal. From that point on, it will be in Middleton’s hands.”
I feel like a walking contradiction. I’m slightly nervous and partially confident. A million simulations could not prepare me for the reality I’m about to face, and a very small, very tiny part of me feels sort of livened by the prospect.
One of the Witches walks over to me, carrying a crimson piece of folded fabric. I already know what’s nestled in between the soft creases. The very blade my parents gave their freedom for. The very blade I nearly lost my own life for.
The general pulls me off to the side, away from everyone. “You can back out,” he says, so quietly I think I mishear him.
“What?” I ask, looking up at him.
“I’m not supposed to say this, but you can back out. If you’re going to, now is your chance.”
I shake my head, trying to make sense of what he’s offering me. “I-I don’t understand,” I say, looking past him.
My heart jolts to a stop.
An exit sign is right above his head, resting above the door we entered through.
The premonition. The two doors.
“You’re young. Way too young to be in this situation. No one would blame you if you chose to disappear. If you chose not to bring down the Coven as we know it,” the general says. “So what I’m saying is… if you want that chance at freedom, this is your last moment to get it. I won’t say anything. I won’t stop you.”
I look back at my friends, at Jaxen, and all I can think about is how far we’ve come. How without this, I’ll never have a chance at knowing if my parents are still alive or not. We’ll never have a chance at true happiness.
I swallow down his offer. Tuck it far away so that I’m not tempted to take it.
“I’m not backing out of anything,” I say firmly, and then walk back over to Weldon and Jaxen.
The general follows, wearing no sign of what we just discussed on his face. “The Dagger of Retribution must remain on your persons,” the general says as I take the Dagger from the opened fabric. He turns his attention on Weldon. “You must remain by her side. No matter what. When the seal is broken, you are to Shadow Walk her back to this city.”
“It’s handy having a demon around, isn’t it?” Weldon asks with an air of mockery. “I think this calls for some sort of a promotion or something.”
The general doesn’t buy into it. “It’s important that we keep Middleton safe at all costs. She’s the only thing in this world that can bring our salvation, or our complete and utter destruction.”
Silence awakens and devours the entire room. In that one statement, he’s sized up my entire purpose—my entire reason for being—only this time, I don’t buckle under the weight of every eye pointed in my direction, because the truth is, I am that dangerous. I am that powerful.
And I’ve only just begun to realize it.
WE HAVE EXACTLY THREE MINUTES until the clock strikes 2300 hours. Until we’re transported out of Ethryeal City and dropped over the top of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. I look around under the moonlight, finding hundreds of bodies decked in black armored suits and strapped with duffel bags packed full of weapons.
It’s surreal.
The four commanding generals, including Sterling, are somewhere up at the front of the Elite Unit, barking our orders and tactics to each affinity team. Weldon stands right next to me, and Jaxen’s on the other side of me. Jezi’s next to him, and Gavin and Cassie are directly behind me.
And somehow, I’m okay.
I twirl the hilt of my father’s flux over and over and over again. Various Elites bounce on the toes of their feet. Anticipation streams through the air like an electric current, feeding each of us with power. I can’t stand still. I’m trying not to focus on the pin-needles pricking away inside my stomach. I’m not worried for myself so much as I’m worried for everyone else.
Every time my thoughts lean toward what’s about to happen, a serious bout of adrenaline surges through my body, making me feel slightly heavy. I look over my shoulder at Jaxen. He’s like a statue. Concentration burrows in the creases on his forehead. He’s built for combat, trained his whole life for moments such as this. He’s ready.
He’s everything I hope to be like.
He looks over at me and blinks once. A shadow of a smile lifts the corner of his mouth, bringing out his dimple, and it’s one of the most handsome things I think I’ve ever seen. The fight in his eyes. The love hiding behind it. The pride he feels for me. My heart dances around my ribcage.
“Ready to kick some Darkyn ass?” Gavin interjects over my shoulder from behind me.
I smirk. “I was born ready.”
He slaps me on the back. I’m ready for it this time. I welcome the loving blow. “That’s what I want to hear!” he says, bouncing back to his place in the formation. A small horn goes off from the front.
It’s time.
General Tillman’s voice projects out over the crowd, using the magic from his Witch, who I can just barely make out. She’s half his size with wild, black hair billowing around her pale face. “Attention!”
Everyone’s feet come together with a loud thud, tightening the formation.
“The time is upon us. This mission will be the first in a series that will change the face of this Coven. You are the strength behind our Coven, and it is on this night that we begin to turn the tide in the war against the paranormal. Remember your training, and no matter what, stick to the plan.
“Let us swear by the oath once more:
Of my blood and your blood, we are one.
Of my heart and your heart, we are one.
Of my mind and your mind, we are one.
I pledge my life to the ways of the Coven,
And offer up my soul.
Henceforth, we must watch the night,
For in darkness, we must be the light.
Together, we speak the oath, and the uniformity that spreads throughout the formation is something I’ve never felt before in my life. A sense of safety, recognition, and harmony. A sense that I belong for once in my life. Jaxen looks past me, over at Weldon, and wears a look that speaks a thousand different statements, all strung on the line that connects me to Jaxen, and me to Weldon.
“Don’t worry, old friend,” Weldon says seriously, “my eyes will remain on her, and my talents will be at her service.” He’s smirking. Winking. He couldn’t help himself. He never can.
Jaxen looks like he wants to smile, like he’s trying to hold it in for the sake of being offended, but then I smile and it’s too contagious for him to pass up. “You’re such an assmonkey,” he says, releasing a small bit of laughter.
Weldon pretends to be mortally wounded. “Such offensive language in the presence of a young lady. You shou
ld be ashamed.”
I catch Jezi rolling her eyes. I think Weldon does too because he slips out of formation and stops in front of her. She flinches back when she realizes he’s crowding her personal space. When she realizes he’s just a breath away from her.
“Weldon! Just what the hell are you doing? Get back in formation!” she says on a heightened whisper.
“That’s not what you really want,” he says, desire lingering on the edges of his words.
Cassie and Gavin exchange smiles. Jaxen watches like his jaw is about to drop.
“What do you know?” Jezi shoots back. She crosses her arms and looks away. She’s rattled and like the male predatory instinct that he has, he picks up on it. He steps closer to her, so close their bodies are almost touching, grazing against each other whenever they breathe in and out.
“I know that no one thought there could be three people connected in an affinity bond.” His eyes graze over Jaxen, Jezi, and me. “I know a demon was never permitted to walk freely in this city before. I know that no one person has ever held a Hunter and a Witch’s abilities before.” He leans into her ear, his lips grazing the outside. “It seems like everything I thought couldn’t happen, suddenly can, because I know that I most definitely never thought that I’d ever like you, or that you’d ever like me.”
She jerks away from him, but the movement is off… hesitant. “I never-I never said I liked you.”
He grabs her chin and forces her to look him in his deep, golden eyes. “No? ’Cause we might not survive this night, and I don’t want to die without your confession first. So do us both a favor and drop the tough-girl act.”
Her mouth opens slightly as she stares up at him. Her emotions go haywire, and her thoughts mingle with my own. I don’t have to look at Jaxen to know he feels it to. That he feels the strong pull of attraction radiating off Jezi for Weldon. For a moment, I almost feel jealous. I want to pry in on him… to see if he feels jealous, but I refrain from doing so. We promised to keep our emotions private.
But then I begin to wonder why we have to keep them separate from one another.
“What’s gotten into you?” Jezi asks, sounding more confused than offended.
Weldon’s hands fly up into the air as he grins like a fool. “Maybe it’s the air, or maybe it’s the way the moonlight is hitting your hazel eyes in such a way that they almost seem like gold.” He steps closer to her, his hands cupping her face. “All I know is that I shouldn’t be attracted to you, but I am, and I don’t want to go into this mission without telling you that. I don’t want to go into this mission without doing this first.”
I think we’re all blown back by the force of the kiss Weldon plants on Jezi’s lips. She tries to resist at first, her hands covering his on her face, but then her body goes slack, her eyes squeeze shut, and I feel what she feels. Desire. Intrigue. Satisfaction long overdue.
I glance over at Jaxen as he watches them. There’s a strange look passing through his eyes, and I can’t tell if it’s jealousy or fascination. He pulls his eyes off Jezi and forces them on me, his features softening.
“Whatever you’re thinking, you’re wrong,” he says in my mind. “I want her to be happy… even if it ends up being with my best friend.”
“I wasn’t thinking anything,” I say, biting the inside of my lip.
He smirks, and I know he knows I’m lying. Grabbing my hand, he pulls me into him before planting a solidifying kiss on my lips.
“If you’re done canoodling, could we please get going?” Gavin says. “The formation is moving, and I’m ready to bounce out of this city.”
“Hop to it, Tigger,” Cassie says before swatting him on the butt.
Weldon finally releases Jezi and heads back to his spot in the formation, wearing the most satisfied grin I think I’ve ever seen. Jezi, on the other hand, is still standing there, looking like she hasn’t left the moment that just happened yet. Looking like, for once in her life, she’s at a loss for words.
And I smile for her.
I get back in formation and force my eyes ahead, trying to keep up with everything happening around me. There’s no time to worry about anything else. I can only hope that Seamus will keep Clara handled while we’re gone. We pass through the gates and stop right before a set of four Witches and Hunters. They form a square, with their hands held high up into the air. The Witch’s mouths move as magic radiates off their palms, forming a spell we’re all supposed to enter. The Hunters push currents of volation through the magic, forming the large, open door we’re all supposed to walk through.
“This gateway leads to the rooftop of the Cathedral. Once you land on the other side, spread out and begin your instructed formations,” General Tillman shouts out to everyone. “And may the God and Goddess be with you.” He disappears within the gateway, and then row by row, our small army begins its ascent back into the real world.
When it’s my turn to step up, I take in a deep breath. I’m leaving a world of trouble behind, only to enter an entirely different one.
Jaxen takes my hand in his and says, “We’re in this together, okay?”
“Okay,” I say, stepping through.
“WAIT HERE,” GENERAL STERLING SAYS to my small group.
We all nod and watch as he gives hand signals to the lieutenants heading the rows of Elites, and then leads the first wave of soldiers into the darkness. They disappear with stealthy precision, blending in with the night just as we were born to do. As if they were only ever made of shadows and are returning to their home beneath the light of the moon.
I know that we could be watched from afar by the Darkyns. They could be anywhere right now, just waiting for the perfect moment to strike, but for some reason, I feel safe in the dark—in the shadows—like I’m wrapped up in strong arms and hidden from sight.
I spin in a slow circle, trying to grasp all that’s before me. We’re standing among pointed towers on top of the cathedral, which stretches toward the heavens like concrete fingers reaching out to God. Pigeons sleep between the gothic-style steeples. Moonlight encases the ceiling in an ethereal light. Light that I hope will bless us as we face the beginning of the end.
The rest of the Elites scatter to their intended marks with the soundless steps of highly trained soldiers. Witches line up around the edges of the roof, and all I can do is watch in amazement as their Hunters move in next to them, all with their hands raised. The weight of magic and energy builds in the air like a fog settling in on a cool night. It stirs a need in me to join in—to be one with my Coven.
A bright, shimmery haze arises from the hands of the Witches, spreading out on the wings of the Hunter’s electric volation, cascading down around the sides of the building like fireflies dancing in the night. A low hum of words tumbles past the lips of every Witch, speaking a spell to keep out unwanted visitors and to keep the human eye from spotting us.
They’ve shielded us in a dome made of magic and electricity. An invisible force that could only be fortified by the united Hunter and Witch working together.
I follow Jaxen and the group as they move around the rooftop, searching for their place to stand. The car horns, the music, and the human laughter coming from the busy street below sounds so far away. The ground pulses and shudders beneath my feet, and then a bright violet beam bursts out from the chimney, up into the night sky. My hands shoot out from my sides, searching for something to hang onto as the shuddering quiets.
“What the hell was that?” I ask, eyes flitting over every inch of space around me. No one else seems to have noticed. Or maybe they just don’t care.
“It’s the Holy Seal,” Jaxen says, staring up at the beam of light fading into the pale clouds hovering over the moon. “Every other minute, a pulse of electromagnetic energy gets pushed out into the atmosphere, connecting to the Unholy Seal. Only our kind can see it. It’s what feeds the Veil between this plane and the Underground. It’s the only thing keeping them out.”
I stare back up at the sky where th
e beam was. That’s what I have to destroy. That’s what the Priesthood thinks I need to bring down in order for the Underground to be accessible for our kind. But what about the humans? What about this world? What will happen when we destroy the very thing the Divine created to protect our kind and the humans from the horrors that reside below us?
I fear these questions aren’t being considered. The general hinted at that during our briefing. The Priesthood is hell-bent on recovering the Exanimator, and the only way that’s possible is by destroying the very thing our Coven was built on. The Veil.
But what comes after the Exanimator?
I fear we haven’t been told for a reason. Someone must know. Someone must have a clue what to do with the machine, and for some reason, I have this unsettling feeling that it involves me. And I think that’s why they aren’t telling us anything more than what we already know, because maybe we wouldn’t be here, doing this, if we knew what comes at the end. But my mother had a vision about me. She said if the Dagger were put back together, then I’d have to finish what I started. I have no choice.
Not really.
I slowly lower my hands to my sides, my mind processing on overdrive.
“This is it, boys,” Cassie says as Elites move all around us in a quiet flurry. Most head inside through a door on the roof. Some scale the sides of the buildings, wrapping the church in enough magic to keep it unnoticed for the time being.
Cassie turns to say something to Jezi, but she is stopped by Gavin’s hand latching onto her arm. “You’re not taking the lead on this, got it? We need you two focused and sticking to the plan.” He points to Cassie and Jezi. They both huff in unison, as if they already expected this order from him.
“Yes, master,” Cassie grunts sarcastically, flipping her red hair over her shoulder.
She tries to pull from his grip, but he doesn’t let go. “I’m serious,” he says in a low voice, leaning closer to her. The love and the worry are so loud in his quiet tone. “Who knows what’s behind those doors.”