Wild Fire (Wardens Series Book 3) Read online

  “What attacked you?” I asked, lighting a flame in my hand to get a better look at the boy.

  “A man from the shadows, he shot my son.” She wept as I searched for the wound. I groaned when I found it — a clean shot through the torso.

  “Silver?” I asked her, and her eyes widened. She seemed confused by my question.

  “I don’t know what it was,” she stammered.

  The woman eyed me suspiciously for a moment. The fact I had flames licking my flesh should have been a clue as to what I was. Still, she seemed shocked that I had figured out they were not human.

  “All right. How old is he?” I asked, trying to figure out what was going on. The other two had arrived and were watching me curiously.

  “Fifteen,” she cried. The boy released a painful whimper.

  “Helen, can you drive this woman to the house? Ask my mother to take a look at the boy’s wounds. Get his mom some food – they look like they haven’t eaten in days,” I requested, looking at the brunette behind me.

  Helen gave me a sour face, but when the boy cried out again, she raced around to the driver’s side of the car and got in. I looked back at the woman holding on to her son.

  “She’s going to get you help. I will be along shortly.” I gave her a weak smile and closed my hand, stopping the flames.

  Getting out of the back seat, I looked at Krista.

  “Let’s do a perimeter check. The boy’s wounds are fresh,” I suggested as she nodded at me.

  Helen took off like a bat out of hell, taking the small family to the house where they would be cared for and mended. I opened my senses to the world around us. I could smell the sulfur in the air but chose to ignore it. The odor was not offensive, nor was it what I was looking for. It merely meant that a demon had been in the area. I knew John’s smell, and this was not his.

  “Do you smell that?” Krista questioned, looking back at me.

  “Yeah. It’s nothing,” I lied.

  She knew little of her demon bloodline. She was still too young and lacked proper training when she passed. She was not balanced, and if we didn’t get her stable soon, it had the potential of killing her again.

  “What are we looking for?” she asked me pleasantly.

  “I don’t know. If one of Miranda’s henchmen were here, they would have made it known.” I sniffed the air again; there was always a chance I had missed something.

  “What do you think it was?” she asked me, her eyes trying to read my face.

  “A hunter, maybe. The boy was hurt pretty bad, but the shot was clean.” I sighed harshly, trying to think.

  That was until I heard the screaming.

  “What the hell!” I whimpered loudly and took off, running in the direction of the sound. I heard Krista’s wings unfold, and I knew she had taken to the skies.

  I reached the screams in no time. What I found was a young woman holding on to an older man’s body. He was still breathing, but his leg had a huge chunk missing. She took one look at me and began to shriek.

  “Help me!” Her voice cracked. I was at her side within seconds and on my knees looking at the man’s leg.

  “What happened?” I asked the hysterical girl.

  “Did you see it?” she inquired with a hint of fear in her voice.

  “See what?” I looked at her puzzled, pulling my phone from my pocket.

  “The dog that bit my father?” she replied, her voice cracking.

  “No, I didn’t. All I heard were the screams.” I tried to hide the disappointment in my voice.

  I had developed three theories. First, the mother bit the man while trying to protect her son. The second seemed the most logical. After the boy was shot, he had bit the man when trying to escape. Finally, neither of these events were related. Though the discharged rifle not ten feet away would indicate it was one of the first two.

  “He needs help. I think he’s dying.” She panicked, running her hand over the older man’s hair.

  I could hear the sirens in the distance. Someone had already called the authorities. That took a load off my back; I hated dealing with the dispatchers.

  “Did you call an ambulance?” I asked her as she looked around frantically.

  “No,” she said simply. That’s when Krista made an appearance behind me. The girl jumped when she saw Krista’s face. An odd expression of recognition appeared in her eyes, and I raised an eyebrow.

  “Do I know you?” the girl asked, looking up at the blonde.

  “No, I don’t believe you do,” replied Krista suspiciously.

  There was a long silence between the two as they continued to keep eye contact.

  “I called the ambulance,” Krista muttered, not taking her eyes from the girl. The tension was filling the air between the two. There was something with their conversation that was throwing me off. While neither of them admitted to knowing the other, it appeared as if there was a connection somewhere.

  “But how did you know we needed one?” the girl asked.

  “I saw you from the road, and thought you needed help.” Krista started twitching. She thought she was helping, and now was beginning to have second thoughts.

  “It’s going to be all right, Daddy. They have help coming,” the girl said, squeezing the man’s shoulders firmly.

  For a split second, I caught of glimpse of the man’s face. He was staring at her, his eyes widened with a lack of recognition. He tried to speak, but nothing made it out of his mouth. I probably should have made a note of this, but with first responders there, I figured everything was going to be all right.

  The paramedics loaded the bleeding man into the back of the ambulance. Once he was secure, the girl took a moment to return to us with a satisfied expression.

  “Thank you,” she said, hugging me and then Krista. “I am grateful for your help.”

  I watched as she carefully got into the back of the ambulance and turned to look at us one last time. She appeared odd for a second as a huge smile spread across her lips, and her eyes turned jet black. We had been deceived; this had to be the demon I smelled in town. She shut the doors with a bang, and the ambulance took off, Krista and I running after it screaming.

  “What the hell was that?” I asked, looking at Krista.

  “I don’t know... I knew I had seen her before.” She smacked herself on the forehead.

  “How?” I asked as I placed my hands on my hips. There was nothing we could do; short of following the ambulance. It was in our best interests to head back to camp and explain to my parents what had happened on that dirt road.

  “She was with me.” Krista sniffed and looked around.

  “With you, where?” I asked her slowly, my eyes shifting from her to the flashing sirens. For a second, I thought about racing after the vehicle. Then realized the demon would do nothing to the men inside. It was the old man that she was fixated on. The others were no danger, as long as they didn’t interfere.

  “She was there,” Krista started to break down. “She was with me the day I was taken.”

  “I didn’t see her.” I bit my bottom lip nervously.

  I recalled the vivid memory of seeing through Krista’s eyes. I didn’t remember anyone else being with her. Then again, that section of the vision had been choppy. I was shocked she was able to remember anything at all. Apparently, the trauma of the deception was enough to blind her.

  “She was taken too.” Krista sighed. “He must have given her to Miranda.”

  “Great,” I groaned, running my fingers through my hair.

  “I’m sorry.” She bowed her head and sniffled.

  “It’s not your fault. I don’t know if we should follow. I mean, you saw it, right?” I asked, pacing back and forth across the dirt road.

  “Yeah, I saw it.” She spoke softly.

  “Shit!” I screamed. “Let’s get back to camp; see what mom wants us to do.” I patted her on the shoulder. A gesture I hoped would help calm her nerves.

  “Ok,” she answered miserably.<
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  I could tell she felt horrible about not recognizing the girl until it was too late. I couldn’t hold it against her; it had been eighteen years since she died. Faces wouldn’t look familiar to her now, everyone else she knew had aged while she was frozen in time.

  Chapter 3

  Back Off

  When we returned to the house, we pulled Helen aside. She didn’t seem shocked by the evening's events. In fact, we had to stop her from tearing off into the night. After some coaxing, we convinced her that we needed to speak with my parents before making any decisions.

  We found them sitting at the kitchen table talking. They looked up, smiling obliviously to the terrors that had occurred that night. Once they saw our faces, their smiles fell, and a look of concern took over. My mother had taken the boy in and dressed his wounds. He was resting comfortably in one of the additional bedrooms. Once she had him stabilized, she had given the mother a change of clothes and a warm meal. I had fulfilled my promise to the family, but I hated telling my mother the theories.

  “Let me get this straight, you think the mother bit the man after he shot her son? Or do you think that the boy bit him?” My mother raised an eyebrow and shook her head. “Then, a demon comes along and tries to steal the dying man’s soul? Does this make any sense to you, Damien?”

  “It’s not too far-fetched,” my father replied, pointing at me. “Quite a few times in the past, I would hunt the hunters. Sooner or later, something was going to get them. They are resilient, but they don’t live forever.”

  “That’s what Reapers are for, to lead the spirit of the dead to their final resting haven,” my mother proclaimed as she raised her eyebrows.

  “Angie, Reapers appear when a person is either close to death or deceased. There is not always a formula for how a creature passes. If there is no Reaper present to claim the spirit, then there is no reaped soul,” my dad explained.

  “You demons sure do things weird.” My mother shook her head at him.

  “You know it’s funny; we said the same things about you.” He laughed and patted her on the shoulders.

  The tension was slowly creeping up my spine. This was neither the time nor place for such a discussion. I clenched my eyes closed and tried to remain neutral. It wasn’t like they were telling me something I didn’t already know. The claiming of the dead was not why I had asked the question. I needed orders, clarity of sorts, the first step toward a permanent decision. Did we go after the demon or let her do as she wished?

  “What do you want us to do?” I grumbled.

  “There is nothing we can do, honey.” My father shook his head. “You did the right thing not getting involved. I’m not one to sit idly by while the innocent are slaughtered, but in this case, our hands are tied. If there is a demon stealing souls in Harrisville, you are not the one to stop her.”

  “You make it sound like the souls are sucked directly from the body,” I stated, making a disgusted face. This was not the answer that I had wanted, but it was the one I expected. The demon was off the hook by one technicality.

  “Well, in a way, we do.” He gave me that chilling smirk that made my skin crawl.

  “I could have gone without that image.” I stuck out my tongue and gagged.

  “What? You’ve done it too.” He shrugged his shoulders and hid his face.

  “When?” I demanded, tapping my right foot in annoyance.

  “The night you killed the were-vamp,” he laughed, rolling his eyes to the back of his head.

  “Huh?” I could remember feeling more power, but I didn’t bend over my prey and suck the life from them like I was the Chupacabra.

  “You absorbed its soul and power.” He reached out and touched my face. Anger seared through my body as I realized what he was telling me.

  “Oh god, that’s what that was,” I howled.

  “So, we just wait and see if she comes back?” Krista chimed in. She had been quiet this whole time, biting her nails and mumbling to herself.

  “Yes, dear. If we felt any real danger, we would have sent others with you to dispose of it.” My mother touched Krista’s arm and frowned.

  “You know, I could go for a good hunt. If you would trust us enough to make the right decisions.” Helen pouted as she crossed her arms.

  Out of the three of us, Helen was the biggest risk-taker. She had come out to humans, saved lives, and freed souls from savage beasts. When it came down to it, Helen was the only one that truly knew what being a Warden was.

  “You are not ready,” my mother replied sternly.

  “With all due respect, Angie. I have been doing this for the last six years, I think I know when I’m ready and when I’m not.” Helen puffed out her chest and then confidently stated, “I’m ready.”

  My mother looked at her and stepped forward; her eyes were flaming. Helen had unleashed the Kraken! I looked around, trying to find somewhere to hide after Helen’s head exploded. They were eye-to-eye and toe-to-toe when my mother spoke again, her mouth moving, but her facial expressions unreadable.

  “I don’t care if you have been doing this for six years. I have been doing this for millennia.”

  I watched as Helen flinched.

  “So, when I say you are not ready to dive headfirst into a bloodbath, I suggest you listen to me. Otherwise, it’s going to take an act of the Creators to place your shard in another offspring’s core.” My mother’s voice did not crack; it was straight and monotone, her eyes never leaving Helen’s.

  “And look where you are — banished from your post,” Helen bit.

  My mother did not wince. No emotion was present on her face.

  “I admitted to my responsibility and did not push my child to be raised by others. Which is more than I can say about your parents.” My mother's tone was cold. She had breached a conversation piece we had never discussed. It was a callous statement meant to wound Helen.

  Helen blinked; I could see the tears forming in her eyes. I had seen only two emotions on Helen’s face since I met her; elation and anger. Had my mother managed to wound the young woman’s pride?

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Helen asked, blinking wildly.

  “That means, I don’t see your parents standing here sticking up for you, protecting you. If you have a problem with living by my rules, then the door is right behind you. However, it’s your funeral,” my mom said calmly. I wasn’t sure if I should step between them. I was conflicted, and yet I was quite attached to my head. Thankfully, my father took it upon himself to step in.

  “Angie take a step back; you’ve made your point.” My father took her hand in his and was trying to coax her to look at him, but my mother’s gaze did not falter.

  “I don’t think I have,” she said to him.

  Helen’s eyes moved as she broke the contact and took a step back. My mother smiled satisfied. Helen’s gaze turned to me, and she spat daggers at my face. I smiled slowly, unfazed by her reaction. It seemed to irritate her even more, and she stormed off. I had a feeling I was going to pay for it one way or another.

  “Does anyone else have anything to say?” my mother questioned, making it visible she wasn’t messing around.

  “Nope,” I said quickly.

  All Krista could do was stare back, wide-eyed.

  ****

  It was rather quiet for the next two weeks. We had a few more allies join, but none of them had witnessed the demonic rage that was the Queen’s Army. In fact, Nick had sent them while on his mission to find the fourth. When he came across refugees at hotels and rest-stops along the way, he pointed them toward Harrisville, telling them to ask for any of us by name.

  It wasn’t until we were standing in the back yard amongst the warlocks that a distraught Shawn made his way into our vicinity.

  “He’s been spotted again,” my brother stated.

  It had taken Helen almost a week to look my mother in the eye again. Took even longer for her to speak to me. So, when she smiled at me and clasped Shawn’s face in her ha
nds, kissing him smack on the lips, I was somewhat surprised.

  “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” she wailed, almost too enthusiastically. “Now that’s my idea of fun.”

  We followed her, grabbing our weapons along the way. This was going to be interesting. We piled into the SUV and sped off to find the creature and hopefully bring him in; or turn him into compost.

  Chapter 4

  Thump Thump

  I leaned against the wall of an old building in downtown Harrisville. I was trying to catch my breath after running from the unexplained creature that was sniffing around after dark. It had seen me for only a second before taking off in a dead sprint toward my location.

  So, this is what Helen considers fun?

  I could see her walking toward me with her wings unfolded, ready to take to the sky. Krista was skipping along behind her humming the Battle Hymn of the Republic! Both of these girls were crazy. I rolled my eyes and felt the hilt of the sword behind my back, and a slow comfort crossed my flesh. I would give anything to be sitting on the couch in the lush living room playing Halo with Adam. Instead, I’m chasing odd four-legged creatures around an old town.

  The wind picked up, and the earth shook. The creature turned its head — fierce violet eyes and sharp pointed teeth: another experiment went wrong. I heard a growl rumble from its lips. I pulled my mother’s broadsword from my back and set the blade on fire, a soothing blue-and-white flame emitting from the steel. I sighed; this was it. I took a step away from the wall. Turning the corner, I was face-to-face with the monster.

  “Here kitty, kitty,” I taunted, a wicked smile playing on my lips.

  The creature, a mixture of cat and warlock, had been stalking the Harrisville downtown after dark for several weeks now. No reported deaths; only the stories of the townsfolk that swore they saw the creature late at night walking the streets. The warlock was an unknown man as well. He moved into town at the same time as the creature and made no attempt to find the house. This left us only to assume that the cat creature and the warlock were one and the same. Now here I was standing in the middle of Main Street staring down at this monster.