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  “State of the art demon technology. If I go past the fences, I get a nasty shock.” He sighed and looked at me, frowning, his eyes shifting colors due to the low light.

  “That sounds incredibly painful,” I mumbled. Leave it to my father to use electrotherapy to get what he wanted.

  Wesley looked at me and turned his head to the right.

  “I do find it funny.” He winked at me.

  “Find what funny?” I asked cautiously. I had a feeling I was not going to like anything he had to say. His personality was not the same as it had been when we were together. He was far more arrogant.

  “You had maybe two boyfriends before me. Obviously, you were independent. We go out for eight months, give or take. I mess up when Miranda comes back into my life, and we are forced to split. It didn’t even take you a week before you laid Claim of Aaron’s soul. It made me wonder at the time if you really loved me at all. Now that Aaron is all pale and emotionless, you have moved on to Adam. It looks like you have some serious codependency issues.” He put a pale hand on my shoulder.

  “It’s far from that, Wesley,” I said, anger in my voice.

  “He is right.” Wesley narrowed his eyes.

  “About what?” I growled at him.

  “You are just like Miranda.” He smiled at me.

  “I am nothing like her!” I seethed, my hands burning.

  “Shut up and listen,” he demanded. “First, there was Isaiah, her strongest love. She’s happy, and the world is a wonderful place. A century later, he leaves her for her mother. Miranda goes on a bit of a binge for the next 200 years, collecting as many souls as she possibly can. Even nearly snagged your brother in the process. She thought she had found something in John before she met me.” He smiled, seductively at me, and I rolled my eyes. Even Wesley sucked at giving himself an ego.

  “What does this have to do with anything?” I asked perturbed.

  “I am a descendant of Isaiah. We share the same Harbinger bloodline. She fell for the good boy who I was all those years ago, just like you have done — same crap with me, Aaron, and Adam. You know you belong with me. You know that I am your Isaiah.” He took two steps toward me and stopped.

  “I will not lie and say I do not love you, because I do. I have harbored my emotions. I was selfish, and my Claim on Aaron was rushed and juvenile. Nonetheless, it happened. Adam was never meant to be part of this; he was innocent. He just calmed the pain.” I put my hand to my heart and sniffled. “He made it hurt so much less. All I wanted was to make him forget what was happening between us because I am no good for him. However,…”

  “You belong with me,” he smiled, reaching for me. The look on his face shocked me; it was if he thought I was some prize he had won in a race. This wasn’t the Wesley I had known.

  “No,” I said softly. “I will not be your replacement for Miranda. We will fight side by side as one, but my heart is not yours.” I choked as his eyes widened. I was on fire.

  “Then why rescue me if you do not wish to be with me?” he asked, his eyes flaring red.

  “Because I do love you, Wesley! But if all you see when you are with me is her, then my heart will remain my own,” I said, looking around in the dark.

  “You will be with me,” he said, grabbing my hand. “The visions show it, clear as day. You will be with me.”

  “Maybe one day, but for now, I think I just need to be with myself. As you said, I have some severe co-dependency issues.” I turned on my heel, and I left him standing outside, looking at the stars.

  During the whole conversation I had with Adam and Wesley, I knew I was only hurting myself. Maybe that was what I needed to get through this entire mess. I just needed to take a few moments to step back and assess my life. Wesley was right – I had a track record forming, and I needed to stop it before I came around full circle.

  “Honey?” my mother asked as I absent-mindedly walked by her on a quest to get to my bed.

  “Mom, I thought you were sleeping?” I asked, my head turning slowly toward her as I brought my feet to a stop.

  “I thought maybe you would want to talk about what happened while you were gone.” She took a few steps toward me and stopped. It was like I made her edgy.

  “Watch this,” I demanded as I turned around and faced the vase that held the lobby’s flowers. Placing my hands on both sides of the object, I watched as the water changed from clear to the thickness of blood. “No, I’m not ok. I’m not ready to really talk about it either.”

  My mother’s hand waved, and the blood returned to water. I hung my head. Of course, this was a gift that had been passed to me by my mother. In the Bible, water had been turned to blood. I guess if God used the spell once, it was a keeper.

  “I can also turn wine into blood,” she said, taking a few more steps forward.

  “At least the vampires won’t go hungry.” I tried to joke, but it came out flat.

  “Mona told me. All the things you can do.” My mother grabbed my hands and held them firmly in hers. “You are everything He hoped you would be.” A tear ran down her cheek.

  “Who, Mom?” I wanted to hold her.

  “God,” she said simply and pulled me into probably the tightest hug I have ever been in.

  “Well, I’m glad I didn’t disappoint him. However, I have a brother to talk to and a friend to apologize to,” I said as she pulled away from me.

  “You know we love you, right?” she said, smiling.

  “You and Dad, yeah, I would hope so.” I tucked my hands in my pockets and turned toward the stairs.

  “I meant all of us. Your extended family. Those that believe in you. We all love you.” My mother looked sad. This almost felt like she was telling me goodbye.

  “I will see you in the morning, Mom,” I said, taking a step up the stairs. She just stood there and watched me climb until I no longer felt her eyes penetrating the back of my head.

  “So, it wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be?” Shawn asked as I pulled my hair out of its tie and shook it loose.

  “No, I wouldn’t say badly. I mean, I wouldn’t say great either.” I reached over and pulled a piece of orange off the fruit on my plate.

  “John has the hots for you, doesn’t he?” He made a kissy face at me, and I felt cold.

  “You know, it is incredibly odd. The only power he ever neutralized was the fire. I could do everything else freely in his presence.” I crossed my legs and looked at my brother.

  “Probably because you aren’t its protector. The fire is your main power. The others are like unique gifts from our parents. I have Dad’s super amazing mind reading. You have your mom’s odd and disgusting water to blood gift.” He laughed as I reached over and punched him on the arm.

  “I can sense when the possessed are near, and you can summon the dead,” I pointed out, and he looked at me, lost.

  “Oh, you mean my mother,” he laughed. “What a pair we make, Dawn. Does make me wonder what Dad thought when he named us.” He shook his head.

  “Do you mean the whole Shawn and Dawn thing?” I asked.

  “Yeah. I know he stayed below ground in the sixties, so I’m pretty sure it has nothing to do with freedom of love and expression.” Shawn seemed perplexed by the meanings of our names.

  “He could very well have done it by accident,” I said, leaning back against my headboard.

  “Who knows? Dad is an odd duck,” Shawn said, an odd accent running from his lips.

  “You’ve been all over the world, haven’t you?” I asked, looking at him. He glanced up at me with those big brown eyes and smiled.

  “Most continents I did a decent stint of time in. I could only go a few weeks in Antarctica; that was just too cold even for me.” He laughed. “I have picked up dialect everywhere I have been.”

  “Where is your favorite place to be?” I asked him. I wanted to know the world, to see it the way Shawn had.

  “Right here with you,” he said, smiling. “I was mad at Dad for a while after hear
ing you were born, and he was raising you because he never raised me. You know what, though. I am looking forward to walking the world for another 500 years with you.”

  “I say as soon as the war is over, we just start bouncing around the globe. I’m sure we can find things to do. Maybe get rid of some of the possessed or even fight the remaining soldiers,” I said, whipping my hand back and forth like I was using a sword.

  He looked at me with an odd expression.

  “Your birthday is in two days,” Shawn said, changing the subject.

  “Yeah, what of it?” I asked, taking another bite of my orange.

  “You will be nineteen.” He stretched out his legs, kicking me in the hip in the process.

  “Yes, I will. Not that it matters, I will see the same nineteen-year-old face for the next hundred years,” I sighed. “What’s the point in celebrating a birthday when you aren’t going to age?”

  There was another awkward silence.

  “London,” he said sadly, looking at the bedspread.

  “What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?” I asked, confused by the outburst.

  “You asked me about my favorite place. It’s London.” He picked at a loose string and stood to leave the room. “It’s past your bedtime. Tomorrow is a long day of getting you back into the flow of life around here. I have a full day of rehabilitating Wesley and avoiding Adam.”

  “How did he figure it out?” I asked before Shawn could leave my room.

  “I had to tell him. He would wake up in the middle of the night, not knowing where he was. You are rooted deep in his soul. I should have seen that.” Shawn turned and, in a cloud of smoke, he was gone.

  I sat on my bed for another hour, playing with my phone and eating my orange. I wanted to talk to Adam, but I knew right then was probably not the best time. I stood up and turned out the light before covering myself beneath the thin blanket and staring at the ceiling. Wesley was safe, for now.

  Chapter Seven

  Murder at the Oasis

  “How is everyone doing this morning?” I asked as I paced back and forth in front of the large crowd.

  I had woken up with a new insight on life. I was home, but I knew my troops could suffer the same fate as those in the prison camp. It was time to put their hard work to the test. I wanted to make sure they were ready for anything thrown at them. Whether it was Miranda’s men or the Armies of Vampires I had heard about in passing.

  “Rather tired,” one of my fire-vamps said, winding his finger into this pendant.

  “Long night, huh?” I placed my hands on my hips and looked at him. I could instantly tell something was off with him; his eyes lacked any luster, and his skin almost seemed ashy.

  “Hunting is becoming more difficult.” He looked at the ground instinctively.

  I had never thought of the Vampire's source of sustenance much since the compound opened. I had figured they were able to figure out their own sources. The townspeople were off-limits, but there had once been plenty of wildlife in the hills. I suppose when you put several hundred vampires in one area, food tends to run scarce rather quickly. I tapped my fingers on my pelvis and ground my teeth together as I thought. If only I had a way of providing a synthetic substance that would allow them nourishment without the need for hunting. I thought about it a lot longer then I should have. I had the means to make it possible.

  “Paul, right?” I asked the boy.

  He nodded politely.

  “Meet me after drills.”

  He looked at me, confused, but agreed. I didn’t want to get his hopes up, but I had a plan up my sleeve. I had completed the spell as Prudence; it was time to see if I could do it on a larger scale as Dawn. I dropped my arms and began pacing again. I couldn’t stand there all day staring at a young fire-vamp. There was a purpose for training. My troops needed to be ready for what was coming.

  “All right, I need everyone to pair off into their respective groups,” I commanded, clapping my hands together in front of me.

  Instantly the crowd began to break off into separate areas of the field. I noticed Kelly walking through the center of the group, her eyes darting left and right as she watched each person's maneuvers. A few times, she stopped to correct a stance or two, then she would look at me and begin to move again.

  “Nice to have you back,” she whispered as she stepped directly in front of me. She was still watching everyone, but her body language was unsteady, something had her worried.

  “Where’s your partner?” I asked slowly.

  “I don’t know. He was here last night, but this morning he was nowhere to be seen,” she replied, shrugging. “Sometimes the Blessed Ones take walks in the evening. The whole ‘one with nature’ mumbo jumbo.”

  “Is this normal for him?” I asked, keeping my voice low.

  “No, not at all. He was coming of age, so I have a feeling he wanted to impress his mother.” While her voice would suggest, she lacked any care for her partner, the way she posed her next to me told a whole other story. Kelly was too much like me, always wanting to appear in control.

  “Do you know where they like to go?” I asked, pulling her to the right, out of earshot. I wanted her to know I was concerned. If something had happened, we needed to retrace his steps.

  “Yeah, there is a creek about ten acres back, surrounded by trees. The Blessed Ones have used it for their rituals. Most recently, to enhance the protection spells around the place.” She seemed somewhat knowledgeable of her partner's various locations. I knew she was observant, but had there been something more between the two fo them?

  Still, her explanation didn’t feel right. A walk after dark shouldn’t lead to disappearing by morning. The compound was supposed to be safe. Something in my gut told me it was worth looking into. I placed my hand on Kelly’s shoulder.

  “Do you mind taking over for me for a few minutes?” I asked her, glancing at Shawn and Minerva.

  “Yeah. You going to check it out?” she asked softly, her eyes sparkled for a moment

  I knew she was happy I was back, but did she honestly expect me to think she didn’t enjoy the power?

  “I think I should. If it is not normal for him to be late, then something could have happened,” I said, waving my brother and his partner over.

  “Understandable. What do you want me to do after drills?” she asked before walking away.

  “Whatever you did while I was gone.” I winked at her, and she nodded. She passed Shawn and Minerva on her way back to the group.

  “What’s going on?” Shawn asked, looking over his shoulder at Kelly.

  “Her partner didn’t show up this morning. She said something about the Blessed Ones and walking with nature.” I closed my eyes, wishing I could figure things out more easily. “What is a Blessed One?”

  “White magic. Many of them have an element core in their soul,” Shawn replied, narrowing his eyes like I was supposed to know the terminology for the people living at the compound. I knew the basics; all these new beings with old blood were only confusing me.

  “Ok,” I shrugged. “Makes sense.”

  “The creek is a few acres back. You want to retrace his steps and see if he’s back there. Could have fallen asleep. The power very well could have drained him if he was working on his spells. He is at the age for the right of passage,” Minerva suggested, pointing toward the field Krista practiced in.

  It appeared I was ages behind the others. Everyone seemed to know he was at the perfect age, and I honestly couldn’t even remember his name or what he looked like. For a split moment, I wondered if I was cut out for the job, a leader should know the names and faces of all those who follow them.

  “Yeah,” I agreed hesitantly.

  We passed Krista and her team of Wind Troops without even so much as drawing attention to ourselves. I was going to have to remind her of the importance of watching the world around her. We might be on protected land, but at any time, the protection spells could wear off, leaving us
vulnerable.

  “It’s just right up there,” Minerva pointed to a group of trees. I could hear the creek as it babbled in the distance.

  “So far, the tracks are a little cold,” I groaned impatiently. I wanted to find the young man safe and unharmed, but that feeling in my stomach was pestering me, and the closer we got to the oasis, the more it fluttered and spun.

  We weren’t prepared for what we came upon. I should have known from the smell in the air something was wrong. Lying face down in the creek was a boy of about sixteen. He wasn’t moving, and his body was already starting to show signs of decay. One of the perks of being non-human, I suppose. Your body became one with the Earth before that of a mortal man.

  “Oh God,” Minerva gasped, rushing toward the body, and flipping it over. The boy was obviously dead.

  I felt Shawn tense beside me as he started to spin in circles, looking into the trees for any sign of a second party. To assist, I opened up my senses. They seemed to have heightened after my stay in the mountains. I could sense things as far back as Krista’s troops. Surprisingly, my brother felt the lack of any presence mere seconds before I did.

  “We are alone,” he said, coming to a stop and looking toward Minerva, who was cradling the boy in her arms.

  “I would have to agree. There is nothing and nobody here,” I sighed. This was upsetting for my first day at home.

  “Jesus,” Shawn mumbled, rubbing his nose.

  “What happened?” I asked Minerva. I barely knew the woman’s gifts, but by the way she cradled him, I had a feeling she felt something.

  “I don’t know. I can’t see past actions,” she replied sadly, stroking the boy’s hair.

  “You may not, but I know someone who does.” I grabbed my phone from my back pocket and frantically dialed my father.

  I knew they were planning on calling Nick in for his impromptu court-martial, but it would appear it was going to have to wait. If the boy was murdered, we might very well have more than one spy on our hands. The one thing we never foresaw was the opportunity for murder. Even with all the vampires and wereanimals on the land, we never even fathomed the idea of them killing the other creatures. It was sort of a hidden code. We were on the same side, and we did not kill those we fought alongside.