Chapter 12

Storm

      

       "Blue velvet?" I said quizzically wondering how on earth Gabriella knew my favorite shot.  I whipped around, for the first time scanning behind the top for the bartender.  I couldn't see anyone back there, and I made some nervous glances around to check if I recognized any faces.  I could feel the panic rising in my blood, making my breaths come in pathetic pants.  I held onto West's arm with a fierce need to ground myself before I lost it.

       "What's blue velvet?" he asked, noticing my stiff posture and looking around himself.

       "It's my favorite shot, it's not common or well liked.  It has just a pinch of nightshade and blueberries in it, only people who knew me then would know..." I trailed off, seeing Gabriella honing in on Logan.  The blushing and excited act she put on before was gone, and in it's place was a calculating stare. 

       "Something's wrong," I said, feeling a cold wave of fear roll down me. 

       "I think it's time to cut you off," he said, bending down and scooping me up in his arms. 

       "I do not need...put me down West!" I exclaimed loudly.

       'Just go with it,' he projected in my mind.  I nodded briefly against his chest, straining against the urge to run.

       'Logan.'  He nodded his head back to me, I was guessing he saw the same change in the waitresses looks as well.  We walked over to where they were playing, and West touched Logan on the arm to indicate something.  It must have been a sign that they knew well because I could see the small tension set in his shoulders.

       "Looks like I won the bet!" Logan yelled out, clapping Mave on the shoulder and steering him towards the door.  "Let's get the little lady back to bed," he said again as he led the way towards the front of Elsa's. 

       'Keep me in the back,’ I told him when he made a move to position us in the middle. He drew his brows in but thankfully knew it wasn't the time for questions.  I closed my eyes, and turned my bad eye towards the front of his shirt.  I concentrated, letting the eye get used to the feeling of being engaged.  I didn't see anyone making moves towards us, everyone seemed to be engrossed in whatever they were doing beforehand. 

       When we got within a foot of the door, I could almost smell the night air through the crack in the door, I saw movement coming up on West.  It was Gabriella, half running towards where we were currently and the gleam of something metal in her hands left little doubt of her intentions.  I gave West's arm a squeeze, hoping he would stay still for me. I swung my legs down from above his arm, whirling around so that our backs were touching. I threw out my arms, making the weapon in her hands sail through the crowd and implant with a loud thud against the back wall.  I plucked the gun I saw that was in her waistband and threw it under a large group of tables.  She wailed, throwing her had back in a scream of frustration.  It was then I saw her glamour slip just enough to tell who she really was. 

       I could feel West turn and stand behind me, his two friends not for one second hesitating to flank us.  Now I had a decision to make, stay or fight.  She wasn't like Candy though, and I wasn't sure what would happen if I engaged her here, so I settled for baiting her into showing her cards.

       "That's a nice skin you're wearing Carolina, is it a fresh one?" I asked wanting to catch her off guard, I knew she held her glamouring as a sense of pride and to be called out on it would grate her.

       "Yes, she's quite lovely isn't she?  I had to tone her down a bit after I put her on though, way too much makeup."  She waved her hand out like it was no big deal and I had to swallow back a little vomit that was rising.  She threw her hands out, sparks flying from her fingers as she sent them straight towards us.  I countered and threw them back with a flick of my hand, never taking my eyes off her.  I knew she was just warming up, and the crowd had parted, looks that were a mix of wariness and interest were on their faces. 

       "Gabriella?" I heard the bouncer as from the other corner of the room, he was a good ten feet from where we were standing.  Even from here I could see a look of horror on his face, which was good news for us, but not so much for him.

       "That's not Gabriella, not anymore.  That's a skinwalker, a death witch."  His face turned rock hard, a look of pure rage contorted his face. 

       "I'm so much more than that, I'm his majesty's consort," she said, standing tall and sticking out her chin proudly.  I laughed outright, never hearing anything more ludicrous in all my life.  Carolina sent me a death stare at my laughter which made me go into hysterics again.

       "Oh that's rich Carolina, his majesty's consort.  You mean you happen to be the one he is currently screwing, consort to the king my a*s.  I won't even touch the fact that he's obviously calling himself a King again.  We haven't had sovereign ruler in over a century you idiot, isn't anyone telling him that?"  I snorted, finding this whole thing ridiculous, and equally as troubling.

       "He is my King, as much as he is yours.  Just because those b******s put out his grandfather and replaced him with that ridiculous governance means nothing.  He will take it back, just like the King's of old, and we will restore the magic to it's rightful position."  She was working herself up so much more of the glamour was seeming to slip, little peaks of her light brown hair and eyes were flashing in tandem with Gabriella's. 

       "Then you shall bow to me then no?  I am his heir after all, what does that make me, the princess?  Yes, then you will kneel Carolina and take your place before me," I said sarcastically, throwing my hands to indicate the area at my feet.  Her jaw went taut, and her eyes glowed red, the vampire she was wearing looked pissed.  At the knowledge of who I was, the spectators took a sharp breath in, the closest to us were backing away slowly like I was a dangerous animal.

       "I will never bow to you, and your father will never recognize you as his heir.  You will be dead before the ascension," she said in a creepy fortune teller like voice.  "And when you die, I will wear your skin."  I laughed inappropriately again, finding the likelihood of that very small.

       "Remy is as delusional as the rest of my family, and you seem to be drinking the same crazy juice.  He wants me to be his queen, he wants us to rule together Carolina, it's been a sick dream of his since my mother died.  That was his plan all along, or aren't you close enough to him by now to know that.  I'm assuming he sent you after me to relay a message, feel free to give it then so my friends and I can get on with it, we have places to be."  I studied my nails, even faking a yawn.  I wanted to rile her up as much as possible before I had to kill her.  I didn't have a choice on that one, she knew too much now for me to let her go.  I couldn't risk any of this getting back to Remy.

       "Oh I have a message for you..." it was all she could grit out before I attacked. She made a move to take a step back and gain her footing when the ground erupted behind her, a large mound of earth was piled behind her, keeping her from retreating.  She was wildly looking around, scanning the faces of the boys behind me as I closed in on her.

       "Don't look at them, you should be much more worried about me Carolina.  I've been itching to give you a lesson for a while now," I told her as I stalked to where she was standing, her arms were out and I was anticipating her next move.  Just before I could see her twitch I heard West.

       "Right side!" he yelled out and I rolled left in the next second, just missing the bolt of power that she threw at me.  I could feel the heat of it from where I was crouched.  She reached into her back pocket and as the blade was thrown, at a force that left even me reeling, a sudden gust of wind send it sailing right back her direction.  She threw a hand out to shield it, but the knife stuck in her leg, and she had to pull it out with a good deal of force.  I threw a sadistic smile back at Logan and then honed in on Carolina.

       "You should have brought backup, but knowing you, your humility got the best of you.  Yield to me, and I'll make it quick."  She studied me, looking to each of the men at my back and then smiled.

       "No!" I yelled, knowing exactly what she was about to do.  Her legs flitted in and out, the image of them was there and then gone in the next second.  I ran forward, taking a few hits from her energy bolts, but the magic she was using to try and dematerialize had weakened her attacks.  I felt some blood running down my leg, I almost slipped on some of it as I closed in on her.

       "West lock her in to you if you can!" I yelled behind me and I reached out with my hands to grab her head.  If I could touch it, I might be able to ground her here.  I could see Carolina's eyes go wide, and I knew West was having some kind of effect on her.  She threw another bolt of magic at me, it ripped a line though my eyebrow on my bad side so the blood was pouring into my eye.  The fading in and out of her body was reaching mid way, and if I wanted to keep her here I was going to have to be quick.

       'Get out of her head now, I've got it.'  I told West and I could feel his magic leave her head.

       I smiled at her, "Thanks for that, it actually works better with some of my blood magic in it.  Now I can do this."  I reached out and got into her head enough to pin her arms down to her sides, her own barriers were strong enough to keep me out of the good places.  I grabbed both sides of her head, boring my eye through her head and releasing the power of it's ability.  I could feel the eye getting warmer, and I knew it was glowing white as I searched around her head for what I was looking for.  The magic it held was literally burning through her defenses, and it was a race against the clock to get to what I wanted.  Her body was almost completely gone, with only her head and shoulders anchored to this plane, I understood at this point I was going to have to go faster.  I finally breached the last of her mental shields to find the center of her magic, it felt like the crashing of dark waves, swirling dirty water around a dark drain.  I located the origin of the spell, and stopped it dead.  The lower half of her body slammed back into reality, and I had to hold her head to keep her from falling to the ground.  I used my magic to twist her own, sending her unconscious body tumbling to the ground as I snapped her neck to the side. 

       I heard a sharp gasp from somewhere in the crowd, the first reminder that we were not alone.  I grabbed her arm and dragged Carolina to where the bouncer was standing, still looking at her with murderous intent.  "She'll be out for a while, maybe a day depending on how long it takes her to untangle herself.  I assume you and Gabriella were together?" I asked in a low voice.  I felt the boys at my back, protecting me still.  The bouncer nodded his head at me, still holding himself strung tight.  "Would you like me to remove her skin, or is that something you would prefer to do?  I have been told if someone else tries to remove it with the right spell it's agony, probably enough to wake her up but her neck will still be broken so she won't be able to do a thing about it.  I think it might be enough to kill her, if you found the right witch."  I let the rest hang in the air, and I swear I could feel the smile that he placed on his face.

       "I would be delighted."  I gave him a smile that displayed by gratitude and condolence for his loss and then promptly passed out.

      

       ***

    

       I woke up in a dark motel room, the hot and dirty air was circulating over head from a large fan that hung precariously from the ceiling.  Someone must have shaken the bed, I could feel the bouncy mattress still reverberating under me.

       "Time to wake up!" Mave said loudly from beside the bed, and I cringed as it pounded though my head.  Magic hangovers were the bane of my existence.  "If we want to make that stupid portal we need to get a move on, we have twenty minutes to show time."  He clapped his hands at me, until I couldn't take it any longer and forced my body to move.

       "I'm up!" I snapped, peeling myself off of the bedspread to sit up.  I wasn't as dizzy as I thought I would be, considering the amount of power I used up I was pleasantly surprised.  I saw Logan asleep on the floor, his bag propped up under his head for support. 

       "Where's West?" I asked, scanning the room but finding it empty of everyone else.

       "He went to get breakfast," Mave said, grinning at me still. 

       "What's got you all chipper this morning?" I asked warily, he looked like the cat that got the cream.

       "Well, I had a hell of a night.  Let's count them off, I got to see Logan try to hit a vampire who turned out to be some psycho skinwalker, I had ambrosia for the first time and nearly came in my pants, and then I get to see you do magic that we have only ever heard and dreamed about, and all the while my best friend who is promised to a she demon can't seem to take his hands or his eyes off of you.  I'd say that's a night I'm not soon to forget."  I smiled, despite the fact that I didn't find last night nearly as entertaining as he did.  He must have realized he divulged information about West and Raquel because his face went slack and pale.

       "It's okay, Dante told me about them," I informed him, throwing my legs over the side of the bed to stand.  I could see Mave take a deep breath out, looking far more relieved.  "Not that it makes any more sense to me, and I'm guessing it doesn't make sense to you either."  I shuffled to the bathroom, snapping my fingers along the way to get my toothbrush and face wash into the bathroom ahead of me.  I could feel Mave following me, and as I set about my morning routine he parked himself on the toilet seat to keep up the conversation.

       "They weren't always like that you know, West and Rocky, when we were kids they were inseparable.  When we all got to the age that we noticed the opposite sex it just became normal for them to take the next step, everyone saw it coming.  By the time they were fifteen, their parents had convened and promised them to one another.  They didn't even tell West until after the conversation either,” Mave hung his head and gently shook it.

       "Isn't that uncommon now?  I didn't think anyone did that kind of thing anymore," I mumbled through a mouth full of toothpaste.

       "It is, but his parents are traditional, and with her father rising fast in the governance I think they viewed it as a win-win for everyone."  He shrugged, but now I found myself shaking my head.

       "Win-win for them, but not for two kids like that.  A fifteen year old has a hard time deciding what they want for breakfast no less having to decide who to spend the rest of your life with, I feel bad for them."

       "Them?" Mave asked, looking surprised.

       "I may not like Raquel, but it happened to her as much as it happened to West.  Not that I don't think she's getting the better end of the deal though," I told him with a wink. 

       "I don't understand you," he told me.

       "I've had people imposing their will on me my entire life, I know what it feels like to have someone else's interests dictate what directly happens to my own life.  I don't wish that on anyone, not even Raquel."  In a testament to what I was referring to I applied the cream to the burn over my eye, and added in the eye drops that helped to keep it from drying out.  I could see Mave looking at it, and I let him instead of going with my instinct to turn away.  Somehow I felt I could trust them with parts of me, not everything, but the parts that I found vulnerable to others didn't apply to him.  I was left wondering if that was what trusting someone felt like.

       "I have a hard time believing it looked worse than that, but I heard you say the last skin graft made it look better?" he asked standing to get a better look at my face.  I nodded, standing still to let him get a good look at it, for what reason I wasn't quite sure of, something in me told me it would help.

       "It looked a whole lot worse before," I told him seriously, forcing back a shiver at the memory of what it looked like the first time they handed me a mirror in the hospital.

       "And the eye?" he asked, pushing the hair out of my face and leaning in to look in the eye itself. 

       "It lost almost all pigment, for what reason they aren't sure, though it must have something to do with the properties of the spell.  I have a hard time in direct sunlight, but other than that it's not too bad."  I left the end of that hanging, not sure if my last display of powers clued him into just how much it had changed.  I heard a voice clear from behind me, and West appeared in the doorway, hand clutching a paper sack and looking none too pleased with our close proximity.  Mave made a smooth move to step back, but ended up having to sit on the toilet seat again when he backed up into it.

       "And now you have x-ray vision," West added in as he moved into the bathroom to stand next to me.  I sucked in a breath shooting a glance in between the two of them to gauge their reaction.  Mave looked interested instead of afraid, and West was smiling at me, I assumed being proud that he figured it out.

       "It's not exactly like that but yes, it does hold its own powers."  I matched their looks with a wry smile of my own, for once enjoying the extra unintended power for a moment.

       "So what did you do to that lady last night?  You used it on her?" Logan asked, breezing into the bathroom and sitting on the ledge of the bathtub, his dark hair was sticking up in all different directions and his sleepy eyes were barely open.  I surveyed my audience and felt that I didn't need to hold anything back.  Anyone with two eyes could see there was more going on last night.  I took a deep breath, thinking of the best way to explain it.

       "I have to concentrate and open up the magic I feel is in the eye itself, but once I do that I can see through things.  It's mostly not helpful normally, but in the right situation it allows me to see through the magic itself, and I can reach someone's mind and break through most barriers or shields with little effort because of that.  I can see their own center, and reach the core of the magic through it.  It does, however, require a more constant flow of magic to hold the power, and I can burn out quickly if I'm not careful." I hid a wince remembering how fast I passed out after.

       "Like last night?" Logan asked, yawning but looking significantly more awake as I was speaking.

       "Exactly, if she had backup I wouldn't have been able to attempt it, and she was much stronger than I was anticipating, requiring more magic than I had planned on using." I could almost see the wheels turning in West's head.

       "You said she was trying to de-materialize last night, we were taught that isn't possible," he was looking at me skeptically.

       "She damn near did, and it's been a while since I've seen someone do that I almost didn't recognize what she was doing in time.  It's a very old spell, and those with the oldest magical blood can attempt it, but it's not without risk.  The smallest problem with the magic and it could kill you or trap you in between planes, I don't know of anyone outside of my father who can attempt it with success.  I tried once but it didn't work for me either," I told them, trying not to get lost in the horrible memory of that summer.

       "Do you think your father is teaching people to do it?" West asked, and his assessment of the situation reminded me of just how perceptive he was.

       "I think Carolina would gut herself like a fish if my father asked her to, so it's anyone's guess if she picked it up on her own of if he's giving lessons.  Her death will not go unnoticed, or unpunished, and I have to tell you I have put a target on the three of you.  Your presence will be known, and it will only be a matter of time before my father decides to make a move.  The safest place for you all will be with me, as close to me as you feel comfortable sticking with for the time being."  The three of them looked both determined and curious.  Mave arched his brow, waiting for my follow up. 

       "I told you before we can help you, we are not without our own power," West said bitterly.

       "Oh you proved that last night Weston MacKinnon, I will concede you were right on all counts, but that's not what I was saying."  He looked momentarily appeased but not happy.

       "What are you saying then, you can protect us?" he asked, looking affronted that he would need protecting, especially by a little girl like me.

       "If my father comes, and he will come, he will be too focused on me to even notice you.  He won't hesitate to get to me, so the closer you are to me, the safer you are."

       "Over my dead body will that piece of filth ever touch you again, and I can tell you neither of the men behind me will let that happen either."  I could feel my good eye tear up, his conviction and naiveté were filling me up with a desperate hope he was right, even though I knew it would be no use.  He reached out and caught with his large thumb a tear that had streaked down my face.  I took my hand and touch his face in a mirror image of his own, letting go my feelings into him.  All the hope and despair I was holding onto so tightly directed into his tall frame.  I could see his own eyes struggling for composure, struggling to contain all the emotion I was pouring into him.  I leaned in and kissed his cheek, and he held me in his arms until we had to leave, our bodies pressed together against a rising storm that was destined to rip us apart.