“What is that?”
Margie was the first to answer. “It’s a map. It shows different places. He did something to her that if she goes outside the boundaries of the house she dies. It just changed though which they said never happened before she met you. We think it’s a map of Brazil but we aren’t sure. He carved some dates into her leg for some odd reason. We found the pills she used to run away with too. She has angel wings carved in her back and there are some Latin words but we can’t read them. There are names carved in her arms and everywhere else. The names are Latin though. Maybe he used her to store information and data that he couldn’t keep. She was always around him. The weird thing is some of the names are people we know. My name is there and so is yours.”
Logan looked up from Paige and at the group. “It’s happening all over again. Only it’ll be Claire instead of Paige. Tonight he was going to carve something into you. I thought I could trust him with you but I guess I can’t. He’s turning all crazy again. I said that he didn’t love her and he growled at me clutching her to his chest. He’s going crazed! I think it’s time we teach you all the tricks. But Paige will have to do it she never told us anything about when they were together.”
Paige spoke through the broken sobs. “He’ll know what she’s up to. You have to get your sisters together and put a protection spell on her! Logan do it right after we know he’s really after her. He could just be trying to trick us and find a new time to do it. If he has a knife, a bottle, and a lighter with him and they are alone grab her and run her out the border of the house. Cross the creek and go north to the wolf reservation. They have a block on it for vampires so only you and Claire can get in. They may have put a lock for demons but Claire is family and she’ll get you in. When you do the spell make sure you burn and lock away the wolf inside her it’ll keep her safer. Make sure he doesn’t try to sell her either. She can control and he’ll try to use her power.”
Logan nodded and Paige handed the pills to me.
“If he tries to hurt you put these in his drink. Put them in beer because they fizz a yellow tan color. It’ll knock him out and you run out the door to the reserve. If his friends are there run upstairs to Logan’s room. She’s putting a lock on it. I’ll get you keys to all the rooms later. First though we have to see what he’s up too.”
I heard Kai calling my name from downstairs. I grabbed Tabitha-all kindergarteners are tattle tales maybe she’ll save my life-and raced down the stairs to the waiting vampires. I slipped the pills into my coat pocket though. Kai grabbed my arm spying Tabitha. He led me to the couch grabbing a bottle of beer. I whispered into Tabby’s ear.
“If your big brother does anything to me you scream at the top of your lungs and run upstairs to get your sisters and aunts. Understand?”
She nodded showing me she did. The guys talked awhile before they turned to me. Kai grabbed my leg and I fell hitting my head on the arm of the couch. He picked up a knife, a lighter, and a bottle. He lit the knife with the lighter and the flames stayed. He lowered it down to my leg and I heard Tabby’s piercing scream. Hunter must have been somewhere around me when I told her because he was on top of Kai growling. His voice was in my head now.
“What are you doing just standing around?! Run idiot! Hit the creek and go north I’ll meet you there after I tear this guys throat out. The nerve of some people! Go! Go! Go! Now leave Claire you’re in a trance! Go before they sick something on you! Get out of here I’ll hold them off! Run!”
I ran out the door and to the creek. There was a log bridge and I quickly ran across it not looking behind me. I ran north as they said until I saw a road and some houses. All the lights flicked on and they looked at me with blank faces as I ran through the town. A man about sixty went in front of me. I dropped down to my knees out of breath. The old man looked down at me offering a hand. I grabbed it and he pulled me up effortless.
“Who are you child?”
“Claire Lamone!,” I gasped for breath. “Where is Hunter?”
“What do you know about this town?” The man’s voice was deep.
“I know everything the werewolves, the vampires, the demons.”
The man nodded. “By any chance were you running from Kai Pattinson?”
“Yes!”
“Where is my grandson? Did you leave him with those beast? You where supposed to be the beautiful wolf who didn’t leave any one behind and you just leave your brother with those carnivores!?”
“He’s my cousin not my brother. And they aren‘t carnivores.”
“Nope he’s your brother I’m your grandfather. Yes they are.”
“I’m not going to be a wolf like you all! I’m not going to change into some beast! He said he‘d meet me here but I don‘t see him. But when I do I‘m going to get him to take me away from you beast!”
“The only beast you’ve been with is the man that tried to kill you tonight!”
The man turned into a light brown wolf that was splattered and spotted with gray from age. There was growling beside me as I saw my so called ‘brother’ as a golden wolf. The two morphed back to human form.
“Your sister left you to get torn to bits and your standing up for her?”
“I told her to leave and that I’d fight them. I told her to run. I didn’t want my little sister losing another guy in the family. It seems like we’re cursed with it though.”
“Why didn’t you tell me I was your sister!” I felt my cheeks getting hot.
“I was waiting for the right time.”
“Why did you kill our father?! Why would you take him away from me?!” I felt the tears in my eyes.
“I had my reasons! I didn’t want to but I had too!”
“I hate you!”
People were coming out of there houses now. My grandfather pulled us out of the street and into a small one story house. It was warm browns and grays with pictures of wolves and mountains on the wall. He motioned for us to sit on a couch. He sat in an armchair and stared at us.
“Both of you stop fighting! Hunter take your sister out of town tomorrow.”
I turned to him shocked. “I’m not leaving. Logan is putting a protection spell on me tonight so I’ll be fine. I’m not going anywhere! I have to leave now so she can go do it.”
I stood up and Hunter pulled me back down.
“You aren’t going back to the murder’s house. We need to talk for a little bit.”
I pulled out the Iphone Logan gave me and put in the number. I put it up to my ear as it rang. Hunter gave me a disapproving look and I stuck out my tongue. A voice picked up.
“Ello?”
“Tabby darling? Where is Logan?”
“Bubby has her and everyone else is downstairs. Some man came up and Logan hid me in the scary closet.”
Hunter looked at me and I put the phone on speaker.
“Tabby, darling where are you now?”
Hunter looked at me strange and I gave him the ‘I’ll explain it later’ look.
“I’m still in the scary closet. There is too much screaming downstairs.”
“Oh my god! Tabby stay in the closet. Is the door locked? Do you have the keys? I’m on my way. Where are Logan’s sisters?”
“I don’t know! It dark and scary! I’m scared come get me!”
I heard her crying into the phone and looked at Hunter and my grandfather who shook their heads ‘no’.
“Tabby get out of the closet and go to the window. Climb out and go to the creek. Run north from there until you see a town. When something stops you from going farther tell someone that your with Claire Lamone and Hunter Riley. Tell them that you’re my friends niece.”
“Ok.”
The phone shut off and Hunter looked at me.
“Who was that? It sounded like a kindergartener!”
“It was. It was Tabitha, Kai’s sister. I have to go to the gates she’ll be here in a few minutes.”
I ran out the house and no one stopped me. People watched as I ran back through the streets. There as a crowd around the invisible gate keeping her out. I pushed my way to the front of the crowd and grabbed Tabby’s hand. She fell on top of me as I pulled her in. Everyone gasped as the vampire child was in the sacred town. There were growls from everyone as I helped to her feet.
“Where is Logan?”
I ignored the crowd as more people came.
“I think bubby has her locked downstairs! There were girls coming towards the house as I was running to you.”
“I needed that spell!”
I thumbed though my pocket and grabbed the pills.
“Darling take me to the house and sneak me into the kitchen I have a plan to get your auntie back.”
Everyone looked at me as I walked us out the town and to the Pattinson house. We were there in no time and I climbed through the window of the kitchen lifting Tabby in behind me. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and popped it open. I dropped three pills into the drink and watched it fizz. I walked into the front room and tapped on Kai’s shoulder.
“I brought you a drink. I’m sorry about Hunter.”
“Let me see the drink.”
I handed it to him and he gulped it down. Who would ever think of vampires as alcoholic party animals. I could see him swaying and he fell to the floor. I looked at the girls on the floor and I grabbed Logan’s hand. The only one’s that were down though were Logan and Paige. No one else seemed hurt. Paige sat up and gripped something to her chest. It looked like a book and it had skulls covering the front. She jumped up and ran us outside. She threw the book down onto a flat stone and some girls came out of the woods. They looked me up and down.
“It’s time.” Logan softly said it.
Paige moved the book and Logan sat me down onto the rock. She pulled some of the rock up to were it was chains around my wrist and ankles.
“Trust me you’ll need them.”
The girls formed a circle around the rock except for Paige and the other Pattinson girls including his sister. Logan joined the circle though. The girls looked at me one last time before closing there eyes and animals parts coming from them. I saw Logan as a bat and smiled but she returned it with a frown. The girls closed there eye and walls of flames rose up. The girls spoke in unison.
“Save our human child. Protect her from the hands that want to hurt her and bruise her. We only want her safe from harms way. Any of the poisoned hands that lay their touch upon her let them burn. Let them leave no scars on the child’s skin that we put this spell upon. Guard he soul with yours and guard her body and spirit too. Lock away what her true form is to be,” A wolf rose out of no where and it quickly burned. I screamed from the pain it left in my heart and chest. The ashes were put into a chest that was locked away with a heart shaped lock. “Let them not bother her and let their filthy poisoned hands not harm her,” A pack of werewolves came from the fire and walked towards me. They growled but flames burned them away. “Give us her soul to keep safe and let us keep it clean from the wrong,” I lifted up from the rock but the chains held me down. I screamed from the pain in my heart and chest and I looked down at Logan who was on her knees crying blood. Something ripped out of me and I saw a spitting image of a blurry, blue, me. Logan growled and pounced at my soul but she quickly fell back as she hit something. She stayed on her knees and held her hands tighter in the girls’. “Let our animals keep her safe and let the one of us she loves the most watch over her. When this child dies the spell will be off and she will be fragile once more. Let our animals guard her luck,” Animals came from in front of the girls with red eyes and the dark brown, grays, and blacks. The animals walked closer to me. A bat, hawk, tiger, wolverine, polar bear, grizzly bear, red panda, raccoon, ermine, puma, polecat, ocelot, leopard, bobcat, white lion, and komodo dragon. They all came toward me but turned to each other. They turned into one animal and walked into the flames. Ashes came back out though and they swept towards me. The ash flew into my hand but the animals came back to the owners. They held their heads back and there was a lovely melody. The wall of flames was covered with a ceiling of blue ones. “Save our child.” They sang the words and Logan broke from the circle. She ran to me and my soul returned. She sat me up straight and I propped myself on my elbows. She took out a pocket knife a sliced a cut in both of our hands. My blood poured red while hers was black. She clapped our hand together. “Sisters. Forever. Keep each other safe from harm.” I nodded and the chains on me broke. A gray mist flew up from our hands and a picture of a demon hugging a wolf showed up. The creatures vanished and where replaced with two girls laughing and hugging each other. The singing stopped and the flames vanished. All the girls holding hands fell to the floor laughing. Logan hugged me.
“Your safe.”
“Thank you.”
She took my hand and led me upstairs and to her bedroom. I laid on the bed and drifted to sleep. I woke up and my hand was burning. Clock read midnight. I turned on the light and saw my hand blazing black. There was a scream so I grabbed the sword on the side table and ran downstairs. I hid in the stairway to take a closer look. Logan was bleeding on the floor and Kai was standing over her with a sword.
“Why would you put a spell on her?” Kai’s voice was oddly deeper than usual.
“To protect her from the likes of you!”
Kai raised the sword in the air and I remembered how I had promised to keep her safe and how nothing could harm me. He brought the sword down to her neck and I slid on top of her before the blade hit her skin. There was a clash of metal hitting and I could see the electricity on the sword going up to his hands.
“Logan are you ok?”
“Yes thank you.”
“Run upstairs and grab everything we need then run to my house.”
“Ok!”
I let her out of my grip and she ran up the steps. I grabbed the sword and stabbed it into his arm. He pulled it out and I grabbed it. He cornered me and barely missed my head with the blade. I rolled onto the floor and stabbed him in the chest. I ran out the door seeing Logan outside. Trees were closing in around us to were we couldn’t get out.
“Logan what’s happening?”
“It’s Kai he’s locking us in c’mon we have to leave!”
She grabbed my hand and we slid through two trees that were sliding together. We ran through the streets until we were at my house. I unlocked the door and flipped on the lights. Debbie was in front of us along with Hunter.
“What happened?” I never heard Debbie so serious.
“Nothing happened mom.” Complete lie.
“Then why are you covered in blood and have a sword in your hand?”
“Can I go upstairs for a sec.”
“No you are going to sit down and tell me what happened and why you have been running around town everyday at midnight.”
“I have a friend can we go upstairs?”
“Logan is sitting down with us too.”
“How do you know me?” Logan was shaking now.
“I knew your father well.”