Published: June 14, 2020

19

KAYLA

Kayla tried not to move inside of the dumpster as her heart pounded against her ribcage. Shrieks streaked past her as she crouched inside, trying to shield her ears from the sound. It sounded like a war was being raged on the outside streets, which probably wasn’t far off from the truth. But as each minute passed, worry gripped her.

Where was Garrick?

The sun was going down, if what little light still remained in the dumpster was an indicator. He told her to wait and keep hidden no matter what threat might have come. Was he caught in the throng out there?

The wolves that had overrun the compound were out on the street now, prowling. But they weren’t the only threat out there. A greater one lurked in the night.

Another shriek tore through the street next to her, causing her to jump from her skin. She wanted so badly to see what was on the other side, if only to take a peek, but stayed put. She couldn’t risk being seen.

“In here,” a familiar voice said hurriedly.

Two sets of footsteps rushed past the dumpster, before it sounded like someone smashed into the side of it, causing her to jolt but when she moved, the pungent sourness of the trash engulfed her nose. She gagged but forced the sound from spewing from her throat.

“We’re not going to make it,” a smaller female voice replied frantically.

“We can hide here,” he said.

“How? We can’t open the door,” her voice spiked to an earsplitting crescendo. “I can’t use my magic.”

“I know.” There was a beat of silence. “There’s magic nearby. I can syphon it.”

“No,” she screeched, “That means you’d have to go back out there.”

Kayla could practically see her motioning to the street where several more people ran by, mage or shifter, she didn’t know.

“Right… uh… here. We can hide in here.”

Please don’t open the dumpster. She pleaded silently, when their footsteps came closer.

The plastic top above her head rattled. Instantly, every muscle she had tightened. She stopped breathing. But the ministrations were cut off by a growl. The woman yelped, backing away from the dumpster.

“Hey now,” the familiar voice said. “You don’t have to do this.”

Then another growl came, this one from the opposite end of the alley they were in.

“You don’t have to do this,” he said. “We have always been at peace with shifter kind.”

That didn’t seem to appease the wolves.

The growling moved as the wolf advanced toward where their voices were.

“I’ll give you whatever you want,” the voice became more frantic. “Just don’t hurt my wife. Please. She’s pregnant… We’ll give you anything.”

A cry bubbled from his companion when it didn’t seem like the wolves were going to back down. The woman’s fear combined with her own. Terrified, Kayla shook inside of the dumpster. She didn’t have to see it to know her magic was coming.

The plastic trash bag under her hand melted away. The sourness was eclipsed by the smell of burning plastic. The dumpster shook violently with her inside of it.

The entire street seemed to go silent. The wolves no longer growled, the pair of them didn’t so much as let out a breath, and not a soul whizzed by. With Garrick gone, there was no way she could calm her magic enough for it not to explode.

With a loud boom, the lid of the dumpster shot off its hinge, her magic burst into the air causing the dumpster to fly backward, crushing one of the wolves.

Terror struck, the couple clutched onto each other as they shielded away from her. She peaked outside of the bin.

“Kayla?”

“Killian?”

What were the odds?

“You can help us,” he helped her from the dumpster. When her foot landed

The wolves were recovering. The one that seemed to have been crushed by one of the metal sides started to make a sound like popping bubble wrap. But instead of deflating, its body started to puff up. The ribs jutted back into place; its breathing became more regular.

“Sorry about this,” Killian said briefly before grabbing her hand so tight, it felt like her wrist was going disintegrate. A sharp flash of pale magic shot into her before rifling for hers. Her magic resisted him, refusing to go. “I only need enough to get inside.”

Something in her relinquished. Then her own purple essence came from the center of her palm and crawled up to him. It wasn’t as painful as it had been before when they’d tried to steal her magic from her. Now it seemed to go freely to him.

“Killy, hurry,” the woman said fearfully beside them.

“Got it,” he let go of her wrist and pressed his hand to the solid brick wall beside them.

“What are you doing?” she asked. “They’re coming.”

On instinct, her magic pooled at her hands again before sparking at their feet like firecrackers. The wolves backed away slightly in bewilderment before resetting.

The wall behind them gave way to an opening and she felt Killian tug her backward into the building. As soon as she crossed the threshold, the wolves stopped abruptly staring at them.

“What are they doing?”

“They can’t see us,” Killian breathed, but his eyes remained fixed on the entrance.

One of the wolves charged. She flinched, shielding her face, but the wolf stopped just two feet in front of her face, body contorting as it collided with the air as if it were a solid wall. It howled in pain.

She squeaked when another one launched.

“It’s okay,” Killian said. “They can’t get through.”

They were behind a barrier. The same kind of barrier that blocked Garrick from getting into the bunker. After a few more tries, the wolves backed away with a growl but left the alley.

“Are they gone?”

“There’s no other way in,” Killian said. “We’re safe here. Come on, let’s go up.”

She didn’t follow Killian up to the stairwell. Garrick was coming back for her, she had to wait for him. She didn’t have to wait long. To her relief, Garrick entered the alley.

“Garrick,” she called to him when he opened the dumpster.

“Kayla!” He called, but his voice was weak, like there was thick glass separating them. His tall frame moved up the alley, then back down. When he came back, she tried to get his attention.

“Garrick!” she whispered fiercely when he faced the wall. His jaw tilted up the building. He didn’t hear her.

“Garrick!” She said again, this time her voice was louder as she banged her hand against the barrier to get his attention. It felt like silly putty between her fingers but when she dug too deep into it, it pushed her back.

“He can’t hear you,” Killian said behind her from the top of the stairs. “He can’t even see you.”

“The wolves did.”

“They saw us come in here, yes. But they didn’t see us. To them, it would have looked like a wall just appeared in front of them, which is why they attacked it. They would’ve assumed it was a hologram or something.”

“How do I let him in?” she asked.

“We can’t. It’s warded to protect us from the dangers outside. It won’t open until morning.”

“What do you mean?”

“We can’t let him in from the inside. He has to use magic to be let in here.”

“Then, how do I get out?”

“You can’t. It’ll let us out in the morning.”

The morning? She couldn’t wait that long. She banged on the barrier. “Garrick. Garrick!”

Her magic charged out of her, sprawling across the small stairwell like a web. She needed to get to him. He was not safe. But, her magic had nowhere to go. It bounced off the barrier without so much as a sound. It crawled up the walls before engulfing the entrance.

“What are you doing? You can’t be let out. No one can.” Killian grabbed her from behind. She struggled against him.

“Letmego,” she tried to say through clenched teeth.

“You have to stop or you’ll kill us.”

The walls burst. Flames decorated the entrance before travelling backwards. Smoke started to fill the stairwell.

“The barrier is too strong to be broken. We’ll be burned alive before morning.”

The flames worsened.

Behind them, Killian’s wife coughed as she tried to climb the stairs, holding her stomach as she went. Under her flowy top, a small baby bump was visible under her hand.

Fuck.

“Here,” Killian found the bare skin of her forearm and pulled her magic again.

“Ouch!” She tried to snatch her hand back from the sudden excruciating pain that came from his vice grip, but couldn’t tug away.

“You have to let me have it,” he said through his teeth. “I can stop the flames, but you have to let me take your magic. I only need a little bit.”

“Why can’t you use your own?” Her magic didn’t budge this time like it had when he’d used it to get them to safety. With Garrick in front of her, it was fighting to protect him.

Garrick stilled in the street, then looked up.

Above her head, several thumps collided with the top of the building.

“Because I was born a syphon. I don’t have my own magic. I’m sorry, but this is going to hurt,” Killian said apologetically beside her. His pale essence pushed into her, tearing through her like a bolt of lightning was trying to force its way from her hair follicles and out the bed of her toenails. Then she felt it, the slow draining of her magic as it was painfully ripped from her.

“I’m so sorry,” Killian coughed. “I only need a little.”

It felt like he needed a lot, but as soon as he said the words, the heat of the flames began to cool. Then the smoke swirled around them in a tornado, then funneled into the ground like he’d created a vacuum in the middle of the floor.

“I’m done,” he said backing away.

Once the dust cleared, Garrick’s predicament became a hundred times worse. The wolves had gone, but now she saw the reason for their scattering.

Several creatures surrounded Garrick.

“The vampires have got him,” Killian’s wife gasped.

They were vampires? They didn’t stand like Garrick had, nor any human she’d ever seen. It was almost as if the top of their spines were curved just slightly, the way they stood was more predatorial. But Garrick said he wasn’t like any of the vampires here. Now she could see the truth of his statement with her own eyes.

“We have to do something,” she cried, when they swarmed him.

“I’m sorry,” Killian chanted as if the phrase had become his moniker.

“Garrick!” She cried.

The vampire closest to them turned sharply. They were face to face. Her breath caught. His fangs grew to sharp points, and he made a subtle sound as he sniffed the air. He couldn’t see anything more than a brick wall, according to Killian, but the way he seemed to stare her in the eyes made her question it.

“Hey,” a voice said from far off. The vampire’s head snapped in its direction before he moved on.

She sighed in relief, but a cry came from behind her. Killian’s wife fell on the top step with a thud. She clutched onto the railing, squeezing the brittle wood tightly.

“Nola,” Killian bounded up the stairs.

“It’s—It’s…” The woman’s hesitant eyes were shrouded in fright. They both looked down at her stomach. “Something’s wrong.”

“It’s okay,” Killian cooed, even though he looked beyond terrified. “We just have to get you inside. Kayla… Can you let us in?”

“What?”

“I need you to open the door. We can’t get in otherwise.”

She looked between them.

“I-I don’t know how.”

“Just put your hands to the door and push your magic into it and it’ll open.”

Numbly, she climbed the stairs and awkwardly stepped onto an available patch of rickety wooden staircase.

Nola grunted, clutching at her stomach.

“What happened? Is she okay?”

“She will be,” Killian said but when he looked at her, the fear in his eyes said otherwise.

She put her hand to the door and tried to drum up her magic. It wouldn’t come.

“It’s not working.”

“It’s okay,” Killian’s hand wrapped around her ankle. A spark of static electricity popped through her leg. “Sorry.”

The door in front of them opened.

“Go ahead,” he said before hoisting Nola up, cooing into her ear.

She felt the walls for the lights until she found the switch in the darkness. Inside, a small studio apartment greeted them. With a twin bed on one side, and small kitchenette on the other.

Killian gingerly moved Nola to the bed and laid her on it. She was not doing well. A clammy sweat broke out across her forehead, listening across her tan skin.

“How much do you know about healing?” He asked aloud.

“Me?” She sputtered, peering up at him. Didn’t he see that she couldn’t even open the door. There was no way she could do anything about healing. “Nothing.”

“I need your magic again,” panic stricken his voice to a tight ball. “I need to help her.”

Nola grabbed at her stomach, curling onto the bed in the fetal position.

She didn’t have to think, she held her hand out to Killian. Despite its earlier resistance, it didn’t resist him when he tried to take her magic. With one hand on hers, he placed the other on Nola’s stomach. His hand glowed with a warm light as it spread across her baby bump. Slowly, her breathing began to slow; her body began to relax.

“Thank you,” she whispered settling her head onto the pillow.

“What just happened?” she asked curiously as Killian pulled his hand away from her and returned the unused magic back to her.

“You just saved us,” Killian shifted on the balls of his feet, then backed away to find a blanket to put over Nola.

“Is your baby going to be okay?”

“For now,” he said somberly. “But, mage babies need a lot of magic to develop properly. Being so far away from our kind…” he sighed deeply.

“What’ll happen? What’s wrong? Is he… she going to be okay?”

“He’s safe for now,” Nola assured her.

“What do you mean, for now?”

Killian looked at her. “They said you didn’t know much about our kind. That your father kept things from you.”

She hadn’t meant to nod, but did in spite of herself.

“Take a seat,” he motioned to a cushion on the floor. She sat.

“Nola and I are expecting the first mage baby in this city in over fifty years.”

“Congratulations,” she offered in excitement, but it stopped cold when neither of them smiled. “That’s not a good thing?”

“The Blood Oath prohibits the birth of our kind,” he said softly, his voice steeped in sorrow. “We can get pregnant, but our babies don’t go to term.”

Her jaw slackened in shock. She glanced down at Nola’s trembling hand.

“We thought we were different. Nola and I have formed a Leifen bond.”

“What’s a Leifen bond?” Kayla asked, eyes dancing between them in bewilderment.

“Killy,” Nola said fiercely. She didn’t want him to talk. “If she learns what it is…”

“She has one of her own, she’s not going to want ours,” he gave Nola’s hand a gentle reassuring squeeze before turning to her. “Leifen is our term for a magic bond. They are a mage’s purest form of magic. It transcends all other forms of mage power. Even a Blood Oath. But they’re very rare.”

Killian’s eyes connected with Nola’s.

“We’ve been the first known Leifen bond in nearly fifty years. For a long time, the council thought we might be the key to destroying the Oath, but…”

“But what?” she asked engrossed in his words.

“But I’m a syphon. I can only take magic; I cannot produce it on my own so our bond isn’t as strong. For a while, they thought that if our bond grew, Nola might be able to break the curse, but then we got pregnant and with that her magic has been in service to our child, like it is with all mage mothers.”

“Then, that’s good right? So, you won’t be able to break the blood oath, but your son is going to be okay, right? Because of her magic?”

The two of them flinched.

“We thought so. He’s survived longer than any other birth. We thought our bond was strong enough, but a couple of weeks ago, she started showing signs of waning. The baby isn’t as active anymore. It’s been taking more and more magic to keep them stable. We’ve been able to get by because I can syphon small amounts from the other mages. But we can’t be sure our little one will be born unless the Blood Oath is broken.”

“That’s why they were trying to take my magic.”

“Your bond with the vampire is the strongest we’ve ever seen—than we’ve ever heard of.”

“Then why were they trying to separate us.”

Killian and Nola shared a look of guilty sorrow, one that ran with deep understanding.

“Leifen bonds are the most powerful the moment they’re formed and when they’re destroyed.”

The words settled. The reason the council wanted them to stay at the safehouse became clear. It wasn’t to help her control her magic. They wanted to keep them so they could destroy their magic bond. Then, her gaze fell onto the two in front of her. Suspicion shuffled her feet backward.

“We’re not going to do that to you,” Nola said earnestly. “We would never!”

“No,” Killian quickly agreed. “It’s too painful.”

Again, they shared a pain-filled look. She got the sense they tried to separate their bond before so they knew it firsthand but it felt impolite to ask.

“And,” Killian continued. “We think there’s another way. If I can tap into your bond with him, I can syphon only the magic we need.”

Her eyes narrowed even further. She’d felt what syphoning could do.

“Wouldn’t it hurt you. Make you addicted?”

“No, I was born a syphon. A true syphon has only enough of their own magic to draw from another. When two magic essences mix together, the interaction creates the euphoria. It’s those with magic within them already that become addicted to syphoning. Like my brother. Zander was born a mage, and when we were younger, we both thought we were syphons. Except, I’d always thought it was odd when he said he felt great after a syphon. I always felt the same. I hadn’t realized what it was doing to him until it was too late.

I’ll only need enough of the bond magic to break the oath to make sure we’re all safe.”

“And you won’t need to hurt me or Garrick?”

“No,” he said. “I know it’s a lot to ask. You hardly even now us.”

“I’ll do it,” she said automatically watching Nola rise up from the bed.

“Nola,” Killian scurried to her. “You should be resting.”

“Hogwash,” her brows furrowed as she made her way to the cabinets. To her surprise, they were stocked full. So was the small dorm sized refrigerator.

“Does someone live here?” Kayla asked when she pulled out a box of crackers and a can of tuna fish.

“No,” she shook her head. “The compound refreshes the stores periodically just in case we have to use them. These might be a little stale though,” she shook the box of crackers. “What would you like? Tuna or chicken?”

She shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”

Nola arched a brow. “You should eat. It’ll help your magic heal.”

“I feel fine.”

“It’s the adrenaline. You’ve been through a lot today. If we’re going to get your vampire tomorrow, you’ll need your strength.”

Surprise dotted her eyeline. “You’re going to help me get Garrick back?”

They shared another look over her shoulder.

“What am I missing?”

“We have to,” Killian explained. “The council wants to see your bond with him broken. If he dies, so does your bond.”

“But you don’t?” she asked when Nola handed her a small plate of crackers, cheese and drained tuna fish from a can.

“No. We don’t agree with the council about that. It’s wrong to try to separate a bonded pair.”

His words were filled with malice and it seemed her earlier suspicion was correct. They knew what it felt like to try to destroy their bond.

“So, yes, we’ll help you get your vampire.”

New Chapter Coming Wednesday, June 17

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