 
Out of Darkness

By Taylor Fenner

Then I saw them; seven cloaked figures gathered around the bonfire.

Also by Taylor Fenner:

The Haunting Love

*

Finding Elizabeth

*

Coming Soon:

Into the Light

(Eternals Trilogy, Book Two)

Out of Darkness

Eternals Trilogy, Book One

Out of Darkness

Ebook Edition

Copyright © 2016 by Taylor Fenner

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

First Publication April 2016

Cover Design by Taylor Fenner

Cover Images Copyright:

Robertiez/Istockphoto

Kiuikson/Istockphoto

AnnaPougliaeva/Istockphoto

To my family and friends for your amazing support

# Chapter One

# Rumors

My parents told me not to go into the woods; the woods that surrounded the house on all sides and went on for miles had been rumored to have been haunted since the 1790s.

It had been my great-great something-or-other uncle whose family disappeared all those years ago. My great-uncle Jacob, his wife, and their four children's bodies have never been found. All that was found were bloody petticoats belonging to Jacob's wife Lydia and strange symbols etched into a few trees in a clearing two miles from their small secluded farm house.

Not long after the mysterious disappearance Jacob's much younger brother Andrew moved onto the property with his new bride. People from the nearby Chocolay Township speculated that Andrew killed his brother's family so he could take over the land. Another rumor said that Jacob had built his house on Indian land and the neighboring tribe had killed him and his sons; then taken the women into their tribe as revenge. Yet the most popular rumor of all surrounded the mysterious etchings. The townsfolk insisted Jacob and his family had been cohorts with the Devil and he had simply dragged them back to hell.

I had heard all these rumors and more throughout my childhood. Every time I had come home from school crying after one of my peers had called me a dirty name my parents would laugh it off. My entire family are Wiccans, a Pagan nature-based religion; something very uncommon in the Marquette area of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Even after Marquette was incorporated and it grew into the college town it is today its people were still unaccepting of people who were the least bit different; especially our family; the Weatherlys. Yet even though my parents told me to ignore the other kids I felt as if they were hiding something from me. They were oddly overprotective of me. My father demanded to drive me the three miles out of the woods to the main road and always wanted to know who I was with. If my parents didn't know them I wasn't allowed near them. On the other hand, my 20-year-old brother Sam could go and do anything he wished. I didn't have any real friends, so most of the time my only companion was my old, worn out deck of tarot cards.

Another boring Friday night, I thought solemnly to myself. But this hadn't been just any Friday night; it was the night of my high school's homecoming game. Angelo Desanti; star quarterback, most popular guy in the senior class, and boyfriend of my arch enemy Julie Bryant; had asked me to come watch him play during our latest super-secret coffee date. I desperately wanted to go, but my father had said no.

It was now nearly midnight and the game was long over. My parents slept soundly down the hall as I looked blankly out my bedroom window. I looked out at the dark gloomy forest that I had always been so afraid of. I felt the familiar tug of rebellion rising as my heart asked, "why not sneak out?"

I smirked as I pulled on an old NMU sweatshirt over my flannel pajamas. I'd just take a short walk and be home before my parents even knew I was gone. As I poked my head out my bedroom door to make sure the hall was clear I flipped the light off and grabbed my running shoes. I waited until I was safely down the creaky staircase before slipping on my shoes and slipping out into the night.

There was a one hundred foot square clearing in which our house sat. At times I felt as if I was living in a prison. I was trapped in a place where the sun never, ever shone because of the tall trees that had grown up and over the clearing. One couldn't even tell if the moon was out because you couldn't see the sky above. It didn't take long for me to disappear into the woods unnoticed.

Luckily I had remembered a flashlight because the forest was pitch black and the ground was littered with fallen trees and branches. I wove in and out of the trees in a zigzag pattern, stopping occasionally to grab onto a tree for support when I nearly lost my footing. On and on I walked, unaware if seconds, minutes, or hours had passed until I saw a strange glowing light up ahead.

What could it be? I wondered silently. There wasn't another house for many miles. Some of my classmates used to joke about the "freaky things" my family was undoubtedly doing so far back in seclusion. As I came closer I saw the light was the orange glow of a bonfire. I took in the sight of the clearing and suddenly knew exactly where I was. My path hadn't been random; it had led me to the supposedly haunted clearing where shrill screams had been rumored to have been heard late at night. Then I saw them; seven cloaked figures gathered around the bonfire.

# Chapter Two

# The Clearing

I turned to run away, but out of the corner of my eye I saw a blue glow. I glanced over and to my horror saw a woman. Her skin was clear, translucent, and she had big green eyes and black hair exactly like me. The woman smiled and glided forward as I let out an earth-shattering scream.

"What was that?" One of the cloaked figures asked the group as her head spun in my direction. I froze in my hidden spot behind a tree as all seven figures turned to where I was standing.

"Didn't you know? The woods are haunted." A male voice teases from under the cloaked hood of the figure closest to where I stood petrified.

"Go check it out Thierry; we don't need any intruders wandering in on us." Another male voice advised.

The cloaked figure closest to where I stood sighed dramatically before turning towards my hiding place. I tried to scramble further into the shadows, but I tripped over a tree root and fell backward just as the cloaked stranger descended on me. I could almost see the smile on his face as he scooped me effortlessly into his muscular arms and carried me into the clearing.

"Put me down!" I yell as I get my bearings. When he doesn't respond I slapped at his muscular shoulders. Then he does put me down, just a few inches shy of the bonfire.

"Who are you?" The leader of the group asks soothingly as he offers me his hand and pulls me upright.

"Lizette; Lizette Weatherly; I live in the house at the edge of the woods." I stammer.

The leader seems to smile at the answer. "I'm glad you could finally join us. We've been waiting for you for years."

Fear curls in the pit of my stomach as I contemplate what he meant by that, "who are you people? And what are you doing back here?"

"Well I'm Thierry Sebastian, but you'll know me better as your next boyfriend," The guy who had carried me into the circle replies arrogantly as he pulls down his hood.

"I don't think so," I roll my eyes without really looking at him. Once I do my eyes widen in surprise. Thierry turns out to be tall, maybe 6'2", with cropped dark brown hair and intense green eyes; and it doesn't hurt that he looks like a Greek god.

"You'll change your mind, trust me." The guy known as Thierry smiles brightly as he steps closer. I notice that he smells faintly of pumpkin pie spice.

"Ahem," the leader clears his throat loudly as he pulls off his hooded cloak. "Anyway, moving on; to answer your question we're the Eternals. I'm thankful that you've finally discovered us so you can claim your rightful place among us. I'm Bryan Fynn Sorcha, by the way."

"What are the Eternals?" I ask at the same time as the girl who had first noticed my presence pulls off her hood and scoffs, "what makes you think she's worthy of joining our coven?"

I narrow my eyes at the girl who looks to be a few years older than me before refocusing my gaze on the leader. Bryan clears his throat and answers my earlier question, "The Eternals are a group of us that possess gifts that nobody else understands. We're part Wiccan coven and part supernaturally dysfunctional family. We're somewhat of a support group; we help each other because we all know what each other is going through."

"That still doesn't mean she belongs," the other girl protests again. The other cloaked figures removed their cloaks and sat around the bonfire to watch the drama unfold.

"Desiree, she's a Weatherly. You know how much power her family holds. Her brother Sam has already proven to be quite gifted." Bryan argues with the girl before turning back to me. "You'll have to ignore her, she's pissed that your brother doesn't want to be with her."

"Is Sam part of your coven? Why didn't he ever mention any of this to me?" I question, wondering what else my brother hadn't told me about his secret life.

"Sam wanted to, but I told him it would be better if you sensed your way here when the time was right. I can tell already you're quite a talented seer." Bryan explains warmly as he places his hand on my forearm. Bryan is short and stocky; with red hair, fair skin, and cold gray eyes. His smile is friendly enough, but I get an uneasy feeling as I look into his eyes.

"I'm not sure I believe any of this," I murmur warily.

"I'll prove it to you," Bryan folds his beefy arms over his chest. "Have you ever known something was going to happen before it did? Or know things about someone before you'd ever been introduced to them?"

I think back to all the times the kids at school had teased and bullied me when I'd blurted out things before they'd happened. Like one day in class when I had known that my teacher's husband had died in a car accident on his way to work. Everyone had looked at me in horror as I described the accident to the class. Ten minutes later the principal had pulled the teacher out of class and given her the bad news. Everyone thought I was a freak after that.

"Don't worry; you're not alone with us." Bryan comes over and wraps me into a bear hug that makes me cringe instantly. He turns and points in turn to each member of the coven. "This is Arianthe Karis; she's a succubus."

A girl with multicolored hair and a white made up face laughs and says, "What can I say? I can't help myself. I was always a little boy-crazy as a kid, now I get to enjoy messing with guys' heads."

Bryan points to the attractive guy with spiky blue hair standing by Arianthe's side and introduces him, "that's Kieran Madigan; the elemental. He controls all of the elements with his mind."

Kieran remained silent and instead smiles and gazes into the fire. To my surprise the flames rise fifteen feet in the air, die down to embers, and then return to its normal state.

Bryan next points to the girl who hadn't seemed very friendly and another girl who stood side by side. "You've already heard from Desiree Oliver; our resident banshee. You'll always know she's coming because she's a bit of a screamer. And you'll notice her best friend, Delia Angel, who is anything but angelic; she's what we call a fragmentalist. There's nobody else quite like her. She can actually split herself into three different entities that zoom around and do her bidding. She also feeds off of positive energy. It's amazing to watch."

Delia smiles, "It's not as interesting as Bryan makes it out to be. And I have no idea what he's talking about me not being an angel; I'm the nicest person out of this bunch. I can't say the same for Desiree." Desiree glares across the clearing. Her face is gaunt and her inky black hair hangs in limp strands down to her waist. Delia is plump and short and her sincere smile fills out her whole face. Her face was framed by natural red hair and she wears black horn-rimmed glasses over her bright green eyes.

Bryan's grin grows wider as his gaze falls on the brown haired guy standing off to the side by himself. "Mr. Solitude over there is Luke Stephens; our resident werewolf. He's not a bad guy; you just have to watch out for him during a full moon."

Luke looks surprised to see me at first as his pale blue eyes widen in shock, but he quickly masks it and smiles in my direction, "It's nice to finally meet you. Bryan's been trying to get you out here for years."

Finally, only Thierry is left. Bryan's face grows troubled as he says, "You've already been introduced to Thierry; he's a shape-shifter."

Thierry rubs his hands over his arms to brush off a sudden chill and steps closer to the bonfire. Recovering quickly he winks at me and kisses my hand, "truly a pleasure to meet you officially." I blush as Bryan rolls his eyes and gives Thierry a dark look.

"So Bryan, what is it that you do?" I ask as I tear my gaze away from Thierry.

Thierry smirks at Bryan and answers for him, "Bryan here is a Necromancer. He's evil, yet somehow we decided to make him our leader."

I glance between the two guys and sense that they really don't get along and Thierry's seemingly harmless jab is anything but. I can feel a mutinous undercurrent filtering through the group and wonder which guy will come out on top in the end.

"This whole getting to know you thing is great but can we call it a night? Arianthe and I have places to go." Kieran clears his throat loudly as Arianthe giggles.

Thierry shakes his head, but his smirk remains. Bryan nods and replies, "Sure, we'll continue our work next Friday." As everyone begins to pack up and leave Bryan pulls me aside, "I can come over tomorrow and we can talk more about this and the things you need to get caught up on. I can walk you home tonight if you want."

"Or I could do it," Thierry chimes in.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Bryan glares at Thierry.

I jump in before an argument can erupt, "it's okay. My parents are sound sleepers; they won't notice that I'm out, let alone that Thierry walks me home."

Bryan doesn't seem pleased that I have chosen Thierry over him, but he doesn't push the subject. Thierry, on the other hand, looks like the cat that got the canary.

# Chapter Three

# Conversations

Thierry guides me through the woods so I wouldn't trip again. I can feel him staring at me in the dark. "You know, you don't have to hold me up, I'm capable of walking." I tease.

I can almost feel the grin spreading across his face as he says, "what can I say, I can't let a pretty little thing like you fall and scar up your face."

"Cute," I reply sarcastically. "So what's the deal with you and Bryan? Before I interrupted it looked like he was going to rip your head off."

"Nah, it's nothing. I just thought it would be better if I walked you home since I'm sort of friends with Sam and if your parents did notice you were gone I could make up some excuse." Thierry lies as he picks me up by the waist and maneuvers me over a large tree root.

"So you're doing it for entirely altruistic reasons, with no thought whatsoever to the real reason that you want to piss Bryan off. How sweet; but I should mention that my brother has never mentioned you or any of the other 'eternals'" I smirk.

Thierry laughs, "okay there might be a little more to it than that..." It seems as if he wants to say more, but we have reached the edge of the clearing by my house.

"So what exactly do you guys do at these Eternal meetings?" I ask as I stare up at where I think his eyes should be.

"Bryan tries to teach us how to better control our abilities and how to handle people who become suspicious of us. Personally I think Bryan is just trying to figure out how powerful each of us is," Thierry says in a hushed tone.

"Why would he want to do that?" I ask as I lower my voice to a whisper to match his.

A rustling noise comes from near the house so Thierry whispers, "I have to tell you something, but now isn't the time. You should get inside now."

Thierry fades back into the woods, and with one final look I sprint for the house. Once inside I sneak quietly back up to my room. The second I enter the room a light tapping begins on my window. I look outside and see an owl tapping the window with its beak.

"You should open the window otherwise he'll break it." I hear my brother say from the doorway behind me. I jump back in shock and then spin around to face him.

"What are you talking about?" I ask quietly.

"Thierry; you know, the owl at the window? If you don't let him in he'll just break the window." Sam says calmly as he goes to the window himself and opens it enough for the owl to squeeze through the opening. It lands on the floor and before my very skeptical eyes begins to get larger and take on a man's naked shape.

"Oh my god; it is true." I gasp as Thierry lies motionless on my bedroom floor for a minute.

"I'm guessing she found out tonight?" Sam says casually to Thierry ignoring the fact that he's laying naked on the floor of my bedroom.

Thierry blinks and then nods. "God I hate that part. It's like my freaking insides are being ripped out."

Sam rolls his eyes before pulling Thierry to his feet. "How much does she know?"

"Not much; so could one of you just get this over with and tell me what your secret little club is really all about?" I interrupt impatiently.

Thierry sighs and says, "Surely you've heard the rumors about your family."

"Just my entire life," I roll my eyes.

"Well back then our ancestors; mine, yours, and the others were all part of the Eternals. The Eternals were formed way back during the burning times to save those of us that aren't, how should I say it... normal. It was a way of practicing our gifts in secrecy without being persecuted, if you will. But something went horribly wrong and some people ended up dead and others that were already "dead" became more powerful and power hungry. They didn't just want to protect themselves; they wanted revenge on all of the people that had wronged them." Thierry explains.

"So one of the others, their ancestor killed our families?"

"We think so, and we think its Bryan. Whatever you do, do not trust him Lizette. Promise me you won't, he's not someone you want to mess with and he'll do anything to get you on his side."

"Why?" I ask.

"Do you know what a necromancer is?" Thierry asks seriously.

"No," I reply as Sam paces back and forth across my room.

"A necromancer is a dark witch who uses the dead to extend their own power. They can raise the dead and create armies from them. They also steal the life-force from other living things to extend their own lives. And if he were able to get you and your power he'd be unstoppable." Sam stops pacing and frowns at something.

"But what about you?" I ask my brother.

Sam shakes his head, "I'm nowhere near as powerful as you. And you're a seer on top of it. Damn, but you could stop them."

"Them?"

Thierry looks at Sam before saying, "we think he's working with some of the other Eternals. I can only imagine what he's promised them but at this point we don't know who's good and who's bad."

"But what do Bryan and his accomplices want from us?" I ask. "I mean if he has the power to do all that what does he need from me or any of the others?"

"Imagine it Lizette, he's already powerful, but if he collected the abilities of all the Eternals in the group, especially you, he could take that power and destroy everything in sight," Sam explains.

"Right now he's waiting, biding his time, but when the moment is right he'll kill us to absorb our power. He could crush the entire world like a bug under his thumb if he wanted to," Thierry adds.

"Ah," I nod, "the usual supervillain plot."

Sam snorts, "Something like that."

I turn to Thierry and ask, "how do Sam and I know we can trust you? How do we know you're not Bryan's accomplice and you're leading us straight into his trap?"

"Back then my uncle and one of your aunts were courting. They were both murdered. After that my family moved away and settled in Minnesota. The Eternals were never spoken of, and any signs of abnormal abilities were hushed up; until the time my father's sister came to NMU for college and vanished without a trace about fifteen years ago. It was like a damn bursting open and all the family secrets were out in the open."

"I'm sorry for your loss," I murmur softly.

Thierry shrugs and continues, "My parents moved back here after they got married but they homeschooled my brothers and I in hopes of keeping us away from the Eternals. They thought they succeeded with my older brother, but I've been shifting ever since I was thirteen. They moved us back to Minneapolis then, but I came back for college last year. And just like you were tonight I was drawn to those woods out there. I joined in hopes of protecting my two younger brothers, but we have to stop Bryan before history repeats itself."

I look at my brother and then at Thierry, "so what do we have to do?"

A hint of a smile crosses Sam's lips. "Well first we have to find out who our allies are. Nobody has ever talked about their lives before they became an Eternal so we have to gently feel them out and see who's working with Bryan and who will join their energies with us. We'll have to split up and figure out who we can trust."

"I can talk to Luke; he seems to be under Bryan's thumb but I know how to handle him," Thierry suggests as he pulls on a pair of jeans and a fitted t-shirt that Sam seems to pull out of nowhere.

"Arianthe seemed nice so I could try tracking her down," I add.

"She spends a lot of time down at Hotplate, and if you can get her she could help you talk to her boyfriend, Keiran." Thierry muses.

"And I can talk to Delia, she has a bit of a crush on me," Sam laughs.

"In your dreams man," Thierry jokes. "Okay, so who does that leave us?"

"Desiree." We all say in unison.

"Let's just leave her for a while okay? She's probably working with Bryan anyway." Thierry says as he stands and stretches and I catch a glimpse of his tight abs rippling as his shirt inches up over his stomach. "I have to get going anyway, baker's hours and all."

"Is that why you smell like pumpkin pie?" I blurt out without thinking.

"You noticed that huh?" Thierry smiles down at me.

"Maybe."

"We were making pumpkin pie cupcakes down at Babycakes today and I guess I forgot to shower, I'm sorry."

I smile, "I don't mind."

"Ahem," Sam clears his throat.

"Right, well I'm out of here." Thierry starts for the window, then pauses, "oh, and Lizette? I'll probably be hanging around to make sure you're alright. You won't always see me but don't get freaked out if it feels like someone's watching you."

I nod and within seconds Thierry shifts back into an owl and flies out the window leaving his borrowed clothes in a heap on the floor.

"By the way, some guy told me to give this to you while I was at the football game." Sam hands over a thick letter sized envelope before saying goodnight and sliding silently out of my room.

I sink back down onto my bed and tear the envelope open and find a letter from Angelo.

L-

I'm sorry you couldn't make it to the game. I missed seeing you, and even though I knew you weren't there I kept scanning the stands looking for your raven hair. I can't stop thinking about you. Please meet me at our usual place tomorrow morning at nine. I don't care if I have to come and ask your father's permission, I want to be with you. I can't stand being with Julie another day so I'm ending it tonight. Please tell me you'll be with me.

Love,

A

I slide the letter back into the envelope and slide it under my pillow. I turn off my bedside lamp and go to change into a new set of pajamas. As I'm sliding my sweatshirt off a thought occurs to me, so I turn around and pull my shades down, just in case.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Aren't you hungry sweetie?" My mother asks the next morning as she puts a plate of pancakes down on the table in front of me.

"Not really, do you mind if I get a ride into town with Sam this morning?" I ask as I pick at the edge of one of my pancakes.

"Where are you going?" my mother inquires.

"Just to talk to a friend," I reply.

"Now Lizette, you know that your father and I don't like you meeting people we don't know." My mother reminds me sternly.

"Because you're afraid I'll meet one of the Eternals?" My sharp gaze cuts into her back.

My mother drops the dish she's holding and it falls to the floor and shatters as she swivels around. Sam looks up from his newspaper, only slightly interested. "Where did you hear that word?" She demands.

"I found them Mom, and I'm still alive. So quit being so overprotective," I slide my chair back from the table abruptly and head out to Sam's truck.

"You have no idea what you've found!" My mother yells out the window after me.

A few seconds later Sam joins me in the truck. "That was a great way to start the morning. I myself never told her I'd found the Eternals. It wasn't exactly a can of worms I wanted to open with the parentals."

"Can you take me to Starbucks?" I ask tiredly as he begins to drive out of the woods.

"Sure, why not."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hey, you made it! " Angelo says as he kisses my cheek. I wasn't sure what to say to him after his letter so I just smile briefly and slide into the seat across from him in the back booth of Starbucks.

"I got your letter," I begin as I take a sip from my caramel macchiato.

"I'm glad, I wasn't sure if Sam would give it to you or not." Angelo beams.

"Why wouldn't he?" I ask as I study Angelo. He seems different this morning, or maybe I'm just seeing the real him for the first time.

Angelo shrugs and takes a sip of his own coffee, "I don't know, I just didn't know whether to trust him. So... do you maybe want to go on an actual date next weekend? Like I said, if I have to I'll go out there and ask your dad for permission."

"Sure."

"Don't sound so excited," he laughs nervously.

"I want to, don't worry." I smile reassuringly when suddenly I feel the sensation that someone is watching me. I look around discreetly and spot Thierry standing by the counter waiting for his drink. Our eyes lock for a minute before I break the connection and force my attention back to Angelo.

"Who is that guy? He's been staring at you since he came in." Angelo asks suspiciously.

"He's just a friend of my brother's."

"Hey," Thierry says as he walks up to our table.

"Hey Thierry, this is my friend Angelo." I point to Angelo.

Thierry holds out his hand to Angelo, "nice to meet you man." Angelo looks down at Thierry's hand then glares up at his face so Thierry shakes his head and drops his hand before turning to me.

"Did you sleep alright last night?" He asks teasingly.

"Once I pulled the shades down." I reply jokingly.

We both laugh as Angelo looks at us with jealousy. "Sam said you might need a ride somewhere?" Thierry asks, "I'm on my way to work if you need a ride."

I look at Angelo apologetically. "I need to meet up with a friend of mine. Can we talk later?"

Angelo mutters, "Yeah, I'll text you."

I wave goodbye to Angelo, grab my drink, and follow Thierry out of the shop. "You are so bad!"

"Oh, please. It's not like you're interested in him." Thierry rolls his eyes.

"I don't know..." I murmur thoughtfully.

"Trust me, he's not worth it." Thierry continues, "So do you want me to drop you off at Hotplate so you can see if Arianthe is there?"

"Sure that'd be great."

"Okay, I work until two, if you want a ride home I'll be just across the street." Thierry says as we climb into his old Chevy.

# Chapter Four

# Talking with Arianthe

I walk into Hotplate and spot Arianthe sitting at a table with her back to the door, so I go over to the rack of pottery and select a flat tile. After I pick out some paint I approach Arianthe's table.

"Hi," I greet her quietly, "do you mind if I sit with you?"

"Go right ahead!" Arianthe replies brightly. "I didn't know you came here too."

"I'm making a wall display of ceramic Tarot cards, so every week I come in and make a new one," I explain I pull the Knight of Cups out of my pocket.

"I didn't know you read Tarot cards either."

I nod, "yeah, since freshman year."

"Cool." Arianthe smiles, "you should give me a reading sometime."

"Absolutely," I hesitate, "can I ask you something?"

"Sure," She replies as she adds a splotch of pale blue to her plate.

"How did you become part of the Eternals?"

Arianthe studies me for a long few minutes before speaking. "Do you know how the succubus myth got started?" She asks.

I shake my head, "no."

"Legend says that the succubus takes the 'seed' of the man, changes gender, then as an incubus plants it in a woman. So back in the day when a man was found to have fathered a child by a woman other than his wife men would often time use the succubus as an excuse." Arianthe explains.

"Like 'hey honey it wasn't my fault, the succubus made me do it?'" I joke.

"Pretty much," Arianthe says grimly. "Another unfortunate side effect is if you haven't curbed your appetite you can suck the life out of someone you love by a single kiss."

"Wow."

"So, to answer your question I sought solace in the Eternals when I was fourteen. My first boyfriend had died in my arms one day. I was a wreck, so my mother finally told me that I come from a long line of succubae. It made sense, considering I have no male relatives. Growing up the kids used to say my momma was a prostitute and she didn't even know who my father was. Truth is he died the night she got pregnant with me."

"I'm so sorry." I murmur as I squeeze her hand reassuringly.

"Thanks." She smiles weakly. "After my boyfriend died my aunt started making me drink this awful tea she created for me; eucalyptus, huckleberry, cumin, rosemary, and blueberries for taste. It helps me control my needs and protects whoever I'm with from dying. I thought joining Bryan and the other Eternals would make things better."

"What a bust that turned out to be." Keiran muses as he walks up to our table from the back of the studio.

"I didn't realize you were here already." Arianthe gets up and kisses his cheek gently. Keiran is paler than the night before, and he has dark circles under his eyes.

"We're slammed with pieces and they needed me," He tells her as he stifles a yawn.

"Keiran puts his talents with fire to good use here." Arianthe beams with pride.

"I fire the pieces with my hands," Keiran says by way of explanation.

I smile, "that's so cool."

Arianthe smiles wickedly. "Actually? It's hot!"

We all laugh, then I turn to Keiran and say, "what do you mean 'that was a bust'?"

Keiran rolls his eyes. "I know Bryan projects this whole 'I'm here to help' image, but all he does is collect those of us with special abilities to use for his needs. I swear he's up to something."

"He is," I say before I can stop myself, and as I do my vision tunnels and I see what Sam and Thierry were talking about.

I was in the clearing, and I could feel the bonfire's heat licking at my feet. An altar was set up on the north side of the clearing. I looked down and realized I was in a long white gown. Two figures enter my line of vision as the scene becomes hazy.

I blink and I'm back in Hotplate again. "He wants a sacrifice," I whisper.

"What?" Arianthe asks in shock. "Did you have a vision?"

I nod as Keiran goes to the cooler and brings back a bottle of water. "Here," he says, offering it to me, "my aunt is a seer and she always needs something to ground herself with after a vision."

"Thanks," I say gratefully as I take a sip of the icy liquid.

"What did you see?" Arianthe asks.

I tell them the little bit that I saw then hesitate, "that's part of why I'm here today. Thierry and Sam think all of us are in danger. Bryan is planning something big and we need to stop him. So I was supposed to feel you out to see if you guys would help us."

Keiran and Arianthe silently communicate for a few minutes then seem to reach an agreement. "We'll help any way we can." Arianthe smiles reassuringly.

"If we need a secret place to meet I know of a place," Keiran adds.

"Thank you." I smile at both of them. "I'll let you know when I know more."

Keiran stares off into nothing for a minute as he rubs his chin. Finally he says, "It's like I always say; never trust a guy with an Irish accent. They're sexy but completely untrustworthy."

"Aren't you of Irish descent, Keiran Madigan?" I ask teasingly.

"That's irrelevant, I'm an exception to the rule," Keiran waves me off.

Arianthe laughs, "and do I even want to touch the comment about you finding guys with Irish accents sexy?"

"I didn't mean it that way and oh, would you look at the time. I have to get back to work, and let you girls get back to painting." Keiran kisses Arianthe on the cheek, then waves goodbye to me.

"Way to dodge the question," I call out to his retreating back.

"You know Lizette; I think you and I are going to become great friends," Arianthe smiles at me.

We talk as we work on our pieces and I find out Arianthe and I are both into art and are treated as total outcasts at school. It's funny how you can live within a few miles of someone and never really bump into them.

When my Knight of Cups tile is done I notice that Arianthe's plate is staring back at me. I laugh as I look down at the big blue eyes and goofy smile looking back and me. "That is so cute," I tell her.

"Thanks, I call it my 'happy plate'." She glances down at my tile and says, "Yours looks cool too."

Arianthe and I go to the back of the studio with our pieces where Keiran fires our pieces discreetly. I watch in awe as balls of fire cover his hands and the pottery he's holding. After a few minutes the flames are replaced by solid ice. Once the pieces of pottery are cool enough for normal people to touch the ice flakes away leaving the pottery sitting in Keiran's now reddened hands.

"Awesome," is all I can say when Keiran hands me my tile.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Welcome to Babycakes, what can I get ya?" Thierry asks distractedly without looking up at me when I walk into the bakery five minutes later.

"Hmm... how about a red velvet muffin and a ride home?" I suggest thoughtfully.

Thierry looks up and notices me standing in front of him and that grin I saw the night before lights up his face again. "Absolutely."

# Chapter Five

# Haunted

Them:

They watched as the sticky, crimson liquid seeped from a gash on the redhead's fractured skull. She had been a nobody; a loner from the small town of Munising; barely even worth a second glance. But they had lured her out of the safety of her mundane world. They were good at that.

"What a waste," the gaunt, raven haired girl said in a monotone as she filed her nails.

"Each one will count for something in our army." The Irishman reminded her as he emphasized his accent.

"I'd rather bash in Lizette's skull." The raven haired girl spat. "She gets the best of everything; the biggest house, the best clothes, the strongest power, and every guy in the world at her disposal."

The Irishman kissed the back of the raven haired girl's hand. "My dear, once we have harvested Lizette's power you may dispose of her however you wish. And then you will be the Queen of my army.

A sick smile spread across both of their faces.

XXXXXXXXXX

"This is your great secret meeting place?" Thierry asks Keiran skeptically.

"You got a better idea?" Keiran replies as I catch him roll his eyes.

We're standing in front of the boarded up entrance to the defunct Holy Cross V.A. Hospital waiting for Sam to arrive. Arianthe is biting her nails anxiously.

"This place gives me the creeps," Arianthe says as Keiran reaches out to hold her.

"It will be fine," Keiran assures her.

I glance around our surroundings. The building itself is three stories. Most of the windows are broken, and those that aren't broken are boarded up. When Sam and I were kids he always used to teasingly tell me that this place was haunted. I guess tonight I'd find out if that was true. I shiver in my thin black cardigan. It is near midnight, exactly one week from the night I had stumbled upon the Eternals. Thierry, Sam, and Keiran decided we needed to meet and Keiran had texted us all with the location. I had been out on my first official date with Angelo. He had made a big spectacle of driving out to the house and asking my father's permission to take me out on a date.

Reluctantly my father had agreed and that's how I had found myself spending my first Friday night with a hint of freedom at dinner with Angelo. I was actually thankful for Keiran's text so I could call it a night. Angelo was a cute distraction, but he was a boring conversationalist.

"Are you cold?" Thierry asks as he comes up beside me, breaking into my thoughts.

"No, I'm fine," I say as I pull the cardigan closer around me.

Thierry rolls his eyes and strips off his black jacket. "Here, I don't want to be blamed for you getting pneumonia."

"Aren't you a little old to be giving her your leather jacket?" Sam asks as he joins us. I notice Delia trailing behind him.

"You're never too old." Thierry jokes.

"So are we going to stand out here and freeze all night or are we going to go inside and figure out where to go from here?" Keiran asks as he moves toward the door.

"Yeah, yeah we're going in," Sam mutters as he motions for us to follow them into the building.

The inside is decrepit; it looks simply as if the people who ran this place just got up from their stations and left everything in disarray. Debris litters the hallway leading off to a nurses' station. There's no electricity but by the moonlight streaming in the windows you can clearly see patient charts and office paperwork scattered on the desktop. Down one hallway is what I can only assume are resident rooms belonging to former patients. I notice a twin sized bed frame pushed up against one wall and a chair with arm restraints against another, but none of us make any move to investigate further.

Keiran leads us down the opposite hallway toward an abandoned cafeteria. Several tables are flipped onto one side and dust covers everything. Keiran walks toward an open space in the center of the room and begins to set up some candles. The light only makes the room more depressing.

Thierry lets out a low whistle. "Is the rest of this place this bad?"

Keiran grimaces, "worse."

"What made you want to come here? Seriously?" Sam asks as he tries to find a somewhat clean spot to sit down on.

"My dad owns this place now. He wants to tear it down, but for some reason he just doesn't. My mom and I have no idea why." Keiran explains as he lays a blanket down for him and Arianthe to sit on. Delia looks around helplessly. She hasn't said anything since walking up with Sam. He pulls his sweater off and spreads it out next to him. He pats it, inviting her to sit on it next to him on the floor.

I glance at Thierry, who shrugs as we both sink to the floor. A little dust never killed anyone. I hope.

"So we're here to discuss the behavior of Bryan, leader of the Eternals," Sam says loudly as Arianthe pulls out a notebook and begins jotting down notes.

Thierry continues, "As we all know Bryan can be very power hungry. Based on what I've found, back during the original Eternals in the 1700s it was someone from his direct bloodline who conjured an army of the dead to take over the area and gain power. The ancestors of myself, and the Weatherlys were among those that attempted to stop them. Major bloodshed ensued and many perished. We want to prevent that from ever happening again; something our parents and grandparents couldn't."

"You know that our parents have kept our "gifts" a secret in hopes of protecting us. What we believe is that the power gets stronger with every generation. Even among us present here tonight one of us possesses a power so great it could affect the whole balance of time. None of us can pretend to fathom the chaos that could ensue if Bryan were able to get ahold of that much power." Sam pauses and looks at me. I blush deeply as the others turn to look at me too. "Just imagine that power combined with each of our gifts. I'm not sure the world could withstand it."

"Aren't you being a little overdramatic?" Delia asks in a harsh whisper. "How do we know our ancestors wanted to stop Bryan's ancestor. What if they wanted the same thing he did? Imagine back in that day, being ostracized just because you were different. It's not so far off from today, you know."

I shoot a fleeting panicked look at Thierry; he grasps my hand and squeezes it reassuringly. "Didn't you have a great aunt that mysteriously vanished in the late 1700s?"

"Well yes, but legend has it she ran off and married a Brit and went back to England. It embarrassed the family and they never spoke of it again." Delia replies as if she's not sure why Thierry brought it up.

"Don't you see?" Sam asks as he looks around the lopsided circle. "Each one of us had a family member, an aunt or an uncle, or perhaps a cousin who mysteriously vanished around the same time. Lizette and my family became most famous for it because our ancestors were a little eccentric as it was, but we've checked it out. Thierry lost an uncle, Lizette and I lost an entire section of our family, Arianthe lost an aunt, and Keiran a distant cousin. All of our families were affected in some way."

"So what are we going to do about it?" Keiran asks softly.

"That's what we're here to figure out." I pipe up.

A clanking noise comes from behind us and our heads snap in that direction in unison. "What was that?" Arianthe asks as she grips Keiran's bicep tightly.

"Probably just the building settling; it's pretty old you know. Old buildings tend to do that." Keiran tells her nonchalantly.

The others go back to discussing options quietly but I can't focus. My hearing is suddenly hyperaware; picking up on the smallest sounds easily. At first I just hear the normal clicking and clacking of an old building. But then I hear what sounds to be footsteps up on the second floor. I glance around the circle to see if anyone else has heard it too. Arianthe looks at me with a look of pure, uninhibited terror in her eyes, and even Thierry looks up at the ceiling.

"Keiran," I interrupt, "do you know if anyone else comes in here?"

"What? No, not that I've ever encountered; why?" Keiran asks in confusion.

"Because there's someone walking around upstairs," Thierry says as he points to the ceiling above us.

"That's not funny." Delia glares at Thierry.

"I hear it too." Arianthe murmurs.

"It's probably just some homeless guy looking for a place to sleep." Keiran shrugs.

Sam groans, "oh hell, I hate being right."

"What do you mean that you hate being right? This is a safe place to meet." Keiran insists.

Sam rolls his eyes. "When Lizette and I were kids I used to tell her that this place was haunted."

"Oh, come on! That's ridiculous!" Delia scoffs.

An adventurous look crosses Thierry's face as he suggests, "we should go investigate!"

"What are we, ghost hunters now?" I ask sarcastically, but I'm smiling up at him.

"I believe the term you're looking for is 'paranormal investigator'. It'll be fun! Who's coming with me?" Thierry asks as he stands and offers me his hand.

I take it and say, "I'm in!"

"Yeah me too," Sam says mischievously.

Keiran rolls his eyes, "Oh what the hell, I'm in too."

"I'm staying here." Delia pouts.

"Fine," Thierry shrugs. "What about you Arianthe?"

Arianthe winces, "fine, I'll come."

We make our way up the debris covered staircase to the second floor. When we get to the landing we take in the empty hallway, disproving the homeless person theory. "Is someone there?" Keiran calls anyway.

The second floor looks much like the first, patient rooms lined the hall on either side. Thierry takes a tentative step towards the first one and I follow closely. I peer inside around Thierry's shoulder. Two single beds with bare mattresses are pushed against the walls but otherwise the room is empty. Mold grows in the corners of the ceilings and there are crude drawings scattered on the walls.

"Did people actually live like this?" Thierry whispers sadly.

"I wonder how they live in the new building next door." Keiran wonders aloud.

I shake my head sadly as I turn from the room. Suddenly a loud clanking comes from right behind us. Arianthe screams and we all turn toward the stairs. Sam shines his flashlight toward the stairs and we all relax when we see Delia standing on the landing.

She winces, "sorry. I was getting freaked out sitting down there alone."

"It's ok, but you scared us half to death." Keiran exhales hard.

Delia shrugs apologetically, "so did you find the source of the noise?"

Sam shakes his head, "no, not yet."

"Hey, what's that?" Thierry asks from behind me. When I turn around he's facing the empty hallway and I'm not sure exactly what he's looking at at first. Then I see a light flickering faintly down the hall. Slowly we make our way towards it and the others follow us hesitantly.

When we reach the room where the light came from we see a lone candle flickering on the window sill. It wavers for a moment and then it blows itself out. From behind me, Arianthe screams again. I hear Keiran mutter "what the hell was that?"

"Delia? Are you there?" Sam asks quietly as he feels out around himself.

"I'm right here baby. Don't you see me baby? Don't you feel me baby?" A seductive voice coos from near where Sam is standing.

He yelps and bangs into the wall. "Delia that isn't funny!" He scolds her as he looks around for her. "It wasn't me," Delia murmurs from right next to me. "I swear I didn't say anything."

"Then who's touching me right now?" Sam asks in a panicked voice. When nobody answers Arianthe runs from the second floor screaming. We all follow her out, not wanting to spend another second in that place.

"Great meeting place," I hear Thierry mutter sarcastically as everyone climbs into their cars.

# Chapter Six

# The Graveyard

"Where are we going?" I ask as Thierry and I get back into his car.

"I dunno; do you want to go home yet?" He leans his head against the headrest and glances at me.

"Not really," I admit.

"Can I show you something?" He asks as he locks eyes with me.

"Yes," I reply. Thierry smiles and pulls away from the veteran's hospital. As we drive away I look back and see a light flickering in a room on the third floor. As I squint to get a closer look it looks like there's a woman in a long flowing white dress standing in front of the window. Who is she? I wonder, but when I blink she's gone.

Ten minutes later Thierry pulls his car over to the curb near a small graveyard. He reaches over and grabs my hand in the dark car. "We can leave anytime you want, just say the word."

I pop the car door open, "what do you want to show me?" I ask as I stare into the night.

Thierry smiles and opens his door. "You'll see." He leads me into the graveyard and guides me past some of the headstones so I don't trip.

I wrap my hand around his bicep as he leads me up to a wall at the back of the cemetery. He boosts me up on the wall before climbing up beside me. Once we're both sitting on the cold stone wall Thierry turns to me and says, "Now tell me what you see."

I look out into the darkness, not knowing at first what he means. Then before my eyes the cemetery comes alive. I see something rising out of the graves that appear to be translucent people... ghosts. I watch in awe as the spirits before me begin to dance in the waning moonlight; ghostly couples doing the minuet as if it's the most natural thing in the world. The male apparitions are clothed in old fashioned suits with tails and the women twirl in fashions last seen in the early 1800s. "It's amazing." I breathe.

"I know," Thierry sighs next to me. "I come out here when I need a distraction from the rest of the world."

"Your life can't be that hard," I tease him lightly.

"It's lonely mostly." Thierry murmurs.

"Aw, I'm sorry. Well you have friends right? Sam and those guys, right?" I ask leaning my head against his shoulder.

"Yeah, but sometimes that's not enough." He studies me for a few moments. His gaze bores into me. I stare back at him but he doesn't look away and I can feel his lips inching towards mine. "Would it be okay if I kissed you?" He breathes.

"Yes." I murmur and then I feel his lips pressing against mine hard. We kiss for what seems like forever. His hand snakes behind my head and his fingers entwine in my hair. After a while the kiss ends and Thierry rests his head against my forehead.

"I've wanted to do that since the first night we met." He tells me breathlessly.

I smile at him, "me too."

He strokes my hair lightly, "but what about Angelo?"

"I gave it a shot with him, but when it was just us he practically put me to sleep." I shrug, "maybe it was the naughtiness of messing around with my enemy's guy that appealed to me."

"And now?" He asks.

I smile at him. "Now I think I'm ready for something real."

He kisses me again and time fades away. Around us the ghosts feed off our energy and dance as if they're in an old time ballroom. Later as we're heading back to Thierry's car I ask "do you shift into anything besides an owl?"

Thierry shrugs, "I can turn into almost anything that's breathing; animal or human."

"That's really cool," I say. "What's it like to fly?"

"It was scary at first, I guess. But it's sort of like riding a bike. Once you learn how you never forget." He replies.

He opens the car door for me and waits for me to slide in before shutting the door gently and getting into the driver's side.

I sigh happily as I lean against the headrest. "I wish I didn't have to go home."

"That's the great thing about being older; I don't have to answer to anyone." Thierry smirks.

"Lucky you," I murmur. "I can't wait to turn eighteen."

"When is your birthday?" Thierry asks as he pulls onto the main road.

"May 1st," I reply with a smile.

"Oh, so you're a Beltane baby," Thierry smirks in the darkness, "That makes complete sense."

I look over at him, "Oh yeah? Why is that?"

"Because babies born on Beltane are very lucky and tend to have a second sight. They're said to be daughters of the Goddess herself." Thierry explains.

"So all this time I was thinking I was cursed I'm really... blessed?" I ask teasingly.

Thierry pauses at a stop sign and turns to push a strand of hair out of my eyes, "something like that." He smiles.

I smile in the darkness and we ride the rest of the way back to my house in comfortable silence. At one point Thierry laces his fingers through mine as he drives with his free hand.

"I don't want your parents to freak out if they see me pull up to your house, so is it okay if I walk you from here?" He asks as he parks about fifty yards from the road.

"Yeah, it's okay with me." I reply as he helps me out of the car. We walk down the broken pathway to my house arm in arm. The beautiful deliciousness of the night surrounds us as we weave through the trees. When we reach the house every light is off so I kiss Thierry goodnight gently and creep into the house.

I manage to get upstairs without being heard and I shut the door gently behind me. I flip on a small bedside lamp and undress in the glow of light illuminating my room. It isn't until I pull on my tank top that I notice that my window and curtain are wide open. A familiar owl is sitting on the ledge with a pair of pants in his mouth.

"Have you ever heard of the concept of knocking?" I laugh as I open the window. Thierry hops inside and begins to shift. "Or perhaps pecking?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Thierry laughs weakly as he lies on the floor for a minute. I turn away while he slides his pants back on. He notices and says, "You know you don't have to do that. You saw me naked the last time and I just had my little peep show with you so it's not like we haven't seen any of it before. Nice tattoo, by the way."

I look down at the narrow tattoo that runs down my side and glare up at him before I fling a throw pillow in his direction. He howls with laughter. "So you couldn't stay away huh?" I joke as I climb into bed.

"I told you I would be watching over you. Now my heart's a little more invested and I really don't want anything bad to happen to you." He says as he folds his legs into a yoga-like pose. I blush and look down, which doesn't help because then I can't stop looking at his muscled chest.

"So what... you're going to stay here all night?" I ask suddenly shy.

"Unless you don't want me to," he says quickly as he looks over at me questioningly.

"No!" I blurt, "I mean, it's okay with me." My face feels like it's on fire, and it must be beet red by now.

"I can turn into a dog if that would make you feel more comfortable." Thierry suggests. I nod and he smiles and shifts into a German Shepard effortlessly. Then he hops onto my bed and curls up next to me.

I roll my eyes down at him and switch off my lamp and settle down into bed. "This is going to be interesting." I mutter as I lay my head down on the pillow and fall asleep.

# Chapter Seven

# An Unexpected Visitor

"Morning Lizette," Sam mutters sleepily as he pokes his head into my room. I hear his voice from far away, pulling me out of the depths of sleep.

I lift my head off of the pillow and feel a weight over my torso and as I look down I see a brown and black German Shepard lying across my body. "Thierry, get off you big oaf!" I prod him gently.

Sam's eyes nearly bulge out of his head as he whispers urgently, "Thierry slept here last night? Mom is going to kill you both when she finds out!" Thierry lifts his head off of my chest and barks tiredly.

"So take him in your room. Let him change and pretend he slept over in your room last night." I suggest, barely looking at Sam. But then I notice something out of the corner of my eye. "Weren't you wearing those clothes last night?" I ask.

Sam's lips harden into a thin line as he mutters a barely audible "maybe."

I smile knowingly and Thierry hops off of my bed and follows Sam as he stalks out of my room. I climb out of my warm bed, noticing how I had managed to wrap myself up in a cocoon shape overnight. Or had Thierry done that? As I slip into a pair of torn up jeans and a black t-shirt I'm flooded by the memory of Thierry's lips on mine. I hope it isn't just a one-time thing.

Leaving the boys to deal with their problems I head downstairs for breakfast. My mom and I haven't talked much since I confronted her about "the Eternals"; but this morning I could hear her warm voice echoing from the dining room. That could only mean one thing: we had company.

"Mom?" I call out as I step cautiously into the dining room. Sitting at the dining room table is a girl a little older than me. Her hair was hot pink and fell in waves to the middle of her back; her eyes were light gray, but friendly as she glanced at me over her cup of tea.

"Lizette, oh good you're awake." My mother says in a sugary sweet voice she reserves for when she's entertaining. "I'd like for you to meet Faye Sebastian, she's in town looking at the university."

I smile at her and ask, "Are you related to Thierry?"

Before she could answer the guys came trudging loudly down the stairs. Sam stops in the doorway in shock and, as he always did when he saw a girl who he considered "beddable", he straightened his clothes and ran his fingers through his hair. Thierry bumps into him and scans the room for trouble. When his gaze finally lands on Faye he sighs and says, "I thought I smelled something bad."

Faye hops out of the chair she was sitting in and runs over to hug Thierry. "Now that's no way to greet your favorite cousin," she teases.

He smiles and hugs her back, "what are you doing here? I thought my mom said you were spending the semester in France for some kind of exchange program."

"I was," she says ruefully, "until I accidentally blew up part of the science lab."

Thierry laughs and turns to me, "this is my cousin Faye; she's the clumsiest person I've ever met." Then he stops himself and thinks for a moment and smiles at a memory, "except perhaps for you."

I thwack him on the shoulder as Faye chuckles and says, "Now that's no way to talk to the girl you love, is it?"

Thierry turns slightly pink and doesn't say anything, so I pipe up, "actually, we just started seeing each other recently."

"I know, but I can see that your fates are intertwined. It's only a matter of time." Faye replies as she looks back and forth between us.

My mother doesn't comment on our conversation, but interrupts to say, "Faye, I was wondering, since you're here if you wouldn't mind helping Lizette get used to her power. Her father and I have tried to keep it contained as long as possible, but now that the Sorcha boy has announced his intentions for her to join the Eternals I think it's best that she learn how to control herself."

Faye studies me thoughtfully, her gaze making me slightly uncomfortable. I clasp onto Thierry's arm for reassurance. "I've never seen anything like her." Faye comments when she's done appraising me.

"It's what her father and I feared," my mother replies. "She has the power to control many things; and the abilities of nearly every member of the Eternals."

Beside me Sam's eyes widen in shock, "WHAT?"

My mother looks at him thoughtfully. "What, you didn't think we'd let you join the Eternals without keeping tabs on you did you? Your father and I know as well as you do that Bryan Sorcha is up to no good, so we had to know what every member's power was. Just imagine what he'd do with your sister's power in his arsenal."

Sam pales as he considered it, then asked, "If she's capable of so much how come I've never noticed it before?"

"They did a binding spell on me," I whisper as the realization dawns on me.

My mother nods, ignoring my shock, "and now it will be lifted; which is why we need all the help we can get to get you used to your power." She studies me thoroughly for a long minute. "Do you have some place you can meet that nobody will find you?"

Thierry looks down at me briefly before smirking over at Sam. "I think we can find somewhere."

"Good, good." My mother nods. Before she turns back to the table to gather Faye's dishes she turns back to Thierry. She studies him for a few moments, seemingly peering into his memories, "oh, and Lizette has a bit of the succubae trait in her; I would think twice before spending the night in her bed again, Shifter."

She turns around as Thierry and I both turn beet red with embarrassment. Sam chuckles as he goes to grab a chocolate chip Danish off of the kitchen table. He salutes Faye with his pastry and strides confidently out the front door.

Faye giggles as she watches him go before turning back to me, "so," she says, "when do we start your training?"

XXXXXXXXX

After dark I find myself staring back up into the broken windows of the "haunted" veteran's hospital as Arianthe has dubbed it. When Thierry filled his cousin in on the location of our secret meeting place Faye practically vibrated with excitement. She had begun babbling about ley lines and the significance of the energy possibly associated with a haunted building.

I sighed and closed my eyes as I leaned against Thierry's truck. I'd been feeling a little off ever since my mother pulled me aside to perform the ritual that unbound my power. I could now feel the magick thrumming through my veins, bouncing around inside me like I was a human pinball machine.

"Are you okay?" Thierry places his hand on my shoulder in concern.

"I'm fine," I reply, "I just feel so... electrified."

Faye bounces over to us with her graceful gait and smiles, "It's not unusual after having your magick bound for so long. You'll feel fine in a day or two."

"Thanks," I murmur, unsure if that reassured me or not. Thierry wraps his muscular arm around my shoulders as we wait for the others to arrive. Sam had reluctantly gone to pick up Delia after admitting that he had had her up until the early morning hours the night before.

"It isn't anything serious," Sam had told Faye before Thierry shot him a dirty look. He then quickly retreated to his car to call Arianthe and Kieran to ask them to meet us.

XXXXXXXXXX

After the others arrived we made our way back into the abandoned cafeteria. Faye and I set up candles and lanterns as Sam and Thierry filled Arianthe and Kieran in on the latest development.

When everything was set up Faye clapped her hands together and announced, "Okay it's time to see what our girl can do!"

The fear must have shown on my face because Faye braced her hands on my shoulders and said, "It'll be okay, we're going to start off slow and see what you can do."

It was unanimously decided that I would try out my witch ability before moving on to the other Eternal's abilities. Faye placed a large golden pillar candle on the floor in front of me and told me that the first thing I was going to do was try to light the candle.

"It's not like you see in those cheesy Halloween movies about witches where they wave their hand and the magick pours out of their fingers. You have to visualize the candle lighting in your mind, then make it manifest. Do you understand?" Faye asked as she sat down across from me. The others formed a circle around us as Thierry extinguished all of the other candles that we had set up the last time we were there.

"Yes," I nodded in understanding. "Let's give it a try." I closed my eyes and pictured the candle in my head. I opened my senses and felt the smooth wax and the coarse wick. In my mind I saw the candle spontaneously bursting into light just seconds before I felt warmth spread over my skin. I opened my eyes quickly and was surprised to see all of the candles in the cafeteria lit up as if they had been lit all along.

"Well that went better than expected," Faye praises me as she smiles at me reassuringly.

For the next two hours she had me lighting and extinguishing candles with my mind, eventually moving up to me moving objects around the room. By the time Arianthe began to sag against Kieran's shoulder from exhaustion I was able to move and manifest anything in the room without the slightest thought. It came to me as second nature by this point.

Thierry yawned and checked the time on his phone. "I think it's time we called it a night." He announced.

"Aww, already?" Faye asked, dejected. "I was having so much fun. I've never gotten to teach anyone the basics before."

"Don't worry, we'll try again soon," Thierry assures her before turning to me; "you guys could even get together and practice on your own."

I nod, "Yeah that would be good, I need to get better at this because we're going to need all the help we can get."

"You're already pretty good," Faye admits as she stands up and brushes the dust off of her jeans.

"Thanks," I smile back as we all begin to get up and gather our things.

# Chapter Eight

# Three Card Spread

Them:

The raven haired girl smiled across the dimly lit room as she caught the attention of the brown haired guy across the room; drawing him into her web.

"Hey," she murmured seductively when he approached her.

"Hi," he replied as he tried to slow his blinking.

"Want to get out of here?" she asks, confident that she already knew his answer.

"Sure," he agreed as he followed her out of the building like a puppet on a string.

The raven haired girl lured him out to the clearing in the woods, where she and her companion performed their dark magick under the guise of their little supernatural support group.

Her companion was already there waiting for her. He grinned darkly when he saw her before fading into the shadows.

"Lay down," she commanded her victim. He lay down inside the circle expectantly, but the second his head reached the ground the circle electrified. His screams echoed out into the dark night as his skin began to sizzle.

"Tell me your name," she demanded as she poked him with a stick.

"Angelo," he croaked out as the raven haired girl's companion entered the circle.

"How do you know Lizette Weatherly?" She spat out the name.

"She's my girlfriend," Angelo groaned between pain-filled sobs.

The raven haired girl and her red haired companion smiled as they formed a plan. She turned to Angelo, "we may have use for you, so we will spare your life."

Angelo's only reply was a loud whimper.

"Start the ritual," the raven haired girl prompted.

Flames surrounded the circle as the red haired man called upon his power, "I call upon the powers of Hecate, Lilith, and Morrigan, and all the dark powers that be. I call upon my humble servants, those that once lived who answer only to my call: twist his soul and take his will. Let him live, but only in complete and devout service to me. He will answer only to me; will only do as I wish him to do. Make it so, this is my command!"

A bolt of lightning struck Angelo as his body began to convulse. His screams were unbearable for a minute before he fell silent.

The raven haired girl poked him with her stick again. "Did it work?"

The red haired man snapped his fingers, "wake up. NOW!"

Angelo's eyes opened but they were devoid of life. He was alive, but his soul was gone. His free will had been taken by the dark ritual making him almost a zombie, but at the same time not. Zombies were not alive; Angelo's body was still technically alive.

"I command you to stick close to Lizette Weatherly; become her shadow if you must. You will follow her every day and report back to me every night. If you fail, I will turn you to dust. Do you understand me?" The red haired man dragged Angelo up to his level by the collar of his shirt.

Angelo nodded automatically.

The raven haired girl laughed, Angelo was now nothing more than a walking, talking puppet; completely under their control. She kissed her companion hard on the mouth as she reached for his hand. They disappeared out of the forest leaving their creation staring blankly through the trees. The echoing of the raven haired girl's laughing bounced across the endless forest evilly.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Did you hear that?" I asked Thierry as I paused on my way into the house. I had heard what sounded like laughter reverberating through the woods.

"It's probably just the wind," Thierry wrapped his arms around my shoulder. I look around, sensing that something is wrong but I can't put my finger on what it is. I turn my face and lean into his chest.

"Are you coming in tonight?" I ask hopefully.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? What about your parents?" Thierry asks as he glances up to the second floor window where their bedroom is located.

"They're already asleep, they won't notice," I reply as I point to the darkened room above us. Thierry fidgets for a minute and I can tell he's trying to make a decision. "Is this because I'm part succubus and you're afraid I'm going to hurt you?"

Thierry laughs nervously, "No, of course not. I know that all Eternals are partially immune to the succubae; otherwise Kieran would have been dead by now. He always describes being with Arianthe as a massive energy drain, where he has to sleep for long periods of time afterward."

"All I'm asking is if you want to sleep here tonight, I'm not asking you for anything more." I roll my eyes as I walk to the front door and dig my keys out of my pocket. "Besides, we've never even been on a real date; I'm not that easy."

I sense the sound before I hear it, but at the exact moment I slide my key into the lock an earsplitting scream shakes the forest around the house.

"I think I'll come in after all," Thierry announces as he comes up behind me and pushes me inside while he scans the dark forest.

We quietly rush up to my room and Thierry changes into his dog form once we reach the top of the stairs. I let him into my room as I grab some pajamas at random and close myself into my walk-in closet to change.

I emerge a few minutes later to find Thierry spread out over the entire right side of my bed with his furry head lying on my pillow.

"Thank you for not taking over the whole bed," I tease him as I crawl into bed on the left side and turn off the light on my nightstand.

"Woof," is Thierry's only reply. Once I get comfortable he lays his head on my chest.

"Be good," I tell him as I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next morning I stumble tiredly down to breakfast. I'd had awful nightmares all night of shadowed figures and screaming people.

"Are you okay?" Thierry asks as I sit down beside him at the kitchen table.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I reply as I reach for a piece of toast.

"You know, I think you're the only guy on the planet that sleeps in his girlfriend's bed every night but doesn't get any benefit from it." Sam teases as he spreads jam over his own piece of toast. Thierry glares at him over the top of his coffee mug but doesn't say anything.

"I see you slept here again last night Shifter," My mother looks at Thierry sternly as she sits down at the kitchen table.

"Yes ma'am," Thierry replies as he studies the placemat underneath his plate.

"Sleep on the floor from now on if you insist on staying here," My mother replies coldly.

Thierry nods his head solemnly before mumbling something that sounds like "okay".

I speed through my breakfast and grab Thierry's arm as I pull him up from the table. "Thierry's going to give me a ride to school today," I tell my mother as I grab my backpack and half-drag Thierry out the front door still clutching a piece of toast.

"Well, that went well," Thierry says sarcastically as we get into his car. "Your mother hates me."

"She doesn't hate you," I tell him as I buckle my seatbelt. Thierry raises his eyebrows as if to say yeah right.

"She doesn't," I insist as I bite back a smile. "I think she's happy that you're watching over me even if she doesn't want to tell you that. Besides, look how overprotective she and my dad have been my entire life. I wasn't even allowed to date until recently."

Thierry pushes a strand of hair out of my eyes and whispers huskily, "well I'm glad they've changed their mind about that rule."

I smirk, "I think my mother thinks I'll drain the life out of you in the middle of the night."

Thierry laughs as he puts the car into gear and drives me to school. Once he drops me off I spot Arianthe and Keiran leaning against the building, waiting for me. They stick out like a sore thumb. Arianthe is wearing a red and black harlequin skirt and a netted black shirt over a tank top. Beside her Keiran stands huddled in a black leather jacket and ripped up jeans. His familiar spiky blue hair has been traded in for black and orange streaks.

"Getting ready for Halloween?" I tease him when I come to a stop in front of them.

"I just wanted to shake things up," Keiran shrugs, "you know how people in small towns react to people that act or dress differently."

I nod in understanding, "So did you guys just transfer in here?"

"Yep," Arianthe nods brightly, "We just transferred in from IHS," she informs me; referring to Ishpeming High School two towns over.

"Can you guys talk a little softer? My head is killing me this morning," Keiran groans softly as he holds his temple.

"Let me help," I blurt as I reach out and touch his third eye chakra between his eyebrows. It's what my mother used to do to me when I had bad headaches as a child. I can feel the lack of energy pulsing back against my fingertips. Breathing slowly I transfer a burst of strong positive healing energy from my fingertips to his temple. Once his energy level is restored I remove my hand.

Keiran stares at me in wide-eyed wonder, "how did you do that?"

I shrug, "it's something my mom did to make my headaches go away growing up. I thought I would give it a try and see what happened."

"Cool, thanks," Keiran smiles down at me gratefully.

"I guess things got a little out of hand last night," Arianthe grimaces.

We all laugh as we begin to head into the school building. Just as we start to turn down the senior hallway Julie Bryant, resident mean girl, shoves her way past us. When she catches sight of us out of the corner of her eye she and her bimbo parade turn to face us. She looks Arianthe, Keiran, and I up and down before declaring us all "freaks".

Arianthe rolls her eyes as Julie and her posse titter at her latest stupid comment and saunter off down the hallway. "I hate girls like that."

"Doesn't everybody?" I ask rhetorically.

"So what's her deal? Does she hate everybody or does she have something against you specifically?" Arianthe hands Keiran her books for him to carry.

"Me specifically," I reply. "I sort of used to spend a lot of time with her boyfriend before he was her ex. You know that guy I went out with, Angelo? That's her ex-boyfriend."

Arianthe whistles low in appreciation. "Nice move."

"Lizette!" I hear someone calling my name. I whip around to find Angelo pushing through the hallway to get to me. When he reaches me he looks at me with wild, unfocused eyes. "I tried calling you last night."

I stare at him blankly, "I didn't have any missed calls this morning."

"That's impossible, I left you three messages." Angelo insists. "I wanted to see if you wanted to get dinner with me tonight after practice. You can sit around and watch me and then we can go grab a pizza or something."

By now all other conversations around us have halted and everyone in the hallway is hanging onto our every word.

I hitch my book bag further up on my shoulder and step closer to Angelo for privacy, "I can't tonight. There's something I have to do after school."

Angelo's face falls, "Is this because of the guy at the coffee shop? The one you left with?"

"She really does have plans tonight," Arianthe pipes up as she and Keiran hover behind me like brightly dressed bodyguards.

Angelo grabs my hands firmly, "I just feel like we barely get time together anymore." He lowers his voice, "you know, like we used to hang out? Alone?"

I snatch my hands back as everyone within earshot snickers. "I have a lot of stuff going on right now. Maybe you should find someone else to "hang out" with."

I turn on my heel and storm down the hall leaving Keiran and Arianthe to scurry after me.

"Lizette! You know I didn't mean it like that!" Angelo yells after me, "I'm sorry!"

I manage to shake him off then but for the rest of the day every time I come out of class I find Angelo waiting for me; causing Arianthe to mutter "that boy has it bad" under her breath. After school Keiran and Arianthe offer to drop me off at the bakery, where Thierry works, on the way back to Arianthe's house.

"You really need to learn how to drive, Lizette," Arianthe teases me when we arrive at the bakery.

"I know," I reply as I climb out of the car.

"You should ask Thierry to teach you how to drive," Keiran suggests.

"Now that would be something to see," Arianthe laughs. I smile and wave goodbye to them as I head into the bakery.

Thierry is busy behind the counter so I order a cup of coffee and find a booth against the back wall to make myself comfortable in. I pull out my deck of tarot cards and begin to shuffle them automatically.

I pick out three cards at random and set them in front of me face up. In the past position is the nine of swords, the card of fear and nightmares. It may mean a fear of the future. In the present position is the Knight of cups, meaning true love is entering my life. It's the third card, the future position, which has me rearing back from the table. The death card stares back at me.

I've read tarot cards long enough to know that the death card doesn't necessarily mean literal death, it can mean a major change of life, but considering how things are going lately anything is possible.

"Are you okay?" Thierry asks as he slides into the booth across from me. He sets his own mug of coffee and a cheddar dill scone on the table in front of him.

I shake my head slowly and shuffle the cards back into the deck. "I just had a weird reading in the cards."

"The cards?" Thierry asks as he looks at the deck resting in my hand.

"Tarot cards," I explain.

"Ah," Thierry rubs the stubble on his chin, "So is something bad coming our way?"

I raise my eyebrows at him darkly, "Since when is something bad not heading our way?"

"Good point," he agrees as he bites into his scone.

"I pulled the Knight of cups and the death card," I tell him as I sip my lukewarm coffee.

"What does that mean?" Thierry asks nervously.

"The Knight of cups indicates true love entering my life," I pull the card out of the deck and show it to him before pulling out the death card. "The death card doesn't necessarily mean physical death, but also possibly could mean a total change of lifestyle, a transformation."

"So it doesn't exactly mean anything bad?" Thierry asks as he fingers the card.

"Maybe, maybe not," I answer cryptically.

"And what about the other card; the true love one?" Thierry looks at me intently.

"The Knight of cups card was in the present position which means it is something that is happening now, or about to happen. The death card was in the future position, something that has yet to happen but is on the horizon." I explain.

"And you trust your readings?"

I nod, "They're usually spot on."

"We have to figure out what Bryan is planning. Before somebody gets hurt." Thierry murmurs before draining his cup of coffee and reaching for my hand. He smiles weakly, "true love, huh?"

# Chapter Nine

# The Fragmentalist

"After what Keiran told me you did for his headache this morning I think it's best that you spend this session working with Delia." Faye paces back and forth in front of our group in the dim candlelight of the veteran's hospital. "Delia, could you take over from here please?"

Delia nods and sits down in front of me. "As you know I'm a fragmentalist. What that means is that I can splinter or fracture myself into three complete solid, yet transparent, entities that are under my control and do my bidding. They look like three exact replicas of myself. Another thing I can do is feed off of positive energy. Think of it as what you did to Keiran this morning except in reverse. Faye told me that you possess the gifts of a fragmentalist as well."

I nod, "that's what my mother told us when she unbound my powers."

"Before we begin our exercises I have to tell you my story so you can understand where I come from. Unlike you and the others I wasn't born like this, I don't have family that can do this; I'm basically the odd duck out. I grew up in Detroit, in a bad neighborhood. When I was eleven I was struck by a stray bullet in a drive-by shooting. Everyone thought I was going to die but then this mysterious man in a fancy suit showed up. He gave me some kind of medicine in a red bottle and suddenly I was as good as new. He took me in, away from my family and taught me what I had become and how to deal with it. He also told me way back in my family line I had an aunt that disappeared near here. He insisted a big battle was coming and I needed to be prepared. So now I will help prepare you. Are you ready?"

I nod and we both get to our feet; standing about six feet away from each other. Delia tells me to relax my arms and shake out my fingers. We both do it in unison and I can feel the power all the way to my fingertips.

"When you're ready concentrate on replicating your entire body into three perfect copies; I like to think of it as trying on clothes at a store and looking at yourself in a set of three mirrors."

In my third eye chakra I visualize my reflections standing in front of me the way Delia suggested. They shimmer into existence a mere foot in front of me.

"Good, now practice manifesting and dispelling them until you get the hang of it," Delia praises me.

Together we manifest and dispel our reflections, or ghosts, as Delia calls them until I can do it in barely the blink of an eye.

"Why are yours blue and mine pink?" I ask when we join the others for a quick break. Thierry and Sam are discussing strategy while playing chess on Sam's tablet and Arianthe and Keiran are making out in a corner.

Delia shrugs, "everyone's ghosts come in different colors, that's just the way it is, just like everyone looks different"

"So what's next?" I ask as I open a bottle of water and take a long drag.

"Now I teach you how to feed off of positive energy," Delia smirks. "I'll only be teaching you how to suck power out of lights and electronics but it's the same process for taking energy out of people. But I warn you, that's only to be done in extreme cases, like if your life is being threatened."

Delia spends the next hour teaching me how to drain energy out of everything from Arianthe's cellphone to a lantern Sam brought for extra light. It's a lot like a vacuum. By the time the hour is over I'm exhausted but I'm now an expert at the power of the fragmentalist.

I sink into the comfort of Thierry's arms as Faye claps her hands to get everyone's attention. "Now that Lizette has perfected being a fragmentalist I think her next lesson should focus on her succubus power. Is that alright with you, Arianthe?"

Arianthe claps her hands together in excitement, "Excellent. This will be so much fun."

Faye looks at her silently before shaking her head, "Keiran, Thierry, the girls will need your assistance, so rest up tonight."

The guys nod in understanding and we disband for the night. I yawn and curl into Thierry's side. "I'm so tired," I announce to nobody in particular.

"Do you need me to carry you to the car?" Thierry asks suggestively as he kisses my neck. I laugh and hit him weakly on the shoulder as Sam walks up to us.

"Delia is too wiped out to drive so I'm going to give her a lift home. Can you make sure Lizette gets home safely?" Sam asks Thierry.

"Sure thing," Thierry assures him before hoisting me over his shoulder. "Let's go home beautiful."

I laugh and beg him to put me down all the way back to his car. Some time on the ride home I fall asleep.

I managed to stir long enough for Thierry to pull me from the car and carry me upstairs to my bedroom. I crawl into bed fully dressed and watch as Thierry slides in beside me.

He pulls me to his chest as I yawn and murmur, "You probably won't want to be this close to me after tomorrow night."

"I'll take my chances," Thierry assures me as I drift back off to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next morning when Thierry drops me off outside school I glance around quickly before striding up to the outer wall of the school hoping that the brick building cuts off some of the brisk morning chill. Arianthe and Keiran are nowhere to be seen so I settle in to wait for them.

While I'm playing a game on my phone I sense someone approaching me. I look up sharply and come face to face with Luke Stephens, the werewolf I met the night I was introduced to the Eternals. I haven't seen him since that first night in the clearing so I have no idea what to expect.

"Hi," He murmurs softly; awkwardly.

"Hi," I reply cautiously.

"I'm Luke," He begins as he offers me his hand.

"I know," I nod as I shake his hand slowly.

We stare at each other in silence for a few minutes. I study him closely, taking him in for the first time since I met him. His messy brown hair is wet and curls up around the collar of his black short sleeve t-shirt. I can't help but wonder if he's cold. I glance up at his pale blue eyes as his pupils dilate in response. He shakes his head and looks down, breaking the connection as he rubs at the beard growing on his chin. I guess it's a requirement of being a werewolf to be extra hairy even when they're not in their wolf form.

Just as Luke is about to say something Angelo ambles up to us and interrupts whatever Luke was about to say.

"Hey Lizette," Angelo greets me eagerly.

I roll my eyes and respond with a chilly "hello."

"I was wondering if I could walk you to class," Angelo bounces on the balls of his feet with enthusiasm.

"I'm waiting for my friends," I tell him firmly.

His face falls for a minute then brightens again, "that's okay; I'll see you soon."

Luke and I watch him as he walks awkwardly away. His gait is unsteady; clumsy.

"Friend of yours?" Luke raises his eyebrow questioningly.

I shake my head, "We used to hang out behind his girlfriend's back and we went out once but he doesn't seem to understand that I'm just not that into him."

Luke laughs, but the sound dies on his lips as he glances up and sees Angelo studying us from the entryway to the school.

"If I didn't know better I'd think he was..." Luke scratches his chin in thought.

"You'd think what?" I prompt when he trails off.

Luke shakes his head, "It's nothing. Look, I just wanted to come by and tell you to be careful. Bryan projects this image of being there for us but he's a power hungry fiend. If he offers to show you what being an Eternal is all about refuse him."

I narrow my eyes, "Why are you telling me this? I thought you two were friends."

"I don't really do the whole friends thing. I'm more of a lone wolf." He smirks at his play on words.

"My mother is teaching me how to be what I am so I don't need anyone's help." I lie as I think back to what Sam and Thierry said about Luke possibly being Bryan's minion. If Luke is reporting back to Bryan he'll only be giving false information.

"It must be nice having parents to teach you the ropes," Luke murmurs so softly that I nearly miss his words.

"Didn't your parents help you when you first found out?" I inquire, fishing for his backstory. I don't expect what he's about to tell me.

Luke grimaces, "I was found in the woods when I was a week old. My parents were never found so I was placed in foster care. I just aged out of the system last month so my latest foster family tossed me out on the street."

"I'm sorry," I tell him sincerely as I touch his forearm. As I do electricity pulses through me where we're joined and flashes of his life begin to flit over my eyes. I wince as the horrifying images of abusive foster parents and decrepit homes pass through my vision only to be replaced with private scenes. In one he's arguing with a girl who's telling him he's a loser who'll never be good enough for her. In another he's sitting in a private investigator's office as the investigator tells him that there's nothing he can do to find his parents because the trail has gone cold. The vision shifts as I see him drawing someone; a girl. Her features are blank seeming as if he's unsure of what her face should look like. Finally, I see him arguing with Bryan as Bryan tells him that he will ruin him and that he will never be half the creature he could be without his help.

Luke pulls his arm back in embarrassment. "Promise me you'll be careful?" His intense stare burns into my soul.

"I promise," I whisper.

He nods and begins to walk away. I can't help feeling I'm losing something important as I watch his retreating form.

# Chapter Ten

# Take My Breath Away

Just like the day before, every time I come out of class I find Angelo waiting for me. He's not even supposed to be in this section of the school since we don't have any of the same classes.

The last time I see him is a few minutes after the final bell rings. I stare at him in shock because sometime in the time between this morning and this exact moment his looks have changed drastically. He looks like a walking corpse. His skin is pale and waxy looking and he just sort of stumbles wherever he walks.

"Maybe he caught a disease from Freakazoid," Julie speculates loudly as she points to me.

I roll my eyes and choose to ignore her as I reach into my locker for my book bag. On the shelf where my textbooks are stacked I grab hold of something crunchy. I yank my hand back quickly as dozens of dead cockroaches fall out of my locker.

Arianthe, who has just joined me at my locker shrieks loudly and begins ripping her fingers through her hair checking for bugs.

Julie's smug expression confirms who is responsible for the bugs, "That's what you get for messing with my boyfriend." She glares at me before shoving into my shoulder as hard as she can as she passes by me.

Keiran reassures Arianthe that she's bug free as I grab my bag and slam my locker shut so hard I can feel the vibration. When I look at the spot where I last saw Angelo standing he's vanished. He and Julie had probably planned the whole scene. I guess there's nothing like a dumb jock scorned.

As I follow a still panicked Arianthe and Keiran to the car I swear I see a small gray wolf peering at me from around the trunk of a tree at the edge of the schoolyard but in the blink of an eye it's gone; if it was ever there to begin with.

XXXXXXXXXX

Keiran, Arianthe, and I are the first ones to arrive at our meeting spot so Arianthe begins to set up the candles as Keiran sits down to rest for what's to come.

Within twenty minutes all seven of us stand in a half circle in the dim candlelight.

"When you look at it this way its kind of romantic," Sam teases Thierry who groans nervously.

Faye smiles deviously as she gleefully asks, "Shall we begin?"

"First of all, you guys have to drink this," Arianthe hands Keiran and Thierry each a glass of dark red liquid.

"What is it?" Thierry eyes the liquid hesitantly.

"It's something my aunt mixed up to keep you from dying during this lesson," Arianthe explains.

"Oh," Thierry replies bleakly before downing the elixir like a shot.

Arianthe turns to me and hands me a steaming mug of the special tea her aunt makes for her. "Once you have drank this things will not be as they were. This tea will, in your case, awaken your succubus power but it will also curb your appetite so you don't do any real damage to Thierry. From now on you'll have to drink this tea once daily to maintain control of your urges.

I nod to show her I understand and take a sip of the tea. My mouth puckers at the taste but Arianthe urges me on, "I know it tastes awful but you'll get used to it. You have to drink it all."

I drain the mug as fast as I can. As soon as the last drop drips down my throat I feel a strange need coursing through my body.

Arianthe smiles at me knowingly, "Welcome to my world." To the guys she adds, "We're going to start with the mind control of the succubae power."

Keiran nods at her confidently while Thierry pales and mutters the word "great" under his breath.

"Lizette, I want you to reach out to Thierry's mind and take over control," Arianthe instructs me.

Warily I put all of my focus on Thierry. Involuntarily my brain seems to know just what to do.

"Thierry, surrender yourself to me. I control you now," My mind whispers to his as I breach his brain. I can feel him accepting me inside as his gaze goes blank.

"That's good," Arianthe assures me. She sounds miles away as she says, "Now instruct him to do something. We have to make sure you have complete control for future reference."

I think for a minute before urging Thierry telepathically, "throw that chair against the wall." I point to a wood dining chair pulled up tight against the cafeteria wall.

Thierry doesn't even flinch as he picks up the chair and hurls it at the opposite wall where it splinters into a million pieces. Less than a second later the room begins to shake as Arianthe telepathically instructs Keiran to start an earthquake. It ends as soon as it begins.

"Good job Lizette, now release Thierry," Arianthe tells me as she releases Keiran.

"Thierry, I release you to make your own choices," I murmur telepathically to Thierry as I extricate myself from his mind.

Thierry begins to blink rapidly as he looks around. "What just happened?"

"You just went all Incredible Hulk on us," Sam laughs as he claps Thierry on the shoulder.

"And we're not done yet so back off Sam," Arianthe warns.

"What's next?" I ask nervously; imagining all of the possible things she could ask me to do.

"We're going to practice taking some energy from the guys." Arianthe beams at Keiran.

"How will we do that?" I inquire.

"With a kiss," Arianthe replies simply as she beckons Keiran forward with the crook of her finger. She pulls him down and presses her lips to his. The rest of us watch in awe as Arianthe drags a white ball of pure energy from Keiran's face to hers. When she pulls away from the kiss she's glowing.

"Your turn," Arianthe tells me as she hands Keiran another glass filled with the red elixir to replenish his lost energy.

I slowly walk over and come to a stop in front of Thierry. I wrap my arms around Thierry's neck and ask, "Are you ready?"

Thierry smirks down at me, "it's just another kiss, love."

He lowers his mouth to mine. The second our lips meet I hear the howling of a wolf pounding against my eardrums. The kiss is brief as I fight the urge to suck up much of Thierry's energy as I can.

We break apart as the main door of the old V.A. home slams open against the wall and the gray wolf I glimpsed earlier trots in carrying a human arm in its mouth. The wolf drops the arm at my feet before running into the hallway out of view. We all hold our breath as Luke stalks back into the cafeteria in his human form.

"I was right," He announces as he picks up the arm he had left at my feet.

"Right about what?" Thierry tenses beside me as he crosses his arms over his broad chest.

"I was right about Jock Boy at the high school; the one that was angling for your attention this morning Lizette," Luke replies, talking about Angelo.

I look down at the arm in disgust, "so you chewed his arm off?"

Luke rolls his eyes at me. "It fell off. He's turning into a zombie."

Arianthe gasps, "Oh no, my lesson came too late, Lizette!"

Luke rolls his eyes at Arianthe this time, "Lizette didn't turn him into a zombie; I think he's under Bryan's thrall."

"What?" My mouth drops open in shock.

Sam moves around me to talk to Luke, "Are you sure?"

Luke nods stoically, "Bryan is building an army of zombies. I think he turned Angelo because he saw his connection to Lizette and wanted to keep tabs on her. I guess he didn't plan on Lizette losing interest in Angelo and avoiding him like the plague. It's a shame, he's decomposing so rapidly."

"He can't have more than a day or two left," Keiran speculates as he comes to stand beside Sam.

"And then he'll be no more than a shell for Bryan to call up at his will." Luke agrees.

"Are you guys not realizing the bigger problem? Once he's a full-on zombie he'll start craving brains, and I wonder who he'll come after first." Delia runs her hands up and down her arms anxiously.

I laugh sarcastically, "That only happens on The Walking Dead."

"You never know! I've never encountered a zombie before, have you?" Delia whimpers at the thought.

"Enough," Thierry silences her before turning to Luke and wrapping an arm around my waist possessively. "What I want to know is how you found us here tonight; and how do we know that you're not going to report everything you hear tonight back to Bryan."

"I followed Lizette, Keiran, and Arianthe from the school. Lizette isn't as good of a liar as she thinks she is," Luke smirks at me before continuing. "As far as Bryan goes I wouldn't help him in his quest for ultimate power even if he forced me to."

"So why are you here; to help us?" Faye pipes up.

"I have my reasons," Luke replies vaguely. Even though he's not looking at me the sound of his voice sends a shiver down my spine.

"Care to share some of those reasons?" Thierry asks as he narrows his eyes.

Luke snorts at him, "Now why would I tell you that?"

Sam puts his hands between the two guys in an effort to gain peace. To Thierry he says, "Chill out man, I trust Luke. I asked him to stay close to Bryan so we could keep track of what he's planning."

"Wait, Thierry, weren't you in charge of talking to Luke in the first place? You said that you thought he was under Bryan's thumb but you 'knew how to handle him'." I look up at Thierry questioningly.

Thierry glares at Luke as he says, "I changed my mind."

Luke smirks at Thierry causing Sam to explain, "Luke is a valuable asset to us so I took it upon myself to talk to him. The reason he hasn't been part of our group before is because that was all part of our plan to keep track of Bryan. Luke was our mole."

"Exactly, that way if any of you encountered me when Bryan was around you wouldn't mess up the plan. That's spy 101." Luke turns to me, "Besides princess, before tonight I wasn't sure how much you knew," the corner of Luke's mouth quirks up when I scowl at him for calling me "princess."

"So what do we know now? Does Bryan know what we're planning?" Faye asks as she entwines her arm through Sam's. Keiran gives her room by joining Arianthe on the floor. Behind me Thierry paces tensely. Delia glares up at him from her seat for blocking her view.

Luke's teasing expression turns serious, "He doesn't suspect anything yet but he feels something coming. That's why he's creating an army. Sam's hunch was right when he thought that Desiree was in deep in all this. He calls her his 'Dark Queen'. Whether he sees her as an equal or he's just using her is unknown, but she's just as dangerous as he is."

"Lizette has to finish learning all of her gifts and abilities as quickly as possible and all of us have to be watching our backs at all times." Sam muses as Faye bobs her head in agreement beside him.

"Somehow I don't think Lizette giving Thierry kissing lessons is going to show her how to be an effective succubus." Luke taunts Thierry, who balls his hands into fists.

"And how would you suggest I teach her what to do, Luke?" Arianthe snaps.

"Are you forgetting that we all saw you and Keiran last Beltane? How you joined together in the middle of the circle?" Luke wags his eyebrows suggestively.

"What Thierry and Lizette choose to practice in their private time is solely their business. We'll stick to kissing for the sake of these lessons." Arianthe laughs as Keiran blushes faintly.

Faye shakes her head, causing her pink hair to fly around wildly, "I think we should call it a night. Let's allow Thierry and Keiran to rest a few days and pick our lessons back up on Saturday. Is that acceptable with everyone?"

"Yes," We all answer in unison.

"Good, now which one of you wants to go next? Thierry, would you prefer to teach Lizette shifting next or would you rather that Keiran teach Lizette to master the elements next?"

"Let Keiran go next, I think I need to rest for a few days before I shift again," Thierry tells Faye as he pulls on his jacket.

"You and Luke could both work with Lizette on shifting," Faye suggests but changes her mind quickly when she sees the look on Thierry's face, "Or maybe not."

The minute Faye dismisses us Thierry stalks out of the room angrily. Faye shoots me a sympathetic smile and runs to catch up to him.

I quickly say goodbye to the rest of the group and head to the main door. As I begin to push the door open Luke's voice drifts over me and roots me to my spot.

"Does he take your breath away the way you take mine?" It's spoken in a tone barely louder than a whisper but his words burrow under my skin.

I turn around but Luke has already shifted into his wolf form. He rubs his head against my leg as he passes by me.

"Werewolves," Delia rolls her eyes as she joins me in the lobby of the abandoned building, "they think they're such rebels. I personally can't stand their kind, but I wouldn't let him get to you."

I nod silently as we head out into the parking lot. When I reach Thierry's car I can already tell he's fuming by the way his fingers are tightly laced around the steering wheel.

"Why didn't you tell me he had come to your school?" Thierry bites out.

"There wasn't any time. I didn't see you after school and you were the last one to arrive tonight," I explain as I try to place a reassuring hand on Thierry's shoulder. He shrugs me off roughly.

"You still should have pulled me aside and told me," Thierry glares out into the dark night.

"I still don't see what the big deal is," I murmur softly.

"I just don't like Luke. It's a pack mentality thing; you wouldn't understand." Thierry mutters as he starts the car.

"You're a shifter, he's a werewolf. It's not the same thing."

We don't say anything else on the ride home. When we get back to my house Thierry bolts from the car to avoid talking to me. I slam the door to Thierry's car and head into the house just as Sam pulls into the yard. I wave to him briefly before pulling open the screen door.

My room is empty when I flip on the overhead light. I undress quickly and crawl into bed alone. A few minutes later I hear Sam come upstairs and start a hushed conversation with Thierry in Sam's bedroom. I fall asleep to the gentle lull of their conversation as I try to push away the thought of the gray wolf with mischievous blue eyes probably prowling around in the woods somewhere.

# Chapter Eleven

# Playing With Fire

The next two days pass in a blur of school and practicing the skills I've already learned. Thierry comes and goes from the house but insists that for the time being its best if Sam takes over working with me. He still hasn't forgiven me for not telling him about my conversation with Luke.

My mother works with me in between her shifts at the hospital, showing me how to heal people and move things around telekinetically.

I drag myself downstairs to the kitchen on Saturday morning still exhausted from the night before.

My dad is sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. I collapse onto the seat next to him and yawn loudly.

"Did you have a bad night of sleep?" My dad asks as I set my ghosts loose on the kitchen to gather myself something for breakfast.

I shake my head, "I slept fine, just not enough."

I cast my senses to the rest of the house and find it empty. "Where is everyone?" I ask.

"Your mother is at the hospital. One of her patients went into labor so she won't be back until tonight and Sam went into town to meet Luke. He said it wasn't a good idea for Luke to come to the house because Thierry and Luke are butting heads over a certain daughter of mine." My father lets me digest the last part for a few minutes as he sips his coffee.

I run my fingers over the scarred kitchen table and sigh tiredly, "Guys suck, Dad."

He laughs heartily, "We're not all bad."

"I don't even know what I did wrong that Thierry is so mad at me about," I groan.

"Guys are a bit like dogs," He pauses when I burst out laughing. When I calm down he continues, "Especially shifter boys. What is Thierry's favorite thing to shift into?"

"A German Shepard," I pause in thought, "or sometimes an owl; it depends on the situation.

"Exactly, and a German Shepard is like a wolf. They're very possessive and protective when they believe something or someone is theirs. They don't like other dogs, or in this case other guys, sniffing around what belongs to them," My dad explains.

"Dad!" I groan loudly as heat spreads across my face.

My dad grins, "I'm just explaining to you how it is, sweetheart. I've met both Thierry and Luke and while I know Luke has had a much harder life that Thierry, I think they're both fine boys. All that matters is how you feel in here," he tells me, tapping his finger over his heart. He pats my hand reassuringly as he gets up to rinse out his cup of coffee.

He leaves me sitting at the kitchen table as he goes outside to chop wood and clean the yard.

XXXXXXXXXX

That night on the ride over to our meeting place I grab Thierry's hand off the gearshift and lace my fingers through his. He glances over at me and brings my fingers to his lips.

"I'm sorry I was a jerk. I just saw the way Luke was looking at you and I got jealous. Can you forgive me?" Thierry bites his lip nervously as he looks at me.

I smile slightly and nod, "I forgive you."

"Good," Thierry smiles back at me.

When we walk into the abandoned V.A. home's vast cafeteria I'm shocked to see all of the tables, chairs, and benches are gone. In the center of each of the four walls are items representing the four elements; a pot of dirt for earth, an incense burner for air, a bucket filled with fresh water, and a large candle for fire.

Keiran smiles at Thierry and I as we walk in hand in hand, "this is going to be fun."

Faye captures our group's attention by clapping her hands, "For everyone's safety I suggest that everyone not involved in tonight's session please sit against one of the walls. Keiran, you may begin."

Keiran and I meet in the middle of the room. He looks over at Faye and whispers to me conspiratorially, "Who died and made her leader of this group?"

I laugh as Faye calls out, "I heard that!"

Keiran clears his throat, "Okay so I'm going to help you learn to control and manipulate the elements. Which element do you connect with the most?"

I run through the elements in my head. I'm an earth sign, but fire has always drawn me to it, the way it dances and devours. "Fire speaks to me," I tell Keiran.

"Excellent, I knew we had something in common. We'll start there," Keiran nods happily as he leads me to the southern facing wall. On the floor are a thick red candle and a bunch of ceramic pieces. The candle sputters to life at Keiran's will as I glance between the pottery and Keiran questioningly. He catches my look and shrugs, "I got a little backlogged at work. I figured you wouldn't mind helping me. First we need to get you connected to the element of fire. Stare into the flame, meditate, and then visualize the fire flowing through you into your hands."

I meditate on the candle until I begin to feel the flames flickering through my body. I look down and see balls of fire encasing my hands. I look up at Keiran in awe and he smiles back encouragingly, "Now grab one of the pieces of pottery and turn it in your hands until it feels smooth and shiny."

We each grab a piece and begin firing them side by side. We fire piece after piece until there aren't any more. "Now I'll show you how to conjure lightning. All you have to do is visualize it striking down."

I close my eyes and visualize bolts of lightning touching down in the cafeteria. When I open my eyes bolt after bolt come down through the ceiling and scorch the cement floor. Each one comes off effortlessly except one which sends the rest of the group scattering as Sam douses the flames with a fire extinguisher.

"That was so cool!" Thierry yells as he fist bumps the air.

I blush, but Keiran urges me on as he teaches me to control each of the other elements. By the end of our session I've mastered all the elements and can call up lightning, thunderstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes at will.

Exhausted from the physical and mental exertion I collapse into Thierry's waiting embrace when Sam calls us over for a discussion.

We sit in a circle as Sam begins, "Luke and I met up this morning and we think that whatever Bryan is planning will start to go into effect between Halloween, or Samhain to those of us that are witches, and the first week of November. As you know that's when the veil between our world and the spirit world is at its thinnest. That's a necromancer's paradise. We have to try to be ready by then."

"That's only three and a half weeks from now," Delia reminds him, looking worried.

"Don't worry, I know that with all of our powers combined we can beat Bryan," Sam reassures her. He nods over at me, "Lizette has mastered most of her gifts so she'll be an excellent secret weapon."

I nod in agreement as Sam and the others continue to discuss how to stay on guard and rested at the same time. As Thierry presses a kiss to my forehead and tells me to rest I can feel Luke's gaze boring into me longingly. My eyes flick open and lock with his. We stare at each other for a long moment before Luke tears his gaze away and refocuses on Sam, pretending to be engrossed in his plans.

I zone out for the rest of the meeting and it isn't until Thierry shakes me out of my thoughts that I realize that everyone else has already left. He offers me his hand, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, sorry; I didn't mean to zone out." I let him help me to my feet.

"Its okay, you practiced a lot of new stuff tonight, I understand. Are you tired or do you want to go sit down by the cemetery before I take you home?" Thierry asks as he laces his fingers through mine and leads me out to his car.

As we step into the parking lot I spot Luke leaning against a shiny black motorcycle. When he sees me with Thierry he yanks his helmet onto his head and tears away on his bike. The roar of the motorcycle is deafening as he speeds down the street.

I turn back to Thierry and say, "let's go to the cemetery."

Thierry stands rooted to the spot watching tensely as Luke's motorcycle disappears into the darkness. Finally he glances down at me and allows me to steer him back to his truck.

By the time Thierry parks the truck in front of the cemetery he's back to a more relaxed mood. We get out and climb over the wall surrounding the cemetery. Thierry sits down in front of a large rectangular headstone and pulls me down beside him. I rest my head against his shoulder and wait for the ghosts to appear.

One by one ghostly men and women float up from their graves and begin their ghostly waltzes and minuets. "I'll never get used to that," I murmur as I burrow against Thierry's sweatshirt for warmth.

"Are you cold?" He asks as he wraps his arms around me.

"A little," I admit as I breathe in the familiar scent of pumpkin pie spice.

"I'll keep you warm," Thierry assures me as he kisses me deeply. He pulls me closer as I slide my fingers under his heavy sweatshirt. I feel him shiver as I flatten my fingers against his hard abs.

"You're so warm," I laugh against his lips. We kiss for a long time and when we finally pull apart I take a long ragged breath.

"Feel warmer now?" Thierry asks jokingly.

Before I can respond I hear a loud groan coming from somewhere behind me. Thierry's eyes widen as I whip around and catch sight of Angelo, or what's let of him, tripping across the cemetery.

"Oh my god," I gasp as I cover my mouth with my hands.

Thierry urgently tugs on the back of my shirt, "Come on, we have to get out of here!"

I scramble to get up as Angelo stumbles forward, his remaining decomposing arm gripping the tops of headstones as he pulls himself along. Thierry grabs my hand tightly as we run back to his car. I make the mistake of glancing back over my shoulder at Angelo. He seems to disintegrate right in front of my eyes but when I turn back around Angelo's rotting corpse rematerializes less than a few feet in front of Thierry and I.

Thierry comes to a screeching halt, "What the hell?" He gasps in shock.

"Did you know he could do that?" I ask as I wrap my hand around his bicep tightly.

"Definitely not," Thierry shakes his head as he begins to pull me in a different direction. As I pass dangerously close to Angelo he reaches out for me, "Lizette," He croaks out, dragging out the last syllable of my name.

I raise my hand toward him and a pink ball of light crackles off the tips of my fingers. It hits Angelo square in the chest as he sinks to the ground with a final painful groan.

"Is he dead?" I ask as I watch Angelo for signs of movement. Thierry goes over to inspect Angelo carefully. After poking at him for a few minutes Thierry motions for me to join him.

"You pretty much shot a hole right through him," Thierry tells me as he pulls aside Angelo's tattered t-shirt to reveal a large gaping hole in the center of Angelo's chest.

"I-I-I didn't mean to," I stammer as tears sting my eyes. I stare at Angelo's corpse sadly. I used to think he was the hottest guy in school but his looks had been destroyed in under two days; reducing him to the twisted creature lying at my feet. His hair had become dull and dirty and his eyes had lost all color so they now resembled empty black pits of nothingness. What was left of his formerly perfect skin had turned an ashy gray.

Thierry looks up from inspecting Angelo and sees me staring at him blindly. He quickly gets to his feet and pulls me into his arms blocking my view of Angelo. "You don't need to see that," he murmurs into my hair as he guides me over to his car. "I'll call Sam and we'll dispose of the body properly. I want you to take my car and go straight home. Sam will give me a ride back."

"I killed him," I whisper as Thierry presses his keys into the palm of my hand.

He looks down at me sympathetically, "he would have killed us both if you hadn't stopped him."

"What will you do with him now?" I ask hollowly.

"Sam and I will burn the corpse and pour salt over the ashes. That way he won't be able to rise again," Thierry explains. "Go home sweetie, I'll be there with you soon."

I nod numbly as I manage to crawl into the driver's seat. I fumble to get the keys in the ignition and by some miracle I finally get the car started. Thierry smiles at me reassuringly as I pull away from the curb.

I manage to make it to the bottom of the hill before I start to cry. I pull onto the side of the road as loud shaky sobs rack my body. Angelo is dead and I killed him. Even though he probably would have died within hours or days I still feel responsible. If he had never tried to get involved with me he'd still be alive.

I sit in Thierry's car crying for almost fifteen minutes before I get control of myself. I wipe my eyes one more time before getting back on the road and driving home.

The woods seem ominous tonight; dangerous and threatening. I zoom through the trees and into the clearing surrounding the house. With no moon or other light to guide me I hustle into the pitch darkness.

As soon as I step foot onto the porch the porch light flicks on and my father rips open the inner house door.

He stares through me into the darkness. Before I can ask him what is wrong a loud shrieking pierces through the otherwise silent night.

I cover my ears to block the sound but it's no use, the sound thrums against my eardrums. "What is that noise?" I shout as loudly as I can, hoping that my father can hear me over the keening. Something about the noise makes me want to join in the sorrowful screaming.

"It's the wail of a banshee, get into the house immediately." My father grabs me by the arm and pulls me inside as he shoves me into the dining room and locks the front door behind him.

My mother comes downstairs as lights begin to flick on in every room. "Where are Sam and Thierry?" She asks breathlessly.

"They had to deal with a zombie problem in town, they'll be home soon." I quickly fill her in on the night's events as my father continues to search the darkness for an intruder.

"I want you to go upstairs. Your father and I will wait for the boys to get here." My mother places a comforting hand on my back.

"But-" I begin before my mother hushes me.

"No buts, you have had enough excitement for one night. Go upstairs and get some rest. We have a lot to do in the morning." She ushers me to the staircase.

My eyes begin to droop halfway up the staircase as I briefly wonder if my mother put a sleeping spell on me like she used to do when I was a child. I'm asleep when my head falls onto the pillow.

# Chapter Twelve

# The Family Ghost

I wake up nearly four hours later. As I look around my room bleary eyed for what might have caused me to wake up I spot my phone vibrating on my bedside table. I reach over and pull up the new text message that is eagerly waiting for me. It's from Luke.

"Can you meet me out in the clearing? I need to see you," his message asks.

I furrow my eyebrows and type back, "Is it safe?"

Luke responds quickly, "I'll keep you safe."

I snort quietly as I peer over at Thierry's face. He remains asleep as I slide out of bed and pull on some clothes. I bite my lip nervously before texting Luke one last time, "I'm on my way."

As I enter the hallway I cast a cloaking spell that my mother taught me. If anyone were to come out into the hall it would appear empty. Before I close my bedroom door I fracture off one of my ghosts and bid it off to my bed in case Thierry wakes up. I cross my fingers that it holds up until I return.

I manage to slip out the front door undetected. I scan my surroundings before bounding into the woods. My feet travel the haphazard path as if by memory and before I know it I'm stepping into the clearing.

Luke is crouching over a small fire warming his hands. "Hey," I greet him, catching his attention.

He straightens to his full height and crosses the clearing, "I heard what happened. Are you alright?" Genuine concern floods his features.

I nod slowly, "I think I'm still in shock but for right now I'll pretend it never happened."

"You did what you had to do," Luke tells me as he stares firmly into my eyes.

"That's what everyone keeps telling me." I smile grimly, "so what did you ask me to meet you here for? I doubt it was just to see how I was doing."

"Are you sure about that?" Luke asks, causing me to raise my eyebrows doubtfully. He smiles mischievously, "I thought we could practice shifting and we could go for a run together."

"Seriously?" I ask as I try to mask my excitement.

"Yes seriously, it'll be fun." Luke eggs me on.

"Okay, what do I have to do?"

"Pick something you can picture easily in your head, then once you have it undress and chant the words 'Unleash the animal in me'. Once the transformation begins just go with it," Luke tells me.

"Are you sure this isn't just a way for you to see me naked?" I joke.

"Believe me, if that's all this was then I'd just drop the pretense," Luke replies smugly. "If it will make you feel more comfortable I'll turn around."

I bite back a laugh as Luke turns his back to me and covers his eyes with his hand. I put all the teasing aside and visualize the animal I want to shift into until the image is seared into my mind. I quickly undress in the chilly night air.

"Unleash the animal in me, Unleash the animal in me, Unleash the animal in me..." I begin to chant as I feel the air change around me. The wind changes, stirring the leaves in the clearing into a funnel shaped vacuum.

I scream out in pain as the transformation takes hold. My limbs bend and crack in unimaginable ways as I sink to all fours on the ground. My ears grow and come to a point as thick black fur covers my entire body.

Sensing my transformation is complete Luke turns back around, "it'll be easier the next time, now that you know what to expect..." he drifts off as he stares down at me in shock. "A lynx? Of all the animals in the world you could have chosen you chose a lynx?"

I nod my head gracefully. He smiles slightly and shakes his head, "you amaze me a little more every day."

Luke backs up as he takes off his jacket and pulls his t-shirt over his head. I study Luke's chest. Where Thierry is all hard angles and muscles Luke is softer. His abs aren't as defined as Thierry's are and his has a sprinkling of dark hair on his pecs that trails down his stomach and disappears into the waistband of his jeans.

I tilt my head to the side as Luke catches me staring, "I'll be right back. I'm just going to go change in the trees over there and then we'll go for a run."

A few minutes later he trots over to me in his wolf form, "Ready to go?" he asks as his voice pops into my head.

"Yes," I reply telepathically.

"Good, just stay with me and you'll be fine," he nods his head at me before turning around. We run out of the clearing heading east. We meet each other step for step, completely in sync with one another. The run feels amazing as the wind blows over my fur. Luke turns to make sure I'm keeping pace with him periodically and it almost feels like he's smiling at me. We run and run, I'm not even sure how far we go.

I'm having so much fun that I'm disappointed when Luke comes to a stop and his voice comes into my head once more, "We should head back before someone realizes that you're gone and comes looking for you."

"Do we have to go back already?" I ask as a low whine slips through my lips.

I can feel Luke's sarcastic smile even though the wolf's features don't give anything away, "We wouldn't want lover boy to worry, would we?"

I shake my head and we take off running for the clearing. When we get back we're relieved to find the clearing as empty as it was when we left. Luke shifts back first and rejoins me beside the fire fully dressed. He explains the easiest way for me to shift back before leaving the clearing to retrieve my clothes.

I visualize my human form until my bones begin to crack and reassemble and my fur turns back into pale, ivory skin. I collapse tiredly onto my back on the grassy floor of the clearing.

Luke tosses my clothes on top of me and turns around so I can get dressed, "did you have fun?"

"I've never experienced anything like it," I reply honestly as I pull on my clothes. "It was amazing."

"I'm glad you had a good time," Luke tells me as I stand up and he turns around to face me. "I still can't believe you chose to shift into a lynx."

"Why not?" I cock my head to the side.

Luke shrugs, "It's just unusual; that's all."

"I'm an unusual kind of girl," I joke as I pull my inky black hair up into a ponytail.

"I've noticed," Luke murmurs taking a step closer to me. He stares at my lips intensely. I look up at him questioningly as I wet my lips. He groans softly and dips his head down, kissing me urgently. At first I'm shocked but then I feel myself giving in and kissing him back just as eagerly. The kiss seems to last an eternity before I finally come to my senses.

I pull away and take a few steps back, "that shouldn't have happened," I say weakly.

Luke gives me a long heavy-lidded stare. I can feel the emotion pouring out of that gaze as he says, "If it wasn't supposed to happen then why did it feel so natural?"

I look away, "I can't do this. I just started seeing Thierry and I really care about him. I shouldn't have come."

I turn to leave as a blue glow materializes out of the ground at the edge of the clearing. I feel Luke step up beside me defensively as the ghost of a woman forms in front of us.

I gasp in shock because the woman floating in front of us is the same one I saw both on the night I discovered the Eternals and the night of the first meeting at the V.A. hospital. And she looks a frightening amount like me.

She smiles at me warmly, "Hello Lizette." She has a strong Irish accent.

"Who are you?" I ask. Beside me Luke crosses his arms.

"I'm your great-cousin many times removed. My name is Siobhan, and my father Jacob built the house you now live in." The girl informs me.

"You were part of the original Eternals!" The pieces click into place. "Can you tell me what happened and how you were killed?" I ask excitedly.

Siobhan shakes her head sadly, "That I can't tell; it's against the rules. I've come here to tell you that the other lost ones and myself are watching over you and when the time comes we will fight alongside you. Don't give up."

She gives me one last encouraging smile as she begins to fade away. "Siobhan, wait!" I reach out as the last of her essence fades away. I look up at Luke worriedly.

"Come on, you need to get home. I'll walk you to your door even if Thierry is sitting on the porch waiting for us." Luke insists as he leads me down the path back to the house.

"I spelled the house and everyone inside it," I murmur faintly. "That was my... I don't even know what, great cousin right? I've never seen the ghost of a family member before."

"I've never seen a ghost before at all so I'm sure you've got me beat on that one," Luke tries to lighten the mood. He pauses for a minute as he thinks over the first part of my comment. "Did you just say you spelled the entire house?"

"Yes, I had to. I obviously didn't want anyone to catch me sneaking out," I reply.

"So Thierry doesn't know you're out right now? How did you get that past him?" Luke asks curiously.

"I left one of my ghosts with him," I explain as a yawn slips past my lips.

"So you are a fragmentalist too? Is there anything you can't do?" I can hear the awe in his voice.

"According to my mother I'm a freak of nature that possesses the talents of each one of the Eternals. Didn't Sam tell you?"

Luke shakes his head, "Does that mean you are a banshee and a necromancer too?"

I think for a minute, "You know what? I'm not really sure. It's a really strong possibility though. I felt the strongest urge to start screaming when I heard the banshee, Desiree probably, screaming out in the woods when I got home earlier."

"You know what this means don't you?" Luke asks as we reach the edge of the yard. I shake my head. "It means that we'll have to find someone to teach you how to use the summoning powers a necromancer uses. I'll text Sam about it when I find shelter for the night. Will you be okay getting to the house from here?"

"I'll be fine," I assure him as I start towards the house. I turn back to him when I get to the bottom of the porch stairs. "Be careful," I whisper-shout across the yard.

"You too," Luke replies before disappearing into the thicket of trees.

I rush into the house, re-locking the door behind me before creeping quietly up to my room. As I'm sliding back into bed beside Thierry I release all of the bindings I had placed on the house and my family. Thierry turns over briefly and pulls me close to him. I breathe in his familiar scent and try to fall asleep with all of the night's happenings floating through my head.

XXXXXXXXXX

When I wake up the next morning Thierry is already gone. A text is waiting for me on my phone telling me that Thierry had to go to work and that he'll see me later. I flop back against the pillows as a tentative knock comes from my bedroom door.

"Come in!" I groan as I turn over and bury my face in my pillow.

"Morning sleepyhead," Sam says brightly as he pushes my door open. He always has been the morning person in our family.

"Morning," I mutter in response.

"Long night?" Sam asks. He's smiling like he knows a secret. "You know, I hate to tell you what to do but next time you want to sneak out of the house to meet a guy who's not your boyfriend you might want to make sure everyone in the house is spelled before you leave."

"Oh no," I groan as I bolt upright in bed.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Luke texted me and explained why he asked you to meet him last night." Sam pats my knee as he sits down on the edge of my bed, "and I can't wait to hear all about what shifting felt like."

I scrub my hands over my face, "Do you ever wonder what the best choice is for you? I mean look at you with Delia and Faye; do you ever question which one would be better for you in the long run?"

"I generally don't like to think long term," Sam replies slowly, thinking over his word choice. "It's not really the same for me. Delia likes me and she's a nice enough girl, but we don't have anything in common. Faye, on the other hand, I have some stuff in common with and there was an attraction from the start. At the same time I wonder if I'm really interested in her or whether it's just because she's new here. I don't really think I'm the kind of guy who's supposed to have a commitment with anyone. I get bored easily. Maybe it's a family trait."

I stare down at the floor while I mull over Sam's words. "I like Thierry; he's fun to be with. He's kind and smart; he cares about what I have to say. It's just that sometimes I worry that he's confusing his feelings for me with the normal reaction to protect someone in need. I want someone who cares about me because they are interested in me and not because they think I'm some damsel in distress. This isn't medieval times we're living in. Does that make any sense?"

Sam cups my chin so I'm looking directly at him. "Listen carefully Lizette, nobody thinks of you as a weakling. You are the strongest of all of us and I want you to always remember that. I'm not sure what the depth of Thierry's feelings are for you, hell I'm not even sure he knows exactly how he feels; but I can tell you he doesn't just think of you as a damsel in distress. You just have to remember that when a guy cares about a girl his protective instincts kick in. We just can't help it. Now what's the story with Luke?"

I shake my head when Sam releases my chin. "I'm not sure what's going on with Luke. I barely know him but I feel like I've known him my entire life. He just showed up outside school the other day to warn me not to trust Bryan and as he was leaving I just got this strange feeling like I was losing something. There was just something so familiar when I was flipping through his memories. I don't know what he's up to waiting around for me and showing up at random places to see me. Maybe it's all just a game he's playing to irritate Thierry and I'm just falling for the bad boy act."

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see what happens with Luke. I know he acts tough but he's a good person underneath. In the meantime you can't keep leaving Thierry in the dark about what's going on. You need to be honest with him about your friendship, or whatever you want to call it, with Luke. It's better that way," Sam advises me.

I nod, "you're right, it's best to be open with Thierry. I just got scared after the way Thierry acted when Luke showed up at school. What's the problem between them anyway? It can't just be about me."

Sam rubs the dark stubble on his chin, "no it isn't just you they're fighting about. Luke and Thierry also have very different ideas about what should happen when this is all over. Luke thinks the Eternal creatures should come out of hiding and reveal ourselves and what we really are to the world. Thierry thinks that that would bring us a whole new set of problems."

"What do you think?" I ask curiously.

Sam is quiet for a few minutes, thoughtful. Finally he says, "I think there are pros and cons to both sides. If we reveal ourselves to the world we'd be free to live our lives in the open but who can predict how the public would react? What if they want to stick us in cages and treat us like sideshow freaks? If we stay hidden we'll always wonder 'what if' and we'll never really be free to be what we are."

"It's a catch-22," I murmur, speaking Sam's unspoken thoughts.

"Yes it is," Sam sighs. "Luke told me about everything that happened on your outing last night. The shifting, the ghost, and his theory about the other gifts you may possess. I'll talk to dad about finding you a necromancer to teach you what you need to know."

"Thank you," I say as I lean forward and pull him into a hug.

Sam pats me on the back awkwardly, "Alright, enough of this heart-to-heart touchy-feely crap. Mom wanted me to bring you downstairs so you can help her reinforce the protective spells and charms around the house and the yard. I'm going with dad to remove the negative energy and purify the clearing."

"Lizette," My mother calls up the staircase, "it's time to get up! You better not be up there slacking off, Samuel!"

"I'm up! I'm up! I'll be right down!" I call out to our mother as Sam and I share an eye roll.

# Chapter Thirteen

# My Father's Secret

"Good morning sweetheart," My mother says as I enter the kitchen. She sets a steaming cup of tea on the table for me.

"Morning," I reply tiredly. I ignore the tea and pour myself a cup of coffee instead. I sigh happily as I breathe in the delicious aroma.

"You're too young to be drinking coffee," My mother looks at my cup disapprovingly.

"I'm too young to drink tea," I say as I wrinkle my nose in distaste, "only old ladies drink tea."

"It's good for you," my mother reasons as she takes a long sip from my overlooked cup.

"So is a colon cleanse bit I'm not interested in doing that either," I retort as I cut a slice of lemon bread to go with my coffee.

"Lizette," my mother sighs in exasperation.

I catch her eye and wince, "I'm sorry mom, I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm really tired this morning."

My mother nods understandingly, "I know everything is stressful now, but it won't always be like this. Once this is all over you'll be able to be like a normal seventeen-year-old again; thinking about dances and boys and what colleges you want to apply to."

I smile at the thought, "have I ever been normal?"

My mother laughs, "I guess not."

I sit down at the table and start eating my breakfast, "so, Sam said you needed my help reinforcing the protective spells around the house and the yard."

"After how close the banshee came to the house last night we need to reaffirm our boundaries," My mother explains.

When we finish breakfast we put our coats on and head outside. Starting with the house we layer new protective spells, charms, and runes over the old ones. At each entrance to the house and around the entire perimeter of the yard we lay a thick layer of red brick dust. It was a trick my father learned from a friend of his who was a Voodoo priestess from Jamaica. Finally in every corner of the yard we plant a fresh witch's jar using blood samples from everyone in our family. The only one who put up much of a protest was Sam who didn't like needles.

By the time we're finished it's time for my mom to go to work. She runs into the house to shower and change into her scrubs just as Thierry pulls into the yard.

I wait until Thierry gets out of his car and approaches me before I rise from my seat on the front steps.

"Hey sweetie," Thierry murmurs before dipping his head to kiss me.

"Hey," I reply as I study his face. He looks so genuinely happy to see me which should make me feel good, but the guilt of last night's meeting with Luke gnaws away at me.

"You look tired," Thierry observes as we sit down on the steps together.

"I feel like I've spent the day running around like a chicken with its head chopped off," I smile up at him as I lace my fingers through his.

"I just can't believe your mother let you stay home from school," Thierry says enviously. "My parents never let me skip my school lessons when I was younger; not even when I was sick."

"Mom didn't have me excused from school," I explain, "I sent one of my ghosts instead."

"I see you're getting good use out of that gift," Thierry teases.

I smile, "it has its benefits. I just hope it managed to write down my homework assignments. I can't just show up at school tomorrow and say that I didn't know we had homework."

I look up and see Sam and my dad appearing at the edge of the yard. They quickly move across the lawn and meet Thierry and I in front of the house.

"Can I borrow Lizette for a few minutes, Thierry? It won't take long." My dad asks Thierry as Sam walks past us into the house.

"Sure, of course, Mr. Weatherly," Thierry kisses my forehead before following Sam into the house.

Once he's out of earshot my dad turns to me and says, "There's something I need to show you."

I stand up and brush some dirt off my jeans. "Is everything okay?" I ask.

"Everything is fine," He assures me as we head behind the house to the entrance to the cellar. I watch as my dad takes a key out of his pocket and opens the padlock securing the long chains that bind the cellar door. In my entire life I can't ever remember being allowed down in the cellar.

My dad leads me down the rickety wooden stairs and flicks on the overhead light. The air in the room feels strange, old and stagnant as if nobody has entered the cellar in a very long time. I gasp in shock as I scan the contents of the cellar. On each wall are floor to ceiling shelves filled with neat rows of jars. The jars are filled with powders and herbs.

"What is all this?" I ask.

My father sighs, "When I was about Sam's age I went down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras with a bunch of my friends. They were all interested in the drinking and the women willing to show themselves off for a cheap string of plastic beads. I was there for a completely different reason.

When I was growing up and my parents were teaching me about my power and how to use and control it I became obsessed with both sides of witchcraft; the light and the dark.

By the time I was in high school I was dabbling in necromancy and Voodoo. I wanted to learn how to summon the dead so I could find out what had happened to our family so I could stop it from happening again. Something went very wrong when I went to meet with a Voodoo priestess down in the Quarter. I had to call your mother, who I was dating at the time, to come and get me. She agreed to come on the condition that I never enter this world of darkness ever again. I agreed, we came home, and your mother found out she was pregnant with Sam. The rest is history."

I look around the room, seeing it now as a Voodoo workshop that is so well stocked that Marie Laveau herself would go insane with jealously just to acquire. "Does mom know you still keep this stuff down here?"

My dad nods, "I locked it away down here and I haven't been back down here since; but now it's time to dredge up the past and pass what I know on to you."

We hole up in the cellar for the rest of the afternoon. My dad pulls a stack of old leather bound books out of a secret compartment under the basement steps. I join him at a long marble table as he spreads the books out evenly. He teaches me how to use my witch power to absorb all of the information in the books.

"It's safer to just learn everything you need to know without testing it out. Attempting to summon a spirit might put a bull's eye on your back if you summon a spirit that's under Bryan's thrall," my dad explains as the knowledge held inside the books is absorbed into my fingertips.

"This could definitely come in handy when I'm doing my homework," I say in wonderment as the last book's contents are sucked up. I hold up my arm as the book's handwritten notes run over my skin like a moving tattoo before disappearing under my flesh.

My dad chuckles and says, "Don't let your mother hear you say that."

"I won't," I assure him as I run my fingers over my arm, searching for signs of any residual letters.

"How do you feel?" He asks as he studies my face.

"It's hard to explain," I say as a sudden headache blooms around my forehead, "It feels like I've eaten a large meal and I'm full except instead of food I'm filled with new information. And it's not my stomach that's full, it's my head."

My dad nods, "It's your brain's way of dealing with the flood of new information. It's rushing to catch up before the ideas are gone. You'll be fine in a few minutes. Here, come sit down on the steps with me."

I join him on the basement steps and stick my head between my knees to fight the nausea washing over me. Once it passes I ask, "So now I'll be able to do everything a necromancer can?"

"Yes, but I don't want you messing with necromancy unless it's an emergency, do you understand?" My father asks in a voice that's more serious than I've ever heard it.

"I understand."

"Good, do you feel better now?" My dad asks as he gets to his feet.

"Yeah, I feel fine," I say as I push myself up from my seat and grasp for the railing unsteadily.

My dad leads me up the stairs and out of the cellar supporting me when my legs feel like they're turning to jelly. When we step back into the backyard Thierry is waiting for me.

"Go on ahead, I have to lock up here," My dad nudges me in Thierry's direction.

"Hey, how was it?" Thierry asks when I join him by our ancient picnic table. Over by the garage a light flicks on bathing us in a glow of warm light.

"It was interesting," I tell him honestly. "It was a little tiring though."

"Man, I just can't believe that your dad is a necromancer," Thierry stares over at my dad in amazement.

"He hasn't been doing it for about twenty years, but I know what you mean. I've always thought that necromancers were dark witches who were unpredictable and dangerous. I could never think that about my dad."

"I wouldn't be able to either if it was my dad," Thierry agrees. "I actually came out here because I wanted to ask you to take a night off from training and come out with me instead."

"What did you have in mind?" I ask.

"I thought we could drive up to Munising and grab something to eat. Then maybe afterward we could drive up to the rocks." He suggests.

"That sounds fun," I smile enthusiastically.

"Good, then let's go," Thierry says as he reaches for my hand. We run over to his car to get away from the cold. When he starts the car I'm surprised that the clock on his dash reads 5:43.

"Wow, I can't believe how long I was down in the cellar with my dad," I say.

Thierry glances down at the clock and nods, "Yeah you were down there for a while. I was getting worried but Sam explained what your dad was teaching you."

We fall silent for a few minutes before Thierry changes the subject. We talk about anything and everything; movies, books, music. It feels like we're just two people out on an ordinary date and not two people with the world pressing down on our shoulders.

At the restaurant Thierry makes jokes about his professors and tells me about some of the classes he's taking while we eat our burgers. I can almost feel my worries melting away; almost.

"Have you ever been on the Pictured Rocks Boat Tour?" Thierry asks as we step out of the restaurant after dinner.

I shake my head, "no. Sam gets really sick on boats so we've only been to the sites that you can drive to. What about you?"

"Yeah, I took the boat tour when I first came out here for college. It was beautiful." Thierry turns and stares down the block to the dock where the large boat sits tied up in port for the night. Soon the tour will be ending for the season and the boat will be dry docked for the winter. Thierry smiles at some buried memory before ushering me into his car. "Maybe I'll take you out on the tour someday."

"My favorite has always been Lover's Leap," I tell him as we begin to drive out of town.

"Really? Why?" Thierry asks.

"Well local lore has it that a couple displayed their love for each other by jumping off the arch together. I think that's kind of romantic." I say.

"Mutual suicide is romantic?" Thierry asks as he barks out a short laugh.

"Well no, not when you say it that way." I say, trying to think of a way to explain my point of view. I come up short and fall silent.

"My favorite is the rainbow cave, because of the colors," Thierry says.

"I've seen pictures of that one, it's really pretty," I reply.

We drive out to the Miner's Castle lookout as the moon and stars begin to appear in the night's sky. "I was never very good at astronomy," I muse aloud as I stare up at the stars through the windshield.

"What?" Thierry asks, confused by my seemingly random change of topic.

"Astronomy, the stars in the sky," I point to the stars sparkling into view. "You know; constellations and that sort of thing. I was never any good at figuring out which ones were parts of which constellation." I explain.

"Oh, I was never very good at that either. I always thought it was called astrology." Thierry admits as he smiles at me in the moonlight. His green eyes seem to glow in the darkness.

"Close but no cigar," I reply which makes us both laugh. "Astrology is like horoscopes and birth signs."

When we pull into the lookout a few minutes later Thierry turns to me and says, "I could teach you how to shift tonight. It's dark out so we're pretty much all alone out here. Nobody would see us. What do you think? It'll be fun."

I shrug as we get out of the car, "I think I have the shifting concept down but I could always use a little practice."

Thierry joins me on the passenger side of the car. He narrows his eyes suspiciously, "What do you mean you think you have the shifting concept down?"

I clear my throat as I realize my slip, "Oh, it's nothing I just..." I trail off as I try to think of some reason why I would have already learned to shift.

"Who have you been shifting with?" Thierry demands as he grips the top of my open passenger side door.

I bite my lip and try to buy myself some time. That's when I see Luke appear out of the darkness over Thierry's shoulder. My eyes widen in surprise.

Thierry catches my expression and turns around, "You!" He spats as he glares at Luke.

"Me," Luke replies sounding faintly amused.

"Why can't you stay the hell away from my girl?" Thierry demands as he gives Luke a hard shove. Luke stumbles back a step or two but otherwise seems unfazed.

"I don't see your name written on her," Luke crosses his arms over his chest smugly.

"Guys come on, this is stupid," I say as I try to get between them. Neither one seems to hear me as they stare each other down.

Luke flicks his gaze over me longingly which makes Thierry angrier. Thierry shoves me off to the side and before I can stop him he charges head first into Luke's chest. They skid across the moist grass.

"Thierry!" I scream as they start punching each other. After the first initial punch Luke stops fighting and just lets Thierry hit him over and over as if he's trying to prove a point.

I feel the power rising in me as my temper flares. The ground shakes as I hold my arms up and break Luke and Thierry apart. They both fly backward across the ground and skid to a halt. "Knock it off!"

I glare down at Thierry, who lies at my feet. Both Luke and Thierry struggle against my hold on them. "Get in the car Thierry, we're going home," I direct him to the passenger side of the car. "Luke, I suggest you go to wherever it is that you stay at night."

I drop my arms and shake them out as Luke and Thierry stumble around trying to obey my orders like automatons. Luke fights my power and manages to turn his head enough to stare back at me one last time. His eyes linger on me for a few seconds before he loses the battle with my control and stumbles into the darkness. I wait until he's out of sight before I climb back into Thierry's car and drive away. I lock the automatic locks and release my hold on Thierry. It looks like it's going to be a long ride home.

# Chapter Fourteen

# Join With Me

Them:

"Someone has purified the clearing!" The raven haired girl shrieks in outrage.

"Don't overreact lass, we can fix this," the Irishman replies nonchalantly.

"How can you be so calm? All of our hard work and all of our plotting has been undone; cleared away!" The raven haired girl demands as she places her hands on her hips.

"We'll just get our minions to create more chaos," the Irishman replies as he inspects his fingernails for dirt, "and we'll force the circle to help us."

"What do you mean 'we'? I've been the one doing all of your dirty work!" The girl pokes a harsh finger in the Irishman's direction.

"I've told you, our sacrificial lamb's power is increasing. Can't you feel it? We just have to wait until Samhain and then we can sacrifice her. Once we absorb her power we'll be unstoppable." The Irishman rubs his hands together in anticipation.

"Well did you know that your precious little lamb destroyed that idiot Angelo?" The girl demands angrily.

The Irishman brushes her concern off indifferently, "he was weak. He would have fallen apart soon anyway. I hold you responsible for that screw up."

"Me?!" The girl scoffs in outrage.

As they continued to argue back and forth they neglected to notice the gray wolf hidden in the tree cover hanging on their every word.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I can't believe you spelled me!" Thierry yells as he stretches his long legs out on the passenger side.

"Well what else could I do? You wouldn't listen to me," I try to reason with him as I grip the steering wheel harder. I hate driving at night because I never know what's going to hop out onto the road in front of me.

"Did you hook up with him?" Thierry demands to know.

"No! We're just friends," I emphasize the word friends as I look over at him in the dark. "Can you stop accusing me of cheating on you every second? I don't even know what this is between us."

Thierry looks at me in disbelief. "If you can't tell how I feel about you then you must be blind."

I shake my head slowly, "we've only known each other a few weeks. If we're as together as you want us to be then we're just starting out. It can't be love; it's too soon."

"Why can't it be love? You have to know that I would do anything for you," Thierry says quietly.

"I know," I murmur, "but I can't tell if that's because you truly have feelings for me or because you think I'm some injured animal you have to save."

Thierry hits the dashboard angrily, "I never thought that way about you at all! The first night when I met you in the clearing there was just something about you that drew me in. I wanted to get closer to you."

"Then why are you always so hot and cold with me all the time? One minute you're amazing and things between us are fantastic; then you turn into a jealous, paranoid jerk! It's like keeping up with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." My voice is raised by the time I'm done speaking.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," Thierry whispers. "If I had an answer to that I'd tell you but I just don't know. I've never been this way before. I've never felt this way for anyone before and it scares the hell out of me."

I slow the car down as I pull onto the tree lined driveway leading back to the house. "I'm sorry I've been acting so weird lately. Luke and I really are just friends. I can't control the fact that he just shows up sometimes."

Thierry sighs, "I still don't like the way he looks at you like you're the answer to every question he's ever asked."

I lace my fingers through Thierry's longer calloused ones, "I don't know what Luke feels for me but I don't feel that way about him."

"You promise?" Thierry asks as we get out of the car.

"I promise, he's just a friend," I assure him. A little voice in my head screams at me to be honest with myself about Luke but I ignore it and remain silent as I follow Thierry into the house.

"I have an idea," Thierry says when we get up to my room.

"That's unusual," I joke as I shrug off my jacket and let it fall to the floor.

"Very funny," Thierry rolls his eyes before pulling me into his arms and kissing me. When he pulls away he says, "I think we should try out your succubus power."

I laugh nervously, "This is coming from the guy who was so angry at me for spelling him just a little while ago?"

"Yes, but this time I'll be a much more active participant," He replies suggestively.

"But my parents are just down the hall," I argue.

"Don't you have some sort of spell you can do so that they won't notice anything?" Thierry asks as he kisses the sensitive hollow of my neck, causing me to shiver.

"Alright, give me a minute," I murmur, giving in.

A few minutes later I return to my room. Thierry kisses me in the dim light as I say yes to what he wants even though every part of me is screaming "don't do this". Then the succubus side of me takes over and I become single minded in my desire. As Thierry and I lay down I hear the faint sound of a wolf howling sorrowfully in the woods. I'd bet anything that the wolf is gray with laughing blue eyes. The sound is so sad that my heart breaks a little.

Later as I'm falling asleep I hear Thierry murmur the words "I love you". I can't help but think that the words are all the right ones, but the voice is all wrong. He isn't the guy I want to hear those words from. I turn over as the tears begin to trickle down my face uncontrollably.

XXXXXXXXXX

It isn't until the next morning that I realize that I haven't been drinking the tea that Arianthe gave me.

I shove the blankets back and give Thierry's shoulder a light push. When he doesn't stir I push harder. He still remains motionless so I reach around to his neck to check for a pulse. I can feel a pulse, but it's slow and thready.

"Oh hell," I mutter as I grab my phone off of the nightstand and pull up Arianthe's contact information. I hit send and pace around my room as the phone rings and rings.

Finally she answers, "Hello?"

"I have to ask you a hypothetical question," I say, skipping the pleasantries.

"Lizette?" Arianthe asks as she yawns loudly.

"Yeah it's me," I reply slowly as I glance over at Thierry. "I need you to focus Ari, it's an emergency."

"Is it Bryan?" She asks sounding much more alert.

"No, it's nothing like that," I tell her, "it's Thierry. I think I hurt him. I forgot to drink the tea and he was angry with me last night, but then we made up and one thing led to another and now he won't wake up." I ramble as I rake my fingers through my hair roughly.

Arianthe is silent for a minute before she bursts into a fit of laughter, "Is that all? I thought it was something more serious. You just sucked up too much of his soul; pardon the pun. Stay where you are, I'm on my way. We'll get him fixed up."

"Thanks Arianthe," I whisper as she ends the call. The last thing I hear is her high pitched laugh as the line cuts out. I plop back down onto the bed and stare over at Thierry's silent form. "I'm so sorry," I murmur as I run a hand over his arm. I reluctantly get up and throw some clothes on.

I have to wait an agonizing twenty minutes before I hear Arianthe clomping up the stairs in her combat boots, followed closely by Keiran. They barge into the room without bothering to knock. Sam hears the commotion and comes to investigate.

"What's going on?" Sam asks worriedly.

Arianthe giggles, "Lizette got a little carried away last night."

I bury my face in my hands as Keiran snorts.

"Don't worry, it used to happen to me all the time," Arianthe pats my shoulder reassuringly. "Now you just need to purge his soul and make sure it gets back to his body."

I narrow my eyes, not liking where this is going. "What do you mean 'purge his soul'?"

"Purge, you know, get rid of. You'll need to throw it up. Just stick your fingers down your throat," Arianthe mimes a gagging motion.

"Well on that note I think I'll leave you to it," Sam says looking a little green himself.

"Wait for me," Keiran agrees as they hastily leave my room.

"Pansies," Arianthe rolls her eyes as she crosses her arms.

I smile weakly, "so should I go into the bathroom or something?"

"Here is best," Arianthe replies, "we don't want to lose the soul."

I swallow nervously before sticking two fingers down my throat and forcing myself to regurgitate Thierry's soul. After a little initial resistance a silvery glob spills out onto the floor. Arianthe helps me form the glob of Thierry's soul into a tight ball and force it into Thierry's chest. It expands and sinks into Thierry's body as he sucks in a deep breath.

His eyes pop open and sweep over the room before landing on Arianthe and I. "Um hi, good morning," he whispers hoarsely.

"How do you feel?" I ask in concern.

He groans, "Like I got ran over by a truck. What happened?"

Arianthe smirks, "your little make up session got a little out of hand last night. Lizette forgot to drink her special tea. It's just a good thing that you're an Eternal; we're naturally much harder to kill. I think it has something to do with our extended life spans." Arianthe speculates as she taps her chin.

"I'm so sorry," I tell him miserably.

"Hey now," He murmurs as he leans forward. He catches himself and pulls the blankets up around his waist before nearly giving Arianthe an eyeful. "Shhh, it's okay. I'm okay. Accidents happen."

"I could have killed you," I hiccup, "I'm such an idiot."

"Aww baby, no you're not," Thierry soothes me.

"I think I'll go join the guys downstairs," Arianthe interrupts. "We have to leave for school soon so hurry up."

"Are you sure you'll be okay? I didn't cause you any permanent brain damage?" I check him over thoroughly.

"I swear I feel better; I think I'll just take the day off and rest." Thierry yawns.

"At least let my mom check you over and let her heal you if you need it," I insist.

"I will," Thierry agrees as he runs his hand over his super short hair. He licks his lips slightly before asking, "How are you this morning? You don't have any regrets do you?"

"None except for the obvious one," I shake my head even though I'm still uneasy about what we did last night. In my heart I still feel like I was betraying someone by being with Thierry in that way; and that someone feels a lot like Luke. Nothing makes sense anymore. Thierry is my boyfriend and yet I can't stop thinking about the strange connection I have with Luke.

"Good, I'm glad," Thierry tears into my thoughts sounding pleased. "You should get going; Keiran and Arianthe aren't the most patient people in the world. And Lizette?"

"Yes?" I look up from where I'm fastening the buttons on my fall jacket.

"Be sure to drink your tea." Thierry laughs as my face flushes. I toss one of my throw pillows at him causing him to laugh harder.

XXXXXXXXXX

I manage to make it through the school day without any major incidents. By now word had gotten around that Angelo never made it home two nights earlier. Uniformed police officers and school counselors go from classroom to classroom asking the entire senior class about the last time we might have seen him. I can feel Julie's accusatory stare burning a hole in the back of my scalp but nobody else pays much attention to me.

Everyone is in a solemn, if not contemplative mood. At lunch I overhear a group of guys from the football team suggesting that maybe Angelo took off when he found out that he wasn't going to get the coveted football scholarship to Purdue he'd been pushing for.

I shake my head and join Keiran and Arianthe at our new regular table. While the rest of the school is busy being devastated by Angelo's disappearance Keiran and Arianthe haven't let my most recent mishap fade.

So far they have spent the morning snickering about how I had nearly drained the life out of Thierry.

"If I have to hear one more vapid cheerleader crying over Angelo I'm going to poke my eyes out with a fork," Arianthe groans as I set my tray onto the table.

Keiran and I glance over at the jock table where one of the counselors is struggling to dispense enough tissues. She looks like she's at her wit's end.

"It sucks about what really happened to him though," I whisper.

"I'm not arguing that," Arianthe says slowly, "but they don't know the truth and they're acting like he was a god or something."

Keiran laughs, "He was the 'star quarterback'. To them he was God."

I smirk at him sarcastically, "that didn't sound bitter at all. What, did you try out for the team and they wouldn't let you join or something?"

"No!" Keiran answers too quickly, giving himself away. He exhales deeply, "Ok fine, yeah I did try out last year. But it was the basketball team at IHS, not the football team."

"You? A basketball player?" I sputter.

"Hey, I could have been great!" Keiran puffs out his chest as Arianthe and I laugh and roll our eyes. He catches us and says, "Fine, see if I give either one of you a ride home tonight."

"You're forgetting that Sam wants us to have a meeting tonight," Arianthe reminds him when she stops laughing.

"Oh, yeah that's right." Realization dawns on Keiran. "I have to work for a couple hours after school and then I'll drive the two of you over to the meeting place."

After school Keiran leaves Arianthe and I off in front of Hotplate before heading into work. Arianthe tells me she has to run down to the shoe store for a new pair of gym shoes because the gym teacher told her combat boots weren't suitable footwear for class. She rolls her eyes before waving and quickly heading down the street. I wander up and down the block doing some window shopping to kill time.

As I turn to head back and meet Arianthe I walk headfirst into a solid wall of skin. I back up as the other person curses and mutters an "oomph". I look up to apologize to whoever I have bumped into and come face to face with Bryan.

"Oh!" I sputter as I stumble backward.

"Hello Lizette," Bryan replies calmly. I can't help noticing the menace lurking in the undertones of his voice.

"Hi," I answer quickly.

"How are you doing?" He inquires.

"I'm fine, everything is fine," I tell him.

"Good, good," He replies as he strokes the red goatee growing on his chin. "I must apologize for not scheduling meetings for the Eternals lately. I'm working on a... project and I haven't had any downtime. I hope that you have been learning everything that you need to know about the Eternals from your brother."

"I have," I assure him vaguely as I spot Luke stepping out of a store down the block. He sees me and begins to head in my direction.

"Ah, there you are boyo, excellent timing." Bryan senses Luke coming without turning around, "I was just catching up with our newest member. You remember Lizette, don't you?"

"Yes," Luke tells Bryan softly. Then his voice floats into my head as he says, "follow my lead."

"I was just apologizing to Lizette for my lack of leadership lately," Bryan fills Luke in. "After all, she did come to us looking for a safe haven of like-abled people and we haven't had a single meeting lately."

"October is always a busy month for everyone," Luke concedes.

"I hope you both will join me for a special meeting on October 31st." Bryan looks back and forth between Luke and I hopefully.

I look at Luke who nods imperceptibly. "Sure, I think I can make it," I tell Bryan.

"Excellent!" Bryan says as he rubs his hands together eagerly.

Luke's voice appears in my head again, "go, get out of here. Find whichever one of our group is closest and stay with them until it's time for the meeting tonight. I'll deal with Bryan."

"I have to get going, I have an afterschool thing to get to," I tell Bryan, almost apologetically.

"Of course; school should still be a top priority," Bryan agrees. "Your school is going through a bit of a crisis right now isn't it? There's a missing student if I'm not right."

"Yes, there is." I murmur as I look down at my feet.

"Well I hope that he or she is found safe," Bryan replies with a smirk on his face.

I mutter something resembling a goodbye before walking briskly down the block and ducking into Hotplate as fast as I can without appearing like I'm running.

# Chapter Fifteen

# What Are You?

Luke is waiting for us in front of the abandoned building when Keiran, Arianthe, and I arrive shortly before eight that night.

"Hey man," Keiran greets Luke with the sort of half handshake-fist bump thing that all guys seem to do.

"I'd say that you're late, but it looks like I'm the one who is early." Luke laughs as he greets Arianthe with a kiss on the cheek. When he stops in front of me he pulls me into a loose hug so he can whisper in my ear, "I was afraid you would look different today. I'm glad you don't."

"Why would I look different?" I ask in confusion.

Luke ignores my question and releases me. He turns back to Keiran and says, "Have you ever thought of giving this old place a nickname or something other than just 'the old V.A. home'?"

"Hmm, I never really thought about it before, but we probably should think something up," Keiran replies thoughtfully as he and Luke head inside the dark building.

"What about 'the creepy building on the hill'?" Arianthe suggests as she stares up at the crumbling brick façade.

"That's too obvious," I laugh off her suggestion as I follow the guys inside. "What about 'The Haunted Haven'?"

The guys mull over my suggestion for a few minutes until Luke slowly nods at Keiran in silent agreement. Keiran smiles, "I like it. From now on we'll call it 'The Haunted Haven' or T.H.H. for short."

"Cool," Arianthe agrees as she heads into the cafeteria. She turns back towards Keiran and asks, "Hey Keiran, can you help me set up the chairs? They're heavy."

"Sure," Keiran wipes his palms on his dark pants and follows Arianthe into the cafeteria.

I stop Luke before he has a chance to join them, "Can we talk for a minute before the others get here?"

Luke shrugs nonchalantly, "Yeah, why not."

I lead Luke down the decrepit hallway to one of the old patient rooms. A twin bed with a mattress with a large rust colored stain in the center is pushed against one wall.

"This place is so screwed up looking," Luke murmurs as he looks around. He spots an old wooden chair without a seat on the opposite wall and flips it around before lowering himself onto it.

I chip away at the paint peeling off the nearest wall, "I don't know, I've always sort of been fascinated by abandoned buildings like this. There's so much history, both good and bad, lurking within these walls."

"I've had to sleep here a few times when I didn't have anywhere else to go. I can always sense the residual pain draping itself over me like a heavy coat." Luke murmurs reverently. He clears his throat and snaps out of his thoughts, "so what did you want to talk to me about?"

"What did you mean when you said that you were afraid that I would look different today?" I ask as I kick at a crack in the old linoleum floor.

"You know what I meant Lizette; you're part succubus. I can see the energy you've drawn from Thierry glimmering off of your skin like tiny diamond facets." Luke tells me matter-of-factly.

My temper flares as I glare at him, "let me guess, Sam or Keiran told you. I'm sick of being the butt of everyone's joke today. It was an accident!"

"Whoa, calm down," Luke holds up his hands defensively. "I haven't talked to Sam at all today and the only conversation Keiran and I have had today was just a few minutes ago. I don't know what you're talking about. All I know is what I heard in Thierry's thoughts last night out by Miner's Castle. I knew what his intentions were and I can clearly see the glow on you tonight; that's all."

"You heard Thierry's thoughts? How?"

Luke shakes his head, "It doesn't matter. So what happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I exhale hard. "I forgot to drink the tea that Arianthe gave me and I almost drained Thierry. He was barely hanging on this morning and I had to have Arianthe show me how to purge his soul. Keiran and Arianthe have been bugging me about it all day."

Luke comes over and wraps his arm around my shoulders, "I'm sorry Lizette. I can only imagine how freaked out you were to wake up to that. This is all still so new to you right now, but you'll get the hang of it, trust me."

"I hope so," I murmur.

"Hey," Thierry pokes his head into the room. His eyes narrow into slits when he sees Luke's arm still slung over my shoulder. "Faye and Sam want to get this meeting started. Whenever you two are ready you can join us in the cafeteria."

"Here we go again," I grumble as Thierry turns and stalks back toward the cafeteria.

"Oh good, you are here already," Sam sighs in relief as Luke and I join the others in the cafeteria. "I was worried about you after Luke called me this afternoon."

"What happened this afternoon?" Delia and Thierry ask in unison. It dawns on me that they're the only ones who aren't up to speed on my encounter with Bryan.

"Bryan cornered Lizette downtown this afternoon. I came upon them purely by chance," Luke tells them as he crosses his arms over his broad chest.

"Oh, baby, are you alright?" Thierry's anger toward me dissolves as he pulls me into his arms and hugs me tightly.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"You said that you're positive that he has something planned for Halloween?" Sam asks as he furrows his brows.

"That's what it sounded like when he invited us to a 'special meeting' for that night," I reply as I look over at Luke for confirmation.

"I agree, that's definitely what he was hinting at; whether he meant to or not," Luke adds.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Delia asks me worriedly. "Bryan always scares me, and I'm not even marked for death."

"I'm fine," I say as confidently as I can muster.

"So this is really going to happen this soon," Keiran looks paler than usual.

"Yes, which means we all have to be as prepared as possible," Faye looks everyone firmly in the eye. Her dove colored gray eyes land on me, "And there can't be any more screw ups like last night."

I wince, "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

Keiran snorts which causes Arianthe to swat his chest with the back of her hand. Sam looks at the floor to keep from laughing. Delia looks confused again as she asks, "What happened last night?"

"Nothing," I say quickly as Arianthe, always the one to remind me of my mistake, says, "Lizette really wore Thierry out last night."

"Ooooh," Delia draws the word out as an amused smile spreads over her glossy lips.

"Can we just move on to something important?" Luke asks irritably.

"That's a great idea," Faye stares sternly at Arianthe and Keiran to quiet them down.

"From now on we need to work together, so whatever differences any of us have with each other have to be set aside." Sam darts a look between Luke and Thierry. Thierry glares at Luke but manages to remain silent. Sam shakes his head as he continues, "Thierry I need you to go back to Minnesota with Faye. Tell your family what's going on and bring them back here. Same goes for you Delia, seek out your mentor and tell him it's time."

"I'll leave tonight," Delia informs Sam.

"The sooner the better, we've wasted almost an entire week. Lizette, I need you to go to New Orleans with Dad and see what you can do with the Voodoo practitioners. We need all the allies we can get since Bryan is summoning every dark creature he can come up with. Dad will be expecting you when you get home."

"I'll go home and pack once we're done here," I tell him.

"While they're gone our mother and I will work together with Keiran and Arianthe's families to keep things under control," Sam tells the group.

"What about me?" Luke asks quietly.

"I want you to keep spying on Desiree and Bryan's activities. I want to know what they're up to every second of every day. At this point you're one of our greatest assets."

"And it's not like you have any family to go home to," Thierry remarks snidely.

"Thierry!" I scold him as I hit him squarely in the chest. "That was really rude. Apologize right this minute!"

"It's okay Lizette. It just goes to show what his character is really like." Luke shoots Thierry a look.

"This garbage is really getting old." Faye tells them both coldly, "and we really don't have time for this kind of juvenile behavior right now."

"Faye is right," I say tiredly.

"Keiran, can you and Arianthe still communicate telepathically?" Sam asks as he chooses to ignore the argument between Thierry and Luke in my corner of the room.

"Yes," Keiran replies.

"Good, use it whenever you can," Sam advises him.

"You mean not everyone can do that? Talk to someone telepathically I mean?" I ask curiously.

"No, not typically," Sam says. "Usually only certain Eternals that are fated for one another, or I guess you could call them soulmates, can communicate that way."

"But what about succubae, don't they sort of do that?" I ask as I think of the practicing I did with Thierry.

"It's not the same. That's more one-sided than what I'm talking about. A succubus can control the mind of a male by giving him orders and making him think it was all his idea. What Arianthe and Keiran can do is have entire conversations telepathically." Sam explains.

"And only soulmates can do that?" I shoot Luke a fleeting glance.

"Unfortunately yes," Sam sighs, "it would be so much more convenient if all of us could communicate that way with each other."

"But..." I begin to ask another question before Luke's voice in my head stops me, "Leave it alone, Lizette. We'll talk about it later."

"But what?" Sam asks me suspiciously.

I rack my brain for a suitable subject change, "but somehow Bryan knows about what really happened to Angelo."

Luke shoots me a grateful smile, "That's right, I almost forgot. He mentioned Angelo's disappearance during this afternoon's conversation. He knew too much. I could tell because he had this strange, satisfied smirk on his face."

"He probably found out when his hold over Angelo snapped. Any hold he would have had over Angelo would have ended when Angelo met his final death. That's why you must always burn the body of a zombie so they can't reassemble." Faye explains unfazed.

"Are there any other questions?" Sam asks as he begins to wrap things up.

"I want to know what Lizette shifted into when Luke taught her how to shift," Delia says eagerly.

"Yeah, tell us!" Arianthe chimes in.

"Oh, well I shifted into a lynx," I tell them shyly.

"You shifted into a what?" Keiran scrunches up his face in confusion.

"A lynx; it looks like a large, fuzzy cat with tuft ears and a short tail. They're excellent hunters. They're indigenous to North America and Europe mostly." Sam tells Keiran. To me he says, "Clever choice."

"Thanks," I smile at him genuinely.

"If that's all then I think we can end this meeting for tonight. Those of you that are heading out of town should go home, pack what you need, and be on your way." Sam advises everyone as we begin shrugging into our fall jackets and hoodies.

Thierry pulls me aside, "I have to go straight back to my place and pack. Can you get a ride home with Sam?"

"Yeah, that's fine," I assure him.

"Good," he replies before kissing me a little too roughly. "I'll call you when I get to Minnesota."

"Okay," I walk him out to his car where Faye is already impatiently waiting. Thierry looks back at me one last time before getting in his car and driving away.

I sense Luke beside me before he even has a chance to say a word. "Do you have time to go out to the clearing with me before you have to go home?" He asks.

"I guess so," I shrug. "Besides, you owe me some answers."

"I know," Luke dips his head sadly. He leads me over to his motorcycle and offers me his helmet.

"You've got to be kidding me," I laugh as I cross my arms over my chest.

"Do you have a better idea?" Luke asks. "Last time I checked you don't have a car."

"Fine, I guess you're right." I sigh as I grab his helmet and pull it over my head.

Luke smiles as he fastens the strap under my chin. "You look cute in that," he tells me.

I slide on the back of the motorcycle behind him, "just remember that when I have helmet head later."

He chuckles softly as he grabs my hands. He sets them over his stomach and his fingers linger over mine for a few seconds. Finally he clears his throat and starts the engine. "Hold on tight and remember to lean when I lean!" He yells over the roar of the engine.

I grip his waist tighter as Luke hits the gas and tears out of the parking lot. The first few minutes fill me with sheer panic as we race through the city streets. By the time we reach the turnoff on the outskirts of town the panic is replaced with a feeling of complete freedom. Now I see why people love to ride motorcycles.

I relax in my seat and watch the landscape zoom past as the chilly night air whips through Luke's shaggy hair. In half the time it would have taken to get home in a car we turn onto the driveway to my house. Luke guides his bike in between two large trees and parks off the main driveway.

"So what did you think?" He asks as I hand him back his helmet and shake out my hair.

"It was fun, and really freeing." I admit.

"I'm glad you enjoyed the ride." Luke gives me a dirty grin.

I swat his shoulder playfully, "be nice or I'll go home and leave you out here all alone."

"Not until we've had our talk," Luke replies soberly. We start walking toward the clearing.

"So are you going to tell me why we can talk to each other telepathically?" I ask. "No, wait, I know. You're going to tell me it's because we're soulmates aren't you?"

Luke looks conflicted, "no... I don't know... maybe? I have been drawing pictures of you since I was a kid, and that was a long time before I met you. One day your face just appeared in my head and I didn't know you were real until that night in the clearing. Even then I didn't quite believe it. That isn't the reason we can communicate telepathically though."

"Then why?" I demand.

"Because we're the same thing," Luke says in a whisper. "Our abilities are the same I mean."

I furrow my brow in confusion, "I also have the abilities of all the other Eternals but I can't communicate with them that way."

"You're misunderstanding me. I'm not just a werewolf, Lizette." Luke urges me to understand.

"Then what are you?" I whisper.

"I'm like you. I can do anything any of the others can do. The only difference between you and I is that you have visions and I read minds." Luke tells me slowly.

I gape at him, "but how? Does anyone else know?"

Luke shakes his head, "no, and you can't tell anyone; not even Sam. It would put a big bull's eye on my back with anyone who wanted to destroy us. Promise me that you'll keep my secret."

I swallow hard and nod, "I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"Thank you," Luke sighs in relief. He turns his head as if he's listening to something in the distance. He turns back to me wide-eyed, "do you hear that?"

I listen carefully and pick up strains of a hushed conversation. I nod my assent so whoever is beyond the trees doesn't hear me. Luke puts a finger to his lips urging me to remain silent as we creep slowly through the trees to the edge of the clearing.

We duck down behind the thick trunk of a tree and slowly peek around the side. A roaring bonfire illuminates the clearing and dancing around it skyclad are Bryan and Desiree.

I choke back a laugh as Luke clamps a firm hand over my mouth.

"Don't laugh," His voice warns in my head.

"I'm trying not to," I answer him.

"Shhh, listen, they're chanting something," Luke's voice whispers inside my head.

We listen closely as Bryan and Desiree's chant gets louder:

"Blood with blood,

A sacrifice made tonight,

Come to our aid,

Pledge your allegiance to our plight!"

Before our eyes two creatures step out of the fire. The first one has white luminescent skin and clear pupil-less eyes while the other has skin the color of the darkest night and empty pits where his eyes should be. Both have large feathery silver wings that furrow out behind them.

"What in the world are they?" I ask Luke telepathically. I've never seen anything like the creatures standing openly in the clearing yet there is something vaguely familiar about them.

I can hear Luke gulp in my head, "Demons. They're summoning demons. This is worse than any of us could have ever imagined. Come on, I have to get you home. It's too dangerous for us out here."

Luke grabs my hand and we start running in the direction of my house as I throw up a firm cloaking spell in our wake to shield us until we get to safety.

# Chapter Sixteen

# Crescent City Voodoo

"Are you sure it was a demon, Luke?" My father asks as he lugs an oversized duffel bag into the kitchen.

"I know a demon when I see one," Luke insists.

My father studies Luke silently for a few minutes, "I'm sure you do son, I just wanted to be absolutely sure."  
"What should we do?" Luke asks.

"For right now I don't want you to do anything. By summoning the demons Bryan and Desiree were asking for their loyalty, their alliance. Now that they've agreed they'll be waiting in the pits of Hell until the time is right. In the meantime we'll have the Karis family monitoring things. If they sense the presence of a demon they will handle it since succubae are a type of demon too." My father decides.

"I can help too," Luke tells him.

"I know you can," My father claps Luke on the shoulder, "but right now you're in the same boat as Lizette. If Bryan finds out what you really are you'll be as good as dead. I want you to stay here in the house while Lizette and I are gone; it's too dangerous for you to be sleeping out in the woods alone."

"Thank you," Luke murmurs, sounding embarrassed.

"You don't have to be alone anymore," My father tells him before instructing me to go upstairs and pack.

I run upstairs and pack my bag using my magick. My shirts and jeans and underwear float across the room before dropping lifelessly into my bag. After everything crash lands into my bag the bag zips itself up and skitters across the floor. It comes to a stop at my feet. I smile and sling the bag over my shoulder before turning off the overhead light and closing my door.

My father is waiting impatiently by the front door so I give Luke a quick kiss on the cheek and say goodbye.

"Good luck," he tells me as he pulls me into a hug.

"You too," I smile at him reassuringly, "and be careful."

I follow my father into the yard and hand him my bag to stash in the trunk. I spot Luke standing in the front window as I slide into the passenger seat of the car. He waves briefly as my father puts the car in gear and turns us toward the main road.

XXXXXXXXXX

My father drives us all the way down to Metro Airport in Detroit. When we get inside I realize that we don't have any tickets waiting for us. My father quickly fixes that by compelling a young couple into giving us their tickets.

I gape at him as we head over to the gate. "What happened to 'above all do no harm'?"

"I didn't hurt them," My father argues, "they'll just go home, get back into bed, and wake up some time later to realize that they've missed their flight and have to rebook their seats."

"What if they were headed to New Orleans for something important? Like a wedding or a funeral?" I ask.

"Don't worry Lizette; I'll manifest two new tickets for them as thanks for helping us. Besides, that woman shouldn't even have been flying. She's in a very delicate condition right now." He justifies as he hands the flight attendant our stolen boarding passes.

The flight attendant checks our tickets and nods before treating my father to a flirty smile. She puffs out her chest as she leans in to say, "Enjoy your flight." I have to fight back the urge to gag as she winks at him. He thanks her and heads up the walkway onto the plane.

Even at the age of forty I suppose my father could be considered as good-looking. He looks young for his age; not to mention that most people are shocked to find out that he's old enough to have a twenty-year-old son. I have seen pictures of him from when he was Sam's age and I'll admit that Sam is an exact replica of our father. They have the same shaggy black hair and pale green eyes and Sam always has girls fawning all over him. I inherited my father's features too. He liked to tell me it was a Weatherly trait; everyone on his side of the family had black hair, green eyes, and ivory skin. Meanwhile I would have been much happier with my mother's curly red locks.

I follow my father to the front of the plane. He smiles at our good fortune as he locates our seats in first class.

"Seriously dad," I look at him sternly.

He laughs heartily and says, "Enjoy the ride. It's much better than flying coach."

I shake my head and buckle my seatbelt. If it weren't a matter of urgency I would have insisted on taking a train or a bus to New Orleans. I've never been on a plane before but they terrify me.

A few minutes later the plane begins its ascent. I grab onto the armrests of my seat and cling to them tightly.

"Just relax, sweetheart," my father rubs my shoulder soothingly.

I manage to fall asleep thanks to our middle-of-the-night red-eye flight. We arrive at Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans just as the first rays of sunlight streak across the morning sky.

"We're here," my father announces as he shakes me awake.

I blink rapidly as I take in my surroundings. "I can't believe I slept so soundly," I yawn as I follow my father off the plane.

We speed through the car rental process and soon we're easing onto the street in a dark gray sedan. Within minutes we enter the French Quarter. Although the streets are mostly dead at this hour every now and then a tipsy tourist stumbles out of a bar or a club and ambles unsteadily down the street. I take in the sights made famous by movies and television shows and can clearly visualize the way the streets come alive after the sun goes down.

A few minutes later my father comes to a stop in front of a small hotel. Unlike some of the big corporate-looking hotels we've passed this one manages to stick to its authentic New Orleans charm and architecture.

Dad runs inside to book us a room for the duration of our stay while I stay with the car. He emerges from the building ten minutes later and stuffs his wallet and a slip of paper into his back pocket.

"Our room won't be ready until this afternoon," he tells me when he rejoins me in the car. "Let's go get some breakfast and then we can look up some of my old contacts."

"Can we get beignets?" I ask as I lick my lips. I can already taste the delicious sugary goodness of the square French donuts covered in powdered sugar. I'd always dreamed of eating beignets at the Café Du Monde. They were a particular favorite in our household ever since my father had started sending for monthly shipments of beignet and coffee mix.

"Of course, and I'll even splurge for two cups of café au lait," my dad smiles conspiratorially. We both know that if my mother were with us she'd scold us for eating so much sugar for breakfast before helping herself to two or three of the tasty treats.

"It's a deal," I tell him as I slide my oversized sunglasses over my eyes to block out the early morning sun.

XXXXXXXXXX

An hour and a half later we step out of the Café Du Monde with our bellies full of way too many beignets. I lick the leftover powdered sugar off my fingers. They're even better directly from the source.

Despite the fact that it's not even nine-thirty in the morning the high humidity is already clogging the air. I can feel my hair beginning to get frizzy as my dark blue t-shirt sticks to my skin.

"Where are we headed to next?" I ask eager to get into the air conditioned car.

"There's someone I think can help us, so I think we should seek her out first. If she refuses to help us then we'll look into some other acquaintances of mine." My father says as he starts walking down Decatur Street.

"Wait, we're not taking the car?" I call out to him.

"The easiest way to get around is on foot, sweetheart." My father calls back as the hint of a smile crosses his lips.

"But what about heat stroke?" I protest.

My father shakes his head and laughs, "you're so much like your mother. Come on, you'll be fine. We'll get you some water."

We walk until we're just out of the hustle and bustle of the Quarter and into a quieter neighborhood. Finally my father stops in front of a small restaurant named Maurice's.

He looks up at the sign hanging precariously above the door and sighs dramatically.

"We're here," he says. Something in his voice worries me. He sounds so defeated.

"I thought we were going to a Voodoo shop, what are we doing here?" I ask as I study my father closely.

"You'll see," he responds as he yanks the door open.

I walk in ahead of him and take in our dilapidated surroundings. An old Cajun man sits at the cracked Formica counter drinking a cup of coffee. He doesn't seem to notice or acknowledge our presence. There isn't anyone else in the restaurant; not even a waitress.

My father leads me toward the back of the restaurant, past the bathrooms to where a small doorway is hidden in a dark corner. The doorway is covered with a curtain of chicken bones strung on thin fishing wire.

Beyond the curtain is a dark candlelit room. Long see-through store shelves filled with Voodoo supplies line the room. It reminds me of my father's secret room in the basement.

"Welcome back to Crescent City Voodoo. I've been expecting you, cher." A feminine voice with a thick Cajun accent rasps from somewhere within the shadows.

"Did your spirits tell you we were coming?" My father asks sarcastically.

"You never did understand that worshipping your ancestors and tending to them is all a part of Voodoo. It's more than just smoke, mirrors, and powders." The woman answers as she appears in front of us.

The woman is younger than I expected, maybe even a few years younger than my father. Her tanned skin gives off just a hint of her Creole heritage as her large green eyes sparkle with amusement. She wears a scarf wrapped turban-style around her head concealing her hair and a long flowy caftan making her appear figureless.

"Lizette, this is Claudette Barbeau. She's the friend I told you about. Claudette, this is my daughter Lizette." My father reluctantly introduces us.

"A pleasure to meet you, Lizette," Claudette says warmly as she reaches out to shake my hand. The motion causes the bangles on her wrist to clink together musically.

I smile and open my mouth to tell her that it's nice to meet her too, but my father cuts me off. "We're here because -"

"You are here because you need help to finish off the one who refuses to die," Claudette answers for him.

"The one who refuses to die?" My father snorts skeptically.

"You don't believe that he's the same one who stirred everything up all those years ago, but I have seen the truth." A sly smile crosses Claudette's round face. "He's been biding his time and hiding from anyone who might see through him. That's why he did not show himself to you when you were young. But he watched and waited. He knew someone powerful would be born to your generation."  
My father makes a sound of disbelief in the back of his throat. "This is not the same person that made my ancestors, and the ancestors of all the other Eternals disappear more than two hundred years ago. It's impossible for anyone to live that long."

"The spirits say differently," Claudette answers knowingly. They seem to be rehashing an old argument between them.

"Lizette, go into the front of the restaurant. Claudette and I need to have a private discussion." My father barks at me through clenched teeth.

Claudette smiles at me apologetically as she pulls the chicken bone curtain aside for me to pass through. I step back into the main part of the restaurant as the fluorescent lights begin to flicker overhead.

"Why must you always be so pigheaded?" I hear my father growl.

"I wouldn't have to be if you didn't always have your head buried in the sand." Claudette retorts.

Neither one of them speaks for several long moments as I envision them locked in a glaring stare down.

Finally my father says in a softer tone, "I can't believe you're still running this place out of the back of Maurice's old restaurant."  
"What's wrong with that?" Claudette asks defensively.

"The place has seen better days," My father says. I glance around the dining room at the ripped booths and off-kilter plastic tables. There were pictures hanging on the wall with a coating of dust so thick you couldn't see the picture underneath anymore.

"What you call junk I call charm," Claudette says confidently. Before I have time to react or pretend like I'm not listening in on their conversation Claudette comes strolling through the curtain. When she sees me she links her arm through mine and says, "I think I'll get through to you better than I will with your father. Let's sit a spell."

She guides me to a booth near the door as my father comes back into the dining room. His expression is unreadable as Claudette slides into the booth across from me.

"So tell me about the Irishman," Claudette gets right down to business.

"His name is Bryan. Do you really think he's the same person that made everyone disappear two hundred years ago?" I ask.

"Yes I do. The spirits told me so, and they never lie. He sacrifices a pure soul every quarter century or so to keep his energy intact. If he were able to sacrifice an Eternal he'd be even stronger. Who knows how old he truly is? He may well be as old as time itself. He won't be easy to destroy." Claudette says as her eyes go milky with a vision. "It's possible, but it won't be easy."

"Will you help us?" I ask hopefully.

"That I will," She nods. "I'm on friendly terms with the ghosts of New Orleans so I'll be able to summon them easily. I'll just need a few hours to set my sister up here to watch the shop and the restaurant while I'm away and I'll be ready to go."

I wrinkle my nose at the sight of the restaurant. "Is the restaurant really still in operation?" I ask.

"Of course! Maurice's is world famous for its ghost chef," Claudette explains excitedly.

"It has a ghost chef?" I repeat.

My father groans, "please don't get her started."

"Hush now," Claudette scolds him. She turns back to me, "Maurice, the original owner, and namesake still runs this place even though he died in 1892. Paranormal lovers and investigators flock to eat here every night; not only because of Maurice and his ghostly kitchen crew but also because old Mo's authentic French cooking is to die for."

"Hopefully it hasn't actually caused anyone to die. This city doesn't need any more ghosts," my father mutters under his breath.

"The ghosts are part of this city's charm," Claudette insists with a smile.

"Can I see the kitchen crew?" I ask.

Claudette misunderstands my request. She tilts her head to the side and says, "Not everyone can but you're very gifted. Yes, I think you'll be able to see them just fine. Come with me," she grabs my hand and steers me to the kitchen door.

I push the swinging door forward and step into the kitchen. I'm surprised that the kitchen is in pristine condition. All of the appliances are brand new and top of the line. They sparkle like a new test kitchen on the Food Network.

"It's alright Maurice, you don't need to hide," Claudette drawls as she joins me in the kitchen.

"Is it safe?" A masculine, heavily accented voice asks uncertainly.

"Yes Maurice, I just want you to meet a friend of mine," Claudette coaxes.

Slowly a short fat man with a dark mustache creeps out from behind a large refrigerator. Like the ghost of my ancestress, Siobhan, Maurice's skin is translucent.

"Hello," Maurice says as he smiles at me tentatively.

"Maurice, this is Lizette. I think you'll like her." Claudette puts her arm around my shoulders firmly.

"Hi Maurice, it's nice to meet you." I try to sound as reassuring as possible.

Maurice starts sniffing the air delicately. "Do I smell beignets?" He asks suspiciously.

I look at Claudette questioningly. She shrugs cluelessly. I turn back to Maurice and admit, "I had beignets for breakfast."

Maurice makes a sound of approval in the back of his throat, "and do you like Louisiana cooking?"

I nod vigorously, "what I've tried of it so far, yes."

Maurice smiles widely, "I have an idea. I shall teach you how to cook French, Creole, and Cajun food properly. It's been so long since I had a new pupil. What do you say?"

I look at Claudette for guidance. She chuckles and says, "Go for it honey; you'll enjoy yourself. I'll go on ahead with your father to recruit the rest of the Voodoo practitioners. They'll listen to me better anyway."

I bite my lip in indecision. "Are you sure?"

"Of course, have fun." She replies before ducking through the kitchen door.

"Excellent!" Maurice exclaims as he claps his hands together. "Sous chefs, prepare the ingredients!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Later that night I collapse onto the plush hotel bed. My head is full of recipes. To say that Maurice taught me everything he knew is an understatement. He taught me everything he had ever learned and everything he had been too afraid to try. And it had all been packed into one long afternoon. Maurice even let me help cook for the dinner crowd. I now had a much bigger respect for the culinary arts.

My father comes out of the bathroom to let me know he was running down to the lobby because he had forgotten to pack toothpaste. I nod and snuggle back against the pillows on my bed.

My phone rings as I lay daydreaming with thoughts of bananas foster, jambalaya, and gumbo dancing in my head.

"Hello?" I answer the phone as I stifle a yawn.

"Hey sweetie," Thierry greets me enthusiastically. "Did you get to 'The Big Easy' safely?"

"Only the tourists call it that, but yeah, the flight was fine. We'll actually be heading home tomorrow." I tell him.

"Really? So soon?" He asks, sounding surprised.

"Yeah; my dad talked to everyone he needed to talk to so we'll be flying back with the six people who agreed to come," I explain.

"That's great," Thierry says. "I'm actually going to be here in Minnesota for a few more days. My parents are waiting for my aunt and uncle to get here before we all drive back to Marquette this weekend."

"Oh, well drive safe," I tell him as my father reenters the room.

"I will. Have a safe flight." Thierry says before hanging up.

# Chapter Seventeen

# The House That Grew

For the flight back to Michigan my father has the foresight to call ahead and score us eight cancelled tickets. Whether or not he compelled those cancellations I hope I'll never have to know.

We end up with four seats in first class and four seats in coach. Two of our guests, a serious looking colored man and a fidgety-looking woman that Claudette tells me is a physical medium, immediately grab the two coach seats in the last row of the plane. The woman hurries past me mumbling something about unhappy spirits on the plane.

Claudette demands a seat in first class which makes my father grab one of the remaining seats in coach. Something about Claudette makes my father nervous. I join Claudette and two other Voodoo practitioners in first class.

"That one claims to be a descendant of Marie Laveau," Claudette whispers as she points to the dark-skinned woman sitting two rows ahead of us. "The only problem with that is she moved to New Orleans from Ethiopia. She's good at what she does though. She's excellent with problem spirits."

I nod my head as she continues and points to a lighter skinned man, "now he, on the other hand, has Louisiana Voodoo in his blood. Our mothers were sisters and they passed everything they knew on to us."

The man senses us talking about him and turns around. He gives us a little wave before picking up a book in his lap.

"Thank you for coming and encouraging the others to come," I tell Claudette gratefully.

"Of course I would have come. You needn't have worried about that. Your father has always been a dear friend of mine even when we were out of touch." Claudette pats my hand.

"You seem to make him uncomfortable," I say, voicing my observation.

Claudette smiles, "I do, don't I? It's just been a very long time since we've seen each other. We didn't really end our last meeting on the best of terms. Now, tell me about the boys in your life."

I pick at my armrest and feign innocence. "I don't know what you mean."

"Don't play coy with me Lizette, the spirits tell me everything." Claudette's smile widens. "I know all about the shifter and the other boy."

"I don't really know what to do," I admit as I bite my lip. "I liked Thierry in the beginning. There was a spark. But then he started acting so clingy and jealous when Luke started taking an interest in me. And Luke, I don't know, there's something that just keeps drawing me to him. We just seem to click, but that's what it felt like with Thierry in the beginning. Sam says everyone in our family has commitment issues."

"You don't have commitment issues. It's natural to like different things about different people. You just have to listen to your heart. That will show you who you really want to be with." Claudette advises me. "The spirits have told me how it all works out; you'll make the right choice when the time is right."

"Thanks Claudette," I say as I let her words sink in.

"Anytime you need to talk I'm here to listen. I miss being able to talk this way with my own daughter." Claudette says wistfully.

"You have a daughter?" I ask. She hadn't mentioned any other family except her sister and the cousin that was accompanying us back to Michigan.

"Yes, she's nearly twenty-one now. We haven't spoken since she turned eighteen." Claudette sighs.

"Why not?"

"She chose a darker path in life that I couldn't approve of, so she packed her bags and moved away. I still send her a Christmas gift every year, but I always get it sent back unopened." Claudette explains.

"I'm so sorry, Claudette," I say sympathetically.

"Thank you honey," Claudette whispers as she dabs at her misty eyes.

We spend the rest of the flight watching the movie being shown, playing a card game, and talking. I'm a lot less nervous about flying now that I know what to expect.

The flight lands in Detroit in the middle of the afternoon and my father ushers all of our guests to the car rental counter. Our car seats five comfortably so we need to rent an extra car for the three people who won't fit in our car.

Claudette offers to drive the second car, giving my father space on the long car ride. My father and I end up riding with the jittery woman, the woman from first class, and the man my father sat with in coach. We split into our two cars and begin the seven hour drive back to Marquette in tense silence.

It's after nine by the time we pull onto the driveway and wind around to the house. I'm tired and ready to go upstairs and fall into bed. I don't expect the sight that greets us when my father pulls his car into the yard.

I gasp as I take in the sight of the house. Sometime in the past two days the house has tripled in size. Gone is the familiar two-story Victorian farmhouse I grew up in and in its place is a humongous gothic mansion. The house looks like something I saw in a horror movie once; the one where the house tries to kill the people that come to stay in it for some kind of scientific study.

"I guess our guests have arrived," My dad says as he turns off the engine.

I gape at him, "what happened to the house?"

My father shrugs, "It had to expand to accommodate all of our guests."

"It looks like a haunted house in a horror movie," I gesture back at the house wildly.

"The house always envied the old gothic style architecture. She has a mind of her own. Every time someone comes to visit she morphs into this," My father explains calmly as if he's explaining why the sky is blue. "That's why we didn't have many guests come to stay while you and Sam were growing up. We would have had a hard time explaining everything to you back then."

"You're saying that the house is alive?" I ask nervously.

"I guess you could say that," he responds as we get out of the car. "She's practically a member of the family."

My father goes to help our guests with their bags as Luke appears in front of the house.

"You're back," Luke sounds relieved as I walk over to meet him.

"Yeah, I am," I reply as I stick my hands in my back pockets. The gesture causes Luke's gaze to drop down to my chest for a few minutes. I clear my throat to redirect his attention.

He has the decency to look embarrassed as he rubs the back of his neck. "So what do you think of the house? Delia has declared it creepy and refuses to sleep with the lights off."

"It's kind of intense," I tell him as I look up at the house. "How did this happen? Did rooms just magically appear?"

"Sort of," Luke says as he turns back to look at the house. "If you're standing in certain areas in the house the floors and walls just begin shifting and expanding. It will pull you along with it if you're not careful. It's becoming a fortress to keep enemies out. I think it's kind of cool."

"Of course you do," I laugh as we make our way inside. "So who else is here?"

We stop in a large stone entryway. Luke pulls me down onto a stiff couch with pink roses covering the upholstery before continuing. "Arianthe's family moved in first. They're an intimidating bunch of women. No man stands a chance against them. They're in the new southern wing of the second floor. It looks and smells like a brothel up there. Keiran's family moved in next. Their rooms sprung up next to the kitchen. I think the house was afraid they would burn the place down. That's when all the walls turned to stone. Did you know Keiran's older brother is a fire eater in one of those freak shows in the south?"  
I shake my head, "No, I didn't know that."

"Yeah," Luke continues, "he's actually pretty cool. And then there's Delia and her mentor. They're up in the attic where it's dark."

"Why do they have to be where it's dark?" I ask.

"Beats me," Luke shrugs. "The old man is very... odd."

"Is everyone getting along?" I ask, thinking about all the different personality types under one roof.

Luke nods, "for the most part. So I hear you've brought us six more people. The house will love that."

"They're an interesting bunch; three Voodoo practitioners, a physical medium, and two necromancers." I count off on my fingertips as Claudette and the others file into the new front hall.

My mother appears suddenly through a stone archway. When she catches sight of Claudette her ivory skin turns even lighter. She pushes forward purposefully and clasps Claudette's hand inside her own. "Hello Claudette," she says icily. All traces of the warm, happy woman who raised me are gone.

"It's wonderful to see you again," Claudette replies just as frostily; indicating that it's anything but.

"I'm sure the house will provide you and your people with suitable accommodations." My mother tells her as her gaze falls on the other five people in the room.

"We'll be happy to take the basement. It's where we feel most at home," A strange smile appears on Claudette's face as something within the house shifts and groans.

"Hold on," Luke warns me as he pins me tightly against the back of the couch. Beneath our feet the floor shudders and shakes. The ordeal lasts for several long minutes as I cling to Luke. Finally a curved wooden door appears within the stone wall across from where Luke and I sit.

"Perfect," Claudette says with a predatory smile aimed at my mother. She leads her people through the doorway and down a flight of stairs without another word.

The door slams shut on its own as my father enters the house with our bags. My mother glares at him long enough to cause him to flinch under her scrutiny.

"You just had to, didn't you?" She asks him accusingly before stomping out of the room. My father drops the bags and runs after her.

"What was that about?" Luke asks in bewilderment.

"I have no idea," I reply honestly.

Luke looks down and realizes he's still pinning me down to the couch. He clears his throat and eases off of me. "Sorry for tackling you," he grimaces.

"It's alright," I assure him as I pull down my t-shirt. It had ridden up during the exchange and come to a rest just below the edge of my bra.

Luke blushes and offers me his hand, "here, I'll carry your bag up to your room."

"That hasn't changed, has it?" I ask as I follow Luke into a newly remodeled formal living room. A large fireplace warms the room and shines light over the antique furnishings that look so foreign compared to my father's old leather La-Z-Boy recliner and flat screen television.

"You'll see," Luke laughs as he leads me through another stone archway and up a grand staircase. When we come to the landing Luke leads me in the direction of where my room had always been. The stone motif has taken over this part of the house as well. Luke pauses outside the door, "I just want to warn you; there's a turret."

I stare at him questioningly, "you're not serious."

Luke grins, "I am, actually." He swings the door open and sweeps his arm out grandly, "welcome home."

I step inside the room. Everything familiar to me is gone, at least in terms of the big furniture items. My no-fuss bed has been exchanged for a four-poster bed with curtains and rich red bedding. All of my mismatched nightstands, dressers, my desk, and my bookshelves have been swapped for an antique set made of rich mahogany wood. And sure enough, in the corner where my window was a large turret had erected itself. A circular bench seat accented with red cushions and throw pillows sits below the carved out windows. "Wow," I breathe.

"I actually kind of like it this way," Luke says as he trails after me into the room.

"Did the house really do all of this on its own?" I ask as I run my hand over the smooth desktop. A sleek, black flat screen computer monitor and a keyboard are the only things on the desk's shiny surface. I glance down and find the tower for the computer hidden beneath the desk.

"Yeah, this was one of the first rooms that changed. It moved to create a room for me between your room and Sam's." Luke explains. He looks around nervously for a moment. "So what do you think? Do you like it?"

I nod, "I do, actually. It would be great if my room could stay this way. Does your room look like this?"

"Not exactly the same, no. Do you want to see it?"

"Yes," I reply a little too quickly. Luke smiles mischievously and tugs me out the door. I glance back at my room once more before turning the light off and shutting the door.

Luke pulls me down the hall before coming to a second door, "home sweet home," he murmurs as he opens the door. I realize how important it must be for Luke to finally have a room to call his own.

Luke's room is similar to mine without a turret. The room is accented with deep shades of blue everywhere mine had been decorated in red. In the corner of the room sits a large easel and an antique drawing table. A tall, glass fronted cabinet houses rows of paints, oil pastels, charcoal, drawing pencils, and paint brushes.

I turn back to Luke, "I knew you liked to draw. You must be really good at it."

Luke shrugs, "what makes you say that?"

"The house gave you all of these supplies; it must see that passion in you," I explain my logic. "The house could tell that I love to read so it created all of those beautiful built-in bookshelves. What's your favorite tool?"

"I like to work in charcoal, but I like to paint too. I guess I'm alright at it," Luke smiles faintly. "Come on, I'll reintroduce you to the rest of the house."

XXXXXXXXXX

Luke and I spend the rest of the hours before midnight exploring the house. My family's living quarters are separate from Arianthe's family by a solid stone wall and a separate staircase to access their rooms. The second floor now contains eight bedrooms; four in each living quarter laid out in an "L" shape.

The attic where Delia and her mentor are staying is divided into three equal sized rooms. There's a large bedroom for each of them with a large study in between. An old man with wrinkly skin sits in an oversized leather chair with a bunch of handwritten notes and charts spread out on a coffee table in front of him. When he looks up and spots us standing in the stone archway at the top of the stairs he shoos us off; telling us to come back after breakfast in the morning.

Luke shrugs at me so we decide to go explore the main floor. The only room in the whole house that doesn't resemble Dracula's lair is the kitchen which remains mostly untouched. The dining room has tripled in size to accommodate the twenty-one people now in residence, but Luke tells me it will expand again once Thierry, Faye, and their family arrive. I gulp at the thought of thirty people all living under one roof.

When Luke and I walk through the living room we find Sam, Delia, Arianthe, and Keiran spread out on two of the three antique sofas with a couple of pizzas and a few cans of soda. The contrast of the modern snacks and the antique coffee table beneath is comical.

"Isn't this place so amazing?" Arianthe asks as Luke and I join them. Luke sits down beside me on the last remaining empty couch.

"Yeah, it is," I admit.

"Well I still think it's creepy." Delia shivers and curls up closer to Sam.

I raise my eyebrows at Sam as I notice how close he and Delia are sitting next to each other. I guess his interest is in Delia this week. He catches my look and levels his own at me as he nods to where my hand lays on the cushion next to me. I look down and see Luke's pinky wrapped around mine. It's an innocently intimate gesture on Luke's part.

"So how did things go in New Orleans? Did you spend any time on Bourbon Street?" Keiran asks, oblivious to the silent conversation going on between Sam and me.

I shake my head. "You know that I wasn't really there to party, Keiran. As far as everything else goes things went really well."

"How many people came back with you?" Sam asks.

"Six," I reply. "One seems to have some kind of connection to Dad though. Mom seemed really angry when she saw her."

"Why, who is she?" Sam asks, sounding confused.

"Her name is Claudette. Does that name sound familiar to you?" I ask hoping Sam might know why Mom acted so hostile.

"No, I've never heard that name before," Sam shakes his head, "but I'll see what I can find out."

"Did Luke tell you that Sam and your mom found some werewolves to come here?" Delia asks as she takes a sip of soda.

I glance over at Luke, "no, he didn't."

"Your mother thinks they might be able to tell me something about my parents," Luke says while trying to downplay what this would mean for him.

I grasp his hand in mine and squeeze it reassuringly, "that's great Luke."

"I hope so," Luke murmurs so softly that only I can hear him.

We stay like that with our hands joined as the others taper off back into their own conversations.

"I'm glad you're back," Luke whispers telepathically.

"Me too," I reply as the old grandfather clock in the corner of the room chimes one in the morning.

# Chapter Eighteen

# The Children of the Prophecy

I wake up early the next morning to the sound of someone snoring loudly. I force my head off the plush surface I've been using as a pillow despite my body's protests.

I must have fallen asleep with everyone else in the living room. The fire in the hearth has died down to embers, making the room feel chilly. Keiran and Arianthe are so tangled up in one another it's hard to tell where he ends and she begins.

Sam sleeps sitting up on the couch I last saw him sitting on. It looks like he's the source of the snoring. I stifle the laugh that is rising in my throat. Who would have guessed that my macho older brother snored like a hibernating bear? Beside him Delia tosses and turns in her sleep fitfully.

I look down to see what I've been sleeping on and come face-to-face with Luke's... er – lap. A blush blooms furiously over my cheeks. I shift my gaze upward to see if Luke has noticed my sleeping position.

Unlike the others his eyes are wide open. He's staring off into space unblinkingly. It's as if he's in a trance.

"Luke?" I whisper his name as I wave my hand in front of his eyes. He doesn't even flinch. I push at his chest a little, "Luke, are you alright?"

"He's asleep," I hear Delia whisper from her perch on the couch she's sharing with Sam.

I jump and put my hand over my racing heart. I thought Delia was asleep but obviously she's not.

"What?" I ask, unsure how Luke could be asleep when his eyes are clearly open.

"He's asleep, with his eyes open," Delia clarifies.

"How can you tell he is sleeping?" I ask her as I stare up at Luke's face.

"I saw him fall asleep. He just started blinking slowly and then he just opened his eyes really wide and stopped blinking altogether. His breathing slowed the way it does when you sleep, but he is still breathing. Keiran checked to make sure he was okay. It was kind of creepy." Delia explains as she sits up and stretches.

"How long has he been like this?" I turn my head to look at Delia.

Delia shrugs, "About four hours I guess. You fell asleep first followed by Arianthe. Luke fell asleep after making sure you were comfortable."

I notice the dark circles forming under Delia's eyes. "Did Sam's snoring keep you awake?"

Delia smirks slightly, "while I can't say his snoring is pleasant, no, it wasn't what kept me awake. I don't sleep much at all. I don't know if it's an insomnia thing or just too much energy coursing through me, but I only sleep about once every two weeks or so."

"Wow," I reply as I try to mask my astonishment. "What do you do with your time on the nights you don't sleep?"

"Various things," Delia shrugs, "most nights I send my ghosts off to explore what's going on around town. You'd be surprised by the secrets I've discovered when night falls and people turn out the lights around here. Since I've been here I've mostly been walking the halls at night."

"Did you find out anything interesting here?" I arch my eyebrow at her.

"Perhaps," she replies with a sly smile. "At least I'm better off than my mentor. As far as I know he never sleeps. He's always up at night making charts and lists and taking notes."

"Making notes and charts about what?" I shift so I can see her better by plopping a pillow over Luke's lap to give myself better leverage.

"He's recording everything he can find out about people throughout history who were a little less than normal. Notable figures he thinks might have been some form of Eternal. He's tracking all sorts of things: accomplishments, disappearances, mysterious deaths. I just don't know what he plans on doing with it all."

"That sounds... interesting." I reply with a yawn.

Suddenly Luke wakes up with a sharp inhale. He fists his hands into my silky hair as he starts blinking rapidly.

"Hey, are you alright?" I ask as I struggle to sit up beside him. Delia leans forward in concern and shoves the throw she's covered herself in off to the side.

Luke reluctantly lets go of my hair, freeing me to sit up. He turns to me slowly as if he's trying to get his bearings. "I'm fine. It was just a bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask as I try to unclench his fists.

Luke shakes his head, "no. I've already forgotten most of it."

"Do you realize that you sleep with your eyes open?" Delia asks as she slides back against the couch cushions.

"I sleep with my eyes open?" Luke echoes in disbelief.

"I thought you were awake at first but Delia told me you were really asleep. It was really weird." I tell him just as Sam snores particularly loudly. It's as if he's agreeing with me.

We all try not to laugh. "Are you sure my eyes weren't just shocked open by 'Tommy the tank engine' over there?" Luke asks.

Delia nods, "I'm sure. You were like that most of the night; even before Sam fell asleep."

"It's just unusual," Luke shrugs, "nothing like that has ever happened to me before."

"Maybe it is stress," I suggest as I yawn again. "I need coffee, who's with me?"

"I can't," Delia shakes her head. "If I drink coffee I won't be able to sleep for another three weeks."

"That can't be healthy," Luke tells her.

"She can't help it," I reply as I get up and smooth the sleep-induced wrinkles out of my shirt.

"She's right," Delia nods. "You guys go ahead. I'll wait for the others to wake up."

"Are you sure?" I ask.

"I'm sure," Delia nods. "Oh, and by the way, my mentor wants to see you both as soon as you finish breakfast."

"We'll head up to the attic after we get some coffee," Luke replies as he gets up to join me.

"So, how did you sleep? Were you comfortable enough?" He asks me as we head down the hallway to the kitchen and the dining room.

"Yes, I slept really well," I tell him as we pad into the dining room.

"I hope you don't mind me moving you, but I didn't want you to get a kink in your neck," Luke says apologetically as he pulls out my chair.

"So you laid me out on your lap?" I ask teasingly.

"Um..." Luke searches for a response as his face and neck turn bright red. "I didn't mean it that way."

"I'm teasing you," I laugh as I pat his arm. "It was really thoughtful of you to be concerned for me. The couch didn't look too comfortable."

"I'll let you know when my lower back stops hurting," Luke admits with a chuckle. He slides into the seat beside me.

"I thought you were getting the coffee," I pout jokingly as I start to stand up.

Luke stops me by putting his hand on my arm, "there's no need. Just wait a minute."

I stare at him in confusion for a second but all Luke does is smile. I gesture to the empty table to ask him if he expects food to just magically appear, but before I can say a word the table begins filling with plates. Coffee cups, juice glasses, and silverware appear next, within the blink of an eye. Finally dishes heaped with food of all kinds and two carafes of coffee appear in the center of the table.

I stare at Luke in shock, "please tell me you did that."

Luke shakes his head, "nope. It's another new development with the house. The shocking part is that the food is really good."

"Things just keep getting weirder around here," I mutter as I pour myself a large cup of coffee. I take a tentative sip and am surprised to find that it is the autumn blend my mother always prepares this time of year, infused with orange peel and pumpkin pie spice. Luke laughs at my comment and holds his own cup out for me to fill with coffee.

"Is that coffee?" A tired sounding male voice asks from the doorway.

"Yes, do you want some?" I ask as I glance up at the new addition and come face-to-face with what I assume is Keiran's brother. The guy standing shirtless in the doorway is tall, muscular, and covered in tattoos. His dark brown hair is already spiked up into a Mohawk. A tattoo of the three of swords covers his heart.

"Definitely," He answers in response to my question. He grabs a cup and holds it out for me to fill from the carafe still in my hand. Once it's full he takes a long sip and sets it aside so he can offer me his hand. "Finn Madigan, elemental and desperate coffee addict. Who might you be?"

"Lizette Weatherly, Jill-of-all-trades I suppose you could say." I joke as I shake his hand.

"Ah, so you're the princess of the castle," Finn smirks. "I've always wanted to meet Sam's little sister, but it seems like they keep you under lock and key around here."

"So you know Sam?" I ask as Luke grips my knee possessively and glares at Finn.

"I know of him," Finn shrugs, "we went to high school together after I got kicked out of Ishpeming High School and had to transfer over to the school in town. He was Mr. Football and I had other interests."

"Yeah, like getting high and sneaking off with anything wearing a skirt." Keiran pipes up as he saunters into the dining room.

"Another reason we had to keep Arianthe and Keiran's families in separate wings of the house," Luke whispers to me telepathically as he lets go of my knee.

I bite back a smile as Keiran continues, "And then he quit school and ran away to the carnival to be a sideshow freak; it nearly killed our parents."

Finn rolls his eyes, "they got over it."

"That's what you think," Keiran retorts as he crosses his arms over his chest.

"Why don't we let you two fight this out privately?" Luke suggests. "Lizette and I are needed upstairs anyway."

"Fine!" Keiran and Finn snap in unison before going back to glaring at each other.

Luke grabs my hand as we sneak out of the dining room. The sound of shattering dishes follows us down the hall. We make it halfway up the first flight of stairs before we collapse into a heap of laughter.

Luke wipes at the corner of his eyes, "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad I don't have any family."

"I've never actually met someone who ran away to join a sideshow. Don't people usually get sent there because they have nowhere else to go?" I ask as I gasp for air.

"It's just so scandalous!" Luke jokes which causes us to laugh even harder.

"And what about guys in kilts; was he sneaking off with them too?" I ask as I lean back against the cool stone stairwell.

"Well he would have had to! It's only fair since kilts are pretty much skirts for men. He wouldn't want to discriminate, would he?" Luke asks sarcastically.

I lean against Luke's shoulder and close my eyes as we fight to catch our breath.

"Are you two going to sit there laughing like fools all morning?" A raspy voice asks from somewhere above us.

I crack open my eyes as Delia's mentor comes into view. Luke and I both sit up straighter. "No sir," we answer together.

The old man looks pleased by our answer. "Good, then come with me, there is much to discuss."

He turns to head back upstairs as Luke and I scramble to keep up.

Once he ushers us up to his quarters in the attic he sinks into his oversized leather chair. He gestures for us to sit down on the plush leather sofa across from him.

He looks down at the papers spread out in front of him. "There is so much to be done, so much yet to be learned. I brought you up here so you could learn a bit more about what you really are."

I exchange a nervous look with Luke as the old man sits back and steeples his fingers. He looks a bit like Yoda sitting in the oversized chair that seems to dwarf him. "In the beginning of time there was Adam and Eve," he begins.

Luke snorts which causes the old man to glare at him before continuing, "And when God created Adam and Eve he bestowed them with very special gifts. Both were equally powerful but for some reason their powers were only passed on to half of their children. As time went on and more generations were born half the population were born human while the other half were born with extraordinary gifts. Unlike Adam and Eve however, most were only born with one type of power each. These creatures lived much longer than normal humans, sometimes up to four- or five hundred years although Adam is said to have lived nine-hundred-thirty years. They were nearly impossible to injure or kill so many people feared them. They began calling themselves 'Eternals' for that reason alone. Throughout the ages some Eternals became notable figures, such as Marie Antoinette who was a powerful succubus, while other Eternals chose to live in isolation."

The old man pauses to take a sip of coffee, "Over time the power of the Eternals began to weaken, their life spans shortened by up to two hundred years. My theory is that as some Eternals married and reproduced with humans their powers became watered down. Then, during the Burning Times, a powerful seer had a vision. She predicted the birth of two very powerful Eternals, one would be male, the other female. They would appear to be normal at first glance while secretly housing all of the powers of Adam and Eve. Many would try to destroy them, but together they would be strong enough to defend not only themselves but all Eternals around the world. It's said that they will strengthen the powers of the Eternals and their offspring would be stronger than any created for thousands of years."

"Hold on, wait a minute," Luke interrupts, "are you saying that Lizette and I are these 'prophesied Eternals'?"

The old man smiles slowly, "you both possess all of the same powers as your friends do, do you not?"

"Yes," I answer as I look at Luke. He nods at the old man in agreement.

"And these powers came easily to you didn't they? What took the others years to perfect came to you in a couple hours, right?" The old man asks eagerly.

Luke and I both nod. The old man nods in return, "that's what I thought. My theory is that the Necromancer, Bryan, wants to sacrifice and absorb Lizette's power. He figures that if he kills Lizette before she meets her male counterpart then the prophecy can never be fulfilled. If the prophecy is not fulfilled he can have all the power to himself. Then someday when he "finds" Lizette's male counterpart Bryan can absorb his power too."

"One of the Voodoo priestesses we brought back from New Orleans says that the spirits told her Bryan has been around for a long time and that he's been killing pure souls and Eternals for centuries. Is that true?" I ask.

The old man rubs his chin thoughtfully, "It's quite possible. Someone has been killing Eternals for years and years. They'd have to be quite powerful. Ever since the prophecy came to be parents have been fearful for their children. Some parents even went as far as to bind their children's power if they showed any potential. Because of this some family lines died out altogether.

"Do you think we'll be able to stop Bryan?" Luke asks.

"I think you have a lot of people who love and support you, and as I said before, together the two of you can create a world of change. For now I think it's best if you keep your true abilities under wraps, Luke. I know you care about Lizette, as you should, but at this point she's safer with the way things are. You don't need to put a target on your back too. Do you understand?"

Luke nods begrudgingly, "yes, I do."

"I agree with your idea to come out of the shadows," the old man says, surprising us both. "Someday when this is all over I think it would benefit us to come out of hiding and tell the world what we are. We shouldn't have to live in fear or shame anymore. There are other creatures out there. Ones we've never even heard of before; or ones we've seen horror movie depictions of and thought they were merely fiction. You'll both unlock sides of yourself you never knew existed."

XXXXXXXXXX

The old man's words stay with me after he dismisses us and goes back to studying his notes. Luke and I make our way back to the main floor of the house in silence.

The front door opens and slams as Luke and I reach the now empty living room. The sounds of bickering bounce off the stone walls.

Luke rolls his eyes as we head into the front hall. "I guess Thierry is back."

Sure enough, Thierry and Faye are standing in the front hall with a group of people I can only assume are their families. On the other side of the front hall are a secondary group of people accompanied by a gray wolf. They exchange glares with Thierry's family.

"Werewolves," Luke explains telepathically. "They don't get along with shifters at all."

I look over my shoulder at him and find that our easy closeness of the past twenty-four hours is gone. He's now standing at least three feet away from me.

Thierry spots me and races over to hold me. It feels weird now as I stand there patting him awkwardly on the back with Luke standing a few feet away. Claudette comes out of her quarters in the cellar alone, to see the new arrivals; when she sees me she raises her eyebrows at my messed up little triangle. I look down at the floor as I pull out of Thierry's embrace.

"I've missed you," Thierry grins down at me brightly.

I open my mouth to respond, but I'm cut off by the house's warning groan before it begins to expand again.

"What is that?" Thierry asks as he grasps onto me. The room begins to shake slightly. "Is that an earthquake?"

"No, the house is just creating living quarters for the new arrivals," I explain even though I know he won't understand.

"Oh," Thierry replies. It's clear he has no idea what I mean. "Come on, I want you to meet my parents."

Thierry starts pulling me toward the direction of his family. I look back at Luke apologetically, but he refuses to look at me.

# Chapter Nineteen

# Samhain

Them:

The Irishman trudged through the forest toward the clearing. A thin layer of snow had managed to fall within the cracks of the tall trees overhead. The tree branches were loaded down with the white powdery snow. The snow that managed to reach the ground coated the forest floor like powdered sugar on a doughnut.

"It won't last," the Irishman thinks; "Once the demons rise from their depths they'll generate enough heat to melt anything in sight.

The Irishman steps into the clearing where the raven haired girl is already waiting for him. When the girl spots him she straightens out of the crouch she's been in as she built up the bonfire in the center of the clearing.

"It's almost time," The Irishman tells her as a dark smile appears on his face.

"Is everything ready?" The raven haired girl asks eagerly.

"Patience my dear," The Irishman smirks. "Yes, everything is almost ready. I need you to set up the altar so everything looks like a normal Samhain circle. We don't want the others to be suspicious until I have them under my control."

"And you're sure they'll come?" The raven haired girl asks skeptically.

"Like moths to a flame; they'll have no choice." The Irishman assures her.

"Then you better start summoning the demons," the raven haired girl grins sinisterly in return.

XXXXXXXXXX

I wake up to the sounds of Bryan and Desiree's evil laughter ringing in my ears.

With the dreamlike vision still fresh in my head I race out of bed and into the hall. Still groggy from sleep I push open the door closest to my room, forgetting that it isn't Sam's room anymore.

All remnants of sleep flee as my eyes land on Luke's sleeping form. He's lying sideways on top of the blankets of his bed. I suck in a startled breath as I realize that he's naked. I can't see anything I'm not supposed to see though, because he's sleeping curled up into a ball with his knees pulled all the way up to his chin.

"Enjoying the view?" Luke asks, without opening his eyes. His voice is roughened by sleep.

I blush, "I forgot Sam's room wasn't just next door anymore."

"Is everything alright?" Luke asks as he starts to get up.

"Whoa, don't get up," I tell him as I turn around and face the door.

Luke laughs and I hear the sound of rustling clothes. "It's okay to look now," he tells me after a minute.

I cautiously turn around to see him sitting on the edge of the bed in a faded pair of jeans.

"Better?" He asks in amusement. I nod as he gets up and crosses the room. "So what had you racing in to try to find Sam so early?"

"I had a vision about Bryan and Desiree. They're getting ready to summon the demons." I tell him quickly.

I watch as Luke's face pales, "go tell your parents everything you've seen. I'll see if I can tap into Bryan or Desiree's thoughts and I'll meet you downstairs with Sam."

"Okay," I reply as I turn to leave. At the last minute he wraps his arms around my waist from behind and pulls me close. He breathes me in as he holds me in his embrace. "You'll be okay," he whispers, more to himself than me before he releases me.

I pause in Luke's doorway for a minute before crossing the hallway to my parent's bedroom. I knock lightly and only have to wait a few seconds before my father opens the door.

Seeing the look on my face he immediately asks, "what is it, Lizette?"

I quickly repeat everything I can remember from my vision. My mother comes to join us in the doorway and listens in.

"It's starting then," my father says solemnly. "Gather everyone for breakfast. We'll eat and then we'll go over the plan."

XXXXXXXXXX

Everyone is so quiet at breakfast. At dinner the night before everything had felt so alive and full of laughter. There were thirty-eight of us now, including the late night arrival of Arianthe's grandmother from Florida and Keiran's aunt from Kentucky.

Thierry had been upset for a few days after his arrival when he found out that the house had created living quarters for Faye and his family above Arianthe's family's living quarters. The six werewolves had been given the living quarters above my family. He saw red when he found out that Luke got a room next to mine. It was obvious that the house had picked a side when it came to who I should be with.

This morning we are arranged around the table by family. It isn't anyone's fault that Luke is the orphan of the group. He gets seated between my family and the werewolves while Thierry is with the rest of his family at the opposite side of the table. Every once in a while Thierry shoots a pleading look in my direction trying to get me to come down by him.

Finally everyone finishes eating and Delia's mentor comes to join my father at the head of the table.

My father clears his throat, "you all know why you're here and my family and I want to thank each and every one of you for being here. This is about more than just saving my daughter Lizette; it's about righting old wrongs and finally ridding the world of something that's been plaguing the Eternals for far too long."

He pauses as everyone applauds before turning things over to Delia's mentor. "Some of you know me, and some of you don't. I've gone by many names, but you may call me Henry. I know all of you have heard of the prophecy that's been handed down from generation to generation," Henry pauses to stare at each of the adults in the room. I can hear the low murmurs of acknowledgment although I can't see their lips moving. Meanwhile all of my friends, except for Luke, look at each other in confusion.

Henry holds his hands up to silence the hushed conversations that have sprung up. "It's our belief that this 'Bryan' character wants to sacrifice Lizette and absorb her power to prevent the prophecy from being completed. He plans on offering her up to the demons. As we speak hundreds of demons are Earthbound. Here's how things are going to go: this morning I ask that the succubae, with the exception of Arianthe, go into the woods. Dispense as many demons as you can. The fewer we have to worry about fighting, the better. If you can bring any demons over to our side do it. Are we understood?" Henry asks Arianthe's grandmother, the head of their family.

She nods, "we will leave at once. May I ask first, the male from the prophecy, is he among us now?"

"He is," Henry answers shortly.

"Who is he?" Arianthe's grandmother asks as Luke grabs my hand under the table nervously. I feel a strange new burst of power at his touch.

"I am not at liberties to say," Henry answers in a tone that tells the entire room that the topic is not up for debate. "Please return to the house by dusk so we can all leave together."

Arianthe's grandmother nods curtly as she and Arianthe's family get up and leave the room.

"The rest of us will wait until tonight. Bryan will expect the original six Eternals to arrive first and he will try to control your minds. I want all of you to spend the afternoon practicing shielding your minds. Parents and siblings of the original six, when your child takes their places in the circle I ask that you take your places behind them in the woods." Henry turns to the leader of the werewolves, who is sitting beside Luke, "Luna, since Luke is an orphan and one of your kind will you take responsibility for him?"

The woman, Luna, nods regally. "We will."

"Good, then I must ask to speak to you and Luke after this meeting ends," Henry says.

"Of course, anything you ask," Luna replies.

"Now, we'll discuss everyone's responsibilities," Henry addresses the group as he moves on. "Delia, my dear, you will be dismembering the demons by draining their life force with your ghosts. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," Delia says quickly.

"Arianthe, you will join your family and use your power to control and destroy the male demons," Henry says as he turns to look at Arianthe.

"Yes sir," Arianthe replies with a dirty grin.

Henry moves on to Keiran's family next. "The elementals will be in charge of destroying the demons and zombies that Bryan has risen using whichever element comes naturally to you."

"We'll obliterate them," Finn answers for the family causing Arianthe to snort loudly.

"Where are my necromancers and Voodoo practitioners?" Henry asks as he peers down the long table.

"Here," Claudette calls from her end of the table.

"Very good," Henry replies. "The necromancers are to stay hidden in the woods and summon the dead from their resting places to come to our aid. Meanwhile I want the Voodoo practitioners to summon their spirits to help Lizette as well as try to weaken Bryan as much as you can so he'll be easier to finish off."

"We'll do all that we can," Claudette replies firmly.

"As for the werewolves and shifters," Henry continues with a sigh, "I know by nature that you don't get along but for tonight I need you to set your differences aside and work together. Do you think you can do that?"

Luna has a brief stare down with Thierry's father before each of them begrudgingly replies, "yes."

"Good," Henry sighs in relief. "Then I want you to assist in any way necessary. Attack demons and zombies, go after Bryan, wherever you are needed go there."

"We understand," Luna answers.

"Finally Faye, you're part witch and part fairy, aren't you?" Henry asks as he turns to where Faye is sitting with her parents.

Faye shakes her head, "no. I'm actually all fairy, but my powers mimic that of a witch," she explains. This is the first time I'm hearing this. I thought she was a witch like Sam and my parents.

"Regardless, I'm putting you in charge of dealing with the banshee assisting Bryan. Can you handle her?" Henry asks.

"It would be my pleasure," Faye replies.

"Good, then our last order of business is what I want you, Lizette, to be doing. You will enter the circle after the others are in place. Your parents will be right behind you to support you, and Sam will be in the circle as well. Bryan will invite you to come forward, toward the fire. He will, at this time, think he has the others under his control and he will try to control you. You must make him believe that you are under his spell. Meanwhile, I want you to use your elemental power to fuse him to the ground."

"Won't he notice that he isn't able to move?" I ask.

"Not if you tap into his mind at the same time," Henry replies. "When the time is right you'll know exactly what to do to finish him off. Are there any questions?"

When no one else speaks up Henry pounds his fist against the tabletop like a gavel, "meeting adjourned. I suggest that everyone rest up, tonight will be a long night."

Sam pulls me aside as everyone begins to file out of the room. Luke and Luna head up to Henry and Delia's quarters as Henry gets waylaid by Thierry's parents. "What was the old man talking about back there? Something about a prophecy?" Sam demands to know.

I'm saved by my father, who comes up behind Sam and claps him on the shoulder. "Leave your sister alone Sam. If you were meant to know about the prophecy you would have been filled in."

"But-" Sam starts to object.

"But nothing," My father says as he stares Sam down. "Lizette," He says without breaking eye contact with Sam, "go with your mother up to Henry's quarters. He has something to discuss with you privately."

"Sure, I'll head up there right away," I tell him as I head for the staircase. I'm grateful to get away from Sam's accusatory stare.

My mother and I hurry up to the attic where Luke and Luna are already waiting. Henry joins us a few minutes later. "Sorry to have kept you waiting, I got caught up with the shifters," He laughs as he shakes his head. "They seem to think there's something special about their son Thierry. As I told them years ago when they tried to bind his shifting abilities, he isn't one of the prophesied ones so there isn't anything to worry about."

"But I'm guessing Luke is," Luna says, sounding unfazed. "That is why you called us up here isn't it?"

"Yes, he is," Henry confirms. "How could you tell?"

"There were obvious signs," Luna replies vaguely. "And a true werewolf can always feel a... shall we say kinship?...with other members of our kind; there's not quite that same feeling with Luke."

"I see," Henry says as he jots down a note. "Well in any matter we have to discuss the ritual Luke and Lizette will use to finish Bryan off. Once Lizette fuses Bryan to the ground I want you, Luke, to join her in the middle of the circle. You will join hands like this," He demonstrates by raising his hands up and placing them flat against Luna's. "You will channel your combined energies into each other and perform the dispelling ritual. Lizette, I believe you learned this ritual from your father's necromancy books, am I correct?"

I look at him blankly for a minute before the ritual pops into my consciousness. "Yes sir," I tell him as I quickly memorize the ritual.

"Good, once you join hands Luke will have access to it as well. It's a very powerful ritual, in which the person you are performing it on will be eaten alive by all of their wrongdoings." Henry tells us before he begins conferring with Luna and my mother.

XXXXXXXXXX

I spend the rest of the day pacing my room anxiously. Everyone was ordered to stay with their respective families and practice shielding their minds from being breached. I felt like I was rehearsing for a big performance and couldn't concentrate. I tried reading, but the words on the page didn't seem to make any sense. Then I tried listening to music but the words floated right over me. Finally I lay down and tried to sleep.

Finally around seven I hear a knock on my door. I crack open the door and find my mother standing on the other side with a stack of clothing.

"These are for you," My mother smiles encouragingly as she hands me the clothes. "Put them on and come down to the front hall."

"I'll be down in a minute," I tell her as a feeling of dread comes over me.

She stares at me for a long minute before pulling the door shut and leaving me alone.

I strip down and unfold the clothes my mother gave me. They turn out to be an ankle-length white dress with cap sleeves and a heavy red wool cloak.

How very virginal looking, I think to myself as I slip the dress over my head and smooth it down. I gaze at myself in my full-length mirror as I secure the cloak around my shoulders; I look just like Snow White.

To prove my point I swipe some red lip gloss over my lips before I leave my room.

Everyone is waiting as I walk into the front hall. Sam and the rest of our friends have all donned red cloaks as well. The werewolves have shifted into their wolf forms and the shifters have shifted into their preferred animals. Thierry is surrounded by a pit bull, an owl, two jaguars, a king cobra, and a tarantula, which he sticks in his pocket. I can only guess that the cobra and the tarantula are his younger brothers. His older brother is fighting to shift but finally manages to shift into a lion.

Arianthe's grandmother is talking to Henry and my parents as I approach them. "We destroyed quite a few of them," she's saying, "and we managed to get at least twenty of our incubus kinsmen to pledge loyalty to our side, but they still have almost one hundred on their side."

"Then we'll be evenly matched when we raise our zombies and spirits," Henry says confidently as he dismisses her. To the gathering group he says, "Now that everyone is ready the first group will move out. Keep your guards up and believe in yourselves and our cause. Claudette, I want you and your people to go with the first group and work your magick. Lizette, wait ten minutes then come to the clearing. Your parents will follow you. Now let's get going!" He riles everyone up as he leads the first group out the door and into the night.

Thierry comes over to hug me, "good luck," he whispers in my ear.

"You too," I whisper back.

Luke shoots me a crooked grin as he heads for the door. "I'll see you out there," he tells me telepathically.

I nod briefly. After the first group leaves and I'm left alone with my parents they come over to hug me.

"No matter what happens tonight, I want you to remember that your father and I love you very much. We couldn't be prouder of you. From the moment you were born we knew you were headed for great things and that the road ahead wouldn't always be a smooth one. We don't regret a single moment and we're proud to be the parents of such an amazing daughter." My mother tells me as tears shine in her eyes.

Tears spring to my eyes as she holds onto me. "It sounds like you're saying goodbye," I tell her.

"Never," She whispers as she grips me tighter.

"I love you too," I tell her as she rocks me back and forth.

One hundred pure souls were about to face off against one hundred demons. We just had to hope our side would come out victorious.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ten minutes later I lead the way out to the clearing. I can feel my parents stumbling around in the darkness behind me. Right before I get to the clearing I see two ghosts manifest in front of me.

My ancestress Siobhan and a woman who looks vaguely familiar come into view. Siobhan smiles at me reassuringly. "It's time, Lizette. Don't worry; we'll be with you every step of the way."

It's then that I see hundreds of spirits blinking into view. I briefly wonder if Bryan can see them or if he thinks they're part of his demonic army.

Before I can ask her I hear Bryan's Irish lilt reverberating through the trees, "Lizette Sidonie Weatherly, I summon you into the clearing!" He demands as he uses my full name.

I slowly put one foot in front of the other as Siobhan and the other ghost flank me on either side.

"Walk slowly, as if you are in a trance," Siobhan advises me. "He thinks he has you under his control."

"And try not to blink," the other woman adds.

I nod as I step into the clearing. Bryan stands at the head of the circle on the other side of the huge bonfire. Desiree stands frozen at his side looking dazed. Around the rest of the circle my friends stand slightly bent over with their hoods drawn over their faces.

"Luke?" I call out telepathically as I stare straight ahead blankly.

"I'm right here babe, right where I belong," Luke replies telepathically as I realize he's the hooded figure standing closest to me. I relax in relief as I step farther into the clearing.

I continue to stare forward blindly as I secretly push my senses out to Bryan. I meet with a little resistance as I push into his mind. Outwardly he scratches at his ear. It looks like he's swatting at a mosquito.

I quickly get to work taking over his mind. I struggle with the give and take even as Bryan tries to keep fighting.

"Come closer to the fire Lizette. It's time to make a sacrifice." Bryan manages to croak out before I snap the binds that give him the freedom to speak. I get overconfident at how easy things seem to be going as I begin to fuse Bryan's legs to the ground that I slip up just long enough that Bryan manages to escape my hold.

"Attack her!" He commands the others, assuming that he has them under his control. Desiree leaps across the clearing in an attempt to restrain me. I deflect her advances by throwing her across the clearing with my mind. She falls against the trunk of a thick oak tree and doesn't get back up. When nobody else moves Bryan gets angrier. He lets out a blood curdling scream and pounds his fist against the frozen ground. He starts muttering a spell in Gaelic as I fight to regain control of his mind.

Behind me Luke throws off his hood and stalks forward to join me but it's too late. Dozens of demons, zombies, and dark spirits spring forth out of the woods. Luke clasps my hand in his and we manage to regain complete control over Bryan, but now we have bigger problems to face.

"Now!" Henry yells as he and the adults burst out of the woods, spurring everyone into action. All of our friends throw their hoods back and get to work as Luke and I keep watch over Bryan.

Delia and Henry join their hands together and cast out their ghosts, multiplying them tenfold as dozens of blue and orange creatures begin devouring demons. The demons make horrible noises as they wither and die.

Arianthe throws off her cloak revealing the fact that she's covered in nothing more than a skimpy lingerie set underneath the cloak. Her family and the incubuses they've brought over to our side race into the clearing only to split up and chase a large group of demons back into the woods. I don't even want to think of what they're doing to destroy the demons, but judging from the noises that start floating out of the woods, the demons seem to be enjoying it.

Keiran and his family begin tossing balls of fire at the ever approaching demons and zombies. They shriek and cry as they sizzle and burn out of existence. Keiran's mother, a short earthy woman, redirects her power and opens a hole in the earth beneath a group of male demons; banishing them back to the pits of hell. Meanwhile, her husband calls up a mini-tornado and aims it at a group of dim-witted zombies. Arms, legs, and other assorted body parts end up scattered all over the clearing. Keiran and Finn rush over to burn the body parts so the zombies can't reanimate.

Thierry looks pointedly at Luke and my entwined hands before shifting into his German Shepard form and joining the combined group of shifters and werewolves. In true animalistic fashion they commence the gruesome task of ripping the demons and zombies to shreds. It's almost too disgusting to watch.

My parents have joined Sam and together they're using their magick to destroy as many demons as possible. On the outskirts of the clearing I spy Claudette and her people busily summoning zombies and ghosts to fight for our side.

Everywhere I look there's carnage and chaos; blood and gore. In the corner of the clearing Faye examines Desiree's motionless form for injuries.

"Finish this Lizette!" Henry calls out to me.

"Are you ready?" I ask Luke as we turn to face each other.

"To end this sucker? Absolutely," Luke grins cockily as we join our hands and our powers. Our combined power flows into me, filling me with warmth. We focus our power into the first step of the ritual, creating a circle around Bryan. The circle will bind him and render him powerless. I smile triumphantly as the shimmering gold circle burns into the ground around Bryan.

"Do you honestly think I didn't know Luke was the other half of the prophecy?" Bryan shouts as he loses his youthful disguise. The man now within our bonds looks hundreds of years old. "It's my job to know! I created you, you ungrateful whelp!"

Luke falters for a minute, but I boost him up by pouring more power into him.

"That's right, I'm your father!" Bryan shouts. "Your mother was an unstable clairvoyant streetwalker I found on the streets of New York. I thought she was the prophesied one, but then I realized what I had to do. Once she had you I killed her and dumped her like the trash she was. Then I dumped you in the foster care system where I could always keep tabs on you."

I cut him off so he can't say another word by cutting out his tongue using my magick. I sense Luke's shock so I balance out our power and support him as I continue the ritual on my own. "Bryan Fynn Sorcha, necromancer from Galway, for your countless crimes against humans and fellow Eternals alike I hereby bind you, strip you of your power, and condemn you to death. You will pay for your crimes at the hands of every creature you have harmed!"

As I finish my speech the ground begins to shake violently beneath my feet. His evil spirits are the first to attack him, finally granting them absolution. I pour all of my energy into destroying him. I draw upon the positive energy of the Native Americans who owned this land first, the energy of my long gone ancestors as well as the ancestors of my friends, and the energy of every ghost Claudette brought with her from New Orleans. I draw on the love I have for all of my family and friends and channel it into my ritual. Waves and waves of power flow over me until there's nothing left of Bryan; not even a scrap of clothing. With his demise all of the remaining demons and zombies poof out of existence. Around the clearing everyone cheers in victory.

Spent and thoroughly exhausted I collapse into a heap with Luke.

"Thank you for freeing us Lizette," Siobhan thanks me as she and the rest of the good ghosts begin to fade. Behind her, the good zombies begin heading off to their open graves.

"Thank you Lizette," the other female ghost says, sounding relieved. I now clearly recognize her as Luke's mother. "Take care of my son," she smiles as she disappears.

"Don't relax yet, we have one last matter of business," Henry reminds us as he gestures to where Faye is standing over Desiree.

Now that she's no long under Bryan's spell Desiree has begun moving a little bit. She wails in pain as she tries to sit up.

Luke helps me to my feet and we support each other as we tiredly walk over to join Henry, Claudette, and my father where they're standing over Desiree.

"How could you Desiree?" Claudette demands as she puts her hands on her hips. "You know better than to go against your family!"

"But she gets everything!" Desiree wails. I look over at Luke in confusion. He shrugs as Desiree continues, "she gets treated like a princess by the father you never allowed me to have and I got stuck with a mother who sticks pins in dolls for a living!"

"She's your sister!" Claudette shouts back angrily as she gestures to me.

"What?" I draw back in shock. At the same time my father turns to Claudette and yells, "What?"

Claudette dismisses him with a wave of her hand, "Ask your wife, she knew all about it."

My father opens his mouth to say something and then thinks better of it as he looks back at my mother.

"I can't believe you're siding with her over me," Desiree whimpers. I almost feel sorry for her. Except, you know, she was planning to kill me.

Claudette pulls a small vile out of her pocket and holds it out to Desiree. "Hush cher, drink this medicine. It will make you feel better."

Desiree reluctantly takes the vial from Claudette's outstretched hand. She downs the liquid like a shot and lays back. She closes her eyes slowly and seems to relax instantly.

I ease out of Luke's hold and walk over to my father. "What did she give her?" I ask in a whisper.

"Liquefied figuier maudit tree root; it's poisonous." My father whispers back.

"It's what I should have done when I first realized she was giving herself over to the darkness," Claudette justifies herself sadly before turning to me. "I'm sorry Lizette; I should have told you everything from the beginning."

My father wraps his arm around my shoulder tightly. I survey the damage caused to my friends. Arianthe and her family stand together looking worn out, but I can't see any visible injuries. Keiran's mother tends to Finn, who somehow managed to singe his eyebrows off during the fight. The werewolves and shifters lay panting together, still in their non-human forms. Behind me Delia lays exhausted in Sam's arms.

We've all made it through the battle relatively unharmed. Despite the two shocking revelations Luke and I received we managed to destroy Bryan without getting too banged up in the process. Our side won this round, but if Henry was right this would just be the beginning.

# Chapter Twenty

# Out of Darkness

Now that everything is said and done we make our way back to the house. Everyone is tired and as I look down at the watch on Sam's wrist I realize why. The ordeal that felt like it only lasted a half hour at the most has dragged on for almost two hours.

Thierry's youngest brother complains about his sore feet so their father hoists him up on his back piggyback style. The boy falls asleep before we even make it back to the house. Similarly, Delia is too weak to walk on her own so Sam sweeps her into his arms and carries her back the rest of the way. Keiran and Arianthe lag behind and I can just barely make out their conversation. He's telling her she needs a shower because she reeks of demon.

Just a few steps later we burst out of the tree cover and into the yard. The security lights my father installed earlier in the week turn on automatically and light the way up to the front door.

Once we all file into the front hall Henry addresses the group, "I know some of you have questions you want answered, but I think I speak for everyone when I say we're all exhausted. Be grateful that we can go to our beds victorious and without any casualties. The time for questions can wait until the morning."

Everyone murmurs their agreement and begin to head off to their separate quarters. Thierry tries to break away from his family to come talk to me, but his mother stops him by saying, "Come along Thierry, you belong with your family tonight."

Thierry glares at her but concedes to following her up the staircase to their living quarters. I shake my head tiredly as I follow my family up to our section of the house.

I pause outside my bedroom door and glance over at Luke. "Are you okay?" I ask quietly as I think about the news he got tonight.

"I think so," Luke replies. "It's just a lot to take in all at once."

"I know what you mean," I laugh bitterly as I think about Claudette's revelation.

"Will you be okay tonight?" Luke asks as he walks over to me.

"Yeah, I think I'm just going to read a book for a while," I tell him.

"Well you know where I am if you want to talk," He says as he pulls me into a friendly hug and kisses the top of my head.

"Thanks Luke," I whisper as he releases me.

XXXXXXXXXX

I wake up late the next morning and head down to the dining room. Henry asks Sam and our friends to join him in the living room so he can tell them about the prophecy and our origins as Eternals. He leads them into the living room, leaving Luke, Finn, and I alone with the adults.

"So, you knew all along?" I ask Finn as the three of us sit down at an empty corner of the long table.

"About the prophecy you mean? Yeah, my parents told me when I was sixteen and it was obvious that I was just a normal elemental." Finn says as he toasts two slices of pumpernickel bread between his burning hands.

Luke watches him in fascination, "I wish I knew how to do that."

"It's easy, I'll show you later, if you want me to," Finn tells him before switching back to our original conversation. "I was just happy that I wasn't the one in the prophecy, although I'm sure Thierry would have preferred if it was me because the tension in your little love triangle is so thick you could cut it with a knife. If I were the one from the prophecy I would have let him have you. I mean you're hot, don't get me wrong, but you're a little too 'plain Jane' for me. There's this chick from the sideshow who does the tattooed woman act and I think she could be 'the one' if you catch my drift."

Luke smirks at Finn's comment as I whack him in the chest. "Is it that obvious? The thing between Luke, Thierry, and I, I mean?" I ask Finn worriedly.

"Definitely. I mean you can't blame Thierry because a guy never forgets his first, erm, love," Finn snorts, "but in the end fate trumps lust so he should just give it up already."

"Maybe someone should tell him that." Luke laughs.

"I think I just need a break from relationships altogether," I mutter as I pour sugar into my coffee.

"Take all the time you need, I'll still be here," Luke whispers in my ear as I feel a shiver run down my back. I don't have a chance to respond because Henry reenters the room and asks the rest of us to come into the living room.

Once everyone is assembled in the living room Henry addresses the group, "I just want to start by applauding everyone on a job well done last night. Our plan wasn't without problems but in the end everything worked out the way it was supposed to. I'm sorry that I couldn't tell everyone about Luke's true abilities from the beginning, but the secrecy was for his safety."

I glance over at Thierry only to find him glaring at Luke. I see that he's not taking the news of the prophecy very well. I quickly refocus my attention on Henry.

"As for you Luke," Henry continues, "I'm sure the truth about your parents came as quite a shock. I didn't know that Bryan was your biological father, but I have to admit that I did know who your birth mother was. She was an exceptionally bright young woman I crossed paths with several times over the years. I knew she had a child and that she had been killed, but I figured that the child had been killed along with her."

"Maybe he should have been," Thierry mutters under his breath. His mother shoots him a dirty look, which he ignores.

"There's one last thing I want to discuss with you all before everyone starts to depart. This is a topic we have visited before, but I think now that we have the input of the younger generation we should reevaluate our decision. Nearly fifteen years have passed since we decided to stay in the shadows of anonymity instead of going public with what we are. I still believe coming forward is a good idea," Henry says firmly as he appeals to the group.

"And I still think it would disrupt our lives too much. It's too risky," Thierry's father says dismissively.

"I'm not asking for a decision today. I'm simply reopening the topic. I say we reconvene in six months for the decision. Does that sound good with everyone?" Henry asks hopefully.

Nearly everyone agrees to spend the next six months thinking it over. Once the meeting ends and people start dispersing my father approaches Henry to ask him if we can use his study for a family meeting.

Henry gladly agrees and that's how I find myself sinking into one of Henry's oversized leather chairs ten minutes later. Sam sits down in the chair next to mine while our parents take opposite sides of the couch across from us. Claudette finishes our group off as she sinks into Henry's favorite chair.

"I think I should start by explaining how I really know Claudette," my father sighs.

"That sounds like a good idea," my mother snips.

My father ignores her and addresses Sam and I. "Everything I told you about going to New Orleans to speak to a Voodoo priestess is true. I had read about Claudette's mother in several Voodoo books. She was quite famous in the world of necromancy.

What I didn't expect was to meet Claudette and develop feelings for her. Your mother and I were just casually dating at the time. Our parents thought we'd be a good match, but I wasn't totally convinced. Claudette was interesting and mysterious and I couldn't help being attracted to her."

My father rakes his fingers over his face as he continues. "Unfortunately her mother caught us the night we snuck out to be together. She tortured me all night using all of her favorite Voodoo tricks. She told me I could never see Claudette again. You see, she had the son of a powerful Voodoo priest all lined up for Claudette and I was jeopardizing the match. I barely had enough strength to crawl back to my hotel. I had to call your mother to come bring me home. It wasn't until a month later that I found out your mother had tricked me into getting her pregnant while I was recovering. We were married two months later and I never thought about Claudette again. I had no idea a child had resulted from that one night together."

"It's like you always say, 'once is all it takes'," Sam jokes as I groan and cover my eyes.

Nobody responds to Sam's joke as Claudette starts telling her side of the story. "I came to see your father the next day, but your mother had already arrived. As a witch that specialized in healing she could instantly tell that I was in the initial stages of pregnancy. She told me to stay away from your father; that they were engaged to be married. She knew if he found out about the baby he would leave her. My mother was furious when she found out. She sent me to the islands to live with my grandmother. I didn't return to New Orleans until after my mother passed away."

"Is that true, mom?" I ask as I turn to my mother.

Her glaring silence is enough to confirm Claudette's story. After a few minutes of tense silence my mother storms out of the room muttering the words, "he was mine first". My father stares after her angrily.

"I still don't understand why you killed Desiree," Sam says as he turns back to Claudette.

"There was no other way, she was beyond saving," my father answers quietly.

"I'm so sorry you didn't get to know her sooner. Maybe we could have prevented all of this," Claudette says apologetically.

"It isn't your fault," my father tells her.

XXXXXXXXXX

Six Months Later...

A lot has changed in the six months since that Halloween night in the clearing. Some of our house guests had left while some stayed with us.

Arianthe and Keiran's families had been the first to leave. They went back to their houses in town a few days after our last meeting with Henry. Finn went back to his job with the sideshow, but he was due back any day now for the decision.

My parents invited Henry and Delia to stay with us on a permanent basis. They made themselves at home in their attic living quarters. Delia and I bump into each other frequently in the halls on nights when she can't sleep. I was happy for her because she had finally gotten Sam to commit to her alone.

After I found out that my parents' marriage, which had always seemed so loving to me, was nothing more than a sham I sat Luke and Thierry down and told them I needed some time alone to think things through. Luke understood while Thierry threw a fit.

Thierry moved out the same day his family left to go back to Minnesota, taking Faye back home with them. Sam decided to move into Thierry's apartment as his roommate because he didn't want to be around our parents anymore.

I couldn't say I blamed him. Our parents still weren't getting along. Now that Sam was gone our father moved out of the bedroom he shared with our mother and moved into Sam's old room. Since the house decided that she was staying the size she had expanded to Luke remained in the bedroom the house had made for him. We've been spending a lot of time hanging out in the living room in the middle of the night, just talking for hours.

Claudette and the others went back to New Orleans after sticking around for the holidays. Surprisingly Claudette and I stayed in touch. We've all been trying to heal since everything came out into the open.

The wolves didn't go far when they left. Luna and her people preferred to live in the woods, so they moved onto the land around our house. It was an added sense of security.

XXXXXXXXXX

The morning of the vote I'm sitting in my room reading a book when I hear a knock on my door.

Luke pokes his head into my room, "hey, can we talk for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure, come in," I tell him as I set my book aside.

Luke closes the door and sits down on the end of my bed. "Are you ready for the vote?"

"I think I know which way I want to go," I tell him.

Luke crosses his arms across his chest which causes his sleeve to raise a little. I zero in on where he had had my name tattooed on his bicep last month. He smiles when he catches me looking. "Either way, if we decide to go public it's not like everyone has to come forward if they don't want to. I don't know why certain people are getting so upset about it."

"Well that's my thinking," I agree with him, "but I doubt that's why you wanted to talk to me."

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately," Luke starts as he picks at his fingernails nervously. "I know you haven't made a decision about who you want to be with yet, but I had an idea and I want you to hear me out, okay?"

I nod as he continues, "I know you'll be turning eighteen in a couple weeks and you'll be graduating in June. I was wondering if you would want to move to New Orleans with me after you're done with school; as my girlfriend. You know I'm in love with you, and we've gotten along great these past six months and I know I'm a better choice for you than Thierry. Not only because he's a jerk, but you can't really be yourself with him. If you choose him you'll always have to drink that awful tea Arianthe gives you so you don't hurt him. You wouldn't have to do that with me. I have the incubus power like you have the succubus power in you so we are incapable of hurting each other. We're meant for each other. More than that, I would make you my world if you'd let me. Please, just tell me you'll think about it," he begs as he laces his fingers through mine.

"I'll think about it," I tell him truthfully as a wealth of emotions washes over me.

"That's all I ask," Luke tells me as he pulls me into a hug.

XXXXXXXXXX

A few hours later Henry gathers everyone into the dining room. It feels good to have everyone together again.

Henry clears his throat and says, "I'll explain how this works for those that haven't done this before. We're going to have a blind vote. One by one you'll go into the living room. You'll write your decision; either yes or no, on the paper provided and stick it in the box on the coffee table. Once everyone has voted I'll count the votes and announce the results."

"How do we know you won't alter the results in your favor?" Thierry's father asks snidely.

"Do you really think I would sink that low?" Henry replies.

Thierry's father looks like he's going to respond, but Finn cuts in and says, "I'll count the votes."

Arianthe snorts, "Can you count higher than five?"

"Of course I can," Finn replies, sounding offended.

"Thank you Finn," Henry tells him before turning to Thierry's father, "unless that's not okay with you."

"Its fine," Thierry's father concedes reluctantly.

"Good, then Claudette, you may go first." Henry gestures to Claudette at the far end of the table.

The vote seems to drag on forever. When it's my turn I enter the living room and reach for the pen and paper. I quickly scrawl my 'yes' vote onto the slip of paper, fold it in half, and stick it into the box.

After the rest of my friends cast their votes Henry sends Finn into the living room to tally the votes.

Ten minutes later he emerges from the living room with his final count written on a slip of paper. He hands it to Henry and sits down.

Henry opens the folded piece of paper and reads the result, "in the vote on whether or not to go public the results are thirty-three in favor of going public and five opposed."

"What? Let me see that!" Thierry's father demands as he leaps out of his seat. He grabs the paper out of Henry's hand and stares at it in disbelief.

"I can show you the votes if you don't believe my ability to count," Finn says with a smirk.

"How can this be? Who would have voted for this?" Thierry's father wants to know. He stares everyone down.

"Maybe everyone is tired of hiding what they really are and they're just ready for a change," Henry shrugs.

XXXXXXXXXX

A week later I find myself in the conference room of an upscale New York hotel where Henry has organized a press conference. Once the final vote came in Henry called a friend of his who was not only an Eternal but a popular news reporter as well. Apparently he thought going public was a good idea too, so he set everything up.

Everyone had flown to New York except Thierry and Faye's parents. Even Thierry's brothers were here. Thierry had only come to try to talk me out of going in front of the cameras.

"I can't believe you want to do this," Thierry mutters as he shakes his head. "This won't be able to be undone.

"It's not up to you to decide what I do," I tell him.

"If you go out into that ballroom with everyone else then we can't be together. I plan to keep myself and my parents out of this. You have to decide right now what you want; privacy or to be branded as a freak, to be with Luke or me." Thierry issues the ultimatum as he glares down at me.

Henry comes out of the adjoining ballroom where the media has gathered, "It's time," He says excitedly.

Everyone starts filing out of the room as Thierry makes one last appeal, "Do you know how many girls are dying to be with me? But I chose you. It's time for you to do the same."

It was time to make my choice. Did I step out of the darkness and into the light and join my family and friends or did I stay hidden in the shadows with Thierry? I thought about the two very different guys that claimed to love me. Thierry was safe and predictable while Luke was wild and adventurous. I counted the distance both ways. It was four steps out into the light and six to where Thierry stood staring me down. I took a step and made my decision. I just hoped it was the right one.

Who will Lizette choose? Find out in

Into the Light...

Out of Darkness left you in a cliffhanger. Who will Lizette choose? Sexy, confident Thierry or Luke, the guy she can't stay away from? Will she stay in the shadows or come out Into the Light?

Once Lizette makes her choice there's no going back. Her new life is about to begin whether she's ready or not. In the coming months Lizette will meet incredible new friends that will show her sides of herself that she never knew existed. But this won't exactly be a happily-ever-after for Lizette; there will be backlash after the Eternals come out to the world, the guy who stole her heart has a dark past that haunts him in his dreams, and the one she jilted isn't willing to bow to defeat. He'll go to any length to have Lizette back, even if it costs someone their life...

Coming Soon!

# Author's Note

While Out of Darkness is completely made up from my imagination there are several real elements to the story.

Marquette, Michigan is a real city in Michigan's Upper Peninsula; although as far as I know it's not inhabited by witches, werewolves, or shape-shifters. It's a beautiful, historic city on Lake Superior that I've been traveling on vacation to since I was a child. It's only natural that I would write a story that takes place in one of my favorite places in the world. And ignore what I've said about the people, as the locals are extremely friendly and welcoming.

Babycakes, the bakery / café in which Thierry works is an actual place too; although their specialty is muffins instead of cupcakes. Located on the main street of Marquette it would be normal for the characters in Out of Darkness to stop in for a muffin or a biscotti and a cup of coffee when they wanted to try something other than Starbucks.

Just down the street from Babycakes is Hotplate, the pottery painting studio Keiran works in. Hotplate is one of my favorite places to go when I visit Marquette. You can go in and waste a few hours painting pottery, then you give it to them to fire in their kiln and you can pick it up; usually a few days later. It's really relaxing.

The abandoned Holy Cross Veteran's Hospital described in this novel does not exist; but it is the combination of two buildings in Marquette: Holy Cross Orphanage and the D.J. Jacobetti Veteran's Home next door. The menacing six-story orphanage, defunct since the 1960s, looms over U.S. Highway 41 below looking every bit as haunted as Lizette and her friends find it. I've never seen it up close, but it always reminded me of something out of an episode of Ghost Adventures. All of the descriptions of the interior are made up and inspired by an episode of Ghost Adventures I watched that was set at the Linda Vista Hospital in Los Angeles, California. For the story's purposes the structure is fictionally owned by Keiran's father. It's where Lizette and her friends meet to do their magick.

The Pictured Rocks and Munising, Michigan are also very real and are a popular tourist destination. Boat tours can be taken to view the rock formations in the late spring, summer, and early fall months. I've never taken the boat tour since I get boat sick, but I've been to the Miner's Castle which can be reached by car. It's amazing to see up close.

So if you ever find yourself in Northern Michigan I suggest you take a trip to Marquette and the surrounding areas. Go have a muffin at Babycakes or paint a plate or a bowl at Hotplate if you have the time!

# Out of Darkness Playlist

Music has always been a big part of my writing process. Music helps me paint a picture of certain scenes and adds a soundtrack to some of my favorite scenes. Here are some of the songs that helped me write Out of Darkness and the scenes/settings/characters they inspired:

Overall Theme:

"Heaven Knows" The Pretty Reckless

"Freak like Me" Halestorm

"Them":

"Wicked Ones" DOROTHY

The House that Lizette lives in:

"The House That Built Me" Miranda Lambert

"House on a Hill" The Pretty Reckless

Thierry's fight with Luke at The Miner's Castle:

"My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark" Fall Out Boy

New Orleans / Crescent City Voodoo:

"House of the Rising Sun" The Animals

The Halloween Battle against Bryan:

"The Hammer's Coming Down" Nickelback

# Character Index

(Family Name: Name of Character: Their Ability)

The Weatherlys:

Sam Weatherly (Witch)

Lizette Sidonie Weatherly (One of the Prophesied Ones, Has abilities of all the Eternals)

Mr. Weatherly (A Witch who has dabbled in Necromancy)

Mrs. Weatherly (A Witch who specializes in healing)

The Sebastians:

Faye Sebastian (Fairy)

Thierry Sebastian (Shape-shifter)

Thierry's Parents, brothers, and aunt and uncle (Shape-shifters)

The Madigans:

Keiran Madigan (Elemental who specializes in Fire)

Finn Madigan (Elemental who specializes in Fire and Water)

Mrs. Madigan (Elemental who specializes in Earth)

Mr. Madigan (Elemental who specializes in Air)

Individual Characters:

Claudette Barbeau (Voodoo Priestess / Necromancer from New Orleans)

Desiree Oliver (Banshee)

Delia Angel (Fragmentalist)

Henry (Fragmentalist, Delia's Mentor)

Angelo Desanti (Human-turned-Zombie)

Arianthe Karis (Succubus)

Luke Stephens (One of the Prophesied Ones, Has the abilities of all of the Eternals)

Bryan Fynn Sorcha (Necromancer)

Luna (Werewolf)

# Paranormal Glossary

Banshee - A dark spirit whose cry is said to predict the death of someone nearby

Necromancer – Necromancy is the power over the world of the dead. Necromancer's powers enable them to raise corpses from the ground to create armies of Zombies. Necromancers also steal the life-force from other living creatures to extend their own and to increase their strength. (Think of the movie The Skeleton Key)

Fragmentalist \- A person who feeds off of positive energy and can split, or fragment themselves into three identical solid entities known as "ghosts" that do their bidding.

Werewolf – A person who has the ability to change, for periods, into a wolf.

Succubus – A female demon who seduces males while they are sleeping, descendants of Lilith. For the purpose of this novel the succubus feeds off the energy of their male victims, sort of like a vampire; and can also control the minds of males.

Elementals – A person who controls the elements (air, water, fire, and earth) using magick and can also conjure earthquakes, thunderstorms, tornados, floods, and other element-based weather patterns.

Shape-Shifter – A person who can shift into animals and/or alter their physical appearance.

Witch – A magick user; a person who can conjure and/or manifest things at will.

Fairy – Similar to a witch, a pixie-ish female that has some magickal powers.

Zombie – A corpse revived / reanimated by Necromancy, Voodoo, or dark Witchcraft.

# About the Author

Taylor Fenner grew up in a small town in Wisconsin. She's been an avid reader with a vivid imagination since she was very young. Most of her childhood can be described as having her nose stuck in one book or another. She's a strong believer in ghosts and the paranormal, which led to her interest in writing paranormal romance.

When she's not busy writing you can find her reading and adding to her extensive book collection, working on photomanipulations on her computer as a hobby, taking photographs, cooking as often as possible, and fighting with her cross-eyed cat, Tiger.

Taylor still currently lives in Wisconsin, not far from where her debut novel The Haunting Love is set. Out of Darkness is the first book in Taylor Fenner's Eternals Trilogy. Taylor is the author of The Haunting Love, Finding Elizabeth, and the upcoming second book in the Eternals Trilogy, Into the Light.

You can connect with Taylor online on her website: www.taylorfenner.com, on Facebook: www.facebook.com/taylorfennerwrites, on Twitter: www.twitter.com/taylorfenner, or on her blog: taylorfenner.blogspot.com.

Take a peek at Taylor Fenner's debut novel, The Haunting Love (available now in eBook and paperback)...
Prologue

Izabella

The light was getting brighter and brighter, it was unrelenting. They tell you not to go towards the light, because the light signifies the end of life. In my case it was unavoidable, gone was the sound of blaring music from my car speakers and the pain from the crash. I felt numb and my body felt weightless as I traveled towards the light like a moth to a streetlight. I'm getting ahead of myself, ahead of my story. To truly see how I got here I have to start from the beginning...
Chapter 1

Izabella

"I like you, Johnny," I said; my voice as shaky as my hands. Johnny smiled and opened his mouth to reply, but his only reply was a loud, "BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!"

I sat up in bed, realizing it had only been a dream. It felt so real though, I thought as I ran my fingers through my hair. I would never tell Johnny my true feelings in real life. He'd probably laugh in my face at the very idea of me, Izabella De Luca, the chubby girl, liking him. I hit the "off" button on my alarm and brushed the sleep out of my eyes.

"Iza are you up?" Quinn, my annoying nineteen-year-old brother, asked, barging into the room. Quinn still lives with our parents while he goes to college nearby.

"Yeah, I'm awake," I replied burying my face in my pillow and silently wishing I could sleep a few more hours. Quinn nodded, acknowledging that he saw me awake and left the room so I could get dressed. I climbed out of bed and stumbled my way to the closet so I could find something to wear.

I have a huge walk-in closet full of clothes, but I only really wear about half of them. I sifted through the racks of clothes before finally deciding on wearing my favorite blue t-shirt and an old pair of faded jeans. I started pulling on the clothes I was most comfortable in, even though my best friend Cecilia keeps telling me that if I dressed a little nicer Johnny might like me back. I've liked Johnny Becker since the first moment I saw him on the first day of freshman year. I've never really talked to him other than when I'm ordering food at the fast food chain he works at, but I've sometimes caught him looking at me and it always makes me wonder if maybe he likes me back.

I really don't think changing the way I dress would make him like me any different than the way he feels about me now.

Yeah, whatever way that is. He probably doesn't even know I exist other than as a customer at the place he works at.

"Iza hurry up before you're late for school!" my mother yelled from downstairs, breaking into my thoughts.

"I'll be down in like, five minutes!" I replied while I closed the door to the closet and hurried down the hall to the bathroom I share with Quinn. I stood in front of the mirror as I brushed my teeth. As I finished up I glanced up at my reflection in the mirror. With long red hair and hazel eyes I'm not too bad-looking. It's the rest of me that always makes me frown. I've never been thin, some days I really didn't care what people think about me, but on days like today I start thinking that no guy will ever like me because I'm curvier than most of the other girls.

I pulled my hair up roughly, secured it in a ponytail with a hair tie and rushed to finish up in the bathroom. A couple minutes later I raced into the kitchen to grab my lunch from my mom and an energy bar I could eat on the way to school.

"Morning mom, dad," I said to my parents. My mom stood at the stove flipping pancakes for my dad and Quinn, who didn't have a class until noon. My dad was reading his newspaper at the kitchen table like he did every morning.

"Good morning kiddo!" he exclaimed looking up from his paper and taking in my rushed attitude, "Your first day of Junior year, are you excited?"

"Totally," I said barely masking my sarcasm. I can't believe summer's over already, "Well I have to get going or I'm going to be late," I said as I kissed them good-bye and took off out the door.

I walked out to my old blue Corsica. It had been my dad's first car and when I passed my driver's test last year my father gave it to me. I backed out of the narrow driveway onto the street and sped off to school. I noticed I was wicked late as I glanced at the clock on the dash. I had to be to school in five minutes but luckily my family only lived down the street from the high school.

I pulled into a parking spot in the back lot and gathered my bags to take in. I had a messenger style bag for most of my notebooks and a separate brown paper bag for my lunch.

"There you are!" Cecilia yelled racing over to me from the entrance to the building, "I've been looking all over for you."

"I overslept," I explained as we walked back towards the door Cecilia had come out of.

"You sleep too much," Cecilia teased, scanning my outfit. A look of disgust came across her face as she looked back up at my face. "Okay, what are you wearing?"

"Jeans and a t-shirt," I replied smoothing down the bottom of the t-shirt.

Cecilia sighed. "Iza we went shopping all last week and what do you wear? A ratty old pair of jeans and a t-shirt."

I just shrugged at her, I really didn't need her to tell me what to wear. "So what class do you have first period?" I asked changing the subject.

"I have Geometry, what about you?" Cecilia asked.

I scanned my schedule, "I have Chemistry," I said frowning. I hate science, I always have because it's so boring. The bell rang and I told Cecilia that I'd meet up with her at lunch, the one class period we discovered we had together. I dropped off my bag at my locker, pulled out a notebook and went to go find the Chemistry classroom.

I walked into class and realized I didn't have any close friends in class with me, so I picked a lab table in the back of class.

"Yo Johnny, over here man!" I snapped my head up just in time to see Johnny enter the room and slide into a seat next to his best friend Cameo. The two guys were as different as day and night. Johnny was taller with blondish brown hair, and he had amazing green eyes that I love to look into. Cameo was good-looking too, but in a different sort of way. He was shorter than Johnny by a few inches, with dark brown hair and gray eyes.

Briefly for a minute as I was studying him, Johnny turned around and smiled at me. I blushed and looked down at my notebook.

The Chemistry teacher, Mr. Vance, walked into class a few minutes later and strode up to his desk. "It was so nice of you to choose your own partners, but I've made a seating arrangement of my own." He said in a big booming voice. He walked up to the first desk and started listing off names. "Marissa Andoli your partner will be Aaron Bates," he said pointing to a girl in the front row and a guy sitting at the table next to me. With a groan they reluctantly moved to their new seats. He pointed to the table behind them. "Jonathan Becker your partner is...Izabella De Luca."

My face turned pale white as I got up from the seat I had been sitting in and walked up to the desk Mr. Vance was pointing to. I couldn't believe I got Johnny as a lab partner. That meant I'd have to talk to him every day for the rest of the year.

God what if I say something stupid? I silently asked myself.

Mr. Vance went on assigning seats as Johnny joined me at the lab table.

"You can call me Johnny, everyone else does," Johnny said, looking at me with a cocky grin.

"I know," I reply, trying my best to look past him. I swear if I looked in his eyes I'd be lost.

"Oh, yeah, anyway, so just to warn you now, I'm not any good at this stuff," Johnny said pointing around the room. "There's a very good chance I'll blow something up within a week."

I laughed and said, "Its okay, I hate science anyway, just give me a little notice before something blows up."

We managed to get through class without blowing anything up and I actually managed to have a real conversation with Johnny. It was definite progress even if we just ended up being friends. The bell rang way too soon and I pulled out my schedule to see what class I had next period.

Great I have Algebra next, I inwardly groan.

I soon realized that I had all the classes I hated that morning and didn't have anything fun until after lunch.

By the time I got to lunchroom I'd had enough of my new teachers, who seemed insanely strict and mean. I met Cecilia at the same table we'd been eating at for the past couple years.

"I hate school!" I exclaimed dropping into the seat next to Cecilia.

Cecilia laughed. "But it's only the first day."

"So? It still sucks, I swear I got stuck with the strictest teachers this school has!" I said, tearing into my turkey sandwich.

"Who do you have?" Cecilia asked taking out her schedule.

"I have Chemistry with Vance, Algebra with Monty, Civics with Thornton, and Gym with Spencer so far," I replied, reading off the list of teachers on my schedule.

"Wow Iza, you're right, you do have the worst. But it'll get better; who do you have this afternoon?" Cecilia replied digging around for popcorn in her microwave bag.

"I have Art with Higgins, English with McDowell, Study Hall, and then Psychology with Valentine," I said crunching on a carrot.

"Well at least you have good teachers in the afternoon. I have the hard ones," Cecilia said gathering her garbage just as the bell rang.

The rest of the day was a blur. I soon found out that I had English, Study Hall and Psychology with Johnny. At the end of our last class together Johnny walked over to my desk and said, "We have four classes together, is that fate or what?"

"I never pegged you for someone who would be into Psych class," I told him as I gathered my notebooks and tried my best not to look up at him.

"There's a lot more to me than you think Izabella," Johnny says so quietly that I barely heard him.

"Iza," I say correcting him.

"What?"

"Everybody calls me Iza." I explained as I walked out of class.

Here's a peek at Finding Elizabeth, Taylor Fenner's sweet tale of never ending love; available now in eBook and paperback...
Prologue

5 September, 1792

During the Reign of Terror, it didn't matter who you were; the butcher, the baker, or the candlestick maker; too many lives met the fate of the guillotine. My Elizabeth was one of the first, during the first days of the September Massacre of 1792. And I will never, for the rest of my life, however long that may be, forgive myself for losing her.

But first, I must return to the beginning. To where it all began so you can truly understand our extraordinary love...because I meant what I said, our love will last for all eternity.
Chapter One

Three Weeks Earlier

"Why can't you just stop spending like crazy? Do you want us all to be killed?" I can hear my mother shrieking at my father all the way from my hiding space in the attic.

"Will you stop worrying, woman? Nothing is going to happen to any of us." My father answers sternly in his gravelly tone. My father, Sir William Meritan, was a Lord of the Royal Court of France. Considering this day and age, that's not exactly something that you'd like to admit to anyone.

Here we are smack dab in the middle of the French Revolution; something my father always said would never happen. Even after the Bastille fell three years ago my father still claimed that it would "blow over" any day now. Yet with every new day, and each one of my father's new purchases my mother's naturally worried persona turns even more so to paranoia. She was so sure that any day now the sans-culottes were going to take us away to prison. That is something I hope will never happen.

I'm the only child my parents were able to have. Growing up I was in awe of my family farm. We were well off back then and able to keep hundreds of servants to tend the fields. When the Revolution broke out our servants abandoned us and my father found it beneath him to tend the fields so the task fell to me.

I snuck downstairs as my parents still fought on the main floor. All I wanted was to make it outside to the fields without my mother setting her worried eyes on me. It was August, almost time for the fall harvest, yet I still had to pull the weeds and water the crops. Even if the Revolution didn't blow over soon we'd have enough food to keep us fed over the harsh, cold winter.

I stepped down onto the bottom step. It groaned beneath my weight and shouted me out to my parents.

"Nate, is that you?" My mother asked.

"No, it's one of the sans-culottes come to drag us off." My father joked dryly.

"That's not even funny," I could practically hear the scowl in my mother's voice.

"Yes, mother it's me. I'm just going out to tend the crops." I explained as I walked past the drawing room in which both of my parents were sitting. I studied my parents for a moment. My mother, the lady to my father's lordship, had let worry overcome her. She was sickly thin and the black hair that I inherited from her frayed out at the ends. And she just looked so tired, which made her look older than her thirty-three years.

My father, on the other hand, was still keeping up the façade that we had money to burn. He was tall and stocky and his green eyes were just barely visible beneath the ridiculous feathered hat he wore upon his head. He wore rings with the finest jewels on each finger that matched the buckles on his wooden shoes, imported from the finest cobbler in Holland.

I get my looks from both of my parents equally. I have my mother's black hair and thin stature, yet I'm muscular like my father and my green eyes are all him. As for my personality, the only trait I get from either of my parents is my close bond to my family. I'm a hard worker unlike my father, and I have the calloused hands to prove it.

My dream is to break away from all of this and find happiness for the first time in my life. But for now I have to keep my family together. If it's the last thing I do.

"Be careful out there," My mother warns; snapping me out of my thoughts. I just nod at her emphatically.

"And if any of those blasted revolutionaries try to take you away remind them that you are the son of a lord of the court and the king will have his head for even trying it." My father says ridiculously.

"You and I both know that the king has no standing anymore, telling them that will get him killed! Don't tell him to do that." My mother argues.

"Actually mom I can think for myself," I tell deaf ears. They're back to bickering again.
