“Yours always, mine forever.”
“Yours always, mine forever.”
He repeated the vows, then grinned. “Let’s seal it.”
He kissed me, his touch igniting fire in my blood so effortlessly, making me feel wanted and special at the same time. Our breaths mingled and hearts pounded in perfect rhythm. His kiss deepened as our energies blended. We shifted to a different plane. Fates sealed. Souls united by our vows and kiss.
He forgot to flap his wings and we dropped suddenly, forcing ours lips to part. My arms tightened around his neck. Laughing, I stared into his eyes, which had darkened to a stormy green.
“You can never take it back,” he whispered, studying my upturned face.
His intensity told me this was important to him. I stopped laughing and my arms tightened around his shoulders. “I’d never want to.”
“Good. So, what do you want for your birthday?”
“You,” I said without hesitation.
Bran smiled, or at least I felt his lips curve into a smile against my temple. “You already have me, Sunshine.”
“You know what I mean.”
He chuckled. “We have fifteen contracts to go. Imagine that. Fifteen.” He whipped around while laughing, forcing me to hold on to him tighter. He moved faster and faster until everything blurred except his eyes, which flashed with merriment. “Then I’ll be free. Free to do anything, to give you whatever you want.”
His laughter was contagious. I flung my arms out as he continued to spin and screamed with glee.
Then something blocked the sun. Probably his wings, was my first thoughts, but then a chill crawled up my spine like icicles grazing heated skin. Bran must have felt it too, because he stopped, turned, and looked around.
The crackling-cloud demon moved leisurely toward us, looking bigger and more ominous in the day than against any night sky. The edges swelled like a thousand, fat worms, the core so bright the sun paled in comparison.
My stomach sank and my heart started beating fast. For a week, I’d dreaded this moment. Dreaded and felt ashamed, because as a Cardinal I wasn’t supposed to be scared of demons. I reached for my dagger then realized I still wore my swimsuit. I had left the Kris Dagger behind in my bag.
- 3 -
THE VOICE
Lightning shot from the cloud’s core and speared through the air, speeding toward the ocean. Another plume appeared beside it as though spat by the air. They drifted apart, darting around like scavengers searching for food or…victims.
“They’re acting like hunters,” I whispered.
“Yeah. The question is, what are they after?”
“Us.”
“Or the portal. The one in Myrtle Beach didn’t fight back. It must have a different agenda.”
Nothing could penetrate the glamour and the shield the Circle of Twelve placed around the islands, but when it came to these demons, nothing we knew mattered. Below us, the Guardians looked tiny and defenseless. “We must warn the others.”
“Yeah. Go.” Bran squinted at me. “I need to study them, see if I can find a weakness. Tell Remy the students should head to the portal. Teleporting back to the valley will only leave telegates.”
I frowned. “Are you sure about staying up here?”
“We are still inside the glamoured and protected zone.”
Bran liked to take chances, which could be a problem when we were dealing with these particular demons. “Don’t cross the boundaries or let them sense you.”
He chuckled. “Aye, aye, captain.”
“I’m serious, Bran.”
“I know.” He stopped smirking, nudged me forward, and added, “Ride the wave until you can see a safe landing spot.”
I didn’t know what he meant, until something cold and wet lapped my feet, and I looked down. A gush of water snaked from the ocean surface like the tongue of a lizard. The top hardened into an iceberg surfboard. Having a boyfriend with water abilities, who also knew I was clumsy when I teleported, had its perks.
“Thanks.” I let go of him and steadied myself on the icy board, knees slightly bent. I loved to surf. “Don’t stay up here too long.”
“I’m right behind you.”
The bite of the wind on my skin was brief and quickly forgotten. My mind was on the demons and how they’d found us. Even Coronis had never known about Pearls Island.
Closer to the ground, I found an empty spot on the beach and teleported. Brushing sand off my hands, I looked around. Everyone’s attention was on the demons, including my team of Cardinals and the Security Guardians, who already held their weapons.
He waved me over.
The other Cardinals echoed my orders. Students took off at a run. We were trained to stay calm under pressure, which inspired confidence in others, but a demonic attack wasn’t something to be taken lightly. Especially not when we had about fifty students and teachers with us.
Led by the Security Guardians, they disappeared into the forest where the portal was located. Some paused to glance at the angry, lightning-spitting demons before they disappeared inside the shadowy woods. They were first-year students, sixteen-year olds with new powers who had never met a demon, and probably wouldn’t since most of them weren’t powerful enough to become Cardinal Guardians.
I strapped on my dagger and joined the others.
“How can he stay up there when we don’t know what those demons are capable of?” Izzy asked in disbelief.
“Because he can,” Sykes said in an envious whisper. “I could kill for wings right now.”
“I’m right behind you,” Bran had said. I should have known. My gaze shifted from him to the large masses moving across the sky, looking more like a volcanic plume wrapped in lightning. One changed directions and appeared to head straight for our island.
“They’ve located us,” Izzy whispered.
“No, they haven’t,” Remy said. “The shield is holding.”
From the corner of my eyes, I caught Sykes’ fingers flex. Two
“Getting ready to kick ass,” Sykes said with a smirk. “I don’t care what books say about the shield around here. Do they mention nature-benders? The Specials? Fire demons up there? I. Don’t. Think. So.”
Bran was flying higher and getting too close to one of the demons. My hand tightened around my dagger, as I seriously started to question his sanity.
