"Why is a demon here with you?" Melody straightens her shoulders and stares straight into his eyes.
"Because I'm here to help her fight along with her traitorous high school friend and one of the council members from Earth who swears he isn't corrupt." Damien chuckles and shrugs. "So, obviously none of us have ulterior motives."
“We are here to help her.” Brad glares at Damien as the four other guys flank him.
"When you put it like that, maybe we shouldn't work with you." Dax pulls out his gun, holding it down by his side but ready to shoot if needed.
"Oh, please." Damien rolls his eyes and bumps his shoulder against mine. "We all have a common goal right now – to make sure Chris doesn't implode."
Is he seriously trying to act like we're buddies right now?
"Uh... Chris?" Melody takes a few steps back and grits her teeth. "Can I talk to you for a moment in a private?"
Now isn't the time, but this isn't her norm. "Hey guys, I'll be just a second."
Dax purses his lips but nods. "Okay, we'll begin planning."
"Perfect, thanks." I turn, and we head toward the town but stop when we have about fifty feet between us and them.
"What's up?" Yes, I might be rude cutting to the chase, but I've got to get that artifact and fast. The longer we're here, the less chance we have for a surprise attack.
"Do you really think this is wise?" Her voice is low, and the waves are so loud I can barely catch her words.
Now she's worried about me taking the artifact. "I've got to in order to survive."
She holds up a hand and shakes her head. "No, not that." She points toward the guys we left behind. "Partnering with them. The older guy seems fishy, and there is a freaking demon. I'm afraid you're surrounded by the enemies who are going to take advantage of you."
If I was worried about her loyalty before, I'm not at all right now. "Yes, Damien definitely has ulterior motives, and I think Luke may as well." I already know that Damien's going to try to hold Beth over my head, but I won’t allow him access to this power. "But this will be the quickest way to get the Water Artifact, so this is the best way."
"But at what cost?" She reaches out and touches my shoulder, her voice cracking. "I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Don't worry. I won't be controlled, no matter what they try to hold over my head." It's time for me to put the needs of many before my own. My power controls all of the realms, not just Earth. "For whatever reason, becoming the seeker was thrust upon me, and I won't be a pawn in anyone's game. I will not destroy any one's world, and I will make my own decisions without any influence from them. It's time I take control of my actions and stand up for my responsibilities. So, yes, the price will be high, but the realms will be safe."
"Okay, I will support you." She nods and squares her shoulders. "We're in this together." Then, she turns on her heels and walks away toward the city.
22
If she is going to stand by me, why the hell is she walking away from us? I'm at a loss as Melody disappears between two buildings. She never glances back once. What does that even mean?
"Did you upset her?" Luke steps away from the other men and winces.
"No, I don't think so." She didn't seem upset, and she told me she would back me. Would she say that if she didn't mean it? Melody takes her stand on things just like the first night I met her. She wasn't the nicest, but she was afraid.
"That's nothing to worry about." Dax motions for me to join them and smirks. "Melody marches to her own drum."
That's true, but I wish she would have stayed. I don't want her to get into any more trouble than she's already in. There has to be some way I can help her.
"So, we came up with a plan." Brad's face has an eerie look to it as the purple reflects off of his skin. It's as if the moon is pouring all of its glow onto him.
Or at least it seems that way to me, but maybe it's because he's the one delivering the plan. "Okay, let's have it."
"Since we have a surprise attack, we're going to use the darkness to our advantage." He steps toward me and lowers his voice almost as if he thinks someone will overhear. "Then..." A large wave gains momentum behind him, and it barrels toward us. The wave has to be at least ten feet tall.
Shit, there is no way we can get away fast enough. I push past him so I'm closer to the water than everyone else and throw my hands out to the side. My power flares to life inside me, and I ask the wind for help holding off the wave.
"What the..." Luke's eyes widen, and his mouth partially gapes open. "We need to move." He stumbles back, and the rest follow suit.
Yeah, something big is happening. I've never seen waves like this here before. Maybe there is something wonky going on. The wind swirls around me and pushes out the tether that's tied to me. The wind changes direction and instead of blowing toward us, it presses against the waves.
"How is that possible?" One of the younger guys from Brad's group stops moving and watches, motionless, as the wave stands stationary and then begins to drop in size. "Is she doing that?"
Wow, he's a smart one. "Yeah, I am, and you need to back up." I'm still not in full control over these powers, and I don't want to
