It seemed an hour or more passed before my mother re-entered the living room, with Shawn at her heels. He nodded at me and smiled at Adam before turning his eyes to Helen. He froze right there when their gazes locked. It was like seeing something out of a romance novel. Nobody else in the room mattered.
“Shawn!” My mother called his name several times, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Helen.
My mom gave him a smack on the side of his head, and he finally turned to look at her. Either he really hated to be touched, or he just didn’t like being hit.
“What, angel?” he yelled at her.
My mother gave him a stern look, and at once the anger on his face disappeared.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.
“That’s what I thought,” she said.
She talked to him just like she spoke to me.
“Why did you summon me?” Shawn asked her politely.
“We would first like to know why you came here,” my mother said. “You see, nobody has seen or heard from you in decades, but now you show up from nowhere right here in Midvale.”
“I came here because my father so nicely asked me to,” he said, looking at me. “He wanted me to see her.”
“So, he wanted you to see Dawn. Did he tell you who Dawn was?”
She was using her power on him. I could tell from his hesitation when he answered her.
“She’s my sister. Well, my half-sister,” he said, taking his eyes off me.
“That’s right. Do you remember me?”
“You are the angel who brought me to the pastor and his wife.” He looked pleased with his answer.
“Do you remember why?” She was holding his gaze now.
“My mother died. She died having me.” He said it almost robotically.
“Do you know what your mother was?” my mother probed.
“A witch.”
My mother broke their gaze, and Shawn shook his head.
“Next time warn me before you do that,” he said, rubbing his face.
“I had to be sure, Shawn. You did well.” My mother opened her arms to embrace him.
“It’s been so long, Puriel,” he mumbled, hugging her.
Here we went again with the angel names. I still wasn’t used to it.
“Yes, it has,” she said tenderly, stroking his back.
“Is there anyone else that I need to know about who’s coming to this party?” I said sourly, looking at Shawn. I couldn’t believe that this boy was my brother.
“I think he’s the last unknown,” Helen said, standing up.
Chapter 16
Astral Planes
I told my story right from the beginning to the present. I shared all the facts that I had accumulated over the last few months, along the way proving that Wesley was a Harbinger, as my mother had stated before. I told them about John and his ability to render a gift useless, and how he had taken from me the last bit of innocence that I had left. I spoke of Miranda and her ability to hijack my mind and make me say things in a language that up until that moment I had no idea I could speak. I explained the weakness with Aaron and the calling deep in my gut, how I had wanted his soul to be mine and that when he handed it over, unknowingly, of course, I had instantly felt guilty and fled.
They asked me about the phone call and the urgency in Wesley’s voice. I replied that I didn’t understand what he was saying because this was all before I knew what I was. This meant he had seen it for himself and Miranda had confirmed it. I told them about Dracula’s castle and my visits there, firstly when I became acquainted with Krista and then later when the no-named demon told me he had put the fire in me. If my father was the keeper, I told them, then this didn’t make any sense to me at all.
I shared with them all the anguish and fear I had felt when Wesley left, of the pain that filled me and still haunted me every day. Nobody spoke. Instead, they all just listened as I went through every dirty detail that I had logged in my journal. Adam, sweet Adam, sat there and listened to it all, breaking in from time to time to share with them the things that he had seen. The whole conversation went on for hours, it seemed, with one story after another until we reached the present. The last concerned the birth of my unknown brother, the boy who was sitting on the floor before me, wild-eyed and confused.
“So, it’s true then,” he said when I had finished.
“What’s true?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
“You are the Fire Warden. You are the master flame.”
“That is what they tell me, at least.”
“So, we have two Wardens, the Prophet, the pureblood, the human, and me; the carrier.” He chuckled to himself.
“Why is this so funny to you?” I asked, sounding defensive, which wasn’t at all the impression I wanted to give.
“I met a girl in the late seventeenth century when I was on one of my many trips around the world,” he responded. “She was young in appearance, yet her eyes were old. She was very strong. I could sense that just by being near her. She could literally have crushed me if she wanted to, yet she didn’t. She was the master flame. Her reason for not hurting me was the fact she sensed the flame in me too.” He looked at my mother. “Obviously, the girl died, otherwise Dawn wouldn’t be here. It was a sudden death, but no one was sure what caused it. One day she was fine and the next she was cold.”
“Some say that if the Warden shifts too much in one direction, it can put the body into shock. If they are unable to fix the balance then they slowly die,” Nick muttered.
“That could be
