Treasured Secrets (The Coveted Saga #1) Page 17

  Chapter 17

  The Foul Smell of Danger

  When there's a voice in your head telling you something bad is going to happen, listen to it.

  I stopped thinking, suddenly feeling danger. A chill ran up my spine, making every hair stand on end. I felt the unwelcome eyes of someone watching me. I smelled something putrid invasively stifling out all other smells, and I became sick to my stomach.

  "Oh no," I gasped, feeling the warning prickles of death consume me.

  I knew that smell and the imminent danger that followed it. I knew what was watching me. I knew it was there for me and there was no escape. No one to save me.

  "How did you find me?" I screamed into the forest with absolute panic.

  There was no sense in trying to run, hide, or call for help. All I could do was end the game of cat and mouse.

  I felt the swishing winds that made the leaves shake. Then a face came into view - a deceitfully young face.

  He smirked, letting his eyes rake over me as he licked his lips. I grew sicker, and my body was conflicted with hot and cold chills.

  "Mmm," he hissed softly. "I can't smell your essence, little witch, but I can smell the Bradbury blood that runs through your veins. I can smell the power that surges through your weak, pathetic mortal body."

  He licked his lips again with sadistic delight as he inhaled deeply, searching for the scent of my absent essence. I stood there, shaking, unable to say anything threatening in return. I tried to speak, but only a squeak crept through my tight lips. I was going to die a trembling young girl instead dying with any dignity at all.

  He circled me from a distance, and I stayed frozen, letting him analyze me. I wanted to cry, just like I had done every time. I wasn't made for this. I wasn't strong enough. Magic made a mistake in choosing me to join its cause.

  "I'm supposed to bring you to Graven, but I may just keep you for myself," he said, smiling wickedly.

  He was far more intimidating than the guy I had encountered in the woods of Grayford. His yellow long nails hung from his hands like twisted vines drooping from the limbs of trees. His teeth were just as yellow as his nails, and his stench was far more grotesque than I had smelled thus far. He was so skinny that his bones showed clearly through the pale layer of skin that seemed to barely cover them.

  I tried to block out the pungent odor, the chilling sight, and the promise of death. I had to try something, anything. I didn't want to die. I didn't want this monster to have me.

  "You'll be slaughtered by my family if you try anything," I murmured in a hoarse whisper, not sounding intimidating or convincing at all.

  "I don't think so, little one. The Bradbury's have been a peaceful coven for a really, really long time; too scared to stir up any trouble without Isis to protect them. I'm not too worried about any retaliation from them. They'll just weep over any remains left of you - if there are any to find."

  His low hissing tone was mocking me now. He really did not fear them in the least bit. I could only imagine the agony my family would have to suffer now because of me. I was such a fool for doing this to them.

  The smell was so atrocious that I fought back the overwhelming urge to vomit... until I couldn't anymore. I leaned over and heaved forth all the meager possessions of my stomach. Now I would be dying with even less dignity.

  As I wiped my mouth and stood up, my eyes found him again. An eerie smile spread over his lips, as if he'd enjoyed my body's sudden crude expulsion.

  "You're scared, little one. That's a natural reaction when you're about to die."

  I pulled the bottom of my shirt up to wipe my mouth, needing to be fully rid of anything on my face before trying a last ditch effort to sound strong.

  "I'm not scared," I lied, sounding steadier and more convincing this time.

  "You just smell disgusting. Do you quit bathing when you're immortal?"

  He snarled at me, somewhat growling. Then he cracked his neck and his smile returned as the sinister gleam in his eyes deepened.

  "I'll take care of that. I'll just make it to where you never have to breathe again." He leapt through the air toward me. Dirt splattered beneath his feet as he impacted it with his monstrous force. I didn't flinch. I didn't move. It wouldn't have done me any good anyway. I would never be able to stop him. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing pure fear in my eyes any longer.

  Painful as it was, I calmly accepted my fate and gracefully awaited death.

  Suddenly, I saw a flash out of the corner of my left eye. The flash flew in front of me, and in an instant, the creepy man was flying through the air.

  I gasped in pure astonishment as Tallis dusted his hands off in a casual manner. Then he put himself directly between me and the putrid fiend.

  He cut his eyes at the skeletal man he had surprised. "Well, she does have a point. Your scent is far more appalling than the usual maggots I encounter."

  Without any warning, Tallis turned to me and pushed me hard, knocking me thirty-feet backwards into the water. The water engulfed me instantly, drenching me as thoroughly as my confusion. I didn't have time to collect air before I was thrown in, so I was frantically clawing my way back to the surface.

  When the air finally reached me, I was gasping and coughing. Ignoring the burning of the water in my eyes, I stared in disbelief, still trying to wrap my mind around Tallis really being here. I shrieked loudly as I saw another man appear. Tallis must have smelled him. That's why he launched me backwards.

  The new monster knocked Tallis into a tree. A harsh crack made it sound like his back broke, which forced a squeal through my lips. I clamped my hands over my mouth to keep me from making another sound.

  Tallis got up and shook himself off, acting as though he had merely stumbled. The two men attacked him simultaneously. The tears gushed from my eyes as I watched helplessly. I couldn't do anything but witness the brutal double team. This was my fault. If he died… I would beg for death to take me as well.

  They pinned him down and the larger man started to put his hands on him.

  There was only one thing I could do. Distract them. Draw them to me and save his life.

  "You want me! Take me!" I screamed, praying for a miracle.

  The bigger brute quickly took the bait and he started to charge at me, but the skinnier one tripped him up, refusing to share me. Tallis seized his opportunity and quickly leapt to his feet. He hit them both with a blast to draw their attention back to him.

  They raced him again. He ducked in the gap between them and they blew past. Then he ran up, grabbed the new guy's arm, and it exploded into ash. The scrawny man charged him as the ashy, one-armed man screamed in agony.

  The hissing man suddenly shot out energy. It looked like streaks of lightning. Before it could hit Tallis, someone had jumped in front of it. I quickly realized that it was Everett, and my trapped breath finally came out in an exhale.

  The lightning bounced off his chest like it had hit a rubber wall. Then I saw more energy bolts of lightning coming from behind Tallis. The bolts struck the man in the chest, blasting him backwards about fifty or sixty feet. Now I could see that the bolts had originated from Jay. He was dashing toward us, hands out and ready to strike again.

  Everett slid in front of the ashy one-armed man when the fiend tried to grab Jay. Everett fell to his knees, his eyes becoming void of any life. I paled at the sight. A drainer.

  The ashy man was a drainer, and apparently, invincibles weren't invincible to everything. I heard Jay yell something and then a giant blast of electrical currents zapped into the ashy man. He shook ferociously and then collapsed. He wasn't getting up this time.

  Tallis was still facing off with my attacker, as Jay went to Everett.

  "I've got it, Jay. Go help Tallis," Aster said, appearing as suddenly as they all had.

  No! She's pregnant. She shouldn't be here! What have I done?

  Another ma
n joined the party now. He was tall, really tall, and outlandishly wide. The hulking man charged, like a raging bull seeing red, directly at Tallis. I scrambled back in the water, trying to think of something to do. Tallis couldn't even see him coming because his back was turned. He was still throwing shots of explosions at my original attacker.

  I screamed and winced when the hulking man was within inches of Tallis. Then a blaze of fire swept between the man and Tallis.

  I sighed in relief when I saw Ash was there. She pulled a line of fire that seemed to originate from the earth as she taunted the hulking man. "Let's see what cha' got, big boy."

  She walked away from Tallis, drawing the man's attention to her. He grunted and snarled as he charged again. She suddenly leapt straight up and disappeared into the air, and a gale wind so strong whizzed in and wrapped the man around a tree.

  Gear. It was his wind. He was here.

  Tallis's fight was interrupted when Gear stole his opponent, using the same wind. The rushing air pinned the guy against the hulk already trapped against the tree. My brother was so powerful.

  Gear took an authoritative stance, seeming completely fearless as he raised his voice. "The Bradbury blood runs through our veins as strong as ever and as prepared to fight as ever before. We're not peaceful because we're scared of you. You'll be a good example of what happens to anyone with that same naïve notion. When you go after our blood, there is only one fate to suffer."

  He looked over at Tallis who seemed to be trying to summon every bit of strength he had in his body. He put his arms in the air for a minute as the vein in his forehead pulsed. Then he thrust his hands toward the men and released an epic explosion that sent a shock of heat all the way to me. They shattered to dust. Absolutely nothing was left of them besides a few crumb-like ashes.

  Gear raised his hands pulling wind in cyclone around the ashes left. He sent it whirling through the forest.

  "That should ward off some of the others. They may be dissuaded from pursuing us if they see what happened to their comrades," he said calmly.

  Everett was rising up now with the life returned to his eyes. Aster had been successful in healing him, which gave me immense relief.

  "We've got to get back and help Ayla and Chris," Aster said, sounding more fearful than Gear.

  Everyone had apparently come. I was so ashamed.

  Tallis swished rapidly through the water to me. He scooped me up as Gear parted the water on our way back, creating a small land trail for us.

  Tallis's eyes were so soft and sympathetic as he spoke with such a guilt-ridden tone. "I'm sorry I pushed you so hard. I was just trying to get you out of harm's way when I sensed a new threat. I was trying to give you a soft landing."

  I shook my head. He was always apologizing, even after saving me, yet again. I had put my own stupid self in danger, not him. He put me down, allowing me to stand on my own. I lowered my eyes, feeling all the more idiotic.

  "You didn't hurt me," I huffed out shamefully.

  As my eyes came back up, I looked around at the all of the worried faces from my family. I looked at Everett who had almost died because of me. I felt so horribly selfish.

  "I'm so sorry. I just… I'm sorry," I choked out.

  There were no words strong enough to express the depth of guilt and remorse I felt for my irresponsible and reckless actions.

  Ash nodded at me, and then in a flash, she was gone. Everyone followed except for Aster and Tallis who raced up a trail with me. We hopped in a jeep that was parked on the edge of the trail. Aster took the driver's seat, and Tallis joined me in the back.

  Tallis looked at me like something else was wrong. "I can't smell your essence," he said, leaning closer, too close.

  I nodded. "I drank the thing of stripper Grandma had."

  He seemed to approve of my improvisation.

  "That's clever, so how did they find you?" Aster asked, as if she truly believed I was going to have the answer.

  "Beats me. I didn't have that blood covering stuff, my oversight, and he said he smelled Bradbury blood, but I don't know how they knew to look for me here. How did you find me?"

  Tallis picked my hand up and spoke softly while staring at it. "Every sketch you had drawn of that place proved to be incredibly accurate. I knew you had to be there." Then he added more to his statement, while a hesitant smile played on his lips. "Well, every sketch you drew before you met me."

  He handed me my sketch book full of pictures of him. I dropped earlier... again. "You really shouldn't keep leaving that lying around."

  His eyes cut up to catch mine.

  I smiled uncomfortably and embarrassed. It hurt so much knowing he knew how much I loved him but didn't reciprocate my feelings. I sighed out deeply and shifted the subject when the deafening silence grew to be unbearable.

  "How did you know I was in trouble? Did Mom see it?"

  Aster shook her head. "She can't see you. You're invisible to her - to all seers. It happens ever so often. She saw the Haluali people being attacked. She shouldn't be able to see them either; however, one of the villagers linked themselves to her when she left. She wanted to be able to keep an eye on things since they were leaving a little early. It's a good thing she did so."

  "What?" More tears flooded my eyes now. I endangered everyone's life with my stupidity. "Why?"

  Tallis put his arm around me in a comforting motion before speaking. "The dark followers have been searching for them for centuries. They're some of the strongest guardians. They usually take care of the stronger bloodlines because of the solidity of their magic. They've done an excellent job keeping their location a secret."

  "Until I led them straight to them," I said through a strained whisper, my tears falling in a heavier abundance.

  He put his finger under my chin, tilting my head to meet his stare. "You couldn't have known."

  I could see smoke coming from the direction of the village. "Oh no! We have to go help them!"

  Aster kept driving toward Brazil, never slowing. She looked into the rearview mirror, letting her eyes connect with mine. "Mom and Dad got them out."

  A new sense of fear shot through me. "What if some of those monsters attacked Mom and Dad? They could be hurt and needing us."

  Tallis smiled as Aster responded. "They're perfectly fine. Mom is an incredible seer. Especially in combat. She can see every move before they make it. Dad can drain someone without touch. He's the only drainer known to have mastered that ability. All other drainers need touch. Mom and Dad are even stronger together. Their soul mate linkage gives her the power to show him what she sees the instant she sees it. It's almost as if he's a seer, too. They're pretty amazing to watch."

  Her confidence in them gave me a little reprieve, but I still worried. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to them.

  Before I knew it, we were in Brazil. There was absolute pandemonium. Rioting and brawling were going on all over the place. It had been so normal earlier. So calm.

  "What's going on?" I asked, feeling dumbfounded by the chaos.

  Tallis responded with one word in a solemn tone, and I had no idea what it meant. "Kao."

  He looked around, warily assessing the scene. Finally, he noticed my quizzical look as he helped me out of the jeep.

  "Kao is the son of Graven. He's Ayla's counterpart. Where she brings serenity, he brings chaos. He's not gone either. I can feel his presence." He studied the crowd more furtively. "We'll have to walk from here. There's no way we can drive in this mess."

  Aster grabbed different things from the jeep and shut the door. We started shoving our way through the crowd. I bounced off some people, barely keeping my balance, but Tallis kept me afloat amongst the craziness. He kept his hand on me at all times, never letting me get out of his grasp.

  He halted suddenly, and I slammed into him from behind. I looked up and watched as the color drained from his fac
e. I followed his gaze and saw a lean young guy standing on top of a building. He was glaring right at us.

  He was incredibly tall, and his attire was all black, just as his eyes were. He dropped from the building to his feet without even bending his knees. People seemed to spread, making a path for him, as he headed toward us.

  Aster stepped in front of me and Tallis. It had to be Kao. Three or four more women and men followed him. It was an entourage of putrid smelling dramians. The stinging sensation of guilt flooded me yet again. I wanted to rewind time and start the day all over, make the decision to stay and face my problems instead of running away and putting everyone in the line of fire.

  "Stay behind me," Tallis whispered, his eyes never leaving Kao.

  Suddenly we were joined by Ash who somersaulted down from a building above.

  "Well, this is just peachy."

  Her light tone was laced with dread. Her eyes scoured the landscape as she seemed to be sizing the dramians up. Then we were joined by Gear, Olivia, Jaslene, Alvin, Everett, Chris, Jay, and Ayla. Everyone stood fearlessly, ready to face whatever these demons threw at them.

  Kao stopped walking as a dust storm started sweeping through. I looked at Gear. He caught my gaze and shook his head, letting me know it wasn't him.

  Iris and George came into view with Desmond, Allaysia, and Edmond following close behind.

  Iris was quick to challenge Kao. "If you think you're ready for this, then let's get started."

  Her eyes sparked with power and a fearlessness that made me shiver. She was so strong in so many ways. They crossed over to join us, adding to our line of power, while I stood there, shielded and helpless.

  Tallis pulled me tightly against his back. I shouldn't have been thinking about how good he smelled, but I couldn't help myself. I shook it off, trying to focus on the fact we were surrounded by a mob of people wanting to kill us. Ayla stepped up and pulled off her hood.

  Some of the chaos lessened, but it was too much for her to ice completely. Kao glared at her, and Jay stepped up, ready to block any attack.

  I could see Ayla working hard as her eyes burned toward the crowd. It seemed to be getting better. Kao squinted his eyes, fighting against her magic. She was strong though. Despite all the essences Kao had consumed, Ayla was still as strong, if not stronger than him, because she had found her soul mate, and he hadn't.

  Kao stepped back as the clouds rumbled with loud thunder and the sky turned dark above us. He looked at Iris who was staring at him.

  "Your move, Kao," she dared in a quiet but deadly tone, letting the wind carry her voice to him.

  He backed away, as did his followers. He knew they weren't ready to take on Iris and her family. Nor was he ready to take on his aunt and cousins. I shivered to think of how hard it was for Tallis and his family to face off against their own blood. He must have felt my shiver.

  "Are you okay?"

  I barely nodded in response. But I was far from okay. I felt a horrible sensation in my stomach. I tasted the toxic air and felt the shift. Something bad was going to happen.

  My eyes moved slowly, trying to find the other shoe before it dropped. I should have looked sooner. By the time I found it, it was too late.

  Out of all the things I'd seen recently, the barrel of the gun pointed at me was the most terrifying yet. The rapid-fire rhythm of my pounding heart found my ears, drowning out all other sounds.

  My mind hadn't wrapped around all the crazy, but I knew how deadly that piece of metal could be when in the hands of a killer.

  The man behind the gun was just a few feet away from us. Kao was in the man's head. He wanted me dead, even if he didn't want to fight my family.

  Before I could warn anyone, a shot rang out. As soon as the bullet burst out of the barrel, everything dropped into slow motion. I couldn't move like normal. Even I was in slow motion.

  Everything was moving at a fraction of the normal speed, including the bullet. Tallis was suddenly in front of me, seeming to be the only one not slowed by time, and the bullet exploded against his chest, still in slow motion.

  I could see each fragment shattering in its own separate direction. You could almost pluck them from the air.

  As though a spell was broken, time resumed, once again finding normal speed. The shards of the bullet fell to the ground like broken glass. Kao tilted his head as Tallis threw his hands forth, launching an attack.

  Kao didn't explode, but a powerful blast wounded his side. Kao grabbed his side and glowered at Tallis. He grimaced in pain and anger, and then disappeared into the crowd.

  They were retreating. It was such a relief. We were going to live.

  The overload of adrenaline fled, leaving me weak with hot chills. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so I did both.

  Ayla was still restoring peace, and everyone held their place, keeping her protected. Finally, normalcy was restored.

  Tallis grabbed my hand and we walked toward Jaslene.

  I could hear my guilt-ridden tone. "Mom, I'm so sorry." I started crying as I hugged her, collapsing into her embrace.

  She pulled me back to speak, her eyes soft and sympathetic, despite the reaming I deserved. "It's okay, dear. We'll talk more about this when we get home. But don't ever do this to me again."

  "I won't. I promise, I won't."

  Tallis hugged his mother. "I guess I wasn't strong enough to kill him. Now what?" he asked, acting disheartened.

  "We'll worry about it later. It's good we found out what we did today. This may have been the best thing. Now we know a little better about what we're dealing with."

  "Ayla is much stronger now," Desmond said, interjecting himself into the conversation.

  Tallis and his family seemed somewhat pleased with that new bit of information.

  "Jay helped with that. Our families uniting was a good thing." Allaysia touched Tallis's saddened face. "Let's get Aria home."