Marked: A Two Halves Novella (2 page)

I wanted to go with him. I wanted the comfort of knowing my
destiny. I took a step forward.

“Xander, turn around, now!” Eric ordered. Had I known what
the evil-bender was up to, perhaps I would have kept my eyes locked with
Aseret’s, but I turned on reflex. Eric’s purple eyes pierced into mine, and the
room spun. Black and brown earth blended into mud, then changed to a mixture of
greens. When the rotation finally stopped, my body uncoiled and I found myself
standing in front of our hill home, in the middle of the forest.

I shivered like a wet dog as my body shed Aseret’s spell.
The pull to the underworld was greater than anything I’d experienced. The heat
of it wrapped around my body, penetrating my soul. Part of me felt I had a
place in the underworld, that it was where I belonged. Or was all of that a
remnant of the spell?

I didn’t like Eric deciding where we should be. I wanted the
choice to be ours. Wasn’t it supposed to be?

“Next time you want to send us through a vortex, warn us,” I
growled, feeling a new shift developing inside my body. What would I choose to
be to beat up this smart-assed boy?

“Xander, don’t,” Mira cautioned. She was holding Eric’s
hand. It only took five minutes for the two to become lovebirds? Was she
kidding?

“Let go of him, or you’ll get hurt as well, Mira.” I
clenched my fists.

“You can’t hurt him, Xander; he helped us.” She squeezed his
hand, looking into his eyes, mesmerized.

“I didn’t want to be helped,” I stomped, crunching the dry
leafy under footing. “I wanted the mark. I wanted to know what it feels like
when you know what you’re supposed to do, when your emotions don’t rule your
life.”

“That’s why I’m here, to help you figure it out, you little
monster,” Eric wiggled his finger as if I were a kid.

“Stop calling me that! We’ve tried to get the water mark,
but it’s impossible. Killing a demon, that’s easy.”

A gust of wind blew through the forest. Mira’s hair flapped
behind her then crossed her face and mouth. She spat out the strands. I
chuckled inside.

To me, the way we swayed didn’t matter; as shape-shifters,
we’d serve the side we pledged our allegiance to. But now, with my sister’s
endorsement for the keepers, it felt as if I was standing in the middle of a
battleground with guns blasting at me from each side.

“The wrong choices are always the easy ones, Xander.”

“Don’t lecture me, lover boy.”

“Xander, please,” Mira urged. “I know you’re angry with me;
I shouldn’t have followed the demon to the underworld without you. Honestly, I
don’t think we belong there.”

“Then where do we belong?”

Silence.

I thought so.
Mira was just as clueless as I was—or
was she? The way her gaze connected with the evil-bender’s made me doubt that
today was the first time she’d seen him. The shadows under her eyes suddenly
made sense—she’s been keeping a secret from me, straining to control her true
feelings in my presence.

“There’s a prophecy being written as we speak, and your help
will be needed,” Eric said.

“When?” I threw my hands in the air.

“When the keepers decide.”

“Tell Father that if his decision to mark us is difficult,
then we should have been left in the woods.” I feared if I stayed any longer,
I’d turn green again. It wasn’t my favorite shade.

My bones cracked as I sprang up, shifting into an eagle. The
sprouting feathers from my wings lifted me above the trees. My gaze focused on
the clear sky above me as I soared higher and higher, wanting nothing less than
to feel lost.

Below me, Mira and Eric stood with their heads tilted back.
I could hear my sister’s voice inside my head:
“Come back to me, Brother. I
cannot lose you.”

“You won’t. I just need some time.”
Solitude was the
only way to clear my mind.

When they disappeared from my view, I landed on the edge of
a cliff on the face of Mount Owen. The wings stretched and skin began to
envelop the feathers as I shifted into my human form. My clothing magically
returned to my body; all I had to do is ensure I phased to the same size. With
my back pressed against the rock, I gazed out at the morning fog wrapping wisps
around the treetops and blanketing the Grand Teton Mountains. I inhaled the
crisp air and closed my eyes, letting the sun glow orange behind my eyelids.

A long breath out emptied my lungs as I relaxed my jaw and
tried to concentrate on the forest—the way the leaves shuffled against one
another as the trees swayed in the breeze. Not something a human would notice.
The sound reminded me of Ma’s shell chimes, which I’d broken a few years back
when Mira tackled me. High off the ground, in this exact spot, was the only
place where I heard that sound, a sound I loved.

It wasn’t Mira’s fault she attacked me; I’d deserved it.
We’d had one of our arguments over the marking. How could the decision be so
easy for her and not for me? Was it because she always made the right decisions
and I the wrong ones?

I wanted to know who I was, instead of feeling empty. My
soul lingered in a vacuum. I hated the nothingness inside my chest, despite my
heart: a useless existence of a powerful shape-shifter. More than twenty years
had passed. How long were the keepers expecting us to live in this endless
oblivion? We’d finally decided the age we wanted to be; now we wouldn’t get
older or younger, unless we wanted to. The only piece missing was who we were
supposed to serve—the keepers or Aseret?

A rustle in the brushes below overpowered the hypnotizing
chime of the millions leaves and drew my gaze to the ground three hundred feet
below. I closed my eyes. The cracking of dry branches was distinct, yet the
feet that broke them were delicate.
Lucky twigs,
I thought, surprised at
my sudden need to see those feet.

The overpowering scent of red roses hit my nostrils, and
without another thought, I dove off the cliff as if I were diving into a pool
of water. Halfway down, I shifted into an eagle, spreading my wings to slow my
momentum, then into a squirrel to jump from higher branches to lower ones, and
then back into my human form just before reaching the forest floor.

Crouching, I scanned the bushes, then straightened, holding
my breath. A ghost would have been louder. I couldn’t see anyone and perked up
my ears like a hunting cougar, intent on finding the feet that brought me down
to the ground level. She remained quiet. My nostrils flared as I inhaled the
rosy aroma.

Behind me.
I whirled around.

The woman hid behind a spruce. The wind sprinkled its
needles onto my head.

“Who are you?” What I’d meant to be a command came out as a
whisper.

“Please don’t hurt me.” She stepped out, her hands crossed
at her chest, seeming afraid, but even if I wanted to hurt her, I had a feeling
she could defend herself. Black hair spilled down her front in curls,
contrasting with her white, sun-shy face. The wind gusted as if summoned,
causing the smell of roses to intensify; I pictured them blooming around her,
but I couldn’t see any.

“Why would I hurt you? Don’t be afraid.” I stepped forward.

“You’ll hurt me,” she said as if certain.

“I promise I won’t. And my promise is true. Who are you?”

“My name is Xela.”

“I’m Xander.” I licked my lips. My attraction was
undeniable. My gaze slipped to her thighs as I wondered how strong they were.
Was the laced see-through skirt meant to induce lustful thoughts? If it weren’t
for the black shorts clinging to her hips, I’d have had her by now. She wasn’t
a shifter, so when I saw her breasts perk up I knew it was a hormonal change as
blood flow through her veins increased. I grinned as she sauntered toward me.
She accepted my assertion.

“Hello, Xander.” Her voice sang, drawing me in. The roses
bloomed again, their perfume settling on my tongue. Bracelets dangling from her
left wrist twirled down her arm toward her elbow when she lifted her arms to
gather her hair into a bun. I followed the movement of each finger. Her neck
was longer than I first perceived, and the low-cut, fitted tank top seemed
smaller than before. A stray curl caressed her face. She lowered her hands, and
before the bracelets slid toward her palm, I saw the mark.

She followed my gaze to her wrist and its oval imprint.
“That’s why I’m afraid you’ll hurt me.”

“I promised, didn’t I?” I took a step closer.

“Yes.” Her voice reminded me of the soft whir of a
hummingbird’s wings. Her full lips pouted slightly, bringing my eyes back to
her hazel ones.

“Who are you?” I asked out of astonishment, not fear.

“I’m a witch.”

I lifted a brow. “All alone?”

She stopped inches from me. “Yes.”

I knew my destiny was with her—she was the one I’d been
waiting for. The witch held power over my body and my mind, and I liked it; I
wouldn’t even care if she’d used a spell to make me feel this way, though I
knew she hadn’t. She pulled me from the loss of oblivion and made me feel like
I belonged. Her mere presence made me long for a woman as I’d never longed
before. I had to take her and be with her in every way a man could. And it
would have to be soon, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could contain the
desires that centered in one spot on my body.

“Do you need something?” she asked, as if reading my mind.
Her shyness was gone and the sparkle in her eyes now glowed with lust, swirling
promises I longed to fulfill.

“Only you.” I wanted to touch her but held back—not out of
fear of her, but fear she’d reject me because I was no one. I hadn’t been
marked.

“Come with me.” She took my hand. The heat of her sphere
almost burned my wrist, but I didn’t pull away. Our fingers intertwined.

“Where are we going?” I asked, though I didn’t care where
she took me. She could drag me all the way to hell, and I’d follow.

“To my lair.”

She twirled her finger as if she were stirring a pot. The
forest swirled, and the green, earthy scents of pine needles and moss mixed
with her rosy aroma. The space to my right became a rippled hole as she opened
a portal. Although a difficult skill to master, it wasn’t uncommon for a
supernatural to use one to travel through time and space. Xela faced me in the
vortex, holding my hands. Then she rested her head on my chest, and I wrapped
my arms around her as we flew through the time hole.

When the spinning stopped, we were in an underground dungeon
hung with drying herbs and shelves holding pots and jars filled with
ingredients both crumbled and gooey. Unlike Ma’s hill—my home—this place seemed
lonely. I shivered despite the heat. Xela was isolated in this lair just as I
was isolated from the world. We were so alike, yet different at the same time.
I didn’t know her, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was needing Xela the
way I needed air. Ma wouldn’t approve; I knew that the minute I saw the maiden,
but what Ma didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.

When I thought about Ma, the scent of roses intensified, and
this time I saw them, blooming in one corner of the rough-hewn room. Xela
twirled her finger, and the blossoms released their aroma, intoxicating me
again. I knew magic when I saw it, but I didn’t have to be magically
intoxicated by this beauty.

“You don’t have to do that,” I said, aware she’d used a
spell to beckon me in. I would have come with her anyway.

“You’ll leave if I don’t.”

“I promise I won’t.”

“All right.” She lifted her hand, palm toward the bushes,
and the perfume disappeared. The flowers remained, and she turned back to me.
“You know I’m a witch and you know I’m not a good one.”

“So?”

“You like a bad witch?” she asked.

I loved the teasing. It felt as if my feet moved by
themselves as I stepped closer to feel her breath on my face. Our eyes locked
as I grinned. “I like a very, very bad witch.”

“Good. Because that’s all I can be.” She lifted her arm. The
glowing mark had faded to resemble a tattoo. “Why aren’t you marked yet?”

“I’ve been trying to be marked, but I haven’t seen the
promise of the other side, just the sphere.”

“You know, there’s something good about being bad,” she
murmured.

“That’s what I thought.” I tangled my finger into a strand
of her hair, then pulled at the twig holding the locks together on top of her
head. The curls tumbled to her shoulders and bosom.

“When you’re marked, at least you belong. Your soul is not
stuck.”

“My sister would disagree.” My eyes remained on the dark
glory of her hair.

“Sister?” She raised her brows and moved closer.

I backed up to sit on a wooden stool against the wall. “Twin
sister.”

She lifted her hands to stroke my arms. “Is she as strong as
you are?” Her hands tightened around my biceps.

As a shape-shifter, I could look the way she wanted me to
look. Hell, I didn’t mind at all my Hollywood surfer look. Though I hadn’t
shifted to that just to make her happy, all I wanted to do was please her.

“She is,” I answered. “But I don’t think you want to talk
about my sister.”

“No, I don’t. I’d much rather have you.”

At this point, Xela had her legs wrapped around my waist.
When she brushed her hand across my cheek, the overwhelming lure of strength
and belonging tore at my insides. The heat from her palm flowed straight to my
heart, sending comfort through my body.

I began to doubt Mira’s reason for wanting the water mark.
Why did she insist so much? After all, it wouldn’t be our decision anyway. Our
fate was already set by the keepers. Did she know something I didn’t? No, she
would tell me. But she wasn’t as surprised to see Eric in the underworld as I had
been.
She met him before today. Sneaky brat! She was swayed by the good.
But
could I blame her? Here I was, being swayed the other way by Xela. My chances
to kill someone with a black witch at my side increased. I didn’t mind her
influence though
. Let’s
level out the playing field—one good, one
bad. Let there be balance.