Read Silver Mortal (The Gracen Chronicles) Online
Authors: Jenna Kay
Silver Mortal (The Gracen Chronicles) (11 page)
Studying me, he raises his hand to mine and gives it a gentle squeeze.
“I promise you,” he tells me, his voice deep and soft, “I'll never leave you hanging again.” Gazing down at my lips, his head dips down, and my heart goes into triple beats. I close my eyes, readying myself for his kiss, when suddenly a noise across the street catches our attentions.
Before I can think, Phoenix pulls me into the shadows of the nearest alley. We both crouch down and watch. The Silver Eagle starts burning in my blood, alerting me that midnight has arrived.
Phoenix is stiff and rigid next to me as we both let our supernatural feelers loose to scope the newcomers, hoping to find out if they are human or something else. When a lady giggles abrasively, followed by a man's gruff laugh, I quickly realize that they are human...and
extremely
drunk. Even from across the street I can smell the liquor on them. They stagger down the sidewalk, stuck in their own boozed-up world. We watch quietly as they enter an apartment building, kissing passionately before going in.
“Gee, I wonder what they're about to do?” Phoenix wonders aloud, sounding amused.
I laugh. “I'm sure they're not going in for a game of
Charades
.” He begins laughing along with me, but stops when he sees my face.
“Whoa! What happened to your eyes and face?”
Feeling self-conscience I answer, “I go through a transformation after midnight. My eyes turn completely silver, and silver claw marks appear on my face. Why do you ask? Are you freaked-out by my appearance?”
Immediately he replies, “No, absolutely not! It's just that I didn't know...”
“I can put on my sunglasses if it makes you feel better.” I pull my black sunglasses out of my pocket and start to place them on my face, but he grabs my hand.
“No, don't,” he whispers, shaking his head. “Don't hide your true self. You're too beautiful.” He's looking at my lips again, and I know he wants to kiss me; I also know we're not going to get any work done if we continue to fawn over each other.
“Come on, Phoenix. We'd better—”
“Do you smell that?” he interrupts, lifting his nose to the air and taking a big whiff.
Confused I sniff the air as well. “No, I don't smell anything.”
He narrows his eyes and that's when I notice some changes in
his
appearance. I watch in wonder as blackness slowly covers his eyes completely. The black coiled viper becomes more prominent on his cheek, the surface of it on his skin looking slick and oily. He closes his eyes, taking another deep breath. I do the same, trying to free every sense I possess.
Opening my eyes I say, “All I can smell is garbage. What are you smelling?”
Suddenly he opens his black eyes, causing a jump out of me. He doesn't notice. There's a feral, vicious gleam in his blackened pupils, and a growl rises up from his chest. This time the growl sounds deeper, more animal-like than the one at school. At this moment I process reality—I am now seeing his true, supernatural side.
“Trolls,” he says in a hushed growl. “I smell trolls.”
Chapter 11
Goosebumps travel over every inch of my body as Phoenix's proclamation hits home. My Silver Mortal senses heighten to maximum levels, the eagle itching to break out of my skin. I keep my attention on Phoenix, and a
dreary,
unknown fear drapes around me like a cape. With his
now
blackened eyes, the viper mark slick above his skin, and the sneer that possesses his tightened lips—the sight of him has me on edge. The growl deep within his chest is causing his whole body to tremble, the sensation vibrating through my own body.
“Phoenix,” I start off cautiously, not daring to make a move. “Where are they?”
Unblinkingly he sputters out, “They...They are...” His words trail off as he dashes away in a blur of black. I stare after his fuzzy shadow, disbelieving that he had just left me behind.
Letting out a string of cuss words that any sailor would blush at, I quickly take off after him. Within two seconds I find myself right on top of him, bouncing off his back like a rubber ball and nearly breaking my butt bone. He's standing perfectly still and straight, peering around the corner of a building. My bumping into him doesn't disrupt his strong gaze and his intense immersion on the enemy.
“Phoenix!” I spew out angrily. “Why the he—”
“Hush Gracen!” he hisses, sounding annoyed. “Let me concentrate.”
Doing as he commands, a few quiet, restless moments pass before he announces, “There, across the street, behind the Mexican restaurant. Trolls—five of them—they
are
dragging a human by the ankle. A female—unconscious—adult.” His voice is repetitive and toneless, reminding me of a robot spouting out information.
Squinting in the darkness I finally catch sight of the Trolls. And worse...I smell them.
Eww
.
Since I'm able to get a good whiff of them, to tell you the honest truth, they smell very unpleasant. All demons stink, but man, do Trolls take the whole cake! They smell like sewage and sulfur. Imagine the stinkiest fart in the world, bottle it up and
voila
! Troll perfume. Seriously. I speak the truth.
Excitement burns red-hot through my veins as I anticipate the upcoming fight. Trolls are chubby, nasty, three-feet tall demons that pick and choose their prey carefully. Most of the time small children are on top of their diabolical menu, but occasionally they have an appetite for the adult soul. As far as scents go, I'm still confused as to why I wasn't able to smell them earlier, though Phoenix could. My senses are as strong or stronger than his, so what gives?
“I don't get it,” I whisper in Phoenix's ear. “Why didn't I sense them before?”
Still glaring at the monsters he answers, “Because out of all the senses we Vipers contain, our sense of smell is the strongest. And I could tell they were Trolls because I've been around their kind all my life. It's ingrained in me, I guess.”
“Oh.” Well. That explains a lot.
We watch in silence as they hobble around on stubby legs, speaking in their foreign demon tongue. The lady is still lying on the ground unconscious, oblivious (thank God) to the unreal situation she's gotten into. Two of the Trolls appear to argue, one of them smacking and knocking the other to the ground. It's almost comical watching these misshapen creatures. Just the way they walk is hilarious.
Knowing what these monsters are capable of wipes the smirk right off my face. There's five of them and they have a human in their devious clutches, their only intentions being to suck out her soul. We had to take action, and do it fast.
Phoenix pulls out of his leather jacket two small axes, both shiny silver with black handles. They look sinister and medieval—very viper
ish
. I brandish my most prized possession, my pure silver Katana, pointing it downward as I await battle. My blood runs ice cold as the five Trolls circle the woman, chanting in their devil language. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize they're preparing to drain out her soul.
Keeping his black orbs glued on the enemies Phoenix inquires, “You ready?”
“You know it,” I swiftly reply.
With our short communication sealed, having to trust in each others strengths, we launch ourselves across the street at warp speed. The Trolls are taken by surprise, given no time to react. They have no idea what hits them. Phoenix takes his axes, slicing and demolishing two demons in two swipes. One swift stroke of my Katana
cuts two in half, causing an explosion of glittering dust to fume in the air. I decapitate the fifth and final Troll, its head flying through the air with a look of shock on its face right before it explodes.
Neither one of us is out of breath, except my blood is still a violent flow of adrenaline. The battle had been short and quick, the Silver Eagle inside me still yearning for more demon bloodshed. I close my eyes and try to calm down the slow burn in my veins, but it's resisting my attempts. Usually Mom is here to settle me down, but she's not with me tonight.
Opening my eyes I see Phoenix bent down on one knee, reaching out a trembling hand toward the woman's neck, checking for a pulse. He grins, shifting his gaze to me.
“She has a strong heartbeat,” he confirms. “Though we need to get her to the hospital ASAP.”
“G-Good,” I hear myself say, taking a breath and releasing it slowly. I try to control the shudders that are attacking my body, but I'm unable to conceal them. And of course, Phoenix notices my discomfort.
Standing to his feet with curiosity written all over his face, he asks, “What's wrong?” The blackness in his eyes are now gone, his natural dark orbs peering down at me.
With a shaky voice I try to shrug off my sudden dilemma. “W-What do y-you mean?”
“You're restless,” he points out, tilting his head to the side. “Why?”
Lifting my silver eyes to him I try to come up with a believable lie. Unfortunately my mind is buzzing, like a hive full of bees have decided to take up residency in my head. So that forces me to come clean about my uneasiness.
“My mother sometimes h-has to t-talk me down after a s-short fight. The
E
agle...” I pause, swallowing down an uncomfortable lump in my throat. Then I whisper, “It wants more. The energy burns my veins...” My breathing becomes raspy. I close my eyes once again, trying my best to calm the storm raging in the core of my heart.
With my eyes still closed, Phoenix wraps his arms around my shoulders, pulling me against his strong body. A flush of warmth hits my stomach and cheeks. Amazingly my heart begins to settle, the temperature of my blood dropping back down to normal. I breathe in his scent, a mixture of spice and healthy teenage boy. Somehow being this close to him, I feel protected and wanted. In some strange way I feel home.
“Feeling better?” he asks softly.
I tilt my head up and open my eyes. “Much.”
“Here.” He takes my sword and straps it to my back. I try to put it on myself, but suddenly I feel weak. Peering down at me and grabbing me around the waist, he gently says, “Close your eyes.”
I do as he says and a rush of wind picks up around us, the sound almost deafening. Not long after the wind took control of us it felt as if my feet were no longer touching the ground. I grip his neck even tighter, though before long the wind is no longer screaming in my ears. Opening my eyes I find that I'm no longer in the alley. Instead I'm in my apartment, sitting on my bed, and...alone. My Katana is no longer strapped to my back, but on top of my desk.
Thoughts race through my mind. How the hell did I get here? Where the hell is Phoenix? And what just happened?
The door to my bedroom swings open and in walks Mom, who is still sporting her pajamas.
“I thought I heard something,” she confesses, her eyes roaming the rest of my room. “Where's Phoenix?”
Completely baffled I reply, “Beats the
crap
outta me!” I go on from there to tell her about the Trolls, the woman, and how we kicked demon butt.
“After all of that,” I continue, “Phoenix tells me to hold on and close my eyes, and
poof
! I'm no longer in the alley. I'm sitting right here, and he's no where to be found.” Another thought occurs to me and I fly off the bed. “The woman! We've got to get her to the hospital!” A beeping sound echoes from mom's cell phone.
“No need,” says Mom with a smile, handing the phone to me. Raising an eyebrow at her, I take the phone and see a text message from Phoenix.
Tell Gracen the woman is at the hospital and she's
doing fine. Also, tell her I can't wait for us to demon
bash some more later.
~Phoenix~
Reading the message, I look at Mom and frown. “We're going to hunt together again?” “Yep,” she nods. “It seems you guys are going to make a great team.” I roll my eyes.
“Mom,” I begin, taking her by the shoulders and shaking her gently, “how am I supposed to work with him after tonight? I don't even know how he got me home.”
“I can explain that one,” she says, taking my hand from her shoulders and sitting on the edge of my bed. She pats a spot next to her and I sit, letting out a sigh. “OK, first off, you know that Night Vipers have a power that lets them disappear before your eyes, right?” I nod yes and she continues. “Well, to go along with that power they can travel to places miles and miles away, even across the country. They can also take a companion.”
Knitting my brows together, trying to digest what she's saying, I ask, “You mean they can teleport not only themselves, but others as well?”
“Exactly,” she confirms. “And just think about other vipers out there that are wanting to change. Think about all we could accomplish together, to protect the innocents. If we could work together we could combine all our powers and keep evil in the world in check, without working ourselves to death.”
