Spellbound (the Spellbound Series Book 1) (28 page)

I lean in close enough that our noses are nearly touching. “Same to you,” I whisper back. Nick’s lips brush against mine again, but this time, I pull away. There’s something I want to get off my chest before we let things go back to normal. “I’m sorry I never told you about Alyssa,” I begin. “We only kissed once, and it’ll never happen again, and-“

“Don’t… I’m still pissed about that, but right now, it doesn’t matter.” Nick flashes me the smile I’ve come to adore, and says, “I could have lost you last night, but you’re still in one piece. That’s what’s important. Besides, you’re not perfect. I’m not perfect. But your flaws and the mistakes you’ve made are part of who you are, and I love
you
. The whole package, not just your good side.”

I panic for a split second, not sure of how to respond. I’d been expecting our first use of the L word to be under more romantic circumstances, but I suppose it’s more meaningful if the moment isn’t choreographed, or forced. Besides, I can finally feel
it
, that indescribable feeling that Jenna said would come. I take a deep breath, and reply, “I love you too,” and press my forehead against his.

Nick and I remain in that position, watching each other, and I try not to let my nervousness show. We’re so close, that it feels like there is no world around us. It’s just me and Nick, in our own tiny space, not quite separate from the rest of the world, but devoid of the pain and confusion plaguing everything outside of us. I would be content to forget everything irrelevant to our relationship, and stay shut up in the room with the boy in front of me, but the moment can’t last forever; after a while, I wonder aloud, “What happened to everyone else?”

Nick stands up, and pushes the chair away from the door. “Come and see,” he says, before grabbing my hand and leading me down the hallway.

The living room has been cleared of most of the furniture, except for the couch, which is being occupied by an unconscious Alyssa. On the floor, wrapped in blankets and sleeping bags, are some people I recognize from the werefolk support group, their human forms restored. Many of them are covered in bandages stained with dried blood, but weres are incredibly quick healers, so I try not to worry too much about their conditions. Rachel lies facing her younger sister, both of them flanked by their sleeping parents. It appears that all of them are going to be fine.

Krystal emerges from her room and joins us, taking care not to step on any of the strangers sleeping on the ground. “Good morning,” she mutters as she rubs her eyes. “How are you guys feeling?”

Nick and I look at each other, then smile in unison. “We’re fine,” I answer, “How are you?”

“Worried about you, Heather. What happened last night?”

“I felt this intense pain in my back, and after a while, I blacked out. You were there the only other time I felt it… I wish I knew why it keeps happening.”

Krystal shrugs, and says, “That’s something we can figure out later. For now, I’m just glad that you’re still alive.”

“Likewise.” Krystal and I embrace, and it occurs to me that I’ve forgiven her without realizing it. I’m not normally one to hold a grudge, so I’m not all that surprised. Besides, there are more important things to worry about than staying angry at Krystal. “What happened to Penumbra?,” I ask. “Are they still after us? Or, did they have to disband since Selene’s gone?”

“About that…” The corners of Krystal’s lips twitch up into a tiny smile, and she says, “Apparently, they’re offering me the chance to take her place.”

“What?”

“It’s the clan’s code, one that Selene herself put into effect. Whoever kills their previous leader becomes the current leader. So, technically, every member of Penumbra answers to me now. But since we haven’t seen eye to eye in so long, they’re giving me the option to say no.”

“Wow… So, what are you going to do? Are you going to accept?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think I deserve to have that kind of power.”

“You never know, taking over the clan could be good for you.”

Krystal shrugs. “All I know is that I’m glad it’s all over.”

“Not quite.” Landon enters the room as well, his insistence on shirtlessness putting all the scrapes and bruises along his torso on display. He must be in excruciating pain, but he’s hiding it well. “Have you guys turned on the news?”

“Not yet,” Krystal says. “Why do you ask?”

Landon doesn’t respond, but presses the power button on the living room’s flat screen TV. The blank screen lights up, and shows a grim faced woman reading from a sheet of paper in her hands. Her voice and expression are nearly devoid of emotion, but her voice catches just slightly as she begins reciting the report Landon wanted us to see. “Last night, reports came in of unusual tremors under Grand Central Station, followed by the appearance of cracks in the ground that widened into a fifty foot wide chasm. Several bodies have been recovered from the scene of the incident, including the body of forty-seven year old city council member Selene Martin, who also appeared to have accrued scrapes and bruises unrelated to the fall damage moments before her death. City officials are trying to determine whether the incident was an act of terrorism, but evidence of explosives or any other danger to the building’s structure have yet to be found. All subway, Metro North, and Amtrak service to and from Grand Central is suspended until further notice.

“Possibly even more surprising is the apparent presence of so-called ‘metahumans’ on the scene at Grand Central last night. Eyewitness accounts describe hundreds of unknown parties performing impossible feats, such as shooting fire from their hands, and vanishing into thin air. There have also been reports of large animals with human features, many of whom engaged in combat with the other metahumans, bringing the number of casualties to a grand total of eighty seven confirmed dead. An anonymous source sent in the following video taken on their cell phone of the action last night. Be advised, though the video is of low quality, the scene is still incredibly graphic.”

The woman disappears, replaced by a grainy video of the battle at Grand Central. A werewolf tears out a spellcaster’s innards with his claws. A spellcaster manipulates his own shadow, using long black tendrils to pierce gaping holes through a werewolf advancing on him. A massive, glittering shape glides through the air, chasing a figure moving swiftly through the battlefield.
Me
. Then Alyssa, only recognizable by her purple hair, can be seen casting a spell over the glass serpent. The video keeps playing, but the audio is replaced by the reporter’s voiceover. “Assuming the video is legitimate, this raises several important questions: Who are these metahumans? What do they want? How can they exist? Are they behind the potential attack on Grand Central? And most importantly, are any of us safe?”

Landon shuts off the TV at this point, and a hush falls over the room. All eyes are on me, for some reason. I suppose it’s because if they managed to enhance the video, Alyssa and I can be clearly seen. Meaning we could potentially become the media’s next target, the recognizable faces of the group of “metahumans” terrorizing the nation. I turn to look over at Alyssa, who’s still asleep, still unaware of how much trouble we could be in. From behind me, I can hear Landon saying, “If we don’t keep videos like that off the air, none of us freaks will be safe.”

“What do you mean?,” I ask as I turn back to face the blank TV screen.

“I mean, there’s a reason we keep werewolves, vampires, and everything else secret. If everyone knew what was out there, do you really think they would welcome us with open arms? No. People will always fear what they don’t understand. So, we’ll be hunted. We’ll be detained. We’ll be the subjects of various tests. We’ll be hated, and feared, and persecuted. And in the worst case scenario, we’ll be exterminated.”

“What can we do, though? We can’t control what goes on the air.”

“I don’t know.” Landon lets out a frustrated sigh, and limps back to his room. “I guess it’s time to find out who the real monsters are.”

END OF BOOK ONE