Two Halves Series (23 page)

“Small. Right.” I nodded. “I can see why the frequency of hurricanes and floods has increased.”

William turned onto the street. “Had they not interfered, the planet would look a lot different than it does today. In the past two hundred years, they’ve been helping our planet less and less. The numbers of good warlocks decreased when some of them wanted to use magic for their gain.” William sounded disappointed. “They kill to take what others have. If a powerful demon were to kill me now—”

“Don’t even think that!” I interrupted.

“They’d gain my fearless abilities,” he finished.

I shivered as my heart trembled. “Could a demon use a spell to have our abilities?”

“I don’t think so. What we have is a special gift from the keepers. I’d imagine such conjured abilities need a lot of magic and power, more than Aseret has at his disposal, for now. Sarah, I won’t let anything happen to us. I promise.”

“Pinky swear?” I hesitated, then held up my hand.

William didn’t laugh and hooked his smallest finger around mine, left hand on the wheel. “Pinky swear.”

He drove well above the speed limit, peeking back through the rear-view mirror more often than necessary. Goose bumps covered my arms as I imagined what he could be looking for. A gravel side road and stones broke under the Hummer’s heavy wheels. I tried not to pay attention to our route when William swerved to avoid a squirrel darting across the road.

My head rested against the back of the seat and I closed my eyes. At first, white bunnies and icebergs flooded my thoughts. It felt like weeks had passed since I’d awakened from a nightmare I thought would end my life. With William at my side, the nightmare was fading. Curiosity and apprehension had replaced the ache in my chest. The new world I’d been introduced to made seem Pinedale more boring than before, and I wondered if I would ever return. Would I see Mira and Xander again? I missed my luscious green world and the humidity it produced that condensed on the glass fridge doors in my store.

When I opened my eyes, the sun was higher, the ruddy morning glow now pale, washing everything in white, life-giving light. I remembered the warmth of the sun’s rays in Pinedale on the day William came for me. In the moment I looked at him, he made a sharp right turn that threw my head the other way. A city’s silhouetted outlined the horizon.

He noticed my clenched hands, fingers curled into my palms. “Block any thoughts you can, Sarah. The serum will help you, but you need to give it the initial kick.”

I turned on the radio, shut my eyes and thought of Iceland and snow.

“You have a nice voice,” William complimented.

I realized I’d been humming.

“Thank you. I’m just trying to be thoughtless.” I continued with a tune.

A few minutes later, William stopped the Hummer. “We’re here.”

“Already?” I opened my eyes. We were parked in an underground garage.

“We have an hour until the flight.” He handed me an iPod and a large sun hat. “Put these on. Keep your eyes down. Don’t speak. There could be a shapeshifter on patrol. Try to act natural, and don’t be nervous. I’ll be with you the entire time.” He squeezed my hand.

Chills climbed my spine. Had I been too oblivious of the danger? My heartbeat quickened.

“Don’t worry, they shouldn’t sense us. I won’t let anything bad happen. Let’s go.”

We got out of the car, and William took our luggage from the trunk, the two cases strapped together. I wasn’t sure when he’d packed them, but he must had been in a hurry. The suitcases were uneven, and odd bulges stuck out in a couple of places. He held my hand tight as he led me toward the exit, pulling the wheeled luggage behind us. I heard it wobble and turned to see it weave from side to side like a bloated drunk.

I thought about everything other than the airport and flying. The iPod wasn’t doing its job; even with the volume set high, I still heard the flight announcements. As I tried to focus on the iPod’s songs, a shy-less woman behind the check-in counter flirted with William. It took all my will to keep looking at the floor, but even so, I glimpsed her hand brushing his when she handed him our boarding passes.

William led me toward Gate 3.

Just before we stepped through, someone blocked our way. “Where do you think you’re going?”

The middle aged man didn’t resemble a demon, but William’s grip on my hand and the tightened curves of his cheeks told me otherwise. I removed the ear buds and let them hang over my shoulders.

“I’m sorry, but you must have confused us with someone else,” William tried.

“You don’t think I’m that stupid, do you, William? The underworld is searching for you and the girl. Surely you didn’t think you could escape that easily.” He was almost laughing. “Master will be pleased!” he shrieked, keeping his human eyes fixed on us.

I remembered that shriek too well. The cold began working its way up my back, but I controlled it.

William pressed his lips together. I forced heat toward my spine, striving to remain calm. Unsure how long I’d be able to keep my vertebrae thawed, I let more blood flow to my lower back to keep me strong. It circulated faster, without increasing my pulse. I allowed my other half to come to the fore.

Skeptical about the demon’s powers, I sensed the tension in his hoarse voice. Each sentence ended with the sound of crackling fire. His body gave off heat. My instincts telling me to dig further, I inhaled—and smelled smoke. The demon’s short blackened hair was dry with split ends, most likely from heat exposure. The face, although human, was free of wrinkles, unusually youthful.
That’s what he wants to appear as
, I told myself, noting fine lines crisscrossing his cheeks, invisible to the human eye, but reminding me of a pattern I’d seen on the floor of a dried-up lake.
He’s lacking moisture.
All the details came together for me in a fraction of a second.

I realized I wasn’t as afraid of him as I’d thought I would be as I examined him carefully, seeking a weakness, and found it.

I crossed my fingers behind my back and said to William, “It’s okay, honey.” Then I turned to the shifter. “So, you found us.” I shrugged. William’s jaw almost dropped. “Now what? You’re going to make a scene in the middle of a busy airport?”

“Oh, you must be a stupid one. You don’t know how easy it is to clean up human casualties,” the demon drawled. “Just try to run, and the airport will be reduced to ashes.” He laughed loudly.

I hadn’t counted on that but I controlled the rage that I wouldn’t have to use to complete my task. William maintained his grip on my hand. “Fine,” I said. “We’ll go quietly to prevent casualties.” William widened his eyes even more but remained calm.

“Flight 103 to Paris is now boarding,” the overhead speaker announced.

We didn’t move.

“I just need a quick drink. We’ve had a long trip, as you can imagine.” I pointed to a water fountain tucked in a corner on the side wall, close to the washrooms, concealed slightly from the rest of the airport. Its aura was identical to the blue orchid’s in the mountains and drew me in. “You can come with us,” I said to the demon as if granting a favour, secretly glad no one else was at the fountain.

“Don’t try anything, stupid girl. I will kill with a touch,” he hissed through his teeth. The demon tightened his jaw. The lines of his human face shifted, changing angles as his cheeks twitched with my mention of the fountain. The jaw line lengthened, then returned to its original shape. His nose seemed to shrink, for a moment, then lengthen. His open palm changed colour, from flesh-tone to orange, as a golf ball-sized sphere of fire formed in his hand. “Make it quick,” the demon commanded.

The sphere grew larger as we came closer to the fountain. I placed my hand on the knob, then turned back toward William. “You must be thirsty, honey. Have a drink as well.” I went first, holding the last mouthful in, letting my cheeks bulge as I turned my face so William saw them.

The demon stood three feet away, concentrating on the fountain, the fire ball continuously growing in his hand. The sphere was now the size of a baseball. It sizzled, spitting flares. I stepped away, and William moved to the fountain. The demon focused on William’s big gulps.

When William released the knob on the fountain, I turned to face the demon and spat the water at the creature’s face. It was like throwing acid on silk. Shrieking in anguish, the demon flung his hands to cover the damaged skin. When he tried to pull them away, they stuck to the melting flesh. William followed my lead, spitting at him with more force, scorching the beast further. The water bubbled over his hot skin, burning the flesh. The demon’s palms stretched, thinned, and began to liquefy. Hardly any steam rose as the beast’s dry skin absorbed the liquid.

I cranked the knob of the fountain, redirecting the water with my palm at the yelping creature. The demon no longer resembled a human. His body convulsed in pain, but I did not relent, too determined to finish it. He screeched and squirmed as he melted from the top down, slowly vanishing into nothingness, leaving behind a pile of wet clothes.

“And the witch is gone,” I said to the puddle, releasing the knob.

“How did you know?” William took me by the shoulders.

“I don’t know. He was so hot, and his hair and his skin were so dry . . . I thought demons must have a weakness of some sort, and then it all made sense. I figured he was a fire demon and that he’d be afraid of water,” I rambled.

William held me tight. I closed my eyes, pressing my face against his chest. “I know, I know,” he crooned. “It’s all right, Sarah. We’re all right. It didn’t occur to me to read his fear until you mentioned the fountain. That was brave, Sarah, and smart!”

“Can we get out of here?” I asked, trying to take my gaze away from the pile of slime.

“Yeah. Here.” He pulled a syringe of serum from a compartment in his carry-on bag. “Take this before the flight, just in case. By the time they figure out what happened, we’ll be gone.”

“I feel like an addict.” I pushed the needle into my thigh.

“Soon you won’t have to.” William scanned the hall for further threats. I knew he didn’t want to take the chance of crossing paths with another shapeshifter anymore than I did, especially one whose weakness might be more difficult to decipher. He tossed the empty syringe in a wastebasket, and we headed for the gate, leaving the pile of slime that resembled barf behind.

We passed through Security posing as honeymooners incapable of separation. I wrapped my arm around William’s, brushing my cheek on his biceps. William controlled his pulse and kissed the top of my head.

“Now, I know it’s not the serum making you behave this way,” he teased as we stepped onto the plane.

“What do you mean?” I fluttered my lashes.

He laughed guiding me into the window seat. “I mean, I hope it’s not just an act,” he said softly.

“It’s not,” I said, eyes steady on the view beyond the oval window.

“Shh.” He put his finger to my lips.

I sunk in my seat and kept my iPod on for most of the flight. William’s face held the same expression I had: one of happiness and the sense of belonging we both craved.

Over twenty-four hours ago, I walked through Riverside Park to contemplate how to tell Mira and Xander my secrets. I guessed they’d realize what’d happened given the abilities William described they had. The more I thought about the siblings, the more I felt they belonged in my new life even more than they did in my old one, and I hoped it wouldn’t be too long before I saw them again.

Chapter 11

After a two-hour flight, we stepped off the plane into a wall of air thick with moisture. The humidity slammed against my body like a tangible thing. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then exhaled to taste the exotic atmosphere. The intensity of new flavours excited me. Beads of sweat formed on my temples. The heat was strong and sweet at the same time. It curved around my arms like a winter blanket, the density of the warmth so high I could swim in it, like in the Dead Sea.

I shaded my eyes from the bright sunlight with my hand, looking for clues as to our location. The curved tops of green mountains in the distance rolled from left to right.

William took out the serum as soon as the suitcases arrived. I jabbed the needle into my thigh. He held my hand, pulling our luggage with his free hand as we hurried out of the airport. William’s yellow Hummer was easy to spot in the parking lot.

“So, where are we?” I asked when we reached the car.

“Sao Luis.”

I perked up. “Seriously?”

William grinned. “Yes.”

I lost control and jumped up and down feverishly. “You’re the best!” Suddenly my arms were wrapped around William’s neck and my legs around his torso, and I was kissing his cheeks, his mouth, his forehead, his eyes—everything my lips could find—until a fine spark of electricity zapped us. I regained my balance. “Sorry.”

“If I had known you’d be this happy, I would’ve figured out a way to tell you earlier.” He lowered me to the ground.

“We’re staying in Brazil!” I squeaked. “This is—was—my primary orchid exporter.” I wondered what shape my flower store was in now, after the seekers most likely had their hands on it.

William saw my concerned frown and interrupted my worry with, “We’re driving to the Amazon.”

“William!” I almost leaped back into his arms. All I could picture in my mind was green. Green, green, green, and more green! “How could you have kept this from me?”

“For our safety,” William said with a laugh.

“Is that where the cabin is?” I asked excitedly.

“Yes.”

“Eeeee!” I shrieked, hopping from one foot to another.

William grinned as he made his way around the car.

“I
feel
like a three-year-old on Christmas morning!” I was still bouncing on my toes.

He opened the trunk and effortlessly lifted our luggage inside. “Well, enjoy the ride. We won’t be coming back this way anytime soon.”

“It doesn’t matter, as long as we’re far away from the demons.”

William froze. “Stop,” he whispered. I felt his skin tighten.