We walked into the house, and I went into the kitchen, grabbed us each a Coke, some snacks and turned to go to my room, where I think Blaze is already at. As I turn the corner to go upstairs, he is just sitting on the steps waiting for me, with his head hung low. He has this aura about him, sort of a vibration, exuding from him.
I reach out to touch his shoulder with my one free hand and his head jerks up, startling me. I jump back in shock, dropping snacks everywhere. His eyes were red, and his fangs were out. I suddenly didn't want to do anything but jump on his lap and show him how much I loved him, how much I needed him.
I slowly reached out for his hand, as I led him to my bedroom. He walked, no more like floated into my room behind me, and I start placing the wards around the room. He sat down on my bed, staring at me and licking his lips like I was a delicious little snack for him to sink his teeth into.
I get done with the wards and as I turn to say something to him, he is up and all over me. The passion was intense as he kissed my neck. I could feel the fire building in my abdomen. The make out session was hot and heavy. If the room hadn't been guarded the neighbors would have thought, we were shooting fireworks off in my room. Red and Gold swirls of light shooting off the walls and floor all around us. Then, right before we took it too far the book appeared and stopped us. Panting, we both stared intently at the nasty thing that just interrupted the most amazing thing to happen to me in my life.
"Ok, that is enough for now. It is not time to consummate your mark yet. Us in the book have discussed the danger risk that is increasing quickly around you. And have decided to leave the training as is. You will, however, be training longer and harder than before. You need not worry about sleep right now, as we are going to bathe you in a spell that makes your body think you slept a full eight hours. You have two days of training left and will need to be hyper vigilant with your studies. Oh, your familiar is here, please allow him entrance."
"What? Wait? No sleep, but our bodies think we slept. And Ashton is here? I am so confused." I walk over to the window and open it, breaking the wards. I look outside and yep, sure enough there is Ashton sitting on my driveway. Staring at my bedroom window.
The second we make eye contact, there is a rush of air, and he is in my room, closing the bedroom window and placing wards again. "How did you do that? How did you know where I lived? What in the hell is really going on here!?" I stammered. I looked at Blaze and realized he was standing there in shock and disbelief.
Ashton ushered me to sit down next to Blaze on the bed. He grabbed my desk chair and sat down in it backwards. He grabbed one of mine and one of Blaze's hands, forming this connection. I can't really describe the feeling. It was almost like we all shared one body, and I could feel my blood run through their veins. It was just strange. Blaze and I looked at each other, in confusion and then turned our attention to Ashton. "Ok guys, here goes. I am not an ordinary student. Didn't you ever wonder where I came from? Or why I never age?" he started. I looked at him with huge eyes and stammered out... "Oh my god! No, I never even thought about it. I just assumed you were part of our class that we never knew. Oh shit, please continue."
"Ok, well you see me, and the other 3 familiars have been brought to this town by the unfolding of the power here. We placed false memories in your mind to make you think you have known us your whole life. We, however, are mystical beings." I sat there mouth a gape not really believing what I was hearing. He just continued on.
"We can shape shift into anything you need us to, to help you on your path. Whether that be, a human companion, a cat or even just darkness for protection. We were put on the planet to guide and protect the elementals from here through the rest of time. I am thousands of years old and have protected your ancestors for generations. I cannot be killed, but I can be hurt if you are hurt. I am half your soul and half Blazes. The three of us make one complete element. The Fire element."
I stopped him right there. "What do you mean you are thousands of years old? How can that be?" He looked at me and shrugged his shoulders and said, "I apologize ma'am, but I will explain." He continued.
"We the fire side can manipulate anything that has to do with fire. Such as magma, heat from the sun, and blood, among others. The fire is inside you, Raven. With a simple thought you can control the heat running through your veins. Blaze your gift is different, you have the ability to control blood and all the elements in blood. You can turn blood into fire and can smell the enemy from miles away due to the sulfur in their blood. You are the strongest of you and your friends. The same goes for Raven, you are the strength. You are who Arawn is after. This is why it is most important for you to train harder and know everything. So, you are always prepared."
He sighs, taking a deep breath. "Well, I am so glad that I finally don't have to hide my true nature anymore. Well, at least around you two."
"So, can we see your true form?" Blaze asks. I shook my head in agreement. He cautiously looks from me to Blaze and says, "do you think you could handle it?" We look at each other and eagerly shake our heads yes.
"Ok, I guess so. Stand back. I need at least an eight-foot radius." He said. I looked around my tiny room and asked if there was a spell to make rooms bigger and got a resounding no. So, I told Ashton to follow me and the three of us made our way down to the basement.
My basement was empty, except for a few old boxes of legal stuff, my mom kept down there some old toys of mine and our old sofa. I flipped the switch for the lights down there and put on all the wards of protection. Blaze and I made our way to the sofa as Ashton walked to the center of the big room.
"Ok here goes. Don't say I didn't warn you." He said as a giant black ball of smoke whooshed out of the center of his chest. Blackness overtook the entire room, and the smell of sickly sweet permeated the air. Sparks of red and gold flew all over the basement bouncing off walls and windows. The noise was undefinable. It was the sweetest melody, but a hint of growling...it was just odd. The air in the room started to clear and there before me stood a beast, one could only have nightmares about. I sucked in a lung full of air and clasped my hand over my mouth so as not to scream. Blaze sat there eyes wide and all he said was so cool.
Where Ashton had stood just a minute ago was a monster. It was seven foot or more tall, it had the biggest red wings I have ever seen. Its mouth had huge fangs, and blood red eyes. The talons on the hands and feet of the beast were easily 2 feet long. I was terrified.
I shakily stood up, and slowly walked over to Ashton. He lowered himself to the ground as I put my hand on his head. I could hear him purr. Like a kitten. And as soon as I thought of the word kitten, he had shifted into a tiny black kitten in my lap. I gently picked him up and set him on the ground. Within a few seconds Ashton the human was standing back in front of me.
"Absolutely fucking amazing!! My man!" Blaze exclaimed as he walked up to him giving him the biggest high five, I have ever seen. Laughing I sit back on the couch. Leaning back, I start looking around my basement. And a thought popped into my head, we should do our training sessions down here. There is way more space." The book popped up out of nowhere, it must have agreed.
A few exhausting hours later, I heard my mom walking around upstairs, calling my name. I looked at Blaze and told him that was enough for now and that he should probably head home. He shook his head in agreement, and we reversed the wards. Ashton left first out the basement window, then Blaze, after a huge kiss from me, that is.
I walked up the basement steps, to tell my mom, that I was turning the basement into a clubhouse. I rounded the corner into the kitchen and my mother said, "Oh, Raven! Perfect, there is someone I want you to meet."
I stood in the kitchen staring at the back of a man, who I had never met, and a feeling rushed over me, one I had never felt before. The man in the chair swiveled around, looked me dead in the eye, and said, "Hello, Raven. I am so happy to finally meet you." That voice...it was the voice from earlier. Sitting in my kitchen smiling at me was Arawn.
I suck my breath in and slowly start walking backwards, towards the basement door. I could hear my heart pounding in my chest, and Blaze was screaming at me. Asking if I was ok and if I needed him. I was frozen, I couldn't speak. Then I hear the sound of Ash, telling me he is in the basement and let him know if I need him to come beat some ass. I silently giggle to myself, then tell them to stay in the basement, but to put the wards on and be listening.
As I was ending that discussion with the boys in my head, I began to notice that my mother was speaking to me. "Um, Earth to Raven!!" I hear my mother say. I turn my attention back to the shit show in front of me. "Uh, oh yeah, exactly why, did I need to meet him?" I said snidely as I pointed a finger at Arawn.
Eh hem, mom clears her throat, looking visibly embarrassed. Good, I think to myself, if she only knew what she had just done. Mom looks from me to the evil being in the kitchen back to me and lowers her head and rubs her temples...oh no, I may have mouthed off a wee bit too much. She only rubs her temples when she is frustrated. I peek up at her face and she is staring me down.
Slowly she starts smiling and says, "Raven, this is Jonathon Darcy, he is new to our firm and will be coming around here a lot until we finish with this case. I feel the heat in my chest start to rise as I grit out, "Pleasure to meet you. Mr. Darcy, was it?" I said snidely, looking at him with narrowed eyes.
He stuck out his nasty hand for me to shake and I quickly pulled my hands behind my back and looked at my mother and say, "Um, yeah right, sure. Regina, I am going to turn the basement into a hangout for me, and the girls...I need your Black card. Gotta do some shopping."
My mom's eyes almost bulged completely out of her head. "RAVEN JAMES!!!! I did not raise you to be a rude, self-entitled brat!! I raised you to be a polite, well-mannered young lady. I whispered, yeah, sure you did, under my breath and held my rude self-entitled little hand out for her credit card. She looked down at her feet, defeated and said, "Fine, but this isn't over!"
"Yes, yes, it is!" I said as I was making my way to the front door. I turned back to look at her and smile, just as my hand hit the doorknob on the front door, I heard, "Nice meeting you Raven, I will be seeing you around."
"Not, if I can help it!' I mumble. I stormed out of the house so angry at my mom for allowing that thing in my home and so full of fire and rage at Arawn or his son, which every prick that was in my house. I mean, that had to be the evil asshat himself, right? Either way I was not sticking around to find out.
Almost immediately after stepping out of the house, Blaze was next to me holding my hand and Ashton had become a dark mist blocking anyone from seeing the fire that was starting to shoot from my hands.
"I have to get out of here, now!!" I yelled out angrily.
In an instant I was in Blaze's truck driving down the interstate toward the nearest furniture store. Still shaking inside and out, Blaze reaches over pulling me in close to his side, his arm snaked around my shoulders. As Ashton turned himself into a bird as was flying out the window to follow behind the truck, keeping an eye out for trouble.
I was finally starting to relax when we pulled into the mall parking lot. We parked, I got out of the truck and Blaze was already waiting by the tailgate for me. He grabbed my hand and Ashton poofed up next to us and we all walked side by side inside.
The second that our eyes had a chance to adjust to the light inside the mall, I got this overwhelming feeling that someone was watching us. Apparently so did Blaze and Ashton as they both growled a bit.
"Calm down, both of you!" I thought pretty forcibly in my head. It's not an evil feeling, more of a peaceful one. The air shifted and they just started to relax as we turned the corner to head down to Fredrickson's Furniture and ran smack into Nina and Declan.
"Uh......" she stammered as she quickly dropped Declan's hand. I just shook my head and smiled quietly at her embarrassment the said,
"Hey, girl what's up? What's new?" as I glanced from Declan and back to her.
"Um, nothing. Just walking around. You? I thought you were sick?" she replied glancing from Blaze to Ashton back to me.
"Uh, yeah. I didn't feel well, but then mom brought so douche canoe to the house and I had to get out of there. So, Blaze picked me up and he had Ashton with him. Apparently, they are related somehow. So, yeah here we are. We are turning the basement into a clubhouse." I told her. But in my head was thinking, more of a fight pit than a clubhouse. I smiled and so did Blaze.
"Really!! Your mom is letting you do that?" Nina exclaimed. I nodded, holding up her black card and started walking backwards towards Fredrickson's.
"You want to help me pick out furniture. No budget, well not really anyway." I asked. Her eyes lit up; Nina loves to decorate. I glanced at Blaze, Ashton, and Declan, they all looked at each other and said,
"Ok, we are going to the food court, y'all have fun now!" And away the walked as Nina and walked into the store.
About $4000 later, we walk out full of giggles and excitement, and head toward the food court where we see Blaze and Declan talking to Yasmin and Hannah. My blood starts to boil, and I can feel the fire burning red hot as she reaches out and touches Blazes arm. I start to walk faster but feel this cooling sensation run down my arm. I look down and Nina is gripping my forearm, she pulls me hard to the left and sits us down on a bench where she can see the guys, but they can't see us.
I do my best not to feel anything or think anything as we sit and watch those girls make fools of themselves. When Hannah moves to kiss Declan, Nina's fingernails dig into my arm as she sucks in her breath. Declan sticks his arm out and pushes her away gently as he shakes his head no. Relief washes over her face. I reach over and give her hand a squeeze and tell her,
"Hey, I know he is not my favorite person in the world, but you are. I honestly don't think he would ever hurt you, Nina! Ever! It's like your destined to be together, you know." I say trying my best to be supportive to my best friends. She relaxes for a brief second but tenses right back up as she glances over there again. Something in her face made me look over, I really should not have done so though. I glance over at the boys and there in the middle of the food court is Yasmin with her hands all over Blaze, as she is rubbing her body on his.
I fly to my feet, my eyes blood red, my long blonde hair swirling around like I was standing in a wind tunnel. I feel the fire starting to burn the tips of my fingers and the anger shoots through my body. Then he feels me. Blaze turns to look my anger rushing into him almost knocks him down. He pushes Yasmin away but too little too late as I start stalking toward her.
Nina's eyes are almost bulging out of her head as she see for the first time the fire sparking at the end of my fingertips. She reaches out for me, but Ashton beats her to it. He engulfs me in a swirl of wind and light and wooshes me out of the mall, about a mile down the road to the park.
When my feet hit the ground, my fire bursts out of my hands and flies all over, Ashton quickly puts it out.
"Calm down, Raven. Please calm down." Ashton begs me. But the image of that bitch with her hands all over my mate burns through my mind. Next thing I know, my fire is doused. I look down at my hands and Blaze is holding them. I go to jerk away from him, but Ashton has wrapped around us holding us tight together.
A car screeches to a halt outside the park, Hawthorne and a woman get out of the vehicle. They come walking up to us, spells shooting out of their hands.
"WHAT IN THE HELL HAPPENED!!!" Hawthie boomed. I blink, starting to calm myself as I look up and see the woman with him was none other than Roeshell Landry.
The sight of Darius with Roe just sent me over the edge, I completely lost it, the fire erupted out of my body fast and hard shooting out of my hands, my eyes, and my feet. I started levitating me up in the air as a blood curdling scream shot out of my mouth. How! How could he let her touch him like that? How did he not feel me, I was right there!!! And what the fuck was Roeshell doing here, how am supposed to feel about all this? I know how......ANGRY AS HELL!!!
I was pissed, pissed at Blaze, pissed at Ashton for not letting me kill that bitch. My hair swirled around me in flames as I rose higher into the sky.
"Surround her everyone, clasp hands, NOW!!!" Darius shouted though I didn't hear him as I was locked deep into a fireball of hate. Roe, Blaze, Ashton, and Darius make a circle around me as Roe starts chanting something I can barely understand. I hear Blaze beg me to calm down,
"CALM DOWN!!!! YOU HAVE TO BE SHITTING ME!" I exclaimed as fire shot out, barely missing him. Darius grabbed Ashton and whispered something in his ear and Ashton took off in a swirl of black mist. My fire filled rage burned brighter and hotter than it ever had, and I rocketed up in the air. Had it not been for the magical wards that Darius and Roe had placed, people walking or driving by would have completely lost their minds.
But to the outside world it looked like an ordinary empty playground, but if they tried to come on the grounds, they would feel very weird and just leave completely forgetting why they were there.
As the fire raged inside me, I felt this strange pull. It felt warm and welcoming. It felt like home and needed to be there right this second.
"Quick grab her feet Blaze! It's Arawn he has her! Pull on her legs, bring her back to us." Roe screamed.
Blaze flies straight up, looks at my legs on fire and tentatively reached out, scared he might be burnt. He sticks his arm in the fire, surprised that it is cool to the touch and grabs both of my legs. Then out of nowhere in swoops Ashton fast and hard causing a swirling vortex around us like a big tornado. The wind slamming us to the ground, knocking my fire out completely, as he continued his giant vortex of death. Blaze grabs my tear-stained face, kissing me hard as I try to push him away. But I can't be due to the complete exhaustion that takes over.
"That's enough Ash." Darius yells as Ashton slows to a stop. Blaze picks me up gently as I sob against his chest. I hear Darius say,
"Take her home. We will meet youthere. We have to go talk to a seriously freaked out Nina and wipe her memory."Blaze nodding to them sets me into his truck gently and shuts the door. He stoppedand said something to Ashton then got into the drivers' seat and took offtoward my house. Before we drive even a block, I'msleeping.