It seemed like hours passed. Dad still was nowhere to be found, and my brothers were gone like usual. I was starting to wonder if there was any hope for me.
I tried sending cerebral messages to Hutch to Karsen to anyone who could help me. But it was beyond me if it even worked.
Slade stood bringing me back to life. "It's time, let's go."
I stared at him confused but stood. "How do you know?"
He took me by the elbow and led me to the door. "Just call it a feeling."
***
It was dark. The moon followed reflecting on the ocean. We headed down the beach into Henry park.
There was a soft lull of mosquitos, in the distance, and a cool chill to the air.
I started to regret not leaving Dad a note. Something saying good-bye, or that I loved him, maybe just enough to give him peace if I didn't come back.
I knew Karsen was going to be busy with Kidd. He wouldn't let her get hurt even if it meant trying to help me. I didn't know if Kidd would help me if it meant going against the coven or Slade. I wasn't sure of anything.
Slade headed past his Rv, and through the empty field of trampled grass where at one time was the stomping ground for their concerts. The stage was gone; it was all vacant and eerie. He stopped in front of the fence. The fence where I first realized just how desperate Slade was to be free of his problems.
He pulled the chain, and we entered, I gasped. There stood Audrey in the middle of a stone circle. Along with Tucker bound at the ankles and his hands behind his back. His mouth was covered with tape, so he couldn't scream for help. And he looked frightened and miserable.
Audrey clapped her hands at the sight of us heading toward her. Slade stepped over the circle, his hand still on my arm.
Audrey took me by the other arm; she pushed me down beside Tucker. His sweaty body touched mine; I pulled away. "What are you going to do?"
I looked at Slade. Slade looked at Audrey for an answer. He never said much when she was around creating chaos.
"Don't worry your pretty little head," she told me, she raised her palms to the sky and ignited the circle. Tucker's muffled pleas were audible beside me.
I watched in fear. Unsure if I wanted to try to object any further. Audrey wanted me dead and gone, so Slade could be hers, even if he didn't want her. They all wanted him, but nobody understood him like I did. Nobody saw the real Slade; they saw a useful tool.
And I wondered if ever in Slade's life he felt accepted, or human, or loved. As I sat there, my skin starting to heat, the sweat starting to build with each flick of the fire, I realized I was the only one who showed Slade love. I cared about him, and I wished he seen that.
I wished he didn't see me as a pawn like Hutch thought he did. I wished I talked to my mom. I wished a lot of things, but one thing I would never wish was that I never met Slade.
We locked eyes for a brief moment. His expression changed.
Audrey drew a silver dagger from behind her back revealing its elegant carved blade. She extended her hand to Slade offering him the knife. I swallowed my fear, my heart in my throat and fear coursing my veins, sickening my gut.
Tucker's muffled screams and thrashing grew even louder as Slade accepted the knife. I didn't know what to do or say to comfort him. I couldn't even comfort myself. I held my breath watching Slade study the knife in his hand. His head shot back up. He nodded, pleasing Audrey. And as she turned, Slade did something I didn't expect.
Audrey let out a blood-curdling scream. Slade plunged the knife straight into her back. She fell forward onto her knees, her eyes filled with panic. She turned and looked at Slade, the air escaping her. She tried making sense of what happened.
Slade turned on her.
I jumped to my feet and raced toward him. He grabbed hold of me, pulling me close.
"I couldn't do it." He said, letting out a sigh. "I would never do it. I hope you believe me."
I nodded, pulling away so I could see his face. I grabbed him by the arm turning him away from Audrey's body on the ground.
"I trust you." I told him, squeezing him tightly.
Slade produced a small smile indicating his relief.
"I want you to untie Tucker and let him go," Slade told me.
I hesitated, but got on my feet and made my way over to Tucker. I quickly worked him free from his restraints and pried the tape from his mouth. Tucker jumped to his feet, but he still couldn't leave. He couldn't walk through the fire.
"I'm sorry this happened to you," I told him. "I hope you believe me."
Tucker refused to look at me. "Kill the fire, so I can go."
"Tucker, Slade and you have a lot of bad blood, but I promise you, he would have never hurt you." I pleaded with him to understand. Somehow this anger between the two of them needed to end.
"Kill the fire!" He snapped.
I flinched, closing my eyes and conjured the right spell to end the fiery inferno. Tucker ran as soon as the fire died, he was gone, not wanting to understand anything about Slade or I. I didn't think he would ever change no matter what happened to him.
I didn't know what caused Slade to turn on Audrey. I wasn't sure if it was Hutch, maybe he convinced Slade to do the right thing. Or maybe Hutch was as powerful as he claimed, and he helped me like he promised.
I didn't know if I would see him again to be able to ask him myself.
Part of me wanted to believe Slade did the right thing on his own. That I was important enough for him to go against everything he was part of.
I turned around to find Slade lifting Audrey's lifeless body.
"What are you doing?" I asked, confused.
"I can't leave her laying here. It won't take long before the coven knows something's wrong." Slade hurried toward the Rv and kicked open the door. He dropped Audrey onto the floor.
I shut the door behind me in a panic. "What do we do?"
Slade rubbed his hands together and placed one on Audrey's head and the other he clamped around my wrist. I screamed as searing pain tore through my body. It seemed like an eternity before it ended.
I dropped back against the wall. My whole body tingled. "What did you do, Slade?" I asked my voice unsteady.
"I transferred Audrey's power over to you," he said standing. "Now let's get out of here."
"If we're lucky and make it out of here, we go on the run." He squeezed my hand as we headed for the exit of Henry Park.
"What about Karsen and Kidd, and what about my family," I asked in a panic.
I knew by Slade's reaction seeing my family wasn't going to happen after everything that occurred. Tucker now knew what we were which meant the entire town of Cherry soon would to.
And Slade turned on the coven; he killed Audrey, I didn't know what it meant, but I knew it was bad for him.
Slade tugged me faster toward the gate. "We will find Kidd and Karsen on the way out."
Slade stopped walking. He took me by the shoulders. "I promise you once things die down you will be able to talk to them."
He searched my eyes for acceptance. I nodded. I needed to listen to Slade, there wasn't anything else I could do now. And I trusted him.
As we left Henry Park the dark cloud hanging over all of us grew even darker. I gripped Slade's hand in terror.
"Don't panic." Slade told me.
"Put your hands above your heads and maybe we won't shoot you," the officer told us. Slade's hand went up, followed by mine. This wasn't anything I experienced before, so I followed along with Slade.
"It's always better to go along with what they say," Slade said starting toward them. "Sooner or later they will learn not to trust such powerful people."
I raised an eyebrow. "What are you going to do?"
Slade smirked. "Who said I was talking about me? You're the girl with the power of an evil dead witch."
The End
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