The Dark Rising

  When I was finished with the weights, I began to work on push ups, sit ups, and some cardio exercises. After I was done Hex still wasn’t awake, so I decided to do some experimenting on my own. I concentrated all of my focus into the room with me. I looked at the opposite corner and wished I was over there. Instantly, I was.

  I immediately redirected my thoughts to a different location and found myself there. As I moved myself from place to place, I watched my reflection in the mirrors until my figure became nothing but a blur of movement dancing around the space.

  “Very impressive,” Hex’s voice floated to me.

  I stopped and turned to look at him, breathing a little heavier than I normally would, but not too bad. “You’re awake!” I said with a smile. “I hope you don’t mind that I started without you.”

  “I’m thinking it doesn’t look like you need me much anyway,” he said, coming the rest of the way into the room.

  “That’s not true and you know it. I just needed to work off some aggression.”

  “I figured you would after last night,” he replied, approaching the weapons panel and popping it open before turning to me. “So now that we know you’re fast, what do you say to becoming dangerous?”

  I lifted my hands, palms up and flicked my fingers toward him. “Bring it on,” I said.

  Canned pork-n-beans never tasted so good, I thought, as my sweat drenched body slouched over the small kitchen table.

  Hex had given me the workout of my life today, but I’d wanted it. He finally called a halt to everything even though I begged him to keep going. He told me I was going to have to learn to face my emotions, not bury them in fighting.

  I knew he was right, but I didn’t want to think about it. Being in a situation I had no control over made me latch onto anything I could control.

  “You’re a good student, a quick learner,” Hex said, sounding as tired as I felt.

  “Thanks. But I think I have a good teacher.”

  “Maybe we just make a good team,” He smiled.

  “That might be it.” I smiled back.

  “Are you feeling comfortable with your weapons?”

  We had worked with knives of various sizes and some items that worked like Japanese throwing stars, only they were things which Hex crafted himself. He'd taught me how to concentrate on holding onto the items while evaporating, as well as being able to throw them accurately, hitting a target.

  “Yes, I feel very comfortable with them.”

  “Good. Tomorrow we’ll work on fighting techniques that use only your body.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” I said, taking another bite.

  We ate in silence for a few more minutes before he looked up at me quizzically.

  “Is something on your mind tonight? You seem a little bit reserved.”

  I dropped my fork into my bowl before I looked at him. “Yes, I’ve been thinking about something, but I’m a little leery to talk to you about it.”

  “Don’t worry about me. Tell me what's bothering you.”

  “When you told me the jinn cells are attaching to mine like they should, that means this is permanent, right?” I asked him.

  “It would seem so.”

  “So no offense, but why do my powers seem to be stronger than yours?”

  He looked at me for a moment. “I truly have no scientific answer for that right now. As far as I can tell everything looks completely normal. The only possible explanation I could give you is magic affects each witch or warlock in different ways. There must be something in your personal make up which gives a boost to the power of the jinn cells.”

  I thought this over. “Do you know where Vance is staying?” I asked changing the subject.

  He shook his head. “No. But from what you’ve described it sounds like he may have been in New Orleans.”

  “New Orleans! What makes you say that?”

  “Well, if he were in a hotel, it sounded like it was a pretty nice one. The closest five star hotels I know of would be in New Orleans. Plus those back alleys and places you described might have been part of the outer edge of the city.”

  “What if it wasn’t a hotel? He has a lot of money. He could rent a place somewhere if he wanted to.”

  “Well, then he could be anywhere,” Hex said with a shrug before he lifted another bite of food.

  “What about the Hoodoo coven? Where are they at most of the time?”

  “When they meet together it is usually at that little shack you were held prisoner at,” he said.

  “How far is it from here?”

  “It’s about five miles if you boat to it; three if you cross on land, give or take.”

  “Good grief!” I exclaimed. “Where did you find me? I know I didn’t run anywhere near that distance!”

  “I was on my way home. I found you about a mile away from Mayla’s place near the river bank. I picked you up, put you in my boat and brought you up river,” he explained.

  “Well, thank you again. I’m glad that you found me.”

  “Me too,” he smiled. “Now why the sudden burst of curiosity?”

  “I was wondering if there was a way to figure out the distance I traveled when I evaporated,” I replied.

  “Not really, unless we can figure out where Vance is staying or where he was fighting last night.” He watched me with a guarded expression.

  “That's what I thought. I'm going to go see him again,” I stated, trying to appear like this was a normal thing for me to be doing.

  “What?” Hex choked on a bite of food.

  “I’m going back to wherever he was sleeping. And while I'm not trying to be rude here, I’m telling you this as a courtesy. I'm not asking for your permission.”

  “Have you lost your mind?” he argued back, dropping his fork into his dish. “Did you forget what happened to you the last time you ended up with him?”

  “No. But I was unprepared and I didn’t know what was happening. Now that I can control the evaporation better and quicker, it basically guarantees my safety. He can’t hurt me if he can’t touch me.”

  “This is insane.” Hex rubbed his hand across his forehead. “Why would you even consider this?”

  “I have a couple of reasons, actually. The first one is I'll be able to find his location, which will be good for us to know for strategic reasons, and the second is because I want to distract him while you’re bringing my family here tomorrow. I can’t go with you to help protect them. It would bring him right to us. So I will go to him. That way he isn’t looking for them.”

  “We don’t even know if he is looking for them,” Hex complained, his frustration with me completely evident.

  “Trust me. He is. My family always comes to help whenever there is trouble. He'll be expecting it.”

  “What'll you do to keep him distracted? It’ll probably take me a couple hours to get them to the bunker.”

  “I’ll do whatever I have to. I want to try to talk to him again. I know that's a futile thing to do, but I have to try. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll pop all over the country until his head is spinning from trying to locate me.”

  “I still don’t like it,” Hex said, slowly shaking his head.

  I reached out to cover his hand with mine.

  “I feel like you are underestimating him, Portia. He could've been practicing, mastering all the new powers he assimilated from his father. Who knows what kind of power could be at his disposal? I really feel this is too dangerous of a thing for you to be doing.”

  I contemplated all of the things he was telling me. He was right, Vance was extremely dangerous and it was a risky idea for me to go to him. But there was also something inside of me demanding I seek him out. My pull to him was stronger than ever, and now that I'd been around him I desired to be there again, even more so.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be careful. I promise.”

  Chapter 21

  The images began popping into my head as soon as I allowed my mind to relax. I knew I should lif
t the barriers Hex had taught me, but the fact of the matter was I wanted to see Vance and what he was doing. Evil or not, I still had to face the facts. I missed him. I soon realized Vance was up to no good once again when the images began to sharpen in my mind.

  He was in a city somewhere, that much was obvious by the tall structures surrounding him. I began to recognize some of the architecture and soon realized he was somewhere in the French Quarter of New Orleans. He was leaning up against a wall near an alleyway, watching the people who passed by him on the street.

  He was dressed all in black tonight, his dark t-shirt emphasizing the toned body beneath, black jeans, and his black lace up boots. He had his arms folded over his chest which made his muscular arms look even more defined, and I noticed several young women sent appreciative, flirting glances in his direction.

  They were quickly disappointed when he looked back at them with that unnerving stare of his, not responding with any interest at all. He was being rude on purpose and enjoying it. I felt it coursing through him. He did not want to be trifled with tonight because he was feeling antsy and thirsty.

  His attention suddenly perked up when he saw a couple of young women walking across the street, laughing together. One girl had shoulder length brown hair, but the other had long black tresses. I didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand why she, in particular, caught his eye. She appeared very similar to me, and while it made me feel good to know he was looking for me, a moment of fear streaked through me when he pushed away from the wall and began stalking after the girls.

  I could feel his senses reach out, testing the air around them.

  “Don’t do it Vance,” I said in a mental message to him. “She isn’t me. Don’t hurt them.”

  To my surprise he answered me immediately, seemingly unaffected by the wards which I was protected by. Our mental link had gotten stronger somehow and I wondered if it was because he’d drunk my blood.

  “If you want to protect them, Portia, then you're going to have to come here and stop me.”

  “They probably aren’t even witches,” I replied, trying to dissuade him. “What good could they possibly be to you?”

  “Oh, they’re witches. They’re even wearing all the appropriate jewelry.”

  It was then I noticed what he was seeing. Both girls were wearing beautiful amulets similar in design to mine, and the brown haired girl sported a charmed ring on her finger as well, like those which the coven had previously enchanted for Vance.

  The girls paused at the entrance to one of the buildings and the one who resembled me stepped inside.

  “See you later, Val,” I heard her call out to the girl she’d left on the step.

  “Bye, JoAnna,” Val replied before continuing on down the street.

  Vance paused for a moment, glancing between the door JoAnna had just disappeared through and Val. I saw Val turn to go down a darkened alleyway and I wanted to scream at her to stay on the brightly lit street. Vance actually started chuckling under his breath at her movements. He was going after her.

  I jumped out of bed—quickly donning some baggy sweat pants Hex had given me under the t-shirt of Vance’s I was wearing. I tried to be as quiet as possible so I wouldn’t wake Hex.

  The connection was still strong in my mind and I noticed at this point Val finally realized she’d been followed, turning around with a look of sudden trepidation on her face.

  Vance was suddenly all charm as he strode up next to her. “Excuse me. I seemed to have gotten turned around here. Can you help me with some directions?” He smiled widely, effectively hiding the predator lurking behind the exterior.

  She faltered for a second while she looked him over and I could see the flush that crept over her face, which instantly flamed the hunger inside of him. This wasn’t good.

  “I don’t feel comfortable talking to strangers in an alley,” she replied, taking a step away from him.

  Vance looked around casually, before giving her a grin. “Yeah, I can see how that might be kind of intimidating.” He made no move to leave. “How about I introduce myself? I’m Vance.” He offered out a hand.

  “Valerie,” she replied, shaking it.

  Vance didn’t speak and he didn’t let go of her either.

  “I’m kind of in a hurry. Sorry,” she said apologetically, pushing her rectangle rimmed glasses up higher on her nose as she glanced to where he still clasped her. She dropped her hand and began to fumble with her blue shirt as if she were unsure what to do. “I’ve got to go.” She tried to turn away from him.

  Vance pulled on her arm, twirling her back around. “But I’m not finished with you yet,” he said menacingly and his demon features flashed over his face.

  Valerie opened her mouth to scream, but he was on her in an instant, yanking her head to the side and sinking his teeth into the tender flesh of her neck.

  Disappointment washed through him at the taste of her. Her blood wasn’t what he was craving, but he needed to feed so he continued anyway.

  I slipped my feet into some shoes and closed my eyes, wishing to be there. I rematerialized right behind him.

  “Let her go, Vance,” I said calmly.

  He released her instantly, letting her fall roughly to the pavement and he turned to face me, wiping the blood dripping from his mouth with the back of his hand.

  “Hello, baby,” he said in his sexy baritone voice. “I was afraid you weren’t going to show.” His features slowly morphed back into his normal ones, except for his red eyes.

  I glanced behind him to where Val was lying on the ground. She held a hand up to her neck, looking up at both of us with a frightened expression.

  “Get out of here,” I said calmly to her and she didn’t waste any time getting up, running off down the alley.

  Vance didn’t even blink when she ran away, instead taking a step towards me. I took a step backward.

  “I’m here, Vance. Just like you wanted me to be, so what now? Are we just going to dance around in the alley taunting each other?”

  He advanced toward me again and I stepped away once more. I couldn’t help myself. I was terrified of him. He lunged for me this time and I closed my eyes and popped to a different spot a few feet away.

  He laughed loudly and he turned to face me. “You’re going to make me work for it again tonight, aren’t you?” He gave that seductive grin of his and his eyes traced over my form appreciatively. “I see you're still wearing some of my clothes. Do you miss me?”

  I lifted my chin defiantly towards him, but I was honest. “With every breath I take,” I replied, wishing I could get through to him somehow.

  The smile slid from his face. “Then the feeling is mutual.” He slowly took another step toward me. He surprised me with his next comment. “Stay with me, Portia.”

  I felt my back touch the wall behind me when I stepped backward. “Why should I?” I wished with all my heart I could do exactly what he was asking.

  “Because I need you. And I can see plainly— you need me too.”

  He was very close to me. He reached a hand out to pick up a tendril of my long hair, running it between his fingers. One more step forward. He was close enough now I could feel his warm breath against my face.

  “Don’t be afraid,” he said, leaning in closer. I closed my eyes when his bottom lip touched my cheek. He trailed it, along with the tip of his tongue, lightly up the side of my face sending sparks flying through my body with the intimate action.

  He sighed deeply as he nuzzled his head against mine. My breaths started coming in rapid succession. “I’ve missed you, baby,” he said, and he shoved me roughly against the wall, his mouth descending against mine.

  He slid his hands down my arms until he held both of mine tightly in his and he lifted them high over my head, pinning them against the wall while his lips ravaged mine.

  My body was shaking, both from fear and delight. While I was thrilled to be in his arms again, I also knew I shouldn’t be giving him such an oppor
tunity. He could easily freeze me and I would be helpless, but I couldn’t pop away from him, choosing instead to court the danger he represented.

  “You’re trembling,” he whispered against my lips when he pulled back ever-so-slightly.

  “I know.”

  “Are you afraid of me?”

  “Yes.”

  “I'll let your hands go if you promise not to stake me with an ice shard. Will that help you feel better?” His heated gaze raked over my face.

  I nodded and he lowered my hands from the wall, releasing them so he could trace his fingers up my arms, over my shoulders, across my neck. He cupped my face.

  “Kiss me, Portia. Just like you used to.”

  He didn’t have to ask twice. I lifted my hands to slide them around his neck, tangling them into his hair, meeting his mouth halfway. He crushed me to him, before moving to tangle a fist in my hair, still holding me firm with the arm around my waist.

  He kissed me hotly over and over, until I felt like I was drowning in the depths of him. I grabbed harder, trying to pull him even closer to me, but I felt his teeth begin to shift against my tongue. I moved my hands against his chest, shoving him back from me.

  “Stop it.” I yelled.

  He grabbed my wrists, struggling with me.

  I was just about to pop away when I heard Mayla’s voice breach the night to my right. “Finish her Vance!” she said loudly.

  I gasped out loud, realizing this had all been another trap and I, like a fool, had walked right into it.

  Suddenly another voice screamed loudly from my left. “There he is!”

  We all turned to see Val standing at the far end of the alley and it appeared she’d come with some backup.

  A handsome warlock with dirty blond hair and a very athletic physique stood at her side. He was fuming as he glared in our direction. He wasn’t alone though. Several more warlocks gathered around behind him. They advanced menacingly toward us and I heard Vance laugh as he let go of me, turning to face them.

  Mayla reached out and grabbed me by the arm. I popped away from her to land in between Vance and the impending confrontation.