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There were a few snickers, as Kamui slammed right into Kyou, knocking them both back inside and out of sight.
“YES!” Toya shouted and pumped his fist in the air as he hovered in front of the balcony. “I got a twofer.” With a smirk, he flew back inside the balcony doors and everything got extremely quiet.
“I guess it’s over,” Zachary said shrugging.
Storm smirked, “Wait for it…” Suddenly two windows on the third floor exploded on each side of the castle, Toya going in one direction and Kamui in the other. Storm couldn’t help but laugh knowing they were now fleeing Kyou’s wrath.
“Okay,” Jason said after a moment. “Remind me again how the hell I got mixed up with you guys.”
Trevor slapped his hand on Jason’s shoulder, “You would still be demon bait with a lovely tattoo on your ankle.”
“If I go out in a graveyard tonight, doesn’t that mean I’m still demon bait?” Jason demanded in more of a statement than a question.
“Yeah, I guess it does,” Trevor smiled as if he’d just been granted a wish. “And just think… I’ll be one of the people protecting you.”
“Oh goody!” Jason deadpanned then frowned, “You’re not still sore about losing Envy are you?”
Trevor’s smile faded and he took a step toward Jason but Storm to step between them. He flinched when he was suddenly standing in the parking lot of the police station.
“Chad needs some help getting this place under control,” Storm instructed. “Play nice with the other children.”
Storm left him there and reappeared back at the castle where Jason was still in the process of taking a step backwards.
Jason blinked when Trevor just snapped out of existence and Storm grinned at him.
“Where’d Trevor go?” Jason asked looking around.
“He’s under restriction,” Storm answered with a smirk.
Zachary looked back up at the terrace then down at the window below it. He could see Angelica standing at her window holding the curtain open. She had a grin on her face and Zachary knew she’d seen what transpired. She looked down at him and waved before closing the curtain.
Everyone began to filter back inside now that the show was over. Tiara paused and followed Zachary’s gaze to the pretty girl in the window. Feeling a strange disappointment, she tried to shake it off by being thankful he wasn’t as mean as she’d feared… he couldn’t be if he had such a sweet-looking girlfriend. Not wanting to go back inside yet, she looked out toward the ocean and wandered off toward the long path that led to the shoreline.
Guy narrowed his eyes on Tiara wanting to talk to her. She hadn't even given him a chance to tell her his idea. Seeing her separate from the others, he saw his chance and followed at a discreet distance.
“I got a question for you,” Zachary said looking down from Angelica’s window and turning his attention to Storm.
“You want to know about Angelica,” Storm responded having seen him staring up at her.
Zachary nodded, “We’ve been partners for a long time and I think I have a right to know why we’re not going to be together for this. Can’t we include Angelica on Tiara’s team?”
“Angelica's type of power is needed elsewhere, and she has a new partner… plain and simple,” Storm said seriously.
Zachary narrowed his eyes, “Who, Syn? That guy gives me the creeps and Angelica doesn’t think much of him either.”
“It is how it should be,” Storm looked Zachary straight in the eyes, “We have been keeping her safe for him… he’s here now.”
“She’s my best friend,” Zachary pointed out in case Storm had missed the memo.
“And you will probably always be her best friend,” Storm smiled reassuringly. “But Syn is her destiny and there’s no fighting that. As a matter of fact, I’d advise you not to even try. It may be the last thing you ever do.”
“You’re sure?” Zachary asked broodingly.
“You know that I am,” Storm answered laying his hand on Zachary’s shoulder. “Would it help if I told you that she’s going to be happier than she’s ever dreamed of being?”
Zachary inhaled deeply and slowly let it out as he felt heaviness settle over his chest. Hearing it from Storm sounded so final… probably because it was. He pressed his lips together as he tried to harden his heart and let Angelica go.
Changing the subject, Storm gestured toward Tiara who had almost made it to the cliff. “It’s because you protected Angelica so well that I feel safe enough to place Tiara under your care now.”
“What do you mean,” Zachary frowned tearing his gaze from Tiara and turning it on Storm, “It’s just for tonight… right?”
Storm shook his head feeling no sympathy, “No, it’s not just for tonight.”
“Don’t I get a say in this?” Zachary arched an eyebrow. He’d crossed necromancers off his list of teammates a long time ago.
“Tiara’s going to need you more than Angelica ever did,” Storm pointed out. “Myra trained her to use powers that the girl didn’t even have yet. She may have learned the spells and rituals, but she hasn’t learned how to control them.”
“Like a human child pretending to be a wizard?” Zachary supplied.
Storm nodded and shrugged at the same time, “And now, she’s only had those powers for a couple of weeks. To my knowledge, she has yet to actually use her necromancy. Do you remember how many fires you accidentally started when you were learning how to control your powers? Not to mention the fact that you made your own parents forget who you were.”
“Don’t remind me,” Zachary ran a hand through his hair and glanced back toward Tiara just as she disappeared down a set of steps leading to the beach.
“Tonight will be her first time and the job she faces isn’t just one zombie… it’s a city of monsters that will try to raise the dead faster than she can keep them down.” Storm insisted, “Everything she does from here on out will be a first for her.”
“Her mother made everything look so easy,” Zachary’s voice was a little harsher than he’d meant it to be. He tried to cover his anger up by asking, “Where’s her father?”
“He died before Tiara was born,” Storm repeated what Myra had always said.
“What you mean is that you don’t have a clue who Tiara’s father is because her mother slept with so many men,” Zachary mused darkly trying to block the disturbing flashback from resurfacing.
“That is a side effect of the necromancy,” Storm nodded.
Zachary frowned in confusion, “What do you mean… side effect?”
“The more a necromancer uses their power to control the dead, the more their soul craves life to keep itself from being pulled down by the dead into the next dimension,” Storm explained. “It was never Myra's fault that she craved sex after using her power… it’s an uncontrollable desire that has to be fulfilled.”
“So that’s why Myra did it?” Zachary whispered. If he was honest with himself… he’d had a crush on Myra all those years ago. But seeing her make love to the enemy had turned that crush into something closer to loathing.
“I thought you knew,” Storm admitted with a slightly shocked expression. “Necromancers are very sexual creatures for a reason… they want to live.”
Zachary made a face, “And because Myra never chose a mate, she opted to stay alive by being everyone’s one night stand.”
“She tried to fight the hunger at first, but the longer she would abstain… the weaker her body became. Necromancers have always fed off the life-force of sex… though most of them did choose a mate,” Storm confirmed.
“Why didn’t Myra pick just one lover?” Zachary asked but his attention was on Guy who was disappearing down the same path Tiara had taken only a few minutes before. The man might as well have been wearing a t-shirt with the word ‘Stalker’ printed across the front of it.
“Never mind, I’ll see you later,” Zachary said over his shoulder as he took off toward the ocean.
Storm smiled secretively... Zachary was not truly happy unless he was fighting to save someone from themselves. If Tiara was anything like her mother, Zachary would have a headache for a long, long time. He turned to go back inside but paused seeing Ren come back out the double doors.
Ren took out his cell phone and read the text. He smirked before going around to the side of the castle where the huge garage was located but paused when he felt something crunch under his feet. Looking down, Ren noticed the once-beautiful stained glass that had graced the upper windows of the castle was now lying shattered in the grass.
He frowned… they couldn’t very well have a castle with broken windows. He lifted his hand slightly and the glass that had fallen during Kamui and Toya’s flight slowly lifted from the grass, righting itself like a thousand piece puzzle. Pushing his hand upwards, Ren watched as the glittering glass rose up through the air, sliding back into place on the third floor.
Following Ren, Storm quirked an eyebrow when he saw a tow truck pulling out of the driveway and wondered if the driver had seen the sky show a few minutes ago. He smiled when he saw that it was Hunter in the driver’s seat and raised a hand when Hunter waved.
Entering the garage, Storm’s smile widened. Ren was walking around Trevor’s car looking it over with a critical eye. He also took note of the high-tech circuit board Ren had in his hand.
Ren glanced up at Storm's approach and noted his smile before turning his attention back to the car.
“What are you smiling about?” Ren asked.
“Sometimes it’s nice not to be able to see the future,” Storm said truthfully.
“What does that mean?” Ren questioned.
“It means that for now at least… I am walking my own timeline,” Storm stated.
Ren nodded deciding he wasn’t even going to try to process that brainteaser and continued to run his hand across the edge of the car as though feeling it out.
“What are you planning to do with that?” Storm asked nodding toward the computer.
“I’m going to upgrade Trevor’s car,” Ren answered.
Storm leaned back against one of the other cars, “I’ll bite, why are you upgrading Trevor’s car?”
“Because I’m bored,” Ren shrugged but the look on his face said he was going to enjoy this. “And because I need an outlet for some of this power before I drown in it.”
“I got to see this,” Storm laughed.
Ren smirked as he placed the circuit board on the windshield and stepped back so he was facing the front of the car. He raised his palms toward the car and took a deep breath. The headlights suddenly flashed on and wires snaked out from the edge of the ruined hood, latching onto the circuit board and pulling it inside.
The body began to creak and groan, reshaping itself and another color began to appear in little splotches. Dents straightened themselves out as the body streamlined. The tires repaired themselves and filled with air while the rims started to shift. The hood flipped open and Storm watched the engine rebuild itself… the old oil slowly vanishing and the original chrome color taking its place.
The splotches of color were growing and soon a beautiful black sheen covered the entire body. The windows darkened so it was near impossible to see inside and Storm whistled softly as he walked around it. It had the same appearance as a classic Mustang. Storm couldn’t help but smirk when he saw Ren’s name in a small chrome insignia on the back instead of a well-known car maker’s.
“At least you’re not egotistical,” Storm laughed.
Ren finally lowered his hands and smiled proudly at the new and improved car. “I give you… Evey.”
Storm looked up at Ren and arched an eyebrow. “Evey?”
Ren shrugged, “Stephen King has Christine, so I can have Evey. Plus, it’s the closest thing I could get to Envy without it actually being her name.”
Storm couldn’t help but laugh, “You are so bad.”
“I like to think so,” a sexy feminine voice said.
Storm looked down at the car. “It talks?”
“Of course I can,” Evey said and the car door slowly opened. “Want to ride me?”
Storm shook his head only trusting his own mode of transportation, “I’m sorry, as beautiful as you are… I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
Evey sighed, “Very well, but you will one day ride in my back seat.”
Storm stared at Ren, “She’s very… flirtatious.”
Ren shoved his hands in his pockets, “Talking cars are sexy.”
“Thank you Ren,” Evey purred.
“What makes it perfect,” Ren continued, “is that Evey’s voice is an exact replica of Envy’s.”
Storm pressed his lips together to quell the laughter and nodded vigorously. Ren didn’t show this side of his personality very often but when he did, he always made it worth the wait.
“Evey,” Ren stated.
“Yes Ren,” Evey answered.
“You belong to Trevor, he is your owner.”
Evey hummed, “Trevor has always taken good care of me… now I will take good care of him.”
Storm opened his mouth to say something… anything, but his eyes started to water and his cheeks hurt like hell. He briskly walked to ward the closest door, which happened to be the walk in coat closet, before he started laughing again.
“Are you all right, Storm?” he heard Evey ask through the closed door.
“I’m okay,” Storm managed. “I’ll be out in a moment.”
Ren’s lip twitched while he and Evey waited on the boss to regain his sanity.
Chapter 4
Guy followed Tiara down the steps that had been cut into the side of the cliff through a combination of human hands and natural forces. He silently followed his target down to the private beach.
Tiara’s form came into view on the sand and he paused near the bottom long enough to look down on her lithe form. When his feet finally touched the sand, Guy had to stand in awe of the picture she was creating. With her long silky white hair and golden tan… she looked like a beautiful water nymph that had come ashore to lead men astray.
Tiara was standing at the shoreline letting the water wash up over her sandals. Even though the cold darkness called to her, she loved the feel of the warm sun on her skin. Staring out over the ocean, she could feel the lives the water had taken over the millennia and never given back.
Most humans who died went on to the next dimension… but there were always those who refused the call. She cocked her head to the side wondering if those ghosts swam with the fish and were happy.
A soft smile appeared on her face as she recalled the many stories she’d heard over the years of men lost at sea and seeing someone in the water with them. That person would stay with them until rescue came. In each instance, the second person was never found and Tiara knew that other person was the ghost of one long dead that refused to leave their ocean home.
Ghosts were usually gentle whispering creatures that have no outward power. She should know… she’d even played with them as a child. Their true power resided within their spirit… that inner power is what drew demons to them. Once under the control of demons, ghosts became little more than puppets doing their master’s bidding… innocent victims in the games demons played.
Guy’s steps were silent as he closed the distance between himself and Tiara until the salty water surrounded the soles of his boots. The breeze was still warm, even though Halloween was just a couple weeks away… the night humans dressed up as monsters. He didn’t even want to think about what that night would bring.
