Kate Evangelista - Til Death

“Me.” One bleak syllable that distracted me enough from the big ball of anxiety growing in my gut. My grandparents? I wanted to run out of that study, go home, and grill them. Did everyone in my life lie to me?

“They tend to stick around until the object of their obsession is claimed. Since this creature is young, it is still inexperienced.” Mr. Sloan’s expression became thoughtful. “But, it certainly doesn’t connect to the Maestro. They seem to be working separately but with the same goal.”

A groan escaped before I could suppress it. This just kept getting worse and worse for me. “But I haven’t been attacked by the puppets since that night at Valley View.”

“Just because you haven’t been attacked doesn’t mean you’re safe. A Maestro is smart. What happened at Valley View could mean it tested our defenses.”

“I don’t think we should lump the two together,” Dillan said. “Selena might be a common denominator or she might not. It’s foolish to jump to conclusions.”

Mr. Sloan smiled ruefully. “Spoken like a true Sloan.”

Dillan grimaced at the compliment that sounded more like an insult.

…

After hours of listening to Dillan and Mr. Sloan bicker about why two seemingly unrelated supernatural creatures stalked me and how I should stay home for the next couple of days just to be safe, I called it a night. Well…late afternoon. I had other things on my mind, like how to broach the subject of all this to my grandparents. I got the feeling Mr. Sloan had Dillan bring me to their house to drive home the reality of my situation. My life was never normal to begin with. His words made so much sense now. Betrayal could come from anyone, especially those I trusted most.

With a heavy heart, I looked out the window of Dillan’s car as he drove me home. The sun bathed the prairies with fading orange light. The sky looked a rosy shade of pink, the color of my favorite summer dress. I didn’t care why mythical creatures wanted me. What I cared about had to do with staying alive. Considering the track record of my visions, I had an ice cube’s chance on a radiator that I wouldn’t die any time soon. But the vision involved a black dog and a cloaked figure, not some creature with a man’s head, lion’s body, and a scorpion’s tail.

“I’ve never seen Mr. Sloan so…cold,” I said, my chin on the palm of my hand.

“He just wants you to be safe.” He took my other hand and placed it on top of the gearshift.

“That doesn’t sound reassuring.”

He sighed. “Rainer has his faults, but he does have his not-so-psychotic moments.”

“Dillan Sloan complimenting someone?”

“It’s the closest you’re gonna get.”

I looked at my hand under his while he shifted from first to second gear. The intimacy of our connection curled my toes. I kept my hand as slack as possible, so he didn’t have trouble shifting. The charm on his cuff bumped against my wrist. Its pulse reminded me of the power it contained. So did the electricity that ran through our bodies.

“I still can’t believe this is happening to me.”

“Me either. A few weeks ago, all you did was get on my nerves.”

“Ugh! You’re one to talk, Mr. Rock-Star-National-Geographic.”

He flinched. “How’d you come up with that name anyway?”

My shoulders slumped forward. All teasing had left the building. Or in this case, car. “Penny put it together.”

“What’s with the tone?”

“Penny’s being all weird. Kyle hasn’t spoken to me properly since the fieldtrip. I miss my friends. And I have to have a ‘conversation’ with my grandparents I so don’t want to have right now.” Something in the distance caught my eye. “What was that?”

A flicker of movement then a shadow.

“What?”

I squinted and pointed. “There. Is that Kyle?”

“Where?”

“Stop the car!” I removed my seatbelt. “Stop the car!”

Dillan pulled over to the side of the road. I hopped out without waiting for him and ran in the direction Kyle went, about fifty yards away. My best friend held a long staff in his left hand. I lost him when he crested a hill. Barely aware of Dillan running alongside me, sword in hand, I ran as fast as my legs would let me. About halfway up the hill a growl similar to the whole trumpet section of an orchestra reverberated from the other side. I stopped and covered my ears. Kyle was running toward that sound. I couldn’t see him, but I needed to get to where I assumed he was before whatever growled hurt him.

“What’s that?” I shouted over the trumpeting wail.

Dillan grimaced. “The Manticore.”

I stood still, shocked for a second, then took off. Dillan grabbed my arm and yanked me back.

“Urgh! Dillan? Kyle’s running into that thing! Let me go!”

“In case you’re forgetting, that thing is after you.”

I twisted out of his grip and ran full tilt toward the sound on the other side of the hill. He cursed a blue streak behind me. I didn’t check to see if he followed. I knew he would. My main focus currently involved how to get Kyle away from the man-eating thing.

Adrenaline-laced blood roared in my ears, muffling the voice that asked me to turn and run. It annoyed me to no end. At Valley View it asked me to fight; now it wanted me to run? I was no coward.

At the top of the hill, I had a clear view of nothing but grass. A solitary pine in the distance, then more grass. The growling had stopped.

I turned to the left. “Kyle!”

I scrambled down the hill toward him. I didn’t care where the creature was. Kyle needed my help. He lay on this stomach, unconscious. I skidded to a stop beside him and knelt down. Breathing hard, I couldn’t get my brain to work properly. All the First-Aid training I’d learned in school went out the window. My hands hovered over his back without really touching him.

Dillan knelt beside me, feeling for a pulse on Kyle’s neck.

“Is he…” I couldn’t say it. The word refused to come out of my mouth.

“He’s alive,” he said.

I didn’t like the harshness in his tone. My heart in my throat, I asked, “But?”

“Help me turn him over.” He grabbed Kyle by the shoulders while I held on to his legs. In one quick heave, we flipped him over.

“Oh, God.” My hands covered my mouth so I wouldn’t scream.

Four diagonal claw marks ran from his left shoulder to his right hip, like a large cat had swiped a paw at him. He bled, soaking his tattered shirt and jeans. His skin had turned ashen.

Dillan removed his jacket and bunched it into a rough pillow, then placed it under Kyle’s head. “He needs healing.”

I flashed him a quick glare for stating the obvious. To argue with him wouldn’t help Kyle, so I tamped down the temper and worry twisting my insides and focused on the more important stuff.

“Can’t you—”

“His wounds are too deep,” he interrupted.

I worried my lip to keep from screaming my frustration. “You’ve got to do something.”

“I will…but you have to promise not to freak out.”

“Why would I—”

“ Selena? ” The voice, silky smooth, sent goose bumps through my body.

At the edge of my field of vision stood the one person I didn’t expect to be in that prairie with us. I slowly turned my head, lips parting in amazement and mounting fear. It couldn’t be.

“Bowen?” My tongue felt thick in my mouth.

He stood a few yards away. Completely naked. Oh. My. God. “You’re here.”

Dillan spoke before I could answer Bowen. “Selena, I need you to get out of here.”

My heart felt like a fist knocking on my chest. Every beat hurt. Every breath a struggle. My head groped for reasons to explain why Bowen was here of all places.