Forgotten Visions (The Divinities Book 1) (18 page)

Kalissa flung her
eyes open, unsure what had startled her awake. The bed dipped beside her, and she smiled. She wasn’t used to waking up next to a man. And certainly not used to Ayden being that man.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said and leaned over to place a light kiss on her forehead.

She wanted to pull him down and possess his lips and other parts of his anatomy. He was dressed in his police uniform and smelled delicious.
Why can’t life just stand still for a couple of decades?

“You want me to fix you coffee?”

He shook his head. “I’ll get some at the station.”

“You’re a very brave man,” she teased.

He laughed, and it made her want him even more. The flash in his eyes told her he’d felt her desire. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Once he was gone, she felt empty and alone. She missed his presence, his smile. The bond between them was strengthening and was much stronger than the one she shared with her twin.

After tossing and turning for about thirty minutes, trying to go back to sleep, she gave up. She rose, stretched, and smiled widely when she caught the scent of Ayden’s lingering aftershave.

Inside the bathroom, she brushed her hair and put on her robe before she headed downstairs.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was assailed by the wonderfully rich smell of coffee. She gravitated to the coffee pot like it was a beacon calling out to her. Khloe stood with her back against the counter, sipping on a cup of coffee, dressed in her usual black, baby doll nightgown. Her hair was a ruffled mess on top of her head. Kalissa held in a laugh as she walked by her. At least Khloe had put on a robe, even though it was sheer black and wasn’t tied closed.

“I remember the first time Zach saw you like that.” Kalissa laughed as she poured her coffee.

“He got used to it,” Khloe said with a smirk. Zach hadn’t known whether to laugh at her or run. He’d decided to say nothing and kept his distance. He’d grown up with them, the brother they’d never had. Khloe hadn’t thought about his reaction.

“It was his fault, showing up here and waking me up at four in the morning. He was lucky I didn’t zap him with a lightning bolt.”

“What time is he supposed to be here?” Kalissa asked, taking her seat at the kitchen table. Zach had the day off and was coming over to help with the security system Khloe had designed.

Khloe tilted her head to look at the clock on the stove. “Any minute now.”

A few seconds later, Zach walked through the back door. He looked at Khloe and laughed as he sat down at the table across from Kalissa.

“Hey! You could hang a sign out front that reads, ‘Medusa lives here,’” Zach said with a burst of laughter.

Before Kalissa could stop her sister, Khloe threw a tennis-ball-sized energy bolt at him. Zach reacted with inhuman speed, something Kalissa had never seen him use before, and lifted his hands to throw up some kind of shield. It was like a magical circle, but stronger. The energy ball hit the shield and disappeared.

Khloe smiled. “You’ve been practicing.”

Zach dropped his shield…circle…whatever it was and shrugged. “A little.” 

“Someone mind telling me what just happened?” Kalissa asked.

Zach looked at her and then out the window. “I’m a fucked up Divinity.” Kalissa raised her eyebrows at him. “The Divinity gene is strong enough in my DNA to give me powers like you, but not strong enough to make me immortal. Papa believes Cassia is the same way.”

“Apparently, Zach’s Divine gift is a shield. He can throw up a circle in half a microsecond that is stronger than any normal magical circle. He can also absorb the energy directed into himself and return it to its owner,” Khloe said

“How long have you known about this?” Kalissa asked her sister.

She gave a half shrug. “Most of my life.” Kalissa gave her a look. Khloe sighed and continued. “I told you once. But you don’t remember.” There was sadness in her voice.

Kalissa turned to look out the window, bitterness not far from showing itself. The memory spell. It had affected a lot more of her than just her love for Ayden. “What else have you told me that I don’t remember?”

“I’m not sure. We’ll take it slow. Give it time. Everything will come back to you,” Khloe said, turning to refill her coffee cup. “Anyway, little Cassia is the same as Zach. She has all that power inside that little frame. Lynzee is teaching her to use it and suppress it. Also, like Zach, she’s mortal and doesn’t carry the Divinity rose on her arm.” 

That made sense and brought to mind something she’d never considered. “Is that why you can teleport?” she asked Zach.

“Yeah,” he answered.

“You’re not fucked up. You’re a rare commodity.” Zach made a face at the choice of words. Kalissa laughed and explained. “You are our secret weapon.”

“Who would ever suspect a mortal witch to have the same powers as a Divinity?” Khloe added.

“I guess.” He looked around. “What’s for breakfast?”

“I was waiting for Lydia and Melaina to get up,” Khloe replied, setting her cup down to go to the pantry.

“How is she doing?”

“Hanging in there. How are you this morning, Zach?” Lydia spoke as she drifted around the island to the kitchen table.

He stood and offered her a seat. Kalissa smiled at the way his eyes lit up when he saw Lydia.

“I’m good. What would you like to drink?” he asked, going to the refrigerator.

Kalissa leaned into the table across from her and whispered, “I think you have a personal servant.”

Lydia smiled weakly, but Kalissa could see the slight blush that rose in her cheeks.

“Here, Zachary. Make us pancakes,” Khloe said, moving to sit at the table. “Might as well take advantage of it, right?”

She has a point,
Kalissa thought. At this rate, they could have a personal chef, too.

It was one
in the afternoon. Lydia, Melaina, and Kalissa had settled down to watch a movie when Teddy-Bear walked into the living room and curled up on the floor in front of the TV.

Kalissa looked at Lydia and then Mel; both had the same confused look on their faces. Kalissa finally asked, “TB, when were you going to tell us you could change sizes?”

Their heads lifted and tilted to the side in unison. “You didn’t know?” they asked together.

“No, I didn’t know,” Kalissa said. Mel and Lydia agreed that they hadn’t known either.

The hounds lowered their heads back onto their paws and said, “Now you know.”

Kalissa laughed out loud. They were quite a pair. They said what was on their minds and didn’t care how it sounded.

“What else can you do?” Kalissa asked.

“We can separate into two hounds. But we don’t do that too often. It’s our only weakness. If you know what we mean,” Teddy said.

Kalissa nodded. They had been born Siamese twins. Their existence depended on each other. If they were separated for an extended amount of time, they could die. All the demons had to do was catch them apart, capture them, and keep them separated until they died.

The rest of the day was lazy. Kalissa seriously thought about going to the Café to work, but changed her mind when Khloe came in with a bottle of wine for Mel and Kalissa and tea for herself and Lydia. The rest of the afternoon was spent watching old movies.

Tension lay heavily in the air. Everyone was on high alert, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Why are the demons being so quiet?” Kalissa said when the stillness finally got to her.

“Demetrius is a plotter, and very seldom strays from his plan. He wouldn’t leave us wondering for long,” Mel assured everyone.

It was nice to just act normal for one day, but the closer to nightfall it grew, the more uneasy Kalissa became. She didn’t trust the demon. He was cooking something up.

Despite everyone’s worry, they went on with their plans to go to the coven for dinner. Kalissa was sure they were still being watched. She didn’t know how someone could get onto the property without her wards going off, but an unknown aura would brush against hers every so often. The unshakable dark presence made her skin crawl.

Someone or
something
was getting around her safeguards.

The coven was
only a ten-minute drive from the Bradenton house, which was now known as the Divinity house. It was becoming hard for Lydia to teleport, so Zach had offered to be their chauffeur and had brought one of the coven vans they used for youth outings. Bethany had said it was better that Lydia didn’t teleport anymore until after the baby was born.

The Maxville Coven was more like a small village and operated like a community. There were about two dozen smaller cottages randomly placed throughout the hundred-acre property. Each cottage was as individual as the family that lived in them. The main house was where the Daniels-Manus family lived.

The coven was the
magickins’
safe haven. It was where they could live comfortably without human prejudice. The property was heavily guarded by wards and large, old oak trees. The only difference between the coven’s wards and Kalissa’s was that the Sinew had created these before her mother hid it.

The large main house reminded Kalissa of a ski lodge in the mountains. After the coven attacks a little over three hundred years ago, it had been used as the Divinity home for centuries until they’d decided to split up and have families of their own.

Zach parked the van in the circular drive. They piled out and walked up the porch stairs to the front door and entered into a larger foyer. The natural log cabin feel continued inside the house. Everything from the furniture to the staircase railing and even the hardwood floors was made from the trees that had been cut down to build the house. Each piece was handcrafted with love and magic, which gave the house a spirit. Kalissa felt it when she crossed the threshold. It felt like the walls were alive, but it wasn’t an eerie feeling. It was comforting and welcoming.

The large, hand-carved wooden staircase stood in front of them, leading to the second floor. It split off into the separate wings of the upstairs and circled around to another staircase above the door that led to the third floor.

A high-pitched squeal followed by a tiny giggle brought their attention to the three-year-old toddler, who came running out of the living room. She was dressed in pink, footed pajamas and carried a baby doll in the crook of her right arm. Ayden stepped into her path and scooped her up in his arms as she ran by. Another excited squeal escaped as she looked at Ayden and threw her little arms around his neck. “Ayd! Save me. The dragon is coming!”

“Oh, no. Where should we hide?” Ayden asked, playing along.

“Come on, princess. It’s time to wash up,” Bethany said, walking into the foyer. Her face brightened into a smile when she saw Lydia. She held out her hand. “I’m so sorry I had to run yesterday. And again at your brother’s passing…”

“That’s okay,” Lydia said softly and accepted Bethany’s hand.

“Dinner is almost done. I’ll be right there. I’m going to get Cassia washed up.” She took Cassia out of Ayden’s arms and turned back toward the living room.

Everyone followed Bethany and was greeted by Noah and Vanessa.

“Melaina, it is so good to see you,” Vanessa said, pulling Melaina into a tight embrace.

For the average human, Vanessa looked thirty-something instead of three hundred nineteen. Her chestnut brown hair was curled into large ringlets at the bottom. She had the same golden brown eyes as Zach.

When Vanessa pulled out of the hug, she had tears in her eyes. The two women were sharing their sorrow for the friends and loved ones they’d lost. The scene pulled at Kalissa’s own heartstrings.

Noah stepped up beside his lovely wife, drew her to his chest, and kissed her on top of the head. Looking at Noah, Kalissa could see where Ayden and Zach got their looks. Noah wore his light brown hair long. Most the time, it was tied back in a loose ponytail. Noah’s eyes were the same baby blue with swirls of silver as Ayden’s.

Noah held his free arm out to Melaina. She walked to him and let him hug her. For the first time, Kalissa realized how close the surviving six Divinities were. They were family, friends, they loved and cared for each other. The bond between the three Elders in front of her was still very strong.

Vanessa pulled away from Noah first, looped her arm with Mel’s, and led her into the living room.

Noah motioned everyone to take a seat while they waited for dinner to finish. “We’ve had too many lives lost,” Noah said absently and to no one in particular.

“Why did our mother hide the Sinew,” Khloe asked after they’d taken their seats.

Noah sighed. “We didn’t really know what to do with it. After we rebuilt the coven, Hecate paid us a visit, apologizing for leaving us so abruptly the night of the attacks. She didn’t give an explanation, but I figured it was because she was wounded.” Noah turned to the group. “She told us the demons had used the Sinew to harvest the Divinities’ powers, which killed them. Our magic is our life force.” 

It was the same thing Zach had said when Ayden and Kalissa had arrived at the cabin. Kalissa was glad the Sinew was safe and protected. The Divinities had reunited and, for the first time in centuries, they had taken a stand in the war against the demons.

“Will you tell us what happened the night of the attack?” Khloe asked softly. Kalissa had always wondered herself but was too afraid to ask. She wasn’t afraid of Noah, but she was nervous about how he would feel if she asked.

He looked at her, and after a brief pause, nodded and began telling the story as he’d seen it three hundred years ago.

There was a loud, thunderous boom so close that it shook the house. Noah ran out of his bedroom toward the front door. He got to the entryway and stopped. The crystal vase that held twelve long-stemmed red roses lay on the floor in front of him. The vase had shattered into a million pieces, scattering its contents over the hardwood floor.

Another rumble from the windows, and visions flooded his mind like a dam breaking. The images came at him like a slideshow on fast forward. Some of the scenes he recognized from dreams he’d had over the past several months; others were new. They all had something in common. Fire. He focused on the newest one and controlled the speed, slowing the images down so it was easier to focus on just one. It cleared, confirming his greatest fear. A fireball the size of a Volkswagen Beetle flew through the air, landing on top of the community center. With even, steady breaths, he calmed his panic. He knew it was coming. He had seen it many, many times since his visions had started coming to him at the age of ten. He just never thought it would come so soon.

He focused harder on the images in his mind to get a clear visual of the present moment. If he concentrated hard enough, his visions were so real it was like he was there. Choking on the amount of smoke from the scene as he stood in the middle of the large gymnasium, he took in his surroundings. The building was completely engulfed in flames. He felt the scorching heat of the flames crawling up the walls and out the gaping hole in the ceiling. The smoke was so thick he couldn’t see past a couple of feet in front of him. 

He broke off from the vision and ran out the front door. Once outside, he saw large flames shooting up into the sky where the community center was located.  Noah was overcome with fear and sadness. He took off toward the center but was cut short when a large cat knocked him down.

“Get off me, Kris. Now!” Noah demanded.

In tiger form, Kristof Rayners outweighed him by a hundred pounds.

The huge, white tiger’s head shook side to side in a no. After a few seconds, Kris changed to his human form, willing clothes to cover his body at the same time. “It’s too late. They’re gone,” he choked out, looking Noah in the eyes. Kris’s emotions pooled over onto Noah. Somehow, Divinities were connected. Kris was wracked with sorrow and fear. He wanted blood from whoever had done this.

Every coven member had been at the community center for their monthly meeting. As an Elder, Noah’s mother had to be there.

“No.” Noah struggled to get up. “We have to try.”

“I already did.” Kris stood up and held out his hand to Noah. “We have to get the children to safety.”

After a few seconds, Noah stood up, took one last look at the burning community center, and followed Kris to collect the children.

The coven children were to meet at a centralized location. Every other week, they had drills in case of an attack. Noah hated the drills, and knew the other children did, too, but they were necessary.

Noah and Kris reached the playground a couple of feet from Noah’s house. The children were huddled together, secure behind a magical circle. The sobs from the toddlers pulled at his heart. He wished he could turn back time and take their pain away.

“Is everyone okay?” Noah asked when he reached them.

“As well as one would expect,” seventeen-year-old Melaina said with an eye roll as she tugged eight-year-old Angelica Preston behind her to open the circle. “We just lost our parents and friends and have to spend gods know how long in a room eating canned food.”

“We both saw this coming,” Noah said softly. He understood her anger. He was angry, too. Melaina was also a seer, and she had seen this outcome just as Noah had. The Elders took precautions by strengthening the wards and performing bi-monthly rituals to bring extra protection to the coven. Noah feared that the additional security had only held off the demons until they found a way around it, or possessed enough power to break through the wards.

Noah reached out to Melaina. She shook her head. “I don’t want to cry right now. The others need us to be strong.”

Heavy sobbing from behind Melaina made Noah swallow a lump in his throat. He would break down later, but Mel was right; the younger children needed him, Kristof, and Melaina to bring them to safety. He stepped around Melaina to find thirteen-year-old Connie hiccupping with sobs while being hugged by her best friend, nineteen-year-old, Vanessa. Noah was flooded with relief to see Vanessa alive. He fought everything inside to keep from pulling her into his arms. 

Noah was just about to ask where the sixth Divinity was when he heard footsteps running up the dirt path behind him. Ten-year-old Caleb Rayners, Kristof’s baby brother, was carrying a wooden box in his hands. Kris cursed and walked over to his brother. “Where have you been? I told you to come straight here.”

“I’m sorry, Kris. I th...thought we m...might need this,” Caleb stuttered out, trying to hold back the tears. He held up the box to Kris.

Kris took the box and squatted down, eye level with Caleb. “We could have managed without this. I cannot bear to lose you, too.”  

“I’m sorry,” Caleb whispered. “I saw them. They’re here.”

Kris pulled back and turned to look into Noah’s eyes. He turned back to Caleb. “You saw them how?”

Caleb glanced at Noah and then back to Kris. “In my mind’s eye. You know, like when you dream or meditate.”

Kris looked up at Noah. A mutual acknowledgement of Caleb’s newfound gift passed between them. “We’d better get inside,” Kris said and stood.

Noah nodded. He figured it could be a good thing to have three seers. He also recognized the box that Caleb had gone back to get. It was their mother’s runes and crystals. Noah didn’t understand why the kid wanted them. Noah and Mel didn’t need those things to see the future. 

They got everyone inside and down to the panic room in the basement.

“Connie?” Noah spoke softly. When she looked up at him with her tear-filled eyes, Noah took a deep breath. “Can you help Vanessa with the little ones?” Connie nodded.

Vanessa grabbed his hand. “You’re not going back out there.” It was half question, half demand. She looked him in the eyes and shook her head. “I can’t live without you.”

He cupped her head in his hand and kissed her on the lips. Pulling back to look into her tearful eyes, he said, “You won’t have to.”

“Noah?” Kris called from the door.

Noah gave Vanessa another quick kiss before turning toward the door. “I love you,” he said before sealing her and the other children inside. 

They exited Noah’s house and stood on the front lawn, looking out at the destruction. It looked like a bomb had gone off. The houses were on fire and half tore down. The community center was a pile of smoking rubble. 

Noah’s sadness turned to fury. The demons were going to pay.

Hecate appeared in front of them. “Are you ready, my children?”

They were surprised to see her there, and wondered why she had come. They went down to their knees and bowed their heads without questioning her. “Yes, Goddess.”

“Then stand and let’s kick some ass,” she prompted.

They didn’t have to look very far. A group of demons stalked toward them like a wave. Noah felt a surge of power rise up in his body. It ran through his veins, building and strengthening. On instinct, he thrust his hands straight out in front of him toward the demons. White light left his palms and hit the first couple of demons, sending them flying backwards into the demons behind them.

He looked down at his hands, stunned for a few seconds before looking at Hecate. She was engaging four demons. They charged her two at a time and then all four at once. She was too fast for them, or so he thought before she took a hit in the side that made her cry out. Noah made a move to go to her, but her voice filled his head, stopping him. “
Don’t worry about me. Use your magic. Think about what you want and will it so
.”