Spellbound (Spellbringers Book 1) (30 page)

“What did you do?” I asked.

“I just used a little bit of magic to
speed the healing process.” I reached up and felt my cheek. It was
tender, but the flesh had knitted together.

“Jace, what time is it?” Jerica asked,
coming into the room with a large glass of water and handing it to
me. It took Jace a minute to locate his cell phone and read off the
time. It was just a few minutes after ten. “What time do you need
to be home before your mother starts to worry?”

“I have to be home by eleven. I’m
never late,” I said, remembering how Jace had accused me of doing
whatever my mother told me to do. The flashbacks of our argument
were more devastating than the memories of the attack. I closed my
eyes against the emotional pain.

“I want you to stay here a while
longer if that’s okay,” Jerica said as she packed up the first-aid
supplies. “I just want to make sure you’re not in shock.” I could
read the worry in her eyes as she leaned over me, feeling my
forehead.

“I’m going to go put the spare tire on
Rachel’s car and bring it back here,” Abe said. “Is everyone going
to be okay while I’m gone?”

“Of course, honey,” Jerica said,
kissing him on the cheek. “Be safe.”

Abe walked out the front
door, leaving me confused. Was he going to walk all the way to
where I’d left my car? If he drove, he’d have two cars to deal
with. That wouldn’t make any sense.
Transport
. The word writhed around
in my mind. Jace said his dad could use Transport. And I’d heard
that word from… I screwed up my face in concentration. Re’Vel. I’d
heard about Transport from Re’Vel during one of my dreams. But that
was impossible. Wasn’t it?

“Rachel, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just a little bit of a
headache,” I lied.

“No wonder. What a horrible ordeal,”
Jerica said. “Why didn’t you call us? You should have stayed in
your car instead of walking.” Her voice was calm, but I could sense
the mild reprimand behind her steady words.

“I left my phone
downstairs.”

“What about your link?” Jerica asked.
I looked down at my lap, reluctant to lie, but hesitant to tell her
about the argument between me and Jace.

“Jace, why don’t you go downstairs and
get Rachel’s phone so she doesn’t forget it again?”

Jace complied, looking sheepish and
uncomfortable.

“Is there anything you wanted to talk
to me about in private?” Jerica asked the moment we were
alone.

“No. Not really.”

“Are you sure? You seem like you have
something on your mind.”

I had a lot on my mind. Not just Jace
and our argument, but the Hunter attack. And Re’Vel. And why the
Alexanders had never taught me Transport. Were they deliberately
trying to hold me back like Re’Vel had accused them of doing in my
dreams? Wait… Re’Vel wasn’t real. He was a figment of my
imagination. Maybe a manifestation of my own doubts and suspicions.
So why did it feel as if he were as real as Abe and
Jerica?

I spent the next thirty minutes with
Jace and Jerica fussing over me. I worried about getting home
before curfew, and then berated myself about caring about something
so trivial when I should be worrying about Hunters and how long it
would be before I was trained enough to be able to take care of
myself. Jerica mentioned Protectors several times while we waited
for Abe to return, and though I deflected her suggestions with
half-hearted responses, there was no way I was actually going to
accept a full-time Protector into my life.

“Rachel,” Jerica said. “We need to
decide what to say to your mother. I think it might be time to talk
to her about who you are. You can’t keep it a secret forever, and I
think she should know the danger you could be facing.”

I shook my head and Jerica reached out
and held my hand.

She sighed. “You don’t have to explain
everything tonight, but you need to tell her something. Do you want
me to help you talk to her?”

I appreciated the offer, but there was
no way I was going to tell my mother anything about magic. “Thank
you, Jerica, but I think I’d better talk to her alone. I’m not sure
what I’ll say yet, but you’re right. I’ll have to say something.” I
tried to be as kind as possible while rejecting her
offer.

“Okay, sweetie. I’m always here to
help if you need me,” she said. I could tell this discussion wasn’t
over. Jerica might have decided to cut me a break for tonight, but
this conversation would be resumed sometime in the near
future.

The front door opened and Abe stepped
inside. “Everyone okay?” he asked.

“We’re fine. I’ve been talking to
Rachel about hiring a full-time Protector. She promises she’s going
to give it some serious thought,” Jerica said.

“Well, she needs to give it more than
just thought. After what I found out tonight, we need to put a plan
in motion immediately.” Abe, sounding very grave, took a seat next
to Jerica.

“What’s going on?” she
asked.

“Quinn and Craig were still at the
site when I went back to get Rachel’s car. We spoke for a few
minutes. They’d heard something from one of the Warriors out of the
Southwest District who’d tracked Re’Vel from Southern California to
the Georgia border. They think Oaktree is his
destination.”

“Re’Vel?” Jerica repeated. “Why wasn’t
I informed of this sooner?”

Re’Vel? No. It was impossible. Re’Vel
was real. Not just a figment of my imagination. Oh, my God. If
Re’Vel was real, and my dreams were more than just dreams, what did
this mean for me? Re’Vel was in Georgia? My numb, cold hands felt
detached from my body and my face was frozen, but the Alexanders
were too distracted by their discussion about Re’Vel to notice that
I’d gone into full blown shock.

Jerica and Abe’s voices penetrated the
strange rushing in my head, and I struggled to make sense of their
words.

“I’m calling Central tonight. This is
outrageous. I should have been informed the moment a Demon crossed
into my territory,” Jerica fumed.

“Honey, we don’t know if it’s true.
Let Craig and Quinn find out more. They’re going to report to you
tomorrow,” Abe said.

“They damned well better. I can only
think of one reason why Re’Vel would be in Oaktree,” Jerica
said.

“I thought Re’Vel wasn’t our enemy,”
Jace said. “Not really.”

“Make no mistake, son. All Demons are
our enemies. Re’Vel might have helped us in the past against a
mutual enemy, but that doesn’t make him a friend,” Abe
said.

Re’Vel. Demon. I couldn’t wrap my head
around everything they were saying. I knew why Re’Vel was in
Oaktree. For some reason, he’d taken a liking to me. He was coming
after me.

I wanted to tell Jerica about Re’Vel,
but I couldn’t do it. What would they think about me if I told them
I’d been dreaming about Re’Vel all this time, but hadn’t mentioned
it? We were supposed to have a “no secrets” policy. Abe and Jerica
would be furious if they found out I’d kept Re’Vel a secret all
this time. And it wasn’t just about Abe and Jerica. I didn’t want
to damage my chances to mend my relationship with Jace. Admitting
my near romantic relationship with a Demon was sure to be the kiss
of death to any chance we might have.

Re’Vel wasn’t just a dream, and that
put everything that had happened in a different light. We’d shared
confidences, embraces, love. Basically, I’d cheated on my boyfriend
with a Demon. I may not have known much about the magical world,
but I knew this didn’t make me a good person.

“Rachel,” Jerica said. “Do you think
you can drive, or do you want to leave your car here overnight? One
thing’s for certain—Abe will either drive you or follow you home.
You aren’t going anywhere by yourself.”

“I don’t think I can drive, but if one
of you could drive my car home, I would appreciate it. I don’t want
to inconvenience anyone, though. I’ve already been enough of a
burden lately.” I was on the brink of bawling.

“Oh, sweetie, of course you’re not a
burden,” Jerica said. “You’re part of this family and you would do
the same for us if we needed you to. Come on, let’s get you
home.”

Abe drove my car while Jace and I
followed in the truck. We were almost completely silent on the
drive home. Jace made numerous apologies while I tried to assure
him I wasn’t angry. It was true. I was still hurt, but if anyone
had a right to be angry, it was Jace. Of course, Jace didn’t know
about my infatuation and dream-relationship with Re’Vel. If he had,
he wouldn’t have been nearly as kind and apologetic.

My mother greeted me the moment I
walked in the front door. I knew I wasn’t in trouble. I still had
five minutes to spare until curfew. I would have some explaining to
do about the car, so I decided to take the plunge and jump right
in.

“Mama, I had some trouble with my car
and…”

“What happened? Are you hurt?” Leave
it to her to overreact.

“I’m fine. My tire blew out and I went
into a ditch. Mr. Alexander came and put the spare on, but I was
pretty upset, so he helped me get home.” I concentrated on keeping
my explanation as simple as possible.

“Oh, Rachel, you should’ve called.
I’ll have to thank Mr. Alexander,” she said.

I swayed a little on my feet as I
started toward the stairs.

“What’s wrong? Are you sure you didn’t
hurt yourself? Maybe you hit your head when the tire blew out. How
fast were you going when it happened? Were you wearing a
seatbelt?”

It was time for me to take control of
the situation before the paramedics were called. Mentioning magic,
Hunters, and Spellbringers was absolutely out of the question. In
my opinion, it was never really an option.

I took a deep breath. “Mama,” I said,
pushing a thought ever so lightly into her brain. When I felt the
connection, felt her succumb, I said, “I’m fine. I’m just tired.
There is nothing to worry about at all.”

“Okay, Rachel,” she replied. I exhaled
a huge sigh of relief. “We’ll take care of the car tomorrow. I’m
just glad you weren’t hurt.”

With leaden feet and a heart filled
with despair, I climbed the stairs to my bedroom, yearning for the
days when my life had been easy. How could things have changed so
drastically?

“Rachel,” Jace called across our link.
“Is everything okay?”

“Goodnight, Jace,” I replied before
severing our connection. I fell across my bed, and although I
wanted to cry myself to sleep, to drift off into the oblivion of
slumber, I couldn’t do it. Re’Vel would find me there—my own
personal nightmare. I struggled to stay awake until the early hours
of the morning, but at last, my tired eyes could take no
more.

I shut off my magic the way Jerica
taught me, my link to Jace included. I called upon my church
upbringing, mumbled a desperate prayer, and succumbed to emotional
and physical exhaustion. In my dreams, I could see the forest, but
I chose to run the other way.

Chapter
Twenty-Three

Alisa

A week before Bryce’s anticipated
return, I received a very alarming email. It was about ten o’clock
at night, and I had just stepped out of the shower and settled back
in front of the computer. I clicked on his newest email and my
mouth gaped open as I read.

Alisa,

Central just received word
of another attack. No casualties have been reported, but additional
back up has been requested. I’ll send an email to Dad right away.
For once, I am praying you’re not with my family. Please, please be
at home, Alisa. Send me an email to let me know you’re okay, then
if you can, call Jace and find out what the hell is going
on.

Love,

Bryce

I dialed Jace’s cell phone and
listened to it ring while I typed out a quick email to let Bryce
know I was at home, and therefore, safe. Jace’s phone rang six
times before his voicemail picked up. I tried Rachel’s phone and
the same thing happened. No one picked up the home telephone
either. Panic began to set in.

I spent the next hour alternately
dialing cell phones, burning up the Alexanders’ home phone, and
sending Bryce reassuring messages. I was completely worn out and
borderline hysterical by the time Jerica called me back a little
after eleven.

“Is everything all right?” I yelled
into the phone, probably bursting Jerica’s eardrum.

“Everyone is fine, Alisa. I’m so
sorry. I should have known Bryce would have told you about the call
for assistance. I’m sorry for not calling you sooner and for making
you worry,” she apologized. Typical Jerica—she always worried more
about others than herself.

I rapidly typed an email to Bryce,
letting him know everyone was safe and that his mom was on the
phone with me. “I’m just glad everyone is okay. What
happened?”

Jerica gave me a quick, but detailed
account of the Hunter attack. It was amazing that Rachel was able
to escape virtually unscathed. I couldn’t wait to see her just to
reassure myself she was okay.