Forever and Beyond (2 page)

She had been told to look out for three visitors: two male, one female. For a moment Maya’s brain harboured the thought that maybe the guests didn’t recognize her as a witch and mistook her for an intruder. Or why else would they attack her? She opened her mouth to explain when the hooded man lifted his hand and she looked into the dark reflection of a mirror. She felt the pull instantly and her soul began to shift within the confinement of her mortal body.
Her first impulse was to scream, to run away and warn the others.
She had heard the stories of a mirror that was once shattered into four fragments, each able to entrap a powerful soul. No one knew who the four powerful souls were
but, as a witch, Maya always thought they’d be immortals—vampires, fallen angels, demons, maybe even Shadows, or deities with abilities reaching far beyond her imagination.
She certainly never figured someone might ever try to entrap her soul.

Her brain commanded her legs to move but she didn’t budge from the spot. A long scream remained trapped in her throat. She clung to her consciousness as she frantically tried to push the mirror away from her, but somehow she couldn’t grab hold of it and her fingers kept slicing through the air.

Her powers began to wane, her will weakened. Fear surged through her veins.
Mesmerized, as if under hypnosis, she inched closer to the hooded figure. Her fingers finally touched the cold surface of the mirror as her gaze remained glued to it. One of the three attackers whispered something and a freezing sensation crept under her skin and into her bones. For a moment, it hurt so badly she thought she’d die on the spot, but then the pain subsided and gave way to a new sensation: a sweet, delicious tiredness that drew her in and made her want to close her eyes and let it envelop her until she could no longer feel the world around her.

At the periphery of her mind she was aware of a girl’s presence. Maya turned her head to the side and caught a glimpse of eyes as blue as the ocean and hair as black as the night. The girl was dangling from silver ropes, her skin covered in a sheet of frost
that branched in all directions. Her
lips shimmered bluish, making it impossible to tell whether she was just a beautiful marble statue, or alive and forever captured in the shard of the mirror.

And then another jolt sent Maya stumbling forward and the girl disappeared.

“We got the wrong witch,” a deep male voice said.

“It doesn’t matter,” another male voice said, this one younger. “We’ll keep looking until we find the right. What are we to do with this one?”

“Kill her,” a woman said. “She looks like she’ll talk.”

“That’s a bad idea, unless you want the whole city on guard,” the younger male voice said.

A pause before the first male voice answered, “Let her live. I might just have the fitting mission for her. While we continue our search, she’ll help us get back what is ours.”

Maya shook her head vehemently and began to tug at the invisible chains holding her prisoner in her own body.
The Council had instructed her to greet the visitors and attend to them in the guest quarters until further notice.
Maya was determined to do as she was told, and nothing else. She didn’t want to be part of anyone’s mission.

“Stop struggling, or I might just have to hurt you,” the female voice hissed in her ear.

She felt the woman’s cold touch, how her fingers seemed to send electric impulses through her body, making her shake uncontrollably. At first, Maya thought she was on the verge of blackening out from fear, until she noticed that with each jolt, she was pushed nearer and nearer to a bottomless pit and the darkness around her deepened. But it wasn’t the darkness that scared her. It was the feeling of being shoved and kicked when she couldn’t move from the spot.

And then she understood what was happening. The woman was forcing her way inside Maya’s body. Slowly,
she could feel the woman’s presence all around her—her thoughts, her feelings—pushing Maya’s soul aside to make room for herself.
A moment later, Maya lost all control over her body.

Somewhere in the distance footsteps approached and someone rattled at the gates.
Too late.
She could feel a smile tugging at her lips, even though she didn’t want to smile.
Her legs began to move slowly, clumsily, as though she was a child learning to take her first steps. But
it wasn’t Maya walking towards the visitors. It was
the other one
living inside
Maya’s body that greeted them at the gates.

Maya opened her mouth to scream for help but the sound remained trapped in her throat, and she knew she had lost the battle.

The very first vacation with your boyfriend is a trial for any new relationship. Whether you want it or not, it’s bound to cause you a few wrinkles. In my case, I was quite lucky because, as a newly turned vampire, I wouldn’t have to worry about the appearance of my skin for the next five hundred years or so. Unfortunately, my new immortal status didn’t protect me from my boyfriend’s sarcasm and my consequent stubbornness caused by his unwillingness to understand a woman’s needs.

Prior to our departure, Aidan had been pacing up and down our bedroom, shooting me annoyed glances from the corner of his stunning sapphire blue eyes. I knew he wanted me to hurry up and finish packing, but I wouldn’t let a man haste me. So the more annoyed he became, the less inclined I felt to hurry up.

Eventually, he heaved a sigh and slumped down on the bed, propping his hands behind his head as he mumbled, “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you it’s not a vacation, Amber. We’re going to
Morganefaire
on a job duty, basically to save our race. So, please, babe, for the sake of humanity, hurry up.” His words were slow and emphasized, thick with a Scottish accent I had grown to love. His voice was low and imploring, but there was an edge to it I wouldn’t mistake in a million years: Aidan was nervous. Coming from the guy who never lost his cool, I knew there was a lot at stake. Times were changing. The races were preparing for war and would stop at nothing in their quest to win the upper hand. Aidan was right to worry, and yet I couldn’t help myself. I just couldn’t decide what to pack. Light for sunny weather or thick for the Scottish Highlands and their unpredictable winds and sudden rainfalls?

“Where in England is
Morganefaire
located?” I asked, unfazed.

Aidan rubbed his forehead, avoiding my gaze. “Somewhere in the south. No one knows the exact location.”

Yet more rain then, interspersed with the odd sunny day. With autumn approaching fast, the nights would cool down noticeably. While my body couldn’t freeze to death, I just didn’t like that tingly sensation in my limbs, so I rummaged through my cupboard and tossed a few thick sweaters and knitwear into my overstuffed suitcase, then jumped on top of it to close it while trying to shovel inside everything that spilled over the edges.

“You know we’re not moving there, right? It’s only for a couple of days. If you need anything we can just buy it or teleport back to get it.”

I nodded, ignoring him, because the guy didn’t get it. You don’t pack what you need; you pack what you
think
you will probably need, taking into account each and every possibility, and then add some more stuff…just in case.

“Need help?” Aidan asked, smirking.

“Nah. I’m good,” I grunted, wishing my pride wouldn’t stop me from admitting I needed help indeed. Five minutes and a few more grunts later, I finally managed to zip up the darn thing and looked up at Aidan. “I think I’m ready.”

A tiny flicker of hope sparkled in his eyes. “Really? I mean, are you sure? We’re only a few hours late.”

I smacked his bulging biceps and pointed at the suitcase. He heaved it up with a fake groan and dropped it onto the floor with a thud that reverberated from the mansion’s old walls. For a moment, I thought I might be exaggerating a bit, but any doubts evaporated into thin air as soon as Aidan’s brother, Kieran, teleported right in front of us, carrying a suitcase at least double the size of mine.

“You think you have enough, Kieran?” I said. “Geez, we’re only going to be gone a few days.”

Aidan met my gaze. “Yeah, some people just don’t get it.”

“You think?” I playfully slugged his arm, catching on to his subtle sarcasm.

“Think?” Aidan asked, smirking. “I
know
.”

Kieran shrugged, his blue eyes sparkling. “I packed lightly. Only bare necessities.” I had no doubt he believed every word he said.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Aidan mumbled. “What’s in there? A dead body?”

Kieran grinned and winked at me. “Nope, that one’s in the other suitcase waiting in the hall.”

Aidan shook his head grimly and walked past. I couldn’t help but join in Kieran’s laughter, thankful to have him around to ease up the tension. Visiting the witches’ town was a huge deal for all of us, so any morsel of humor was highly welcome. I was positive Kieran would provide lots of that.

When we finally left the safety of Aidan’s mansion in the Scottish Highlands and gathered in the driveway, ready to teleport to the one place that could change the course of history, it was almost dawn. Up until recently, I had never heard of
Morganefaire
or the witches living there, so I was excited at the prospect of meeting others that belonged to the supernatural world. Granted, I was still pretty much clueless since no one bothered to brief me, as usual, but I couldn’t quite shake off the feeling that I wouldn’t find a pretty, medieval town with friendly, old ladies selling bogus love potions in tiny shops.

One of my best friends, Clare, wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in a tight hug. “Take care of the guys,” she whispered in my ear, her long, blonde hair stroking my skin like silk.

“I will,” I said, choking on an unshed tear. Clare was the only one of us who still suffered from bloodlust and had to fear the sun, meaning she had to stay behind and protect Aidan’s property. With an encouraging smile I slowly pried myself from Clare to regard her pale face with delicate features and sparkling eyes that looked like she couldn’t hurt a fly, but looks can be deceiving. Clare was the predator I’d never be, but she wasn’t invincible. Ever since one of my friends—Angel—disappeared a few days ago, I had been on edge. If my brief time in the paranormal world had taught me anything it was that an immortal’s life resembled Russian Roulette: one twist of fate and your old life was over in seconds. I could only hope Clare and I would meet again.

“Good luck.” Clare waved before disappearing inside the house.

“Ready?” Aidan asked, grabbing my hand. I nodded and closed my eyes in the hope it might help ease the oncoming turmoil in the pit of my stomach. The air charged around us, then turned like a spiral, faster and faster, making my whole body protest until I thought I might just bend over, ready to puke, or faint on the spot, whichever came first. And then the sensation cleared and I dared to take a deep breath as I opened my eyes to take in my surroundings.

Even though the only source of light came from the huge waxing moon hanging low in the sky, my gaze adjusted quickly, giving me a sharper view than that of any mortal’s. A long, unpaved street had replaced Aidan’s driveway. We were surrounded by trees and bushes that cast ominous shadows in the night, beyond which I could make out the contours of high mountains interspersed with valleys. A tall wall blocked the view of what lay behind it, but I could sense it was the city. The knowledge unnerved me. Especially when my supernatural ears picked up faint, spooky, echoing breaths.

Aidan motioned us to follow as he led us to a closed gate. “This is the entrance.”

“I’m ready to jump if you are,” Kieran said.

Aidan shook his head. “You couldn’t even if you wanted to.”

“Speak for yourself,” Kieran muttered but didn’t press the issue.

I let my gaze trail around us as the nausea in the pit of my stomach subsided a little. The moon looked bigger here than in Scotland, with a bluish hue to it. I had never seen a Blue Moon in my life, but I remembered Aidan’s words. It was a yearly occurrence that could only be seen in certain parts of the world, one that invited magic to be spun and pacts to be broken. This Blue Moon would be a special one, however, and time was running out. A powerful Seer foresaw that in just over a week it would start the war between the three races governing the paranormal world: the Shadows, the vampires, and the Lore Court ruled by the succubus demi-goddess
Layla
. Unfortunately, the Seer never revealed the outcome of the war.
Or maybe the truth was so terrible it was best left unspoken.

After finding the Book of the Dead, which granted them full power over their spells and rituals, the Shadows—an immortal race of warriors and the vampires’ archenemies—had been believed to be the most likely candidates to win. That is, until the vampires discovered their one weakness: the Shadows were nothing without their queen. After a vicious vampire attack, Deidre was now trapped in the body of a teen girl, growing weaker. A suitable vessel was chosen: a half-Shadow girl called Angel. Once she occupied Angel’s body at the coming Blue Moon, Deidre would regain her full powers and lead her warriors to victory. Or so it was planned, until someone kidnapped Angel, knowing that without a vessel, Deidre would die eventually.