Spellbound (Spellbringers Book 1) (27 page)

Gone were the days of my recurring
nightmare, and in its place was a series of dreams, one building
upon the next, but always centering around one specific
person—Re’Vel. In my soul, I knew he was timeless, immortal. Maybe
he wasn’t even human. It was hard to tell because the moment I
entered his vast, ancient forest, my mind went as hazy as the mists
swirling around my bare ankles.

Re’Vel’s whispers caressed
my ear. His breath caused the tendrils of hair at the nape of my
neck to tease my sensitive skin. “They aren’t trying to help you
reach your full potential, my love. They’re trying to stifle you.
Only I can help you.”

“That’s not true.” My
speech sounded slurred, unclear. “They’re doing everything they can
to train me.”

“When Nevare comes for
you, they’ll hand you over to save themselves,” he
insisted.

My mind latched onto the
name, and for a moment, my thoughts were clear. “Nevare…The blond?
I haven’t dreamed of him in ages…”

“Because I drove him away.
I won’t let anyone harm you, Rachel. You’re mine.”

I felt so safe in his arms. Each
morning when I awoke, I yearned for my dream-lover in a way I’d
once yearned for Jace. Re’Vel planted a tiny seedling of doubt into
my mind, and once it took root, it began to choke the blossoms of
trust I’d developed for the Alexander family. I knew I shouldn’t
take my silly dreams so seriously, but I couldn’t help but
scrutinize Jace’s parents a little closer. I began to question
their motives and to pull away from Jace ever so
slightly.

I felt disloyal for doubting Jace and
for comparing him to my nocturnal visitor. Although the dreams
weren’t necessarily romantic in nature, there was an element of
physical attraction. Perhaps that was the reason I felt such an
overpowering sense of guilt each time I looked at Jace. Or maybe it
was because I’d begun to fantasize about Re’Vel while I was awake.
I was drawn to him, attracted to him in an obsessive
way.

Despite the fact that he was a
Spellbringer, Jace was a typical teenage boy. He liked video games,
music, television, cars, eating, and sleeping. I felt connected to
him both magically and emotionally, but at the end of the day, Jace
was just a teenager. I wasn’t becoming bored with him, but Jace was
a known entity, Re’Vel was not.

Jace had begun to notice I wasn’t
quite myself. When he questioned my odd behavior, I told him I was
just stressed about school. It wasn’t a total lie. As finals
approached, it was usually after midnight when I finally turned off
my light and hopped into bed. I was exhausted much of the time and
was finding it increasingly difficult to mask my magic.

The week before finals, I had a run in
with a Hunter, but this time I was a little more prepared than my
last encounter. After softball practice, I stopped at the gas
station to fill up my tank and grab a soda. On my way back out to
the car, I caught a glimpse of a large man peeking out from behind
a parked tractor-trailer. His red eyes glinted in the sunlight and
I knew then he was no ordinary man. I was closer to my car than he
was, but I wasn’t sure if I should risk making a run for
it.

Before panic completely took over, I
remembered what Jerica taught me. Slowing my breathing to normal
and focusing on controlling my magic, I rushed back inside the
store, called Jerica, and explained as cryptically as possible that
someone was following me. Five minutes later, Abe pulled up in
front of the gas station. The Hunter fled immediately when Abe got
out of the car.

Abe followed me back to his house.
Jace and Jerica were nervous and pacing when Abe and I arrived.
Jace was forced to stay behind, much to his extremely loud, verbal
dissatisfaction. Jerica decided that until Jace was able to put a
stronger block on his magic, it was better to send Abe when Hunters
were sighted. Jace would only be sent to help as a last resort.
Jerica thought his sometimes sporadic leakage of magic would send
Hunters into a frenzy of hunger, adding fuel to the fire. He hugged
me tightly as soon as I walked in the door. I felt safe and
protected in his arms, just like old times.

As soon as Jace released me, I
blurted, “My necklace isn’t working anymore, is it?” I tried not to
freak out, but I felt like a moving target.

Jerica’s voice was calm and soothing.
“The protection in the necklace your father gave you was only meant
to last until you were able to protect yourself. In a way, this is
a good thing. It means you are exercising a reasonable amount of
control over your magic. The downside, of course, is that Hunters
can detect you a little easier if you’re not careful. If you’re
worried or distracted, and relinquish just a fraction of the hold
you have on your power, they can find you.”

“Can’t you do something? Just until
finals? I feel like I have no control right now. There’s too much
going on in my life and my magic is going to be like a beacon for
every Hunter in Georgia.” I felt bad when I saw the stricken look
on Jace’s face, but continued anyway. “What’s to stop them from
getting me at home? What if they come right in while I’m sleeping?
I would kill myself if anything happened to my mother because of
me.”

“Rachel, have you ever seen a Hunter
come close to our house?” Jerica asked calmly.

I’d never really thought about it, but
no. I wondered why.

“We have powerful spells of protection
in every room of this house. That same protection is built into
your home. You are safer there or here in our home than anywhere
else.”

“How do you know my home is safe?” I
asked.

Abe sighed. “Rachel, I can’t be
certain until my friend completes his research, but I think we can
safely assume your father was a powerful Spellbringer. After all,
your magic had to have come from somewhere.”

“When we have any new information,
we’ll let you know,” Jerica said. “But right now, I can assure you
your home is safe. I can feel the spells of protection surrounding
it. Your enemies cannot harm you while you’re there.”

“But how can you be sure?” I asked,
desperately wanting to believe them.

Jerica smiled and reached out to
squeeze my hand. “Sweetie, it’s my job. I studied at the Watcher
Academy for four years. I’ve studied spells extensively. Abe
studied at WTB—the Warrior Training Bureau. He is my official
Protector, and yours for the time being. Do you think we would have
sent you home without any protection at all?”

I thought about Re’Vel and his
insistence that the Alexanders were holding out on me. “Why didn’t
you say anything before? About the spells, I mean.”

“We didn’t want to mention it until we
had more information about your father. But we believe he is
responsible for the protection surrounding your home,” she
explained.

Abe broke in. “Right now, we’re just
dealing with theories. I suspect the same spell tattooed on your
brother was engraved inside your necklace.” He exchanged a look
with his wife. “Jerica and I think it might be time to stop wearing
the necklace your father gave you. Now that its protection has worn
off, the spell may have a negative effect. Again, this is just a
theory. Until we know for sure, you don’t have to stop wearing
it.”

I clutched the necklace in my sweaty
hand, looking back and forth between Abe and Jerica, trying to
decide what to do. I wondered what Re’Vel would say, but then
reminded myself he was a figment of my vivid imagination, and
therefore had no bearing on the subject at hand. Jace weighed in
with his opinion by sending a short, but definite message across
our link. I quickly removed the necklace and handed it to Jerica.
The taint of evil on it was evident now that I’d given it up, and I
wondered why the Alexanders couldn’t feel it too. I shuddered in
response to its abhorrent nature.

I felt dirty for having had such a
close association to something so wicked. Was I as evil as the
necklace? If it took a spell of such horrific proportions to
protect me, what did that say about me? I didn’t want to
contaminate this wonderful, loving family with my dark existence.
To think I’d once sensed the darkness in Bryce. Maybe darkness
knows darkness.

***

During the week leading up to final
exams, I saw a Hunter every day, sometimes more than once. I began
having panic attacks just thinking about the eventual moment when
it would be me and the Hunter with no one to call, and not enough
time for anyone to save me. I saw Hunters everywhere it seemed,
even when they weren’t there at all. For each time Abe showed up
and said, “It’s okay, he’s gone,” there was at least one other time
he came to rescue me, only to say, “I don’t sense anything. He must
have left before I got here.”

The Alexanders tried so hard to be
nice to me, never once insinuating it was my fault for failing to
control my magic. The more I stressed about my lapse in security,
the less control I had. Only my link with Jace worked on a
consistent basis.

“It’s going to be okay, Rachel,”
Jerica said one night when I stopped by to drop off some math notes
for Jace. “As soon as school is out, you should be able to relax.
When the pressure of finals is over, we can concentrate on your
training. Just keep practicing at home. The exercises I gave you
should help.”

I hadn’t practiced in over a week. I
didn’t have time. “I’m sorry, Jerica. Am I driving you crazy with
all the phone calls? I could have sworn I saw a Hunter when I left
school today. I’m sorry I made Abe come all the way over there.” My
voice had become whiney, and I hated the sound of it. It didn’t
feel good to have to add paranoia to my already long list of
character flaws. Paranoia, dependency, irrational fear,
irritability…the list went on forever.

“Are you sure you don’t want a
full-time Protector? We can find someone who will be very discreet.
You’ll hardly know he’s there,” Jerica offered. For a moment, I
actually considered it. When I thought about my mother’s reaction
if she found out, I declined.

I couldn’t understand how Jace managed
to tolerate me and my swiftly changing moods and I felt guilty for
putting him through it. On the upside, I no longer carried the
burden of guilt over my dreams of Re’Vel. With all my stress over
Hunters and finals, I hadn’t slept long enough to dream in over a
week.

***

I was relieved when finals were
finally over, but now the real work was about to begin. It was time
to master my magical studies. For the first time in a long time, I
did my meditation exercises before going to bed. I didn’t want
Jerica to find out how badly I’d been slacking off on my magical
training, so I worked on my exercises until I was so tired, I
couldn’t keep my eyes open. After talking to Jace across our link
for a few minutes, I drifted off into the deepest sleep I’d
experienced in a long time.

I found Re’Vel on my
favorite forest path, his opalescent skin glowing in the moonlight.
I ran to him, leaping and bounding, almost flying. “Oh, Re’Vel, you
should have seen me. I’m me again. I aced my last final. I wish you
could have been there,” my dream-self rhapsodized.

“I was there,” he replied
in a soft whisper against my skin.

As the dream progressed,
my feelings toward Re’Vel began to change. He became too insistent
and forceful. His face held a hint of menace, and his dark eyes
narrowed as he glared at me.

“This isn’t a game. I
won’t wait for you any longer. Once you give yourself to me,
Nevare’s claim will not matter.”

“But I’m in love with
Jace.” It was a struggle to remember his name.

“It doesn’t matter. Your
father gave you to me and spoke my Claiming Words when he named
you. You’re mine, Rachel, even if he changed his mind and tried to
give you to another. Mine,” he insisted, grabbing my
arm.

He pulled me toward him
and I tried to twist out of his grasp. A cold breeze lifted a
strand of his black hair from his pale forehead. Tendrils of his
shoulder-length hair brushed against my cheek, igniting my
senses.

“You’re hurting me,” I
cried. I jerked away from him and he grabbed my nightgown. The
tearing of fabric ripped the quiet of the night. He clamped down on
my wrist and twisted it until I stopped moving.

“Say nothing to the
Alexanders or they will cast you away like last week’s rubbish,” he
hissed in my ear.

That expression of air continued to
tickle my ear even as I jolted up, relieved to find myself alone in
my bedroom. I felt sluggish, drugged. Images of Re’Vel slipped
through my mind, but instead of feeling euphoric like I usually did
after dreaming of him, I felt violated. I sat at the edge of my
bed, letting the memories of my nocturnal travels wash over me. I
tried to remember all the details of our conversation, but the
memories scattered like the particles of dust illuminated by the
ray of sun shining through my bedroom window.

I lurched to my feet, swaying for just
a moment. On unsteady legs, I staggered into the bathroom, turned
on the shower, and lifted my nightgown over my head. Disappointment
hit me full force. It was my favorite silk gown and I’d never be
able to wear it again. Somehow, it had become torn beyond repair. I
had a brief vision of Re’Vel, face twisted in rage, but the memory
disintegrated when I stepped under the steamy hot water. I rinsed
away my nightmares, marveling at the way a bad dream could
sometimes haunt you even by the comforting light of day.