Chapter 39
Chapter Thirty-Nine
With my horn in one hand and the other on my wrist, Ann closes her eyes and silently mumbles an incantation. The bone necklace in her grip glows and emits a humming sound. I look at Xander for reassurance. His focus is on Ann and the magic she shouldn’t be able to create.
The more the necklace glows, the more my head feels fuzzy.
I’ve dealt with angel magic a lot over the past few months, and I’ve also dabbled with witch magic along the way.
I felt the unicorn magic when Denby smacked the horn onto my head, and the power of the horn has heated my blood for the past few days.
But this is different. The unicorn magic Denby did was pure.
This… This is something else.
Panic rips through me, followed swiftly by a dose of adrenaline and horrendous PAIN. Nice one, Tru; maybe you should have also asked if it was going to hurt you. Ouch.
Crikey, this is not a pleasant experience, and vampires have stabbed my leg a few times, so I know.
My horn shifts into pink dust… No, not dust molecules. The same molecules that you see for a microsecond when a shifter changes shape. The pink stuff floats in the air, and when Ann’s chant changes, it whips around and rushes towards me. My eyes widen.
Oh, bloody hell.
It slams into my forehead. The impact is so hard the back of my head cracks against the chair. Still the pain continues throbbing, twisting. My heart pounds; I go from feeling cold to boiling as my blood and nerve endings shoot fire around my system.
The pink magic seeps into me and wraps around my bones. Bile rushes up my throat, and I can’t hold it in. I have to turn my head to the side and vomit. Then my body is completely out of my control. I slump to the side, and unable to hold myself up, I fall to the floor.
Xander is there, making sure I don’t hit my head. Oh, Xander, no. Don’t touch me. Please be careful of the freaky unicorn magic, I scream in my head as my body shakes. Crap, I’m having a seizure. A mumbling Ann keeps a tight hold of my wrist. Her nails dig into my skin.
“You’re okay, Tru. Breathe through it,” he says as he turns me onto my side and places his jacket underneath my head. “You should have warned her,” he growls.
The room fades as the power rolls over me, and my life unfolds before me like the flickering pages of a book.
I only get glimpses. In the past, I see my mum and her unconditional love for me.
The present, Story and Dexter making me laugh, Xander with his compassion and strength.
And the future… struggles, pain, joy… and love.
Love.
It’s a future that cracks my heart open with equal fear and excitement at what it holds.
It’s within those future flashes I somehow grab hold and—
Soft silken sheets, gentle fingertips caress bare skin as velvet lips kiss across my shoulder and into the curve of my neck.
“My beautiful shadow,” he whispers into my ear. The rough cadence of his voice makes me shiver and goosebumps erupt. I groan and smile into the pillow.
Everything jumps, and I am harshly ripped away. My soul screams wanting to stay with him, but now isn’t time.
I know what I need to do; I know which path I need to take.
The magic lifts, and the pain recedes. It’s finally over. My muscles twitch and I moan. I take a deep breath in, and I lift a shaky hand towards my face. The damn thing flops, smacking me in the nose, but mission accomplished. I am able to wipe my mouth. God, I need to brush my teeth.
“I’m sorry I got sick. I’ll clean it up,” I say. My voice is so raspy it doesn’t sound like me. It’s then I notice Xander is on the floor with me. His big hand is running through my sweaty hair. Gross.
“I got it. Please stay where you are and get your breath back.” Xander glares at Ann as he pulls a potion from his pocket and gets to his feet. He tilts his head to the side, and he looks at the door. “I believe backup is here. I will just be a moment.”
Ann looks oddly disappointed and pale. Probably not as pale as me, but… hell who cares. “Are you okay?” I ask. “Did everything go okay?”
“I’m fine,” she snarls. Whoa, okay. She seems to shake out of her anger, and she forces out a smile. Her sad mask slides into place. “That was harder than a normal transfer. Your magic stuck in the necklace was difficult to control.”
I feel weird lying on the floor, so I roll onto my hands and knees. When nothing bad happens, I slowly use the chair to guide me. I get to my feet. I pick up Xander’s scrunched-up jacket and give it a shake.
“I guess everything worked out?” I say cautiously, and sigh when Ann nods. “Thank you.”
I excuse myself to use the bathroom and take the time to wash my face and mouth. I need a shower, and I think I could sleep for a week. At the moment, with my knees knocking together and my head pounding, I don’t feel the power of four unicorns.
No, I feel like crap. When I step out, Xander is talking to some guys I don’t know. They must be Ann’s replacement security guards.
“Here.” Ann is waiting outside the bathroom.
She shoves a compact datapad at me. “You can take the whole thing. It has all the documents from your grandfather. Details of your mum, your vampire bloodline. There is also a signed emancipation order. I know he cares about you, the angel. But you have your herd to help you, so you no longer need him as your guardian.”
Emancipation? Something… My instincts chime a warning.
Give a young woman the power of four unicorns and then remove her guardian. Wow, such a smart thing to do… especially when she waited for Xander to be busy before handing over the files.
“Welcome to the herd.” Welcome to the herd, my ass. Why is she setting me up to fail? And then what? She’ll sweep in and inherit the horn when I’m found incapable of handling the power. Or am I being completely paranoid?
I frown, and my fists curl at my sides, but I say nothing. Instead, I smile politely, showing her just how grateful I am. “Thank you,” I gush.
Ann isn’t the only one who can wear a mask.
“Denby also set up a new bank account, a house, a car.” She hands me an envelope.
“Oh, how lovely. Thank you.” I tuck the heavy padded envelope between my knees and log in to the datapad. With a few clicks, and using an encrypted code, I activate my online data and transfer the contents of the datapad to my personal server.
Ann scowls as I hand the tech back to her, but again, that sad smile covers up her genuine expression. “It’s okay. I don’t need the datapad, I transferred everything.” No need for you to track my every keystroke. “Thank you for thinking about me and looking after me. When is Denby’s funeral?”
Ann sniffs. “He has already been cremated what with the unrest.”
Yet you still sent your guards home?
“Well, thank you so much, Grandmother. You’ve been incredibly helpful.”
Ann’s eye develops a twitch. Oops. She doesn’t like to be called that. Good to know. I decide to call her Grandmother from here on out, as it’s only proper. I dip my head to hide my grin.
Ticktock, Tru. I need to learn about this power that is bubbling inside me as quickly as I can, and without the angel’s official protection, I’m on my own.
“Oh my god, what did you do? You obviously didn’t get rid of the horn. Your power is intense… more intense. Oh, and thank Mother Nature you at least got rid of that awful bloody necklace.”
“Is it bad?” I ask as I sit on my bed.
“Bad?” Story scoffs. “You were wearing your horn around your neck. I don’t think it gets any worse. Unless you wore your ears…” Story rolls her eyes and gives Justin a look as if to say, Can you believe this girl?
I groan and rub my face. “No, not the necklace, my power. Does it feel terrible?” Xander didn’t say anything in the car.
I was tired from the transfer, so I didn’t ask him.
He just hung onto the steering wheel for grim death and kept sucking air through his teeth like an old man with dentures.
Of course vampire me zeroed in on the vein in his neck that was intermittently throbbing with his stress.
“No, not bad… you feel—” Story zips around me, flying so fast she creates her own wind.
I’ve learnt my lesson, so I don’t keep a track of her frantic flight.
I already feel a bit ropey, and watching her zip about always makes me dizzy.
She stops and hovers in front of my face.
“Your power feels incredible, like spring and new flowers or a freshly baked sponge.” She flops back, and my heart misses a beat as she drops.
Before I move my hand to pluck her out of the air, she catches herself and zips back to my face.
I don’t feel bad, yay. That’s great, right?
“Like a giant free blood fountain that I can dive in,” Justin adds, licking his lips. I frown at the blood lust on his face.
Oh no.
“You are the ultimate unicorn, a goddess.”
“Goddess,” I squeak. My mouth hangs open, and my eyes flick between them.
“You know the rumours that we decided after meeting Denby Jones were untrue… that goodness, creature-of-light crap? You feel like… Heck, I could bow down and kiss your feet,” Story says.
“But… but you hate my feet,” I cry, hiding them under the covers. My eyes feel so wide they must be popping out of my head. Are they taking the piss?
“Yeah, I know,” Story whines. “But your power is sooo nice.” She flutters her sapphire-blue lashes at me.
“Yeah,” Justin groans. “What the fuck… I don’t even like girls…”
“Oh my god. Where are the evil vibes she promised me?” I wail. “This is a fucking horror show.”
The door slams open, and Xander appears like a knight in shining armour. He liquid prowls towards me, grabs hold of my hand, and slides a gold bracelet onto my wrist.
Story, Justin, and Xander all groan simultaneously with relief.
I blink at the bracelet.
“It will mask your power, and it will shift with you,” he grumbles.
“Oh thank you, Xander. Let me know if I owe you any money.”
Huh, is that sweat on his brow?