Prologue
It
was a time of war and destruction. A time when darkness ruled the
heart of many. A time when a group called the Elementals ruled. This
group was born Human, but at fifteen when they came of age a power
was awaken inside of them. The power of fire, water, earth, or air.
At one time when the Elementals first came into existence they were
seen as protectors of the Human race, the mediators of power between
the Humans and the other magical beings that lived on our world.
Without them the Fae and Witches would declare war on one another and
the Humans would be the ones to pay the highest price, for they were
the only ones not gifted with magical abilities.
As
the years went by and generation after generation of Elementals were
born the power that was suppose to be used to protect turned into one
of pure destruction. They saw themselves as gods instead of gifted
Humans. They used their abilities to not only force the Humans they
had sworn to protect to worship them, but also the Witches and
wizards. Finally, their destruction and power became to much for the
three groups to bare. The three groups banded together to fight
against the Elementals, to end their reign and destroy them for good.
One
by one the families were destroyed, the gifts of the Elementals dying
with them, until only one Elemental remained. The one Elemental that
remained was a child. This Elemental had been taken in by a rogue
Witch. The Witch knew that it was only a matter of time before he
and the child were found. As he looked at the girl a pain shot
through him. This was a baby, not a killer. He had taken her in and
raised her as his own. He knew that no matter what he couldn't let
anything happen to her. One night he sensed that their time was
coming to a close. As the Witch looked at the child a smile spread
across his face. This one would not be like the others. She would
be strong and pure. He knew that she would not help destroy or
conquer.
As
he looked at her he knew that there was only one thing he could do
for her. He could not save himself, but he could save this girl from
the destruction and hatred that was at that moment surrounding them.
He knew that if he did this his powers would be depleted and he would
die, but he also knew that he had no choice. As he looked at the
child he knew that this was the Elemental of the prophecy. He knew
that the prophecy must come to pass if not then their world would
never have peace again. Never would they step out of the darkness
and into the light that was once their beautiful world. The Witch
closed his eyes and with all the power that was within him he gave
his life for the greater good. He said his last incantation before
the house they were in was consumed by flames.
Chapter
One:
A
woman stood in the middle of the room cloaked. Her face covered by
her scarf and the hood that covered her head. “Our spy tells us
that the papers are located in a Witch's house in the small town near
Thief's cave. We,” The man said as he looked around the room at
the other council members, “want you and your partner to retrieve
the papers at all cost. We can not have that information falling
into Damian's hands. He is growing more powerful by the day. It
will only be a matter of time before our secret is found out, but we
will try to conceal it from him a little longer.” The council
looked down at the woman and nodded their agreement. “Go and be
careful.” The woman nodded her head and left the room.
---
Falon
sat with her back to the far wall and scanned the bar. For what
seemed like the hundredth time in mere minutes she tied her hair back
at the nap of her neck. Falon sighed in frustration as a piece of
hair worked its way out of her tie. “Come on Ariana.” She said
under her breath waiting for her friend to show up. They had a job
to do and she really wanted to get it over with. Falon scanned the
room again and a small smile played at the corner of her lips as a
blond haired woman came walking towards her, “It's about time.”
Falon said as she used her foot to shove a chair towards her friend.
“Sorry,
I'm running a tad late.” Ariana said as she looked at her friend.
She frowned when she saw the dark circles under Falon’s eyes.
Ariana shook her head as she took in Falon's disheveled appearance.
Her red hair like normal was pulled back, but her clothes and eyes
said that she had been on a long journey. “You haven't been
sleeping well?”
“No.”
she rubbed her face with her hands, “Listen how about we get
something in us, go do this job, then go home for a while.”
Ariana
gave her friend a small smile, “That sounds nice.” She said as
she waved over the bar keep. He smiled at them as he came over,
“Hello, James.”
“Red,”
He said nodding towards Falon, “Goldy” He said as he looked at
Ariana. The girls smiled as they looked at the man. They had known
him for about three years now and every time they came in here he
called them Red and Goldy. “So the usual.”
“That
would do nicely.” Ariana said being her charming self. “How was
the council meeting?”
Falon
looked at James and nodded so that he would leave. “It went.”
She said as she rubbed the back of her neck. “We are to steal the
papers back at all cost.”
“Yes,
I know.” Ariana said as she looked over at her friend.
“If
you knew why did you ask?” Falon asked with a smirk.
“Conversation.”
She looked over at Falon and noticed that her friend had grown stiff
and she watched as suddenly Falon pulled her hood of her cloak up.
She also watched as Falon covered her face with a scarf making only
her brown eyes visible. Ariana looked into her friend's eyes and
knew that trouble was brewing. She slowly pulled her hood up as well
hiding her from whatever enemy Falon was seeing. “What is the
trouble, my friend?” She asked not turning to look where Falon's
eyes were looking.
“Fae
bounty hunters.” Falon said as she looked around the room for an
escape. She knew that the odds of them being there for them wasn't
good, but she didn't want to take a chance. Not with them being this
close to their prize. “We must leave.” She said as she touched
her friend's hand.
At
Falon's touch Ariana was pulled into a vision. A vision that took
her breath away. “We can't.” Ariana said with a desperation to
her voice.
“Don't
do this, Ariana. Don't.” Falon said pointing her finger in
Ariana's face. She knew the look on her friend's face. Falon sighed
as she saw the stubborn set of her friend's jaw. There would be no
talking Ariana out of whatever had entered her head.
“We
must stay.” Ariana said with a worried expression on her face. “We
must save them.”
Falon
looked at her friend in shock, “No, absolutely not. I will not risk
my neck and our job,” Falon said stressing the last part, “for
some Fae bounty hunters.” Falon crossed her arms in front of her
chest and stared down her friend.
“They
are very important to the future. Our future. We must help them.”
Ariana glanced over her shoulder and saw the two tall men that had
grabbed Falon's attention. If her vision was correct they had very
little time before those two ended up dead, “Falon, trust me.”
Falon
rubbed her face with her hand and sighed deeply, “Of all the
Witches for me to make friends with it had to be you. A bloody
seer.” Falon looked at Ariana and gave her a small smile. “I do
trust you, so what do I need to do.”
“You
take the dark hair Fae and knock him to the ground. If not then that
Witch over in the corner is going to kill him.” Ariana said jerking
her head towards the Witch that Falon had noticed earlier. She knew
by the way him and his three friends looked that they were up to no
good.
“Right,
now just so we get this straight. We are going to interfere with a
Witch and Fae dispute which will put us in the middle.” Falon
pinched the bridge of her nose, “You are going to get me killed by
the end of the night.”
“No,
it is not your time. Everything will be fine.” Ariana said with a
smile.
“Why
do I not find that comforting? Oh I remember because your visions
have a habit of not being completely clear. Bloody seer.” Falon
said glaring at her friend. She then looked at the two men, “Ariana,
they both have dark hair.” She said as she raised her voice in
annoyances. How was she suppose to know which one to save if they
both had dark hair?
“The
one with the longer dark hair. I believe his Fae mark is red. The
others is silver.” Ariana said as she looked at the tattoo on the
side of the two men's neck. Every Fae was born with a mark on the
side of their necks so that everyone else knew what they were. Just
like every Witch was born with silver or gold eyes.
“Great
I get the mean looking one. You know this is probably going to end
badly?” Falon said in a desperate sounding voice. Every time
Ariana had a vision she ended up injured in some way. She was really
not looking forward to this.
“Stop
being so negative.” Ariana said as she looked at her friend. “Just
get ready. I promise they are really important.”
“Very
well. I am trusting you my friend, but if it comes down to us or
them. I choose us.” Falon then got ready to move on her friend's
signal.
---
As
Aidan entered the bar his eyes scanned the crowd. Him and Cale had
been hunting a Witch and they had finally cornered him. “This is a
bad idea, Aidan.” Cale said as he looked around the room.
“We
are just going to get him and get out.” Aidan said his voice calm
and sure as always.
“Yeah
and the fact that we are in a Witch town, in a Witch bar is not going
to be a problem.” He said sarcastically, “This is a suicide
mission my friend.” Cale said looking over at his best friend and
leader. Aidan had black hair that came to his shoulders, green eyes,
and a red mark on his neck. He was tall, but not as tall as Cale.
He wasn't as built as Cale either, but he was meaner. He also looked
exhausted.
“That
is a mere technicality, not a problem and this is not a suicide
mission.” Aidan looked at Cale. Cale had short dark hair, blue
eyes and was taller and bigger than Aidan, but Cale was not near as
mean. Aidan also was much older and had live through to much to be
soft. “Have you lost your nerve for this job already?” Aidan
asked with a raised eyebrow and a scoff, “Maybe you should wait
outside.”
Cale
growled at him through clenched teeth, “Do not push my patience.
Besides I am not the one that looks like the walking dead. When was
the last time you got a good night's sleep.”
“I
can't seem to get the dreams to lessen. I have always had them, but
lately they have gotten stronger.” Aidan closed his eyes as he
thought about the beautiful voice and presence that haunted his
dreams. He never saw the woman's face, but he felt her. She was a
beautiful lie to believe in. Aidan knew that she wasn't real, that
he would never met her, but it was still nice to think about her.
“Maybe
you are getting close to meeting her. You are old. Most Fae have
met their mates by your age.” Cale said jokingly.
“No,
my mate died years ago. This is just fates way of torturing me.”
Aidan gave him a ghost of a smile then scanned the room again. He
needed to get focused and get his mind off of the woman that had
haunted him for a thousand years. The woman he would never know.
Aidan's small smile faded as he saw two hooded figures in the corner.
It was never a good sign for someone to not want to be seen. He was
thinking about after they finished their job finding out who the two
were. As Aidan was turning his head back towards the other people in
the bar his eyes caught the Witch they were after. As he stared the
man down the man's face grew smug and it was then that Aidan realized
that Cale had been right. This was a suicide mission. Man he really
needed to get some sleep if he was making foolish mistakes like this.
---
Falon
watched the Fae she was suppose to help closely and even from this
distance she could see how attractive he was. She shook her head to
get it focused and to get rid of the feelings that were entering her.
Something about this Fae was different. It was as if she was being
drawn to him. It was like fate was pulling them together, twisting
their lives together by just being in the same room. Falon's eyes
narrowed as she thought about fate. Fate was stupid. She thought to
herself before she focused once again. Falon waited until the last
possible moment to act. She hurried over to the Fae and knock him to
the ground. As she knocked him to the floor she felt the bolt that
the Witch had sent go over her head. The heat of the blast
penetrating her cloak. That was really close, to close.
Aidan
was stunned by the hooded figure knocking him to the ground. Before
he could think his body acted pushing the stranger away and slashing
at him with his knife. Instincts taking over.
Falon
felt the knife slice across her side as the Fae she had saved fought
against her. She rolled away enough to avoid getting cut a second
time. Man it hurt like crazy. See this is what she got for doing
what Ariana asked her to do. She thought as she felt the blood begin
to run down her body. That was definitely going to leave a mark.
Aidan
looked over at the hooded figure and was about to attack again when
he looked behind him. He stood there for a moment in shock as he saw
the hole in the wall behind where he had been standing. If the
hooded figure hadn't of knocked him down he would be dead right now.
How could his senses have been that off? Not only had he not been
prepared for an attack, but he had also hurt the one person who had
saved him. Suddenly all the anger that Aidan had been feeling turned
to guilt as he looked down and saw the blood on the blade of his
knife.
Falon
turned around and saw the realization of the situation dawn in the
Fae's eyes. Good, the stupid idiot finally realized she was a good
guy. She shook her head to clear it from the pain that was coursing
through her side and slowly she stood up. Once up Falon looked
around for Ariana hoping that she was having a better time than she
was. As her eyes fell on her friend and the other Fae she was
confused by the look on his face. He looked as if he was not only in
shock, but also in awe of Ariana who was on top of him. Falon shook
her head not understanding what all that was about and really not
caring. All she wanted to do was get her friend out of here and let
these Fae handle their own problems. Falon looked around the room to
find the Witches that were causing so much problems. As she looked
her eyes fell on a particular Witch that was aiming at her friend.
Panic filled her as the Witch aimed at Ariana and the other Fae.
Falon was trying to get her feet moving so she could help her friend,
but in her mind she knew that she was to far away to help. As she
watched the Fae rolled Ariana to her back and covered her with a
shield ultimately protecting her from danger. Falon was about to
handle that Witch when she was suddenly knocked to the ground onto
her stomach. The force of the fall knocking the breath out of her.
“Stay down.” The Fae she had saved yelled as the Witch that had
attacked them sent another burst of power at them. This was really
getting old. She thought as her mind cleared from the pain and her
breathing went back to normal.
Aidan
put up a shield around him and the hooded figure as the Witch sent a
blast of power at them. He mumbled under his breath as the stupid
Human under him tried to move again, “I said stay down.” He said
through gritted teeth. What was his problem? Did he want to get
himself killed?
“I
heard you the first time.” Falon said as she moved her hand to her
bag that was draped across her shoulder under her cloak. Once her
hand found the device she was looking for she brought it out and slid
it across the floor so that it was at the feet of the two Witches
that were attacking them. Falon smiled as the Witches looked down in
shock. Falon said the incantation to get the device to work. She
then watched as the device exploded knocking the two unconscious.
“Please get off of me.”
Aidan
was in shock as a woman's voice came out from under the hood. He was
also shocked when he looked over his shoulder and saw the two Witches
unconscious. He had thought for sure that she was just a Human, but
now he wasn't quite certain. Aidan quickly got off of the figure,
then jerked the figure around until he or she was looking at him.
There was no way that it was a woman. He couldn't have been saved by
a mere woman, especially a Human woman. Aidan frowned as he jerked
down the scarf that covered the figures face. His breath caught in
his throat as he stared down at a beautiful woman. As he looked in
her eyes and saw the brown color to them he knew that this woman was
also Human. Great, a Human and woman had saved him. How
embarrassing. “You're a woman.” Aidan said his voice giving away
his shock. This could not be happening.
“You
are very perceptive.” Falon said sarcastically as she pushed him
away from her. As Falon turned around she was faced with two more
Witches, “Really? Do you two not have anything better to do?”
Falon asked with an annoyed tone of voice. This was getting
ridiculous. All she had wanted when she entered the bar tonight was
to get a good meal then head out to work. Instead of that she was
bleeding, in pain, and about to face off with two Witches. Why she
couldn't have a friend who didn't see the future she would never
know? She would blame fate yet again for making her life more
complicated.
Aidan
stood next to the woman and tried to shove her behind his back, “Are
you insane?” He asked as he looked around the room. Not only were
there two Witches in front of them, but now Cale had two in front of
him and the blond haired woman. Aidan frowned as he realized that
Cale's savior had been a woman as well. He looked over his shoulder
to get a better look at his savior, but most of her was still
concealed by her cloak and hood. Why couldn't of her hood fallen down
like the other woman's.
“I
am not insane, nor am I the one not paying attention.” Falon said
as she noticed that the Fae was looking at her instead of the Witches
that were sneering at them. “Move!” She yelled shoving the Fae.
As she shoved him away she grabbed two more devices out of her bag
and threw one at the Witches coming towards them and the other at the
one that was about to attack Ariana and the other Fae. After a quick
incantation the devices released a gas making the men fall to the
ground asleep. Once the guards were out Falon looked over at Ariana
and scoffed as she saw that her friend had been shoved behind the
Fae's back. “Your friend should have let my friend handle the
problem and I wouldn't have had to interfere.” Falon said with a
little bit of annoyance to her voice.
“He
was just protecting her. Most Humans need protection.” Aidan said
as he looked down at the woman.
“She
is a Witch not a Human and we don't need help. Nor do we want it.”
Falon said as she glared at the Fae. Aidan shook his head then they
both walked over to their friends. Falon took Ariana off to the side
away from the two Fae. “We must go. Now.” Falon said her voice
full of authority and anger. Ariana looked at Falon with a sadness
in her eyes that Falon had never seen. “Don't. Whatever it is just
don't. We have a job to do.” Falon said through clenched teeth as
she tried to push the pain aside. Her side was really hurting and it
was all because of that...that Fae.
“I
can't leave him.” Ariana said as she looked over her shoulder and
saw the two Fae talking. “He's my mate.” She said her voice
sounding weak and helpless. “Please, Falon. Please.” Ariana said
her voice sounding desperate.
Falon
rubbed her temples with her fingers, “Ariana, we don't have time
for this.” She then looked up and her eyes met her friend's eyes.
Falon sighed deeply as she saw the hurt in them. “Fine when we
finish our job we will find them, but we have to leave right now.”
Ariana's
shoulders sagged, “But what if we can't find them.”
Falon
glared at Ariana, “Have I ever said something that I did not mean?
Have I ever broken a promise to you?” She asked as she grabbed
Ariana's shoulders so that her friend was looking straight at her.
“No.”
“Then
trust me. I promise we will find him. Now Come on.” Falon said as
she headed out of the bar. She smirked as they left the bar without
the Fae noticing. Those two were some of the most unobservant Fae
bounty hunters she had ever seen. Falon shook her head to clear it.
She had a job to do and she needed to be focused.
---
“We
need to go.” Aidan said as he looked at his friend keeping his eyes
off of the two woman talking to the side. Especially the one who had
saved him. Why he was feeling drawn to her he would never know. So
far she had shown that she was stubborn, sarcastic, and annoying.
She was definitely not the type of woman he liked to be around. So
why was he being drawn to her? Aidan shook his head and tried to
focus on what his friend was saying.
“I
can't leave her, Aidan.” Cale said with a desperation to his voice
that neither of them had ever heard before. He knew that Aidan would
see it as a weakness, but he didn't care. The very idea of leaving
his mate made his heart quicken and his chest tighten. He couldn't
believe that he had finally found his mate. Cale closed his eyes in
frustration at not only the fact that he had found his mate, but also
at the fact that his mate was a Witch. Why couldn't his mate of been
a Fae. Cale shook his head. It didn't matter she was his mate and
no matter what she was she was his.
“We
aren't taking them with us. We have enough to worry about without
worrying about two women. What has gotten into you?” Aidan asked as
he looked at his friend oddly. It was not like Cale to be this
emotional about something. Cale was a joker, but he was not one to
get upset or well frantic. It was just odd.
“She's
my mate, Aidan. I won't leave her.” Cale said as he grabbed
Aidan's arms and shook him. Aidan was taken back by the fierceness of
Cale's voice. Cale quickly let go of his friend's arms and ran his
hand through his short brown hair. “Besides it looks like they can
take care of themselves. Listen I know it's crazy, but I can't leave
her.”
“Cale,
she is a Witch.” Aidan said with a sound of disgust to his voice.
It wasn't like he didn't like the Witches, but it was not very often
that the groups joined together. It was even rarer for a Fae and
Witch to be mates. Aidan shook his head at how this night had
completely gone crazy. Fate, Aidan thought with a scoff.
“I
know she is, but it doesn't change the fact that she is my mate.
Aidan, I have been waiting for her and I can't lose her now that I've
found her. For some reason fate has decided that I am meant to be
with a Witch so I will deal with that, but I will not deal with
losing her.” Cale said as he looked at his friend.
Aidan
pinched the bridge of his nose as he contemplated all the things that
could and probably would go wrong with bringing those women with
them. “Fine, but you are responsible for them. If they cause
trouble or get in trouble it is on you. Not me. Is that clear?”
Cale's
face broke out in a huge smile, “Very.”
Aidan
watched as he friend turned quickly around. Aidan followed his
friend's example and looked around the bar. He guessed he was going
to have to be sociable if the women were going to be with them all
the time now. Great he was going to get to spend more time with
little miss sarcastic. As Aidan focused on his surroundings he
noticed that the women were gone. He watched as Cale hurried
outside. Aidan hurried after him and as he came out into the night
he realized that the women were no where in sight. “Where did they
go?!” Cale asked in a panic.
Aidan
sighed deeply, “I do not know, but we will find them.” He said as
he placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. He knew that Cale had
always kept himself open for his mate which made finding her easier,
but it also made him more sensitive about her. Aidan had always kept
himself closed off, protected. Especially after finding out that he
would never know his mate. After that he just didn't keep himself
open to anything or anyone. What was the point. Aidan had learned
long ago that you never lose control of your emotions and you
definitely never let them control you. Aidan shook his head then
shoved Cale down the alley. “Let's go find your mate and miss
sarcastic.”
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