Page 41 of Brave Spirit (Bound Spirit #6)
“Mom, Donovan is right. You taught me how to fight demons.” There’s no anger or frustration in my voice, just a calm determination brought forth from a certainty that this is the life meant for me.
“You taught me that there is no difference between light and dark nephilim other than the color of their wings. It’s time that at least one of us starts doing our part with the dangerous work.
I can fight demons just as well as Donovan. ”
“Debatable,” Donovan mutters, but I ignore him.
“Why should I be privileged with the opportunity of a long life while Donovan stares at a ticking clock where each battle might be his last?” I lift a tired hand to hold my mother’s, my fingers pressing into her palm.
“I can’t live with myself knowing I have the ability to fight, that my blade could make the difference in whether or not a person lives another day, and choose to squander it. ”
My mother squeezes my fingers. “Kaleb, the concilium will never allow it.”
“Then it will be up to them to stop me, and they’ll have to justify to the rest of our people why helping the souls who died at the hands of demons are less worthy than the ones who die on my future operating table,” I state matter-of-factly as I slowly get to my feet.
“But that’s not—” My father starts is cut off by Donovan.
“But he will be,” he says, groaning as he also works to get to his feet. “It’s not like Kaleb is just going to leave the ghosts sitting around waiting for someone else to find them.”
Both my parents stand up, their mouths full of counterarguments and placations to take time before making life-changing decisions when in shock, but Mildred briskly interrupts.
“Where’s Callie?” she asks, worry filling her eyes. “I can’t find her anywhere.”
“She never came inside,” Donovan answers, clearly uncomfortable under Mildred’s powerful gaze.
“James never showed up to the dance, so we think she went to find him.” He grimaces when he takes a deep breath.
“Connor and Nolan went after her, and I’m pretty sure Connor’s wolf is part bloodhound, so I doubt she’s alone. ”
“She’s safe at our home,” Nolan’s mother, Lillian, announces while her husband paces back and forth on the phone. “Apparently, there was some altercation. Nolan didn’t specify, but Callie is with him at our home.”
“Good, good,” Mildred mutters on a deep exhale. She looks at the scene around her, and it’s obvious she’s torn between wanting to go to her granddaughter and knowing she’s needed here.
It’s up to the witches to clean up the mess, heal the injured, and weave a new set of memories for the humans that don’t involve demons or the rest of the supernatural world.
Normally, I don’t like the rule that humans have to have their memories wiped if they ever find out about us, but in this instance, it’s probably a blessing.
Their memories will have to be sad ones to give possible explanations for the loss of life, but they won’t be burdened with the visceral horror of what can await them in the afterlife.
Lillian rests a gentle hand on Mildred’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll look after Callie while you manage all this. My mother will stay here and help.”
“Thank you for volunteering me, daughter, as if I’m a child who had some hand in this mess,” Dalia calls out as she wipes the blood off her blade with a handkerchief from her pocket.
Lillian sighs and replies, “Mother, you’re a doctor. People are injured. It should be obvious that you would stay and help.” Ignoring Dalia’s grumbling, she continues in a gentle voice. “As I was saying, Robert and I will return home and watch over her.”
“I’m coming too,” Donovan volunteers, gingerly picking his blades up from the ground and wiping the blood off on his ruined shirt before sliding them back into their sheaths hidden within his boots. He hands the enchanted dagger back to me, and I slip it under my belt at the base of my spine.
“Take Mischief with you,” Mildred suggests as the flaming lion is engulfed in a magical, swirling smoke before it reveals an oversized house cat in its place. “It will be better for him to be near her.”
“Any word on Connor or James?” I ask, trying to take comfort in the fact that Callie didn’t blow up the town, so it’s unlikely they are dead.
“I didn’t know to ask,” Lillian answers with a furrowed brow, and then she motions to Robert. “He’s on the phone with Nolan. You can see if he knows.”
Leaving my parents to digest all that’s going on, I stride over to Nolan’s father, gritting my teeth against the aches and pains littering my body. Holding out my hand, I ask without preamble, “May I talk to Nolan?”
Robert nods, looking at me with relief and compassion. Over the phone, he says, “Son, Kaleb is here and wants to talk to you.” He hands the phone to me with the gentle words, “I’m glad to see you’re okay.”
“Thanks, sir,” I reply automatically and walk away before he can kindly insist I call him Rob.
“Hey, is everyone okay there?” Nolan asks in my ear, anxiety drenching his words. “My dad said it was, but I’m pretty sure he’d say anything to keep me from freaking out. I’m sorry I left, but…”
“Callie needed you. I understand.” I cup my hand around the bottom of the cell phone, hoping to deaden any of my words from reaching the more sensitive ears in the room.
“Donovan and I are fine.” I look out at the crowd of survivors being triaged into those with serious injuries and those who escaped with only minor bruises and cuts.
“Mei and Rand are okay too, though it appears Rand isn’t taking the fact that Mei got hurt well.
She’s having to console him while one of the coven witches heals her. ”
There are sounds of sloshing water as Nolan repeats what I said to who I assume must be Callie. The fact that I don’t hear a response concerns me, but I have to trust that Nolan and Donovan will be able to care for her while I figure out what happened with Connor and Felix.
I close my eyes and brace myself for bad news. “Nolan, do you know what happened to Connor and James?”
He hesitates before answering. “Connor took him to the pack. They are alive, but I don’t know anything beyond that. Connor can’t answer his phone because it’s currently in his pants, which he left in my car.”
“What happened?” I ask, fighting to keep my voice low as my concern intensifies.
“I can’t explain right now,” he responds over what sounds like weeping. “Callie needs me. Please go check on them if you can. Tell Connor that Callie is going to be okay.”
Without saying more, Nolan hangs up, and I’m stuck with a foreboding feeling.
There’s only one reason Connor would take Felix to pack land—something happened that was so bad, Connor felt like there was no other choice but to turn Felix into a shifter.
My stomach sinks with fear that as bad as it was fighting demons, something far more heinous happened tonight.