Fighting Destiny (Central Coven) (8 page)

I walked over to Anita, who now looked like my twin and she smiled.  “Cool!” she squealed with excitement.  I turned to Finn and spoke in a voice that was still my own.  “Not a prank.  I know the world is different than you thought it was, but you still have a place in it.  Maybe even a bigger role than you ever dreamed for yourself.”  Finn turned to Dean and asked, “You aren’t going to turn into a cougar now are you?”  Dean laughed.  “No, I don’t think you guys want to see me take my clothes off.”

“I think I need to sit down,” Finn said.  Outside clouds began to gather, marring the perfectly clear sky from moments before.  I shook off the glamour, and went back to looking like myself.  I guess I had no choice but to press on.  “I don’t know how to do this.  To tell you gently so I won’t rip the ground out from under you.  You wanted to know what my mother said, right?” Finn nodded yes.  “Alright, here it goes, your parents are elves, very powerful elves actually.  That makes you an elf as well.”  “Really?  I thought it made me a dog.  Sorry, this is all too much,” Finn said, and let his head drop into his hands.

I took a deep breath, and continued.  “I know, and I am sorry for that.  I am even more sorry because there is more I have to tell you.  It sounds like your parents might have been taken.” Finn’s head shot up, “Was there a ransom note or something?”  I shook my head no, “No she didn’t really say anything, but she seemed worried when I said you hadn’t heard from them.  I could tell there is something bad going on, because she said there were others that have lost touch recently too. I asked my mother to search for them;
right now
she is the strongest witch alive, and the best one to search for them.  I know you might not feel like doing me any favors, but I have to ask you to do something for me. Please, don’t go running off by yourself.  I have been doing some research, and nothing I have found looks good.”

Anita cleared her throat, “What research?  When did you figure all of this out?” “I have been studying during my long break between classes each day.  Look, there wasn’t anything to mention.  I started just trying to get caught up on my supernatural history, and find anything that would motivate vampires to openly challenge us.  I didn’t know supernaturals were missing too.  This has happened before according to the histories, but only when one group is trying to start a war.

Your parents are very powerful elves and it makes them a threat.  My mother mentioned others missing too, my guess would be other powerful members of the
Council
.  Elves are extremely powerful supernatural beings already, so the most powerful elves are quite formidable.  The vampires, and their allies would try to remove their biggest threats while they had the element of surprise.  I hope you know it isn’t always war and blood in our world, but between human’s prejudice and power-mad members of the supernatural world it is always best to watch your back. Anything you need, we are here.  Anita, Dean and I have been learning to deal with this for a year.”

Finn threw his hands in the air, “Anita too?  What are you a fairy?”  Anita laughed, “Nothing quite so cute.  I’m half-vampire.”  “So I’m an elf, Chloë is a witch, Dean turns into a cougar, and Anita is a half-vampire.  Did you drug me?”

I raised my eyebrow in disbelief.  Finn’s lips began to quirk in his sexy half smile. “No, I know this is real. Please, don’t turn yourself into Dean now.  That would ruin some of my favorite dreams.”  I playfully punched him in the shoulder.

“Seriously, can you handle this?” I asked.  “Do I have a choice?” Finn responded.  “No, you can’t change who you are.  You can choose not to be friends with a witch, a shifter, and a half-vamp, but you aren’t human, you never were, and never will be.  You are immortal, like we are.  No one else will understand, except for us.”

Finn reached out and gently stroked my chin, “I really do appreciate you explaining all of this to me.  I’m not trying to be anti-social, but I think I need a little bit of time to myself.”  “Understandable.  I will be here when you need me.  We all will be,” I said, and we left the room. 

The three of us headed next door. “I have lots of questions, but I think the biggest is: How did four supes end up randomly being assigned as roommates and neighbors?” Dean asked.  Anita scoffed, “It wasn’t random.” “Alright beautiful how did it happen then?” 

“Do you remember my friend Grey?”  “He’s the vampire you told me about right?  The one that rescued you?” Dean asked. “Yeah that one, and apparently saving me is a habit he has found hard to break.” “Why do you say that?” “Well, he broke into the housing office, to make sure we, as in the four of us, were protected when the vampires came after us,” Anita shrugged, faking nonchalance.  “I’m sorry…did you say vampires are coming after us?” 

“I think this is where I fill you in.” I
told Dean about the history of the necromancers and that they were planning to take over the supernatural world using an army of vampires. “It makes sense. They are taking out the strongest of us before we have a chance to combine forces against them,” Dean observed. 

“Of course!  Why hadn’t I thought of that?  That must be why Finn’s parents have disappeared.  My mother said there were others missing as well.  If she is acquainted with them they are probably members of the
Council
.”  “Which means what?” Anita asked.  “Which means they are making sure we won’t have help when they come for us,” Dean stated flatly.

“So these abducted
Council
members are likely the most powerful of their kind.  I get going after them.  But why come after us?” Anita asked, while pacing the small space.  Dean grabbed Anita by her shoulders, “You are making me dizzy woman. Come sit next to me.” Anita sat on her bed next to Dean and snuggled into his side.

“I think,” Dean continued, “they are trying to stop us before we mature to our full power.” “I know I sound like a broken record, but why us?” Anita demanded.  “I’ve heard of your mother Chloë.  If the stories I have heard are true then your father is an original.  Is it true?” Dean asked.  “Yeah, it’s true,” I answered.

“What is an original, and what does it have to do with us?” Anita asked in an increasingly irritably tone.  “It means, Chloë is becoming the strongest being alive,” Dean answered simply.  He waited to see if Anita would comment, and when she didn’t he kept going, “An original is one of the first supernatural beings created.  They were created along with the first humans.  There were a couple dozen of them, but most have gone on to guard the other dimensions.  The few who remained in the world became the parents to our races, through relationships with humans.  There is only one known child of a witch and an original. Chloë.”

“Okay, so someday Chloë might be the strongest being alive,” Anita began. “Except for my father,” I interrupted.  “Right, naturally except for him.  Why now, and why the rest of us?” Anita finished.  “Easy, together we can coordinate and amplify our abilities like a coven can.  Attacking us now, before our powers have matured and while we are still getting to know each other might be their only chance to defeat us,” Dean answered.

Still, something troubled me.  All of the stories I had heard said we were immortal. I don’t just mean we live forever. We do, but we are also indestructible.  How were they planning on immobilizing an indestructible enemy?  I didn’t have an answer for that.  One other question was nagging at me.  Why would a necromancer need to control Alexander to go after Anita, if that is what he wanted already?

“Anita, why do you think Alexander would need to be under a spell?  I mean if he wants to go after you anyway…”  “Right, I get it, he wouldn’t need to be compelled. Hmmm… Well, that is disturbing.  I’ll have to ask Grey,” she said thinking aloud.

Dean wasn’t paying attention to our side conversation, because he was engrossed in talking to his family on the phone. “They are going to join in the search for Finn’s parents.  My cousin, Cooper James has gone missing too.  They think it might be related.  They were preparing to search for him, and now they think if they search for all of them they might have better luck.”

“What does your cousin turn into,” I asked absent-mindedly.  “A bear.  My aunt and uncle adopted him, because he was the last of his kind,” Dean answered, staring out the window.  “And the rest of your family?”  A sense of foreboding was filling me.  “We all turn into big cats.”  I shook my head, trying to make the fragments of ideas fit together.  “So your family, are they the strongest shifters?” I asked.  Dean nodded yes.

“Shit!” Dean exclaimed.  “Why didn’t I see it?  Finn’s parents are the strongest elves, my family is the strongest shifters, Anita is the only half vampire, and well you are also unique.  We were all brought together, each representing the strongest of our races.  Grey established us as a back-up
Council
.”  I nodded in agreement.  It seemed his mind was taking him down the same path mine had led me.

“Do you think he accidentally made us a target while trying to protect us?” I asked.  “Maybe, but I think we were likely already targets. Our families have probably been trying to solve this problem without our knowing about it, but put us together as a last resort.”  “I would love to believe that,” I began, “but this is just the kind of problem my mother would force me to handle alone to see how I deal with it.”

“Do you think there is any chance Vanessa is still alive?” I asked Anita.  She shuddered at a memory, her eyes glowed their odd mixture of bronze and reflective yellow, and her fangs slid out.  She hissed, “No.  She is not safe with Alexander.  He most likely killed her moments after he took her, if she was lucky.” “So there is no hope then?” Dean asked.  “We can only hope to prevent another murder,” Anita said severely.  I nodded my head, I was afraid of that.

“We need to get out in front of this,” Anita advised.  “Yeah, but first we need to figure out for sure what ‘this’ is,” I said.  “I think we should go hunting,” Dean said excited.  “Who are we hunting?” I asked him.  “Vampires,” he grinned broadly. 

“I agree, but finding the vampires won’t be enough.  We need the spells the necromancers have been using to control the vampires. Then I can craft charmed amulets and hide them into their clothing to counteract the spells.”   “What will that do?” Dean asked.  Anita bounced excitedly and started laughing.

“Vampires hate relinquishing control.  When they are released from the spell, they will turn on the necromancers, and finish the fight for us. Of course they will lose, since necromancers are true immortals, but I’m okay with that,” she said with a smile. There is one thing I don’t understand. I thought you said witches didn’t need to use any particular spells.”  “Necromancers exercise their will over other magical beings.  To do so requires specific spells.  That is the exception to what I had explained to you earlier.”

“There is one thing I don’t understand. Immortals, except vampires, are supposed to be invincible.  You said vampires can die because they are a creation of another immortal, but how are they planning on eliminating us as a threat?” Anita asked.  “If we knew, we could use the same information against them,” I replied.  “Hmm…I hadn’t really considered it.  I guess I have been living with humans for so long I forgot about our essential nature.  Although, I have heard of children and young adults being killed in accidents, but I never really thought much of it,” Dean added.

“Are we born immortal, or do we become immortal when we have our full powers?” Anita mused.  “Now that is a good question. I have always taken for granted we were immortal, I never really thought about it.  I certainly don’t want to test it,” I answered.   Dean shrugged, “There has to be someone we can ask, and we will…later.  There isn’t anything we can do to figure it out right now. Anita you need to demand answers from Grey.  It sounds like he knows more than he’s told you.  And Chloë, how do we find the necromancers, or the spells they are using on the vampires?”

“I think a little bird can tell me what we need to know,” I joked. Dean looked at me puzzled, so I explained, “I need to go out into the woods and find my hawk.”  “We should come with you to watch your back while you are in a trance,” Anita advised.  “Hey, I won’t argue with you.  It is getting dark now though, I won’t be able to find her until tomorrow.  I’m not really interested in finding a vampire.” Dean turned to Anita, “Did she say she wants to go talk to a hawk?”  Anita laughed, “See, I told you she was cool with all of this.” 

Dean stood up and headed for the door. “I’m going to go and see how Finn is doing.”  “Yeah, someone should check on him. Anita, do you want to go to the library and get a jump on the reading for history?” “Sure, might as well.  I don’t think Finn is really interesting in seeing us right now.” She turned to Dean and said, “Hey, stop by later and let us know how he is doing, okay?” 

“Is that the only reason you want me to stop by?”  Anita smirked, “Okay, stop by and see
me
later.” “But seriously if you don’t bring news I’ll turn you into a frog,” I threatened.  Dean smirked at me, and nodded.  Anita walked Dean to his door, and he kissed her softly on the lips before going in. 

I was jealous.  I told Finn I’m a witch, and he bailed. Okay, so he hadn’t bailed, but he didn’t turn to me either.  It was more than that though.  I could feel a separation growing between us. Anita and Dean shared their secrets, and their relationship kicked into high gear.  I felt…well…rejected.

“Things seem to be moving along well with the two of you,” I observed.  “They do don’t they,” she smiled.  “How are things going with Finn?” I gave her a puzzled look.  I mean seriously did she forget everything that happened this afternoon? “Uhm, I would say things aren’t great, since I had to tell him he isn’t human.  Kinda ruins the mood don’t you think?”