Under the Burning Stars (17 page)

Amanda’s jaw dropped
.

Valerie narrowed her eyes. “I wasn’t talking to
you
.” She turned to Peter. “Do you know who you’re dancing with, Peter? She’s a killer. Just like the rest of them. You and Seth joined their cult under their spell. You went missing and then suddenly you’re with
her
. And then you act like you don’t even know us.”

Ava was a little surprised that he hadn’t talked to them at all
in the past few months, but her mind circled around the name ‘killer.’ Valerie didn’t know how right she was. Ava wanted to leave.

“
None of them were responsible for the bombing, okay?” Peter said. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around. There’s just a lot going on.”

“Yeah. It’s
her
,” she spat, glancing at Ava. “What did she do to you? Bewitch you just like Xavier did with Seth?”

This was really getting old.

Peter sighed. “No, she didn’t bewitch me.”

“Whatever
. She even has you wearing that stupid necklace like hers. I knew she would do this. She’s manipulating you.”

Ava tightened her fists.
“Why don’t you leave him alone? Go find some other obsession.”

She glared. “Why don’t you stop messing with him and go fly a broom
?”

“
Stop,” Peter said. “I’m sorry you can’t be happy for me, but you don’t have a hold over me, you know?”

Valerie’s face twisted in incredulity. “
Hold
over you? You only wish. She’s the one with the hold over you. She took you away from your friends and completely changed you. Now you and Seth act like you’re better than us.”

“
No we don’t.”

She
shook her head. “You don’t see it, but she’s controlling you like some puppet. Like Xavier did with Seth.”

“Valerie,
” Peter yelled. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“
She’s bad luck. Her mother died. Her father almost died. Don’t you see what will happen to you if you stay? You’ll end up dead.”

Valerie’s
malicious words ripped through Ava. Her amulet grew warm under her dress and she knew it glowed. She shouldn’t have cared what they said. They had no idea what was going on.

But Ava didn’t care. She only felt the hurt that Valerie spewed from her mouth.
The anger swallowed her. Ava clenched her hand into a fist and drove it into Valerie’s face.

Valerie
moaned and fell to her knees. Amanda shrieked. Ava vaguely heard the ooh’s of the audience that had collected.

Peter
kneeled beside Valerie. “Are you okay?”

Blood trailed down from her nose.
“What the hell, you psycho.”

Peter quickly untied his tie and
pressed it to her nose. “What is wrong with you?” he asked Ava.

Ava’s heart faltered. She
couldn’t believe she just did that, but it angered and hurt her that Peter worried over Valerie. Had he not heard what she said?

“I think she broke
it,” Valerie said.

Peter lifted her and placed her arm around his neck. “Come on. I’ll take you to the hospital.” He reached in his
pocket, took out his keys, and handed them to Ava. “Take my car home. I’ll be there soon.”

“Is this necessary?” she asked.

Peter threw her an annoyed look and then left.

She gripped the keys in her hand. Their teeth dug into her skin.
Several people stared at her standing alone. Their looks of disgust and fear forced Ava to leave. She stormed outside, welcoming the cold wind. The full moon gave plenty of light for her to find his car.

She couldn’t believe how quickly the evening
had changed. And she couldn’t believe that Peter actually took Valerie to the hospital and tended to her at all. Ava hadn’t broken her nose. She barely even hit her. Besides, she had said that Peter would die if he stayed with Ava. Had he somewhat believed that?

She wanted to get out of there for fear of injuring yet another
Ephemeral, even though the energy that pulsed through her veins begged to break free. What
was
wrong with her? Her instincts told her she had Cimmerian blood, given everything she had recently committed. She wasn’t good. Did she really belong with Savina?

“Hey, where are you going?” Melissa’s voice shouted.

Ava didn’t slow down. “I’m getting out of here.”

“What happened?”

“I punched Valerie Hammond in the face.” She reached Peter’s car, jerked the door open, and plopped in the seat.

Melissa opened the passenger side and slid in. “I’m coming with you.”

“What about Lance?”

“
He’ll be fine. I can tell you need someone to talk to.”

Ava
started the engine, and then drove away. She really didn’t want to go to the Manor, but she wasn’t about to go anywhere else in this ridiculous outfit.

“Spill it,” Melissa said. “And slow down.”

She rolled her eyes, but let off the gas just a little, and then explained everything that had happened.

“Peter took her to the hospital. How hard did you hit her?”

“Not hard. She’s in love with him and this is just one of her tactics to get with him.”

“So weird. I mean, one minute you two were about to set that gym on fire and then the next you’re angry. You shouldn’t have hit her though.”

“I really don’t want to hear that right now.”

“You know I’m right.
I mean remember when Thomas pummeled Peter. We cannot hurt the Ephemerals. Even if sometimes they deserve it.”

That stung.
“Melissa,” Ava cried.

“Crap. Sorry. That was stupid. I just meant…maybe we should lay low for a while. You haven’t told Peter what really happened that night, have you?”

“No. There’s no way. He wouldn’t understand. I secretly think he still wants to be one. Seth does.”

“You need to tell him, Ava.”

Ava gripped the steering wheel harder. “Melissa, not now.”

“One day it’s going to come out and it won’t be pretty. Peter loves you and will understand.”

“I don’t know, Mel. My mind has been crazy the past few months. And it’s only gotten worse with what I did.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I keep thinking—.” Something cold grazed against her neck and she shivered. She swatted at it. That was weird. The cold was centralized around her neck.

“What’s wrong
? Is there a bug?”

“I don’t know. I just—.”
There it was again. Little drops of ice pressed into her skin. Then, full lines of ice. What was that? Just as she tried to swat at it again, it squeezed tightly, cutting off her breath. She grabbed her neck and felt fingers. She glanced in the rear view mirror but nothing was there.

“Ava,” Melissa shouted.

Ava hit the brakes, but her foot slipped. The icy grip jerked her body against the seat.

Then, she didn’t see the road or steering
wheel or feel the seat or hear Melissa’s screams. Everything went dark. She saw dark eyes. Black hair. Pale skin. A sinister grin. Corbin. Next to him was a woman with red hair and gray eyes.

Ava’s breath hitched
.

Her mother stood next to Corbin with a proud smile on her face. There was someone kneeling before them with long blond hair.

Water trickled from her mother’s hand forming into an icicle, and then she stabbed the woman in the chest.

A loud crash sounded and glass exploded in Ava’s face. Her body lunged forward, and then she felt weightless. The car settled and Ava hung upside down by the seatbelt.

Everything went quiet. Her head pounded, and she felt something trickle down her face. A sharp pain stabbed her in the ribs, making it difficult to breathe. The visions were getting worse and now she had just wrecked Peter’s car.

“Mel,” she choked, and slowly turned her head. Melissa’s eyes
were closed and her body was limp. “Melissa!” She was just unconscious. Ava refused to think otherwise.

She
had to get them out of there. Bracing her body with one hand on the roof of the car, her other hand jerked the seatbelt and broke it. She fell and let out a cry.

Ava
slowly crawled through the broken window of the door, cutting her hands on the glass, and looked around. She was in the middle of nowhere and had no idea where her phone landed. Her body shook uncontrollably and she tried to remain calm.

She rolled onto her back and pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her leg throbbed and rested in an unnatural position.
The car had landed upside down and blood had splattered all in the interior. There was a clump of blond hair near the backseat of the car. Ava crawled closer, wanting to know who it belonged to. She brushed aside the hair. Trudy McVaine.

Her breath hitched
. How had she gotten in the car? Ava realized it must have been her invisible hands choking her. She didn’t know if Trudy was dead or alive and she was in no shape to fight an invisible woman. Melissa had to be saved. But there were so many questions Ava wanted to ask Trudy, even though she was sure Trudy wouldn’t answer them.

She couldn’t stand so she started crawling toward the other side of the car to Melissa. Every breath was a struggle, but they had to get out of there. Ava wished she could call Gabriel.

As she neared the rear end of the car, she heard glass shatter. Ava lowered herself to look through the windows and saw black boots and large hands drag Melissa’s limp body through the broken glass.

“Mel.” Ava
heaved herself onto her one good leg, and supported most of her weight on the car. A man with whitish blond hair and strong features stood upright, his hands up in surrender.

“I’m only trying to help,” he said.

Where had he come from? There weren’t any houses or cars nearby. It was just thick woods. “Where did you come from?”

“A couple of friends and I were camping out just up the hill and I heard a crash.”

But when she looked up the hill, there was no sign of a campfire or any sound whatsoever.

“
Who are you?” she asked.

“She needs to get to the hospital soon.” His dark eyes roved over Ava. “And you should, too.”

“I have help coming,” she lied. “But thanks.” She didn’t trust this guy at all. It was as if he appeared out of nowhere. Was he an Enchanter? Did he have some sort of invisibility power like Trudy?

“Come on. Let me help you.” He hoisted Melissa onto his shoulder.

Ava stiffened, poised for attack. “Put her down.”

A devil smile spread on his thin lips. “I’m helping you.”

Water snaked its way down her arms and collected at her hands. “Leave her alone.”

“You should just come with me. I can give you the help you need.”

Ava raised her hands and shot a powerful stream of water at him. He fell back and dropped Melissa. She wanted to rush to Melissa, but she couldn’t walk. “Who are you?”

The man got to his feet, anger flushed on his face. “Someone who’s about to teach you a lesson. Where do you come off hurting someone who is assisting you?” He moved closer and she shot him again. He dodged and tackled her to the ground. She fell back hard, and with his weight on her,
a piercing pain shot throughout her body.

Ava cried out.

He pinned her arms above her head.

She squirmed and pushed against him, ignoring the intense
ache in her ribs. He lifted her slightly and then slammed her to the ground. Everything around her whirled.

“Would you listen to me?” he
yelled, his dark eyes held hers. “I’m trying to save you from them. You and your friends belong with us, Ava.”

She stopped
struggling. “Who?”

“Havok.”

Her blood turned cold at the name. Devon had mentioned him, but Ava thought it was him using the name and talking about himself in the third person.

“It’s your destiny,” he said. “An
d deep down you know it’s true.”

Her stomach dropped and suddenly she felt hollow inside. It wasn’t true. She was determined.
She was not a Cimmerian. Her mother wasn’t a Cimmerian. Ava was good. No matter what she had done. But she didn’t know if this guy knew what had happened. Had he been following her like Trudy had?

“I can see you’re thinking about it. This is who you are, Ava.” He leaned down. “Just like your mother,” he whispered.

Ava ground her teeth together. She kneed him where it counted and he rolled off her with a groan. She pinned him down and imagined him drowning. He coughed and choked until he fell silent. His eyes stared into the dark night.

She twisted around and saw that Trudy was gone. Fear gripped her insides and froze her heartbeat.
Had she taken Melissa? Were there others coming for them? Was Trudy going to attack? She closed her eyes and listened for anything.