part0019

The smell of sulfur was just as prevalent as it had been when the shack was on fire, but, within moments, the inside of the house looked pristine, as though a fire had never even touched the place. Drew figured his aunt probably worked her magic and managed to clean everything up with a quick flick of her wrist.

“Boy, we must talk,” Adelaide said as she and the others stepped inside.

Though Kelia had walked in with him, Emma asked her if she would mind helping concoct a quick energy potion. At least this gave him the opportunity to speak with his aunt alone. As much as he trusted Kelia with his life, he did not want her to worry about anything, and whatever Adelaide wanted to speak about, Drew understood it was not going to be a cheery or heart-warming subject matter.

Adelaide and Drew sat in her once-again pristine sitting room while the witches retreated to the potion room with the fireplace.

Adelaide’s legs shook until she finally sat down. It was one of the few occurrences where he was reminded Adelaide was much older than she appeared and even acted.

“Your girl is quick on her feet,” his aunt said.

“Yes,” Drew said with a nod. He was not sure if she needed a response, but he wanted to give her one anyway. He placed his right elbow on the arm of the chair and rested his ankle on his opposite thigh. He was trying to relax, but his heart had been racing since he saw Kelia take that rope and swing herself around.

“She needs to be trained.”

“You’ve already said as much.”

“Well, I’m saying it again,” she said. “I don’t think it’s fully sunk into your thick skull. She swung around to kick that bitch into the earth. It was a ridiculously foolish idea, and it was nothing more than luck that it somehow bloody worked.”

“Are you upset she did such a thing?”

Drew clenched his teeth in order to keep his fangs from extracting. He should not care if Kelia risked her life to save everyone. He would have done the same thing if he had been more privy to his surroundings. But his aunt was not wrong. Kelia had acted foolishly. If Wendy had not dropped her shield on Emma in order to raise Kelia, she would be ash.

“You’re pouting like a child who did not get a sweet,” Adelaide said. “Your brow is furrowed so low I’m surprised you can even see. You must agree she acted foolishly."

“You’re goddamn right she did.” Drew shot out of his chair and all but stomped across the room. “She could have gotten herself bloody killed! She has absolutely no regard for her life now that she is a Sea Shadow. She must—”

“Be trained,” Adelaide put in before he could even finish.

“When would you like me to train her, hmm?” He whirled on the heel of his foot so he could face his aunt. “We only spoke about it last night. When would you suggest I train her? Somehow, before Jennifer’s attack?”

“When did you take her life?” Adelaide slowly rose to her feet. Though she was just under Drew’s height, she somehow seemed much taller. Her shoulders were square, her chin was up, her nostrils were flared.

Drew felt himself react the same way he had when he was a boy and she was upset with him, despite the fact he was now an immortal beast who had more than a century of experience.

“Tell me, boy,” she pressed. “When did you change her? Perhaps it would have been prudent to start training immediately after that?”

“I could not,” Drew snarled. “We were attacked by Sirens. Kelia ripped that one to shreds and ingested the blood. I could not train her with poison coursing through her system.”

“Perhaps not physically,” Adelaide agreed. “But you’re telling me you are incapable of talking to her?” She eased herself back down in the chair, using the arm rests as guides and to help her balance out. “You talk to anything that moves, nephew. Even the whores would bat their eyelashes at you when you were but a pup, and your tongue ran away from you because you had no idea how to control it. If you talked to her about what it means to be a Shadow as much as you looked at her, at least her head would be filled with pertinent knowledge about what she is and what that means.”

She leaned back, and her eyebrows pulled together, further wrinkling her brow.

“You’re scared,” she said, her voice practically a whisper.

“Mind your tongue when you lie to me, boy,” Adelaide said sharply.

“It’s no lie.”

Adelaide glared. “You must train her,” she repeated. “If you had, she would possess more sense than leaving water during the day.”

“She saved our lives!” Drew exclaimed.

“And yet here you sit with a frown on your face, pouting like an infant,” she said. "She saved our lives. She used her head. Why are you so miserable?”

Drew opened his mouth, but nothing came out. In fact, the more Drew thought about the question, the more he realized he did not have an answer.

The truth of the matter was: he wished Kelia would consider herself to be a person of value. She mattered. And yet, risking her life like that seemed to imply that she did not care if she won or if she lost; she was solely focused on killing Jennifer and she gave no regard for herself.

“You love her.” Adelaide tilted her head down so she could get a better look at Drew. She clicked the back of her teeth with her tongue. “Well isn’t that just perfect .”

Her tone dripped with sarcasm and judgment.

Drew kept a growl lodged in his throat, but he dug his fingers into his thighs to help him. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” she said. “You’re pathetic. Love is a weakness. You love her so much you cannot make a move to kill the threat. You would see us die before you allowed yourself to risk her. Pathetic because she is not letting an emotion like that keep her from doing what must be done, even though it is written on her face how much she, in turn, loves you. You are paralyzed with love, boy. Except… it’s not love how love should be, is it? No.” She shook her head. “Love requires you to let the person do what they want and supporting them even should you not agree. Love means putting them first.”

“Bah! You hide her away!” Adelaide roared.

The house went incredibly still, as though even the walls were afraid to keep ticking lest they get the worst of Adelaide’s temper.

“You keep her away from the fight, away from the truths she must know if she is to survive.”

“If I train her, I must do things to her—”

“Then do them. These are lessons she must learn—and you must be the one to teach her.” She placed her hands on her thighs and leaned forward. When she spoke, he was surprised by how quiet her voice was. “Would you rather she learn the difficult way? Would you rather she go to her death, not knowing these things? Things you could have taught her, things that would have prevented said death? The Siren blood, for example.”

Drew released a breath through his nose, flaring his nostrils and grunting. His eyes were on the floor and he dropped his foot from his knee so it stomped on the hard wood.

“You must train her, or you sentence her to death.” Adelaide clicked her tongue once more. “This is your choice, boy. You created her, now take responsibility. Do not run off scared at something you did. You are a man, are you not?”

“I thought I was a beast.”

“More like a pussycat, the way you cower.” She rolled her eyes and took a breath. “We must also discuss the alliance with the Sirens.”

“No, not yet, but it is something that must be done.” She pressed her lips into a thin line. “And you must be the one to do it.”

“Me? I couldn’t possibly—”

“We cannot stay here,” Adelaide said, and for the first time since Drew could remember, he heard his aunt’s voice crack, revealing her worry. She cleared her throat and looked away but rubbed her hands together between her thighs. “I must go my own way, and you…you have a crew to kill and a family to take care of.”

“So you’re aware my crew betrayed me?” Drew asked.

Adelaide snorted. “I knew the minute that bitch found my home,” she muttered. “They all want you taken by the Queen. I wasn’t a damn bit surprised when she said as much. Of course, she wanted to kill all of us, most of all you and your girl, but she did not. Luckily.”

Drew stood to pace the room again, slowly this time. “It is hard to figure out who to trust,” he murmured, more to himself.

“Horse shit,” she said. “Trust no one.”

“Trust no one, and you will not get hurt,” Adelaide said more firmly. “You’re soft, boy. You cannot change what you are. You care for Emma, for your sister, perhaps even for the fire bitch.” She laughed. “I like her.” After another small chuckle to herself, she continued, “But you care most for your Shadow. Your little crew you’ve compiled will be your downfall, Drew. You must know this. You must know that going to the Queen in order to obtain your freedom… You will receive it through death.”

Drew released a sigh. The thought had been nagging him since before he had even turned Kelia. In truth, he did not expect to survive a battle with the Queen. But if Kelia were to live…

“I am well-aware,” he said, trying to lace his tone with dryness. The last thing he needed right now was Adelaide sensing his fear and repeating just how pathetic he was. “And yet, you suggest we ally ourselves with the Sirens.”

“Are you daft? Did I say to bloody trust them? No, you fool! You need their assistance just like they need yours. Witches are one with the elements. We do not like being caged or trapped. It is why we live and die alone. It is why I’m almost tempted to refuse Wendy a place with me. Her heart is soft, as is yours.” She spat. “Unfortunately, you take after your father in that way.”

“How do you suggest I ally myself with the Sirens, then? How will I even have the opportunity to do so? They strike first, ask questions later.”

“Find one by herself,” Adelaide said. “Emma is creating a concoction that will help draw a Siren to you. Use it only when you are ready to talk. And then, do what you must in order to secure your truce.”

“I thought Emma said she needed a concoction for her energy.”

Adelaide let out a grunt. "You really are daft, ain’t you, boy?” She shook her head. “Witches do not need potions to rejuvenate themselves. We need to connect to our element. Have you no sense?”

“Apparently not.”

“At least you can admit it.” She stood. “Now, get your Shadow and your witches and get out of my shack. It’ll be too soon before I see the lot of you again.”

Drew couldn’t help but smile. “Love you too, Auntie.”

Drew left the shack moments later, with Emma pocketing a vial filled with a concoction, Wendy trying to ask Adelaide one last time to teach her, Daniella bandaged up but able to still move, and Kelia deep in her thoughts.

“Where are we going?” Wendy asked as they entered the badlands once more. “We need a place with a boat or a ship. Shadows want to kill us or turn us over to their Queen. The town is completely destroyed, and neither of Adelaide’s homes are safe passage anymore. We are sitting ducks, waiting to get shot. We must go back to the ship.”

“And we will,” Drew insisted, “but not yet. There will be a battle there with my crew once we arrive, and we aren’t ready for it. We have hours before the sun rises. We’re lucky the rain has stopped, for now.”

“Then where are we to go?” Daniella asked.

Drew bristled as he usually did each time Daniella opened her mouth. “Emma has a place,” he said. “She used to live here long ago. I’m sure it’s still safe.”

“It ought to be fine,” Emma said. “We can circle the badlands and avoid those threats, but if we are to manage before sun up, we must go now.”

She proceeded to walk quickly ahead, with Wendy and Daniella just behind her. Kelia was behind them, and Drew took up the rear. The group walked in silence, which was probably a good thing. Drew had much on his mind and did not want to speak on anything, let alone this.

His aunt was right, of course. About everything. But especially about training Kelia. It was the one thing he did not want to have to do, even though it was necessary.

Kelia was still an Infant, and Infants were more susceptible to pain. Drew could not train Kelia without making her feel that pain. It was the only way for her to learn.

“You all right?” Kelia’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

He ducked in order to dodge a low-hanging branch before clearing his throat. “Of course,” he said. “Of course, I am.”

Kelia nodded and continued on.

He was not all right. Not when he knew he had to hurt the only person he ever truly loved in order to shape her to be stronger, faster, smarter, better in every respect.