Chapter Twenty-Two

The cool brush of the late afternoon wind wound through Amber’s hair, pulling the ends up in a taunting dance of defiance. She snapped her head back and inhaled the salty air. Closing her eyes, she absorbed the freshness and embraced the freedom that surrounded her.

The solitude that held no expectations or judgments.

She stood alone and confused, poised on the edge of the Aquinnah cliffs. The steep edge located at the western point of Martha’s Vineyard was both rugged and beautiful. Dusk crept up behind her as the sun made its slow descent beyond the horizon, glimpses of it flashing through the solid bank of clouds that cloaked the sky.

She shuddered against another strike of the wind, the icy currents circling her neck and snaking under her clothes. Amber hugged the wool coat closer, a valiant attempt to retain what little warmth she had as she looked out over the crashing waves of Vineyard Sound.

Unwanted, Damian’s scent drifted over her, embracing her in security while cutting her with betrayal. She gasped, releasing a huge gust of pain that tore from her chest and threatened to take her to her knees.

It hurt. A simple description that didn’t come close to defining the ache that encased her in a numbing iciness steeped in rejection. Once again, she wasn’t good enough. Tainted by association. By blood she didn’t want. Didn’t ask for.

But it was in her nonetheless.

Still, it didn’t define her. Didn’t make her who she was.

And who was she? The question echoed inside her, the answer edging close, but still so elusive. Her hands fisted in the deep pockets, her knuckles banging the forgotten collection of artifacts from the previous day. A simple if not subtle reminder of all that had changed.

A seagull screeched high and long in the distance, its wings spread wide as it caught a current and soared with the wind. Below her, the uniquely aqua-colored waves pounded the sand and rocks in a repeated cycle of abbreviated fury.

Crash and retreat, break and fall back.

Maybe that was what had brought her here. The simple reminder of the repeated circle of life. Of the continued beat of peaks and lulls that pulled you forward into the next event. Waves that let you ride high on the crest before they crashed against the cushioning grains of sand or the hard, cutting rocks.

But it didn’t answer why she was there. She had wished to return home and instead she had solidified on the cliffs—the lands of the Wampanoag Indian Tribe and the very people she would love to disown. To her, home was back in Newport at the little antique shop where she’d spent over half her life caring for discarded objects and forgotten memories. Not here, among the very people who despised her simply because she was a by-product of her mother.

But she stayed because the beauty and peace of the spot soothed her. The energy brushed soothingly over her face and around her chest, easing the ache and promising an end to the pain.

That, and because she wasn’t certain she could pull off the porting trick without the Ancient’s help.

Glancing at the sky once again, she realized her internal clock was completely askew. The lateness of the day had taken her by surprise, but maybe the whole porting thing took longer to execute than she realized. And she had no idea how long they had slept.

Slept. With Damian. Another jolt of pain shot from her chest. Her bird cried in protest, a cry that was echoed in her own heart.

The pain was followed by another harsh gust of wind that beat at her body and forced her attention back to the elements. To her surroundings.

To the person approaching in the distance behind her.

Her hair lifted and twirled around her head, sending sharp snippets of sensation from the crown down her spine. The energy fueled her in warm bursts of heat that countered the chill of the wind and whispered of the presence.

Friend.

Her tightened muscles relaxed incrementally, the steps of the visitor unheard over the harsh cut of the wind. Testing, pulling deep, Amber called on the energy to tell her who it was. Could it do that? Could she?

Gentleness, authority, hard resilience, respect.

Kayla.

The certainty of the identification flowed through Amber with a confidence that broached no question. No doubt. She smiled, a soft acceptance of what the energy told her. An understanding of what she was capable of doing. She turned to watch her friend make her way up the ridge.

Maybe it was time for her to accept who she was. All of who she was.

She had been so quick to throw out accusations and judgments against Damian, yet she was just as guilty. Judge not lest ye be judged.

Over the years, had she unconsciously proclaimed a judgment on herself? One of unworthiness, of fault? Was that the cause of the subtle doubt buried deep in her subconscious that held her back and kept her from taking what was hers?

Her life had become a quiet state of acceptance, of what people said, of her station in life. Of her outcast place in a society that seemed to reject the very fiber of who she was.

Now, it was time to change.

Acceptance. The truth washed through her, burning a new path of understanding as she slowly straightened her spine.

She was Amber Morningstar—the blooded descendant of Moshup, the ancient leader of the Wampanoag people and an Energen. Her shoulders moved back.

She was Amber—the only daughter of a misguided and lost mother who gave away her body in the delusional hope of finding her soul in the arms of a man. Her chest expanded.

She was Amber—the prophesied bearer of destruction or salvation. Her chin came up.

She was Amber—blooded of both light and dark, positive and negative. Shifter and Energen, beings that fought for the fate of the world in their hidden battle over the energy. She inhaled.

She was all of that. And more.

The power surged in her chest and beat in hard time with her heart. The wind snapped and bit around her, little nips of approval. It lifted her hair, pulled on the hem of the coat and soothed her with long caresses against her cheeks.

Inspired, Amber lifted her arms and held her hands to the sky. Her entire body tingled, fizzy snippets of energy from the tips of her fingers, down her arms, through her torso and legs until each little toe felt the change.

She reached out for the power she knew was there and waiting for her. Her bird soared with her, flying high into the currents in the ecstasy that unleashed with the freedom. Left behind, the dragon paced and prowled, the need to be at its mate’s side driving a fiery spike through the dragon’s heart that smoldered and burned in misery.

In that moment, she became the energy. It bound to her like a second skin, adhering to cells, attaching to every nerve ending and lighting her soul with a newfound identity. The purity of the revelation was both quiet and explosive. It settled ever so gently in her heart while blasting a cannon-sized hole in her mind.

She was Amber Morningstar—who she became from that point on was completely up to her. No matter what everyone said or thought or judged or predicted or…it didn’t matter. She was the one who decided how she felt about herself. And for once, she was proud of who she was. Proud of all she was and what she could become.

“The power becomes you.” The soft voice drifted on the air and melded with the vitality that encircled them.

Kayla. Her friend had reached Amber’s side and now stood beside her in quiet acceptance. For who and what Amber was. Approval vibrated from Kayla as strong as the crashing waves below.

Amber lowered her arms, the moment past but the power remained. She held out her palm and focused. Almost instantly, a ball of flame burst from the smooth skin. It held, twisting in mingling colors of white, yellow and violet as it danced in a formed sphere of sizzling heat.

“And this does not surprise you?” Amber’s focus remained on the unnatural fire that burned in her palm.

“Yes,” Kayla answered, her word clear in the sudden quiet that had settled around them, the wind now silent in an act of courtesy to their conversation. “And no. This is what you were born to do. Be. It’s beyond common logic, but it is, nonetheless.”

“So you knew? All along you knew?”

“Some. Most of it, yes.”

“And that’s why you were my friend when no one else would be?” The flame in her hand flickered, sputtering at that last hint of doubt.

“No, Amber,” Kayla said as she rested a hand on Amber’s forearm. Her firm grip added reinforcement to the words. “I was—am—your friend because of your gentle heart and quiet kindness. I am your friend because you are one to me.”

“And now?”

“That doesn’t change. Your life may lead you from here, but I will always be here for you. True friendship doesn’t die with distance.”

Amber squeezed her fist shut, cutting off the flame to end the little show. Her palm hummed with the receding energy, but her skin held no mark or indication that fire had just burned there.

Tucking her hair behind her ear, she turned her head to finally look at Kayla. Her friend met her gaze, strong eyes of deep brown that held nothing but warmth and kindness in them.

“Thank you,” Amber whispered, her throat too tight for anything stronger. The simple statement expressing all that she felt. “How did you know I was here?”

Kayla smiled, a mystical expression reminiscent of her shaman grandfather. “The wind told me.”

Yesterday, Amber would have laughed at that answer. Today, she understood and accepted. “Are you one of them?” Her brow wrinkled. “Us?”

“No,” her friend denied with a slight shake of her head. “My role, the role that has been passed down through my family, is only to guard the one who is. But now that you know, you can do that yourself.”

Amber looked back over the water and absorbed it all. The words, the view, the freshness that nipped in the cooling air. The sun had finally dipped below the horizon, allowing the darkness to follow like an obedient slave. Before them, the fading light still held the faint glow left from the sun. But behind her, she could feel the darkness approaching. A physical beast that stalked the light in the perpetual battle for supremacy.

“But who will protect you, human?”

The cold, silky words had both women whipping around to find the source. The dark coldness that was forever present around the edges of the energy expanded at the sight of her stalking nemesis. Kassandra.

The cocky woman stood about thirty feet back, strategically blocking any exits for Amber and Kayla, which were few given the steep cliff that plunged behind them. She was dressed much the same as the previous night only this time she wore a long leather coat that flipped and slapped her calves as the wind returned with its earlier gusto.

“What? No dragon tonight?” Amber taunted as she instinctively stepped in front of Kayla.

“The night is still young,” Kassandra practically purred back, her throaty reply full of sultry confidence. “There’s still plenty of time to kill you both.”

“Didn’t you try that before?” Amber’s simple question was edged with barbs. “Without success, I might add.” She let her lips curl up with confidence. Confidence that was felt, not feigned this time.

“But there are no circles to hide behind this time, pup.” Kassandra flipped her curls over her shoulder and braced her feet farther apart as she leaned into the ever-increasing wind. “And I have more than a thousand years of experience and power behind me.”

The truth of her words rippled over the energy. The woman before them was old, strong and powerful. Amber swallowed and took a step toward the enemy, pushed on by the wind at her back shoving her away from the edge, away from Kayla. Her hands hung loose and ready at her sides. The little dagger in her pocket wouldn’t help her in the fight to come.

And there would be a fight.

“Why does Tubal want me?” Amber asked.

The woman’s face contorted in an angry scowl at the mention of her mate. “He doesn’t want you. He wants your power, you fool. Something you’re too stupid to even realize you have.”

“What will he do to you when he finds out you hurt his prize?” Amber prodded back.

“Who’ll tell him?” Her nemesis made a big show of looking around the area. “It’s just you, me and the useless human. I doubt if any of us will squeal to my mate.”

Amber used Kassandra’s distraction to inch further away from Kayla. It was a calculated risk between staying close to protect her friend or drawing the fire away from her. Literally.

“Won’t the energy tell him?” She wasn’t sure that was true, but from all she’d learned so quickly, it sounded plausible. The scowl that darkened Kassandra’s face confirmed Amber’s assumption.

“You think you’re so smart,” the Shifter sneered. “Let’s see how far brains get you against this.”

The fireball appeared and flew at them almost faster than Amber could react. Fortunately, reflexes kicked in, causing her hands to come up to deflect the deadly projectile. Like magic, the fireball bounced off the invisible shield of air and sailed over the cliff edge into the night.

Behind her, Kayla gasped—a sharp intake of shock—but that was all. So like Kayla to remain steady and strong in the face of the unbelievable.

Across from her, Kassandra snarled, the low, feral sound hinting at the animal that lived within her. The animal Amber really didn’t care to see again.

Her heart thudded as adrenaline kicked in. She could do this. The ability was there—she only had to reach for it. Use it. Believe in what she could do.

Calling up her own fireball, Amber returned the assault, aiming the flaming ball directly at Kassandra’s head. The woman ducked, a simple move that let the ball fly over her head to fizzle out in the damp grass behind her.

Kassandra straightened and laughed, the throaty vibration beating against the winds that carried the tint of manic evil to them. “You surprise me, pup.” She strolled to the side, but her eyes remained on them, some of her cockiness pulled back. “This just became way more interesting. Let’s see what else you can do.”

The stone fired up, burning hot pulses of energy into Amber, vitalizing all her senses and honing her instincts in anticipation of what was coming. Her animals, the bird and the dragon, also responded; the two fighters bared their claws and circled in excitement. The ache of separation remained, hindering them, but did not stop them.

Instead of waiting for the other woman to attack, Amber went on the offensive. Stepping forward, she sent a volley of fireballs at her opponent. Calling a quick succession of the flaming gold and violet missiles into her hands, she propelled them forward as fast as she could. Kassandra shrieked while she dove to avoid the attack. She rolled gracefully across the high grass, a moving target that dodged all of Amber’s fireballs.

“Run!” Amber shouted at Kayla before Kassandra sprung to her feet.

Keeping up the distractions, Amber remembered Damian’s trick and raised her hand to call to the sky. Almost instantly, a lightning bolt shot from the clouds and cracked into the dirt a foot from where Kassandra stood. The woman launched herself backwards on an angry wail of frustration.

“You bitch,” Kassandra cursed. “You shouldn’t be able to do that. You can’t control two elements.”

Amber had no idea what the woman was talking about. It didn’t matter, either. The energy had become a bonded entity within her, vitalizing every nerve ending until she felt as if she was glowing from within. It felt like she was finally whole, like the piece of her that had always been missing was finally, finally in place.

A smile lit her face in exhilaration, a feeling that vibrated through her and stoked her confidence. The wind pounded off the surf and followed her call to blast her enemy in a full frontal heave that lifted the woman off her feet and tossed her backwards a solid ten feet until she landed with a hard thud on her back.

With her enemy down, Amber risked a quick look to check on Kayla. Unfortunately, her friend hadn’t listened to her and still remained near the edge of the cliff. The warrior in Kayla must have kept her there ready for the battle, not running in fright.

But even that brief distraction came at a price. A searing pain struck Amber’s hip with the direct hit of a fireball. She stumbled backwards and quickly pounded the flames out of the coat. Fortunately, the flames hadn’t penetrated the coat’s thick weave, so her skin remained unscathed. She couldn’t help a faint smile at the thought that the coat really had protected her.

A small cry brought her attention back to Kayla. Beside her stood Kassandra, a look of victory covering her face as she made a grab for Amber’s friend. The woman must have ported in behind Amber to get to a weaker target. Kayla stumbled back, barely avoiding the grab. A flash of panic covered her face before she caught her footing and kicked out, catching her unprepared attacker in the thighs and stalling Kassandra’s approach.

Amber took the opportunity and reacted. Pure instincts and a need to save her best friend propelled her legs forward. She ran at Kassandra, a full-out sprint bolstered by fear and anger.

Amber slammed into the woman’s side, taking her by surprise. The impact knocked the air from Amber’s chest, but she held tight to her hostage and kept running. The forward motion combined with the shock of her move allowed Amber to achieve her goal with little resistance from Kassandra.

A half second later, she sailed off the edge of the cliff, Kassandra tightly clasped in her arms.

Amber’s heart stopped, terror clamping down on her brain as they plunged toward the hard rocks below. In her ears, a scream wailed. Briefly, she processed the wide-eyed fright and disbelief in Kassandra’s eyes just inches from her own.

Then Amber let go.

She opened her arms and let the Shifter fall alone, shock and realization registering on Kassandra’s face. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as she plummeted through the dark toward the rocks.

The air caught and coiled around Amber, heeding her request and slowing her fall until she hung horizontally suspended some fifty feet from the ground.

Kassandra slammed into the jagged outcropping of rocks at the base of the cliff, her body crumbling in a sickening smack of bone that drifted up over the wind. Her eyes remained wide open but sightless to the image of Amber hovering above her.

The wind roared, a sudden burst of approval that coated Amber in power. She’d believed. Trusted the energy and herself, and the element approved.

The darkness was almost complete now. The half-full moon was still cresting, but provided enough light to cast a glow through the breaks in the clouds. The small amount of light was soothing against the blackness.

Slowly, she righted herself in the air then called on the energy and lowered herself to the beach below. Her feet touched down in the soft sand next to the gray and red rocks that cradled Kassandra’s limp and broken frame. Blood streaked down the rough stone, leaving bright red rivers behind before it was absorbed into the golden sand below.

Amber gulped and choked, her hand slamming over her mouth before she remembered to breathe. The close-up of the body was disgusting. The sickening stench of blood combined with the unnatural bend of arms and legs twisted in Amber’s gut. She swallowed and forced down the bile that threatened to rise up her throat.

In the distance, the waves crashed against the shore and she focused on that. On the repetitive, soothing sound. The tide was out, providing a generous expanse of beach between the water’s edge and the cliffs that allowed the sound to carry and echo softly over the distance.

Remembering Damian’s words, she knew what she needed to do. Even if she didn’t want to do it. Kassandra might look dead, but he’d said the only way to kill a Shifter was to remove the head.

Her throat burned with the suppressed acid that refused to go back down. How could she decapitate someone? But how could she walk away and let this woman live? This Shifter who was out to kill her? War wasn’t pretty.

And this was war.

She glanced upward to the cliff edge. Kayla was gone, or at least Amber couldn’t see her. She released the restrictions that gripped her mind and let the energy flow in. In a wave of embracing warmth, she absorbed the truth of her sight. Her friend was safe—for now.

Amber’s stomach coiled in gruesome resolve. Taking a deep breath, she released her hand from her mouth and reached into her pocket, her fist clenching tightly around the hilt of the dagger. Her damp palm gripped the soft, leather-wrapped handle, her fingers spasming around the item in objection to the task.

Taking a shallow breath, she stepped forward, refusing to think. There was no room for contemplation or regrets. For weak stomachs or weaker will.

The wind swooped in to stroke her hair in an approving caress. She climbed over the rocks, her boot slipping on the blood, her knuckles scraping against the hard surface as she caught her fall. She cursed in frustration, but pushed on until she was positioned over Kassandra’s broken form. The sightless eyes stared at Amber, pinning her in a guilt-laden hold.

Amber shivered, a violent rejection of her resolve. Could she do this?

And there, on the edges of the energy, was the help she needed. Her senses dulled with the infiltration of the coldness. Emptiness descended upon her, a blissfully blank darkness that took hold of her mind and emptied her conscience. The icy numbness descended from her head until her body and actions were detached from her mind until she felt nothing but the chill that erased her emotions and soothed away the pain.

How easy it was now. To lift the knife. To grip it with both hands over her head. To envision Kassandra’s head separating from her body. By her hand.

Her bird screeched, a high-pitched wakeup call of warning.

The stone flared to life, an instant shot of heat that burned through her chest and flashed against the ice. Her chest contracted in shock; her head jerked back in a ripple effect as the fire burned through her limbs, evicting the cold.

Amber recoiled. What was she doing?

This wasn’t her. No matter what, she couldn’t kill in cold blood. She couldn’t cross that line.

She let her arms drop, the knife dangling from her slackened grip. She couldn’t kill the woman, but she could still neutralize her. Quickly, she exchanged the knife for the collar in the coat pocket, the one that had circled Damian’s neck. Working the hinge open, she spread the metal wide and eased the open collar around the Shifter’s neck. She snapped it closed then gave the metal collar a quick tug to ensure it was locked before she scrambled away from the gruesome task.

Swiftly, almost desperately, she wiped her hands on the coat in an attempt to remove the blood that had smeared on them. Kassandra’s blood.

The enemy. Her enemy.

Turning away, Amber stumbled away from the body, needing air and distance to process everything once again.

The energy expanded, a ripple of disturbance on the beach to her left. Another presence.

“Going somewhere?”

Amber snapped her head up at the same time that her stomach twisted in dred. The energy flared and sparked from the stone while recognition hit.

Before her stood Tubal.

A very angry Tubal if the hard tilt of his brows and curl of his lip were any indication. His dark, hard eyes held hers, his features cut from crudely carved marble. Dressed in the black leather that seemed to be required for combat, the man was an intimidating presence of menace.

“Home would be nice,” she managed to reply. Somehow she even succeeded in making her voice sound calm despite the fear that once again gripped her muscles in frozen tension.

The malicious croak of his laughter sounded hollow in the empty night air. “To my home. The only possibility open to you now.”

The power of the evil was so close, tempting and taunting her to succumb. To fall into the lure and listen to that part of her that flowed within her.

The part she’d never acknowledged and would resist now.

Exhaling, Amber spread her stance and prepared. “There are always more possibilities if you know where to look for them.”

Tubal lifted his mouth in a sinister leer then raised his hand into the air. The wind whipped across the beach, spitting sand at Amber’s jeans and ripping her hair into tangled knots down her back.

Warning lights went off in Amber’s head as the energy snapped at her skin. A quick glance at the circle traced in the sand and she knew what Tubal was doing. She had to stop it if she wanted any chance of surviving.

Her hand shot up, her defense launched.

The energy was advancing around the two of them, powered by Tubal and closing them off. The rippling wave of energy circled around Tubal and her, a visual arc led by flames as if to taunt her—frighten her—as it trapped her within the ring he was casting.

She couldn’t let that happen.

The stone throbbed between her breasts, revolting against the entrapment. Amber pulled on the stone’s energy, on her own powers and slammed up a wall in front of the enclosing wave. Tubal’s energy crashed against her energy wall, the flames fanning and spitting outward from the invisible block she held. The force of the impact was like a physical blow to her body, causing her to stagger back, but she remained strong and refused to crumble. Sweat beaded on the back of her neck, her biceps quivering under the strain.

Tubal’s eyes widened in surprise before his brows dropped and the evil scowl deepened. His lip curled up in a sneer.

“How?” His one-word question was filled with the deep anger of disbelief.

How what? Amber didn’t have the mind space to figure out what he was asking.

She tried to brace herself for another attack, but there wasn’t much she could do to defend herself. All her power and concentration were focused on holding off the closing of Tubal’s circle.

Instinctively, she knew she had to act before he did. Flicking up her free hand, Amber shot a stream of flames directly at Tubal’s chest with a speed she hoped would catch him unprepared.

Tubal dropped his arm to block the attack, the deadly fire clipping the edge of his forearm and burning a jagged line through the sleeve of his leather jacket. He roared, his anger blasting the air with its vile acidity.

Immediately, the half-formed circle dropped, the energy fading away with the Shifter’s distraction.

Amber dropped her arm and sagged forward with relief. She’d done it. She’d stopped the circle from being completed. She still had a chance.

Swiping her hair out of her eyes, she sprinted down the beach. Her boots dug into the soft sand, the grains sucking them in and making her legs feel weighted. But she persisted. The need to escape pushed her forward despite the unlikeliness that running would work.

As if he read her thoughts, Tubal’s evil voice drifted to her. “Running won’t work.”

Maybe not, but it was worth a try.

She made her way toward the water and harder sand where it would be easier to run. A fireball whizzed, snapping and hissing, by her head. Damn. Too close. Tubal was playing with her. She knew that, and the fact tore at her as his throaty laughter filtered across the beach. A foggy mist was settling on the lower portions of the beach, bringing with it a dampness that swiped against her cheeks in tandem with the bite of the wind.

Her breath was panting, short staccato puffs of air that bordered on panic. Before her, two more forms took shape in the mist, their images coming into focus through the disorientating wisp of fog.

Immediately, Amber stopped.

The tall blond male and equally imposing dark-haired female stood together, hands clasped in a united front before her, halting her escape and blocking her forward exit.

Amber turned her back to the water and looked behind her. Tubal stood just down the beach, his deadly focus on her before it shifted to the two down the beach. In front of her, the steep wall of cliffs loomed imposing and unscalable.

She was caught in the middle. Breathing deep, she fought down the panic that made her heart thunder and reached for the courage Damian believed she had. 

This was her life and the choice she made here could very much determine if she survived to experience that life.