Chapter 14

14

Another figure stepped forward from the shadows. This one was taller and slimmer, and it didn't have the glowing red eyes that'd caught everyone's attention. Erin knew exactly who it was, but still, she blinked and squinted, wanting to be sure.

The figure descended the dune, one slow, confident step at a time. Her hips swayed slightly, and the breeze brushed her hair back from her face.

"Gretchen?" Erin knew it was her, yet she couldn't believe it. "What are you doing here?"

"Taking advantage of the perfect opportunity to ruin your life," Gretchen replied simply. Her lips had been painted a deep red, and she showed off her white teeth when she smiled. "It's only appropriate, isn't it? "

A sick feeling washed through Erin's stomach. Standing slowly from her seat, she stepped forward and handed Ruby to Carol, who seemed to know precisely what she needed and took the baby without hesitation. Whatever was going on, whatever Gretchen thought she was going to do, Erin didn't want Ruby caught in the middle. In fact, she didn't want anyone there to be involved. "Gretchen, I know you're angry with me. I did my best, but I made some bad decisions. I'm sorry for that, and I'm sorry that my apologies aren't enough. I'll try to find some way to make it up to you, but that doesn't need to happen here."

"Aw, look." Gretchen stuck her lower lip out as though feeling sorry for Erin, though plenty of hate still stirred in her eyes. "You think you can talk me out of this. Tell me, Erin, would you have talked me out of marrying Hugo if you'd known before what our relationship was like? Would you have been the bigger person, the one who knew better?"

"I was never trying to judge you?—"

"Oh, but you would have," Gretchen interrupted, dropping the nice act. Her voice dripped with vitriol. "You always have, Erin. Magic came so easily to you. You could just flick your wrist and make a flower grow, and you were always so happy and content to sit in the garden and pretend like that was good enough. I talked about finding more, finding something deeper, more powerful. You didn't think that was a good idea. Do you remember that?"

A memory flashed through Erin's mind. She and Gretchen had run into each other after a school dance. Gretchen had been upset because her date had gone home with someone else. She'd wanted revenge, and she'd wanted to use magic to get it. "I just don't think that what we have ought to be used for anything but good."

"And what does ‘good' mean?" Gretchen challenged. "My own good, maybe? Because that's what it boils down to for me, Erin. I'm looking out for number one, and I know how to get what I want. I got tired of trying so hard, always putting on a smiling face even when things weren't going my way. My powers could only get me so far, and I needed to find a way to get stronger."

Erin knew what that meant. "Gretchen, no." She wasn't just an angry witch; she was dangerous now. Erin began moving closer to Gretchen, wanting to put herself between her and as many of the Brigham clan members as possible.

"Yes," her old friend hissed. She lifted her hands. The pairs of glowing eyes that'd been spotted at the top of the dune now moved downward. They joined Gretchen, one pair standing on each side of her.

The sick feeling that'd moved through Erin now turned to pure horror as the two beasts emerged into the firelight, as dark as the shadows they'd just detached themselves from. Their large bodies were thick and heavy, with powerful arms and legs, but etheric wisps of ebony trailed from the ridge of spikes down their spines. They walked on four legs, resembling something like a lizard or a dragon, though they were no creatures Erin had ever seen. Long, antlerlike projections angled back from their faces. If they had true eyes, they were invisible beyond the brilliant red glow that shone from them.

Gretchen laughed. "You look terrified, Erin. And you should be. You have no idea how good the power from dark magic feels when it flows through your veins. It's delicious, and it's even better when you know how to harness it. I've learned things that a witch like you could never teach me. I even managed to climb through society and catch the eye of a man like Hugo. That's no small task, and it's nothing I could've done with those playground powers. Granted, I still use my remote viewing skills sometimes. Even recently. I'll bet you already know that, though, don't you? "

Erin felt stupid. Trapped. Helpless. "You've been watching me. You were behind the boat getting damaged, and it was your creatures that I saw in the water. You took out the projector at the drive-in, and these things terrified the other customers there. It was all you." She wished she'd known it all before, and then maybe she could've done something about it.

"Just the beginning," Gretchen promised. She moved her hand through the air. The beasts on either side of her opened their mouths wide, displaying rows of sharp teeth. The same glow that emanated from their eyes radiated from their throats, illuminating the sand at their feet. "You ruined my life, Erin, and I can't forgive something like that. Not from someone who was supposed to be my best friend. Now I'm going to ruin yours."

"Erin!" Jace's voice pierced the night, straight into Erin's veins. It jolted her bobcat, but she forced herself to keep control.

"It's okay," she called, not looking away from Gretchen. "I've got this."

Gretchen's laugh was long and hollow. "Oh no, you don't. You messed with the wrong girl. You'll never live to raise that bastard child of yours."

"Child?" Another vibration moved through Erin's body, this one deeper, more impactful. She'd felt odd when she'd shifted, and now she understood why. She was pregnant.

There was no time to feel anything about it. Gretchen was swirling her hands in the air in front of her, creating a deep red sphere of energy, which she hurled right at Erin.

Erin lifted her own hand, bringing up a protective shield. It lasted long enough to deflect Gretchen's sphere, sending it bouncing off into the dunes, but it was only temporary. "I don't want to fight you!"

"Too bad." Gretchen's hands moved quickly, expertly. She sent her beasts flying forward. They shot past Erin and straight into the Brighams. Several screams of terror rented the air, followed by the growls and roars of bears as they shifted into their other forms to fight.

"Stop!" Erin screamed.

She turned in time to see Jace's bear sinking his teeth into one of the monsters. It backed off, but it didn't bleed. The strongest of the Brighams came forward to join the fight and roared their fury as they dug in. Their force was a blur of dark fur, sharp teeth, and claws like knives. They defended their land and their people. Dylan charged forward, slamming into one of the brutes and sending it flying backward. It landed in the sand with a thud but jumped right back to its feet.

Only a short distance away, Dex and Ross were bearing down on the other creature, slashing and biting. Dex snagged a leg in his mouth and gave it a thorough shake. That was enough to send his enemy to the ground, and it should've been enough to break the bones inside. Whatever these things were, however, they couldn't be damaged. Each time they fell, they rose again. Fighting, falling, and then fighting again, bound to carry out the command from their handler.

"Gretchen, stop this!" Erin screamed again. "There's no need!"

"Fuck you." A crimson sphere barreled through the air.

It hit Erin straight in the chest, knocking her backward. The sand was warm and gritty beneath her as she fell into it. All the air had left her lungs. She fought to force it back inside as she struggled back to her feet. Gretchen had left her no choice. It was against everything inside her, but Erin spread her fingers and created an orb of her own. She watched it fly through the air, barely making Gretchen's shoulder bob under its force .

"Pitiful." Gretchen hit her again, aiming for her knee and sending her back down into the sand.

Erin remained on one knee, not wanting to use precious energy to try to stand if she was just going to fall again. She put everything she had into her magic, concentrating her forces into the little green spheres and shooting them off. Power flowed through her, but Erin knew it wasn't enough. She had to use too much of her energy to protect herself, flinging up protective walls where she could. Her mind raced as she searched for a solution. Even if she went completely on the offensive, her magic simply didn't compare to Gretchen's.

Tears ran down her face, hot and angry. The hiss of the demons behind her—because now she knew for certain that was what they were—infiltrated her mind. Gretchen had somehow harnessed the power of these hellhounds for her own, binding them to her so they would do her bidding. She'd given them the command to take out the Brighams. Erin had never been more infuriated in her life. Gretchen knew precisely what she was doing. She'd spied on Erin and Jace, she'd done her research from afar, and now she was hurting Erin in the best way she knew how. She was toying with Erin, keeping her alive long enough to see that the clan she'd come to care about was destroyed.

"Still trying?" Gretchen asked, not even short of breath from her efforts. "That's fine, Erin. Go out with a fight. It'll make things more fun for me, even though that green magic of yours isn't good for anything more than making the flowers grow."

Erin closed her eyes. She focused on the power that emanated from the palms of her hands and tried to drown out the chaos happening all around her. There was no need to see her enemy, who used to be one of her closest friends. Her instinct would guide the orbs, a sixth sense that came both from the bobcat inside her and the magic forces she possessed. She let them take over.

A blow landed on her thigh. It burned and crackled, an electrical fire under her skin. Erin gritted her teeth. Gretchen was right about the green magic. It wasn't a weapon, not in the same way that Gretchen's powers were. Even with all her concentration and energy, it wouldn't be enough to take someone down. Not like this. There had to be some other way. There had to be something she missed.

Struggling against the desperation rising inside her, Erin opened her eyes once again. She already knew she'd find Gretchen standing there at the base of the dune, easily launching her attacks with no more effort than blowing bubbles. But this time, she saw something else, something she'd missed before.

Gretchen's engagement ring was gone, but the ring Erin had been eyeing on her other hand still remained. The dark stone flashed every now and then, a brilliant red light flickering down deep inside it. One of the dark creatures Gretchen controlled roared each time, launching a new attack. That was it! As long as Gretchen possessed that ring—or the crystal inside it—she had control over the beasts.

Erin pulled together one final orb. She put everything she had into it, allowing even her anger and her fear to join the powers inside. It rotated faster and faster between her palms as she pressed it together. She fought to keep power over her mind, controlling her thoughts. This was the only chance she'd get because there wouldn't be enough left in her to create another sphere if she missed. She stilled her body and her thoughts, took aim, and let go.

The sphere shot forward. Gretchen wasn't even trying to defend herself against Erin's attacks, too confident to think her old friend was strong enough to hurt her. The orb smacked the back of Gretchen's hand and exploded in a puff of chartreuse smoke, leaving no damage to her skin.