Deviant (Blendling Trilogy #1)

Chapter Twenty-Six

As her life essence flowed into me, I'm caught in her memories: the memory of her and my father, the memory of how she cut corners to adopt me, her displeasure when I did the wrong things, her fear, her sacrifice. I saw a memory of her taking me to a voodoo priest after my father's death. She explained my dreams and he told her my subconscious was seeking answers about my origin, that if I ever found the man behind those answers, it would be my doom. He advised her to shield me before the man noticed that I was spying on him. The price was that my first love will refuse me and I will pine for her.

All these memories slammed into me in a nanosecond as she dies in my arms, the light slowly fading from her eyes.
"No...!" I scream as she takes her last breath. The shout rattles the wall and the remaining windows burst open. The force throws everyone but I ignore them. Slowly, I rise from the ground, cradling my mother's body. I look up and see Giovanni limping out of the room. I pull him back with my mind, dragging him along with me.
"You did this, fix it" I say in a dead voice.
"I can't bring back the dead. That's dark magic. You'll make her a zombie, a shadow. Your mother wouldn't want that" he begs
"Don't you dare tell me what she would want" I say
"Spare me, please."
"You don't deserve mercy."

Still cradling her body, I summon flames, the green kind that cannot be quenched. I stare at him impassively as he screams and burns. Two men rush for me. Without breaking a sweat, tentacles shoot out of my back and impaled them both. Lifting them high, I slam their bodies into Giovanni and they catch fire.

A clap interrupts me and I spin round to find Roarke clapping his hands and coming towards me. I meet him half way, still clutching my mother's body.
"Wow! I couldn't have handled that better. You do your old man proud" he continues to clap. He's within arms reach but I don't reach out for him. I just stare at him and say
"I warned you to stay away from me but you didn't listen."

I send my consciousness out seeking. Sherry and Gerry are gravely injured and Cameron has a few cuts which his body gradually healed. Belle is passed out from where she hit her head after my sonic blast scream. Giovanni has burnt to ashes along with the two that came to his rescue. Only one man is left. He's inching along the ground towards us. I seize his mind and I made him pick up a sword.
"Leave me to mourn." I says
"Come on son. I just found you, if I let you out of my sight again, your sacrifice magic will hide you again."
"Very well" I mutter and the hunter I'd seized his mind suddenly lurches forward. He sinks his sword into Roarke's back. The sword comes out in front. Roarke staggers into me in surprise. With a flick of his hand, the man and his sword soared into the air and drop to the ground. He lands at an unnatural angle and his sword clatters to the ground a foot away.
"You just signed your death warrant" he says and winks out.

"Charlotte!" Gerry cried. I amble towards them and Cameron careful takes get body from me. Kneeling down, I quickly heal the ladies before snatching back my mum. We can hear sirens outside the building but I don't care. I'm numb.
"We need to get out of here" Gerry says.
"Where's our mother" Sherry asked
"And Bass." Cam adds.

They make their way towards the back door and I just follow them. My mum is getting stiff in my arms and tears are flowing down my face. Belle places her hand on my shoulder and I shrug it off.
"They went out to purchase food since their magick gave them the ability to shield themselves from prying eyes. We stayed back but were ambushed. Before we could make a break for it, we were captured and collared. All thoughts about escape were forgotten after then." Gerry explained as we reach the back exit. We can hear people behind the doors.

"We need another way out."Cam says, looking at the windows
"We can't fly in broad daylight!" Belle exclaimed, kicking a gun away from a dead man's hands.
"We can teleport" Sherry says. "I'll take Cam, you take Gerry and Phoenix can bring her along" They grab onto their partners. We'll meet behind that McDonalds. I'm the first to wink out.

***
Charlotte Deveraux was cremated and buried besides her husband two weeks later. The incident at Giovanni complex was blamed on terrorist attacks. The one in Sacramento was blamed on a gas leak. Insurance paid for repair but after the house was fixed, it was sold. No one could bare sleeping in the place. The Deverauxs traveled to New Jersey to visit relatives, Phoenix didn't go with them.

Jacqueline confessed that her real reason for wanting to be close to Charlotte was because the gold locket she wore around her neck contained love essence, a potion she brewed from combining hers and Malcolm's blood. Charlotte had taken the locket from Malcolm's body, proving that he still kept a piece of Jacqueline while married to Charlotte. Jacqueline took the locket from Charlotte's body and she finally had her piece of Malcolm.

Cameron and Sheherezade continued to date even though Sherry had to learn to teleport long distances to be with Cam while he was away. Her mother taught her how to create a portal to travel the globe easily. Maybelline still avoided admitting interest in Phoenix. In fact, when she resumed school, she started dating Andre, who, it was discovered, was a seer and Theodore's great grand son.

Larry Sanchez, the Overlord, continued to expand his empire. Families were now wary of him so they all took protective measures. His daughter committed suicide when she could no longer bear the withdrawal from Phoenix. She was not mourned.

The remaining California elders came out of hiding patched up the Council. Nothing was mentioned about Phoenix and Cameron being Blendlings. They were more worried about finding Sanchez and his band of criminals; this probably had a lot to do with the fact that Gavin and Theodore were among the newly appointed council members.

Bass and Gerry got married on a beautiful day and since Sacramento held no good memories for them, they were planning to move to Florida. Of course Sherry pestered her mother to move too, she couldn't bear to be away from Cam. Jacqueline agreed under pretense of wanting to be close to her circle. No one believed her because they knew she had come to care for the Deverauxs.

Phoenix became bitter. He avoided everyone as much as he could and spent his days gazing at pictures of his parents. He tore up his music jotter and threw out all his coloured clothes. He wears only black these days and claims to be mourning. Gerry believes he's going through an emo phase.

The End!