2 Vampires, Warlocks, And Exes (Pixie Dust Chronicles 2)

I couldn’t imagine anything that I wanted more. As I was about to accept, he disappeared. The pond disappeared. Our forest. I started spinning in circles. Where was I? What was happening?

“Karli?” a woman called. “Karli.”

No! No, that’s not Vance. Where did he go? I need to find Vance!

“Karli!” the woman insisted. “Wake up!”

Wake up? What is she talking about? Where’s Vance?

“Karli!!!”

I opened my eyes. Erica. She was calling me. It took me a second to figure out I’d been dreaming. I tried getting up but I was trapped in steely arms. Vance’s arms. We must have fallen asleep while watching TV. Oh fuck, we were glowing again. Stupid auras! Why couldn’t you stay in Dreamland? Thank God, Erica couldn’t see it. Go away, you bastards! Wait a minute; I thought we could only see each other’s auras when we were making love? Dreams shouldn’t count. Should they? Vance was still asleep, but now he was stirring. I squirmed out of his arms abruptly, jolting him into awareness. He saw the golden light surrounding us and smiled at me as he stretched.

“What’s going on, guys?” Erica asked.

I cleared my throat and looked at Vance out of the corner of my eye. “Nothing. I must have fallen asleep.”

Erica looked at Vance and then at me again. “Yeah, looks like you both did.” I started getting jealous vibes off of her. No, that couldn’t be right. “Ah!” she screamed, clutching her head as she fell to her knees.

Vance and I both went down to the floor to assist her onto the couch.

“Eri, what’s wrong?” I asked. “What just happened?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve never felt anything like it before.”

I went to put my arm around her and got shocked. There were massive electrical currents running beneath her skin. “Holy shit! What is going on with you?”

She lifted her hand and mini crackles of lightning shot from her fingertips. “I don’t know. It doesn’t hurt anymore.” She looked over to Vance. “Could it be?”

“Could what be?” I asked.

Vance ignored my question as he knelt in front of her, taking both of her hands, extinguishing the volts. He closed his eyes for a moment before responding. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Could what be?” I repeated.

She looked at me and smiled. “I think Jake returned my powers.” She said something in Latin and a mini funnel of wind rose from her palm. “No, I know he did!”

We were struck silent in awe as we watched the mini tornado bouncing off her hand. I looked towards Vance who looked…doubtful? Sad, maybe? After a moment of awkwardness between us, my phone started ringing. I jumped from the couch and hurried towards the foyer to grab it before it went to voicemail. The number was blocked. Weird.

“Hello?” I said.

“Hello, Karli. Have you missed me?”

Maria.

*****

“What do you want?” I said through clenched teeth.

“What do I want? Oh, well that is a loaded question, my dear. I see that you got the present that I left for you in your apartment. Or should I say the prelude to the real fun?” She laughed a sinister laugh.

“Wh-…What do you mean?” I somehow managed to ask.

Vance must have heard my tone because he and Erica both joined me. It’s Maria. I said this to him telepathically.

Vance’s eyes widened and he grabbed the phone from me. “Maria, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” he asked. “You’re not going to get away with this.” His face blanched for a moment, and then he lowered the phone. “She hung up,” he explained.

“What?” I asked. “What did she say?”