Chapter 3

Allie

I felt Masen follow me out the door of the pizza shop. I couldn’t seem to control my thoughts around him or about him. I was still in shock that I got so angry at Jimmy when, in the next breath, I was being rude to Masen too. Hypocrite much, Allie? Arrgghh I can’t believe he’s here. Why? Suddenly, he grabbed my hand and pulled me to a stop.

“Allie, please don’t walk away from me. I know this is all sudden and there is so much to explain but I need you close. The Darkness will know by now that we’ve met and plans will already be being put in place. We need to be careful and smart.” Masen’s voice curled around me like warm comfort on a cold night. Hang on. It was cold. Colder than it was thirty minutes ago. Along with the cold was a feeling of menace. My spine tingled and that usually only happened right before danger.

“Go, go, go,” I yelled at him before turning and looking for Jimmy and Sala. “Hurry up, you two. Somethings coming. We need to go. NOW!”

Jimmy grabbed Sala by the hand and they both started running in the direction of the compound. I looked at Masen and realised he wouldn’t leave me. “We stay together. I will not run from what’s out there.”  My voice was resigned.

“I guess now’s as good as any time to tell you my full name then.” He said with a grin.

“If you think it’s what you need to do.” I sigh. Men. Always thinking they’re so funny and irresistible. Although truth be known, that smile of his was killer.

“I’m Masen the Brave. So, let’s go hunting, my cranky One.” He practically spun in mid-air to turn and face the oncoming threat.

I shook my head and turned around to see what was coming. All that was there was a low-lying fog swirling close the ground. Sneaky buggers thought they could hide their magic from us. I could feel the anger and it was all directed at Masen and I. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on who you were, The Darkness fought mind battles more often than not. It sent in physical creatures as well and they were always good for a fight and letting off steam but we needed to fend off this threat and get home so we could talk. Before I could move though my body felt like it had been frozen in place. Bloody Fadden was back.

“Blondie, Braveboy. You both need to leave. Now! I’ll take care of this and meet you at your home. But you need to leave right now. Go.” Fadden’s voice washed over me and I started to quickly walk away even as part of me railed against leaving. Masen was right next to me. Once we were far enough away I looked back to see the fog swirl up and wrap around Fadden completely hiding him from view.

“We need to help him. We need to go back.” I tried to run back the way we came but Masen held me tightly to his body.

“No, we need to do as Fadden said. He is much stronger than you or I at the moment. The day will come when together we will be stronger but that’s not today. Come on. We should run.”

I hated how controlled he sounded. This was my town, not his. It was my job to protect this area and people. But both Masen and Fadden had just rendered me useless. I didn’t like this feeling. Resentment started brewing in me even as I did what he said and started to run. I quickly got in front of him and lead the way to our training room. As we entered the compound I heard the heavy metal doors slam shut behind us.

“Wait! You need to keep them open for Fadden.” I ran back to the guard. “Please. Open them back up.”

“It’s on Fadden’s orders I’m shutting the gates, Allie. He was very definite about closing them once you and” the guard looked a bit uncomfortable “Braveboy were inside. He knows he can get in any time. Your safety is paramount to us here at the compound.”

I stepped back and ran straight into the brick wall that was Masen. His arms came around me and hugged me against him. For a brief second I allowed myself to lean on him and absorb some of his heat.

“Okay. Let’s go meet the others. And then, you and I need to talk. Alone.” I pulled away and started towards the training room. “You’ve met Jimmy and Sala, now you’ll meet Christian and Jenny. We’ve managed to do our share of fighting The Darkness now for years together. Jimmy may be the only one you’ll have trouble with.”

“Other than you?” Masen says with a smile.

“Stop smiling. Seriously, if you want me to concentrate, stop smiling.” His smile makes me feel things I’m not ready to deal with right now. There are so many other questions and issues that need dealing with. First on the agenda, why have my friends been keeping secrets?