Chapter 22

“I’m supposed to be ignoring you,” Jade muttered, her words slurring slightly, “but it’s not working.”
But as the world around her continued to tilt and sway a sudden realization hit her. “I think my punch was not just punch,” she said, the spinning sky confirming her suspicion.
“I think you’re right,” He agreed, slipping his arm around her. Jade’s head naturally fell to his shoulder, and they sat in comfortable silence, the cool breeze mixing with the warmth of their closeness.
After a while, her mind—still unfocused—wandered to the strangest question. “Are you like… one hundred years old?” she blurted out, breaking the stillness. It wasn’t something she’d ever seriously considered before. His demonism had always been the more pressing issue.
Benjamin shrugged casually. “A little older.”
She sat up, her curiosity fully piqued. She turned to face him, wide-eyed. “How old?” she asked, sounding more like a fascinated child than a girl who’d just discovered her dance partner was a demon.
“About one hundred and fifty,” he answered with a small smile, “give or take a year.”
Jade’s jaw dropped. Her eyes widened in shock. “Gross!” The word slipped out before she could catch it, and she clamped her hands over her mouth, embarrassed.
But Benjamin just laughed it off. “I look pretty good for someone more than a century old, right?”
Jade blushed, unable to stop herself from thinking about their kiss. Despite everything, she couldn’t disagree. “So, what do we do now?” she asked, her voice softening. “I’m seventeen and growing. You look seventeen and… stagnant.”
The alcohol Mike had slipped her was finally wearing off. The spinning world was slowing down, and her thoughts were becoming clearer. The lake still glowed in the moonlight, and the stars above still twinkled like they were dancing, but her head was no longer clouded.
“I don’t know,” He whispered, his vulnerability showing as he reached for her hand. Jade didn’t hesitate—she intertwined her fingers with his, surprised again by how cool his skin felt against her warmth.
Fire and ice, she thought. That’s what they were—complete opposites. Fire could melt ice, and ice could douse fire. Was there any way for them to meet in the middle? But Benjamin wasn’t just cold. He was alive, full of passion like a flame buried in the Arctic struggling to be set free.
Jade glanced at him, her heart twisting at the thought. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for them after all.
She snuggled closer to him, his arm tightening protectively around her shoulders. For a brief, blissful moment, nothing but her feelings mattered. She let her breath slow, savoring the comfort of his embrace allowing her mind to shut off from the chaos that usually consumed it.
Then, a scream pierced the air.
Jade bolted upright, jolting out of Benjamin’s arms as he stirred beside her, wide awake. A second scream followed, louder and more desperate. They exchanged a glance, both tense.
Without hesitation, Jade turned toward the woods. “Come on, we have to help!” she shouted, taking off in the direction of the noise. Benjamin swore under his breath and shot past her with supernatural speed, disappearing into the darkness.
Jade pushed herself harder, the chill of the night air biting at her as she reached the tree line. The moonlight faded as soon as she crossed the dense forest, plunging everything into a near-pitch-black void. Her heart pounded in her ears, and the forest floor crackled beneath her feet as she carefully moved forward, listening for the whimpering that had gone with the screams.
Somewhere ahead, a faint blue glow caught her attention—the unmistakable light of a cell phone. Jade ducked behind a bush, trying to get a sense of what she was up against she had to help. Whoever that girl was, she was in danger, and Jade couldn’t shake the thought of what could happen if she didn’t intervene.
She started to stand, ready to rush forward.
“Stop,” Benjamin whispered in her ear. She almost screamed, her heart leaping into her throat.
“Shaun and Owen,” he continued, his voice low and tense. “Let me handle this.” And before she could argue, Benjamin slipped away, disappearing into the shadows.
“Shaun. Owen. Control yourselves,” She heard him say, his voice commanding, cutting through the silence. But no one responded.
Jade bit her lip, fear creeping into her chest. She couldn’t just sit back and wait. She needed to know what was happening. Crawling forward on her hands and knees, she inched toward the light, her breath shallow as she kept low to the ground. The eerie glow of the cell phone cast an unnatural blue hue over the scene, just enough to reveal Benjamin’s tense figure. But as her eyes adjusted, Jade saw more.
Her heart clenched as she took in the sight before her.
A girl dressed in a Cinderella costume lay sprawled on the ground, her once beautiful dress now matted with dirt and leaves. She wasn’t moving. Shaun was hunched over her neck, while Owen, his back turned toward Jade, held her wrist to his mouth. The horror of what she was seeing settled in they were killing her.
Jade froze. Fear seized her, locking her in place. She wanted to scream, to throw herself into the fray, but something stopped her. It wasn’t just fear it was something deeper, something that stirred from the darkest corners of her mind.
And then, the memory came flooding back.
Baby Jade looked up into the face of a woman with straight, blood-red hair—her mother. She giggled, tugging at the loose tendrils that fluttered in the breeze the sound of her laughter filled the air, innocent and full of life.
“We have to hurry,” her father said, his tone sharp with urgency. Jade felt a flicker of fear at his words, her tiny hands reaching toward him. His face, framed by a mop of curly red hair, softened into a strained smile as he glanced at her. “Don’t worry, baby girl,” he said, tapping her nose gently.
Jade giggled and tried to reach his nose, but her little arms were too short. She scrunched her face in concentration, and without warning—she released a small burst of fire. It shot from her fingertips, the flames dancing in the air before landing harmlessly on her father’s cheek, where they quickly absorbed into his skin.
“I’m going to get you!” he exclaimed with mock surprise, sweeping her up from her mother’s arms and slinging her over his shoulder. Jade squealed with delight as he playfully patted her behind. The world spun in a blur of laughter and light.
She grinned and shot another bolt of fire at her mother, waiting for her reaction. Her mother caught it effortlessly in her hand, sending it back with a playful smile. She clapped her chubby baby hands, reaching out to grab the glowing light, but it slipped through her fingers. She tried again this time sending a stream of light straight toward her mother, who caught it in both hands.
Just as her mother was about to return the playful bolt, the woods exploded with movement.
Seven men burst from the trees, their figures dark and menacing. The air changed in an instant. Jade’s giggles died on her lips, replaced by confusion and fear. Her father’s smile vanished, replaced by an expression she had never seen before, an expression of sheer terror.
“Amber!” her father’s voice boomed, filled with desperation as the strangers grabbed her mother. Her mother shot light from her hands, a blinding force that sent the attackers flying backward, but they kept coming. Her father scooped her off his shoulders and, with trembling hands, tucked her into the dense twigs and leaves of a nearby bush.
“Jade, baby, listen to Daddy,” he whispered urgently, his breath coming in shallow gasps. “Be quiet and don’t shine your light. Whatever happens, this is very important. Do not let anyone see your power.”
Even as a baby, Jade knew to listen. Her wide eyes fixed on him as he kissed his fingertips and touched them to her forehead. Then, with a roar, he spun around, hurling bolts of light from his hands like bullets, striking the demons swarming over her mother. They stumbled back under the force of his attack, but more demons appeared from behind, leaping on him and sinking their razor teeth into his flesh.
Her father’s scream cut through the air, raw and agonizing as a long wave of light erupted from his body. Some demons were thrown away, but others who fed remained immune. Jade watched helplessly as her father fell to his knees, then collapsed fully onto the ground, the light finally fading from him.
Demons circled both her mother and father, feeding on their still bodies, not letting a single drop of their blood essence escape their greedy lips.
Jade remained hidden, unable to move, her baby body still too small to crawl. She didn’t release her fire or reveal the power her father had begged her to keep secret. Tears slid silently down her chubby cheeks as she huddled deeper into the bush.
Then, another crash came from behind her. Light soared over her head, brilliant arcs illuminating the dark forest. At first, it seemed to have no effect, but slowly, the demons began to retreat from her father’s body, though they still clung to her mother. Jade felt hands lift her from the bush, and though the person whispered that everything would be all right, she stayed silent. She remembered her father’s words she would not show her fire.
The demons were pushed back, but they refused to leave her mother. “Let’s go we must hurry,” She heard someone say urgently, pulling her away from the scene.
She glanced back one last time. Her mother was surrounded, dying.
“No!” Jade gasped, bolting upright, the memory crashing into the present. She blinked, disoriented, for a moment but the sight before her was no less horrifying.
Shaun looked up from the girl’s lifeless body, his pupils wide and wild, his eyes black with bloodlust. Owen still feeding, barely noticed the disruption.
Fury ignited in Jade’s veins, blazing hotter with each passing second. The memory of her parents’ deaths had awakened something deep within her, something she could no longer hold back without thinking, Jade’s power surged to the surface, and she unleashed a bolt of fire. It shot from her hands like lightning, slamming into Owen’s back and Shaun’s face with a force that sent them flying through the air. They crashed into the trees, branches snapping and shattering under the impact.
Jade’s flames curved gracefully around Benjamin, sparing him from the onslaught. He was safe. He wasn’t her enemy—not the source of her rage. She had control, at least enough to protect him.
When Shaun and Owen were flung out of sight, Jade snuffed out her fire, like switching off a lightbulb, her hands trembling from the power she had unleashed.
“Well, well. Someone’s certainly learned a thing or two in the past few weeks,” a familiar voice drawled from behind Benjamin. Skye emerged from the shadows, her lips curled in a mocking smile. “Can’t hit me without getting lover boy too. Such a shame.”
Skye’s tone was light, but her eyes burned with fury. She knew. She had to know where Benjamin had gone when he’d disappeared from the dance. Jade felt her anger simmering again, but her first surge of power had waned leaving her unsure if she could summon that level of control again. She thought about trying to shoot her flames around Benjamin again, but what if she failed? What if she hurt him?
“Get out of here, Skye,” Benjamin said, his voice low and dangerous. He tried to move out of the way, but Skye stepped with him, positioned just behind him, using him as a shield. As long as she stayed two feet behind him, Jade couldn’t risk using her power without hitting him.
Jade’s heart raced, adrenaline pumping through her. She could feel the heat simmering beneath her skin, ready to explode again if needed, but Skye’s taunting smirk kept her cautious she wasn’t just an enemy—she was calculating, and now, she had leverage.
“Scared, Seraphina?” She teased, her eyes gleaming with challenge. “Go ahead, light me up. But we both know what will happen if you try.”
Jade clenched her fists, trying to steady herself. She wasn’t scared—not of Skye but couldn’t make a move without risking Benjamin, and Skye knew it. The power flickered within her, begging to be released, but Jade held back. Not yet. Not like this.
“I’m not scared of you,” Jade finally said, her voice calm despite the fury inside her.
Skye’s smirk widened. “Oh, but you should be.”