Page 1 of Crimson Promises
Prologue
Twenty-one years prior…
Curtains of rain swept across Arbor Lane, bending the tops of the trees. The wind wound itself around the trunks, whistling and sighing as it whipped through the tangle of soft leaves, tearing at the bark. A blade of lightning streaked overhead, briefly illuminating the inky sky. The moon cast light upon a tall, slender frame; the figure leaned against the road's dead streetlight. He brushed back a lock of blue-black hair plastered to his forehead and glanced down the street in both directions. Reaching into his back pocket, he slid out a sleek iPhone. The glow of the display read 2:22 a.m. He shoved the phone into the inside pocket of his leather jacket to keep it from getting wet.
Sloshing sounds directed his attention to the other side of the road. Out of the shadows stepped a towering figure. A few seconds later, a pair of headlights lit up the gloom. Only a faceless silhouette was visible. An onyx cloak shrouded the figure, concealing his identity.
“Bennett. Glad to see you got my message,” the voice boomed.
“You threatened to report me to the Council if I didn’t show up. I came to make sure whatever knowledge you have of me goes no further.” He crossed his arms across his chest and widened his stance, ready for battle.
A red Nissan puttered down the street. Its windshield wipers sluiced back the water, grating together like broken teeth. Paint peeled off the run-down car’s body, like a leopard’s coat.
“I have a proposition for you.”
“And what makes you think I would be interested in any kind of proposition from a stranger?” Bennett arched an eyebrow.
“You showed up, didn’t you?”
“Didn’t give me much of a choice. Exposing my whereabouts to them would disrupt my entire existence. Not that it is much anymore, but at least I still have some semblance of autonomy. Remove your hood, and let’s get this over with,” Bennett sneered. “I have places to go and things to do. I’d rather get the bloodshed out of the way before dawn.” He reached into his jacket and palmed a dagger.
“I can deliver what you have desperately sought out for hundreds of years.”
“Which is?” Bennett ran his thumb over the smooth edge of the blade.
“Power.” The cloak billowed in the wind, revealing a pair of scuffed leather boots.Practicality and functionality.
“How exactly will you grant me this power I desperately seek?” Bennett mocked.
“I can ensure that you are granted enough power and a unique ability recognized by The Council for you to become a part of The Gifted.”
“There’s no way you can grant me that. You’d have to be an?—”
The shrouded figure lifted the hood a few inches.
Bennett staggered back a step and dropped to a deep bow, letting the knife clatter to the floor. “I’m…uh…sorry. I didn't mean any offense.”
The individual pulled the cloak back up and waved their hand in the air in dismissal.
“In exchange for sanctioning you with powers to enter The Gifted caste, I require something in return.” The individual snapped his fingers. A bubble outlined in golden light concealed them. The circle stripped away the glamour Bennett used to disguise his wings. “This will prevent the humans from noticing our presence. And anyone else who may be wishing to eavesdrop on this conversation.”
Bennett attempted to rearrange his features into a nonchalant expression. “I gathered. What is it I would need to do?”
The figure nodded towards the beat-up Nissan parked on the driveway. From it, an average-sized male emerged from the vehicle and stared into the cluster of trees ahead, right through the two of them. His blonde curly hair resembled a Brillo pad and didn’t move an inch amid the torrential rain. The man’s eyes caught Bennett’s attention; they were as black as the night sky, but it was the pain within them that sent shivers down his spine.
“Earlier this evening, Stephen James lost his wife to an aneurysm while she was giving birth to their daughter. Your part of the bargain is to watch over and protect Aurora James until she is twenty-one years of age.”
“And who exactly is she?”
Bennett twisted to see Aurora’s father pull a charcoal car seat out of the back seat. The infant was covered in a copious amount of pink blankets as a barrier against the evening's harsh conditions. Stephen drifted towards the door, careful to avoid any puddles. He did nothing to shield himself from the rain as he headed inside the house.
“None of your concern,” the figure said simply. “If at any point you breach the terms of this agreement, not only will you forfeit your opportunity to gain a place amongst The Gifted. I’ll also ensure your wings are sawed from your back and shredded.”
Bennett’s olive complexion paled significantly. He turned back around. “What am I protecting her from?”
“Anything that could cause her harm. She is never to know you are there, the powers she possesses, or who she truly is. Only when she reaches her age of maturity and remains mortal will the bargain be fulfilled. Until then, this is your only responsibility. Understood?”
Bennett nodded his head solemnly.
