Betrayal by Mayandree Michel Page B

anxiously. Evan seemed to be contemplating if he should answer. I expected that he knew the answer.
    “It's only a matter of time. I expect soon. I would like to tell you a little more about yourself. If that's alright?” He asked, and paused, waiting for clearance.
    “Ok.” I said knowing that I really didn't have much of a choice.

    Evan was about to continue when suddenly iridescent like sand materialized in the center of the room like a tornado funnel. The twister of sand spun rapidly in the air taking the shape of a very tall half man half horse. The sand was becoming more and more human until we were all looking at Nikolas.
    Why had we seen a horse man? He still wore his dark jeans and tshirt. He smiled then began talking – breathless and fast.
    “Victor was in the house… I barely escaped.” Nikolas panted. “I need a drink.”
    Bethany rushed to his side but then stopped abruptly almost as if she was cautious of him. She then asked Nikolas a strange question that sounded more like a riddle.
    “A cloak is for debris if?” She asked.
    “Armor shields the heart.” Nikolas answered, and she threw her arms around him, squeezing him fiercely as if she expected him to disappear in sparkling sand as he had appeared. He welcomed her tiny body, in comparison to his own, in a warm embrace then began talking again. He walked over to the bar and fixed himself a glass of wine and gulped the full contents of his glass. Then, to my surprise, but to no one else’s, he poured another than another.
    “The dragon boy is unable to transport without great concentration or he would be here now,” Nikolas said, sipping the fourth glass of wine, but who’s counting. “He is hell bent on Cordelia's whereabouts and killing her. The heinous one even claimed to be able to smell her.” Nikolas directed all of his words to Evan, who listened carefully.
    “You took a while. What happened?” Bethany said, now calm. She was no longer anxious now that Nikolas had returned.
    “I knew I wouldn't have time to teleport, and I didn't want to risk it, and be intercepted. Therefore, I chose to stay and wait. I knew better than to expect one of his devotees. Cordelia is too crucial to Victor. I figured he would rather handle her abduction himself than to leave it to his spineless subjects.”
    Nikolas chuckled. “See for yourself.”
    Nikolas raised his very long muscular arm and pointed to the wall with the least framed pictures and paintings. A spark suddenly streamed from the tip of Nikolas’ index finger, of his right hand. It was magic. A mirage appeared on the wall, and I thought an old movie projector had been placed not too far behind us. But there was no projector. We were watching a movie that looked like it was playing on a wall made of water that faded into the patterned wall paper.
    It was crazy. I saw myself submerged in water, in the same living room, but before we landed back here. I floated in the whirlpool along with some sort of liquid hologram of Evan and Bethany. They were the water and were standing as I was floating outward perpendicular to them. Evan had his watery hand planted on my forehead. Then we evaporated, along with the deafening sucking and slurping sound, into a tiny crystal drop of water that vanished into the air.
    My mouth practically dropped to the wood floor.
    Nikolas was left alone in the sparsely furnished living room. Not a second had passed since disappearing when the walls began to buckle from the blazing temperature in the room. Out of nowhere appeared the gorgeous boy who had killed me. My body began to tremble as I had another opportunity to look him in those malicious eyes. Selfassured, he stood tall and muscular with a menacing look in his eyes that clearly stated why he was there; obviously to kill again. He snarled and paused at the entrance of the living room opposite where Nikolas waited. Nikolas was the taller and larger of the two.
    He wasted no time in letting Nikolas know why he