It was midnight and the forest was quiet like the dead except for the occasional cries of distant foxes. They waited in the ditch by the large road that cut through the forest.

  Earlier during the evening Jane had spotted one of the people on her list heading for one of the most garish nightclubs in the entire town of Arthur's rest. They knew then and there that ambushing them on their way home would be the move. The target had been driving a yellow sports car that they couldn't miss even in the dead of night, and once they heard it roaring down the road they would strike.

  "The ward is set up and ready to go, so they'll be trapped on the road with you once they cross it," Jane whispered to him.

  "Any thing I need to worry about when I face off against him?" he asked her.

  "Monterey is a middling mage as far as I'm concerned, but if he had access to his spirits it would be a different story."

  The Autumn witches used spirits to do their heavy lifting. Spirit binding was their proprietary magic and they rarely if ever shared their knowledge of spirits with others. If the ward did its job, then all of Monterey's bound spirits would end up outside the ward as it activated. Leaving Monterey trapped without any backup.

  "I believe in you, Al, without his spirits you will have the upper hand in this fight."

  Holding his breath he filled the two spells within him to the brim with power and then breathed slowly out before stepping onto the asphalt. Normally he would have worried about getting hit by a car when standing in the middle of a road, but with the ward in place he had no reason to fear. All he had to think about was defeating Monterey and nothing else.

  He heard the roar of an engine only moments before he saw the headlights coming towards him, but then it all went quiet in an instant as the ward activated. He could see a shimmering boundary forming around the road as the car came to a full stop thirty paces away from him. The rustling of leaves and the cries of animals had been completely erased by the ward and left the road around him almost unearthly quiet.

  Excitement was building inside of him. Every life he took brought him a step closer towards his life with Jane. He was going to win because he would reject any world in which he failed her. The battle against Garuda had taught him that a fight only truly ended once you no longer drew breath.

  "I am unassailable," he whispered to himself.

  "Any that would dare to oppose me have already sealed their fate," he continued as the power inside cried out in anticipation for the slaughter that would soon begin.

  "Can you hear the bells tolling? They herald your death waiting for you with open arms."

  "Embrace it and learn that survival is an illusion."

  Monterey opened the driver's side door and exited the car as he raised his hand in preparation for the last verse of the chant.

  "I show you now the true face of retribution!"

  The spell inside was crackling with a fury only barely contained as he channeled more power than he had ever done the before. He could see Monterey's eyes go wide as he spoke the word that would invoke the all consuming destruction.

  "Nihilate!"

  The car collapsed in on itself in an instant only to explode the very next moment as the fuel caught fire within the shell of crumpled metal and detonated the vehicle. Monterey screamed out in pain as fragmentation from the explosion tore through his side.

  It was time. The man was injured, but still standing. Al had dealt the first strike and if the second didn't finish him, then the third would be the one to seal his fate.

  He charged towards Monterey as the man invoked his own power to cast a spell of his own. A brilliant lance of flame burst into life hovering lazily above their shoulder. It flew forth leaving a bright orange streak behind as it traveled towards him. He raised his hand as it approached and activated the second spell.

  "Nihil!"

  The flaming spear had only been a moment away from striking him before the wave of nothingness emanating from him had devoured it in its entirety. He had denied all combustion and so it had ceased to be. With his hand aimed at Monterey's midsection he activated his first spell once more.

  "Nihilate!"

  Air rushed in as Monterey's stomach disappeared in a bright flash. Where his lower torso should have been there was only a football sized hole. Blood poured like a river from the dying man's ruined body, but he couldn't take any risks. Only death would truly end the battle.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  He finally closed the last bit of distance and raised his finger towards Monterey's head. Then with one last word he sealed his fate.

  "Nihilate."

  The man's head exploded like an overripe watermelon. Skull fragments and gray matter shot out in all directions. It was an overwhelming victory. Monterey hadn't stood a chance against his magic, but the man had also been one of the weaker members of the main Autumn household. It would only get harder from now on.

  The pain was back. His arms felt like they had been impaled with burning hot nails. The first spell had drawn too much power and now he was paying the price.

  Al collapsed to the ground the moment he stepped out of the ward. Jane would remove any trace of their actions. He didn't know how, but she had given her word and he wouldn't question it. Minutes passed as he struggled with the searing pain tearing through his body.

  "I suppose blowing up his car must have shocked him if anything," Jane said as she cancelled the ward surrounding the road with a swift motion.

  "I was hoping he would have been caught in the blast, but I wasn't that fortunate."

  He turned his head to look upon the carnage one last time, but it was nowhere to be seen anymore. The asphalt looked untouched and pristine. There was no sign of the body or the pieces of the car.

  Jane sat down next to him and pushed her lips against his. Lust was burning inside him like an all consuming fire, but it would have to wait until it was all said and done. For now a drawn out kiss would suffice.

  It took them over an hour to make it back to the house on foot, but going by car wasn't an option. They had to hide their traces for as long as possible if their plan was going to work.

  "I've been meaning to ask you, Jane," he said as they finally reached the door.

  She stopped just as she was about to open the door and turned to face him. There was some uncertainty in her eyes as she raised her voice.

  "What is it?"

  "You don't actually know what I look like do you? You even assumed Annie was my sibling on accident."

  She began fiddling with her dress nervously. It was kind of cute how easily he had managed to knock her off guard. It was a side of her he only saw on rare occasions.

  "It's called soulsight, and people that possess it see only the spiritual reflection of things."

  She turned and pointed towards the house itself and spoke once more.

  "Take this house for example, what I see is a bright and welcoming log cabin."

  That was about as far off the mark as someone could be. The house had white brick walls and a black metal roof. Its modern construction was a far cry from any log cabin.

  "I see only the soul reflecting one's innermost characteristics, which is how I found you."

  So she had never seen what anyone actually looks like then? Was that how she had managed to get so popular so quickly? By using the knowledge she could glean from the appearance of their souls. It couldn't have been easy for her when she was little.

  "So how do you know what clothes to buy then?" he said jokingly.

  "Oh I just look for the ones that have souls with good vibes since people usually end up responding well to them."

  "Really?" he chuckled.

  "It hasn't failed me yet."

  They held hands as they stepped through the door and headed up the stairs to their right. Since his room was on the far end of the second floor, they had to move quietly if they were going to reach it without accidentally waking someone.

  The moment he closed the door behind him Jane threw herself on the bed. She pulled all the blankets to her side and threw him a mischievous grin.

  "If you peek while I'm undressing, then I'll stop your heart in your sleep," she said menacingly.

  'Message received' he thought to himself as he turned around to face the door before throwing his clothes off. He had slept in boxers for most of his life and he wasn't going to stop now.

  "Okay, you can turn around now."

  He struggled to hold back the laughter as he saw her pink bunny pyjamas. Could there be something more cliché? It really proved the fact that she had no idea what her clothes looked like whatsoever.

  "I'm guessing that pair gave off a cute vibe huh?"

  "Well it promised me that it was the cutest..."

  She had sounded almost ashamed when she said that. He couldn't help but feel a bit bad for making light of her choice of sleepwear. After all, it really was quite cute.

  Slowly he crawled into bed before snatching a pillow and leaning his head against it. She scooted closer to him and wrapped the blanket around the two of them. He could feel her racing heartbeat as she wrapped her arms around his chest.

  "Is this the moment you burden me with a sad backstory and I follow it with my own?" he whispered to her with a big grin on his face.

  "No, this is the moment you shut up and enjoy the fact you get to sleep next to me instead of on the floor."

  "Got it."

  It felt almost like when he had fallen asleep in her arms in her backyard. Everything felt so right with her by his side. Was this what life was going to be like from now on?

  He stroked her hair as he put an arm around her midsection. She felt so fragile. It was like she was made of glass. With just a bit of pressure she would crack and fall apart into a million pieces, but he would never let that happen.

  Sleep claimed him as he lay there listening to the lullaby that was the beating of her heart. The dream felt hollow when compared to the real thing right next to him. But like all things the darkness eventually receded to the sound of a high pitched voice echoing from somewhere within the void.

  "Wake up already! Breakfast is ready and Jane promised to go shopping with us!"

  Was that Jennifer? He could have swore he locked the door. In that space between dreams and reality he pulled Jane closer to him. He didn't want it to end and no one was going to take it from him.

  "Al! You're crushing me," Jane wheezed as his consciousness returned fully.

  He let go as he felt her feebly tapping on his shoulder. The fear sobered his mind in an instant. Why had he been so stupid yet again?

  "Fuck, I'm sorry!"

  Jane breathed out heavily as he finally let go of her. She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek before hopping out of bed. As she got up she stretched her body out like a cat.

  "I'm sorry Jenny, but Al wasn't quite ready to wake up yet," she yawned.

  There was an entire day ahead of them before the next victim. It made him anxious, but the anxiety could wait. Breakfast came first.