Forbidden Boys

by Chantal Cross

  “You will give it to me, Ebony. I don’t care what it takes, this’ll save us. It’ll save everyone.” Gabriel rambles. He’s delirious, a shadow of the man I’ve come to know. Even when he’s been forward in the past, he’s never pushed at boundaries like this before. Right now, he’s a danger to everyone, not just me.

  His hands snatch at my ankles, pulling me towards him. Time slows as he reels me in, fate cruelly wants me to helplessly watch as an old loved one defiles me.

  I think back on all the times we’ve shared. Of stolen moments when he meant everything to me. Seth has always been my rock, but Gabriel has been consistent in his own, unique way. And now he’s taking all that away from me.

  I close my eyes and pray that this ends quickly.

  A massive eruption forces me to peek from behind my lids. I watch as Gabriel is held in mid-air, an aura of murky darkness quivering around his body. Sorrowful orbs that were once lecherous eyes look down at me, begging for my help. But I don’t know what’s happening or why he’s now trapped like this. I stare down at myself, but I don’t see anything out of the ordinary. Yet the way he stares leads me to think that this is my doing.

  And once I know that I’m unstoppable. My anger becomes untethered.

  A fork of lightning breaks free of the bubble engulfing him and hits directly at his eye socket. Gabriel screams in pain. It’s the most gut-wrenching sound I’ve heard in my life — even that time Lucien screeched doesn’t come close to the agony Gabriel expresses. Blood spills onto the stones. It seeps into the grooves as it continues to pour out of him.

  I start to worry that I’ve blinded him, but to my relief, my magic has missed his eye completely. Gabriel will have a nasty scar to remind him of this moment. Good. I want it to stay with him for the rest of his days. Whenever he looks in the mirror, I want him to see me. To see the pain he caused. I want him to suffer.

  Not wanting to lash out again, I run from him as fast as my legs will carry me. I have no clue if my magic will dispel of its own accord, but I don’t give a damn right now. I just need to be away from him. I need to be away from man’s dark desires.

  27

  Ebony

  There’s only one place I want to go after I get away from Gabriel. All I can think of is getting to mother.

  I run hard towards the kitchens, holding in my trembling tears. I’m so sick of him. I’m sick of it all. Feeling Gabriel try to push himself on me was awful—why didn’t he listen?

  My breath burns my throat, and my legs get tired, but I don’t care. I need my mother now. I’ve never felt so used, so violated. If he loves me so much, how could he hurt me like that?

  I slow as I reach the kitchens. I can hear some movement going on inside, but it looks like the staff has already finished up. It’s not like a regular kitchen where everyone has to scrub and dry for hours on end. They charm the dishes clean with a spell, then put them away with a bit of telekinesis. It doesn’t even waste any water.

  As I come through the door, the light is glowing, warm, and welcoming. I can’t say anything as I walk towards mother, arms out. My tears run down my face, too hot on my cold cheeks.

  “My darling! Baby girl!” Mother hurries over to me and folds me into her arms. I lean against her, wrapping my arms around her waist and letting myself lean on her shoulder. My chest heaves with sobs, but I feel so much better with her arms around me.

  For a few seconds, she just holds me tight, stroking my back. She grips my arms lightly and looks into my face and for a moment—just a brief one—I see something cross her face. A deep sadness. Some inner conflict. She covers it immediately with a bright smile.

  Feeling the way, I do, it’s not something I want to ask about. Even though I’ve thought about how she seems saddened by something, I know she would tell me if there was anything I could do to help.

  She rubs my arms with her fingers, looking into my eyes.

  “What happened, dear girl? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so upset. Sit down and tell me about it.”

  I sit down at the workbench on a little stool. Mother goes back to working some pastry on the table. I see the apples in the pans and realize what she’s doing.

  “Mother, is this an apple cobbler?”

  “Yes, darling.” She smiles warmly as she rolls out a circle of beautiful, delicate pastry. “It’s your favorite, I know. For your birthday.”

  I stare at her stupidly.

  “My birthday?”

  “Yes, darling. You’re eighteen today… Surely you haven’t forgotten?”

  “Actually, I did.” I can’t believe I forgot my own birthday! Talk about distractions! I guess there are more important things than your birthday sometimes.

  “Well, it’s a good thing I remembered.” Mother reaches out and rubs my hand warmly. “I want to make sure you have something for your special day.” A tear gathers at the corner of her eye, and she looks away, gripping my hand tight. “I want you to enjoy yourself. You’ve been happy, haven’t you? I mean, I know the last couple of months have been exhausting. But for the most part, you’ve been happy?”

  “Yes… well. Most of the time. I’m not sure I understand what you mean. It’s my birthday, after all. Today I just want to feel good about myself and look forward to things.”

  She looks away, stepping back. She makes a few quick adjustments to the apples in the pan—they are laced with brown sugar and cinnamon, absolutely delicious. She slips it into the oven at her side.

  “It will only take a few minutes, as the oven is very hot. We can have it with ice cream.” She smiles at me with real love and sits across from me at the table. “Do you feel like talking about what happened?”

  “Oh. It was Gabriel.” I spit the words out. I’m so disgusted with him! “He tried to kiss me. I kept saying no, but he pushed himself on me. It was awful.”

  Mother sits very still, face a little crestfallen. She looks me over with quick eyes.

  “Did he kiss you?”

  “No. He just tried to. He was a bit full-on. It scared me.”

  “Oh.” She smiles again. “I’m sorry, my darling. I’ll talk to him. We can’t have that going on. He might think he’s a grown man, but I’m still his mother.” She leans over, rubbing my arm. “Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine.”

  My smile is a thing of joy, and it heals me from within. Mother can be so harsh with me. She’s not always consistent. I’m so relieved that today, she’s being gentle with me. I need it so much.

  “I think that cobbler should be finished now.” She smiles again and picks up some big oven mitts as she pulls it out. The smell is lovely, all sweet and buttery. She slices out a big piece and puts it on a plate and scoops out a big portion of ice cream.

  When she puts it in front of me, the ice cream is melting on top of the hot apples. I poke it a bit with the spoon, waiting for it to cool down.

  “Aren’t you having any, mother?”

  “Oh—no dear. I ate well at dinner, and now I’m not feeling well.”

  I put my spoon down. “Oh! That’s too bad, Will you be alright?”

  She watches my spoon carefully as I take it away from the food. She frowns a little.

  “Of course. It’s just a little stomach ache. Don’t let it stop you from enjoying your birthday treat.”

  I pick up the spoon again. Mother smiles and nods.

  “I can’t believe I missed my birthday.” I put the spoon down again. “Really, it’s so silly isn’t it?”

  Her face looks somewhat drawn now as she looks at my spoon again. I feel a faint twinge of worry. Maybe she is sicker than I thought. She might want me to hurry up so she can go and lie down.

  “Yes, Ebony.” She sounds sad. “It’s strange of you to forget your birthday. But I made you a special treat, so it’s all well and good.” She smiles, and it seems an effort for her. “I hope you enjoy it.”

  I smell it just one more time before I dig my spoon in. I get a big spoonful of the warm, gooey goodness topp
ed with ice cream and eat it, rolling it on my tongue.

  “Oh, it’s good!” I mumble through the mouthful.

  “That’s good.” She whispers.

  I swallow it down and take another bite.

  “You know I love you, don’t you Ebony?”

  “Of course, mother!” I smile around my spoon. “You made me this lovely birthday treat—when I didn’t even know it was my birthday!”

  Mother's face falls, she looks hurt. Suddenly, I’m confused.

  “I just want you to know, no matter what, I love you.”

  “Of course.” I nod as I take another bite. I want to get up and hug her, but my body feels heavy. I’m suddenly very tired.

  “I’m so sorry, Ebony.” She looks at me with tears in her eyes. “I really am.”

  Holding my spoon has become too much effort. I put it down slowly. I’ve got so many questions, but all I can manage is a thick throated, “What?”

  “I have a duty.” Mother's voice is strained. “I have to do what I have to do. God knows, I tried to save you. I even fought with Glaw about it. But I can’t deny what needs to be done.”

  She looks at me, trying to impress something of great import upon me. I just feel heavy and thick like I’m sitting in dark fog. I can’t even speak now.

  “We can’t let her return. That’s just how it is. I would have kept you safe Ebony, forever and ever. Now that you’ve been awakened by Lust’s kiss, I cannot wait. I can’t deny the truth.”

  Oh, how I wish I could speak. Lift my head. Anything. I waver in my seat.

  “I’m so sorry!” She breaks finally into tears, hands up to her face. “I didn’t want this! I tried to avoid it in every way. Maybe the others were right—there would have been less pain if we just strangled you at birth.”

  I’m sure I didn’t hear her right. I’m not sure I’m hearing or seeing anything right. The world grows dark, and breathing is becoming difficult. I can’t see through the clouds that are sweeping through my vision.

  “Huh?” I manage to force a sound through my heavy, clumsy lips.

  “You damned yourself, my darling, when you kissed the boy.” Tears flow down her cheeks. She makes no attempt to stop them, just cries openly before me. I’m sorry for her, I am. She’s in terrible pain.

  But I’m pretty sure, she poisoned me. My mother deliberately fed me this. On my birthday.

  My thoughts are slippery, and I can’t keep hold of them. I start to sink sideways, grabbing the table. My chest is so heavy I can barely force my breath in and out.

  There is a sharp bang as the door is flung open with such force it buries itself in the wall. Seth comes striding towards me, and I’m so mixed up now I can’t even hear what he’s saying. As I slide into darkness, he catches me. At least, if I’m going to die, I get to see him one last time.

  I can’t think of a better way to go than in his arms.

  28

  Ebony

  I’m weightless.

  It’s not like before when I woke up in the infirmary in so much pain that I couldn’t tell if I still had a body.

  There’s no pain at all. I stretch my arms out in front of me. They feel like nothing more than water vapor and sunlight. They still look like my hands, though I can see right through them to the wall across from me.

  That’s not right. What’s happening?

  I try to call for help, but I can’t seem to make a sound. I should feel some kind of panic or unease, but I don’t. I’m curious. I want to know what’s happening to my body.

  I look around the room.

  My gaze lands on Cordelia. She looks pleased with herself. Memories come back to me like a fog settling over a field. She gave me something to eat. That’s right, it tasted amazing until I started feeling strange. My throat started to itch, and my body felt cold and wrong.

  What did she give me?

  “Ebony!” I hear someone’s strangled cry. I look down in the direction of the noise. I hadn’t realized how high off the ground I was.

  “Seth!” I call out. This time, I’m able to make a sound, but it sounds like nothing more than a whisper on the wind. He doesn’t hear me. Instead, he approaches a heap on the floor.

  “Ebony.” His voice is so soft as he takes the heap into his arms. With a start, I realize that heap is me. That’s my body.

  Seth holds my body against his chest. My face is so still it looks like it’s made of bronze.

  “How could you do this?” He screams at Cordelia. She has the nerve to keep smiling as she takes a few languid steps closer to him.

  “The real question is, why did you give me no choice?” Cordelia demands.

  “What?” Seth’s voice is cracked and broken. “Of course, there was another choice! There’s always another choice!”

  “Not this time,” Cordelia hisses. “I did what I had to do.”

  “You’re a traitor and a murderer.” Seth runs shaking fingers through my hair. I lift my spectral hand towards my own hair, wishing I could feel his hands.

  An unseen force tugs at me. It beckons me gently, urging me to leave. I refuse.

  “Me?” Cordelia’s eyes bulge out. “If anything, you’re the traitor!”

  Seth’s expression is a mask of rage and pain. How could Cordelia say such a thing? Seth’s the only one who’s had my best interest at heart this entire time. Even Lucien, as surprisingly kind as he turned out to be, has his own agenda.

  “You should’ve killed her the second her powers awakened,” Cordelia says. “That was your only job, and you failed.”

  “I still believe there’s another way,” Seth protests. “If you’d been the mother you were supposed to be in the first place, none of this would’ve happened. You couldn’t be bothered, and now you had to clean up your mess by killing her.”

  “She’s not my mess. She’s everyone’s mess. You’re lucky I didn’t drown her in her cradle,” Cordelia cackles.

  “You’re insane!” I shout at mother, but she doesn’t hear me.

  “I should’ve stolen her away,” Seth replies. “I could’ve found a safe place for us. She wouldn’t have had to awaken. She could’ve lived a happy, normal life for once.”

  “That may be so.” Cordelia tilts her head as she watches Seth rock my body back and forth. “But you didn’t. Now we’re here, and there’s nothing to be done.”

  “Put the magic into me,” Seth cries out.

  “What?” Cordelia furrows her brow.

  “Seth, what are you doing?” I whisper.

  “Whatever magic you used to kill her, transfer it to me. Kill me instead. Start over with Snow. Do it right.”

  “You poor, simple boy,” Cordelia tuts. “I didn’t use magic to kill her. Why would I waste my energy like that?”

  “What did you do to her?” Seth demands.

  “She poisoned me!” I shout to no avail. Once again, I feel a tug. It’s like there’s a string tied to my insides. “Not now.” I wave it away. The tugging sensation subsides for the moment.

  “It’s just poison,” Cordelia explains. “Not even derived from a magical plant. It’s every day, ordinary poison. I can’t retrieve it from her system. She’s already gone. It’s time to let Ebony go and deal with the problems at hand.”

  “I’ll never let her go,” Seth snarls. He clutches my body against his chest.

  “So be it!” Cordelia throws her hands up in the air. “I don’t need you. You’ve always been the useless one. I’ll leave you to wallow like the sad little pup you are. I did my duty. I did what Dorian wanted.”

  Cordelia brushes past Seth, her dress swishing against the floor as she moves. I don’t watch to see where she goes. I can’t take my eyes of Seth.

  “Snow,” he whispers into my hair. “I let you down. I’m so sorry. I tried everything, I promise. I’m so sorry I wasn’t enough.”

  “That’s not true!” I thrash my arms and kick about, desperate to find some way to move closer to him, but nothing works.

  The tug comes back
. It’s stronger this time. Strong enough to move me farther away from Seth.

  “No!” I cry. “I’m not leaving him!”

  My time in this form is running out. The tug is more insistent.

  “I should’ve done more,” Seth continues. “Maybe I could’ve made better decisions if I wasn’t so clouded by how much I love you. But, I do love you, Snow. I love you, Ebony. I love you by every name you’ve ever had. That won’t change no matter how many times we end up here.”

  “Seth.” I choke on a sob, but I feel no tears. I’m tugged father away from him. I grab at the cupboard corner, but my hand passes right through.

  “I won’t leave him!” I scream to whatever force is trying to take me away. Surely, I’ll be ushered through a portal into whatever comes after death, but I’m not ready for that yet. There’s still so much to be done. Seth needs help. So do Gabriel and Lucien. I can’t leave this realm knowing Rhiannon is still out there somewhere.

  I fight against the tug with everything I have.

  Seth looks down at my body. He brushes the hair away from my face and strokes his thumb over my cheek. I’d give anything to feel his skin against mine. Tears roll down his face as he stares at my lifeless body. I want to wipe those tears away. I want to show him that I’m still here.

  “I should’ve spoken up sooner,” he says. “You deserve to know that you’re loved.”

  “You’re loved too, Seth!” I call to him. “I love you!”

  The tug ceases. I float, suspended over the heartbreaking scene beneath me. Slowly, I drift downward until I’m hovering just above the floor.

  “What’s happening?” I ask as if the tugging sensation can give me an answer.

  “Perhaps, some of you still lingers nearby,” Seth says to my body.

  “Yes!” I cry out. “I’m right here!”

  “Perhaps, you can still feel this somehow.”

  Seth dips his head forward and presses his lips to mine. It could be wishful thinking on my part, but I swear I feel the warmth of his lips on mine. A tingling sensation spreads across my spectral form. I feel another tug. This time, it’s not pulling me away from Seth but toward him.