“Do not take another step closer, Jake—” I say, reaching for my sword. “I’m warning you…”
He doesn’t listen. Instead, he picks up his pace. His Chelsea boots clack against the marbled floor and echo around the entire space of the temple. Alda turns around, leaning against her desk and crossing her arms in front of her body. She’s either pleased or nonplussed—or perhaps simply unable to intervene.
“Hey, come on, man. What’s your problem?” Liam asks, trying to get around me.
“Liam, you need to stay back. Let me handle this,” I say through gritted teeth. Without any more fanfare, I step forward to meet Jake’s advance. With my left hand, I plant it directly in the center of his chest, holding him back. My right hand firmly wraps around the hilt of my sword again, ready for anything that may be necessary.
“Get outta my way, Guardian,” the incubus hisses.
“Never gonna happen.”
“I knew I should have turned you both in right away. I never should have listened to you—or tried to help you. Talk about the stupidest mistake I’ve ever made. I don’t know why I went against my instincts to help you out. But I’m not going back there, you hear me? I am not about to be surrounded by wraiths for the rest of eternity. I refuse—”
“What in the hell are you talking about?” I ask, confused.
“What are you, deaf and dumb?” he retorts.
“You’re making no sense.”
“Demons don’t have souls, dumbass. We can’t be turned into wraiths. My God, are you sure you’re even a Guardian?” he says, practically spitting at me.
He’s right—he’d been in the middle of all of them and not once did they try to attack him or take away his life-force.
“Why would it matter then? You’d never lose your mind, or be turned. I would think it would be a perfect punishment—”
“Punishment? For helping a goodie Guardian? I thought doing good was supposed to earn you brownie points. Not get you expelled to Purgatory. I have needs. I can’t stay there…” Jake says, advancing again. “Get me out, dammit. You owe me.”
“I don’t have that kind of power,” I say, shaking my head.
“Bullshit, you have direct access to the Heavenly plane. Make a damn call,” he spits. “Or I’m gonna drag lover boy back with me and use him as a personal puppet.”
“Like hell. He has his own fate,” I say, yanking my elemental sword from its sheath. Instantly, the element of water imbues the end, ready to take on any demon willing to go toe to toe.
“Oh, lookie who’s back in their saddle. So, what? You get to boink the boy and they give you back your wings? See? This is bullshit,” he cries, lunging past me and reaching for Liam.
Pulling my elbow back, I smack the incubus in the face with the butt of my sword before he can make contact with him.
Jake’s hands fly to his face, “Fuck—haven’t you done enough damage to my face?” Blood gushes from his nose and through his fingertips, but he stands firm.
“Stay back or so help me, I’ll be forced to end you. I don’t have much time here and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you take what little I have from me,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Does it look like I give a shit about you and your time right now?” he says, his voice nasal. “Get damned for all I care. Then at least it might be fair.”
Again he lunges forward, but this time, rather than reaching for Liam, he catches me off guard as he wraps his bloody hands around my neck. The force of his attack knocks us both backward, and my sword goes skittering across the floor, disengaging its connection to water and shutting itself down.
“Not so tough when you don’t have your magical poker, now, are you?” Jake says, his features dark and eyes flashing.
I grope at his hands, unable to make them move from my throat. Instead, I rear up, landing my knee squarely in his groin. Squealing a cry of pain, he lets go of my neck to grope at his crotch.
“Fuck… you,” he mutters through gasps.
“No, fuck you,” Liam says, picking up my sword. As soon as he has it firmly in his hand, it bursts forth, imbued with the highest power, radiating the energy of the ancients—the element of spirit. The entire room vibrates as it demands its sacrifice.
My mouth gapes open, unable to believe what I’m seeing.
Without a single word, as if it’s completely normal for him to light up an elemental sword—let alone the energy meant to cross a soul—Liam steps up and thrusts the blade through the incubus’s chest.
Chapter 17
I Will Remember You
A burst of energy expands outward from Jake, rocking Liam and I backward. Books and other items fly off the shelves, peppering the ground around us. With the blade still stuck in Jake’s body, the crystal-white prism of spirit energy courses through his body, expanding outward into his veins until he’s nothing but a flailing ball of light.
Demons aren’t meant to ever be gifted with spirit energy—they’re never meant to be allowed access to the heavenly plane. The only element meant for them is water—and maybe fire, at a push. Yet somehow, not only did Liam find a way to control my elemental sword, he’s managed to do the one thing never meant for an incubus.
Scrambling to my feet, I yank the sword from Jake’s torso. He thrashes about, groping at the gaping hole in his midsection.
“What have you…?” he cries. “Why does everything hurt?”
Stepping back, I disengage the elemental energy and stare in horror as every atom of the demon floods with white light. Then, as if he was made of glass, Jake’s body explodes in a million shards of luminescence that scatters all around us until nothing is left.
Blinking back in surprise, my mouth gapes open.
“Well, that was a bit dramatic,” Alda says, walking up to where we stand and brushing pieces of Jake off of her sleeve.
Liam turns to face her, his mouth agape and eyes wide with horror.
“What was that thing?” he says aloud.
Alda pats him on the shoulder. “It likely doesn’t matter. Whatever he was, he isn’t anymore.”
“How—?” I say, walking to them both.
Alda shrugs, her lips tugging down into a mock-frown.
“I don’t understand. What happened to him? I’ve never seen the spirit element used on a demon,” I say, unable to wrap my head around what I’ve just seen.
“You have to remember, just like you, he was no longer fully demon. He was stripped of his powers, just as you were. So, he was walking this space as a kind of hybrid,” Alda says, shifting her right foot across the floor in front of her as if testing to see if Jake’s dust is still scattered on the ground.
Nodding to myself, I bite my lower lip. There’s a certain amount of sense to that.
“I don’t mean to be pushy here, but Eva, time is not on your side. Now that some of the crazy loose ends are taken care of, I’d suggest you get on with things,” Alda says, widening her eyes and tipping her head toward Liam.
I inhale sharply and peer over at him.
“What is she talking about?” Liam asks, scratching at his right temple. “Is there something I was meant to be doing? I’m sorry, I just sorta feel lost right now.”
I tip my head to the side, exhaling. After all the fighting with the incubus, what little time we did have together has dwindled down to almost nothing.
“No, there’s nothing you need to worry about, Liam. This is all on me. But I wish… I wish I you could remember me. Maybe it’s better this way,” I say, settling into the gravity of our last few moments.
Liam steps forward, his eyebrows knit together as he eyes my every movement. “We’re meant to know each other? Aren’t we?”
I nod, trying hard not to let the tears brim over. But they do anyway, despite my best efforts.
“I’m sorry, I wish I could remember you. You look familiar, but I’m… I don’t quite think I’m myself lately,” he says.
“I know,” I say, swallowing hard and placing
my left hand on his cheek. “It’s okay, Liam. It’s not your fault. You never should have been here.”
“I think I’ll leave the two of you be… give you both a little space,” Alda says, shooting me a sympathetic smile. She catches my eye, holding up a single hand and splaying her five fingers out wide.
Terror races through every cell in my body in that simple, succinct gesture.
Five minutes.
Oh my God, it’s not enough time.
I close my eyes, trying to calm my nerves and will the adrenaline shakes rolling through my body to cease. It doesn’t help. Taking a deep breath and releasing the air slowly, I straighten my shoulders and drop my hand. “Liam, our time is almost up,” I whisper.
Stepping in close, I wrap my arms around him, and place my head on his chest. I hold him tight, not wanting to let him go. He stands stiff at first, but then eases into the embrace as he extends his arms around me, too.
For the longest moment, we stand there in the middle of the temple, just clinging to one another, and I’m not ready for it all to end. I don’t want to think about sending him on, but somewhere in the back of my mind, the timer is counting down and I can’t make it shut off. It’s a bomb, ready to explode.
Liam leans forward, resting his cheek on the top of my head. A contented sigh escapes his lips, and I can’t help but feel like he has the better end of this deal. Not knowing what’s coming would be so much better. I wish I didn’t know what I was about to lose.
“You will always be the love of my life, Liam. For as long as I live—that will never, ever change,” I whisper into his chest.
His fingertips reach up, playing with the ends of my hair. Tears stream down my cheeks in the simple gesture and he holds me tighter to him.
“I’m so happy we found each other,” he says, continuing to stroke my hair.
My heart skips a beat at his words, but my head throws up alarm bells. “What did you say?” I look up at him and when our eyes meet, I know without a doubt, he’s no longer confused. No longer lost in whatever perception contortion the wraiths had instilled.
“Liam? Are you—” I say, stepping back.
His eyebrows tug in and he shoots me a quizzical look. “What is it, Eva? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“You’re not far from it…” I say, my chin dropping open as I swipe at my tears.
Flitting my gaze to Alda’s desk, she stands up, placing a hand over her heart. She’s done her magic again, this time for the benefit of closure. I tip my chin in her direction, and she twists her wrist outward, throwing up two fingers.
My heart and head scream and I throw myself forward, clutching Liam as close to me as possible.
“Liam—oh, Liam,” I say. “We don’t have much time and I…”
How do I say it? How do I tell him…?
“You need to let me go,” he finishes.
Our eyes lock and tears invade my vision, making it impossible to see him clearly.
“I’m so sorry. I never should have let it get this far,” I sob. “You should be in heaven. It’s where your soul belongs, and I need to help you move on. I have to help you cross over. You don’t belong in Purgatory; you don’t belong with me.”
“I will always belong with you,” he says, pulling me close. His earthy scent invades my senses, having both a calming and unnerving effect. I will never feel this, sense this, be with him again…
“I’m so sorry, Liam. I am so, so sorry…” I mutter.
“It’s okay, Eva. It’s okay,” he whispers, stroking the top of my head. “You’ve shown me what love really is, what it should feel like. I never thought it was possible for me when I was alive. What more could I possibly ask for in this existence?”
My heart is caught between swelling and breaking into tiny pieces. All I’ve ever wanted for him was to know he’s loved. To know how incredibly special he is.
“But I don’t want you to go… It’s not enough time. We need more time…” I say, my shoulders and chest heaving with my anguish.
His eyebrows tug in and he strokes my lower lip with his thumb. “How long do we have left, beautiful?”
I shake my head, fighting back the tears as they continue to stream down my cheeks. “Not long.”
“Then let’s not waste it with worry and sorrow. I want to remember you the way we were in Purgatory before all of this,” he says, raising his eyes to the ceiling. “I want to feel your love with me.”
“But you won’t remember,” I sob. “As soon as you go, your consciousness will be scattered and reincarnated into new bodies. Not just one. You won’t remember any of this. You won’t remember me.”
“I will remember you. I’ll always remember you,” he says, bending forward and pressing his lips to mine.
My head swirls as I lean into him. My hands entwine through his beautiful hair and I pull his lips to mine as if my entire existence depended on one last kiss good-bye. And maybe it does, because God knows I’ll never have this opportunity again.
Liam places his hands on either side of my face, holding me literally in the palms of his hands.
My heart thumps unevenly, and I know I can’t do this if he sees what’s coming. I can’t do it if he has to stand there, watching me plunge a sword into him.
Pulling back from our kiss, I run my fingertips along his left eyebrow. “I love you more than you will ever know, Liam Henry Mattson, previous human of Earth. I love you more than all of Heaven and Earth combined. I want you to hold onto that and keep it with you wherever you go,” I say, ignoring the tears and the way my chin quivers with the words as I speak.
“I love you, too, Evangeline,” he says, matching the intensity of my gaze.
I bite my lip, letting the tears fall silently to the floor.
“I need you to close your eyes for me,” I say, swallowing hard. “Can you do that?”
“Of course I can. I trust you with my life,” he says, straightening his shoulders and closing his eyes.
A whimper escapes my lips.
I trust you with my life.
Bending forward, I stand up on my tiptoes and place a gentle kiss on his lips. Liam’s eyebrows tip up in the middle, as a smile of contentment spreads across his features.
Nodding to myself, I take another jagged breath and will the element of spirit to imbue my sword. I call upon the universe to gift me with the Grace to cross him over so he can move on to the Heavenly plane and fulfill his destiny—without me. White-hot light washes over the blade as it launches from the hilt. It vibrates with a power all its own, and even Liam tilts his head slightly, listening to its unique hum. If he knows what I’m about to do, he doesn’t say. Instead, he continues to hold still, waiting for whatever comes next.
Taking a final breath, I take a quick step back. “I hope you can keep your promise, because I will remember you for as long as I live.”
Without another word, I close my eyes, envisioning the access and entrance to the Heavenly realm. I ask the universe to accept him back into its primordial energy, to be reincarnated in whatever way it sees fit. When I sense the Gates opening for him, the most beautiful music ever to grace consciousness floats around us both. It’s a special event and one that’s usually celebrated. A soul called home. But I can’t find it in me to muster an ounce of happiness. Instead, I open my eyes and plunge the sword straight through his heart.
Chapter 18
The Greatest Gift
Bile catches at the back of my throat as the element of spirit radiating from my sword makes its way through Liam the same way it had for the incubus. It floods his veins, illumining him from the inside out until he’s so bright I have to shield my eyes.
I remove the sword, throwing it clear across the room. It skitters across the floor with a loud clatter, stopping when it reaches one of the shelves. The spirit energy disengages and pulls back completely, so only the decorative handle is left.
Liam’s body stiffens and his arms reach out, hands splayed wide, as the energy
consumes him.
“I wish you all the love in the universe next time around,” I whisper, dropping my arm and refusing to let his last moments go by without my witness. It’s the least I can do for him now.
Liam opens his eyes, staring straight at me until his eye sockets turn a blinding white light.
“I will always remember you,” he says as the energy expands outward, consuming his face and every ounce of his body until he’s indistinguishable from the light.
Then, as quickly as the light permeated his being, it bursts out like a dying star, flittering away like lightning bugs dispersing in the breeze. As the twinkling of his soul fades, I drop to my knees, unable to keep myself upright any longer. Struggling for breath, I grope at the floor, unable to erase Liam’s final words—or the way he looked as the light consumed him. It will be burned into my memory forever.
“It’s okay, child,” Alda says, suddenly by my side. Her hand strokes the top of my head, but I can’t bear to look up at her. “There was no other way, Eva. I promise, there was no other way.”
“I know… but that doesn’t make it any easier,” I say, barely holding back sobs and the bile rising in my throat.
“Of course not,” she says, continuing to stroke my hair. “But you did good, kid. You did real good.”
“Then why do I feel so empty?” I say, clutching at the cold floor.
She chuckles softly. “Because doing the right thing isn’t always the easy thing.”
I look up at her as huge tear drops slide to the floor. “How do I go on? How do I move forward knowing what we had? What we could have had?”
Alda sighs, dropping to the floor beside me and setting her legs off to one side. “Look, Eva—the problem with the past is it’s unwavering. It can’t change without massive disruption to everything else. Envisioning a future based on the past is no better. It’s dysfunctional and misses the greatest give the universe gives us—the opportunity of the present moment. Life is meant to be lived here and now. It doesn’t matter if you’re a human, an elephant… or a Guardian. Being in the present moment and letting it unfold the way it’s meant to will always be better than projecting to the past or future.” She pats my hand as it rests on the floor, but I stare off into the recesses of the temple behind her.
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