Life After: The Complete Series

by Julie Hall

  “A deal?”

  “A deal, a bargain, an exchange . . . whatever you feel most comfortable calling it. You see, you have something I’m curious about, and I hold the future of something you care deeply about. For me it’s simply an opportunity to scratch an itch, so to speak, but for you it’s a matter of life and death. Or more correctly, lives and deaths.”

  My family. He wanted to barter with their lives. But for what I couldn’t fathom. I shoved my growing hysterics down into a hidden corner of myself and pushed myself up.

  Whatever evil manipulation was about to spew from his mouth, I wanted to be standing to hear it. Considering the circumstances, it was as dignified a stance as I could take.

  He may have me in the middle of who knows where and at the mercy of his might, but I refused to remain cowering on the ground in front of him.

  As I straightened up, it suddenly became clear what I’d forgotten until now. This evil being might call himself the ruler of this world, but he wasn’t the ruler of all.

  There was a limit to his power—a leash on his reign.

  And he would someday be held accountable for his deeds.

  “What do you want?” I was over the power play. Time to get to the point.

  “You should be less concerned with what I want and more concerned with what I have that you want.” He flicked his wrist and a small knife appeared in his hand, similar to the one he’d messed around with during our first encounter.

  Was his weapon supposed to intimidate me? I had a sword that caught fire when I touched it. I wasn’t impressed.

  “You don’t have anything I want.”

  “Are you so sure about that?”

  “Yes.” And I was. This being had nothing I truly wanted. Whatever he might offer would have strings attached so long they were sure to tie me in knots. The power he claimed was nothing but smoke and mirrors in comparison to the Creator’s will.

  “I would have thought your family would be of some concern to you.”

  Even though I’d known they would make an appearance in this conversation, my stomach still dropped. I schooled my features. Deep inside existed a wellspring of power beyond my understanding. I was experiencing something Hugo had often talked about: a peace that surpassed understanding. Or at least a little of something beyond understanding, for on my own strength I would have broken apart at the first hint of a threat to my loved ones.

  He still played around with his knife, but his attention was still on me. My lips remained sealed. It wouldn’t do any good to deny or confirm his claim. I’d read enough of this drawn-out stuff in books or watched it in movies to know the drill. I’d refuse whatever it was he wanted. He’d threaten my family. I was injured, exhausted, and angry.

  “Is that not the case?” he went on. “It appears you don’t understand—”

  “No, I understand plenty. Like how you are about to seriously exaggerate your power right now. I witnessed that demon bounce off my family’s car when it rolled out of the driveway. I’m thinking this whole ordeal was an elaborate bit of theatrics to scare me into agreeing with whatever you want to save my family. But that’s the thing,” my eyes narrowed, “I don’t need to go to you to save my family. You’re not really in control of their lives.”

  “Don’t be so naïve.” The narrowing of his empty eye sockets were the only real indication anything I’d said bothered him.

  “Oh, I think that’s exactly what you want me to be,” I spat back.

  “I actually prefer stupid to naïve. Looks like with you I’ve got both. But let’s look at the facts. You’ve seen what I’ve already done to them. That’s only a fraction of what can be done.”

  “I’ve seen what you’ve been allowed to do to them. There’s a difference. There may be plenty more you could do, but I’m starting to see there’s a limit. They’re protected. Perhaps not as much as I would like them to be, but they are still protected. You can’t really harm them. You can’t even enter their property.”

  He laughed. And it made me uneasy.

  “As if that paltry security line really means anything to me. But considering the lengths you’ve gone to in order to protect them, I’ll admit I’m a bit surprised at how cavalier you’re being with their lives.” He made a tsk sound with his tongue. “Disobeying a direct order to come to Earth? That would normally be something I’d admire, but in your case . . . well, let’s just say I find your belief you could do anything to stop my forces humorous at best.”

  His insult rolled right off me. I didn’t expect him to be threatened by me. What didn’t roll off easily was he knew about my disobeying an order. I didn’t care that he knew, but the question of how he knew alarmed me.

  Tendrils of doubt started to sneak their way inside my mind. Some of the peace holding me together leaked from my heart like water through cupped hands.

  “Ah, now you may be beginning to see you’ve underestimated my reach. That it may stretch a little,” he used his index finger to point up, “higher than you thought. Considering that, we both know the bravado you’re holding onto is paper-thin. Tell me, little huntress, where are the angels to protect your family? Where is the legion of hunters? Hmmm? I’ve not seen them. Without them your family is, oh, what is the phrase you humans like to use? Oh yes, sitting ducks. Your knowledge of how things work here, in my realm, is riddled with holes. Perhaps I need to educate you further?”

  His countenance didn’t change, but the implied threat moved like an ice cube slowly being dragged down my spine. I tried not to show it, but his words unnerved me.

  He noticed.

  “Yes, I think that’s it after all. This conversation is premature. We’ve not had enough fun together, you and I, to strike our accord.” His fathomless gaze fastened on my face. The smile tugging at his lips struck more fear into me than any of his words so far. “I’m so looking forward to your education.”

  I took an involuntary step back. Thoughts of what Logan had endured at this maniac’s command forced their way to the surface. I crammed the fear down to the same place I’d put my earlier hysterics and slammed the lid on tight. “I already know what you’ve done to other hunters. It won’t work on me. I won’t betray my God.”

  He waved a hand in the air. “Oh, I have no interest in freeing you from your deity’s shackles. In fact, I’d much prefer you keep them on while bending to my will. It will make victory that much more sweet for me.”

  What did he mean? I still didn’t even know what he wanted. Perhaps I’d played this wrong? The convictions I’d stood on began to shake.

  “This is between you and me,” I said.

  “Indeed, it is. And there are so many ways to mess with that minuscule brain of yours.”

  “What do you want?”

  He looked at me as if considering again. “I’m no longer interested in bargaining today. I feel a little demonstration is in order. You doubt my power. I plan to exert it.”

  I braced myself. He chuckled and cocked his head to one side, a Cheshire smile in place. “Oh, but insignificant one, I don’t think I’ll start with you. The game I’ve already set in motion hasn’t come to fruition yet.”

  Somewhere along the way his insane prattle had wormed its way into that place inside where I’d sealed away my fears and sprung the lock. The peace which had held me resolute only moments before shattered, and the remnants blew away with the wind. And with it, so did my confidence.

  “No. You have something you want from me? Then deal with me. Leave my family alone!”

  “Ah, there’s the concern you’ve been hiding. I have no intention of leaving anyone you may care about alone.”

  “But that’s not fair. You’re not playing by any rules.”

  “Rules?” His face scrunched in as much of a reaction as I’d seen so far. As if I’d said something extremely distasteful to him. “Haven’t you figured it out by now? I don’t follow anyone’s rules. I make my own.”

  14

  The Return

  I widen
ed my stance and braced myself for an attack. My legs shook with fatigue as my hand reached over my shoulder for my sword. The flames lighting the blade when it was pulled free from its sheath were such a bright blue they were tinted silver. The fallen angel’s lips curled into a snarl.

  “As if you are, or will ever be, a true match for me.”

  With that sentiment, shadow wings spread out in a fan behind him. His body curved forward and then shot into the air with a single powerful downward stroke.

  The displaced air hit hard enough to push me a few steps back, and my shaky legs did the rest of the work, landing me on my butt as I watched his inky form disappear from view. Like residue in the wake of a jet plane, a strange, shadowed line followed him into the sky before it too faded from sight.

  I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but I was still staring up when my name was shouted. Only then did I notice the shivers racking my body. They hit like waves, ramping up until my teeth chattered and then subsiding after a few moments to quivers before gaining strength again.

  “Audrey?”

  My head turned in the direction I thought the voice came from.

  Logan.

  The world outside my interaction with Satan slammed into me with the force of a train. Logan, my family, the failed bargain.

  What had I done?

  Or what hadn’t I done?

  For the moment I was lost in the confusion of shifting convictions. My mind warred with itself. The knowledge that the Creator was in control of all no longer encased my heart in a peaceful bubble.

  Instead, it battled with my desire to take control of the situation myself. My mind screamed at me that I’d just made things worse, even as it tried to reassure me this wasn’t my war to win.

  My soul felt fractured.

  Full-blown shakes held my body captive, strong enough to keep me from shouting a response. I waited helplessly to either be found or passed by.

  For a moment, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be found. What if I’d doomed my family? Satan certainly wanted to make me believe that was the case. I had only one thing to hold onto now—God was big enough to take care of a situation I obviously was not capable of doing anything about.

  Except perhaps making it worse.

  I wanted to put my face in my hands, but the violent storm racking my body made even that simple gesture impossible. Why had I disobeyed and come down to Earth? I had played right into Satan’s hands, and now my loved ones would suffer even more because of it.

  What. Had. I. Done?

  Brittle tree branches snapped and crunched to my right, and within moments, Bear crashed through the remaining trees and entered my clearing, still in his hybrid bear-beast form.

  Logan leapt from his back and closed the remaining distance separating us before Bear’s giant form even stopped running.

  Every muscle in my body—including those in my fingers and toes—flexed and tightened painfully as Logan’s bare hands gently cradled my face. Not even the steadiness of his touch could stop my head from bobbing and weaving.

  “You’re not okay.” It wasn’t even a question.

  His eyes swept my face before meticulously, yet gently, checking my body for injuries. He started from the top down, forcing my limbs to bend as he checked for breaks. Despite my locked muscles and forceful tremors, he managed to shimmy me out of the top half of my body armor. The tight athletic tank I wore underneath allowed him to inspect my bruised flesh.

  His fingers probed my side and I cried out. He stilled.

  “I’m going to lift this up to take a look.” His eyes held mine for a moment in case I protested.

  Latent tears swam in my eyes. From the mental or physical trauma, I wasn’t sure. Probably both.

  His eyes dropped to my waist as he gingerly lifted the stretchy black material up my rib cage. He didn’t have to move it far to see the start of the damage. Dark bruising around my ribs started almost as far down as my waist. He sucked in an almost indiscernible breath of air. He continued his examination without checking my facial responses.

  “I know this hurts. The ribs are at least bruised, most likely cracked as well, but I need to check to see if any are worse off than that.”

  Even Logan’s light touches were painful enough to make me grind my teeth. I wouldn’t be surprised if all my ribs were cracked. But sometime during his careful ministrations I’d stopped shaking. If he noticed, he didn’t comment.

  “The right side is worse than the left,” he said almost to himself. “I think you have some broken on this side, but they are clean breaks. None are puncturing the skin or caved into your abdomen. You do have a sizable gash here, but the blood flow has already stopped.”

  He looked up into my eyes, his blue ones stormy.

  “Is there anywhere else you might be hurt?”

  “No.” My voice came out hoarse, even though it didn’t have any reason to be.

  “What happened?”

  “The dragon . . .” I croaked.

  His whole body tightened. “Yeah, I watched it fly away with you after I knocked Morgan out.”

  The last moment I’d seen him before being snatched into the air came rushing back at him.

  “Are you hurt?” My eyes now frantically searched his body. He looked more disheveled than usual, but fine. Even during battles Logan had a way of looking put together. Artfully unkempt was usually as messy as he got.

  I was sure I looked like a horror-movie victim. Only half my hair was still pulled back, and the rest hung in stringy jet-black strands to the left and right of my vision. I caught a glimpse of a white streak to one side—that was a new color—but I couldn’t spare it more than a fleeting thought. It must have seemed ridiculous, asking Logan if he was hurt when I was in such bad shape.

  “No. I’m fine. I’m more concerned with you right now.”

  I let out a humorless laugh. I guessed it was good I could laugh at all, with or without the humor.

  “Yeah, I guess I can understand why. Finding someone shell-shocked in the middle of the forest, shaking and unable to string even a few syllables together, would be concerning. I’m okay, Logan, really.”

  He didn’t comment, but the look in his eyes said how worried he still was. The more I came back to myself, the more I remembered I had my own reasons for concern.

  “Oh my gosh, how’s my family?” I swatted Logan away as I tried to stand. He ignored my attempts and held me in place. “Logan, stop. We need to get back. They’re in trouble.”

  “No, Audrey, stop, you’re not ready to be moved yet. The police had shown up when I took off, and the rain stopped. Your family is fine.”

  Tears filled my eyes. “No, you don’t understand. They’re really not okay. Like really, really not okay. Or not going to be okay. You don’t know what I did.” I dropped my head into my hands.

  “Audrey, talk to me. What’s happened? I can’t help if I don’t know what’s going on.”

  “The dragon . . . it wasn’t just a dragon at all.” I lifted my face a tiny bit, only enough to capture Logan’s gaze. “It was Satan.”

  Logan froze. “What?” Static electricity brushed across my skin, a sign I now knew meant Logan was becoming overwhelmed by emotions.

  “He wanted something from me,” I continued. “Wanted to make a deal, or a trade or something. But I threw it back in his face. Mocked him even.”

  “What did he want?” There was a hollowness in Logan’s expression that frightened me.

  “That’s the thing. I don’t even know. I refused before he even said what he was after. The only thing I do know is he was trying to use my family as leverage. My family!”

  I lifted a shaky hand to cover my mouth. Where was my wellspring of peace? I needed it, like pronto. I couldn’t stop the words from vomiting out my mouth. “He threatened them in exchange for my cooperation, and when I threw it back in his face, he seemed . . .”

  How exactly had he seemed? I spit out words faster than I was making sense of them.

/>   “Almost excited. Like I was making this a bigger game for him. Then he went on about how he was going to prove to me how powerful he was, and I just know he’s planning to do something to my family to make his point. At first I wasn’t scared for them . . . but now I am.”

  “Audrey, Audrey, wait. Slow down. I don’t understand everything that’s going on right now. But we’ll figure it out. And whatever you did, it was right. Refusing Satan is always the right choice.”

  “Oh my gosh, no, Logan. I think I made everything worse. I think all of this is really about me, somehow. I should never have been so careless with their lives.”

  A sob escaped, and the floodgates of tears finally opened. I rocked myself back and forth, ignoring the pain from my sides. I was one puddle of drool away from needing a straightjacket.

  After who knows how long I realized I wasn’t rocking myself anymore. I’d somehow found my way into Logan’s arms and he gently stroked my back and whispered words to me so softly I couldn’t make them out.

  My sobs gave way to silent tears as I accepted his comfort. I admitted to myself I didn’t want to move from his embrace. I closed my eyes and snuggled in closer. Logan’s breath hitched a moment before he laid a tender hand on my cheek and tilted my head upward.

  “Audrey,” he whispered as he peered into my eyes. His thumb stroked my cheek. My eyes had cleared enough and I could make out his face clearly. His eyes looked pained, as if my agony were his own.

  I didn’t reply, just returned the pain-filled gaze he reflected back to me. His breath fanned my face and dried the tracks tears had created.

  It was then, looking into his beautiful face, that I let the wall down and admitted what had been true the whole time.

  He was it for me.

  This man who held me as if I was his most precious possession. My feelings for Logan ran deep and were strong.

  It didn’t surprise me.

  Rather, I breathed a sigh of relief at the internal acknowledgment. Regardless of how he might feel toward me, my emotions were my own and no longer denied.