Eve flinched as Mathas’s foot connected with Lizzie’s spine again. Her words were rushed. “Why the Veil?”
Mathas examined his fingernails, clearly tiring of the charade. “The Veil? To divide the races. Why the Silent Homes? To keep the fear high and try and prevent more Halflings. Are you getting the picture, precious Eve?” He traced his finger over the curve of Eve’s cheek, and his other hand tapped her chest as he continued his self-directed questions. “Why create the Demon-Born? To divide the races forever in one fell swoop while harnessing all the yummy life energy of the Human race for myself. The end goal and you get to help me bring it to fruition. No more sharing anything. I will be powerful beyond any of my kind. And your world is just the start—there are so many out there for the taking. Worlds at the very start of their little journey, ripe for corruption.”
I struggled to process his words. Sam turned to stare at me with wide eyes. His skin was deathly pale and his lips paler still. His whisper barely reached my ear. “It’s not us.”
“What?” I twisted to try and see him better.
Mathas clapped his hands together. “But enough of that, it’s time to get this show on the road, kiddos. I need all you Lost Powers to join hands.” He wiggled his fingers and against my will, my hands grasped onto Ozzie on one side and Sam on the other. Mathas beamed. “That’s right, good children. Now I need you to release those powers and send them straight to me so that I can drain the Human race and turn this world into my kingdom.”
“Why do the Humans have to be sacrificed?” I pressed my lips together, ashamed of their quivering. Beside me, Sam had contorted his body so that he could meet Brandon’s eye as the Human struggled to pull himself upright.
Mathas gave me an irritated glance. “I’m tired of creating unbalance by keeping the races separated. No matter how unattractive one makes it, no matter how difficult, the two races are drawn to each other. Genetic magnetism. The races feel the chasm in their souls, even if they don’t understand what they long for. They have a dark, empty pit inside—and that’s where I live.” He beamed at me. “And when only one race remains that chasm inside the Angels’ souls will exist eternally. And so will I, reigning over my subjects, offering them all sorts of delights to feel the endless ache. So, be a good girl and free those special Halfling powers.”
“No!” I screamed, as Mathas’s power bore down on me, and I felt my own power respond to its draw. I flailed wildly in the grip of the Demon’s magic, pleading for somebody to free us, but there was nothing anyone could do it. It was too late for Sam and me to sacrifice ourselves. There was no hope.
My vision blurred as I stared around at my friends, feeling my magic being ripped from my body and toward Mathas. Brandon pulled Lucas’s ear to his lips and whispered something to him. I watched through a lens of tears as the wounded Angel struggled to his feet and heaved Brandon off the ground. Sam’s head rolled onto his chest as he turned to face me, but when he met my eyes, his stare was fierce. “Give all your power.”
I drew my brows together. “What?”
Beads of sweat ran down Sam’s face as he called out to the others, “Release all your power.”
Mathas threw back his head in ecstasy. His eyes were sealed shut and his arms splayed in anticipation. I shook my head in confusion but Eve’s eyes were suddenly alive as she watched Lucas dragging Brandon toward the center of the circle.
“Grace, give all your power. Do you hear me?” Eve stared at me, and I nodded despite my confusion. She shouted at each of the children in turn, ordering them to release their powers.
The energy built inside me like a kettle boiling until I couldn’t contain it anymore. With a roar, my magic tore free. Beside me, Ozzie and Sam groaned as their magic combined with mine and the others’ power to create a blast of unimaginable strength. Mathas inhaled, preparing himself for the influx of magic, but just as our powers exploded across the circle, Lucas hauled Brandon against his chest and flung their bodies into the path of the energy.
I screamed as the power connected with their wounded, fragile, mortal forms but the sound of Mathas wailing drowned out my cries. My eyes widened as the power was drawn from Mathas’s was siphoned into Lucas and Brandon, restoring them to health.
Sam smiled weakly. “A sacrifice freely given by two halves of one whole. Two races that should have been one. Abel’s magic created the Spirit Demons, and the Spirit Demons created us—somehow, he managed to make up for his wrongs.”
Mathas’s hold on me vanished, and I fell onto the soft grass. The Demon writhed and wailed as a light brighter than the sun shone from between Lucas and Brandon’s clasped hands. They turned to look down at Mathas and he was caught in a beam of pure illumination. For a moment he was frozen, captivated by the light’s purity, but as it touched his flesh, he began to burn. I grabbed Ozzie and shielded his face against my chest as Mathas was engulfed in flames of pure white. And then he was gone, leaving nothing behind but a pile of ash and the memory of his dying screams.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Grace
“You did it. Holy crap, you really did it.” I stared from the pile of ash on the grass to Brandon and Lucas. Ozzie still clung to my arm for a moment, as if he couldn’t believe the nightmare was really over. Lizzie and Eve scrambled to their feet and started shouting for Aza to gather the wounded. Eve flew to Emmanuel and Jabol’s side and kneeled down next to Deirdre to assist with the healing duties. Sam kissed my cheek gently and mumbled something about helping Cain. I nodded, preoccupied with the strange sensation inside my heart.
High Guardian Adam appeared at the edge of the circle. He pressed his hand over his heart and bowed down to Brandon and Lucas before joining Aza to discuss what should be done with the Hounds. Brandon ran his hand over his shaved head and gave me a look of utter disbelief. I bit down on my lips to try and stop the tears of relief as he helped me to my feet.
“It’s done,” Brandon said. “No more Veil. No more Elders. No more darkness.”
A shiver ran down my spine—the pinprick of a nameless fear. My eyes roamed over the blood-soaked field and my gut spasmed as I saw the faces of some of the Hounds without their masks. The Hounds I had cut down like beasts and sliced through without a thought when unmasked, were flesh and bone, just like me. I wrapped my arms tighter around my body. “There will always be darkness, Brandon. Mathas didn’t create the blackness. He fed it and nurtured it, but it was always there. Always will be. We just can’t let it rule again.”
Brandon caught me in his arms as I swayed. His face was tight with concern. “Lucas. Luc?”
Lucas ran from the other side of the circle and crouched down beside us. “Hey, what’s going on? You okay, Gracie?”
“It’s nothing.” I dug my knuckles into my eye sockets and tried to breathe deeply, but the feeling persisted. I groaned. “I think it’s just the Veil. I just feel weird. Empty or unbalanced. Almost like a piece of me is—Sam?”
I shot to my feet, knocking Lucas in my haste. My chest heaved as I tried to negotiate my way through the mayhem, screaming Sam’s name. Brandon caught up with me and grabbed my shoulders. He spoke slowly, annunciating each word. “Grace, what is going on?”
“Sam.” My breathing was labored as panic took hold. “I can’t find him. I can’t feel him.”
Brandon squeezed my shoulder reassuringly, but I could see his jaw tensing as he scanned the overcrowded field. He spotted Lucas standing with Cain and propelled me in their direction. Cat was crouching over a wounded Angel, helping Aza perform a healing ritual. She shot to her feet when she saw Brandon leading me over. Her delicate fingers pinched my wrist. “Grace?”
“It’s Sam,” Brandon said. “Grace can’t find him.” He paused for a heartbeat. “She can’t sense him.”
Cain and Lucas bolted across the field, shouting at every familiar face to comb the field for Sam. The world started to spin. I sank to my knees and pressed my face against the rough, blood-soaked grass. Cat stroked my back and whisp
ered something to Brandon, but I couldn’t focus on anything but the gaping hole in my heart. The chasm. The place where Sam had lived and kept the darkness out. My lips kept mumbling the same words over and over as if repetition could make them true. “This isn’t real. This isn’t real. This isn’t real.”
I felt Cain’s approach before I heard his footsteps, but still, I couldn’t bring myself to look. Cat’s voice was raw as she screamed at Brandon to bring Eve and yelled at a group of Angels to clear space on the grass.
Cain laid his body down as if Sam was just sleeping, but I knew. I squeezed eyes shut, unwilling to acknowledge the truth. Unable to accept it. Eve burst into the clearing and flew to Sam’s side.
“Grace.” Eve called my name, but I didn’t budge from my spot. I squeezed my eyes closed tighter. “Grace!”
The sting of her palm striking my cheek forced my eyelids to burst open. As I stared down at Sam’s lifeless face, I felt myself crumble. Eve clenched my fingers in her fist and yanked my arm. “Grace, look at me. I need you to pull yourself together, okay? I’m too weak to do this, alone, my girl. My spark is almost spent after healing the others.” I nodded and she smiled at me. “Okay. I want you to use your magic and try and connect with Sam’s.”
I recoiled. “I can’t, he’s gone.”
“Not yet. Not quite,” Eve said. She pulled me closer and placed my hands on Sam’s chest. “Just listen to my voice, Grace. You’re going to be his anchor. You’re going to bring him home.”
Sam’s clothing was sodden with blood under my touch. Eve frowned at my scarlet palms. “He was injured?”
“Julius. He was choking me. Sam stabbed him with his blade. I meant to ask you to heal him, but then Peter was attacking the others . . . I forgot.” The words limped out of my mouth.
Eve’s lips thinned, and she gestured for me to close my eyes. “You need to open your heart, Grace, and let your magic flow into Sam. You must follow it. Dive deep under his skin until you find his core.” I frowned, but Eve ignored my resistance. “Bring him to me, Grace, bring him to me, and I can give him back the spark of life.”
I took a deep breath and let my magic flow from my body into Sam’s. At first, I felt nothing—an endless void where Sam should be. My heart ached, calling out for him, and I felt the barest flicker of his presence in return. I thrust my energy further inside his soul, praying to every god under heaven for a sliver of Sam’s spirit to cling to. And there it was. A single, golden thread—just like the ones we spun when we used our shared magic.
Suddenly, Eve’s voice was in my head. Grace, you need to bring Sam’s spirit to me. Can you do that?
I nodded, unsure of how I should respond.
I felt Eve’s smile inside my mind. Good. Be gentle with him, don’t lose the connection. I’m going to wrap his spirit around the spark, Gracie, but I need you to do something for me. I need you to anchor it to his soul. You need to hold them together until his spirit bonds with the life force, can you do that?
My magic trembled. I don’t know. Yes, I’ll try. I’ll hold on as hard as I can.
I know you will, Gracie. Eve began to twist the golden strand around the spark. Her lips curved into a smile as she worked. Did you know, I chose your name and Dawn’s?
Our names? I asked.
Eve’s face was celestial in the light coming from the spark. Yes, your names. Grace and Dawn. It’s one of the few things I think I did right in my life. I made so many mistakes—but I think I did a pretty good job with those names.
I felt a stab of anxiety as Eve handed the spark to me. The golden thread hummed against my skin. I held it against my heart. What would you have named Cat?
Eve brushed a strand of hair from my face. Courage. I would have named her Courage.
I bared my teeth. Lucky escape for Cat.
Eve’s laughter rang through my mind, and the spark in my hand seemed to expand. Eve stroked it gently with her fingertips and then began to back away, slowly. She’s brave, Gracie, like you. Cat would give anything for Dawn. You’ll understand that someday, a mother would gladly give anything to ensure their child has the life they deserve. She paused for a moment and gazed into my face. I love you, Grace. I am so proud to have been your mother. Codladh samh, mo chroí.
I clasped the spark against my chest as she faded away, suddenly understanding the gift she had given me. Sam’s spirit ignited, surrounding my soul and cradling me in his heart. Life flooded every inch of his being until I felt his arms around me again, flesh and bone molding with my own. And still, I didn’t let go.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Sam
We laid the dead to rest on Dorninish. Grace asked Gabriel should Eve be buried with her mother in London, but he said Eve would have chosen an island over a city, any day. I thought he was right. Eve would want to be wherever Grace was, and Clew Bay had always been home to Grace.
***
“Penny for them.” Grace slipped her hand inside mine and settled herself between my legs as I steered the boat past Silver Strand.
I wrapped my free arm around her waist, marveling at how perfectly her body curved against my torso. Like one puzzle piece clicking into another—she made me whole. I nuzzled her neck. “Penny for what?”
Grace reached her arm over my shoulder and buried her hand in my hair. Her fingers traced the scar from when I had stabbed my father at the final battle of the Shadow War. The wound had long healed, but the scar still bothered me sometimes. Grace trailed a kiss along my jaw, teasing me. “Your thoughts, Dr. Samuel Hayes. It’s something people say—a penny for your thoughts.”
I grinned to myself. “I can’t use that title until after graduation next week, and you’d pay more than a penny for my thoughts when you’re wearing that dress, Mrs. Hayes—”
“You’re here! Finally.” I gripped onto the rudder as a small neat figure tumbled into the boat, landing at our feet in a flash of copper hair and glittering blades.
I stared up at the cliff top, and Ozzie waved down at me. I cupped my hands and shouted up to him. “Don’t even think about following your friend’s lead on this one, kid.”
Ozzie shot me a killer smile as he flipped over the edge of the cliff, all six foot four of hard muscle plummeting toward our tiny boat.
“Ozzie!” I threw a barrier over our heads, but Ozzie landed safely on the water beside the boat, leaving barely a ripple. I eyed his perfectly dry shoes as he walked over the surface of the water and gave him a grudging smile. “You’re a pain in the ass, Oscar, but that’s a pretty damn cool piece of magic.”
Ozzie pirouetted onto the small dock that Emmanuel had installed as his parting gift to Shadow Hall Academy before he went to take up his new position as head of the Department of Magical Affairs in Sydney, Austrailia.
Ozzie offered his arm to Grace as I secured the boat, and she let Dawn and Ozzie help her onto solid ground. Grace accepting help—a newsworthy turn of events. I bounded up the steep stone steps after the others, trying to disguise my nervous hovering as Grace made her way up the narrow stairs.
Brandon and Lucas were waiting on the lawn. I slapped Bandon on the back and shook my head. “Dude, you crumbled. What the hell do they think of your bow-ties and sweater-vests in Caltech?”
Lucas raised one eyebrow at me. “They think that whoever bought him the bowtie is incredibly stylish and that pediatricians who live in tiny coastal towns in Ireland probably shouldn’t be giving anyone fashion critiques.”
“Whoa, Luc,” I said. “Defensive. Highly defensive about the bow-tie. People, I think we can assume there has been a bow-tie related incident in Fed headquarters. That’s the only thing that could explain the high levels of bow-tie induced stress.”
“Maybe his transformation into a decent person happens at graduation?” Lucas looked around at the others. “Samuel Hayes becoming a solid member of society in T-minus thirty days.”
Grace laughed and punched Lucas lightly on the arm. “It’s so nice to have you guys back together. I
think.”
“How you doing, Grace? You look incredible.” Lucas gave Grace a delicate hug, as though she was made of glass. Brandon ruffled her hair.
“I’m good. Better now that I’ve seen you two.” Grace untangled herself from their embrace. “We saw that business on the news last week, and I was terrified—”
Brandon caught her hand and squeezed it tight. “I told you, the attack was on the other side of the city—we’re fine.” He glanced over her shoulder and tipped his head at a fair-haired guy and a girl with wild black curls strolling toward Dawn and Ozzie. “ Anyway, we’ve got these guys leading the charge against the resistance movement now. Safe hands, Gracie. You know that.”
“Safe hands,” Grace repeated with a small smile. “The safest.”
Valerie waved over at us. “Hey, all! Cat and Cain are waiting for you outside the house. Deirdre and Jabol will be down in a minute, they’re just waiting until the next class starts.”
“Obviously.” Zach smirked. “There’s no way Master Deirdre would miss an opportunity to hand out a few tardiness warnings.”
Ozzie snickered as we all headed down the avenue that led to Shadow Hall. “They are one hundred percent her favorite things. She loves Jabol, she really loves their kid, but she goddamn adores giving those tardiness warnings.”
The house had been extended since we were students, to accommodate the influx of local Human and Angelic families that wanted their children to be educated in a magic-friendly school. I spotted Aza as soon we turned the corner, her bright red dress a vivid contrast to the pale gray granite of the manor, and I felt a rush of gratitude for the tough Demon. Aza had never revealed her reasons for staying to help rebuild our world after the Veil fell, but I couldn’t imagine our lives without her.
The Demon-Born Trilogy: (Complete Paranormal Fantasy Series) Page 67
