The Balance

by C. L. Nelson

  I group texted my siblings, Finlay, and Jaxon from the guest bedroom. I am not leaving Charlie’s body. I will stand guard by her bedside until we find her.

  I let them all know that I have Charlie’s immortal body and I also ask if they have any leads. One by one, they all report that they have not found anything yet. I tell them to come back when they have exhausted their search.

  Jaxon returned first. “Sorry, Kian. I ran around in my wolf form until I nearly collapsed from exhaustion. I didn’t pick up her scent anywhere.” After reporting in, he went to his room to sleep.

  Jarrett and Emilia arrived almost at the exact same time. Neither of them found any leads on Charlie’s whereabouts. Emilia asked if Finlay was back yet and looked disappointed when I said he hadn’t. I told them both to get some rest.

  Finlay was the last to return. He looked as grim as I felt. “What are we going to do Kian?” he said while gazing down at Charlie’s immortal body.

  “We are going to hope the Creators help us. Get some rest and we will regroup in the morning,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder.

  Finlay pulled me into a hug, surprising me. “Our girl is a survivor. She will fight until her last breath to make it back to us. Stay strong for her.” He stepped away from me. He whispered something to Charlie before leaving the room.

  I lay next to Charlie’s body, but don’t sleep. I will stay awake and alert until she comes back to us.

  I turn toward her and whisper to her, hoping that she will somehow hear me. “Stay strong, Charlie. We are in New Orleans on Bourbon Street. We aren’t that far from you. Try to find your way back to us. We have your body. Let your soul come home. See you soon, angel.”

  Chapter 24

  Charlie

  The hatred coming off the dark fae is suffocating. I scrambled out of bed and stand on the opposite side, putting the bed between us. “What the fuck are you doing here, Lachlan?” I yelled, hoping the nymph trio will hear me.

  The glare from his pupil-less red eyes is so intense, it feels like it should burn. “The girls won’t be coming to your aid if that’s what you are hoping.” He smirked. “I tired them out, so they wouldn’t bother us for a while. Good thing you slept so long. It took a while to wear the three of them out.” He grabbed his crouch for emphasis like I wouldn’t figure out what he meant otherwise.

  “Good for you, ya big boy.” I rolled my eyes. “What do you want?”

  The grin on his face is so out of place that it sends a chill straight to my soul. “Maybe I will let you get to know exactly how big I am before I kill you. I figure we have a couple of hours before Alaric comes to check on you, so we should probably get started,” he sneered at me. “I’ll make sure you are still alive just in case he still wants whatever is left of you when I am finished.”

  What is it with everyone threatening rape? Is that what all the cool psychopaths are doing these days? I start covertly looking for possible exits. I am on the second floor, but I could probably jump out the window if I am desperate. The door to the hallway is blocked by the dark fae, but the bathroom door is to my right. I can make it there and lock him out.

  “Alaric will kill you if you hurt me. If you haven’t noticed, he is slightly obsessed with me,” I said.

  He laughed and it made my blood run cold. “He has promised me I could take my revenge out on your disgusting mortal body. I am just getting started early. He will get over it as long as I keep you alive.”

  Fuck that! I make a break for the bathroom. I managed to get myself inside and the door locked. Just as I am taking a deep breath, my head was slammed into the door from behind, pain bursting in the front of my skull. I dropped to my knees, feeling confused and dizzy. I reach up to touch the part of my head that is hurting, feeling the warm liquid that is running down my face.

  The next thing I know I feel a sharp pain in the side of my neck. The last thing I am aware of is Lachlan’s laughter.

  I wake up some time later. I try to get up as soon as I remember that Lachlan attacked me, but I can’t move. My arms and legs are tied to the bedposts. I turned to see Lachlan near the dresser, staring at me and still chuckling.

  I would laugh at me too if I wasn’t in danger and feeling like roadkill. I have all my memories back, so I really have no excuse for forgetting that the fucking fae can shadow. Apparently, all my fighting skills don’t carry over automatically into this incarnation. Fuck, my head hurts.

  Lachlan ambles over to the bed and climbs up, straddling my waist. He stares down at me, his lips pulled up in a half-smile. “You are just as stupid as every other human. You may have been born immortal, but all the time spent among humans has made you weak and foolish. I am going to enjoy hurting you.”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “Yeah, yeah, that’s what they all say. Just fucking do it already. You are boring me with all your rambling.”

  His face fell and he looked disappointed like he wasn’t getting the reaction that he wanted, but then his disdainful smile returned. “You act tough now, but you will be begging for mercy by the time I am done with you, human filth.”

  He slid a knife out from somewhere and showed it to me. It was an ornate knife like it was for a special occasion. I’m flattered. When I ignored him, he frowned but got to work. He started with a shallow cut on my cheek.

  I gritted my teeth and clenched my hands but didn’t make a sound. I just stared at him defiantly.

  He started to laugh like he was filled with joy. “I am going to have so much fun breaking you.” Without warning, he stabbed the knife into my left shoulder.

  I did scream for that. I felt the knife scrape bone as it made its way out the other side of my body. I pull on my restraints reflexively to no avail. I turn to look at the knife in my shoulder and wish I hadn’t, nausea turning my stomach.

  “Not so tough now, are you?” He spat in my face before ripping the knife out of my shoulder, forcing another scream from my mouth.

  I lay still, panting from the pain. I could feel my red dress begin to soak with blood. I worried that I might bleed out, but the dark fae was prepared. He got up and retrieved a couple of new tools. He showed them to me. One was a blow torch and the other was a skinny piece of metal.

  “Every cut that I make that threatens to let you bleed out will be cauterized. It has the added bonus of more pain for you.” He laughed as he turned on the torch. He used the blow torch to heat the metal and then stuck the metal against the edges of my wound.

  I screamed for him again as the hot metal burned me, effectively cauterizing the wound. I was crying at this point, the pain too intense.

  Lachlan chuckled and bent forward to lick the tears from my face. “Now let’s do something about your appearance. I hear your soul cheats and makes your filthy human shell look like your immortal body. I’m just going to fix that.”

  I am struggling, trying to get my arms free. Apparently, he wants me to be still because he punched me in the face. My vision doubles and I feel nauseous. When I can think about something other than the pain, I realize the dark fae is hacking off my hair. He isn’t being too careful because he is cutting my scalp in the process.

  “Needed…a trim…anyway,” I muttered. I have a hard time moving my jaw. I think it is broken.

  At this point, I have already tried to access my abilities. With my memories back, I know what I should be able to do, but I can’t make it happen. I think my powers are mostly bound when I am in a mortal body. All the other times that I have accessed them have been accidents, completely out of my control.

  Lachlan must not have liked my response because he stopped hacking off my hair, leaving half of it uncut. He takes the knife and slides it down one arm, leaving a deep cut from my elbow to my armpit. He immediately cauterized the wound.

  I screamed before blacking out from the pain.

  ***

  I wake up to more pain. Lachlan has been busy while I was out. He is standing next to the bed, allowing me to view his work. “Don’t worry. Yo
u weren’t out too long. You aren’t missing much.”

  Shouldn’t he have said you didn’t miss much? My heart starts beating fast as I rise up as much as I can with my arms tied to the bed and look down my body. I nearly pass out again from the sight. He has cut off and cauterized my left leg right below the knee. I screamed, “you sick bastard.” I fall back down on the bed, my strength leaving me.

  He laughed and climbed back up on the bed, kneeling beside me. “That was a lot of fun, but it would have been more fun if you had stayed conscious. Too bad your mortal body can’t take as much as I would like without you passing out. I will have to stick with the smaller stuff, so you can stay awake to enjoy it with me,” he said rubbing himself, clearly enjoying my torture.

  He proceeds to slice small shallow cuts all over my body, paying special attention to my face. He kept telling me how he enjoyed ruining my beauty. He untied my arms and remaining leg when he needed access to more of my skin to cut, knowing I was too weak from blood loss to fight him.

  I stopped screaming after the first couple dozen cuts, my mind drifting. I thought about my incarnations and everything that I have been through since Alaric decided to unjustly punish me, about how I didn’t deserve any of it, but also how glad I am that it happened because I got to meet Finlay. When I think about Finlay and how badly I wish he was here to help me, I get angry.

  I am angry at myself for wishing a man would save me. I am angry at myself for not trying harder to stop Lachlan. I am angry at myself for forgetting that he could shadow.

  I am also angry at my situation. I am angry that Alaric is a selfish, arrogant psychopath who thinks he can get away with everything. I am angry that the Creators never once stepped in to stop him. He has to be throwing off the Balance, at the very least by throwing innocent souls in the Pit. I am angry at the whole system failing me and whoever else he has wronged.

  I feel my blood start to heat up. I now know that is my infernal half making itself known, thanks to my memories.

  Lachlan stops cutting me. “What’s wrong with your eyes? They’re completely black. Are you having a stroke from the blood loss or something?” He laughed, not realizing the seriousness of the situation.

  I feel strength flood my body, revitalizing me. A growl escapes my lips as I glare at him.

  His eyebrows raise and his eyes widen. His mouth drops open and panic flickers across his face, but it’s too late. His panic morphs into confusion as he looks down at my arm that is now in his chest.

  With inhuman speed and strength, I punched my fist into the dark fae’s chest. I now hold his still-beating heart in the palm of my hand. I smile at him and I know it’s the same evil twisted smile that he has been sporting since he started torturing me.

  “You fucked with the wrong woman, Lachlan. Tell my father I said hi,” I told him as I ripped his heart from his chest, crushing it in my hand.

  With the last of my strength, I kicked him off the bed. I lie down, thankful that the surge of power has left me numb. I am exhausted, and I feel terrible. I know that tapping into my immortal strength has advanced my burn out progress. My soul isn’t meant to be contained in this now ruined mortal body. I estimate that I have hours at most.

  I think about dying here alone with the giggling trio completely oblivious in their guest room. I think about Finlay and how devastated he is going to be. I hope he doesn’t blame himself; he tried his best to keep me safe. I think about my mom who I will never see again and my dad who I will never meet. I think about Jarrett and Dashiel who I immediately liked and have come to consider friends in the short time that I have known them.

  And I think about Kian who I think is incredibly handsome, smart, and noble. He may have been a pain in my ass, but I would give anything to have him piss me off again. I feel the loss of him the hardest. I feel the regret that I will never get to know him. I will never get to break him out of his ways, forcing him to have fun with me. I feel sad when I think about how he will probably blame himself for my death.

  I can feel my soul trying to escape my mortal body as I lay on the blood-soaked bed. It hurts like hell, but I am too weak to scream. It feels like my blood is on fire and all of my bones are breaking. The pain Lachlan inflicted is nothing compared to what I am feeling now.

  I start to cry, but not from the pain. I don’t want to die alone. I feel my body start to tingle. I close my eyes, figuring the end is coming. I can feel time passing or maybe it’s not, as I lie there with my eyes closed. I let the world around me fade away as I concentrate on my happier memories.

  ***

  I must have blacked out from the pain because the next thing I know I hear a female voice saying my name. “Charlie? Oh, my Creators! Get Kian! It’s Charlie!” I weakly open my eyes to see a female with purple hair. Am I hallucinating?

  “Oh love. What happened to you?” I see Finlay, tears running down his face. He goes to caress my face but stops when he sees all the cuts.

  I feel warmth and know Finlay is trying to heal me. I tried to bat him away, but my arms won’t move. “Don’t…bother,” I croak, barely loud enough to hear. My throat hurts and my voice is hoarse from all the screaming

  Kian runs into the room and kneels by my side. “What have they done to you?” he said, softly touching the hair that remains on half of my head, his hand shaking. “It’s going to be alright.”

  “Dying,” I murmured.

  “Hang on for me, angel. I have your immortal body. I am going to take your soul out of this shell and put it back into your immortal body. It may hurt,” he warned.

  I tried to laugh, but it got caught in my throat. I choke, my throat too dry and damaged.

  Without further ado, I feel a sharp pain as Kian pulls my soul free of my mortal vessel. I can see everything much clearer now as I float free of my ruined body. We aren’t in Jarrett’s Paris apartment, but we are in a living room with blue couches. Well, it’s more of a formal sitting room.

  I can see Finlay being comforted by the female with purple hair. I see Jarrett and Dashiel standing near a door, looking grim. There is also another male standing with them that I haven’t met before. And is that Jaxon by the door?

  This feels like the end of the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy wakes up and sees everyone standing around her, but it wasn’t a dream…And you and you and you were there. I’d love for this to have all been a bad dream. It has certainly felt like a nightmare. Thank goodness for the people that I have met, or I wouldn’t have had the strength to keep fighting the monsters, but my fight is far from over.

  Kian carefully takes my soul into a bedroom where I see my body lying on the bed. It looks like I am sleeping. The body doesn’t look exactly like I remember looking as an immortal, the glow is gone. I notice that my body is clothed in a long black gown. It looks good on me, not slutty like the red dress.

  That’s the last thing I see. The next thing I know, I am jolting upright and taking a deep gasping breath. The pain is gone, and I don’t feel weak anymore. I actually feel better than I have in a very long time, strong and energized.

  Kian hugged me tightly. “Thank the Creators.”

  I glance around the room and see that everyone has followed us in here. “Uh, Kian? You do realize you are willingly touching me in front of other people, right?” I squeaked out. He is hugging me so hard that I can barely breathe.

  “I don’t care.” He pulled back and pressed his lips to mine. He pulled away when he realized what he was doing. “Sorry. I don’t - ”

  I pulled him back down to my mouth, cutting him off. I let him know how grateful I am and how much I have missed him. I kissed him until I heard someone clear their throat.

  “Well, it looks like someone is feeling better.” I pulled away from Kian to see Dashiel chuckling in the doorway.

  I looked around. I forgot everyone was in the room and they all just witnessed the kiss between Kian and me. I feel my face turn red.

  Jarrett laughed. “Awesome! She still blushes as an immortal.”<
br />
  “Shut up, Jarrett!” I threw a pillow at him. It hit him in the face hard before he could block it. I covered my mouth with my hands, surprised how fast I threw it. I removed my hands. “Oh shit. Sorry. I have to get used to my speed and strength again.”

  Everyone laughed, including Jarrett. “You are lucky that I am so happy that you are alive. I will give you a free pass for today. After today, you are no longer safe from my shenanigans.”

  I laughed at him. “I’m terrified, your royal highness,” I mocked. “Why didn’t you guys tell me that you are royalty? Your father is a mega douche, by the way.”

  Jarrett shrugged. “It never came up. Also, I think calling our father a douche is a major understatement.”

  I nod my head in agreement. I swing my legs off the bed and stand up. I feel sexy as hell in this black dress. It stands out against my now glowing pale skin.

  I look up and see Finlay in the corner of the room. I am surprised he hasn’t hugged me yet. I look at him and raise my eyebrows. He looked down and then back up at me. I open my arms and he immediately runs forward to wrap his arms around me.

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” he said into my neck.

  I feel his body shake as he sobs. I run my hand up and down his back. “Fin, it’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not. You were abducted and tortured when I was supposed to be protecting you,” he said, still hugging me and crying.

  I pulled away so I can look him in the eyes. “Finlay, stop it right now! None of that is your fault. The only one left to blame for that is Alaric and he will be punished for it,” I said, my skin heating up.

  Finlay stumbled away from me, looking alarmed. “Love, your eyes are black, and the ends of your hair are a blue flame.”

  He stepped out of the way and I look into the mirror that was behind him. My eyes are indeed solid black, no white remaining. I startle when I see my hair is on fire, but then realize that it’s not burning, the last two inches of my hair is encased in blue flames. It’s my fire, the infernal fire that lives inside of me.