It was true—we had—but I couldn’t help thinking that the last time we’d made an escape, there had been casualties.
* * *
A few hours later, my high hopes for escaping before the ritual were squashed when Caleb strode into the room.
He motioned for me to come over.
Why was he here? Lunch had been hours ago. By the look of the sun in the sky, it was still early in the afternoon.
I got to my feet. As I turned to approach Caleb, Dean put out a hand to stop me.
“What does he want?” Dean said under his breath.
“I don’t know,” I whispered back.
If Caleb was there to take me away on another one of Gage’s field trips, there wasn’t much I could do. I knew that if I refused, Gage would make someone I care about pay for my insubordination.
Our whispering seemed to cause Caleb to lose patience, and he strode across the room. He stopped in front of Dean and gave me a hard look. “I’m not here for you, princess, I’m here for your boyfriend.”
“There are hours until nightfall,” I protested.
Caleb’s eyes narrowed. “Seems the boss man wants lover boy here so he can get him ready for tonight’s ritual.”
I stepped in front of Dean protectively. “You can’t take him.”
Caleb let out a laugh of surprise. “I can’t take him? You really think you can stop me?”
He’s not afraid of me anymore, not since I couldn’t hurt him with my powers. If he wanted to take Dean, how could I stop him? In the calmest voice I could muster, I said, “I want to go with him.”
“No can do,” Caleb answered.
Dean pushed me aside and took on a defensive stance.
Caleb’s gaze swung to Dean. “I’m happy to reenact our last wrestling match. Though I don’t think this time you’ll fare so well.”
Two men I had never seen before entered the room. One of them held a pair of chains in his hands. Why were they taking him hours before the ritual? What would take that long to prepare?
“Why now? Why do you need him now if the ritual isn’t until the witching hour?” I demanded.
Caleb ignored me and spoke directly to Dean. “Are you coming with us? Seriously, please put up a fight. It would make my day.”
Dean relaxed from his fighting stance and gently pushed me aside. “I’m coming.” Before I could react, Dean turned back and grabbed me by the shoulders, pulling me to him until my head came to rest on his chest.
I could hear his rapid heartbeat, the staccato tempo matching my own.
His arms enfolded me in a gentle embrace as he whispered in my ear, “If I’m not back within the hour, go without me. As soon as it gets dark, make a run for it.”
I pulled back and started to say something, but before I could get the words out Dean’s mouth came down on mine. It was a soft, sweet kiss, and just like back in the asylum, I found myself kissing him back when his lips touched mine. The moment I did, his arms tightened around me and his kiss became more demanding. For a moment, I forgot Caleb. Forgot about the hellhounds. For one sweet moment, I sank into him and forgot about the world around me.
When we broke apart, I looked up into his face. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I might never see him again. “Everything will be okay,” I said, tears springing up suddenly in my eyes. I wanted so desperately to believe my words, but somewhere inside, I was worried something terrible was about to happen.
He raised his hand up to my cheek and wiped away a tear. “I wouldn’t take any of it back. I don’t regret all the things that have happened.” He gave a small laugh. “Okay… Maybe I would change a few things, but everything that happened led me to you.” His fingers brushed up against my lips. “You know, I’m in love with you.”
I rocked back on my heels, the shock of his words taking my breath away.
He gave me a sad smile. “I don’t expect you to feel the same way. I know he still has a hold on you.”
Luke. For a moment I had forgotten about him. And with that realization I felt a rush of guilt.
I started to turn away but Dean reached out and cupped my face in both his hands. “Stay alive.” He leaned in and kissed me again, but it was different this time. It felt as if he were kissing me for the last time. Like he was saying good-bye.
“I’m sorry to break up this touching scene, but it’s time to go,” Caleb said in an amused voice.
Dean looked over at Caleb and raised his hands. “I won’t put up a fight.”
Caleb turned and walked across the room, Dean following. At the threshold, Dean stopped and turned back to me. “Colina… I love you.”
And with those words, he walked out the door.
I was frozen in place. Both my hands were at my chest. I could feel my heart racing, pounding like crazy.
“I never thought he would tell you,” came Wendy’s voice behind me.
I turned and stared at her.
She gave me a small smile. “I’m surprised, really, that he told you he loved you. I mean, it’s obvious—anyone can see it—but I never thought he would have the courage to say it out loud.”
How could I respond to that? Dean proclaimed his love for me and deep inside him somewhere, Luke heard it all. What would I say to Luke when I saw him again? How could I explain my actions? Why didn’t I push Dean away when he kissed me? The first time Dean kissed me was back at the asylum, when we were about to try our escape. He had grabbed me and kissed me before I could stop him, but I hadn’t pulled away—instead I had leaned in and kissed him back. And I had felt passion, desire. We had never talked about that kiss, and I had tried to push those feelings away. Yet here I was, kissing him again.
Wendy was walking around the room with a smile on her face. “Maybe one day Jacob will say…” Her words petered off.
Jacob. Did Wendy love him? Did she confide in him?
As I looked at Wendy, a panicky feeling built inside me. “Did you tell him?”
She looked confused. “Tell who? Tell what?”
“Tell Jacob. About our plans.”
She turned her face away and didn’t answer. I’ve seen the way you are with Jacob, I wanted to shout at her. You trust him more than you trust me. “I know you care for him. Are you in love with him?”
She looked back at me, her cheeks colored, but she demanded, “And so what if I am? It’s none of your business.”
It was my turn to be surprised. How can she not see what she’s doing? How crazy her actions are? “Wendy, he works for Gage. He’s one of the bad guys.”
“He’s not,” she refuted, shaking her head.
I grabbed her arm and gave a laugh that sounded hysterical even to my own ears. “How can you believe he really cares for you? He’s working for them. He’s guarding us. Keeping us hostage.”
She pulled her arm away. “He…he doesn’t have a choice.”
“Everyone has a choice.” The hypocrisy of my words struck me as soon as I said them. How often had I thought I had no choice? That I thought I was backed into a corner?
Her eyes took on a wild look. “If he tries to leave now, Gage will have him killed.”
“So he says.”
“He’s not lying to me.” Anger filled her eyes. “You don’t think I can tell if someone’s lying to me? Jacob loves me. He would never hurt me.”
“How is he helping you?” When she didn’t answer I shouted at her, “By mooning over you? By making love to you?”
Her hand came out fast and hard, slapping me across the face.
I gasped and cradled my burning cheek, determination coloring my face just as much as pain. I refuse to be scared of her this time. If she wants a fight, I’m ready. I planted my feet and said, “He’s our enemy.”
“He would never hurt me,” she spat. After a moment’s hesitation, she added, “But can I say the same about you?”
I recoiled at her words. “What does that mean?”
She gave a harsh laugh. “You’re reckless, Colina. You do whateve
r you want no matter the consequences.” She gestured around the room. “Why do you think we’re here? Everything you’ve done so far brought us to this place.”
Her words hurt more than her slap. “I helped you escape from the asylum. I protected you from a serial killer.”
She laughed louder this time. “And look where we are now. Held by a man who wants to use your dark magic. You know, no one forced you to become a death dealer.”
“You know I had no choice,” I whispered. “I had to learn the Death Arts.”
“Everyone has a choice, remember?” she said scornfully, echoing my words from just a moment ago. She continued, “You released the demon.” She moved closer. “Why did you go back into that mansion in the first place? Why did you focus your magic on Macaven’s dagger?”
“I couldn’t let the men who killed my family get away,” I answered.
“Right. The world is always about what you need, what you want,” she shouted at me.
Stung by her words, I couldn’t help but look at her in shock before scrambling to defend myself. “Th-th-that’s not true—”
She waved her hands wildly. “It is! You couldn’t let Luke go. If you had let him pass on to the other side, none of us would be here.”
It was my turn to get angry. “And you would still be in the asylum, hunted by a serial killer!”
She glared at me for a few minutes in silence and then finally said in a soft voice, “I think I would have been safer there. I’m a hostage here, forced to be possessed by those creatures, because of you.”
My anger melted. “If I could go back and change things, I would.” I reached out for her hand, but she backed away and gave me a hard stare.
“Would you? Would you, really? Would you tell Luke to go to the light? Would you let him go?”
“I…”
“Will you ever let him go?”
“No,” I whispered.
“How many people will suffer because of your selfishness, Colina? How many more will die?” she demanded through tears before turning and running from the room.
I watched her go. My nightmare of Dean, his eyes pleading with me to help him as he lay dying on the floor, flashed before my eyes again. Wendy’s words echoed through my mind.
How many more will die?
Chapter 10
An hour passed and Dean didn’t return. I waited in the doorway, looking out toward the trees.
Dean wanted me to run, but I knew there was no way I would. Even if Wendy would come with me, I wouldn’t leave Dean and Luke in Gage’s hands. A moan of frustration escaped my mouth. I tried to force back the panic and raw emotions that were swirling through me.
Tonight Gage would perform the transfer spell. Luke would be free of Dean. He would have his life back. It was what I’d risked everything for, and now it was within my grasp. All I had to do was turn a blind eye to Dean’s fate, and I’d have what I’d dreamed of.
My fingers touched my lips. I could still feel the heat of Dean’s lips against mine. He told me he loved me. A tear slid down my cheek. All I had to do was not care. But yet, I did. I cared too much, and that scared me more than I wanted to admit.
I loved Luke, but—no matter how much I hated to admit it—somewhere deep inside, I had feelings for Dean. I couldn’t stand by and allow Gage to hurt him.
My head was pounding. I raised trembling hands to my temples. What Gage wanted most in the world was for me to join his group. He wanted my cooperation, my magic for his dark purposes. That gave me some minute power over him. If I went to Gage before the ritual and offered to cooperate with him if he released Dean after the ceremony, he might do it. He wanted to keep me happy and productive.
Come midnight, Luke would be free, and so would Dean—if Gage agreed. If the ritual went as planned. If. If. If. There were too many ifs. All I knew for sure was that I couldn’t run. Not without the others.
With that decided, I took a deep breath, stood up, and closed the door.
* * *
I dressed myself in Gage’s official henchman uniform: black T-shirt, black jeans, black boots. The somber attire certainly suited my mood. I’d been pacing back and forth for hours, my eyes continually drawn to the hallway. At any minute, Caleb would come for me. I didn’t know what the current time was, but I knew it was getting close to midnight and the witching hour. Back at the asylum, I’d always wondered how Mildred was able to tell when the witching hour was upon us. But as more time since my death dealer initiation passed, I found I could feel a subtle change in the air around me as it grew closer. There was an energy that seemed to swell and grow, a tingling and swirling in the air.
“Is it time?” I spun around at Wendy’s voice. She wore the same dark clothes as me, and her hair was in a neat braid hanging down one shoulder.
I looked down shamefully. We’d said hateful things to each other in the heat of our argument. I know I regretted the things I’d said. I didn’t have many allies and the ones I had, I needed to keep. “Wendy… I’m sorry about—”
She raised her hand and stopped me. “It’s okay.”
Before I could say anything more, Caleb and Jacob entered the room, both dressed in black and looking identical except for their haircuts. Jacob made a beeline for Wendy.
She gave him a wide smile as he came to her side. She reached out and put her hand in his.
Caleb stood motionless, silent. I watched him. He had a disapproving look as he watched the couple put their heads together and whisper. I knew the expression on my face was the same. It seems Caleb and I have one thing in common—neither of us like Jacob and Wendy’s relationship.
I wondered if Gage was aware of the budding romance between his guard and prisoner. If he found out, would he embrace it? Or would he bring down some sort of harsh retribution? Wendy had said that if Jacob tried to escape, Gage would kill him. I didn’t know if it was true. But Gage had shown he was capable of such an act. Gage was a man intent on becoming as dark as the demons.
I looked over at Caleb. “So what now?”
“You and I head out,” Caleb answered.
He had a duffel bag slung over one shoulder and a lantern in his hand, both of which he set down on the floor. He rummaged around in the bag and pulled out a black jacket, holding it out to me.
I didn’t move a muscle.
Caleb looked amused as I wavered in obvious confusion, watching him closely for hints of what he intended. He seemed to enjoy my discomfort, stretching it out as long as he could. He finally said, “A storm’s coming. They’re calling for rain tonight. But hey, no problem for me if you’d rather get drenched.” He moved to drop the jacket back in the bag.
“We’re going outside?” I’d thought Gage would do the ritual in the big cavern where he had his party. The thought of walking off into the woods alone with Caleb terrified me. Once again, my mind flashed back to what happened the last time he’d dragged me out into the woods. Somehow I kept the panic I felt inside from showing in my voice. Reluctantly, I held out my hand.
The tight-lipped smile Caleb gave me as he handed over the jacket didn’t reach his eyes.
I put it on before looking back at Wendy and Jacob. “Aren’t they coming with us?”
Caleb swung the bag onto his shoulder and picked up the lantern. “No. Seems the boss has something he wants you to do before tonight’s big show.”
Fear shot through me at his words. What does Gage want from me now?
Caleb walked across the room, out the door, and into the night, motioning for me to follow. I looked back once more toward Wendy and Jacob. They were staring into each other’s eyes. I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and followed Caleb outside.
A full moon was out—I could see it peeking through the dark clouds as they slid across the sky. Caleb lit the candle in the lantern and then swung it to the right. “It’s not far to the field.”
His words sent my head spinning. “The field?”
This time he gave me a wide, true smile. “Loo
ks like the boss thought it would be a good night to raise some zombies.” Caleb looked up into the night sky. “But we have to get going. He wants you to get it done before the storm gets here.”
Why were we raising zombies now? Gage had said it would take forty days before they would be ready.
The wind picked up. Branches whipped back and forth as we made our way through the dark. The flickering light of the lantern illuminated our way, casting long shadows against the bushes on either side of us. Large swaying trees gave glimpses of the moon, but the contrast just made the shadows deeper. The lights of the old town quickly disappeared behind us, as if the area were never there in the first place. It felt like the rest of the world ceased to exist. It was strangely reassuring. My problems, no matter how vast, seemed to shrink against the scale of the storm front moving through the forest. I could almost convince myself that if I turned into the dark and walked away, I would be able to find peace somewhere away from all of this.
The feeling didn’t last long.
We walked for about ten minutes until we were making our way up a familiar embankment. As I climbed my way to the top, I moved back into a world of chaos and danger. The scene before me was familiar. Barrels were scattered around the field, a bright fire burning in each one. The wind whipped the flames, creating swirling shadows and glowing embers. About twenty bodies in green plastic body bags were lined up on the grass in two neat rows.
Gage stood by one of the barrels, warming his hands over the flames. When he saw us, he raised a hand in greeting. “It’s about time.”
As we made our way to Gage’s side, he shot a hard stare at Caleb before turning to give me a half smile. “There’s a full moon out this evening. Can you feel the energy in the air? It’s a powerful night. A night I thought we shouldn’t waste.” He pointed to the closest body bag, then reached down and unzipped it to reveal a natron-covered corpse. “The drying process isn’t even close to done, but I thought we should see if you can still bind the souls into the bodies this long after they’ve died.”
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