“Benjamin! You agreed.”
His expression turned cold once again. “I’m the son of an incubus. Why would anyone in their right mind trust my word?”
I stood there, staring at him.
His expression turned from cold to concerned.
“Are you still coming with me?”
I wasn’t smiling, or happy about this at all, but I told him that I was. I only hoped that I could keep him away long enough to be able to change his mind. I needed that time to show him what love was, and to make him fall for me as much as I had fallen for him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Hunter
We were all mostly still stunned after Kayla’s mom left. Samael was the one to make the first move, as he started to walk toward the gates.
Xavier stopped him right in front of everyone. “You can’t leave.”
“But she said I could.”
“Irene wasn’t aware of certain things that we know of. Someone allowed Benjamin and the Demon in here, and no one is leaving until we find out who.”
“Come on, the demon has a fallen angel with him. Obviously, she helped.”
“Samael,” said Clarissa. “Given your history, you are not leaving until we are certain of how they got in here.”
Samael looked around at everyone who was staring at him, and just stormed off in the direction of the gym.
Kayla still hadn’t said a word. Once Samael took off, she ran into a different direction. I looked at Kim and she looked scared and confused. I almost hesitated in running after Kayla, but Ethan approached us and said that he had Kim, and I went to find Kayla.
It didn’t take me long to find her. She was sitting by the lake, with her head down and her hands covering her eyes.
I slowed down once I approached her and sat next to her.
She was sobbing and I wasn’t sure what to do. That was a side of her that she never showed.
“Kayla?” I whispered.
She looked up, wiped her tears away, and looked right into my eyes.
“I feel like I’m losing myself. I don’t even know who I am anymore.”
“Of course you do, Kayla. Why would you even say that?”
“Because I should hate her!” she cried.
I knew she was talking about her mother.
“I want to hate her, but I don’t. I just feel—I don’t know what I feel. I don’t understand why she didn’t protect me.”
I put my arm around her shoulders. “I don’t think that you not hating her is a bad thing, Kayla. Things change. As far as you not knowing who you are anymore… you never have to worry about that, because I know who you are and I’ll always be here to remind you.
Kayla laid her head on my shoulder and sat there staring at the lake for a while after that.
I didn’t say anything either. I saw Ethan walk near us, but he kept going once he saw that we were okay.
“Hunter?”
She lifted her head and looked at me.
“Yeah?”
“I want to go home.”
I gave her a puzzled look. “I need a break from this. It seems they have everything somewhat under control now, right?”
I nodded. Benjamin was still on the loose, but at least the other Academy was back under control.
I did want this to be Kayla’s decision though. This needed to be about her and not about what everyone else needed from her.
“Now that mom and dad know they truth, I want to make sure they’re okay, and it’s not fair for Kim to have to stay here. She is human, and she should have a normal life. Mom and dad can give her that.
I turned around and hugged her and I felt like the world’s weight was off my shoulders.
“I can go with you to tell Clarissa,” I said.
She nodded. “Not yet though. I want to give her time to deal with what just happened.”
“Okay,” I understood, but I hoped this wouldn’t give Kayla time to change her mind.
“What now?” I asked.
“I want to talk to Kim.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
She shook her head. “No. I need to do this alone.”
I nodded and we went to find Ethan and Kim.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Kayla
I don’t remember ever wanting to have siblings, but I do remember wishing that I had someone around who was related to me. Benjamin, Daniels, and Irene, were far from what I wished for, but Kim was different. She was more like me and she had been thrown into this world much like I had. I can’t say that I knew how she felt because she was so little when she started seeing these beings, but I felt attached to her in a way that I couldn’t have imagined possible.
Hunter and I found Ethan talking to Jennifer and they told us that Kim was resting in Jennifer’s room. I left Hunter with them and went to talk to Kim.
I knocked on the door, hoping that she wasn’t sleeping.
She asked who it was and said to come in.
Kim was sitting on a chair by the window and she seemed nervous.
I walked in and sat on the bed, which was across from her.
“Are you doing okay?” I asked.
“As okay as I can be,” she said in a polite tone. She sounded so tired. “Did you really already know about us?” she asked.
“I found out not long ago. I couldn’t have told you if that is what you are thinking. That was after—”
“Oh, it’s okay. I was just wondering—did you know about her?”
“Who?” I asked.
“Mom.”
I froze, not knowing what to say.
“There were so many times when I wished I could see her. After I started seeing the ghosts, I even hoped that she got trapped between here and the Otherworld just so I could get to see her again,” said Kim. She got quiet.
“Were you happy that you got to see her today?” I asked.
“I’m not sure how I felt. What about you?”
It was tough to remember how much younger Kim was, specially considering that her having to deal with this world made her sound older.
“I don’t know either, Kim. I wasn’t ready to see her again.”
“Yeah, me neither,” she said.
“Kim, the haunted are all being sent back to their human families. How do you feel about that?”
She shrugged. “I guess I’m happy for them but I don’t think I’d want to go back to my dad.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“He wouldn’t know how to act around me or how to deal with me seeing things that he doesn’t understand. Besides, it has been so long since I saw him, and I’d be afraid to put him in danger. With me here, we are both safe.”
I nodded. “What if you go live with me and my family?”
She gave me a confused look.
“Clarissa said they were told the truth about us, and they are really nice. Besides, Ethan will be with us and so will Hunter. We’ll all be protected.”
She still looked lost. “They wouldn’t want me.”
“Of course they would. You’ll love them and they’ll love you. I promise. Besides, I want you there.”
“You do?” she asked.
“Of course.”
She hesitated.
“You can go with us and if you don’t like it there, you can always come back here. I just know that I need to go back and get away from this for a while. I really do want you to come along.”
She smiled the biggest smile I had ever seen on her. “Okay.”
I got up to leave. I knew that she needed to rest and so did I.
“Do you mind staying here for a while longer?” she asked.
“Of course not.”
“Hey, do you know what happened to Chase?” I asked.
“Well, when Benjamin’s dad showed up at the Academy, Chase was getting all of the fallen together and trying to come up with a plan to take over and help Daniels. Benjamin took me away before Chase could act on it though.”
&nbs
p; “How did Benjamin get to you?” I asked.
She looked down. “I got really tired. One of the fallen told me to rest and that they could handle the wards alone for a while. All I remember was going to sleep and seeing Benjamin in a dream. Next thing I knew, I was being dragged inside this Academy.”
The thought that Benjamin manipulated her dream made me shiver.
We were both uncomfortable even talking about him.
“When do we leave?” she asked.
“I’m not sure yet. I want to give them time to deal with this mess before I talk to Clarissa, but it shouldn’t take long. You really should rest for now though. It’s been a long day.”
She nodded. “Will you stay until I fall asleep?”
I smiled at her. “Of course.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
I stayed for a little while longer after Kim fell asleep. I found myself sitting there and playing with the ring that Hunter had given me. The ring was beautiful and perfect in every way. It was a silver ring with a Celtic knot pattern and a red stone in the middle, like the one on my dagger. But the best part about it was what it represented, and I found myself smiling at the thought of everything that Hunter had promised me.
I didn’t leave until after Jennifer came in the room. I felt much better leaving Kim with someone to watch over her. Jennifer said that Hunter and Ethan had gone back to the dorms and that Hunter would meet me there.
On the way back to my dorm, I couldn’t help but to wander around the Academy. Sometimes it was hard to believe that this was all real. Everything at the Academy seemed to be dark, except for the infirmary, and for the gym. Walking by the gym, I found myself drawn inside.
Samael was lying on a mat. He sat up as soon as he heard me.
“What do you want?” he asked.
I could tell he was in a terrible mood, but I had to know the truth.
“I want to know if you let Benjamin in.”
“Of course I didn’t.”
I walked closer and stood near the mat, looking down at him. “Why don’t they trust you?”
“Let’s just say that I lack good judgment.”
“Obviously.”
“You don’t believe that I didn’t let them in, do you? Look, I don’t want to be trapped in this place, okay? If you don’t believe me, just tap into my head. You’ll know the truth and they’ll believe when you tell them.”
I cocked my head to the side.
“You really want me to do this?”
He nodded.
I sat down on the mat across from him.
“Nice ring,” he said.
I ignored him. “Let’s just get this over with, okay?”
He shrugged.
I closed my eyes and probably because he was open to this, I slipped into his mind in a matter of seconds. I could see everything that he had done before Benjamin broke in, including how fast he acted once he realized that Benjamin was in the Academy. I relaxed, glad that he was speaking the truth, and caught myself trying to find clues in his memories about why no one trusted him. I could feel his resentment toward his dad. He felt exactly how I felt about Irene. Then I could see him trying to make a deal with a demon. A deal that would make him human… all traces of being a nephilim, gone. I tried to find out why he was doing that, but his thoughts were no longer clear. I could hear him yell my name as he tried to block me from his memories, but I felt compelled to dig deeper. I tried to get more, but I suddenly felt my body slam against the mat at the gym and opened my eyes to find Samael on top of me, with his lips on mine.
I pushed him off me. “What are you doing?”
He grinned. “I had to get you out of my head somehow.”
I was so mad! I wanted to slap him, but knowing that I was wrong about invading his privacy like that, I just got up and stormed out of there.
CHAPTER THIRTY
“Kayla?” Clarissa stopped me as I ran toward the dorms. “Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. I mean, as okay as things can be. How is everything at the infirmary?”
She sighed. “The healers are working nonstop. It’ll take time, but things will get back to normal. Xavier has been taking care of transporting the demons to the other Academy.”
“How is everyone over there?” I asked.
“Daniels is well if that’s what you want to know.”
I nodded. “Good. I really wanted to know about Chase too. Is there a way for you to find out if he is okay?”
“He is your and Hunter’s friend, correct?”
I nodded and Clarissa smiled.
“He’s well. This is unusual, but Daniels requested permission to allow Chase to stay there and help him rebuild.”
I took a deep breath. “Good.”
“So, do you want to tell me where you were running from?”
“From the gym,” I blurted out.
She shook her head. “Did Samael upset you? He was told to stay away from you.”
“No… I mean, yeah, but… well, you should know that he didn’t help getting the wards down for Benjamin to get in.”
“Oh. Are you sure?”
I nodded. “I made sure of that myself.”
Clarissa nodded, knowing what I meant. “Very well. I’ll dismiss him in the morning.”
“There is something else that I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Okay.”
“I—I think that I want to go back home for a while. I don’t want you to think that I’m running away from any of this. I just want to see my parents and I talked to Kim. She agreed to go too. I think that is where she needs to be.”
Clarissa smiled. “I thought you might say that. And I don’t think you are running away, child. You did more for us than I could ever hope for.”
“I’ll come back whenever you need me to.”
“I know you will. But right now you need to take care of Kim, and yourself. You are doing the right thing. When do you want to go? I’ll make sure Ethan is ready to go along with you and Kim.
“Tomorrow?” I said in a questionable tone.
“Everything will be ready then.” She approached me and gave me a hug. “Thank you, Kayla. Thank you for everything that you did for us.”
I walked the rest of the way back to the dorms. I found Hunter outside, waiting for me. He grinned. “I saw you talking to Clarissa,” he said.
I grinned back. “I did. We’re going back tomorrow.”
He walked closer and kissed me.
We went back to my room and as much as I tried to go to sleep, I couldn’t. I was anxious about seeing mom and dad again. I was anxious about how they were dealing with knowing about this world and about my part in it.
When I turned around, every concern I had vanished from my mind as I saw Hunter lying there asleep. As if he could feel me watching him, his eyes opened.
He reached up and moved a lock of my hair behind my ear.
“Your mom and dad will love you just the same,” he said.
“I know. It’s just been so long since I last saw them, and things are so different now.”
“True, but some things will never change. Your parents’ love for you is one of them.”
I moved closer, laying my head against his chest and his arms went around me.
“There’s one thing I’m not looking forward to,” he said.
“What’s that?”
“Having to make myself unseen to sneak into your room, and having to worry about your dad catching us and whatever consequences that may lead to.”
I laughed. “True.”
***
The next morning, we were all ready to go back. Kim, Hunter and I, said our goodbyes to Xavier and Clarissa. To my surprise, Samael was there as well. I caught him staring at my hand a few times, the one where I wore the ring. I wasn’t the only one who noticed though. Once Hunter caught him looking, he reached for my hand and Samael turned the other way, going toward the gym.
I wasn’t sure why he hadn’t left yet, bu
t that was not my problem.
There was, however, another problem, and that one I felt responsible for. Hunter and I went to look for Ethan and from a distance, we saw him saying goodbye to Jennifer. He rested his forehead against hers, their arms wrapped around each other. I felt responsible for him having to leave her once again.
Hunter leaned close to me and whispered, “We’ll find a way to help them make this work.”
I hoped he already had something in mind, because I’d hate to be the reason for them being apart.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Seeing mom and dad again was overwhelming. For some reason, I could no longer call them by their names like I used to, and I guess that made them even more emotional. They hugged me and cried… A LOT!
Kim and Hunter were there too and stayed to themselves, and Ethan was there, but he was unseen to them in his angel form.
My baby sister Carolyn was there as well, and she was giggling and smiling as if she could sense what was happening.
After practically hugging me to death, mom and dad went for Kim. They introduced themselves and told her how happy they were to have her there. Then mom took over and told Kim that she wanted to show her the room that they would decorate together and just like that, Kim was part of the family.
Dad’s attention was now on Hunter and I think I was more nervous about that then Hunter was.
“Thank you.”
Hunter gave him a puzzled look.
“We were told about everything that you did for our daughter, and we can’t say thank you enough.”
Hunter relaxed. “You don’t have to thank me.” He looked from dad to me. “I was only doing what I was meant to.”
“Just to be clear,” said dad. “Even though I’m thankful for everything, there are still rules in this house.”
Hunter’s attention was on dad once again. “I know. I wouldn’t expect anything to be different.”
“Glad we understand each other.”
Mom came back out with Carolyn. “Hunter are you staying with us for lunch?”
“No, thanks Ms. Gallagher. I have to go home and see my mom.”
“Where is Kim?” I asked.
“She’s getting to know her room,” said mom. “I’ll have to take her shopping later. It’ll give us a chance to get to know each other. Do you want to come along, Kayla?”
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