Forget Me Not (The Ceruleans: Book 2)

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Forget Me Not (The Ceruleans: Book 2) Page 26

by Megan Tayte


  I did not black out, though I wished that I could. I lay on my back, half-buried in lath and plaster, staring at the dancing flames reflected in the glass of the framed photographs on the mantelpiece. My grandparents. Luke and Cara. Sienna and me in the meadow at Hollythwaite. She was smiling. She was beckoning.

  Someone said my name.

  Darkness loomed over me.

  Death, come for me. I couldn’t see him, I couldn’t see through the smoke and the pain and the horror, but I knew him.

  I tried to struggle, I tried to shout for Luke, for Jude, for Luke. But his hand was over my mouth and his knee was on my chest, pressing me down, down, down into the fiery pit of hell.

  *

  Scarlett! Is she… oh God, please, no, no, don’t take her, please.

  She’s alive, Luke. Now hold her and lie still while I heal you.

  Not me, her! Heal her!

  There, it’s done. Your leg was broken, but –

  Scarlett, Scarlett... Jude, quickly! Heal her!

  I already did what I could for her, Luke, as I brought her out. The smoke inhalation. The injuries.

  What? But look at her! She’s not healed!

  No, she’s not.

  Try again. Try again!

  I’ve done all I can for her. I can’t heal what’s killing her. I never could.

  Killing her – no – not now.

  I’m sorry, Luke. She’s not going to get up and walk away from this.

  How can she be dying?

  Because it’s her time.

  But it was meant to be peaceful. Beautiful! She can’t die like this! You have to do something, Jude – please, I’m begging you.

  I can’t help her now, I can’t. I’m sorry. I can’t even take away the pain in her head.

  Pain? She’s in pain? Oh God. We have to do something.

  There’s nothing we can do. Just be with her and wait until...

  No. No! That is NOT what she wanted. If you can’t heal her, if this is the end, then it has to be the way she wanted it! She didn’t want suffering. Waiting. When it came to this, she wanted what Sienna had.

  What? No.

  Yes.

  You’ve misunderstood, Luke. Scarlett and I talked about it. You shall not kill – the most fundamental law. She believed in that.

  Once, maybe. Not any more. She has morphine ready. She was going to inject herself.

  She can’t do that!

  No, she can’t. Not now. But… God help me, I can.

  Luke – you can’t!

  I can’t give her the passing she wanted, that she deserves?

  You can’t kill her!

  Then you do it.

  What?

  She told me: a Cerulean can preserve life, and he can take it away. You’re the one taking her from me. So go all the way, Jude. I will hold her in my arms and I will love her and I will say goodbye. And you use your light to end her suffering. Take her – do it! Do what you came here to do.

  I can’t, Luke!

  You won’t.

  Because it’s –

  Don’t you dare say ‘wrong’. Don’t you dare. Screw your principles. I have only one: love Scarlett.

  Sirens. They can’t find us here. They’ll take her to the hospital – she can’t die there – her body, her mother... We have to move.

  Then it’s time to make a choice. Help us, or judge us.

  What do you need me to do?

  My house. Kitchen drawer. By the stove. Wooden box containing a syringe and vial. Go now and get it.

  Where will I meet you?

  The cliff path.

  I can take you there now, both of you.

  No. I will carry Scarlett.

  *

  An angel released me from hell. He called my name, and commanded me to come to him, and I glided upwards on wings that were singed but magnificent.

  The heaven he called me to was everything I’d dreamed of. Home – that place of sand and rocks and water and sky, so much sky.

  Beautiful.

  But the angel was crying. And his promises were broken by the breeze:

  love you...

  hold you...

  remember...

  always...

  sunrise...

  waves...

  eternity...

  field...

  forget-me-nots...

  Scarlett...

  Scarlett...

  There was a moment of clarity, of brilliance, and I remembered his name, Luke, and I remembered its meaning, giver of light. And my soul cried out for that light.

  But the breeze became a wind, and the wind became a spirit, and it tore me from his arms and cast me out of heaven. As I fell – flew – fell into the sky the last I saw of that world was three figures on a clifftop at sunrise. A boy, head bowed, sobbing, holding a girl in his arms who was quiet now, sleeping now; and to their side another boy, holding the girl’s hand and looking up, looking at me.

  In the fathomless sky all was light. And the white was release, but the blue was salvation. So I chose it. I opened my heart, and I let all that was blue flood into me, Become me.

  The hand in mine was warm and steady. I clung to it, and it led me away. Away from all that had been so right, so precious. Away from the unbearable beauty of being. Away, into the wild blue yonder.

  ***

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Thank you for taking the time to read Forget Me Not, the second book in my Ceruleans series. I hope the ending hasn’t left you in a puddle of tears, shouting ‘Luuuuuuuke’ into the wind. But if you are feeling a little bereft and blue, then I suggest you follow the British mantra ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’… with the next book.

  The Ceruleans story began with Book 1: Death Wish, and it continues as follows:

  Book 3: Wild Blue Yonder

  Book 4: Devil and the Deep

  Book 5: Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully

  You can access all my books via my Amazon author page, and get the lowdown on me, my writing and the inspirations for The Ceruleans over at www.megantayte.com.

  And finally, did you know I’m an indie author? That means on top of writing and editing my books, I design, publish and market them myself. But when it comes to getting the word out about my books, I’m very fortunate to have a little help. A growing number of readers support me by posting reviews of my books online and asking fellow bookworms, ‘Hey, have you read any Megan Tayte…?’ If you’re one of those readers then thank you – you’re the reason I often do this [dances it out to Ed Sheeran’s ‘Sing’].

  With best wishes,

  Megan

  CONTENTS

  PART 1: AURORA

  1: WISH

  2: DEATH KNELL

  3: LUKE’S SCARLETT

  4: SOME KIND OF SORCERER

  5: THUNDER AND LIGHTNING

  6: UNORDINARY

  7: CAKE OR DEATH

  8: DON’T LET GO

  9: THE STUFF OF STORIES

  10: STRINGS

  11: LATER

  12: SOMEONE… BAD

  13: FAMILY LOYALTY

  14: NEVER SAY NEVER

  15: SERVIAM

  16: HOPE

  17: LOST AND FOUND

  18: SUNSET

  19: SACRIFICE

  20: SUNRISE

  PART 2: MERIDIAN

  21: WOW

  22: NICE KNOWING YOU

  23: SINCE

  24: DON’T STOP ME NOW

  25: CLUB INFINITY

  26: THAT’S THE SPIRIT

  27: IF ONLY

  28: PETER BLAKE’S GRANDDAUGHTER

  29: SACRED

  30: TYGER, TYGER

  31: MIDDAY SUN

  32: DON’T YOU EVER

  33: LITTLE WHITE LIES

  34: REMORSE

  PART 3: EVENTIDE

  35: WHAT IS RIGHT

  36: FRIEND, FOE

  37: DONE

  38: ON MY WAY

  39: SINGING IN THE RAIN

  40: ELIZABETH

  41:
COME FIND ME

  42: LET ME

  43: NOW OR NEVER

  44: HOLY CARDEA

  45: TALKING LIKE GROWNUPS

  46: OHHHHHHHHHH

  47: IN HIS ARMS

  48: TODAY

  49: ALWAYS

  50: KINDLING

  51: WHEN ANGELS CRY

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

 

 

 


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