She shook her head, “You tell him. I'll be there as soon as I'm done. Don't say anything to anyone about what I'm doing okay? They'll freak out.”
“It wouldn't be my place to anyway.”
The reminder hadn't seemed necessary to give, but Jewl needed to cover her bases all the same. One thing she learned a long time ago was to never assume anything. Cheyenne obviously understood the importance of a secret though.
Of course she does. She has so many of her own.
“Tell Anj I'll call him sometime before we leave.” That much she could do. Hopefully, they could have one more good conversation. If something were to happen to her, she wouldn't want his last memory to be of something bad.
Chapter Twenty
Jewl packed up the last of her things she'd need for break. The plan was to meet Aunt Eyde in front of Lord Reyld's Manor with all of her things. They'd go take care of business, and then she'd be dropped off at the twins’ house. In reality, she planned on giving out a false address four blocks away. Eyde did not need to know every detail about them.
As she went to find her stones and other small items needed for the week, she noticed the box still holding the large black pearl. Originally she was going to throw it out or pawn it, but it was a gift from Cheyenne. That made it something worth hanging onto. She still didn't understand the point behind the Dark harassing Teague through the storm, or following him around, but she could only handle one mystery at a time right now. Selfishly, she was focusing on her own.
Picking the pearl up, she put it in the bag with the rest of her stones, and then wrapped them up in her blue cashmere sweater for safe-keeping. While she attended to business with Aunt Eyde, who knew if Pierce or another bodyguard would go snooping through her things.
Bag packed, she closed it, set it by the door and then grabbed her phone and dialed Anj. She still had no clue what to say to him. Given how their last conversation went, it wasn't easy to come up with a good start that wouldn't sound awkward. Why did I promise to call him? I'm such an idiot. But she couldn't avoid him forever. It'd be easier to get through the awkward stage now than at his house later. Given how clingy his mother was, he didn't need the added stress.
“Okay, here it goes.” She took in a deep breath and waited for him to pick up. But he didn’t. She got their answering machine.
“You've reached Anj and Zes. Leave a message.”
Jewl sighed. “I said I'd call. You're obviously out. Unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to give you a ring later. My aunt is coming to get me soon. Expect me there some time tonight after dinner. I...” Say it. Tell him. Make sure he knows. “I really am sorry, and I… I love you. We'll talk—”
“Jewl? I'm here,” Anj said.
“Oh.” Now she didn't know what to say.
“Would you rather talk to a machine?”
It's easier. “No, of course not. I'm surprised is all.”
“So am I, but I'm glad to hear your voice again.” He paused, “And I'm also glad you're coming by. It'll be good to see you tonight. Mom is going out for the weekend, so we'll be able to spend time together without having to deal with her. Our last conversation didn't go as well as I'd hoped, but talking would be a good thing for us to do. Again.”
“Fine,” she sighed. Of course he wants to continue where we left off. Not her idea of a good time, but by the time she was done with her Aunt she might be singing a different tune. If anything, having a sense of closure on the situation would be good for them both.
“It'll be okay. You know that right?”
“Sure.” There was a knock at her door. “Hold on. Someone's here.”
She got up to answer the door. Jewl wasn't sure whom to expect when she answered, but seeing Pierce and her aunt hadn't even made it onto her list. All she could do was stare at the woman.
“Jewl darling, it's rude to not invite us in,” Eyde said.
“Is everything okay? Who's there? You're quiet,” Anj asked.
Jewl motioned for her aunt to enter and hesitantly shut the door. “Make yourself comfortable, Auntie. I'll be right with you. Let me finish up my conversation.”
“Why is she there?” his voice was quiet thankfully.
She went into her bedroom trying to keep her body language as casual as possible. She knew drawing attention to herself would be a bad idea. “I have something to do which is why I'm going to be late.”
“With her though? I don't know how I feel about this.”
“Oh, well. Don't worry because I-” The door to her bedroom opened, and she glared at her aunt in the doorway. “Excuse me, I'm on the phone. I said I'd be right with you.”
Eyde shook her head. “You need to hang up now. It's time to go.”
“No, you're early. And you said you'd be picking me up at the Manor. Not my room.”
Anj gasped. “She's where? Don't go anywhere, I'll—”
“Change of plans. Hang up,” Eyde said with an eery sounding calm.
“When I'm done.”
A small spark flew out of her Aunt's hands, hitting Jewl in the stomach. It didn't hurt so much as startle her. She let out a quiet scream before losing control over the phone. As it hit the ground the battery fell out.
“Good going. Way to draw unnecessary attention,” she seethed. If Anj wasn't freaking out before, he definitely would be then.
Eyde created another small bolt of lightning that traveled between her fingertips, watching it with a large smirk. “It won't matter. We'll only be here for another handful of minutes at the most. Do you like my new trick?”
“Yeah, it's real shiny,” Jewl said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I thought magic didn't run in the family? Puberty finally hit?”
“Make all the jokes you want, but not even your attitude will make me displeased today. This is all too exciting. If you must know, I didn't acquire these powers naturally. Your sister kindly donated them to me,” she said, giving a sweet smile, but Jewl knew better than to trust it.
She glared. “Donated through force you mean?”
“Sonnet understands the importance of what I'm trying to do, and she knows better than to fight me. It'll make a lot more sense when we see the heir.” With a flick of her fingers, the sparks between her fingers were gone and Eyde grabbed Jewl roughly by the wrist. A transportation stone was forced into the palm of her hand. Soon Pierce was holding her other arm firmly. “Take us, or she'll lose a lot more than her magic.”
She sighed, whispering the incantation that brought them to Zacheus's gate, praying he would be there. He was, but he wasn't alone.
Zach stood to the side of the gate, his eyes wouldn't meet hers. Next to him stood a small group of demons, and they were far more disgusting than the faceless wispy shadows who had been trailing her. They had long claws, gruesome fangs and elongated faces. Their large eyes stayed fixed on her. In front of them was a man. She recognized him from the homecoming dance when she had used her summoning powers to try and find Zes. Young, and handsome, he could pass for being human outside of a pair of rich, dark red wings with silver flecks in them. That had to be Lucien.
“Welcome to my humble abode,” he said, holding his hands out in front of him. He smiled, staring Jewl up and down. “I'm honored to be in such distinguished company.”
“Mm hm.” Jewl pursed her lips together. The feeling wasn't reciprocated. “You two do whatever it is you need to. Tell me when I can leave again.”
Lucien shook his head. “Oh, Eyde, you didn't tell her? I told you going this route was only going to complicate things for us.”
Her aunt folded her arms. “She'd never agree to it. I'd be wasting my breath.”
“That's why you have to be more persuasive.”
Jewl raised an eyebrow. “And what exactly is she supposed to persuade me of?”
He faced her, his slate gray eyes meeting her own, and he smirked. “Giving me your divinity of course.”
Is this guy serious? She snorted. “And why would I give it to you? You
haven't even bought me dinner.” A lame joke, but it helped her feel like she had some kind of control over the situation, even if she didn't. The demon laughed at her, all of his minions echoed with him, and Aunt Eyde cracked a smile.
Lucien faced her aunt and shook his head. “She's quite the character, so much like her mother.” He returned his attention to Jewl. “Now, girl, from what I understand you don't even want to be a member of the Divine. By accepting your divinity, I'll be doing you a favor. You can grow up to be whatever you desire, and won't have to worry about the pesky consequences of your magic anymore.”
Don't listen to him. He's only tempting you. Her jaw tightened and she stood her ground, biting her lip to keep herself from saying anything that might antagonize him.
He stepped behind her, placing both of his hands on her shoulders. His skin was so cold. The chill of it could be felt through her clothing. She wished she had a sweater. She thought of Anj and her heart sank.
“There's a boy you love,” Lucien whispered in her ear. He took a moment to brush a curl of hair aside. “I've seen you with him, and I know you're scared he's more of a slave than a love. Giving me your magic will guarantee a real genuine relationship with him. You won't have to be afraid of giving yourself to him fully. Tell me, how does everyone not win in this situation?”
The selfish side of her agreed with him. Everyone did win. Not only would her family be protected and safe, but she wouldn't have to deal with the burden of being her mother's daughter any more. She could have Anj. There would be nothing lost from giving in to the demon's will. But that was the biggest problem. Lucien was a demon. He'd tortured one of her best friends and manipulated another. Nothing he did would be good. Why did he want it anyway? What use could a demon have with her magic? Wasn't he already Divine? Or maybe that was the problem. Maybe he wasn't.
“I'm going to have to pass,” she said flatly.
“Fine. I don't need your permission to take it from you.” With a snap of his fingers, all of his demonic minions surrounded her. “Now you have two options. We can do this the fun way or the easy way. My friends would much prefer for you to pick fun, of course, because that means they would get to play with you on the way to the castle. But I don't think you'd enjoy it much.”
“Prideful, yes. But I'm also not stupid. I'll come along easy.”
Lucien raised an eyebrow. “Zacheus, show Lady Eyde to my den and make sure she's comfortable. I will return to her in a moment once I make sure our other guest is accommodated.”
Zach's pale blue eyes stayed downcast as he stepped away from the gate. With a small hand gesture he motioned for her Aunt to follow him. She didn't act as though she remembered him, which was probably for the better. He briefly glanced back at Jewl, his frown a mixture of determination and apology. Neither of them let the look linger for long though. She wasn't sure how much Lucien knew about their relationship, and didn't want to give off any unnecessary tip offs.
Putting a hand on Jewl's arm, Lucien gently led her away. For a little while, they followed Zach and her Aunt. When they got closer to the castle, their paths separated. Zach went left, and she right. Although she couldn't see him, she felt safe. He'd do everything in his power to keep her safe just like he always did.
“So why the interest in my magic? Isn't your Divine 'bride' enough for you?” she muttered. The two stopped in front of the castle and he took a moment to open a door hidden in the wall. Cool air hit her skin as she was pushed inside.
Lucien took her down a flight of stairs that were nearby. The further down they went, the dimmer the lights became. At the first landing was a cell, which he opened and immediately placed her in. Once the barred door was locked, he leaned against the wall. Behind him she could see more stairs going down. She'd heard stories of the prison inside of Hades castle--of how there were millions of cells going down into the depths of the Earth. One myth said it never ended. All of them claimed that the deeper inside one was held, the more separated they felt from everything good—a pit of hopelessness.
The negative effects of the prison were present but not strong. She could still feel pleasant things. Then again, she wasn't deep inside. Lingering at the edge of her mind was a sense of despair, but she refused to let it enter her. He wouldn't win.
After a minute passed, he stared at her through the bars, smiling. “It's because of her that I need you. I was not born of Hades flesh and blood, and so I am missing the potent magic of the Divine. By taking yours away from you—”
“You gain a truer right to the line.”
“That's one way of looking at it. I also gain power in a new area. I'll no longer be restricted by the rules of the demons.”
He's crazy and power hungry. Cheyenne was right. He does want to change everything. A demon being able to break away from the laws put in place and living by those of the Divine would ruin the current order in the world. She didn't want to begin imagining the repercussions of that.
“So why me?”
“You are convenient.” He shrugged.
She nodded slowly. “The others have people who would do everything to protect them. Not to mention they haven't grown into their magic yet. My aunt sold me out for whatever you promised her.” ‘People’ being parents. The other Divine heirs were much younger than she was. He couldn't take Cheyenne's power from her or it would destroy the whole purpose of their union.
“Her desires are short-sighted and simple, but they fuel her nicely. She didn't need to think twice about what I was proposing,” he paused. “If you're worried about it killing you, don't. When we tested the process on your sister, we found it left her a bit tired, but otherwise in good health. After a few days rest, you'll feel as good as new. Because I know you are friends with my bride, I'll even do my best to not strip you of all your abilities and try to leave you with your summoning skills. Those are useless to me.”
“Will it hurt?” she whispered.
“Not much.”
Not very reassuring to her, but she was surprised he even tried to make her feel better. For being a demon, he wasn't quite as heartless as she'd imagined and definitely not as evil as Cheyenne painted him.
Maybe that's why he's so dangerous.
Lucien pushed himself off of the wall and started back up the stairs. “I will be along later to begin the process. Don't forget my kindness. She told me not to treat you well and to not say a thing. Trusting her with anything is a bad idea.”
Funny, I was told the same thing about you. A perfect comeback if there ever was one. Instead of speaking, she found a place to lie on the floor.
And she waited for someone to return.
Chapter Twenty-One
She didn't know how much time passed until Lucien returned, but when he did he wasn't alone. With him was a new group of demons. Two of them were faceless whisps of black, and the other two looked more like him. They would have passed for human if they didn't have wings.
With a few cold fingers he touched her forehead. Her body went numb and limp and her breathing became shallow. Was that what dying felt like, because she felt herself slipping away. Everything she'd imagined about death matched up with what she was experiencing at that moment. She was vaguely aware of someone lifting her body and moving her. Then a needle went into her chest, but she didn't feel anything more than a slight pinch. Connected to it was a tube.
“I'm sorry to do this. You didn't want to hurt.”
So you took my life?
“Only a portion of it. Your life force will return to you.”
He could read her thoughts now? Of course he can. He's a demon. Why didn't she realize it before? Not like it made much of a difference. Guarding her mind wouldn't protect her from anything. Her eyes drifted close. For how long, she didn't know, but when they opened again Zach was with her.
“Are you okay?” he whispered, squeezing her hand. She barely felt it. Tingles filled her hand as though it was asleep, and she was still cold all over.
Jewl managed a nod.
“I can't feel my toes, but yeah. I'm—”
“Fine.” He laughed.
She tried to sit up, and then winced as pain shot through her entire torso like fire through her veins. A small cry escaped her lips, tears filling her eyes.
“He's still stealing your magic. It's been about thirty minutes since they started the process. I overheard them discussing it in the hall on my way over. You have a lot. It's going to take a long time to finish. When they took Sonnet's from her, it only lasted about fifteen minutes. This could take days because they've only managed to get one percent. It's like your magic is clinging to you for dear life. It doesn't want to come out, and there's so much more than they anticipated.” A cold hand touched her cheek. “I'll figure out how to get you home.”
“I trust you.”
“Then why did you come back when I told you to stay away?”
“Daddy.”
Zach closed his eyes and swallowed. “I promise I will die again before they hurt you more.”
She laughed, “I don't want you to. Besides, how can you die again?”
“There are ways to send a spirit to eternal oblivion. I would cease to exist in every way possible, but it'd be worth it if it meant you were happy and safe.” When she stared into his pale blue eyes, she knew he meant it, too. He'd give it all up for her. She was the reason he knew anything about love.
“Let's not do anything over-dramatic just yet.” She winced again, attempting to adjust her position. Zach helped the best he could and she was grateful because it made for less stress on her body. She was starting to get more feeling all throughout, a relief and a curse at the same time. The more she felt meant the pain was getting stronger.
He stroked her hair. “Try to relax. I'm going to think of a plan.”
Jewl shook her head, but felt her eyes closing again at the soothing feeling of his touch. Cold hands or not, she could feel the love he had for her through them. She rested easy under his watch, and soon she was asleep.
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