The Belial Sacrifice

by R. D. Brady

  Nyssa wiped one tear away. “Don’t cry.”

  Laney hugged Nyssa to her. “I’m working on it,” she whispered. She stood with Nyssa in her arms as Cain joined them. She gave him a one-armed hug, Nyssa refusing to let go of her perch. “How are you?”

  “I’m good.” The skin on the edges of his blue eyes crinkled as he smiled. It was strange seeing Cain with normal eyes. But when the capstone energy had been released, he had been released from his punishment as well. From what they could tell, he was just a normal man now.

  “Are you?”

  “It feels wrong to say I am better than I have ever been when so many others are suffering, but I feel lighter than I ever have.” He tweaked Nyssa’s nose, who giggled in response before she hid her head in Laney’s chest. “I have the life I always wanted.”

  “I’m glad.” And she was. Right now, though, she did not feel the same. A life without Drake, without Cleo, was not what she wanted. And accepting that reality was a daily struggle. She handed Nyssa over to him. “You know, I think I’m just going to go take a little nap. I’ll come back for dinner.”

  “Before you go, you need to go see what Dom left for you.” Cain nodded toward the back door.

  “Uh, sure, okay.” She headed up the ramp. Only Tiger followed her. She paused, looking back at the other three. “You guys aren’t coming?”

  “No. It’s better if it’s just you two.”

  Laney frowned but then shrugged and headed inside. Tiger padded past her, heading for the living room. Laney followed, stopping in the doorway, her eyes going wide. A cage sat in the middle of the room, a bright blue blanket inside, a small black shape curled up on it.

  Moving forward on trembling legs, she dropped silently next to the cage. The small black jaguar yawned, stretching out its legs and arms, opening its mouth wide to reveal a perfectly pink tongue.

  Tiger sat down next to her, and she stared at him in shock. “How?”

  Cain spoke from behind her. She hadn’t heard him follow them in. “Cleo was pregnant. Gina kept her on life support long enough to deliver the cub.”

  “Why— Why didn’t she tell me?”

  “She didn’t want you to be heartbroken if the cub didn’t make it. Cleo had been through so much, Gina wasn’t sure what shape the cub would be in.”

  “But she’s good? She’s healthy?”

  “She’s perfect.”

  “Who’s the father?”

  Tiger nudged her.

  Laney looked over at him and smiled, rubbing behind his ears. “Hey there, Daddy.”

  With trembling hands, Laney opened the cage.

  “She’s a little timid at first, but once she gets to know you, she’s all right,” Cain said.

  The little cub opened her eyes, and as soon as she saw Laney, she let out a little cry and scurried toward her, climbing into her lap.

  Laney wrapped her arms around her, nestling her to her. “Hello, little one.”

  Hello.

  Laney blinked. No, she couldn’t have heard that. Her powers were gone.

  Missed you.

  Laney pulled the cub away and stared at her. “Cleo?”

  Tiger licked Laney’s cheek. Yes.

  Laney started to laugh, and then she started to sob, pulling the cub close. Cleo.

  Chapter 99

  After meeting the cub, Laney had spent the afternoon with her uncle and Cain. They had talked about everything that happened. Laney had explained all she’d been going through, all she’d been thinking. Getting it all out, it helped. She felt better sharing her pain. But mostly it was having Cleo back that filled up part of the emptiness inside of her.

  Now Cleo lay curled up on Laney’s lap as she sat on the couch in her cottage. Laney ran a hand through her fur. She couldn’t believe she had Cleo again. She knew souls reincarnated. She was proof of that. Practically everyone she knew at this point was proof of that. But Cleo basically giving birth to herself, that seemed a bit much.

  But then she remembered what she had read by a man named Brian Weiss. He claimed that souls were not assigned until just before birth. So once Cleo’s soul had left her body, it was waiting for a new one. It just happened to be this cub.

  Laney wasn’t going to turn herself in knots trying to figure it out. She was just going to appreciate this small gift. She looked up at the ceiling, not sure who she was talking to, and said, “Thank you.”

  Cleo rolled onto her back. Laney moved her to the couch beside her. She was dreaming, her little legs moving as if she was running, with small sounds coming from the back of her throat. Images of a field with a squirrel darting away through tall grass flashed through Laney’s mind.

  She could still understand the cats. And they could understand her. But Laney didn’t know how that was possible. Of course, she hadn’t actually tried to use any of her abilities since Egypt. There’d been no need. And with the hole consuming her, she hadn’t even thought about it.

  But now she had to wonder. Of course, the cats were not a natural construct. They had been created in a lab. Perhaps they were a loophole to the whole removal-of-powers incident. Maybe the connections forged through the communication over the years couldn’t be severed.

  Laney wasn’t sure how it happened. She was just grateful it had. A soft knock sounded at the door. She looked down at Cleo, who grimaced. Carefully, she picked her up and placed her on the dog bed on the floor. With the way she was dreaming, she didn’t want her rolling off the couch. She couldn’t resist running her hand over her one more time.

  The knock sounded again. Laney made her way to the front door and opened it. Molly McAdams stood there, a hesitant smile on her face, Zaria next to her. “Hi.”

  Laney smiled, opening the door wide. “Hi.” She looked down at Zaria. Hi, Zaria.

  Hello.

  Laney smiled wider.

  Molly held up a tray with tinfoil over it. “I thought maybe you would like some dessert. It’s lemon meringue pie.”

  Laney stepped back. “I would love some, as long as you eat it with me.”

  Molly stepped in shyly. “I’d love that. Um, did Dom leave you anything?”

  Laney linked an arm through hers. “Come see.”

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  The crick in Laney’s neck only grew worse as the long flight continued, but she hadn’t wanted to move and disturb Nyssa, who had fallen asleep on her an hour ago. Cleo was curled into her other side. She glanced toward the back of the plane. Cain was reading quietly, the glasses he had picked up at the optometrist perched on the edge of his nose. She’d never known someone so happy to need reading glasses before. Patrick was asleep in the chair next to him, a novel face down on his lap. The McAdams kids were all sprawled out across the back of the plane. Jake and Mary Jane were talking quietly, their heads together. Henry and Jen were in the bedroom with Tori. Tori had been teething for weeks now, and all three of them were exhausted.

  But they wouldn’t miss this for anything. They were all going on vacation down to Luiz’s ranch in Peru. Well, it was also a reunion. Mustafa was flying in with Gerard and Noriko. Yoni, Sascha, Max, Dov, and their daughter, Noel, had landed a few hours ahead of them. For one week, they were all going to take advantage of Luiz’s hospitality.

  An hour later, they were pulling onto Luiz’s long drive. Laney smiled at the rubber trees that lined it. The scent of the vanilla orchids floated through the open windows. As they got closer to the main house, she could hear the sound of laughter. A group of kids was playing kickball in a field to the right of the house. Yoni’s bald head shone like a beacon as he stood in the outfield and called out plays. David yelled back counter plays, and the kids ignored both of them and just did what they wanted.

  Laney smiled as she stepped out of the van.

  “They’re here!”

  Laney turned to the porch as Lou vaulted down the steps and wrapped her in a hug. Laney smiled, staring down at her. Her skin was glowing, her eyes bright, and she had
some new freckles around the bridge of her nose. “I think Luiz’s ranch suits you.”

  “This place is incredible! I’m so glad you made me come down here.”

  “I merely suggested that seeing how Rahim was running the refugee center might help you figure things out.”

  “It really has. Rahim’s great.”

  “Yes, he is,” Laney agreed as the man in question stepped out of the front door, a small child in his arms. He smiled at Laney as Lou took the child from him and disappeared back inside. He hugged Laney warmly. “How are you?” she asked.

  “Very well, especially now that you are all here.”

  Rahim had put his skills with resettlement to work, aiding those who’d been uprooted by the war against the Fallen. With Luiz’s blessing, he’d established a refuge on Luiz’s ranch. It was supposed to be a halfway point, helping families get settled. But a lot of children had been left on their own when the dust had settled, so they’d established an orphanage as well, the sister school to the orphanage in Italy. Rahim ran it with David’s help. Susan Jacobson had also moved down to the ranch. And to the surprise of everyone, she and Luiz had really hit it off. Susan waved as she walked in from the fields next to a man in shorts and a t-shirt. Laney’s mouth dropped open when she realized it was Bruce Heller. She didn’t think he owned anything but suits.

  Behind her, the children at the kickball game squealed. Laney knew what had set them off. She turned to see Cleo and Tiger stepping out of the van.

  Kids? Cleo asked.

  Laney smiled. Go ahead. But be gentle.

  I know. Cleo gave her an annoyed look before tossing her head and heading for the kids. Laney shook her head. Cleo’s teenage angst had shown up two weeks ago. Laney would be very happy when they were past this stage.

  “Would you like a tour? A lot has changed since you were last here.”

  Laney linked her arm through Rahim’s. “I’d love one.”

  That night, Laney sat outside under the stars with everyone after dinner had been cleared away. Chinese lanterns had been strung over the outdoor patio, and Luiz’s staff had set up tables and chairs and little sitting areas all throughout the space.

  A small dance floor had been set up, and Yoni was showing the kids his dance moves, which was setting most of them off into peals of laughter. Sascha finally grabbed him, demanding her own dance. Nyssa danced around Patrick’s chair where he obligingly put out a hand for her to twirl under whenever she put up her own hand. Noriko and Gerard looked lost in their own world. The teenagers seemed to be having some sort of strange dance contest. It looked like Joe McAdams was winning.

  Cain, Bruce, and Mustafa were chatting over a bottle of wine. Luiz and Susan were fixing something back in the kitchen.

  Cleo was curled up on the sofa cushion next to Laney. Nice.

  Yes, it is.

  It was hard to believe how far they had all come. A year ago she never would have been able to imagine a night like this. A night where everyone was relaxed. Where no country was trying to track them down. Where they weren’t waiting for Samyaza or one of her people to unleash holy hell on some part of the world. For a year, they had slowly shifted from always on edge to cautiously watchful. To normal lives. Laney had even thought about going back into academia. But in the end she knew that would not fulfill her, so she’d started a non-profit for at-risk teens.

  She’d linked up with other programs and managed to create safe harbors for kids that offered them a place to stay, educational and psychological services, as well as drug treatment centers. She traveled the country with Cleo, overseeing the twelve different centers, and she had plans to create another twelve within the next two years. She loved it.

  Everyone, in fact, was doing well. Jake had married Mary Jane last month in a small ceremony on the estate. They were now in newlywed bliss. Patrick had retired from the priesthood, and he and Cain were raising Nyssa. Yoni and Sascha had moved back to the estate with their kids. Jen and Henry were ensconced in their home. Danny had taken on more leadership roles. Lou and Rolly would be starting college in the fall. Even Dom, who’d been struggling for so long, was coming around, thanks to Gina.

  It all made Laney feel good. And yet there was still that hole that Drake had left that had never closed up.

  Cleo’s head jolted up.

  “Cleo?”

  Cleo didn’t respond. She just darted into the trees. Laney stood up with a groan.

  Henry called over to her. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah. She probably just saw a monkey.” She’d been obsessed with the creatures ever since they’d arrived. “I’ll bring her back.”

  She slipped away from the crowd, following the path that led toward the school. Torches lit the way, flickering shadows across the path. Cleo?

  No response.

  She frowned, not sure if she should be worried or annoyed. Cleo had gotten into the habit of occasionally ignoring Laney when she called. Gina assured her it was a normal stage of adolescence that she would grow out of. As far as Laney was concerned, it couldn’t happen soon enough.

  Cleo appeared on the path ahead, stepping silently out of the bushes just before the path turned out of view.

  Laney picked up her pace with a sigh.

  “Hey there, furball.”

  Laney froze at the sound of the voice as Cleo disappeared around the bend. Then Laney jolted back into movement. She ran sprinting around the turn before coming to a screeching halt.

  Drake’s green eyes met hers. “Hello, Ring Bearer.”

  Laney drank in the sight. His hair was tousled, his skin tanned, his clothes casually perfect. Everything around them completely disappeared.

  At the same time, she recognized exactly what was happening. “You’re not real, are you?”

  He smiled. “Not exactly. You’re the only one who can see me, although Furball here can sense me.”

  “Were you ever real? Or was Michael the real one?”

  “No, he was the shadow. A man who never loved, who never laughed. You brought me to life Laney. In Egypt, those roles were written for us. But that was not me. That person, he no longer exists.”

  “But neither do you.”

  “I do, in your heart. Just as you live on in mine.”

  Laney looked away from him. It hurt to look at his face and not be able to touch him. “I miss you.”

  “You don’t have to miss me, Laney. I am always with you.”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Not the way I want you to be.”

  “And not the way I want to be either. That is not our lot in life, it seems.”

  “So what? A few more centuries and maybe we get another chance to love and lose?”

  “No. You’ll see me before then.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. Laney closed her eyes. It felt so real. “I love you, Delaney McPhearson. I have since the first moment I saw you fight off that group of brats trying to hurt that stray. I have loved you every moment since. And I will love you every day you live and even beyond that.”

  Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. “Please don’t go.”

  “I am never far away,” he said, even as his voice started to fade. When Laney opened her eyes, she was once again alone.

  Goodbye, Drake. I love you too.

  It had been a great week at the ranch. Luiz had been an incredible host. Laney’s legs had given out after she’d seen Drake. She’d sat there, letting the tears flow freely. But when she stood up, her heart felt lighter. He had loved her, and he loved her still. She hadn’t realized how much she had doubted that. But that doubt was gone. And she was reminded that while life was fleeting, their love was eternal.

  And for the first time, Laney was looking forward to what the future was going to bring her personally.

  Now she sat watching as everyone milled around the dessert table. It was their last night. They would be leaving in the morning. Right now, she was so stuffed she couldn’t possibly fit in another bite. Of course, if there was more of t
hat homemade ice cream that Luiz served last night, she might see how she felt in an hour.

  Max stepped away from the crowd, a giant cone in his hand. He licked the sides as he made his way over to her.

  She patted the bench next to her. “Have a seat, my friend.”

  Max clambered up. He’d be eight in a few days. Maddox and Kati had been gone for nearly two years. It was hard to believe it had been that long.

  He hadn’t had a vision in the last year. Laney hoped that maybe with the Fallen issue resolved, he no longer would. “How’s the ice cream?”

  “Good.” He tilted it toward Laney. “Want a lick?”

  She quickly straightened his cone before he lost half of it. “I’m good. I might go get my own cone in a little bit.” She paused. “Are you happy, Max?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. This ice cream’s really good.”

  She sighed. That wasn’t what she’d meant. But then again, being he was eight, it was a perfectly normal response. She draped her arm over his shoulders and squeezed him. “Good.”

  The two of them sat there in silence, just people-watching. Cleo snuck up on Yoni and nearly tripped him before disappearing into the trees.

  Max laughed. Laney joined in. Then he went still, the ice cream toppling from his hands. The hair on Laney’s arms rose. Max was no longer with her.

  He stared straight ahead, an otherworldly quality to his voice. “All is not set. The future remains uncertain. The path of Giza is still unwinding. The forces of evil will not sleep. Another showdown will come.”

  “When?” Laney asked. “Is it the Fallen? Are they not gone?”

  “They are gone, but there is one chance for them to regain their footing. The Giza prophesy will still come true. The final step will be taken. The path will be complete.”

  Max sat back, shaking his head. He looked around, confused, and then down at the ground. “No!”