by Anika Rahman
Rosemarie,
Why would you spend your time with your soul mate when you can come and save your friend? You have exactly one hour to come to Riverside Park before I decide to finish Maddie off for good. Next person on the list, Savvy. Come on, Rose. The clock is ticking. Tick Tock! Tick Tock! I have quite a few tricks up my sleeve.
—James.
I looked up from my phone to see Adrian looking at me, his jaws tightened.
“Adrian, we have to—,” I start.
“I know. Let’s get Elliot,” he states, taking me by the hand so we can get Elliot who was already at the door. I try not to let it get to me, but I can’t help but think about what kind of an angel I am. Adrian was about to tell me but he couldn’t . I hope I’m a Heavenly Angel, not an Abaddon Angel. I don’t want to be like James or Lucifer.
We arrive at the Riverside Park, only to see James and Maddie already there. James had a knife at Maddie’s throat while she struggled to break free from his hold. She was turning purple from the lack of oxygen. I tried not to think about what he would do to me if I was his.
“Well, well, well, look who decided to show up finally. Are you two finally done with your romance,” James smirks, tightening his hold on Maddie, who was vulnerably clawing at his arms and that was no use.
“Maddie,” I breathe as Maddie croaks out my name helplessly. I tried to ignore her, but it was pretty hard to ignore someone with a purple face. Oh, Maddie. Why her?
“So, Rosemarie, who is going to be your true soul mate? Adrian? Or me?” James smirks.
CHAPTER 26
ENTANGLED
“Shut. The. Hell. Up. James,” Adrian snarled through gritted teeth and I wanted to recoil, but I was glued to where I was. I couldn’t move a single muscle.
“So, Rosemarie, who is going to be your true soul mate? Adrian? Or me?”
What is that supposed to mean?
“Wait, what? Adrian’s my real soul mate, not you. What the hell are you talking about?” I ask, taking a step forward as James loosened his grip on Maddie.
“You see, you really have—,” James started, but he was cut off by the sound of Adrian’s wings bursting out of his back and they were majestic.
Adrian’s wings were pure white while the tips were a light silver color. His wings were four times his size and they looked so velvety and silky and . . . beautiful. I wanted to run up to him and just snuggle into his wings, but something held me back. At that moment, I felt a surge of hatred towards him for some reason. To top it all off, I felt utterly attracted to James and that’s when I knew it wasn’t me.
“Adrian!” I yelled out, trying to get his attention, but my voice was cut off by the sound of a whole group of fallen angels running into the scene, holding down both Elliot and Adrian. I tried to get to them, but I couldn’t. I literally couldn’t move now. I looked over my shoulders at James, who was smirking away, and looked back at Adrian who was struggling to break free.
I turned around to face the devil, whose smirk grew wider and his grip on Maddie tightened further.
“James, please let her go. I’ll do anything. Just let them go,” I said, pointing at Maddie, Adrian and Elliot one at a time.
“Hmmm . . .”James made his thinking face and then scrunched up his nose before replying a simple no.
“Why? What do you want?” I asked, begged even. James’ hold on Maddie loosened a bit, looking at my tear-streaked face. I thought I saw a different version of James I’ve never seen, but he changed into that devil once again.
“You wanted to know what I want, right?” he asks me and I eagerly nod, wanting to know what he really wanted.
“I want . . . you,” James smiled genuinely and I believed him. I don’t know why, but I believed him and gulped audibly. He wanted me to go with him, live with him in exchange for my loved ones’ lives. I don’t know why, but I didn’t even hesitate to answer. But even before I could, another surge of emotion flooded me, making my breath come out in short gasps.
“Roza!” Adrian yelled and fought harder, trying to break free, but it was no use.
“Angel, how do you feel about me?” James smirked and beckoned for me to look up at him and I did. For a few moments, I just stared at him, breathing in his features. Then, a voice in the back of my voice just whispered something.
He’s yours and you’re his. You two belong together. He’s you real soul mate. He’s the one you really love with all your heart. Go to him. He’ll guide you to safety.
I slowly got up and into a sitting position. I looked up at James in adoration and he looks down at me with a triumphant expression.
“I . . . I lo . . . Maddi . . . Adr . . . I hate Ad . . . I hate Adrian and I love you. I love you, James,” I cried out as another surge of painful emotion flooded me. “Only you.”
“Excellent. Now come over to me and I’ll hand over Maddie,” James beckoned. I swallowed before getting up and taking slow steps towards him.
“NO! Roza! Don’t listen to him. He’s an empath,” Adrian yells out and I stop dead in my tracks. What’s an empath?
An empath is an angel, any kind, who can influence or read others’ emotions. He’s influencing your emotions. Roza, please, try to fight it off. Please, Adrian’s voice begged in my mind and I clutched my head. How is he doing that?
Any angel can communicate through mind-link. Especially if they’re soul mates, Adrian’s voice spoke in my mind again.
I couldn’t listen to Adrian as I started to walk towards James again. James smiled and released an unconscious Maddie before catching me when I started swaying a little. Maddie slumped to the ground and whimpered, clutching her throat. I gulped once again, looking in Maddie’s direction once, before stepping into the circle of James’ arms.
“Excellent,” James smiles before wrapping a strong arm around my waist.
“I’ll go with you . . . just let them go, James. Please,” I look up at him, placing my hands on his chest while he presses his lips into a thin line. “James,” I whine.
“Alright,” James smiles bitterly before ordering for the fallen angels to let go of Adrian and Elliot. Adrian started running towards me and James, but before he could reach us, a little force field surrounded both James and me, blocking out Adrian. Poor Adrian pounded his fists on the force field, but it was no use.
“Let. Me. In. Right. Now,” Adrian snarled through gritted teeth, but I paid no attention to him. I was lost in the blueness of James’ eyes. They were so mesmerizing.
I’m glad you feel that way about my eyes, James chuckled into my mind and I gasped again.
How did he do that?
Uh, by doing it? How else? He chuckled again. You know, you can do it too. Just think of something and direct at someone specifically. Try it out on me first.
Okay. Can you hear me? I did just as he told me to.
Loud and clear, Angel, James sent me a mental smile and a hug. It was weird; it felt as if your mind was being cocooned in warmth.
“James! Let me in, you as—,” Adrian started, but I quickly cut him off with a mental reminder.
Adrian! Language!
Oh, right. Sorry. Roza, are you okay?
Yeah, I’m fine. I should be the least of your worries.
No, you’re on the top of my list of worries. We shouldn’t be mind-linking; it’s too dangerous. James could be listening in on us. Listen to me, Roza. Just do as I say. You have to—
She has to what, Adrian? C’mon, tell her what she has to do to escape from me, James’ voice joined in and I quickly pulled away from the mind-linking thing. So . . . James caught us. No biggy.
“You think it is that easy to defeat me? Of all people?” James growled before creating a strong gust of wind that sent Adrian flying at least twenty feet away from us.
“Adrian!” I yelled, running over to the end of the force field, pounding my fists on it, but it wouldn’t budge. “Let me out, James!” I yelled at him, my face streaked with tears.
“No can’t do,
Angel,” James smiled bitterly and I shuddered at the word Angel. That word literally applies to me now. I kept pounding my fists on the force field and eventually got tired, sliding down to the ground, my hands flat on the pavement. I kept crying and crying while kneeling on both knees, but it was no use. Adrian didn’t have enough strength to get up and I couldn’t escape either.
Abruptly, the air around me and James grew thicker, hotter, foggier. . . stronger. I looked up and saw that a little ring of fire surrounded only me and James and the force field was gone. Confused by this gesture, I looked up at him and he smiled bitterly. I tried to get up and succeeded, despite the constant pain, both physical and emotional, coursing through my fragile body.
As soon as I thought of stepping over the fire and outside of this circle, the speed of the wind picked up, knocking me down to my feet. As I fell with a thump on the pavement, the fire morphed into a wall . . . made of fire. The wall was about twenty to thirty feet in height, completely blanketing the sight of my loved ones.
“What did you do?” I asked James and he made his way over to me, gently standing me up and holding onto my arm so that I wouldn’t fall over.
“This is much stronger than the force field. Don’t worry; no one can get to us now. No one,” James laughed cynically and more tears streamed down my face now.
“Let. Me. Go,” I yelled, struggling to break free from his strong hold, but he persisted, holding onto me even tighter than before. In an instant, James’ wings shot out and through the ring of fire, almost burning his majestic wings and I screamed out, feeling the pain that he felt when his wings came in contact with the fire.
“It’s okay. I’m not hurt,” he told me reassuringly, inching closer to me to touch my face, but I whimpered away. His eyes were clouded with rage as I moved further away from him. Instead of making the ring of fire bigger, he marched up to me and slipped an arm around my waist to pull me closer to him. I tried to break free, but it was no use.
“Listen to me, Rosemarie. You are mine, now. No one else can ever touch, kiss, look, converse or take you away from me. You are mine and I am yours,” James growled. “You will come with me willingly and you will do it now.”
Those hurtfully beautiful blue eyes danced in front of me, taunting me in every way possible, but I didn’t give in. I couldn’t give in now. I came this far to finding out the truth about him. About me.
“Remember, once you’re mine, there is no going back,” he said, taunting me again. If I gave in now, I could never go back. I could never save those I love. Should I give in? Should I give him the satisfaction of my failure? I can always save the others by giving my life up. It had no real meaning, ever.
“C’mon, it’s not that hard to make the decision,” he said again, trying to hug me, but I stepped back and away from his cold grasp.
“There is not a single place in this world where you can hide from me. Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo,” he said once again, disappearing completely out of my sight. With him went my hopes of ever freeing those I loved. I thought that I loved them until now. What is love? There truly isn’t an answer for it. He came over to me and took my face in his hands very roughly. He forced my gaze upon him and I obeyed. Then he told me something that would be glued to my brain forever.
“Remember this: Everyone has a little bit of God in them. The part that allows them to love unconditionally. If you can see God in anyone in the world, then you truly love them from the bottom of your heart. Do you see your God in me? Am I the kind of person who has God in him? Is it possible to love someone like me?”
I tried to think about it carefully. It all just felt like a killer déjà vu. I felt as if I had a vision like this somewhere else. I wanted to mold him into a better person, to save everyone else. I made up my mind; I’ll willingly go with him.
“Fine, I will, but you have to let me say my goodbyes,” I whimpered and he let go of me, breaking the ring of fire so that I could see Adrian, Elliot and Maddie clearly.
“NO, Roza, don’t leave me. We can figure something out, together,” Adrian cried out as I moved back and into James’ arms.
“Sometimes, you have to sacrifice the one thing you love the most for something even more significant,” I told Adrian, breaking eye contact with him so that I could turn and face James. I looked up into his eyes and added, “Just for the greater good. Don’t worry; I’ll learn to love him.”
“Ready, love?” James told me, stretching his wings and sliding an arm around my waist to pull me closer to him and I willingly let him take me away.
With a final glance at Adrian, James took off, flying up into the air with me in his arms. I looked down and I almost fainted so I looked back up into James’ amusing eyes.
“What?” I ask and he shakes his head. I guess this is my new beginning. My new life. This is only the beginning; not the end. I promise that I will find a way out of this no matter what.
EPILOGUE:
ME AND MY BROKEN HEART
April 25, 2013:
I tried not to look down as we flew away. Instead, I put my hands on James’ chest and looked up at him, only to see him already looking down at me with an intense gaze. I squirmed in his hold uncomfortably and he wrapped his massive black wings around me—around us— afraid that I’ll grow wings and fly away from him.
Yeah, not happening.
The everlasting silence seemed to grow even more uncomfortable and to pass time—and make matters worse—James started humming the tune to Row, Row, Row Your Boat.
I sighed loudly in frustration and he immediately stopped humming and looked down at me, quirking an eyebrow. I sighed again before wrapping my tiny arms around his neck and placed my head gingerly on his muscular chest. He immediately wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him so that there was no more space left between us.
He pulled me closer to him even more, trying to get me to snuggle into him, but I just squirmed in his hold. Hugging him, holding him, showing him affection and cuddling with him just felt so . . . wrong.
“You’ll get used to it, love,” James told me, tucking a piece of stray hair behind my ear and for some reason, I just felt more comfortable, more . . . relaxed. I looked up at him when he called me love and tried not to flinch in disgust.
“James, why do you even love me? I don’t love you,” I told him and his eyes hardened. The beautiful blue eyes were replaced by a cold blue and I gulped, cursing myself and my big mouth.
“I. Know. You’ll. Learn. To. Love. Me,” James told me through gritted teeth and I recoiled. Seeing that, his eyes softened a little, but not completely. I thought I saw remorse in his alluring eyes, but I thought better of myself. There is no way he’s going to regret anything that just happened.
“You know, all this time, you were running around freely with Adrian, loving him, letting him feel love, while I just looked at you, wishing you were all mine. Wishing that I could touch you. Wishing I could hold you. Wishing you could love me. But no; it was just me and my broken heart, sitting all alone, looking at you, wishing you were mine,” James told me as tears slowly fell down his cheeks and I wiped them away, like I would have to do from now on.
“I’m sorry,” I told him and I meant it. I really am, I added through our mind-link.
I’m sorry; too, he told me through our mind-link and smiled.
“Let’s stop the pity party so that you could tell me all about what we’ll be doing in the future,” I told him rather sadly and he grinned even more before he added, “Our future.”
“We’re going to live like a normal couple. You little Choosing ceremony will come, we’ll be bonded, we’ll get married, have kids, love each other, live forever, travel the world and we’ll die together and have a happy ending,” James grinned from ear to ear as my heart clenched tightly at his words.
Get married? Have kids? Isn’t that a little too much planning? Why don’t we take it one step at a time, I told him nervously through our mind-link.
Nonsense. We’re not taking this too fast, James tsk-ed.
“James, you know I can’t—you know—marry you or-or have . . .ummm . . . you know—,” I stuttered nervously.
“Have kids with me? Nonsense. You’ll love it. I’ll be very gentle and during our first time, I’ll even—,” James started and I put a finger to his lips, silencing him.
“I can’t do that,” I gently shook my head, removing my finger from his lips.
“Of course you can. It’s very easy. You see, our first time will be . . . magical, but you can’t expect to see unicorns pooping rainbows kind of magical. I’ll even use—,” James started bluntly and I’m pretty sure I looked like a ripe tomato.
“Too much information, James!” I exclaimed once he finished his sentence and let’s just say, some things are better off unsaid.
“But it’s true,” he grinned mischievously. I looked away so that I could bring my face back to a normal color. Huh, normal? I never thought that word would apply to me anymore, but here I was, using that word.
“You look so cute when you blush,” James gushed and then sighed contently. “Just when I thought you couldn’t get any cuter.”
My eyes widened, but I didn’t have enough time to stop him. His lips came crashing down onto mine and my hands instantly went around his neck, tugging at his hair as his grip on my waist tightened to the part where I needed him to loosen his grip. He took the hint and loosened his grip, but didn’t stop kissing me. This all just felt so . . . wrong. I was supposed to be kissing Adrian, not James.
James groaned into the kiss before deepening it. I tried to move back before things got any further and he pulled back.
“Why can’t you just give me a chance?” he asked me, his eyes searching mine as we tried to get our breathing under control.
“Second chances are for those who deserve it,” I told him while I tried to put some space between us, but it was hard to do that when you were halfway to Heaven.
