by Tara Brown
My heart aches at the hollow sound of his voice. He runs a hand through his messy dark hair and shakes his head. “I don't know why I came here. I can’t seem to find Hanna. I don't know what day it is.”
Lorelei grabs him, hitting him with a dose of the real stuff. Instantly he moans, clutching his heart and doubling over. Lorelei looks sick and even Marcus appears distraught. Sam wails and Lorelei takes all our hands. I wink us to the bayou, certain this is where she wants to be. I know she will want him in the water with the rest.
Our family is getting smaller and smaller.
Sam walks to the water on his own. He looks back at me, regret filling his eyes. “Sorry, Aimes. I didn't mean for it to happen like this. I wanted to help.”
I nod. “See you when she’s dead and we can end the spell.”
He smiles, breaking my heart with his perfection and despair. He really is the most beautiful man.
He takes his first steps into the water, jumping back screaming like it burns. “Holy God, do I have to go in there? Is it going to burn the whole time? I don't think I can live through that.”
Lorelei gives me a look and then him. “It shouldn't burn.” She lifts her hands, calling the juju. I turn back, glancing at the cabin and the old woman standing in the doorway. She lifts her hand, waving at me like we’re old friends. Not like she’s the person who sucked my man dry as a bargain to save my life and O’s. I can’t hate her though. I know she is what she is. So I wave back, feeling weird about the private exchange.
Lorelei chants louder, drawing my attention back to her. Suddenly the wind is racing around us and the rain is pouring down. Lightning strikes the ground all over the beach and thunder rumbles so close it’s inside of me almost.
But nothing happens. Sam is still standing on the beach, confused and in agony.
Lorelei lowers her arms and the weather stops completely, instantly becoming the calm and humid bayou. She turns and shakes her head. “They won’t take him. They said he’s got bad juju from the angels.”
Sam shakes his head. “I’m half siren so it can’t be all bad.”
Lorelei shrugs. “Maybe they hate sirens.”
I point. “They took Hanna.”
Lorelei snaps at me, looking exhausted. “I don't know, Aimee. They just said no. That's it.”
I sigh, grabbing Sam and winking home, leaving the rest of them to get home with Shane.
Only when we land, we aren’t home. We’re in Lydia’s yard. Her house is destroyed and her land is charred. It is gone. The sad and lonely house at the end of the street lined with massive trees is gone.
I drop to my knees in the dirt and broken concrete. Sam drops next to me, staring at the ruins of what we once called home.
Neither of us speaks, we just stare and mourn. We have nothing left. It hits then. There is nothing left in the world for us. She has taken it all.
Sam gives me a blank face. “What are we going to do?”
“I don't know.” I shrug. “But we have to do it sooner than later, because she is only getting worse and the world is only getting sicker.”
He takes my hand and lifts me up, pulling me to the yard. We walk down to the water where the dock is still intact. We sit there, staring at the lake in silence. I lean my head on his shoulder and take in the deep breaths of him. At least I still have him.
Chapter Seven
I’ll kill you again
The setting sun on my back is warm. I feel it the most where my wings are located, beneath the skin. I don't know why that is, but the sun hitting there is akin to a perfect sleep in or a hot bath. It soothes the soul.
It’s one of the few things that make me think we still have souls—I can feel mine being soothed.
The view doesn't make me feel better.
My mom is crying on the back steps. She’s alone, sobbing into her hands. I know I shouldn't but I can’t help myself. I walk into the yard, as if I were just walking by, and wave at her nonchalantly. “Hey, Mom.”
She lifts her face, smiling instantly. She dries her eyes, assuming I can’t see her wiping them because I’m all the way on the far side of the yard. She has no idea how far I can see now. When I get closer she smiles harder, faking it completely. “Hey, sweetie. How’s it going?”
I shake my head, sitting next to her. “No too bad. Sort of busy with work and stuff.” I don't remember if I’m in college or not. I don't remember the last time I spoke to them. Everything is a blur. I am certain Blake has told them a lie of sorts—he has to have.
“Your dad was just trying to call you. We saw that the East Coast was bombed and Seattle has a sickness they’re trying to kill with fire.” The tears fill her eyes again. “The world is so broken. I don't know if we’ll ever get it back.”
I nudge her. “I was driving here from Portland. I didn't hear the phone. Sorry.” It dawns on me then I don't have my phone. I have no idea where it is at all.
She wipes her face, rolling her eyes. “I know I’m being silly, but it just feels hopeless.”
I turn, hoping there is still compassion in me. It’s been almost an hour since I saw Lorelei last. “I think that the saying about only when it’s dark enough can you see the stars—that saying was made for this moment. You watch, something amazing is going to happen. It’ll fix all of this.”
She shakes her head, looking down. She’s completely defeated—my optimistic and upbeat mother. “No, honey. We need to realize this is it. There are no more freighters coming in with food and the stores are bare. The power flickers now constantly. They say that we are so close to losing it that it will be days and not weeks. The president has done his final-thoughts speech. We are on our own. It’s martial law in cities but these small towns are on their own.” She turns, giving me a silver-eyed stare down. “You need to just stay here now.”
I wince. I should have known it would come to this. I shake my head. “Mom, me and Blake are in on the solution. We are part of the team trying to help. I can’t stay, but I can tell you I’m alright and the world will be too.”
The smile that comes off her face is so patronizing I could swat her. “That’s nice, honey.”
She doesn't believe me at all. I smile back, glancing behind me for my dad. It’s so weird, but we are still close from the lifetimes where she died. He doesn't know that's why, but it is. He sees me through the window and waves, coming out onto the deck with a weak and exhausted face. “Hey, kiddo. I was wondering when you were going to grace us with your visit. I assumed when the bombs dropped you’d be here right away, but I know your job is important.”
Thank God, the lie I told them is actually close to the truth. That makes it easier.
“It is. I just wanted to pop in and say I’m safe. I also wanted to make sure you knew the world does have a plan.”
My dad lifts his eyebrows like he might laugh at me any second. “For what?”
“To stop the wars.”
He snorts. “Oh, Aimee. You can’t believe the propaganda. The world is done for. The United States has fallen. Europe has fallen. The Middle East is done. Asia is buried in diseases; they aren’t moving a single thing there, no planes and no trade. South America is gone to the corrupt. There are a few places in the world, like this one, where life isn’t touched by it all, apart from the food. But we can grow. We can manage. The town has put together a plan for invaders and surviving. We’re just lucky our winters aren’t bad. We can survive when the power goes out.”
I forgot how bad things are.
But it doesn't make me give up hope. I still believe there is a solution. I take my mom’s hand and my dad’s and squeeze. “Have faith.” My dad looks confused and my mom amused. I have never said a thing like it in my life. But I mean it. I want them to believe the world can be saved. I want them to believe we can save it. I want them to be safe from the heartbreaking sadness that follows an apocalypse.
I get up and walk down the stairs, waving at them. “I have to go back to help but I’ll keep in touch, I s
wear. Even if the cell phones die, I’ll find a way.”
My parents look like they want to fight me on this, but I hurry to the side of the house and wink, before they can. I land inside Shane’s house and glance around. Lorelei isn’t here. Luckily, no one in town knows we are here. They can’t see anything but the house.
I can feel the spell sinking in. I can feel the detachment. When I look down at my hand I see the green glow of the astral projection spell she put on me earlier.
I wink to my room, hoping she’s there. But she isn’t. I fall onto my bed, closing my eyes when my head hits the pillow.
Instantly, I’m in the same dark corridor.
I don't see or hear anyone again.
It takes a second for me to recall why I need to be here. Everything is slowly becoming a fuzzed-out haze. I step from the shadows, not seeing anyone.
Where am I? I know the answer but it’s sitting on the tip of my tongue. I know I’m supposed to be here, but I can’t remember why or where here is.
I take another step, noticing the way everything feels fake. I can’t touch or feel or smell or see anything, not really. It’s not real.
One word sits on my tongue, a name really. I don't know why I want to say it, but I do.
“Dorian.”
The name reminds me I need him. I need to say it again. I repeat the word. “Dorian.”
It echoes in the air, the strange smelling air.
“You came back.”
I turn, confused as to why I’ve called him. Dorian is standing there, looking sexy as hell, but softer than I remember him being.
“You’re not dead, right?”
I glance down at my feet, not even sure why. “I don't know.”
He walks to me, placing a hand on my chest. I shove him back. “What are you doing?”
He cocks an eyebrow. “I assumed we were at the touching point of our relationship, love.”
“Relationship?” The word makes me laugh. “What relationship? You’re dead and I’m awesome.”
His eyebrows both lift. “And humble, let's never forget that part.”
“Coming from you, that's a compliment.”
He grabs my arm. “What is this game? Your heart is beating and you’re here but you seem different, cold.”
I try to pull back but he hangs on harder, pulling me into his embrace. He grabs my face, pressing his lips to mine forcefully. I try to knee him in the balls just as a thousand things filter back into my head and heart. The impact knocks me to the ground. I cry out, winded by the force of it all. He drops to his knee, lifting my trembling face. “What is going on?”
Though exhausted and completely drained, I grin like a fool at him. “Hi.”
He chuckles. “Wow, I always thought you were a bit calm for a girl. But now I see you just developed slower than the others. Bring on the mood swings and hormones I suppose.”
”You’re an idiot.”
“You are back.”
I roll my eyes. “Lillith cast a spell on us, all of us. It makes us become like the other fallen. All of us are killing whoever and ignoring the problems.”
His eyes grow serious. “What?”
I nod, clinging to him in desperation. “We are becoming the way Jonathan, Oliver, and Anthony were.”
“No.”
“Yeah. It’s a spell she has cast on the Earth. Or on the fallen. Anyway, it’s severe.”
His hand drags down my cheek. “How come you can fight it?”
The thought of my answer makes me smile, again like a fool. “You. The feather you gave me is representative of our love. It's my anchor. It keeps me grounded.”
He reaches into his pocket and produces my feather. “You scared me. I thought maybe I had dreamt you coming the first time.” He hands me the feather, pressing it into my palm. I sigh as the feeling of it against my skin takes the edge of her magic off of me completely.
I shake my head. “No. I came for you. I just had to fight harder this time to remember why I came.”
He brushes his lips against mine softly. The force is gone. It’s delicate and sweet. Just the way I remember from the last time. He moans and stands up, lifting me too. “I would love nothing like spending the time we have in here alone. But this is serious. We need to see Lorri.”
“Okay.” I feel bad about failing her. I wish we had done better. But the thought is fleeting as Dorian slips his fingers through mine and wraps his other arm around me. We travel like the wink to a spot inside of a building. Lorri is at a table. I can see her right away. Her eyes lift and narrow when she sees me. “If you’re dead, Aimee, you better run. ‘Cause I’m going to kill you all over again.”
The threat brings an instant smile to my lips. “I missed you.”
She grins, harsh and scary-like, but it’s still a grin. “You better not be dead. I won’t miss you, let me tell you.”
“I’m not dead. I’m a projection, a spell from Lorelei.”
She nods, grinning for real suddenly. “I knew I would like that girl.”
Dorian kisses the side of my head and breathes me in before speaking softly. “Aimee has an explanation for the actions of the fallen, an excuse for us all.”
Lorri cocks an eyebrow. “Do tell.”
“When they fell with you, there was an influence on the planet or on them. Lillith has some kind of witchy shit going on. It affects our kind only.” I swallow hard, hating that this will bring up old wounds for her. “So when Jonathan and Oliver were acting like psychotic perverts, they were only acting on Lillith’s behalf. She cast a spell, probably forever ago, on the Earth or the fallen. It makes us indifferent to the Earth and people. It makes us act like Jonathan on a bad day.”
“Well, that makes sense. But how does she keep it running? Spells take work. It has to be outside of her now, a spell being continued by something or someone.”
I shake my head. “We haven’t been able to find her. She’s using everything in her books on us.”
Lorri sighs. “How is everyone down there fairing with that?”
“I don't know about the spell but we are a mess. Everyone is a hot mess. Everything is a hot mess. The world is lost, Lorri. We have lost it.”
Her eyes narrow as she gets up and walks to me. “I want the long and detailed explanation.”
She links arms with me, an intimate act I never would have expected from her. We walk, the three of us, and I tell them both the long and detailed version of exactly what has transpired.
I finish the story and both are silent in contemplation. Finally Dorian nods. “We knew Lydia was right about the kids being important in the final battle—we just never knew she meant for Lillith’s side.”
Lorri looks annoyed and ready to punch someone in the head. “I just don't understand how we missed one of the kids being Lillith’s? I don't understand how this has been such a fuck up. It was simple—make redeeming angels, kill Lillith. How has it gone so wrong?”
“I think she was prepared for you to do your thing, like she knew what you made all along.”
Lorri nods. “Of course she did. Jonathan is an idiot. It’s odd the human angels are the only ones who are able to resist.” Her eyes gloss over as she paces. “I wonder why that is.”
Dorian brushes a hair from my face, staring too long and too hard. His eyes say everything his lips do not. He brushes his lips against mine softly and then I am on my bed. I hate the feeling of leaving him there, but gripping tightly to the feather in my hand makes the bad feelings lessen.
I still have no answers. I kissed him. I saw Lorri, and yet I still didn't get a single answer.
Lorelei slowly creeps into my room, checking to see if I’m awake.
“I’m up.”
She sighs. “Oh, good. I was wondering when the spell would wear off. What did they say? Did you see Lorri this time?”
I nod and yawn, completely exhausted. I repeat every word we all spoke in a monotone series of yawns and stretches.
“Oh my God, of course.�
�
I crack an eye open, not even realizing I had closed them. “What?”
“The spell has to be outside of her. There is no way she was astral projecting herself into that house and doing hellfire and doing all the other chaotic acts she has been at if the spell is being managed by her. There is another witch, one as powerful as me for certain. There is no way it’s anyone else—it has to be a witch with great power. Either that or a place with a tremendous amount of power.” She’s all excited and spastic, but I don't see the point of getting excited about a witch who is at least as powerful as she is.
She must be able to sense my confusion because she rolls her eyes. “I can track magic done by regular witches, quite well too.”
“Oh. Okay. I need sleep though, so can you wake me up when the tracking is complete?”
She slaps me on the butt. “Will do.” And leaves the room. I close my eyes again and drift into a slumber where every moment spent with Dorian is relived.
Chapter Eight
A sweet release
I wake to someone wrapped around me. I moan and snuggle into the warmth, muttering softly. “Dorian?”
He doesn't answer so I turn over to find Sam’s chest. I push on him but he doesn't budge. He’s passed right out, wrapped completely around me. I wiggle up his body, tapping him on the face. After a moment, he wrinkles his nose. “Go back to sleep, Aimes.”
“Why are you sleeping in here?”
He moans and wiggles into a more comfortable spot for himself, not so much for me. “Because there are way less beds here than at Lydia’s. It was you or Giselle, and I knew what would happen if I slept in a bed with Giselle.”
“So you’re safe from temptation here because of what? My scales or my horns?”
He cracks a dark eye and smiles wider. “Shane was in her bed. I figured he didn't want me there too.”
I shove him. “Ass.” He pulls me in tighter. “You know I’m kidding.” His voice grows serious. “Actually, I kept having terrible dreams on the couch so I came in here and they went away.”
