by Lydia Fane
***
The scars were obvious, Skye thought. Where she had stood, wreathed in defiant flame, the ground was charred. Where Lewis had stood, there was a hollow where the dirt tainted by his presence had been evaporated by holy fire.
The rest of the grass was blackened and the nearby buildings bore scorch marks. The fire she had called had raged beyond her control and she counted herself lucky that she hadn’t immolated the whole island.
The fire in her blood had not vanished when she had passed out, and now it leapt within her in welcome as she regained consciousness. Now Aries couldn’t sneak up on her, she thought as she turned around. Her lover looked no different than he had the first time they had met, but Skye knew that beneath his clothes, the skin was still new and tender. She didn’t know how he had taken human form again from the fire angel he was, and he refused to tell her. When he was close enough she took his hand, and turned back to contemplate what she had done.
“Will the grass ever grow back?” she asked.
“It will, except for where you stood, he fell, and I lay. Concentrated angelic fire can be just as bad as demonic taint. It’s holy ground now, but no living thing will be found there.”
Skye shuddered, and Aries squeezed her hand. “Peace, my soul,” he said.
“I did this,” she mumbled.
“Out of your love for me,” he said fiercely. “You loved me enough, my soulmate, to channel my fire. You loved my enough to burn the demon, to kill him where I could not. You, my soul, saved us both.”
The fire within her hummed an agreement, echoing feelings of truth back at her.
“What now?” she asked. “Where do we go from here?”
“Wherever we go, we go together,” Aries said. “I will not be parted from you, my soul.”
His tone was possessive but protective, and Skye felt her heart leap in her chest in delight and joy.
“Do we stay here?”
“You should go,” a new voice said, and Skye flinched at the sound. Aries squeezed her hand, and watched as Jack slowly approached, his hands by his sides.
His face had aged, and grey hairs were visible now. To Skye’s eyes, there were still fading black lines on his face, marks of his possession.
“What do you mean, Jack?” Aries asked curiously.
“You can have a life with your soulmate now, Aries,” Jack said, staring down at the dark earth. “This place holds bad memories for you now. You died here.”
Skye heard the unspoken words. I killed you.
“What about you?” Skye abruptly asked. She could see the logic in Jacks word’s, but she couldn’t help but be concerned for him. It had been obvious to her how much Jack and Aries cared for each other. They couldn’t leave him here alone, to deal with what he had done, even if it had been while possessed by a demon.
Jack shrugged. “I could, I suppose, leave all my memories behind, but... I’ve nowhere to go. Aries knows that my family see me as persona non grata. There’s nowhere for me to run to, and even if I did, free time would make me brood. At least here I could lose myself in work.”
Skye felt a twinge of guilt, and stepped forward to hug Jack. He flinched at her approach, but relaxed after a moment when Aries came forward and drew them both into his arms, holding them both tightly. .
“This was not your fault, my friend,” he said. “This is on the demon who used you. If blame is to be assigned, blame me for not dealing with him fully the night of the storm.”
Skye and Jack made equally disbelieving noises as Aries continued.
“In truth, I feel called to be with Skye now, and I know her heart doesn’t lie here. You will always be my friend, Jack, and always welcome, wherever we may go.”
Skye nudged him with her elbow.
“Too formal?” he asked.
“Too formal,” Skye agreed. “And I think you’re right, Jack. I couldn’t settle here, looking at this reminder of what happened every day. As it is, back home, I have to deal with reminders of the demon every time I turn a corner. But I will deal with it, and I will get past it. He is dead and gone and holds no hold over me anymore. He can’t hold you, either.”
Aries pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Well said.”
Skye felt a warm glow of pleasure run through her at the praise. They seemed to be in agreement. Yes, she would have an awful lot of explaining to do to her family, but with Aries beside her, she could deal with anything.
“This is what you deserve, Aries,” Jack said, quietly. “You have a chance for a new life together with your soulmate, the person who has been waiting all through the years for you. Don’t waste it now on worrying about me. You know me. I’ll find my feet again.”
Skye watched as Aries looked into Jack’s eyes. She felt the fire within her leap joyously as those blue eyes she loved flamed gold.
“You will, my friend. You will.”
There was a strange echo to those words, Skye thought, hidden in the formal tones. She considered reminding Aries again that formality wasn’t needed, when he chuckled and shook his head.
“Of all the ways that I had considered leaving here, finding my Soul was not one of them,” he admitted.
“Lucky break,” Jack said dryly, and then looked at Skye. “Help him find his family,” he said.
“I will,” Skye promised, as Aries released them from his arms, and took her hand in his. “I will.”
A Note from Lydia
Thank you for buying my book! I would love to hear what you thought of it, if you would like to leave a review. I can also be found on Twitter, and on my mailing list.
The cover for The Angel of the Lighthouse was designed by Isabelle Arden
