A dark shadow passed over Jacen’s eyes. “I speak for the Earth Angel now,” he said.
Dread gathered in my stomach. “She’s not…” I raised a hand to my mouth, unable to say it. But everyone was looking at me, so I had to continue. “She’s… still alive,” I said, since it sounded better than asking if she was dead. “Right?”
“Of course.” Jacen’s eyebrows furrowed. He looked genuinely confused that I’d jumped to that assumption. “But she has a lot on her plate at Avalon. The two of us lead together. I’m in charge of bringing your group to Avalon, and Noah isn’t permitted onto the island until he’s completed his task. I’d like to get you all to Avalon as quickly as possible so… the demon teeth, please?”
There was a tug on my imprint bond. Noah was about to communicate with me.
I didn’t look at him, not wanting anyone to suspect we were hiding anything.
Something’s off, his message came through in my mind. Since we were still holding hands, I heard his voice loud and clear. Annika specifically said she would be the one verifying that I’d completed the task. She said she’d be the one greeting us at the Vale.
But Annika isn’t here, I replied. And we need to get to Avalon. Do you trust Jacen?
Yes. Noah didn’t pause to think about it.
Then show him the teeth. We’ll figure out what’s going on with the Earth Angel once we’re on Avalon.
Noah must have agreed with me, because he let go of my hand and reached into his pockets. After fishing around in there for a few seconds, he pulled his hands out and opened his palms.
Five pointed, yellowed, disgusting demon teeth sat in each of his hands. Ten in all.
Jacen walked forward until he was right in front of Noah to study the demon teeth. He made no attempt to touch them.
I couldn’t blame him. The teeth were gross. But at least they were dry now. When I’d taken that final one from the pile of demon ash in the bunker, it had been covered in saliva.
I shuddered at the memory. I really would do anything for Noah. Even touch a nasty, spit-covered demon tooth.
“Tell me the truth,” Jacen said, looking straight at Noah. “Did you kill each of these demons with your own hand?”
“I did.” Noah smirked. “And I won’t hold it against you that you used compulsion on me to get me to answer honestly.”
Jacen’s silver eyes sharpened. “No one can hear the difference when a vampire uses compulsion,” he said. “Not even a shifter. So how did you know?”
“I didn’t.” Noah shrugged. “I guessed. And you just confirmed I was right.”
“Touché,” Jacen said with a hint of a smile. Then he turned to the rest of us. “Are you all one hundred percent certain you want to go to Avalon?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered immediately.
Most of the others answered strongly, too. Harry answered a second after the rest of us, and the twins spoke so quietly I could barely hear them. They were the only two who sounded unsure. I supposed it was to be expected, given how young they were.
Once we were on Avalon, I’d look out for them. I didn’t know them well, but we’d been in the bunker together. I felt semi-responsible for them.
“Great.” Jacen nodded. “Guards—escort Dr. Foster to the prison. Haven witches, you’re free to teleport back home. And the eight of you.” He paused, looking at the eight of us standing before him. “Follow me. You’re all welcome on Avalon… as long as Avalon welcomes you.”
19
Raven
“What do you mean?” I asked as Jacen led us out of the throne room and into the hall. It was the biggest hallway I’d ever seen. It had arched ceilings, elaborately carved walls, and crystal chandeliers. It reminded me of the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles.
“What do I mean by what?” Jacen didn’t even glance at me over his shoulder as he strode ahead. There weren’t many people in the hall, but the few who were there cleared a path for us as we continued forward.
Was Jacen serious? He had to be playing with me. Obviously he knew what I meant.
“You said we’re all welcome on Avalon, as long as Avalon welcomes us,” I said. “Is there some kind of application process we have to go through or something?”
Once I said it out loud, it sounded lame.
No—it sounded human. Application processes were for colleges and jobs. What Jacen had said sounded far more magical than that.
“You’ll see.” Jacen turned into a smaller hallway, led us down it, and stopped at a door at the end. The door didn’t look much different from any of the other doors in the hall. In fact, it was plainer than the others. But he removed a key from his pocket—one of those antique, iron-woven keys that girls sometimes wore as necklaces—placed it into the keyhole, and twisted it until it clicked open.
The door creaked as it swung outward, revealing a stone staircase going deep underground. It smelled damp, musty, and humid. Strange for this high up in the mountains.
“Who wants to go first?” Jacen stood by the door, motioning for us to go ahead.
“I’ll do it.” Noah was quick to volunteer.
“I was kidding.” Jacen stopped Noah right as he was about to step through. The two guys stood in a standstill, their chests puffed out as they gave each other death stares. “I’m taking you to Avalon. I’ll lead the way.” He made his way down the stairs, not leaving it up for debate.
I pressed my lips together to stop from chuckling. Noah and Jacen were totally going to be friends on Avalon.
The stairwell was so narrow that only one person could walk down at a time. Noah followed Jacen, and I was behind him. Jessica followed behind me, since she’d been glued to my side since we’d reunited in the Haven. The humans followed her, and Thomas and Bella took the rear.
Once the door closed behind us, it no longer felt like we were in a palace, but in a cave. And just like a cave, it was pitch dark inside.
Those of us with cell phones—meaning Jacen, Noah, Thomas, and Bella—used their flashlight apps to guide the way. The rest of us didn’t have phones on us. The demons had taken them from the humans in the bunker and had apparently destroyed them, since they weren’t among the piles of stuff returned to us. I hadn’t had a cell phone since leaving my apartment with Noah and Sage the night they’d broken in and changed my life forever.
Bella chitchatted with the humans and Jessica as we continued down, and down, and down. The rest of us were pretty silent.
“How much further do these stairs go?” I asked. We’d walked so far down that we were deep into the mountain by now.
“We’re about halfway there,” Jacen said. “You’re not getting tired. Are you?”
“No,” I answered quickly, despite the fact that my chest felt tight from the altitude. After saying it, I could practically feel Jessica’s eyes boring into my back from behind me.
She knew I’d lied.
“Good,” Jacen said. “Getting tired now wouldn’t be a good sign for how you’d fair in the Angel Trials.”
Great. Just freaking great.
But I couldn’t let him get to me. Rosella believed I could complete the Angel Trials. I wouldn’t let a snarky vampire—and a bit of tightness in my chest from the altitude—make me doubt myself now.
I was also aware that if it weren’t for us four humans, the supernaturals would be down the stairs by now. They were going at our pace for our benefit.
Maybe the Trials had already begun, and this was the first one? I was probably overthinking things. But who knew?
We continued on until finally reaching the bottom of the stairs. They dropped us off into a small cave about the size of my bedroom at home. It was a dead end.
“What now?” Noah asked exactly what I was thinking.
Jacen walked to the opposite side of the cave. “This is going to be bright,” he warned. “You might want to shield your eyes.”
I didn’t listen. Whatever was about to happen, I wanted to watch.
The others di
dn’t listen, either.
I supposed we were all curious. We wouldn’t have chosen to go to Avalon if we weren’t.
“I tried.” Jacen shrugged. “Although for what it’s worth, I tried watching my first time, too.”
He turned around, placed his hand on the wall, and the area surrounding his hand started to glow. Yellow like the sun, the light heated my face. It got bigger and brighter until it was so intense that it burned.
Bella, Thomas, Noah, and Jessica raised their arms to guard their faces first. With their supernatural sight, the light was probably worse for them.
Finally, it got so big and bright that I had no choice—I had to turn around and shield my eyes. It was so hot that my skin felt like it was on fire.
The twins screamed behind me, their cries echoing across the cavern walls. The pure terror in their screams rattled me down to my bones.
Noah’s arms wrapped around me, as if he could protect me from the burning light. I love you, he said through the imprint bond. Whether we mate here or in the Beyond, my heart will always be yours.
And mine yours, I replied. But whatever’s happening now, it isn’t the end. When we mate, it will be on Earth. Not in the Beyond.
This bright light was uncomfortable, but it wasn’t going to kill us. If Jacen wanted to kill us, he had plenty of chances before now. It wouldn’t make sense for him to go through all this trouble when he and all of those guards in the throne room could have attacked us the moment we’d teleported into the palace.
Unless he was working with the demons. Which I strongly believed wasn’t the case. From what Noah had told me, Jacen and the Earth Angel had been instrumental in fighting against the demons in the Battle at the Vale. Jacen was on our side.
If he weren’t, Jessica would have been able to tell that he’d been lying to us this entire time. And I was certain she’d never work with the demons.
There was a loud popping sound from where Jacen stood. Then the heat died down until my skin no longer felt like it was burning.
“What the hell was that?” Bella shrieked. “You could have—” She stopped speaking mid-sentence, like something had shocked her to silence.
“I could have what?” Jacen sounded amused.
“Warned us.” Her voice was light and airy, like she was in complete disbelief.
“I did,” he said. “Not my fault that you didn’t listen. And it’s safe now, by the way. You all can have a look.”
Noah’s arms loosened around me, and I opened my eyes, turning around.
The moment I did, I understood why Bella was so dazed.
The cave wall behind Jacen had transformed completely.
It wasn’t normal rock, and it wasn’t that bright yellow light.
It was a swirling purple vortex. It glowed against an empty black background, like the Milky Way galaxy in space.
“What’s that?” I asked, staring at it in awe.
“It’s a portal,” Bella answered before Jacen had a chance. “But portals don’t exist. Not even the most powerful witches have been able to create one.”
“Because portals can’t be created by a witch,” Jacen said simply.
“Did you create it?” I asked. “Is that what you were doing with that bright yellow light?”
“The bright yellow light was a security measure,” he said. “We can’t just let anyone have access to the portal. It remains hidden down here, only becoming visible to ambassadors of Avalon. The light was angelic magic making sure I was one of those ambassadors.”
“So the portal was created by an angel,” I said.
“I’ve told you all I can at this point,” Jacen said, although I couldn’t help noticing that he didn’t say I was wrong, either. “Now, are you ready to step through the portal and begin your journey to Avalon?”
20
Raven
“Yes.” I stepped up to the portal, my hand still in Noah’s. He stepped up with me, staying right by my side. “We’re ready.” I spoke for both of us, feeling through the imprint bond that he was as ready as I was.
“You want to go first.” Jacen looked at me in admiration. “You’re braver than I realized.”
“More like impatient to get to Avalon,” I said. “But sure. I’ll take brave.”
“I’d intended on going first to prove it was safe,” he said. “But if you want to go first, be my guest. Just know that only one person can go through the portal at a time.”
I frowned and tightened my grip around Noah’s hand. I’d wanted us to go through together. The thought of going through that swirling purple portal first—and alone—made me feel dizzy and nervous.
And now everyone was watching me, waiting to see how I’d respond.
“Is this part of the Angel Trials?” I asked. “Are you testing us to see if we’re brave enough to step through the portal alone?”
Jacen tilted his head slightly and studied me, like he was trying to figure out how to read me. “The Angel Trials aren’t something to enter into lightly,” he said. “We wouldn’t disrespect you by starting the Trials without your consent. When they begin, you’ll know. But to start the Trials, you need to be on Avalon. And the only way for you to get to Avalon is through this portal. Like I said, I’m happy to go first. It’s perfectly understandable to be wary or scared right now.”
I stood straighter when he said the final word. Because I was nervous, yes. But I definitely wasn’t scared.
I’d been scared a lot lately—when a demon had tried to abduct me in the alley, when I’d come home to find my mom missing, when I had to use Noah’s slicer to slay that demon and almost killed myself in the process, when Azazel had kidnapped me and thrown me into that bunker… the list went on.
This was nothing in comparison to all that.
“I’ve been trying to get to Avalon for weeks,” I said. “I’m not scared. I’m ready.”
“Then by all means…” Jacen motioned ahead. “Lead the way.”
I took a deep breath and stared at the swirling portal. Sparks shot out of the ends of it, like stars beckoning me to come through.
You’ve got this, Noah said through the imprint bond. I’ll be right behind you.
I know you will. I looked at him, surprised by how proud he looked. Like he was proud of me.
We’d come a long way since the beginning of the hunt, when I was a human thorn in his side that he wanted to get rid of and he was an arrogant jerk I couldn’t stand.
I’ll see you on the other side, I said through the bond.
Then I let go of his hand, stepped up to the swirling portal, and walked through.
21
Raven
I was falling.
Down and down and down, tumbling head over feet, clueless about which way was up. The bright purple of the portal surrounded me like a tube, electrical energy jolts and stars flying by me too fast for me to focus on any of them. I half expected myself to collide with the walls of the portal, but I fell straight down, into a never-ending abyss.
I was supposed to be brave. But I couldn’t help it—I screamed.
What else was I going to do when I was tumbling through a portal into what felt like my impending death?
Logically, I knew I wasn’t going to die. But my basic human instincts didn’t believe me. Because when someone landed after a fall like this, they died.
Boom. Splat. Dead.
After what felt like the most terrifying minute of my life, I slowed until I was suspended in midair. It felt like floating in water, except I wasn’t wet.
There was an ear-splitting crack and a flash of lightning. Then I was slung forward, landing with my hands and knees buried in sand.
I took a few seconds to get my bearings. I was on a beach. I stared straight ahead, where water lapped the ocean shore.
Well, I assumed it was an ocean, but I couldn’t tell. Because it was covered in fog so thick that I couldn’t see more than a foot past the shoreline.
I’d seen some pretty bad fog in LA,
but never anything as dense as this.
I stood up, doing my best to wipe the sand off my hands and knees. I hated sand. It was grainy, gross, and it got stuck on everything. I rarely went to the beach, even though it was right outside my doorstep. I preferred to look at the ocean from the window. Or better yet, from the rooftop patio.
I’d nearly gotten all the sand off of me when a chilly breeze swept though the air. I wrapped my arms around myself, rubbing away the goosebumps that had formed on my skin.
Jacen should have warned us to bring jackets.
At the thought of Jacen, I turned around to see where I’d emerged. There was the portal, right in the side of a towering, rocky cliff.
But the portal was no longer purple. It was blue.
My heart raced, and I looked around in panic. Had I broken the portal when I’d come through it? Was that why it had changed color?
Had I lost the others forever?
Maybe I should try going back through to rejoin up with them. Or would trying to travel through a discolored portal only make things worse?
At the same time, another, quieter voice in the back of my mind told me to relax. I hadn’t timed my trip through the portal. But it certainly hadn’t been instantaneous.
I needed to give Noah time to come through.
That was the logical thing to do. I took a deep breath and nodded at my decision. I’d wait. If it started to take too long… then I’d worry.
I stared at the portal, not taking my eyes off it for even a second.
Just when the panic was starting to set in again, the portal cracked and flashed a bright, blinding white.
A silhouette that I’d recognize anywhere as Noah’s flew out and crashed into me. We both toppled down into the sand.
I landed hard, the breath knocked out of me. At the same time, I was ridiculously relieved. Because Noah was here. The portal wasn’t broken.
“Raven!” He sat up and kneeled over me. “Are you okay?” His hands traveled along all parts of my body, making sure nothing was broken. My skin heated everywhere he touched.
The Angel Trials- The Complete Series Page 69