“Yeah,” Nicholas chimed in. “Tobias is a real douchebag.”
I laughed. “He really is.”
“It’s a status symbol,” Emmett replied. “Tobias may be a weenie; a mean, shrimp of a man, but he’s a major player in this war. If Leon is responsible for taking him out – for getting him into Hell – then he solidifies his position as king.”
“So that’s the same reason Magnus wants him,” I commented.
“Yep.” Emmett paused and exhaled slowly. “It’s a lot to take in, huh?”
“And you haven’t even gotten to the plan part yet,” Nicholas said.
“Why do we need a plan?” I interjected. “If Henry’s dad is working with Leon, can’t we just let it play out? Leon can pull Tobias into Hell and I can stay out of it.”
“And what do you think Magnus will do if that happens?” Emmett countered. “If he can’t kill you, he’ll kill everyone that you care about. I know he threatened to do just that last night. If Magnus doesn’t get back into Hell as the king, he’ll blame you. It won’t matter if it’s rational.”
“So I’ll just kill him,” I said desperately. “Assuming I really do get the ability to kill a demon.”
Emmett shook his head. “Magnus is extremely powerful. He has many, many loyal supporters. If you kill him, his death will be avenged.”
“Well the way you put it, we’re fucked no matter what we do,” I said in frustration. “One of them is going to be king, and whoever loses that battle will blame me.”
“Not if we seal the gates of Hell shut. With Tobias, Leon and Magnus all inside,” Emmett replied.
Nicholas was shaking his head. “Emmett, it’s a great thought, but if that were possible, believe me, it would have been done centuries ago. You think we want demons to be able to come to earth? Really, them having a king in Hell is the only thing that keeps everything in check. The king controls the gates, which are locked. Sure, I’ve encountered plenty of demons who’ve escaped, but typically the demons on earth are here because the king allowed them passage through the gates.”
“I know all of that,” Emmett said. “But there’s one person who can lock them – permanently. That is, provided he lives long enough to do it.”
“Henry,” I whispered.
Chapter 8
Nicholas looked skeptical. “Don’t get me wrong, Henry’s great, but his father is one of the most powerful warlocks in the world. And even he can’t seal the gates.”
“Henry is stronger than his father,” Emmett said quietly. “I’m certain of it.”
“You’re saying it has to be him?” I asked desperately. “There’s no one else?”
“No one else,” he confirmed.
Emmett flagged the waitress down. “One more double, please.”
She looked at us. “Who’s driving?”
Nicholas reached into his pocket and pulled the keys out. “Me. We’ll make sure he gets home safely.”
“Okay, but this is the last one,” she warned Emmett.
Emmett rolled his eyes when she walked away. “Try to have a couple of drinks on a Saturday afternoon and they act like you’ve got a drinking problem or something.”
“Look, I don’t want Henry involved,” I said. “It’s too dangerous. He’s mortal.”
“I guarantee you if the vampire bite doesn’t kill him and we don’t seal the gates shut, someone else will kill him. When this all comes to a head, we’re going to have a lot of pissed off demons. What better way to handle it than to trap them all in Hell?” Emmett asked us.
“What’s your take on this?” I turned to Nicholas.
“I know you don’t want to hear it, but I think Emmett’s right. Is it ideal? No. But it just might be the only way.” Nicholas shot me an apologetic look.
“Well that’s just effing great,” I muttered.
“You want to hear the rest of the plan?” Emmett asked.
“Go for it,” I said irritably.
“We have to strike before Matthews gets a chance to double cross Tobias. Which means you need to bring Tobias to the Gates of Hell. Alone.”
“That’s impossible,” I argued. “David is Tobias’ right hand man. He’s not going to trust me without David there.”
“Yes he will,” Emmett replied. “You’re going to go to Tobias – by yourself – and tell him that you know he’s building an army, and that you want to help.”
“I wouldn’t even know where to find Tobias!” I exclaimed. “Isn’t he holed up underground?”
“I’m sure Lucas or Nicholas can find out. Lucas was monitoring Matthews at one point. If he’s in contact with Tobias, we can determine where Tobias is hiding out. Right?” He looked at Nicholas.
“Yeah,” Nicholas confirmed. He looked nervous. “Are you sure it’s safe for Aurora to meet Tobias alone?”
“Do you have a better plan?” Emmett was exasperated. “Of course it’s not safe – but none of this is safe. Going to that underground meeting wasn’t safe, dabbling in magic isn’t safe, going to the King of Hell’s house wasn’t safe!”
“Okay, okay, I get it,” Nicholas said. “You’re right. I’m on board, but I know Lucas won’t be.”
“Yes, because he’s in love with her.” Emmett rolled his eyes again. “We’re all acutely aware of this little love triangle between Aurora, Henry and Lucas.”
“I’m right here,” I said angrily, “so stop talking about me as if I’m not. And for the record, my love life is none of your business!”
“Please, guys, stay on track,” Nicholas said gently.
I sat back in the booth and crossed my arms over my chest. I was still fuming, but I knew Nicholas was right. Emmett was drunk and being a butthead; I just had to ignore it.
“So I meet with Tobias,” I said. “Then what?”
“Tell him you’re going to give him a demo of your powers. That Leon is sending some demons to earth and you need to catch them as soon as they come through the gates. We’ll make sure Magnus is there, waiting. He wants to be the one to push Tobias in, after all.”
“Okay,” I said slowly.
“Henry will be hidden. He’ll open the gates with a spell and Nicholas and Lucas will push Tobias and Magnus in. Then Henry will say another spell to seal the gates closed. Forever.”
Nicholas let out a low whistle. “Man, if we could pull this off, it would solve almost all of our problems.”
“Right, and then we can focus on getting rid of Senara,” Emmett said. He finished his drink and the waitress brought the bill.
“Ugh, I almost forgot about her.” I groaned.
“Trust me, if you’re as famous as Magnus says you are, it will just be a matter of time before she learns your true identity,” Nicholas said. “We need to take her out, ASAP.”
Emmett paid the bill and Nicholas stood up to leave. “I’ll drive you two home now.”
“I need to go to Lucas’ apartment to get my truck,” Emmett argued.
“No way.” Nicholas shook his head forcefully. “Sorry, dude, you gotta go home and sleep this off. You aren’t driving.”
Emmett sighed. He tried to stand up but fell back down into his seat. “Shit,” he muttered. “I’m kind of dizzy now.”
Nicholas walked over and leaned down. “Put your arm around my shoulder,” he commanded. Emmett did as he was told. Effortlessly, Nicholas pulled Emmett to his feet.
When we got into the car, Nicholas turned to me. “I’ll take you home first. I feel like I should stay with Emmett for a while. Make sure he’s okay.”
“Can I come with you?” I asked. “Lucas won’t let me go to his apartment for some stupid reason, and I don’t feel like being alone.”
Nicholas shrugged. “Sure.” He turned to Emmett. “Where do you live?”
I was barely listening as Emmett told Nicholas how to get to his house. My mind was in a jumble. Emmett’s plan was good, but it sounded incredibly dangerous. If even one thing went wrong, we would either all die, or be punished for eternity.
Chapter 9
Emmett lived in a small, one story house in the middle of town. After we got there, Nicholas carried Emmett inside and put him on the couch. Emmett, after muttering a few incomprehensible sentences, had drifted off to sleep.
I sat down on the couch opposite from where Emmett was resting. “Do you think he’ll be okay?” I asked Nicholas.
“Yes. I just wanted to stay here for a bit – make sure he doesn’t roll over and choke on his own vomit. Wouldn’t that just be the ultimate? All this other shit’s going down and Emmett dies from a few drinks.” Nicholas walked into the kitchen, which was open to the main room we were sitting in.
“I don’t want to snoop,” he said, “but if Emmett wakes up he needs to eat something. It might help to counter the effects of the alcohol.”
“Yeah,” I said. “What’s the rule? Don’t have more than one drink per hour?”
“Something like that,” Nicholas replied.
I looked around the room. It was the type of place I would have imagined Emmett in, if I had ever stopped to think about it. There were two couches that faced each other, with a small coffee table in the middle.
Against the wall to the right of me was a bookshelf crammed with books. There was a small TV against the wall to the left. A Nintendo Wii was on the floor next to it with a single controller. I didn’t know Emmett liked video games. I used to play with Kayla, back when we were younger. And before she hated me.
“There is seriously no food in his fridge,” Nicholas announced.
“Check the pantry,” I suggested. “He might have some crackers or canned soup. And check the freezer, too. Maybe he just nukes freezer meals when he’s hungry.”
“Already checked them all,” Nicholas said. “There is no food. Anywhere.”
“No wonder he’s so skinny!” I exclaimed.
“I guess I’d better go and get him something,” Nicholas said. “Are you okay to watch him?”
I nodded. “I’m fine. He’s just sleeping.”
“What the hell do humans eat, anyway? You were one more recently than me.” Nicholas smiled and pushed his hair off his forehead.
“Pizza is always a good bet,” I said, imagining the gooey cheese falling off of the crust. But it didn’t make me hungry; nothing did. I’d forgotten what the sensation of hunger felt like.
“Good idea. I’ll order in.”
“Emmett will kill you if he thinks you told someone where he lives,” I said. “He’ll probably be mad that we now know.”
“Ugh. I guess I’d better go out then. I’ll be back soon.”
After Nicholas left, I took the opportunity to study the room. There was a picture frame, face down on the coffee table. Ignoring the voice in my head that told me I had no right to look at it, I did just that.
The picture was of a younger Emmett and a beautiful blond girl. They were at a table, smiling, with a bottle of champagne and plates of food in front of them. I could see the sand and water in the background. The photo was obviously taken at a beachside restaurant.
Emmett looked the same, except his hair was short, and his face wasn’t gaunt. The girl, who was grinning from ear to ear, had huge blue eyes and an engaging smile. They were happy, in love.
“That’s Rachel.” I jumped at Emmett’s voice.
“I’m sorry,” I said, hurrying to place the picture facedown on the table. “I shouldn’t have snooped. It’s none of my business.”
“It’s okay.” Emmett pulled himself upright on the couch.
“Is she your girlfriend?” I asked.
“She was my wife,” he replied.
“Oh Emmett, I’m really sorry.” He must have been drinking and drowning his sorrows, thinking about his ex wife. Surely that was why the picture was facedown. He couldn’t bring himself to get rid of it, even though the relationship was over.
“Why? Did you kill her?” Emmett laughed bitterly.
“She’s dead?” I blurted out in surprise.
Emmett sighed. “Yes. Rachel is dead. Today is the four year anniversary.”
“That’s horrible!” I exclaimed. “I – I don’t know what to say.” I was at a loss for words. I had no clue that Emmett had ever had a wife. The truth was, I knew next to nothing about him, apart from the fact that he was a professor. But you’ve never made an effort, either, I reminded myself.
“How did she die?” I couldn’t help asking. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” I added quickly. “I have no right to ask.” I stared at my hands, unable to look Emmett in the eye.
“Drunk driver,” he said flatly. “Which is why I can’t believe I even entertained the notion of driving home today.” Emmett looked like he was on the brink of tears. It was then that I realized the source of his bloodshot eyes. It wasn’t alcohol and it wasn’t lack of sleep. No, Emmett had been crying, mourning his dead wife.
“I wasn’t in my right mind,” he continued. “This day…even after four years, it’s still unbearable. There are only two days I can’t handle – the day Rachel died, and her birthday. She would have been thirty-three this year,” he said.
“That’s awful,” I replied. “I really had no idea. Of course, now it all makes sense. This is a horrible day for you. No wonder you were drinking.”
“It’s not an excuse, Aurora. And…I’m sorry about what I said. The dig about your love triangle. I was out of line.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “Cut yourself some slack. And I’m sorry I snapped at you. I know we don’t always see eye to eye, but I really do appreciate everything you’ve done to try and help me.”
Emmett smiled but didn’t answer.
“Are you feeling better?” I asked. “You seem to have sobered up some.”
“I’m fine,” Emmett assured me. “I’m fairly certain that last bourbon and Coke was just Coke. But I am starting to get a splitting headache.”
“Nicholas went to get you food,” I said. “You have to eat something, whether you want to or not. You’re skin and bones!”
“Thanks.” Emmett’s voice was barely above a whisper.
I wanted to ask Emmett more questions about Rachel, but I also didn’t want to pry. It was Emmett’s choice, whether or not he wanted to discuss her. “Do you want to talk about it?” I ventured. “I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I’m actually a very good listener.”
“I’m not sure what there is to say.” Emmett’s eyes had filled with tears again.
“Maybe it would make you feel better – you know, to remember Rachel.”
Emmett forced a smile. “We met during my last year of grad school. I knew from the second she spoke to me that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Imagine my shock when I realized she felt the same way.” Emmett paused.
“We were married two years later. That picture – the one you were looking at – is from our honeymoon in Hawaii.”
“Both of you look so happy,” I said.
“We were,” Emmett replied. “Rachel was everything to me. We were planning to start a family, but then she died abruptly.” Emmett’s voice cracked.
“I can’t even begin to imagine how painful that was. How do you pick up the pieces and move on after something so horrible?” I asked.
“I was in shock. I took an indefinite leave of absence from my teaching job. Packed up the only things I cared about – pictures and memories of Rachel – and just….left.”
“Where did you go?”
“We – I – had some savings. At first I just drove. That was one of our dreams – to travel the world. Of course, Rachel wanted to go to exotic, international destinations. I didn’t care where we went, as long as we were together.”
“That’s so romantic,” I said wistfully.
“I decided I would drive until I found somewhere that seemed like a good place to start over. And this wa
s it. I don’t know why, but it felt right.”
“Did you know about your psychic ability back then?” I asked.
Emmett shook his head. “No, for the first year after Rachel’s death I was obsessed with finding a way to communicate with her. I visited tons of mediums; most of them were complete frauds. It was during that time I realized that I could see things, much better than any of them.”
“Did you ever get to communicate with Rachel?” I whispered.
“No,” Emmett said curtly.
“I didn’t mean to be nosy.”
Emmett’s voice softened. “It’s not you. And thanks for listening.”
“Can I ask you one other personal question?”
Emmett looked taken aback but nodded for me to go on.
“Since Rachel died, have you ever thought about getting out there, meeting someone else?” I asked hesitantly.
“I suppose I’ve had fleeting thoughts about it. But what’s the point?”
“To be happy,” I said quietly.
Emmett laughed. “You sound like Rachel’s mother. And my mother.”
“Maybe you’ll know if and when the time is right…just don’t rule it out, okay?”
Emmett didn’t answer. Instead he said, “You know, I was in a love triangle once.”
“With Rachel?” I asked in surprise.
“No, this was before Rachel. Becky – that was her name – chose the other guy in the equation. At first I didn’t understand why, didn’t comprehend how the universe could be so unfair, but once I met Rachel I knew it was fate. And things with Becky worked out exactly like they were meant to happen. Just a piece of advice to you, Aurora – don’t overthink it. Go with what feels right. You can’t change destiny.”
But what the hell is my destiny? I still had no idea.
But I didn’t say the words out loud. Instead, I asked Emmett a question, one that I wasn’t sure he would answer. “You believe in fate, Emmett, and I’m starting to believe in it, too. But why do you think it was Rachel’s fate to die so young?”
Emmett shrugged and let out a long, painful sigh. “I’ve tortured myself with that question for four long years. I’ll never know the answer. I just have to accept it, and try to find comfort in the fact that I told her each and every day how much I loved her. And who knows? I’m not immortal. Maybe we will be together again one day.”
Dark Descent (Vampire Hunter Book 5) Page 4
