Passionate Kisses 2 Boxed Set: Love in Bloom

by Magda Alexander

  “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  Chiboza gave a curt nod then said, “Eat. You will need your strength.”

  *****

  Emmett carried a second chair from the kitchen up to his bedroom and wheeled his office chair over to the bed so everyone had a place to sit, well everyone with a body, anyway.

  “Should I offer the angel a chair?”

  Chiboza leveled a look at him, wearing a ghost of a smile. “He has not manifested himself in physical form. Therefore, the physical plane does not appear to him as it does to you and me. If you brought him a chair, he likely would not even see it.”

  Everyone sat down, Emmett taking the seat closest to Jade. She was breathing too fast, and her face looked even thinner than before. Her freckles stood out like stains on her chalk-white skin.

  “She doesn’t look good,” he said.

  “Her body is weakening,” Chiboza said. “We must hurry.”

  His chest squeezed. He refused to lose her. He reached out to cover her bound hands with his. “Hang on, baby.”

  Chiboza cleared his throat.

  He followed his gaze to the spot near the bedside table where Mr. Shadow, a.k.a. Joshua the angel, had appeared earlier. The shadow materialized while they watched, like black threads layering upon each other until there was a semi-solid shape against the wall.

  The temperature in the room dropped, and a deeper cold bit through to his bones. He’d thought this was what evil felt like, but according to Chiboza, any time a spirit manifested in the physical plane, whether a good spirit like Joshua, or a bad one, it required energy. That energy would be pulled from wherever possible, heat from the atmosphere, power from batteries, life force from the living. He didn’t like the idea that his personal battery was being tapped by a spirit, but knowing it was an angel, one of God’s Heavenly Host, and the being currently caring for Jade, he could handle it.

  “Are you ready?” Chiboza asked him.

  He felt the blood drain from his face. It was an excellent question. Over breakfast, Chiboza had explained what needed to be done to save Jade. Emmett had agreed. To everything. He’d thought he would have time to adjust to the idea, but Chiboza was looking at him with sober expectation. Joshua was waiting with his shadowed face and flapping cape. Nick was giving him a cautious smile and raised eyebrows.

  “You’re ready,” Nick said. “You know she’s The One.”

  He nodded and licked his suddenly dry lips. He’d known Jade barely more than a week, but his heart didn’t care how long she’d been in his life. His heart only knew that he loved her and his life would never be the same without her.

  “I’m ready,” he said. His pulse sped with excitement. He was about to do two things he never thought he’d do. Emmett Herald was going to tamper with the spirit world. And then he was going to get married…that is, if Jade said yes.

  Chiboza held out his hand and Emmett took it. Using the gifts Emmett now believed were God-given, the man would act like a spiritual two-way radio. Emmett would be able to communicate with the angel, and the angel to Jade. The angel had warned Chiboza Jade was too weak to do much more than cling to life, such as it was, for the time being, but once the 4-way link was established, Jade should be able to draw energy from Emmett. Once she regained her strength, he would propose, she would say yes, Lord willing, and Chiboza would marry them.

  Then Jade would fall under the protection of Emmett’s Christianity and the thing possessing her would be forced out. At least that was the theory.

  Chiboza had never done anything this complicated. He only agreed to it because the angel had implored him to try.

  The cold that had seeped into Emmett’s bones at the angel’s arrival thrummed with some sort of resonance, like the string of his soul had been plucked by an icy finger. He tensed against the feeling.

  “Relax,” Chiboza said. “She is drawing your energy.”

  He did his best to relax, thinking of Jade’s beautiful smile, her bright hazel eyes, her laughter, her concern for her grandmother. He loved her so much. Take what you need, baby girl. Take as much as you need.

  As the minutes passed, the cold grew impossibly deeper. His hand shook in Chiboza’s. Hunger was like a bowling ball in his stomach, and tiredness was like a stack of bricks pulling on his eyelids. He stopped fighting and let his eyes slam shut. He swayed in his chair.

  Nick’s hand on his shoulder steadied him.

  “Stop. He can give no more.” Chiboza’s voice sounded far away.

  He might have drifted off to sleep, because the crack-hiss of a soft-drink can being opened hit him like a blast to his consciousness.

  “Drink this,” Nick said. Then there was cold aluminum at his lips.

  He obeyed. The fizzy liquid chilled his tongue but turned to warm syrup as it hit his stomach, like his insides were frozen and the refrigerated soft drink was several impossible degrees warmer.

  Time passed. It might have been a handful of seconds. It might have been on the order of minutes. He wasn’t sure. He only knew he was starting to wake up and feel warm again.

  “Speak,” Chiboza said, giving his hand a squeeze. “She will hear.”

  His heart did a flip-flop as he remembered what he was supposed to do. He licked his lips, wishing he had a ring, even if Jade couldn’t see it where she was.

  “Jade, sweetheart?”

  There was no answer.

  “She can hear you,” Chiboza said. “Go on.”

  There was so much he wanted to say to her. He wanted to ask if she was okay, tell her not to be scared, tell her how sorry he was he’d let this happen. But he remembered Chiboza’s instruction to keep things as brief as possible. He understood why now. Communing with the spirit plane was exhausting. Chiboza had done it for hours last night. Emmett’s estimation of the man rocketed to new heights.

  He cleared his throat. “I can’t hear you, honey, but I think you can hear me.” This was so hard. He wished he could see her, hold her hand instead of Chiboza’s, cup her beautiful face in his hand while he told her how much he loved her. He settled for imagining those things.

  “I know you’re probably confused and scared right now. It’s going to be okay, though. You’ve got a lot of people here helping make it okay. Nick’s here, and his mentor. And you know Joshua, I guess. Mr. Shadow? Um…” Shoot, this was so hard.

  “Just do it,” Chiboza said. “Time is of the essence.”

  Irritation made his lungs squeeze. He didn’t want to do this in a hurry. He didn’t want to do this in front of an audience. But he had no choice.

  “Jade, honey, there’s an evil entity inside your body. I’m so sorry. The only way to get it out is for you and me to get married. Right here, right now. Nick’s mentor, Chiboza, he’s going to marry us, okay? And he can make it official whenever we want to do the paperwork.” Good grief, could he make this any less romantic? His neck broke out in a cold sweat. He was making such a mess of this.

  “Um, I’m supposed to tell you it’ll be permanent. As in, our spirits will be joined until one of us dies. It’s like taking ‘til death do us part literally. The upside is it’ll bring you under the protection of my faith. The entity will have to leave your body, and then you can have it back.

  “I’m sorry. I know this is super sudden, and we haven’t been together long. But it’s for the best.” He shook his head. Poor Jade. She deserved so much better than this stupid proposal.

  “I need you to say yes, sweetheart. Say yes. This can all be over soon.”

  There was a full minute of silence where they all waited. Nick squeezed his shoulder.

  Finally, Chiboza spoke. “She said no.”

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Please reconsider, Jade. Joshua’s shadow-fists clenched, compressing her essence. She had a feeling he would shake her if she had a physical form.

  I’ve made up my mind. Let me go, Joshua.

  The wind of the physical plane whipped around them. Joshua held her close to his chest,
protecting her. All he had to do was let go and Emmett would be free from this ridiculous obligation to her.

  You will die!

  Yes. And because I believe in God, now, I’ll go to heaven, right? If I go back to my body, there’s a chance I might forget all this. I might never believe. I might live a long life, but it’ll all be for nothing if I die and end up in hell. Let me disperse, Joshua. I’m ready.

  What would heaven be like? What would God be like? Who would have thought she’d beat Grandma Nina there?

  One thing was for sure, it was bound to be better than the dismal abyss. And it would be a hell of a lot-make that a heck of a lot better than being possessed. If she was heaven bound, she had better start watching her language.

  What about Emmett? Joshua asked.

  She groaned in exasperation. Why wouldn’t he just let her go? What about him?

  He will grieve.

  No he won’t. You heard him. He doesn’t exactly sound thrilled about this. When she thought about Emmett’s proposal, the expression “pulling teeth” came to mind. He was offering up his bachelorhood as a sacrifice. She refused to be permanently bound to someone who didn’t want her.

  You don’t truly believe that. He has given you his strength just now. He is willing to pledge his life to you. You know he loves you.

  Her essence constricted. Maybe. But he doesn’t want this. I can hear it in his voice. He’s just doing this to help me. He didn’t really know her. He didn’t understand what he was getting himself into. He was good and pure. She was…damaged. He’ll be better off without me. Trust me. Let me disperse.

  What about your sister? Your grandmother?

  Thinking of Jilly and Grandma Nina gave her pause.

  You are their last remaining family. They need you.

  She started to tell him they would be okay, but he shushed her.

  He is speaking again. Listen to him. And not just to his words. Listen to his heart.

  “Please,” she heard Emmett say. His voice was in her head but far away at the same time. She wanted to block it out-her mind was made up-but she couldn’t ignore the quiet desperation in that one word. Reluctantly, she listened.

  “I know I’m doing this all wrong, but please, just, don’t leave me. I need you so much, you don’t even know.” There was a pause, as if he was collecting himself. “I thought I’d never want to get married. I didn’t want to end up like my parents, deciding after being together for fifteen years that they weren’t in love any more. I always thought no matter how much you loved someone, you couldn’t be sure you’d still love them tomorrow, or ten years, or fifty years down the line. How can you take vows to someone when you don’t know what the future holds?

  “I’m looking at you lying here, and I’m realizing something. Love is bigger than the future. I’m not worried what the future will bring. With you, I know I can make my own future. I’m not afraid to take a vow to love you for the rest of my life. How can I be afraid of something that’s a part of me?

  “Please, Jade. You look so weak. Chiboza thinks you don’t have much time.” His voice cracked, and so did her resolve. “You’ve got to say yes. I don’t know how I’ll survive if you leave me. I just found you. I can’t lose you.”

  Joshua tensed. Jade, you must hurry. I can see Mercy’s essence beginning to separate from your body. There is precious little time.

  I can’t make a decision like this in a hurry. I need to think about it. Damn it, she was trapped. There was nowhere to run. She hated not having an escape plan. It went against everything life had taught her.

  You didn’t run from me when you thought I was in your house to harm you, Joshua said. You didn’t run when I pretended to attack Emmett.

  That was you?

  Focus, Jade. His voice was as harsh as she’d ever heard it. Don’t be a coward. Don’t run from this good man.

  She recoiled from his tone. Don’t yell at me. I can’t do this. Just let me go. In heaven, she wouldn’t need to run from anything ever again. She would be safe. Forever.

  When you are frightened or upset, where do you run? He asked quietly. If he’d kept yelling at her, she would have yelled back, but the wily angel gentled his tone, forcing her to consider his question.

  I…I don’t know…

  She’d run from the trailer when her mother’s mooch-of-the-month tried to hit her. She’d run from the hospital room when her mother used the last of her hard-won breaths to tell her what a disappointment she’d turned out to be. She’d run from her professor’s office when she’d asked how she could bring her only C up to a B and he’d said without hesitation he’d give her a B-for a lap dance, a B+ for a blow job, and for an A… She’d run from Boston when Brad hit her. She’d run from her house when that winged thing had attacked Emmett.

  Just away from whatever hurts me. I run away. That’s all I know how to do.

  Where, Jade?

  She growled in frustration.

  Think. Where do you run?

  The time she’d run from the trailer, she hadn’t stopped until her little legs had carried her six miles and one town over to find Jilly at a friend’s house. She’d been ten. By the time she’d arrived at Betsy Frink’s, dark had fallen, her legs felt like rubber, and the soles of her feet felt like melted glue. But she hadn’t stopped running until she had her little sister in her arms. She’d needed her sister’s comfort, and she’d needed Jilly to know not to come home, not as long as Jeff was there.

  The time she’d run from her mother’s hospital room, it had been into Grandma Nina’s waiting arms. “She doesn’t mean it,” her grandmother had said. “It’s the pain and the medicine. Your mom loves you, sweetheart. She’ll always love you.”

  The time she’d run from her professor’s office, it had been to Maxi and Jocelyn at the Palace. It was because of the Palace her professor had wrongly assumed she would be willing to trade sexual favors for high marks, but it was also the place where she’d made some of the best friends she’d ever known. She’d worked a double shift that night, dancing out her frustration and laughing with her friends between sets.

  When she’d run from Boston, it was to the safe haven of Grandma Nina’s house, where pumpkin-pie- and gingerbread-scented memories made her feel invincible and loved.

  When she’d run from her house with Emmett, it had been to his house, which for some inexplicable reason felt even safer to her than the house that had shaped her fondest memories. It had also been the first time she’d run with someone by her side.

  Where do you run? he gently prodded.

  To family, friends.

  Yes! You don’t run from anything. You run toward the ones you love best. You pursue them because they make your heart glad. Who do you love best?

  Damn you, Joshua.

  Who. It was a demand, not a question.

  Emmett.

  Run to him.

  *****

  Emmett was on his knees. It seemed the best posture for begging, and that’s exactly what he was doing. He had to convince Jade to marry him here and now.

  “Please,” he said again. “Say yes. Please.” His gaze flicked to her body on the bed. Her chest was no longer visibly rising and falling. Her face was terribly gaunt. Dark hollows carved her cheeks, and purple half-moons cradled her eyes. She was dying. “God, please.” It was a prayer.

  Chiboza pressed his hand. “Son.”

  His heart stopped. He was going to say it was over. She was gone.

  “She said yes.”

  His heart restarted and did a somersault. He gaped at Chiboza. “Really?”

  “We must hurry,” he replied. “Stand up.”

  Nick hauled him up by his arm and thumped him on the back. “I knew it. You just had to ask from your heart, man.”

  He barely had a chance to catch his breath before Chiboza said, “Repeat after me. Emmett first, then Jade. Bone, blood, flesh, and spirit am I.”

  This was happening. It was really happening. It was so surreal.

&n
bsp; “Say it,” Chiboza barked.

  He started. Get it together, man. Your bride needs you. He put his hand on Jade’s cheek, inwardly cringing at how cold it felt, and repeated the phrase. Please don’t let this be too little too late. God, save her.

  They were all silent, presumably while Jade repeated it. While he watched, a separate shadow formed beside Joshua. It took an achingly familiar shape.

  “Jade,” he whispered. She was so beautiful, even as a semi-solid shadow.

  Chiboza led them through the rest of the ritual, pausing each time it was Jade’s turn. “Bone of my bone, I shall walk with thee…Blood of my blood, I would die for thee…Flesh of my flesh, I will serve thee…Spirit of my spirit, I cleave to thee.”

  He wished he could hear Jade’s voice as she said the vows. He wished her hands were holding his back. He longed to gaze into her energetic, hazel eyes as he pledged his entire being to her. Was she doing this because she didn’t want to die or because she loved him? It didn’t matter. He loved her. She needed him. That’s all that mattered.

  “By the grace of God, this bond shall not fail ‘til death,” Chiboza said, and he released a tense breath.

  Emmett felt it then, a steadying weight of responsibility. Pastor Tim liked to say that men are like pick-up trucks. They perform best under a load. For the first time in his life, he understood that. He was responsible for Jade, now. Ensuring her wellbeing was his duty and privilege. He was her husband.

  His chest puffed with pride. His spirit soared with joy.

  “It is done,” Chiboza said.

  In the next second, Jade’s body bowed on the bed. A horrifying rattle came from her chest. Her eyes flew open and they were pitch black.

  The two shadows swooped over her.

  Emmett lunged to protect her, an instinctive reaction.

  Chiboza grabbed him around the waist and held him back. Nick, too.

  “What’s happening?” He couldn’t stop struggling to get to her, even though he knew he had to trust the angel.

  “The power of Christ is pushing the evil spirit out of her body,” Chiboza said. “The angel is putting Jade back where she belongs.”