“You will?” I ask, shuddering as yet another bird crashes into the window.
“I’m still going to test out my knife on you,” she says, “but first I need a little more practice with my spells before Mom comes home.”
Chapter 35
Grace
I didn’t know if Keira would get my text, let alone answer, yet here we are in the Christian bookshop again and Keira’s actually in a little, white sweater set with black slacks. She looks like she might be headed to church.
“Quit laughing,” she says. “I wanted to be inconspicuous.”
I note the white glove still on her left hand and stop mid-chuckle.
“You came,” I say, not quite sure how to start.
“I needed to see you, too. Lucifer’s going to come for you. You have to go back to Heaven and stay there. Or at least stay with Josh.”
Her instructions are tempting. I want to run back to the safety of Josh’s arms more than anything. I swallow down the taste of fear and desire, trying to remember that she has Noah’s best interests at heart. “Why?” I ask. “What does Lucifer want with me?”
“He’ll try to convince you he can stop Noah from becoming the Antichrist, in exchange for your soul. But it’s a lie. You know it’s too late, so just go back upstairs, okay?” She waits for my response, doing and undoing the top button on her sweater.
“But Lucifer can’t lie. So how does he plan on convincing me?” I ask.
“He’ll say it’s only Hell that can interact with Noah now, so that’s exactly where you need to be.”
“Makes sense.” In fact, it’s the same reason I came back down here and told Josh not to follow. It’s the only way I can reach my brother. “Bring me to him.”
“Are you crazy?” Keira screeches. “Lucifer will forbid you from seeing him once you’re there. He’ll own you. At least in Heaven, you have free will.”
I resist telling her that I’m as good as kicked out of Heaven anyway. That it was my plan to go to Hell. But maybe now that I know Lucifer wants me, I can leverage what I want. I can be very careful about the wording and make it work in my favor. Yes, I must speak to him.
Keira paces the floor in front of me, sensing my hesitation. “No one’s going to be there to save you this time if you fall, Grace.”
I almost believe she’s worried. “I need you to promise me one thing, no matter what happens. Can I trust you?” I ask. I must be nuts.
“What?” Keira asks, eyes wide.
“Promise me that you’ll be there to make sure Noah doesn’t lose himself. I know inside he’s still a good person. I don’t care what anyone says—there has to be a way to still reach that part of him.”
“Maybe you’ve forgotten who I am, Grace, but let me remind you. Pure evil, remember?” She pulls off her glove and holds up her finger.
I take her hand in mine, and focus my healing powers on her. I haven’t used them in far too long. We watch together as her finger glows, the blackened skin melting back into her own flesh.
She stares at her hand, holding it up in front of her face in awe. “Lucifer wouldn’t fix it, even though he said it ‘offended’ him.”
“Maybe he couldn’t.” I shrug. “Everyone has some good inside of them, Keira. I hope you’ll choose what’s best for my brother.”
Keira takes my hands in hers, and turns them over, comparing them as they interlace. “I do want what’s best for Noah.”
“Just…just promise me you’ll be there for him. Help counteract some of Lucifer’s influence. Any and every little bit matters. I know it.”
“Yes. No. I don’t know! You’ve gotten under my skin and now I don’t know what’s happening to me.” She turns toward the bookcase and leans in with her forehead against the wood. “I’ll do whatever I can to help him. I just need to be able to see him again.”
“If you’re really what he wants when all is said and done, I will accept that.” I don’t mention that if we truly save him, she probably can’t be with him anyway. I have a feeling she knows it and the fact that she wants to help him anyway gives me some confidence in her.
She lifts her head and smiles, and she looks younger than ever in her getup. Like a real fifteen-year-old. “Thanks.”
“Can I help you?” A young man’s voice forces my attention. He’s holding a stack of silver crosses in one hand and has a nameplate that reads “peter.”
Keira backs as far away as possible from the glittering crosses. “No.”
I use glamour to make him go away.
Keira puts a hand on my shoulder. “Listen, about Josh… I never thought for a second he’d fall for that ‘Hope’ thing. I wasn’t given a choice.”
I nod, averting my gaze. I guess that was as close to an apology as a Demon can get. “It wasn’t your fault. It wouldn’t have worked at all if we weren’t already having issues. I wish I could just turn off my feelings.” Why am I discussing my relationship with her of all people?
“Why aren’t you together? Can’t you forgive him?”
“It’s complicated.” That’s the best answer I can give. I’m planning on going to Hell and I refuse to drag Josh down with me.
“You two were meant to be together and believe me, Josh wants to be with you no matter what. I know. I know what it feels like to be away from Noah.”
I consider Keira. She seems so earnest. So desperate. I know how I feel without Josh. It sucks. It would be so much easier to run back to him and Heaven and search for help for Noah there. But she doesn’t know all the ridiculous rules we have to follow.
Keira takes a deep breath. “Listen, I don’t have a Hell of a lot of time here. You need to get back to Heaven. Decide there if you do or don’t want to forgive Josh. Just go back to where it’s safe.”
She grabs me by the shoulders when I don’t respond. “Grace, don’t be stupid. Go back. I’ll do anything. Please.”
“I’m sorry, Keira, but it’s already too late. I have one last stop to make, and then I’d like a meeting with Lucifer.”
Chapter 36
Keira
Just when I was starting to see a new side to Princess Grace, she makes the worst decision of her existence. Typical. Josh is the only one left who can possibly stop her, so he’s my next visit.
I knock at Lucy’s front door, which is something I’m not used to at all. But I have to keep up appearances. What the Hell is taking him so damn long to answer? The kid’s family will be home soon and that’s just going to make it more of a production.
I’m not big on patience, especially with my dwindling window of time, and I press the button for the doorbell three times, rapidly.
Still nothing.
Fine. Just because I’m supposed to act “human” doesn’t mean I have to play nice. I open the door, which may now need a new lock. And frame. But at least I’m in.
“Hey, Josh!” I’m about to get super pissed that he’s not here when I hear something strange coming from the kitchen. It sounds like eerie music interspersed with thumps.
“You in here?” I ask, entering the kitchen. My chin drops. Josh is on his knees in front of the kid, water gushing from his mouth, his hands around his throat. His face is purple. She’s humming some freaky thing and holding out her hands toward him like a horror flick.
He’s drowning.
My feet cement themselves in the ground as my mind flashes back to the memory of Maxwell’s hands holding me under. The water that burned my nose and throat. The sensation of a thousand pounds weighing down my lungs as I fought for air.
I shake myself out of it. Josh is already dead. He can’t die again, unless… That’s when I notice the blade in her hand. I’d know it anywhere. I collect them, after all. She has a mixed blade. She can kill him.
And me.
“Hey!” I scream at the little bitch as she raises the blade above Josh’s struggling form, tip pointed downward. “I need him!” I run forward and give her one good shove, and she flies into the counter before sinking to the fl
oor. The strange song ceases and Josh vomits up another gallon of water on the floor while wheezing and sucking at the air.
I grab a napkin from the countertop and carefully scoop up the blade, shoving it in my bag. Then I push at the girl with the toe of my suede boot and notice the blood running in rivulets from beneath her head, mixing with the water on the ground. Oops. Maybe I overdid it a tad.
“You done yet?” I ask, hands on hips, staring down at Josh as he struggles to get to his feet. I roll my eyes, storm to the sink, and grab him a glass of water.
“Thanks,” he gasps, taking it from me with a shaky hand, still careful not to touch my skin. He stares at my pinkie while he drinks. “Your finger’s okay.”
“Thanks to the love of your life, yeah.” I flex my hand. “But let’s keep it that way, huh?”
“You saw Grace?” Josh slams the glass down on the counter and stands to his full height. “You stay away from her, you hear me?” So much for saving him.
“She likes me now.” I smile. He remains dubious. “Well, okay, maybe ‘like’ is too strong a word. But she does accept me. In fact, I’m here to get you to help her.”
Josh folds his arms across his soaking T-shirt. It makes the outline of his chest stand out. Nice, but he’s no Noah.
“You can’t actually think I’m going to trust whatever you have to say.”
“After I saved you? You are an Angel. I am a Demon. I. Saved. You. You don’t see me getting a free pass to Heaven, do you? The least you could do is listen to me.”
“FYI, Keira, you can’t just get into Heaven because you did one good deed. Besides, you did it for yourself. I heard what you said. You need me for something.”
“Yeah. That’s what I’m trying to tell you—”
“Hold on. First I have to help Lucy.”
I grunt and pull myself up to sit on the counter. The water on the floor is going to damage my boots. “Yeah, about that. I pushed a little too hard. But I had good intentions, so whatever. She’s probably already in Hell.”
Josh stares at her body and I swear I see water swimming in his eyes.
“Suck it up, Angel Boy. Your heroism is needed elsewhere.”
“What is it you want?” Josh rubs at his throat and glares at me with his baby blues.
“Here’s the plan,” I say, happy that he’s finally listening. “You get back with Gracie and go back to Heaven. She needs you.”
“Grace. And she doesn’t want me.”
“Puh-lease. Yes she does. For a former player, you really don’t get women, do you? Anyway you need to stop her. She’s planning on going to Hell so she can be with Noah.” I stop and wait for his reaction.
“What? No. That’s insane. Lucifer would never let her…wait. Saving her helps you out how?” he asks.
“I’m trying to protect her because I want Noah. You have a much better chance of finding some kind of loophole from upstairs than down here. You know how it is working for Lucifer. And Lucifer wants her, Josh. He sent me to make sure she’s at the coffeehouse in…” I check the clock on the wall, “fifteen minutes.” I reach over and grab a fistful of nuts from a crystal dish on the counter.
Josh pulls out a dining chair and sits. “And you’re going against the Boss to tell me this?”
“Yes. Believe me or don’t. But you and I both know she’ll last all of two seconds with Lucifer.”
He glares, but I can tell I struck a chord. I pop some nuts in my mouth and chew while he gets his thoughts in order.
“She doesn’t want me anywhere near her.”
I toss the rest of the nuts back in the bowl and slide off the table onto the tile floor. “What is wrong with you people? She does want you, Josh. She’s Grace, so she’s trying to do what she thinks is the right thing—even though it’s stupid.”
“How do I know I can trust you?” Josh asks, standing again. “You could be making this all up so I leave Lucy and you can get your hands on her.”
“Lucy is dead.” I step right into his personal space, trying to resist the urge to smack him. “Don’t you get it? Lucy doesn’t matter any more. Lucifer has the fucking Antichrist. Now we need to save Noah, and we can’t do it from Hell. You know that. Grace trusts me.” I hold out my finger for him to see again. “And now she needs saving. Isn’t that your MO?”
“I don’t know where to find her.” But he stands like he’s ready to run out the door anyway. Thank Heaven.
“She’s at her grave. I might have followed her before coming here.”
“Fine. I’ll go talk to her.”
I cringe as Josh is engulfed in a ball of Heavenly light before disappearing. And I thought my smoke was gaudy.
Chapter 37
Josh
“Grace?” I find her kneeling by her grave on the frozen ground. She’s dressed in jeans and a big, gray sweater, her curls blowing behind her in the wind. I don’t think she’s ever been more beautiful.
“What would have happened if I hadn’t died?” she asks, bringing me to a stop. “Do you ever wonder?”
I shrug, thrusting my hands deeper into the pockets of my coat. “My life wasn’t exactly going great. But I do wish I’d never hurt you. Even if it means I never got to be with you, Grace.”
She runs a finger over her name on the stone, still not looking at me. What’s she feeling? I’m afraid to touch her, as much as I want to. I don’t want to scare her off again or ruin the moment now that we’re finally talking. Whatever I do, I seem to ruin things. Like Lucy’s life and afterlife. She’s dead now and in Hell—all because I failed her. I feel sick.
“I was wrong,” Grace says, voice thick. “I never knew what was going on in that head of his. I never would have guessed I could hurt him so badly. I do that. I hurt people and don’t even realize it. I did it to Cam, too. I pushed him over the edge.”
“Grace, no. That was my fault. I manipulated Cam into a jealous rage. I was the evil one. I tried my best to do my job when I was a Demon, and I was good at it. It was me and I won’t let you blame yourself. I’m tired of pretending that I’m perfect. I’m not. I never was. I don’t deserve your love, Grace, but don’t you dare try to take the blame for everything.”
Slowly, she rises from the grave and turns to face me, eyes sparkling with tears, but her face is unreadable. I just laid it all out, everything I’ve been feeling since I’ve been in Heaven. Now all I can do is wait for her response. I huddle deeper into my coat, feeling naked.
“Josh, we’re both to blame. Neither one of us is perfect, don’t you see? Heaven isn’t what we were told when we were kids. I don’t think anyone up there is perfect. Not even Mr. Griffith, and I think he’d agree with me. Heaven itself isn’t perfect, but we all do the best we can.”
I want to kiss her, but I keep still because I sense there’s more she wants to say.
“I love you, Josh. But I love Noah and that’s not enough. I want to trust you more than anything because I feel like if we work together—really work together—everything could be possible. But I can’t trust you. You keep trying to protect me and it turns out to be the wrong choice every time. I end up more hurt and so do you. I don’t want to be protected.”
“I’ll stop. I’ll tell you everything from now on. I swear, Grace. It’s hard not to want to protect you, but I won’t.” I open my arms, but she doesn’t run inside.
“You’re here because Keira told you to be. To protect me from Lucifer. I know she followed me.”
I drop my arms to my sides. I can’t deny it.
“I keep looking the other way, Josh. You were a Demon. You were being forced—even tortured—by the Devil to do horrible things. I get it. I even understand that you helped…kill Tommy Two.”
I feel like the dagger’s slicing through my skin again. I hated being compliant with Cam. “I didn’t help. But you’re right—I didn’t stop him, either. I tried, but Lucifer hurt me. Still, it was my choice, and I chose to sit by and take the easy road. I’m so sorry. So sorry.”
“I
know.” She presses her eyes closed, squeezing out another stream of tears and steadying herself. “But when you slept with me, Josh. When you knowingly made me fall…” She stops again and looks at me.
We never really talked about it. We skirted the issue, but never faced it head on. “I know. I couldn’t give you up and I thought you’d choose the same as me. But at some level I knew that was crazy. I knew if I asked you, you’d say no and then I’d lose everything I cared about.”
“But you might not have.” She steps forward, closing some of the gap between us. “You might’ve been surprised. Or we might’ve come up with another way. But because of what you did I couldn’t see what was right in front of my face. I didn’t recognize Keira when she was Hope. I accepted that you’d cheat. I couldn’t trust you. Do you see?”
I nod, my throat thick. “I need to trust you, Grace. I need to stop trying to prevent bad things from happening because they end up worse anyway.”
“The question is, Josh, can we trust each other now? Can we trust ourselves?” She’s nose to nose with me now. Close enough to kiss. Electricity tingles in the small space between us and all sense is leaving my body. Still, I wait for her to make the move. I will not blow this.
“I trust you,” I whisper. “And I won’t be stupid enough to lose you again. I’ll tell you everything.”
She smiles. “Then I need your help.” She leans into me, standing on her toes, so she’s talking directly over my mouth.
“Anything,” I say. “As long as there’s still the sliver of a chance for a future with you, I’ll do anything you want, Grace.”
“I’m going to Hell, and you’re not coming with me. You have to stay up there. Keira is convinced the key to saving Noah is in Heaven. Just in case she’s right, we need someone up there doing all he can.”
“Then you stay. I’ll go back to Hell. I know how to handle it, Grace—”
“Josh. You’re doing it again. I have a plan. Please. Just. Trust. Me.”
Does she have to beg with those beautiful, honey-colored eyes? She’s asking the hardest thing possible. Doesn’t she see that?
Soul Corrupted Page 18
