“Yes, we did. You and I will always be alone,” she said quietly. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, and I gently wiped it away with the sleeve of my sweater as gently as I could. “Don’t blame yourself, Ronnie. I would have done the same if given the chance…”
I nodded my head numbly, knowing that she was telling the truth. She probably would have drawn it out and made me suffer even more before finishing me off, but I wouldn’t mention that right now. Instead, I closed my eyes as her pulse slowed to little more than a flicker, and I dropped my forehead to her chest, crying even harder as her heart stopped. Her hand slipped out of mine and fell to the floor, where it didn’t move again.
My baby sister was dead, and I had been the one to kill her.
Tabitha was gone, but my job wasn’t done yet. I knew I had to get up and move, but I was so tired and I wasn’t sure I had it in me. Come on, get up! I told myself, trying to force myself to get to my feet. You can’t just sit here and wait for Finn and the others. Maybe just one minute…what can it hurt? My eyes closed, and I drifted away, not caring if I ever woke up again.
*****
“How long do you think she’ll be out?” Tanya asked, sounding nervous.
How many times have I heard those exact words?
“You know, I really wish Ronnie would stop ending up in the infirmary. I’m starting to get tired of worrying about her,” Holly said, trying to sound like she didn’t care. But I knew she did care, and it made me smile to know I had such a good friend.
“She smiled!” Tanya said happily. “Ronnie, are you awake?”
I sighed, and forced myself to open my eyes. “I think so.” The lights above me were so bright it had me in tears, and I closed my eyes again. “God, it’s so bright in here. Can someone turn off the lights for a minute?” I heard the light switch click, and I opened my eyes again, glad for the lack of light this time. “What happened?”
“We were almost done with the zombies when all of a sudden they collapsed and didn’t move again,” Finn said. “We figured it meant Tabitha was dead, so I ran inside to find you. You were passed out on top of Tabitha’s lifeless body, and you were bleeding pretty badly from that cut on your stomach.” He reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair away from my forehead, and his fingers lingered against my skin. “Plus you had some pretty bad gouges in your neck, and a broken nose. So I rushed you back to the compound, and Lisa put a healing spell on you.”
“How long ago was the fight?”
“Two days,” Tanya said, coming up to the other side of my bed. “The High Council was furious when they found out you had disobeyed orders, but I think Marcel stood up for you. He refused to let anyone but us in here to see you until you wake up. They’re gonna want testimony from you to make sure everything is really over.”
It’s not over…
I sighed. “Finn, I heard you yelp during the fight. Were you hurt? Were any of you hurt?” I asked, just now noticing that Ezra wasn’t standing near my bed with the others.
“I got bitten pretty badly,” Finn admitted, looking kind of embarrassed. “I was busy worrying about you, and it made me a little slow. But it healed pretty quickly. And Ezra’s asleep in the bed next to you,” he said, looking over my bed rails.
“I’m not asleep,” Ezra said groggily. “You guys talk way too loud for me to rest.” He sat forward and looked over at me. “How are you feeling?”
I took a second to analyze my body, and was surprised to find that I wasn’t all that sore. “I’ve been better, but I’ve definitely been worse. Other than a dull ache in my stomach, I feel fine. I think I’ll live. How about you?”
He shrugged. “I’ll be alright after a bit of rest. I’m just exhausted is all. That’s the price to pay for unleashing my inner self like that.”
I knew how he felt about the dangerous powers he had inherited from his father, and I knew he hated what was lying dormant inside of him, waiting for a chance to escape. I knew it couldn’t have been easy to make the decision to demon out like he had. “Ezra–”
“Ronnie, it’ll be alright. That demon is always inside of me, fighting to get to the surface,” Ezra said shyly. “It’s a constant battle to keep it hidden where nobody can see, but I’m not ashamed of it anymore, because sometimes it can come in handy, and I can use it to protect those I love.” His eyes met Tanya’s, and they smiled slowly at one another. She took his hand in hers, and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. “I’ll always be part monster, but I’ll always be good, and I won’t forget that.”
I looked up as Annie knocked on the open infirmary door. She poked her head in and smiled when she saw me up and awake. “You look much better than you did the last time I saw you. And I’m sorry to interrupt, but the Council wanted to speak with you if you were up. It’ll be better to get it over with now.”
“She needs to rest,” Finn said. “She’s hasn’t even been awake ten minutes.”
“I’m sorry, Finn. Orders are orders. You know that,” Annie said, looking at me. “I’ll go tell them you’re up.”
“Annie, wait!” I took a deep breath. “I wasn’t able to banish her soul before passing out from blood loss,” I confessed. “Tabitha’s soul is still here, probably planning a way to create more chaos. I’m sorry, but I had lost so much blood and I’d used so much energy fighting her. I–”
“It’s alright. I’ll tell the Council it wasn’t your fault, and once you’re feeling better, I’ll teach you how to search for a specific soul. Then, you and I will banish her for good, and everything can go back to normal. For now, don’t blame yourself. Anybody can succumb to blood loss.”
She disappeared back into the hallway, and I threw the blanket back, freeing my legs. Finn wrapped his arms around my waist and helped me out of bed, making sure I was steady on my feet before letting go of me. Even after I was standing by myself, his hand lingered on my back, and I got the feeling he wished we were alone right now. “We can talk later,” I said, meeting his pale blue eyes.
He nodded his head, and handed me a pile of clean clothes. I dressed behind a screen, and when I was done, I found Finn waiting for me out in the hallway. He and I walked down to the Council meeting room hand in hand, and I didn’t care who saw. After everything that had happened between the two of us, I wasn’t afraid to admit to anyone that I loved Finn, because I knew he loved me, too.
He pushed the double doors open and I found Annie waiting for us in the Council meeting room. Kevin looked furious as usual, but this time Lisa looked equally angry. Marcel was the only one that didn’t look ready to sentence me to death, and I took a deep breath, waiting for whatever judgment they had in store for me. I knew I had broken the rules and would probably have to be punished, but I also knew that I had done the right thing.
Marcel was the first to speak. “So far we’ve heard testimony from Finn and your friends, but I would like to hear your account of events starting from when you left your friends to go searching for Tabitha. I want you to leave nothing out.”
I took a deep breath. I had been dreading this since before I had even left to look for Tabitha. I knew that if I was the one to come back, I would have to recount her death for an audience, and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to handle it.
“I left Finn, Holly, Ezra, and Tanya out front to take care of the zombie guards Tabitha had called up. I knew they could handle it themselves, while I headed inside to look for Tabitha. I found her in Andrew’s old bedroom, and the two of us realized that only one of us was going to leave that room alive. I knew she would kill me if given the chance, and I knew that I would kill her, too.”
“You were fully prepared to kill her?” Lisa asked, narrowing her eyes a fraction. “I wasn’t aware you had that in you.”
“I had a knife with me, and I planned to use it on her if I needed to. I knew she was beyond saving, and that she would hurt my friends if given the chance. We started fighting, like Andrew and I did on the rooftop months ago. We each got in a pretty good b
last, but then we both released our pent up energy at the same time, resulting in a small explosion that rocked the entire house. We collapsed to the ground, and we both struggled to get to our feet. I was the first one up, and I was planning to use my power to finish her off, when I heard Finn yelp in pain, and I lost my focus.”
Kevin snorted in contempt, but I ignored him. This story was going to be hard enough to tell without paying attention to his little jabs.
“Tabitha tackled me and wrestled me to the ground, and we began fighting with our hands. She broke my nose, and I think I fractured her cheekbone. I shoved her off of me and searched for the knife, but Tabitha had it in her hands and began to taunt me with it. She tried to stab me, but I jumped back. She cut me pretty badly, and I started to lose blood. Fast.” The memory of our fight was all rushing back to me, and as I retold everything, it almost felt like I was there again, watching the fight as it took place in my head.
“She lunged at me again, but I tripped her and she dropped the knife. We struggled for it, but I was loosing blood and I was in pain. I thought for sure I was going to lose, but I didn’t. I kicked her off of me, grabbed the knife, and rolled over as Tabitha lunged at me again. She–” I had to stop and bite my lip to keep from crying. The tears were creeping up, and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to hold them back.
“It’s alright, Ronnie. Take a second if you need it,” Finn said quietly.
I took a deep breath and started again. “She landed on the knife, and I stabbed her. I think I might have punctured a lung or something. She started choking on her own blood. She couldn’t breathe, and she and I just sat there staring at one another in shock. Up until that point, I honestly don’t think I had thought about what it would be like to actually kill her…”
Finn put his arm around my shoulders, trying to comfort me while I composed myself. Having to talk about Tabitha’s death was bringing flashes of it back to me, and all I could see were her eyes as she stared at me. I could still feel her bloody hand in mine as her pulse began to fade away. Standing there in that meeting room, I practically felt my sister die for a second time, and it nearly sent me over the edge.
My hands began to tremble, and my mind raced as it suddenly dawned on me. My mother is gone. Andrew is gone. Tabitha is gone. I have nobody left, and it’s all my fault. I killed my father and my sister! I’m all alone, and I have nobody to blame but myself. I’m a killer…
Finn pulled me closer, and I continued with a shaky voice. “I held her hand while she died, but before I could banish her spirit, I passed out from blood loss. So Tabitha’s spirit is still hanging around somewhere and may be able to cause us some problems. But Annie is going to teach me how to search for a specific spirit, and then when I find her, I’ll banish her for good. That’s a promise.”
Marcel nodded his head. “I know you will. And this Council will help you in whatever way you need. You’ve been through a lot in the past couple months, and I think it’s finally catching up to you. Get some rest tonight, and you can start your lessons with Annie tomorrow. You’re dismissed.”
“Are we just going to ignore her blatant disregard for our rulings?” Kevin asked sharply. “She obviously cannot be trusted or controlled!”
Marcel looked at his co-councilmen. “Veronica has given up so much, all for this Council and what is right. She’s lost her entire family, and been wounded several times while following our orders. She’s just trying to do what she thinks is right, and so far, she hasn’t been wrong. I have spoken to the High Council on her behalf, and though it kills them to do this, they’ve given me the authority to hand out whatever sentence I see fit as punishment. And I deem Veronica’s continued stay here to be punishment enough. You’re dismissed,” Marcel said firmly, meeting my eyes. He gave me a brief wink, and I almost smiled at him.
Finn kissed me gently and walked me out of the Council meeting room, ignoring Kevin’s angry growl. The doors swung closed behind us, and as Finn and I walked back to my room, a deep feeling of sadness and regret came over me. I may have technically won a battle, but the war seemed like it was far from over. But as Finn’s arm creeped around my waist, I knew I wouldn’t be alone during my darkest hours, and I wouldn’t have to fight alone.
Tabitha’s revenge is far from over, and now it’s my job to make sure things don’t get any worse. I guess we’ll see if I’m up to the task or not, but for tonight, I’m gonna get a good night of sleep, and I’ll worry about it tomorrow…
The End.
Dark Possession
Dark Heritage #3
Published by Samantha Hoffman at Smashwords
© 2015 by Samantha Hoffman.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permissions of the author.
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Chapter One
The morgue was eerily silent, which wouldn’t be all that unusual to most people. But to those who could hear and see the dead, a silent morgue was definitely an oddity. It was almost like every single spirit in the area had unanimously decided to avoid this place for the time being, and I definitely didn’t have a problem with that. A silent morgue was much easier to work in. Unfortunately, silence didn’t seem to be helping any.
“I can’t do it, Annie!” I snapped, looking over at my exasperated teacher. “I’m telling you, I can’t find Tabitha’s spirit!”
“Don’t worry about it, Ronnie,” Annie said, trying to sound less worried than she obviously was, judging by the tenseness to her shoulders and her tapping fingers. “This isn’t your fault. I told you before that it might take some time to find her. We can’t rush this.”
“But—”
“No,” she interrupted firmly. “Don’t even go there. We’ll get the hang of this sooner or later.”
“Yeah, but how much damage will Tabitha’s spirit do while we get the hang of this?”
She ignored that question, most likely because she knew that she didn’t have an answer for me. “Now, I want you to close your eyes and try again. Just like I told you earlier.”
“I’m not sure I understand why you’re teaching me how to do this instead of just searching for her yourself,” I muttered while doing as I was told. “I mean, I’m glad the Council is letting me help and all, but it would be much easier if you just took over for me.”
“I tried,” Annie admitted quietly.
That worried tone in Annie’s normally friendly and carefree voice made me open my eyes and stare at her. “What does that mean?”
“I’ve tried looking for Tabitha’s spirit over the last three days, but I just can’t find her. The main problem with searching for a necromancer’s soul is that they still retain some of their power in the afterlife, just like your mother did,” she said gently. “She can use that power as a kind of shield, deflecting our attempts at finding her. I tried looking for her, but I’m afraid she’s too powerful for me. I’m hoping you’ll have better luck.”
“Why? Because we both have the same murderous raving lunatic for a father?” I asked darkly, trying not to think about the evil that seemed to permeate half of my family.
“No,” Annie said quietly. “Even though it worried the Council, I convinced them that it could be used to our advantage.”
“What worried them? Other than the usual things about me they choose to fret over.”
She almost smiled. “The bond you had with Tabitha. Don’t deny it, Ronnie,” she sa
id when I opened my mouth to object. “You and Tabitha shared a deep bond—a kind of spiritual connection—and we both know it. You felt sorry for the route her life had taken, and you tried everything you could to save her. When you were forced to do what you did, it devastated you. Partly because of the connection you both shared.”
“You know, just because I pitied Tabitha and may have felt bad for her does not mean that we had any kind of connection,” I said stubbornly. “She was the only family I had left and I wanted to save her from herself. Nothing more.”
Annie refused to give up that easily. “You connected with her because the two of you were similar. You both have experienced similar fear and skepticism in your own lives, and at times you even felt the same hatred for others as she did. They treated Tabitha the same way they treat you…like a dangerous outcast.”
“I am dangerous,” I reminded her. “And I always will be. Just because we were both treated like garbage at times doesn’t mean we have any kind of connection. She was a cold-hearted monster who wanted to hurt the people who made her feel bad, and I’m not. I chose to do the right thing. You can’t get much more different than that. So if you don’t mind, I would appreciate it if you never called me similar to Tabitha ever again.”
“Why? Does it bother you to hear someone else voice your own thoughts?”
I looked away from Annie’s intelligent gaze. I did think that Tabitha and I were similar in some ways, and it was strange to hear someone else say it as well. No matter how many times I brought it up to Finn, he refused to believe that Tabitha and I were anything alike, and though that made me feel better, I knew he was just telling me what he thought I wanted to hear.
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