by M. R. Polish
Whimpering, Luna weakly came over to me and laid her nose on my chest. “That was horrible. I’ve never felt so hopeless waiting for you to come out. It was like when you were kidnapped all over again. I couldn’t do anything to help you.”
Slowly, I raised my hand to find her fur. “I’m okay. I’m sorry I took so long.” Already I could feel my strength returning. I looked at Davin. “Why are you here? He’s dead. You don’t have to kill me now.”
He chortled. “I know. Ailaina saw something and made me come make sure you’re okay. She saw a woman and was worried you’d die.”
“So you came to save me?” I closed my eyes for a moment, and then continued to watch the clouds as I ran my fingers through Luna’s fur. “Thank you.”
“Of course, it’s the least I can do. Besides, I made a deal with Ailaina; I need you alive.”
I sat up and looked around. Dregan was half laying on Ian, and Hela was sitting with my dad and mom, and then I saw Jarak. He was sitting by himself with Maztic lying at his feet. I got up, even though I still ached, and walked over to Ian. I needed to know he was okay for myself before seeing Jarak.
He opened one eye as I bent down next to him. “You know, Princess, I’m kinda tired of saving you.”
I tapped his shoulder. “Seriously? Look who saved who, buddy.”
“Yeah, I guess the Death Keeper can have some credit.” Even after near death he still joked.
“You just wait until you’re better, I’ll show you up any day.”
“That’s big talk for a woman.” He smiled at me. “Why don’t you go over and see how he’s doing.”
I nodded and got up. Jarak squinted as he looked at me; the bright sunlight did nothing to help the headache I could feel coming on. I sat down and Luna half laid in my lap, letting me run my fingers through her fur. “So, you’re alive, huh? Look, Jarak, I’m sorry, about everything. About the plane and Camilla taking you, for Julie convincing me that you were against me, for not finding you sooner.” Tears pooled in my eyes.
He reached out and took my hand. Something so innocent that meant so much to me. “Es, I know you risked your life to save me. I hope you know that I would do the same for you.”
I glanced away. He did once. I remembered the underground chamber where Nicholas held me before.
“You weren’t kidding about the darkness. I think he’s got a thing for the creepy torture cells or something. He’s got one in there.” He nodded toward the house.
“Really?” I shuddered. At least I didn’t have to endure that again. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Es, look at me.”
I did. It wasn’t easy to do without crying, but I did.
“I’ve had time to think, and I need to tell you something. Julie cursed me a long time ago. You helped me to almost break that spell, but when she came back I lost all hope for breaking it. I don’t feel it as much anymore. Like my heart is escaping the curse and soon I’ll be free to try and be with who I want. I know you and my brother are together, but you will always be the one who stole my heart when no one else could. Thank you. Thank you for caring enough to save me, in more ways than one.”
Tears flowed in streams down my face. I chewed on my upper lip trying to fight them back and nodded. “I need to go check on my dad.”
“I understand.” He pulled me in for a hug. “If he ever hurts you in any way, you tell me and I’ll put him back in his place, got it?”
I let out a small smirk. “Yeah.” I pulled back and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.
I went over to my dad and gave him the biggest hug. “Thank you for saving me. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
He laughed. “That’s what dads are for.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” my mom said. “We love you so much.”
“I love you, too.” I sucked in deeply. “Davin says Ailaina was worried about some woman who would kill me, so he came to make sure that didn’t happen. I guess the woman she saw was Raya, because I never saw another woman.”
My dad frowned. “I don’t recall anyone else… Wait, didn’t I say five people were in that room earlier?”
My arms felt heavy again. “Yes.”
Nicholas, Meadow, Raya, then who were the other two and where did they go?
I immediately was on my feet and looked the house up and down. I searched every window looking for faces. Ian ambled over to us. “What’s wrong?”
“Remember earlier, Dad saw five people in that room, not three. Where’d the other two go, and who were they?”
“I can answer that.”
We all turned to Jarak, who struggled to stand up.
“Julie and MaryAnn.”
My throat tightened. At least my magic would work on them, and we were outside the house where I could feel Luna. I wasn’t going back in. There was no reason to, since Nicholas was dead.
Calling the clouds mentally, the sky darkened.
My mom smiled at me. “I love how you can do that.” She tipped her head back and watched the brewing storm.
“I’m not going down without a fight, and I’m not going back in there. They can come out here and fight us.” I was still a little weak, but the energy in the air began to rejuvenate me. It wasn’t long before I felt like myself.
“Maybe we should wait for Moriah. She said she was coming along with Gabriella. They can take Julie out, they know how,” my mom spoke quietly. It wasn’t like her to be so reserved, but maybe almost losing her whole family in one afternoon scared her.
“Mom, we don’t even know if they’re still here. They could’ve left without us knowing. I mean, this place is huge and we can’t be everywhere at once.”
She rubbed her temples. “I know, I’m just worried.”
“Well, I can see my presence is no longer required,” Davin said as he strolled over to us. “I was honestly hoping for a bit of challenge. Although, I’d love to stay around and watch the show. Your storms always amaze me.”
“You know, don’t you? If Julie and MaryAnn are still here,” I asked.
“Well, yes. I never lose track of a soul I would like to own.”
I rolled my eyes. “Okayyyy. So, where are they?”
“Julie snuck out the back after your little scrap with Nicholas. I can tell you right now that you have pissed her off. I mean,” he glanced at Jarak, “you just saved the love of her life. The guys she was willing to kill if he didn’t love her in return.” He grabbed at his chest dramatically.
“Oh pa-lease, that woman doesn’t know love.” Julie’d been nothing but trouble since I saved her. I looked up at the house, still inspecting each window. Lightning struck the ground behind the house and the wind picked up. “What about the other one. Where’s she?”
Davin rubbed his chin and his brow creased. “I would say she’s still here. There is a faint scent of human about her for sure. Ah! There she is.”
We all looked at the front door where Davin pointed. “I don’t see anyone,” I said.
“She’s there, but I guess I could help draw her out a little.” He cupped the side of his mouth. “MaryAnn, how about you and I make a deal?”
“Really?” I grumbled. “A deal?”
“Hey, I do what I do best.” He gave me a wink before he took off closer to the house. “MaryAnn, how about you come out, but you can’t kill Esmerelda or I’ll be forced to take you with me when I leave. Deal?”
“Never!” MaryAnn yelled from inside the house. Davin was right; she was there, and very close to the still open door, but I couldn’t see her.
My body tensed and the sky grew even darker. Ian was so close behind me I could feel his body heat radiate through my clothes. “Es, Davin said Ailaina saw a woman who killed you. I think we should leave,” he spoke softly, but I heard his anxiety.
“No, I’m finishing this today. No more fighting, no more running away, no more hiding. Damn it, I want to sleep and have dreams of our future, not of this.”
His hand went to the small of my back.
Luna and Dregan both had their hackles raised and their bodies tense, ready to spring into action. My mom and dad walked up to stand next to us, hand in hand, Hela at my mom’s feet. Jarak limped with Maztic to stand next to them.
“Well, you made your choice, but from the looks of things out here, my money’s on this group.” Davin walked back toward us. He looked directly at Jarak and gave a short nod. “Good luck.” Then he glanced at me. “I’ll be seeing you.” He disappeared into the air.
I couldn’t believe he left. What if Ian’s thoughts were right, what if this was the woman who Ailaina saw? I’d hate to be him when he got back to Ailaina and told her.
“MaryAnn,” my mom called out. “You don’t have to do this. We can talk it out, I’m sure.”
“You don’t know anything. I’m in pain every day and the only way it will stop is if I kill her!” MaryAnn hollered back.
“Killing her won’t help you,” my dad yelled.
“It will. Julie said it would. She said it was you who killed my husband. It was you who created the curse on me, causing me pain.”
Of course it was Julie who’d say that. I really hated that woman. “That’s all a lie. Julie lied to you,” I tried to persuade her.
“No, it’s not!”
She sounded unstable, and since I still couldn’t see her that worried me even more.
“Ian, do you see her?” I whispered right before I saw a flash of light.
In seconds the world froze around me. Someone screamed. It took a moment before I realized it was me. Thunder boomed continuously in the black sky.
Someone was in front of me, protecting me, but I couldn’t get my mind to focus on what was happening, or who was standing there, or even why they were in front of me. They fell to the ground and I screamed again.
My heart stopped as I recognized who was in front of me. I dropped to my knees next to Jarak, who was on the ground bleeding profusely from his chest. My mom ran over next to us. “It’s okay, you’ll be okay,” I heard myself saying, but my voice sounded miles away.
Ian was at the house before I could blink back the first set of tears. He tackled MaryAnn to the ground by the front door.
Jarak had jumped in front of me at the same time I saw the flash of light. I pushed as much magic as I could into him. He couldn’t die. No, this was all wrong. It was me who was destined to die, not him, not him.
My dad came over and lifted Jarak’s head to his lap. I applied as much pressure as I could to stop the bleeding, but still it kept pumping from his body. I cried so hard that sobs erupted from me. I worked harder, faster, but each time I pushed magic into him, it push back at me.
I had to save him. He couldn’t die, it wasn’t his time. Mentally, I chanted any spell I thought that could work, but nothing helped. I pressed my hands down harder, but his blood still flowed steadily. Uncontrollable sobs racked through me once again and I sniffed them back the best I could, no longer able to see clearly as tears streamed in torrents down my face.
The expression in his eyes softened. “I told you I would do the same thing for you,” he whispered before he began coughing. He grimaced and clenched his shirt over his chest tightly. “Maz…” His voice was barely audible.
Maztic was already close but he stepped closer, whimpering. He rested a front paw gently on Jarak’s shoulder. Jarak reached out to him, his bloody hand smearing red all over Maztic’s white fur. Maztic whined and nudged Jarak with his muzzle. Jarak’s breathing became heavier, more exaggerated.
Luna came and sat next to me. Dregan and Hela walked slowly over to us. Dregan whimpered as he sat next to Maztic.
Ian ran and slid down next to us, blood covering his hands as he helped apply pressure. “Bro, can you hear me?” His body trembled and he kept shaking his head. “Jarak, don’t you dare die on me. We need you.” His voice broke as he choked back his own tears.
“You…take care…of her...” Jarak looked at me and attempted a smile, which made me cry harder. “Re..remember…you are…the one who…holds my true heart.”
“Jarak, please don’t leave, just hang on. Mom! Help him, please!” She was chanting so many spells that I couldn’t keep up with her.
His chest quit rising, and I began shaking him. “Jarak! Come on, please,” I sobbed. “Please don’t die.”
“He’s gone,” my dad said as he gently lowered Jarak’s head to the grass. Rain poured from the clouds, but I sat there with an ache in my heart too big for anyone to fix. I leaned over Jarak’s body, not wanting to let him go.
Ian grasped Jarak’s shirt tightly; I could see him trembling as tears fell unashamedly down his face.
Maztic was there, whimpering loudly. His muzzle pushed against Jarak, but it did no good; he was gone. Maztic lifted his head to stare directly at me then nodded before looking back down at Jarak.
“Goodbye,” I whispered as I reached out to run my fingers through his coat one last time. Maztic’s body slowly became tiny sparkles of glistening spirit where he sat, then hovered over Jarak’s body, covering him completely. One at a time they faded until Jarak and Maztic were both gone.
I pulled my knees up to my chest as we just sat there staring at where Jarak had been. “I don’t understand,” I whispered, not really expecting an answer.
Ian’s jaw clenched as he held up a gun. His gaze was hollow as he stared at Jarak’s face. “She had an 8md.”
“What is that?” I hadn’t meant to ask out loud.
My dad stood, helping my mom to her feet as they both cried. “It’s a gun deathly to all magical beings. It means he didn’t have a chance.”
Ailaina was right, there was a woman who would’ve killed me, but instead she killed Jarak. I thought back to moments before the shooting. Davin had looked at Jarak and told him ‘good luck.’ They must have had a silent understanding that I didn’t catch until it was too late.
I couldn’t breathe.
I needed to leave—I had to leave.
I stood up. Ian watched me, but said nothing. Walking away from them all, I heard my dad holler for me, but I raised my hand and shook my head as I started to run. “Just let me leave.”
The storm mimicked how I felt in every way. Lightning struck all over, giving flashes of eerie and depressed light. I was drenched head to toe. My soul cried and I felt Ian’s cry with mine. Once I was far enough away I fell to my knees. “Davin!” I cried out.
Davin appeared about five feet in front of me. “I see he succeeded.”
“Why? I don’t understand. I thought you came to save me, not take him.”
“My dear, I did.” His voice was quiet as he came and sat next to me. “I’m the Death Keeper, I make deals. In order to save you, I had to make a deal. I made a deal with Jarak to save you. All the deals I’ve made in the last twenty-four hours have been to save you!”
I hit him in the shoulder as hard as I could. “I hate you! You didn’t have to do that.”
The red in his eyes brightened as his eyes glossed over. “I’ve never let anyone hit me and live to tell about it, but I understand. I had to make a deal to keep Ailaina happy, and Jarak wanted to make a deal so he could be released. They both love you very much.”
The lump in my throat grew making it impossible for me to swallow without choking.
“Es,” Ian cried out for me.
Davin blew out a long sigh. “I better get back to Ailaina. She’s already too close to kicking my butt in pool and we have eternity to play. I might have to find another game. How is she at chess?”
“Tell her I love her, too.” I barely heard my own voice.
He nodded before leaving again.
“Es, there you are.” Ian came over to me and collapsed next to me, pulling me in close. His hands intertwined in my hair and he cried, his tears mixing with the rain.
I grabbed his shirt and clung tight as I sobbed into his chest. “I can’t believe he’s gone. I never thought he’d actually die, you know.”
“I know, I know.”
I knew more than anyone that death brought a new beginning, but it hurt to continue without those we lost.
Seventeen
Esmerelda
“W e’re still going to need to do the Reaping Spell, you know that, right?” My mom sat a cup of hot cocoa down in front of me on the table. “That was the reason behind awakening them from their restful state of death. The last time we tried we failed, but without that spell, we can’t get rid of all the crossbreeds. And now that Nicholas is dead he can’t fight against the spell, so it should work.”
“I know,” I whispered. “Won’t they just die anyway? I mean, it shouldn’t take long, should it?”
She shrugged and sat down in the chair next to me. “They’ve been living longer, and I’m afraid they’ll learn how to multiply. How crazy would that be? It’s best if we do what we were destined to do.”
“What if I don’t want to do whatever it was your Seer said needed to happen?” I yelled, but I didn’t care. I was so angry over everything that I needed to yell. “I’ve never even met this Seer, what if she worked for Nicholas, too? Why is it fair that you have yours and I don’t have mine? My best friend, who now lives with the Death Keeper, I might add.”
“Es, honey, she died a long time ago.”
I instantly felt bad for practically screaming at her and accusing her Seer. “I’m sorry,” I said much quieter. “I’m just so torn up, everything hurts inside.”
She pulled me in for a hug. “I know, sweetheart. If I could take the pain away I would. I never got to kiss your boo-boo’s when you were little growing up, or tell you it would be okay after your first breakup with a boy. But I am here right now, and I will always be here for you. I’m so sorry your life is filled with sorrow right now. One day you’ll look back and you will be able to remember all the happy times you had with Jarak. I promise.”
“What about Ailaina? I miss her already. It’s not like I can just go visit anytime I want. She’s in a different world.”
“She’s pretty feisty. If Davin doesn’t want to spend eternity on the couch, he’ll let her visit.”
I pulled back and wiped my tears off. “Eww, Mom, I don’t want to think about Ailaina and Davin like that.”
