Snow Rises

by L. A. Long

  “Sometimes?”

  “Always.”

  He kisses me before I can say anything else. He lifts me up until my legs are around his waist, and he walks us over to the banister. He sets me down and starts for my zipper.

  I grab his hands. “Greedy angel. You’re all about the zipper, aren’t you?”

  He grins. “You need more kissing?”

  I study the banister. It’s not wide enough for what he’s planning. “Maybe I should have a dress for this so I’m not sitting on the banister bare assed.”

  Syn laughs so hard I think he’s going to pass out.

  Ren snaps his fingers, and I’m suddenly wearing a black dress. He looks down. “Better?” His hands go under my dress and in an instant pulls my panties off. He wads them up and shoves them in his back pocket. He looks around. “No bare asses on the banister? Wouldn’t want the delicate Cassandra to get a splinter.”

  I pull him towards me hard. I unzip him and grab all of him.

  He closes his eyes and moans. “Oh, I love it when you’re angry with me.” He blows out his breath.

  “Really?” I grab at him harder and pull him towards me.

  He groans and puts his hands on my breasts and tries to pull my dress apart.

  I grab his hands again and shake my finger at him. I look around. “I’m not going to be here with my legs in the air and my bare titties flying in the breeze for anyone to see.”

  Ren looks around. “There’s no one here.”

  “Don’t worry about me,” Syn says. “I’ll wait over here. I don’t like heights.”

  “No bare titties,” I warn.

  Ren shakes his head. “You are the bossiest thing.” He pulls me towards him and pushes inside me.

  I almost lose my balance.

  I grab Ren quickly and hold on like a vice.

  “I’ve got you,” Ren says. “Always. Trust me.”

  I look into his eyes and slowly let go of him as he quickens the pace. I let myself lean backwards until there’s nothing except Ren holding me. He grabs my legs, and I lock them behind him.

  I let my arms fly free as I look at the ground upside down as Ren intensifies his movements. I could do this forever. I feel so free. Safe. “Amazing.”

  “Thank you,” Ren says.

  “I mean how far up are we?”

  Ren sighs. “Can’t even give me one compliment. About twenty feet,” he says in between jagged breaths.

  I glimpse movement down below, and I notice the wolves watching us. “Why are they such perverts?”

  For the briefest seconds, I wonder if this is how it would be with Makus. I quickly sit up and stare into Ren’s wide eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go there.”

  He stills inside me and pulls out. He starts to leave, but I keep my legs around him. I hug him tightly. “I’m sorry, Ren. Truly. I didn’t intend my mind to go there. Not at all.”

  He puts his arms on the banister to steady himself. But after a few minutes, he hugs me back. Finally. “It’s okay.”

  We stay that way for the longest time, and I feel safe in his arms. “If I choose you—”

  “When you choose us,” he reminds. “I don’t do second place. Ever.”

  “Will you take my memories of them away?”

  He pulls back so he can look in my eyes. “Would you want that? Not to remember the demon or warlock?”

  Do I? Yes. I’d have to, wouldn’t I? “I wouldn’t want that to ever happen again. And I couldn’t miss them. It would hollow me.”

  He kisses me gently. “Yes, if that’s what you want.”

  I nod.

  He lifts me up and twirls me around and sets me down on Syn’s lap.

  “Hello beautiful.”

  In a fluid movement, Syn pulls my legs around him and jumps up and walks me into the house and puts me down on the sofa. “I’m sorry, but I need the bare titties.”

  I laugh as I take off his shirt. “And I need to look at you. Touch you.”

  He looks down at his bare chest. “Better?”

  “Just a minute.” I unzip his pants and pull them off until he’s naked on top of me. “Much better.”

  I put my arms over my head and clasp my wrists together and wait for him to take my dress off which he does in one rip.

  “Sorry. I’ll get you a new one.”

  “I prefer the jeans and t-shirt anyway.”

  I wrap my legs around him as tight as I can, and he guides himself inside me.

  I keep in time with his rhythm and wonder how I could ever have chosen anyone over Syn. Our bodies fit perfectly together.

  He threads his fingers through mine over my head and looks in my eyes. “I love you, Cassandra.”

  “I know.” I blink and see Bast on top of me.

  Syn jumps up. “What was that?”

  I hold my head. The pain is intense. Ren runs back inside. “What’s going on?”

  “They’re doing something to her.”

  Ren grabs me. “Look at me, Cassandra. Look in my eyes.”

  I try to open my eyes, but all I see is Bast and Makus. Bright lights. Pain. Torture. Hell.

  “Open your eyes, Cassandra.”

  I force my eyes open, and instantly the images disappear. “What the fuck was that?”

  Syn gets dressed. “They definitely don’t want us touching her.”

  Ren hands me my panties, jeans and t-shirt. “I don’t care what they want. They die for that.”

  I get dressed quickly and look at Ren. “Then that wasn’t me before? I didn’t think of them when we were …”

  Ren shakes his head.

  I take a deep breath. “That wasn’t cool. At all.”

  “We’ll fix it. We’ll fix everything.” Syn holds my hand but doesn’t look at me.

  “You’re worried.”

  “I’m not,” Ren says quickly.

  I squeeze Syn’s hand. “Are you worried about them or me?”

  “Both,” he whispers. Syn closes his eyes. “We have a job.”

  “Good,” Ren says. “Then we’ll be done with the abomination forever.”

  Chapter 17

  I open my eyes, and we’re in the same freezing diner I was in before with Team Hellion.

  Everything looks the same. The short order cook glances at me and nods. The goth kid hunches over his journal. Luckily the fucking whackadoo is long gone. “What’s the job?” I ask Syn who distances himself from me immediately.

  “Syn?”

  Ren notices and grabs my hand. “He doesn’t want to lose you. He’ll be fine. Don’t worry about him. You’ll make the right choice.”

  “Naughty Caz.”

  I turn quickly to see Makus and Bast lounging in a booth and staring at me.

  They get up and walk to us.

  Ren steps in front of me blocking them from me. “What are you doing here?”

  I glance at Syn who studies me from across the diner.

  Makus grins at me. “Really, Caz?” He leans around Ren to look at me. “No touching rule? And you let them do a hell of a lot more than touch you.”

  I look into Bast’s eyes which are full of pain. “Fucking hell.”

  Ren looks back at me. “It wasn’t her intention. The time on the sofa.”

  Makus raises his eyebrows. “Did you force her, angel? That would be quite the admission. I think that would make you fall.”

  “I didn’t force her. You know that.”

  Bast nods. “Oh, I know. No one has to force Caz to open her legs.”

  I look at Bast. I didn’t realize he could hurt me like that. Then I realize how much I must have hurt him.

  Ren pushes Bast. “You watch your tone with her, warlock.”

  I study Makus. “You going to give me shit too?”

  Makus raises his hands. “You always come back to me. Course, I’m not your actual soulmate.” He pats Bast on the shoulder. “The tears the big guy shed. Destroyed the entire RV. Even got rid of the driver. Tore him to pieces. I couldn’t even find a
ll of him.”

  I step away from them and walk to Syn. “What’s the job?”

  His eyes reflect the same pain that Bast’s do. “Isn’t this your dream? Get us all in one place? Do us all at the same time?”

  I throw up my hands and walk away.

  Makus slams his fist on the table and laughs. “I have no issue with that.” He looks around. “I don’t see a sofa.”

  “Or a banister,” Bast spits out while he intensifies his glare to me.

  “Yeah, the banister,” Makus says. “That took quite the balance, Caz. I was impressed. Would rather have seen you fully naked, but I didn’t have to wait long, did I reaper?”

  Syn’s body tenses up.

  I look back at Bast.

  “You didn’t even let us touch you.”

  I jump up on a table. “Okay, we all need to take a deep breath. Get over ourselves. We’ve got a job.”

  “Then you choose,” Syn says. “I swear, Cassandra, if you’ve strung me along just to break my heart.”

  “What’s the job, Syn?”

  He stares at me.

  “Syn,” Ren yells. “The job.”

  The reaper closes his eyes and tries to calm himself. He points to the corner. We all follow his point and see the goth kid.

  I walk towards the booth but stop in front of Makus and Bast. “Why are you here? Do you have a job?”

  Makus looks me up and down. “What was it like slumming with an angel and reaper? Why don’t we go in the back so the two of us can do to you what they did? I guarantee you won’t be walking around so soon after.”

  I don’t flinch. “The job? Do you have one or not?”

  Makus laughs. “I love it when you get angry at me. Isn’t that what you said, angel, when you had her on the balcony? The way she tugged at you. Of course she wouldn’t have been able to get her hand around all of me.”

  “The fuck with this.” I know there’s only one way out of the mess, and that’s to finish the job and choose. Once and for all.

  I rush past everyone and sit in the booth opposite the goth kid. He flinches when I sit down, but he doesn’t look at me.

  I don’t need eye contact to read him. I look through him. I see his past, his present, his future. I stop. One of his futures. I glance quickly at Ren who smiles at me and nods.

  His past is full of pain. His present sucks. He’s bullied. Beaten. Harassed on a daily, sometimes hourly basis. I see his future. I force myself to stay put when every cell in my body wants to jump up and take his heart in my hands until he’s dead. I try to see other futures. Alternatives.

  I don’t see anything, but I won’t give up. I glance down at his journal. Before, he wrote, threatened, swore about Steve, but now there are images. Horrifying images of violence. Death. Pain. He knows I’m looking at the journal so he slams it shut.

  I take a deep breath. Come on, I have to trust that I don’t just see the only future. There has to be others. I glance back. Ren is nodding. Syn is still sulking. Makus is not smiling or grinning at all which is disturbing. Bast still hasn’t changed expressions.

  I look at the goth kid. Through him. Then I see it. I see them. Alternate futures. Six of them. Only one ends with him being a total asshole and throwing his soul away. In his other futures, he helps. I know it sounds trite, but he actually makes the world a better place.

  Makus sighs, but I ignore him.

  I slowly place my hand over goth kid’s hands which shake at my touch. “It’s okay.” Then I see it all. “Steve. You’re the Steve you wrote about. All that violence. You’re wanting to do it all to yourself?”

  He shakes as a few tears stream down his face and splash to his journal. Then I realize the cover of his journal is covered with the same splash marks.

  “It’s alright, Steve. I have friends here who will make you safe.”

  For the first time, he lifts his head up and looks at me.

  I point towards Ren. “See him over there?”

  “Which one? The demon? Or the angry warlock?”

  “No, the an… What in the actual fuck? How do you know what they are?”

  He shrugs and a glimpse of a smile appears.

  I lean forward. “Do you know what I am?”

  He nods.

  I sit back and throw my arms up. “You’re going to be fine, Steve. Seriously. You’re farther along than me.” I motion for Ren to come over.

  Steve smiles and starts to get out of the booth, but he stops. “Which side are you going to choose?”

  I sigh. “Dude, deal with your own shit and I’ll deal with mine.” I put my head down against the table. Is that it? Is that the job? The last job before I decide? I raise my head and look at the four who study me.

  Bast’s anger has died down. He now stares at me with the saddest eyes. I watch Syn who still can barely look at me. I don’t dare glance at the soul makers. The only way through something difficult is a straight line. I can’t stall. I can’t squirm out of it.

  I stand up, and I’m in the middle of a street. I turn around and keep turning around. “Okay.” Then I realize when I look down. “Clever. It’s an actual crossroads.”

  Chapter 18

  “So, this is it. This is where I make my decision.” I jump up and down and shake my arms around. “Don’t know why that would work.” Okay, calm myself. Think. I close my eyes and concentrate. I see my own future, and I instantly open my eyes. “The choice is so clear, isn’t it?” I nod. “Okay, let’s do this. I’ve made my choice.”

  Someone clears their throat behind me.

  I laugh. “That was fast. I thought you’d at least give me five minutes or something.” I turn around to see a girl standing there. She has red hair, a purple bow and a bright white lacy dress.

  I glance right and left. Nobody else is around. “Sorry, but I didn’t choose you.”

  She rolls her eyes and stomps her foot. “Asshole.”

  I step back. “Mouthy. What are you like seven?”

  She sighs and puts her arms over her chest. “I had my ninth birthday right before I was taken. Thank you very much.”

  I put my hands up. “Sorry. What do you mean taken?”

  She puts her head back and yells. “I thought you said she’d be quicker.”

  I glance around. “Who are you talking to?”

  She sighs like I’m just the ass end of her shitty day. “Okay, one time you chose Makus and Bast.” She leans in and cups her hand over the side of her mouth like she’s whispering a secret to me. “I get it. They are totally hot. I bet they give great oral.”

  “Why would a nine year old talk about that?”

  She turns around and throws up her hands. She stomps and paces and then returns to me. “I only look nine. Try to keep up. I was taken hundreds of years ago.”

  “Okay.” I motion for her to continue.

  “When you chose Makus and Bast, that threw the balance off. Then you chose Syn and Ren. I get that too. The banister scene and the sofa scene. Totally hot.”

  “What the fuck?”

  She glares at me. “You swear a lot.”

  “Fuck you.”

  She squeezes her mouth around. “I like you. I didn’t think I would. Thought you’d be a weepy bitch.”

  I turn around and around. “Is there a grown up here I can deal with?”

  She snaps her fingers. “You made another choice. They don’t even know you shouldn’t be choosing.”

  “What does that mean?”

  She glares at me. “What did I just say about the balance?”

  “I’m the balance?”

  “Good girl. You figured that out all by yourself.”

  “If you didn’t look like a nine year old I’d kick your ass.”

  She taps her foot. “You could try, but you’d only embarrass yourself.”

  “Fucking hell. Is this a test or something? See if I can go through an entire conversation without killing her?” I look around, but no one else answers me.

  “Did you really
think that would work?”

  I shrug. “Maybe.” I motion for her to get on with it. My patience is wearing thin.

  “Did you figure out who I am yet?”

  I shake my head. “Was I supposed to?”

  She jumps up and down and has a full on tantrum. It’s actually fun to watch a red-haired girl get all red faced and jump around like she’s covered by ravenous fire ants. “The story the angel told you. I was a pure soul before those monsters took everything?”

  I look at her. “You’re her?”

  “They took me when you chose good. Then chose evil. Then chose good again. You go back and forth like a fucking rubber band.”

  “Nice mouth.”

  “Back atcha cupcake.”

  “If you didn’t have red hair, I’d swear you were me when I was younger.”

  She jumps back and grimaces. “Thanks for the insult. Both sides need the balance. It’s only the ones you’re dealing with who don’t know that. Ren and Syn on team good. Bast and Makus on team bad. If they thought with their brains and not their oversized dicks …”

  I nod. “True that.”

  She leans in. “Didn’t it hurt? I mean they aren’t exactly average.”

  “It’s not my first time at the rodeo. Let’s boil this bitch down. What does this have to do with me?”

  She smiles at me. “You finally made the right choice.”

  I step back. “You know my choice?”

  She nods and smiles the wickedest smile I’ve ever seen.

  I step back. “Scheisse. You’re pure evil, aren’t you?”

  She curtsey’s. “Lucifer’s right hand.”

  “Did you tell her?” A voice behind me asks.

  I whip around to see the same little girl staring at me. I look at both of them. “Not twins?”

  Evil twin nods.

  Good twin walks up to me, smiles and puts her hand out to me. I shake her hand.

  “Lollipop?”

  “No.”

  “You sure?” Good twin asks. “I have all flavors.”

  “For Christ’s sake, she doesn’t want it.”