by Anna White
Sofia didn't hesitate. She pressed the gas pedal to the floor and the engine of the truck roared as they flew out of the driveway and headed towards the outskirts of town.
Chapter 67
Jack pulled into the empty parking lot of the overlook and turned off the engine. He sat silently, his hands still on the steering wheel, and stared over the edge of the bluff to the town below.
Samara watched him out of the corner of her eye without moving. She briefly contemplated flinging her car door open and trying to escape, but she knew it would be futile. She still felt a dull pain where he had gripped her forearm, and her hand hung limply from her wrist. He had overpowered her so easily. If she ran, he would simply do it again.
She suppressed a wild giggle. Her arm was the least of her worries. Jack was ominously quiet, and she felt like she was witnessing the calm before the storm. What would it feel like? she wondered. Dying. She squeezed her eyes closed and pushed the thought away. She couldn't give up yet. She wasn't ready.
Jack got out and walked around to Samara's car door. "Get out," he snapped. He turned his back to her and walked to the edge of the bluff and stared down the sheer face of the cliff.
Samara felt stiff and sore as she stretched her arms, and she climbed awkwardly out of her seat. She stood beside the car and waited, still surprised at her lack of fear. She felt a strange sensation that seemed to be her heart pounding, beating harder and harder. It felt like it was trying to fight its way out of her chest.
"You don't have to do this," she said.
Jack moved his head slightly, but continued standing with his back to her. Samara watched frozen leaves swirl around his feet as gusts of wind swept across the top of the bluff. She breathed deeply, expanding her lungs with cool air, and blinked up at the sun. It was strange, but she wasn't cold any more. In fact she felt warm, like she was sitting in front of a fire.
Suddenly Jack spun on his heel. "Let's get it over with," he said. He walked over to Samara and grabbed her roughly by the shoulder.
A surge of warmth rolled up her body, shooting from her toes directly to the shoulder where his fingers were digging into her skin. Jack swore and jerked his hand away. He took two steps back and stared at her with narrowed eyes.
After a few seconds he shook his head incredulously and moved toward her again. "At first I couldn't understand it," he said, "but you really do have an appeal. I hate to let you go."
He studied her face for a long moment, then turned and pointed to the edge of the cliff behind him. "It needs to look like a suicide so no one will be suspicious. You're not exactly the type to off yourself, but everyone did see you break up with Lucian. With your dad missing, people will put the pieces together."
Samara heard his words, but they seemed to come from far away. The sound of the wind rushing across the parking lot was drowning them out. She searched herself for the fear she expected to surface at any moment, but it was gone.
"No," she said. Her voice was quiet, but strong and steady.
Jack sighed and rubbed his hands against his jeans. "I don't enjoy this you know. It's just a necessary evil."
When she didn't respond, he wrapped his arms around her waist and threw her over his shoulder. He stepped across the low guard rail and dropped her inches from the edge of the overlook. Stones skidded over the side and bounced down the mountain as her feet hit the ground, and she staggered to keep her balance. "Last chance," he said. "I can throw you off, or you can choose to walk into your destiny with some dignity."
Samara gasped as a wave of heat exploded through her, making her eyes water and her lungs burn. "I'm not going," she said, forcing out the words. "If you want me dead, you'll have to do it yourself."
"Fine," Jack snapped. "Easily done."
A wave of heat rolled down her arms, and she closed her eyes. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she felt more alive than she ever had before. She suddenly felt strong, indomitable. Her eyes snapped open and she smiled. "Are you sure?"
She took one step toward Jack, then another. As she moved closer she could hear the air between them crackling. He froze for an instant, then dove forward and plowed his shoulder into her chest. He forced her back a few inches and she dug her heels into the rocky ground. She refused to die like this.
Jack spun off her and circled back around like a dog on the prowl. His eyes were burning with excitement, and she knew she only had seconds before he came for her again. She lifted her arms in front of her defensively and waited until he started running.
"I'm. Not. Going!" she shouted. She screamed in pain as a searing wave of heat forced its way through her palms and slammed into Jack like a wall. He flew away from her and landed on his back in the parking lot, skidding across the loose gravel.
He lay motionless for several seconds, then rolled over and pushed himself slowly to his feet. His eyes were burning with a mixture of anger and admiration as he stared at her. "Well, well," he gasped. "Aren't you full of surprises."
Samara didn't wait for him to come for her again. Instead she stepped over the guard rail and advanced toward him. She broke into a run, holding her hands in front of her. Every cell in her body felt like it was going up in flames, but she pushed her feet against the ground as hard as she could and ignored the throbbing pain. She braced herself for a crash and smashed into his chest.
Jack had crouched to meet her, but at her touch he flew backwards and slammed into a tree on the far side of the parking lot. He hung suspended in the air for a moment, then fell face first onto the asphalt with a sickening thud. Her knees sagged with exhaustion and she sank to the ground. Her limbs started to shiver violently, all her unexplained heat evaporated.
Chapter 68
Samara heard the distant roar of another vehicle speeding up the narrow road, but she couldn't take her eyes off Jack. He was lying motionless on the ground with his arms splayed in front of him and his legs twisted at odd angles. She didn't see any blood, but his skin was turning a frightening ashen gray color.
Lucian's truck burst through the trees and bounced across the parking lot. The truck rocked as Sofia jammed down on the brakes, and its back tires swung over the loose gravel in a wide arc, throwing dirt and pebbles into the air. Lucian threw open the door and ran to Samara before the truck stopped moving.
"Are you hurt" he asked. He ran his fingers quickly up and down her arms and legs, then pulled her against his chest.
His touch thawed the knot of ice that had settled in her stomach, and she surprised herself by bursting into tears. "How did you find me?" she sobbed. "I thought I'd never see you again."
Lucian cradled her head against his shoulder and rocked her gently. "Bell's Theorem," he said. "What affects you, touches me. When I closed my eyes I felt like I was beside you, and I knew exactly where to come."
He kept an arm around her shoulders, but turned to the side and scanned the parking lot. "How are you all right?" he asked. "Where's Jack?"
She pointed to the edge of the parking lot where Jack's body lay on the ground. She squinted as she looked at him. He still hadn't moved, but his skin seemed to be dissolving. Beneath the pale layer of tissue that remained she could see a shimmering haze.
"Is he dead?" she whispered.
"No," a deep voice answered. Duncan stepped in front of her, shielding her as the last of Jack's skin disappeared. She could no longer see the outline of Jack's body, only a bright ball of light that slowly expanded outward, reaching almost to the tops of the trees. It hung suspended in the air for a moment, then collapsed into itself. Jack's body was gone, and where he had been was the glowing outline of a divinely beautiful being.
"Is that him?" Samara whispered.
"Yes," Lucian said. "He's in our true form."
Jack placed one hand on the hilt of a jeweled sword hanging around his waist, then slowly unfurled massive, golden wings that extended several yards on either side of him. Samara ducked behind Duncan and blinked, unable to look into the blinding glare of his bri
ghtness. A gust of wind snatched her breath away, and when she opened her eyes, he was gone.
She turned and searched the parking lot, but she was alone with Lucian, Duncan, and Sofia. "Where did he go?"
"Into the Void," Sofia answered. "Since the Flood we're forbidden from being on the Earth in our true forms. Jack's body must've been damaged beyond healing to force him out."
"He's not gone for good," Duncan added. "He'll return in a different body, but it'll take some time."
"Who helped you fight him?" Lucian asked. "We didn't see anyone leaving."
"No one," she answered. "We were alone."
Lucian stared at her. "How did you overpower him by yourself?"
"I don't know," Samara said. She rubbed her arms and remembered the warmth that had filled her. "I knew he was going to kill me, but I wasn't afraid." She reached for Lucian's hand and held it tightly. "I kept thinking of you.
"I was on the edge of the cliff waiting for him to throw me over, and then I was burning. When Jack attacked me, I fought back, and then he flew into a tree."
Lucian glanced back at Sofia and Duncan. "Has this ever happened before?"
"Not that I know of," Duncan said. He looked at Samara with interest. "It seems you have a rare gift."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Sofia reached out and touched Samara's face gently. "Even we can't force an angel out of their body through will alone." She reached around and pulled the gun from behind her back. "We were planning to shoot him in the head. For you to force him out without any sort of weapon is almost beyond explanation."
"Almost?"
Sofia met Lucian's eye, then reached out and took Duncan's hand. "Maybe you two should talk in private."
Chapter 69
Lucian watched Sofia and Duncan walk away, then threw his arms around Samara. "I'm so sorry," he murmured. "I should've realized you were in danger. I never should've left you alone."
"What did Sofia mean?" she interrupted. "How did I do that?"
Lucian stepped back and gazed into her eyes. She was pale and bruised and her hair was sticking out wildly, but he thought she had never looked so beautiful.
"It's you," he said. A huge smile burst across his face and he hugged her again. "You're the key!"
"That's impossible," she sputtered. "I'm just a girl. A very ordinary one."
"You were never just a girl," he corrected, "but you were ordinary, until you met me."
"What?" She sighed, exasperated. "I don't understand at all."
"I think you're one of the last Descendants," Lucian said. "The last of the line of the Nephilim.
"They were children," he clarified, answering her unspoken question. "The children of men and angels. They're the reason we're forbidden to be on the Earth in our true forms."
Samara's head swam unpleasantly, and she wondered if the past twenty-four hours were a dream. There was so much that had happened, so much information that seemed beyond belief. She couldn't be whatever he'd said. But, her inner voice whispered, something happened. Something made her burn. Something saved her from Jack.
"Why were they forbidden?" she whispered. "Were they bad?"
"They were giants," Lucian said. "beautiful and more powerful than humans. Some were evil, but most fought for good." He gave her a reassuring smile. "They weren't really different from humans in that way.
"A few could even reach into the deep knowledge and manipulate the natural world. With their help, humans were able to do incredible things; things that shouldn't have been possible. They knew too much. Their abilities made them dangerous to the human race."
Samara's mouth felt dry and she cleared her throat nervously. "What happened to them?" she asked.
"Once we were forbidden from living on the Earth in our true forms, they gradually died out. The bloodline is very diluted now, but some of their descendants still live." He squeezed her hand gently. "Hidden, just like you. It takes contact with an angel to awaken their supernatural blood, but since we can't identify them, waking a Descendant is a matter of chance. Or in your case, divine intervention."
"What if you hadn't come?" she murmured. "What if you had stayed away from me?"
"You would've remained as you were." Lucian rested his chin on her head and rubbed her shoulders gently. "Every angelic contact, even the ones with Jack, stirred the ancient blood within you. Today, when you were facing death, your abilities manifested and you used them instinctively to protect yourself."
Samara turned away from Lucian and looked out into the sunrise, remembering moments from the past few months: the physics problems that seemed to solve themselves, her sudden speed in gym class, Jack's surprised tone as he said, "You're stronger than you look." It was impossible, but somehow it all fit. "If I'm the key," she said, "then what happens now?"
"I don't know, but Duncan, and Sofia, and all the members of the Light will stand with you, no matter what the future holds."
"And you-," Samara whispered. She hugged her arms nervously against her chest. "Where will you be?"
Lucian planted his feet on either side of hers and slid his arms around her waist. "I'll be here," he said. "As long as you'll let me." She relaxed against his chest, and he felt her softness as their bodies melted together. "Destiny awaits."
About the Author
Anna White is a counselor and writer. She lives in the Deep South with her husband and two daughters, and can usually be found reading or writing something with a cup of tea nearby. She is currently at work on Divide the Darkness, the next book in the Chronicles of the Nephilim series.
Cover font is courtesy of www.misprintedtype.com
