Black

by Angelina J. Steffort

  “Who?” my voice raced out of my mouth.

  “The others.”

  “Adam, I don’t understand.” His family was trying to protect me. They would never... “Who are you talking about?”

  “Volpert, Maureen, Blackbird—my family.”

  “Demons,” I gasped.

  “If that’s what they are…,” he shrugged.

  “Adam, you have a different family. A father, a brother.”

  “If I do, I can’t remember.” His face was indifferent.

  There was something about his behavior that made me think his family wasn’t the only thing he couldn’t remember.

  “Do you remember who I am?” I asked, fearing the answer.

  “It doesn’t matter.” He shook his head without giving a real answer. “I don’t have a choice.” His eyes were sad. He almost looked like the Adam I had fallen in love with, the Adam I had trusted, the Adam I still loved.

  I stared at him, processing what he had just said.

  “Why?” It was a mere breath. I felt that he was struggling. If I could only get him to tell me who was pressuring him.

  His eyes bore into mine and I lost track of time. There was no hint of the angelic glow they used to hold. They were empty.

  “What happened to you?” Whatever it was that made him do this, it wasn’t him alone. Even if he couldn’t remember any of his past, he would never hurt me. There was something more to this. More than was visible. More than he would tell.

  If I could only buy some time, maybe Jaden or Ben would come to help. If they had found the note.

  I had to give it a try.

  “It’s me, Claire... your Claire...” My voice sounded surreal as I was listening to my own words, hoping they would trigger his memory.

  A simple nod was all I got in return. It wasn’t a nod of agreement or a nod of understanding. It was a nod of determination. I could see what was about to come. And it was inevitable. I stood no chance against him. Not if his mind was set.

  Captive

  I was staring at my fate. Wide-eyed. Adam was beautiful; even now I couldn’t deny the fact.

  His face was determined, but his eyes showed hesitation. It made me believe there was still something in him that cared about me.

  I didn’t have time to ponder that. The room suddenly brightened up. Four sources of light were framing Adam. Each of them had a pair of strong, white wings.

  Before I could make out their faces, Adam’s hand reached out to touch me. It was only a fraction of a second and he was pinned to the floor by three of the four angels. The fourth had taken a stand in front of me. He was holding out his arms protectively, shielding me from Adam—and blocking the view.

  I recognized the shape. It was Ben.

  “Are you alright?” he asked, alarmed.

  I nodded and tried to see around him. What were they doing to Adam?

  Ben stepped aside and my eyes found Adam crouching on the floor with tied up hands and feet. Chris and Jaden were holding him at each arm. He wasn’t fighting them. Jenna stood beside them, ready to jump in any second.

  “Get her out of here,” Jenna instructed Ben.

  A moment later, I found myself in the Gallagers’ library. I didn’t even get the chance to object.

  I wanted to be there. I needed to be there. Frustration got the best of me and I considered yelling at Ben, well-aware that I had brought this upon myself. Instead, I decided for calm cooperation.

  “Where are they taking him?” I requested.

  “They’ll be here any second.” Ben stared at me accusingly. “How could you do this to me?”

  Naturally he was referring to my solo-initiative. He was right. There was no excuse.

  “I was on duty tonight and you slipped out right under my nose.” He sounded upset. “And I didn’t notice.” He shook his head at himself.

  There was more to it than just his anger with me. He was upset with himself for having missed my intentions. Had he paid better attention, he might have read the coming betrayal in my emotions. But he hadn’t. He had trusted me.

  Ben’s disappointment stung like a thorn in my side.

  Are you happy now? the voice mocked, taking advantage of my moment of clarity.

  “Ben, I am sorry.”

  “No, Claire,” he fumed. “Sorry is not good enough—”

  He turned away and took a deep breath.

  His wings were folded on his back, rising gently with the movement of his chest. When he exhaled, they quivered slightly.

  I stared in awe.

  “Do you have any idea what it was like to find your note with you gone?”

  My head sank in guilt.

  “Or the voicemail.” He turned back and his expression hadn’t changed. “Thank God I heard that one in time. Who knows what would have happened if we had showed up a minute later.”

  A minute, the voice in the back of my head joined the conversation. You mean a second.

  Disappointment was still obvious in Ben’s features, but there was something else, I had never seen there before... And he was so anxiously trying to hide it.

  “Ben, I am so sorry.” I took a step towards him. “I know I made a mistake. But I couldn’t just let this chance to see him go.”

  Ben looked at me with liquid steel eyes.

  “He would have killed you. If we hadn’t showed up, you would be dead now.” He took a step towards me, his eyes denying the possibility of my death being caused by his slip. “I wouldn’t be able to live with that.”

  “Ben—”

  I wanted to tell him it wasn’t up to him what I decided to do with my life...

  He caught me off guard, pulling me into a tight embrace and placed a kiss on my cheek.

  I blinked at him in surprise and pushed myself gently away from him. “Ben...”

  “I can’t lose you, Claire.”

  Ben tilted his head to the side and looked at me from under his eyelashes. Why again did he have to look so much like Adam when he did that? Looking at him hurt. It was a constant reminder of what had happened to Adam.

  We stood there for a minute or longer. There was nothing more I could tell him; and he knew it.

  Ben was hurting, and it was my fault.

  I was waiting for guilt to consume me, when four figures appeared out of thin air right next to us.

  “Jaden,” I squeaked at the first one I recognized.

  He didn’t look up. He was busy holding down the struggling bundle that was hidden behind him and Jenna.

  “Adam—” My hands flapped over my mouth like they were trying to catch the word before it was out.

  “Stand back,” Jaden instructed.

  Ben’s arm reflexively slung around my shoulders and pulled me to his side, further away from the four of them.

  I got to my toes, trying to see around them.

  Adam was half-laying, half-sitting on the library floor. His hands and legs tied-up. His face was hidden in the shadow of his black mane. Jaden and Jenna were holding him down while Chris’ hands were laying on Adam’s shoulder.

  The struggling got less intense by the second and finally ceased completely

  “Oh my God,” I couldn’t keep myself from speaking. “Is he alright?”

  Ben let go of me and took a step towards his half-brother, who was now lying there, motionless.

  “I think so,” Jenna answered my question. She let go of Adam and sat down on the floor beside him, right next to Chris, who wouldn’t let go of Adam’s shoulders.

  Jaden was the only one still on alert. He checked the rope on Adam’s wrists and ankles.

  I followed Ben’s lead and stepped closer. Adam’s face was now clearly visible in the low light. It looked pale and cold.

  “Are you sure he is alright?” I tried again.

  Jaden abandoned his inspection and gave me a warning look.

  “He is knocked out,” he explained. “He’ll live.”

  He grabbed my arm. “How could you do this?”


  I was startled by his harsh tone.

  “If I had told you about Adam’s message earlier, you wouldn’t have let me go—” I excused my actions.

  “Adam sent you a message?” Jaden exploded. I had never seen him this furious. “And you didn’t bother telling me?”

  “I needed to see him.”

  “Do you have any idea what we all went through after Ben found your note?”

  I shrank with every word he spoke. He was right. It had been wrong.

  “If I’d seen another way, do you really think I would have gone?”

  “You are right, if it had been up to me, you would have never walked out that door.” Jaden was standing only an inch away from me. He pulled me against his chest and whispered in my ear. “You know what happens to me if I fail to keep you safe. This isn’t just about you anymore.”

  “We were so worried,” Jenna’s voice came from behind Jaden. “I wish you would have trusted us enough to tell us.”

  Her hurt tone was even worse than Jaden’s fury.

  “I am sorry.” My eyes wandered back towards Adam’s limp body.

  “Can’t anyone see the positive side of this?” Chris got to his feet. “Yes, we all were worried and had to put ourselves at unnecessary risk. But on the other hand—look what we came home with.”

  He gestured at his son, who was still and pale and none of us knew what to expect once he woke up.

  “True.” Jaden stepped away from me and knelt down beside Adam. “Who would have thought that we would capture him this fast.”

  “What next?” Ben was looking down at his brother with a crease on his forehead.

  “We get him to talk,” Jaden answered.

  Jenna frowned at him, full of disapproval. “We will find out what he knows. But nobody will hurt him.”

  “Do we know what he is capable of?” Ben asked.

  “He has tried to kill Claire twice. Isn’t that enough?” Jaden answered icily.

  Ben was right. I had felt his powers on my own body, and it hadn’t been a mind-easing experience. None of us knew the full extent of his demon-powers.

  “How can we make sure he doesn’t attack when he wakes up?”

  “Enough,” Chris stopped us all. “This is my son we are talking about.”

  His eyes were glowing. The others had made their wings disappear, but Chris’ wings were still floating at his sides.

  “How long will he be asleep?” I finally dared to ask.

  “A couple of hours maybe,” Jaden estimated. “At least that’s how long it lasts for humans. I have never actually sent a demon to sleep like this before.”

  He looked at the Gallagers. “We need to be prepared for him to wake up earlier.”

  They all nodded in unison.

  The way Adam was lying on the floor made my heart break.

  “Can we put him on a bed?” I suggested.

  The others looked at me.

  “Or at least put a pillow under his head?”

  “We can put him in his room,” Jenna agreed that Adam deserved better.

  She exchanged a meaningful look with Chris.

  “We left everything the way it was.” Chris lifted Adam from the floor gently and started walking.

  We followed him along the hallway until Jenna opened the door to the memories of the happiest days of my life.

  Adam’s room was exactly how I remembered it. The couch was covered in books and one of Adam’s shirts was draped over the armrest. The wrought iron bed was covered in the same plain red sheets it had the last time I laid there with Adam.

  Goosebumps rose on my neck. The last time I had been here was the night Adam was hit by the demons. We had kissed right here in this room.

  Chris walked towards the bed slowly. His wings were floating behind him. It was an image like from an old bible. Except for the ropes on Adam’s wrists and ankles.

  I could see the love of a father for his son in every step he took. How he carefully placed Adam’s head on a pillow and slid the blanket over his legs.

  Jenna sat down on the edge of the bed and placed her hands on Adam’s.

  “Welcome home,” she said and placed a kiss on his forehead.

  Ben was watching them from a few feet away. There was conflict visible in his features.

  He caught me staring and smoothed his expression. I gave him a smile.

  This was good. Adam was alive. He was with us.

  “I’ll stay with him until he wakes up,” Ben offered.

  “Me, too.” I wouldn’t leave his side until I knew what was going on inside his head. I needed to know what he had meant earlier. If there was any part of him that still loved me.

  “I’m not going to leave his side,” Chris positioned himself on the other side of the bed.

  “I guess we are all staying,” Jaden noted and settled down on the couch, pulling me down with him.

  “You need to rest,” he told me and pulled me against his side.

  It seemed he had forgiven me, and I relaxed under his touch when he placed his hand on my head and sent me into a dreamless sleep.

  “... if he attacks.”

  “Let’s assume he does. It’s not safe for her to be here.”

  “She’ll be target number one.”

  Low murmurs woke me up. I couldn’t tell what time it was, but it was still dark outside. I closed my eyes again and listened to the voices.

  “Should we get her out of here?” I made out Ben’s whisper.

  “It would be the smartest option. But where? Who can we trust to protect her in case Volpert decides to go after her?” Jaden pointed out. “And trust me, he will.”

  They were discussing shipping me off. I couldn’t let that happen. Not now that Adam was finally within reach.

  “Do you think they have figured out yet, that he is gone?”

  “Well, it’s likely. But we can’t be certain. If Adam was by himself when they met, there is a good chance the demons have no clue—” It was Chris. “But we haven’t taken the time to ask Claire what exactly happened. Maybe we should wake her up—”

  “I’m awake,” I claimed. “I’ll tell you everything, but please don’t make me leave. I need to be here.”

  “You are awake,” Jaden noted.

  “For a while,” I let him know I had heard everything.

  I turned to Chris. “To answer your question, it was a trap. Maureen was there.”

  “Maureen? Adam’s ex?” Ben asked incredulously.

  “Exactly.” The hair on my neck stood up at the thought of her.

  “She is a demon?” Jenna wanted to know.

  “Not sure.” I wondered myself. She hadn’t used any powers herself. All she had done was insult and threaten me, and order Adam to kill me.

  “She must have made Adam send the message. She seemed to control him somehow.”

  “What did she want?”

  “She seemed to have been on a revenge trip. She claimed I stole Adam from her—which I didn’t—”

  “That’s not entirely true,” Chris interrupted.

  What was he referring to? “I didn’t even know Adam when they broke up.”

  “I remember the short period of time he was dating Maureen,” Chris explained. “He was happy. And then, from one day to the next he cut her out and started to fantasize about a dream-girl.”

  That must have been the night he’d had the emotional vision of me. Adam hadn’t known it was me, then. He’d just been waiting to meet a face to match the vision. And he had been sure it wasn’t Maureen.

  Having experienced how painful it is to be rejected by Adam, even after all she had done to me, I felt sympathy for her.

  “Anyway, Maureen had access to Adam, that means she must be connected to the demons somehow,” I steered the topic away from my part in the jealousy drama. “She has a silver pendant, just like Volpert.”

  “Can you draw it?” Jaden asked.

  I wasn’t much of an artist, but I could remember the pendant well enough to sk
etch it.

  I nodded.

  Jenna grabbed a piece of paper from the old davenport in the corner and handed it to me along with a pencil.

  Jaden watched how I slowly guided the pencil over the white surface. When I was halfway through the curved pattern, he swiped the paper from under my hands and held it up.

  “I recognize this—” he mused, holding it up in front of him. “It’s a...”

  A groan from the other part of the room claimed all our attention.

  Adam was moving his head from side to side like he was having a bad dream.

  “He is waking up.” Chris teleported from the couch to the bed before he had even finished the sentence.

  The others followed. I was the only one to walk at human speed.

  I stood next to Jenna and Ben by the side of the bed, unable to move any closer.

  Jaden and Chris were sitting on each side of Adam, both ready to react.

  The tension was unbearable. I chewed my lower lip and waited.

  When Adam’s eyes fluttered, my teeth cut into my lip. I tasted blood and my heart rate went up, my system all alert and prepared to run.

  You have been waiting for this, the voice in my head came to life. Are you really going to run?

  His eyes fell on Chris first.

  “Welcome home, Adam,” Chris spoke.

  There was no hint of recognition in Adam’s expression. His face remained a pale mask. He raised his arms and looked at the rope on his wrists.

  Chris watched him with concern. Jaden was ready to do what ever was necessary.

  Adam didn’t try to free himself. Instead, he tried to sit up a little, and realized his legs were also tied.

  “I am so sorry, Adam,” Jenna apologized when she helped him sit up so he could lean against the headboard. “This is a necessary precaution.”

  Adam looked back at the rope and then up at Ben, who had sat down on the bed next to Chris.

  I watched the scene with growing concern. It seemed like he didn’t recognize any of them.

  He looked around the room for a while before he spotted me behind Jenna.

  When he laid eyes on me, they were searching my face for something. Insufferable tension spread inside my chest. He saw me, but did he see me?

  Adam blinked several times.

  “Where am I?” he asked and closed his eyes.