by Lucy Swing
The moment Claire laid eyes on Avan, she would know what he had become. My two best friends stood on either side of me, ready to fight. At the edge of the forest, Lilith stood tall with Amy and Avan crouching at her side. It was involuntary for him. She pretty much owned him now. He would do as she commanded, no matter what.
He cocked his head to the side, as if analyzing the situation and looking for a way to stay alive.
“What the heck happened, Jade?” Claire asked under her breath as she shot me a short but piercing look.
Was she talking about Avan? I mumbled something that was unrecognizable even to my own ears. I couldn’t let her take Avan from me. It wasn’t fair what she had gone through, losing her mate so that some fallen being could create a gourd. I understood why she was doing it. I was there when she lay over her dead lover’s body, and I felt her pain. But this was my love, and I would not allow anyone to touch him, even if it meant I must die in the process.
“Why were you out here? What were you thinking?” she asked again, getting impatient at my lack of a response. At least, she hadn’t noticed Avan yet.
I looked over at Nate. He definitely had spotted him. His eyes grew dark.
“So what do you want, Lilith?” I turned to her, desperation getting the best of me. “You want me? You want my blood? My wings? Take them! Take it all. I don’t want any of it if it means his death.” The tears welled in my eyes. “You have taken it all away from me. I have nothing left. So take me. Do what you must.”
Claire gasped behind me, her hand gently holding on to my arm.
Nate took a step forward. Through my tears, I noticed the distortion in his face. The anger must have taken over, and he charged toward Avan. I was seeing it all happen in slow motion. I ran after Nate, wrapped my arms around his waist, and hurled him up into the air. I threw him over to the trees in the forest. He quickly got up, but I was already hunkering in front of Avan.
No one was getting through me. Claire’s eyes widened as she took in what was happening. I couldn’t be sure whether she understood what Avan was, or only that I had turned my back on her and Nate and was now protecting him and, in part, Lilith.
“Jade? What’s happening?” she asked as she came a few steps closer.
I backed up until my back touched him. His touch made my whole body shiver in the usual way.
“I . . . I can’t let you take him, Claire. I just can’t.” I felt his hands around my hips. Oh, no, he was going to make me lose control. I took a step forward.
“You have no idea what he has been made into.”
Claire spoke the words between clenched jaws. Her eyes, just like Nate’s, had grown dark. The gray in them was long gone, the pupils now dilated and sharing the same petrifying charcoal color. Her face contorted until it didn’t look like my graceful, happy best friend anymore. Now she had transformed into a revenge-filled maniac. Her mouth went crooked, and if I didn’t know better, I would think she was beginning the transformation into a demon. It would be a hard fight trying to keep her from avenging her dead lover.
“He’s immortal—so what? I know why you’re doing this, but, Claire, I won’t let you. I love him.”
I backed up and stood next to him, and he held my hand and spoke into my mind: “You can’t do this, Jade. I can’t let you choose between me and your best friend. What if I am a monster?”
“No! I love you!” I said to him as I grabbed his face with both hands and made him stand tall. He looked more beautiful than ever. I guess it was the divinity he had been infused with. His skin shone brighter, and his eyes began to sparkle again. His true self was coming through. I was lost in those eyes when I heard running footsteps approach. I pushed him off to the side, and he flew and landed against a dark, cold boulder. I heard something snap. There was no time to react and check on him now. I comforted myself in the knowledge that he was immortal.
Claire and Nate charged at me, and the way they moved send a wave of fear through my body. I couldn’t believe this is what it all had come to: me battling against my two best friends to keep my boyfriend alive. Claire changed direction and was now headed to where I had thrown Avan.
Nate hit me with full force, sending me flying back a few feet. My back hit a tree trunk, and I fell limp to the ground. I shot to my feet and ran after Claire, who was now dragging Avan away. Where the hell was Lilith? I would have thought she cared about Avan, even if it was just a little bit. I grabbed Claire’s shoulder and twisted her around with more strength than I had ever summoned.
I was momentarily distracted by shouts from Amy. She was all over Nate, who was fighting her off. She kept biting the air like a rabid animal, trying to get at him. Claire’s leg swept out in a wide circle, connecting with my ankles, throwing me into the air once again. Before I could realize what was happening, I found myself flat on my back, sucking in deep breaths of air that seemed empty of oxygen.
Claire kicked me in the ribs in an attempt to keep me on the ground longer. It didn’t hurt, but I was momentarily immobilized. She reached for Avan again.
No! I let out a grunt as I stood up, but before I could reach her, strong arms clamped mine against my sides in an attempt to subdue me. It was Nate, pulling me backward while I squirmed and yelled at Claire to let Avan go.
“Don’t do it, Claire. Please!” I begged her. “It’s not his fault. Please, let him live!”
She looked sideways at me, her face still dark with vengeance.
“I’ll sacrifice myself! Please!” I sobbed. “Let him live!” I couldn’t let him die. I tried to pull away again, but Nate had me in a bear hug.
Claire finally turned and faced me. “That’s the whole point: I will not see another angel sacrificed for this.” She pointed in disgust at Avan.
“Claire . . .” It was a mere whisper that escaped my lips. My hope fading fast. I looked behind me, where Amy lay crumpled on the ground—dead, I assumed. Lilith stood next to her, her eyes intently watching Claire. “Do something!” I told her. “I’ll do whatever you want—just save him. Please!”
She looked at me for a moment. “You will sacrifice yourself to save him?” A grin emerged on her face. It was exactly what she needed: I had to sacrifice myself for her to continue the gourd bloodline.
“Yes.” I lowered my head. I just wanted it all to be over. I couldn’t see anyone else die because of me.
I saw Lilith move past us. Claire saw her, too, and before Lilith reached them, she pulled out Shemer’s sword. In a fast, fluid movement, she plunged the sword into Avan’s chest. Blood spurted out, covering Claire’s clothes.
“No!” I screamed. Nate’s grip lessened, and I broke free and ran to Avan.
Claire withdrew the sword, and it made a crackling noise. She moved back. Her face was back to normal as her bewildered eyes took in the scene in front of her.
Avan was on his knees, his hands pressed against his wound.
I slid my arms around him and held him, his eyes locked in mine. What had I done? How could I have let this happen? “I am so sorry.” I kissed his forehead and lingered there, my tears rolling down onto his face.
His body went limp, and I laid him back against the boulder, still in my arms. He looked up at me, his breaths coming in shorter gasps. A gurgling sound from deep in his chest made me shiver.
“I love you, Jade,” he murmured. “I always will.” He took a long breath and closed his eyes. And he never opened them again.
I pulled him to me. The warm blood seeped through my clothes and onto my body. “I love you, too.” I held him tight in my arms until my tears stopped coming. I pulled away and looked at him. Something was building deep inside me. Something was growing, changing. I screamed. This time I was full of anger and despair. The tingling in my back was stronger than ever. I kept screaming, not once drawing breath.
“Jade, I am sorry,” Claire whispered beside me. Her hand rested on my shoulder and I twitched.
“Don’t touch me,” I growled back at her. It took all two seconds for my
mind to shatter.
In a swift movement, I was on my feet. I could feel the features in my face change. Were they distorted as Claire’s had been? I put my hand around Claire’s throat and picked her up. I would kill her for what she had done. There was no turning back. I felt my wings unfurl, and everyone gasped.
Claire kept trying to pull away. Her own wings protruded but my grip wouldn’t budge. Nate threw himself at me, but I was far too strong and pissed off. He kept coming at me, pestering me and I finally let go of her so I could finish him first. He quickly backed away from me.
Lilith took a few steps back. I watched as she threw her arms in the air as in… surrender? “There is nothing left for me here,” she muttered just before she disappeared into thin air. Coward!
My heart sank when she was gone, I would gladly have sacrificed myself if it meant I would be with him again. A dark shadow moved behind me. I twisted my head to the side and saw that it was no shadow.
It was my wings. They had turned dark. They weren’t black, but they sure weren’t pure anymore.
I smiled and looked back at my former best friends. “There is nothing holding me back now, is there?” I said. I took a cautious step forward and took pleasure in the way they recoiled.
“Jade, it had to be done,” Claire said. “It’s no life being a gourd. He would always have been at her command, and sooner or later he would have gone mad.”
I took another step toward her. “At least he would have been alive.” The words were careful and full of conviction. Before I could lunge, a warm hand gripped my shoulder. I spun around, ready to kill. As I stared into his eyes, a smile crept into my face, and the darkness swirled out of control, consuming me.
aBOUT THE AUTHOR
Lucy Swing lives in sunny Florida with her husband and two children.
She is a YA Paranormal/ Romance writer, whose works include: Feathermore #1 (Feathermore Trilogy), Bloody Valentine, the novella, and Bloody Valentine is also offered in "Death by Chocolate," an anthology consisting of 6 fantastic YA short stories with a chocolaty twist.
She is an absolute book hoarder and must always have a book at arms distance. Music is her muse, and there is always a soundtrack that plays along her life.
For more information on Lucy Swing please visit her website:
https://www.LucySwing.com