by K. K. Allen
“Erebus!” a woman’s voice shouts in the distance.
Circe is standing on the platform below us, where Paul was. I move my head from side to side, searching for Paul through the vapor of energy. When I see him, he mouths for me to be quiet and divert Erebus’s attention from his approach.
Showtime.
Kat’s head swivels toward Circe, and Erebus smirks. “There you are, dear. I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone. Quite literally, in fact.”
Kat turns back around and angles her palms downward, concentrating heavily on her powers. She’s shaking, smiling, and looking more frustrated by the second. Whatever she’s trying to do is not working. She turns her palms back up, then when nothing happens, she shakes her hands and looks back at me.
“Drain your energy so soon?” I ask innocently.
I had a feeling this would happen. After spending so much time with the energy plant scientists in Pensacola, I learned that both dark and light energies can’t occupy the same space for long before one eventually overpowers the other. Kat is too strong for Erebus to control his energy within her body.
With a strangled cry of frustration, Erebus lunges for me, forcing me to lose my grip on the rim. We move through the air together, me pushing Kat away, Kat’s hands trying to grasp my neck. I land on my back, and it’s every bit as painful as I imagined and more. The impact to my head causes my sight to darken for too long. Small but strong hands find their grip around my throat, and they’re tightening.
“No!” Erebus screams, but the voice is more like Kat than Erebus. Hope sears through me as the thought crosses my mind that she could be fighting this—and she could win.
My vision finds the strength to return, and I watch Kat, who seems as if she’s struggling with her own actions. She’s not fighting me anymore.
“Kat!” I scream as loudly as I can. She’s in there. She can hear me. “Fight this!” I cry out, ignoring the desperation in my voice. If there’s anyone I can be vulnerable with, it’s Kat. She has to hear me.
Remembering my mission, I retrieve the pendant from my back pocket and slap it on her wrist, pressing it tightly to her skin.
Erebus howls, but I pull Kat closer so our faces are only inches from each other. My back is pressed against the metal grating of the walkway. “Fight this, Kat,” I say again, this time quieter. I don’t need to scream for her to hear me. She’s here with me. I find her gaze through her battle and hold it. “Come on, Kat. I need you to come back to me.”
A flicker of light passes her eyes, and she begins to relax from the struggle. More light. Gold. Green. Green. It’s her. Then her eyelids squeeze shut as if she’s in pain. I tighten my hold. She groans. She groans. Erebus has already lost the battle.
Paul and Alec surround us. Kaleb hitches his leg over the center of the walkway and smiles. Just then, Erebus is ejected from Kat’s body with a grunt, and his serpent form snakes through the air above us.
“This isn’t over!” Erebus yells as his dark energy is pushed away from the plant. “When your precious Katrina wakes up, you can tell her the deal is off. You will all die. Starting now.”
Erebus extracts his final blow of power in our direction, hitting Kaleb and pushing him forward over the side of the ledge. Alec and Paul move to catch him, but it’s too late. Alec practically jumps off the walkway to reach him, but he just barely scrapes the tips of Kaleb’s fingers. Paul has to grab Alec’s ankle to save him from the same fate.
“No!” A devastating scream punctures the air, and I know it’s Kacey witnessing her brother’s fall.
I’m anticipating the sound of his fall while cringing and holding my breath, but a fall never comes because he’s floating. Kaleb is literally floating through the air as if a cloud breezed through and lifted him to safety. He’s rising back up toward us, eyes shut tightly and breathing heavily. Oh. My. God.
Circe stands to the other side of me, a look of concentration on her face as her eyes lift at the speed in which Kaleb is traveling. Her arms are motionless by her sides. Interesting. The energy she must be using to pull this off is incredible, and it doesn’t even appear like she’s leveraging her entire power.
As much as I want to ogle Circe and pick apart her magic, I’m not about to let Kat go. No matter what. Never again.
She looks angelic in my arms, with her eyelids pressed together, long lashes stroking the tops of her cheeks.
Paul reaches us as Alec pulls Kaleb back onto the ledge. “Katrina, open your eyes, honey.” Paul’s voice says it all. Living those first eighteen years without his daughter was all he can stand. He would be broken if he lost her again. So would I. I’ve always known why Paul trusts me with Kat. It’s because he knows I would do anything to protect her, just as he would.
Even though Kat’s eyes remain closed, she’s clearly breathing just fine. She’s alive.
“Thank you, Johnny. Thank you for saving my baby girl.”
I shake my head, holding back the lump in my throat. “You don’t need to thank me, sir. She wasn’t about to let Erebus win. You should have seen her fight.”
Paul slaps a hand on my back and squeezes Kat’s hand. “She might need some time to wake up. I’m going to check on the others.”
By others, I know he means Grace. I’ll never forget the look on Paul’s face when he laid eyes on his wife again. With a glance down, I see Rose near the gate with a sleeping Grace in her lap, brushing the hair from her head, and regarding her with soft eyes. Paul is walking toward them.
“Johnny,” Kat whispers. “Did you see her? Did you see my mom?”
Kat’s eyes are the most beautiful sight. I stroke her cheek and angle her in my arms so I can kiss her forehead. I don’t want to overwhelm her, but thinking that I might never press my lips to her skin again makes it impossible not to feather light kisses from her forehead to her cheek to her nose, until I eventually reach her lips, where I plant one light peck.
“She’s with Rose,” I finally answer. “But I’m not sure what condition she’s in.”
When I look again, I see Erebus slithering slowly through the air just beyond the gate, as if he’s waiting for something or someone. I think he’s talking to Rose.
“We need to get down there with the others. Do you have enough strength to hold on to my back?”
She shakes her head. My eyes soften as I take in the bruises on her arms and legs. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.” I wrap her arms around me and lift her back and legs, cradling her in my arms.
We reach the group at the gate.
“I need a body,” Erebus snarls. “Grace is mine. Give her back to me, or you all die!” He’s obviously lost his cool.
“You’ve already used that one. I think you’re out of threats,” Rose sneers. Clearly, Kat gets her feistiness from Rose.
“You’re not touching her again,” Paul shouts. He stands in front of Grace, just inches from the gate—unafraid.
Kat pulls herself from my arms and kneels beside Rose and her mother. “Just leave, Erebus. She belongs with us. If you’re smart, you’ll stay away from us, from this town, from every Enchanter. You should fear us all.”
The Serpent’s hiss is so loud, the air feels like it’s vibrating around us. He darts a tongue in and out of his mouth as he slithers along the edge of the gate. “Only one of you can wear that locket, my sweet. Remember that when you’re sleeping at night. Grace is mine, and I will get her back.”
Kat throws him a penetrating glare that makes me wonder if she’s using magic. I hope she never looks at me that way. “I should thank you for providing me with such useful information during your visit. Now I know why you strip the memories from those you possess. I imagine if you’re this forthcoming with everyone, someone might just be smart enough to lock you away forever.”
Erebus hisses once but doesn’t speak. He knows Kat won this battle by overpowering him at his strongest. He finally slithers off into the distance, but I know he won’t stay gone. The God of Darkness will be back,
and I would bet any amount of money he’ll be back soon.
Kat
My head is pounding, and I’m so thirsty. It’s like someone took a vacuum and depleted me of everything I need for survival. I’m empty, yet so incredibly heavy. Sand bags could be weighing me down for all I know. My eyelids must be glued together, because I can’t tear them apart—not that I try very hard. The light filtering through the thin layer of skin is already more than I can handle.
Soft fabric forms to my body as I move, and I wrap the thick comforter around my shoulders with a groan. My muscles feel stiff and overworked, and there’s a pressure across my chest—something heavy, pressing into me, constricting me to a bed.
I struggle to adjust to the light as I peel open my eyes. It’s a cloudy day, allowing no more than a dim light to stream through my French doors. After another attempt at breathing, I realize the pressure is not subsiding. I fight it, attempting to sit, but the restraint holding me down is stronger.
“What the—?”
I look to my left, and that’s when I see him. Like always, the effects are instantaneous. My heart melts along with my body as I sink back into my bed and face a sleeping Johnny. He’s above the covers with an arm nestled around me, locking me in place. Suddenly the pressure over my chest is more of a comfort than a constraint. It’s a breath of fresh air that kickstarts my memory, chugging and sputtering my mind into gear before finally revving to life.
I gasp. I’m alive.
The speed of my thoughts escalates with excitement. I was climbing something. My aim was the sky. I remember looking down into a dark hole then seeing a puff of fog. Erebus wanted me to jump. I wouldn’t jump. He said I could climb down, just as I’d climbed up, but I refused. I refused, not Erebus. We struggled for a while. Until I was falling, with Johnny an arm’s length away. When we landed, I really started to gain control. I saw Johnny. I looked into his eyes, and I knew this was a war I could win.
Johnny stirs beside me, and I smile, reaching out to stroke the stubble on his cheek. It’s usually trimmed to perfection near his skin, giving him a mature and rugged appearance. He obviously hasn’t had time to shave with all the activity. I like him like this. Relaxed. In my bed.
With a jerk of my head, I look around my room. How on earth was he allowed into my room? My dad must have resisted him. Unless— Panic sets in, and I begin to shake Johnny awake. It doesn’t take much. His eyes fly open like someone threw cold water over his head, and his arms reach to cover me, protecting me from an imagined assailant.
“Kat!” With the panicked whisper, he grabs my face and pulls himself closer. I let him kiss me. I need him to kiss me. If anything can remind me of how it feels to be alive, it’s Johnny’s warm lips on mine. His fingers stroke my cheeks before sliding through my hair and gripping it with an intensity I feel in every inch of my being.
I struggle to pull away, remembering my panic. “Is my dad okay?”
His eyes lock with mine, and he nods emphatically. “Paul is fine.”
Thank God.
“He’s downstairs. Do you want me to get him?”
Of course I want to see my dad, but he’s fine, and Johnny is right here. I’m not ready to face reality and relive my struggles with Erebus. “Not yet,” I answer softly.
“Okay.”
“But…” I stifle a laugh. “Does my dad know you’re in my room?”
He turns his head and places it on my chest, but not before I see him smile. “Yes, but don’t worry. I was under strict rules to stay above the comforter at all times and keep the doors open.” He nuzzles my chest above the comforter as if trying to find a comfortable position.
A giggle escapes as I realize what he’s doing. “Stop. I want to hear how you pulled this one off.”
He surprises me by giving me a curious look, as if there’s something I’m not registering. “Someone had to stay with you. Rose isn’t feeling too well, so Charlotte is with her, and Paul is with Grace.”
My eyes fly open, and I sit up, throwing the covers and Johnny off me. At just the mention of her name, I remember the rest. My heart pounds erratically as I picture her standing there at the control of Erebus, so lost. So alone. And fragile. My mom was always a petite woman, but she was never fragile. I often referred to her as the woman chiseled from stone with a heart made of gold.
“I need to see her.” I race around the bed and to the door, with Johnny is right behind me. “Where is she?”
“Kat, let’s talk first.”
“What’s there to talk about?” I ask, barely comprehending my own words over my thumping heart. “My mom is alive, Johnny. I need to see her. Where is she?”
“Guest room, first floor.”
I race through the hallway, down the stairs, and past the great room until I’ve entered another hallway. I reach the second set of stairs and fly down them. The guest room door is shut. Johnny is close behind the entire way, but he doesn’t try to stop me. He understands me well enough by now to know there’s nothing he can do to stop me when I want something.
The door to the guest room is closed, so I press my cheek against the door, the cold wood kissing my ear. I press harder, straining to hear something, anything. I hear…
Breathing. Hearts beating. Two hearts.
My dad’s and mom’s hearts, beating in the same room, while mine flutters rapidly in my chest. I can’t disturb them now.
The possibility of this moment never even crossed my mind, but now that it’s arrived, I’m releasing everything I’ve held back since my mother’s death—the strength I found after losing her, the courage I found to start a new life, and the sadness that slowly faded but never left completely. For the first time in two years, armor tossed away, I finally allow myself to accept every ounce of pain I somehow skimmed through on my way to the present.
Johnny’s ready as I fall, sinking to the floor with his arms wrapped tightly around me. We stay in this position for a while. Tears splatter his skin, but he never moves to dry them. He just holds me.
When the door to the guest room opens, Johnny and I both look up. My dad steps out and closes the door. Our eyes meet, and his entire face lights up with overwhelming relief.
I scramble out of Johnny’s grasp and throw myself in his arms. “Katrina.” He barely chokes out my name through his tears. “Oh, Katrina.” He strokes my hair and kisses my head over and over again. “I am so sorry for this life. You are a brave young woman.”
I look up and shake my head despite my tears. “Don’t say that, Dad. It’s not your fault. I let him take me. Maybe it was a stupid plan, but I just couldn’t bear anyone else getting hurt.” My eyes float to the door then back to Paul. He visibly tenses, understanding why I’m here. “I want to see her.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. She’s still sleeping. Let her get some rest. She’s been through a lot already, and so have you. You’ll both need your energy.”
“For what?” I search around the room and notice it’s empty. Johnny must have stepped out to give my father and me time alone.
Paul sighs. By the darkness under his eyes, his wrinkled clothes, and his unkempt appearance, I realize he probably hasn’t slept at all. “We don’t know what will happen when she wakes up. I don’t want you to get your hopes up. She chose Erebus. For all we know, the mother you knew is gone forever.”
His words shoot flaming darts into my chest. “How can you say that? She would never choose him.” I push away and reach for the door handle to the guest room. Turning the knob, I shove the door open. I step inside and freeze.
This is all so surreal. She’s lying in bed, breathing. No matter what happens, at least I know she’s safe. Memory loss or not, she’s still my mother. She’s still the woman who raised me for most of my life. The one who taught me how to ride a bike and tread water. The one who dedicated her life to my protection. Not even Erebus can take that away from her.
“Mom,” I whisper, sinking into the chair at her bedside. A pale arm hangs loose
ly off the edge of the mattress, so I reach for it, applying gentle pressure. She looks the same. Soft, pale skin. Large, round eyes that are now closed, pressed peacefully together. Petite frame.
She’s been living a nightmare for over a year while I’ve been making a new life for myself. Devastating guilt chips away at me for carrying on while she’s been imprisoned by Erebus.
My dad sits at the edge of the bed, watching us as I continue to squeeze my mom’s hand, sending whatever energy I can summon from my palm to hers. Maybe all it will take to trigger her memory is to see a familiar face. Almost as soon as my dad sits down, my mom stirs beneath the sheets. I feel pressure on my own hand as she moves. I gasp.
“What is it, Katrina?”
“She squeezed my hand,” I whisper.
Paul stands as my mother slowly opens her eyes. Her expression fills with confusion as she takes in her surroundings. My pulse quickens. I anxiously await her reaction to us.
Her eyes lock on Paul first, and she narrows them, then her eyes jerk to me. Her confusion turns to recognition, and my heart feels as if it’s about to explode.
She speaks. Her voice is perfectly familiar. “It’s you.”
“It’s you.”
If it’s possible for my heart to lunge out of my chest and fall onto the floor, then that’s exactly what’s happening right now. My mom is staring back at me as we hold hands.
“You remember me?” I choke through the ball of emotions building in my throat. “Mom, I’ve missed you so much.”
Her hand jerks away from mine, and she sits up, pressing herself flat against the bed frame as if she’s terrified—of me. My dad is by my side in an instant, pulling me to my feet and wrapping a protective arm around my shoulders. I’m full-on crying now, unable to hide my devastation.
“It’s you,” she hisses again. “He claimed you. Who are you?” She whips her head around. “Where am I?” She returns her focus to us, as if she’s afraid to look away.
“Grace, you’ve been through a lot, but you’re safe with us.” Paul is so gentle when he speaks to her. “We’re your family. We’ll take care of you.”