Yeah, it was possible.
But for Piper I shrugged and started walking to our next class. “I’m sorry we lost last night. I wish there was a way that I could have stayed and at least finished the game.”
“Hey, no thanks!” She squeezed me to her and we continued to walk with our arms around each other. We got plenty of funny looks from the kids forced to walk around us, but they were not even a blip on my radar. There were situations that only time could heal, or the love and support of your family. Then there were times when you just needed your best friend. That time was now for me. I’d been denying our friendship this authenticity for the longest time. I thought I had been protecting her, but really, I’d just been denying myself the depth of Piper’s friendship and acceptance.
She continued, “Listen, nobody is more bummed that Sterling beat us last night. I so wanted to kick their asses. And I almost did. After the game. I mean, I was really, really angry. Tristan had to hold me back. And then he called me a scary goblin. That’s not the point. Ahem. What I’m trying to say is that it’s okay that we lost that game if it meant you won. Your game is way more important than any sporting event we’ll ever compete in. Sure, I hate losing as much as the next guy, but I would hate dying way more. I’ll always be Team Stella. No matter how much in the lurch you leave us.”
God, I loved this girl. This time when I let out a burst of over-emotional laughter, tears came, too. I wiped them with the back of my hands and tried really hard to pretend they didn’t exist.
Tristan stood in the doorway to our next class. He held open the door and smiled at our classmates as they pushed by him. When we got close enough, he stopped being Mr. Popularity and looked at us with a mixture of concern and paranoia. His green eyes narrowed and silently asked us to spill whatever was going on.
I shrugged one shoulder and fell into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled his nose into the top of my head. “Who do I need to beat up?”
I snorted into his t-shirt and inhaled his familiarly wonderful scent. “I’ve got a really long list. You sure you’re up for it?”
He tilted my head up with a firm finger underneath my chin. “I’ve got time for you. So yeah, give me the list.”
“I love you guys. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Obviously lose all your awesomeness,” Piper said seriously.
“Obviously.”
“Seriously, Day. You going to make it?” A muscle in Tristan’s jaw ticked while he waited for my answer. I knew it killed him to be so helpless in my everyday problems. But there wasn’t any way to fix that. Tristan and Piper were forever human. And I forever wasn’t. The line that divided us was going and one day soon I would have to give them up.
But not today.
I had at least a year left with them. So while I didn’t get Seth for this time, I did have them. And that meant I would cherish this time. I would make the most of this year because it would be the last of its kind.
“It’s going to be a long day,” I shrugged.
“It’s going to be a long year,” Piper groaned. “I was so excited to be a senior. Now I just can’t wait for it to end.”
Tristan grunted, “No kidding.”
“Stop,” I pleaded. “I want this year to hurry up as much as you guys, but it’s my last year with you. I don’t want to spend it hurrying up to get to the future. I just want to enjoy our time together now. I want to make the most of it… whatever that means.”
Piper looked at me. Like really looked at me. Now her eyes were all watery and her chin trembled. “I didn’t think of that. That sucks.”
I nodded.
Tristan, the male voice of reason, said, “We have this year though. Good thing we plan on making it epic.”
He grinned at us while I felt the creepy-crawly feeling of foreboding slither down my spine. Epic? In what way?
Hopefully epically awesome. But, I knew better.
I knew things were only going to get worse before they got better, before I got Seth back. There was so much craziness to sort through and last night was just the tip of the iceberg.
One traitor down, but how many more to go? A rebellion to squash. A Counterpart to keep alive and keep from killing me. Major evil around every corner. Was Ari the only one stealing children and using them to cover his Darkness? Or were there more?
And what about Seven and Jude? How mad would he be when I finally killed that crazy bitch?
Like on a scale of one to ten?
Would I ever really be able to trust him?
He walked down the hallway toward us but I didn’t wait around for him. Tristan, Piper and I scooted into the classroom and took our seats in the back. Jude joined us right after and smiled at my friends like he belonged with us.
Did he?
Or was I only fooling myself that his secrets were positive additions to my already convoluted life?
Time would tell.
Time. I both needed it to speed up and slow way down. I couldn’t have both. And so I would take it as it came.
The same way I would take everything else.
Until my eighteenth birthday. Until I took the Earth as my own. Until Seth finally got his soul back.
Until the real battle for this planet began.
Until then, I would make the most of my senior year and fight whatever Darkness I could get my hands on.
That would have made an excellent extra-curricular activity had I planned on applying for college.
Chapter Twenty-One
A week later my parents still hadn’t returned. I watched the skies from the porch stairs that led from my house to our gravel drive. I knew they weren’t due back for a while, but I still couldn’t stop looking for them.
The house was too quiet and I was too restless. Nate and Serena hadn’t needed me all week. Well, that’s what they told me. I knew they had needed me; they just didn’t want to push me too hard.
I understood their point of view. Except, I kind of wished they would push harder.
I felt useless at the house. I was alone and inactive. A war that belonged to me waged in shadowy places everywhere beyond my property and here I sat, safe and out of reach.
I hated it.
But Jupiter had made me swear to wait until Serena asked for help. I’d given in after he threatened to take away my fighting privileges until I was eighteen. That wouldn’t do any good.
He’d also refused to talk about where he was the night I’d fought Ari.
I thought it was super weird he was missing in action that night. And even weirder that he’d come to the house as scratched up and battle worn as the rest of us.
But his lips were sealed. He wasn’t going to spill his secrets any time soon.
And frankly, I didn’t think I could handle any more revelations.
My knees were drawn to my chest with my arms wrapped around them. The weather had cooled down now that we were well into September. The days could still heat up nicely, but once the sun set, the breeze picked up and the temperature dropped.
I didn’t feel any of it as I let my inner Light burn through me.
I sat there, contemplating my future, missing my parents and all in all feeling pretty sorry for myself when they dropped down from the sky.
Right in front of me.
As if the blessing wasn’t in place. As if we hadn’t set up precautions to keep exactly those kinds of people out.
One of them burned as hotly as I did. The other’s Light was dimmed to a grayish hue that enveloped his entire body and spread out into the air around him. There was just the briefest flicker of something golden, near the center of his chest. I almost convinced myself it was my imagination until he took a step forward.
It was there. And while he stood in front of me it expanded in the faintest shade over the rest of him.
I saw the golden glow surround every inch of his massive body. His muscles rippled in the soft Light and the sharp edges of his face stood out against the
backdrop of night behind him.
Seth.
And he’d brought Seven.
What the hell?
“How did you get here?”
Yep, that was my brilliant response. I should have been scrambling for my recently replaced katanas or digging my cell phone from my pocket so I could call for help or doing anything besides staring at two of the most dangerous people I knew, asking pointless, time-wasting questions.
Seth leveled me with a look. One concentrated, unwavering stare and he unraveled me. Right there. Just as I sat in front of him.
He killed me.
Or at least paralyzed me completely.
“I need your help,” he told me.
Yes. Anything. “Why?” I asked, letting my training guide me.
“Seven,” was all he said. Just as her name left his lips, she collapsed at his feet. Her shoulders hunched over her hands as they braced her against the harsh gravel. She shook all over. Even from here, and despite that her Light had extinguished, I could see her body tremble and quake.
“What’s wrong with her?” Seriously, what was wrong with her? What kind of condition reduced a Star to that kind of weakness and allowed her past holy barriers?
Seth mostly ignored his sister on the ground. He let her huddle at his feet as if she didn’t exist. But I could see that his stance was the ultimate in protecting what was his. Every ounce of his body had tightened and coiled into intense awareness. His arms dangled at his side but they were anything but relaxed. His face fought to look blank, but something burned through his gaze that scorched even my skin.
He hit me with those golden brown eyes again and said the last thing I expected from him. “I didn’t leave for only you.”
My mind spun and raced to catch up. “You left for Seven?”
After everything? After she betrayed their parents? After she continually tried to kill him? And me? He left for her!
Nope.
I was not okay with that. Not in any way. Ever.
Damn him and his sense of loyalty. Or his old sense of loyalty.
He looked at my gaping mouth and down at his sister. “She’s sick, Stella. She needs help.”
“So you brought her here?” I all but shrieked. “She’s going to kill me in my sleep! And if she doesn’t, Aliah will! Are you out of your mind?”
“Aliah can’t touch you.” His words were simply truth. Aliah couldn’t touch me.
There was that pesky old contract to think of. But, for real? I knew even Aliah would risk his life to get Seven back, no matter the cost. She wasn’t Seth. She wasn’t someone Aliah was trying to woo over to the Fallen. She already was Fallen. He already owned her. In my bones, I knew there was nothing that Aliah would not do to get Seven back.
Seth’s body relaxed a miniscule amount and his gaze softened. “She’s not going to hurt you.”
I snorted. “You know I can’t trust you, right? I mean… this is crazy. This is… crazy.”
Seth took a step forward and his sister jumped at his sudden movement. He stomped right up to the base of the porch steps and met my searching gaze that was now eye level with him because of where I sat. Our bodies were still several feet apart, but I felt him cover me entirely. My skin prickled hotly with awareness and my chest tightened from his nearness.
Lord, help me. I loved this boy more than myself and the fact that he could stand in front of me, on my property, while trying to save his broken, insane sister did irreparable damage to my already hemorrhaging heart.
“I’m here, aren’t I?” He looked around the farm cloaked in darkness. Only the moon and stars offered any light to this black night. The moon, the stars, and him.
Even when he was completely dark… he still gave me Light.
“This has to be a trick.”
“It’s not,” he assured me. “Seven needs you, Stella.”
“Seven hates me.”
His response was immediate and filled with conviction. “She doesn’t. She envies you. She admires you. She is a little confused by you. But she doesn’t hate you. She… she can’t hate you. Even if she tries to hurt you, it’s not because she wants you dead. It’s just that she’s confused and so very lost.”
His voice broke over his sister and if I thought I couldn’t be more affected by this man, my Counterpart, my most feared enemy, I was wrong. His words were like daggers in my chest and my will, undoing me with every new admission.
“What do you think I can do for her?” That was the real question. It wasn’t like I ran a rehabilitation household. I mean, honestly, there wasn’t even a place for Fallen to hideout in if they were interested in restoration therapy. It wasn’t like the Lower Realm had some version of a Betty Ford clinic. Seriously, what the heck?
“Save her.”
“I can’t.”
“You’re saving me,” he said somberly. And oh geez, if that didn’t hit me right in the soul. “You can save her. I know you can.”
I had to argue this. He had to know his sister was a helpless cause. “She’s beyond saving.”
“She’s not!” he barked and his skin immediately sizzled and smoked- the blessing. He was not entirely the pacifist he claimed to be tonight. He took several calming breaths and looked back at her over his shoulder. That seemed to center him and when he spoke again, he was back to cool and collected. “She’s not beyond saving. She’s not completely Fallen. Her Light still burns bright. Aliah has made sure of that. But it’s not going to last much longer. If she doesn’t… if she doesn’t turn around now, she’ll be lost forever.”
“You really believe that she can be saved?” my voice was a whisper of doubt.
He nodded and took three steps to reach me. He kneeled directly in front of me and put his warm hands on my knees. “With your help, yes.”
“Seth, what if I can’t-”
“You have to,” he growled.
I shook my head and looked at the broken girl still trembling in my driveway. “I don’t know how this is going to work.”
“Make it work,” he demanded in a low rumble. “Save her. And when it’s time, save me.”
My stomach flipped over and a shiver raced down my spine. Oh, god. He wanted me to practice on his sister? He knew how desperate his fate would be in a year. He really believed Seven could be saved.
And he trusted me with her.
Oh, my god.
Where were my parents when I needed them? Jupiter? Serena and Nate? I would take Jude right now if he were around! I needed advice! I couldn’t make this decision on my own. It was too much. And way too dangerous.
“You’re asking too much of me.” I put my hands on top of his and let the heat from both of our inner beings pass back and forth between us. I would cherish this touch, treasure it. I knew I wouldn’t have another moment like this with him for a very long time. If ever.
I also knew that he wasn’t able to come on this property because of his love for me. This was all for Seven. He somehow managed to tame his monster for his sister.
I was both incredibly moved and insanely jealous. I wanted this version of him. I wanted him to sacrifice for me.
Although… I supposed he already had.
“I am,” he agreed. “And it won’t be the last time.” He leaned forward and rested his forehead lightly against mine. He breathed in deeply and seemed to inhale me completely. “Please, Stella. Save Seven.”
“What do you want me to do?” I closed my eyes against his overwhelming presence. I would do anything for him. Even this. He had known that before he came, otherwise he wouldn’t have bothered.
A hum of approval vibrated in his throat and his hands slid from my kneecaps up the outer sides of my thighs until they came to rest on my hips. He gripped them possessively, tightly, so firmly I swear I could feel the pressure of his fingertips in the center of my bones.
“Keep her here,” he instructed. “Keep her safe. Don’t let her leave your house or your yard and don’t let her… hurt anyone else. Especially, do
n’t let her hurt herself. She will try. She’s damaged, Stel. So damaged. But not beyond our reach. Help her find herself again.”
I winced. That was impossible. This whole thing was impossible.
“Jude comes over all the time, Seth. He’ll find out she’s here.”
“I’m not worried about Jude,” he spat the name like it tasted too bitter to keep in his mouth.
“Won’t he tell Aliah?” I didn’t know if he would or not actually. Did he really love Seven? Maybe he would help me.
“It’s only a matter of time before Aliah finds out. It won’t matter if it’s Jude who tells him, or eventually… me. You won’t be able to keep the secret for long. But the blessing is strong enough to keep her safe here as long as she doesn’t leave. At least not until she’s strong enough.”
“What about the priest that marked that apartment. I felt the blessing. It was strong.”
“Let me worry about the smaller details,” he whispered. His breath floated over my lips and caused another shiver to jerk my body.
“You really believe this is going to work?”
“I believe because I have to. I have nothing else to believe in.” He dropped a kiss to the corner of my eye. “Isn’t that why you believe in me?”
A shuddering breath racked my chest but I managed to nod. That was exactly why I believed in him. For me, there was not another option.
His lips grazed over my cheekbone and settled at the corner of my mouth. His tongue swept out and tasted my skin. I sucked in a sharp breath and turned my face to his.
I trembled nearly as badly as Seven as my hands trailed up his abdomen and pressed against his chest. He nudged his torso between my thighs and yanked me forward so we fit tightly together.
Despite his rough movements his kisses were gentle and savoring. He licked at my lips and tasted them with the softest kisses. He sucked in my bottom lip and nipped at it playfully.
A deep sigh vibrated through his chest and his grasp on my hips tightened. I opened my mouth on a gasp at the firmness of his body that seemed to cover me entirely. His skin heated with the increased tempo of his mouth against mine and as soon as my lips parted, his tongue dipped inside to find mine.
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