“We have to do it, Nat.” Rick doesn’t give me a chance to say that I don’t want to do this. “The deal’s already been made.”
Rick storms over and spins Trevor’s body around to face me. He yanks my hand up and slaps it against Trevor’s chest
I shake my head. “No. I can’t”
Rick gives me a sad smile and then turns and shoves Trevor with my hand from the second story window.
No sound comes from Trevor. No screams, no shouts, no cursing. Nothing. Not a peep. He never even fought it. A couple seconds later a loud crack sounds from the ground below and my gut tightens.
I thrust my head outside to get a look of Trevor’s fate. My mouth hangs open and my stomach lurches.
The empty pool below us is spotted with crimson from where his body landed head first. Trevor is unrecognizable. His face mangled beyond repair. Tears fill my eyes and I cringe.
“What have we done?” I whisper.
Rick puts his hand on my shoulder. “We had to, Nat. It’s our job.”
I shrug away from his touch. “It’s not my job.”
He walks over and takes my hand to examine my lifeline. “You’re right. It’s not your job anymore. I’ll give you back your soul.”
We enter the hallway and Rick pulls me back to the exact spot we were standing in at the top of the stairs.
“First things first.” He raises his hands and claps them, bringing time back to its current state.
The girl beside me squeals as her drink lands on her shoe, and the couple on the other side continue to make out like crazy.
“Take my hand.” I interlace our fingers, and he gives his hand a little squeeze starts up the energy flow between us.
Rick leads me down the stairs when we hear a shrill screams erupt through the house. They must’ve found Trevor’s body. People scramble, pushing and shoving each other to get out of the door, and soon the house clears out like it’s on fire.
I step out and see a crowd gathered around the empty pool. My body shakes violently and my legs wobble. I drop to my knees onto the concrete sidewalk.
I don’t know if I’m cracking from all the shit I’ve been through or if this pain is actually real that’s coursing through me.
With shaky fingers, I turn my hands over and as they throb with pain. My hands feel like I’ve stuck them straight into a campfire, and the heats spreading up my arms.
I gasp and stare at my palms. “My hands.”
Rick scoops me into his arms and hugs me tight to his chest. “We need to get out of here.”
The pain spreads down to the tips of my toes and then all the way up to my face. It’s overwhelming, and the tears I’ve been fighting can no longer be hidden. They streak down my cheeks, creating tiny wet puddles on Rick’s shirt as I sob into his chest.
“Rick?” I rasp.
He slides me into the passenger seat of his car. “Shhhhhhhh. I’ll take you home. Just hang in there.”
Once inside his car, Rick grabs my hand and bright light admits from his eyes. Heat sears my palm and I squeeze my eyes shut.
A scream rips up from my throat, just as Rick pulls his hand away and the pain stops. “It’s done. You’re you again.”
Breathing hard, I stare down at my hand with wide eyes. My life line is so long now it wraps all the way around my hand. “It’s over?”
Rick nods and touches my cheek. “You’re free.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Rick’s hand steadies me with his hand on my lower back as he walks me to my front door. “I’m not leaving until I’m sure you’re okay, you know.”
Flattered that he cares for my now completely human wellbeing, I smile at him. “Thank you.”
Light from the evening sun pours into the foyer as Rick and I step inside. “Mom?”
She doesn’t answer and all of my following calls go without answer as well. I make my way to the kitchen and open the door to the garage. Mom’s car is there, but still no sign of her. She should be here.
This is so unlike her and it sets panic off through me.
I shoulder past Rick and run upstairs to Mom and Dad’s room. I knock hard on the door before shoving my way in.
Mom’s on her massive sleigh bed crying with Dr. Fletcher standing over her grinning like an evil bitch.
I freeze in my tracks. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Tears flow down Mom’s cheeks as she stares up at the demon before her and almost like she’s in a daze she swings her gaze slowly to me. Her eyes are dark, like raccoon eyes and she looks hallow. Four empty prescription pill bottles haphazardly spread around the bed and my heart sinks instantly as the thought crosses my mind that she’s attempted to end her pain.
“Mom?” I take a slow and steady step toward her. “What have you done?”
She sniffs and wipes her eyes with a tissue and then closes them. “Oh, Natalie, my beautiful girl. I’m so sorry.”
“What are you doing here Lilim?” Rick’s voice seethes with anger behind me.
Lilim steps away from Mom and casually takes a seat in and oversized chair to the right of the bed. “Nice to see you too, Rick. I’ve missed you.”
Rick takes a step forward. “Leave Natalie and her mother alone. They have nothing to do with what happened between us.”
Lilim laughs—a scathing one, full of malice. “Oh, no? I think she”—Dr. Fletcher points to me—“has everything to do with why you left me.”
Rick shakes his head. “I don’t love you, Lilian. I’ve told you that from the beginning.”
Lilim stands and her bottom lip pokes out. “You never even gave us a chance.”
Rick steps toward me. “There was never an us. You knew I was looking for Natalie from the first day we made the deal for my soul. Can’t you just get that through your head and move on?”
Dr. Fletcher stands and then quickly sits down on the bed beside Mom. She pushes the hair back on my mom’s forehead and I lunge at her. Rick grabs me by the shoulders.
“You stay away from my mother.”
Lilim smirks and my skin crawls. “I’m afraid that’s not possible my darling, Natalie. Your Mom called me earlier, depressed and suicidal over your father telling her today that their marriage is over. She thought since I did such a wonder job fixing you, I could help her through the worst day of her life.”
I stare her down. “So, what? You encouraged her to take the pills?”
She grins wickedly. “I even brought them to her. Lethal doses, too. I told her sometimes it’s for the best if people just end it all.” Lilim looks down at mom. “I’m so glad she listened.”
I jump over the bed, just as Dr. Fletcher claps her hands.
“You bitch,” I scream as I grab a handful of her hair. “You are not taking my mother!”
Lilim knocks my hands away from her hair and then grabs me by the throat. The pressure from her grip makes my eyes widen and gasp for air. Rick attacks her with full force and bashes his fists into her arms in attempts to free me, but it’s no use. She’s stronger than he is. My eyes pound with pressure as my brain screams for air.
Rick backs away and conjures up a couple cement blocks in midair. He hurls them at Lilim’s head. They crush against her skull and fragments pelt me in the face. Her hold on me loosens enough for me to break free from her grasp.
I fall hard on my knees to the floor, trying to regain my strength. Lilim turns and narrows her eyes at Rick before she creates a hammer to swings it in his face.
Blood pours from his nose, but doesn’t let that bother him as he stays intent on attacking her.
All I can do is watch in awe. They both pull different weapons out of the air to use on each other, attempting to hurt one another the best they can—each weapon a little more deadly.
The use of pure demonic power around me makes my head spin. This is just like the time in the quad with Rick and Stew, but magnified times one hundred. I slump to the floor and I’m barely able to keep my eyes open.
Rick
’s face is red, like he’s struggling to keep up with Lilim. He can’t keep this up much longer. We need help, and there’s only one person I know that could help level the playing field. I reach into my pocket for my phone and then dial Stew’s number.
“Hello?”
“Stew…” I struggle to speak. “I need you. A demon is in my house. Going to kill my mom.”
The phone slips from my grasp and I’m too weak to retrieve it to hear Stew’s answer.
There’s a loud grunt from Rick as Lilim shoves him against the wall. She whips a short handled knife from nothing and then plunges it into Rick’s stomach.
“Rick!” I rasp.
Rick grabs the knife and his eyes grow wide as he stares into Lilim’s face. She lets go of him and he slides down the wall. The knife still wedged in his stomach.
Lilim wipes her hand against her jeans and stands over Rick as his body goes limp. “You just need to be a good boy and stay out of this.”
I squeeze my eyes tight as I watch Lilim stalk toward me. “Are you ready to make a new deal, Nat?”
My eyes pop wide open. “A deal?”
She squats down and smiles. “I want your soul, Natalie. For whatever reason, you are the key to keeping Rick around, so as long as I own it I can track the both of you. So, what do you say? Your soul for your mom’s. Again?”
I stare up at her, a deep electric burn—the familiar one that used to come every time Rick made a deal in front of me—covers my palms. My fists ball up at my sides. I dig my nails into my skin and take a deep breath. My family means everything to me. There’s no way I’ll let her have Mom. I’d give anything for her, including my eternity. “Okay.”
Lilim smiles and holds out her hand. “I guess we can skip all the formalities since you know the drill, just shake my hand and we’ll get this over with.”
Rick’s still out and Mom’s chest is barely moving. There isn’t really a choice here. I reach out to Lilim and she grabs my hand. Her eyes shine a brilliant white as she burns my skin to seal the deal.
“Stay away from her!” Stew shouts as he barrels through the door and tackles Lilim from behind.
I stare in horror as they roll around the floor, I glance over at Rick and he’s starting to come to and attempting to pull the knife from his belly.
While Stew still has her occupied, I rush over just as Rick successfully removes the knife. He stretches his hand out and hands it to me.
“Stab her,” Rick tells me. “He’s no match for her. That will at least slow her down.”
I swallow as I take the blood covered handle into my fingers. It’s slick with Rick’s blood and still warm.
I peer at the knife with trepidation.
“Do it,” Rick rasps.
I nod and turn around. Lilim has Stew pinned, but she’s not using her power on him like she did Rick. It’s like she’s merely trying to restrain him.
They both grunt as they struggle against one another, and she doesn’t even hear me approach until it’s too late for her.
I slam the knife into her back and feel her flesh tear against the blade. She cries out in pain and loosens her grip. She struggles to reach the knife in her back without success and opens her mouth and roars so loud that my ears ring with pain.
Stew wiggles free and rolls away from her, his breathing ragged. “Who the hell is she?”
She crouches down in front of us on all fours like she’s ready to pounce on us. Rick pushes himself up from the floor and Lilim’s eyes dart between Rick and Stew like she’s debating on finishing what she started.
Rick stands beside me. “You can’t take us both on. We won’t let you have her. Leave while you still can.”
I help Stewart to his feet, but never take my eyes off the menacing demon before me.
“You can’t protect her forever. I will have her soul,” Lilim growls before turning and throwing her body through the second story window.
Once it’s safe, I run over to Mom’s bed and lay my head on her chest. Thank God. She’s still breathing. “Call 9-1-1!”
It’s the longest ten minutes of my life waiting on that squad, but finally they arrive and start working on her. I ride in the squad and follow with her all the way to the Emergency Room until they kick me out of the room so that they can pump her stomach.
I turn to find Rick, leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded. “She’s going to be okay, you know. There’s no pull towards her now.”
I shrug while tears threaten to expose my pain. “Yeah I know, I’m just glad she didn’t make a deal with Lilim.”
He takes my hand, turns it over, and runs his fingertips over the skin where my lifeline should be. It’s completely gone once again. “I’m sorry you had to make another deal. I feel like I’ve failed you because I should’ve been there to protect you. I don’t own your soul anymore.”
“My hands still burn. Will it hurt much more than this?”
Rick frowns. “A little.”
A shiver ripples down my spine. “How much time do I have left?”
“Not long. Come on. We can’t do this here.”
Grabbing my hand, he pulls me toward the exit. “Wait. I can’t leave Mom. What if she wakes up and needs me?”
He shakes his head. “There’s no choice. If I don’t transition you into a demon now, you’ll die and I’ll have to collect you. You only have so much time after you make a deal when you’re over twenty-one.”
My heart sinks as in all the chaos I’ve forgotten today is my twenty-first birthday. This is it—the last few minutes of life as I know it. Hand in hand I allow Rick to lead me from the hospital. Mom will be safe, because I don’t feel her soul calling to me, so I know she’ll be fine, but it’s still hard to leave her alone.
We step outside into the cool, fall night air and that’s the last thing I remember before I feel my body go limp and everything goes black.
The nothingness ends when I feel a little nudge on my shoulder. “Natalie?” Rick’s calm and soothing voice rings in my ears. “You’re safe. You’re in my apartment.”
An involuntary scream rips from my throat. Every cell in my body burns with what I can only guess is fiery brimstone. I wish like hell I can go back to sleep. There’s nothing else to focus on but the pain of my whole body being on fire.
Both of Rick’s hands hold each of my shoulders down firm against his mattress. “Listen to me, Natalie. I can make it go away, but you have to lie perfectly still and hold your breath.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I gasp as all of my limbs strain fighting against the pain. “I can’t!”
He shakes my shoulders forcing me to stare into his eyes. “You have to or you’ll die and go to Hell like the rest of them. I need to transition your soul. Please let me help you.”
I wondered what happened to the souls once they made their deals. Killing the souls must’ve ensured a transition to Hell.
Tears flow from my eyes as I realize there is no other choice and hold as still as I possibly can. “Okay.”
Rick rolls his right sleeve up and stretches his fingers out like he’s going to palm a basketball. Before I can ask what I need to do, he lays his hand on my face, covering my eyes completely. All I can see is a brilliant white light glowing from behind my eyelids, and then I feel a pull—like the force of gravity—in front of my face. My sides shake, and pain rips through me as it feels like my entire body is being sucked out through my eyes. Against my will, my jaw thrusts open and a vortex of air forces down my throat.
I gag as my eyes roll back into my head and pressure fills my chest, nearly causing me to explode. And just when I think my body can’t possibly take anything else being forced into it and I’m about to die, everything stops. It’s so quiet you can hear a pin drop.
“Nat?” Rick whispers. “Are you okay?’
I open my eyes and slowly start to sit up. My bones move around inside my skin, like they’re not exactly mine anymore, and I gaze up at Rick. “Do we have to do anything else?”
He shakes his head. “No. You’re done.”
“Already?”
He nods and takes my hand, holding my palm up next to his. Both are smooth and matching. There’s no life line wrinkles to be seen. “You’re branded. Now, you’re officially a demon.”
Remembering the snake tattoo that was developing on my skin, I rub the back of my neck and feel the snakes on my tattoo wiggle beneath my fingers.
“How will I know what to do?”
He grins. “That’s what I’m for. I’ll teach you everything you need to know.”
My body shivers as he holds my hand. “I’m scared.”
“Don’t be. I’ll never leave you.” He touches his forehead to mine. “I do want to show you something now, though.”
He reaches into his nightstand drawer and pulls out a photo. My eyes widen as I take in the site of us standing in a field of Forget-Me-Knots holding hands and smiling at one another. It’s not a current picture. It’s all faded and crinkled from the wear and tear of time. Something that came from the time period of the vision he showed me.
That’s when it hits me. This is real. The connection I feel towards him isn’t random or a demonic pull trying to unite us. I’ve loved Rick before, in another life, and he’s never stopped loving me in over two hundred years.
“It’s us,” I whisper.
Rick grins. “I told you.” He cradles my face in his hands and softly kisses my lips. “I will love you for eternity.”
I kiss him back and allow him to pull me tight against his body. Being with him is right. He’s fought to bring us back together. It’s only right that I open myself up and completely try to let him in.
I knot my fingers into his hair just as he pulls away. “I love you, Natalie. We can take things slow until you love me back. I want our first time together to be perfect. We have forever to figure this out.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
When Rick drops me off that night, he says to act normally and not to draw attention to myself, because I’d have to live life without people noticing any changes about me. Maybe it’s a good thing people think I’m crazy. Crazy people tend to do weird things, like trying to adjust to their new demon body and powers.
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