“Olivia Jane Bellamy.”
Hearing Uncle Caleb say her full name has her fingers loosening their grip. “Ugh.” She throws her head back with a growl. “Fine.”
“You too, Indiana.” He sidesteps so he’s in front of me, bag held out.
I drop it in without a word. There’s no point in arguing, anyway.
Uncle Caleb points a finger at Liv and I. “You two head downstairs. Jack, come with me for a moment.”
Jack glances over his shoulder as he follows Uncle Caleb into the next room. This can’t be good.
Aunt Claudia claps her hands together. “Chop, chop ladies. The basement isn’t going to clean itself.”
“Aren’t there child labor laws against this kind of thing? Or couldn’t it be considered cruel and unusual punishment?” Liv sets a box down in the corner, then wipes her brow with the back of her hand. I roll my eyes. We’ve literally been down here five minutes. If Liv is going to whine the whole time, it’s going to be a long day. “I mean, they can’t be serious about us cleaning the entire basement today. It’s huge, and there are spiders.”
“At least it’s a finished basement. There would be way more spiders if it weren’t.” I reach for another box and hesitate. The basement recreational room hasn’t been used in years—other than to become a catchall for things that have no other place to go: clothes that no longer fit, exercise equipment no one uses, holiday decorations, and so on—so I may be wrong in my spider assumption. Grabbing the broom, I nudge the box to see if anything crawls out.
“That’s not making me feel any better. I hate spiders, no matter how many there are. And I hate cleaning.” She plops down onto an old sofa pushed against the wall. A plume of dust shoots into the air and she sneezes.
“Bless you,” Jack calls from the top of the stairs. He shuts the door behind him and bounds down the squeaky steps. At the landing, he braces his hands on the railing, then swings his legs over, skipping the last four steps.
“What did Dad want?” Liv asks while wiping the underside of her nose with the back of her hand.
“To know why he and Mom couldn’t find us with scrying.”
I stall, mid-sweep of a cobweb from the corner of the ceiling for half a second before I finish clearing it out. Thinking about spiders has my skin crawling, so the faster I get these webs down, the faster I’ll stop itching. At least that’s the excuse I’m going with and not that the itchy twitching has anything to do with whatever lie—or truth, if he decided to sell me out and reveal where we really were and why—Jack told to Uncle Caleb. “What did you say?”
“That the party was hosted by another witch who’d cast a concealment spell over the house.” Ignoring the pile of cleaning supplies, Jack takes a seat beside his sister. The plop of his butt on the cushion sends a second round of dust up Liv’s nose and her into a sneezing fit. “He seemed to buy it.”
Some of the constant tension gripping my muscles in a never-ending vice eases just a little. Wrapping my hands around the top of the broom handle, I rest my chin across my knuckles. “That’s good, right?”
He shrugs. “I guess, but I hate this, Indi. While I agree not telling them about you being a living, breathing vampire cure, or about what happened at the dinner—of which I still don’t know all the details to—along with my trip to purgatory is a good idea. How long are we going to keep lying to them about everything else? If we tell them a little of what’s going on maybe they could help. They’re more experienced witches than we are.”
“Or they could argue to take my memories and abilities away again, and I don’t want that. I don’t want to be back in the dark, Jack. Besides, who’s to say they would stop with me? What if they mess with yours and Liv’s memories too and move us all away because they think it’s safer for us to run than to face things?”
“Would it be so bad if they did?”
“Yes, Jack. The answer is yes. You have no idea what it’s like to have your entire existence ripped out from under you. To think you’re an ordinary human being only to find out you’re not, and the world isn’t as black and white as you’d always believed. Or how it feels to know you’ve been lied to about everything your whole life. I went through that once. I don’t want to go through it again, Jack, because if they erase me, I inevitably will. The supernatural world knows about me, and they’re not going to stop coming after me just because Aunt Claudia and Uncle Caleb make me forget.
“I want to have control over my life, not have parts of it hidden from me. I want to stand up for myself. I want to fight for my right to exist because I belong here just as much as anybody else does. It’s not my fault my parents had me when it was forbidden. I’m an innocent and shouldn’t be punished for being born. Not to mention, living a life constantly looking over your shoulder or always on the run is no life at all. Do you really want to condemn your parents to that? Or yourselves?”
He stares at me with his mouth half open like he’s trying to find the words to counter everything I just said and can’t, but he’s going to try anyway. “I guess you do have somewhat of a point. But fighting against the supernatural world on our own is going to be hard, Indi. Maybe too hard. Mom and Dad kept you safe and hidden for years. How do you know they couldn’t again? Sure you might not have your magic, and you might not remember anything about the supernatural world if they spell you again, but you could, maybe, live an ordinary life just like you did before you and Liv were attacked at Night Life. We all could.”
I check to make sure the basement door is still closed then take a seat beside him on the sofa. “No, I couldn’t, Jack. And neither could any of you, and you know it because I literally just went over it. Weren’t you listening? Hiding doesn’t work. Even when I was spelled and suppressed, the supernatural world still found me. It’s not a stretch to think they wouldn’t find me again. It’s better I know everything so I can prepare for whatever is coming. Besides, erasing my memories so I know nothing would only put you all in more danger than my knowing everything. If I was erased, who’s to say I wouldn’t find myself in the same predicament I was in with Seth at Night Life? Or in some other situation just as horrific. If I know about it all, then I can avoid those kinds of situations. So you see, it makes more sense for me to know about supernaturals and to learn how to control my magic than to be made to believe it doesn’t exist. Also, it’s not fair for everyone else to take on the role of playing hero when I’m fully capable of being my own hero.”
“I guess when you put it that way,” Jack says, finally conceding.
I nudge him with my shoulder. “Who knows, maybe I’ll even be your hero again someday. Just hopefully not under such dire circumstances as this last time.”
Jack throws up an overly dramatic hand, then hauls himself up off the sofa. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let’s not get too hasty now. I can’t be having people think I need a girl to keep saving me.”
I roll my eyes at his lame teasing, and he smiles.
The thud of Liv’s kick to Jack’s shin has him hopping on one leg. “What’s wrong with a girl being the one who does the saving, huh? Not all heroes have to be guys. Ever heard of Supergirl or Wonder Woman? Do you ever see any of the people they save complaining? No, and do you know why?” She holds up a hand. “No, it’s not because they’re fictional characters. It’s because they’re capable of kicking the Big Bads butt, and Indi and I are fully capable too. You should count yourself lucky to be saved by either one of us.”
“Says the girl who hid under the table while vampires—” Slapping a hand over his mouth, he catches himself before he can say anything else. All the color drains from Liv’s face, anyway. “Liv, I…” Mouth pulled back, his brows scrunch together. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
She holds up a hand. “It’s okay. You’re right. I did hide under the table.” She pulls her feet up, tucking her legs against her chest as she wraps her arms around them. Eyes cast downward, she shrinks into herself. “After Ben…” His name is nothing more than a wh
isper, barely loud enough to be heard without leaning in. She hugs her legs even tighter and clears her throat to allow her voice freedom. “After Ben attacked me at the club, I pretended everything was okay, but it wasn’t, and it’s not, and when the vampires came into the diner, I froze. I wanted to help you, Jack, I really did, but I couldn’t move. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you like I should have been. It’s my fault that vampire was able to get to you. It won’t happen again.”
I throw my arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a half-hug. “You have no reason to apologize, Liv. Right, Jack?” I flick my gaze to him.
“Right.”
“What we went through at the club was traumatic, and nobody here blames you for being scared at the diner. If anyone should apologize, it’s me for dragging you guys into my mess.” I pull back, lowering my head in shame. “Ben was my fault, and so was Jack being attacked. The vampires are after me. I’m the problem. If I weren’t around, if I were to…” I trail off, my thoughts flashing to my still packed backpack and my plan to hide away in Paige’s parent’s cabin in the woods where I’d practice and hone my skills until I emerged a badass ready to take down all those gunning for me. “If I were to leave, then you guys would be safe.”
The palm of Jack’s hand shoves against my shoulder so fast and so hard, my back slams into the dusty sofa cushion behind me before I can even get a gasp out. “Don’t be stupid, Indi. None of this is your fault either. Not Ben, not the diner, not any of it. And running away won’t solve a thing. Do you really think we’d be safer without you, or that we’d ever give up on having your back? We love you just as much as you love us. Besides, have you learned nothing from TV shows and movies? Everyone you’re connected to is a target whether you’re around or not. We’re better—safer—staying together and facing whatever comes after you, or us, as a unit. There’s strength in numbers, Indi, don’t forget that.”
I rub my shoulder, a little lost for words. Part of me wants to argue he’s stupid for wanting to willingly put himself in danger despite the fact he kind of has a point. Running away doesn’t necessarily guarantee their absolute safety, but it doesn’t mean it couldn’t, maybe, give them a chance either. I’m a walking target, and if I were out of the way, maybe they could cast a massive protection spell or something to keep themselves hidden from the dangers surrounding me. But the other half, the one he’s scolding, understands where he’s coming from, because there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him, either. I’d stay and face all the monsters in the world—no matter the consequences—to keep him safe if he were the one being targeted.
“I mean it, Indi. Don’t even think about it. It’s all for one and one for all when it comes to us.”
I can’t help the small smile that tugs at my mouth. “United we stand, divided we fall.”
“Exactly. Glad to know you’re up on your nineteenth century literature.”
“More like I know the Three Musketeers movie from the early nineties, but I get what you mean.”
“Good.” Jack takes a tentative step toward his sister, then kneels down beside her, his movements jerky and unsure. “I really am sorry for taking a jab at you for hiding under the table, Liv. I’m a buttface, and it was a stupid thing to joke about, and I take it back. I don’t blame you for being scared while things were going down, because you should have been scared. I was scared. We would have been stupid not to be.”
“Yeah, but you still fought against them. I couldn’t do anything.” She wipes her eyes over the knees of her jeans.
“I didn’t go through what you did with Ben, Liv, but if I had, I probably would have reacted the same way.” He pulls back, rubbing a hand over his throat where Charcoal Beanie sunk his teeth in. A far off look of terror crosses over his hazel eyes. The Venari healers were kind enough to heal whatever physical wounds were left after I brought him back, but the emotional wounds, those tend to leave behind scars. “In fact, it may be me under the table next time, and you fighting off hordes of vampires. You’re one of the strongest people I know, Liv, and I would be lucky to call you my hero any day.” He redirects his gaze in my direction. “You too, Indi. Though, technically, I guess you already are my hero. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here at all.”
And if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been a breadth away from death to begin with either.
“Speaking of Indi saving you, Jack, I have a theory on that.” Wiping her face dry with the edge of her sleeve, Liv rubs her hands together, a hint of excitement returning to her green eyes. “We know Indi inherited elemental abilities from her mom and angelic abilities from her dad, since she’s able to compel and heal quickly.” She slaps a hand over my mouth, giving me a pointed look before I can utter a word of objection. “I know what you’re going to say, Indi, and I don’t for one second believe any of your abilities are vampire related. It really wouldn’t make much sense for you to be a cure for vampirism but still be susceptible to taking on their traits, now would it?”
I pull her hand away. “Are you saying you think I’m immune to vampirism?”
Her shoulders pull up in a deep shrug. “Anything’s possible, right? So why not?”
“Huh.” I ponder her words, letting them sink in. The constant weight of worrying over whether I’ll someday develop thirst lessens with each passing second I let hope filter in. Could I really be immune to vampirism?
“I think you inherited something else from your father too,” Liv says, pulling me from my hopeful thoughts. “I think because your father is, or was—since we don’t know if he’s still around or not—an angel of death, you are too.”
13
“You think I’m an angel of death?”
“Not like the other angels of death, you know, ferrying the recently deceased to Heaven or Hell all day long or whatever, but yeah, I think you inherited your father’s reaper abilities. It would explain how you’re able to transport from one place to another. As an angel of death, you would need to move quickly from soul to soul.”
“It does kind of make sense when you think about it,” Jack says, with a contemplative nod.
I scrunch my eyebrows together as I lean back into the sofa. Could they be right? I did bring back both Sebastian and Jack, and I was drawn toward the man at the diner. If I had been able to reach out to him like I wanted to, would I have found myself with him in the darkness of the in-between, standing before his door? Would I have been able to bring him back?
More questions pop into my head the longer I think about it. Is this why I’m able to see other angels of death now? Or at least what I think are other angels of death? Will more souls call out to me? Will I have to start crossing people over into the afterlife? Because, honestly, I don’t know if I’m really ready for something like that. Knowing I could potentially bring them back would make it too tempting not to, and if I keep bringing people back, what will it do to the balance? What cost will there be?
The first time I brought Sebastian back, my mom died not long after. Sebastian says it was a tragic coincidence because no one died the second time I brought him back—unless you count the vampire I killed. But what if the cost of bringing someone back really is another life? And if that’s true, who will pay the price?
Will someone have to pay for Seth? Technically, he died when he turned into a vampire, so when I gave him back a heartbeat, could that have tipped the scales? Are there now three lives out there who will have to pay the price for my actions? Have they already paid?
Or is Sebastian right, and I’m somehow able to create a loophole so no other lives are affected? I really hope it’s the latter. Please, please, please if there is a higher being out there to take mercy on me, let it be the latter.
Liv’s hand waves in front of my face. “Earth to Indi. You still paying attention?”
“Huh? Yeah.” But I’m not. Not really. Not when my shirt suddenly feels too tight, the fabric a heavy lead instead of the cotton it was a few minutes ago. I grab a handful, pulling it away from
my skin to make more room for my lungs to expand, but they don’t. I’m suffocating. I suck air in through my teeth, forcing it down my throat and into the two deflated sacks housed behind my ribs as I silently count to seven inside my head, and then exhale out for a count of eleven. All the while my mind keeps spinning and spinning over consequences, my thoughts stuck in a perpetual state of what ifs.
If I really am taking on reaper abilities, and I’m called to more and more souls ready to cross over, how am I supposed to stay off the angelic bounty hunters’ radars? Will I be exposing myself every time I enter the in-between or when another angel of death sees me? If I am, will the concealment spell cast over my pendant be strong enough to hold them off from discovering my exact location? One or two times is one thing, but if the reaper part of me becomes a regular thing, what then? Avoid situations where death is a possibility by locking myself in my room? Yeah, right. With the way things currently are in my life, death seems to always to be right around the corner no matter what I do.
My fingers seek out the pendant. Maybe I can have Ivy strengthen it?
A strange chill creeps up my back at the thought of her, and I shiver. The edge of a memory skitters across my mind, bits and pieces pushing through without anything substantial to hold them together. Candle lights. Dancing shadows. Whispered chants. And an intense burning over my heart. But as quickly as they come, they fade away, giving me nothing to grasp onto. I shrug it off, deeming whatever it was unimportant. Besides, Ivy would never do anything to hurt me. She only wants to protect me.
Liv takes hold of my forearm and gives it a shake. “Then there’s the most obvious clue of all to indicate reaper abilities,” she says, oblivious to my internal freak out and slight panic attack. “You reached out to a soul near death in purgatory and brought it back.” Her gaze gravitates toward her brother, a look of wonder and thankfulness washing over her face before she focuses back on me. “Only angels of death can do something like that. If you were to harness your angel gifts along with your witch gifts, you really would be an unstoppable force. Good thing you’re on the side of light. If you ever went dark side, the world would be in serious trouble. I get now why Heaven sent bounty hunters after you.”
Of Darkness & Light: Blood Descent Book 2 Page 13