by Mary Ting
I kept my eyes on the dark clouds shifting slowly against the breeze. They reminded me of Eli in his demon form. Everything reminded me of Eli, even the smell of sweet coconut in my nostrils.
I sighed and continued, “I understand why humans crave this feeling. Why some people fight for it. After all, it is the essence needed to breed, I suppose. That’s what humans are supposed to do, fill the land with love. I know we can’t be together. And when this is all over, I’ll be back in Crossroads and he’ll be here. I just want to make sure he’s fine before we’re sent back. Yes, I know my heart will be broken, but I’ll be fine as long as we’re fine...” I mumbled Eli’s words to myself, “...as long as we’re both under the same stars.”
“Here.” Zach put out his hand.
My eyes zoomed in on the necklace Eli had gifted me—the one Clarissa had ripped off my neck. I stared at it to make sure it was real. “Thank you. How did you...?” I couldn’t finish my question. I picked it up and rubbed the delicate crystal as if I could touch Eli. Tears stung my eyes and I bit my tongue, desperate to hold them back. I will not cry. I will be strong.
Zach focused on a nearby tree, trying to avoid my eyes. I was making him emotional. I knew he didn’t like seeing me in despair. Zach smacked his lips and spoke, “From my understanding, Cyrus couldn’t touch it or he would have yanked it off you himself, so he ordered Clarissa to do it. But when she touched it, it burned her. I saw her expression and how quickly she let go of it. I found it before we left the field.”
“Thank you for searching for it,” I gazed at it again.
“I knew it meant a lot to you. Anyway”—Zach stood up and stretched his arms and wings—“I’m going to go back inside. I have so much homework, not that it will matter anyhow. I just don’t want to fail. It’s my pride.”
Zach seemed grand and larger than life when he slowly spread his wings like that. I wondered if Eli saw my wings that way now. He’d grimaced and complained that I had wings before. But I understood why. The girl with wings will be his destruction. His mother’s words repeated in my mind. He should have listened to her.
“I’ll join you soon. I just want to sit here for a bit.”
He folded his wings to close them. “Uncle Davin is going to speak to Father tomorrow. It’s not like the missions we’ve had before. It’s so much”—Zach paused, trying to think of the word, but he could only say—“bigger.” Though he tried to hide it, his eyes didn’t lie. He was terrified.
“I know.” I agreed as my muscles tightened at the thought. Having Father with us would be a good and bad thing. He would learn I had let myself become attached to Eli. And Jack too—the one I could truly call my friend. The one who taught me the meaning of friendship.
Zach released a long breath. I realized his concern through his words, but he had a better grip on pretending to be human than me. “Don’t be too long or I’ll have to come get you.”
When Zach left, I stood up to see if I could see Jack. He must be feeling terrible. It wasn’t his fault Eli was captured, but a part of me couldn’t help the anger lingering inside. If only Abel and Jack had refused to help Eli execute his plan. There were a lot of if-onlys.
Uncle Davin had made sure our plan was simple and safe. Give the fake paper to Cyrus. While he’s using the true-cross dagger, we would use the necklace crystals to contain him. And Uncle Davin would retrieve the dagger. Meanwhile, everyone else’s job was to keep his demons far away from us, along with bringing the edelweiss flowers gifted by Lana. Uncle Davin had discovered she grew them in a special cold incubator in her garage. Everything would have worked if it hadn’t been for...but I couldn’t be sure. There were so many unexpected turns.
Since it seemed as though Jack was asleep, I decided to head back inside. I froze at the sensation of a presence and a sweet coconut scent moved around me, stronger than a few minutes ago.
“Eli?” My lips quivered. Could it be? My heart raced with joy for that split second until I realized...he wasn’t there. He was locked up, who knew where. I didn’t want to think about how much he was suffering, so I closed my eyes and inhaled a deep breath.
Maybe I wanted him there with me safe and sound so badly that I felt him, but something was happening. When I opened my eyes, I saw a thin black translucent vapor coiled around my legs, traveling up to my chest, and snaking around my arm that held the necklace. It wouldn’t stop making circles around my fist. When I opened my hand, it stopped. The necklace floated to my neck and somehow clasped together.
“I told you to keep it on at all times. What do I have to do to make you listen to me?” It was Eli’s voice. My heart galloped like Midnight racing for the finish line. Surely it was a hallucination, but how had my necklace moved by itself? Was I delusional?
As if he could read my mind, he spoke, “It’s me, Lucia. I’m here. I’m astral traveling, but I can’t hold on. I’m weak.”
“Eli.” I clamped my hands to my mouth to keep from squealing out loud. Tears that had threatened to fall came pouring down. For those few precious seconds, I was so happy and relieved. I didn’t know what condition he was in, but he was alive and that was all that mattered.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” I didn’t know what to ask. There was so much I wanted to know. “Where are you? Can you tell me where you are?”
Eli glimmered in and out of my vision. He stood in front of me, though I knew he wasn’t really there. I wanted to hold him, touch him. I wanted to kiss him.
“I have to make this quick. I’ll try my best to come when Cyrus is away or when I regain my strength. I don’t know where I am. Your best bet might be to find Vince and someone named Mortem.”
“That’s what Abel said,” I muttered and then froze. Mortem was that cruel Fallen we had encountered before. I’d hoped to never see him again, but now it seemed inevitable.
“Don’t be mad at Abel,” Eli continued, breaking my thoughts of Mortem. “This isn’t his fault. We are friends again, sort of, thanks to you, but I still wouldn’t trust him completely. He can explain more in detail. But I needed to see you. God, I miss you, Lucia. Thoughts of you are the only thing holding me together.”
I reached out my hands, trying to touch Eli, but as expected, my hands blended with his entity as he faded. No, don’t leave. I didn’t want to let him go, but I knew there was no choice.
“I’m going to find you,” I said with conviction as more tears streamed down my face.
“I know. Don’t cry, Lucia. It hurts to see you cry.”
“Promise me. Stay alive. Do whatever you need to do to stay alive.” My tone was desperate, pleading.
“For you, I will...my girl with wings.” His tender voice softly vibrated through my mind, but I felt it in every space of my heart.
The last thing I felt was Eli’s caress on my face. Though his lips never touched mine, I sensed it. Then, like dew under the morning sun, he disappeared.
Continue the story:
The Blessed Knights, to be released October 26, 2016
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Crossroads:
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Dedication
I can’t express enough how much your support means to me. Thank you so much for loving Crossroads Saga and continuing a new adventure with me.
My husband, Richard, and kids, Joshua and Kaitlin, you are my life and the reason for my happiness.
To my friend Alexandrea Weis-Thank you for all your support and encouragement. You are my bestie, my rock.
Shannon Hunt (PA), thank you for everything you do.
Enormous thanks to my angel team: DawnMarie Carpintero, Elliot McMahon, Elissa Matta-Kaspar, Debbie Poole, Stacey Nixon, Pam Merashof
f Beach, Dena Morrow, Susan Roberts McIntyre, Julie Barnard, Susan Campbell, Brandy Lyon-Stuart, Dawn Sypniewski, Cindy Honig- Fong, Kyrie Lancaster, Rachelle Boom Boom Narro, Elmeri Welman, Elvira Natour Porter, Michele Moore Luker, Diana Lopez, Brittany Koenig Sharp, Amanda Collins, Mandy Healy, Judy Jones, Janie Iturralde, Nancy Byers, Evelyn Sword, Marika Nespoli
For the readers, fly with me through this new incredible journey. I hope you’ll love this spin-off series as much as I had enjoyed writing it.
New Adult Books by Mary Ting/M. Clarke
(sold worldwide)
Something Great Series
Something Great
Something Wonderful
Something Forever
Something Amazing
Something Precious
‘Twas the Knight Before Christmas
Sexiest Man Alive
Stand Alones
My Clarity (Kindle Unlimited)
My Serenity (Kindle Unlimited)
Young Adult Books by Mary Ting
(sold worldwide)
Crossroads Saga (Kindle Unlimited)
Crossroads
Between
Beyond
Eternity
Halo City
From Gods Series (Kindle Unlimited)
From Gods
From Deities
From Origins
From Titans (Coming 2016)
International Bestselling, Award Winning, Author Mary Ting resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel in the Crossroads Saga happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and she became inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one, and from there Something Great was created. Why the pen name, M. Clarke? She tours with the Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children's chapter book No Bullies Allowed.
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