"I'm so sorry about your sister."
"We have to stop them. We have to stop him." The agony Sam had suffered was etched on his face.
"Stop Vincent?"
He glanced at me. "Yeah. Before he ruins one more life."
"Why don't we go check out the mill?" I asked.
He shook his head. "No."
I moved over to him and knelt beside him, looking up into his face. "My parents might be there. I have to try to save them."
"He's holding them because he wants you." He stared at me with his sad eyes. "He's waiting for you."
"Then that gives me all the power, doesn't it?"
"Only if you know how to use it. We had another girl a lot like you about five years ago. He destroyed her."
"He did?" I had to push away the fear his words stirred inside me so I could focus on what needed to be done. Thoughts of possible destruction would only cloud my decisions.
"I'm sure he thinks he can destroy you as well. That's why we need to wait until the right time for you to meet him. It's got to be timed exactly."
I stood and walked over to the window. "Why don't you just kill the host? Doesn't that get rid of the demon? You don't even need me."
"Yeah, we can kill the host, and then the demon has to leave, but it eventually comes back to inhabit another host. We want to destroy the demon for good. Kill it."
I shook my head. "I can't do that. I might be able to paralyze one, but—"
"Melinda thinks you have enough Light to destroy demons. For good." His eyes searched mine.
I'd thought I only had to freeze them. Maybe try to cast them out. I didn't know how to kill a demon. Not even close. "We need to find Melinda. And my parents. Let's go."
Sam shook his head. "We need to wait. Joshua will call and tell us what to do."
I wasn't sure I'd ever convince him, but I couldn't stand there and do nothing. No more waiting. Sam was in my way, and since he wasn't a demon, freezing him was out of the question. Trying to think of what else I could do, I spotted a big vase. Hit him on the head and knock him out. It seemed like the best idea under the circumstances, but my hands wouldn't move—not with the intention of hurting Sam.
I decided instead to appeal to his emotions. "If you could've done something to save your sister, would you have waited?"
He seemed to consider my question while he drummed his leg with his fingers.
I moved toward him. "You would've done everything in your power to protect her and save her. Right?"
He gave a slight nod.
"That's all I'm asking. Let me do the same for my parents. For Melinda. Please?" I touched his arm.
"I promised Joshua—"
"I know, but we need to move. We're running out of time." What if my parents were already dead? I had wasted enough time.
"Okay." He brought his hand to his forehead. "But only if you promise to follow all of my directions."
I nodded. "I will."
He studied me. "You have zero experience."
"And you have more than enough for both of us." I was counting on that.
"I hope I don't regret this." He ran his fingers through his hair.
"Do you know where the mill is?"
"Yes."
I followed him out to his old gray truck that looked a lot older than me. We drove a few miles through town. My heart thumped in my chest the whole way. I breathed in. Out. I can do this. I still didn't have much of a plan beyond exchanging myself for my parents and Melinda, but as long as they were safe, that's what mattered.
As we approached, Sam turned off his headlights, but there was enough light from the streetlights to see a large, tattered wooden building. It reminded me of the house the second Little Pig built—looked like someone just needed to huff and puff, and it would fall over. As we approached, my heart clawed up my throat, and my nerves tingled.
Sam pulled his truck over to the side of the building behind a large evergreen bush then turned off the engine. "I'll go see if there's anyone inside. You wait here."
"But—"
"My every direction, right?"
I nodded. "You'll come back and get me if they're in there?"
"Yeah."
He walked slowly toward the building, gun in hand, and disappeared inside a large wooden door. My heart rapped on my ribs while my stomach flip-flopped. I licked my lips, waiting for him to come back. I had to find enough courage to not only face these demons but try to freeze them—or something—when the time was right so I could escape. Needing some fresh air, I rolled the old-fashioned window down a few inches.
I played with my fingers, going over what I would say when I finally saw this Vincent guy. I tried to envision the scenario so it wouldn't scare me spitless when I actually experienced it. A voice startled me.
"Hi, Crystal."
I knew exactly who it was.
Nate.
Vincent paced back and forth across the stage in the rundown theater while he waited for Karl and whoever he was bringing with him. Karl had always been obedient and willing to follow Vincent's every command. He'd been one of Vincent's first recruits, and he'd been a dutiful servant ever since. Why was he acting so irrationally now?
Vincent checked his watch again. He hated waiting. Hated it. He let out a string of profanities while his patience wore even thinner.
After a few more minutes, voices sounded behind him. He turned to see Karl escort someone onto the stage. The body shape belonged to a woman, but her head was covered with a black pillowcase, and her hands were tied behind her back. He said nothing as Karl pushed her stumbling toward him.
"Here you go, sir." He smiled and left Vincent and the woman alone on stage.
He approached the woman and slowly removed the bag. As soon as their eyes met, they both gasped.
After all these years, she stood before him. "Sarah?" He couldn't believe it. He reached out and touched her long, red hair, bringing a section of it to his face. He inhaled the sweet scent, memories washing over him, evoking strong human emotions he thought were long since dead.
She jerked her head away from him, yanking the hair from his hand. "It's Melinda now," she said with defiance, but he still recognized the softness that lay just beneath her exterior.
He took a step back, feeling unbalanced by her presence. Why was she here? Where had she been? Why did he suddenly want to embrace her? To lose himself in her arms? To run off with her and never look back? Why were these weak human emotions swirling around him, confusing him, after all these years?
"Sarah, I've been searching for you ever since—"
"I know." Her eyes were hard, but they betrayed the vulnerability she tried to hide.
Vincent circled her. "I've imagined this reunion for years." It wasn't unfolding as he'd originally anticipated, but he could change that.
She said nothing, but her gaze kept darting back to him. She may have left him long ago physically, but she obviously still felt something for him.
"Where's Joshua?" he asked.
"Far from here."
He clenched his jaw then stepped close to her. "Why, Sarah? Why?" He caressed her cheek and was surprised that she let him. "I could've given you the world. You and me. Joshua. It could have been ours for the taking."
Her eyes moistened. "I didn't want the world."
Memories of arguments floated through his mind. "I know. You wanted a little house in a boring neighborhood. You wanted PTA meetings and bowling nights. Family dinners and holidays. Beach vacations. Such a dreary life."
"Yes. I wanted a family." A tear snaked down her cheek. "I wanted a man who loved me more than he loved anything else. More than money or things. More than power. More than . . ." Her lips trembled.
"I loved you."
"No." She shook her head. "That wasn't love."
"Where have you been all of these years?"
A strange expression crossed her face, and suddenly the realization exploded inside his mind. "I sent Karl and his group after The C
ovenant. You . . ."
She said nothing, but she held his gaze, her jaw set.
"You are part of The Covenant. You've spent your life fighting me?" He'd never considered that she could be involved with them.
"Yes."
"For revenge, I suppose?"
She tilted her head. "You think that's what this is about?"
"Why else?" What other reason would she have?
"Because what you do is wrong."
"Here we go." He paused. "You were always self-righteous—a personality flaw I learned to overlook." He laughed. "Remember how angry you got when you found out I'd cheated in college? You pouted for at least three days until I promised to never do it again." He smiled, knowing he'd never kept that promise.
She closed her eyes and shook her head, her silky hair cascading over her shoulders.
"Oh, I've missed you, Sarah." He'd never been able to fill the vast emptiness that Sarah left behind, even with all the other women he'd been with—most of whom he didn't remember.
"Don't call me that. The Sarah you knew died the night I discovered what you'd become. You killed me inside."
Anger boiled inside him. "So you took my son and ran."
"You're right. I ran—as far as I could get from you!"
Inches from her face, he narrowed his eyes. "You had no right to take my son."
"I protected him."
"From his own father?"
"From the monster you became." She stared at him, and with venom in her voice, said, "The monster that you are."
Remembering himself and his plans, Vincent shoved the old memories and feelings down deep, where he'd learned to keep them. He found his usual cold tone. "It pains me to hear such things from you. My wife."
"I'm not your wife."
He reveled in the flicker of fear in her eyes. "Then we're divorced?" He'd never signed any papers.
Sarah's face paled.
Vincent smiled and placed his arm around her. "Now, be a good wife and tell me where I can find our son."
"You'll never find him. He's nowhere near here, and you'll never have another chance to poison his mind or sell his soul."
"Now, dear Sarah, we're going to have to work on your attitude."
Sarah glared at him.
"You know I'm not a patient man."
She remained silent.
"I'm sure you will give me what I want eventually. Until then . . ." He pushed her down on a chair and called for Juan.
A few moments later, Juan appeared and Vincent instructed him to bring the other prisoners to the stage.
Vincent eagerly anticipated the reunion between Sarah, Pamela, and Matt. All of them in the same room again. Lady Luck was shining on him.
Both Pamela and Matt had coverings over their heads when they arrived at the stage. Vincent took Pamela by the arm, and Juan pulled Matt over to the chair where Sarah sat. On Vincent's signal, he and Juan removed the coverings.
Pamela squinted her eyes and gasped. "Sarah? Is that you?"
Vincent grinned. "Isn't this fantastic? My wife and my best friends. Reunited at last." He could hardly believe it himself.
"How?" Pamela asked.
"You see, Sarah here is part of a group that calls itself The Covenant. They have your daughter, and they want to use her against me."
Sarah said nothing.
"Sarah knows what a great job you've done teaching your daughter to embrace the Light. So good, in fact, that she's causing quite a disturbance in my network of power."
"You want to kill her," Sarah said to him, her eyes filled with contempt.
"No, no." He waved his hand. "Not kill her. I want to own her. Harness her power."
"You can't," Sarah said.
"Oh, but I can if she chooses to give it to me. I can harness all of that power for myself. I'll be more powerful than any of the other Dark Lords." The anticipation sent chills across his back.
"She won't do it," Matthew said.
"You keep saying that, but I disagree. If she'd just show up, we could get on with this." Why couldn't his men find her? How hard could it be to find this girl?
"She still won't give in," Matt said. "Not even for our lives."
"We'll see. She's so young. Innocent. Naive." Vincent smiled.
"She's far stronger than you think," Sarah said.
"That's right. You have spent time with her, haven't you because The Covenant has been protecting her."
Sarah gave him a sideways glance.
"Ah, yes, I've known all about your little group. You weren't content to run and disappear, like your friends Matt and Pam. You wanted to fight me. Make it personal." A glimmer in her eyes confirmed that she was still emotionally involved.
"Sarah—" Matt started.
"Matt," Sarah said, cutting him off. "You were right to take your daughter and keep her from him. Don't let him twist the situation. I'm glad you disappeared. You did what you thought best."
"A lot of good it's done now." Matthew sounded defeated—a sound Vincent loved.
"If you hadn't insisted on teaching her to embrace the Light, and she hadn't been so willing to do so . . . well, it doesn't matter now, does it?" Vincent said.
Sarah looked at Vincent. "I have a proposal."
"You do?" He licked his lips and leaned down, facing her.
She nodded, the soft strawberry scent of her hair and her full, red lips igniting his passion.
"This I've got to hear." He wanted to pull her close and feel her skin next to his.
"A trade." She said it without emotion, but it didn't matter. The words tingled in his ears.
"Go on." He stood, but kept his gaze on her.
"You can have me in exchange for Crystal."
"You mean, give up the power I could gain from Crystal in exchange for what?"
"I'll join you. I'll stand by your side as your wife." She still had no emotion in her voice, but he reveled in her offer.
"Tempting." More tempting than he wanted to admit. "But you said you see me as a monster."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."
"Oh, Sarah. Such a noble sacrifice." He ran his finger along her jaw-line. "The things I could share with you, give you."
"Is it a deal?" she asked with trembling lips—lips that begged to be kissed.
Vincent circled Sarah, a vision of them together distracting him, making him yearn to hold her. "You know, I'm seriously tempted." She was the only woman who had ever mattered to him. But she had betrayed him, and he needed to back out of the memory hole he seemed to be languishing in and focus on his goal to own the girl's power. He couldn't afford to be side-tracked by fantasies of love. He knew better. He'd learned all about love the night she left him. "But I must decline."
"I will serve you." She held his gaze, her eyes welling with tears and searching his.
"Well, this is interesting. Your willingness to sacrifice yourself for this girl must mean that you believe she is very powerful."
She said nothing, but the momentary flinch told him he was right. The girl must be even more powerful than any other he'd encountered.
"No matter. I'll have her and you, too, before I'm done." He wanted to hurt her as much as she'd hurt him—the human part of him still remembered the ache in vivid detail. "And you will tell me where I can find my son."
I swallowed the boulder in my throat, convincing my thick tongue to speak. "Nate?"
"Yes, it is me," he said earnestly. "Really. I ditched the demon—it's just me in here now."
I studied him, not sure I believed he was rid of the demon. Alec had said he'd heard rumors about hosts being able to do that, but he didn't seem to think that it was very likely. I had to be careful.
"I've been looking all over for you. I saw you get in this truck at that house and followed you over here." He seemed out of breath. "Open the door so I can talk to you."
Thinking he was probably still possessed, I opened the door quickly and knocked him off-balance. I ran as fast as I could toward the wareho
use. Before I reached it, Nate caught up to me and grabbed me from behind. He picked me up. "Crystal, what are you doing?"
I kicked and twisted, trying to free myself from his grasp. "Let me go."
"Okay. Will you please listen to me? I can help you find your parents." He slowly released me.
I cautiously turned around. If he was still demon-Nate I'd be able to freeze him, or pelt him in the . . . either way, I could at least hear him out. I glanced from side to side, looking for any sign of Sam.
"I figured out how to get rid of the demon." He reached out and took my hand. "All I had to do was concentrate on forcing him out, and then he left."
I didn't say anything. I searched his eyes for the tell-tale dullness but didn't see it.
"It was horrible watching him do so many things. I wanted to stop him, but he was so strong. I feel awful about how he's treated you. That wasn't me." He laid his hand across chest.
I watched him, still suspicious. "How did you get rid of him, exactly?"
"When you freed me for a second, I realized I might be strong enough to get rid of the demon. I overheard him and some others talking about how they inhabit hosts, and the only way to get rid of the demon was when the host no longer wanted the demon inside. It took a little while, but I finally had enough strength to blast him out of me."
That seemed like a legitimate explanation. "Really?"
"Yeah. It's only me in here now. I promise." He held up his right hand. "After I kicked the demon out, I played along like he was still inside and asked a few questions, acting like I was going to help them with their plan. They leaked a false location of your parents hoping they'd be able to find you."
"So my parents aren't—"
"They're not in the warehouse. I know right where they are."
"Where?"
"I'll take you to them. We can save them together." He glanced at the ground then back at me. "It's the least I can do after everything." He touched my arm. It sent a shiver racing down to my fingers.
"I hope you know that it wasn't me on prom night. That whole plan was the demon's. I was stupid and let him in at first because he promised me that scholarship. Biggest mistake of my life."
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