“How do you know the spell even requires something so awful? Maybe I can catch a squirrel and use that as my sacrifice.”
He chuckled. “You really don’t know anything about dark magic, do you?”
Jay turned his head, focusing on the red smoke, so I did the same. It was settling down, almost like a retreat. I had a feeling our moment was about to be over.
“Trust me, Val—the sacrifice will be awful. I’ll do that part, and since you’re stronger than me, you do the Elemental power part. Deal?”
The smoke lowered, dispersing around our feet.
My mind was insisting he couldn’t be trusted, but my heart was hoping beyond hope that I was wrong. I missed my best guy friend, and I desperately wished there was a way to redeem him. If Sienna’s parents could help redeem her, why couldn’t Charlene do the same for Jay?
I found myself nodding before I even made up my mind.
“Deal.”
We shook on it as the smoke dissipated completely.
Jay closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’ll go get the sacrifice. Meet me in the woods in fifteen minutes. You know the pond that’s just outside of town?”
I nodded. We’d passed it just a few minutes ago and Xavier had said it was clear.
“That’s where we’ll meet. Now go. I’ll see you soon.”
As he ran out the same back door Lucia had exited through previously, my stomach sank to my feet. What were the odds he was going to backstab me? What if he was gathering the Elitist army that very moment to intercept us in the woods and kill us or kidnap us?
“Son of a bitch,” I growled to myself, raking my hands down my face.
What if he wasn’t? What if Sienna’s and his problems were about to get solved and I wouldn’t have to dabble in any darkness myself to achieve it?
I no longer had any clue what to do.
I walked to the front of the store and unlocked the door, surprised to find a stream of red smoke floating by on the breeze.
That was why Cade and the others hadn’t come rushing to help me—Jay had clearly hit them with a moment in time spell, too, a longer-lasting one than I’d been subjected to if their yet-frozen forms were any indication. I waited a few minutes longer until the smoke completely faded and they were thrust back into reality, none the wiser.
Sienna blinked. “That was a hell of a quick trip.”
Kale frowned. “Was no one in there?”
I plastered on a smile and shook my head. “Nope. We’re good. Time to go home.”
Cade, who was halfway down the alley, spun around and eyed me suspiciously. “That’s it?”
I shrugged. “That’s it.”
He stormed back over and got right up in my face. “So, we argued over this just for you to pop in and out in less than fifteen seconds? Mission accomplished, no harm done, time to go home?”
I swallowed hard and stared at him, unwilling to lie but equally unwilling to tell the truth.
“You promised not to ask questions,” I said in a whisper.
“Damn it, Valerie!” He turned away and ran his hands through his hair.
“Just trust me,” I called after him.
He whipped around, emerald eyes blazing. “Do you trust yourself?”
I stared at the ground, a sickening sensation swirling in my gut. “I don’t know.”
Growling, he spun around and stormed off again.
Kale and Xavier had found extremely interesting spots on the ground to study, but Sienna simply eyed me with a curious expression. It was almost like contempt or condemnation.
Keep it together, Valerie, I told myself. Shit is falling apart, but if you can hold it together for like ten more minutes, everything can be fine again—better than fine.
I had to reel them back in, ease the tension before the line between us snapped. Unfortunately, that required me relenting a bit, giving some slack.
I sighed and squeezed my eyes shut. “I’m meeting someone in the woods.”
I couldn’t see anything besides darkness, and I couldn’t hear anything either, no footsteps, no voices. I stole a peek and realized everyone was staring at me, even Cade.
“My secret mission is almost finished,” I admitted with a nod. “Whether I succeed or not, there’s the potential for things to get ugly. If you want to back out, I wouldn’t blame you in the slightest.”
“No,” Cade and Sienna said at once, while Xavier and Kale shook their heads.
“Seriously, you guys. I have no idea what’s going to happen in the next ten minutes. It could be gloriously life-changing, or it could be a gory and gruesome death. I have no idea.”
Kale frowned and shook his head as if I were a child who’d made some inexplicable mess. “Why? Why risk everything like this?”
I closed my eyes, feeling guilt and sadness mix with hope in my bloodstream. Images of Sienna and Jay flooded my mind, times when they were happy, smiling, and laughing. Their happiness was worth the risk to me.
“Because I love my friends.” I smiled right at Sienna, and her features finally softened. “But we’re running out of time. So, let’s get moving.”
I waved a hand and started jogging toward the woods. Thankfully, they all followed my lead, despite not knowing if we would live or die.
9
When we reached the pond, I slowed from a run to a cautious walk. My gaze darted between the trees, searching for any enemies hiding and waiting to pounce. I switched to my Fire sense and scanned the area for heat signatures, mercifully coming up empty.
Licking my lips, I turned around and faced my team. “This is actually a good sign.”
“What is?” Sienna asked, putting a hand on her hip.
I gestured to the silence all around us. “The emptiness.”
Xavier frowned. “But I thought you were supposed to be meeting someone—why would the emptiness be a good thing?”
“Because it means we might actually live.”
That shut him up, though it wasn’t my intent. I reached into my jacket and withdrew the nasty-looking old book. A collective gasp escaped from everyone’s mouths except mine and Cade’s; his lips were in too tight of a thin line for that. He stared at the book in mild horror as if it were a severed head. Really, it was an ugly thing, so I couldn’t blame him.
Or maybe he was staring at me? I tried my best to follow his gaze. It trailed off to the side of me and into the woods beyond. Slowly turning, I finally saw what had him frozen in fear.
An actual severed head hung by its hair from the fingers of Jay’s left hand. The mouth was agape and the eyes were wide with shock, but even through such an expression, I could tell it was Madam Lucia.
Cade powered up the Earth, sending the ground rolling in uneasy waves, but I quickly held out my hand. He glared from me to Jay then back to me. “This is who you’re meeting?” Then he gestured to the head. “This is why you couldn’t tell us the truth? Because you’re secretly committing murder and you fucking knew we’d never support that?”
I quickly shook my head and fought off the urge to puke. I was dizzy. I’d never seen something so atrocious. It horrified me to think Jay had killed her in cold blood, but at the same time, I was beyond grateful it hadn’t been me to do it.
“I didn’t know he’d be bringing…a head.”
Jay strolled through the trees with an unreadable expression on his face. When he got close enough, he dropped the head at my feet.
“Here’s your sacrifice. May I see the book?”
I turned away but held the old tome out for him to take.
“Jesus fucking…” Cade muttered, pacing about the forest as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do.
“Valerie…what in the actual fuck?” Sienna asked, her voice coming out strangely normal. It was like she wasn’t sure whether to be livid or terrified so she’d compromised on the tone.
I shook my head. “I know this looks bad—”
“Bad?” Xavier shouted, cutting me off. “This looks like the worst t
hing I’ve ever seen! You’re my little brother’s girlfriend. You’re supposed to be leading the good guys. Instead you’re secretly meeting with the enemy to discuss severed heads and sacrifices?” He gasped and pointed a finger at me. “Oh no! Plot twist! You’re secretly evil, aren’t you? You’ve been playing us all this time, waiting for the perfect moment to get us all alone and feed our power to your sadistic grandfather!”
I wasn’t entirely sure what came over him—fear-fueled annoyance, probably—but Cade stormed over and punched his brother right in the face. “Stop fucking talking.”
“Listen,” I said, hoping I wasn’t next in line to receive a blow. “I can explain everything.”
“Oh, now you want to talk?” Cade asked with a deadly glare. “Now that shit’s hitting the fan and your devoted followers are starting to question your sanity?”
“Cade,” I said, closing my eyes and shaking my head. “I’m not insane, and I’d never do anything that was outright evil, because I’m not evil. I didn’t know this would happen.”
Jay glanced up from the book. “I told her she didn’t know what she was getting into.”
“And I really didn’t,” I insisted. Then I got back on track. “Remember in the woods that night, Cade? Right before you nearly died—remember what Chase said?”
Understanding dawned on his face and his eyes fell shut. “That’s what this is about? Talking to dead people?”
Kale and Xavier shared horrified glances while Sienna simply glowered harder.
“I thought if Sienna could just talk to her parents again and get the closure she so desperately needs, maybe she’d be able to find some peace and move on, and maybe they’d even be able to give her some words of wisdom about her self-destructive commitment issues.”
Her hand flew to her mouth, but a sob escaped anyway.
I didn’t know if she was sad I’d gone this far or secretly appreciative that I cared enough about her to try. Either way, she was crying, and I felt like shit.
“You traded that poor woman’s head for the sake of Sienna’s pathetic love life?” Cade shouted.
“No! That’s not what I meant to have happen!”
How could I have not seen this epic fallout coming?
Jay glanced up from the book again. “I also need to talk to Charlene for my own bit of closure. I’d truly hate for Madam Lucia’s death to be for nothing, so let’s just get this damned spell over with.” He snapped the book shut and stood, pointing to the ground at our feet. “Draw a circle around us with your elements,” he told me.
I stole a final glance at Cade before a tear streamed down my cheek. We’d come this far already, and the damage had already been done—might as well finish it. I let the Fire within me loose, and blue flames zipped around us. Then I let the Water out, forming a wall of jagged ice inside the flames.
Jay nodded and threw the head in the middle, face down in the dirt.
“Now, think of the one thing you care about most,” he said. “Let the raw emotion fill you with its power.”
I closed my eyes, and a million images hit me at once, each vying for a millisecond of my attention: Cade laughing, Cade smiling, Cade smirking…training, cooking, healing. Every image was of him…him kissing me, touching me, holding me. I loved him more than anything. How could I have done this to him? Made him fear me like this?
Tears streamed freely down my cheeks, burning my skin in their wake. Not even my aquamarine bracelet could keep the water at bay.
“Do you have your image?” Jay asked quietly, knowing full well I must have.
I merely nodded.
Suddenly, he placed a dagger in my hand.
“Now concentrate all that energy into opening a portal into the other realm. Cut a slice in the air before you. Imagine it as a curtain you can peel apart, revealing the afterlife behind it.”
I couldn’t believe I was about to try this.
Keeping my eyes closed so I didn’t lose focus or nerve, I reached up with the dagger and slowly dragged it down the imaginary scene before me. The forest opened up and a tall thin crack formed out of nowhere. The farther I dragged the knife, the wider the crack became, revealing a beautiful landscape beyond. Floating islands, cascading waterfalls, flowering vines, scents sweeter than honey, sounds more melodious than the most beautiful song, streets of gold, a palace of diamonds, every magnificent creature you could imagine—it was mesmerizing and completely overwhelming.
I gasped, barely able to breathe, and opened my eyes to break the illusion, but the same scene was laid out before me when I did so.
“Can you guys see what I see?” I asked in timidity and awe.
“Yes,” Sienna replied breathlessly, reaching out to touch the opening I’d created.
Jay frowned, eyes darting around almost nervously. “This isn’t right.”
I turned to him, astounded. “What do you mean this isn’t right?”
“I mean this,” he said, gesturing to the magnificent world before us. “This isn’t the afterlife. It’s supposed to be dull and gray, peaceful and mild. But this…I have no idea what this is.”
Suddenly, a face appeared before us. It belonged to a woman, the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. She had long, wavy black hair and was wearing a gown like scarlet and dawn and flame that shimmered in the golden light.
She leaned forward, partially entering our world, and took my hand. Her skin was softer than silk.
“Hello, Valerie. It’s wonderful to finally meet you face to face. Come, we have much to talk about.” Then she glanced at the petrified faces around me. “All of you, come!”
She pulled me through, into whatever lay beyond.
10
“Ida!” a voice called from a nearby island. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? Where’d you go?”
Ida?
My mind ground to a screeching halt.
Ida, as in the Ida? The Goddess of Fire? That Ida?
“No worries, Leo!” she called back sweetly. “We have company.”
“This is Euphoria, my love,” the voice replied, sounding amused and a lot closer this time. “We don’t receive guests.”
She grinned at me and winked. “We do now.”
The golden head of a man came into view over the crest of a hill, then a face—the most gorgeous face I’d ever seen on a man. Finally, his entire being was visible, rippling with poised muscle nearly hidden under a brown robe lined in white fur…an absolute image of perfection.
He was silent as he strolled up next to Ida, staring at us with a curious glint in his pale green eyes. The pair looked like a match made in heaven, and suddenly, I gasped.
“Is this…Heaven?”
The man had called the place Euphoria, and as far as I knew, there was no place quite as euphoric as the immortal resting place of the gods.
He grinned, a beautifully heart-stopping thing, and glanced down at Ida. “Where did you find these people?”
She pointed behind us at the slice in the air. The forest back home loomed silently in the distance.
“You made her too powerful,” the man muttered.
My whole body was alight with the tingling of nerves. What would they do to us now that we’d intruded on their world? We were clearly never meant to arrive there. How the hell had it even happened?
“Nonsense, Leo,” she said, placing a hand on his chest. “This is perfect. When Nik sees what she can do, he just might join our cause.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “Nik won’t be swayed so easily.”
Ida smirked. “Then my little doves will simply have to convince him otherwise.”
She eyed us all adoringly, and I realized we were the little doves in question.
I reached out and took Cade’s hand, relieved when he didn’t snatch it away. I needed the comfort of his touch, the power of his protection—even if he was seriously pissed at me.
Ida’s gaze followed my movement and landed square on Cade. “I’m so glad Leo saved your life. You’re the perfect match f
or my little champion.”
Cade cleared his throat and swallowed hard. “I’m sorry, but…Ida? Leo? Nik? You guys are…the original Elemental gods?”
They nodded. Ida looked tickled pink while Leo smirked and looked properly dignified.
Xavier leaned in and whispered, “Should we, like, bow down or something?”
My gaze moved from him to Sienna to Kale to Jay and back to Cade. I had no idea what reverence was required when meeting with gods. Honestly, I’d only become an Elemental myself half a year earlier, and I’d never really learned much of the history or culture.
“No need to bow,” Ida insisted with a gentle smile. “But please, come! The others need to meet you as soon as possible.”
With a flourish of his hand, Leo created a flowering vine that lifted us up on its leaves and glided us over a few of the closer islands. The impossibility of it all coupled with my minor fear of heights had me clinging to Cade even tighter.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, snuggling my face into his neck. “I’m so sorry. I never should have done this.”
He sighed. “It’s okay, Val. Your heart was in the right place, even if your head went completely fucking brain-dead for a second.”
A laugh bubbled out of me in spite of the circumstances, making me seem slightly unhinged.
“So, you forgive me?”
He narrowed his emerald eyes on me and nodded. “I do.”
“Do you think we’re going to die?”
“One might argue we’re already dead, considering where we are right now.”
“But…Jay said this wasn’t the afterlife.”
Cade chuckled. “No, it’s Euphoria, a place we could never hope to ascend to even after death.”
For some reason, he made it sound foreboding.
“Is it dangerous here?”
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer. “I have no idea. No one has ever been here before—or at least no one who has ever lived to tell the tale.”
“Oh, dear god.”
“Yes?” Leo called back with a cheeky grin. Apparently, they could hear our whisperings.
I swallowed hard. “Oh, not you, your…godliness.”
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