I was in Connor’s arms, his blue eyes wide as he stared down at me, while Sam and Rhonda peered over his shoulders.
‘Emily, you’re alive,’ said Connor, a smile blooming on his face.
I gasped, horror sweeping over me.
I’d stolen Emily’s body.
29
My eyes sought Sam. ‘This wasn’t supposed to happen. I didn’t want this.’
His eyes widened. ‘Tyler?’
Connor let me go, confusion on his face as Sam help me stand. Hands shaking, I poked at my chest where blood soaked through the white silk dress and could find no trace of the injury that had killed Emily.
‘You took her body.’ Rhonda sounded as horrified as I felt.
‘I didn’t mean to. It just happened.’ I hung my head, biting at my bottom lip.
Sam gently coaxed my head up. ‘It doesn’t matter how it happened, what matters is that you’re alive.’
‘It matters to me. I’m no better than Malia, taking over someone else’s body. Emily is dead because of me, and now I do this to her.’ I waved a hand over my new body. ‘It’s disgusting.’
‘You are nothing like Malia,’ said Sam, eyes intent on mine, ‘and what happened to Emily isn’t your fault.’
‘I’m the one who put her in danger. I’m the one who told Malia how to get a new body, and now I’ve done exactly the same thing.’
‘No, this was an accident. I’m sorry Emily died, but I’m not sorry her death brought you back to life. You’re alive, Tyler. After everything you’ve been through, you’ve got a second chance.’
‘I can’t live like this. I don’t want to live like this.’
‘You have to. We need you. I need you.’ He ran a hand through his hair, mouth set in a grimace. ‘Talk to Bradbury. Maybe he can help you adjust.’
I took a deep breath, shuddering as I contemplated a future stuck in someone else’s body. Nausea engulfed me and I doubled over, retching as the contents of my stomach were expelled. Sam stoked my back as my shudders subsided. When I straightened up, he handed me a neatly folded handkerchief and I wiped my mouth.
I was just about to thank him when a loud explosion went off outside the hall. I raced to the large double doors at the end, with Sam, Connor and Rhonda close behind me. A huge cloud of dust hung over the car park, chunks of metal and other debris raining down on the people below.
‘My car,’ said Connor, running ahead of me. ‘The bastards blew up my car.’
As the dust settled the wreckage of his Commodore became visible, torn to shreds by whatever explosive had been used. Bodies were strewn on the ground around the wreckage, thrown several metres by the force of the blast. Those with wings were groggily getting to their feet, while many of the bodies without wings remained ominously still.
I scanned the car park, noting the lack of black wings. I hunted for Cade and found him in the middle of the chaos, helping a bloodied Killian to his feet. I raced over to them.
‘Cade, what happened?’ Did you get Malia and Almorthanos?’
He glared at me. ‘Go away, little girl, or there will be one less child of Clan Davila in the world, no matter what I promised Tyler.’
‘I am Tyler.’
Cade stiffened. ‘What madness is this?’
‘Malia killed my cousin and when I reaped her soul I got sucked into her body, bringing it back to life.’
Cade’s eyes narrowed as he scanned my new form. ‘But you no longer wear the necklace. How is this possible?’
‘I don’t know, and right now that’s the least of my concerns. Did you win? Are they dead?’
Cade’s nostrils flared. ‘We had them cornered and I was sure they were about to surrender and justice for my sister would finally be delivered. Then that vehicle exploded, and they used it as cover to flee the battle field. Cowards.’ He spat on the ground.
I hugged my arms around my chest, looking at all the bodies still sprawled on the ground. So many dead, and all for nothing. Worse than nothing. Almorthanos was free and reunited with his sister, and together they planned on taking over the world.
‘We have to find them.’
‘We will, but not today. My men need time to rest. But mark my words, Tyler Morgan, your part in this war is not done.’ Cade tightened his grip on Killian as the two of them stepped into the astral plane. I watched as the rest of his men did the same, those with wings carrying the bodies of the fallen or supporting the wingless Tr’lirians that still lived.
As one, they lifted into the air and flew off in the direction of the compound. I watched until I could no longer see them, not sure how I felt about suddenly being able to see into the astral plane from the physical world. I scanned the rest of the bodies scattered over the car park, leaving Rhonda to comfort Connor over the loss of his beloved car as I walked amongst the dead.
Sam came with me and together we searched futilely for any signs of life. It was surreal, stepping over broken wings, the black and white feathers liberally coated in blood, discarded after they had been ripped from the backs of those fighting for either Clan Davila or Clan Godden.
Sirens sounded in the distance and Sam’s expression hardened. ‘We need to leave,’ he said. ‘If they find us here, with this lot,’ he waved a hand over the car park, ‘we’ll be locked up and questioned for hours.’
I sighed, sad he had to hide from his colleagues because of his involvement with me. I turned around and walked back to Connor and Rhonda. ‘We have to go. The police are coming.’
Rhonda gave a weary nod, eyes bleak as she surveyed the dead.
Connor frowned. ‘Where are we going to go? Those sirens sound close and we don’t have a car.’
On cue, headlights appeared at the main entrance to the car park and rolled towards us. My heart leapt at the sight of Chris in the driver’s seat. Sam ushered me over to the car and opened the passenger door as soon as it came to a stop beside us.
‘We need to get Tyler out of here, now.’ Sam pushed me into the seat and closed the door, and then climbed into the back with Connor and Rhonda.
‘Tyler?’ Hope filled Chris’s eyes as he gazed at me. Blood trickled down the side of his face from where Cade had hit him. His brow creased. Then his eyes went wide. ‘You’re in your cousin’s body?’
I nodded, miserable, too choked up to talk.
‘We don’t have time for this, Bradbury,’ said Sam. ‘Get us out of here.’
Chris put the car into drive and gunned the accelerator. The car shot forward, leaving a trail of dust behind as he drove out the other side of the car park, away from the sirens. Within minutes we had rounded the hockey fields and were back on bitumen, navigating the back streets. Chris turned onto the main road heading to the bridge and shortly after crossing the river he pulled into his parking space in the underground carpark at the hotel.
It took three attempts before I could undo my seat belt, my hands shaking so much. Sam opened my door and helped me out. I couldn’t stop shivering even though it was a mild evening.
‘Here, put this on.’ Sam took his shirt off and guided my arms into the sleeves before doing up the buttons. Warmth radiated from him and I leaned closer. I wrapped my arms around him, feeling the smooth movements of his muscles beneath my palms. I nestled in even closer, pressing my face into his bare chest, needing his heat to chase away the chill that had settled into my body.
No. Not my body.
Emily’s body.
I pulled away from Sam, hands clenched into fists. He took hold of my right arm and led me over to the elevator, with Chris, Connor and Rhonda at our heels. No one spoke on the ride to the penthouse. I hugged Sam’s shirt to me, his scent rising from it, soothing me. Chris brushed passed me to unlock his front door. He stepped aside so we could all shuffle in.
The second I stepped over the threshold Chris crushed me to his chest. ‘Thank God you’re alive. I thought I’d lost you.’
I pushed him away, shaking my head. ‘This is not a good thing. This was not s
upposed to happen.’ Tears spilled down my cheeks. ‘Emily was supposed to live. Not me.’
‘To hell with Emily. You’re the only one I care about.’ He tried to take me in his arms again and I side-stepped.
‘I can’t do this,’ I said, the words bursting out of me, teeth chattering and my shivering intensifying.
Chris moved towards me again but Rhonda stepped in front of him. ‘Just leave her be. Let me take care of her.’
Chris grimaced, but he stepped back as Rhonda took my arm and tugged me along with her. I kept my head down, not wanting to meet anyone’s eyes as she led me from the room. She took me to the bathroom nestled between the two guest rooms and got the shower running. She pushed me towards the shower.
‘You get clean while I find you something else to wear.’ She slipped out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar.
I undressed and stepped into the shower cubicle. Blood coated the front of my chest and turned the water pink. I retched at the smell and hurriedly poured a glob of shower gel into my hands and rubbed it all over me. I tried not to think about what my hands were touching, unable to reconcile the juxtaposition between Emily’s body and my soul.
I did not belong in this body.
I stood under the shower, letting the hot water wash away the soap suds. I started in on my hair, making sure I washed away any trace of blood. But I still didn’t feel clean. No matter how much soap or shampoo I used, no matter how hot the water was, I couldn’t wash away the stench that clung to every pore.
I was no better than a Wraith, the rot invisible and yet insidious. My actions had put Emily in danger, stolen her future from her, and now I had taken her body as well.
I crumbled, falling to my knees, hot water streaming over me as I cried. Great big shuddering sobs ripped out of me as I rocked backwards and forwards, wanting to die, to end this horrible twisted nightmare.
The water stopped flowing and I looked up through wet tangles of hair as Sam placed a towel around my shoulders. He lifted me out of the shower and cradled me in his arms. He carried me into my bedroom and sat on the bed with me still in his arms, all without saying a word.
He held me, his chin resting on top of my head.
I closed my eyes, letting out a deep shuddering breath as I relaxed into him, listening to his heartbeat.
I didn’t want to move, ever, to open my eyes and face what my life had become. But I didn’t have that luxury. Malia and Almorthanos were out there, plotting who knows what, and I was responsible for unleashing them on an unsuspecting world. It was up to me to make this right.
Somehow.
30
I forced my eyes open and wriggled out of Sam’s embrace to stand beside him.
‘Thank you,’ I said, pulling the towel more firmly around me, suddenly conscious of my state of undress. And I wasn’t the only one in need of new clothes.
Droplets of water clung to Sam’s bare chest, glistening in the light. I shivered, and not from the cold. I dragged my eyes away and focused on a spot over his shoulder, not ready to meet his eyes.
‘I’ll, uh, get dressed and be out in a minute.’
‘Tyler,’ Sam, hand outstretched, stepped towards me and I shuffled back.
‘I’ll be okay. I’m fine.’ I shrugged.
‘You’re not fine,’ he said. ‘But we’ll deal with that later. Right now I need you to look in the mirror.’ He pointed over my shoulder at the mirrored doors on the wardrobe.
I shook my head, not ready to look into Emily’s eyes.
‘Tyler, you have wings on your back.’
I whirled around, letting the towel drop down to expose my back.
The tattoo started just above my shoulder blades and swept down passed my waist. The wings were silver, just like the ones I had when in astral form, and shimmered with each movement I made.
‘That’s new, right?’
I nodded, swallowing down a lump. ‘The same thing happened to Chris, when he came back to life, only his wings are black.’ I had run my fingers over his wings, fascinated by how lifelike they were, but I had no desire to touch my own set.
I dropped the towel, no longer caring about Sam still being in the room as I scooped up the clothes Rhonda had laid on the bed for me. I pulled the underwear on with jerky movements, breathing heavily. I tugged on the nightshirt, finding little comfort in knowing the wings were covered.
‘Malia didn’t have wings tattooed on her back.’
I froze, peering at Sam. ‘When did you see her back?’
He cleared his throat.
I shook my head, forcing away the image of Malia prancing around naked in front of him. ‘Never mind. I don’t want to know.’
I grabbed the towel and dried my hair. I combed out the tangles, expecting it to take longer than it did. Emily had kept her hair shorter than me. I put the comb back in my toilet bag and faced Sam.
‘Malia was never a reaper, so she wouldn’t have wings like me and Chris.’
‘That explains it then,’ he said, giving me a wry smile. His expression sobered as he stared at me. ‘You can do this. You’re stronger than you think. If Bradbury can adapt to living in a different body, so can you.’
‘It’s not the same, and you know it.’ I rolled my shoulders.
‘Give it time. Take it slow.’ He moved until he stood right in front of me, tilting my head back and gazing intently into my eyes. ‘I know you feel like an intruder but when I look into your eyes I see you, not Emily. It is the soul that breathes life into the body, not the other way around. You are Tyler Maree Morgan, and I love you.’
He dipped his head, lips covering mine in a kiss so sweet it brought tears to my eyes.
I pulled away. ‘I can’t,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘It’s not right. This isn’t my body.’
I brushed passed him and opened the door.
Chris stood in the doorway, hand raised to knock again. He looked over my shoulder at Sam and then fixed his blue eyes on me. ‘How are you doing?’
I stepped out of the room. ‘I’ve had better days.’
Chris caught my arm before I could walk away. ‘I know it’s a shock to find yourself in somebody else’s body, but it does get easier.’
I didn’t want it to get easier. I wanted it to end. But I knew I couldn’t say that to either Chris or Sam.
I tossed my head as I strode down the hall. ‘What will make it easier is making sure the person responsible has been punished. Malia and Almorthanos are both going to pay for what they have done.’
Connor leapt to his feet when I entered the lounge. ‘Glad to have you back, sis,’ he said, bounding forward and hugging me. ‘Though I was getting used to the idea of being an only child and getting more presents at Christmas.’
I forced out a laugh. ‘You already get more presents than anyone else.’
‘True, but a few more wouldn’t hurt.’ He gave me a cheeky grin.
I eased out of his arms. ‘Sorry about your car.’
‘Nah, it’s fine,’ he said, shrugging. ‘I was getting bored with it anyway. I’ll buy a better one with the insurance money.’
‘I doubt your policy covers explosions,’ said Rhonda. She stood and smoothed down her linen skirt. ‘But I’m sure we can work something out.’
She stepped over to my side and cleared her throat. ‘I’m truly sorry about what happened to your cousin, Tyler. But, like your detective said, I’m not sorry you are alive again. After everything you did for Connor, sacrificing yourself to keep him safe, to keep all of us safe, you really do deserve a second chance. Thank you.’
Before I could say anything she grabbed me, hugging me so tight it hurt. When she finally let go my shoulder was wet from her tears. All my life she had treated me with disdain, barely tolerating me as her step-daughter. To see acceptance and even approval in her eyes now was both bitter and sweet.
Chris handed me a glass. ‘You look like you could do with this,’ he said, his voice suspiciously bland.
I gulped
half the glass, the scotch slipping smoothly down my throat and warming me from the inside out.
‘Steady on,’ he said. ‘You’re supposed to sip it, not guzzle it.’
‘After what she’s been through, Tyler has every right to get plastered,’ said Connor.
‘What about what we’ve been through? What I went through, regaining consciousness to find you gone, forcing Cade’s lackey to tell me where you were, racing to the hockey grounds praying I wasn’t too late to save you, to stop you throwing your life away?’ Chris said. No longer bland, his voice vibrated with fury.
I lifted my chin. ‘I did not throw my life away. I did what had to be done.’
‘Bullshit.’
‘That’s enough, Bradbury.’
Chris whirled around and pointed at Sam. ‘You let her die. You threatened to kill me if I let anything happen to her, and then you just stood by and watched as that bastard Talaom shot her.’
‘That’s not what happened.’ I stepped between them. ‘Sam tried to protect me, but he couldn’t. No one could.’
Chris glared at me. ‘You should never have been there in the first place. If you’d listened to me, never made that bloody deal with Cade, I could have gotten you away, taken you somewhere where no one could hurt you ever again.’
‘I had no choice.’
‘There’s always a choice.’
‘Then this was mine, and I’d do it again if it was the only way to save the people I love.’ I stepped over to Chris and placed my hand on his chest. ‘I know you’re angry with me but this was always my choice to make, not yours.’
‘I need another drink,’ he said, stalking off to the kitchen.
I let out a sigh, shaking my head. Sam appeared at my side and I gave him a light smile, resisting the urge to take shelter in his arms.
‘What happens now?’ Connor asked.
‘We get some rest,’ said Rhonda. ‘Andrew’s funeral is on Monday. After that we’ll start packing, decide where to go from here.’
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