Sacrifice: Book 3 of The Dark Paradise Trilogy

by Isadora Brown

  “I know,” she told him. “I know where I am, Noir.” For a moment, he believed she was going to call him by his real name. He had never told anyone his real name. Not ever. It was one of the reasons he hated her so much. She had such influence over him. She would bring him to his knees, cause his downfall, and there was a good chance he would love every minute of it.

  “Then why did you come here?” he asked, and his voice turned dark, his words held bite, and he inwardly cheered when she visibly flinched. Good. She needed to be intimidated. She needed to be scared. “You, uh take… what I did for you, for gran-ted. Do you think I make-ah a habit of saving everyone? And now you’re here. You’re, well you’re hum… throwing your second chance at life away, doll.”

  “It’s more like my third or fourth chance,” she retorted, more to herself than to him. “And I would do the same thing, over and over again. Life isn’t the same without you. And if you’re right and this doesn’t end up working out, if I’m condemned to stay here and my life on earth ceases to exist, it will all be worth it because I have you. Because we’re together.”

  “I. Don’t. Want. To. Be. Here.”

  Keirah smirked. “I know.” She gave him a sly look. “Which is why I have a plan.” He perked his brow, indicating that she should go on. “I’ve already talked to Hades about you. He’s thinking it over.”

  This caught Noir’s attention. “He’s thinking what over?” he asked.

  “Letting you go.” Keirah curled her legs up underneath her and arched her back up. She was completely naked, sitting in front of him completely naked. Normally, such a sight would not have made him blink whatsoever but he hadn’t feasted on her body in such a long time–time tended to move so slowly here; he wasn’t sure how much of it had passed since he had arrived–that he couldn’t resist dropping his eyes, taking her in, creating even more mental snapshots than he already had. She wasn’t shy with her body the way she had been when they first started fucking, and he loved her even more for it, appreciated her own appreciation of her sexuality. It made him fall even more in love with her than he already was.

  The bitch.

  “What?”

  “He said he’ll consider letting you go,” she repeated. “Come back to earth. Come back to me.”

  Before Noir could reply, a knock on the door interrupted him.

  “Keirah, it’s Seph,” a familiar voice called. “Haye has rendered his decision. Please get dressed and I’ll wait out here for you. In case, you know, you need help. Or you need me to lead you back to the throne room.”

  “All right, I’ll be out soon,” Keirah called.

  “Oh, and he wants you to wear something nice. Like a dress. Yes. A dress.”

  Noir furrowed his brow, his eyes bronzing. He knew who Seph was, but he didn’t appreciate the implications the goddess’s words had with Keirah. Wear something nice? Why did she need to wear something nice? What was his relationship with Keirah anyways? How could a human somehow strike a deal with the god of Purgatory, without having some sort of relationship unless he wanted one?

  Keirah was Noir’s. He didn’t give a shit who wanted her.

  By the time he was finished with his thoughts, Keirah had pulled on a deep magenta gown, simple in the loose way it hung on her form. She threw her hair up into a messy bun. Somehow, with the miniscule time it took for her to get ready, she looked devastatingly lovely.

  He couldn’t help himself; he lunged at her, placing a passionate kiss on her lips as though she might be gone.

  “Come-ah back to. Me.”

  Keirah smiled softly at him. “Always,” she murmured.

  28

  Jack opened his mouth to say something, but oddly enough, words were unable to leave the tip of his tongue. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was so startled by how completely desolate Andie looked at the moment, if it was because even he knew he couldn’t say anything to fix this, or if it was the look from Beverly. He shut his mouth abruptly and focused his attention on placing the flowers on the counter of the sink. He felt himself start to get defensive; why would his aunt look at him like that when she hadn’t even heard his side of the story? In fact, what business of it was hers? This was between him and Andie.

  “I’d like to talk to my girlfriend,” Jack said, finally looking over at Beverly with sharpened jade eyes, daring his aunt to refuse. However, Jack should have known better when it came to her because Beverly’s crystal green eyes seeped into Jack’s like glaciers. “Alone,” Jack added with emphasis. It was only then that Beverly looked down at Andie, as though asking if he should leave.

  If it was anyone else who had upset Andie this way, Jack would have found it humbling how defensive Beverly had grown over the young woman, but because it was he who had done this, Jack saw it as somewhat annoying.

  “That’s fine,” Andie said quietly, though her voice was firm. She had yet to look at Jack, but she offered Beverly the best reassuring smile she could come up with at that moment.

  Once she left, Jack threw a glance over at his Andie, who looked up at him with the saddest eyes he had ever laid eyes upon. He hesitated, though he longed to reach out and hold her, wanting nothing more than to promise that everything would be all right. But he didn’t know that; it was Andie who would determine if things were going to be okay, and all he could do was make the decision as easy for her as possible.

  She wouldn’t leave him for this, would she?

  “Listen, And,” Jack began, his voice taking its normal soft-spoken tone, “you have no idea how sorry I am.”

  Andie nodded cryptically, before clenching her jaw. “Me too,” she managed to say, her heart clenching at the memory of expecting Jack to show up and being sorely disappointed.

  “You have to believe that I never meant to hurt you,” he continued, taking a step towards her. “I lost track of time. This is completely my fault, and I’m sorry, but you have to know that I didn’t do it on purpose. I would never want to hurt you, Andie. Never.” His eyes tried to plead with hers, but they seemed to have built a wall up, a wall that had taken quite a while for Jack to tear down.

  “Well, it doesn’t matter what you intended to do or not,” Andie said, her voice still so soft, and her eyes narrowed in his direction, “because I am.”

  “You’re right,” Jack said, watching as Andie slowly stood up. It would seem that everything she did when she was upset had a purpose. “You’re absolutely right, and I’m sorry. I lost track of time, and it is completely my fault.”

  Andie slowly cocked her head to the side as she regarded Jack. “What were you doing, exactly?” she asked him, each word pointedly articulated. “What could you have been doing that was so much more important than coming home, Jack? Because it was late when Reese found me and brought me home.” With each word, her voice got louder, and tears sprung into her eyes, though remarkably, they had yet to fall. It was only starting to hit her what she had gone through, what had happened to her, and she needed some kind of explanation for Jack’s absence.

  Jack found himself getting defensive as she yelled at him, and his brows furrowed low over his eyes. “Nothing is more important than you! I had no idea–” he exclaimed, throwing his arms out. “I just lost track of time!”

  “How, Jack?” Andie asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “How could you possibly lose track of time when this was so…” She paused here, pressing her lips together and looking at the kitchen ceiling in hopes that the tears accumulated in her eyes wouldn’t fall. “I was watching the clock the whole time I was at work up until the point that I got to that dinner, hoping you would cut it short with Vanessa. Then I continued to watch the clock up until the point when you would show up, but–” Here, her voice hitched, and despite her best attempts, tears rolled down her face, and her tone quieted. “But you never came.”

  Jack clenched his jaw, feeling his heart constrict together painfully knowing how much he had hurt the one thing in this entire world that he loved more than anything. H
ow could he be so stupid? How could he be so selfish?

  “I… I needed you there with me,” she murmured, her eyes focusing on the tile that made up the kitchen. “I wanted you there, but more than that, I needed you there.”

  “I know, and–”

  “No,” Andie said, interrupting Jack. “No, you don’t know because you weren’t there. You haven’t experienced that, just like I’ll never experience what you go through as the Black Wing. But the thing is, I’m always there when you need me to be. I wait up for you. I worry about you. You don’t know that, but I do, and I’m happy to do it because I love you and I want to be there for you.” She swallowed, as though she was trying to get control over herself. “So tell me, Jack. What could possibly cause you to lose track of time, despite how important this meeting was to me, and how important it should have been to you?” She perked her brows.

  Jack clenched his jaw again, his defense system melting into anger at himself. “I,” he began, but cut himself off, knowing that his answer was going to upset Andie more so than she already was. “I was in a meeting,” he finally explained. He wanted to end it there, but knew Andie would press him further so he forced himself to continue. “With Vanessa. About the party. I told you this, remember? It went late. I lost track of time…”

  To say that all of the color drained out of her face wasn’t correctly defining it. Andie actually had to grab the back of the chair in hopes to keep herself standing. It was quiet for at least thirty seconds, but for Jack, it felt like an eternity. Finally, Andie cast her gaze over at Jack, and she let out a shaky sigh.

  “So you’re telling me,” Andie said, her voice quiet and slow as it slipped out of her mouth, “that while you were out with your ex-girlfriend, you lost track of time and forgot about me. I knew you would be meeting with her. I just didn’t think she had the power to make you forget about me.” Jack opened his mouth to respond, but shut it, tilting his head to the side. It sounded horrible coming out of Andie’s mouth, but even worse, it was true. “You know what?” She forced her eyes to look into Jack’s, knowing that this was the hardest thing she had to do, but she had to do it. “I can’t do this anymore.” Without warning, she started to head past Jack and out the door, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

  Jack reached and gently grabbed Andie, turning her around so he could look into her eyes. “What are you saying, And?” he asked softly.

  “I need space,” she told him. “I can’t be here… with you… right now. I’ll be at the guesthouse across the street.” She bit her lip, sighing through her nose.

  “For how long?” he asked, completely stunned at what she was saying.

  “I don’t know,” Andie told him honestly.

  “Please don’t go,” he told her. Jack hadn’t cried in a long, long time, and he wasn’t planning on doing it now. However, that didn’t stop his eyes from watering considerably.

  “I’m not the one who left,” Andie said in a low murmur, before pulling herself away from Jack’s grasp.

  With that, she disappeared. It wasn’t until he heard the manor doors shut that he realized she had really left him.

  29

  Reese smiled to herself as she walked down the street of Onyx after getting out of school, her blonde hair loose in the June breeze. Things were going well. Andie was okay. Jack had called her late last night to let her know that Andie was doing well, and besides some bumps and bruises, she was otherwise all right. This didn’t surprise Reese; Andie was a strong woman and Reese was almost certain that even though she had gone through a traumatic event, she pulled herself together for the greater good. Not only that, but she and Ollo were actually… something. They had yet to discuss what that something was, but she was more confident they were at least something.

  She looked around at the small café Henry had her meet him at, and found it high-scale and quaint. It was a place she had never even noticed before, never been to, but a place she knew her parents might have enjoyed on one of their date-lunches they took throughout their work week. The décor was humble but noticeable, gold and crème colors highlighting the interior. There were only thirteen tables–all circular and covered with a soft rose colored table cloth–with a thin, clear vase filled halfway with water and a yellow rose protruding out of the hole. Plates, silverware, cups and glasses were already set up. It was the perfect place to go for a cup of tea, Reese thought to herself, which is probably why Henry liked it so much. Perhaps it reminded him of home.

  Henry was already sitting at a table–the fact that he was on time surprised her–sipping a cup of tea. A teapot sat on the surface of the table already, as though he had been here for a few minutes before Reese. His hair still hung to his shoulders, still magical and whispy and dark brown. His eyes were big and dark, his nose still long and pointed. He still wore black, but this time, the skinny tie was purple rather than red, and he selected his shoes so they matched his tie. He looked like the same old young guy she had first met back when she started Onyx High School. He had been the key to everything she knew now, and for some reason, he wanted to talk to Reese. Alone.

  “Hello, dearie,” he greeted her, his voice casual and light the way it normally was. She still remember how dark and mysterious it sounded upon finding out that Keirah had captured Piper and used her to get what she wanted from Henry without having to pay his price. “Please, sit.”

  “How’s Piper doing?” she asked, noticing a selection of pastries already lining the table, ones that were all somehow her favorite. Henry knew her too well.

  Henry’s eyes flickered at the mention of Piper’s name and his entire body tensed, but only for less than a moment. Then he resumed his movement as though nothing had happened. Piper was the chink in his armor, his weakness, and even though he knew it, he still fell into similar patterns that revealed it as such, which was something Henry never did.

  “She’s better,” he answered. “Still shaken up, but she’s a tough lass. She’ll manage.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Reese said. She poured herself a cup of the amber liquid, leaving room to douse it with half and half and sugar. She wasn’t a huge fan of tea, but in a setting like this one, she felt it would have been rude if she didn’t at least try it. “She was the first real friend I made here.” She furrowed her brow. “I don’t understand why Keirah… I mean, she was always so quiet, I just didn’t expect…”

  “Nobody did.” Henry shrugged. “That was why I wanted to talk to you today, actually. There are things we need to discuss about this war, things that you need to know. And I feel as though I’m the only person who can give you the necessary information without sugar-coating it.”

  Reese nodded as she took a sip of her tea. She was prepared to be disgusted by the taste, but found that it was sweeter than she anticipated. She took an extra gulp just to give herself more of it.

  “Let’s start with what happened with Miss Shepherd.” Reese immediately noticed that he referred to Keirah by name, and as he did, his teeth clenched and his eyes got dark, like the night sky right before a surprise storm. “Since she was the direct cause of the start of this war, let’s go over her part now: She is currently in Purgatory with the goal of retrieving Noir.”

  “Does she want to bring him back to Onyx?” Reese reached out and grabbed a cheese Danish. She took a big bite of it, and almost moaned as the flavor invaded her mouth.

  “That is uncertain.” He took his own sip of tea, but made the gesture graceful and cat-like. “Regardless of where she wants to take him back to, the real question you should be asking is if that’s even possible, and what effect that might have on everything if what she sets out to accomplish is actually accomplished.”

  “Is it possible?” She had just swallowed her food.

  “It all depends on what Hades decides.”

  “Hades? You mean, the reason for the First War?”

  “Technically, Persephone is the reason for the first war.” He took a small bite of a croissant. “Howev
er, if Miss Shepherd makes a case to Hades and Hades finds it fit to release Noir, it is very possible Noir and Keirah could return to Onyx.”

  “Would Hades agree?”

  Henry shrugged, an elegant gesture. “Who knows?” He took another sip of tea. “The man is a romantic, but masks it quite well. Miss Shepherd is a desperate fool, and he has always been favorable to them. However, he is also fond of punishing them for their foolishness.” He smiled, despite himself. “Hades can be quite a character.” He paused. “Although, if Persephone were to bring Miss Shepherd to Hades, it might sway him to help Miss Shepherd more than anything.”

  “Persephone?” Reese asked, surprised. “You mean, she’s in Purgatory? Isn’t it past spring time? Wouldn’t she be back with her mother? Does this mean Hades and Persephone are together or” –

  “Will you refrain?” Henry asked in a curt voice. “Has anyone ever told you that you ask too many questions?”

  “Constantly,” Reese said with a smile. She shrugged her shoulders. “I apologize. As you were saying.”

  Henry gave her a flat look. “Right. As odd as it sounds, Noir was the chaos that held the city together. The five Bosses of Onyx–united by Lucas Burr–worked together to overthrow Noir from being Onyx’s terrorist while simultaneously using him to hide their nefarious deeds.”

  “If everyone’s paying attention to Noir, no one would pay attention to the others,” Reese put in, wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin.

  “Exactly.” Henry gave her a nod. “Now that Noir is gone, the five Bosses are fighting for the top position. Their underlings are committing petty crime, trying to make a name for themselves while the higher ups are trying to do business with the Onyx PD, the district attorney’s office, any place where corruption is free to run rampant without penalty. Whoever has the power has the control.”

  “But doesn’t Burr want the power?” Reese reached for a chocolate croissant. “I mean,” she said as she chewed, “he’s the devil, right? Wouldn’t he be the viable replacement for Noir?”