“And the reason I didn’t tell you? It’s stupid, I know, but I don’t really talk about things that aren’t important to me. And Vanessa has never been important to me. At all.”
Jack stopped, catching his breath, his usually guarded jade green eyes now seeping into Andie’s in hopes that she believed him.
“Jack,” she said after a long while, looking at him. “I’m not upset about the whole Vanessa thing. Trust me; I have to deal with women wanting you on an everyday basis. I think I can deal with another one. One of the reasons I’m upset is that you just couldn’t believe me when I told you she was trying to break us apart. A lot of the women who do want you don’t even care about me; they just want your attention. But Vanessa went out of her way to make sure that not only were you distracted with the investment, but that she had you all to herself, especially knowing you had plans with me.” She paused here, before cocking her head to the side and looking up at him with enigmatic expression on her face. “I need to know I have your support with things, Jack, and it can’t just be with words. I’ve realized that when I went to dinner with Burr, I didn’t need you there; I handled it on my own. But I needed your support. And you not showing up showed me that you didn’t support me with this. The fact that you were with Vanessa was like rubbing salt in my wounds.”
Jack hated hearing these things about himself, but he knew they were true. He knew he had made mistakes, and in order to overcome them, he needed to hear them.
“You’re right,” he said. “And I’m sorry.” He reached out and placed his hands on Andie’s hips, pulling her closer to him. He needed to feel her, to touch her, afraid she might disappear. “For everything.”
Andie bit her lip but nodded, holding his shoulders tightly, and before she could breathe properly, Jack crushed his lips against hers. Neither of them noticed or cared that their picture was being taken by numerous paparazzi. All that mattered was the two of them, together again.
The next day was Melinda’s bachelorette party, and Andie was in the guestroom, packing up what little belongings she had taken over with her. It was good to finally be going home.
A noise caught her off-guard, then someone ripped her door open. Before she could even turn around to see who it was, a hand with a damp handkerchief clamped around her mouth, and before she knew it, she began to pass out.
32
Reese didn’t know how she knew it, but something was going to happen tonight. Something big. Her heart was pumping blood through every crevice of her body, and she could feel it. As she changed into her body suit, she tried to keep her thoughts quiet. She didn’t want to overanalyze her feelings, didn’t want to rationalize away her intuition. But as she zipped her suit up, her hand shook.
Wasn’t she supposed to be a Seer? Shouldn’t she know what was going to happen tonight? Maybe she did, and didn’t want to think about it. Maybe she didn’t and worried that she did. Maybe she was confusing herself and if she didn’t get a handle on herself, she would get herself into trouble.
“Get a grip on yourself, Reese,” she murmured to herself, shaking her head.
She still needed to do her makeup.
It had been a few days since her tea and pastries with Henry, and his words still hung in the air. “You can’t save everyone.” “People as a whole, not individuals.” “Just like something started this war, something will end it.” It was hard to focus on anything else when her mind kept going over and over her vision. Clearly her vision was going to come true. There was no stopping it. If such a thing were possible, her family would still be alive. At some point, Reese was going to sacrifice everything for Ollo. She didn’t know the consequences of her actions. Didn’t know how it would affect the war or Ollo or even herself. She didn’t know if she would even survive the attack.
It didn’t matter.
Ollo was in danger and she needed to save him. That was that. She didn’t even have to think about it. Probably didn’t in her vision.
When she was all ready to go, Ollo–as usual–walked her to the door. She knew he had been working on making his opinionated comments about her going out every night to a minimum. He attempted to be strong and supportive for her, and she appreciated that more than a lot of what he did. There was a soft smile on his face as his murky brown-blue eyes regarded her that night. His dimples popped. His hair actually looked combed. He pulled it back in a bun but long strands of hair still fell in his face. He wore a light blue v-neck t-shirt and dark jeans. He’d probably change into pajamas once she was out the door. He didn’t particularly like clothes if he could help it.
“Do me a favor,” she said before she could stop herself, before she could think things through. “Don’t leave tonight.”
Ollo furrowed his brow, causing an indent to appear between them. He bent his knees and tucked his chin in so he could look at her more on her level. “What’s going on, darl?” he asked in his gravelly tone. His accent caused the hairs on her arms to stand erect, and she closed her eyes in order to fight off a shudder. “You think it’s going to happen tonight? Your vision?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I just feel like something is going to happen, if that makes sense. And I just want you to be safe. I don’t want anything to happen to you, Ollo. I don’t know what I would do if–” she cut herself off lest her voice start to crack, and she wanted–needed–to be strong for him.
“Hey, hey, hey.” Ollo took his hand–God, it was so big, it could cover her face–and placed it on the back of her head, bringing her to his chest. Immediately she curled it under his arm–their height discrepancy was noticeable at the very least–and let him hold her, wrapped her own arms around his torso and clutched him tightly, as though she were desperate.
And she was. In all honesty, she was. She might have been a Seer, but she had no idea what the future held for her, for Ollo, for them. All she knew was this moment, and how she felt in this moment. Before she realized what she was doing, she took a breath, tilted her chin up, looked into Ollo’s eyes, and said, “I love you.”
It wasn’t the first time she had told him that, but for some reason, the words held more weight this time around. There was a significance to it that wasn’t there before. And when she said them, she wasn’t nervous or hesitant, she wasn’t scared or worried. She stated it for what it was: a simple fact that was important for Ollo to hear, regardless of his own feelings and his own opinion on the matter.
Ollo continued to caress Reese’s hair, wrapping the locks around his fingers before letting them go once again, and repeating the motion over and over. There was something there, something in his eyes, and Reese knew, she knew he felt the same way. He even opened his mouth in order to respond – maybe to tell her the same thing, which she had yet to hear from him. And God, she wanted that. She didn’t need it, didn’t say she loved him in order to hear it back, but she wanted it more than she realized.
“Darl, relax.”
Well.
That response was unexpected.
She felt tears accumulate in her eyes but she quickly blinked them away, hoping he wouldn’t see. He didn’t have to tell her he loved her, but did he really need to tell her to relax? That was the worst thing anyone could say to a girl, especially one that had just confessed her feelings for him. Again.
“Sometimes, I think you think too much.” He took his hand and pushed the hair from her face, even though it had already been pulled up into a high ponytail. “You’re telling me this because–”
“Because it’s the truth,” she felt herself respond. “Because I do love you. And I wanted to say it.”
“But why now? You think something is going to happen to you tonight? That maybe something might happen to me tonight? You can’t think about things like this or you’ll lose your focus, and if you lose your focus, something will happen to you. We can discuss this when you get back tonight, but for now, I…” He stopped playing with her hair in order to run his hand through his as far as he could go before the bun pre
vented him from pushing further. “I can’t respond. Not in the way you want me to, at least.”
“Can’t, or won’t?” Reese hated the fact that her voice came out shaky. She didn’t want Ollo to see her this way; disappointed, rejected, and heartbroken. He was the last person she thought could ever make her feel this way, but now look at her.
And he didn’t want her to lose focus tonight? Couldn’t he have phrased everything a little less harsh, then?
“Reese, I don’t think now is the most appropriate time to discuss something as weighty as your feelings for me,” he told her.
He said her name. Which only meant that he was being honest. He didn’t want to talk about this. Not now. Maybe not ever. Maybe she had completely read the signs all wrong and he didn’t feel much of anything for her. Yes, he liked to connect to her in a physical way, and he made her feel special, a way no one had ever made her feel before. Was it all a lie? Maybe he just needed to lose himself in her to forget about his own problems the same way she had needed him. Except, she loved him. There was more to it than just that physical connection, at least for her.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she decided, flashing her grey eyes up at him. “Not anymore.”
“Darl.”
She had stepped out of his embrace, and he went to reach for her, to touch her in some way, but she took a step back, avoiding him.
“You made your decision.” She was serious. Hurt, calm, and serious. “It’s fine.” At that moment, her phone rang. She never appreciated an interruption the way she did in that moment. “I have to go.”
She headed out the door as she answered her phone, and though it took everything in her, she did not look back.
“Reese, it’s Beverly,” the voice on the other end greeted. “I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”
“Oh no, not at all,” Reese replied as she slid into her Benz. “I’m just leaving. Is everything all right?”
“That’s why I’m calling, dear. Jack wanted me to tell you to meet him at his place. Something’s come up. Something important, and it’s caused a change in plans.”
Reese started the car and nodded her head. “I’ll be there soon.”
When she hung up the phone, she immediately threw her thoughts into what happened to cause Jack to completely change his plans for the evening. It wasn’t like him to sacrifice a night of guarding Onyx, unless it was important. She hoped everything was okay, and pressed the gas pedal a little harder.
As selfish as it sounded, she was just grateful it offered her a welcome distraction from thinking about what had happened with Ollo and how everything between them had come undone.
Jack answered the door himself, which surprised Reese, but even more than that, he was not dressed as Black Wing. He was Jack Phillip, and he looked like shit. His brown hair was messy, he still wore a suit–she assumed it was the same one he wore to work that day–and his eyes were tired and dark. His face was pale, not sickly, but not vibrant the way it normally was.
“Come in,” he said, stepping aside so she could enter.
“Jack,” Reese said cautiously. “What’s going on? What’s wrong? What happened?” She bit her tongue after the third question, knowing she was pushing it. Instead, she focused her eyes on the man as he shut the door and waited for his response.
“It’s Andie.” His back was still towards her, and she could see the tension clearly in the wrinkles that clung to his white collared shirt. “She’s gone.”
Reese tilted her head and took a step towards Jack. “What?” she asked, not sure that she heard him correctly.
“Andie is gone,” he repeated, and then turned towards her.
“Gone?” Reese blinked once, twice. “As in, gone? Disappeared? Kidnapped? Gone?” When Jack nodded, Reese felt herself get frustrated. “Then what are you doing here? Why aren’t you changed? Why are you at home, wallowing in her disappearance rather than out on the streets looking for her?” She reached out and slapped him across the face. “Get you’re shit together, Jack. You’re an angel! What the fuck are you doing?” She noticed Beverly leaning against the hallway entrance that would take them to the kitchen. “Sorry for the language.”
“Reese, I’m crazy about Andie,” Jack told her, and he seemed as surprised about the slap as Reese was giving it to him. “I can’t lose her. And I’m afraid if we go out and something happened…”
“You aren’t going to do her any good by worrying like this–”
“It’s my fault. This whole thing is my fault.”
“Jack, get dressed. We’ll go find her together. Think for a second: do you know where she might be, who might have taken her? Anyone with a grudge against you, who might want to hurt or incapacitate you in any way? Anything?”
Jack thought for a moment, and then his eyes narrowed and darkness touched him. Reese took a step back just because of how intimidating he looked in that moment.
“I have a very good idea of where she might be.”
33
“So what’s the catch,” Keirah asked, tilting her head to the side and looking at Hades from the corner of her eyes. “Do I have to give you my soul in return for his, or something like that?”
“This is not something to joke around about, Miss Shepherd,” Hades told her. Though his voice was low and soothing, Keirah found that it got on her nerves. How was he so calm always? Did he ever get riled up or upset to the point where he shouted? Did he always have control over himself? “Souls are vital to the function of Purgatory. Usually, if one were to leave, another would have to replace it. It keeps the balance and ensures everything continues to run smoothly. Without chaos.” He looked at her then, as though she were responsible for any and all chaos that took place right now.
“However,” he continued, keeping his eyes on her. “Noir never really died, so his soul doesn’t need to be replaced. You see, a demon is created, just like angels are. They are not born, they are made. Crafted for a sole purpose. When they are sent here, they died on earth and need to pay a penance of sorts. Once the penance is paid, they are released back to earth. If the penance is not repaid, they stay here until it is.”
“So Noir would have been stuck here forever, essentially?” Keirah asked, curiosity clear in her voice.
“Essentially,” he agreed. “His penance would have been to stay here without his chaos. His life here would be monotonous, boring, completely void of any meaning whatsoever. Not exactly a punishment, but something that would have drove him crazy. The punishment he faced–before you showed up here, of course–would have been watching you live your life without him. Watching you move on. Watching you become happy with a life he would have abhorred. Being with a man he hated. Having children. Perhaps going to school. Getting a degree. Working on your career. A traditional, boring life.”
“He saw me?”
Hades shook his head. “No. He ignored you, though he had the opportunity to watch you. In his room, he has a mirror that allows him to watch you and only you, when he was out of the Vortex. Now, I cannot be sure if he took advantage of doing so, but I know, for the most part, he did not. He ignored you.”
“Oh.” Keirah wasn’t certain, but she felt disappointment flare through her veins.
“I wouldn’t take offense to that, Miss Shepherd. I say this not to make you feel better, but because I want to be completely honest with you about everything before we agree on this deal. He ignored you. But not because he didn’t care. In my opinion, it is precisely because he did care that he did not want to watch you. I believe he figured you would move on with your life, and did not want to watch you do so without him. Noir does not come off as someone who wants to be forgotten, you see. He wants to know he had an effect on you. And clearly, he did.”
“So because he was never human, he would have been condemned here for eternity because Noir never would have redeemed himself.”
“But you, Miss Shepherd, are his redemption.” He offered her a soft smile. “I had a feeling, whe
n he first arrived. Not only did you sacrifice everything to get here–your sister, your family, your education, your career, the little friends you did have, a chance at a normal life–but you’re here. For him. You offer him a hope he never would have had, ever.”
Keirah felt the weight of his words settle on her, and she couldn’t be sure how to feel. As usual, she decided to keep her mouth closed, keep her words to herself. Instead, she decided to focus on what they meant, especially since they came from a third party outside observer who didn’t have any real ties in her relationship with Noir.
“You have more power over him than you realize, Miss Shepherd.”
This was getting to be too much. Keirah felt her cheeks burst into flame at his words and she couldn’t help but look down at her feet. She needed to say something, anything in order to shift focus.
“So all we have to do is walk up that staircase and we’re back on earth?”
“Yes.” He turned back towards the staircase in a sweeping gesture. The movement resembled a royal flourish, but Keirah had a feeling he did not intend for it to be so. “I believe it will lead you to the Sahara, since that is where Noir was placed initially on earth, once Lucas Burr and Hell decided they did not wish for him to be present there anymore. From there, it is completely up to the two of you where you will go and what you will do with your lives. Should you return to Onyx, you will still be Keirah Shepherd, with your history exactly the way it’s always been. Just because you’re here for a portion of time does not mean it’s erased.”
Sacrifice: Book 3 of The Dark Paradise Trilogy Page 24