Deacon floated into the air and levitated a foot above the bed.
We held our hands there, pushing our magic into him for several long minutes that felt like both hours and mere seconds. As he slowly lowered back down to the bed, I felt my strength leave me in a rush. My heart turned to stone in my chest and sank like an anchor. My magic wasn’t strong enough here, and I didn’t have enough to give him.
I thought back to Tegan’s healing ritual and how immediately after she’d regained her coloring, and her aura had been so strong it had actually made us stumble around the circle. But Deacon just lay there, unmoving and seemingly unconscious. His skin lost that golden shimmer. His eyes stayed closed. His energy remained weak and faint.
Just like Libby’s ritual.
All of the strength and hope I’d been clinging to vanished, and I dropped to my knees at the head of his bed. My forehead landed on his shoulder. All the tears I’d been holding in poured down my face. My whole body trembled. I gasped for air, but none came.
I knew my friends were standing there. I knew they were watching.
I didn’t care.
I wrapped my arms around Deacon’s neck and cried.
One by one, I felt my Coven-mates’ hands squeeze my shoulder then slide away. Tegan’s was last, and she held on a bit longer. She knelt down and wrapped her arms around me.
It’s not over yet, Em. Don’t give up on him, she whispered into my mind. We’re going to get ready to meet Cronos. We’ll give you a few moments alone with him before we go.
And then we were alone. Just Deacon and me.
I sat up on my knees and buried my face in the crook of his neck. His pulse was soft, but it was there. I pressed my palms to the crystal heart of his soulmate glyph and took a few deep breaths.
“Deacon,” I whispered into his ear. “I know you can hear me in there. You don’t need to answer. I just want you to know we’re doing everything we can. We’re not going to give up. So you can’t either, okay? You have to hang on. Please. Please, just keep fighting this. We’re so close to getting home. So close. Please hang on. Don’t give up. I need you… I just…need you. Please…” I pulled back and pressed my forehead to his. “Don’t leave me.”
Chapter Fourteen
TEGAN
“It’s time,” Cooper said and turned away from the window where he’d been staring at the stars. “I suspect Cronos will be punctual.”
My stomach twisted and turned. My heart pounded like a jackhammer. I looked up at Tennessee. “Can you guys carry Deacon? I want to have my hands free in case we get company.”
Tennessee nodded, his eyes dark and hooded. “The four of us should be able to handle it.”
Royce frowned. “What about Leyka? He helped us carry him last time.”
Myrtle sighed and shook her head. “Leyka must leave this house in his animal form if you have any hope of tricking her.”
Leyka took a deep breath and looked around his kitchen. His eyes were a little red and puffy, though I couldn’t blame him. He had no idea if he’d ever see this house again. He didn’t even know if he’d ever see his sister and niece again. Yet he was doing it anyway. That level of selflessness was a virtue I hoped I had inside me, if ever it came down to saving the people I loved. I knew Leyka was alive three hundred years from now, but I had no idea if he’d ever seen them after going with Cronos. And if he did, I didn’t know how much time had passed. I wanted so badly to hug him, but his aura was a fractured sheet of glass ready to crumble.
He pulled Saffie and Myrtle into his chest and wrapped his arms around them. They didn’t speak. They’d already said their goodbyes, so they just hung on to each other.
Tennessee kissed my temple then waved for the others to follow him. “Come on. Let’s get our Devil home.”
A few seconds later, Emersyn stumbled out of the room looking whiter than snow and ten pounds lighter. Her eyes were red, and fresh tears rained down her cheeks. I held my arms out, and she crashed into my embrace. I hugged her tight.
“They’re going to carry him out there, okay?” I ran my hands through her long blonde hair. “But I have a special job for you.”
Em sniffled and stepped back. “What is it?”
Heat flared in my chest, and then Tennessee appeared in the doorway, walking sideways. The four of them stood in a row, shoulder to shoulder, carrying Deacon in their arms. Their faces were tight with exertion and fear, but I knew they wouldn’t drop him. I ran to the front door and threw it open for them, then stepped aside.
As they carefully crossed the threshold, I looked back into the kitchen with a heavy heart. “Leyka, it’s time.”
He nodded and squeezed his family closer. “I know this is scary. But I’ll be okay. And I will see you again, even if I can’t quite tell when.”
Myrtle pulled back and wiped tears from her face. “You be careful, all right? You won’t be in our realm anymore, so watch your tongue and bide your time well.”
Saffie wrapped her arms around her waist. “Don’t trust anyone,” she whispered.
He tugged on their hair and smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Stay near The Coven. Stay safe. I love you.” He met my gaze then transformed into a pink pig in the blink of an eye.
“Emersyn, I need you to carry Leyka. Keep him safe until it’s time.”
My sister nodded then bent down and scooped Leyka into her arms. She squeezed him tight to her chest and walked to the door. Just before she walked out, she turned and let Leyka have one last look at his family.
She smiled at them. “Thank you. It is insufficient of what you’ve given us, both here and in the future. But it’s all I have to give. Good luck, and thank you.”
Then she disappeared into the night.
I swallowed the rush of emotions threatening to spill out of me then looked up at the two women in front of me. “One day…one day we will repay you for everything you’ve done for us. I am anxious to get home, but sad to say goodbye.”
“It’s not really goodbye, now is it?” Myrtle smiled a soft, warm smile. Her silver eyes twinkled like liquid metal. “Go now, my child. You have no time to waste. Good luck with your prophecy. We will be praying the next three hundred years for you.”
I opened my mouth to thank her, but she spun and left the room.
Saffie sniffled and wiped her face with her arm. Her fiery red hair was tangled and wild. Her little pink wings fluttered behind her back. She looked up at me with big lavender eyes filled with tears. “Promise me something?”
“Anything,” I said without hesitation.
She smiled and stared at the wooden table in front of her for a long time, so long that I wasn’t sure she was going to continue. When she did, her voice was soft and carried that melodic tune I always associated with her. “Promise me when this is all over and the Gap is closed…promise me you will rush back to me? I will have been awaiting that day a long time.”
I ran over to her and pulled her into a tight hug. When I stepped back, I squeezed her hands and met her eyes. “I promise on a bed of rose thorns.”
She grinned and waved her hands. “Now, go. Before you’re late.”
I smiled and dashed for the door then paused. I looked back at her. “Good luck, Saffie. I hope the next three hundred years aren’t too hard on you, but I promise you can handle it.”
Then I closed my eyes and summoned my magic. I concentrated on the heat in my chest and Tennessee’s face. A cold gust of energy swept over me, and then warmth crashed back down on me. I opened my eyes and found a beautiful mismatched gaze watching me. We were already in the forest area, headed to the place where we were supposed to meet Cronos.
Saffie assured us she didn’t need to be there. I didn’t understand that, but I trusted her. Thinking about her and what the next few centuries might hold for her made my heart hurt. Myrtle at least ended up a Crone, the lead Crone. Whatever her future held, it couldn’t have been too awful. But Saffie was stuck inside Hidden Kingdom theme park, and it
made no sense. I wished I could go right to her as soon as we got back to the future, except I knew I couldn’t. I had a job to do first.
I glanced down at Leyka’s pig form in Emersyn’s hands. It blew my mind that this was what we’d come to. Sacrificing our friend, an innocent bystander, as a pet for a demon. I couldn’t help but wonder how this would’ve turned out had we not stumbled into Saffie when we arrived in the past. If we hadn’t been taken to Leyka’s house to hide out, would he have been spared this price?
These thoughts were dangerous territory, but guilt weighed me down. I couldn’t believe I was letting this happen. I had no problem sacrificing myself…but other people? Innocent people? People who had nothing to do with the battle we were fighting? It felt so wrong. The only thing that kept me sane and moving forward was knowing Leyka somehow got back to our realm. I knew exactly which day we’d find him lounging on a beach full of pigs.
I led us through the forest on the same path we’d taken earlier until we found the gateway of darkness between two trees. My heart pounded in my chest, but there was no turning back. I pushed my shoulders back and walked into the darkness. My friends followed close behind me in silence. No one liked what we were about to do. I walked forward until I found the circle Saffie had cast in the dirt.
Saffie had opened the circle before so we could exit and re-enter, so I led us inside. Once they managed to shimmy through the circle opening with Deacon, I stared at the salt and wiggled my fingers to make it close us back in. When I turned, I found the moonlight spared us just enough light to see the four piles Saffie had used to call upon the four quarters. They’d sat Deacon on the ground, but they kept their hands on him like they were afraid to get too far away.
“What time is it?” Emersyn moved to stand beside Deacon then eyed the black sky. “Are we late? Did we miss her?”
Cooper frowned and stared up at the stars. “No, give it another minute or so.”
I sighed and stepped forward. The ground rumbled. Neon blue light flashed in the dirt. That inverted pentagram and the odd runes glowed under our feet.
“I do love punctual witches,” a voice I’d never be able to unhear said.
I gasped and spun around to find Cronos standing between the two points of the pentagram. She still had on her black three-piece suit and stilettos. Her long white hair glistened like moonlight in the darkness of the forest. Her lips were a dark, deep red like the color of fresh blood, but her eyes were fire red and blazing with menacing heat.
Tennessee stood and grabbed my hand. He interlocked his fingers with mine and squeezed.
I bowed my head and prayed that wasn’t an insult to a demon. I’d never learned how to kiss a demon’s ass. Trick them, yes. Suck up? Negative. “Cronos. We’re back.”
“With your dying friend, his soulmate, and…my present.” Her face broke into a wide grin that made the hairs on my neck stand tall. She laughed and waved her hand. Leyka soared through the air into her arms. “Nice doing business with you. Until next time…”
She raised her free hand and snapped her bony white fingers.
And all hell broke loose.
Chapter Fifteen
TEGAN
The ground trembled, and the world spun around me. Everything was a blur of darkness with only little specks of light zooming by. My stomach turned. My heart skipped beats in my chest. I didn’t know which way was up. The air turned thick and heavy, weighing down on me like a million gallons of water. The pressure yanked me away from Tennessee. I screamed and dove forward, to where I’d just felt him. His warm, strong hands grabbed my arms and yanked me closer. I couldn’t see him or hear him over the chaos, but I felt the heat of his skin and the smell of fresh rain.
My hair whipped around my face, robbing me of sight. I wanted to peel if off, but there was no way in hell I was letting go of my ninja grip on Tennessee. Wherever Cronos was sending us, I was not getting separated from him. I dug my nails into his back and clenched my teeth. The air was thick and suffocating. The winds wailed like terrified, disembodied screams of victims.
The world spun faster and faster. My bones turned to ice and sent shivers down my spine. My teeth rattled against each other. A scorching fire spread over my body, covering every inch of my skin like I’d been thrown into a bonfire. It felt like I was being torn apart, like each of my limbs were being pulled in different directions. Joints, knuckles, and bones cracked. My eyeballs felt like they were going to pop right out of my skull. I tightened my grip on Tennessee and screamed. I screamed and screamed through the pain, through my body being ripped to pieces.
Bright lights flashed by and pierced through the hair wrapped around my face. Cold air rushed up from underneath us, and then we were falling. My knees slammed into a hard surface, and pain shot up my legs. Gravity took control and threw me onto my back on the ground. I choked on a gasp as I tried to get in oxygen. My legs were bent and tucked under my body. I rolled to my side and coughed my own hair out of my mouth. I tried to push myself up, but it took a few tries. My arms wobbled and trembled, yet somehow were still perfectly intact.
I heard a gasp echo around me and lots of shouting in surprise. My head pounded and throbbed. My pulse sounded like a woodpecker thumping in my ears. I peeled my hair off my face and blinked a few times until the brightness around me settled and I could actually see.
People surrounded us in a wide circle. They were dressed in costumes and body paint, with fake wigs and plastic weapons. Wonder Womans and red-horned devils. Disney princesses and Ninja Turtles. I sat up on my knees and looked around. There was even a guy dressed as a giant Red Solo Cup. An eerie silence crept over the crowd as they stared at us with wide eyes and dropped jaws. Neon spotlights swayed across the room. A giant disco ball sprinkled rainbow flecks of light onto everyone’s faces. A soft fog clung to the walls. Ariana Grande’s beautiful voice blared over the heavy thumping of a base drum.
I gasped. Ariana Grande.
Ariana. Grande.
I sat up straight and listened closely. I knew the song. I had it on my phone. It was from her album Sweetener that just came out. Oh my Goddess. Oh God. We’re back. WE’RE BACK! My heart fluttered. Hope flared in my chest. I spun around and met Tennessee’s wild, wide stare. I looked him up and down but didn’t see any obvious injuries— Oh no.
“Deacon!” I turned away from my soulmate and choked on a gasp. “NO!”
Our Devil Card was sprawled on the floor with thick crimson blood gushing out of his chest. Royce and Henley scrambled to their knees then pressed their palms to his wound like they were trying to stop the bleeding.
Emersyn shrieked and dove toward him. She cupped his face and screamed, “Deacon! Deacon! Look at me. Look at me, damn it.”
But his eyes didn’t open. Deacon’s aura was so weak and faint I could just barely feel it in the air around him. I pushed my magic out…and his didn’t react. At all. Like it wasn’t even there.
Emersyn jerked upright, clutching her chest and choking. Royce’s face paled. He froze. Henley ripped Deacon’s shirt open and screamed. The crystal of Deacon’s soulmate glyph that was usually a bright blue faded to a dark, muddy brown in front of our eyes.
“No,” Cooper whispered. He slammed his fingers onto Deacon’s throat and held them there. “No, no, no. No. This can’t— Oh Goddess, he’s not— ”
“Check it again!” Emersyn screamed. She smacked his hands away and pressed her fingers to where his pulse should’ve been pounding through his veins. She moved her fingers around, pushing them deep into his skin in frantic movements. Her whole body trembled and shook. An ear-splitting, heart wrenching, broken sob escaped Emersyn’s lips.
Deacon was dead.
Chapter Sixteen
EMERSYN
“No, no, no. Please, no!” I screamed, and tears rained down my face.
This can’t be happening. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. We’d made it back to the future. We were home. We could fix him now. I gasped for air, but none was g
etting in. I was hollow and empty, like someone had gutted every single part of my soul and left me there. He couldn’t be gone. I needed him. There were so many things I never got to tell him. Please, Goddess, don’t take him from me.
I slammed my fists into his chest over and over. If his heart would just start again, we could save him. Blood splattered over my chest and face, and into my tangled mess of hair, but I didn’t care. I had to get his heart pumping again. He needed to breathe, just one breath.
CPR. He needs CPR. I was trained for this. I pinched his nose and angled his head back, just like I’d been taught. Then I leaned forward to put my lips to his and froze. I’d never kissed him. I hadn’t let him. A violent tremor ripped up my chest, and a hurricane of tears burst free. I screamed and dropped my face to his chest. My body rattled from my cries, but I didn’t care.
I never kissed him.
Something warm wrapped around my stomach and yanked me off of Deacon’s body. I screamed and kicked my legs out, but my feet slid across the ground. Broken sobs slipped through my lips. Please no, don’t take me from him. I heard his name leave my mouth over and over as I was dragged farther away, a trail of blood the only thing between us.
“Emersyn, it’s me,” Tennessee growled in my ear. “Breathe, Em. Breathe.”
Breathe? How? Deacon was gone. My soulmate, my other half. I didn’t know how I was ever supposed to be able to breathe again. I didn’t care if I didn’t. I didn’t want to be here without him. Why didn’t I tell him? Why did I act so stupid? I loved him. I know I did. He knew I did. It was on my chest the whole time. Why didn’t I just say it ONCE? Why did I let him die without hearing me say it?
The Aether Witch (The Coven: Elemental Magic Book 6) Page 9