Sacrifice

by Denise Grover Swank

  “I love you, Emma.”

  She kissed him with a desperation that matched his. In spite of her heartbreak, she knew what she had to do. Raphael’s words from ages ago echoed in her head. You have the power to release him. Perhaps that’s why Will couldn’t let her go. Maybe part of his mark was buried deep in his heart, binding him to her. It had been up to her all along.

  Reaching down, she grabbed his arm and pulled his hand into hers as she stepped back.

  Will’s eyes widened in panic. “Emma, no. Don’t do this.”

  Emma sucked in a breath to steady her voice and found her power to make this work. “Will Davenport, I release you. May you have the life you were destined to live.”

  They glowed in a golden light as Will’s mouth dropped open in surprise. He fell to his knees gasping, and she worried that she’d injured him, but the light faded and his head jerked up.

  ***

  She walked backward, shaking her head. Fresh tears slid down her cheeks. He felt her grief, her guilt, her anger. They rippled off her in waves.

  Scenes flipped through his head as memories rushed in, overwhelming his senses. Emma and Jake in the car. Emma in the cornfield, on the night he started falling in love. Jake branding his arm. The explosion. Emma in his arms in bed. Escaping from the compound. Emma nearly dying from the infection in her leg. The fire in the forest from her explosion. Flying the plane. Standing in the forest and holding Emma as she lost the baby. Stopping with the last image of her in his erased memories: the horror on her face as her father stole his memories of her.

  She backed up toward the car, sobbing so hard she stumbled and righted herself.

  “Emma, wait! I remember.”

  “No. You’re just saying that to make me change my mind.” She turned her back to him, leaning against the car. Her shoulders shook before she opened the door.

  “Emma! I remember!”

  She paused, watching him before she got into the car and leaned her forehead against the wheel.

  “Don’t you dare leave me. Not after everything we’ve been through.”

  Her head jerked up, her eyes wide as she stared at him.

  “The cornfield. I remember the cornfield. The night I fell in love with you.”

  She shook her head.

  The chain on his left hand fell away as her car backed up onto the highway. She’d freed him.

  He ran after the car, the taillights disappearing around the curve down the hill.

  Then he felt it. An oppressive stench swamped his head and without knowing how, he knew that Raphael was close.

  If Raphael was coming, it was for the book. And Emma.

  “Emma!” he shouted in his head, encountering a black hole of nothingness. He panicked, wondering if Raphael had killed her.

  No. Raphael needed her alive. Will turned in frustration. He had to get to her, but he was alone on a mountain road.

  The ring on his hand turned icy, burning his hand. What the hell?

  He jerked his gaze down to the glowing blue stone, gasping as he realized the marks in the gem were swirling. Emma’s pendant had heated and glowed when she needed to use its power.

  A chill washed through him. Could it be true?

  Tires squealed down the road and Will ran to the edge of the overlook to see if he could determine the source. He caught a glimpse of Emma’s car round a corner, dangerously close to the edge. A dark sedan was in pursuit. Anger and fear intertwined. He had to get to her.

  “It looks like you need a ride.”

  Will spun to the voice behind him, his chest tightening. He’d been so worried about Emma he hadn’t heard a car approach.

  A middle-aged man dressed in jeans and T-shirt stood at the edge of the road next to an idling sedan. He placed a foot on the curb and leaned forward, his mouth lifting into a familiar grin. “You need to go save her.”

  Will took a few steps closer. “Who?” How much did this man know?

  The man’s grin spread wider, wrinkles crinkling his eyes. “We’re wasting time. He’s going to kill her this time, and we can’t have that now, can we? Get in.”

  Will didn’t trust him, but he saw no other option. He’d do anything to get to Emma. But then again, this stranger might know it and use it to his advantage. After a half-second of hesitation, he ran to the man’s car and climbed in, barely shutting the door before the man took off down the winding road.

  “Who the hell are you?” Will asked, bracing his hand on the dashboard.

  The man shot him an amused look. “Actually, Will, I think the more appropriate question is who on earth are you?”

  Chapter Thirty

  Emma hit the brakes, the car skidding around the corner before she punched the gas, trying to outrun the vehicle behind her. She was at a disadvantage. The car she’d stolen was an older sedan. The car in pursuit was a BMW.

  She was screwed.

  Who was behind her? Vinco Potentia? Cavallo? Raphael? Not that it mattered. She needed to focus on getting away.

  The car behind her tapped her rear bumper, pushing her close to the edge of the road.

  She swallowed her fear and swerved away from the narrow shoulder. As she rounded the next curve she saw an overlook below. If she could slow down, she might be able to turn around and head back up the mountain. And perhaps the car chasing her would fall off the edge.

  “Emma.” Raphael’s voice called out.

  Slamming on the brakes, she jerked her head around the empty car.

  He laughed and she realized his voice was coming through the radio.

  “Nice job of hiding yourself. Lucky for me you showed yourself just long enough for me to find you.”

  She’d turned her power off after she released Will and gotten in the car, but she lit it again. Her nightmare was realized. Raphael had found her and she wasn’t sure how to escape this time. She needed every bit of help she could get.

  Thank God, Will was safe up the hill.

  The car rammed into the back of her again, harder this time, and she fought to regain control.

  “That was just a warning, my love. Pull over. We have things to discuss.”

  A straight stretch of road lay ahead and she floored the gas pedal, but Raphael’s car swerved around to the driver’s side and pushed her off the road. The car pitched wildly as it drove over the rough terrain until slamming into a tree.

  Momentarily stunned, she came to her senses and looked in the rearview mirror. Raphael had parked on the shoulder and he walked toward her car with purposeful steps.

  The glass had shattered in the driver’s window. She grabbed the door handle and tried to open the door, meeting resistance. Looking through the open window, she saw that the crash had caved in the engine and crumpled the driver’s door.

  “I want the book, Emmanuella!”

  Using her power, she focused on the door. “Open.” The metal groaned in protest.

  Emma looked up to see Raphael bathed in a green glow, his light pressed against the car door.

  “I’m making the rules now, Emma. You have three choices. One, you bring me the book and we join together. Two, you simply give me the book. Three, we do this the hard way.”

  Obviously, one and two were out. “I’ve never been one to do things the easy way.”

  A sadistic grin lit up his eyes with a red glow. “Somehow I knew you were going to say that.”

  The car jerked as the ground shook, the vehicle sliding sideways away from Raphael. Emma sat up to look out the passenger window, her breath freezing when she realized what was on the other side: a V-shaped crevice at the edge of a cliff.

  “Raphael!”

  “The book.”

  At least if she went over the edge, the book went with her. But not without a fight.

  She shot a ball of energy toward him. He was prepared, blocking the glow and sending it into the trees, which exploded with a force that shook the car.

  Raphael glared. “I really wish you hadn’t done that.”

&nbs
p; The car slid to the edge as Emma searched her brain for a way to counter him.

  “Raphael!”

  Screeching tires filled the air, followed by shouts. Shit. She’d deal with whatever was outside later. She needed to focus on getting out of the car.

  Her vehicle stopped, teetering on the edge. Emma held her breath and spun to face him. Raphael’s smile was the last thing she saw before the car toppled over the edge.

  ***

  Will jumped out of the car before it stopped. He saw Raphael’s BMW but Emma’s car was nowhere in sight. Instead he saw a streak disappearing at the edge of the cliff. His heart jumped when he saw the fresh tire marks leading to the area.

  “Emma!”

  Raphael stood at the edge, peering over. When he heard Will’s voice, he turned and put his hands on his hips. “Ah, Will. I thought you were history.”

  “Funny thing about history, it has a way of repeating itself.” Will walked closer, forcing his breath to come in even bursts and not give away his terror.

  Raphael glanced over the edge then looked at Will with a cocky grin. “I never pictured you as a philosopher, Will.”

  Will gave a half shrug. “History major.”

  Raphael laughed, the sound echoing off the hills and cliffs surrounding them. “History won’t help any of us this time.”

  “Where’s Emma?” But he already knew.

  “You could say that Emma decided to take a more scenic route.”

  Will eased closer, his heart pounding. “I think I’ll have a look myself.”

  Raphael curled his lip and shrugged a shoulder, moving away from the edge. “Suit yourself. Maybe you can help me figure out this dilemma.”

  The tire marks showed that a car had run off the road and hit a tree. Then the marks moved sideways, ending at the V-shaped precipice. He held his breath as he found the courage to look down. Emma’s car rested on its side six feet down, wedged between two boulders.

  Oh, God. “Emma?” Will shouted.

  Raphael smirked. “It seems she took a little spill.”

  “Will?” Emma’s voice called out from below.

  He couldn’t repress his intake of breath at his relief. Will turned his attention to Raphael, who seemed unconcerned for Emma’s safety. A murderous rage filled Will’s chest, the ring on his finger burning a circular band into his flesh. “You did this.”

  Raphael looked up in exasperation. “I have spent all day trying to make this woman see reason. It’s obvious that she needs to be shown the extreme.”

  “Raphael, stop this madness!” she shouted through the broken window.

  He chuckled. “You brought this on yourself. You’ve been incredibly hardheaded. It was time to get your full and undivided attention.”

  “Because destroying half of Albuquerque wasn’t enough.”

  “Obviously not.”

  “How’d you know I wouldn’t plunge to my death?”

  He paused. “I didn’t.”

  Will’s heart skipped a beat. The rules had changed. “You son of a bitch.”

  Raphael turned to him and glared. “Don’t push me, Will. You are inconsequential and irritating at best, and I can kill you with the snap of my fingers.”

  “Will! Stop!” Emma sounded terrified, but Will knew she was scared more for him than herself.

  “I’m done with the games, Emma. I’ve given you every opportunity to join with me and you still refuse. If you won’t join with me, then I’ll make sure you don’t join with Alex.”

  Will had to stop him. “That’s not what Aiden thinks. He’s sure you won’t kill her.”

  Raphael’s eyebrows rose in indignation. “Are you calling my bluff, Will? How could you possibly know what Aiden thinks?”

  Slick, foul-smelling waves of anxiety and anger lapped at Will’s chest, leaving him stunned. It was coming from Raphael.

  Will forced his breath to even. “We had a nice chat this afternoon. You were one of many topics.”

  “So Aiden feels threatened by me, does he?” Now pride added to the mix of emotions. Along with distrust.

  “No, I think he sees you as more of an annoyance.”

  “Just like I see you.”

  Will gave him a smug grin. “Exactly. But you both have something in common.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You agree that I’m a threat to you if I’m with Emma.”

  Raphael paused, cocking his head as he narrowed his eyes. Wariness rolled off of him, along with a hint of fear.

  What was Raphael afraid of?

  “Now that is an interesting theory, Will, if not somewhat delusional. Why would I be threatened by you?”

  “We both know that I’m not holding Emma back. In fact, I’ve pushed her harder than she would have pushed herself.”

  Raphael stayed frozen, eyeing Will with distrust. “That hardly explains why you think we’re threatened by you.”

  “Why can’t Aiden kill me?”

  Raphael shook his head as though he tried to clear it. “What the hell are you talking about?” But dread oozed from his pores. “Did Aiden say he couldn’t kill you?”

  Will stared into his dark eyes. “Yes, which is why Emma didn’t follow his orders. His threat is empty. Just like yours.”

  Raphael snorted, turning his head slightly but keeping his gaze on Will. “I assure you that my threat isn’t empty.”

  Will could sense he told the truth, but his fear had increased. Raphael was afraid of him.

  “So, how long has it been since you’ve seen Marcus?”

  Raphael’s eyes widened before he caught himself. “What do you know about Marcus?”

  “More than you think.”

  A slow, wicked grin lifted the corners of Raphael’s mouth. “You don’t know anything. You’re bluffing.”

  “Are you willing to take that chance?”

  The sound of fatigued metal echoed from the crevice.

  “Emma!” Will rushed to the side, but Raphael held up his hand.

  “Not so fast. Try to save her.”

  “What the fuck do you think I’m trying to do, you moron?”

  Raphael laughed with a smirk. “You’re lying. You don’t know anything. You can’t save her. But I can.” He moved closer. “What’s her life worth to you, Will?”

  He’d finally gotten his memories back. He loved her with every fiber of his being, but there was no way he’d trust this asshole. “Quit playing games, Raphael. The fucking games are endless. What the hell do you want?”

  “What I’ve always wanted. With an added bonus. The book.”

  “What you want isn’t mine to give. But you’ve known that all along. Emma is free to make her own choices.”

  Raphael raised his hand to the car. “Then I’ll have to do things my way.”

  “Wait!” Will took a step toward him. “Let me try to save them both. The book and Emma.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “Why not? What have you got to lose? We’ll both be down there, nowhere to go. And I’ll get the book.”

  Raphael eyed him with suspicion before he scowled. “Okay, you have five minutes.”

  “Emma, hang on. I’m coming.” Will didn’t waste time lowering himself over the edge and climbing onto a tree growing out of the side of the cliff.

  ***

  How was Will here? She’d left him several miles up the mountain. There was no way he could have run here that fast. And what was her father going to do to Will when he found out Will was with her?

  “Will, you have go.” Her voice cracked with fear and she cleared her throat. “You have to leave.”

  “Sorry, princess, you’re stuck with me.” The car creaked as his head peeked three feet over the passenger window. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded. “Yeah.”

  “This thing’s not very stable and I have no idea how far down this crevice goes. No sudden movements. Okay?”

  “Yeah.” She had no desire to plummet to the bottom.

&nb
sp; Will twisted his head to look behind him. “The back end is resting on a ledge, but it’s not very wide. Can you stand up and climb out the passenger window?”

  She bit her lip. “Every time I move, the car drops.”

  “Then we’ll take this slow, okay?”

  “Okay,” she said, her voice shaky.

  “Reach up and grab the top of the passenger seat.”

  Taking a deep breath, she grabbed hold. “Okay.”

  “Now gently pull yourself up, tucking your feet underneath you.”

  “The side window’s gone.”

  “Then when you tuck your legs, brace yourself on the window frame.”

  She nodded, pulling her body with her hands and sliding her legs underneath her. The car slid forward several inches, her feet slipping on the metal. She released an involuntary shriek before finding a foothold.

  Wood cracked over her head and her gaze rose to Will, who had scooted farther down the tree. The branch bowed with his weight.

  “Will, stop! You’re going to get yourself killed. Go back up.”

  He looked down at her, his eyes so full of love and longing that it took her breath away. “I just got back every memory I ever had of you. I’m not going anywhere. Got it?”

  Tears burned her eyes. Was it true? She thought he’d been lying about getting back his memories, but he had no reason to lie now. She nodded.

  He grinned. “If we weren’t hanging over a bottomless crevice, I’d show you how much I love you, but now doesn’t seem like the right time for makeup sex.”

  She laughed through her tears. “No, I guess not.”

  Grim determination set his jaw. “We’ve been in rougher spots than this. It’s a walk in the park, princess.”

  She and Will belonged together, her father be damned. “Yeah, piece of cake.”

  “The car’s wedged but obviously not very securely. My plan is for you to climb out the window and I’ll grab you when you’re in reach and help you crawl across the side of the car.”

  “Is there any other way out?”

  “No.” Will looked up. “Any chance you could toss down a rope, Raph?”