Dark Confessions

by Angie Sandro

  His lip curls in a smirk. “You still think you can beat me in a fight?”

  “We both know I can. And will. I’m done running. I won’t let you keep hunting me and hurting my friends. That ends. Now.” Dena cracks her knuckles and takes another step in his direction.

  Victor jams the gun harder against Eva’s temple. “Fool.”

  Bess lets out a helpless whimper. “Dena, stand down. Please. He’ll kill her.”

  “Listen to the officer. Don’t you care about your friend?”

  “I’m calling your bluff.” Dena’s eyes don’t shift from Victor, but she speaks to Bess. “Victor’s boss will kill him if he doesn’t bring Eva in. He could’ve escaped earlier, when the witch doctor arrived, but he chose to stay. Why? My guess is revenge. We have a history to settle. So, come on, Vic, let’s see who’s better. Once and for all.”

  Anders places a hand on her arm. “No. I’m handling him this time. We both know there is only one way to dispose of Victor.”

  “We need Victor alive for questioning,” I say. “I want info on the witch.”

  Anders turns fluorescent green eyes in my direction. The shadow already hovers over his skin. He’s barely holding himself together when he snaps, “Not at Dena’s expense!”

  Dena bites back a curse. “I can fight my own battles.”

  “Are you planning to debate all night?” Victor asks. “Who do I fight first?”

  Mala lets out a huge sigh. “Everyone stand down. Bless your hearts, I love you all, but I’m not letting any of you sacrifice yourselves for a problem I created. I’ve run from my responsibilities long enough.” She walks across the lawn. With each step, she glows. “You are an abomination that should not exist in this world. You’ve been corrupted by Death. You’re unnatural and must be ended.”

  “I’m no more unnatural than your friends.”

  “But, you see, there lies the difference. You’re not my friend.”

  The hairs on my arms rise. The acrid taste of burnt popcorn coats my tongue. Magic. Ugh, I hate the taste of magic. But another part of me rejoices. Mala fought against her gift while Magnolia lived. She balked at the lessons I tried to teach her. But the power emanating from her is on a whole other level. I suspected as much when she almost killed me the last time we met. A spike of pride rolls through me. As my son would say about a character in his video games, “Mala leveled up.” We’re about to see a Boss Battle.

  Victor’s about to go down. Hard.

  Mala lifts a hand. A tiny spark ignites on her palm. She blows on it, growing it into a silvery blue orb of fire. With a clench of her fist and a punch in the air, it flies toward Victor. He tries to dodge, but it zigzags, matching his movements. He releases Eva and raises his hands to block the fireball, but it skewers him. Victor cries out, stumbling back.

  When Victor drops Eva, the unconscious woman tumbles headfirst over the edge of the porch. With a cry, Mala’s other hand rises upward, as if she’s trying to catch Eva in the palm of her hand. And it works. Eva hovers above the ground, halted midfall. Sweat beads Mala’s brow, and she trembles with the mental weight of levitating the woman.

  “Help me,” she gasps.

  Bess and Dena run to grab Eva by her arms and legs, steadying her descent as Mala lowers her gently to the ground, all while continuing to attack Victor with more of her fireballs. He heals the damage almost as fast as she creates it. Now that Eva’s out of the way, I shoot him, and he falls to his knees. I reload, having missed the headshot that would take him longer to regenerate. Anders and George also send a spray of bullets into his chest. Why won’t he go down? It’s like he’s wearing invisible body armor. Nothing really harms him.

  The fucker laughs at us.

  Victor grins and brushes a hand across his chest. Bullets fall from his clothing. The sound of them striking the porch rings like a death knell. “Is that the best you can do? Guess my witch is more powerful than yours, Dena.”

  A slow clap comes from behind me. Crap! Permelia. When did she get here? And what is she planning?

  Victor pauses to study the newest player in his sadistic game. “Who the hell are you?”

  “Your witch may be strong,” Permelia says, “but she’s got nothin’ on me.” She saunters over to Mala’s side; Ivy and Bastian flank the other. “Looks like I’ve arrived just in time.” The glee filling her face when she speaks to Mala sends a shiver though my body. “Hello, Cousin. Need some help?”

  Mala darts a startled glance at Permelia. “Cousin?”

  Permelia sidles in front of Mala. “Let me dispose of this man for you, my dear. I am more versed in the tricks of the wicked.” She doesn’t wait for permission. The fireball she creates is the size of a basketball. She bounces it on her palm a few times, lines up her shot, and shoots. It flies through the air, striking Victor in the chest. What looks like molten lava plasters his shirt, and he lights up like a lone pine in the path of a volcanic eruption. He staggers back inside the house and falls to the ground. The rotten floor starts to smoke, then burn. The fire spreads while we watch for him to rise from the inferno, but he doesn’t have a chance to regenerate. Within minutes, he’s reduced to ash.

  Victor’s dead. Finally.

  Permelia holds up her hand. Flames burn on the tips. She smiles and blows them out like candles. “And that, my dear little cousin, is how it’s done.”

  “Who are—” Mala begins, but I step between them. She tugs on my sleeve. “What does she mean by ‘cousin’?”

  Permelia smiles. “I’ll save our family reunion for later. Judging by his toe tapping and the crinkle lines around his eyes, Ferdinand wants to ask for your help with something.” She winks, then gives a sly side-eye toward Bess, who stiffens at her words.

  Permelia laughs and heads toward our children. They huddle beside her tank of a vehicle and speak in low whispers. They’re going to enjoy what happens next. I’m not waiting a minute longer to ask Mala to destroy the blood bond. The risk of losing Bess after surviving this mess is too much to contemplate. Time to man up.

  “Let’s check on Eva first,” I tell Mala. “Then I need to speak with you in private, my queen.”

  Mala stiffens. “Your what?”

  A half smile lifts my lips at her reaction. She really hates that word. “I want to explain everything, if you give me a chance.”

  Bess and Dena have Eva stretched out on the grass between them and are performing first aid on her injuries. Bess looks up at us with frown when we reach them. I don’t have to be a mind reader to know she’s thinking about the secrets between us. I rub her stiff shoulders and press a kiss to the top of her head. “We won’t be long,” I say. “Then we’ll talk.”

  Bess nods. “George, Anders, and Landry can fetch the mercs we captured. I want to keep an eye on them until backup arrives.”

  George salutes. “Sure thing, LT.”

  “I’ll help,” Ivy says, running to George’s side. Bastian trails a few paces behind. He obviously takes his big-brother role seriously, seeing it as his duty to keep his rambunctious twin out of trouble. He and Landry strike up a conversation about a video game called Dragon Rage, of all things.

  I study Eva’s reposed features. “Is she going to be okay?”

  “Yes.” Bess presses a piece of gauze against a bleeding cut on Eva’s brow. “I think she got the head wound when the roof collapsed. The bullet wound from a few days ago didn’t reopen. It’s healing…normally. If you get my meaning.”

  “Then…Eva’s not the woman Estrada injected with the serum. Or if she is, the serum didn’t work on her.”

  Dena sits back on her heels and brushes a curl from her eyes. “Yeah. She should be up and about if it did. The only other person who Estrada had access to is Gabriella. I don’t know…”

  “We’ll figure it out later. Gabriella’s safe for now. My guys are watching out for her.” With a sigh, I turn to Mala. “My queen, can we have our chat now?”

  Mala follows me into the side yard. She leans agains
t the tractor. “What’s this bullshit about me being your queen, Ferdinand?” she snaps as soon as we’re out of earshot. “I told you, Magnolia’s lawyers, and everyone else I can think of, that I don’t want Magnolia’s money.”

  “It doesn’t matter what you want. I thought you figured that out when you fought Victor. You said you’d face your responsibilities. This is one of them. No matter how much you protest, you’re Magnolia’s heir. Certain spells shifted to you upon her death. Your refusal to take up her mantle has led to infighting within an organization that needs steady leadership. Everything that has happened since Magnolia’s death—Ivanov going rogue and attacking Dena, battles between her Second and Third for control, too many deaths to count. Those are due to us not having a strong queen.”

  Mala sucks in a deep breath. “That’s not fair. You can’t blame me for what happened. It’s not my fault those people are crazy.”

  “I don’t blame you.” I sigh. “The choices made by others aren’t within your control, but you can stop anyone else from dying. Step up. Take your rightful place and end the bloodshed.”

  “I don’t want to.” Mala crosses her arms. “Find someone else.”

  “You’re scared?”

  “Damn right! All I want is a normal life with Landry. I don’t want the responsibility, but…” She sniffs. “I don’t have a choice, do I?”

  “You have free will, Mala. Nobody can stop you from walking away. I hope you decide to do what’s right, but I can’t force you. With your help, I’d like to have the same control over my fate. Help me.”

  Mala looks startled. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Release the spell Magnolia put on me. Let me be free to choose who to serve.”

  Mala snorts. “Bet you’ll be serving Bessie. You can’t keep your eyes off her. Sure, I’ll release you. Mainly ’cause I’m not my aunt. I won’t have zombie servants, alive or dead. Well, except Dena, but she’s a special circumstance.” She bites her lip and shrugs.

  “I understand.”

  “Yeah, I guess you do better than anyone else. Let me warm up.” She rolls her shoulders and shakes her hands, then releases a gusty sigh. “I assume this is the blood-bond spell I read about in Sophia’s grimoire.”

  “You knew?”

  “Sophia had a yellow sticky tab on the page, so I figured it had some significance. She wanted to warn me about Magnolia before she died, but couldn’t. I figured out why once I read the spell. It became clear you were under a spell, too, once I realized you weren’t being a lying asshole on purpose. This is one of the easier tricks to dispel. No special oils or root work needed.”

  Mala holds out her hands. “Kneel.”

  “Yes, my queen.”

  “Call me that one more time, and I walk.”

  I smile. “Sorry. Mala.” I drop to my knees.

  Mala cups my head with both hands and presses her forehead against mine. “Be free, my friend.”

  Her hands tingle against my skin, then warm. Heat races from her palms through my body. I grit my teeth against the pain filling every nerve ending. It feels like the blood in my veins is boiling. I squeeze my eyes shut. My jaw locks on the scream crawling up my throat. I jerk against Mala’s hands, but she holds my head in a viselike grip. Just when I don’t think I can handle any more, the heavy weight I’ve become used to lifts from my body. The last residue of Magnolia’s blood seeps from my pores, coating my skin red.

  With a wave of her hand, Mala sweeps the blood from my skin. It rises in the air—a bloodred mist. She rolls her hands together. The mist fuses into a ball that hovers above her palm.

  “So much pain,” Mala whispers. “Magnolia’s legacy seems to go on and on. Will I ever be free of her?” Her eyes have a yellowish cast to the irises, and I shiver.

  She steps back and tosses the ball of blood into the air. A silvery blue flame flickers to life on her palm again. With a flick of her hand, it engulfs the curse and burns it to ash.

  Mala’s knees buckle, and she drops beside me. “Mother Mary, I’m wiped.” She gazes at me. “Did it work?”

  I break into a full grin. “Only one way to find out.” I climb on top of the rusted tractor and yell, “Bess—”

  Bessie and the others run around the corner. She pauses upon seeing us, staring with wide, slightly panicked eyes, and I feel bad about scaring her again. She puts her hands on her hips and taps her toe. “What in the world happened to the two of you?”

  I ignore everyone else. I only have eyes for Bess. My heart aches at the sight of her, rumpled and exhausted, yet still ready to fight if necessary. All the emotions I’ve been suppressing surge. “Bess, I—” I touch my throat and swallow. The words are there. Nothing prevents me from speaking my truth.

  Her head cocks. “Yes?”

  “Marry me, Elizabeth Caine!”

  CHAPTER 17

  Bessie

  Confession

  My head feels fuzzy. Like I either drank too much champagne or the champagne was roofied. Either way, I’m buzzed. I can scarcely draw in a full breath of air. I stare at the man I swear just proposed to me in front of a burning house, but I’m not completely sure I haven’t lost my ever-lovin’ mind. Surely I didn’t hear right. I sift through my memory, ignoring the residual ache from the bump on the back of my skull.

  I think I have a concussion. He couldn’t…Did he…? Mala nudges my side with her elbow. “Are you going to answer him? I’ve got your back no matter what you decide.”

  My gaze slides in her direction, then travels to the faces of my friends. The anticipation on their faces causes a wash of panic to race through my body. Looking back at Ferdinand, I ask, “What?”

  “I’m asking you to marry me,” Ferdinand yells. In front of everyone. His ex, his kids, our friends. I can’t…

  “Do you hear me, Elizabeth Caine? I love you. With my whole heart. I choose you, above all others. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I want to share all of my secrets with you. And live a life with no regrets.”

  He jumps from the tractor and steadily crosses the lawn, the man I’ve come to recognize as someone I don’t want to live without. Yet I’m terrified of the words he speaks. Words I’ve wanted to hear for six long months. Part of me wants to run. The other remains frozen in place, slowly unthawing as his confession warms my racing heart with a growing hope for the future.

  Ferdinand comes to a halt right in front of me. I gasp as he drops to one knee. Oh my Lord, this is really happening. He’s serious. His eyes sparkle, reflecting the flames and heat from the burning house. He folds my sweaty palms in his large hands. “Say you’ll be mine.”

  Yes, yes, yes! No. Wait…I think I’m going to pass out. The fuzziness in my head moves to my eyes. Everything looks blurry and slightly rose tinted. Breathe. There’s something important I can’t forget before agreeing. And I want to scream my consent, but I can’t. Not until I know for sure he’s willing to open up and share his secrets. I don’t want anything to stand between us. I need to know the truth.

  I inhale, letting oxygen fill my lungs and clear my head. “You’ll tell me your secrets? Without choking?”

  His hands settle on my hips. “I just told you my biggest secret. I fell in love with you the minute I saw you wearing that sexy red dress for the Dubois party. It grew stronger as I watched you fight for your friends. I admire your strength. Your passion. Your determination to save the ones you love, even at the risk of yourself. I want to be one of those people. I want to be the one you turn to for help. I want to hold you in the night and never let you go.”

  I stare at him, trying to think about his proposal in a logical manner, but I can’t. Screw logic. Instinct has saved me more times than I can count. I’m going with it now.

  I wrap my arms around Ferdinand’s neck. “Beautiful man.” My lips brush across his. “How funny. I love you for the very same reasons. Of course I’ll marry you when you ask so nicely.” I kiss the tip of his nose. “Only I’m not running down to city hall to
day. I’d like to at least go out on a few real dates first. Plus I’ve a lot of questions that still need answers.” I have to be true to myself, but I also think this is one risk worth taking. “But I’m willing to make a leap of faith and say yes.”

  I settle into his arms and kiss him like I’ve never kissed him before. Every restraint I’ve placed on my heart for self-protection unravels. A huge weight lifts from my body. It feels magical. Freeing. We break apart to cheering from our friends and the wail of police and fire truck sirens in the distance. Hugs come from all directions.

  Mala gives me a hip-bump and grins. “Since you and Ferdinand don’t plan on reserving the wedding chapel anytime soon, I’m calling dibs. It’s about time I make Reverend Prince a happy papa. Landry and I will be walking down the aisle, too. I’m done waiting for that magical someday when the planets align. I’m ready now.”

  Landry darts a glance over Mala’s shoulder at Ms. Jasmine. “Did you hear that, Mama J? Everyone? You’re all witnesses.” He hugs his fiancée. “No going back on your word.”

  Jasmine does a happy dance. “I’m gonna go brag to the rest of the ancestor spirits. No weddin’ plannin’ without me,” she orders, and vanishes in a flash of light that leaves sparkles before my eyes.

  Mala blinks away a tear. “Mama’s silly, but I love her. And you, too, Bessie. You’re both my role models. In your own ways, you taught me how to be brave. I’m not scared of commitment anymore.” Mala looks at Ferdinand. “Of any kind. Will being your queen stop the killing? Those people will leave my family alone?”

  Ferdinand glances at Permelia, who shrugs. He licks his plump lower lip, sending a craving to kiss him rushing through my body once again. I settle for a slow caress of his lower back. A rippling shudder that only I can feel travels through his body. He gives me a squeeze, but nothing shows on his face as he tells Mala, “I can’t speak for everyone in the organization. They have their own agendas. But today proves your family is your strength. Just like we all came together to save you, we’ll be there to support you in the future. They don’t stand a chance.”