A sob tore Edward’s throat. “Dad! She can’t breathe!”
“Do I have your word?” Alexander said.
Ruben locked eyes with him. “Yes, I give you my word. We’ll fight man-to-man—no weapons. No one else gets hurt.”
Wisteria caught hold of Alexander’s arm. “Don’t do this,” she begged. “I tell you, he’s lying!”
“I have no choice,” Alexander said, lowering the gun. “He’ll kill her if I don’t. I have to fight him,” he said resolutely. “I have to end this once and for all.”
“Drop it on the floor!” Ruben ordered. “And kick it away from you.”
Alexander let the gun fall to the floor and kicked it a good two feet away from him. Ruben thrust Loreena from his arms where she collapsed to the floor. Edward rushed to her side and threw his arms around her. Alexander began rolling up his sleeves. “Let’s take this outside.”
Ruben tilted his head, amused. Then in a flash, he pulled out a gun and aimed it at Alexander.
Shock rendered Alexander speechless for an instant. Then he managed to find his voice. “You gave your word.”
“You always were the naïve one, hiding behind your nobility and goodness!” He let out a cruel laugh. “Integrity won’t save you in the end! How I would love to shoot you right now, but death is too good for you.” His voice grew taunting. An evil glint came into his eyes as he looked at Wisteria. “No,” he mused, “I won’t kill you, Alexander. I’ll just kill the one thing you can’t live without.”
He aimed the gun at Wisteria and fired. The next second would forever remain etched in Wisteria’s mind. Rush diving to push her out of the way. Him taking the bullet instead of her. Rush falling to the ground as blood poured from his chest. A shrill cry of anguish that she recognized as her own. Elle jumping up and running to his side. Tears streaming down her face. Her holding his hand, begging him not to leave her.
“I—love—you—” were the last words he managed to say before his body began to convulse.
Time seemed to remain suspended as a futile rage burned through Wisteria while she watched her son’s lifeblood pour out onto the floor.
“He’s not breathing!” Elle screamed, panic coating her voice. “He’s not breathing!”
Wisteria cradled his head in her lap as his eyes turned filmy and then vacant. “He’s dead,” she said flatly.
Elle let out a long, wrenching sob.
And then the laughter started …
Chapter Thirty-Two
The Girl in the Mirror
The laughing was a faint sound at first that circled around them, taunting them in their sorrow. And then it grew louder, turning to shrieks. The shrieks became an earsplitting wail that tore through the room, shattering the glass windows and display cases. The cuckoo clock began a furious chiming, going faster as the room began to spin. Then the clock began to expand in size, growing larger and larger until it burst through the top of the ceiling. Cuckoo birds flew out of the clock and began to circle clockwise around the spinning room.
Elle held up her hands in an effort to protect her face against the debris and large pieces of furniture that were being tossed through the air like rag dolls. The laughing grew more hideous as an insidious dark mist seeped around her. Fear grew large and terrible as its tentacles encircled Elle, clutching her in a vice grip. A cold fear—swift and paralyzing—oozed through her body, and she felt the sensation of being lifted up through the roof. Then she was falling. Blackness wound tighter and tighter around her like a spider capturing its prey in a web. She tried to scream, but no sound would come. There was only terror—terror and a mocking laughter.
When she awoke, she felt something hard and solid beneath her. She sat up, confused. She was in a room of some sort, and the laughter had stopped. Now there was only silence—a thick suffocating silence that was more deafening than the laughter. Her gaze went around the room. There were no doors or windows. Alarm pulsed through her. She was trapped! There were countless rows of antique white squares, covering the entire space of the room. At first, she didn’t realize what it was that she was seeing, but then she let out a cry as the horror of it overtook her. The room was made up of thousands upon thousands of mirrors that were butted up against one another—mirrors covering the ceiling, walls, and floor. She walked to the wall, rubbing her hand against the mirror to inspect it. Then she knew—the mirrors were identical to the one in her bedroom. She could see her reflection—countless reflections—staring back at her. Then the reflection directly in front of her smirked.
“Who are you?” she yelled, the words echoing around the room.
“Who are you?” they mocked, sounding like a ball pinging around the room in rapid succession. She jumped back as the girl in the mirror stepped out, and she was standing face to face with herself. It was the same thin body type, the same blue eyes, the same long blonde hair.
Elle frowned, and the girl standing before her did the same.
“You’re not real—you’re only a reflection.”
The girl laughed. “Oh, I’m real. I can assure you, I’m real.”
A cracking sound rippled through the room as countless other girls stepped out of the mirror. Girls that looked exactly like Elle. She took a step back as they surrounded her. There was an icy, murderous look in their blue eyes as they glared at her.
“You’re not real!” she yelled at them.
They began to laugh as hideous expressions twisted over their faces.
“Does this feel real enough to you?” The girl slapped Elle hard across the jaw, the force snapping her head, sending pain radiating through her neck. Before she could react, another one balled her fist and knocked her to the ground. “You’re weak!” They said in unison.
Tears sprang to her eyes. “I’m not weak!”
A sharp kick in the ribs caused her to nearly lose her breath. She tucked into a fetal position to protect herself. “You’re a loser! You’ll never amount to anything! Your family hates you! Your friends hate you! Your mother died because she couldn’t stand the sight of you! And now Rush is gone too. You will always be alone! Completely and utterly alone!”
The words grew menacing as they circled around her. She covered her ears. Then the clawing began. She felt the nails digging into her face, slashing across it. The kicking and biting.
“Stop it!” she cried. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because we hate you! We hate everything about you!”
“No!” she cried. “No!” Her heart was growing cold—a dead bleakness that she could never escape. She was sinking lower and lower into a pit of blackness. Images from her life flashed before her mind, and she saw herself, lying helpless in a hospital bed. Rush was standing over her—bitter and resentful.
“Rush hates you! You betrayed him! He can never trust you! And now he’s dead! Dead! Dead! Dead!”
The words settled like a tomb over her heart. Dead. Rush was dead.
Other images floated through her mind, images that she’d long ago forgotten. She saw a young peasant girl, carrying a bucket of apples to the market. The girl was hungry and desperate.
“Seraphina detested you. You are nothing. You are just like your father—your lousy father who squandered away his inheritance and then abandoned you!”
She saw the castle and Edward with his golden hair and kind eyes.
“You could’ve been a princess, but you threw it all away! Edward loved you, and you betrayed him too. You had a chance to save your family, but you were selfish! You were always too weak to resist Rushton!”
An image of Rushton flashed before her eyes, and she felt the gut-wrenching sorrow that overtook her when she learned that he’d been killed by the dragon. The desperation she felt when Wisteria persuaded her to get engaged to Edward. The despair that overtook her when she realized that he was alive and forever beyond her reach.
“You’ll never be happy! You don’t deserve to be happy! You are nothing!”
The voices melded together i
n a steady, repetitious pulse that kept hacking away at the foundation of her soul. Black tentacles slithered around her. “Give in,” they whispered. “You can never defeat the darkness.”
She cried out in horror as the blackness pinned her to the floor, smothering her. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. There was nothing but desperation. She felt the slithers, unhinging her piece by piece, clawing at what little sanity she had left. She felt herself drifting …
Then she heard it, that quiet voice that was lower than a whisper. Remember the things I have taught you. Courage dispels the darkness. From somewhere deep within, she gathered the will to continue. The words floated above her, like a banner in the wind, and she caught hold of them, clutching them for all they were worth.
“Give in!” the slithers chanted, tightening their grip.
Slithers! Fear! Darkness! The realization of what was happening took hold. She was being attacked by a shadow crawler! She forced her mind to catch hold of the things Adele had told her. The good things about her life. She remembered the daisy that Rushton offered her on that first day they met and how it came to be a symbol of their love. She remembered the timbre of his voice and how his eyes twinkled when he laughed. Her mind went to the trial and how the fear had nearly overtaken her then, but somehow, she’d gathered the courage to stand up and tell the truth. She remembered the relief she felt when she said the words out loud for all to hear. The joy she felt when she saw the tender look of love in his eyes as their two souls connected, never to be divided again. The slithers loosened slightly.
“I remember now,” she said as knowledge seeped into her soul. “I remember it all! I remember where I came from, I remember everything that happened!” Her heart leapt at the thought. For so long, she’d had this gaping hole that left her empty inside. But now that hole was filled with the comforting knowledge of remembrance. “I am not afraid!” she yelled, getting to her feet, eyeing the girls who had taken a step back from her. “I am no longer afraid of you. I am no longer afraid of who I am!” she said resolutely. “Yes, I’ve made my share of mistakes, but I take full responsibility for those mistakes. I was a terrible person before the coma, but I changed. I was too weak at first to stand up for my true love, but I came through in the end. It is because of those mistakes that I’ve become the person that I am.”
The girls disappeared, leaving only the mirrors and her harmless reflection, staring back.
“I am not afraid!” she yelled, as a comforting light filled her breast. The mirrors began to crack with loud groans until they crumbled and then disintegrated. Elle looked down and realized she was holding a gold key. She clutched it in her hand. “I remember everything,” she cried, the wonder of it settling over her.
She was once again in The Chocolate Fountain. She saw Rush, lying lifeless on the floor with Wisteria bending over him, weeping. Alexander and Ruben were crashing into tables and trading blows. Rae was in Jack’s arms, sobbing for their lost friend. Edward and his mother were huddled together on the floor. And then she saw Adele. A pleased expression came over her face. “You did it, dear.” She pointed at the clock. “Now use the key. And hurry! It’s almost midnight!”
Elle looked at the cuckoo clock. Put in a key, but how? Her eyes scoped the clock from top to bottom, and then she saw it—the small keyhole in the bottom center. She went over to it and inserted the key. Exerting all of her force, she turned it. Nothing happened at first, but then she heard the sound of a gear locking into place. The room began to spin counterclockwise. Slowly at first and then faster. She looked up to where the cuckoo birds stopped midair and turned their determined flight in the opposite direction. Time shifted back like a giant movie reel, displaying all that had happened. Ruben clutching Loreena in a chokehold. Alexander tossing down the gun.
Then she was thrust back into the scene …
Ruben tightened his grip on Loreena’s neck. She gurgled.
A sob tore Edward’s throat. “Dad! She can’t breathe!”
“Do I have your word?” Alexander said.
Ruben met his gaze full on. “Yes, I give you my word. We’ll fight man-to-man—no weapons. No one else gets hurt.”
Wisteria caught hold of Alexander’s arm. “Don’t do this,” she begged. “I tell you, he’s lying!”
“I have no choice,” Alexander said, lowering the gun. “He’ll kill her if I don’t. I have to fight him and end this for good,” he said resolutely.
“Drop it on the floor!” Ruben ordered, “and kick it away from you.”
Alexander let the gun fall to the floor and kicked it a good two feet away from him. Ruben thrust Loreena from his arms where she collapsed to the floor. Edward rushed to her side and threw his arms around her. Alexander began rolling up his sleeves. “Let’s take this outside.”
Ruben tilted his head, amused. Then in a flash, he pulled out a gun and aimed it at Alexander.
Shock rendered Alexander speechless for an instant. Then he managed to find his voice. “You gave your word.”
“You always were the naïve one, hiding behind your nobility and goodness!” He let out a cruel laugh. “Integrity won’t save you in the end! How I would love to shoot you right now, but death is too good for you.” His voice grew taunting, a lion going in for the kill. An evil glint came into his eyes as he looked at Wisteria. “No,” he mused, “I won’t kill you, Alexander. I’ll just kill the one thing you can’t live without.”
He aimed the gun at Wisteria and fired. Instinctively, Wisteria raised her hands in the air and stopped the bullet where it dropped harmlessly to the floor. Then she thrust her hands at Ruben, knocking him back where he landed on the ground. Her hands turned to claws, as a vengeful light came into her eyes. Ruben began clutching his neck, fighting for air, his face going blue. “Doesn’t feel so great does, it?”
Alexander caught her arm. “Stop, you’re not a murderer—not here in this realm.”
Dueling emotions battled in her eyes. “He deserves to die!”
“Stop!” Alexander repeated, locking eyes with her.
“Fine!” She blew out a breath, a balloon deflating, as she dropped her hands. Ruben collapsed on the floor, gulping in air.
Wisteria motioned at a nearby curtain over the window. Invisible hands ripped it from the rod where it sailed cross the room and began binding Ruben’s arms. “There,” she said, giving him a vindicated look. “You miserable leech! That should hold you long enough for us to call the police. At the very least, you deserve to be put away for a very long time.” A pleased smile curved her lips as she looked down at her hands. “That felt good.” She looked first at Alexander and then at Adele. “Does this mean what I think it means?” she asked cautiously.
Adele nodded, tears of joy in her eyes. “Yes, she did it.” She clasped her hands together, looking at Elle. “You did it! You found the first key. You saved us all!”
A confused look came over Rush’s face. It soon turned to wariness as he looked at his mom. “Key? What the heck just happened?” He looked at her hands, his face draining. Then he looked at Ruben. “What was all of that nonsense about my father?”
A silent exchange passed between Wisteria and Alexander. Then Wisteria looked intently at Rush. “Now’s not the time, but I promise I’ll explain it all to you very soon.”
“You can count on it,” Alexander said heartily, draping an arm around Wisteria.
Rush looked back and forth between the two of them, his expression confused. “I have no idea what you’re getting at, but okay.”
Wisteria turned her attention to Elle. “I’m sorry for everything,” she said sincerely. “I grossly misjudged you.” Her voice caught. “I just hope that you can somehow find it within yourself to forgive me.” She offered a small smile. “You did it! You saved us all!”
“Yes,” Elle said slowly, shaking her head as if coming out of a daze. “I suppose I did.” It was all so strange, being in that room full of mirrors where the past and present converged. The sheer terr
or of paralyzing fear as she’d looked into the ruthless shell of her own face, tormenting her. And now she was here—here in this realm of normalcy, standing in The Chocolate Fountain as if none of it had happened. A wave of dizziness pummeled over her, and she caught the back of a nearby chair for support.
“Sit down, dear, and take deep breaths,” Adele urged. “It helps to get the oxygen flowing to the brain.”
Elle nodded numbly and sat down. The shakes started in her knees, going up through her body. She clutched her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking. Everything was the same as it was before. She looked up to the ceiling, which was still intact. Her eyes went to the cuckoo clock, now back to its normal size—hanging on the wall where it always was, quietly ticking. She looked at the bottom to where the keyhole had been. It was gone. She thought of something as she looked at Adele. “Where’s the key?” Had she only imagined it? No, it was real. She’d held it. Had felt the cool metal that was solid and sturdy in her hand. Had heard the gears locking into place when she turned the key.
“I put the key in a safe place,” Adele said, “for when you need it again.”
Again? The meaning of the words pelted home as a shudder wracked her body. She couldn’t go through the black terror again.
“You are strong,” Adele countered. “You did what was nearly impossible. You used the strength of your will to dispel the darkness. You came to terms with your past. You …”
Elle caught her eyes and held them. “I remember everything,” she said quietly, feeling a ray of light flowing in and restoring a sense of calm.
Adele nodded, a satisfied look on her wise face. “That is good.”
Elle looked around the room through new eyes. Her gaze settled on Rae and Jack, and she felt a smile bubble up in her breast. It felt good to have such trustworthy friends—friends she could count on—friends that had never doubted her, even when she doubted herself. Her eyes grew misty, and she blinked rapidly to stay the tears. Then she looked at Edward who had a protective arm around his mom. Edward—the fair-haired, noble prince. So good in so many ways. So idealistic. So naïve. And then a startling realization came over her. He’d never loved her—not really. He adored her from afar the way a young boy develops a crush on a girl he hardly knows. For him, she represented the princess on the tower—a girl for which he could fight battles and win tournaments. And while she would always care for Edward, she didn’t love him either. The revelation was like a breath of fresh air. It felt so good to know who she really was.
Love Spell: Book 2 of The Grimm Laws Page 39