by Aileen Erin
She clasped her hands together, knuckles facing away.
The tingling turned to a buzzing so strong, I was worried my teeth might rattle out of their sockets.
Samantha twisted her wrists again, and all the air left me as I flew up in the air.
I glanced down, and my body was two inches below me.
“What the—”
“Shut up,” Samantha snapped, her eyes still closed. Her hands moved up my body, towards my heart and then she dropped down, laying flat on her stomach next to my body.
“Here you are, you asshole,” she muttered to herself. “This might hurt,” she said a little louder, and then she reached between my body and soul.
Fire ripped through my body and I screamed.
My soul slammed back into my body and I writhed on the floor as the pain slowly receded. My ears were still ringing from my own screams in the silence that followed.
I had a second to breathe and then everyone started yelling at once. A million questions. “What happened?” “Are you okay?” “What the hell was that?” My friends all had questions, but my eyes were glued to Samantha.
Samantha’s eyes were wide and her hands shook as she brought them to her face. “Oh fuck.” She glanced around the room. “No. No. This can’t—” She leaped for her bag, upended it, and then frantically sorted through the mess. “Where is it? Where is it? Shit! Yes.” She grabbed something and spun to me, a knife in her hand.
I sat up. “What’s happening? Is he coming?”
“Yes.” She let out a whistle and the sound rippled through my soul.
“What was that?”
“Help on the Otherside.”
My heartbeat whooshed-whooshed, whooshed-whooshed in my ears.
I started to get up, but she grabbed my wrist, stopping me. “Astaroth’s coming. Fast. And he’s super fucking pissed.” She was talking so fast, I barely understood her. But with every word she said, my heart rate ramped up another notch. “We maybe have five minutes before he’s here. Probably less. Maybe a lot less.”
“Then let’s go!” Chris said.
“Wait. I should’ve brought this up before, but I honestly didn’t think it’d come to this. And now there’s no time, so listen really fucking carefully. Like everyone’s life in this room depends on it. Because it does.”
“I’m listening,” I said, trying not to freak out.
“We have two options. One, we run like hell. You get on a plane and leave.”
That was a pretty solid option.
“Two, I give you a bit of my blood. You said at dinner that you had visions of the future which has helped you out of some seriously bad situations, but that he was blocking you from having them. Right?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. It’d take too long to tell you why, so don’t ask. But if I give you my blood, you can have a vision. It’s a risk for both of us, but—”
Holy shit. I was so in. “Let’s do it.”
“No. Wait. We’d be bound for the next forty-eight hours, or until your body processes my blood out of yours, but there’s a big con, especially when you have a demon on your ass.”
“No. I’ll take the vision. I don’t care—”
“Wait! You have to hear the con. Are you listening?”
I hadn’t always seen my visions as a gift, but they were. They were the reason I was supposed to lead the coven. I couldn’t see the future exactly, but I had some foresight that showed me when I was making a wrong decision.
I needed that tonight, more than anything.
If I couldn’t get rid of the tie to Astaroth tonight, then I had to have a vision. Not having access to them while trying to take down Astaroth was going to be impossible. He was too powerful. I couldn’t afford to make a mistake.
This could be the difference between living and the apocalypse.
Whatever the con was, I didn’t think it’d matter. “I’m listening.”
“If you take my blood, you cannot let yourself get sucked into Hell again. Because you were alive here on this plane, Astaroth couldn’t take you fully there last time. Your living body anchored you. With my blood, you can exist on either plane. If he took you again, your body wouldn’t be on this plane anymore. You’d be alive when he took you and you’d be alive for a while in Hell, but there wouldn’t be any way for Claudia or anyone else to do some miracle magic and get you back. You’d go to Hell fully. You’d die there. Your soul would be his. Do you understand?”
What the shit? “That’s one massive drawback.” Especially knowing what I was up against.
“I know. You have about another ninety seconds before we need to run. Maybe two minutes if we’re lucky. I have a friend on the other side trying to trip him up, but it’s not going to last long. I can feel Astaroth getting closer. What is a vision worth to you?”
Right now, it was worth a lot. “I’m not going to get sucked into Hell again. I’ll die before I let him take me there.”
“Are you sure? Because—”
“A vision is worth the risk.” We were running out of time. I was forgetting something important. “Will my blood turn you?”
“No.” Her voice grew tight. “I am what I am. No amount of werewolf blood or bites is going to change that.” Back at her apartment, Samatha had seemed pretty okay with who she was. With how she said that now, I wasn’t so sure that was true.
This is scaring me, chérie. I don’t know if this is smart.
I took a steadying breath and looked at Dastien. I have to do this. We need info. We just can’t let him take me again.
Merde.
“Let’s do this,” I said to Samantha.
“Not much time left,” she murmured as she swiped the blade against her hand, then handed it to me. “Grab my hand as soon as you cut yours. You’ll have maybe five seconds to force a vision and then we have to run or we’re all going to die.”
Before I could think too much about it, I sliced my palm open and gripped Samantha’s hand.
Everything stilled as her blood seeped into mine, and then the vision slammed into me.
Twelve
The first time I died in my vision was just outside of the tarot shop, in the parking lot. Astaroth, still in the shape of a child, lifted me up by my neck. There was a crunch. My vision had a flash of black.
I was sucked back to the moment when Samantha and I touched hands.
And then I was speeding forward again. This time we got away fast enough. We floored it to the airport. Got on the first plane. We landed down in Texas. Argued in a room with the Seven about how broken it was.
Astaroth showed up.
Snap.
I was slammed back into the circle in that shitty room in south central LA. Samantha’s hand hit mine. This time I tried going back to the compound when I got back to Texas. To see if Luciana had left anything behind. I was dead minutes after stepping on to the ruins of her house.
Snap.
Samantha’s hand touched mine and I was rushing forward again.
I went back to the circle with Samantha no less than twenty times before it stopped. I was laying on the ground, panting. Unable to process half of what I’d seen or any of the emotions that went with what I’d seen.
Dastien was leaning over me. The only way I knew it was real again was the fact that life wasn’t whizzing by. Instead, it was painfully normal.
“Holy shit.”
“What’d you see?” Samantha asked.
“How long was I out of it?”
“A minute. Maybe more,” Dastien said. “You weren’t breathing. I was about to start CPR.” Again. For the third time! He yelled through the bond.
Everything clicked at once. “Run! Now!” I leapt up. “Now!” I screamed as I jumped through the door and down the stairs. I didn’t wait to see if they were coming behind me. They would. None of my friends were dumb.
I swung the SUV’s door open so hard it bent backward. “Shit.”
“What the hell?” The driver yelled.
“Just get in!” Lucas was right behind me with Claudia on his back.
As I threw myself across the row of seats, I saw Dastien carrying Samantha. Good call. We could move much faster than she could.
Lucas slid Claudia down and into the car with one smooth move. Chris and Adrian jumped in after her. Next was Dastien and Samantha.
A roar rattled the windows of the tarot shop.
“Now, Lucas!” I screamed, but he was already jumping inside, bending the door as he moved.
As soon as he was in the car, the driver took off. “What the hell is that?”
The ground behind us shook. I couldn’t see Astaroth but I knew he was there.
A truck passed to the right of us and it lifted into the air, flipping end over end, sandwiching the car next to us.
“Don’t look back.” I slapped the back of the driver’s seat. “Just keep going. Fast.”
“You don’t gotta tell me twice,” the driver said as he swerved across the lanes.
Only the sound of breathing, honking horns, and skidding tires followed us for the next few minutes.
My heart was racing. My body felt hot. And my hands were shaking. Again. I’d almost died—We’d all almost died. If we’d been a second slower…
We weren’t. We got away. Dastien ran a hand down my back and then pulled me closer.
This time. But I’d failed. Not once or twice. But over and over. In my visions, I’d died so many times, and nothing we’d done had ever made a difference. The failure and fear hit me, and any last shred of hope I’d managed to hold onto was gone. “Fuck.”
I couldn’t stop the sobs that followed, even if my friends were in the car and I wanted to seem strong for them.
I wasn’t strong. I was trying to be, but there was no way out of this. Not one with a happy ending.
There will be a way. Just because you didn’t get all the answers doesn’t mean we should stop fighting.
We can’t stop, but we’re going to lose. You didn’t see—
I started crying harder. This was embarrassing. Humiliating. And to make it worse, I was going to die at Astaroth’s hands. And if that happened? Everyone was going to die. All of us. No one could live for long if this plane was ruled by demons.
The pressure and weight of trying to find some way to stop it from happening but knowing that I would fail…it was too much. I couldn’t breathe.
Chérie. Stop. You have to stop. His arms were wrapped tight around me and his forehead pressed against mine. Waves of calm and confidence came through the bond, but I couldn’t stop crying.
There was some grumbling and rustling as someone climbed over the seats. I felt Dastien’s confusion as Samantha plopped over the back of the seat, kicking my shoulder with her knee on the way. I tried to get out of her way, but the driver braked just at the wrong time and she flew the rest of the way over, hitting the floorboard in front of me with an umph.
I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, but the tears were still falling. “You okay?” I managed to get out.
“Yeah. One sec.” She grabbed my ankle, and then closed her eyes.
A second later, it was like the fog had lifted. I could breathe again. The despair and self-doubt I’d been drowning in a second ago were gone. “How…”
“Astaroth’s good at making you feel like shit. A lot of demons can mess with emotion, and he’s a strong one. Plus, he’s got a hook embedded in your soul and he was just hella close and you have some of my blood in you. So, try to remember that. When I let go, those feelings will still be there. Ignore them. It’s not about you. It’s him making you feel that way. You have to separate yourself from it. Once he’s back on the other plane, it should ease up. Okay?”
I nodded, and she slowly let go of my ankle. Her hand hovered over it just in case I freaked out again.
The emotions I’d been feeling weren’t gone exactly. They were still there, a bubbling brew of soul-sucking nastiness. But this time, I knew that wasn’t how I felt. Astaroth was making me feel this way so that I’d be easier to take down. Giving into the emotions was as good as letting him win. And that so wasn’t fucking happening.
Better? Dastien asked.
I think so. Yeah.
I can still feel you—
I know. But that’s not me. That’s the tie to Astaroth. And I’m stronger than the tie.
Good. Dastien pulled me fully into his lap and rested his chin on my shoulder. “Thank you, Samantha.”
“No problem. But I’m assuming we’re heading to the airport?”
“Yes,” Lucas said. “I think it’d be good if you came back to Texas with us.”
“I second that,” I said. “We need you.”
“No. I can’t…”
“Is it because of me?” Claudia asked.
“No. It’s because of me. I…” She was quiet for a second. “I come with a whole truck load of baggage. The kind that will make your fight harder.”
“Harder? How?” From all I could tell, she was only helping.
She pressed her lips together as she thought. “It’s a long story, and none of it’s important right now. But just know that wherever I am, demons find me. From the sounds of things, you’ve got enough of those. So, I’m going to keep my distance.” She sighed. “I’m really trying to keep away from demon drama.”
“And how’s that going for you?” Chris asked.
Samantha settled back against the seat. “Some days are better than others.”
“You helped us. We’ve got a lot of friends with a lot of different skills,” Adrian said. “Maybe we can help you? Why don’t you come with us and find out?”
She closed her eyes for a second. “Nah. I’ve tried a bunch of different things, and you know, sometimes you just have to be what you are. I’m cool with it now. But thanks for the offer.”
“If there is ever anything we can do to help?” Claudia said.
“You’ll be my first call, cuz. For sure.”
“Good.”
“Not to interrupt,” the driver said. “But I heard you say that you were going to the airport?”
“LAX,” Lucas said. “Plane should be ready shortly.”
The driver didn’t say anything or let out a sigh, but his shoulders loosened a little. He was going to be glad when we left, and I couldn’t blame him. He’d had a brush with Astaroth, and that was enough to scare even the toughest of Alphas.
I leaned my head against the window. The tie wasn’t broken, and I’d had a series of completely messed-up visions. I hadn’t gotten what I’d come for, but I wasn’t leaving empty handed either.
It was now clearer than ever that I had to find a way to take Astaroth down or things were about to get a whole lot worse.
Thirteen
The driver got out and opened the door for us as we pulled up to the private terminal. This time the door fell off the hinges.
He looked at it like I would look at someone who took my last donut.
“Shit. I’m really sorry.” I wasn’t sure that helped anything, but I meant it.
“That’s alright.” His words were a little sharp, so I knew he was at least a little annoyed with me, but he wouldn’t meet my gaze. “We all lose control every once in a while.”
That was nice of him to say, but I still felt terrible. “We owe you one. Let me know if you ever need anything.”
“I’ll take you up on that,” he finally dared to look at me for a second before glancing away again.
My visions had always made it hard to have normal interactions with people, but the fact that this guy was a little afraid of me and my power? It was odd. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to the dominance displays. “Please do.” I moved past him to wait for everyone else to get out of the car.
Dastien was next. He gave Samantha’s shoulder a squeeze as he walked by. “Thank you for the help.”
“No problem.”
He came to stand next to me, but I waved him past. Go on inside. I want a second with Samant
ha.
You sure?
I nodded. I just want to make sure she doesn’t want to come with us.
You already asked her, chérie.
I knew I had, but I wanted to ask her again. Just to see. I had a feeling that if she’d come with us, we’d have an easier time taking down Astaroth. I didn’t like to ignore my feelings.
I don’t like you ignoring them either, but we’ll find a way. Even without her. He brushed a kiss on my forehead and went inside.
My attention went back to the car. Claudia was giving Samantha a long hug. “Please call me,” Claudia said as she pulled away. “I don’t want to go so many years before we see each other again.”
Samantha shrugged. “That’d be nice, but I’m going to have to invest in some aspirin before I do. You werewolf couples and your silent talking.” She rolled her eyes, and then looked to Lucas. “Be good to my cousin. You wouldn’t want me as an enemy.”
Lucas’ laugh echoed my own. This girl had some real guts to threaten him. “I’m sure I wouldn’t want that, but I do want to know more about what you do. We’ll be visiting.”
“Looking forward to it.”
Claudia slid a hand around Lucas’ waist as they moved past me into the private terminal.
Chris and Adrian got down from the car next. Samantha whispered something to Chris too quietly for me to hear and he gave one of his raspy laughs. “I don’t see that happening,” he said loudly. “Not a chance.”
Holy shit. What did she say? I was going to have to ask Chris.
“Trust me,” Samantha said. “Just be open to the possibility. Okay?”
He ran a hand along his beard. “If you say so.”
“I say so.”
Adrian punched Chris and they walked into the terminal, leaving me with her.
I closed the distance between us. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?”
She nodded. “I’m sure.”
“Any way I can convince you to change your mind?”
The corner of her mouth lifted in a smile. “Nah. Honestly, you don’t want me there. You’ll find a way. I know it, but anything I do is tainted.” I started to speak but she cut me off. “You’ll be better off without any more help from me.”