Another page turn revealed a letter in the same hand. At the top of the left corner was her name, printed in blue ink. It looked as if he had written it over and over in the same place, the letters overlapping each other, her name bold against the stark white. Jagged white teeth edged the sheet where it had been ripped from the binder and hastily replaced with a small strip of tape. It looked as if it had been crumpled and then smoothed out again, the author torn on whether or not to keep it. When she looked at the date, she understood why.
September 15th, the night of their first date, the night she stole Marcus’s Jeep and Aaron walked in on her and Jeff kissing. It had been the beginning of the end.
Quinn,
That night under the stars, you said something that got me thinking. You wondered if I had come back from the brink of death for you. What if it’s true? What if you’re the reason I’m supposed to be here?
Quinn remembered curling her body against his, the way he had given her his trust, shown his true heart without hesitation, and how she let herself fall in love so completely in that moment that she had been willing to ignore the demons bent on keeping them apart. Looking back, it was the one and only time she let herself believe their connection was more than a crush, that it was magic, dangerous, and exciting. What if he had been sent back for her? Fate or destiny, all the things the cynicism of adult reality had ripped from her the minute her father had left, the second Jeff had cheated, restored with Aaron’s kiss, his arms around her.
But the spell cast that night faded as the shadows of fear and doubt settled on her, whispering in her ear. She had been so distracted, she never stopped to consider why the demons would fight so hard to keep her away from Aaron if he were nothing more than an ordinary boy. Had they known something she had been too blind to see, or had she been too much of a coward to see the truth?
Such a beautiful little fool, Quinn thought to herself. Daisy’s statement to Nick and Jordan in her favorite novel took on a frightening new relevance. Rubbing the ache above her chest, she went back to the entry.
I hope today is the day for a new beginning for us. It’s hard for me to put into words how I feel about you, so I decided to do what I do best and say it with a song. I hope you were surprised by Starlight Memory and all that it expressed. Music and you are the only two things that make me feel centered in this world. I don’t know why I’m drawn to you, but I am. Your smile, your happiness, means everything to me. You inspire me.
Yours always,
Aaron
She couldn’t change the past, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t make it right. She could make this right, listen, believe, stop being afraid. The future wasn’t written yet. She flipped to the next page. The entry was short and not so sweet, the handwriting chaotic, angry.
September 16th
When I reach out with my ability, there’s nothing there. Not a thought, not an emotion, nothing but an endless black void. I can’t feel her in my mind at all anymore.
Marcus had been right. Proof that she and Aaron had some sort of psychic connection. Heat rose in her cheeks, and she gripped the edge of the journal.
I keep asking myself why I even care, why I feel such a weight of responsibility for her, but there is no reason, only this nagging sense of dread in my gut that won’t go away. I can’t help her. She won’t open up to me, and I can’t read her mind, even with the help of my gift, I can’t see anything clearly. So full of secrets that it’s hard not to want to rip them from her. I keep reminding myself that she doesn’t even want my help. She’s thrown the truth of it in my face enough.
Having read enough, Quinn closed the journal and hugged it to her chest as if it might bring them closer together. Proof that Marcus was right about Aaron’s gift couldn’t be denied. Reese would have to believe her now, they would have to help her look for him. Her heart turned upside down, draining all the sorrow and pain she’d been trying to hold back ever since she’d emerged from the river. Tucking both journal and picture in her purse, she sent Marcus a text.
Quinn: Meet me in the school parking lot in five.
Not wanting anyone else to have access to Aaron’s private space, she closed the metal door and replaced the lock. The shackle clicked into place and Quinn started for the nearest side exit before anyone else noticed her.
Chapter Nineteen
Kaemon held firm as they advanced, pushing the girl behind him for safety, but she refused to move, standing her ground in defiance of the darkness destroying her home. Picking up rocks, she started throwing them at the approaching enemy. Kaemon was torn between laughing at her foolish attempt and admiration for her warrior spirit.
Kaemon picked up the girl and placed her under his arm. Nothing but skin and bone, she kicked and screamed, scratching him with sharp nails, but Kaemon held tight. He glanced around for an escape route. The trees above trapped him to the ground, the cave wall was at his back, and the demons had him surrounded on three sides. The only way out was straight through. Suicide, especially with over a hundred gleaming poisoned blades heading right for him. He tensed his muscles and took a deep breath. Spreading his golden wings, he dug in his heels and sprinted forward, the Elite battle cry pouring from his lungs.
Rallied by Kaemon’s battle cry, the Elite warriors of the heavenly host descended on the darkness in a bright mass of wings and weapons. Distracted by the incoming attack, the demons turned, and Kaemon seized the opportunity. Flourishing his blade in a figure eight with one hand, the girl still held firm with the other, he pushed his wings outward, knocking a path through the enemy line. Any left standing found the sharp end of the Qeres sword, their essence shriveling to dust and scattering to the wind.
A war raged behind him as the forces of light and dark collided, but Kaemon sheathed his weapon and took to the skies while the host engaged the enemy. More than a hundred angels dressed for battle descended into the smoke, swords swinging wildly, cutting down the enemy where they stood. Balls of fire rained from above, like comets, destroying everything in their path and setting what was left of the trees on fire.
Linked with his fellow warriors, he understood their rage, knew each movement, and felt every death. And there were many, Qeres eating away at their immortal souls like acid. Need coursed through him, the call of war hard to resist, but Kaemon couldn’t turn back.
Keeping the girl and the box safe was more important. She had stopped fighting the minute they lifted off the ground. Holding her around the waist, they circled high above the battlefield, keeping clear of danger. He thought she would be afraid, but instead excitement and exhilaration pulsed through her as strong and steady as her heartbeat. A smile lit her face, and the wind caught at her long, dark hair. For a moment, Kaemon thought she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen and regretted that soon he would have to let her go and send her to a new realm with the boy, Adam.
Can we go higher? Her wish was easy enough to fulfill, and he beat his wings, taking them high into the clouds and across the gardens.
Surveying the damage, he felt the pain bloom inside her, regret and guilt eating away at her happiness.
All because of me. He heard Eve’s thoughts through their psychic link.
Kaemon couldn’t argue. It was her fault, all of it, but Lilith could be convincing, he knew.
As they flew over a ridge, Kaemon spotted Lilith surveying the devastation of her forces, a black dot on a silver steed. Shadows writhed around its hooves as it pawed the ground. His brethren reduced her army to nothing but ash. Catching his eye, Lilith pushed back the hood of her inky cloak to reveal raven hair and silver eyes so stunningly cold they would freeze the heart of any who dared gaze into them too long.
The dozen or so angels left gave chase at Kaemon’s command. In defiance, Lilith reared her horse. Racing over the ridge, wings outstretched, the angels descended, but she was quicker, urging her steed into a portal and disappearing back into the Underworld.
The boy, Adam, eme
rged from the cave as Kaemon and Eve landed, and Kaemon wondered how such a coward had been named First Keeper of Eden. No wonder Lilith refused to be bound to him for all eternity, choosing banishment to the Underworld instead.
“What do we do now?” Adam asked, surveying the desert of ash that was once a thriving paradise.
“We can’t stay here.” Eve ran her thumbs over the polished wooden box as if making sure it was still locked tight. “Can’t you feel it? The taint has soaked every inch of soil. Nothing will grow here again, and we are no longer Keepers. We are something else entirely.”
“This is our home.” Adam stomped his foot like a spoiled child. “I told you we shouldn’t eat the fruit from that tree. The Light forbade it.”
Eve glared at him and tapped out an impatient rhythm on the side of the box with her fingers. “And yet you ate it anyway. I didn’t force you to eat it. It was your choice as much as mine. Don’t lay all the blame at my feet.”
“It was your idea!”
“And you were stupid enough to listen to me!”
Adam raised his hand as if to slap her, and she flinched. Kaemon stepped between them.
“That is enough. Look at yourselves, pointing the finger, placing blame on one another. The garden is not the only thing that is tainted. Eating the fruit changed you both and Eden will no longer accept the frequency at which your essences now resonate.”
Eve bowed before him. “I’m sorry. The serpent said the fruit would give me secret wisdom, wisdom I would need to be a good Keeper of the garden. She said Adam and I both needed to eat it. That it would please The Light. Please don’t make us leave.”
“And did it? Give you secret wisdom?” Kaemon asked, already knowing the answer.
Eve nodded, her hair covering her face. “Eating it showed me many things, both strange and terrible, things I dare not repeat. All these thoughts are clouding my mind. There is a strange fight going on inside of me, both beauty and despair. I’ve never been … afraid before.” The word was foreign on her tongue and in her thoughts. “I no longer feel safe.”
“What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted. This world is not a safe place anymore. You saw to that. Such is the burden of wisdom. Lilith knows how to manipulate even the strongest of creatures.” It was a half-truth, but it seemed to comfort the girl.
“What do we do now?” Eve asked.
“What you do with the knowledge you have is your choice alone. I am sorry, Eve. You are the master of your new fate, as is Adam. Harmony is broken, but you will have to hold yourselves together as best you can.”
“What about the garden? Who will look after it?”
Kaemon turned back to the garden. The devastation was immense. Everything withered and died; even the two suns were drained of their light, leaving the garden draped in shadow. Bones crunched beneath his feet, dead animals that once freely roamed the place of paradise. “The garden is dead. You will be banished to a new realm. The gates will close. No one will be allowed in. It is poisoned beyond repair.”
As an Elite warrior within the order, it was now up to him to restore the balance and find them a new home, a realm where their taint would be contained.
Eve wiped a tear from her eye and straightened her spine. “There is nothing I can do?”
“You’ve done enough. Your retribution is just beginning. Your new realm will not be quite the paradise you’re used to. From this day, you will forever stumble in dark while seeking The Light. Some days it will elude you, some days you will find it, but have faith always. Now, Adam, give me your hand.” Kaemon drew his sword, and Adam shrunk back, but Eve stood tall, looked him in the eye, and gave him hers instead.
“No, little one, it is his turn to feel the weight of his actions.” Kaemon motioned Adam to come forward. Adam took a tentative step toward him, glaring at Eve. Using his sword, Kaemon sliced open Adam’s finger, letting his blood soak the dying ground. His blood would create a new realm for them to live in, one suited to the resonance of their new essences.
With the last drip from Adam’s finger, a portal opened before them, revealing a young garden with grass pushing through the arid land in small tuffs. A waterfall trickled down a cliff, and beyond, a beach looked out into a vast ocean. Their new home was a rough copy of the realm they had desecrated. A mix of the old and the new, just like their souls. It would do.
“You cannot stay here another moment.” Kaemon stepped through and offered his hand.
Adam clung to Eve and shook his head, but Eve lifted her chin and stepped over the threshold into the new world, dragging Adam behind her. With a snap, the portal closed behind them, and Adam ran, fear driving him into the familiarity of a nearby cave. Eve didn’t even look back. Instead, she watched Kaemon with eyes the color of night, the box clutched to her chest.
“What about Lilith. Will she return?”
“I am afraid that your taint makes you vulnerable. The very knowledge you carry can both repel the darkness and draw it to you. Finding your own way is crucial. Because of your betrayal, the veil is thin between this realm and the Underworld. But it also falls under the jurisdiction of The Light, as Eden did. Now, give me the box.”
Eve looked at the polished wood. “It was a gift from The Light on my naming day, the only thing I have left from my home.”
“You know what it holds inside. Lilith would not hesitate to release the rest of her horde into your new world. I cannot allow you to keep it.”
Eve nodded and handed him the box, the runes glowing bright as their hands touched. “What does it mean?” Eve asked.
“It is nothing to concern you. It will be safe. That is all you need to know.” The box lay cold and unassuming in his hands. He turned it over, examining all sides. The runes faded, and there was no latch, no way to open the box. Who would ever guess it housed Lilith’s evil spawn within its walls? “I must go. I have a duty that requires my full attention.”
“Can’t I stay with you?” She swiped a tear from her eye. “I don’t want to be left alone with Adam. There is a strange look in his eye. One I have not seen before, and I am afraid.”
“That is called anger. You will feel it, too. It is part of the taint, part of this humanity you have both become. Do not worry. It will pass, and he will love you again. Forgiveness will be learned by both of you.”
“I don’t want him to love me.” Eve wound a strand of hair around one finger. “I would rather stay with you.”
Kaemon cupped her cheek with his hand and sent calming vibes through his link. What was this girl doing to him? He shook his head, concentrating on the task at hand.
“Your duty is to your husband.” Kaemon swallowed a lump in his throat. “Do not fear him. You will need to work together to survive. He will give you many children, and you will forget you ever knew me.”
Eve shook her head. “I’ll never forget.”
“You must.” Kaemon rubbed at a pain in his chest and took to the skies of this new Earth. She would be fine; a warrior’s spirit thrived inside the frail, skinny body of a girl. Eve could take care of herself, but he wasn’t sure about Adam. No concern of his—he must put his mind from Eve and back to the task. Taking the box to the Dominions to study in Arcadia was the logical thing to do, but Kaemon didn’t run on reason, he ran on instinct, and instinct said no one should possess such an abomination, not even The Light. There was only one thing to do.
“What did you do with the box, Kaemon?” The pressure in Aaron’s head increased as Lilith’s voice wrapped around his memory. “If you didn’t take it to the Dominions, where did you take it?” Lilith’s presence in his mind burned like acid. “You must know.”
Chapter Twenty
“Hey, hey, look who’s here!” Marcus grabbed Quinn around the waist, lifting her off the ground in a giant bear hug. “School hasn’t been the same without your fine frame to look at.”
“Hey, Marcus.” His hug was the first thing that had
made her feel normal all day. When he finally put her down, a real smile graced her face.
“Glad you’re finally out of the house. I know not everybody has delicious brown skin like mine, but you’re seriously starting to make vampires look tan. You’re not going to burst into flames with all this fresh air and sunshine, are you?”
Quinn rolled her eyes, but couldn’t suppress a giggle, glad for the lightened mood. She could always count on Marcus for a good laugh. “So, does Reese know I’m here?” Quinn sucked at her bottom lip.
“Yeah, I told her the minute I got your text. I need to warn you, she’s still kind of pissed. Especially since you didn’t tell her you would be here today,” Marcus said.
“That’s because she’s been giving me the silent treatment since the memorial.” Quinn sighed. “I’m stuck. I can’t move forward, and I can’t go back. She doesn’t understand.”
“She might if you’d let her in,” Marcus said. “How are you really feeling?”
Quinn rolled her eyes and sighed. “Fine. Great. Perfect. Okay, maybe not perfect, but great.”
“Your nose twitches when you lie.”
“I don’t belong here anymore. I can’t pretend that everything is okay and go back to cheerleading and gossiping with Ami. That night changed me, and I can’t undo it. I’m an outsider now, and I don’t want to go back in there.” Quinn waved a finger at the double doors leading back inside.
“You don’t have to, not today anyway.” Marcus pulled her into the crook of his arm, the way Aaron used to do, shielding her from the world. “What say we go grab some pizza instead? I’m sure Mr. Navarro can make it through physics without me.”
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