by Safari Spell
Ash raised a brow, but didn’t engage – at least not in English. It sounded like Gaelic, which was more than a little surprising because he didn’t look the least bit Scottish to me. They continued delivering snarky verbal blows in various languages – Mika in French, Ash in Gaelic, and Tom in Spanish. It was intriguing that not only could they all understand one another, but also none of them were speaking the same language and they were carrying on a three-sided argument without missing a beat.
Azalea and I stood befuddled.
“So this is your new normal, huh?” she asked.
I finally pulled my attention away from the argument and back to Sage. He had retreated twenty or so feet away, folded at the knees, fingers intertwined in hair.
I went over and dropped down beside him. I brought a hand to his forearm and he tensed up. Only minutes before, we had been flesh on flesh; minds set on the carnal needs only each other could meet. Now bickering surrounded us, and as the sun began to dip lower, there was such heavy air that no one could breathe beneath it. The ominous Grigori presence was everywhere, threatening us all.
“If I asked you to do something, would you do it?” he asked, not looking.
“Yes.”
“Even if it doesn’t make sense to you?”
“Yes.”
“If he doesn’t accept my offer, I want you to go with him.”
“No.”
“Don’t be scared. He won’t harm you, and he won’t…force you to…you know,” he whimpered, his lips trembling a little.
“He’ll have to,” I said, my own mouth contorting.
“No, he won’t,” he said, his voice breaking.
Neither of us could figure out which suggestion was more horrible, which thought harnessed the worst pain. Equally reeling, Sage gathered himself first. His signature calm took him.
“Love me even when it seems lost. And it will. Love me the most then. Those moments are what love is for,” he pleaded.
I said nothing, but my heart was wrenching inside so much I thought I could have a heart attack.
“There has to be some way out of this,” Azalea interjected. “I’m sorry, he can’t just come and take her away.”
“You’re new to the party. There isn’t. This is the Grigori we’re talking about,” Mika answered, a hint of sadness in his voice.
“So this evil dude – Sage’s dad, eww – he wants to marry Talor, right? What would keep him from doing that? Anything?” Azalea asked, furrowing her brow in thought.
No one said anything. I couldn’t even bring myself to say the only thing that was on the table – Sage offering himself. Azalea tapped her finger against her lips.
“What if they were to get married?” she cried, brightening up.
“Who – Sage? Married?” Tom asked, puzzled.
“Well, yeah! He couldn’t marry her if she was already married,” Azalea answered.
She brought her open hands up beside her in a shrug while she waited for applause. She received nothing but chuckles of contempt.
“Again…this is the Grigori we’re talking about. Do that and not only will he kill both of them, he’ll kill everyone she’s ever loved. That includes you, I guess,” Ash replied. “Do you want to die?”
Azalea glared at him.
“He would kill the woman he wants to marry?”
“Only if he can’t have her,” Ash replied.
Azalea gave an aggressive thumb’s up.
“Well, that’s sane. Seriously, this guy is effing nuts, Talor. We’ve got to get you out of this.”
“He’s right, Azalea. They’ve tried figuring something out, but there’s just nothing,” I said blankly.
“He’s not going to come and just take my best friend away,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. “Someone has to stop him.”
I gave her a hug. I couldn’t say anything. I wanted to break down in someone’s arms, too. After a few seconds, she composed herself.
“Well, they’re not God. They have weaknesses, right? What are they? Garlic?”
“The sun,” Mika said.
“And the Tears of God, but…there’s not exactly any of that around,” Tom added. “Pretty sure it’s been gone for centuries.”
“Where can we find some? In the Temple of Doom? Is it the same thing as holy water because we have about forty churches around here,” Azalea said, perking up.
“No, no. It’s not water from a church. It’s the actual Tears of God. You know, from the flood? You have a better chance of convincing Rami to let these two live happily ever than finding a single pure drop of that on earth,” Ash replied, rubbing his eyes.
“How about Alaska for the months the sun doesn’t go down? It’ll buy time,” Azalea cried, turning to me and wriggling her fingers around.
Sunlight – the only one of its kind – was seeping away every minute. The shadows from the oak were getting leaner, the sunspots on the leaf-covered ground fading away. I hadn’t noticed time passing when I came out with Sage. We must have been lost in one another’s arms longer than we knew.
“That would work if it was May,” Tom said.
“Or if no one was loyal to the Grigori, but Loyalists will find her,” Mika replied, his gaze settling on me.
“The only way to keep her safe is to lock her in a cell of sunlight. You wanna do that?” Ash asked.
The full weight of the truth forced all our hope into the cold earth at our feet like dead bodies interred. A stenciled branch on the ground led my gaze to Sage. I wished he could read my mind. I wanted him to take me away to some place we could live the rest of our lives laughing at the early days when the world was against us and we beat it together. But when he finally looked out from his subdued seat, his fingers separated just enough to let his sullen eyes tell the truth.
“No more,” he said.
Everyone went quiet. I was so glad he said that. My heart was heavy and I was tired of everyone clamoring about it all, too. I just wanted to sit with Sage and cry, and of course he could tell. He pulled me into his chest. I didn’t see them leave, but I could feel the air around us lighten.
Soon we were alone under the oak tree, collapsed together on the ground. Like once mighty branches cursed down to the earth, we were at the mercy of the place we fell. We didn’t move. Couldn’t move. We cradled together as tightly as safety would allow. Our weary muscles began to shake and still we were unable to let go.
“You should never have come in my life,” I blubbered, half of the words incomprehensible.
“I knew the price of you before we met and I’ve always been willing to pay it.”
We just let our tears run wild. Sage was willing to give up his life – worth a great deal more than mine would ever be – just so I could have a chance at happiness. I had been selfish and childish and even ridiculous about his decision. I could no longer fight the man who was willing to die for me. I was wrong, and I wanted him to know it. I offered an apologetic kiss, and he accepted with feverish forgiveness; immortalizing the moment we could not bring ourselves to leave.
36
I cried in Sage’s arms until my eyes were swollen. I started thinking of Bosh and dad as the sun crept lower behind the trees. I couldn’t go the rest of my life without seeing them. I would die of heartbreak.
“What will happen to my family?”
He leaned up, rolling to his side and resting his weight on his elbow beside me.
“They will be looked after.”
“How do you know?” I asked, hoping for a little more information to ease my mind.
Sage sighed and scratched his fingernail against the sleeve of his jacket.
“The truth is, they’re safer now than they ever were. His seal mandates protection of anyone who shares your blood.”
That made me feel a little better, but it just reminded me of the ever-circling issue. Either he would die or I would be carried away to be some slave – all because of a seal.
I had one more question, and it was one I hadn’t asked yet because I couldn’t bear knowing.
“Are you going to die if I leave with him?”
Sage’s gaze fell hard on me then, and everything in his face said yes. It was only a second in time, but I knew he was trying to invent some lie that would make me feel better. I knew the look because it was the same one the nurse had when she came to get me from the couch outside mom’s hospital room. It’s a look you remember forever. He never got to answer. Azalea came racing around the corner of the house with a wild look in her eyes.
“He’s gone! He’s gone!” she yelled, pointing towards the long, tree-lined gravel road leading through Beaty property.
“Jesse?” I cried, scrambling to get up in a hurry. Apparently, I wasn’t fast enough. Sage pulled me to my feet and seemed to focus on something far off in the distance.
“Yes! I went to the bathroom and came back and he was gone,” she explained, out of breath.
Sage and I looked at each other. We knew where he was going. I couldn’t make my feet move, so Sage took me by the arm and led me over to Azalea.
“Get inside, Talor. Stay there until I come back.”
He blazed off at impressive speed. I couldn’t see him anymore, but my heart was beating at the same pace as his feet. Azalea and I were suddenly alone in a big, scary world. We both glanced around at the trees and woods surrounding her house. Trees who had guarded our playground parameters our entire lives had become untrustworthy shadows looming over us and darkening with the sky. Henches could be hidden behind any of the gnarled arms reaching overhead.
“Come on,” Azalea urged, hooking our arms together and running indoors.
Ten minutes turned into an hour and still no one had returned. The day had dwindled to dusk and the feeling of looming calamity hung heavy in the kitchen where we retreated. Azalea finished making tea, convinced busying herself would avoid anything bad happening. She fumbled with the teapot and teacups, searching high and low for saucers we wouldn’t use. Her hands were shaking as she poured the tea. I sat at the high bar and surprisingly felt little tension. My energy was drained from the events of the day, so I folded my hands on the bar as I waited for her to pass my cup to me.
Azalea brought my cup and sat down facing me, hunching over.
“Where are the guys?”
Truth is, I knew why they weren’t guarding me. Sage was the one actually in danger. I was a lost cause and everyone knew it. I didn’t want to scare Azalea, so I lied.
“I don’t know. You’d think one of them would’ve stayed behind,” I said.
“This is all really surreal, you know? I can’t believe you’ve been dealing with all this on your own,” she said, shaking her head and taking a sip.
“Really surreal?” I asked, giving a weak smile.
“I’m just trying to say that I wish I’d known sooner so I could’ve been there for you.”
“Be glad you didn’t.”
Azalea’s perfectly plucked brows tensed up in concern.
“I wanted to ask you…are you ok? I mean, the stuff you’ve been through with your mom and dad and now all this? And Spencer. God, it’s just too much for anyone.”
“No, I’m not,” I answered, drawing my lower lip into my mouth and biting down on it. The tears would stay put. They wouldn’t fall again. I was finished crying for the day. Month. Year. Forever, really. Done with tears.
“I wish we had curtains for those windows,” she said, a tremor in her voice. “The world’s pretty scary when you know what’s really out there. Maybe we should sit where we can’t see outside at all.”
She cut her eyes to the large glass window to the left of where we sat. It had a view of the woods and in the growing darkness, little else. I took a sip of tea and nodded. I glanced out of the corner of my eye and nearly had a heart attack when I saw something move by the window. I knew I wasn’t imagining it. Someone was out there.
“Azalea, did you lock the doors? And the windows, too?” I asked, trying not to seem alarmed.
She spun around and nearly spilled her tea.
“They’re always locked. He can’t come in, can he? Isn’t that the whole reason you had to get inside?”
I straightened and placed the cup down on the counter. I walked into the foyer of the mansion, a place with no windows and only one door. We could see the long hallways from that single spot, so we couldn’t be surprised. Azalea followed closely. When the sound of a key sliding into the lock filled the vacant air, my blood ran cold. The tumbler in the lock clicked in obedience, allowing the key holder unrestricted access.
Azalea moved to a small closet where she grabbed a set of Mr. Beaty’s shoes and jammed each one under the doors. It was a weird tactic, but it worked. Azalea jerked me away from the door with such force my shoulder almost went out of joint. I had little time to complain. She dragged me off down the hall. We only got a couple dozen steps away before the front door exploded behind us. No, not just the door. The wall, too.
We felt the force and tumbled forward, hitting one side of the hall. We toppled to the floor as a deafening screeching sound bellowed from the doorway and heavy feet thundered into the foyer. The weight of whatever it was cracked the marble and shook the foundation. Sounds of something large and angry slamming into walls echoed through the house.
Azalea pushed me to my feet.
“Run! Go!” she cried.
I grasped the chair rail that spanned the length of the wall and found my feet. I prayed for Sage – for anyone – to get back to us in time. I looked back, eyes wide and hands so sweaty they were slipping off the chair rail.
Whatever creature was in the house, it was nearly upon us and there was nothing we could do to stop it. It could kill Azalea, but not me. It wouldn’t hurt me. I knew what I would have to do. I was so afraid that even my insides were trembling. I had to stop the onslaught before the mansion caved in on top of us.
“They won’t hurt me, Azalea,” I replied, pulling her up. “Find Sage!”
I pushed her a little ahead of me as I turned to face the creature. I heard her footsteps retreating and a door slam. I was now alone in the hall, the sounds of the massive beast growing louder as I drew closer. My hands were shaking as I neared the end of the hall. I stopped just short of the landing where I knew the creature would see me. I saw a large shadow cast off the chandelier. The beast was on its haunches, that much I could tell. There were layers to it and horns.
“Stop.”
I looked down to see the LLDR in an incandescent red glow. It pulsed in a single ripple and faded out once again. When I stepped into the foyer, a shirtless young man was kneeling there, his fist drawn to his shoulder. He was saluting someone. Something. I recognized him as the guy with Mannix when they attacked Sage in the park.
I took the moment to survey the damage. The walls were gutted and shredded, floors splintered into points. It was going to be hazardous to walk through. I would never make it without falling through the floor, which was mostly gone except for the edges. After venturing around the room, my eyes fell back on the guy still kneeling. Nico. That was his name.
“Why did you do this?” I asked, waving a wild hand around to the carnage.
“I am sorry, princess,” he answered, bowing his head lower.
I wanted to scream at him for destroying Azalea’s historical landmark house with his bulldozing, but he seemed penitent. Besides, what I saw behind him just outside on the lawn made me reconsider. Mannix had Azalea. She was cuddling into him as he wrapped a tentacle around her and turned to face me.
“Ah, here comes the bride,” he said, his accent thicker, his voice lower. “Your husband’s come a long way to collect you.”
“Let her go.”
He caressed Azalea’s head like a dog. “I’ve a mind to keep my pet, but it’s your call.”
He jerked her close and exposed her neck. His fangs dropped as he stared at me, waiting. My lip tre
mbled too much to form a full word, but I found I could still nod, so I did that. He dropped his head to the side, disappointed.
“Off with you,” he said, waving Azalea off while winking at me. She was still sporting a smitten smile.
I scowled at him, irate that I couldn’t actually say anything. I wouldn’t risk Azalea. Mannix was too unpredictable. I moved towards where the front door used to be. Now it was a large hole and I felt like I was walking into a cave the closer I got to outside. I had to watch my step so I didn’t slip or trip up on the wreckage. Alarmingly, Nico was beside me, offering his hand to help. I pulled my hands away from him and onto the wooden beams exposed through the wall. He joined Mannix outside and they waited for me.
Azalea was about to walk right past me without even noticing. I caught her by the arm. She stopped and looked at me, searching my face through dilated, unfocused eyes. Mannix could have her forget my face, my name, all of it. Maybe that was best in light of the circumstances. Mannix impatiently snapped his fingers. I ignored him and took her in a hug. She didn’t hug back. When I released her, she walked straight back inside.
“I hate you,” I told Mannix, stepping onto the front porch.
He scratched behind his ear and yawned.
“Yeah, I don’t care.”
“If you touch her again, I’ll have you killed.”
He did a mock bow and flung his arm around in a large circle as he straightened like he’d swung a golf club. He waited for me to walk ahead of him and practically skipped along behind me, all the while whistling an upbeat tune. I glanced over my shoulder to see Nico trailing us, eyes searching the grounds for any threats. I caught the haunting shadow of Azalea sitting up against the windowsill with a lamplight behind her. It was the last time I would see my best friend for a long time.
We walked through several acres of Beaty land before I saw Jesse. He was standing in the middle of another crop circle murmuring gibberish. I tried talking to him when we first arrived, but it was useless. It was clear he wasn’t himself. Mannix and Nico were searching the surrounding darkness of the field. I couldn’t see like they could, but I knew Sage would come. They were a little unsettled while we waited for Rami to show. I guess they could sense the others.