Awakening

by Long, Samantha

  Then she became aware of Lilli’s growing fright. It rooted in her stomach and blossomed like a deadly, storm-tossed sea. It spread through her chest and arms. She realized that she had to help her friend. No matter what she saw when she opened her eyes.

  Deep breath, mental pushing, then open eyes.

  Sophie peeked around, her body tight and ready to jump out of the bath tub.

  Cairo was gone. Vanished. Just like that.

  Sophie moved with shaking hands, first one foot and then the other. Lilli’s fright had vanished as well, leaving nothing but her own fear inside.

  Her eyes searched the bathroom for any sign that the vampire was still there. When she saw that she was truly alone, she grabbed the towel and rushed to dry herself. By the time she was dressed in her boxers and tank top, Lilli was knocking on the bathroom door.

  Sophie jumped, even though she’d expected it.

  “What was that?” Lilli cried out when Sophie stepped inside the bedroom. “I was just heating up pizza rolls and then I turn around, and Augustus is there. Leering at me!” Her voice broke. “I knew he’d come to take me.”

  “Did he hurt you?” Sophie forced her own voice to stay even.

  “No,” Lilli shook her head, eyes filling up with tears. “Not physically. I’m just a little freaked out right now.”

  “Me too. I saw Cairo.” Sophie steered Lilli into the living room and guided her to the couch. “I thought she’d come back for revenge because we’d destroyed her coven. We need to call the others, make sure they’re okay. I don’t think this attack was just for us.”

  Lilli got up to grab her phone.

  Someone knocked on the door. Sophie and Lilli stopped what they were doing. Was it one of the guys or a demonic adversary?

  Sophie opened the door and immediately wished she hadn’t.

  “Hey, Sophie.”

  Her mind jumpstarted, taking her back to high school.

  Roman stood in front of her, his dark hair falling across his forehead. His blue-eyed gaze traveled over her body.

  It made Sophie aware that she was still a little wet from her shower and that it was beginning to soak through her pajamas. She crossed her arms and glared at him. “What are you doing here?” And now, of all times, she wanted to shout.

  He smiled at her as if nothing had ever happened. As if he’d never made the school believe she was crazy. When he brushed past her and into the dorm, she shivered at the sick feeling in her stomach.

  Sophie blinked at his arrogance and shook her head. She recovered enough to shut the door and repeat the question.

  “I came to see you.” The smile came easily. He stopped and looked around. His mud-streaked jeans and dark splattered polo stood out.

  Seeing them caused her stomach to drop. Something was off about him, and it wasn’t just the fact that he obviously had amnesia and forgot the past two years.

  Lilli narrowed her eyes and mirrored Sophie’s arms-crossed stance. “What is he doing here?”

  The hatred brewing off Lilli surprised Sophie, because her friend was never hateful. But then again, Lilli probably remembered how much of a mess Sophie was after Roman threatened to tell the entire school about Sophie’s gift if she didn’t sleep with him.

  Since Sophie refused to do it, he’d followed through. Made her look certifiably insane. Everyone had laughed at her for months.

  “I think you should leave.” Sophie walked around him, feeling a slight chill as she brushed past, and came to stand beside Lilli. She felt better if they showed a united front.

  Roman made her uneasy. How did he know where they lived? Why was he even there?

  Roman being there was all wrong. Especially when she compared him to Tristan, which was automatic. Tristan was real, earthy, caring. Roman was fake and selfish. How could she have missed that the years she crushed on him? Hadn’t there been warning signs? Like, how they always did what he wanted? Or how the night always ended with him pressuring her to take their relationship to the next level?

  She watched him move across the carpet and stop right in front of her. Alarm bells rang in her head. Something was definitely not right.

  “I’ve missed you. I was wrong, and I know that.” Roman’s smile twisted.

  Sophie saw it then. The strange, eerie light in the back of his eyes. Crap, she thought, how did she always miss things about him?

  Lilli tensed beside her.

  Roman’s arm shot out. His fingers wrapped around Sophie’s neck.

  “Sophie!” Lilli screamed.

  Sophie gasped when he lifted her off the floor. Her feet dangled, and she fought for purchase.

  “No!” Lilli pushed at Roman’s arms as he shook Sophie.

  He ignored Lilli, his gaze centered on Sophie. The demonic light shone brighter.

  She felt that focus down to her toes even as her world started to spin. She choked and sputtered while she clawed at his face, his hands, his arms. Nothing fazed him. He pressed the darkness onto her.

  His hand tightened around her throat. She tried to say something, anything, but couldn’t force the words out. Spots danced before her eyes.

  When Roman spoke again, it was with the voice of several angry entities. “You won’t escape us this time.”

  Lilli’s fists struck him awkwardly. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed.

  Roman finally noticed her attempts to free Sophie and turned his face slowly toward her. Like a puppet on strings. “Interesting.” His gaze roved over her, and Lilli stopped breathing. “You heal. This could be useful to us.”

  Sophie’s hands slipped and fell, hanging like dead weight, as she lost the last bit of her air. Her chest burned, and her head swam. Her eyes rolled back in her head. Voices whirled through her mind, coaxing her into unconsciousness.

  Chapter Fourteen

  SOPHIE FLOATED IN HER MIND. In the darkness, she thought she saw several shadows slink toward her. The pain from Roman’s hand was gone, leaving only a numbness behind.

  She sat and hugged her knees to her chest. Nothing about the darkness was satisfying. The hair on her body stood on end while she shook from the cold of death.

  The shadows moved closer. It struck her as odd that she could even see them in the pitch black, but she knew the reason. They were made of something darker.

  Something evil.

  It was as if Roman opened the door to some primordial malevolence that even he should fear. An entity way scarier than Akeldama.

  Faintly, Sophie could hear Lilli crying, and it distracted her from the shadows for a moment. Her heart hurt for her best friend. Would she die, too?

  The shadows closed in, and Sophie shuffled backward. They were coming to take her away. To a place of unimaginable horror.

  Deep inside, she felt angry that she was so helpless. Angry that she couldn’t help her best friend in her time of need. Nevermind the fact she was dying.

  Slowly, a bright light formed beside her. It grew brighter and brighter and warmed Sophie, lighting up her violet eyes and the planes of her face.

  The shadows retreated from it.

  The Light pulsed with life, shining with a profound purpose that called to her. It needed her to let it loose.

  The call was so strong Sophie didn’t have the strength to resist. She reached out an arm and touched it. The Light seared her and then comfort spread up her fingertips to her neck. It seeped in her skin and traveled through her body.

  Intense heat changed her from the inside out. Sophie’s eyes opened wide as it swelled.

  ***

  Lilli watched Sophie die. The tears wouldn’t fall anymore. Her horror went so deep she couldn’t feel. She pushed at Roman’s foot weakly.

  He laughed, the sound full of death and decay. He enjoyed her anguish. Fed off it. His foot pressed in again, and Lilli knew he was going to crush her heart in her chest.

  When she looked back up at her friend, her eyes widened. A violet light shone on Sophie’s skin. It throbbed and vibrated with such b
eauty Lilli began to cry again.

  Roman’s hold on Lilli’s chest loosened, and she pushed his foot off. She scrambled backward until she reached the couch. Only then did she notice the enraptured look on Roman’s face. His gaze was glued to Sophie.

  The light captivated him. It glimmered in a sheen that engaged his every sense. As it shone brighter, his hold on Sophie broke. She floated above the ground. Her eyes opened and shone that radiant violet.

  Lilli’s mouth hung open, and she gazed at Sophie until the light was too brilliant for her to see. She covered her eyes with her hands.

  With each pulse, Sophie’s light became stronger and more luminous. It was like the birth of a star.

  There was a loud clap of thunder. Then, nothing but light.

  Lilli could see the brightness through her hands and closed eyelids. It was warm and soothing as it washed over her.

  Roman grunted when the light struck him. It melted away his flesh, but he didn’t feel the pain.

  Then the beam disintegrated him, and he felt no more.

  The light sucked back into Sophie as quickly as it’d swelled. She dropped to the floor listlessly.

  It took a second for Lilli’s eyes to adjust. When she could see, she crawled on hands and knees to where Sophie slumped on the floor.

  “Sophie?” she whispered. The ashen color of Sophie’s face sent shock through her. Lilli laid a hand on her shoulder and jerked it back when the heat from Sophie’s skin burned her.

  Within a few seconds, Sophie’s eyelids fluttered. Lilli breathed a sigh of relief as Sophie struggled to sit up.

  “What happened?” Sophie blinked. The tension melted from her body when she noticed Roman was gone.

  “You don’t remember?” Lilli collapsed next to her. “You became a human lighthouse.”

  ***

  Sophie nodded as she recalled the light in her mind, which reminded her of how she’d gotten there. “He almost killed me! Choked me to death.” Her hands went up to her throat. She felt the tiny bruises forming.

  A small, red bird hopped wildly on the windowsill and tapped on the window.

  “I’ll get it.” Lilli rushed over and opened the window.

  Sophie tried to hide the fact that she shook when the red bird flew into the room. A moment later, Tristan was next to her. She inhaled his scent, letting his essence calm her when he pulled her close.

  The heat and strength of his body comforted her like nothing else would have. Despite trying to remain aloof from him, she laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck. There was no way to stop herself.

  “There was a demon here, too?” Tristan rubbed her back in circles.

  “Yes.”

  Tristan cursed under his breath. His arms tightened around her. “They attacked us on the way back from practice.”

  “Luckily, no one else was there,” Jackson said as he climbed through the window. Immediately he scooped Lilli into his arms. “Did it hurt you?”

  Lilli shook her head even as she rubbed her chest. “Not much.”

  Jackson scowled. “If I could’ve gotten here sooner....”

  Sophie focused on the sound of Tristan’s heartbeat next to her ear. The rapid tattoo awakened yearnings in her she didn’t know she had. She placed a palm over his heart and concentrated on the feel of him. It slowly ate away the darkness that still weaseled its way around her.

  “How did you guys get away?” Lilli led Jackson to the couch.

  “We tore it to pieces,” Tristan told them. His matter-of-fact tone made Sophie shiver. Were they that close to the darkness? That they could rip someone to pieces and then be so gentle with each other? “How did you get away?”

  Lilli’s face radiated awe when she looked at Sophie. “It was the most amazing thing! The demon was holding Soph up by the neck, choking her. For a minute I thought she was dead.”

  Jackson put an arm around her and rubbed her shoulders.

  Lilli composed herself and kept talking. “The next minute, she was glowing with a beautiful violet light. It pulsed, like it was alive. Like it was a heartbeat. The demon noticed it, too. It was like she was water to a man who’d been in the desert for a thousand years. There was such a look of adoration on his face.”

  Sophie winced under Jackson’s suddenly curious gaze.

  “Have you ever been able to do that before?”

  “Never.” She didn’t even have to think. This was something she would’ve remembered.

  “Well, then the light exploded out from her and disintegrated the demon. Did you see it at all?” Lilli asked. “It was amazing.”

  “Aidan and Morgan?” Sophie felt bad for just now thinking of them.

  “When we spotted Aidan, he was heading for Morgan.” Tristan shifted her closer.

  As if they knew they were being discussed, a pebble hit the window. Then another.

  Jackson reluctantly left Lilli’s side for the span of time it took to mentally lift Aidan and Morgan into the room.

  Morgan stumbled, grabbing onto Aidan for support.

  Sophie blushed at the instant desire that roiled through Aidan at Morgan’s touch. Her eyes shifted to Morgan.

  Mascara ran down her too-pale cheeks. One of the heels of her boots was broken off, and her yellow dress was covered in grass stains.

  It hit Sophie that she wasn’t happy that Morgan, for once, wasn’t dressed to impress. Unfortunately, it made her realize that this affected Morgan the same way it did her. It made her seem like less of a brat.

  Aidan made a move to step away from Morgan. Her fingers circled his wrist.

  Sophie knew the contact stopped him as effectively as if she’d screamed at him. Morgan was scared, like the rest of them, and needed the comfort of touch. Aidan pulled her to his side and settled an arm around her.

  “It’s clear we’ve been attacked,” Sophie mumbled. Her mind raced, even with her body so weak. “They want us scared and used our fears against us. I saw a hallucination of Cairo, and Lilli saw one of Augustus.”

  “Do you think they found out about our attack on the vampire coven?” Aidan rubbed his hand up and down Morgan’s arm.

  “It’s possible,” Jackson answered. “Cairo did get out alive. She probably reported it to…you know.”

  Even Jackson was reluctant to say Akeldama’s name out loud.

  Lilli’s eyes sparkled with tears. “I can’t believe all of this is really happening. What did we do to deserve this? What kind of bad karma do we have?”

  “Shh.” Jackson rested his head on hers. “We didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Sophie watched her friends, felt Tristan beside her, and silently prayed this wouldn’t escalate into something worse. They were all shaken up from the attack, and she couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d done. If that had been the real Roman, even if he was possessed by a demon, that would mean she’d killed him.

  She didn’t want to be a murderer.

  Tristan spoke, bringing her out of her thoughts. His hand settled on her hip, and it felt as if he were burning a hole through her shorts. “I think it’s time we went back to Ruth and Demetri.”

  Morgan snorted a protest.

  Apparently, Sophie thought, she felt better. And definitely didn’t want to get back into the game with the faux professor and her consort. Sophie realized that she, herself, was starting to feel antsy. Shooting an apologetic look at Tristan, she stood and began to pace the floor.

  Instantly, she missed being next to Tristan, feeling his warmth. It made her feel obsessive, so she turned to look out the window. The night was calm, as if nothing had ever happened in the dorm. No demons, no Cairo, no lighthouse-Sophie. Before felt like a dream.

  “Maybe we should go back to the cathedral tomorrow night.” Sophie looked back over her shoulder. “Like it or not, we’re in this. The demons don’t care if we don’t want to be.”

  “She’s right.” Aidan shoved a hand through his hair. Circles darkened under his eyes. “I was unprepared f
or what happened tonight. I hate being unprepared.”

  “I agree,” Jackson said. Two words that held a wealth of meaning when he tightened his arms around Lilli.

  Lilli nodded, cheeks streaked with tears. “Okay.”

  Last was Morgan. She’d moved away from Aidan. Her hands clasped together in her lap. Her narrowed gaze met Sophie’s. “I’m only agreeing to this because I don’t want to die. I like to be able to put up a fight. We can go and hear them out. That’s it.”

  Tristan unfurled himself from the floor. It reminded Sophie of a great panther uncurling from a nap. Lazy and lethal at the same time.

  She could hear Jackson, Aidan, and Lilli saying their goodbyes. Morgan stood by the kitchen with her arms crossed, looking bored, but all Sophie could focus on were Tristan’s gray eyes.

  As he came closer, her breath hitched.

  This unnatural attraction scared her. How could she trust he wouldn’t hurt her?

  He stopped right in front of her, bringing his hands to her hips. Her heart skipped a beat when he dipped his head.

  Sophie’s eyes fluttered closed as his lips pressed against her forehead. Disappointment warred with pleasure.

  “Try to get some sleep.”

  Sophie managed a weak smile. “I’ll try.”

  His answering half smile warmed away some of her fear. Then he turned toward the window and morphed back into a red bird.

  She felt that shift inside her that told her they were doing the right thing. Staying on the right path. She just wasn’t sure what that path would lead them to. Jackson lowered Aidan and Morgan out the window. Then, after giving Lilli a gentle kiss on the cheek and wiping her tears away, he was gone.

  Lilli slowly shut the window.

  Sophie waited in silence for her to turn around. Tonight had been especially hard on Lilli. She wasn’t prone to acts of aggression. She was gentle and kind, just like her gift. Lilli did anything to help a person, even if she knew they’d done something wrong. She was like the flower she was named for.

  After a few moments, Lilli turned around.

  Sophie didn’t like how sallow her complexion was. She took a few steps forward.

  “No, just let me shower.” Lilli bit her lip, and Sophie saw it tremble. “Will you sit in the bedroom? Just in case?”