The Roses Academy- the Entire Collection

by Tara Brown

  “Aimee!” Dorian shouts, shoving me away from the pile. My hands lift to my lips as the shock of what I’ve done hits.

  “What are you doing?” Shane screams at me. “Stop killing the goddamned help, Aimes!”

  “Aimee!” Lorelei snaps out of her little daydream.

  My head twitches back and forth, but I have no words to offer, no excuses to muster. I don’t know what I just did or why.

  Everyone bursts into screams and confusion. I drop to my knees, lifting a black feather and staring at it.

  “I can’t believe you would be this reckless!” Dorian screams, but I can’t feel the effects of his words on me.

  “Jesus, Aimes!” Even Giselle is almost upset.

  A knock interrupts us.

  The feathers flutter along the floor as the front door opens and a man I have never seen before enters the house. He’s visibly confused as we all are for a heartbeat.

  “Anthony! Brother!” Dorian rushes him, wrapping himself around the man I assume is Anthony the angel. “What the bloody hell—?”

  “Betrayers,” the man mutters softly. His voice and appearance are not what I expected. He’s got tawny hair and tanned skin, like Aleks. He isn’t at all like Sam, which makes a lot of sense since Sam wasn’t his son. But I did imagine him like Sam. Dark hair and eyes and an intense look to him.

  But he doesn’t have that.

  “We betrayed her, we failed. We must fix it. Each of us owes a debt. I am here to fulfill mine it would seem.” He comes off as meek and humble. I can almost smell the kindness on him. It’s refreshing.

  Dorian hugs him, gripping him in a way I haven’t seen him do with the others. He and Oliver always had a sort of disdain for one another. He and Lorri were like brother and sister, fighting with each other and yet defending one another to the death. And he and Jonathan were mortal enemies. But by the trembling grasp Dorian has on him, Anthony is clearly someone he has truly missed.

  “I can’t believe you’re back!” Dorian lets go and pats him on the back. “Everyone, this is Anthony.” He holds a finger up to Giselle. “Giselle, Shane, Lorelei, Marcus you will remember, and this is Aimee.” He almost snarls my name.

  “Hello, everyone. Marcus, how are you?” Anthony speaks politely but the smile is missing from his face.

  “Spectacular. Obviously living the dream, mate.” Marcus doesn't budge.

  “Obviously.” Anthony musters something resembling a courteous smile. “Is this all of you?” His eyes grow worried.

  “No, there’s Blake, Lucas and Ben, and my daughter, Ari.”

  “Daughter?” Anthony’s eyes narrow. “You have a daughter?” He might as well have said “et tu, Brute?”

  “I do.” Dorian flinches so slightly I almost miss it.

  “Interesting,” Anthony smirks, still sporting the metaphorical blade in his back.

  “You’re the one Lorri—”

  “Anyway, he’s back,” Dorian cuts Lorelei off. “Aimee, try not to send him home before we’re done. God knows, we may get Jonathan next.”

  “You’re the wendigo.” I swallow hard, slightly scared of what that monster looks like. I did Google it, back when the computers worked. It’s horrifying in the legends.

  “Yes.” He cringes regrettably.

  “Well, I’ll take him to Sam so he can witness for himself what we’re dealing with. Why don't you lot try to come up with a strategy.” Dorian winks and they’re gone.

  Shane gives me a look. “Seriously, stop.”

  “I know.” I nod. “I don't know what happened.”

  “First Hanna and now this. You can’t keep sending people to Heaven. We don't have the luxury of dying.” He grabs Giselle by the hand. “It’s our turn to walk the grounds.” He scowls at me and pulls her from the house.

  I slump and glance back at Lorelei. The worried stare she gives me doesn't make me feel better. I wink and flash to Ari’s room. I forgot I needed to check on her.

  She’s sleeping with Lucas at her side. He lifts a finger and nods his head at the door. I wink out to the hall where he joins me a second later.

  “How is she?”

  “I think she’s due. She’s been sleeping off and on, moaning a lot in her sleep. She’s getting weaker, almost like the baby is taking all the strength she has.” He hasn’t really calmed down about her dying even though she’s an immortal. The rules are that only immortals can kill immortals. The baby is an immortal, and in the past babies like it have killed their mothers. No one ever cared because the mothers were usually sheep, meant for breeding. But Ari’s different. I’m pretty sure she’ll be fine, but he’s a stress case.

  “What can we do?”

  “I’m not sure. We need someone who’s done this before to show us how to birth these babies. None of us knows what to do.” He pleads with his eyes, but I’m stumped on how to fix this.

  “Should I go see Lorri, in Heaven?” I've been thinking about doing this a lot. I have a genuine lack of direction as far as the whole Sam thing goes. And it seems we all talk about formulating a plan, but no one ever gets around to doing it.

  “Yeah!” Luke’s eyes widen. “Lorri might have some answers. You don't mind?”

  “No. I need to see her anyway.” I gaze back at the door. “Did you go and free Ari’s uncle? We think it’s time. Blake and I sent our families.”

  “Yeah, I did it a while ago. Ari’s uncle and a few others that were hiding with him are gone. I knew it was time when the wolves all left. All fae have fled to the garden. We don't have anyone left here.”

  “Okay.” I pause. “The wolves get to go to the garden?” I can’t help but sound bitter. I am. “Janine, the giant home-wrecker, gets to go to the garden?”

  “Yeah, they’re fae.”

  “You could go there?” I glance back at the door again. “And take the baby.”

  “I could if I’m able to get myself back into my wolf form. They won’t let me in like this, wings and all. The fae hate angels.” Lucas sees where I’m going with it. “I can try to bring the wolf out. I've felt it a few times. The wolfishness. Woke up in the woods, covered with blood and such.” His eyes are intense, always.

  “I know. Keep trying to go wolf. The baby would be safe there. One less thing for Sam to use against us.”

  “And Ari?” He scowls, the intensity increasing. He will never leave her behind, not for a baby, not even his own. Wolves are crazy about their mates. Mates are more important than kids.

  “I think you’d have to leave the baby there to be cared for by the wolves.” I swallow hard, scared of his reaction. “And then come back out here to be with Ari.”

  “If she lives through this.” He sighs. “At least the baby would be with family.” He nods, completely comfortable with leaving his child, to be with Ari. It’s not a trait Ari will appreciate.

  “When the baby’s born, she won’t want to let her go.”

  “I know,” Lucas whispers. “I’m aware of that. But like you said, Aimes, one less thing for Sam to use against us. Ari has to see that. We aren’t here for the shits and giggles anymore. This isn’t a world where a baby should be, even a magical one who could possibly survive in it.”

  “Agreed.” I nod. “I’ll go see Lorelei about Lorri.”

  “I’ll stay with Ari. If she goes into labor I’ll get Lorelei to take us to the garden.”

  “Okay.” I wink away, back to the kitchen. Lorelei gives me a look, reading my mind.

  Lorelei sighs and nods, not saying a thing. She strolls into the sunroom, knowing I’ll follow. I offer my hand and wait for her to mark me again.

  As she does it, she shakes her head. “This might not be the best time for this. Even if we don't know what else to do.”

  “You sense it too, don't you? The lack of direction. I have fury and revenge waiting to be unleashed, but it’s got no direction.”

  “I do. It’s as if there’s a key missing, a piece of the puzzle we don’t have yet so we can’t act.” Her fingers lea
ve a greenish trail on my hand, the smoke or magical dust lingering for a second. I lie back on the sofa, the one I sat on so long ago, watching my peers drink and party. It’s always weird for me to think back on that. One version of a life I lived, a life I survived. It shaped me, though it never happened. My mother’s death changed me, even if she only died yesterday.

  Was it yesterday?

  Shit.

  My brain’s a mess. My memory’s a puddle, an inseparable mass.

  I exhale slowly, having the sensation of falling upward.

  I fall and I wake and I’m here.

  I sigh as the sensation of peace and silence hits me. The world isn’t noisy anymore, not since it ended. But this place is quiet in a way that steals your thoughts. It’s a vacuum.

  I blink and I’m in the pillars. I’m sleeping already, although I rarely sleep anymore. I close my eyes and relive everything, like watching TV back in the day. I play songs as flashes of my life—my lives—fill me. This place brings perspective you can’t get on Earth.

  It’s magic.

  I stroll along the pillars for a moment, almost wishing I could just hear his voice. Smoke trails along the ground like a snake, exactly as in Lorri’s vision that she made me walk.

  But he doesn't come for me.

  I have to whisper, “Lorri,” so anyone will come at all.

  “Are you dead?” Her bitter voice brings a grin to my lips as I spin, sighing when I see her.

  “No.”

  “I saw Olly. That was nice of you to grant his wish.” She folds her arms across her chest, waiting for an explanation.

  But I’m confused. “He wanted to come back?”

  “Ophelia.” She says it like Alise would have said duhhhhhh.

  “He was hoping one of us would—?”

  “Obviously, Aimee. Is that why you’re here?”

  “No.” I scowl, annoyed that I played into Oliver’s little plan to be a chickenshit. “Ari’s about to have the baby, and we don't know what to do.”

  “Right. Of course. Dorian must be a mess.” Her eyes narrow. “I don’t know how I can help. I’ve never seen one of these situations play out. A redeemer-fae-Nephilim mix could be lethal, even to someone like Ari. And yet, she might just be indestructible enough.”

  “It’s a gamble.”

  “Everything is.” A grin toys with her lips. “There’s someone in the garden who might be able to help.”

  “Who?” I hope she isn’t going to say Henry. He really doesn't love us enough to care if Ari lives.

  “A witch named Anna. She has green eyes, so bright you can’t miss them. She’s Lillith’s best friend.”

  “I thought she died making the guards on O’s house.”

  “Oh, so did I. But she didn’t.”

  “Why would she help us?” I actually laugh the question.

  “She always believed Lillith was a prisoner, a victim of Jonathan and Adam. When she realized what was going on and that the world was ending, she fled for the garden before I could kill her. The Asian Roses hunted her for years, convinced the hateful witch was still alive. She’s where the Chinese myth about magical green eyes comes from. When we finally found her, it was too late. The fae forgave her, allowing her to bring her magic back to the garden.”

  “The fae aren’t fickle about who they let in.” I roll my eyes. “Even my sister’s there now.”

  “Your mom.” Lorri smiles wide. “I always wondered when you would finally figure that out—why you were such a desirable mess for the magical creatures of the world. Surely you didn’t think that was your special blend of awkward charm and lack of filter.” She chuckles.

  “Pots and kettles, Lorri.”

  “Why do you think we get on so well, Aimes?” Her eyes dance with sarcasm. “I assume the magic was claimed by your mother, and your sister killed her to take the baby to the garden as well?”

  “You knew?” I practically can’t believe she didn't tell me, but it’s Lorri. Cryptic is her favorite personality trait to use. That and bitchy.

  “Of course I knew. Anyway, find Anna and force her to help you.”

  “Okay.” I hate what else I have to say, but I need her wisdom, although she only ever answers halfway. “We have another problem. We don't know what to do. We keep saying we need a plan, but no one formulates one. We still can’t seem to focus. We’ve broken Lillith’s spell on the angels, but we continue to struggle to come up with a way to kill Sam.”

  “Then you’re missing something. Maybe you need the fae. Ask Henry for help. I can’t tell you what to do. You have to answer this on your own.”

  “Great.” I bite my lip, wishing there was a lot more to that answer.

  “I will say, there’s got to be a reason the garden is letting everyone back in. There’s something to that, Aimee. Don't overlook the power of Mother Earth. Don't overlook the fae. They’re not on our side, but they’re not against us either. If you can find a way to make our plan fit theirs, they’ll help. Don't screw this up.” She waves and I’m gasping for air on the couch.

  Chapter 5

  The witch queen

  Lorelei’s expression hardens. “The green-eyed witch? I recall her. Ophelia’s guardian.” She pulls her hand from my head where she’s gleaned my memories.

  “Will Henry help you?”

  “I think so. I think you should come with me.” She offers me her hand. I don't even stand up from the sofa, I wink and we’re at the garden. It's the last place my family all left me. My father’s and mother’s bodies are gone now, buried on a hilltop overlooking the Nærøyfjord. They’re buried in the place I bury everything I love. I took Blake’s parents there too. Pretty soon I’ll have a full graveyard going on.

  At the garden gates, the heat and dust of the desert hit hard but Lorelei doesn't let go of my hand this time. She holds tight, forcing me to walk forward.

  “This doesn’t feel right.” My skin seems ready to burst from my body. My wings do. Everything is tight like I’m in space or being crushed with pressure.

  “The garden isn’t going to let me in.” I gasp my breath as she drags me forward.

  “Henry, I need her to see. She must come in. Make an allowance, this one time!” Lorelei shouts but the pressure doesn’t stop. My eyesight wavers as if everything around me speeds up vibrationally. “Henry, please!” she pleads.

  I pull back, certain this is how I die, but she drags me on.

  A whistle joins the pressure, piercing my ears and scrambling my brain.

  I scream, lifting my hands to my head as she drags me forward by the elbow.

  I’m just about to wink when it flashes, bright white and then green.

  We pass through a green haze and it hits, the end of the wind and dust.

  The desert is gone and the green lush landscape in front of me drowns me in humidity and sweet air. I take a knee, gulping my breaths. Nothing has hurt that much in a long time.

  My fingers dig into the dewy grass, noting the flowers everywhere. They’re identical to the ones that grew where Lydia and Annabelle died. I pluck one and place it on my tongue, closing my eyes and noting the flavor is the same.

  “You not welcome here!” Henry’s harsh voice rings in my head.

  “I know.” I don't need to speak to argue my case. I don't want to argue it, but I have to. “I need the green-eyed witch, Anna.”

  “No!”

  “A baby is about to be born with some of the strongest magic in the world. I need Anna to birth the baby. She can bring it here afterward. You can have it.” The words are cold and hard. I hate myself for speaking them. Ari is my best friend in the whole world and to keep her alive, I’ll trade her baby—the very thing she wants more than anything in the world. “I’ll give you the baby.”

  “No baby.” He hovers over me. Lorelei’s not here. I’m alone with him in a garden, but I suspect I haven’t completely been allowed inside. This is a halfway point for things like me. Things missing the magic necessary to survive here. The fae made
special allowances for Lorelei’s family, but they’re Henry’s family too. I’m nothing to him. Nothing but trouble.

  “Look for yourself. You want this baby.” I offer my hand.

  He steps forward, placing one of his huge hands on my head, stealing all my thoughts and memories. He cringes, shaking his head. “That is not possible.” His voice aloud is booming and his accent is worse.

  “And yet here we are,” I add weakly.

  “I will do this, but you do something for me.”

  “Okay,” I agree, scared of the cost. There’s always cost.

  “The witch queen must kill antichrist. The witch queen must bring antichrist magic, evil and all, to garden. Witch queen will be evil and hateful and try to kill you, but you must bring her here. Garden need all magic back. Only one to kill antichrist must be witch queen. Only she powerful enough. But you must help her do it. Then I help you.” Henry’s broken English is good enough to understand exactly how this is going to work, but I ask anyway.

  “Will she die?” I don't ask who it is. I already know that much.

  His eyes fill with emotion as he nods once. We might have nothing else in common, but we both love Lorelei. The fact we’re discussing her death makes us both emotional.

  “How does she do it?” I whisper.

  “Use Nephilim-fae children to lure antichrist. The children are key to his humanity. He will do anything for them.” He snaps his fingers and a veil is lifted, showing me a group of people. I recognize all of them except for the green-eyed woman standing next to Lorelei.

  Henry’s gone and the children rush me. I drop to my knees, hugging them all hard. Danny and Sarah smile the widest. I sigh, taking in the feel of them surrounding me. It’s like home in my heart. The kids are symbolic of and linked to everyone we have lost.

  Henry’s voice whispers in my mind. I save her baby and you bring her here when I tell you. That is cost. You bring me the mother when time.

  I have no idea what he means but I nod once, deciding it will make sense at some point.

  When we’re in a group I wink home. Everyone gasps, sensing the intense difference in our surroundings.