B00AO57VOY EBOK

by Myers, AJ

By eight o’clock, we were dressed and ready to go. Even though I was going into battle, Kim insisted on making the charade believable. My hair was flat ironed perfectly straight and hung down to my hips in a curtain of fiery red. Kim had done something to it to give it that windblown celebrity look and I couldn’t deny that it was beautiful. She helped me into my dress, the dress Nathan had loved and now wouldn’t get to enjoy, and then tossed me a pair of clear stiletto heels that looked like Cinderella’s glass slippers.

  We went ten rounds over my jewelry choice, though. No matter how much she griped about it, I refused to take off the cross Nathan had given me. It was the only part of him I would be able to take into battle with me, and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything in the world at that moment. It had become like a good luck charm to me, and I was going to need all the good luck I could get to make it through the night. In the end, Kim gave up and let me keep the ‘awful thing’.

  I was standing in the doorway of our room watching Nathan sleep when the doorbell rang announcing that Blake was there to pick us up. Kim came to get me and slipped an arm around my waist, watching my face. If she was worried that I was going to start crying again, she was wasting her time. I was too depressed to cry.

  “You did what you had to do,” she said softly, giving me a gentle squeeze. “He’ll understand that even if he doesn’t like it. Let’s just get this over with and then you can make it up to him when it’s over.”

  She tried to tug me down the hall, but I held up a finger for her to wait a minute and turned and dashed into Grams’ room instead. Though all the excitement was actually going to be going down at Oakhurst, I still felt nervous about leaving Nathan all alone. He wasn’t exactly in any condition to defend himself, thanks to me.

  “Gabriella,” I whispered, looking around for the spirit in question. I knew she was there. I could feel her in the warmth and the peace of the room that I was denying myself because I didn’t deserve it after what I’d done. When she hadn’t appeared after a second, I knew she wasn’t very happy with me. “Okay, I guess this is going to be a one-sided conversation. I know you’re mad at me and I don’t blame you. I only did it to keep him safe, though. Just…just promise me you’ll watch out for him. Please?”

  “Of course I will,” she grumbled, appearing in front of me so suddenly that I stepped back with a gasp. “I understand your motivations, though your methods leave much to be desired. Go. End this. After that, you can concentrate on making amends to Nate. My thoughts and prayers go with you, mon ami.”

  I blinked back tears and gave her a weak smile and nodded. Kim was still waiting for me in the hallway, smoothing imaginary wrinkles out of the skirt of her long, black satin sheath gown, and the sympathy in her eyes was almost too much for my aching heart to take. In her hand were two feathered, sequined masquerade masks on long sticks wrapped with black and white ribbons. Holding one out to me with a gentle smile, she looped her arm through mine and I let her tug me down the hall.

  I was surprised to see two tuxedoed figures in the living room rather than one when we walked in. Tyler stood up the second we entered, his eyes skimming me from head to toe appreciatively.

  “Kim said you needed a date,” he said, shrugging when he saw the confused look on my face. “Since I was going to have to make an appearance, anyway, I was more than happy to volunteer. It would have been a shame to miss seeing you like this. You look amazing.”

  I saw Grams’ grim expression and knew exactly what she was thinking. Nathan might be pissed that I had magically roofied him, but he was going to be furious that Tyler had so easily stepped in as his replacement. That was a real shame, too. They had just started to like each other. Oh, well. I had bigger problems than testosterone-fueled stupidity to worry about.

  “Everything is set up, Ember,” Grams said, quietly, coming to slip a satin wrap over my shoulders. “Constance slipped in and drew the circles in the last room at the end of the hall in the west wing this morning. They are in invisible paint so that Bastian won’t see them at first. They are activated by the black light she set up for you. Just flip the switch and place the final crystal and the circle will activate, just like we practiced. If there are any problems, any whatsoever, don’t wait to see how it will play out. Get out of there immediately. The rest of us will join you with the urns the moment he is locked inside the circle.”

  She pulled me into a tight hug, and I allowed myself the comfort for a few seconds before pulling away and giving her my best effort at a smile.

  “Don’t worry, Grams,” I said, hugging her again when I saw the tears in her eyes. “I know what to do. You made sure of that. I’m going to be fine.”

  She nodded and kissed my cheek and then walked away so fast that she was practically running. That was just Grams. She didn’t like to show weakness in front of others.

  “Let’s go.” I was solemn as I turned back to the group waiting for me. “I want this done…and I have something else to do, a promise to keep. I only hope I’m not too late.”

  ∞§∞§∞§∞

  The Blue Moon was in full view, the storm having finally blown over, when we arrived at the dance. It lit up the grounds, giving the whole scene an eerie cast. I could see the leaves that were too stubborn to fall from the almost-bare branches of the giant oak trees on the front lawn, knowing that to fall was to end their cycle of life once and for all, fluttering in the breeze the storm had left behind. The forest that surrounded the campus seemed sinister, the shadows too deep, too full of the unknown. Then, given what we were walking into, that might not have been all in my head.

  Turning my face up to the glowing, darkly beautiful moon, I sent up my own silent prayer that I would make it through the nightmare to come. If I didn’t, I hoped Grams would take pity on Nathan and send him into a coma, after all. It would be kinder than letting him wake up to realize that I was gone.

  Charles was waiting for me when Tyler helped me from the car. He seemed nervous and fidgety and kept looking toward the edge of the campus with a heartbreakingly tragic expression.

  “Ember! You have to hurry, she’s about to leave,” he said, so anxious that his form kept flickering in and out of sight.

  “I’ll be right back,” I told the others.

  Knowing I didn’t have much time, I lifted the hem of my gown and ran, following the flickering, transparent image of my friend to the benches on the edge of the school lawn. I felt my breath hitch, knowing these would be my last few minutes with the ghost who had become a part of my heart, when I saw a slender, silver-haired woman opening an umbrella. I could just make out the sparkle of tears on her cheeks from the streetlight behind her.

  “Mary Beth!” I called loudly, as she turned toward the curb and the car waiting there.

  She turned back, looking confused, but she stopped and waited for me. I could see the curiosity on her face as she took in my gown and the mask in my hand. I nearly slipped and fell when I slid to a halt before her, totally out of breath, but she reached out and took my arm to steady me.

  Stupid stilettos.

  “Are you…Mary Beth Winston?” I gasped out, sucking in deep breaths so that I could talk without passing out.

  “I used to be,” she said, frowning, the first traces of suspicion in her eyes. “Do I know you?”

  “Um, can we sit for a second?” That was something else I had learned. It was always better to have the person receiving the message from beyond sit down—that way, I didn’t have to pick them up. She nodded and then sat down gingerly on the edge of the bench she had just vacated.

  Charles appeared on the bench beside her and I smiled. His hand rose as if to brush the tears from her cheeks, and I was glad I had agreed to help him. No one as sweet as Charles should be stuck in limbo forever; it was just another indication of how cruel the universe could be. At least in Charles’ case, I could make it right. When he nodded and smiled at me so sweetly it almost broke my heart, I dove right in.

  “I have a message for you,”
I told Mary Beth, watching her expression to gauge her reaction. She wasn’t exactly a young woman. I didn’t want to give her a heart attack or something. “When you went to school here, you were friends with a boy named Charles, right?”

  “How do you know that?” she demanded, her face paling perceptibly. “What is this about? Who are you, young lady?”

  “My name is Ember,” I told her, already knowing she wasn’t going to believe me and forging ahead, anyway. “I know your friend Charles. He helped me and in return I am going to help him.”

  Her face hardened to stone in less than a second. Angry tears filled her eyes as she stood up and gave me such a venomous look that I nearly recoiled from it. But I had made a promise, and, no matter how pissed she got, I was going to keep it.

  “Young lady, I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, or how you know about Charles, but what you’re doing is cruel,” she said, stonily. “Now, if you will excuse me—”

  “You kissed him!” I cried quickly, knowing I was losing her. “The night he died, you kissed him. He said he can still smell your perfume. You smelled like roses.”

  Her knees gave out beneath her and she collapsed back onto the bench. Her mouth opened, but she couldn’t seem to find her voice. I figured it was the best chance I was going to get to give her Charles’ message, so I hurried on while she was still in shock.

  “He loved you,” I said, gently. “He said that kiss was the sweetest he ever had. He doesn’t want you to be sad anymore. He wants you to know that he’s going to be okay and that you don’t have to feel bad about what happened because it wasn’t your fault. If anyone was to blame, it was that stupid bat.”

  She stared at me for another full minute and then dropped her face into her hands and began to sob.

  “It was my fault. If I hadn’t gotten scared and ran, he wouldn’t have chased me. I was so crazy about him. He was perfect and wonderful. I loved him, too.”

  “Then forgive yourself,” I told her softly. “He can’t let go because you haven’t. You’re as trapped as he is and neither of you will ever get to move on if you don’t. Remember how much you loved him, carry him in your heart, but let go of the guilt. It’s a prison that will destroy you both.”

  She looked up at me, more tears flooding her eyes, and nodded. I could almost see my words taking root in her mind, growing into a bloom of hope that she might finally be able to wake up every day without that terrible guilt eating away at any chance she might have to be happy. It would take time for that seed to grow, but it was a good start.

  “Thank you, Ember,” Charles whispered and I noticed he was glowing brightly. The smile on his face was so brilliant it brought tears to my eyes. “I can go now.”

  He leaned forward and brushed his lips across Mary Beth’s forehead and a tear slipped from the corner of my eye as he glowed even brighter. For the first time in my life, I was sorry to see one of my ghosts go. I watched as the glow around him got too bright to look at and then closed my eyes against it. When I opened them again, he was gone and Mary Beth was looking at me with awe.

  “I felt him,” she whispered, staring at me like I had given her a gift. And I had, in more ways than one. “I felt Charles. He was here, but now he’s gone. Did he…? Did he go…on?”

  “Yes, he did,” whispered, smiling even as another tear slipped from the corner of my eye. If I didn’t accomplish anything else that night, I could die with a clear conscience.

  “Time to go, Em,” Tyler said, appearing at my side as silently as the ghost who had just disappeared from my life. “You kept your promise. He can rest now, but we can’t. We still have work to do.”

  I gave Mary Beth a gentle smile and took the arm Tyler offered me so I wouldn’t fall on my face as we made our way back across the slippery lawn. I mean, I couldn’t exactly wage war with a demon if I broke my stupid neck, now could I? We were already turning away when Mary Beth spoke.

  “Thank you, Ember,” Mary Beth sighed softly. “Maybe now I can go on, too. You freed more than one spirit tonight. You’re a remarkable young lady.”

  I smiled at her again, feeling proud of myself for the first time all night, and she returned it with a smile as brilliant as Charles’ last one had been. Feeling better than I had in a long time, I squared my shoulders and turned to face my own demons.

  Tyler led me carefully back across the lawn. If the situation had been less critical than it was, I would have laughed at how many times he had to keep me from falling on my face in the wet grass. Rain and heels really don’t mix. Walking across the lawn was like trying to stay upright on a Slip and Slide.

  I stopped just inside the door of the gym, looking around appreciatively. The decorating committee had done an awesome job. At the far end of the gym a stage had been set up, backed by glittering black and white fabric, and a DJ was already set up there. The music he was playing was great and some couples had already started dancing. Streamers hung everywhere and there were huge masquerade mask cutouts blocking the bleachers—closed for the dance—from sight.

  A buffet was set up on one side of the room and red and gold balloons waited overhead in a net to drop at the end of the dance. On the scoreboard was the score from the game the people already present had decided to forego in favor of warmth and dry clothes. We were winning. The football team was going to be insane when they got there.

  I finally spotted Kim and Blake chatting with Ms. Cantrell in the far corner and nudged Tyler in that direction. I saw Ms. Cantrell’s eyebrows go up when she saw my escort and had to stop myself from gritting my teeth.

  “Where is your dear Mr. Ashley?” she asked when we finally reached them through the press of bodies on the dance floor.

  “Sleeping,” I mumbled. I didn’t know how much Kim had told Blake and Tyler about what had happened to Nathan, and I really didn’t want to go into it right then.

  “Just like a leech.” She made a sound of disgust, and I thought for one second that she was talking about me. At least in my case the description would have fit. “Always running when things get tough. It’s better if you learn that now, Miss Blaylock. You will never be able to depend on him.”

  “Shut up,” I hissed, venomously. Her eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed to furious slits. I didn’t care if I pissed her off or not. I wasn’t going to just stand there and let her talk about Nathan like that. It wasn’t his fault he wasn’t the one at my side, it was mine. “He’s not here because I drained his energy and left him almost comatose. There. Happy now?”

  Her eyes widened again, but not in anger. She looked almost…impressed. Tyler and Blake looked horrified and Kim still just looked sympathetic. Then, Kim knew what it had cost me to do what I had done. Even if I lived through the night, there was a chance I wouldn’t have anyone to go home to.

  Ms. Cantrell’s impressed look only lasted a second, though. The doubt I saw bloom in her eyes a minute later had me gritting my teeth again and balling my hands into fists to resist the urge to smack her. I mean, really! Condescending much?

  “You drained a centuries-old vampire?” she asked, mockingly. “That is an amazing feat, Miss Blaylock. In fact, it is so amazing that I don’t believe a word of it. It isn’t necessary for you to make excuses for him. It’s in his nature to run. Never think you can keep him, my dear, because you can’t.”

  She didn’t have to believe me. I knew what I had done. What did it really matter if this bitter old crone didn’t believe me? I sure as hell didn’t care. Constance “Dragon Lady” Cantrell was the least of my worries.

  “Constance, I’m really getting tired of you insulting me every chance you get.”

  My body tensed and a moan of defeat slipped through my lips as Nathan’s voice washed over me, through me, causing my heartbeat to spike and the blood to drain from my face. I forced myself to turn slowly to face him, holding Tyler’s arm in a death grip.

  I lifted my eyes slowly to his face and felt my stomach drop through the floor as the signs of what
I’d done jumped out at me like they were painted in neon. He was as white as a sheet. His handsome features were sunken and gaunt. His eyes had deep, bruise-like shadows beneath them—and they were glowing with anger.

  He held out his hand to me and Tyler went rigid at my side while Kim and Blake moved closer to me as if they were afraid he was going to attack me. I couldn’t really blame them, either. I was kind of afraid of him myself. But, I was going to have to face his wrath eventually. It was probably safer to do it with a room full of witnesses.

  Patting Tyler’s arm reassuringly, I stepped forward and slipped my hand into Nathan’s. His skin was icy cold and I shivered as he pulled my arm through his and turned us toward the dance floor. It was too much to hope that he just wanted to dance. I wasn’t going to get that lucky. He led me across the floor to the opposite side of the room from where Blake, Kim, and Tyler stood, watching us warily, and pulled me into his arms as a slow number began to play and the lights dimmed even further.

  Not good. It’s hard to witness a murder when it’s committed in the dark.

  “Nathan,” I began, hoping to head off his anger before it boiled over and became the destructive force of a volcano.

  “I had the strangest dream after you sucked the life out of me,” he said, cutting me off and making me feel like I was half an inch tall. “I dreamed of Gabby. She was in the room with me and she was telling me I had to get up and protect my soul mate, because if I lost you she wouldn’t be able to go on. She gave me some of her energy, somehow. Don’t you think that’s strange, Ember?”

  “Um,” I hedged, gulping. I was in deeper shit than I had thought. Gabriella had sold me out. I wondered if it was possible to strangle a ghost.

  “I’m sure you’ll understand why I might be confused,” Nathan continued, calmly. Too calmly. “Gabriella died four centuries ago. Therefore, in order for her to give me energy, she would have to be a ghost. But that can’t be right, can it? My soul mate sees ghosts, after all. Isn’t that right?”