“Figures,” she mumbled. “I’ve underestimated you.” She looked over my shoulder to the cage behind me. “Phil? What’s going on here?”
“Mother, my queen,” he said with a bow. “Could you please get me out of this cage? My brother seems to think I’m a threat.”
“How ever did he get you in there?” she asked with a chuckle.
“Long story,” he said with a blush. He simulated jocularity but anxiously awaited freedom.
To my surprise, Alora didn’t move, or send anyone to fetch the keys. I removed myself from Phil for a moment to feel out the scene.
Fiery mad, Alora stayed composed while she surveyed the setting. She’d probably assumed, though she couldn’t see the necklace, that I was still its rightful owner since she couldn’t read my mind. My heart leapt at my perceived invincibility, understanding that she’d avoid hurting me because she was still afraid of the repercussions. This gave me a tremendous advantage. Once I freed myself from Tony’s Herculean grip of course.
Aden obediently stood by Nicholas, bored and tired. I’m sure being a henchman didn’t leave much free time. Nicholas was still out for the count, slowly recharging his battery as I flooded him with continual goodness the best I could.
“What happened to Nicholas?” she asked in bewilderment.
Phil looked towards Nicholas, then back to his mother and shrugged. “Heck if I know. He attacked Julia but ended up falling beside her. I thought she might have staked him, but . . . ” He held out his hand in disappointment as if to say “here he is unscathed.”
I glared at his despondency.
“I see.” Alora approached the cage. “Your hand?”
Phil smiled back playfully. “The keys?”
“Of course,” she said in a lie, waving towards Aden. “Go get them, Aden.” Phil fully believed she intended to free him and willingly reached out his hand, until Aden floundered.
“Where, my queen?”
“You know where.” She shot Aden an evil glare, flicking her nails towards the building.
He cowered and indecisively walked around the corner and stopped right out of Phil’s view but still within mine. He shrugged at Tony.
“She’s lying,” I called out. “Aden’s right over—”
“Shut up!” Tony put his rank hand over my mouth.
My warning was too late to stop her anyway. Alora already had Phil’s hand and mind within her grasp. I felt his intent to try the experiment on his own, his face tense and fear evident. But Alora sent out something soothingly peaceful that fluidly washed over him and made him feel drunk. The fear stopped.
“Scarlett, now would be a great time to show up,” I screamed inside.
The give and take between Phil and Alora was like before. As Alora discovered what had transpired the past few days, the mixture between surprise and betrayal bounced back and forth like a ball at a tennis tournament. Helplessly and wordlessly, I assumed she finally read all the little secrets about us.
A smug smile crossed her face when she turned and glared at me. “Interesting,” she said, her teeth gleaming. “Phil?”
His half-lidded eyes moved to focus on her face. “Yes?”
“So, you took Julia to L.A., did you?”
“Yeah,” he said with a snort. “And ran into those bad guys again.”
“And they almost killed you?”
“No, not me. Julia, yes, but not me. I flew away from them.”
Her smile hit me like a freezing ice ray and locked my body into a statue. She knew I wasn’t keeper of the necklace anymore. I was a goner.
I braced myself for what would happen next, when Alora and Phil both fell to their knees and wailed. Tony dropped me and ran to his Queen, unsure what to do, wringing his hands.
I let go of everyone’s aura in the nick of time before the cesspool of Hades spun around and enveloped me into its toilet bowl. Off to the side, Scarlett stood in the shadows, body ridged and eyes locked on Alora.
“Get her good,” I told Scarlett with a laugh, until I heard Phil cry out in pain.
I ran over to the bars and focused on staying within my own emotions while I changed my beam of light to include him and Nicholas, enveloping them at the same time. Somehow I hoped it would help.
“It’s okay, Phil,” I cried, wanting to touch him, but afraid of what would happen if I did. “It’s not real. I’m here. I am with you. Hang in there.”
Unable to open up and gauge if my words were helping at all, I trembled as the cacophonic symphony of distress played its hateful tune. With a quick glance, I noticed Nicholas staring back at me, a hurt expression covering his face. I went to him and interlaced my hand with his.
“What’s happening?” he asked, his voice hoarse, concern engraved into his face.
“It’ll be over soon.” I put one hand over my ear and my other nuzzled into Nicholas’ chest as the chorus of groans repeated the horrid chorus. “Scarlett’s doing a mind meld with Alora. She’s using Phil’s memories to give her a dose of her future.”
“We should go while we can,” he said while petting my hair, urging me to get up and finding his arm cuffed to the cage. “Who?” Nicholas let out a low growl. “Aden,” he barked weakly, “Give me the keys now.”
Aden backed away with his hands up, terror covering his face. His eyes darted between Nicholas and Alora, his loyalty waffling. He shook his head, evidently speechless. Tony stood with him. They looked prepared to bolt at any moment.
“Look in her pockets,” Nicholas said, visibly trembling. I knew whatever we did, he needed to be free of the negative environment and fast.
Alora pawed the ground, shredding anything that got close to her fingernails. Careful to avoid her tentacle-like arm, I patted her left hip pocket, scared stiff while searching in it. Nothing inside resembled keys.
“Check the other side,” he whispered.
I waited for her to shift and strained over her body to feel the right hip, finding the treasured keys. Against my better judgment, I fished inside and formed my hands around a silver ring. When I pulled them out, she shifted back and pushed me over with her body. Her hand snatched a handful of my hair.
I shrieked and held onto my head while she tossed me back and forth. Nicholas somehow forced her to let go before slumping against the cage. Alora continued to thrash about as if she was trapped in a violent dream, unaware of her actions.
I sat out of her reach, panting violently. The raw sections of hairless skin on my scalp burned, distracting my concentration. Quickly the tension in the air caught up in my throat, feeling like I was choking on bile. The distraction burst my bubble and I could no longer sustain the good-waves channel towards the guys, which was also a buffer for myself.
Nicholas, no longer receiving the benefit of my help, hunched over and the evil quickly gained a foothold, receiving tons of nourishment from the environment.
I closed my eyes, recentered myself and chose the only one I knew who could help. Scooping up the keys off the ground, I burst into Phil’s cage.
“Phil, hang on,” I shrieked, hugging onto his neck anyway, smoothing back his wet hair. He shook violently, his poor body tensed and his back arched.
“Stop,” I screamed to Scarlett, who still stood poised a few yards away, her blue eyes fiercely focused in a trance.
“I knew it,” I heard Nicholas spit. “I knew you cared more for him than me.”
“No,” I turned and met Nicholas’ hateful eyes again. All the progress we’d made dissolved to nothing. Luckily, he was still handcuffed. “Stop messing with him, you freaking—” I stopped myself, forgetting the evil instigated and fed on negative energy.
“You what?”
“Forget it.” My body swayed. Any second, I knew I was going to collapse trying to fight the torture Scarlett was putting us all through.
Then, the insanity stopped.
I inhaled like I’d finally broken the surface after being held underwater and looked to see why. Over by the building, Katie
stood in horror as something similar to a Tasmanian devil screamed and ferociously clawed its way out of what looked like a suede jacket on the ground. The worst part was Tyler stood, dumbfounded and zoned-out behind her.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“Freaking cat,” I heard Katie screech, followed by a sickening sound of bones crunching as she punted Scarlett, who was still in cat form, into the woods nearby.
I cringed with the realization she’d somehow covered Scarlett up with her jacket, stopping the trance. And Scarlett, probably jolted from her deep concentration, destroyed the leather coat in order to get out, angering Katie.
“Scarlett? Scarlett!” I mentally yelled, with no response.
“Stupid cat,” she bellowed, holding up the shredded pile of leather threads. “This was my favorite coat!”
The need to get up and try to find Scarlett added a surge of adrenaline my body already surfed upon, and I panicked when I noticed Alora begin to stir.
“Come on, Phil,” I begged as I pulled at his shirt and avoided his injured arm.
Blood oozed out from where Alora had hooked her nails into his skin during the meld. My voice had no effect and Phil continued to lay limp on the ground, taking in shallow breaths. My heart pounded harder as Alora groaned and rolled over, recovering much faster. I got to my feet and pulled his good arm towards the cage door.
“Now, Phil,” I urged. “We have to go now.”
Cold fingers wrapped around my foot and twisted. I yelped as fiery pain shot up from my ankle, forcing my body to the ground. I landed on my side with a thump.
“Where is it?” Alora seethed, slowly crawling towards my torso. “I know you have it.”
“Check her pockets,” Nicholas said from behind me.
“No.” I scooted away from her on my hands and feet, but was forced to stop once I bumped into Phil’s still body.
Alora greedily closed the space between us, vanity piercing behind her eyes. I watched the future unfold in slow motion. If I didn’t do something quickly, this would be it.
My head turned to study Nicholas’ evil grin. His good side was my only ally right now, but no good to me trapped under the vile obsession that now had hold of him. My secret talent—the ability to impart emotion on others—would have to free him now. I held out my arm and with all my strength willed goodness in his direction. He exhaled loudly and arched his chest outward, like the very breath was being stolen from his body, and groaned.
“Tell her the talisman belongs to me,” I demanded. “If there’s any shred of decency left within you, make me the owner. I know you still love me. Look deep into your soul; you’ll feel it. Please?” I begged, feeling almost as if electricity was shooting from my hand towards his body, infusing it with healing warmth.
Nicholas’ evil writhed, the fight inside him evident. The slap across my face, though, stopped the beautiful connection. I turned away from Alora’s hand and spit out the blood that poured from a dislodged tooth in my mouth.
Alora inhaled the scent. “Ah,” she said and her hunger grew immensely. “This may work out after all.”
Before I could stop her, she snatched the necklace out of my pocket. For a second, she looked perplexed at the black stone; I’m sure because it lay dormant in her hand. Then she whooped in glee.
“I finally have it!” she exclaimed, bringing the necklace to her heart.
She rose to her feet, her hands shaking as she studied her freedom, the reflection of the talisman glittering in her eyes. Tears of joy trickled down her cheeks.
“No,” I instinctively said and grasped the side of her pant leg.
Annoyed, she kicked my body away, landing her heel right into my side. I wailed, doubling over from the excruciating pain. All that mattered suddenly was the strained need to breathe, only able to swallow tiny sips of air.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Nicholas said in the background.
“This little wench has been a thorn in my flesh this entire time. She deserves it,” Alora said, using the heel of her boot to crush my hand as she exited the cage.
I yelped in agony again, my head swimming in pain, unsure which way was up.
“Stop,” Nicholas said emphatically “And get me out of these cuffs.”
I heard keys jingle and then Nicholas exhaled in satisfaction, finally free.
“Are you telling me you want this . . . thing?” Alora asked, obviously referring to me.
“You don’t need to torture her. You got what you wanted,” he said matter-of-factly, though pity wasn’t the emotion I wanted to feel radiating from his being.
In the darkness beneath my eyelids, I wallowed in pain and confusion. How was Nicholas able to be good to me now? The moment Alora injured my bad ankle and left me with a few broken ribs, and a fractured hand, my positive feelings’ tank emptied. Yet he cared enough to stop his mother from hurting me further, but that was all.
“Give it to me,” Alora begged. “Come on. Just say ‘I give you the talisman.’”
Frozen on the ground in agony, I waited for Nicholas to repeat the dreadful words, wishing death would follow shortly thereafter. I couldn’t live in a world where this woman would reign over all. How would I warn my family?
“I give the talisman to . . .”
The ringing in my ears made the silent pause seem deafening. Maybe because I knew the shriek of delight would be coming next.
I opened my eyes a crack to see Nicholas pensively staring at the necklace Alora held in the palm of her outstretched hand. Delight and anticipation flashed across her aura as she waited. But Nicholas was all over the place on the inside. He apparently hadn’t totally committed to whom he wanted the necklace to go to. I held my breath and prayed for a miracle.
For a brief second, his eyes fell upon me and a stream of warmth briefly flooded out.
“Julia.”
The piercing scream of pain and acrid smell of burning flesh hit me before the truth registered through my pain. I opened my eyes to see Alora on her knees, holding her smoldering hand with the other, the chain barely peeking out of the sand where she’d dropped it. In the center of her palm was a hole the size of the stone, burned cleanly through.
“How could you,” she hissed and swiped at his leg.
Nicholas got out of the way, his motions too quick for me to follow. The next thing I knew, he was clasping the chain around my neck. The warm glow against my skin gave me some sort of hope all would be well as I fought to stay lucid.
“I’m sorry,” he said, petting my hair, his body up against mine. Grief flowed around us like a gentle breeze.
I tried to talk, or at least thank him, but Alora’s anger started to bowl over us and her body was suddenly behind his. I wanted to warn him, but she was so fast. I couldn’t react quickly enough. Utterly helpless, I watched her grab Nicholas by the shoulders and chuck him across the sand into the storage building. He hit the metal wall and his body pierced the siding, disappearing inside. I cringed, listening to him moan in pain.
“No,” I whispered inside and flinched, thinking about what she’d planned to do to me next until I realized she couldn’t hurt me.
She knelt beside me and whispered in my ear anyway. “I’m going to kill him if you don’t give me the necklace,” she breathed.
I lay broken and battered, unable to fight. If I knew the madness would stop if I gave her the necklace, I would have. But I’d been around her long enough to know her loyalty was only there if you did her bidding. No one was safe from her wrath, not even her own flesh and blood. Suddenly, I realized this was the clandestine moment when he’d die and I’d want revenge—just like I imagined would happen to fulfill the prophecy. My destiny.
“I know,” I mouthed, trying my hardest to stay strong for the greater good.
“Fine.”
In a flash she was gone. Nicholas groaned as his mother dragged him out of the building and threw him onto the sand. Bleeding cuts covered his body. I moaned softly, hoping she wouldn’t kill him in f
ront of me, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Her fingers formed around his neck and squeezed. Katie and Tyler stood by and watched in horror, frozen like a picture in time.
“You’ve become nothing but a disappointment to me,” she said nostalgically. “I dreamed of us ruling together someday but you chose a human girl over me, your mother. And for that, I can’t forgive you.”
He made a gurgling noise and his hands wrapped up around her wrists, trying to make her stop.
“Okay,” I yelped. “You win.”
Her head spun to meet my terrified eyes. She smiled malevolently and let him go. Nicholas rolled over and gasped for air, damaged far beyond his physical injuries. I closed my eyes and felt her coming for me, wishing for a miracle when someone new entered the scene.
“Enough,” the man bellowed with a hint of a Southern drawl, leveling the tension with his voice. Alora stopped in her tracks.
“Preston,” she seethed in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“You disgust me, Alora. You would kill your own son for invincibility? Isn’t immortality enough? The necklace was only intended for human protection from us.”
I opened my eyes just enough to see Alora cower in Preston’s presence, ashamed before her husband. The man she apparently still loved.
“If it weren’t for other consequences, I’d remove you from this earth at once.”
“As if you could,” she said, hurt and filled with defiance.
“I absolutely could and though I still love you, don’t doubt that I wouldn’t.” He let his threat float in the air, allowing Alora to grasp the depth of his anger and disappointment.
Unable to keep my eyes open, I closed them, then heard the click of something metal. “What?” she bellowed, suddenly closer and rattling the bars next to me. “No. You can’t do this to me, Preston.” She growled in frustration, obviously trapped. “And who’s this blind human freak?”
“That’s Mr. Freak to you, you leach. And if it weren’t for Preston’s wishes, you’d be a pile of ash right now. I guarantee it,” a raspy voice spoke.
“Harry,” I sang in my mind. “Oh, Harry. You’re alive.”
“As if, old man,” Alora spat. “Come closer.” I heard the sound of teeth snapping shut.
The Sapphire Talisman Page 26