by Eloisa Clark
A small crunch drew her attention back to the forest and she braced for the sight of Phobos but instead it was Scott who dashed out of the trees. His eyes grew wide as he took in the sight of Elijah and Niko’s lifeless bodies and he ran forwards, falling to his knees besides Juliet.
“I’m sorry. We should have come sooner.”
Juliet shook her head, then jumped at the sound of Elijah’s voice.
“No, there’s nothing you could have done. You probably would have been killed as well.”
“You’re alive.” Odette said, unable to hide the surprise in her voice.
They watched him rise to his feet and slowly approach, his frown deepening as he came to stand over Niko.
“Only just.” He said, rubbing the blood-crusted but apparently healed wound on his neck.
Another crunching sound had them all turn to face the direction it came from.
Scott cleared his throat, “Ah, so I did what Niko asked. I found Fiona.”
“She’s O.K?” Juliet asked, squinting at the trees.
“More or less.” He ran his hand through his hair and waited, “I’ll let her explain.”
Juliet noticed the small figure as it wound its way through the trees. She wore clothes that matched what Juliet had last seen Fiona wearing only an hour ago. But, instead of striking red waves, this woman had long, white hair. And as she grew closer, Juliet could see that the woman’s face was much older, lined by several decades if not more.
“It’s not possible.” Odette whispered, her mouth falling open.
“I’ve done my best to buy you as much time as I can, but we ‘ave to ‘urry.” The woman’s voice was unmistakably Fiona’s. Juliet looked at the others, their eyes wide with similar wonder. Fiona came to her and knelt down, taking Juliet’s hands in hers.
“Please, I’ll do my best to explain, but you’re just goin’ to have to ‘ear me out and trust dat I’m tellin’ the truth O.K?” Juliet looked into her eyes, they were the same striking blue as before, but were now framed by white lashes and heavy crow’s feet. She reached out to her mentally and was reassured by the familiar mind, but how?
“I’ve relived the last ‘our over and over again. After the first time, which for me was nearly a ‘tousand years ago, I triggered my Tréx Chronus.”
“Your what?” Juliet asked.
Without answering, Fiona removed the necklace she wore around her neck and began to wrap it around Juliet’s.
“The laboradite you gave me, I used it to craft a talisman, one that allows the wearer to travel back in time. I’d been workin’ on it since Christmas, planning to use it to go back to the night of the bonfire, but I didn’t ‘ave enough time. I could only harness enough energy to travel one ‘our instead of the four months I needed.”
“What? Time travel Fiona?” Her mind spun. Was Fiona really that powerful?
“In the original version of time, everythin’ played out much as it did tonight, except that Scott died first, when ‘e was struck by a bolt o’ lightning. ‘e was dead before Phobos even left the lake. I’d suspected sometin’ was wrong right from the beginning, I could feel Kijo’s energy was wrong, an’ when Scott died, I made a run for it. I couldn’t let it go down like ‘dat.” She shook her head and looked down at her hands, her expression full of weariness.
“But no matter what I changed, it either made it worse or didn’t change a thing. I would save Scott, but Odette would die. If I saved Scott and Odette, Juliet would die. If I warned Elijah to remove his cuffs, Phobos would take possession of him and kill all of you. If I tried locking you all in a room so that Kijo couldn’t get to you, she hunted you down and killed everyone. Eventually I gave up, accepting that I didn’t have enough knowledge to work it out on my own. Instead of saving you, I went to the libraries, readin’ every book on every shelf. It took years. I would get through a few pages before I would ‘ave to jump again, go back to the library, find the same book an’ pick up where I left off only to ‘ave to start again a few minutes later. When I ran out of books, I consulted the other Witches. First Marigold, den I reached out psychically to any I could reach. ‘Dey didn’t believe me at first, but I asked them questions, the answers to which I would be able to offer them to prove it was the truth when I jumped again. The time I wasted ‘avin’ to convince some of them was infuriating. ‘Dey taught me all they could, eventually teachin’ me a way to syphon knowledge out of books as well as people. It made it quicker movin’ forward. ‘Dey also taught me ‘ow to transfer the knowledge into my Grimoire so that I could absorb the knowledge back out of it when I started to forget ‘tin’s. ‘Dere’s only so much room in your brain y’know.”
It was then that Juliet noticed the book that she had set down next to them. Her Grimoire had gotten much larger and significantly more well-worn.
“I turned to dark magic after a hundred years. After I lost faith…” Her face crumpled as she fought back tears.
“You ‘ave no idea the sins I ‘ave committed, Juliet. I ‘ave murdered and defiled all that I ‘old dear. In the end, the crimes I committed paled in comparison to anything Adrienne or Phobos could ‘ave done. For centuries I went mad, wonderin’ if I would ever succeed. It was only when I had finally lost all ‘ope that I realised my mistake.” She furrowed her brow as she grabbed Juliet’s wrist.
“But it’s too late, ‘dere isn’t enough time. Juliet it’s your turn.”
“My turn? To do what?”
“To go back. I’ve spent nearly a ‘tousand years tryin’ to undo what ‘appened ‘ere tonight. And, you know what I learnt?” Juliet stared back at her.
“That it can’t be done. At least not by me anyway. What time is it?” She asked Scott who checked his watch.
“Ten past Three.” He said, his eyes narrowing.
“Shite. It should be close enough. I tried to buy you a wee bit more time. But I can’t be sure. Juliet, you ‘ave to use the Tréx Chronus. You ‘ave to go back and save Niko.”
“What, but how?”
“I don’t know ‘ow. That’s what I’ve been tryin’ to tell you. Nothin’ I tried ever worked, even when I convinced you I was tellin’ the truth, you wouldn’t go away with ‘im. If I trapped you somewhere against yer will you’d either find some way to escape or someone else would find you. No matter what I did, either Niko, you or both of you would end up dead.”
“But why us? Don’t get me wrong, I want Niko back. But why is it so important that both of us live?”
“I saw it, it’s the only way to defeat Phobos. Please don’t ask me to explain. It would take all night and we ‘aven’t got time.”
Juliet looked at the others, even Elijah was shaking his head, the confusion written all over his face. She looked down at Niko. Did it really matter why or even how, if it meant she would have a chance to bring Niko back?
“What do I do?” She said.
Fiona smiled.
“It’s as easy as fallin’ off a log.”
Juliet waited for a further explanation.
“No, I mean you literally have to fall off a log.” She said, slowly standing as she kept Juliet’s hand in hers.
Juliet looked back at Niko, hesitant to leave him. Odette and Scott nodded at her, encouraging her to follow.
The Witch led her to the nearest fallen tree.
“And, just one more piece of advice.” She said softly, “I ‘ave faith that you will get it right, but there’s a chance you might not succeed. If I was you, well, I know ‘ow I would like to spend an extra ‘our of time with the one I loved.”
Fiona pulled Juliet into a hug, her small body feeling like a bag of bones beneath the thick, white coat. Fiona eased herself out of the embrace and nodded at the log.
“Up you get.” She said with a nod.
Juliet let out a long breath and stepped up.
“Now before you go, I must warn you; the jump can be a little jarring, you might feel a wee bit nauseous the first few times, but you’ll get used to it.”
&n
bsp; “The first few times?”
But Fiona didn’t answer, instead giving her a gentle nudge causing Juliet to fall backwards. She should have landed on her feet, but she felt the earth slip out from under her and was consumed by a sudden dropping sensation, like falling through the air on a carnival ride. She closed her eyes and braced for a sudden impact.
“Juliet!” A familiar voice said, “Juliet, are you O.K?”
Chapter Forty-Three
Juliet risked opening her eyes despite the overwhelming sense of vertigo. Niko’s concerned face hovered above hers as she sat in Elijah’s office gasping for air. She reached for his face, needing to touch him to make sure he was real and whole once more.
It worked, she thought to herself as she looked away from the concerned look in Niko’s eyes and checked the clock on Doctor Livingstone’s wall. One-fifty-five. An hour and fifteen minutes, give or take. She had travelled back in time one hour and fifteen minutes.
Scott and Fiona were already gone, and Juliet remembered what had happened in that room roughly an hour before Niko’s death. Words she’d heard before were repeated and she was struck by the overwhelming sense of déjà vu. She then remembered feeling the same déjà vu at this exact moment, the last time she had lived through this night. Was that it? She wondered. Was that some kind of mental aftershock of Fiona’s time travel? Her jumbled thoughts caused a sudden piercing headache, and she pinched the bridge of her nose with a quiet groan.
“Juliet? What’s wrong?” Niko asked her silently while the others carried on their conversation, coming to the conclusion that Adrienne was no longer a threat. Juliet tried to think of what to do, should she tell them about Adrienne, about how she was now Kijo and that Odette was now the Pair Dadeni? But Fiona’s advice still rang in her ears. She had to save Niko, anything else was secondary and she risked wasting time if she tried to do more. She tried to focus, blocking out Elijah’s instructions and reaching out to Niko.
“We need to leave.”
He blinked quickly as his focus on her sharpened.
“What, why?”
“I don’t have time to explain. Do you trust me?”
“Yes of course.”
There wasn’t even a split second of hesitation before he answered, and she felt the conviction in his reply.
“I’ll have Kijo meet us there.” Elijah was saying as Juliet interrupted.
“You’ll need a Demon too of course. I’ll do it.”
Niko nearly choked at her words and Elijah’s eyes narrowed.
“Miss Vas-”
“You can explain it all when we get to the lake, Elijah. We’ll meet you there.” She stood, momentarily swaying on her feet.
“Juliet?” Niko said, reaching out to steady her.
“I’m O.K.” She said. Fiona was right, that recoil was a bitch.
She took his hand and began to lead him to the door. Elijah opened and closed his mouth silently.
She thought quickly of some advice she could offer before they left, trying to keep it simple so that no further explanation would be necessary. But then she remembered what Fiona had said about nothing she tried working and she knew she couldn’t risk it. She had to leave everything else as it was, she could always try something else next time, if it didn’t work.
“There’s something we need to do first.” Was all she offered by way of explanation. Elijah’s mouth closed as his eyes narrowed and he began to utter a protest, but she was already turning her back and opening the door, pulling Niko along with her.
“What the hell was that?” Niko asked, he sounded impressed.
“Just trust me O.K. We don’t have time.”
“You keep saying that. Look, I get it. You’re a woman of mystery and if you tell me to trust you, no questions asked, I will. But it would be nice to at least have some idea of why you’re dragging me God-knows where.”
She let out a breath and considered her options. He was right of course and as long as they kept moving, she could tell him the truth and hopefully he would believe her or at least trust her enough not to stop her.
“You died.” She said silently.
“Fiona sent me back one hour in time. We failed. Phobos returned. And you died.”
There was a jerk on her arm as Niko stopped walking, she turned to face him and pulled on his hand. He recovered quickly and continued to follow her, his movements mercifully hastening.
“How?” He asked out loud.
They had just exited the castle and she pulled her hood over her head while still holding fast to Niko’s hand. They half ran as they made their way across the field and under the protection of the forest canopy. Their progress hindered by the hazardous path.
She’d been torn by the decision she’d made in the office. The option to flea had nearly won out, but she knew Phobos would rise with or without them there, and she didn’t want to waste what little time she had with Niko running. And, if Fiona was right. She would have many more opportunities to take that path. So instead, she chose a more familiar path; one that was obstructed by felled trees and meddlesome roots.
She explained everything as they made their journey, speaking silently to avoid scaring the forest creatures. She clamped down her emotions as she relived his death, reminding herself that he was safely by her side again and she would jump a million times if that’s what it would take to keep him there.
As they finally arrived at William’s cabin, sitting silently in the clearing, its garden overgrown and the windows dark with abandonment; she told him of Fiona’s return, about how she had grown old after spending centuries trying to fix it all so that they could live. She led Niko to the armchair by the hearth and unlaced her boots before kicking them off and knelt down to start a fire, grateful that her hands weren’t shaking despite the cold and the adrenaline rushing through her veins.
As the flames finally began to come to life, they reminded her of the flames by the lake and she had to resist the urge to put them out.
“Fiona gave me some advice before I jumped.” She said, turning to Niko who was white as a sheet, his eyes wide with a combination of wonder and fear.
“And I plan to heed that advice.”
She pressed down on his knees to lift herself up from the floor and crawled onto his lap. Her hands wound themselves around Niko’s neck and she leaned down to kiss him. His lips were like ice, but they quickly warmed up as she sucked and lapped at them. He teased her mouth in return, until their tongues found each other and joined.
Juliet’s breathing became heavy as each of her nerve endings seemed to come alive, their sensitivity more heightened than ever before. She began stripping away the sodden clothing, her progress broken by the need to reclaim his mouth between the removal of each layer, until she was topless.
Niko broke away from her to stare, his mouth falling open before he lowered it to her collar bone, kissing lower until his tongue found each taut nipple. He took his time, caressing her with his hands and his mouth until he was breathing heavily. He brought his attention back to her face and locked eyes with her.
“Is this a good idea?” He asked between kisses, “Shouldn’t we be halfway to Hungary by now?”
Juliet shook her head.
“We have an endless supply of opportunities to run.” She said, pulling her hair free and shaking it out.
“I couldn’t wait anymore. Even if it means I have to go back and start all over again. I had to do this first.” She reclaimed his mouth, the heat of the fire warming Juliet’s naked back while Niko’s fingers caressed her, sliding them over her breasts, along her hips and gripping her thighs.
She could feel the hardness of him pressed against her core as she writhed against him, the friction of her jeans rubbing against his hard flesh, sending waves of pleasure through her. His hands on her thighs suddenly gripped her tightly and his mouth pulled away from hers as he stared up at her face.
“Juliet, we have to stop. I can’t-”
“Sshh. Niko.” She hus
hed, “Don’t you see?” She chose not the say the words at first, instead sending her emotions towards him mentally. She brought her love to the surface and caressed his mind with it.
“I love you Nikolai.” She said, kissing him again.
“I told you for the first time, as you lay dying in my arms and now I’m telling you again. I think I’ve always loved you, but I just didn’t know it until I was losing you.” She pressed her hands down on his shoulders and lifted herself up from his lap before taking his hands and lifting him to stand in front of her.
“I don’t want to wait anymore. I need you.”
He looked down at her and took her face in his hands, looking into her eyes.
“Say it again.” He said.
“I love-” but before she could finish, his mouth was on hers again.
He lowered his hands, lifting her by the thighs, wrapping her legs around his waist. She felt them moving through the room before she landed on the bed and he stood over her for a moment, his eyebrow raising as a crooked smile illuminated his face.
He lowered his body to hers, kissing a trail down her chest and stomach before he unzipped her pants and slid them off her, taking her underwear with them. She lay completely naked and vulnerable beneath his gaze, but instead of her usual shyness, she felt stronger than ever.
She could see the admiration in his eyes, the way his tongue poked out of his mouth and licked his lower lip told her how much he desired her body. Her only complaint was that he was still fully dressed.
He must have heard her silent command because he started to strip, his eyes never leaving hers as he removed his wet jacket and boots. She brought her knees to her chest as she sat up to watch him. Relishing the sight of him discarding the layers that hid his body from her. She realised that she’d never seen him naked outside of their dreams. She knew the reality would be as good as the memory of those encounters and her mouth watered in anticipation.