His body shuddered against me. “I don’t know if I can… you all left me.”
I sniffed. “We’re with you, Isaac. You haven’t been alone since I last saw you.” I ran my fingers over his cheek. “Ethan sits with you, I sit with you, everyone is here.”
“I can’t hear you guys,” he muttered. “Hades… I hear Hades….”
“We’re here,” I told him. “We’re not going anywhere.” I rested my forehead against his as tears continued to fall.
“When you’re gone… it’s cold… dark,” he whispered. Tears fell from his eyes. “All I hear is her voice… talking, always talking…”
“You didn’t kill her. You didn’t smother her,” I told him. “It was a car wreck. You aren’t God.” I closed my eyes as my own tears fell on his face. “Please. Stay and fight with us.”
“Trying… I’m so tired.”
“I know, but help is almost here,” I reminded him. “Help should be here tomorrow.”
“Really?” He opened his eyes and met mine.
I nodded, my throat tight. “Yeah. Help is coming, I swear.”
“How did a piece of shit like me… find you,” he asked, his voice barely a whisper.
I met his eyes again. “You’re not shit. I don’t love shit”—I sniffed again—“so please hold on for me. For Ethan. Please? Don’t leave us, please?”
His eyes met mine. “I lied to you,” he whispered.
“What? When?” I asked gently. What was he talking about?
“The night at the farmer’s market. I lied. I hate myself, Lexie,” he admitted. “For letting her die… I hate me for it. I can’t even look in the fucking mirror anymore.” He shook his head. “It’s why I do those stunts. I want to get hurt. I want the pain. I deserve it and worse.”
“She never blamed you,” I told him. His gaze went to the dirt.
“I know,” he admitted. His eyes met mine. "I pushed you... I called you..."
"That wasn't you, Isaac. That was the demon out there." I wiped the tears from his face. "That's when I realized something was wrong. You'd never say that to me or push me. I was too wrapped up in my own crap to see it."
He shook his head. "I should have tried to talk to you sooner."
I swallowed hard. “I lied to you, too.”
His shadowed eyes met mine. “About what?”
“I got news from the doctor,” I said quietly.
He lifted his hand and took mine. “Lexie?”
“I’m wearing out. I’m crossing thirty souls a day, sometimes even more,” I told him. His eyes narrowed on mine. “I’m getting nosebleeds for no reason. I can’t ever seem to get enough sleep. My barriers are getting weaker. I’m even wearing my beads again.”
“When did this start?” he breathed.
“Over the last couple months,” I admitted. “Since Davis jumped me. I just had a scan done; I got the results a few days ago.”
“What does that mean?” he asked.
“It means… things are going to get worse,” I said. I explained about the dot on the first scan, and the size of the dot on the second. What was causing it and what my options were.
“Red…”
“So…” I fought back tears, “you need to stick around. You need to get through this. Because… they can’t lose both of us.”
“They can’t lose either of us. I’m trying, but you need to try too.” His voice was thin… tired.
“You are stronger than you know,” I told him. “You’re my Isaac. You chase me, you pick me up, you even smack my ass.” He chuckled softly. It was tired, but it was there. “I never thought I’d like that. I love getting even with you. I love how you make me laugh. How you always, always manage to get me to smile no matter how bad it is.” He grinned a little. “I love pranking you and watching you pull pranks on Zeke. It’s always hilarious when you piss him off.”
“I am good at that…” A little color came back into his cheeks. His eyes met mine. I kept talking to him; telling him what I loved about him, how he irritated me, how we couldn’t lose him. The more I talked, the more color came back to his face. The more his eyes looked like his. I felt the first pull telling me I was about to go back. I helped him sit up again, threw up a bigger ball of light than before, and conjured more flares for him. I met his eyes again. “I’m going to be yanked out. But I think I know how to do this now. I’ll be back as soon as possible. You will not be alone.”
He nodded. He looked better than he had when I arrived. I was thankful as I was pulled back and thrown out.
I opened my eyes to find the demon glaring at me. I looked it in the eye and wiped the blood from under my nose. “You were saying, motherfucker?”
Its eyes narrowed at me as it started talking again, still in Clay’s voice. I gritted my teeth and fought to stay there. I had promised him…
Asher
Ethan was asleep in the bed, his face pale and sweating. He was probably having a nightmare. I couldn't blame him. Hell, no one was sleeping well right now. Ally hadn't looked good either. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temple.
Ally. What the hell was that thing saying to her? Ethan never said a word about it. That alone told me it was bad. I wanted nothing more than to talk to her, ask her how she was holding up. But... I had to stay away from her. My chest grew tight. I took a slow, deep breath.
God, why the hell was I worrying about Ally? I should be worrying about Isaac! He's the one wasting away in front of us! Disgusted at myself I started rubbing the back of my neck.
It was Isaac... I closed my eyes, remembering the day we lost Mom. I had told the others that Mom wasn't smiling much the night before, so Isaac had hurried over early in the morning to be there to make Mom laugh as soon as she woke up.
Only that day she didn’t wake up. My eyes burned. I took slow, deep breaths. He had stood beside me as I checked her pulse, felt her cold skin and found nothing. He even made the call to Mom's doctor to ask what to do while I went downstairs to tell Jessica. He called the others. He was there for me, for Jess. For all of us. And I couldn't even be bothered to notice that he was struggling! Guilt ate me alive as I ran around in circles in my mind.
Lexie
What felt like an eternity later, I walked out of that room. I barely stopped long enough to take the microphone and battery pack off and hand it to Craig.
Craig’s eyes ran over me, his gaze assessing. “Are you alright? That was… brutal.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, nothing like listening to a detailed account of your stalker’s plans for you if you never got away.” I didn’t know if it was true or not, but it didn’t matter. It got the reaction the demon wanted. I had thrown up. Thankfully, there had been a trash can next to the bed.
“I’m stationing a Templar in your room tonight,” he told me.
I snorted. “No fucking way.”
“Look, I was only listening to that shit and I had to take a fucking break,” he snapped. “I want someone in your room tonight.”
“One of the guys will be there,” I told him as I looked through the glass at Isaac and Hades. “How’s he holding up?”
Craig sighed. “He’s struggling, but your dog seems to help somehow. Anyway, the team should arrive today.”
“And if they don’t’?” My voice was just above a whisper.
“Then our options are extremely limited,” Craig admitted. “Short of getting the demon to go after someone else, we can only keep his body alive.”
I couldn’t say anything. My heart was hurting too much. I just turned and walked out into the hallway. Everyone was waiting. Ethan’s eyes grew wide as he looked at me.
“What the fuck happened?” Zeke demanded.
“I saw Isaac again,” I announced as I met Ethan’s eyes. “He’s… struggling. Today, talk to him. He might be able to hear you.”
“You jumped into his center again?” Asher asked.
I nodded. “The fucker is on a roll today, so be warned.” Ethan came closer and pulled me into a hug
. I took a deep breath of spicy cologne and fought back tears. Not now… not now…
Ethan kissed my cheek. “Love you,” he whispered.
“Love you too,” I muttered before he stepped back and headed into the room of hell.
“I need to get some sleep.” I started down the hall, not caring who was coming with me. Or even if anyone was coming with me.
“I’ve got her,” Zeke stated. I stopped walking and looked up at him. There were lines on his face, dark bags under his eyes, and his skin was pale. He looked how I felt. Like shit.
“Are you sure about that?” Miles asked in his careful way.
Zeke didn’t say a word, he just turned and started down the hallway. I fell in step beside him.
When we reached the stairs, I remembered. The dead were waiting for me out in the courtyard. Cursing, I headed up the stairs with Zeke keeping pace.
Today the courtyard was just as full as the day before; more so in fact. At least this time the dead were in the center of the courtyard while the Templars were to the sides. Both Father Francis and Father Andrew were there. I ignored them all as I moved out to the center.
“Same as yesterday. Pick twenty-five. Give me your worst off.” I tried to raise my voice but it didn’t work, it only came out scratchy. “Get in a line, hold hands, and hold on.”
They did as I said quickly and without a fuss. No one bitched that it wasn’t their turn, no one complained. It was a nice change. Once they lined up and held hands, I didn’t waste time. I grabbed all of them and dropped.
“Lexie, come on.” Zeke’s voice was hard and rough. “Open your fucking eyes.”
Oh, that voice wasn’t good... I forced my eyes open. Zeke’s harsh face came into focus. His ice-blue eyes were narrowed on mine, his face pale. He was holding me against his chest, one hand keeping his hankie to my face.
“I’m… okay,” I muttered as I weakly held the hankie to my face.
He let go only to wipe his thumb down the side of my neck. He held up the blood covered finger. “Bullshit,” he bit out. I didn’t have the energy to argue.
“Does she need to go to the med wing?” Francis asked.
Zeke shot a glare at someone before he looked down at me again. “Can you be moved?”
I nodded. His other arm moved under my knees. He lifted me off the grass and stood. “Get the door,” he barked. I rested my head on his shoulder as he carried me down to the hallway in the basement.
Somehow, he got my bedroom door opened and set me down on the side of the bed. He disappeared into the bathroom then came back and squatted in front of me. One large, calloused hand held my chin and jaw as he carefully cleaned the blood from my neck and ears. By the time he was done, my nose had stopped bleeding. He handed me the washcloth to wash my face as he watched me closely.
When I finished, he held my face again and checked my eyes. “What the hell was that, Lexie?” he growled.
I patted his hand. “I… I need a shower.”
His eyes began to glow as they held mine. He clenched and unclenched his jaw. “No, Miles warned me. Take a bath. I’ll go get you some food.” He let go of me and all but slammed the door behind him. Shit. Zeke was suspicious, and once he thought something was wrong he was like a dog with a bone, gnawing on it until he got the answer.
Sighing, I got to my feet, went to the dresser where I pulled out underwear and my pajamas from the night before. After starting the water, I set my clothes down on the closed toilet lid. I caught my reflection; my skin was white as snow, my eyes were bloodshot, and the bags under my eyes looked like bruises. Dried blood was here and there on my face. Great. Now I look like the dead. When the tub was full enough, I slid into the water and tried to think.
Isaac might die. Everything inside me shook. We couldn’t lose him… I lowered myself into the water to wash away the tears and dried blood. I sat up and I tried to stop crying, but once I started, I couldn’t. I took deep breaths as I tried to get control. What were our options? Get the demon's name, help arrives, or… the demon goes after someone else. My head grew quiet. In Isaac’s center I could reach the demon. Isaac was getting weaker… I stopped crying. There was a solution if they didn’t make it in time for Isaac. I was going to die anyway, might as well die for a good reason. At the very least it would buy us time. I couldn’t let him die. Peace filled me as my decision was made. I wasn’t going to let Isaac die. With that decided, a numbness washed through me. It was actually a relief. There was a knock on the bathroom door.
“Lexie? You okay?” Zeke’s voice helped pull me back.
“Yeah… I’ll… I’ll be out in a minute.” I quickly washed up. I got out, dried off and pulled on my pajamas. I was still combing the knots out of my hair when I stepped out of the bathroom. Zeke was plugging in his phone at the desk in his usual pajamas; a pair of black mesh shorts and a sleeveless black shirt. He looked up, his eyes running over my face. Whatever he saw he didn’t like, because he started frowning. I made a point to sit down on the edge of the bed with my back to him. Another sandwich, chips, and a bottle of water waited for me on the nightstand. I was getting tired of sandwiches but I kept missing meal times in the cafeteria. It was this or nothing.
After I was done brushing my hair, I pulled it into a messy braid before picking up the sandwich. I sat back against the headboard and I tried to eat past the knot in my chest. I only managed half the sandwich. I put the rest back in the wrapper and set it on the nightstand.
It had used Clay’s voice, and Dad’s. I couldn't even get upset about it. Yeah, it was sick, but... demons lie, they twist, they manipulate. That wasn't Ordin, and it sure as hell wasn't my dad.
“What happened in the courtyard?” Zeke asked, getting my attention. His voice an odd mix of gruff and gentle. Well, gentle for him.
I bit the corner of my bottom lip and shook my head. He didn’t need to know. Not now. But he wasn’t going to take that for an answer. He moved to stand near the bathroom door so he wasn’t looming over me. “Lexie?”
I met his eyes. “Not now.”
His eyes narrowed on mine, his jaw clenched. “Tell me.”
Wanting to just get away from the conversation, I got to my feet. “Not now.”
Zeke stepped as close as he could without towering over me, his face hard, his eyes boiling. “What the fuck is going on?”
This… this wasn’t the place or the time to have this talk. I turned to walk away.
“Lexie?” His low voice shook around the edges. It stopped me in my tracks.
“Don’t ask,” I whispered as I turned back, my eyes burning.
His eye grew wide, his face pale. “No… no…”
“Zeke…” My voice cracked.
“Not you too.” He ran his hand through his hair roughly before turning away from me and bracing his hands on the dresser. He took deep, shaking breaths. His massive frame shook. Wiping my face, I walked back to him and rested my hand on his arm.
“Don’t tell me…” he begged in a whisper. “Just… don’t.” He looked down at me, his eyes lost. He pushed away from the dresser, turned away from me to go back to the bed and drop onto the side. He buried his face in his hands as he continued to tremble. My heart breaking, I went to him and stepped between his knees, forcing him to drop his hands and look up at me. The agony in his eyes made it hard to breathe. I held his face in my hands and kissed his forehead. His arms wrapped around me, crushing me to him. I slipped my arms around his head and hugged him tight. He rested his forehead against me, over my heart as he took deep, shaking breaths.
It took a while, but eventually we both got control over ourselves again. He pulled back, his hands dropping before finding the backs of my thighs. My body warmed as his calloused fingers stroked my skin.
Deeply shadowed eyes met mine. “You… you need to get some sleep,” he told me as one of his hands dropped from me and one moved to my hip. “Come on.”
I stepped out from between his knees and began to climb into bed. “Are you
sure you want to stay?” I asked, my voice raspy.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he told me as he covered me with the blankets. He straightened and wiped his face as he moved around the bed to his side. He climbed in on the other side of the bed. He seemed to take up the entire thing. He turned the light on to the lowest setting as I curled up on my side and watched as he shifted to get comfortable. His eyes met mine in the dim light. His gaze ran over my face as if he were memorizing it. He reached over and held my face in his large hand; his thumb moved over my cheek, wiping my tear tracks away.
“Come here,” he breathed.
I slid closer and closer until I was using his arm as a pillow. When I hesitated to move closer, his fingers stroked my shoulder.
“I need to hear you breathing,” he admitted in a whisper. I moved closer, until a breath separated us. My hands rested on his chest. Engine grease and leather surrounded me, making me relax. He moved his arm around me. He hesitated before slowly resting the heavy weight on me, his warm hand spread over the back of my ribs.
“Do you feel pinned down?” he asked, his voice full of warmth.
“Nope. It’s you.” I rested my forehead against his chest and breathed in the scent that was uniquely Zeke. “Safe. You make me feel safe.”
Lips touched the top of my head. “Night, Baby.”
“Night, Tough Guy.”
Chapter 16
Saturday Evening
I woke up slowly from a deep sleep. The smell of engine grease and leather surrounded me. Oh… what? I opened my eyes carefully. His face was buried in the hair at the top of my head, his breathing was still deep and even. Zeke? I woke up a little more and realized how carefully he was holding me to him. My knee was over his hip, his thick leg between my thighs, flush against me. One arm was still under my head while the other was wrapped around me. My cami had ridden up my ribs, his forearm was around my back, holding me to him. His fingers were spread wide, as if to take in as much skin on my ribs as he could.
When Evil Comes To Play (The Veil Diaries Book 5) Page 30