Ignited

by Laurie Wetzel

  “Did you stop the whole school or just this room?” she asks.

  “I . . . how do you know that’s what I did?” I’ve never told her I could do this. Did the others?

  She doesn’t answer. Instead, she releases a shaky breath. She looks at me for an answer.

  “The whole school,” I finally reply.

  “That is good.” She leaves her desk and slowly walks out the door.

  I follow, my hands in tight fists as I fight the urge to reach out and help her, to let my essence discover where this pain is coming from.

  “Maddy, what’s wrong? Tell me what’s happening.”

  She continues her slow pace as we walk down the hallway. Suddenly she stops, cries out in agony, and leans into a nearby locker as her body doubles over.

  “Maddy, please!”

  I wrap my arms around her, not caring if she tries to shove me off. As my essence enters her body, it’s met with resistance, then it’s shoved out of her. I stagger back; my hands and arms sting as if they were burned. The last time this happened . . .

  “Help her!” she cries. “I did not mean for this to happen.”

  Her eyes open, pleading with me, but all I can see is that Maddy’s beautiful emerald eyes are now scarlet.

  Even though I stopped time, it still seems to slow as Sissy, Alexander, and Tamitha appear and surround us. All of us stare at the demon possessing Maddy.

  “Who are you?” I growl.

  She groans and falls to her knees as if something struck her. “I do not”—she gasps—“have a name.”

  “How long have you been inside her?”

  She cries out again and can barely speak. “Today. Since waking. Yesterday, for a time too. I told her to lie then. You were not ready to know of me.”

  Maddy lied to me.

  I have to blink just to clear my mind of the thought. Getting her back is all that matters. This demon has taken her twice now.

  “What do you know about her?” I continue, my anger rising.

  She spasms and shrinks lower to the ground. “I know everything. I am helping—”

  “Don’t you dare say you’re helping her!”

  “MJ, stop,” Tamitha says. She points to Maddy’s back. “Look!”

  Maddy’s red dress is darkening. Her body spasms again, and the demon holds back a scream. A gash appears on the bare skin at her shoulder blades.

  The demon is hurting my Maddy.

  “Get out of her now!” I shout. I stand over her, holding back the urge to grab her and shake her. She’s holding Maddy captive.

  I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve performed an exorcism, but I don’t want to do that. This demon is powerful. I’m not willing to risk Maddy getting hurt any more than she already is.

  “I cannot leave her. She is in a vision, and—” Another blow from something unseen rattles her body.

  “A vision? Of who? Tell us!”

  “Should I go as backup for Protector Steve?” Alexander says, looking at me for orders. Steve has been assigned to protect Teresa Adams, the next victim on the killer’s list.

  “Wait,” I reply. Something tells me this isn’t a vision of the next victim. According to the pattern, she will die by fire.

  The demon grinds her teeth in torment. “I cannot tell you what she is seeing. Only Maddy can. But she will not come out unless you help her.”

  Several more blows come as I stare in silence at the demon asking for my help. She cries out again and pounds the floor.

  I fall to my knees in front of the demon. I forget about the killer. If this is a vision of the next victim, the girl is likely nearly dead, anyway. I forget about everything but Maddy.

  “I’ll do whatever you want. Just tell me what to do.”

  “The line between sides is thinning,” she says, panting for air. “We are . . . running out of time. Touch me. I do not . . . have the strength . . . to fight you now. Call out to her. Compel her to come back.”

  I shake my head. “She can’t be compelled.”

  Red eyes meet mine. “She is not . . . in control right now.”

  “I can’t compel you eith—”

  “The vision is killing her!” she cries. “I am slipping. I am losing my hold on her.”

  I hesitate, then place my hands on her shoulder. My essence flows into her slowly. I’m met with no resistance this time. I take a deep breath and push it forward.

  She slumps into me as more blows hit her back. Then she raises Maddy’s arms and turns them over. Tiny little cuts mar her beautiful skin from her elbows down to her fingers. Blood trickles like rivers.

  I force my eyes up to the fluorescent lights on the ceiling, trying not to cry. Trying to keep it together. Maddy needs me.

  As I look back down, I feel a small glimmer of hope. Alexander, Tamitha, and Sissy all have their hands on Maddy’s body, healing her and trying to help me bring her back.

  This time, even their essences flow freely.

  “Tell her to come back,” the demon whispers. “No matter where Maddy is . . . she hears you. Bring her home. I am trusting you, angel . . . with this knowledge.”

  I hold her closer, holding back my emotions as I reach out and connect with Maddy’s mind. I push past the darkness, forcing her to open up to me. When my essence cycles back to me, I know I’ve gained control of her.

  I’ve done this countless times before, but never with Maddy. I don’t know if I should be relieved or upset that it’s working now. All I know is that it adds another question to the very long list of things I do not know about the woman I love.

  As my essence pours back in, I say in the calmest voice I can manage, “Maddy. Come back to me, minn hvatvetna. I dare you.”

  Even though the demon still writhes in pain, the creases in her face ease as a bit of tension leaves her.

  “I meant what I said.” Her voice is weak, barely above a whisper. She looks into my eyes. “You can save her. But you must start communicating. Train her. Love her. Trust her. Everything else will fall into place. She loves you too. She is just . . . afraid to say it. Do not give up on her. She almost said it yesterday.”

  A tear falls down my cheek as the demon closes her eyes. Maddy’s body slumps in our arms. I hold her closer, burying my face in her hair.

  Her heart suddenly races.

  I pull back just as her eyes fly open and she gasps for air.

  She looks at our stunned faces, then her eyes lock on me. They’re back to her stunning shade of emerald green.

  “MJ,” she says, her voice wavering.

  Without thinking, I kiss her. I kiss her through my pain of nearly losing her, my anger at the demon and the killer, my frustration with myself, and my joy that she’s back.

  One by one, the others remove their essences so the moment only belongs to Maddy and me. I hear them step away.

  Maddy’s arms wrap around me, and she deepens our kiss. Our passion could burn the school down around us, and we would be oblivious to it.

  “I’m so sorry,” I murmur against her lips.

  “Me too,” she answers back.

  I wrap my arms tighter around her, trying in vain to keep her with me.

  She screams, breaking our kiss. Her fingernails dig into me.

  Her back.

  I more gently pull her against me and inspect the damage. Her dress is soaked in blood, and countless lashes leave her skin open and raw. The pale skin of her arms and hands is lost under the river of blood.

  I push my essence to her back, arms, and hands, fixing the damage.

  “I am so sorry,” I whisper over and over again.

  The pain lessens. The scars are healing, but it will never be enough.

  “Don’t,” she says, her voice weak and rough.

  “Don’t what?”

  “Don’t fix it all.” Her eyes plead with mine. “Pain is what saved me. I need the scars. I need to remember what happened and how close I came to—”

  She turns away. A tear clings to her lashes, but
before it can fall, I wipe it away. My thumb strokes her cheek.

  In that moment, I realize just how close I came to losing her.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Maddy

  Slowly, MJ lifts his hands from my body. As his essence withdraws, the pain returns, but it’s not as bad as before. I examine my arms. The cuts are scabbed over, and the skin is only slightly pink. It looks as if the cuts happened days ago instead of five minutes ago.

  I sit up as his team circles around us. They all gasp again at the sight of my back. I peek over my shoulder. Pink lines crisscross on my shoulder blades and dip below my dress. I shut my eyes, fighting the memories of the vision.

  “Tell me what happened,” MJ pleads. “Tell me everything.”

  How can I even begin? How can I tell him about the masked demon bringing me to Hell? How can I tell him about the vision of Justin? How can I tell him about the demon hunting me?

  And exactly what can I tell him? The masked demon said there’s much to tell MJ and much to not tell him.

  MJ is looking at me, waiting for a reply. I lift my chin. No matter what happens from now on, I’m going to tell him everything I can.

  I probably shouldn’t while everyone else is here, though. The demon said I should talk to MJ, not his team. I glance at them.

  MJ follows my gaze and understands. “Leave us,” he tells them, “but don’t go far.”

  Without a word, his team disappears.

  “Thank you.” I give him a small smile.

  He offers a smile back. “You’re welcome. Now, tell me everything, please. Somehow I need to stop this from happening to you.”

  My fingers play with the hem on my dress running across my thigh, and I look across the hall at the row of lockers. Suddenly it dawns on me.

  I’m at school—not home. I’m in a dress. I’m in this dress.

  “Tell me she didn’t,” I say as I exhale.

  His brows narrow, and suspicion fills his eyes. “What, Maddy?”

  “She said she would, but I didn’t think she could.”

  “Could what?” he repeats.

  “The demon put me in the vision so she could come up here and live my life. And it worked.”

  He stiffens. From the look on his face, I can tell he isn’t surprised. Maybe he knew? Maybe that’s why he and his team were surrounding me when I came out of the vision?

  I look down the hall again, finding it empty. “Where is everyone else? She didn’t . . . she didn’t hurt anyone, did she?”

  “Everyone is fine. So you know this demon?” His voice is clipped. “Who is she? Tell me so I can make her pay for hurting you.”

  I open my mouth and wait for that sensation of not being able to tell him the truth. But this time it doesn’t come. I can tell him about her.

  “I don’t know her name. I only know what she looks like. She’s the one who took me from the park Wednesday after Sissy tried to attack me. She pulled my soul to her again last night, then sent me into a vision of—of—”

  Fear, pain, and unease send my nerves into a frenzy as I relive what I saw while inside Justin.

  MJ’s face softens with worry. “The vision really rattled you, didn’t it?” he asks.

  I sniffle as I nod. The shock and pain are too raw. I need MJ to get through this.

  “Could you do something else for me, please?” I ask.

  “Anything you want, consider it done.”

  “Can you hold me?” My lower lip trembles as tears creep up.

  Immediately, MJ pulls me into his chest. At first, he holds his essence back, remembering that I asked him not to use it to take away all my pain.

  I take a few deep breaths, safe and warm in his arms. I tell him about the vision—though I don’t say Justin’s name. While I speak, MJ’s essence slowly begins flowing again. I don’t think he even realizes it. I don’t care. I just want to be in his arms. And I can only imagine the horrible thoughts running through his own head. Sending his essence no doubt makes this easier for him too.

  As I tell him of the moment when Justin and his father stabbed each other, he sits up with determination. “Who was the boy?” he asks. “I might be able to save him if I get there in time.”

  I hesitate, giving myself a moment. “No. He’s already dead. He’s been dead a long time.”

  MJ’s face clouds with confusion. “How do you know?”

  If I tell him now or sixty years from now, he will never understand.

  “Because it was Justin.”

  MJ pulls away. Crimson eyes stare at me. “That monster? You almost died inside him? I can’t believe he almost took you away from me again! He’ll pay for this!” His hands ball into fists.

  “Stop!” I say. “Justin didn’t do this to me. This was a vision of what was done to him. He’s the victim here, not me.”

  MJ’s body shakes with rage. “Don’t you dare feel sorry for him! He threatened your friends and family. He killed Ben. He nearly killed you. He is a demon.”

  Loss and guilt ripple through me. “I hear what you’re saying,” I reply. “I know you’re right. But after seeing where Justin came from, his life . . . I can’t help thinking that maybe, somehow, things could have been different. Maybe Justin wouldn’t have done what he did if he was given another chance. And why did he go to Hell, anyway? What he lived was Hell.”

  MJ’s crimson eyes intensify, becoming a deep blood red. “He’s where he belongs. What doesn’t make sense is why that demon would possess you just to show you a vision of another demon that almost killed you two days ago.”

  “She said it was because I needed to understand both sides, but I think it goes deeper than that.”

  “What do you think it meant, then?”

  I shake my head as so many ideas are swimming in there. “Maybe it’s related to Justin—about how he wasn’t always evil. Maybe demons as a whole. Maybe more demons were like him. Or maybe it’s about me and my ability to restore their emotions. Or maybe it’s some combination. I don’t know yet. What I do know is that I’m sick and tired of almost dying for the truth.”

  MJ turns away, but not before I see guilt flash across his face. “I thought I was protecting you by not telling you everything. But you were right last night. I should have told you about Duane and the targets. I should have told you a lot of things. Starting now, I’m going to.”

  I don’t want to talk about last night. Not yet. It’s as much my fault as it is his.

  “She watches me, MJ,” I say, redirecting the conversation. “The demon.”

  His eyes widen with questions. Before he can say anything, I keep going.

  “She and someone she calls her master watch my life from Hell. She’s sent her soul into me a few times when I’ve been in trouble. She claims it’s all for my protection. I want to believe her. But after what she did today and the things she told me last night . . . I’m not sure what to believe anymore.”

  MJ moves in front of me, taking my hands in his. Again he holds his essence back, allowing me to just feel him—his calloused, strong hands.

  “Believe this,” he says. “Believe in us.”

  I stare into his hazel eyes. There is still so much about him that’s in the dark. He can say the same about me. But no matter what, we keep ending up here—together. And when we’re like this, the insane world suddenly doesn’t seem so crazy.

  “I believe in us, MJ. I trust you.” I inhale. “Which is why I have to tell you something else. Something that will change everything.”

  He leans closer and places a hand on my cheek. “There is nothing you can say that will change how I feel about you.”

  I grimace, knowing that’s not true. I close my eyes, readying myself to tell MJ the truth. Suddenly her words pour out of me. “The killer is coming for me, but I do not know why. I just know.”

  “No.” He wraps his arms around me gently, but his voice is firm. “I’ve checked. The targets are very specific, and while you have some things in common with them, you don’t
have . . . everything.”

  “It does not matter,” I say, hating that it’s not my voice, wishing I could stop this and tell him the full truth. But her words just keep coming. “I do not know why, but it just does not. Trust me. If you do not trust me, then you will truly know what it is like to lose me, and it would be your fault.”

  Chapter Forty-Five

  MJ

  I hold Maddy closer, not ready to let her go. Her words sound strange, just as they did the last time this same demon took her. I suspect the demon is controlling her somehow. But whether the words are her own or the demon’s, I cannot deny the truth of them.

  The killer demon is coming for her, and if he gets her, it would be my fault.

  I suspected she was a target the day I met her. Then I allowed myself to be misguided by the one thing Maddy didn’t have in common with the other targets. But I was a fool. The fact that she’s not adopted does not matter. Just as she said.

  It’s obvious now. I see that. Maddy manipulates the weather, controls at least two elements, has dreams or visions of demons and the mortals in danger from them, creates alternate worlds, time travels, resists all immortal abilities, restores emotions in immortals, and has even made my heart beat. And that’s just the abilities I’m aware of. She could have more still. With her many abilities, why wouldn’t the killer—and others—be after her?

  I will stop this monster. I will stop him, and I will stop everyone else from ruining her chance at happiness. Even if it kills me.

  But until then, I have to do something to keep her safe.

  I stare into her emerald eyes. In them I see something that hurts me more than her words: fear. She knows what the demon killer is capable of—even more than I do.

  I cup her chin, my thumb moving back and forth along her cheek. She leans in to my touch.

  “Let me take you away,” I beg.

  I know she won’t say yes. She won’t leave her family and friends. Not until she has too. Still, I keep talking, hoping I can sway her. I’m desperate.

  “Let me keep you safe. We can go somewhere remote, just the two of us. Like . . . a cabin in the mountains.”