Before I could respond, she moved. Metal flashed as three of my personal collection of weapons spiraled through the air. I spun on the spot. They clamored to the floor behind me.
I stopped, crouching low for the next attack, but a sharp pain ripped through my side. I cursed out loud when I saw a fourth dagger protruding from just above my hipbone. I would never die from such a wound, but it hurt like hell.
I ripped it from my flesh as Violet dashed across the room. With a downward strike, she aimed my last knife at my heart, but I kicked out, catching her in the gut. She flew back a few steps, then countered with a swipe at my middle. I blocked the attack, sweeping down, and warned her with a slash. She hissed and jumped back.
“Stop,” I yelled, but then I froze. Charlotte’s blue and bloodshot eyes glared at me from a face I had grown to trust.
“Charlotte, what—what are you doing? Where’s Violet?” But even as I asked, my heart broke, afraid for my demon friend and sad for her mortal hostage. I didn’t want to hurt them, either of them.
She shuffled closer, then lunged. I caught her armed hand and forced her to drop the knife. She growled and twisted, elbowing me in the face with her free arm. I stumbled back, momentarily blinded by what I knew was a broken nose. My eyes watered. More blood gushed from both nostrils. I carelessly wiped at it with a forearm.
I rushed her. It was foolish, but there was nothing else to do. I wrapped my arms around her and drew her in tight. We stumbled to the floor and rolled. I fought for control, but Charlotte had the advantage. She straddled me, wrapping her hands around my neck.
Blinking through tears, I pried her fingers from my throat. “Violet!” I coughed and sputtered. “Violet, can you hear me?”
“She’s not here. Will you miss the old lunatic?” She sneered, bringing her face a mere inch from mine. “It’s interesting how easily you’ve accepted her. A nasty demon.”
She opened her arms wide. Power emanated from her, power she stole from the Fallen that once controlled her.
“I too accept her and her gifts.” She smiled, but before she could release her power, I raked my fingers across her face, my nails scratching though the flesh of her cheek and chin. Blood drew to the surface.
My heart sank when the Demon’s Eye opened, only Charlotte did not fall back in fear as a true demon would have.
From the corner of my eye, a personage appeared into view. Hepzibah watched the unfolding battle from near the foot of my bed. She tipped her head, curious.
“You don’t fight with all your strength, Defender,” she said. “Do you want to die?” But I didn’t answer.
I wrenched my hips to the side. Twisting, I slammed my knee into Charlotte’s ribs. She fell. I pulled free, releasing enough power to send her across the room and into the opposite wall with a cringeworthy crash. The drywall fractured, shooting cracks through the paint like a spider’s web.
I held out my hands, pleading. “Charlotte, I don’t want to hurt you. There’s still hope for you.”
She pointed an accusing finger at me. “He wants me to bring you to him, but I won’t do it.”
Her glare was murderous. It flashed down to a dagger resting on the floor only feet away. She swiped it up, then crouched low. Between us was another knife. I ran for it, raising it just in time. Steel clashed. She grimaced, pressing hard against my weapon. Sweat beaded from her forehead.
“Violet. Please, Violet, can you hear me?” By killing Charlotte, I would be killing my mother’s demon as well. My heart bled at the thought. Demon or not, I couldn’t kill someone that had loved and taken care of my mother as she had. “Violet!”
“I will never let my father have you,” Charlotte said through clenched teeth. “You are not worthy, and neither was your pathetic mother.”
She wrenched her knife back, shifted forward to strike, then staggered to the side. She regained control, only to sway as if drunk. She screamed, opening her arms wide again. This time power hit me squarely in the chest, crashing me into the wall.
She charged me, slamming her shoulder into my solar plexus. My breath knocked from my lungs. Her knife aimed for my heart, but I blocked it. It speared my shoulder instead.
I reeled for air. Spikes of light sliced through my vision. In a last-ditch effort, I reached out to someone—anyone—that would listen. But pain wracked my body, cutting off whatever communication I had opened when Charlotte pressed her free hand into the gash in my side.
“What are you doing?” Hepzibah was next to me in an instant, her face both livid and terrified. “Fight back! You are stronger than this. You are stronger than even your mother.”
I pushed against Charlotte, but she twisted the blade. I screamed.
She covered my mouth, shushing me as a parent would shush a crying child. She smiled. “This wound may not kill you either, but I can really make it hurt. You deserve to hurt.”
She ripped it from my flesh and drew back to strike again. I caught the blade with my bare hand before it could impale my heart. Charlotte gritted her teeth, her lips lifted in a snarl.
I opened to her in a last-ditch effort but as I stared into the blue, hate-filled eyes, I realized with heartbreaking sadness that I was going to die. Charlotte’s soul, the little that was left, would never be redeemed. Violet would be destroyed. Cheryl would lose another child. Jonathan would return to his Destroyer and be slain for his treachery. My friends would mourn my death. And Darius...
Darius would leave the sanctuary. He would put off the immortal. He would never accept another Defender.
A tear slipped from my eyes when the tip of my father’s stolen blade pressed into the flesh above my heart.
Charlotte inhaled a sharp breath. A sickening snap sounded. The connection to her soul shattered so hard that it made my head spin. I took a shuddering breath. Black pooled, drowning out the ice-blue eyes. Blood dribbled from her mouth, down the inflamed and violent scores on her chin. She coughed, and then…
“It’s—it’s—” And she coughed again. “Me.” Violet wheezed through a blood-caked mouth. “She can’t. Hurt—” She collapsed in my arms, but her eyes never left mine.
The light from my pendant bloomed further open. I rashly grabbed the chain from around my neck and tossed it to the bed.
Agony infused every part of my body. I screamed holding my mother’s demon to my chest. I pushed back the hair from her wide eyes, smearing more red from the cuts on my hand across her face.
Blood was everywhere. Hepzibah stared bewildered at my frantic display.
Beyond my screams, a power blasted in my door so strong that there was almost nothing left of the paneled wood. Violet’s black eyes stared at me, her mouth moving open and closed, but no sound emitted.
Elisa was at my side in an instant. Her fingers prodded my face. I shook my head, screaming things I didn’t even understand.
Fiona and Laith were there, taking Violet from my arms. They laid her on the ground. Fiona didn’t speak, only gave me a questioning look.
“Heal her!” I cried, kneeling next to my Violet.
Elisa took my hand in hers, “But, Ava—”
“Can’t she just call on the Destroyer?” Gayle asked at the door.
“She won’t,” I said, grasping Violet by the hand. “Please!” I begged. “She saved my life!”
Fiona needed nothing else. She knelt next to Violet and opened her arms wide to the heavens.
Gayle entered, pale and shaky, but she jointed her mentor on the ground. Together, they connected hands over my demon. Mumbled chanting began, offbeat and irregular. They swayed to the sound of their own music, taking turns tugging and rolling their bodies above Violet in unison.
My nose, face and head throbbed, pulsing with every accelerated beat of my heart. When I thought it would explode, the chanting stopped.
Gayle fell away. Fiona’s hands hovered over Violet’s body until they located the break in her neck. Her eyes closed, her fingers gently probing the extend of the damage.
&
nbsp; Violet looked so small and shattered, almost innocent of the blood that smeared her skin and clothes. I couldn’t watch anymore.
I paced the floor, ignoring the spike of pain from the stab wounds on my side and shoulder, as well as the blood caked on my face. I called to my demon.
Jonathan appeared instantly. His eyes grew wide in fury, his lips parted, but I didn’t have time for his questions or anger.
“Are you able to send messages through the demon ranks without getting yourself hurt?” I asked, before he could speak. He hesitated, clamping his mouth closed, then nodded. “Then send this message to Nikolaos: Your daughter is dead. Stay out of my dreams or you’ll be next.”
“With pleasure,” he said. There was a deadly calm to his voice that I recognized, warning me he was anything but calm.
Before he disappeared, I reached to him. My fingers passed through his shoulder. I had forgotten he wasn’t a physical entity at the moment. Frustration cut through me like a knife, but I did my best to suppress it. “Do not deliver the message personally. I don’t need something to happen to you too.”
“You shouldn’t worry—”
“I need you close, Jonathan. Will you promise to not do anything rash?”
Rebellion tugged at his features, but he finally managed a reply. “Very well.”
When he vanished, I watched, arms crossed over my aching chest, as Fiona continued her work.
Gayle eyes flashed over to me. A curious expression darkened her face. She moved to my side. “If your demon lives, the Healer will be too weak to take care of you.”
“I won’t need to be healed. What about Madelyn? Is she still in labor?”
“The babe has already been delivered. Your message came only minutes after the birth,” she said. “Will you at least allow me to manually reposition your nose?”
Before I could answer she gripped my nose, and with a crack and a jolt of pain that almost buckled my knees, she snapped it into place.
I curled my fingers into tight fists as sparks of light exploded within my line of sight. “Thank you,” I said through clenched teeth.
“At least this way if you do let it heal naturally it’ll heal straight,” she said.
The light from the Demon’s Eye shuddered, drawing my attention. It radiated bright, expanding its reach. My heart expanded with it. Slowly the light dimmed until it closed shut. I watched it for another moment, not allowing myself to hope, until—
“Ava.” Elisa called me from where she stood near Violet. I steeled my nerves, unwilling to move any closer.
Fiona rose on shaky legs. Noah arrived at her side. I hadn’t even realized he was there, but when I looked around the room, the whole security team was present.
I ignored them the best I could.
Violet watched me through wary eyes, but she was alive. I contained a sob of relief.
Fiona wiped a delicate hand on the lilac nightgown she wore. “Your demon is healed, but it will take time for her energy to recover. I, on the other hand, must retire.”
I nodded, too afraid to speak. The emotional and torrential storm that waged inside was about to break the dam I had built in haste.
I rested my hand on my aunt’s shoulder, but Noah disapproved my actions with a clearing of his throat. “She must rest, Defender. Cedric would not allow—”
Fiona touched a finger to his cheek to silence him. She gave me a half-smile. “I know,” she said, understanding what I wanted to say only couldn’t. Then Noah swept her from the room.
I went to my bathroom and started the water in my tub. “I must ask all of you to leave,” I said without looking back. “I’ll take care of her on my own.”
“What happened?” Laith asked from behind. “Is Charlotte—”
“She’s gone,” I said, my tone sharper than I intended. “I felt her soul depart.” I grabbed a washcloth from the cabinet drawer. “She attacked me, but beyond that there’s not much to tell that can’t wait until tomorrow.”
“But—”
“Laith,” Elisa interrupted. “Let her take care of Violet. We can talk in the morning when she’s rested.”
There was a pause. Suddenly Laith gathered me in his arms. I had forgotten just how large he was as he pressed me against his chest. After a tense moment, I melted into him. His breath warmed the top of my head. “I’m sorry. I’m glad you’re safe. We owe Violet a debt of gratitude.”
Elisa placed a warm hand at my back. “I’ll help you get her to the bath. I’ve already sent Hector to get you a replacement door.”
“You have replacement doors just lying around?”
“Because of you I not only have doors on hand, but I have a window too for the next time you decide to destroy another one.”
I would have laughed, but the stitch in my side was enough to make me rethink that action.
When most everyone had left, I lifted my mother’s demon in my arms. Pain laced through my body, but now I relished it. My immortal strength and adrenaline overcame any discomfort my wounds could create. For this moment, only Violet mattered—all else could hang.
I set her on her feet before the bathtub steps and waited while Elisa hung a sheet across the entryway into the bathroom. Privacy ensured, we carefully removed the soiled nightshirt and underthings. Still Violet watched me, her face vacant.
She allowed us to guide her into the tub. I poured water over her hair and lathered it with shampoo as Elisa gathered the bloodied clothes.
Elisa paused, looking over her shoulder. “Hector’s here and ready to install your door.”
“Tell him thank you for me.”
“Of course.” A look of concern crossed her features. “Were you aware that—”
“Hepzibah’s still here? Yes. She hasn’t asked to leave, and I’m not sure I have the energy to deal with her right now. I’ll figure it out after I take care of Violet.”
She nodded, then left the room.
I handed the washcloth to Violet. She stared at it before finally taking it to scrub the blood from her skin. I rinsed the shampoo from her hair.
I sensed Hepzibah before I saw her. She slowly moved into the bathroom, watching the procedure with cautionary eyes.
“Are you ready to go back?” I asked without turning, but she didn’t answer.
Finally, after several seconds, she spoke. “Why did you do it?”
I hesitated, my hand combing through Violet’s wet tresses. But Hepzibah wasn’t speaking to me.
Violet wiped water from her face, looking at her through wary eyes. Her voice crackled when she spoke. “Because I had a choice. As do you.”
“I’m not so sure,” Hepzibah said, but Violet only shrugged.
Hepzibah held out a hand. My Demon’s Eye dangled from her grip.
I took it from her, slipping it over my head. I sighed, looking to Violet.
“Can you wait?” I said to Hepzibah. “I don’t want to risk cutting her. She was just healed, but I’m sure I can get Jonathan to help.”
She shook her head. “There’s no need for a blood sacrifice for me to return to my home. It recognizes me as its own.”
She reached a finger, touching the center of the inky stone. The Demon’s Eye slowly pooled open. Hepzibah slinked into the black pendant, reverent compared to her normal method of entry.
I cataloged that bit of information as I went to my closet to retrieve something nice and comfortable for Violet to wear.
When I returned, I handed her a clean towel to dry, but she only looked at it. A tear fell down her cheek. I froze, shocked.
“I’m so sorry. I—I killed her. I tried not to, tried to talk to her, but I—” She closed her eyes as exhaustion overtook her. “Rachel would be so upset.”
“No.” I gathered her face in my hands, examining the place where I had scratched through her skin, now healed completely. “You saved her daughter. She would be as proud and grateful as I am.”
“Why didn’t you kill her? You were more powerful than she—you could ha
ve destroyed her easily.”
I shrugged, looking away. “It wasn’t an option.”
I drained the tub and helped her into her night clothes. Hector had installed the new door and left. The room was quiet and remarkably clean. My knives were lined up on my nightstand and wiped of any blood. A single rose bud lay on top: a gift not intended for me, but for the demon that now permanently owned Charlotte’s body.
“You can rest here until you’re ready to return to your room,” I said, handing her the flower. “From Hector.”
Violet starred at the red pedals sadly. “He knows this choice will cause me pain.” She peered down to the bed. “I should not put you out. Just take me back to my cell.”
“I insist.” I turned down the blankets, propped up an extra pillow, and waited, expectant. After a long look, she crawled in.
I pulled up the same chair Darius had used when watching over me and set it next to the bed. Before I turned out the light, someone tapped on the door then opened it.
Gayle scanned my battered face but I didn’t mind. Already the pain had receded to barely more than an annoying throb.
“Forgive me, Defender.” Her gaze flickered to the resting demon. “I was just—”
“Hello, old friend.” Violet’s voice was weak, but her eyes cracked open to view the coven witch.
“Friend?” I could hear the skepticism in my own voice.
The witch’s face betrayed no emotion. “So, it is you. I recognized your aura, but I had to make certain.”
Confused, I crossed my arms over my chest. “You know each other?” But neither one answered me.
Gayle shut the door behind her, hesitating halfway across the room. “When they mentioned your name, I knew it was too much of a coincidence. Still, I cannot believe.”
Violet hummed, resting against the headboard. “I will not abandon my Rachel’s offspring.”
Gayle huffed a laugh. “Now that sounds like the Violet I knew. I’d expect nothing less of you.” She cast her eyes about the room, then heaved a heavy sigh. “Have you told her yet?”
14
Proposals
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