“Look, Rory.” Henry turned to me. “I get it. I know there are feelings between us. But I can’t stay on the hook, waiting for you to make up your mind. I have a life to live, at least until the war. And I plan to live it.”
With Bunny? I wanted to scream. But I didn’t have the right to ask him that – not after how I’d acted with both Lucas and Henry.
“You’re right,” I said. “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It is what it is,” Henry said lightly.
“I guess I should go inside,” I said reluctantly.
“Yeah,” Henry replied, staring out the window.
I turned to open the door.
“Rory?” he said, just as I was about to get out.
I turned back around to face him.
“Try not to worry – whatever is meant to happen, will happen. The more we find out, the more I’m understanding that you can’t fight your fate.”
I nodded and tried to smile. “Bye, Henry,” I whispered. I reached out to brush his face. He moved his lips against my hand and kissed it lightly.
“Talk to you tomorrow?” he asked.
“Of course.” I got out of the car and watched Henry drive off.
Fate. That word was coming up a lot these days. Lucas had said almost the same thing – you can’t change your fate.
For as much as they hated each other, as different as they seemed on the surface, Henry and Lucas had no idea just how alike they actually were.
Chapter 20
When I walked into my house, Mom was sitting on the couch in the family room.
“Hi,” I said and started to head for the stairs. I wanted to be alone.
“Aren’t you even going to stop and chat?” she asked me.
“Okay,” I replied reluctantly. I sat down on the chair across from the couch.
“I saw you and Henry in his car….talking.”
Ugh! By talking she really means kissing. How mortifying!
I didn’t say anything.
“Are you two dating now?” my mom pressed. “I thought you were getting close to your friend, Lucas. I didn’t realize Henry was still in the picture.”
“I’m not dating anyone,” I said irritably. “Can’t a girl have guy friends nowadays without it being romantic?”
“Hmm,” was all my mom said.
I turned to leave. “I have homework to do.”
“On a Friday night?” my mom asked.
“Yep.” I continued walking.
“Rory?” she called.
I stopped walking. I knew Mom wanted me to confide in her, but I couldn’t. She would never understand the complex feelings I had for both Lucas and Henry, or any of the other shit that was going on.
I looked at her expectantly.
“I just don’t want to see you get hurt,” she said.
“I know.” I headed up the stairs and into my room. I wanted to slam the door shut behind me, but that might bring Mom upstairs to check on me and try and have another talk about my fucked up love life. Which, really, should be the least of my worries.
As soon as I flopped down onto the bed, I shut my eyes, trying to forget the last few hours of my life.
I couldn’t get that conversation with Henry out of my mind. I hadn’t even entertained the thought that we might just all kill each other. And while I could put off deciding between Henry and Lucas, there was one decision I was going to have to make, probably sooner rather than later.
The war was coming, and I was going to have to choose a side. Emmett once said there was no clear cut good or evil, that there was gray area in everything. I knew that he was right, but where did that leave me?
I couldn’t imagine helping Tobias, or killing anyone, even Senara. But if she was as evil as Lucas and Nicholas had said, what other choice did I have?
I was jolted from my thoughts when the phone rang. It was Lucas!
“Hello?” I answered.
“I’m outside your house. Can you come meet me?”
“What for?” I asked in surprise. Surely he didn’t have any more info since the time we all left his apartment.
“I’ll tell you when you get to the car. We might need a couple of hours. Will your parents let you go?” Lucas asked me.
“Probably,” I said. “It’s not that late yet. See you in a minute.”
I hung up the phone, took a quick look in the mirror, and headed downstairs.
My mom was sitting on the couch reading. “Want to watch TV?” she offered. I could see the hopeful look in her eyes, thinking I had come back to confide in her, or at least spend some time together.
“I can’t. Lucas is picking me up. I won’t be home too late. Is that okay?”
My mom’s hopeful expression fell. I pushed away the gnawing guilt; I would just have to try harder to connect with my mom. But it wasn’t going to happen tonight. I had to find out why Lucas was here.
“Back-to-back dates?” she asked jokingly.
I forced a laugh. “No, Henry was just dropping me off earlier. And this definitely isn’t a date.”
“Where are you going? I thought Lucas lived far away from us?” Mom wanted to know.
“Um.” I tried to think. “He recently moved.” At least that wasn’t a lie. “We’re just going shopping to get the rest of the school supplies.”
“Oh, does that mean you’ll be in school together now?”
“No, he’s going to a private school,” I fibbed. “Well, I’ll see you later.”
“Have fun,” my mom called as I walked out the door.
Lucas was parked right outside my house. “Sorry about that,” I said, getting into the car. “My mom delayed me. She was asking a bunch of questions.”
“She probably doesn’t understand your relationship with me,” he replied.
That makes two of us.
“So what do I owe the honor of getting to see you twice in one day?” I teased Lucas.
“Maybe I just missed you,” he joked back. But then his face turned serious. “Before I start driving, take this.” Lucas handed me a cell phone. “It’s secure. From now on, only call me using this phone.”
Lucas started the car and pulled away from the curb.
“Are we going anywhere in particular?” I asked him. “Or just driving?”
Lucas glanced at me. “Right after you left, I got a phone call,” he said, not answering my question.
“From?” I prompted.
“Remember when Nicholas and I mentioned Magnus? He was King of Hell before Leon took over.”
I nodded. “But surely you didn’t get a phone call from him,” I said, laughing.
“Actually, I did. Magnus was trying to track you down.” Lucas paused.
“What?” I moaned. Why did everyone have an interest in me?
“Yeah, I wasn’t too thrilled about it, either. He didn’t know your name; in Hell, they refer to you as the living dead girl. Leon’s been torturing him ever since he was overthrown.”
“Magnus managed to escape to the surface,” Lucas continued. “He started investigating, trying to find the living dead girl. Since I was the first one hired to kill you, he found me instead.”
“What does he want with me?” I whispered.
“I don’t know. But we’re about to find out. That’s why I asked you to come out with me. We’re going to meet Magnus.”
Chapter 21
“Why would you agree to meet him?” I demanded.
Lucas held up his hand. “Just hear me out. We’re lucky that Magnus found me first. Believe me, he could have asked around and stumbled on someone else who knows your name, where you live, where you go to school. This is the best case scenario for a fucked up situation.”
“I guess,” I said reluctantly.
“Wouldn’t you rather go meet Magnus with me there to protect you? Instead of just having him turn up – or kidnap you – and you’d have to fend for yourself?” Lucas asked.
“Well, yeah,” I admitted, “bu
t what if he wants to hurt me? Can you really protect me from him?”
“I’m not worried about that,” Lucas said. “Tobias put the order out that no one was to harm you, remember?”
“Why would Magnus listen to anything Tobias says? He’s a demon!” I argued.
“I don’t think it’s about respecting Tobias’ orders,” Lucas replied. “If someone hurts you, Tobias will put a bounty on their head. Magnus doesn’t want to draw attention to himself.”
“Besides,” Lucas continued, “we’ve already established that no one knows how to kill you.”
“He could still try and torture me,” I said morosely.
“I’m not a complete idiot.” Lucas grinned. “I’ve come prepared for whatever Magnus tries to throw at us.”
“Meaning?”
“I’ve got the demon vacuum, for starters.” Lucas motioned towards the backseat. “There’s some other stuff back there that I’ll put in my coat when we go inside. Things that will stun him if he tries anything funny. Then I’ll send him to Hell. That’s another reason I don’t think he’ll try to hurt you. He knows I’m a hunter and he doesn’t want to go back to Hell.”
“I’m surprised he’s not afraid I might kill him,” I commented.
“He’s desperate,” Lucas said. “And he’s banking on you not having the power yet.”
“Did Magnus say why he wants to meet me?” I asked.
“No. It was a very brief conversation. I told him that I could arrange it, but since the protective order had been called, I had to go along as your bodyguard.”
“Okay,” I said reluctantly. “Where are we meeting him?”
“We’re almost there.” Lucas turned down a residential street.
“He has a house?” I asked in surprise.
“His human host does.”
I shuddered. “So some poor person is stuck inside there with Magnus controlling his body?”
“I don’t like it either,” Lucas admitted. “Try not to think about it.”
I didn’t answer, but I didn’t have to. Lucas stopped the car in front of a modest two story house. We were here.
Chapter 22
Lucas and I trudged towards the front door. There was a long walkway through a beautifully manicured garden. When we got to the door, Lucas rang the bell.
A man pulled the door open and, without speaking, motioned for us to come inside. I stepped into the entranceway of the house. Magnus shut the door behind us and walked into a room on the left. Lucas and I followed.
“This is my study,” Magnus said. I was surprised to hear he had a British accent. Or rather, his host body does.
“Please, have a seat.” The room was filled with bookcases that were brimming with books. On one side of the wall was a cart – a mobile bar, really – that had at least four bottles of liquor on it.
Lucas and I sat down on the brown leather couch. Magnus walked over to the bar and poured an amber liquid into a glass. He swished it around a few times before taking a sip. “Care for a drink?” he asked Lucas and me. “It’s premium scotch.” We both shook our heads no.
The person Magnus had chosen to possess was tall and slender, but I had the feeling he was more powerful than he looked. He was older – maybe early 30s – and had dark brown hair.
Magnus sat down on the leather chair across from the couch and crossed his legs. He looked totally relaxed, at ease.
“Where are my manners? I’m Magnus.” He turned to Lucas and politely reached out his hand for Lucas to shake. “You must be Lucas.”
Magnus turned to me. “My apologies, I don’t know your name. Leon was very tight lipped about the identity of the living dead girl.”
I looked at Lucas, who nodded slightly. “Aurora,” I answered. I stared him straight in the eyes, hoping I sounded and appeared confident.
“Nice to meet you, Aurora.”
“And you,” I said.
“So let’s start by establishing the parameters of this discussion.” Magnus leaned back in the chair, grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the table and lit one, sucking the nicotine deep down into his lungs. He exhaled slowly. “This is my favorite vice – well, one of them.”
Lucas and I sat in stony silence, waiting for Magnus to continue. He didn’t seem eager to get to the point. He was arrogant, cocky.
“Neither of you will hurt me, and I, in turn, will not harm either of you. It’s simple, and if you break this one rule there will be consequences to pay.” Magnus smiled, as if he had just told us a funny story instead of threatening our lives.
I could see Lucas clenching and unclenching his fist out of the corner of my eye. I knew he was pissed. Don’t lose it! I tried to send him a silent message. I wasn’t sure who would win in a fight – Magnus or Lucas – but I really didn’t want to find out.
“We have no intention of harming you today,” Lucas said. “Of course, if our paths cross again, that may no longer hold true.” Lucas smiled back at Magnus, purposely revealing that his vampire teeth were showing.
“Why did you need to meet with Aurora today?” Lucas asked.
“I escaped from Hell, and I will not go back there unless I’m once again king. As you know, Leon overtook the power from me after Aurora was killed,” Magnus said. “He didn’t, however, bank on her coming back.”
Magnus turned his attention to me. “Frankly, I couldn’t care less about a war on earth. It’s about time the humans had their eyes opened to what’s really out there. But, what I do care about is making certain Tobias doesn’t open the gates of Hell and unleash everything that’s living down there. And that’s where you come in.”
“I’ve got nothing to do with Hell,” I stated. “And I’m not sure how you think I’m going to stop Tobias.”
“You can’t stop Tobias,” Magnus replied. “But you can help me drag him into Hell, where he belongs.”
“He’s counting on you to win this war,” Magnus continued. “I want you to lead him to the gates of Hell, pretend you’re helping to open them, but really, I’ll be there to pull him into Hell.”
“You give me too much credit,” I said. “Tobias isn’t going to listen to me.”
“Oh, my dear, but he will.” Magnus took another long drag off of his cigarette.
“Why do you think Aurora will have that kind of power over him?” Lucas asked.
“You two really don’t get it, do you?” Magnus laughed.
Lucas and I looked at each other in confusion.
“You’re famous,” Magnus said. “Everyone knows who you are, even if they don’t know your name. The stories that are being spun about your powers are probably exaggerated, but it’s what people believe that matters. And Tobias believes that if he has you on his side he’s untouchable. If you lead him to the gates, he’ll never know you’re planning to double cross him.”
“How is getting Tobias into Hell going to help you reclaim leadership?” Lucas asked suspiciously. “What aren’t you telling us?”
“Ah, yes, there is one other tiny thing I need you to do for me.” Magnus finished his drink and got up to pour another one.
I looked at Lucas while Magnus had his back turned to us. What should I do? I mouthed the words.
I’ll handle it, he mouthed back.
Magnus was speaking again. “They say you have the power to actually kill a demon, no?” He looked at me for confirmation.
“Yes, I do,” I said in what I hoped was a convincing voice.
“Perfect. I need you to kill Leon.”
Chapter 23
“Why would she do that for you?” Lucas asked. “What’s in this for Aurora? So far, everything you’ve said is for your agenda, not hers.”
“Well, you get the added plus of Tobias being out of your hair – in Hell. That’s at least one major player in the war that will be eliminated,” Magnus replied.
“Aurora can handle Tobias,” Lucas said confidently.
He’s either a damn good actor or a lot more optimistic than me.
&n
bsp; “Perhaps she can. Perhaps she can’t.” Magnus sneered. “I’ve tried to present this to you as nicely as possible, to make you think there’s actually a choice in the matter. But, I hate to break it to you, there is not. Aurora will kill Leon and help me bring Tobias to Hell.”
“Oh yeah?” I said, anger creeping into my voice. “Who’s to say I won’t kill you instead?”
“I’ve thought of that.” Magnus leaned forward. His expression was menacing. “That would be the biggest mistake of your life. I may not be king at the moment, but I’ve still got plenty of supporters. If I die, they will kill everyone you care about. And it won’t be painless. It won’t be quick. You will lose everything if you kill me.”
“We need time to think about this,” Lucas said.
Magnus rolled his eyes. “We’re still going to pretend there’s a choice to make? Alright, have it your way. Oh, and I forgot to mention, if you do double cross me in any way, I’ll make sure both of you spend all of eternity rotting in Hell.”
Magnus stood up, signaling that the meeting was over. I eagerly scrambled to my feet. I was ready to get out of that creepy study and far away from Magnus.
He escorted us to the door. “Again, it was so nice to meet you both this evening. Thanks for stopping by,” Magnus said politely, as though he were saying farewell after a dinner party.
“I’ll be in touch,” Lucas growled, his voice brimming with anger.
Chapter 24
Back in the car, Lucas started the engine and slammed on the gas so hard that the tires screeched as we pulled away.
“That was awful,” I said. “Even worse than I could have imagined.”
“I didn’t want to scare you ahead of time, but I knew Magnus had a reputation for being a badass. He’s just trying to intimidate us.”
“Magnus is right, though. I don’t have a choice. I can’t put everyone I know in danger, which means I have to be Magnus’ puppet and do whatever he says!” I exclaimed. “I could never forgive myself if my family was harmed. Or Henry. Or Emmett. Or you.” My voice was shaky.
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