I glanced back. No one was there. A movement caught my attention, so I peered up. And my mouth fell open.
Aetos floated midair with a bow and arrow pointed at one of the nasties around us. Holy 404. He was flying without wings as though he had power over gravity.
I did my best to suppress my awe and turned back to the fight. There was no need, though. Only a few of the creatures were left, most of them backing away.
“Step back or find out what happens when a soul dies in this place,” Gabe said, the purple glow around him so profound, it was a little frightening.
Not one of them dared to mess with Gabe. They took off, rushing back into the marsh . . . other than one.
My eyes bugged when I saw her. Emma. She wore a white dress, her hands stained by blood, yet she looked so much like the Emma I’d known despite that.
I stared at her as she stared at me, then in unison, we moved forward. I wrapped my arms around her. It was like hugging a real person. She was really there.
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I remembered moments of my young life, all of them involving her. She had made it possible for me to survive my craptastic childhood. I would not have made it through if not for her support.
I sniffled, pulling back after a moment. “I’m so glad to see you,” I said simply, my body quivering as tears continued to stream down my cheeks.
Emma gave me a half-hearted smile. “Same goes,” she said quietly, turning her eyes down to look at Spencer.
I knelt down on his other side, taking hold of his hand as he and Gabe shared power. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” I told him, tears still streaming down my cheeks.
Spencer turned his head to look at me, giving me a small smile. “I like the haircut,” he said, his voice a little stronger than I had expected it to be.
I grinned. “You think mine is cool, wait until you see Imogen’s hair. Serena worked on both of us. Imogen looks amazing.”
His lips curved in a small smile as he glanced up to where Emma still stood. “You look more like Emma Gregory than you did the last time I saw you,” he commented, a little more color in his cheeks as strength came back to him.
Emma crouched down next to me, her eyes flicking from me, to Spencer. “I feel more like me than I have in a long time,” she said and tears rose in her eyes. “I . . . I remember what I did. I killed three people. I . . . I’m a monster,” she whispered, staring at the blood that didn’t fade off her hands at all.
I reached out and laid my hand on her arm. “You WERE a monster. The fact you recognize that what you did was wrong is a big step. The violence of your death is what turned you into the vengeful spirit you became. You were wrong but it wasn’t really you,” I said, recalling all the times she’d stood by me when no one else would.
She sniffled, her bottom lip wobbling. “I’m so sorry, Maddie,” she said, bowing her head in what seemed to be genuine shame.
I leaned in and wrapped my arms around her again. “It’s not okay that those guys died. The fact you recognize that you were wrong, it’s an amazing thing. It’s growth and I am seriously proud of you.”
She wiped her tears away and rolled her eyes. “Did Ian die or something? I swear you’re channeling him,” she snarked at me, her lips curved up in a small smile.
My stomach clenched. Ian. He and Noah had disappeared only a little while before. What did it all mean? Had it hurt them?
Emma leaned closer, her head tipped to the side. “It was a dumb thing to say. I’m sorry. Ian’s fine. The thing about being here, sometimes you can see the people you love. I’ve seen little pieces of your life and I’ve seen you and Ian. I’m icked out about it but I always knew you two would get together. He’s had a thing for you since you were nine or something.”
I felt my cheeks warm, glancing over at the guys who talked quietly together. “I screwed up, Emma. I did something really stupid that made the world end and now, I get a second chance. I get to fix the mistakes I made.”
She gave me one of those smiles that always made people bow to her every whim. “Then go save the world, Maddie. It’s what you were meant to do,” she said and rose, looking down at Spencer. “I am so sorry I was such a jerk to you when you tried to warn me about my death.” And without another word, she turned and walked out into the void.
I stared after her for a few seconds before I faced Spencer. “Um, did the guys tell you what the plan is?” I asked, my voice shaking as my heart broke yet again.
He shifted around, letting Aetos help him to his feed. “Yeah but I’m not sure how I can help. I’ve never met Hades or Hestia or any of them,” he said, his eyes clearing slowly.
“Yes, you have,” Aetos said quietly. “They have all had an interest in you, so they have come into your life to observe on occasion. You do, in fact, know Hestia personally.”
Spencer opened his mouth. “Okay,” he said in a hesitant tone.
I scowled. “I wouldn’t call it okay. Are you guys aware of the damage Mr. Ezra did to Spencer? If Hestia’s been stalking him, why didn’t she help him?” I shot out, furious on my friend’s behalf.
Aetos sighed as Gabe opened the portal to allow us back into the Axis Mundi. “Some don’t believe that humans are worth their time, so it wasn’t unexpected for them to be leery of helping a boy that no one could be certain of.”
I wasn’t pleased in the least. How dare they decide that since someone wasn’t just like them, they weren’t worth bothering with? I wanted to invent my own time travel device and go back in time to save Spencer from some of the things he had endured.
He glanced at me, his lips quirked in a small smile. “You don’t need to protect me, Madison,” he said like he’d read my mind.
I frowned at the floor in front of me, more annoyed than I was before. I didn’t like the idea of his otherworldly family being okay with what his dad had done to him. I wanted to hate them.
I couldn’t protect Emma. Maybe I could protect Spencer. Maybe . . . but changing the past might change the person Spencer had become.
He was a good, even-tempered guy who used his own trauma from the past to help others. If I went back and changed it, who would he be?
I had no right to change it. I understood why Quinn had sent Noah back. The choice I had made had ended the world. I was the only one who could fix it . . . and I had been dead in that version of the future.
Going back in time was a dangerous business, one I wasn’t willing to partake in. I would focus on changing what was in front of me and allowing the mistakes from the past to teach me whatever lesson I needed to learn.
TWENTY-THREE
My ears popped as we stepped through the portal Aetos led us through. I didn’t know where we were going. I was determined to make sure that, no matter where it was, no one hurt Spencer. I would not allow it.
We stepped through the portal back into the office, then we all trooped outside. With a group as large as ours was, we wouldn’t have fit into an ordinary vehicle. It seemed Gabe had come up in the world, though.
He walked to a big SUV that had US Government plates with the emblem that represented Realm Enforcement on it. That vehicle was big enough to hold all of us comfortably.
Gabe got into the driver’s seat with Aetos next to him. The rest of us piled in the back. I did my best not to comment on being sandwiched between Daw and Dawson. It was tough.
I was worried about Spencer. He was still pale, his cheeks sunken, and his clothes rumpled. Despite all that, he looked ready to go into battle.
The guys spoke easily as we drove, not sounding worried in the least. I didn’t want to worry, yet the worst case scenarios ran through my mind on a loop. What if we were walking straight back into danger?
Hestia was the goddess of hearth, home, and family. Everything I’d read told me she was chief of the goddesses. How would she react to us showing up to ask for her help in freeing humans from the PSA? Would she be as scornful of us as the other gods were?
I blinked, startled
when Gabe pulled into the driveway of my house. I hadn’t been paying attention to where we were going. Everybody else was already exiting, so I closed my mouth and braced myself for whatever was to come.
Daw gave me a small shrug and got out, his eyes scanning the area. My eyes widened even further when Aetos and Spencer headed into the house. What was going on?
We followed them inside and my mouth fell open. Darlene stood in the living room in front of a roaring fire, her smile wide and sweet as she held her hands out to Spencer. It was as comfortable as a fist to the solar plexus.
Spencer took a slow step closer to her without taking her hands. “I’m confused,” he said simply, waiting for her to explain.
Darlene nodded, motioning around for all of us to sit. “I’m so glad you’re back,” she said, picking up a tray of fresh baked cookies. “Let’s get you some of these before--”
“YOU’RE Hestia?” I snapped, my arms folded as I looked at my landlady.
She had never given any indication at all that she wasn’t human. She had never acted as though she knew anything at all about the paranormal world. She was family and had never done anything to help Spencer? That was unacceptable.
Darlene turned to look at me, her sweet smile still in place. “A prophecy was given that told of the end of the world but also its saving. You have already saved this world from annihilation with Ian and your son.”
I swallowed hard and shook my head. “All I did was NOT do something I shouldn’t have done in that other timeline. It was a stupid decision that’s been corrected,” I said, my voice a little weak as Noah’s face floated its way through my mind again.
She stepped forward and placed her hands on my shoulders. “Madison, you have no idea how extraordinary you are. You grew up in a loveless home but your love overflows. Serena and Imogen both love you like sisters and you feel the same for them. Your love caused you to open the portal. Your love is what caused you to change your mind. Your selflessness is something I admire.” She leaned in and kissed my cheek before she turned to look at Spencer. “And you are a wonder.” She gave a little clap like she was delighted by all she’d seen in him.
Spencer raised his brows, taking one of the cookies from the tray. “I’m curious about all this. How much did you know before you showed up here and rented a room to Imogen and Madison?”
She sat down in one of the cushy armchairs and crossed her legs. “Hades and I have never particularly gotten along. I think he’s a boorish oaf and he thinks I’m an old prude. Needless to say, we don’t exchange Christmas cards.”
My lips curved in a small smile as I sat in the chair next to hers, waiting to hear what was going on.
She sat back, her hands folded across her stomach as she peered at Spencer. “Cathia is a good woman. I think she’s good for Hades. I think you yourself might be his saving.” She raised her hand to stop him as Spencer opened his mouth to speak. “I didn’t orchestrate your life. I chose to come here because I knew that being near Imogen and Madison would allow me to see what kind of man you are. And I see that you are nothing like Hades. You are an honor to our bloodline,” and she bowed her head in a respectful gesture.
Spencer sat still for a few seconds, then leaned forward so his elbows rested on his knees. “Whatever is going on, I need you to know that if there’s a choice between Imogen and the people we both love, I will choose them. I also choose humanity. If you’re cool with that, I’m happy to call you my aunt,” he said in his usual chill tone.
Darlene’s eyes filled with tears as she nodded. “I make the same vow, Spencer. I am so happy to see the kind of man you have turned into.” A few tears slid down her cheeks and she dabbed at her eyes. “Please, Spencer. Eat the cookies. You look like you haven’t had a good meal in a long time.”
He chuckled. “Thanks, Aunt Darlene. They look awesome,” he said, stuffing his cookie into his mouth as he picked up another.
More tears slid down her cheeks as he used that title. She sniffled, wiping them away with the back of her hand. “I was told that my fire would be useful to you.”
“Who’s telling you this stuff?” Spencer asked through a mouthful of another cookie, a third already in his hand.
“The prophet.”
“Who’s the prophet?”
Darlene shrugged. “I have no idea. I only went into our hall of records and looked at all the prophecies related to you. I can’t even say when those visions were had.”
“Huh,” Spencer said, not seeming concerned by the situation at all.
Daw put his hands together and gave the same kind of bow he usually gave my cat. “Our sister, Ian, and Erkens are all trapped inside the PSA with a lot of other people. From what Madison told us about the other timeline, ash from your fire was collected and its purity unbound everybody from their contracts.”
Darlene pursed her lips. “Using ash from my fire is ingenious. It’s also worrying because of who might be using it.” She sighed and stepped to the fire, crouching down in front of it. “The binding magic will be burned by my fire, yes but if the fire comes directly from me, far more can be done.”
I raised a finger, fury in my heart. “All this time, you’ve known what was going on and you didn’t offer to help. Spencer was held inside the PSA for three weeks, which you knew about, and you pretended to be no one who could help us at all,” I accused, my hands shaking with the power of my anger.
Daw walked over and leaned down to hug me. “I think you need that Turner family hug,” he said, ignoring me when I jabbed him with my elbow. “There are rules that people with power tend to follow. The power they hold is so dynamic, they have to pick and choose the battles they choose to get involved in. If they stepped in every time someone asked for help, they’d be run ragged. Hestia is offering her help now. If she had done it before, things might have been even worse. There is a natural order to things. If it’s interfered with too many times, bad things happen.”
I was quiet for a few seconds, thinking over all he’d said. He was right. I had jumped the gun in my anger with Darlene, probably out of simple shock. My landlady was the goddess of the hearth. Holy worm-ridden blue screen of death.
I pulled back from Daw, turning my eyes on Darlene. “I’m . . . sorry,” I half whispered, tears rising in my eyes.
Darlene rose and walked over, offering her hand to me. “I have watched you go from a wounded, damaged girl, to a powerful, well-loved, well-respected woman. I understand your anger with me. You’re a protector and I failed my nephew. I will never fail him again.” She turned her head to look at Spencer. “I promise you that, Spencer.”
He nodded, getting slowly to his feet. “I appreciate it,” he said calmly, making a small motion to the fire. “We need to get going if you can help with the fire thing.”
Darlene looked at the fire and sighed deeply. “The fire thing, he calls it,” she said in a teasing tone.
She walked back to the fire and crouched down, extending her hands into the flames. It was frightening for half a second before it became obvious that it was under her control. It wound and weaved its way around her hands as though they were bracelets of flame.
It was both beautiful and frightening at the same time. The goddess of the hearth was in her element. She no longer looked like the middle-aged woman she had always appeared to be before.
She wasn’t beautiful but striking. Her dark hair and fair skin were similar to a lot of the otherworlders I had met. She was dressed in a modest, gray dress that showed off nothing at all. It somehow made her even more noticeable.
She stood and walked toward me, the fire-bracelets still around her wrists. “Do you remember the other timeline?” she asked me, her head tipped to the side.
I swallowed and nodded. “A demon is in control of the PSA. I think he possesses an archangel and uses her to help him control the Nephilim and his father.”
Darlene . . . or Hestia as she was right then, scowled in a way that made me want to run away. “My fire is indee
d pure. Use it to burn the contracts as you did in the other timeline. What you will do when you’re faced by the possessed archangel, is take hold of her wrist with your own.” She took hold of my wrist with a nod.
And despite the quivers of fear inside me, I wrapped my hand around the fire-bracelets.
There was no pain. There was a feeling of warmth, of purity. Then, peace wrapped its arms around me.
I looked down, my eyes going wide as I saw the bands of flame around my wrists. I was in awe. Hestia had given me the ability to save the people the PSA had locked down. I owed her . . . big time.
TWENTY-FOUR
Walking directly into the PSA without any sort of subterfuge didn’t seem like the best plan. It was the only plan we had, though. Okay, there was a tiny bit of trickery. Daw, Gabe, and I walked in like we owned the place while Dawson, Aetos, and Spencer walked behind us invisible.
It was the only way we could think of to get them in without alerting them to the fact Spencer had walked back in.
I didn’t like the idea of dragging him back into the place where he’d been held for three weeks. He had refused to allow us to go without him, though. I was glad he was there, although it worried me to wonder what might have been done to him.
My heart pounded as we walked into the Chinese restaurant. The place was open, yet there were no customers. Only the family who owned the place were present.
Or that appeared to be true until we stepped up to the walk-in freezer where the portal was. Two men stepped forward, one of them Patrick Erkens. The other was Lesley Flugel. It was the tiniest bit disconcerting to see both of them.
Patrick gave me a hard look, then without the slightest hesitation, took a stun gun from his belt and zapped Flugel with it.
The bigger man slumped to the floor . . . again . . . or like he had in the other time. Thinking about it all made my head hurt. As I looked at Patrick, it was clear he understood that something was wonky. His body was tense, his chin lifted as he looked at us.
The Next Chance Page 10