Secret Worlds (32 page)

I mustered up all the will I could for another pull, and now the sword was just a fingertip away. I didn’t stop until my fingers grazed the hilt, until I could pluck the sword closer.

Dalton didn’t seem to notice. Instead, he kept drilling into me, covering himself in my blood.

“This is where you die,” he said again. “This is where you die.”

My fingers wrapped around the hilt. “Funny,” I said, gathering up the last bit of strength I had, maybe the last bit of strength I might ever have. “I … was … about to-to tell you the same thing.”

And I throttled the sword straight at him.

It flew true, slicing its way through the air and hitting Dalton right in the neck. He didn’t have time to yelp this time. He didn’t react at all. His eyes went wide and then they lost their light. His body fell limp and lifeless against me, and I pushed it off. All but his head.

I had taken that clean off.

The minutes stretched as I struggled to catch my breath. Killing Dalton … I squeezed my eyes shut. God, I had killed somebody. It was the hardest thing I had ever had to do. Pushing him off me was only slightly easier.

He was heavy and slick with blood. Bile rose in my stomach, not only because I was touching a still warm corpse, but because of who the corpse used to be. This was Lulu’s brother. Lord, Lulu was going to be heartbroken. And how was I going to explain this? How would I explain any of it?

His headless body thudded onto the ground next to me, and I rolled as far away from it as I could. The night air mingled with my bangs as I settled close to Abram. I felt his breath, steadier now. That was a good thing—perhaps the
only
good thing—to happen this entire damn night.

Heaviness drifted over me as I lay there. The weight of all that had happened, of all I had done, of everything all of us had been through, was too much. And it was begging me to sleep.

I fought the urge as long as I could. I needed to be here when Abram woke, to make sure he was okay, and to explain everything he had missed. But it was no use. My body was too exhausted. And before long, my eyes refused to cooperate.

***

I woke in familiar arms. My entire body ached, my mouth was dry, and my head spun. But as my eyes opened, heavy and nearly unwilling, the sight they took in made it all worth it.

Abram sat over me, cradling me in his arms. He was a man again, bare-chested and sweating. But he wasn’t hurt. And he sure as hell wasn’t dead.

“You’re not …” I muttered. My voice was cracked, low, and weak.

“Not on your life.” He smiled at me. It was beautiful.
He
was beautiful.

Sitting there, dark eyes gleaming in the quickly brightening sky, he was everything I had ever wanted. Even if he could never match the way I felt for him, it was okay. I didn’t care, so long as he was alive.

He had given me this gift. He had shown me that love, real live honest-to-God love, existed. It was pure and beautiful. It would change you in the most unexpected and glorious ways. And it hurt. It hurt in ways you never knew were possible and in volumes you hoped would never stop.

He had shown me love, even if he could never return it. And right now, in the glow of the early morning, that was enough.

“Don’t try to talk,” he said over me. “You saved my life, you know.”

“Now we’re even,” I answered, against his protests.

Bracing myself on his shoulder, I pulled myself up. The entire world was shaky, and I was somehow even less stable than that.

He took hold of my hand in his. “Do you need water?”

“No. Just you. I just need to sit here with you for a minute.” The tears that welled up behind my eyes surprised me. “I thought you were dead.”

“I was …” He shook his head. “Or at least, that’s what she told me while she was healing you. Apparently you brought me back from even death, which I would venture to say makes us not so even after all.”

“I’m sure you’ll find some way to make it up to me.”

“I can think of more than a few alternatives,” he said with a grin, that smoldering look in his eyes making my knees go even weaker than they already were … but this time, for a completely different reason.

And just like that, the dread and worry that had laid so heavily on my shoulders melted away. Against all odds, we had won. There were no more best friends’ little brothers hoping to bleed me dry. It was just Abram, me, and eternity.

And a third beast we still hadn’t found … 

“What about the other beast?” I asked warily. “I spilled a lot of blood …”

“You spilled enough blood for Satina’s spell to block that beast for a month,” Abram said with a low chuckle. “But I’ll get him … or if that fails, I’ll just toss you a sword next time he’s around.”

His simplicity in that moment solidified everything I felt about him. “I love you,” I whispered, letting him fold me into his embrace. “You don’t have to say it back,” I said against his chest. “I know it’s too soon for you. Just know that it’s true. Just know that I feel it.”

He tensed up and, when my mind slowed down enough to register the quickly greying sky, I remembered why.

“The curse,” I whispered. “It’s permanent now.”

“Not yet.” He caressed his hand down my back. “When the sun comes up.”

I held him a little tighter. “There has to be something we can do,” I said, dreading my sentiment wasn’t true. “We’ve come this far.”

“We have,” he said, his hand tracing small circles at the bottom of my back. “Don’t worry about the curse. It doesn’t matter. This is who I am now. I’ve made peace with that.”

I tilted my head against his shoulder and listened to the beating of his heart. It was so strong now, so alive.

“Don’t you miss it?” I asked. “Being human?”

“I try not to,” he said, but his voice was quiet and strained. “But there are … things that I would love to experience again.”

“Like what?” I asked, lifting my head and meeting his gaze.

“Dreams,” he said ruefully. “I can’t—my kind doesn’t dream.” His eyes glazed over. “And that would be all right if not for my sister.” He bit his lip. “She died when I was twelve. Paintings were expensive then, and my family didn’t have any money. But I dreamt of her almost every night. It kept her face fresh in my mind.” He pulled my body back against his again, maybe so I wouldn’t see the pain etched into his expression. “I’m not sure I even remember what she looks like now.”

I kissed his chest and twirled my fingers through his. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be,” said a voice from behind me. “He does it to himself.”

Satina
.

I turned. She stood just a few feet away, although, floating might have been a better word for it. Every inch of her skin shone with light, and despite her few acts of kindness, I still found it odd that she wasn’t cloaked in shadows instead.

“Satina, don’t,” Abram growled.

“What is she talking about?” I asked, unease creating a pit in my stomach.

“Nothing,” Abram said. “Just ignore—”

“The curse is his to break, Supplicant. All the pieces are in play.”

“What does that even—”

But before I could even finish my sentence, it all fell into place. Like a runway show, the idea coming to life as finally the make-up is applied, the hair styled, the wardrobe divvied up. Where I could not see the designer’s vision before, it was all very clear to me now.

“Oh, God,” I murmured, my gaze rolling back to Abram. “You
do
love me.”

His eyes went wide, but the rest of his face steeled over. Still, I knew the truth. I had wormed my way into his heart, and he wouldn’t admit it.

“He has to say it, doesn’t he?” I asked, turning to Satina.

“Before the sun comes up,” she answered, looking at the almost bright sky. “He has two minutes.”

“Abram!” I said, spinning around to him.

He shook his head, tears gleaming in his eyes.

“I should have known,” I said. “I knew you couldn’t have kissed me like that, couldn’t have touched me like that, if you didn’t love me. I knew it was true.”

He cupped my face in his hands. “Charisse,” he said, his voice firm, “you need to let this go.”

“No way!” I said, pushing his hands away from my face. “You have a chance to be human. We have a shot at a real life. We can have a future. Abram, I know you feel it, all you have to do is say it.”

“Absolutely not,” he muttered.

“Don’t be so hard headed! What is your issue? You waited over a century for this. Please, I’m begging you. Just—”

“Is that what you think, Charisse? That we can just go skipping off into the sunset?” He waved his hand. “Dalton wasn’t the only one after you, remember? You’re a commodity. There’s always going to be someone out to steal what makes you special. Besides, Satina told me about the future. Your trials aren’t over, and that means neither are mine. You are always going to be in danger, Charisse. And I’m sure as hell going to make certain I’m able to save you.”

“I just saved you!” I shot back, incredulous. Ugh. I didn’t have time to deal with his sexist views right now, and I was kicking myself for not making more of an effort to get him over them sooner. “I can take care of myself. Surely you have noticed this by now!”

He scowled. “And if you do, then what good am I?”

“I love you, you moron. That’s what good you are. Now for the love of God, you’re running out of time! Stop being so goddamn self-sacrificing.”

His eyes narrowed. “I’m not a martyr, Charisse. If I’m human, if I can’t save you, then you’re gone. And what am I supposed to do then? Would you just expect me to go on without you? Because I have lived over a hundred years, and I have made it through things that would tear mortal men apart, but I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, I would never make it through that. Not for a day. So no. I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing this for me. For me and for us.”

He leaned in and pressed his lips square against mine, and something in me shifted as we kissed. Gold light shimmered across him. The sun was up, the moon on the window was full. The curse was permanent.

He pulled away and took one of my hands gently in his own.

“Now I love you,” he said, and with his free hand, he swiped a tear off my cheek with his thumb. “And I always will. Now and forever.”

***

*Stop here to finish this story as a standalone, or the epilogue for a hint at what book two will be about!*

Two weeks later, they laid Dalton to rest. It took all I could do to sit there without squirming out of my own skin. He was a monster. He wanted me dead. If he’d had his way, I would be the one they were lowering into the ground right now, nothing more than a bloodless husk.

But the townsfolk didn’t know that. To them, sitting all teary eyed and justified, he had been a victim of Abram’s. Even if they still couldn’t quite put into words what Abram had turned into (and, as a result, were beginning to make stupid and mundane excuses about it) the narrative still stated the obvious. Abram was a murderer, a villain they had needed to bring to justice.

Even if he hadn’t been seen by anyone in town since that night.

Anyone but me, anyway.

Some believed he died and that wild animals had dragged off his carcass, but others thought he was still alive, out there, on the prowl, ready to strike again at any moment.

Because everyone knew about his place in the woods, Abram had been forced to hide out in an abandoned farmhouse in the next town over. It wasn’t much, but it was off the beaten path, close enough for me to stop by every day, and there was a basement with enough space to lock him in when the sun went down.

People were still after him, and they were looking for both a man and a monster. We couldn’t be too careful. Still, it was only a temporary solution.

Things at home didn’t get any better, either. Lulu was despondent after the death of her brother. And though she didn’t come out and say it, I could tell she blamed me at least in part for what happened. She knew that I had sided with Abram, and since the town never was able to confirm whether Dalton had died before or after they had supposedly killed Abram, for all she knew, Abram was responsible for her brother’s death.

Dalton was a hero not only to her, but to the entire town. And though I was a victim in their eyes as well, I was also a facilitator. And they weren’t going to let me forget it.

Doors got closed in my face. Children sneered at me. It was like the entire place was filled with Esters. New Haven had finally realized how much I didn’t belong here, and I absolutely agreed.

A week after Dalton’s funeral, I left town. Lulu was still talking to me. God bless her, she was trying to move past things. But I could hardly look at her. It was me who had snuffed the life from her brother’s eyes. And whether he deserved it or not, that fact weighed on me heavily.

“You’re like my sister, you know?” she’d said before the taxi pulled up to get me. “Nothing’s ever going to change that.”

There were tears in her eyes when she hugged me goodbye. And there were tears in mine when the cab pulled away.

I met Abram two days later on the island of Grimold. It was a tiny dot of a place in the Mediterranean that I had never heard of, but the instant I stepped off the plane, I knew I had made a good choice.

When Abram had first told me we were leaving, I hadn’t wanted to go. Not with a third beast still known to be in New Haven. But Abram promised me he would hunt that one down before meeting me in Grimold, and he’d held true to his promise. In a way, it wasn’t someone I knew being a beast that really scared me, though. It was that there were so many, complete strangers, insignificant in the scheme of themes yet ingrained in my life in the worst possible way.

But now was not the time to linger on those thoughts. Abram was finally here with me. New Haven was safe from the beasts and Abram was safe from New Haven. He stood on the tarmac, dressed in white, all tanned and rested, his hands hanging freely at his sides. Seeing him was like coming home, and his easy smile made me feel as though everything would be okay.

“What do we do first?” I asked after he gave me the sweetest, longest kiss of my entire life.