I stood. “Oh, come on. It can’t be that bad. You said I’ve died lots of times. I was a little late to the party, but so what?”
He put his face in his hands.
I ran my fingers through his silky hair. “Alden, what is it?”
He remained motionless with his head down and his hands over his face. What on earth could it be? He was unraveling before my eyes. I felt helpless . . . and responsible somehow.
“Look, Alden, if you don’t want to talk about it—”
“I have to talk about it.” His stormy eyes met mine. “I
need
to talk about it. I haven’t told a soul for over a hundred years, and it’s killing me. For three lifetimes, people have told me how sorry they were that you were taken from me in that tragic accident.”
“Well, I’m sure they were trying to make you feel better, Alden.”
“They shouldn’t have.” He pulled away and strode to the window, staring out with his back to me “I’m sick of pretending, Lenzi. I’ve planned for over a century how I was going to apologize if I were ever fortunate enough to see you again.” He turned to face me. “Well, here you are, and what do I do? I take advantage of the fact you don’t remember, and I act like it didn’t happen. Instead of telling you the truth, I kissed you, for God’s sake! I got so wrapped up in the fact that I turned you on for the first time ever, I became a selfish ass.” He turned away and placed his hands on the window casing.
It made my heart ache to see him in so much pain. “It’s okay, Alden.”
He spun around. “It’s not okay. It will never be okay. It wasn’t an accident, Lenzi. It was my fault you died. I killed you!”
It was like the earth had stopped. I couldn’t breathe. “That’s impossible,” I whispered.
“It’s not impossible. I’ve played the memory over in my head a million times. It’s irrefutable. Everyone was mystified that you didn’t recycle. I wasn’t. I knew why you stayed away. I broke the rules, and you died because of it.”
I knew there was no way he would have intentionally killed Rose. “What rules? How did you kill me? I drowned. How is that your fault? Did you throw me off the roof or something?”
“No.”
“Then how is it your fault?”
He sat down on the bed, appearing emotionally drained, staring straight ahead.
He’d never shown me what happened after the kiss. “Show me, Alden.”
“It wasn’t an accident.”
I remained silent. It was frightening to see him teetering on the edge of control.
He ran his hands through his hair. “You may not remember, but your soul does. When I showed you the cause, you became very angry.”
“I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about, Alden.”
“The kiss, Lenzi. The kiss on the roof is why you died.”
“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me! You’re talking about the memory you showed me from the storm?”
“Yes. Your soul became turbulent when you saw it.”
“I didn’t get mad because of some cosmic past-life suppressed memory, for crying out loud!” I took his face in my hands and met his eyes. “Alden, you’re right; I did get mad. I was watching you kiss someone else. I was jealous. I wasn’t mad because you kissed me in some past life I don’t remember. I was mad because you won’t kiss me in
this
lifetime.”
I let his face go. He groaned and shook his head. “You don’t understand.”
“Make me understand, Alden. Show me. If you killed Rose, show me, but let me tell you something—I know that you loved Rose and would never have hurt her. Any more than you would hurt me.” I sat down next to him on the bed and took his hands. “Show me, Alden.”
He closed his eyes. “Out,” he whispered almost too quietly to hear.
I didn’t make a sound as he entered. The memory started right away. Alden and Rose were huddled together on the roof. Debris slammed all around them. She pulled him to her, and they kissed.
“She started it, Alden,” I said.
He remained silent as the memory ran through my mind. I started it over from the beginning again.
“See? She started it, and she’s totally into it.”
The kiss deepened, and Rose pulled away screaming, “No, Alden. No.” She scooted down the roof away from him shouting for him to stay away. She screamed something else as lightning ripped through the sky and thunder drowned out her words.
“She’s not mad, Alden, she’s scared. Totally freaked out by something. Look at her. It isn’t you.”
He remained silent.
In my mind, Rose stood on the edge of the roof, paused long enough to meet Alden’s eyes, and jumped backward into the water. Was that the look my dad had on his face before he killed himself too?
Alden stopped the memory before she went under.
I’m sorry. I can’t watch you die again.
I sat motionless on the bed. “Please return to your body, Alden.”
Out.
He poured his soul back into his body and we sat side by side, hands clasped. After a while, I let his hands go and walked over to the window. He had it all wrong.
“What am I supposed to do with that information, Alden?” I waited for an answer that didn’t come. “Am I supposed to rant at you for kissing Rose back when it’s obvious she jumped you first? Am I supposed to kick you out of my life or report you to the big bad IC meanies because she freaked out and committed suicide?”
He shrugged.
“There’s more to this. We can’t hear everything she said because of the thunder. She didn’t do this because you kissed her. I mean, I’m sure it was good. You’re a great kisser, but come on. You’ve told me over and over how in control she was. No way she’d lose it over a kiss.”
“You saw it yourself, Lenzi. There’s no other explanation.”
Spook began to growl and bark fiercely from downstairs. Time felt suspended as we stared at each other, waiting. Then it hit. “Oh, God, Alden. It’s that smell! The one from the car.” I covered my mouth and held my breath. Terror grabbed my insides so hard I felt numb. This time I knew who it was, and I knew what he wanted.
Alden took me in his arms. “Remember to call me when it’s time, Lenzi.”
“No!” I screamed at the demon. “Begone!”
Smith’s voice was close, and when he spoke, his clipped consonants echoed in my head.
“Ah, so brave, my love. Will he be too late again?”
“Now, Alden!”
Alden entered before I finished saying his name.
I’m here, Lenzi, you’re safe.
“That was a tragic mistake,”
Smith growled.
“If I cannot have you, I will have one you love!”
Alden’s empty body fell as if it had been knocked over. Oh, God! The thing was hurting Alden. I had to do something, but what? A cut streamed across on his cheek as his body was lifted over my head and dropped to the floor. Smith’s terrible, menacing laughter rang out as I threw myself over Alden’s body.
“No! You can’t have him,” I screamed.
“A little too attached this time, perhaps? That’s what happened last time,”
Smith taunted. “
But you can’t save everyone!”
His laughter faded into empty air.
I remained draped across Alden’s empty body. I had never felt rage like this. It made me shake from head to toe. I wanted nothing more than to send Smith from this world permanently.
I feel your anger. Let it go. It’s okay. My body isn’t damaged. Focus, Lenzi. He’s not finished yet,
Alden warned.
I sat up and listened. Spook ran by the door, growling. She began barking like crazy from somewhere down the hallway.
Alden and I reached the same horrifying conclusion simultaneously
.
“Izzy!”
TWENTY-SIX
S
top, Lenzi,
Alden said before I’d made it to his bedroom door
. We can’t act without a plan.
I didn’t want to wait long enough to make a plan.
“We have to stop Smith, Alden. He’ll hurt Izzy.”
You can’t take him on alone, Lenzi. We need help.
“I have you to help. Go back into your body.”
Spook was still barking from the hallway.
No. That would leave the vessel open for him, and you aren’t ready to take on a demon this powerful yet. That’s what he wants. We can’t leave you unprotected. Use my phone to call Horace.
“No, Alden. I think—”
Stop thinking, Lenzi, and please do as I say! Call Horace!
Knowing he could feel my soul, I swallowed my hurt. I found Race’s number, called him, and told him what had happened. Race said that he and Maddi would pick us up as soon as possible.
Alden was convinced Smith wouldn’t hurt Izzy unless I was there to see him do it, so I didn’t push to go to her room again. I needed to trust his experience and judgment. I was clueless about these things.
I retrieved Alden’s medical kit from his car when he asked me to. Following his instructions, I cleaned the cut on his face and applied butterfly closures.
Go get three belts from my closet,
Alden instructed. I didn’t ask why.
Spook stopped barking.
The doorbell rang.
Alden’s cell phone rang.
My heart stopped.
Phone first, then door,
Alden instructed.
It was Maddi on the phone. She and Race were right outside. I ran down the stairs and let them in.
“Where’s Alden’s body?” Race asked as Maddi took the belts from me.
“Upstairs, in his bedroom.”
“That figures,” Race said as he took the stairs two at a time. “Sleeping on the job. Stay here, Lenzi. I’ll be right back.”
He returned carrying Alden’s empty body. Maddi and I followed him out the front door to Maddi’s truck. She opened the driver’s door and Race dumped Alden’s body behind the steering wheel.
“Stay with Alden’s body, Lenzi,” Race instructed as he ran around to the passenger side. He sat in the seat and put on the seat belt. “Now, lean across him and take my hand. Keep contact with both of us.”
I stepped up onto the running board of Maddi’s truck and grabbed Race’s hand. It was a tight squeeze because of the steering wheel. I pressed my side against Alden’s chest.
“Tag, you’re it, Alden,” Race said. “Time to give up the home base. On three: one, two, three!”
I held my breath as Alden exited and Race entered, but it didn’t help, I screamed in pain anyway.
“Let’s go, Alden,” Maddi said, pulling me away from him. “We’ve got a date with the devil.”
Alden stepped out of the truck. “Please wait here, Lenzi, while we go get Izzy.”
“But I could help.”
“No. You wouldn’t be helpful. Quite the opposite.” He ran up the sidewalk to the house.
I sat on the curb, determined not to cry. There was a lot more at stake here than my ego.
Hey. Whoa there. What’s wrong, sugar?
Race asked.
I’d forgotten he was there.
What happened? Was Alden mean to you? I can straighten him out, you know.
“No, Race. I’m just a screwup, and he knows it. Rose would’ve been helpful. I’m ‘quite the opposite.’”
He didn’t want you to go in because Smith would go nuts and hurt his baby sister. It’s you Smith wants. Alden was right to keep you out here. He wasn’t being mean.
“He told me not to think and ordered me to do as he said.”
What was it he told you to do?
“Call you. I wanted to have him go in with me so that we could help Izzy.”
There was a considerable pause
. Lenzi. You had no choice but to call me. Exorcisms take at least two Protectors.
“Exorcism!” I leaned against the truck. “No, it can’t be. Alden told me they were very rare and that the IC assigned them.”
That’s correct unless the person possessed is your little sister. Then you don’t wait around to untangle the bureaucratic red tape.
My heart hammered, and my skin was clammy. I fought the urge to vomit. “I don’t know how to do an exorcism. Surely he’s calling in someone from the IC to help us, right?”
Calm down. It takes a Speaker. You are the Speaker, Rose.
“I’m not Rose! That’s the problem, don’t you see? All of you think I’m Rose, including the creepy ghoul in Izzy’s room, but you’re wrong. I’m not anything like her. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing.”
If you don’t get it together, Elizabeth and Alden are dead.