The Light of the World (24 page)

"Hey kiddo."

"Hey. How's it going?"

"Good." She sounds tired. "I've been doing a
bunch of reading and it looks like Constantine is right. He's right
about the devils. Beheaded and instant dead. No suffering. You're
staying away from him right?"

"Yes."

"Promise? Cause I had a dream the other night
and you were drowning in a sea of blood. I think it means you're
not eating enough and your body is craving things. Like sexy
things. You're not having sex right? It makes your condition
worse."

I laugh, "No. I promise. No sex. No meat. No
processed food. It's been vegan and water and healthy." It's true
and I miss everything, except sex. "I saw Wyatt. He's back at
school, I think." Mona's nostrils flare, I'm sure Willow looks
exactly the same. I put a hand out and continue, "I think he fears
me, a little. He knows I can drink from him and not suffer any
pain. I tricked him the one time in the motel room, but now he
knows. The handfasting cost him something, just like it did me. I
can sense him the way he can me. I can drink from him and kill him
if I want to."

She sighs again, "Be careful for Goddess's sake.
You don’t know that you can kill him."

"I know. I'm being careful. How's tracking the
devils going?"

"Not so good. So far we think the one who came
and used you to cleanse is from either Detroit or New Orleans. We
think he maybe lives in both regions. The turmoil and corruption
there is the best place. He was so accessible to you. He must be
stateside. The next ones we believe are in Rio de Janeiro, Karachi,
Ciudad Juarez, Caracas or Capetown. We can't be positive but we
think we're on the right track. Should know more in the next couple
weeks. We have witches dispatched to each city and looking into it.
Do you forgive me yet?"

I frown, "For what?"

"For abandoning you to the Van Helsings and not
leaving my coven to be with you?"

"I never was angry with you. I know everything
you have done was to help me, in some way."

She sighs in relief, "Oh thank Goddess. I was so
worried. I fled when he came to the house with you because I was
scared and confused. He loves you Rayne. Make no mistake. That man
loves you. I still believe he has your best interests at heart. I
didn’t want to stay and lead him to the lair. I knew he could
torture me and make me tell him. I didn’t want him to know what you
were. I fled to protect you. Their touch is especially bad for
Earth Witches. I just can't leave you."

I sigh, "Well I don’t believe it. I don’t think
he wants to help me Willow. I think he's team Van Helsing."

"I hope you're wrong."

I chuckle, "I don’t. I don’t need complications
like boys right now. I need to hunt these devils and end my
issues."

"I can't leave my coven Rayne. I would lose my
magic if I did. I would die without it. I would come with you
otherwise."

I shake my head like she can see me, "I don’t
want that Willow. Stay there and be safe with the others. They
can't get to you there. Wyatt told me that he can only kill a
couple of you at a time."

"Yeah well, he hasn’t tried messing with us so
that’s good. How did Fitz seem? Did he look okay?" Her voice
breaks.

"Cruel and ruthless. Was that how he looked
before?"

She pauses, "He's not really like that, you know
that? He's the sweetest man alive."

I can let her believe that. I can keep her from
knowing the things they did to me. The way my shoulders slowly
dislocated and the way my wrists broke.

"Well make sure you're being safe. And if I find
anything I'll let you know. We are desperately searching for
Lillith's whereabouts. So far it seems like she's vanished off the
face of the earth. Nothing is written about her. But I'm not giving
up. As soon as one of the witch groups find the devils I'll let you
know. We will get you flights."

"Thanks Willow. I love you."

"I love you too. I miss you."

"Me too."

I hang up the phone. Mona is examining me.

"You think it was a good idea right? Coming back
here?"

I nod, "I think so. I feel exposed though. I
feel like his family could take me anytime. Like the crowds and
hordes of kids on campus, can't keep me safe."

She smiles, "Maybe that’s how they want you to
feel."

"Maybe. Maybe that’s why Wyatt came here. He
wanted to make sure I knew I was being watched. Then when the next
devil is ready, they will just take me and there isn’t anything I
can do about it."

Mona shakes her head, "It feels so hopeless. I
feel hopeless."

The outcome is inevitable. I look at her and
feel the fear and pain in the thing I'm about to ask, "Promise me
something."

She nods, "Anything. Except leaving you. I won't
do that."

"Kill me before they get a chance to do that to
me again. Don’t let me live through that. Please."

Her eyes widen but she knows. She remembers what
she saw. She knows how bad it was. She stares blankly and nods her
head, as if automatically. "I swear."

"You have to swear you will kill me."

Confusion mixes with the empty pain, "I swear,
but how?"

I shake my head, "Not sure. I think we need to
visit Michelle and see what's shaken. They should know. That priest
knew more than he let on."

Her face brightens, "Okay sweet. This
weekend?"

"Yup. We can leave tomorrow." I grin, "I'll call
my hubby and arrange some cash."

She rolls her eyes, "You're so mean. He likes
you and you're tormenting and extorting him."

"He deserves everything he gets. He fucking
betrayed me." The pain and anger and hatred aren't mine, but I feel
them nonetheless.

"Whatevs. I gotta go to class. Be safe. Stay
here. If you need something text me." She leaves.

I look at my phone and smirk. I like talking to
Constantine and hearing his voice. I pick it up and leave the room.
I should be staying in but I need some air. His voice makes me warm
and the memories make me something else altogether. But it usually
involves a cheesy grin and clenching my thighs together.

Walking down the stairs I smell something. It's
familiar and makes my stomach twist. I lean against the wall and
watch as two men come up the stairs. The older one looks exactly
like the man in the boat the day I met the Nixie. The other one is
the man who was at the church with Wyatt. I press my back against
the wall and watch them walk the stairs. The older man has a
bouquet of flowers. I panic even though they can't see me.

I know they're here for me. I turn and run
texting Mona.
'CAR NOW'

I have my phone and my keys. I rack my brain to
remember if I left anything in the room I might need.

I race across the greens to the student parking.
The car makes me smile most days. I stole it from a vampire, it's
pretty much the coolest thing I've ever done. I don’t smile when I
see it this time. I panic pushing the buttons. I can't help but
feel them behind me, breathing down my neck the way Wyatt does when
he chases me.

I get into the car and wait. The parking lot is
packed. My phone vibrates and scares the crap out of me.

'COMING'

My foot is tapping and my palms are sweating.
They're coming for me. The other devils must be full. It hasn’t
been a month.

'They need to starve you' my brain whispers.

I bite my lip and my whole leg shakes from the
tapping of my foot. I see her at the same moment I see him. She
sees him and runs for the car. I see her mouth open and words leave
them.

The guys in the parking lot hear what she's
screaming and gather. They grab Wyatt. He struggles but one of them
pins his arms. Three of them hold him. He stops fighting. His dark
blue eyes meet mine. He doesn’t smile his cocky smile.

He was the bait. I fell for the trap. I kissed
him and talked to him. I flaunted the fact I was here.

She's huffing and puffing when she gets into the
car. I slam the car in reverse. I watch his eyes as I pull away. He
looks relieved. I swear he does. Maybe it's what I want to see.

"Holy fucking shit. What was that all
about?"

"They came for me. Wyatt's friend from the
church came to our dorm with the old guy from the boat. They came
for me."

She's struggling to get her breath, "I'm going
to fail this class for sure. My prof looked at me like I was
crazy."

"What were you shouting to get those guys to
grab Wyatt?"

She grins, "I said he was stalking me. I had a
restraining order against him. He beat me up two weeks ago."

I sigh, "He is going to get beat up."

"Good. Fucker. I needed to be at that
class."

"I'm sorry Mona. I'm sorry I ever got you into
this."

She touches my hand and grips, "No. They were
coming to take you back to that tower. I know it. It's time to
start starving you again. They don’t care about you. They care
about their job. You have the same rights as any other human,
Rayne. So your parents suck. Lots of people have sucky parents.
Yours made a deal that they should have to honor. Not you. You were
a baby. They aren’t even your parents this time. You're born of
that virgin."

I drive to the priest at the cathedral. I know
he has answers he isn’t telling me about.

I press the Bluetooth button.

"Willow."

The robot voice says, "Calling Willow." I
snicker at Mona who rolls her eyes.

"What I grew up poor."

Willow answers, "Rayne?"

"Hey they came for me. I left the dorm. I'm on
the road to get the priest but I don’t think he'll tell me
anything."

She sighs, "Constantine."

I frown, "You just said…"

She cuts me off, "Forget what I said. He's the
only one who can help you. NO SEX RAYNE!"

I shake my head, "Mom I'm not gonna have sex.
For god's sake. He's like eight hundred or some shit. Give me a
little credit."

"I love you."

"Love you too."

I look at Mona who is holding her mouth. "Don’t
even think about laughing."

She bursts, "Oh my god she's the best."

I press the button again, "Constantine." I
say.

The robot voice says, "Dialing Constantine."

He picks up on the second ring and I feel a wave
of heat and thigh clenching.

"My love. To what do I owe the honor of this
phone call?" He sounds sarcastic.

I laugh, "I need you."

He chuckles, "My favorite words. Give me just
the smallest of hints as to why so I can imagine it's for something
only infinitesimally related."

I look at Mona and roll my eyes, "No. Meet me at
the church I told you about."

"You know I can't attend church my love. Perhaps
I can give you what you need in the parking lot, in MY car
perhaps."

His tone makes me smiles, "You sound bitchy
Constantine."

"You sound less afraid of me than you should be
Rayne. You're extorting money from me, using my pain and guilt. I
will eventually get what is rightfully mine, in return for all of
these favors." He says favors with distaste and annoyance.

"I need your help with a priest. How can I get
you and he to meet?"

He sighs, "Bring him outside. I'll snag him
there."

I don’t know how that’s going to help. I know he
can't walk on holy land but I don’t ask any questions. I drive. I
can count on him to help me. I know that.

"I'll text you when I get there. There is a
garden. We'll meet you there."

"And I will wait on your beckon call my pet." He
hangs up on me.

Mona looks worried. "He sounds pissed and I
can't even blame him for it. He might be evil and shit, but you're
being cruel to him."

My anger flashes, "He betrayed me, before. I was
tortured and fed the evil of the world and then murdered because he
let them take me. Trust me my attitude toward him is
justified."

She glances at me, "Well what's with the
flirting and leading him on?"

I shake my head, "I still love him. Me from
before. Her memories are merging with mine and I remember the way I
loved him. I also remember the way my heart broke when they dragged
me away and he watched. His dark eyes looked broken but he never
fought them. He could have killed them all."

"It still feels wrong to take money from
him."

I nod, "I know. But we're broke and I have no
one else. Willow is so busy looking for the devils. I don’t want to
burden her with my worries. I don’t want her to leave the coven.
She'll die."

"I don’t get that? She could live with you all
those years and not die."

I laugh, "We were with them all the time. I just
never knew. We traveled with psychics and stayed with other
spiritual people and went to vegan retreats. All witches. She made
me take my entire spring break, summer vacay, and Christmas break,
to be with them. Not to mention the other holidays and vacation
time. God then there were the ones that stayed with us. No, they
were there. Always. I was just gullible and dumb. I watched a lot
of movies while they chanted and lit candles and planted shit."

"Why did they let you grow up like that? Why did
the witches protect you?"

I shake my head again, "I don’t know. She hasn’t
answered that. She says they're friends of my moms. She's scared of
my parents though. When Wyatt came there, she was ready to die
rather than betray my mother or be taken by the Van Helsings. If
the Van Helsings caught her now they would torture her and kill
her. Or use her as bait for me. She's safer with the other
witches."

"Was she ever going to tell you? It seems like
she was going to wait for you to just become what you are?"

"I don’t know. She doesn’t answer those
questions. She says weird things like that’s not information for
right now. That’s only going to complicate things more. Nonsense. I
need the answers to all those questions. I'm short on answers. From
everyone."