Authors: Jayde Scott
"Did you hear that noise?" I asked. "What was it?"
Aidan stopped in his tracks and turned to look at me. "What noise?"
I groaned inwardly. It had all been a figment of my imagination. The fact that I couldn't distinguish between fact and fiction was slowly starting to piss me off. "You didn't hear it?"
"Nope." He cocked a brow. That didn't make any sense. Why would they be running out like maniacs if they didn't hear anything? Aidan pointed behind him at the gate. "I felt their presence."
"And I picked up his thoughts," Amber said, touching the wall. "Shadows."
"I thought so too," Aidan said. "But it's different. Look—" He leaned forward to smell a stone in the wall. I inched closer and took a whiff. All I could smell was rain and dust.
"I smell it too," Amber whispered. "It's strange. So similar to their scent and yet not quite. What bothers me though is the fact that it's on the inside of the wall."
I followed her line of vision from the wall to Aidan whose face had just turned into a mask of fury. "They wouldn't dare enter my property."
"Last time I checked they literally couldn't enter so maybe it's just a coincidence," Amber said.
Coincidences were nothing but poor excuses to shrug off the unbelievable, my grandmother always said. My gaze scanned the trees and bushes around us as the others decided to get back to the house and start searching the area for any intruders. But they didn't need to.
He was waiting for us in the living room, sitting on the couch like an invited guest. Lost for words, I blinked several times, unsure whether I was seeing a ghost. And yet I knew it was Gael because no ghost would ever regard me the way he did. Cold. Arrogant. Accusing. I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling guilty for dumping him via email. He didn't deserve it.
"So you're Gael, and mortal. That certainly explains how you got in," Amber said, planting herself in front of me.
I appreciated the concern but pushed her aside and took a step forward. "How did you find me?"
"There's a lovely invention called IP address, which is quite easy to track. Obviously, I took the first flight because you just disappeared and we were worried sick about you." Gael inched closer and reached out for me. I hesitated for a moment, then decided that not grabbing his hand was just rude. So I touched his skin, marveling at how cold it seemed. As though he had just stepped out of a freezer.
"I thought you knew how to avoid tracking," Amber said to
Thrain
.
"He does," Aidan said, his gaze still focused on Gael. "He just chose not to."
I turned to
Thrain
, my gaze throwing daggers. "Why would you do that?" I wished he would've told me so I could prepare myself for my ex starting to stalk me.
"You both need closure. I don't want to be the rebound."
Thrain's
hesitation told me he was lying. I felt there was something else he chose to keep from me. I liked him mysterious but not secretive.
I narrowed my gaze at Gael. "I'm perfectly fine. I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was going to spend some time with a few friends."
"Why did you disappear?" The accusatory tone in Gael's voice made sense, and yet there was something else I couldn't quite pinpoint, something dark and angry.
"I needed a break."
"Come on, let's give them some privacy," Amber said.
Thrain
shook his head. "No." His attitude surprised me. I had fulfilled my mission of returning Dallas's soul into his body so, according to our bargain, I was free now, even though not freed from danger. Whatever the Shadows wanted from me, they were probably still after me.
Thrain's
concern touched me deep within my heart. I shot him a reassuring smile, then turned back to Gael.
"I'm really thankful for everything you've done for me, but you and I are over. Nothing you could possibly say will change my mind. I'll call you a taxi." I turned away when Gael's hand clasped around my wrist, hurting me. "I want you to come home with me."
"It's over." I pulled away, but he didn't release his grip. His expression resembled an angry mask. He looked like he'd drag me behind him all the way to the airport.
Thrain
lunged at him and sent him flying against the couch. They both landed on the floor with a thud, Gael on his back and
Thrain
on top of him, his fists clenched around Gael's shirt. Given his short temper, I thought Gael would at least attempt to strike
Thrain
, but he just raised his hand, palms stretched out.
"I'm sorry, man. I didn't know you two were—" Gael's eyes gleamed with something, and for a moment I thought I saw that black glint again that seemed to shine through every now and then. It was gone in the blink of an eye.
Thrain
got up and moved away from him, only to stop in front of me as though to protect me. I was slowly starting to get into this alpha thing. It sure was sexy as hell but so not appropriate right now.
"Go away." I pushed him aside and reached out to help Gael up.
"Thanks." He stood but didn't touch my hand. "A taxi would be great."
I nodded and hurried out into the hall, eager to escape the pained expression on his face. To dump him was one thing, but to let him see me with my new conquest just a day after breaking up was another. I felt horrible for doing this to him when he had stood by me after my sister's death.
"Let me help you," Amber whispered, taking the phone receiver out of my hand. I nodded thankfully and pressed my back against the wall. My feelings of guilt and shame threatened to choke me, and yet I knew there was nothing I could do to soften the blow. Gael was a catch. Every girl would be happy to date him. Just not me.
Gael appeared in the doorway. Amber put down the receiver and said to no one in particular, "A taxi will be here in an hour."
"So you're staying?" Gael asked. I didn't need to look up to know he was talking to me. I nodded. He took a deep breath. "Okay. Come to think of it, I won't need the ride. I forgot I told the taxi driver to wait down the street. Goodbye, Sofia." The melancholy in his voice cut a big hole in my heart.
"Take care." My eyes searched his. I thought I would find something there, maybe love or sadness, but there was nothing like it. For a moment, his lips curled into a smile—and not a nice one. A glint appeared in his eyes again, giving him a menacing look that made me flinch. A shiver ran down my spine.
And then he turned and disappeared with Aidan following behind probably to escort him out. For the first time, I breathed out, relieved and happy to see Gael go.
"You okay?" Amber asked.
I nodded and straightened my back. A feeling of urgency grabbed hold of me, as though I knew I didn't have much time left to finish what I had started. "Let's go back to the library, shall we?"
Amber seemed taken aback but didn't comment as she accompanied me, then disappeared to get the others. I stared out the window at the woods stretching behind the house. The crow was there again, regarding me intently, its beak slightly open. And then the screeching in my head resumed.
Gael still lingered at the back of my mind when I took my previous spot on the couch. Cass had returned and sat next to me, her hands clasped around mine, her green, cat-like eyes shining. "Thank you for everything," she said, grabbing me in a tight hug.
I nodded, not used to gratefulness and open displays of affection coming from strangers, but I figured Cass and I weren't quite strangers, more like acquaintances and hopefully friends very soon. I barely knew her, but there was something about her that made me want to keep her around.
"How's Dallas?" Amber asked.
"He's sleeping. Now that his soul's returned to his body, Dad has arranged for our best healers to get him back in shape in no time."
"That's awesome," I said. Amber nodded. I could see her relief.
Cass
blew her nose and wiped a hand over her cheeks. "You've no idea how much your help means to me." I didn't want to point out I never offered my help. They had actually kidnapped me in order to make a deal. And the deal had been a tempting one. She could read my mind anyway, so I'm pretty sure she got the message loud and clear. I smiled and let her continue, "I promised you would get to see Theo if you helped Dallas. You kept your part of the bargain, and now it's time for me to keep mine."
I took a deep breath and shot
Thrain
a hopeful look. He smiled at me encouragingly, then nodded. "I'm ready," I said, meaning every word. Hundreds of thoughts raced through my mind. How would I see my sister? Would Amber summon her from the otherworld? Would Cass be opening a portal so I could peer in? Or would someone play vessel? Wringing my hands in my lap, I smiled at myself, happy to finally get to see, hear or feel my sister again. It meant the world to me.
Cass flicked her phone open and typed in some numbers. The air began to crackle as though charged with electricity. A moment later, I felt a pull on my left arm that hung over the couch.
"Chop
chop
. We only have a minute before this thing closes, and I can't guarantee it will open again any time soon." Cass grabbed my arm to pull me up. Her grip was gentle, slightly impatient, but not forceful. I wondered whether the resurrection of her mate meant she had lost her reaper abilities.
"Yep," Cass said, grinning. "Can't pretend I'm not happy. While it might be fun to
fly
to places, those wings on my back weighted a ton. Another week and I would've resembled a Pterosaurs." When she noticed my confused expression, she laughed. "Doesn't ring a bell? They're, like, big, winged dinosaurs. Fast and strong, and deadly."
Thrain
said she used to be bubbly prior to her transformation. I could certainly see that now as Cass kept chatting.
Aidan pinched her biceps, winking at me. "Don't worry, Cass. You're nowhere near." She slapped his hand away, smiling, then motioned me to follow. I stood and stepped through the portal into…sizzling heat.
A hot gust blew my hair into my face, reminding me of popping my hands into an oven to pull out a hot dish, except that the temperature here was so high I almost expected my skin to melt. Cass pointed at the cracking, black earth under our feet. The fissures were the size of my forearm with white steam rising out of them.
"Aw, can't believe I've missed this place," Cass said.
"Me too," Amber said. "I
kinda
liked our tiny house in
Distros
."
Thrain
leaned in to explain. "That's the second highest dimension of Hell." I felt my eyes widen. Then again, why was I even surprised? If the view didn't scream scorching heat, which doesn't quite fit the idea of Heaven, the smell certainly did.
I didn't need another confirmation that Hell existed, and I hoped—prayed—Theo wouldn't be here forever. I covered my nose to escape the biting stench of sulfur and forced myself to breathe through my open mouth.
"It's coming from the volcanoes over there." Cass pointed behind us to the hills in the distance. I gaped in awe at the huge mountains and the red sky. Foul-smelling gases seemed to shimmer in the setting sun. Bright orange magma erupted from the top, spreading in a wide circle like a huge halo, then flowed down at a leisurely speed, leaving a trail of liquid lava in its wake.
"Let's go. Dad's waiting," Cass said, taking off down what seemed to be a path, but I couldn't be sure because it was covered in dust and dry twigs and branches. We passed a large formation of boulders. The farther we marched through this deserted place, the faster Cass seemed to move. By the time we reached a tall fence, almost a foot taller than me, rivulets of sweat trickled down my body.
Cass opened the gate and let us into a large yard with yet more dying trees and a wilted lawn. My gaze wandered past the cobblestone path to the imposing building stretching against the sky. It was the biggest mansion I had ever seen, all red brick with huge bay windows and pretty turrets on the roof. Stretching up the walls were vines and rosebushes with thorns as large as my thumb. But what caught my attention were the stone gargoyles peering at us through eyes as black as coal. Feeling watched, I inched closer to
Thrain
, who wrapped his arm around me, and I swear for a moment I thought one of the gargoyles turned his head to follow me. Its lips pulled back to reveal fletched, razor sharp teeth. One of them shifted slowly and let out a piercing shriek.
"Spooky, huh?"
Thrain
whispered. "You should see them at night when their eyes turn red and fluorescent. They look like the miniature of Cass's hellhound. That one's not a pretty sight either."
"Are they alive?" My gaze settled on them. I almost expected them to jump down from their crouching position, spread their huge wings, and lunge at me to sink their teeth into my flesh.
"Very much so,"
Thrain
said. "They're demons of a lower order with the sole purpose to protect the Big Boss." Aka the green-eyed guy I had seen after reuniting Dallas's soul with his body.
The huge mahogany door opened before us, freaking me out a bit. Cass motioned us to follow her into the tiled hall with several vases with fresh tulips. The walls were kept in an understated white, the only picture on the wall showed a young girl with red, braided hair and an infectious smile leaning over a huge, dog-like creature with a head so large it could probably swallow the child in one whole piece.