Scattered Ashes

  Aislin lets the chain go and stalks toward Adessa. "Let's get this over with." Her palms ignite as she raises her arms above her head.

  The Black Angel tracks my movements, snarling at me, so I move to the right, as does it, skittering around and blocking the exit.

  I dare a glance at Aislin and see Tesha tackling her while Adessa chants a spell. Aislin claws at her face, and Tesha's hair lights on fire. She screams, and Adessa's skin pales. I run for them, but the Black Angel mimics my move and gets in my way. She flaps her wings and the wind howls. I shield my eyes as glass and papers funnel around the room. Then the Black Angel growls again, snapping her teeth, as she races forward and stands before me.

  Our gazes collide, and just like that, I'm paralyzed, helpless again, bound to her by a trance. She creeps toward me, dragging the chains behind her, silently whispering for me to free her. My hands raise, my limbs no longer under my own freewill. I fight not to do it, battle to keep control of myself, but I end up reaching for the cuffs around the Black Angel's wrists.

  Using my Keeper strength, I snap the metal into pieces and free her from her imprisonment.

  I scream at the top of my lungs, knowing what's about to happen, and the Black Angel cries with me as papers and glass continue to fly through the air.

  Then everything grows really quiet.

  My knees buckle, and I collapse to the floor, landing on my side. I lie there for what feels like forever until I can finally move again. Pushing to my feet, I dust myself off, feeling fine.

  "I'm okay," I breathe in relief.

  Then I catch sight of Aislin, Adessa, and Tesha. Aislin looks fine, and I notice the mark is no longer on her. I want to celebrate, but the fear in their eyes stops me.

  "What's wrong?" I ask, brushing the pieces of glass out of my hair.

  Before anyone can answer, I hear heavy breathing from the side of me. Instinctively, I spin around.

  A tall woman wearing a blue dress smiles at me.

  "See you in hell, Gemma." She winks at me then disappears into thin air.

  I start to put two and two together, and my gaze drops to my arms. The same symbols that traced Laylen's arm now trace mine.

  I trace my finger along the ink. "The Mark of Immortality." I gasp, rapidly reaching around behind me. My eyes snap wide as my fingertips brush soft feathers. "Oh, my God. I have wings."

  ALEX

  The bargain I just made is going to cost me a lot more than before. More than my life. More than a year working for Draven.

  The damn Banshee wants my soul. It's the reason she led me out here, thinking if she somehow got me alone, she could trick me into handing my soul over to her. When Gemma showed up with me, she saw an even better opportunity. Apparently, when someone sacrifices their own life, their soul is more valuable. So if Gemma had drunk the poison, her soul would belong to her and give her more power.

  Thankfully, that never happened, but the Banshee is still convinced she's going to somehow get my soul. What she stupidly doesn't realize is that my soul belongs to Gemma. Literally. It's something I haven't told Gemma yet, that when we made the forever blood promise, I actually gave her a piece of my soul.

  That's why I can't make the deal with the Banshee woman, no matter what she tries to bribe me with. It doesn't mean I am going to give up, though. If she knows where my mom is, I have to get the information out of her. I just need some time to figure out how to do that.

  I leave the house with the Banshee wailing at me to come back. I head back to the woodpile to check on Laylen, finding him still lying unconscious underneath the tarp, drooling all over himself.

  "What am I supposed to do with you?" I mutter, crouching down beside him. "I'd just leave you here, but I'm pretty sure Gemma would hate me if I did that, and I can't deal with her hating me."

  "I can fix him," Aislin's voice sails over my shoulder.

  I jump up and whirl around with my knife out. "What did you do to Gemma?"

  Aislin sticks her hands in the air. "She's fine. I'm fine. Everything's fine now." She nods at her arm that's no longer marked.

  "Gemma freed you?" I ask, impressed. "How?"

  "She went to Adessa's and got her help," Aislin explains, her hands falling to her side. "But not without running into a few other problems."

  I sigh heavily. "What happened now?"

  "I'd rather you just come with me and see for yourself," she says, picking her fingernails, a nervous habit of hers.

  I nod at the woodpile. "You want to take care of him first."

  She smacks herself in the forehead. "Oh, yeah, duh." She rushes over to Laylen and quickly works her magic, removing the mark from him.

  When Laylen wakes up, he's extremely disoriented. "What happened?" He clutches his head. "And why does it feel like someone punched me in the head."

  "No one punched you in the head." I pull him to his feet. "I just clocked you over the head with a shovel."

  He blinks dazedly at me, and then his expression plummets. "Shit . . . I was . . ." He looks down at his arm where the mark used to be then shakes his head, looking disgusted. "What did I do?"

  I could tell him everything he did--how he attacked us, drank Gemma's blood, and tied her up--but for some crazy reason, I don't want to make him feel guilty. Maybe it's because I'm tired, or maybe Gemma's kindness is starting to rub off on me.

  "Nothing too bad," I lie.

  He looks unconvinced but doesn't say anything.

  "We need to get back to Adessa's," Aislin announces. "Like now."

  "You're starting to worry me," I admit to Aislin, tucking the knife in my back pocket.

  She opens her mouth, worry written all over her face. "Let's just get going, okay?"

  My heart races in my chest. "Please, just tell me she's not hurt."

  "Not with any injuries," she replies, avoiding eye contact with me.

  "What about the . . . ?" I rake my fingers through my hair and lower my voice. "The baby?"

  Aislin looks taken aback. "You know about that?"

  I nod. "Tell me it's okay."

  "Well, turns out, it's a she," Aislin says. "And yeah, she's okay."

  "She?" I blink. "I'm having a daughter."

  Aislin smiles tensely. "You're having a daughter, and I'm going to be an aunt."

  My mind is racing a million miles a minute as the three of us huddle together, preparing to go to Vegas.

  "I need to warn you to prepare yourself," Aislin suddenly says.

  I open my mouth to ask why, but she's already taking us away.

  GEMMA

  When Aislin, Laylen, and Alex materialize in Adessa's living room, I immediately duck behind the sofa, embarrassed over how I look.

  "What was that?" Alex asks with a hint of repulsion in his voice.

  I want to cry, but at the same time, I want to kick him for being such an asshole.

  "Gemma, you can come out," Aislin says tentatively. "No one's going to hurt you or judge you. I promise."

  "I'd rather just stay here until this is fixed," I say, curling up in a ball.

  "I don't get it," Laylen says softly. "Why did it look like she has . . . wings?"

  He sounds like his old self, thank God. At least one good thing came out of all of this.

  "Gemma, please come out," Aislin says. "I can't help you if you don't."

  Heaving a sigh, I rise to my feet. I feel like an animal in a zoo as Alex and Laylen gawk at me. Their eyes are wide and full of horror, and I feel so ashamed of how I look.

  On top of having huge-ass wings sprouting out of my back, I'm also stuck in the corset dress the Black Angel was wearing when I freed her. The fabric barely covers my ass. Not to mention, I'm stuck in heels I can barely walk in.

  Laylen gives me a once over, and then his blue eyes meet mine. I want to run up and give him the biggest hug I can muster.

  "You're back," I say, smiling.

  He smiles, but there's a drop of sadness in his eyes, probably guilt over the stuff he did. "Yeah, I
'm back."

  I avoid Alex's eyes altogether, because I won't be able to handle it if he even so much as has a speck of disgust in his gaze.

  "So, there was an accident," I utter quietly.

  "What kind of accident?" Laylen asks with caution in his tone.

  "It's my fault." Aislin bursts into tears. "I brought the Black Angel here."

  "It's not your fault," I tell her. "You weren't yourself."

  Tears cascade down her cheeks. "Yes, it was. I did this. And I was so mean about it. God, the evil me is such a bitch."

  "Yeah, but if it wouldn't have been for me, the mark would have never gotten so out of control," I remind her.

  While she shakes her head and continues bawling, Laylen puts his arms around her and allows her to cry against his chest. I stare at the wall, even when I feel Alex move toward me. My senses are even more tuned to him somehow, and I can feel his every movement, sense it through the sparks.

  He doesn't say anything as he stops in front of me. I tip my head down, mortified, but he hooks a finger under my chin and forces me to look up at him.

  His eyes skim every inch of me, drinking me in. "You're going to be fine," he says. "We still have time before this turns permanent."

  "But I don't want anyone to have to take my place." I frown. "I don't want to trap someone like that."

  "Don't worry. We'll find another way to get those wings off you." He offers me an encouraging smile. "But we have to hurry. You're still you right now, but you won't be for long if we don't move quickly." His gaze sweeps across my body, and his eyes fill with hunger as he wraps an arm around me and cups my ass. "You should keep the dress, though." His breath is hot on my arm. "You look so fucking sexy right now." His teeth graze my earlobe, and I shudder. "I missed you."

  "I'm glad you're okay," I whisper. "I was scared when I didn't know what was happening to you."

  "I know you were," he says. "You said so in your dream."

  A faint smile graces my lips. "You were there again?" I ask and he nods. "I wish I could just keep us there forever, trapped in a dream. It'd be so nice."

  "It would, but then again, you wouldn't be really living life," Alex says softly. "And, Gemma, you're going to live your life, no matter what I have to do."

  I lean into him instead of arguing, knowing there's no point. No matter what I say, he's always going to be determined to save me.

  He shifts his weight, and his fingers fumble as he traces the length of my spine. "So, a girl, huh?"

  I pull back. "How'd you know?"

  He looks a little guilty. "Sorry, but Aislin kind of has a big mouth."

  "It's okay," I tell him. "And I mean that. The baby's going to be okay. Adessa did a spell on her that's going to protect her no matter what happens to me."

  "Nothing's going to happen to you," he assures me. "You're going to live, and we're going to get those wings off you, but I'm going to need Adessa's help."

  "Sorry, but she left," Aislin interrupts, stepping out of Laylen's arms. She wipes her red, swollen eyes with the sleeve of her shirt then tries to comb her tangled hair into place. "She and Tesha took off. They said they were going into hiding until all this shit with the mark is over."

  "Which will be soon," I say, wrapping my arms around myself to try to cover up my chest that's nearly bursting out of my top. "Alex and I found a way."

  Alex shakes his head. "No, we didn't. I still haven't found my mom."

  Aislin's eyes pop wide. "Wait a minute. Our mom?"

  I shoot Alex a dirty look and nudge him in the side. "You didn't tell her you're looking for your mom?"

  He winces, clutching his ribs. "Fuck, that hurt. You're like freakishly strong now."

  "And immortal." I stick out my arm, showing him the mark that matches Laylen's.

  Alex pulls me closer and blinks at the Mark of Immortality. He mutters something under his breath, and then he's storming for the door.

  "Where are you going?" I chase after him, my wings slamming into the walls and shelves.

  "To find a witch who can help us get those things off you," he all but growls.

  "Hello, Aislin can," I remind him.

  He slams to a halt, and I crash into him. "We're going to need more than one witch in order to pull this off."

  "I'm going with you," Aislin says, grabbing her jacket from the back of the sofa.

  Alex looks back and forth between Laylen and me. "Are you going to be okay here by yourself?"

  "I'll be fine. I'm super strong right now and immortal. Plus, Laylen can stay here with me, but Aislin should go with you. I don't want you going alone." I look over at Aislin as something dawns on me. "Wait a minute. How'd you even get the Black Angel out of the cage without changing into one yourself?"

  Aislin frowns. "I used magic . . . a spell I didn't even realize I know." She slips her arms through the sleeves of her jacket. "It was so weird, but somehow, I knew a lot of spells, darker spells." She sighs, reaches in her pocket, and retrieves my locket. "Sorry I took this."

  "It's okay." I put my locket back on and then give Alex a heavy stare. "Hurry back, okay? It's becoming more . . . difficult when you're gone."

  He lightly touches the feathers on my wings, and I shiver. "I'll be back soon."

  They head out, shutting the door behind them and leaving Laylen and I alone.

  "So," he starts, sinking into the sofa, "how bad was I?"

  "You don't remember what happened?" I ask, sitting down beside him.

  "I remember some stuff . . ." he trails off, scratching at the back of his neck. " I'm just asking because . . . You're the one I hurt."

  My fingers wander to my neck where the bite marks once were. "It wasn't that bad."

  His shoulders sag. "Please don't sugarcoat it for me. I don't deserve that."

  I twist to face him and put my hands on his shoulders. "You know what? You're right. It was bad. You scared the shit out of me. But we've all done things we're not proud of, and we just have to live with it and move on. Our mistakes don't define us; it's what we do afterward--how we grow--that makes us who we are."

  "When did you get to be so insightful?" he asks with a soft, shocked laugh.

  I grin. "I learned from the best."

  His smile grows, and then he hugs me, wings and all.

  ALEX

  I hate leaving her, but there's no way I'm going to let her come with me. Her violet eyes draw enough attention, but now she has wings.

  "How do you know about this spell, but I don't?" Aislin jogs after me as I shove my way down the crowded streets of Vegas.

  The neon lights flash across every person's face, and the slot machines ding from inside every building.

  "I know a lot of things you don't," I tell her, squeezing past a guy dressed like a cat who's really a vampire. In fact, most of the people around here are otherworldly creatures.

  "Yeah, but I'm a witch. You'd think I'd know there's a spell to remove the wings of a Black Angel without sending them to hell." She casts a glance around the crowded sidewalk. "I wish it only took one witch. It'd be so much easier."

  "You need a witch for each wing. So this is where all the vampires, fey, and witches migrated to." I intentionally change the subject, worried if she finds out how I know about the spell, she'll get upset.

  When I was younger, before our mom vanished, she used to teach me all kinds of stuff, including spells, even though I'm not a witch, like how to slay a Death Walker and the location of the City of Crystal. She also taught me how to turn a Black Angel back into a human. Sometimes, I wonder if she knew all of this was going to happen and was preparing me for it.

  Aislin shakes her head and crosses her arms. "I can tell when you're lying."

  "I know I am." I scan the crowd for a witch who isn't marked. "But right now, all I care about is getting those damn wings off Gemma." I spot a witch not too far away with her head tipped down and her gaze fastened on the ground. She looks terrified out of her damn mind, and I'm betting it's because she's
not marked.

  "You know we have a ton of other problems, right?" Aislin reminds me. "Like the fact that Aleesa's still missing, and we need to find her."

  "We will." I slam to a stop, and Aislin runs into me. "There we go. An unmarked one."

  Aislin assess the woman I point at.

  "Maybe I should handle this so you don't piss her off."

  "Hey, I can be charming when I need to."

  "No, you just think you can," she says. "Give me a few seconds to talk to her, okay?" Then she marches up to the witch with her shoulders held high.

  They talk for a minute or two before they both push their way through the mob, heading toward me.

  "This is Emilia, and she's going to help us," Aislin says, "as long as we offer her protection while she does."

  I nod. "Let's hurry, though, before we're too late."

  The moment we step inside the store, I freeze at the lack of electricity in the air. A rush of cold hits me next, and I know the Death Walkers have been here.

  I sprint into the living room as rage floods my body.

  The table, the chairs, and walls are all glazed over with ice. And lifelessly lying on the floor is a Death Walker with a gaping hole in the center of its rotting chest

  "Dammit!" I kick the tipped over table. "I'm so sick of this shit! I'm so sick of losing her! I just want to fucking hold her in my goddamn arms and not have to worry about Death Walkers, Black Angels, and my father. I just want us to be . . . normal!"

  Aislin and Emilia come rushing into the room.

  "What on earth is this?" Emilia asks, horrified. "I didn't sign up for this." She backs toward the door, her eyes wide as she gapes at the dead Death Walker. "You said I'd be safe. This isn't safe."

  Aislin shakes her head, her eyes watery. "They made it out alive," she whispers more to herself. "They had to."

  I point my knife at the dead Death Walker. "Who killed that, though?"

  Before Aislin can answer, Emilia screams at the top of her lungs and runs out of the room.

  "I'll go get her," Aislin says before racing after her.

  I crouch down to examine the Death Walker. The only thing that can kill a Death Walker is the Sword of Immortality. I can see where the blade pierced its chest, but what I don't get is where the sword came from, because the last time I checked, my father had it.