I glanced at the water below and reminded myself I had a very different endgame planned. It shows how ugly my situation had become that the thought of throwing myself off the bridge into freezing water was comforting.
A couple more Nightstruck wandered onto the bridge, then a few more after that, trickling in by ones and twos, until I had a substantial crowd gathered around my location. They entertained themselves by trying to make me flinch, each newcomer being challenged to describe their horrifying plans for me. I was pleasantly surprised that after a few minutes, their words started bouncing off me with little effect, to the point where when yet another Nightstruck man joined the group and opened his mouth to start, I rolled my eyes and said, “Yeah, yeah, rape, torture, horrible death. Got it.”
He was completely dumbstruck by my blasé response, and I laughed at the look on his face. It wasn’t that I wasn’t scared anymore—I was terrified. But there was a certain ease that came with knowing it would all be over soon, one way or the other. As dusk turned to dark, I came to the conclusion that I was now more or less at peace with the prospect of my own death, and for the first time, I understood why Piper was so desperate for me to kill her.
Guilt and grief and terror are utterly exhausting to live with, and I was more than eager to shrug those burdens off my shoulders. I still had every intention of fighting for my life, but losing that fight no longer seemed like the worst thing that could possibly happen.
It was almost full dark by the time Aleric arrived. I wasn’t a bit surprised to find that he’d brought not just an entourage, but a veritable army of Nightstruck, as well as both Billy and Leo. Luke was sitting backward on Leo’s back, the snakes of Leo’s mane wrapped around his arms and neck, holding him trapped. It was too dark to make out many details, but I was pretty sure there were bruises on his face. He was not the sort to let himself be taken peacefully.
I cried out his name when I saw him. Leo had him too wrapped up to allow much movement, but he tilted his head in my direction, and our eyes met.
“I’m okay,” he yelled at me, his voice hoarse, but the look in his eyes said that was a lie. “Please don’t—”
His voice cut out and his back arched as the snake around his throat tightened its grip and Aleric sneered at him.
“You don’t have a speaking role in this little drama,” Aleric said, putting himself between me and Luke. He looked me up and down with a proprietary eye. Several of the men who’d been so enthusiastically discussing my rape and torture shifted uncomfortably, like they hadn’t considered that Aleric might consider me his property and were worried that he’d take offense at what they’d said.
“I’ve abided by your terms,” he said, cocking his head at me. “Just what is it you hoped to accomplish by having me meet you here?”
Aleric had many faults, but stupidity wasn’t one of them. I was certain he’d taken one look at the situation and instantly realized what I had in mind. Hell, he probably figured that out last night when I named a bridge as our rendezvous point.
I’d had plenty of time to think about exactly how I wanted to do this, how I could create the best chance to keep Luke alive. Even so, it took a few long, uncomfortable moments before I could unstick my tongue from the roof of my mouth to speak. Leo’s mane of snakes hissed and writhed, and occasionally one would snap its fangs millimeters from Luke’s face. The scorpion tail coiled and loosened, a pearl of venom forming on its tip.
I tore my eyes away from Luke with an effort and tried to sound like I was in full control of the situation.
“Let him go,” I ordered Aleric. My voice shook, and I told myself it was just with cold. I willed Aleric to draw the same conclusion, to somehow overlook the terror I was certain showed in my eyes.
I’d had a long speech prepared in my mind, but the words fled now that I needed them.
Aleric smiled at me with a look in his eyes that said he was curious to see what I looked like without my skin. “Now why would I want to do a silly thing like that?” he inquired, rubbing his chin in a mockery of a meditative gesture. “Leo seems to have grown rather fond of his new toy.”
Leo made a sound like he was gargling with rocks and nails, the rumble so low it made my bones and teeth vibrate.
“You can either let Leo have his toy,” I said, “or you can have me. You can’t have both.”
He laughed. “I can have anything I want, foolish child. You could have, too, if only you’d been willing to take it.”
I gestured toward the dark water waiting below without taking my eyes off of Aleric. “If you let Luke go, I’ll come quietly and open one and only one gate for you. If you don’t, I’m jumping and you’ll never have me.”
Luke tried to say something, but a snake strangled the words before more than a blurt of sound came out.
“Come now,” Aleric cajoled, “you don’t expect me to believe you’re willing to die for some teenage Romeo, do you?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the Nightstruck edging closer to me. I whirled and turned my gun on him. “Not another step. I will shoot you.”
I held my breath, because I knew Aleric didn’t give a damn whether his Nightstruck lived or died. If he ordered them to grab me, they would, regardless of my threat, and I would have no choice but to jump to avoid being captured. If I had to die, it would be a lot easier to swallow if I knew my death would save Luke’s life.
To my relief, Aleric waved his minion off. I purposely let myself wobble and was gratified to see the flash of alarm in Aleric’s eyes. He was trying to play it cool, but he didn’t much like having me standing on that ledge. I told myself that was a good and hopeful sign. I needed him to care enough not to call my bluff.
“Luke risked his life to save me,” I said to Aleric. “It seems only fair I should do the same for him.”
Aleric’s mouth twisted into an ugly sneer. “He didn’t save you. He made you once again a victim to pain and grief when you had finally shrugged them off. By all rights, you should hate him, just as Piper hates you.” The sneer turned into a mock frown. “Speaking of Piper, I remember giving you very clear instructions to bring her with you this evening, but I don’t see her anywhere. Perhaps you’re not so eager to save Romeo after all.”
“I told you last night I don’t know where she is. I don’t care if you believe me or not. It’s the truth.”
“I can make you care.”
“And I can go for a swim.”
Neither patience nor subtlety was among Aleric’s strong suits, and though he was trying to project an image of confidence and nonchalance, his expressions were growing ever more brittle, his tone developing sharp edges.
“Touché,” he said with what I’m sure was supposed to be a jaunty smile. It looked more like a snarl.
“Here’s what you’re going to do if you don’t want me to jump,” I said. “You’re going to let Luke go and make sure he gets back to his hotel safely. When he’s in his room with his mom—just the two of them—he’s going to give me a call. When I can see on FaceTime that he and his mom are both safe and alone, I’ll toss the gun and come down.”
He raised his eyebrows. “And I’m supposed to believe you’ll just come quietly and open a gate for me?”
“Yes.” I glanced down at the water for the millionth time. “I’m willing to die if I have to. But I’d really rather not.” I hoped Aleric couldn’t see Piper’s car sitting there in the distance waiting for me. If only the damn thing weren’t so … red. If he had any inkling what I was planning, all he’d have to do was send someone to hang out by my car, and my escape route would be history.
The Nightstruck were looking back and forth between the two of us as we spoke, fascinated spectators at a verbal tennis match. I kept careful watch on them out of my peripheral vision, trying to ensure that no one could sneak up on me. Cold wind bit my cheeks and numbed my hands until I could barely feel the gun I held. There was a long, tense silence, and then Aleric heaved a sigh.
“You
know, I’m actually interested to see what you’re going to do,” he said. “I don’t believe you’re going to come quietly, but I also don’t believe you’re going to martyr yourself for the greater good. You are not so unselfish as you’d like to believe.”
I have to admit that that stung, no matter how unreliable the source, or how supremely unqualified he was to judge. Maybe it was because I doubted my own ability to follow through with my plan. There was a very real possibility that I was going to die if I jumped off that bridge, escape plan or not. I was telling the truth when I said I didn’t want to die, but I knew that if it came down to a choice of dying or letting Aleric use me to let the Night Makers take over our world, there was only one right thing to do. I believed I was a good person, but was I that good? Was I as good as my dad, who had been badly outnumbered by the Nightstruck and yet had left the safety of our house to try to save a helpless victim? He’d paid for that bravery with his life, but I’d seen from the grimness in his eyes when he headed for the door that he’d known exactly what he was risking. He’d been willing to give his life in the effort to save one anonymous stranger. How could I hesitate to give my own when so many more lives were at stake?
I knew that Aleric wasn’t trying to get under my skin, that he really believed I couldn’t do the right thing when push came to shove, because he suddenly turned to Leo and said, “Put him down.”
Leo made an unhappy sound, but when Aleric narrowed his eyes, the snakes in his mane uncoiled from Luke’s arms and throat. Barely conscious, he slid off Leo’s back and collapsed onto the pavement, sucking in great lungfuls of air. I winced and resisted the urge to rub my own throat in sympathy. The snakes hissed at him, and the giant scorpion tail twitched menacingly.
Aleric pointed to a couple of his Nightstruck. “You and you, help him get back to his hotel. Let no one else near him.”
I hoped Dr. Gilliam hadn’t changed hotels again, but she and Luke hadn’t been planning to, and I doubted she would change her mind when Luke was missing.
“If for some reason Luke’s mom isn’t at the hotel,” I said, “you have to call to find out where she is. I’m not doing anything until I know they’re both safe.”
“Understood,” Aleric agreed.
The two guys Aleric selected moved forward, each grabbing one of Luke’s arms and hauling him up to his feet. Still struggling for breath, Luke raised his head until our eyes met.
“Don’t do it,” Luke said, but his voice came out so choked and soft I could only make out what he said by reading his lips. He tried in vain to shake free of the two bruisers. I could see the anguished expression on his face in the moonlight, but he couldn’t seem to find his voice. I hoped the snakes hadn’t crushed his vocal cords or otherwise done permanent damage to his throat.
I couldn’t be sure if he was telling me not to open a gate or not to throw myself off the bridge. Maybe both, though I hoped he knew me better than to think I was actually planning to do what Aleric wanted. I might doubt my ability to make the leap when the time came, but it was certainly what I intended to do.
I couldn’t afford to stare longingly after Luke as Aleric’s minions dragged him away, so I quickly averted my gaze and made sure everyone else was still where I left them.
It looked like Aleric was serious. He was going to call my bluff. Let Luke go, and then see if I would actually jump. He was that sure I wasn’t going to do it. I only wished I were equally sure that I would.
Time passed in excruciatingly slow motion as I balanced precariously on that bony spine and waited for the call from Luke to tell me he was all right. I reasoned that it would be infinitely easier to make the jump if I could do it knowing I had saved him, that my sacrifice meant something. But the minutes ticked on and on and on, and my phone was silent.
There was only so long I could menace the gathered Nightstruck with my gun, and I was eventually forced to drop my arm to my side to relieve my screaming muscles. The movement sparked unsavory glints in many of the Nightstruck’s eyes, but when one had the temerity to take a step toward me, Aleric stopped him with a barked command before I could get the gun back up.
“I intend to keep my bargain,” he said with what was supposed to be a gallant smile. I ignored him, but the Nightstruck obeyed unquestioningly. They continued to watch me like starving wolves would watch a sheep, but they held their places.
Never in my life had time moved so slowly. I checked the time on my phone when I felt that at least ten or fifteen minutes had gone by to find that it was only five. I shivered with cold, though inside my coat I was drenched in sweat.
How long would it take Luke to get to the hotel? It was between this bridge and the square, so it should take less time to get there than it had to get here. Since Aleric and company had made it here about fifteen minutes after sunset, I figured the Nightstruck should get Luke to the hotel in about ten. There might be some issues getting security to open the doors at night, but Luke’s eyes weren’t Nightstruck green, so they would eventually let him in as long as his escorts kept their distance.
The ten-minute mark passed, and the fifteen-minute one followed suit, with still no phone call. I’d thought Aleric was letting Luke go in a show of supreme arrogance, but maybe I’d been wrong. Maybe he was just delighting in giving me false hope.
When a full thirty minutes had passed with no word, my gun hand rose of its own accord. My eyes were too dry from the biting wind to conjure any tears, but grief threatened to consume me as my hopes slowly died.
Aleric held his hands up and gave me innocent eyes. “Your boyfriend is a wannabe hero,” he said. “I’ll wager he’s decided not to call to make sure you have no motivation to cooperate with me.”
“I don’t believe you,” I said as I aimed my gun more or less at his head. It would have been hard to get a good aim on a barn door when my hands were shaking so hard. I wouldn’t put it past Luke to stay silent for just that reason, but it seemed much more likely the Nightstruck had done no more than take him out of sight. I didn’t think he was dead—Aleric would have too much fun using him to torment me—but he might as well be.
I had failed. I squeezed off a couple of wild shots, mostly for the purpose of causing confusion. I already knew the bullets couldn’t harm Aleric, even if my aim were steady enough to hit him. The Nightstruck started yelling, and one of them went down in a spray of blood. Aleric stood there in the center of it all, smirking and unaffected.
I wished I could have done more. My hopes that I could swim to the car and drive to safety felt so far-fetched as to be almost ridiculous, and I was suddenly sure that if I jumped off that bridge, it would be to my death. I wished I could have saved Luke and that I didn’t have to leave my city in the grips of the night magic. But I was out of options.
When push came to shove, it was surprisingly easy to take that first fatal step off the bridge.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Stepping off the railing into empty air might have been surprisingly easy, but my body told me in no uncertain terms that it was not into this whole heroic sacrifice thing I had going on. Despite my willingness and determination, my arms started windmilling the instant I began to fall. The gun went flying from my hand as my fingers scrabbled at the air, frantically grabbing for a purchase that wasn’t there.
A scream tore from my throat as I looked up at the rapidly receding bridge, and my body refused to give up the futile struggle, arms and legs flailing away without any hint of conscious control.
In the faint glow of the city lights, I saw a dark blot moving rapidly toward me through the air. At first I thought Aleric had sent someone jumping after me to try to rescue me, and I vowed to fight that person tooth and claw before I’d let him drag me to shore. Then I realized it was much too big to be a person, and that it wasn’t falling—it was flying.
During the day, there’s a stone eagle perched at each end of the railing. Long ago, when the magic got its first roots dug into the soil of Philadelphia, I had noticed one of
those eagles changing slightly after sunset, though at the time I’d thought I was imagining things.
When the sun had set tonight, I’d been too busy trying to keep my balance on the shifting railing to notice how the eagles had changed, but I got an unfortunate look at the one that was swooping toward me and belatedly noticed the other three all hovering over the water under the bridge. While I’d been waiting around for Luke’s call, Aleric had somehow signaled his creatures to lurk out of sight until they were needed.
It was too dark to make out any details of the eagle that was coming for me, but I could see metal spikes along the edges of its feathers, and I could see the scythe-like blades where talons should have been as it reached for me. I lifted my arm in a vain attempt to fend the creature off. And that’s when I hit the water.
I knew it was water, of course, but it felt more like I had smashed into a slab of concrete. Thanks to all my frantic flailing, I took the brunt of the landing on my backside, quickly followed by my back, head, and legs. All the air was forced out of my lungs, and the pain whited out my mind for an instant. The bridge might not be high enough for a fatal fall, but it was still too high for anything like a safe jump.
The nonexistent concrete slab cracked on impact, and I was soon introduced to a whole new level of pain as the ice-cold water closed over me.
It felt like I sank about a mile deep, my lungs already empty of air from the force of the impact. My body’s primal instincts demanded that I fight for life, just as they had while I was falling. I opened my eyes in the freezing water and could see nothing, not even a hint of light from where the surface had to be.
I thrashed with my arms and kicked with my legs, clawing in a direction I hoped was upward. It was hard to kick with my pants and shoes weighing me down, and even harder to move my arms thanks to the heavy coat. I kept fighting anyway, my lungs burning, my chest aching as the cold stabbed through my flesh.