With one graceful leap, he soared to the sky. As he passed the full moon, his wings formed a heart-shaped silhouette. Mother had told me that from the back our wings were shaped like Father’s.
I sat alone and kept my eyes rooted to the sky. As the stars became brighter and brighter, as the seconds ticked away, I became lost in them, drowned in them, and the heavens were the only things I saw. It reminded me of the time when Eli took me to the stars, and my heart twisted painfully.
I just want this moment with you, where you and I are the only two in the universe. Every time I think of you, which is every second of the day, and every time I’m near you, my heart becomes a glowing star.
Every day we didn’t bring him back home, I feared he grew closer to Cyrus, but I tried to stop thinking negative thoughts and give Eli more credit. I took out the clue to page three, read it, and placed it back inside my pocket. My head throbbed from reading it. Clue three was harder to crack, but I didn’t want to think about it right at the moment. I wanted to relish the peace for a little while longer. I was just about to head back inside when I felt a soft breeze. Then the scent of Eli filled my senses as the wind glided through me, reaching to the depth of my soul.
“Eli,” I breathed out his name as if I could feel his kiss, feel him.
A black mist snaked around my ankles and started to coil around my body, moving higher and higher. I gasped when I was lifted off the ground, and then I felt a soft caress on my lips and the tip of my ear. Oh heavenly bliss! Then he spoke to me.
Listen well, listen with care, listen if you dare
For the one you seek, he’s clearly not there
Look no further, look no more
He won’t be gone forevermore.
But if you look carefully,
You might see him, so beware.
Then Eli appeared in front of me, translucent, but I could see him. I shuddered a breath and reached out to touch him, but of course my hand went right through him.
“Lucia.” He gave me his signature sexy grin, the kind that sent all sorts of hot tingles through me, especially in places it shouldn’t.
“Eli.” I smiled and remained calm. “Are you okay?”
“I’m well as I can be. Cyrus knows I’ve been trying to get on his good side. I have to give him credit. He’s not an idiot, not like Vince and Mortem. Speaking of Mortem, he’ll be around after he finds Clarissa to get the clue for the last page. Brilliant poem by the way. You made my day.” He winked.
“Thanks?” I didn’t know what to say, especially when any words seemed inadequate for what I wanted to say. I wanted to hold him, but I folded my arms because I knew it would be impossible. “Eli, where do we go from here?”
“I’ll do my best to learn to control my mind when Cyrus controls me. It’s the best I can do for now. But I need you to promise me something.”
“Okay. Anything,” I said.
“If I can’t break away from Cyrus, and he takes me completely, I need you to end my life.”
“Eli, don’t say such crazy things. You’ve got me. I’m your anchor, remember?” I choked up. The thought of Eli lost to Cyrus drove me mad. “I won’t let it happen. I’ll do anything. I promise I’ll find a way. Just hold on. We’re coming for you.”
He nodded, but sadness filled his eyes. “How are Milani and Brody holding up?”’
I shook my head. “Not good.”
“I worry about Milani. She’s alone.”
“Don’t worry about anyone except for you. Concentrate on fighting Cyrus and nothing else.”
“I could do that, but I concentrate my thoughts on you. The thoughts of you bring me joy and comfort, like I’m home.”
I teared up, and my knees began to buckle.
“I have to go.” Eli began to fade.
“No,” I whispered and reached out my hand as if I could stop him.
“I’m sorry I had to save Mortem. I wanted to show Cyrus I was on his side. I’m not sure that went well.”
“That’s okay. Anything you need to do, just do it. I trust you.”
Eli closed his eyes for few long seconds and then opened them. “I think I love you even more for that.”
Heat rose to my face. Eli’s entity became lighter to the point I could barely see him.
“You’re fading,” I said somberly, and I knew any second he would be gone. “Eli. Please be careful.”
“For you I will, my girl with wings. I am a star. I glow because of you.”
I smiled, but it was a pathetic smile. “The one who will be your destruction.”
“No,” he said harshly. “The one who saved me. The one who gave me hope. The one who let me see the light in the darkness. The one I would fight for, would die for.”
He melted my heart with his words, and his words had me undone. Fight for. Die for. And then I lost it, especially when he faded completely.
“Eli. Please don’t go.” Tears streamed down my face.
A soft breeze caressed my cheek, and I took in his last touch. “I will bring you home, Eli. I promise I will. I will find a way.” I inhaled a deep breath, and cried my last tear. I needed to snap out of it. We would meet tomorrow after school, follow Jacques de Molay, do research, and bring Eli home. Instead of going back down to my room, I told Zach through his mind that I was going to visit Milani, and soared off the roof.
Chapter 31
Milani
I snuggled my mother’s book like a teddy bear as I cried in bed. Going back in time and seeing her death broke me. All the memories of her came crashing through my walls. Sure I thought of my mother daily, but to actually see her, even from a distance, it felt like I’d buried her all over again.
I didn’t know how Eli did it. He would astral travel back by himself to his mother’s death and try to figure out what he could have done to save her. I wasn’t like Eli. My mother sacrificed her life so I could live, so Eli and I could have a chance to escape. Eli’s mother sacrificed her life so Eli could live. I believed Ikelia, like my mother, was sick of running. They would rather stay and fight. I was tired of running too. So I wiped the last tear and promised my mom I would do anything to bring Eli home.
Ever since Eli had been captured, I’d been practicing my power and reading my mother’s book, which she wrote specifically for me. I didn’t know it at the time, but Mom had finances, paperwork, the deed to the house, and a book of spells ready for me, just in case. As much as I hated the thought she had to plan for her death ahead of time, I thanked her for doing it.
I got up, placed the book inside my desk, double checked Mother’s other book underneath it, the one we retrieved going back in time regarding Jacques de Molay’s notes, and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Eli’s bedroom door was slightly ajar, and I couldn’t remember if I had closed it. I thought I had. That made me nervous for some reason, so I crept closer. As I reached his door, I felt a presence.
Bang. Bang. Bang. “Milani, it’s me Lucia. Are you there?”
My heart jumped out of my chest. No one knew where we lived except for Brody. Then I recalled Lucia had been there before. Since Eli had let her in, she was able to see our cabin. To everyone else, supernatural or not, they couldn’t see what was behind the surrounding trees.
“What the hell is she doing here?” I murmured under my breath. After looking through the peephole, I let her in.
“Hi.” She entered and shut the door. “I’m sorry to bother you.” Her nose twitched and followed the scent to the candles around the cabin.
“Edelweiss,” I said, even though I knew she knew.
She flashed a quick smile and continued. “This is so awkward. I know you don’t like me much, but … Eli came to see me.”
I hadn’t asked her to sit or if she wanted water to be polite, but all I could process at the moment was that Lucia had seen Eli. “What do you mean he came to see you? Like he was physically there? He came to your front door?” Damn it. Why wasn’t she answering? Then I calmed down when I realized
I hadn’t give her the chance. I rolled my eyes and asked, “Do you want to sit or something?”
“No, I should get going.” Lucia looked disappointed, and she had every right. I had been rude to her since the second I’d found she had wings and when Eli looked at her in ways he had never looked at any girl before. She was probably thinking she’d made the wrong decision to come see me.
“Sorry,” I spilled out before she had the chance to turn the knob. “Come sit. Let’s talk. I’ll get you some tea.”
I headed to the kitchen without looking behind my shoulder, hoping she wouldn’t leave. I had sworn to myself and Eli that I would make an effort to be nice to her. Lucia couldn’t help that she had wings. She couldn’t help that Eli fell in love with her. She couldn’t help that she was beautiful and kickass. It wasn’t her fault that sometimes … not often…I wished I was her.
After I made tea, I brought two mugs to the table and handed one to her while I planted myself opposite from her. “Jasmine tea,” I said. “Eli’s favorite.”
“Oh.” Lucia gave a faint smile and took a sip.
I laced my hands around the mug and placed it down after I drank from it. “Lucia, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound rude. It’s just that…”
“That’s okay. I understand.”
Why did she have to be so damn nice? Drumming my finger on the base of the mug I asked, “Can we start from the beginning? When did Eli come see you and how?”
Lucia wrung a strand of hair behind her ear and met my eyes. “He came in his demon form. He didn’t stay long, only because he couldn’t. I could tell he was weak.”
I also had to admit to myself that I was jealous Eli had visited Lucia and not me. We’d been through so much together, the death of both of our mothers, and we had a long history. Shaking off those thoughts, I asked, “Did he tell you anything important?”
“No, or I guessed this would be important. He worries about you.”
I almost spit out the tea I was about to swallow. “He’s worried about me?”
“I know, right? I thought he was being ludicrous.” Her smile faded, she dipped her chin to drink some tea, and then she met my gaze. “I actually came to see if you were okay. With the unsuccessful attempt to bring Eli back home and then witnessing your mother’s death again, I can only assume how heavy your heart must be right now. I hope you don’t mind that I came to check up on you. I won’t ever do it again if it makes you uncomfortable. You’re good at looking after yourself, but sometimes it’s nice to know someone cares.”
The previous Milani would have told Lucia to go to hell, but I was actually touched she had come to see me of her free will. “Thank you. That was very sweet of you,” I said. Then it became awkward for a few long seconds.
“Would you happen to know who the missing Elementa is?” she asked. That question came from nowhere. “There were three original Elementum the Snow Queen could not kill. Vince, Lilith, and who is the third? I feel like she could help us get Eli back. I’m not sure why I even have this thought. For all I know, they could be helping Cyrus.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. My mother didn’t talk about them much, only that they were powerful, especially when they put their magic together. But they deserved every bit of hate from the Snow Queen. I can’t believe how they treated her. She was just a baby when they turned her heart into ice, and for a stupid reason.”
“I agree.” Her lips curled up a bit. “Have you had a chance to look through your mom’s book?”
“Yes, but I don’t understand it. It’s random notes. I think some things will become clear to me when I actually see what they refer to, like the cubes.”
She nodded and took another sip. “I guess you’re right.”
“But one page does stick out. There were seven Knights Templar swords placed in a circular formation, but I don’t know where.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Another long silence passed by between us. I tried to rack my brain to think of something to talk about. After I took another gulp I asked, “So, what do you think about Harper and Hugo? I hope they don’t have to come with us when we search for page three. We don’t need them.”
Lucia soaked in my question and glanced to the framed photo of Eli and me. We were standing side by side. I had placed it there about a week before, when he had been captured.
“My mother took that picture.” I felt the need to say those words so she wouldn’t get funny ideas, like Eli and I had something once, which would have been far from the truth.
“It’s a nice picture.” She stared harder. “Was that picture taken in your house? I recognize the red sofas.”
“Yup. My mother’s house is on the other end of the forest.” I placed my elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Well, it’s not there anymore. I sealed it with magic soon after Eli and I had escaped so no one could see it. I didn’t want Mortem or Vince to get my mother’s book.”
She nodded again. “Good thinking.” Placing her hands on the table, she stood up hesitantly. “Thank you for the tea, but I better get going. If you can think of anything else, let me know. And I have not made up my mind about Harper and Hugo. They seem nice, and they don’t appear to have demon blood. I just think it was strange that they happened to be where they were when we came out of the volcano.”
I shrugged. I had been so distraught over not rescuing Eli that I couldn’t think of anything else. “Hm … that thought did cross my mind. Anyway, you’re welcome to come any time.”
Her smile reached her eyes, and then they became somber. “I’m sorry about your mother. I’m lucky to have both my parents and my brother. But I also know that anything can happen anytime. It’s part of who we are. I’m glad you had Eli.” She glanced at the picture again. “I’ll do anything I can to bring him back home.” She started walking toward the front door, but stopped at Eli’s bedroom.
“Do you want to go in there? I don’t mind. I know Eli won’t mind.”
She met my gaze, and then she pondered for a second. “Will you come in with me?”
I rushed over and pushed the door. Lucia inhaled a breath and stepped in. And then it hit me as I too stepped in, a hollow feeling in my heart, cutting deeper. Being in Eli’s room made me miss him even more. Eli’s bed was made up. Nothing hung on his walls, not like mine, where I posted pictures of movie star crushes. Not even a T-shirt took a space on the floor. He was a neat freak, unlike me.
Lucia’s eyes focused on something on his desk, where his notebooks and papers were spread out. Since Lucia blocked the rest of my view of the desk, I weaved around her to see what had her standing still like she had seen a ghost.
“What the hell?” I gasped.
Lucia picked up the flower. I couldn’t see it from where I stood, but edelweiss flowers were bunched up in the middle of his desk, about eight of them.
“They seem fresh, like someone placed them here recently,” Lucia said, as she continued to sniff and examine the bouquet.
I pulled up my hands. “I have no idea where they came from.” Then suddenly I didn’t feel safe anymore. Someone had come there. I laced my fingers through my hair and sucked in air to calm my nerves. After I eased my tension, I thought rationally. If the being wanted me dead, it would have killed me already. Had the flowers been in the hands of a demon, the flower would have sucked up its existence.
“Nobody knows about this cabin except for you and Brody,” I stated the fact.
“Can I take this one? I want to ask someone about it.”
“Jack’s grandmother?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Who is she? I mean besides being Jack’s grandmother, she seems to know a lot, at least from what you told us.”
Lucia caressed her cheek with the flower. “I don’t know, but I’m supposed to see her tomorrow night. I’ll ask her then.” She traced the curve of the wood indents of the desk and followed the line to the top, and her eyes watered with tears.
“Eli has a pictur
e of me on his desk?”
I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to answer. It sounded more like a rhetorical question. It was a picture of Lucia in the cafeteria, smiling. Eli must have taken the picture without her knowing. She looked pretty, happy, and so human.
Lucia blinked, covered the flower in her hand in a round fist, and headed out the door.
“Lucia.”
She turned with a smile. My heart hurt for her for the first time. Their relationship wasn’t normal, and it would never be. I didn’t know what she felt, but I could see the agony in her eyes, in her expression.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at school,” I said.
Her smile broadened even more. “If you don’t feel safe, you can come with me.”
“Nah.” I waved a hand. “I know magic, remember?”
She let out a small laugh. “I wish I could do magic like you. You’re pretty awesome.”
It sounded off, almost robotic, coming from her, but at least she tried. “Thanks.” I shrugged. I guessed angels or not, everyone envied each other’s powers.
“Be careful and call me if you need me,” she said.
“I will.”
Then she was gone.
Chapter 32
Abel
I walked in to a messy apartment. My face turned hot with anger, and I accidently bit my bottom lip when I kicked an empty bottle as I stepped in. Cursing, I grabbed a trash bag from the kitchen and started to pick up beer cans. A key jiggled in the doorknob, and Cayden and Kohl entered. Their wide eyes met mine, and they knew I was pissed. My eyes twitched the way they did when they turned dangerous amber.
“Oh shit,” Kohl muttered under his breath.
“We were going to clean up after school, I swear,” Cayden said quickly. Tossing his backpack by the door, he picked up a beer bottle on the floor.
I opened the trash bag so he could chuck the bottle in.
“So, is Eli back?” Kohl asked, dragging the dining chair to its place.
“No.” I sighed.
They froze. I heard Kohl swallow.