I hold Maddy closer, not ready to let her go. Her words sound strange, just as they did the last time this same demon took her. I suspect the demon is controlling her somehow. But whether the words are her own or the demon’s, I cannot deny the truth of them.
The killer demon is coming for her, and if he gets her, it would be my fault.
I suspected she was a target the day I met her. Then I allowed myself to be misguided by the one thing Maddy didn’t have in common with the other targets. But I was a fool. The fact that she’s not adopted does not matter. Just as she said.
It’s obvious now. I see that. Maddy manipulates the weather, controls at least two elements, has dreams or visions of demons and the mortals in danger from them, creates alternate worlds, time travels, resists all immortal abilities, restores emotions in immortals, and has even made my heart beat. And that’s just the abilities I’m aware of. She could have more still. With her many abilities, why wouldn’t the killer—and others—be after her?
I will stop this monster. I will stop him, and I will stop everyone else from ruining her chance at happiness. Even if it kills me.
But until then, I have to do something to keep her safe.
I stare into her emerald eyes. In them I see something that hurts me more than her words: fear. She knows what the demon killer is capable of—even more than I do.
I cup her chin, my thumb moving back and forth along her cheek. She leans in to my touch.
“Let me take you away,” I beg.
I know she won’t say yes. She won’t leave her family and friends. Not until she has too. Still, I keep talking, hoping I can sway her. I’m desperate.
“Let me keep you safe. We can go somewhere remote, just the two of us. Like . . . a cabin in the mountains.”
Her eyes widen. She looks a bit confused and yet a bit suspicious.
“Or Paris or Jamaica—or even the North Pole,” I continue. “The location doesn’t matter. All that matters is staying hidden from everyone. You would be safe, and you wouldn’t have to pretend for anyone. We could do whatever we wanted.”
She doesn’t respond. Maybe she’s considering it.
I place a soft, tender kiss on her lips. She gives in to the kiss, needing it as much as I need her. I hold my essence back, wanting to kiss her as a mortal. As a man who loves her.
She clings tighter to me. Having her here, touching her and tasting her with my lips, the need to protect her overwhelms me.
“Please,” I beg again against her sweet lips. “Come away with me.”
I move back, just enough to see her clearly. She stares at me, searching for something unknown. Then her lips shift into a small smile.
“If I have to leave,” she begins, “I want to go with you—no one else. But I’d rather stay and fight.”
I turn away, but she brings me back to her. She scoots closer, pressing her forehead to mine and placing a hand on each side of my face.
“They’re dying for me,” she says. “I can’t just abandon the rest.”
“I’ll send more Protectors to guard the others. He will be stopped.”
“Good. They need more help. But I’m still not hiding. Not yet.”
“Maddy, I—”
Behind us, we suddenly hear a throat clear.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Alexander says. He’s staring down the hall. “Tamitha and Sissy are concerned with how long the Immotus has been intact. They’re worried others will come if we keep it in place much longer.”
I nod. They’re right—we can’t keep everyone frozen forever. We have to restart time and return everything to normal, just as it was before. I turn back to Maddy, seeing the dried blood on her skin and ruined dress. My own clothes are covered in her blood as well.
“I’m taking Maddy home to shower and change into a new outfit. Before we return, tell the others to compel everyone to not notice her outfit change. I’ll—”
“Stop,” Maddy says firmly. Her voice is sharp. “Tell me what’s going on. What’s the Immotus?”
I send my essence into her, trying to calm her. “It’s one of our angelic abilities. With it, we alter time. Currently, time is at a standstill in Mankato. Once the Immotus lifts, time will move a bit faster to catch up to the rest of the world, though only those who are more sensitive will notice something off.”
Maddy frowns. By now I know her well enough to realize she’s bothered by this.
“We had no choice,” I stress. “We needed to know what was happening to you without anyone else seeing or hearing.”
She considers that a moment. “I understand that. But I still don’t like it. It’s still wrong.”
“Maddy, it’s fine. All over the world, at any given time, at least a dozen places are frozen. It’s done to protect mortals. And afterward, they go on living as if nothing happened.”
“It’s not fine,” Maddy says, jumping to her feet. The building rumbles.
Her reaction takes me by surprise. From the side, I see Alexander take a step back—caught off guard as well.
“We’re not pawns!” Maddy shouts.
“Hey,” I say, scrambling to my feet and standing before her. “It’s okay. That’s not—”
“It’s not okay!” she says over more rumbles. “This is why it’s so hard for me to accept what you do. You stop time, you compel mortals just as much as the demons do.”
“What?” I say, stunned. “No, Maddy. They do those things to cause harm. We do it for good.”
“Good?” she repeats, shaking her head. “How is compelling the entire school to forget what I was wearing good?”
I stiffen, then take a step closer to her. But she steps back.
“We’re not pawns,” she repeats.
All I can do is stare, not knowing how to comfort her.
. . .
I take Maddy home so she can shower. While she’s in the bathroom, I pace in her bedroom.
How upset she is makes me wonder what else happened with the demon. Where was she taken? What was said to her? What else happened to her?
I’ve never stepped back to think about how often we compel mortals. With it not working on Maddy, I’m learning just how much I lean on it. What if she’s right and we do use it just as often as demons? Granted, we use it for different reasons, but the effect is still the same. When it comes to the bigger picture, we all treat mortals as pawns.
I reach in the Veil for the bag of clothes I picked up from Immortal City and begin changing. I have to think of a way to bring Maddy back to school without compelling everyone. My reflection in her dresser mirror makes me pause. My gaze roams my assignment clothes—plain white shirt and blue jeans. I have several identical sets. If one set gets soiled or ruined battling a demon, I can change into a new set without anyone noticing. Maybe the same can be done for Maddy.
I reach out to Tamitha.
Yes, MJ, she says once we connect.
I need you to find a dress identical to the one Maddy wore earlier, I say.
I could have sent Sissy—she’s been itching to get back in my good graces—but Tamitha’s attention to detail will be best here.
Consider it done, Tamitha says.
We disconnect. I turn and stare at the bathroom door, then listen for Maddy’s heartbeat.
It’s quick, though it has been since she came back. This demon that possessed her has me more worried than the others. Maddy is powerful. Strong enough to fight off an Influencer with heightened abilities. So whoever this unknown demon is, she must be even stronger.
She’s not a Morpher. They don’t operate this way.
My gaze lands on the Segrego bracelet still sitting on Maddy’s dresser. I suddenly remember that the stones didn’t react to the demon this morning. They should have. I myself sensed a demon’s presence. But I dismissed my instinct when the stones didn’t react. That can mean only one thing—somehow this demon doesn’t belong to the Caste.
As I’m staring at the bracelet, Maddy exits the bathroom.
I stand there, stunned by her appearance more so than I was this morning. She’s in the same style of dress as this morning—Tamitha must have found it quickly. Now that I know it’s really Maddy . . . the dress seems different.
My body tightens and the room feels warm against my skin.
But Maddy’s arms are crossed, and she’s looking away. Her eyes are distant. Is she lost in a memory, or deep in thought?
Her fingers tighten on her arms, holding herself even more.
Before I can move to comfort her, emerald eyes land on me. I’m stuck in place, rooted by the sadness in them.
“Last night,” she says, “I saw how you looked at me after the tree fell . . . You were afraid of me. Of what I could do.”
In a flash, I’m in front of her, holding her. My fingers run through her hair, and she leans into it.
“I was afraid for you. For us. I didn’t know you had that much power, but I should have. That was my fault. We need to get a handle on your abilities. Let’s do some training.”
Immediately, I realize I’m still not sticking to the goal I originally set for the day—before everything went to hell. Today was supposed to be normal.
Or maybe my goal is all wrong. How can life be “normal” right now? For that matter, Maddy hasn’t been “normal” since the incident with the Shadowwalker three years ago, when she pushed her family and friends away.
But ever since coming back from the Influencer’s house, I’ve seen the desire in her eyes to repair those relationships. And Father knows she and I have some repairing to do.
Maybe what she really needs is a night of healing. A night where she can see just how much she is loved by her family, friends, and me.
My mind races through the information I obtained from reading hundreds of dating books in Immortal City. Within a second, I have the perfect date planned for her. Tonight is going to be—what is the word Amber said when she met me—epic.
I can’t conceal a sly smile as I look at Maddy. “Never mind,” I correct myself. “No training today. We have other plans.”
Uncertainty flashes in her eyes. “But how can you want me after I tried to hurt you? That’s why I took off your bracelet.”
I calm her emotions while doing my best to control mine. “It was an accident. I’m fine. What hurt worse was that I thought I lost you. ”
“Why?”
“Because of everything I kept from you. Because of how angry I made you. I’m . . . an idiot. But regardless of what you think of me, it’s your bracelet. I want you to wear it.”
“Do—” She stops and pauses. Her insides suddenly become a jumbled mess of knots and fear. “After last night and today I mean . . . do you still want to be with me?”
I place a hand under her chin, tilting her head up. “Nothing could make me stop loving you.” My lips curve into a sly smile. “Not even you.”
She rests her head on my chest, but not before I see her smile. “What would I do without you?”
I kiss in her hair, inhaling the fruit scents of her shampoo. “Doesn’t matter. You’re never going to find out.”
“Good.” She wraps her arms around me, and I do the same.
“Maddy, before we go back, there’s one thing I’d like you to do for me.”