CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
A hand grabs my arm and I come to a jerking halt.
“Don’t let go,” Will tells me. But I can’t even hold on to begin with because Zoe doesn’t want me to. She wants me to fall, and I have no choice but to obey, so I start to pry his fingers from my arm.
His eyes widen, terrified that I might actually fall. His grip tightens. “Fight her,” he tells me.
I wish so much that I could.
Zoe starts to laugh and a change comes over Will. His deep blue eyes harden with determination. He’s not going to let me go and he’s not going to let her win. His jaw clenches, muscles flexing as I’m pulled back up. Lying me down on my back he straddles me sitting on my upper legs while pinning my arms to my sides with his knees to keep me from jumping over the edge, because I will, because Zoe wants me to.
Will pulls out a small knife then runs the sharp edge down the palm of his hand. Blood rises to the surface dripping onto the front of my hoodie. He tosses the knife to the side then clasps his hands together. Closing his eyes he whispers, a soft purplish light starts to glow from between his hands.
“What are you doing?” Zoe asks, a note of worry in her voice.
Will’s eyes open just as he thrusts his hands outward. The ball of light hits her in the chest and she slumps to the ground.
He looks down at me as he brushes wet strands of hair out of my face. “Are you okay? Can you move?” He half laughs when he realizes a second later that he’s still sitting on me. “Right.” He moves over to the side. “How ‘bout now?”
After having Zoe in my head controlling my every move and not being able to do anything about it, I’m almost afraid to try. But he’s watching me with such concern that I don’t want to disappoint him. I start small, wiggling my fingers.
A smile spreads across my face.
I’m me.
I spring up wrapping my arms around Will’s neck catching him off guard. His arms surround me, holding me close. “Thank you for…” Not letting me go, for hitting Zoe with that weird ball of purple light that incapacitated her. “You saved my life.”
“You’re welcome, but you don’t have to thank me.” Disengaging from our hug, he cups my face in his hands, his thumb caressing my cheek. His eyes once so dark and clouded with anger and betrayal gaze upon me now raw and clear. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe.” Tiny raindrops glistening on his eyelashes fall as he lowers his eyes to my mouth.
He’s going to kiss me.
My breath catches.
Do I want him to?
He leans in.
I hesitate before coming to my senses. “Jared,” I breathe out in a low whisper. Will stops, his lips a heartbeat away from mine. He sucks in his bottom lip as he pulls back. Guilt punches me in the gut. Guilt because on some level I think I sort of wanted him to kiss me, guilt because I shouldn't have wanted it at all, and guilt because I almost let him. I look over at Jared, my best friend, the boy I said I love you to earlier today, innocent and oblivious to what I almost let happen between Will and I. Guilt punches me again. “We should go check on him.”
Will nods just once then climbs to his feet. He holds out his hand to help me up without looking at me. “I should call Eric anyway about Zoe.” He stares at our hands held together then lets them fall apart. With a pained sort of smile that threatens to break my heart, he turns away.
I wish he didn’t feel about me the way he does because I don’t want to hurt him and I know that I’m only going to because my heart belongs to Jared. No good can come from Will trying to steal it away.
Jared is still unconscious when I reach him. Sitting down beside him I nudge his shoulder. “Jared, I need you to wake up.” I don’t know how long Zoe will be out and I don’t want to take the risk of having her control one of us again. “Please, wake up.”
“Eric’s on his way to pick up Zoe,” Will says, as he slips his phone into his back pocket. “We should get Jared back to the Jeep.”
I nod. Lifting Jared up Will and I both hook one of his arms around our necks. Jared’s head hangs forward, his feet useless. It’s going to be a long trek back, but at least the rain has stopped and the moon is out.
“Leaving so soon? And here I thought we could have some fun.”
Will and I turn to find Blondie standing on the other side of the chasm near Zoe’s slumped form. Moonlight shines on his face showing his eyes to be an icy blue. Meeting my gaze he smiles his usual evil grin.
Will lets go of Jared, and I widen my stance to support his weight. From the inside of his boot Will pulls out another blade. He’s like a walking arsenal. I wonder just how many knives he keeps on him at all times.
Blondie shifts his gaze to me, his cold blue eyes digging in until I’m freezing. “What do you say we play a game Hanna? You can start by telling me whom little Sam’s big brother is, or I can start by killing one of your friends there. Your choice.”
“Leave her alone.” Will moves in front of me protectively while pointing his blade at Blondie.
Jared’s fingers twitch, his lashes fluttering against the skin of his cheekbones. I lower him back to the ground as Will and Blondie continue their stare off.
“You won’t stop me you know.” Blondie pulls a knife out from behind his back, the air around the opaque blade blurs as it pulls at the colors around it.
Will tightens his grip. “Maybe it’s you who won’t stop me.”
Blondie laughs like the idea of Will defeating him is hilarious and I start to wonder if there are any more Fallen hiding amongst the trees just waiting to attack like last time. Blondie doesn’t strike me as the type who plays fair.
“What did you do to my sister?” Will asks through clenched teeth.
“Maybe I should ask you that?” Blondie kicks at her leg. “It was thoroughly entertaining watching her torment you, but then you had to go and take all the fun away.” He smiles. “To answer your question, I didn’t do anything to her other than listen. She’s very talented you know, has an amazing ability. Instead of limiting her like your people would have—or did, I should say, I nurtured her. I showed her all the things she could do. I opened her eyes to all the possibilities.” His grin is cocky, self-assured. “I set her free. Everyone wants freedom. Don’t you? Your sister did.”
“What you offered wasn’t freedom, it was chaos.”
“Maybe so, but there’s freedom in chaos. Freedom to take what you want and freedom to live by no rules. It’s the kind of freedom everybody wants. Even you.”
“Hanna?” Jared’s voice comes out raspy and strained. He attempts to sit up with a groan gaining the attention of both Will and Blondie.
“Look who’s finally waking up to join the fun,” Blondie singsongs.
I help Jared up, positioning myself in front of him. The ground beneath my feet begins to shake with tiny tremors.
“Protective are we Hanna? How sweet,” Blondie says as he steps to the edge of the chasm—the only thing separating us. His frosty blue eyes lock onto mine freezing all the blood in my veins. “I can feel you Hanna, and you’re weak.” He smiles so sweetly, so menacingly. “But I’m not.”
The ground beneath me shakes violently then starts to move, the chasm coming together until there’s no longer anything separating us from Blondie. The rims of his icy blue eyes hint at the darkness within. I stumble backwards into Jared.
“I can move things too.”
Will moves into a defensive stance, raising his blade. Blondie does nothing but grin, his arms relaxed at his sides.
“Nice little trick, but I’m not impressed and now you’re going to pay for brainwashing my sister and killing my best friend.” Will circles around Blondie waiting for him to make a move.
“Poor little dead Sam.” Blondie watches his own blade as he turns it side to side. “This is what I used that night. Broke the very edge of the tip right off. Just enough so he couldn’t heal.” He watches Will, a smile twitching at his lips. “He didn’t even beg for his life. It was a little disappointing. It’s so much more fun when they beg.”
Will slashes his blade through the air. Blondie sidesteps easily with a laugh.
“Is that all you got?” Blondie taunts.
Will lunges; Blondie spins and with a strike of his hand slices his blade across the upper part of Will’s arm.
“Not good enough. Try harder.” With an amused smile Blondie wipes Will’s blood off the edge of his knife with the tip of his finger.
Will is starting to lose control and the more anger he shows the calmer Blondie appears to be. They circle each other. Will seething, barely able to keep it together and Blondie smiling and anticipating. Will’s eyes narrow, he strikes out swinging his blade upward. Laughing like he’s having the best time ever, Blondie swivels, jerks his arm back, lands an elbow to the back of Will’s head. Before Will can react, Blondie kicks him behind the knees knocking him face first to the ground. Stunned, Will drops his knife and Blondie kicks it away.
Without wasting a second, Blondie grabs a handful of Will’s hair jerking him up to his knees. Grinning from ear to ear he pulls Will’s head back exposing the smooth skin of his neck. With his mouth to Will’s ear he says, not so quietly, “Beg for me.” He places his dark blade against Will’s throat, and presses.
Blondie looks up at me, his icy blue eyes darkening until they’re black holes. “What do you think, Hanna? Should he beg for his life?” Will says nothing and Blondie drags the knife across his neck. Blood seeps from under the sharp edge running downward to disappear into the collar of his shirt.
“Stop!” I yell until my throat is raw. Blondie laughs, his knife half way across Will’s throat.
Energy surges through me until I’m completely electrified with it. With a wave of my hand I fling the knife out of Blondie’s grasp. Will falls to the ground clutching at his throat.
Blondie throws his head back laughing harder.
Jared barrels past me diving for him.
Time slows.
Everything becomes silent.
A slow smile spreads across Blondie’s face as he holds his arm outstretched to catch the blade he’s calling back. With an upward thrust, he plunges the blade now in his hand into Jared’s chest, burying it to the hilt.
Time speeds up as I fall to my knees. Energy bursts out of me hitting Blondie full force. He rips away from the Earth disappearing somewhere into the trees.
The rest of the world falls away with three little words repeating in my head. Please not Jared. Please not Jared. Please not Jared. I half walk, half crawl to him in a daze. So much blood covers his chest. So much more pours when I pull the knife out. I press my hands down over the wound trying to stop the bleeding. It only seeps through my fingers.
Greener than I’ve ever seen them, Jared’s eyes convey everything he’s feeling. His lips part, wheezing breaths escaping. He tries to talk. The only thing that comes out is blood. His chest rises, falls, and then slows until it’s motionless. His eyes pale, losing their focus.
Will staggers over dropping down beside me, the slash on his neck healing. “Is he…?” One look at my face and he trails off, his question unfinished.
“Heal him,” I demand, because I can’t lose him. He can’t be gone. Not Jared.
“I can’t heal the dead, Hanna. I’m sorry.”
“Isn’t this touching?” Blondie says from somewhere behind us.
More anger, more unadulterated hate, than I have ever felt in my entire life fills me, and I want nothing more than to rip the flesh from Blondie’s bones and watch him suffer, but I can’t leave Jared. Not yet.
But Will can, and he does. He charges at Blondie tackling him to the ground.
I hear them behind me, but I can’t focus on them right now. I have to focus on Jared because I refuse to accept he’s gone. Because it can’t be true. Because I won’t let it be. I lay my head on his chest straining to hear anything, anything at all. At first I hear nothing, but then his heart beats. It’s faint, but it’s there. I look at the symbol on my wrist. Ultimate knowledge is what it means and I hope more than anything that it means I’ll know how to heal him.
“Help me Sam.” The mark glows, shimmering against my skin as I place one hand over Jared’s heart and one hand over the wound that’s killing him. I close my eyes imagining all the blood he’s lost being replaced. I imagine his wound healing, and his heart beating with renewed life, and soon, I begin to feel his heart pound under my hand.
He’s coming back.
Fingers rip at my hair yanking me to my feet. Blondie pulls me backwards then kicks Jared hard flinging him onto his side. Jared doesn’t move and my hopes that I had been bringing him back start to evaporate. Maybe his heart never beat at all. Maybe it was all in my head and I only imagined it because I can’t accept that he’s gone. Because I’m looking at him now and he’s not moving. If he were still alive wouldn’t he be moving? Wouldn’t I at least see him breathing? Because right now, I see nothing.
Nothing.
Blondie jerks my head turning me so that we’re eye to eye.
I spit in his face.
He smiles while wiping it away. “Now that wasn’t very nice.”
“Where’s Will?” I demand. I can’t move my head and I can’t see him anywhere. “Did you kill him too?”
“Now what kind of fun would that be if I killed everyone. Someone has to stay alive to swear vengeance because if not, well then the game just gets boring. And who wants that?” He wrenches my face closer until our noses are almost touching. “I’ve had so much fun playing with you Hanna, I really have, but now it’s time for you to tell me what I want to know.”
“I don’t have the answer.”
Blondie releases his hold on my hair only to take my wrist in its place. He holds out his hand, summoning his knife. Once in hand, he uses the tip to push my sleeve up to my elbow and I can’t help but notice that Jared’s blood is gone, the blade clean. Before I have time to wonder why, he drags the edge of the knife down my arm. The pain it causes is all I can focus on. When the tip of the blade reaches the symbol he stops. “Maybe you don’t have the answer, but he does.”
I try to jerk my arm away without success.
“It’s all your fault, you know.” Blondie’s eyes change from black to icy blue and I can’t decide which is more disturbing. Neither version is natural, and both mesmerize and captivate until you can’t look away no matter how much you want to. “Your friend died because of you, because of your refusal to tell me what I want to know. It may as well been your hand holding the knife.”
Every word he says cuts into me, obliterating everything until there’s nothing left because he’s right. It is my fault. I brought Jared into this when I should have stayed strong in pushing him away. And now he’s dead. His blood is on my hands and I only have myself to blame.
Blondie brings the tip of his blade to his lips then points it in my face. “I wonder. How many more people will I have to kill before you give me what I want? How about your brother? Or I know, how about I kill your other best friend. What’s her name again? Oh that’s right, it’s Kat? How about I kill Kat, Hanna?”
Jared lies motionless beside me, and I can’t see where Will is, or if he’s even still alive, but I do know that I don’t want anyone else to die. And I also know that I can’t tell Blondie what he wants to hear.
This has to end now.
One of Will’s knives lying a few feet away catches my eye. If ever there were a time to suddenly gain full control over my abilities now would be it. I clear my mind shoving away all the horrible things that have happened and as I do a strange calmness settles over me. Everything sharpens and I feel more in control of myself now than I ever have since all of this craziness started.
Blondie tilts his head, his usual smile faltering as he studies me with cold blue eyes. “There’s something different about you.”
“I’m not afraid of you any more,” I say shifting my gaze slightly so I’m looking over his shoulder.
“Really?” He looks at me amused, a smile returning to his face. “And why is that?”
“Because the only person who’s going to die next is you.” With only a thought Will’s discarded knife moves through the air where it plunges into Blondie’s back. Eyes wide in disbelief he drops to his knees.