Chapter 20
(Gemma)
Tesha s a friend of mine,
Adessa clarified, but I still wasn t thrilled about the idea.
If we can just get back to the house, I can take the mark off her.
But what if it doesn t work.
My eyes were fixed on the bright neon lights of the building. Standing in front of the glass doors, was a short woman with choppy hair, pointy ears, and turquoise eyes Tesha. At first I thought she was a pixie or something, but I wasn t even sure if pixies existed.
Adessa explained that Tesha was a vampire friend of hers and that she d somehow gotten branded with the Mark of Malefiscus. I tried to tell her a million times that it was a bad idea, because the last thing I wanted to do was take down a vampire when Aislin and Laylen were running around, doing who knows what. But when I saw the way Adessa looked at Tesha, I wondered if she might have been more than a friend.
Alright, do you have a game plan?
I asked, peeking over the hood of the truck we were hiding behind.
Tesha was chatting with a man twice her size. I wasn t sure what breed he was, but from the blue glow in his eyes made me guess he wasn t human.
I was hoping you had one,
Adessa said with a sigh.
I ve been trying to get to her for weeks, but it s useless.
I frowned. I had a plan, but I wasn t very fond of it.
Okay, I m going to foresee my way over there, grab her, and blink us back here you better be ready to work the spell.
Adessa nodded, opening up the baggy.
I will, but be careful.
Give me the knife.
I shoved my hand at her.
Adessa shook her head, pulling the knife closer.
You can t hurt her.
I m not,
I said.
But I m not going in unarmed either.
Reluctantly, she handed over the gold-bladed knife.
Please, don t hurt her.
I won t.
Unless I have to.
You ll have to be the one to puncture her mark.
She tapped her left arm.
It s on her left wrist.
I put on my game face, even though I was scared out of my mind.
Be right back.
I shut my eyes and pictured the front door of the casino where Tesha stood. In a heartbeat, I had foreseen my way over, but managed to land myself between the tall man with glowing eyes and Tesha.
Their eyes darkened and the blue-eyed man reached for me.
Sorry, not going to happen,
I said and forced him back. He barely stumbled, but I grabbed Tesha s arm and whisked us away to Adessa.
As soon as we hit the asphalt, I shoved Tesha to the asphalt. Her fangs snapped out, sharp and long, and she nicked my arm. I snatched her wrist, fighting her as I made the incision on her left wrist where the triangle traced her skin. She snarled her fangs at me and then, as if she couldn t resist herself, bit into her own arm where blood was starting to pool.
Adessa!
I shouted and Adessa knelt beside us, her hands trembling as she opened the bag of Vitis vinifera. She crumbled it into the open wound and it mixed with the blood. Again, Tesha nicked my skin with her fangs and I slapped her. She blinked, stunned, and Adessa looked like she was going to cry.
Say the spell,
I ordered.
Now!
With a nod of her head, Adessa s lips parted.
Liberare vos ligaveris!
Then we watched as the mark slithered away, off Tesha s arm and onto the ground, like a snake. Even though I had seen it before, it still got to me; the way the mark kept going, toward the entrance of the casino, as if going to seek another.
I was on my feet before the next breath left my lungs and I stomped on the snake over and over again until it was smashed into the ground.
Well,
I said.
I think I just figure out how Aislin and Laylen were marked.
But Adessa wasn t listening as she seized Tesha in her arms.
I m so sorry.
Tears poured down Tesha s cheeks.
It s not your fault,
Adessa said, smoothing Tesha s hair.
It s no one s fault.
Guilt choked at me, strangling away my oxygen. It was my fault.
Adessa helps Tesha to her feet.
And who s this little warrior?
Tesha asked, wiping tears from her eyes.
Aislin gave her the quick details of who I was and what I could do. Although, there wasn t any mention of the star. But I d be surprised if they didn t know. Word had spread that the girl with the violet eyes was the one.
We Foresaw back to Adessa s house, Tesha awing over my gift. We crowded around the couch, waiting for Aislin to make her grand entrance. The tick of the clock was driving me mad, along with everyone s restlessness.
Where the heck did she go?
I muttered, tapping my foot against the floor, anxious to get this over with and make the lives of at least two people right again.
Maybe I should
But then she appeared like a ghost, only she wasn t a ghost. She was a very powerful witch that wanted to hurt me, her green eyes glowering with murder. And she wasn t alone.
Remember these,
Aislin sneered, jerking at the chains of a woman wearing a leather dress. Her black hair waved to the bottom of her back and her laced-up leather heeled boots clicked across the floor. The recognition in grey eyes told me she was the same Black Angel from the Black Dungeon.
She snapped out her wings, like a giant crow, ready to eat me alive. Aislin started to laugh hysterically, and I was beginning to wonder if an evil Aislin meant a crazy Aislin.
The Black Angel strolled toward me, her wings so wide they knocked things from the shelves, sending glass shattering to the floor.
Take care of Aislin,
I shouted to Tesha and Adessa.
I ll handle this.
But my head laughed at me, because I had no clue how to kill one of these things. The only thing I knew about them was a) whoever freed them from their cage become one b) they were angels from hell and c) they liked to wear a lot of leather.
I tried not to look her directly in the eyes as I circled her. She turned, following me with her gaze, her lips snarling. I dared a glance at Aislin and was relieved to see Adessa was making the cut, while Tesha pinned Aislin down and covered her mouth. I kept moving, wanting to distract the Black Angel so that Adessa could complete that spell and get the mark of Aislin.
But then she began to flap her wings and it was like a wind storm had blown through the room. I blinked, shielding my eyes from the flying glass and papers. The Black Angel growled and all my attention focused to her. It was like I was paralyzed, a helpless victim, as she sauntered toward me, grey eyes desperate to be free from the chains. My hands raised on their own, bounded by invisible strings the Angel controlled. I reached for the cuffs trapping her wrists and making her a prisoner, and with the strength of a Keeper, I broke her free. The metal fell to the floor and the Black Angel shrieked with freedom. A loud boom reverberated through the house and the ceiling began to collapse.
I hit the floor, flat on my stomach, searching through the fallen debris. Finally, the air settled and I dusted myself off and got to my feet. I blinked at Aislin, Adessa, and Tesha, all their eyes filled with fear.
But I was glad for the fear in Aislin s eyes, because it meant she was back.
What was that?
I asked, picking a piece of ceiling out of my hair.
Gem-ma,
Aislin stuttered, which was weird because Aislin never stuttered. Then she lifted her hand, pointing her finger to the side of me. Instinctively, I jumped, discovering an unknown woman close. She nipped her teeth and then grinned.
See you in hell.
She winked. Then with a puff of smoke, she was gone.
As the wheels clicked in my head, I glanced down at my arms. The first thing I saw was the same set of black symbols that traced Laylen s arm the Mark of Immortality. Then I inched my hand behind me, touching the softness of the feathers.
Oh my God.
My hand dropped.
I have wings.