She’d saved our worthless asses so many times already.
But what if she couldn’t save us from ourselves?
Or what if she could?
I felt the weight of my friends’ gazes. The weight of Enzo’s prophesy ... of Murphy’s curse.
Of the damned, seductive and dangerous dark souls that possessed us and increased our power.
We were lost.
Had been lost and scared for a long time, willing to do anything to survive. Even if that meant hurting Sierra.
But none of us wanted that now. And none of us could admit it out loud.
Tor stalked over to the bar and poured himself a drink. He downed it in a gulp, Adam’s apple bobbing as the amber liquid scored a path down his throat.
“She’s everything we need,” he said simply. “The one who might save us all - whether through dark magic or light.”
“Or destroy us,” Rye added quietly.
Torin nodded. “I know.” He slammed the glass onto the counter, cracking the heavy glass bottom. “But we have to try.”
“Try what?” Enzo scoffed. “You’ve already tried enough.”
“I think we need to try to find her first. Then see how she is and go from there. We have options,” I said.
“Options.” There was a world of scorn and resignation in Enzo’s reply.
Our options were stay on the dark side and hope she’d be with us, let her kill us if she wasn’t, or ... try to rid ourselves of the demons possessing us and allow Sierra to cleanse our souls, with no guarantee it would work.
A ripple of unease passed under my skin, familiar and frightening. The others’ eyes grew wide, and I knew they felt it too, especially when their pupils blew out and a flash of black obliterated the whites. I’d barely had time to breathe before the pain hit, driving me to my knees. Shouts filled the room as Riley, Torin, and Enzo followed, the decanter crashing on the floor as they went down.
I screamed, clutching my head in agony as pain and horror poured through me. Visions of my friends, eyes vacant and bodies broken, Sierra laughing as she disintegrated their souls while I lay frozen, awaiting my turn. The Unconsecrated feasting on our corpses.
Then it was gone, leaving us pale and shaking on the floor. Tor’s face was sickly white, like he’d been kneed in the balls. Enzo shook his head, disbelief and anger at war on his face. Riley clutched his stomach, his gaze distant, as if he was seeing something I couldn’t.
It had been a warning. The Dark Ones would not let us go easily. They lived and moved through us, gave us our power. And in exchange, we’d promised them our lives. And the lives of others.
We were all too afraid to speak. Afraid to voice our doubts. Afraid to make it real. But we knew it was there, in the shadows of our minds.
We stood shakily, like foals finding their legs. In unspoken agreement, we left the broken bottle and glass where they lay, stalking down the halls of the mansion as our footsteps echoed. I didn’t know where we’d go, but we had to get out of there. Get some air. Some space between us and the wreck that was the Warner cemetery with its evil spirits.
Torin cracked the tension from his neck, and we all looked at each other, not knowing what else to do. We were well and truly fucked. Silently, we’d agreed to wait, to figure shit out once we either found her or she returned on her own - if either thing ever happened.
“Safe house?” I suggested.
“I need to check on my parents,” Riley said, then left without another word.
“Same,” said Tor, disappearing after him.
I looked at Enzo, hoping at least he’d stay with me, but he shook his head.
“I got shit to do.”
Feeling gut-punched, I watched him them go, leaving me more alone than I’d ever been.
CHAPTER 7
ENZO
RAVENSWOOD
As night fell, I left a note for Heath and the others about my quest to find my sister, leaving a few clues I hoped like hell they could decipher if things went south. My heart hammered as I entered the dense forest behind the school, the trees looming over me like judgmental giants. I needed answers, consequences be damned. The scent of damp earth filled my nose, and the breeze picked up, rustling the leaves, warning of an impending storm. I pushed through thorny bushes, my muscles straining, and winced as a sharp pain pierced my head. The perimeter was unstable, likely due to the battle with Maroni and his minions.
Finally, I reached an ancient oak tree, its knotted branches stretching out like crooked fingers. I clutched it, using it as support to steady myself against the push of the wind and unpredictable magic. The markings carved into the bark glowed faintly, guiding me deeper into the woods. The air grew colder, whistling through trees in menacing whispers. No doubt deliberately spelled that way. The barrier lay ahead, glimmering weakly to those who could see it. For those who couldn’t, all they would feel is a strong sense of ‘get the fuck out of here, fast.’
I took a deep breath and focused. Thunder clapped overhead, and lightning flashed across the sky in such an obvious warning, I almost laughed. That was some cartoon villain shit right there. Ignoring it, I traced the runes carved into the tree trunk, feeling the rough bark vibrate as I poured energy into it, commanding the earth to part.
The earth beneath me trembled as an invisible force resisted my effort, but I didn’t relent. With one final push, the barrier weakened, and I stumbled through, landing on the other side, knowing I was going headlong into a trap. Still, relief washed over me as I found Anna, sitting cross-legged on the ground. Her eyes were closed, her face passive. She was safe, but something was off about her.
An icy wash of dread pebbled my skin as I moved closer, and dread turned to horror when she opened her eyes. The green had been overtaken entirely by a glowing red.
“Enzo... I’ve been waiting for you,” she said, her voice rough.
I wanted to scream, shake her, howl to the sky. And I wanted to run. But most of all, I wanted to grab my little sister and hold her in my arms, and taking away all the bad that had ever happened to her.
“What has he done to you?” My voice broke.
