Текст книги "The Promise"
Автор книги: Jessica Sorensen
сообщить о нарушении
Текущая страница: 1 (всего у книги 15 страниц)
1
The Promise
Jessica Sorensen
2
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
3
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
4
Chapter 1
(Gemma)
Istood alone, the sky dark above me, like a rainy day, only there was no rain. The air was cold and crisp. Death was nearby; I could smell it, taste it, feel it. Through the leafless trees I spotted three figures, hovering over something with their heads bowed.
I moved for the figures, my bare feet burning against the snow. Tree branches clawed at my flesh, trying to pull me backward, warning me not to go further. But I pressed on, pushing my way there, until I stepped out into the opening.
“Hello,” I called out to them, but the figures didn’t turn around.
Snowflakes fell from the sky, as I inched my way closer, wondering what the figures were looking at.
“I can’t believe she’s gone,” a girl sobbed. I knew that voice, it belonged to Aislin.
She stood between Laylen and Alex, her sobs flooding the air. My heart leapt in my chest, but not out of excitement. It leapt out of fear.
I ran for them, but a flock of crows swooped from the trees and dove for me. I ducked down, shielding my head as I shooed the crows away. But they kept swirling and diving and finally I let out a scream, which sent all of them scurrying, except for one. It hovered above whatever held their attention.
I crept closer, my heart knocking in my chest. Aislin took Laylen’s hand and they turned around. Both their eyes were glistened with tears as they looked right through me and headed for the forest.
I turned back to Alex, whose head was still tipped down.
5
“Alex,” I said softly.
He dragged his fingers through his hair and let out a sigh. “Forem,” he whispered the words of our Forever Blood Promise and turned to leave. His body was hunched over, head tipped down, and I wanted nothing more than to make his pain go away forever.
“Wait,” I called out, reaching for him, but he was already gone.
All that was left was a hole in the ground. I stepped closer, looked down, and saw a black coffin. The lid was open. A girl lay inside, eyes shut, her skin as pale as snow, and her hands overlapped across her heart where a single red rose rested.
“No,” my voice trembled as I backed away. “No, this can t be happening.”
“Oh, but it is.”
I bumped into something solid and I didn’t have to turn around to know who it was.
I shook my head. “No, it s not.”
A half faerie, half foreseer, and one-hundred percent dead Nicholas stepped in front of me. An evil grin spread across his face. “Yes, it is. And denial will get you nowhere.” He gestured over my shoulder at the hole that held the coffin. “Look again, Gemma. Really look this time.” I shook my head again as I stepped forward and peered down into the grave. There she was again, the dead girl resting in the coffin. “It’s not me,” I stammered.
“Look closer,” Nicholas purred.
I swallowed hard and leaned nearer. Suddenly the girl’s eyes whipped open. My own purple eyes were staring back at me. “No!” I screamed.
Nicholas laughed. “Welcome to the Afterlife, Gemma. Where only the soul survives.” 6
He shoved me forward, into the hole in the ground.
I landed in the coffin. “No!” I cried, staring up at Nicholas, the crow from the field perched on his shoulder. I started to get to my feet, but the coffin lid slipped shut, sealing me in my grave, with nothing but myself.
Forever.
7
Chapter 2
(Gemma)
Iopened my eyes to darkness. Not a coffin, but the safety of my room. Although, I never felt safe here. The nightmare of my funeral constantly haunted my sleep. Always the same, never changing. I knew there was more meaning to it than just my death. But I had yet to discover what.
The boards on my windows blocked the outside world, but they couldn’t block out the crackles of the fires and the screams that filled the air like a toxic plague, painfully reminding me of the damage I’d caused.
Since shifting the vision back, the Mark of Malefiscus had taken over the streets. Fey, vampires, and witches and even a few Foreseers ran wild, tormenting and killing humans.
I flipped the lamp on, climbed out of bed, and padded over to the full-length mirror. My reflection stared back at me, pale skinned, violet eyes that had bags under them. My hair was pulled up into a tangled ponytail and on the back of my neck was the Foreseers mark: a circle enclosing an S. Just beneath it, circling my shoulder blade, was the Keepers mark: a circle traced by fiery gold flames.
“Admiring your own reflection. How very vain of you.”
I scowled at the ghost faerie, hovering over my shoulder. “I see enough of you in my dreams.” He pressed his hand over his heart, his golden eyes twinkling mischievously, just like always.
“Wow Gemma, I m honored that you think of me so often.”
“Nightmares, Nicholas.” I backed away through his ghostly body and climbed into bed.
“Always nightmares.”
8
“So you say.” He smirked. “But I beg to differ. I think you secretly pine for me, otherwise you’d take the ring off.”
I stared down at the ring wrapping my finger. My father told me it held the answers to saving the world. But all the damn thing ever did was let me see ghosts. Well, one ghost at least. A very annoying ghost.
“You know what, you have a point.” I started to slip the ring off.
“Gemma,” Nicholas warned. “I wouldn’t if I were you.”
I inched it closer to the end of my finger, intentionally taunting him. “Why? So you can continue to haunt me and drive me insane.”
He shook his head and brushed his sandy hair away from his golden eyes. “I thought you understood there’s more to everything than what meets the eye.”
“I’ll take my chances,” I said and watched the ring fall off my finger and onto my bed.
The faerie was gone, evaporating right in front of my eyes like an apparition.
I let out a breath of relief and decided that from now on, I’d only put the ring on if I needed Nicholas help, which I couldn’t see happening anytime soon.
Even though it was early, I knew there was no way I’d be able to fall back asleep. So I pulled on a grey Henley and some jeans and tiptoed down stairs, the brightness of the yellow kitchen walls waking me up instantaneously. But I was surprised to find that I wasn’t the only one awake at such an early hour. Laylen lay on the floor, his head tucked under the kitchen sink.
“Hey, sleeping beauty,” Laylen said with a smile as he peered out. His blonde hair was damp, his long tattooed arms flexing as he twisted a wrench round a pipe. “You’re up early.”
“So are you.” I slumped down into a kitchen chair. “What are you doing?” 9
“Fixing the faucet.” He bashed on the pipe “That stupid drip is driving me crazy.”
“At least you can fix the problem,” I muttered as I pictured picking up the wrench and banging Nicholas on the head with it over and over again.
Laylen paused. “What did you say… Gemma are you okay? You’ve been so down lately.”
“Nothing.” I shook my head, hating my downer mood. But I couldn’t help it. My guilt was eating me alive. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “You know you can talk to me about anything.”
“I know,” I replied softly, wanting to talk to him, but refusing to put my guilt on his shoulders.
“It’s nothing. Really. I promise.”
He gave me a strange look and then leaned over the faucet, peering around the back. “I give up.” He stood up straight and clanked the wrench down on the counter. “I guess we’re just going to have to deal with the dripping.” He pulled up a chair and sat down. “Why are you up so early? Nightmares again? Or is Nicholas bothering you?”
“It’s the nightmare again. I can’t stop dreaming about it no matter what I do.” He frowned. “Is it still the same one?”
“It’s always the same one.”
We sighed at the same time. Then he draped an arm around my shoulder and tugged me close to him. “I won’t let it happen. You’re not going to die anytime soon.” I rested my head on his shoulder, wishing he was right. “Nobody can control the future.” I gestured at the boarded back door. “Otherwise stuff like that happens.” A scream rippled from outside, adding a dramatic effect to my point.
10
“We’re going to fix it,” he said, squeezing my shoulder.
I smiled, but it was a fake smile. My heart actually hurt when I thought about it. People were dead because I’d changed the world’s future.
He dropped his hand and leaned back in his chair, nibbling at his lip ring.
“So have you…” I fiddled with the ceramic cow in the center of the table, avoiding his gaze as thoughts of Alex swarmed my mind. The electricity was gone, but sometimes, when I thought about him, I could almost feel the sensation on my skin. “Heard anything?” He bit at his lip and shook his head, his blue-tipped bangs falling into his eyes. “I’m sure he’s fine, though. He s always been good at taking care of himself.” I never said it aloud, but sometimes I thought about going to Alex, using my extraordinary power to foresee my way to wherever he was. If I closed my eyes and pictured his face, I might be able to pull it off. But deep down I knew he left for a reason. We couldn’t be together. If we were, we’d die. Still, occasionally my emotions got the best of me, and I’d stir in anger over his abandonment.
“I think we should —”
A bang on the back door cut me off. We were on our feet, the chairs tipping back and slamming against the tile. Laylen took a sharp knife out of the drawer while I hurried to the side of the back door and peeked out through a small gap in the board.
“It looks like witches,” I whispered. “But I m not one-hundred percent sure. It s too dark to get a good look at their marks.”
Laylen cursed under his breath and then stepped cautiously for the door, the knife gripped in his hand. “What do you think? Wait it out? Or get Aislin?” I stared at a tall woman with wavy black hair and green eyes standing on the bottom of the 11
back porch. Witches were the worst. Their magical powers gave them the upper hand. Unlike the vampires and faeries, they didn’t even have to touch you to harm you.
The witch glanced back, flittering her eyes at a group of bodies dressed in black, her hands sparkling with purple magic.
“Go get Aislin,” I ordered quickly and he took off, his feet thudding up the stairs.
It was strange calling orders. I’d spent so much of my life as a nobody, and now here I was a Keeper preparing to take on a group of witches. So weird.
I searched the drawers for another knife and picked up a small but razor-sharp blade. I touched the tip with my finger. “This is all your fault,” I mumbled as Laylen and Aislin came barreling down the stairs.
Aislin’s golden hair was a disheveled mess, her green eyes blinking with grogginess.
“How many are there?” she asked, her voice croaking.
“I don’t know,” I said and peeked behind the board. “Five or maybe six.” She nodded and cracked her knuckles. “Who’s going to open the door?” Laylen opened his mouth, but I cut him off. “I got it.” I grabbed the doorknob, my pulse erratic and my hands a little unsteady. “On the count of three… one… two… three.” I flung the door open, catching the witch by surprise. She jumped back, but her hands were already out, her lips uttering a chant under her breath.
I wasted no time, charging out the door and ramming my body into hers. She fell to her back and we tumbled in the cold, stinging snow, Laylen and Aislin close by. My elbow and the witch’s head smacked against the ice. She let out a cackle as I slammed my fist into her face.
Another cackle and her mouth spread into a grin. “Nice try.” She broke off my necklace and a 12
purple ball of fire glowed in her hand. “Animam tuam.” The ball lifted from her grasp and slammed into my middle.
I buckled back, trying not to panic as my stomach glowed like a night light. Aislin and Laylen had three of them down, Aislin working quickly to remove the Mark of Malefiscus from their wrists. I blinked crazily, waiting for the spell to do something. But the witches face dropped as I remained the same, unchanged, but still glowing. She gripped my arm and I pressed my fingers into her hands, digging my nails in deep.
“You’re the one,” she uttered under her breath, her green eyes glittering with light. “It’s you.” She knew I was the star and I had to act fast. No one knew for sure what kind of connection the witches held with Stephan, but we always had to be careful. I swung back my fist, working up as much force as I could, before slamming into her head. My knuckles cracked as her eyes rolled back, her lips parting, as she slipped into unconsciousness.
I scurried to my feet, glancing around and was grateful that Aislin had gotten the marks off the others, who were wandering away, confused how they got here. It would take a second for the spell to wear off and then they would return to their normal lives with a guilty conscience.
I dusted the snow off my clothes as I stared at the unconscious witch.
“This one knows who I am,” I told them, picking up my locket.
“I’ll make sure to erase her mind then,” Aislin said, coming over to the witch.
I nodded, but felt guilty. I always did when it came to erasing someone’s mind. Good or bad, having my own mind stolen from me gave me a soft spot for anyone else who had to endure it.
But these were hard times. Drastic measures had to be taken.
The removed marks slithered away like tiny snakes. I retreated, not wanting to watch as Aislin slipped her hands inside the witch’s head and extracted her memories.
13
Laylen followed me inside, grabbing my hand and turning me to him. “It has to be done,” he said. “They can t know where you are.”
I nodded. But, if I hadn’t messed around with visions, then this mess wouldn’t exist. I kept this to myself though, because I knew he’d try to convince me this wasn’t my fault. He’d feel bad because I felt bad and I didn’t want that. I wanted him to be happy.
I rubbed my stomach, which wasn’t glowing, but burned like I was hungry. “She threw a spell in me after she broke off my locket.”
“What kind of a spell?” Aislin asked as she came inside and shut the back door. She locked the dead bolt and then the other three locks.
I searched my brain for the words the witch uttered. “Animam tuam, I think.” Aislin’s eyes popped wide. “Oh…”
“What is it?” I touched my stomach again, wondering if I was going to explode or something.
“What’d she do to me?”
“I don’t… It s just that…” Her gaze was everywhere but on me.
“Just spit it out,” Laylen said sharply.
Aislin swallowed hard. “She took your life.”
14
Chapter 3
(Alex)
Ihated the smell of these places. Everyone smelled like they’d just rolled out of a gutter, and then dug around in a garbage can.
“You seem down, sweetie,” the woman with long skinny legs said. Her blonde hair was way too thin for her round face. Her teeth were cracked and stained a yellowish-brown. She stuck her hand out, her sharp, yellow-stained nails sliding up my chest. “Maybe I can help you with that.”
I pushed her back, not gently, giving her a bored expression. “I’m looking for a man named Draven. Ever heard of him?”
She had, but she wasn’t planning on telling me at least she thought she wasn’t. She pressed her thin lips together. “Never heard of such a man.” She touched my shoulder. “Why don t you forget about this Draven?” She leaned in, putting her lips next to my ear. “I can make you forget about him. I can make you forget about everything.” I smiled maliciously and leaned toward her. “As nice as that sounds, I know what you are, so you might as well cut the crap and take me to Draven.”
She moved back, still smiling. Banshees were the worst kind of faeries. Their ragged state was just an armor. Really, they were quite beautiful and alluring, except on people like me, who knew what they really were a sign, appearing to those who were going to die soon.
“If you know what I am,” she said slyly. “Then you know you’re future is coming to an end.”
“I’m not asking you about my life”, I replied, unbothered. “I’m asking you to take me to Draven.”
15
A purr vibrated from her chest and she traced her pinky nail under my chin. “What makes you think I know him?”
I clutched her wrist, squeezing tight. “My patience is wearing thin. Either you take me to him or I make you take me to him.”
She winced, but kept grinning. “How much is it worth to you?” She paused. “Perhaps your life?”
“My life already belongs to someone else,” I said, calm and controlled, trying to push the quick thought of her out of my mind.
“Then let me be the one to collect you when you die. Let me take your soul.” Her grin widened, her lips disappearing into her teeth. “When you die, make the vow that I can be the one to carry your soul to the Afterlife.”
I considered this, but not for very long. “Whatever. Just take me to him.” She was pleased, ignorant of the fact that she couldn’t take my soul when I died. Because it already belonged to someone else, just like I told her. And a Blood Promise was much stronger than a promise made by word of mouth.
She turned for the alley, the click of her high heels echoing up the steel buildings. As we moved, she transformed, her blonde hair thickening and curling up at the ends, her rough skin smoothing over and her teeth whitening to a shade so bright it reflected against the luminosity of the full moon.
“This way,” she said and ducked behind a large dumpster where a door was hidden. She slipped a chain from her neck holding a large silver key. The key scratched inside the lock and then she creaked the door open. She disappeared inside and I followed.
The air was murky and stank of pond scum. I had a hard time following her because her silhouette kept blending in and out of focus. At the end of the tunnel, lanterns lit up a room.
16
The walls were as red as blood and an oval table extended down the center, eight chairs encircling it. In the corner, there was a cage where a Black Angel was sleeping, her wings curled against her back. They really were sad creatures, trapped until someone freed them from their cage and wings. I remembered the time when Gemma almost let one go. Thankfully, I’d gotten to her in time.
“Have a seat,” the Banshee said and exited the room through a wooden door on the left. I sat down, preparing my speech in my head, knowing if I was wrong then I’d wasted a lot of time.
But part of me didn’t want to be right. Part of me didn’t want her to be one of them.
When the door clicked open again, the blonde Banshee returned. But she wasn’t alone. A man, with dark hair, black eyes, and pale skin stood beside her. Someone who was inexperienced would probably mistake him for a vampire. But I knew better. He was more dangerous than a vampire. That’s why I had my knife tucked in my jacket, within arm’s reach. I was surprised the Banshee didn’t pat me down back in the alley. But she probably wasn’t too worried. She thought I was a normal human, sticking my nose into a world where it didn’t belong.
He took a seat across from me and the space between us didn’t give me much option for a surprise execution. He tapped a cigarette on the table, and then stuck it in his mouth. The Banshee woman lit it for him. After he exhaled, his eyes narrowed on me.
“So you want to talk to me about something,” he said, eyes refusing to leave me.
I held his gaze, not afraid, but prepared, just like I was taught. “I need to know the location of a particular woman.”
He stayed silent for a while, tapping his fingers on the table. “The Lord of the Afterlife doesn’t associate with mortal women.”
“I don t think she’s mortal,” I explained, my hand resting steady in front of me, showing him I wasn’t afraid. “I think she might be one of them.” I nodded my head at the blonde Banshee.
“Does she have a name?” He asked, taking another drag from his cigarette. “This woman that 17
you seek?”
“Alana,” I said, the sound of her name strangling me.
Draven motioned his hand in front of him impatiently. “Alana…” I felt the same lump rise in my throat when I’d read it on the pages of the journal. Swallowing hard, I shoved the lump back down, burying my feelings inside. “Her name’s Alana Avery.” 18
