Authors: Christine Fonseca
Lacrimosa (5 page)
Protect her.
The feeling is strange. Distasteful. And a problem.
My master would never understand the need to protect a human. Honestly, neither do I.
The teacher assigns a meaningless task and sits. Flame doesn’t hesitate; she walks over and stands next to Nesy. My body tightens. Adrenaline courses through my veins, preparing me to strike. But why? Flame is no threat. No human is.
Flame pulls out a chair and sits. She warns Nesy about me, tells her to avoid me at all costs. My master watches them. And me.
Hold back,
he warns.
Wait.
I don’t understand his sudden concern. I can handle two human girls.
The girls continue to whisper, their voices drawing everyone’s attention, including the teacher.
“Anything you want to share with the class, Miss Eisner?” His words are laced with frustration.
“No sir,” Flame chokes. “Just making sure the new girl has everything she needs for your class.”
I stifle a laugh.
That’s my job
.
Flame glares at me. Nesy does as well. Did they hear me? Feel my thoughts?
Interesting
, my master and I think simultaneously.
Very interesting.
I need to get closer to Nesy and see what she knows. I stand, my chair scraping against the hard floor. I feel her body stiffen as I come up behind her. She trembles and my need for her grows to a feverish pitch.
Be careful
, my master cautions.
I shake off his warnings and press into her thoughts.
Look at me.
I repeat the phrase until Nesy turns.
Look at me
. Our eyes lock and the room spins away, fading to something else. Someplace else.
Chapter 7 - Deathly Betrayal
Nesy
“Elle!”
I hear his voice surround me as I run away. I can’t bear to look at him. Not now. Not after his betrayal.
He promised we could be together. Promised he loved me. Promised…
I crash through the thicket, my body tense. Something else is in this forest with me. Something…wrong.
My head screams danger and I look around. Searching.
Through the trees I notice two yellow eyes, staring.
I freeze, my feet glued to the spot. My heart pounds so loudly I’m sure the wolf can hear it.
What do I do? What do I do?
My mind begins to spin away from me.
“Take her. She’s the one I’ve prepared for you.” The voice seems to come from the forest itself. Cold, steady, unearthly. A low, guttural, growl rips through the trees.
My body springs forward and I run. Three steps, that’s as far as I get before the wolf is on me, dragging me to the ground.
I open my lips, the sound gone before I can scream. Blinding pain rips through my body. Along with the wolf’s teeth.
I struggle against the memories, my eyes still locked with Aydan’s. Can he see what I see? Does he know what I am?
His face blanches and anguish flashes through his expression. He’s gone before I can figure out what’s happening. But I already know one truth—
He saw it all.
A hand brushes against my shoulder, bringing me out of my vision. I shove it away, barely holding on to enough control to keep my identity secure. I have to get out of here, get away before everything is lost.
I try to stand. Another hand grabs me, stronger this time. “Are you okay?” The voice of the green-eyed girl. She looks at me.
Sees
me.
This is so not good.
The bell rings as I grab my books and run from the room.
“Wait. Let me help you,” she yells over the din of the other students.
Pieces of memories continue as I run across the quad. I forget to breathe, forget my training. Forget everything.
Everything except the memories that never end.
I reach the back fence, unable to escape myself. I slide down the wall of the old portable classroom, fragments of my life surfacing in my thoughts.
My sister…
Why did you tell? Why?
Adam…
Why did you let me leave?
I remember their actions. Remember my love for them both.
My chest clenches, nausea coats my throat.
It took too long to forget that life. Too long to lock away those feelings.
And now, seeing things through human eyes again, it’s all back. Every last memory. Every last feeling.
Incessant thoughts throw my world off balance as the nausea continues to buffet against my body. Too many questions. Too many doubts.
Nesayiel. Stop it!
I scream inside.
Find your control!
My thoughts begin to slow.
Inhale. 1…2…3.
Release. 1…2…3.
I shove aside the images, ignoring the endless questions.
Inhale.
My focus sharpens.
Release
.
And I remember who I really am.
A Sentinal.
Mikayel’s Sentinal.
I will not dishonor him. I will not dishonor myself. One by one I release each thought, transcend each feeling. I think only of my assignment. And walk to my next class, ignoring the chaos raging beneath my hard façade.
I use my morning classes to devise a new plan. Take Aydan at lunch. Simple enough, especially since I’m certain he’s now hunting me. I stretch my neck, back, shoulders, feeling my true form pressing against my host. I hate the confinement of my fleshy prison.
The bell rings, indicating the lunch period. I stand, ready to find my target and finish my task. I’ve had enough of being human. Pushing through the crowd, I pour out of the door into the sea of students.
“So, we meet again,” Aydan whispers, his breath warm against my neck. He leans against the hall outside my classroom. Waiting. Just like I knew he would be.
“Looks like it.” Everything melts away except for him. I feel his pull at my soul, feel him lure me in.
I resist his urgings and lock my thoughts away. Stash my feelings. Remain in control.
He leans into me, trying again. “I’m Aydan.”
“I know. I’m—”
“Nesy.”
Looks like I’m not the only one doing a little profiling. I just hope he hasn’t figured
everything
out.
Kids bump into us as we remain locked in each other’s presence. His fingers graze my hand as his eyes meet mine.
So much like Adam
. I dismiss the thought with a single breath. Aydan is far from human. And I could never love an UnHoly.
Get back to work, Sentinal
. I focus my mind, lightly fingering the hilt of my dagger stowed under my hoodie. “So, what do you guys do around here for fun?” I tilt my head, lick my lips.
Aydan twitches.
Perfect.
Someone else crashes into me, breaking the momentary bond Aydan and I share. “Hey, I was hoping to find you. Let’s go get some lunch.” The green-eyed girl grabs my arm.
Who
is
this girl?
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Lori. Come on, you don’t want to hang out with this loser.”
Actually, that’s exactly what I want to do.
Again she tugs at my arm, pulling me away from him.
“Ah, Lori. You should at least get to know me before you call me a loser.” Aydan blocks our path. “Who knows, maybe you’ll like me.” He winks at her.
Oh yeah, he’s good. Very good.
“I know enough to keep her away from you.” With that Lori pulls me past Aydan and his laughter.
So much for vanquishing over lunch.
I let Lori push me through the throng of students filling the quad, studying her. She has a familiarity to her that melts away my exterior. An innocence that compels me to protect her. From Aydan, from me.
In all the centuries I’ve served humanity, I’ve never felt such an urge. That’s more Zane’s style.
The feeling is unnerving, surreal. And yet, I can’t imagine anything more natural, almost like I’m supposed to care about her.
Lori and I find a low wall in the back of the school. Far away from the other students. Far away from Aydan. She sits, her eyes never leaving mine. I mentally feel for my wings, look at my human skin. Everything angelic remains hidden. She can’t see me.
And yet…
“You really need to stay away from Aydan.” Her voice trembles as she reaches for the angel-wing charm around her neck. It’s the most normal thing about her. Everything else—her blazing hair, her too-old eyes, her antique dress—screams of another time altogether.
“So what’s the story between you two?” I watch her carefully as she answers. Something about her is definitely not human.
“He’s just bad news. A lot of girls fall for him. And, well, they tend to disappear.”
“What do you mean, disappear?”
Lori’s eyes glaze over and she looks like she’s lost in some memory. “Disappear. As in never come back.”
She knows too much to be mortal. “What happened to you?” I ask.
A veil of sadness settles over her face, a sadness too familiar to ignore. Again, I feel compelled to protect her. Heal hear. I think of my friends. Cass could heal her heart. Zane could fix her mind. “You can tell me,” I say.
Lori fumbles with the charm and sucks in a sharp breath. I watch as her expression hardens, the cloak of sadness replaced by determination. “Aydan’s into risky things. You know, bad-boy stuff. Sex, drugs, that sort of thing. Some girls like it. My friend liked it. She went to a party with him and his band. No one heard from her for a week.” Lori pauses and bites her lip. “The police found her in some hell-hole on the west side, totally messed up. The cops said she ran away. But I know Aydan was behind it. He’s evil. And if he decides he wants you, Nesy, he won’t stop until he gets you.”
There was something she wasn’t saying. Something important. I shake my head, removing the concern from my mind. She’s not my task. “Don’t worry. I can take care of myself.”
The bell rings and students move around us, rustling their papers, talking too loud, laughing. I stare at the strange girl—so mysterious. So familiar.
“I really can take care of myself,” I say again.