Beyond (45 page)

Gripping tightly to Avalon
’
s arm, Callum tugged her to a nearby tree in Paradisus and tied her up with angelic bond. The ring around her glowed brightly. She felt like she was in the center of the sun.

“
Let me go!
”
she yelled , suddenly feeling courage ou s, unlike how she was a short while ago.
“
What have you done with Callum?
”

“
Don ’
t worr y. H
e ’
s safely tucked inside for a long nap, but he ’
s still here.
”

Confirming what she had suspected, icy cold chills ran down her spin e so fast every part of her flesh felt like a razor cut.
“
Why are you tying me up?
”

“
You are my collateral, ”
he winked.

The Callum she knew would never hurt her
, and she wondered who she was talking to on their last encounter …
Callum or Aliah. She had to face the fact that the Callum she once knew had fallen to the darkness so deep , he would never be able to find his way back home.

Feeling disgusted and worried for everyone else
, she had to think of a way to escape.
“
Let me help you. I ’
ll bring Claudia to you.
”

Callum pierced his eyes on hers. Just the color of his iris, so dark and evil , was enough to make her shiver as if she ’d just met the angel of death , and he was here for her.
“
Don ’
t underestimate my powers, little girl .”
H
is cruel authoritative whisper brushed against the nape of her neck, feeling like a long painful paper cut. Every part of her muscles tighten ed , wishing she was somewhere else, anywhere but here with him. Her eyes shut tightly , hoping he wouldn ’
t do anything to harm her.

“
Good.
”
He moved his fingers down her hair, along her jaw lines , and down the sides of her cheek with his long, dark nails. With a flick of his wrist, he waved his hand across her face as if he was performing a magic trick.

She turned her face away from him, winced, and made a small painful sound as if his touch burned her.

“
Don ’
t worry, Claudia. They ’
ll be here for you soon.
”
His tone was so sweet and caring , it was almost believable.

“
I ’
m not Claudia, you sick monster, ”
she whimpered.

“
Now…now…watch thy mouth. That will be our little secret. You and I know you ’
re not, but ones that hold her heart dearly will think differently , ”
he said cunningly, giving an evil grin as his demons surrounded them. They hissed around her, making her flinch with disgust. Some poked her in the arm and taunted her until Callum told them to back off.
“
Go, ”
he said to them.
“
Go hide. Become one with the trees. It will be a surprise they won ’
t be anticipating.
”

Chapter
30

Safely enclosed in Michael
’
s hold, they flew across the sky, bursting through the clouds. Claudia could do nothing but gaze in amazement at the cities and countries below , wondering where they were headed. Sometimes, the skies were spread with red and orange and sometimes they were simply the plain , beautiful , cloudless blues. But no one could spot them. They were merely a blur in the heavenly sky.

When they reached
their destination, it was night. Claudia smiled , knowing where she was when she spotted the Statue of Liberty. She had seen it on television, but seeing it up close was amazing.
When Claudia gave Michael a huge smile , it reminded him of the way it used to be .
I t filled his heart with happiness he ’d longed to feel again.

As they flew inward, the whole city lit up with so many different colors, it was as if a painter had dotted his canvas with vari ou s random colors and spot ted the top with white glitter. The stars and the moon were luminous. Their reflection s cast a perfect sparkling color of gold waving a l ong the water.

“
It ’
s beautiful here ,” Claudia said with excitement.

Michael turned Claudia toward him
.
“
I ’d rather look at yo u. N
o level of gravity can pull me down from th e high I ’
m feeling right now , here with you.
”

Blushing and smiling, she looked away
, knowing she felt the same.

Michael spiraled around and took them to the core of New York City. There were many apartment buildings, shopping stores, and building after building.

“
Why are we here ?”
she asked.

As if on cue, a black BMW
pull ed up in front of them. A gentleman wearing dark slacks with a button ed light blue shirt open ed his door . Then a lady step ped out of the passenger side wearing a long skirt with a lavender short sleeve d blouse. He put his arms around her, kisse d her softly on her forehead , and open ed the door to their pent house building, heading to their home.

“
The lady you just saw ; her name is Ava Emerson.
”

The name didn
’
t sound familiar, but Claudia felt the connection with the last name. It dawned on her that the lady she had just seen was the same lady i n the picture she ’d t aken from Gamma ’
s house. Her hair was ebony dark, longer than it was i n the picture, and she had the same petite frame.

“
Is she my…my…
?
” she asked, trying not to shed a tear, but she already knew the answer.

“
Yes. She was your mother. Not your biological mother, ”
Michael said , as tenderly and carefully as possible.

With his last words, somehow, memories of her rushed through. Like a mini movie, she saw it in her mind. It was her eighteenth birthday. Ava gave her a set of keys to her birthday car. Claudia remembered how happy and grateful she ’d felt. She also recalled Ava working long hours as a nurse , so Gamma mostly took care of her. Then her mind went blank.

Reliving the memories that were taken from her, she couldn ’
t hold back any longer. Tears ran down unwillingly. She could feel her heart thumping too fast. The shock and the pain ran down to her stomach, filling th em with acid. Her head throbbed and she felt queasy. S
he wanted to sit on the sidewalk, curl up against the side of the building , and cry her heart out.

“
Why ?”
she asked , gazing at the double door as if Ava would walk out again if she stared at it hard enough. She wanted to see her again, to tell her she was her daughter and make everything all right , t he way it used to be.

Michael turned Claudia to him. After wiping her tears, h e held her tightly.
“
I ’
m sorry she was taken from you. She has no recollection of who you are , as you are the same about her. The Twelve gave her life back, the life she would ’
ve had if—”

“
I never existed, ”
Claudia finished, looking numb.
“
Gamma did this to her. Ava never knew. I remember now.
”
She paused, feeling excited that she could make the connection, but at the same time the pain of remembering flushed through, making it even more difficult to bear.
“
I ’
m glad she has her life back. It isn ’
t fair to have something done to others because of me.
”

“
I came to check up on her, to make sure she was okay. She is a nurse at the New York Hospital. There she met the doctor you just saw. His name is Gary Roth. They seem very happy.
”

Wiping her lingering tears, she nodded.
“
I ’
m very happy for her. She looks happy.
”

“
I ’
m sorry, Claudia. Perhaps I shouldn ’
t have brought you here. I thought you may want to know.
”

“
No, I ’
m glad you did. I needed to know, no matter how difficult it may be for me. I want to know, ”
she said sorrowfully, resting her head between his chest and the side of his neck, where it fit perfectly.

“
Do you need more time here?
”
Michael asked, rubbing her arms, trying to sooth her.

“
No, let ’
s go, ”
she replied with her eyes shut, waiting for the peaceful feeling that flow ed every time she was enclosed by his wings.

Knowing he was running out of time, he took Claudia to where it all began, Crossroads.
“
Where are we?
”
she asked , hoping to find something more exciting beside s the dirt road and the tall vegetation that looked like something between grass and bushes. There were no sun to be seen, but somehow there was light. It wasn ’
t hot or cold, just perfect ion .

“
We ’
re in Crossroads.
”
Michael waited for her response, hoping he would see sparkle in her eyes , or she would remember how to cross over—something or anything.