Ascended (20 page)

Vie felt a vibration coming from Carter’s body, one she
’d never felt before. Carter opened his eyes at the interruption and slid his hand between their thighs to reach into his pocket. Vie loved the feel of his cool hand touching her gently. She realized, though, when she saw him pull a phone out of the pocket of his tight, fitted jeans, that the stimulating vibration she’d felt had not come from Carter; it had come from his phone.

He
reluctantly put his finger up to tell her he had to take the call. Carter stepped away and Vie listened closely to the conversation.

“What’s up
, Jer?” Carter’s voice was deliberately casual as he answered the call.

Vie watched as worry lines
marred the smooth surface of Carter’s face. She knew immediately something was wrong.

“Stay where you are. We’re on our way!” Carter said before hanging up.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Vie asked frantically.

“It’s
Henry. We have to get back to the house!” he said, and they both took off running.

Carter could not keep up with Vie
; it was as though she were running for her life. Just the thought of anything happening to Henry propelled her like a hypersonic missile on a destination to the Thorne residence. Carter arrived just seconds behind her, a bit winded from trying to keep up.

Vie flung open the door and asked
, “Where’s Henry?” with a fear of the worst.

Jeremy had just ended his call to Carter and had
n’t even had a chance to put his phone back into his pocket, and there they were. He was completely baffled and more than a little surprised by their expedited arrival as well as the intense look of terror in Vie’s eyes.

“Where is he?” she shouted
, demanding an immediate answer.

Jeremy just pointed to the stairs
, wide-eyed, like a deer caught in the headlights of a speeding car.

“What happened
, Jeremy?” Carter asked.

“I’m not sure
. Henry was resting upstairs and Kade went up to check on him. She said she found him kneeling on the floor and screaming at the walls.

“
Carter, something is going on. Henry’s not making any sense. He just keeps saying that ‘he’ is coming for Vivian, whatever that means. I’m really worried about him, Carter. I’ve never seen Henry like this before,” Jeremy stated.

“Don’t worry
, Jer. Henry will be fine, I promise you,” Carter vowed.

Carter went up the stairs and saw Vie cradling Henry like a child in her arms.
Then Henry stood up in a panic and began to rant about Lucian.

“He was here
! I told them—Jeremy and Kade—but they didn’t believe me,” Henry said frantically.

“Who was here
, Daddy?” Vie asked.

“HIM
! The evil bastard who took my Vivian!” he shouted, uncharacteristically crude in his anger. “We have to get her back,” he said as he walked over to Carter, hoping he would deliver on the promise he’d made to Henry earlier.

“We will
, Daddy, you have my word,” Vie replied soundly, pulling him away from Carter.

Vie looked at him and Carter saw the unmistakable look of vengeance in her eyes. Her vibrant eyes were suddenly cold and dark. Carter could almost see the hatred within them.

She helped Henry to the bed and told him she would be right back.

Seeing Vie seemed to give
Henry comfort, but watching her father’s suffering at the hands of Lucian was more than even Carter could bear. Henry was a great man, a generous man with a kind, pure heart who had devoted his life to his family, his community, and his faith. Seeing the anguish on his face and the agony in his soul was too much for both of them.

Vie
stepped outside his room and said, “He was here…Lucian was here? Tell me that Lucian has not been here,” she demanded.

Carter could see she was infuriated by the very thought of Lucian being anywhere near her father.

“Carter?” she stopped pacing and looked at him with a stern look in her eyes.

“I believe someone has been here. Jeremy said he keeps hearing Henry refer to him as Dimorte. Does that mean anything to you?” Carter asked.

Vie’s heart
almost stopped. She knew exactly who Dimorte was: the root of all evil, the leader of the Underworld, the Prince of Darkness…and Lucian’s father!

“We have to get
Henry out of here, now! We need to take him somewhere, anywhere that’s safe!” she shouted in terror. “Lucian, and Dimorte…we stop them now. Tonight!” She sounded as if she were completely unraveling.

“No
, Vie, not tonight.” Carter grabbed her and held her in his arms. “We will get them, Princess; I promise you, Lucian will fall. They will all fall,” he said, kissing her head while developing his plan.

He knew if Lucian and Dimorte had come for Henry
, no one they loved would be safe. Things were changing by the minute. The Guardians we coming for Vie, Henry was being tormented, and Vivian was trapped in the heinous depths of Hell. There was one common factor in all of this: one person sitting in the center of all of the chaos and tragedies that were occurring in the lives of the people they loved, and that link was Lucian.

The gloves were off.
It’s time to make him pay
, Carter silently vowed while holding Vie in his arms.

“We have to stop them
, Carter. We just have to,” she said, trying to remain in control of her emotions.

Carter agreed and
continued to hold her tight. He promised he wouldn’t let anything happen to Henry or anyone else they loved.

Vie
was comforted by his promise and believed Carter was the only one who could keep them safe from the Dark Ones. As Carter pulled away, Vie could see the wheels turning in his head.

Carter had a plan,
one he was sure would keep everyone out of harm’s way for the moment. He revealed the details of his brilliant idea to Vie, and a smile of relief returned to her beautiful face. Now they just needed to convince the others to come with them—back to the reservation, to the sacred land.

Carter went downstairs and spoke to Jeremy in private. Without giving him all the details
, he told him it wasn’t safe for them to stay there any longer.

Jeremy understood
, and asked Carter what the plan was; Carter filled him in so they were all on the same page. Everyone knew what they had to do, and knew they had to move fast.

Vie came down the stairs with Henry and a bag she had packed for him as Kade walked out from the kitchen.

“Are we going somewhere?” she asked, confused at the sudden flurry of activity.

“We are,” Jeremy said
, putting his arm around Kade. “We’ve all been invited to the reservation to join in the celebration of Vie’s return home,” he said excitedly.

“Now?”
Kade said, perplexed.

“Yep, now!
It’s an ancient Indian custom thing, Kade. The families join together, they camp out, and there’s a ceremony of some kind that we’re all to take part in.” He did his best to look eager to go. “Come on, Kade, we can all use a break from things here in Newcastle, don’t you think?” he said, convincing even Carter.

Vie glanced at Jeremy and back to Carter hoping
Kade would buy what Jeremy was selling.

“Okay, I guess. I just need to call my parents and let them know I’ll be staying with Henry,” Kade responded
hesitantly.

“Great, then it’s settled,” Carter said
, anxious to get going.

Kade made her phone call, and t
he three of them joined Vie and Henry, who were already out in front of the house. Carter gave Jeremy the keys to Henry’s car, nodding to Jeremy to let him know it was all right to take off.

Kade asked
, “Why isn’t Carter coming with us?”

Vie
said, “He has to get his family, but he’ll join us later.” She hoped Kade didn’t give it a second thought.

She
looked out the window and up to the stars that filled the beautiful night sky and silently said,
Oh, Gabriel, what have I done?
She felt responsible for bringing Lucian—and now Dimorte—into their lives. It was she whom they wanted, not Vivian or Henry.

Everything that was happening was all her fault
somehow, and she didn’t even know why. If she could only figure out what they wanted from her, she would give it to them in a heartbeat to keep safe the people she loved.
What do you want from me?
she screamed inside herself.

Chapter Seventeen

Sacred Land

Carter arrived at the ranch. His mom and little sister Sarah had just finished dinner when he entered the kitchen.

Katherine could see her son had something important to talk to her about; it was written all over his face.

“Mom, I need you to do something for me,” he started.

“Okay,” Katherine immediately became concerned as her intuition kicked in.

“I need you and Sarah to come with me
.”

“Come with you where?” she asked.

“To the reservation.”

“Oh, is that all?” she said, relieved by his request. “I actually have some packages to drop off there anyway. We can go tomorrow after I drop Sarah off at school. Gosh
, Carter, you had me really worried. The look on your face was just—”

“No Mom, not tomorrow
. We need to go there now!” he interrupted her, his voice urgent.

“Carter, it’s late. Can’t this wait?” Katherine responded
, bewildered.

“No, it can’t. I need you and Sarah to come with me now
. Right now,” he said.

“Carter
, what’s going on?” she asked, frightened by his actions. Katherine dug her heels in and gave him a look that let him know she would not budge until he explained to her exactly why he wanted them to go to the reservation. Unlike Kade and Henry, Katherine wasn’t settling for the short version of the story.

“I’ll explain everything to you on the way, I promise
, but for now, can you please, please, just do as I ask?” Carter pleaded with her.

Katherine reluctantly agreed. She could see that Carter was alarmed
, and she trusted that he would explain his odd request to her on the way to the reservation as promised.

“Oh, and you’ll need to pack a bag
. We’ll be staying there for a few days,” he added.

Katherine turned and looked at Carter again
, her brow furrowed in suspicion.

“Please
, Mom, just trust me,” he said.

She slowly turned around and headed up the stairs to pack.

Katherine
grabbed a few things, put them in an overnight bag, and then turned to Carter and said, “The truth when we get there, Carter. Deal?”

He nodded yes and they were on their way. Carter didn’t want to leave Vie alone any longer than he had to. He knew she was safe from Lucian on the reservation, but he also knew Vie
, and didn’t trust that she would stay put. Right now, getting his mom and little sister to the sacred land of the reservation quickly was his agenda. His father was out of town on business, which worked out nicely for him, seeing as how he would have made a much bigger fuss about needing to know the details of their sudden trip.

It was then that Carter realized he had not been home to see his mom since Vie’s return. Katherine didn’t know that she was alive and well and waiting for them back at the reservation. It was a surprise he couldn’t wait to share with her, one that would she would not believe unless seen with her own eyes.

Vie had just settled Henry into one of the cabins on the reservation. She walked outside and saw Jeremy waiting for her.

“Where’s Kade?” she asked him.

“She’s helping the others prepare for the celebration,” he replied.

‘Oh, I guess we do have to go along with the charade
, don’t we?” Vie said, saddened about the story they’d been forced to invent.

“Vie,
it’s okay. It’s not your fault. You’re doing everything you can to keep the people you love safe. Don’t you ever feel bad about protecting them. Protecting us,” Jeremy stated with conviction.

“
Jer, how much do you actually know about me? Did Carter tell you everything?” she questioned.

“He told me what I needed to know…that you came back to save Vivian
, and that’s good enough for me. You can’t blame yourself for what happened with her, Vie. If anyone is to blame, it would be me,” he said.

“You?
How are you to blame?”

“I knew Vivian was in trouble. She tried to tell me a thousand times
. I just didn’t believe her,” he said, disappointed in himself.

Vie could
see he felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, and could see the pain of losing Vivian in his eyes. “Well, we’re a pair, aren’t we?” Vie joked to lighten the mood. They sat together on the stoop, looking up to the sky, both wondering silently if anyone was listening to their cries for help.

“I believe in you
, Vie,” Jeremy said. “I know you were returned to us for a reason, and I have enough faith in you for both of us. And do you know what else I know?”

Vie tilted her head and said
, “What?” with a trace of a smile present.

“I know Vivian is lucky to have a sister like you
. A sister willing to risk everything to change her fate,” Jeremy finished.

“Ah
, Jer, thank you.” Vie hugged him and said, “Twice blessed, because she has both of us.”

“
Ahem,” a voice interrupted their moment. Carter was standing in front of them, not looking very happy. “Am I interrupting something?” he asked, directing his question to Jeremy.

“No, umm, I was just
…” Jeremy stumbled over his words, seeing the discontent in Carter’s eyes. “Umm, I think I’ll go find Kade. You two probably have some things to talk about.” He walked quickly in the opposite direction, away from the uncomfortable situation with Carter.

“What’s with that guy?” Carter asked Vie. “I mean
, I’m gone for like, a half a second, and he’s all over you?”

Vie laughed, taking Carter by surprise.

“And what’s so funny, Princess?” he asked.

“You are! Now get over here so I can give you that reward we talked about,” she said
, grabbing his shirt and yanking him toward her.

“Yeah, well don’t think you can just distract me with
your …your…” he stuttered, getting lost in the movement of her body against his. Vie made him forget about everything. When they were together, it was as though they were the only two people in the entire world. She was his magic, his miracle, his life.

Carter stopped,
having almost forgotten about Katherine and Sarah. “Hey, there’s someone here I think you really need to see,” he said, excited to reintroduce Vie to the woman who had helped bring her into this world. He took her hand and led the way.

The reservation looked festive; they were indeed ready for the fake ceremony being held in honor of Vie’s return. Katherine was standing with her overnight bag in hand, smiling at the children frolicking about. Then she turned and looked their way. She continued to smile, but the closer they got to her the more her smile changed. By the time Carter and Vie had reached her, Katherine’s mouth was hanging open, astonished by what—or rather, whom—she saw. Her bag dropped from her hand and her eyes filled with complete bewilderment.

“Mom, this is your surprise,” Carter said
, moving Vie forward.

Katherine’s eyes filled with tears. Her hands began to shake as she
raised them slowly to her face, holding them to her cheeks and shaking her head in disbelief.

“It can’t be,” she said
, looking at Vie. She took a step toward her, immediately flashing back to the little girl with the violet eyes she’d helped bring into this world. Vie’s eyes were unmistakable; the closer Katherine got, the more she realized that it was she …it was Violet, standing in front of her.

“Is it really you?” Katherine asked, her voice quivering.

“It’s me, Violet.”

Katherine grabbed her and held her tighter than Carter had ever seen anyone
clutch another being.

Vie didn’t seem to mind.
Being wrapped in Katherine’s arms suddenly returned the lost memories of her short human existence. It confused her; she couldn’t grasp the idea of forgotten memories, because her memory was photographic—and yet, until now, she’d had no recollection of her human experience. It was the same as her experience with the Chief earlier. Vie didn’t understand why these memories were flooding her mind, but they were, nonetheless, and they were bringing to the surface a range of tender emotions oddly familiar to her.

Vie was no different than Carter. His suppressed memories
had kept him from his powers; and until now, Vie’s lost memories had kept her from her emotions. But having these emotions suddenly made her feel weak and vulnerable. Guardians did not have these types of feelings; they were dangerous and unwelcomed amongst the elite warriors at the Gates. Feeling overwhelmed and fearful, Vie dropped her arms and removed herself from Katherine’s grasp, stepping abruptly back.

Carter could see Vie had become very uncomfortable and he stepped in.
“It’s time to let Vie come up for air, Mom.”

“I’m sorry
, Violet, I just—” Katherine stuttered.

“No, it’s fine
, really,” Vie said, feeling guilty for pulling away.

“But how did you….where have you
…?” Katherine tried in vain to figure out how this was possible, and where Vie had been all these years. “We looked for you, all of us, for weeks after the…the attack,” she cringed at the thought of the bear, with Carter and Vie at his mercy at the Tower all those years ago.

Vie was silent, not knowing what they were supposed to say about where she had been all this time. They
hadn’t really thought that far ahead, and now Katherine was looking at them, anxious for an explanation. The tense moment was interrupted when Sarah ran up to them and grabbed her mom’s hand.

Katherine knelt down to her and said, “I’d like for you to meet someone
, Sarah…someone very special. This is Violet,” she gave a warm smile.

“I already know who she is
, Mommy,” Sarah replied with the typical candor of a small child. “Carter brought her to the ranch, remember? And we saw her sing like an angel at church,” she said.

“No
, Sear Bear,” Carter used the special nickname he’d given his little sister, “that was Vivian; this is her sister, Violet. I know she looks a little bit like Vivian, and that’s because they’re sisters. Twins, in fact.”

“No, it wasn’t Vivian. I met her
. Vie,” she said, pointing directly at her.

Vie looked at Carter and then walked over to Sarah, knelt at her side and whispered in her ear, “And
I remember meeting you, too, Sear Bear. I’m still waiting for you to show me your secret place,” she said with a smile and a wink, before kissing her cheek and standing back up.

“So where have you been all this time, honey?”
Katherine asked, still wanting details.

“Mom, we can talk about all of this later. For now
, let’s just celebrate that fact that Vie is here, alive and well,” he said, pulling off another quick save.

Vie kept thinking
about how magnificent Carter was with deflection.

“I’m sorry
; forgive me, Violet,” Katherine said tearfully.

“Please don’t apologize;
it’s fine. Really, I understand,” Vie said. “If you’ll excuse me, though, I want to check on Henry.”

“Oh
, my gosh!” Katherine shouted. “Henry!” She suddenly realized what Vie’s return would mean to him.

“It’s al
l right, Mom,” Carter said, calming her down. “Henry knows. He knows everything.”

Katherine was relieved that Henry had finally been told the truth about Lily and the twins. She had carried Lily’s secrets around with her for so long, it was a burden she was more than happy to unload
. She knew she would eventually have to answer to Henry for those secrets, and she was not looking forward to it at all.

“Violet, would you mind if I got your father for you?” she asked.

Vie was aware that Katherine needed to speak to Henry about everything, and she also knew Henry loved Katherine, no matter how many secrets she’d kept for Lily. She was a good, honest woman who had been there for the Thorne family every single day. Henry wouldn’t blame her, not one bit.

“Sure
, Katherine, I think he’d like that,” she said, hoping it would ease her guilt regarding Henry and his ignorance of the twins’ birth.

Just then
they heard the beating of drums. The ceremony was about to begin.

Sarah was excited
; she grabbed one of Carter’s hands and one of Vie’s and started running toward the dancers who had just appeared around the giant fire pit.

Vie couldn’t help but wonder
how Sarah knew it was her, not Vivian, all along, but then she remembered something Gabriel had told her about the humans. He’d said children see the world through innocent eyes—eyes that see the unique beauty in even the most unimpressive puddle. To them, a tree was not just a plant, but an entire jungle of adventure; a small plot of pines was not just a barrier between yards, but an entire forest full of mystical creatures; a day at the beach was never simply sun and sand, but the search for pirate treasure and lost shipwrecks. Sarah had always known exactly who Vie was, no matter what vessel she was hiding in. Just like Carter, her innocent eyes saw right through to the soul.