Endless (29 page)

“Sorry, not up for debate. This is your
moment, Tasmyn. Your time to make a decision.”

I cast one more longing glance toward the
steps. I thought I might make it there without Ben catching me, but
after what he’d done to Emma, I didn’t think him catching me was my
biggest problem.

“What decision?”

“Which way are you going to go? What will you
choose?”

“You’re a little late. I settled that
question last year after I almost killed Amber.”

“That wasn’t a choice. That was desperation.
You were afraid.”

“Yes, I was. I was terrified. And it let me
see clearly.”

“A decision made in fear is no true
choice.”

I snorted. “And you’re here in what capacity?
Are you a witch? What’s your angle? Are you the one holding Emma’s
strings?’ I winced as I saw her still lifeless body.

Ben tilted his head as though in
acknowledgement of his accomplishments. “I made some suggestions. I
recruited Emma. Set things in motion. But no, I’m not a witch. I’m
just an interested party, let’s say.”

I couldn’t get a handle on his mind. As
always, it was whirl of confusion, with images and words that
didn’t make sense.

“This isn’t going to be a tough one, Ben. I
choose good. I choose light. Decision made. Discussion over.”

“Do you really?” Ben raised a hand, and Emma
was upright, gasping, eyes wide as she pulled against her vine
bindings.

“Ben--” she moaned. “What did you do?”

“Shh.” Ben raised a finger to his lips and
Emma’s mouth snapped shut.

“What are you doing?” I cried, the horror of
her mind and her face pouring over me.

“I told you. Decision time. Make the choice.
Fight me, embrace that power, and Emma just might walk out of here.
Otherwise she goes back to the etherland.”

“Tasmyn! Don’t let him hurt me—please--” Her
anguish sliced me, and I didn’t know what to do.

I grasped for that peace I’d felt, that
assurance. It was lost in the confusion of Ben’s mind.

“It’s time. Just you and me, Tasmyn.
Choose.”

I opened my mouth, not sure what words would
emerge. And then it was there again. The love, the peace, the
light. My parents. My grandmother. Anne, Amber, Marly, Luke, Lela.
The Brookes, even Rafe. And Michael. His steady shining belief and
faith warmed every part of my body and soul.

“I’m sorry, Emma. I choose the good.”

Ben’s face twisted, contorted into the most
terrifying mask of rage I’d ever seen. Emma screamed, her body
thrashing. A wall of fire shot up, and the heat forced me backward.
I used my own power to summon water from the sources at the edge of
the roof, but by the time its gushing had extinguished the flames,
there was almost nothing left of the garden.

Ben and Emma were gone.

“Gone?” Aline sat back in her chair, her
mouth slightly agape. “Just. . .gone?”

I nodded. “I went right downstairs. . .it was
pandemonium in the offices. The congressman had sounded the alarm,
but no one remembered seeing Emma go up. By the time he convinced
them that I was in danger, the door to the steps was locked, and no
one could find the key.”

“Ben?”

“Yes, I’m pretty sure.” I was quiet for a
moment. “But they didn’t find any trace of either of them up
there.”

“What do you think. . .” Aline hesitated.
“What was Ben? Who was he?”

I shrugged. “I’ve thought and thought. He
knew things. Stuff Emma couldn’t have fed him.” I shot Aline an
apologetic smile. “I was kind of hoping you could tell me who he
was.”

She shook her head. “Sorry. I don’t really
have any answers for you. I guess I’ll fall back on my old standby:
how do
you
feel about everything?”

I considered. “I feel. . .good. I mean,
overall, I do. I think I helped here. Congressman Remington and
Nick Massler are still alive, and neither are suspects in Helene’s
murder anymore. Both the congressman and I were witnesses to Emma
admitting that she had arranged for her to be killed.”

Aline pursed her lips. “Definitely good,
then. What about the senate race?”

“Neither of them is running. Remington is
retiring after he finishes this term, and Nick told me that he’s
sticking to the philanthropy. For now, at least. Too much potential
scandal for both of them, I think.”

“Even though Ben had masterminded the whole
plot?”

“Well, the congressman might not have been
the guilty party, but his campaign manager and right hand man was.
I guess it throws doubt on his judgment.”

Aline sighed, dropping her notebook on the
table and stretching. “So Tasmyn, where does that leave you? Ready
for your next assignment with Carruthers?”

I shook my head. “No. I’ve decided—well,
Michael and I decided—that I’ve had enough for a while. I want to
concentrate on my schoolwork. I want to plan for the future.” I
smiled. The future was bright and shiny, and at times it took my
breath away.

“Are you sorry you worked for them at
all?”

“Not a bit. What Zoe taught me and the other
things I learned made it all worthwhile. And I’m leaving on good
terms. Cathryn and Harley have agreed that I can work on a
consultancy basis from time to time, if there’s a case that could
use my talents. The good thing is that I trust them now.” I
grinned. “Well, I mostly trust them. I did ask that they consider
not hiring any more manipulators. Neither of them will admit it,
but I’m fairly certain Emma used her power to have me put on the
Massler case.”

Aline nodded. “What’s next then?”

I smiled as the peace and love tingled
through me again. “The rest of my life.”

I parked the Mustang at my dorm after I left
Aline, grabbed a few things from my room and then walked over to
Michael’s suite. As I crossed the green in the dwindling light, I
was not at all surprised to see Seth sitting beneath a tree, legs
crossed and face up to what was left of the sun.

I made my way over to him and stood, careful
not to block the light.

“Hey, Tasmyn,” he said without opening his
eyes.

I laughed. “How do you do that?”

He smiled. “We all have our gifts.”

I dropped next to him, and he turned to look
at me. “How are you, Tasmyn?”

I sensed that he was looking for more than a
small-talk answer. “I’m good, Seth. Actually, I’m better than
good.”

He nodded. “You made it through. You
prevailed. You should feel wonderful.”

I cocked my head. Aline was a stickler about
patient confidentiality, and I had only just left her. I didn’t see
her calling Seth as I walked out the door.

“How do you know?”

Seth raised one shoulder. “ ‘
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are
dreamt of in your philosophy.’ ”

I laughed. “Touché.” We
sat for a few moments before he spoke again.

“What they said, Tasmyn. .
.some of it was true and some of it was not. That’s the thing about
the darkness. It can twist truth to its own purpose. It was your
time to make a decision, and you can rest assured, if you don’t
know it already, that Emma’s fate was sealed regardless of your
choice.”

I nodded. “I thought so. I
realized, standing there with Ben, that I’ve justified so many
things in my life by thinking I was helping others. And sometimes I
was. But it was clear at that point that I couldn’t do it anymore.
I have to make the right choice, as far as I can see it, and trust
that in the big picture, it’s all going to come out all
right.”

Seth grinned and squeezed
my hand. “By Jove, I think she’s got it.” He had so much joy in his
eyes that I couldn’t help but grin in return.

“And speaking of the big
picture, that was the biggest lie they told you. Emma said that you
were a little piece that didn’t matter. Untrue. We all play a part
in the larger story, Tasmyn, and no matter how small you might
think your part is, it’s vital. Each choice, each action, has
consequences far beyond our own understanding. Never forget
that.”

I gazed across the green,
as a shiver ran down my spine. I had the uncanny sense that this
too was a pivotal moment in my life, something I would never
forget.

“Seth, who are you?” I
turned to face him.

He smiled broadly again.
“I’m your friend, Tasmyn. I’ve always been your friend, and I
always will be. Do you need more information than that?”

I thought about it for a
minute and then shook my head. “No. I guess I don’t. I
want
to know, but I
don’t need it in order to believe you. To trust you.”

Seth nodded. “Someday,
maybe, we’ll chat about this again. But for now, a little faith
never hurt anyone.”

I rose to my feet. “Michael
is going to think I’ve gotten lost. I better go before he calls out
the cavalry.”

Seth stood, too, and handed
me my backpack. I felt a quivering in the back of my throat, almost
as though I were about to cry.

“I know this sounds
ridiculous, Seth, but I feel like I should be asking you if I’m
ever going to see you again.”

He laughed, and several
people sitting near us turned to look. I noticed that they all
smiled, too.

“Of course you will,
Tasmyn. After all, I have a job here.” He winked at me. “But our
paths might not cross that often. You have a very bright future
ahead of you. Enjoy it.”

He patted my shoulder and
loped off across the green. I watched him go until he disappeared
over the rise that led to the chapel.

Michael was waiting on a
bench outside his dormitory.

“Hey, beautiful! I was
getting worried. Everything okay?”

I thought about Aline’s
words and the benediction that Seth had just laid upon me. I smiled
as I tiptoed up to kiss his lips.

“Everything’s
wonderful.”

Michael wrapped me in his
arms and then turned me around. “Look at that sky. Isn’t it
gorgeous? I was sitting here thinking about how many sunsets we’ve
watched together. Remember that first one at the lake? The first
time I kissed you?”

I nodded, my head rubbing
against Michael’s shoulder. “How could I ever forget? But I’d
rather think about all the sunsets we’re going to share. For the
rest of our lives.” I craned my head to look up into his eyes, and
Michael lowered his lips to mine again.

“Want to take a little walk
before dinner?” he asked. “Enjoy the last bit of light?”

I took his hand. “I’ll
always walk into the sunset with you.”

“Always and forever?”
Michael asked, pulling against him again.

“And far, far
beyond.

It had been a long night,
and I was exhausted.

We usually took turns
getting up in the middle of the night with the baby, but when
Michael had to work the next day, I tried to cover more shifts. He
had to be at the nursery by 4 AM, and I knew I had the luxury of
napping when she napped.

The sun was just peeking
over the top of the drawn curtains in my bedroom when I sank into
bed. She was quiet, finally, and I let the glory of sleep slip over
me.

I was nearly under when I
heard her crying. Again.

Moaning, I dragged myself
from the bed and down the hallway to her nursery. Limbs flailing,
she was screaming at top pitch. I picked her up without much
thought and dropped into the rocking chair.

But she wouldn’t settle. As
my sleep-deprived frustration grew, she only wailed more
loudly.