Entrelacen (27 page)

To aid me in righting wrong
Banishing evil from this night.
I sacrifice myself
To thy might
By Fire I call thee to me
By Water wash away their misery
By Wind carry them to safety
By Earth encase me in thy might
By the shedding of my blood
As I ask, Shall be done
This I’ll so mote it be.

I finish the spell and manage to get out of
Logan’s grasp to pivot in front of him as Azazel's
blade goes through the center of my stomach. He
looks confused on how I appeared in front of him and
how the blade of his sword is now embedded in my
stomach instead of Logan’s.

The only light shining down on us right now is
from the moon. This is it. This is what It all comes
down to. Azazel steps back. His body is sizzling, like
fire is burning him from the inside. I look up to see
the moon, the stars, and the faces of Logan and
Mathew.

They each kiss me on the cheek and take off
into the night. As I hear my heartbeat fading, I close
my eyes and relax under the sky. I pray for the
goddesses' help as my blood seeps into the ground.

I’m cutting down these freaky
creatures left and right while making sure
I can still feel Mathew’s hand on my back.
Then I look over my shoulder to see April
watching me. I’m just about to smile at
her when he appears behind her. My eyes
go wide, and she turns around quickly. If I
was being honest with myself about
everything going on around me, I would
swear I was in a dream. This shit just
doesn’t happen. Yet here I’m blasting
another thing away with light from my
hand. Why we didn’t get weapons is
beyond me, but we’re making do with the
power that is coursing through our bodies.
It’s pretty kick ass if you really think
about it.

They’re exchanging banter, and I
laugh at April's witty comments. She has
this snarky attitude and is giving this
Azazel guy shit. Then he’s in front of
Mathew trying to get him to go with him.
I pray that he says no.

Mathew looks at April, then at me.”
No,” he says, like Azazel is stupid for even
asking him.

“Stupid, just like your parents. Why
would you want them to die?” Azazel is
trying to get to him.

“My mom and dad just killed your
army. Why would I go with you?” Mathew
asks.

I’ve never been called a dad before,
and it’s a strange feeling, one that fills me
up with pride and love. April yells at him,
and I’m not going to lie. It scared the shit
out of me. Damn, that girl has a set of
lungs on her. I stop focusing on what
they’re saying and turn my attention to
what the creatures smell like... I don’t even
have a comparison. That's how bad they
smell. That’s when Azazel punches April.
He just punched my girl, and I see red. I'm
pissed. I hear the sound of her jaw
breaking, but when I look over, all I see is
a scowl on her face and a pissed off
expression on his. How the hell is she not
crying in pain? I don’t have time to worry
about it because he pulls out a sword, and
April goes down in a crouch. My body
automatically mimics hers. As she faces off
against him, I take care of the other
things.

I punch one in the face as the light
shoots out of my hand. His skull shatters,
and the wind takes away the ash. I see
Mathew lifting his palm up, and the 3
guys gunning for him go flying. Nice. I see
another making his way to grab him, so I
shoot my hand out, and the thing is
blasted to ash. I could really get used to
this ability, whatever It’s.

I see Azazel disappear. April grabs
Mathew to push him between us as she’s
saying something. Then he appears in
front of her with the sword, and I react.
Promises be damned. She was going to
sacrifice herself for me. I turn her, and she
growls as she finishes whatever she is
saying. Then she’s out of my hold and
standing in front of me with her arms
shielding us.

Azazel’s face is mad and confused.
He didn’t expect to see her in front of me.
Then he looks down, and my eyes follow
his. His hand is still on his sword, but the
blade isn’t visible. It’s buried to the hilt in
April’s abdomen, with a little piece poking
out her back. I stop breathing, and my
heart is burning. Azazel backs away when
smoke starts coming off his skin. Blisters
are covering his body.

“Logan go. Take Mathew, and go
home. You promised me.” I can barely
hear her.

“Mom?" Mathew is starting to cry,
and my heart is breaking. I’m torn
between picking her up and running away
with Mathew.

“It’s going to be okay baby. I’ll catch
up with you and Logan,” she says, but her
voice betrays her.

“April." I say, “You said you
wouldn't do anything stupid.”
Tears are falling out of her eyes.
"This wasn’t stupid. Now go before he
stops burning.”
Gesturing to Azazel, who is
screaming in agony, we give her a kiss on
the cheek. I pick Mathew up and take off
running in the direction of the car.
Mathew is crying, and I’m on the verge of
tears. When we reach the car, we get in
and sit. And sit. And sit. We’ve been
sitting in the car hoping to see her
walking toward us for hours. The moon is
up above us, illuminating the valley.
Another hour goes by, and Mathew
has finally cried himself to sleep. Surely it’s
been long enough to go back, right? I’m
gazing in the direction of where we ran
from, when a ray from the moon shines
down to the ground. I shake my head to
make sure I’m awake because the moon
doesn’t normally beam lights like a
spotlight, right? Then the light explodes in
a circle. The last thing I see before my
eyelids close is someone standing with
April in his hands.

I feel like I’m floating in the
clouds. Everythingissopeaceful, and
Ican hear Mathew talkingto
someone.Ilook overandsee him
withhisbrothersandgrandmother.
They’replayingaboard game and
laughing. I smile at them when they
look upat me. I walk around,but it
feelsmore like gliding. I feel my
body beingpulled toward a lake that
isupahead. Insteadof fightingit, I
follow it. Iwelcome the pullbecause
I know it has to be April. She’s the
only one that’s ever had that
magnetic pullon me. As I walk
through the trees, I see her. She’s
sittingon a rock withher feet
dangling in the water. She’s wearing
apink andorange sundress. Her
blonde hair shineslike the sun. The
red hair underneathremindsme of
fire when it movesin the wind,like
aflame of acandle dancing. She
turnstofaceme when she hearsme
comingupbehindher. She smiles
the most beautifulsmile Ihave ever
seen.Thisgirl'sbeauty rivalsthis
beautiful lake in front of us. She’s
beauty incarnate, andthisplaceis
just her shadow.

Isit downbehindher, and she
leansintomy chest.Everythingis
right, perfect. But Iknow perfection
doesn’t last forever, and I can’t help
but wonder if I failed. I promised her
that everythingwould beokay, but I
was wrong. I saw her die before my
eyes, but now we’re here, wherever
here is. I know I should care that I
failed, but if we’re here together, is
it really failure?

I’m being shaken. I open my eyes to
see Mathew looking at me with a worried
look in his eyes. I bolt upright
remembering everything that happened,
while my dream is nagging me. Something
about It’s important, but I push it to the
side, and we get out of the car. He takes
my hand, and we start walking back to
where we left her. The entire valley is
clear. No body. No piles of ash. No
anything. If there’s no body, then the
person I saw pick up April was real. Where
is she?

“Logan, where’s Mom?” Mathew
asks confused.
What am I supposed to tell him? I
have no idea why she’s not here right now.
“I don’t know buddy. Let’s get home.
Maybe she’s there.” I look over at him to
see him nod his head. He looks doubtful,
but he’s holding out hope.

I can still hear everything that’s going on
around me. Azazel is still screaming in agony, Logan
is running away with Mathew, and my heartbeat is
getting slower. I still have my eyes closed, not
wanting to open them to see the destruction around
me.

I don’t know how long I’ve been lying here,
but Azazel has finally stopped screaming, so I look up
and see that he now a pile of ash.
Thank the universe
becauseI’m not sure we could have faced them again.
I can feel the wind pick up and scatter everything
around me into oblivion. That’s how I feel right now,
like I’m fading into oblivion. There’s no angel coming
for my soul. There’s nothing but darkness obscured
with light from the moon.

I used to be scared of death. I thought it was
going to be painful. I figured I would see my life flash
before my eyes. Frankly, I feel cheated. There’s no
pain, no flashbacks of my life; there is nothing, an
abyss of darkness. Ican’t even open my eyes anymore
to look at the sky above me. I’m struggling to take
another breath. Thump, thump, thump, I exhale, and
there’s no more thump. My heart stops beating. I start
to feel my soul being torn from my body, and then a
white light surrounds me, forcing my soul back into
my body. Then I’m being lifted.

I can feel the texture of his shirt against my
face. He is cold, too cold to be human. It doesn’t
make any sense. Whoever or whatever is carrying me
has a heartbeat. I can hear its slow, steady rhythm. I
can hear his breathing and smell his cologne. I can’t
place it though. I’ve never smelt it before. It smells
like a foggy day, like the clouds when they’re so low
that It’s like you’re walking on clouds. He also smells
like the sun. I chuckle; I’m delirious. How can I smell
something that can be compared to walking in the
clouds and sunshine? Then the stupid song “I’m
Walking on Sunshine” starts to play in my head. The
lack of oxygen is making me loopy.

When someone is carrying you, aren’
t you
supposed to feel like you’re actually moving? I feel
nothing, and I hate it. I hate the unknown. It brings me
back to a time when I would do anything to feel
something, including cutting myself. I would rather be
back in the mountains fighting Azazel and his army.
At least I would be feeling something, knowing
something, and fighting for something.
Click.
The
light bulb goes off in my head. I had stopped fighting.
I just accepted the fact that I was going to die if it
meant saving Mathew and Logan. I’m not ready to be
dead. I’m not ready to give up on loving Logan, and
I’m sure as hell not ready to give up raising my kids
when I just got them.

I start to feel that prickly sensation running
through my body, the one you feel when your leg falls
asleep. I start to feel that all over my body. I feel the
stab, the punch to the face, and the stiffness that took
over my muscles. Gah, is this much pain necessary? I
guess that’s what I get for wanting to feel again.

I’m finally able to open my eyes but can’t
open them much because of the bright light that is
blinding me. I hope this creature is taking me to my
house. Just when I’m about to open my eyes again,
I’m being placed on a bed. I open my eyes to find
myself in my room with a gorgeous guy kneeling
beside me. He has the bluest eyes I have ever seen,
which stand out against his pitch black hair and
illuminated skin. I reach my hand out to touch him as
he stares down at me. I touch his face. It’s cold but
warm, and it’s soft but hard. It’s like everything about
him is a contradiction.

My touch has no effect on him. He’s just
looking at me, waiting to see if I’m going to freak out.
I smile at him, and he tilts his head to the side and
mimics my smile. Guardian. That’s what he is. I don’t
know how I know it, but I do. This guy is the one who
has been speaking to me along the way. He’s the one
who saved me many times over as a kid when I
decided to do something stupid. I guess, in a way, he’s
my subconscious. My eyes are searching his, and then
he speaks.

“April
do not be afraid. Everything is taken
care of. You did exactly what was expected of you,
and Mathew is safe. Saving Logan was an added
bonus, which is why you are here now. Don’t forget
anything, but don’t hold on to it.” He places his hand
over my heart. “Allow yourself to love
unconditionally and be loved back.”

Before I can say anything, he smiles once
more and kisses my forehead. Then the light is gone.
I’ll always be here with you April. You may not
see me, but I’ll always watch over you.
I knew it! I smile and think of how luckyI’m
to be here right now. Wait! Where are Logan and
Mathew? I jump out of bed. “Son of a mother
freaking A!" Ugh, my body hurts, and quick
movement isn’t pleasant. I slowly start to make my
way to the stairs and take each one extra carefully.
Wow, I really need to get into shape.
I finally make it down the stairs. I head to the
kitchen to get a bottle of water and some aspirin. I’m
about halfway across the room when I hear a car pull
up in the driveway, and my heart stops all over again.
Then I hear nothing. Maybe it was someone next
door. I turn to get the aspirin because my head is
pounding while my body is zinging with electricity. If
anyone is looking at me in this moment, they would
think I’m insane. Maybe I’m. I just fought things and
demons, died by a sword, and now I’m standing here
waiting for the door to open, all because I have one of
the most gorgeous guardians possible.
The door is pushed open, and my heart is
beating double time. The first face I see is Mathew.
Tears form in my eyes when I see the shocked
expression he has on his face. He runs to me and
flings his arms around me. I wince in pain. I look up
to see Logan, who has an expression that keeps
changing from love to guilt. The tears poor down as
he makes his way to us. I beg him with my eyes to not
blame himself. Everything that happened was exactly
what was supposed to happen. I can’t even imagine
how they must be feeling. For about 8 hours, they
thought I was dead. Hell, I thought I was dead, and for
a briefmoment, I’m pretty sure I was.
“I’m going to go play upstairs Mom. I’m
really glad you’re okay, but I know Logan wants to be
alone with you.” He laughs when I give him a look.
“Alright kiddo. Scram before I go apocalyptic
on your behind,” I say.
He runs upstairs so fast that I laugh some
more, which causes me to wince again. Damn it! This
shit hurts.
“Don’t feel guilty Logan. This isn’t your fault.
Frankly, I didn’t even feel any pain when it
happened.” I sigh. “This pain is what I get for feeling
likeI was ripped off.”
“Babe, what the hell are you talking about?
Getting ripped off from what?” He asks me with his
eyebrows raised.
“Oh, you know how they say It’s painful when
you die, your life flashes before your eyes, and there’s
a white light or angelto take you away?” I ask, and
when he nods, I continue, “Yeah, well I got ripped off.
No pain, no flashes, no white light or angel. Well I
guess the end isn’t entirely true.” I shrug.
“Wait, what? Back up. I get the pain and
flashes, but what do you meanabout an angel?”
I sigh as I sit down and bite my lip to suppress
the wince. “Well I actually died. I felt my last breath
and heard my heart stop. I didn’t feel any pain or
anything for that matter. When I died though, and my
soul was supposed to leave my body, it was forced
back in by this white light. Then I was being lifted
and carried home.” I look over at him to make sure
he’s following. He nods so I keep talking. “When he
put me on my bed, I opened my eyes and saw him. It
was so surreal babe. He wasn’t like us. When I
touched his face, everything clicked. I knew he was
my guardian.”
“Well, whoever he was, I’m glad he was
watching over you," he says softly.
I know he feels like It’s his job to watch to me,
to protect me, so ignoring the pain it will cause, I
sling my leg over his so that I’m sitting in his lap
facing him. I grab his face and say, “Logan, you listen
to me right now. You did exactly what you were
supposed to do. You kept Mathew safe, and that’s
what matters. Do not think for one second that this is
your fault, and you could have changed it. I love you,
and it all worked out.” I don’t give him any time to
respond with some smart ass remark. I kiss him hard.
To hell with the slow passionate kiss. I need to feel
him, every inch of him, and Idon’t care how needy it
makes me becauseI’m needy. I need to know he’s
here, that I’m here, and that we can have our happy
future.
I let up on the kiss, not because I want to, but
because I need to get some sort of pain pills in me
before I scream. I get up to go grab some when I
notice the stiffness is gone. I look down at my
stomach, which is still covered in blood, and I
grimace. I lift my shirt up to see a nasty scar where
the blade pierced me, and I frown. I’m not a vain
person, but damn, It’s ugly.
Logan pulls me in front of him and kisses the
scar. “You are beautiful. Don't think for one second
that this makes a difference. In fact, it reminds me
how kick ass you were out there.” He wiggles his
eyebrows and gives me his sexy grin.
I laugh. "Oh, isthat right? You didn’t look so
bad yourself.”
“Come on. We all know I kick ass. I just didn’t
expect you to though, but damn, you moved fast!”
I start to notice that the longer my skin stays in
contact with Logan’s, the pain subsides, and I start to
feel like myself again. I think he notices too because I
can see the fire burning in his eyes. So what do I do? I
bite my lip and step back. He narrows his eyes and
smirks. We’re definitely not playing fair. When I end
up against the wall, I laugh. It seems like I always
back myself into a wall. He’s lowering his head to
kiss me when the front door opens. A very excited
Michael crashes into us, and Lee runs upstairs to see
Mathew.
I look at Logan and mouth 'Later' to him. He
smiles, picks up Michael, and charges up the stairs to
play with the boys. God, I love that man. That’s when
my mom and Gran walk in. Everything is perfect, at
least as perfect as it can be.