Immortal Memory (Book One) (5 page)

Numbness seized her entire body when
Tristan breathed a cold whisper against her ear. “Don’t trust Zach.
He wants you all for himself and is a liar. You belong with
me.”

She almost got shoved into the glass.
Tristan was pushed by Zach lunging at him from behind. The two
brothers hurried after each other as quick as light traveled. Simra
gripped onto the chair and gasped in surprise at their velocity. A
normal human could never move at their speed. The brothers weren’t
fighting but were trying to catch each other.

Neither of the brothers could be
trusted. Siblings always had similar personalities. Only Jeff and
Mandy could be trusted during this time.

Simra screamed in a wild panic when
Tristan placed his hand on Zach’s head. Her ex-fiancé pinned him
against the wall in defeat. She needed to get out of there but
didn’t know where to go. Nowhere was safe.

Chapter 4

"Say to those who have an
anxious heart, 'Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come
with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save
you'." -Isaiah 35:4

The house phone’s shrill rings caused
Simra to fall off the couch. Her rear end plopped onto the hard
floor, but she ignored the throbbing pain. Simra’s desperate hands
grabbed the phone on the small table beside the couch. The
troubling image replayed in her mind of Tristan pinning Zach
against the wall.

Simra began remembering how everything
went black during the moment. Something didn't feel right. Her body
ached with a strange weakness she'd never felt. Her limbs quivered
from it, and her skin became clammy. Was she feverish?

She picked up the phone and answered in
a rush. “Hello?”

Lucinda’s voice quaked on the other end
of the line. “Azazel’s trouble. Past done. Live for now. It’s only
way to freedom. Live in God’s will, not your’s…not
Azazel’s.”

Simra squeezed the phone in her
trembling hands as she rushed into the bedroom to change clothes.
Her grandmother seemed to remember her. “Grandmother, are you safe?
What are you trying to say? What’s happening to us?”

Simra’s throat grew heavy from dread
when Lucinda started mumbling with panic in her voice. Tristan’s
wicked laughter echoed in the background. The phone slipped from
Simra’s hand and crashed onto the hard floor.

Simra stormed out of the house and
jumped into the car. She wouldn’t dare let him harm her
grandmother. Sick or not! Her tires squealed out of the driveway.
She needed to make it to the nursing home before it grew too
late.

Perhaps Tristan
was
a demon there to hurt
Lucinda and anyone who got in his way. Worst of all, Zach came to
collect her grandmother’s soul. But why did Tristan choose Lucinda
to curse? The three of them shared a dark past that Simra knew may
never be revealed.

Her grandmother had once forgotten her
family and the ability to speak. But tonight proved otherwise.
Lucinda seemed very aware of the danger around them. Someone else
must have dialed Simra's number from Lucinda's room. It was
impossible for her grandmother to remember any phone
numbers.

Something was wrong, and Simra would
prevent anything from happening to anyone else she loved. Her
family’s safety came first. After parking at the Alzheimer’s home,
she ran out of the car. With juddering hands, she unlocked the code
to get inside the building.

Bonnie rushed to the door and greeted
Simra with concern reflecting in her widened eyes. “Miss Reece, is
something wrong?”

Simra hurried past the nurse and
answered her in a rush of words. “Did Grandmother just use the
phone?”

“I’m not certain. There’s a phone in
her room, but there’s no way she remembers how to dial any
particular numbers. Why?”

Simra placed a hand to her own brow,
shook her head, and stopped at the doorway of her grandmother’s
room. “I just need to see her.”

Simra stepped into the room, and her
gaze stopped on Lucinda. Lucinda sat on her bed and rocked back and
forth. She mumbled words Simra couldn’t interpret. The lamp
illuminated a dim light in her room.

Simra pulled Lucinda against her. The
biting air caused her to shiver next to her grandmother. The faint
aroma of smoke began to fade. Warm fog drifted from Lucinda’s lips
when she breathed.

Simra reached for a blanket to wrap
around Lucinda. She searched Lucinda’s fragile body to see if
Tristan harmed her in any way. Relief washed through Simra when she
found no wounds. She pulled away from her grandma, and the cold
sank its teeth into her own body.

Tears filled Simra's eyes as she framed
Lucinda’s face in her hands. “Oh Grandmother, please talk to me
like you did earlier. What happened? Did Tristan call me from your
room?”

Lucinda stopped mumbling,
and her shifting gaze tore Simra’s soul to shreds. Tristan must
have done
something
to her grandmother. Simra’s scattered emotions raced. There
was only one explanation. Everything Zach said began to make
sense.

Lucinda’s frightened gaze softened. The
woman’s stiff shoulder relaxed against her granddaughter. Her
grandmother stopped rocking. Lucinda's calm stare fixated on the
doorway.

The lamp's faint light flickered a
couple of times beside her bed. Silence settled in the room until
footsteps came closer…closer down the hall. Simra’s throat went dry
with her breathing heavy from desperation. The tall figure of Zach
stepped into the room. He closed the door behind him and walked
toward Simra and Lucinda.

The angel placed a gentle hand on her
grandmother’s cheek. “There’s no reason to be afraid anymore. I’m
here.”

“Stay away from her!” Simra moved
between them to protect her grandmother from him.

Lucinda gave him a warm smile,
stretched across her bed, and dozed into a peaceful snooze. Zach
seemed to comfort her grandmother so. On the other hand, Tristan
caused such chaos for Lucinda and her granddaughter. However, Simra
must remain on guard at all times with both brothers. Zach might be
tricking them. How could Zach and Tristan be visible only to Simra
and her grandmother?

Flashes of the past few hours replayed
in her mind. One thing was certain. This was all very real and no
dream. She'd just woke up in the same ghoulish reality as the
evening before.

Turning her heavy sleep-deprived eyes
toward her grandma’s digital clock, she saw the flashing green
numbers of 3:15 a.m. There was no reason for a doctor to come in
this time of the morning. Zach probably arrived to collect her
grandmother's soul. Didn't most deaths happen during the morning?
No, he wouldn't have the chance!

Simra pressed her lips together and
stepped closer to him. She held down her voice in a hushed tone.
“Leave us alone. If you want me to believe you're not like Tristan,
you'll stop following me and never return here.”

“I'm not following you, Simra. I
arrived to calm your grandmother. Azazel came and frightened her.
She needed assurance that everything would be all right. I sensed
something was wrong that involved my brother. I got here as soon as
I could.”

Torn with what to believe, Simra sighed
with frustration. She needed to stay there with Lucinda the rest of
the day to make sure her grandmother would be all right. Tristan
could come back. Most importantly, Simra knew Zach wanted Lucinda's
soul. Her key priority was keeping her grandma safe.

“You realize how difficult it is to
trust you? You might be an angel. But how's it true that
Grandmother’s been placed under such a hideous curse? Curses aren't
real!” she hissed.

Zach sat next to Lucinda on the bed
with much stillness in his eyes as he gazed at Simra. “Souls,
angels, demons, curses, and God do exist. Azazel's a fallen angel
of death, and I’m an angel fighting for the Lord. We’re all very
real, and you must believe in Jesus to survive. Trust in Him to
bring you through this.

“A demon like Azazel is wicked enough
to place a curse on anyone who gets in the way of what he desires.
I realize it's difficult to trust me since your involvement with my
brother. But the fact is I’ve been sent to stop him. We’re nothing
alike. Your grandmother knows this."

He paused and gazed with sorrow at
Lucinda. "She was his first chosen bride years ago, but he got
humiliated by her rejection. So, he cursed her for it. Allow me to
take you to safety. You deserve some peace after what he's placed
you and your family through all these years."

Simra’s senses reeled from ragged
emotions, and she paced the room. “What do you mean by that? He
didn't know my family. Tristan…wanted to marry Grandmother? How's
that possible? He and I were engaged."

Zach stood up and placed his gentle
hands on Simra’s shoulders. He caused her to melt underneath his
compassionate touch. “He's always known and stalked you like his
prey. Azazel lured you to fall for him with his charm. He couldn't
have Lucinda. But he knew she'd have a granddaughter just like her
in the future. So, he waited for you. Your parents and Melton would
only be in his way of you, and he knew it. So, he-”

"No, no, no!" Simra pounded her fists
against his chest and broke into sobs.

Since the tragedies, she'd tried for
years to find out what caused the accident and the mysterious heart
attack. The police, doctors, and witnesses could not explain them.
Her parents' car swerved off the road and crashed for no reason.
Melton Reece always had perfect health.

This 'angel' toyed with her
mind! He'd read her thoughts. Zach probably gathered some
information about Simra's family from
her.
It seemed he wanted to make
himself look better than Tristan!

All Simra could do was sob
harder when he surprisingly placed his arms around her with a warm
embrace. "You must stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault why
they died, nor is it Lucinda's. I'm the one who let her down years
ago because I didn't save her in time. I was too preoccupied with
my own feelings. I let her down. I let
you
down. Most importantly, I let God
down."

He squeezed Simra closer against him.
"But I'll assure you of this. I'm protecting her granddaughter with
every power I have whether you like it or not."

She inhaled his intoxicating cedar
aroma between sobs and jerked away from him. He had the same effect
on her as his brother in the beginning. She needed to avoid Zach as
much as possible to keep from getting hurt again. Both angels were
fallen whether Zach said so or not. "Just leave us
alone!"

"I'd do as you ask, but I can't and
won't. Lucinda asked me to take care of you. I promised her. And I
need your help." Zach's gaze turned troubled. "We should flee to
safety. Now! My brother's back. He's here for you this time. Trust
me and hold on to me."

Simra’s breath caught in her throat
when a dark shadow billowed behind Zach, and the lamp flickered.
Her body grew weak again. She needed rest. But she needed to stay
conscious and protect Lucinda!

Tristan was back, and there was nothing
Simra could do. She felt like a helpless human with sudden fainting
spells. Darkness closed in on her, and she collapsed.

Chapter 5

"For God's purpose for us
is not wrath, but salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." - I
Thessalonians 5:9

Zach caught Simra in his arms when she
collapsed. Something was wrong with her. Something caused by his
brother. A curse.

Zach placed Simra beside her
grandmother on the bed. Azazel shadowed over him as Zach bent down.
The angel turned to look into the face of his twin brother. The
demon’s glowing eyes burned into his with a smoldering fury.
Azazel’s hands clenched by his sides, and he squared his shoulders.
The evil demon showed no fear of Zach.

“I thought I told you she belongs to
me, Zach. Simra doesn’t want you. She loved me first and still
loves me. If you don’t leave now, I’ll bring an end to you…forever
this time.”

Zach tightened his jaw. “Simra thought
she loved you once. You never loved her. You’ll never understand
the meaning of love. You’re nothing but a demon, and her soul
belongs to God. What have you done to her?”

Tristan gave him a sarcastic smirk.
"She'll be with me forever, whether I'm destroyed or not. Simra's
staying with me wherever I go. So forget about keeping her for
yourself. She's mine."

Zach stormed toward his brother before
Azazel could reach him and placed a hand on the demon’s head. The
angel pinned him against the wall. He mumbled a prayer to send his
brother into a dark slumber for a while.

“
Lord, thank You for giving
me power and authority over demons. I cover myself, Simra, and
Lucinda in the blood of Jesus. I command you, Azazel, to leave this
area in Jesus's name,"
Zach grumbled in the
Aramaic dialect.

Azazel’s ragged screams filled the
nursing home. The sunlight of the Spirit beamed through the room
and chased away the demon. Zach nodded a silent ‘thank you’ to Him
before rushing to Simra. He glanced at Lucinda, who smiled in her
peaceful slumber.