Darkness Becomes Her (23 page)

“Get her out of here,” her dad whispered.

Lachlan stared into his desperate eyes. “I will.”

A violent shake made him stumble.

“Don’t fall!” Jessie screamed. “It’ll grab you.”

He righted himself and pulled at her again.

“That’s love, Ally,” her father said.

“No, it’s insanity. Lachlan, please go!”

Lachlan studied how the gray muck, hard as dried glue, mired her legs.

Her father said, “Russell and I loved your mother for the wrong reasons. Love isn’t the right word for it. I wouldn’t go into a place like this to rescue her. I wanted her because Russell wanted her. He had taken something precious from me, or at least that’s how I saw it. I wanted to punish him. For Russell, she represented someone to love him, to love. He would possess her because he had nothing else. It became a war over Calista.”

Two brothers loving the same woman. Look how that had ended. Lachlan kept working. Was her leg coming loose, just an inch?

“So you killed her. And him, too,” Lachlan said.

“I don’t think I would have killed her just because she had been having an affair. It was the twisted, dark nature of it, of their intention. Russell was dying. She brought him to our home so that he could take over my body. When I figured out what they were up to, Darkness overtook me.”

“Oh, Daddy, that’s terrible. How could she . . .” Jessie’s face shadowed. “Because she’s a selfish, callous person.”

“She knew, didn’t she?” Lachlan asked her.

Jessie nodded, seemingly unable to say the word. Tears glittered on her cheeks.

Lachlan wanted to kiss them away, but he needed to free her more than he wanted to comfort her. He grunted with effort, but his mind went back to two brothers fighting over one woman, becoming insane over it. Killing the object of their obsession. The rope squeezed his wrist, tight as a snake.

“That’s not you, Lachlan,” she said, watching his face. “Don’t even go there. You and Magnus have an entirely different relationship. You love each other. You would never hurt him on purpose.”

He was distracted by the sucking sound coming from beneath her legs. “You’re coming out!”

He started to put his hands down to brace against the floor.

“No, don’t touch the floor!” her father yelled. “Dammit, I feel so helpless.”

“Don’t beat yourself up for what you can’t do,” Lachlan said under his breath as he put every ounce of his strength into pulling her. He kept shifting his feet, feeling the suction every time he moved.

She screamed in agony but pushed out, “No, don’t stop. I’ll be . . . okay. What happens to our bodies here doesn’t affect our real bodies.”

He pulled again, and again. Finally, he was able to yank her leg partially free. “Oh, God . . . Jess.” What he saw turned his stomach. The gray muck was stripping the skin off her calves. And by her screams, she felt it. He could hardly breathe, seeing her raw flesh, bloody skin still attached to the floor.

“Just keep . . . going.” Pain contorted her face and tightened her jaw.

He did, because he couldn’t do anything else. The tearing of flesh, her gasps, killed him, stole his breath away, and still he played a life-threatening game of tug of war. With one final tear, one guttural scream, he wrenched her free.

She fainted, falling heavily into his arms. The sphere shuddered, sending him crashing to the floor. He jumped up, gathering her, and looked at the man in the wall.

“Go!” her father said. “And thank you.”

With a quick nod, Lachlan turned. Using the rope, he pushed his way through the gray masses, feeling the whole thing shake and tilt. They had to get out before the damned thing exploded.

“Help me!” Calista’s terrified screams echoed from far away.

He feared he’d taken a wrong turn somehow, but he had the rope. It felt loose, as though he could pull it all the way in.

Hell, had Olaf taken over his body? But Jessie could still go back, couldn’t she?

With another shudder, the sphere belched them into the openness. Lachlan breathed, looking down as her eyes fluttered open. “We’re out,” he told her.

“My father . . .”

He shook his head, looking to Olaf. All he saw was the end of the rope floating freely. And Olaf, or more specifically his silhouette, floating toward the Light.

“Olaf!”

“Nae, it’s alright.” He was smiling. “You’re right, laddie. There canna be a hell when I feel such joy and love.”

The Light burst brighter, blinding, and then it rocketed into the distance like a shooting star. In that same moment, Jessie and Lachlan plummeted.

Lachlan came back with a gasp, feeling dense in his body. She woke in the same violent way.

“I’ve got you.” He held her tight, then looked at her legs. No missing flesh, no blood.

She trembled, running her hand over her calves. “It felt so real.” She put her hand to her stomach and realized it was bare.

“I lost myself,” he said, pulling her shirt back down. “Buried my face against you, wanting to feel you, to know you were alive.”

She lifted her fingers, rubbing her thumb against the tips. “I’m wet.” Her eyes widened, then softened. “Your tears.” She touched his cheek, her fingers sliding across more moisture. He took her hand and pressed it to his mouth, because he hadn’t lost her after all, and he never wanted to feel that cutting sorrow again.

She put her other hand over her scar where it was wet. “I felt you. It tingled. We were connected, even when I was there and you were here.” She punched his arm. “I can’t believe you went there, risked everything—”

He kissed her, bracing her face with his hands.

She held his face, too. “Lachlan, did you save me for Magnus? Or to redeem yourself?”

He swallowed hard. “No. I saved you for me. Selfish bastard that I am. I did it for me.”

She hugged him, and he held her for a second. “And we’re going to save your father.”

She pushed back, gripping his shirt. “How?”

“We don’t have much time. We have to find Russell, trap him somehow. Can you walk?”

“I can run, if it means saving my father.”

They jumped up, and Lachlan grabbed his sword. “I don’t have Olaf anymore.”

“Which means the dogs will tear you apart. But I have Darkness. And desperation. And anger. I’ll make my own damned dogs.”

“Remember, he has desperation, too. If he gets hold of you, he can still bring your mother’s soul in if the Void hasn’t exploded yet.”

She held out her hands, palms up, and focused on them. Harder. Gritting her teeth, groaning with the effort. Defeat racked her expression. “Nothing. It’s gone. I don’t even feel it. Oh my God. I’ve lost Darkness just when I need it most.”

They were out of luck.

The door burst open and two dogs raced in, followed by Russell. His manic gaze shot right to her. “You did get out!”

No, they were dead in the water.

“I looked on the satellite view of the area where the dogs became confused,” Russell said, looking satisfied with himself.

The dogs rushed Lachlan. He backed against the wall, swinging his sword. “Get over here, Jess. Stay away from him.” He cut at the dogs, but the magic was gone. All he could do was nip at their shells. They backed off and then came at him again and again.

She didn’t move. Was she so afraid she’d frozen? He shoved his way toward her, feeling the dogs’ teeth at his ankles.

Russell’s eyes narrowed, and he smiled. “You don’t have whatever it was that helped you before. No sparks. No aura.” His gaze shifted to Jessie. “And you don’t hold Darkness.”

She reached out to him. “Russellmylove. It’s me. I . . . I don’t know how it happened, but
I
came back, not my daughter.”

Her fingers wrapped around Russell’s arm, and she stepped closer.

“Calista?”

She nodded, a beatific smile on her face. “It’s me, sweetheart.” Her voice was choked up, her hand against his chest.

Russell was so captivated, the dogs paused at the lack of direction. He studied her face, flicking a glance at Lachlan, but then back at her. “It’s really you?”

She ran her hands down her body. “I’m back!” She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek to his chest. “We’re together at last!”

For a second Lachlan felt time suspend. The sight strangled him. She’d just been here. He was sure it was her. So how . . . ?

She turned just slightly and winked.

Then he could breathe. She was pretending to be Calista to get close to Russell. And putting herself right in his arms. It was brilliant . . . and bloody dangerous, because if he suspected . . .

Russell wrapped his arms around her. “My love, my love,” he murmured, still keeping an eye on Lachlan.

Lachlan had to fight not to move between them. He had to play the game. He had brought back the wrong soul.
Go back to that moment when you thought it was Calista, dredge up how you felt.

“No. Noooo.”

Russell’s gaze pinned him. “You’ve lost. Let her go. The Void is gone now, or will be any second. You won’t hurt her body because you love her. I know that kind of love.”

“What I feel for her is nothing like your kind of ‘love.’ I would kill to protect her, but I would never kill innocents to bring her back. Because she would never abide that.”

She turned to him. “Don’t you dare judge me. You don’t know what it was like in that purgatory for fifteen years.”

She was good. Damned good. Is that what the crazy bitch had said to her?

“It’s done.” Russell was backing toward the door, his arm around her shoulder. “Should I kill him, honey?”

“No.”
Had she given herself away with that shocked word? Quickly, she added, “I mean, we don’t need to. We won.”

Russell’s hand tightened on her. “He knows the truth. He could be trouble later. He’s caused so much already.” He looked at her. “I want to kill him.”

He knew. Or suspected and was testing her. He raised his fist toward Lachlan.

Something was happening around her hand that pressed against his chest. Where his heart was. Darkness, in a smoky mist, surrounded it. Had she gotten it back?

Russell stumbled, looked down. “Wha . . . what are you doing?”

“Daddy!” she screamed as the mist burst forward. “Daddy!”

She pushed Russell, and they both fell to the floor. She kept her hand on his heart the whole time, gripping his arm to stay in place, calling her father over and over.

Russell struggled, hitting her. She didn’t fall away, though. He reached out again and opened his mouth to say something. Only a groan emerged. He shuddered, his eyes rolling back. Lachlan knelt at their side but didn’t dare interrupt her. The dogs exploded into puffs of black mist. Russell’s body convulsed, fingers clutching at the floor.

“They’re fighting,” she whispered. “Daddy, you can do it.”

Because if Russell came back, he would kill them.

“You still have Darkness,” Lachlan said, watching the blackness cover her hand.

She shook her head. “I’m using Daddy’s. I realized that if I could feel you touching me, we were connected. And if I touched Russell’s heart, my father would feel it. Maybe it will open a connection between them, since it’s my father’s body. But I’m afraid it’s killing him.”

Russell seemed to have trouble breathing, thrashing about and gasping. Lachlan put his hand over hers and held Russell’s shoulders down. She closed her eyes and seemed to pour every ounce of energy into her hand.

The thrashing stopped. Russell fell still, breathing raggedly. Lachlan squeezed her hand but reached for his sword.

Russell’s eyes opened and he sucked in air. Someone had come back. But who?

“Exploded,” he said. “Void exploded.”

Lachlan knew he should be watching the man, but he was watching her face. Because she would know first who it was. Hope and fear mingled on her expression, in her eyes.

“It’s over,” she said.

The man reached out with a shaky hand and touched her face. “Allybean.”

“Daddy!”

She threw herself down on him, but Lachlan still didn’t trust it. She’d used that trick on Russell, after all. His fingers tightened on the sword. The man put his arms around her. Tears rolled down his temples and he heaved in great sobs.

Lachlan couldn’t stand it anymore. He pulled her to her feet, maybe a bit too hard. “You’d better let your father up, let him breathe.”

She met his gaze, the joy seeping away. “You don’t think . . .”

“I don’t know.” He leaned down and clasped the man’s hand. “Welcome back, sir. Here, let me help you up.”

The man stood, wobbly on his legs. “It’s been so long since I’ve been able to stand.” He didn’t let go of Lachlan’s hand, his body swaying. “Thank you. You saved my daughter. And even better, you love my daughter. Because no way would you have gone into that disgusting pit if you didn’t. I’m Henry, by the way. We weren’t properly introduced.”

Lachlan shook his hand. “Lachlan.”

She was studying her dad. She glanced at Lachlan and smiled. “It’s him. I can see it in his eyes. That’s how I knew it wasn’t him right after it happened.”

Henry laughed, though he leaned against the arm of the couch for support. “He’s still looking out for you. Yes, it’s me.” He took her in with love, not the desperate, manic so-called love in Russell’s eyes, but genuine love. “My little girl.”

She rushed forward, and this time Lachlan relaxed. He still held the sword, but he enjoyed their reunion.

Finally, she backed up enough to take Henry in with the same love. “What happened?”

“I was shocked to see Russell appear in the Void, especially in my chamber. The place was really breaking apart. He looked terrified. I felt heat in my chest, and I could feel you calling to me. And suddenly I was free. He lunged at me, and we fought, while the whole place was tilting at crazy angles. I felt stronger than I’ve felt in years. I pushed him at the wall, and it grabbed him. Swallowed him. I woke up here.” He took them in, a warm smile on his face.

“Daddy, can you feel if you still have Darkness?”

He looked at his hands, then patted himself. “I feel different. Lighter.”

She was nodding. “Yeah, me, too.”

He flexed his fingers. “And I can’t bring it out.”