Death Before Daylight (38 page)

“Do you have a plan, Jess?” Every part of my
dad’s tone told me what I had seen in his face before. He never
gave up on her either.

“Not exactly,” she admitted, “but if we can
get him to meet us away from the shelter, the others won’t get
hurt.”

“She’s right,” I said. “Even if he suspects
it’s a setup, Darthon’s desperate for a chance to win. He’ll go
somewhere else.” I had to take a long breath before I could
continue, “He would meet me.”

“He won’t meet you at night,” Pierce pointed
out the time.

“He will if it means he can check the spell,”
I said. “He will if it gives him a chance to kill me alone.”

Everyone was quiet, but Jada’s foot tapped
against the ground. My attention was on her before she even spoke,
“They might be right.” She leaned over to brush Luthicer’s arm.
“Especially if they’re talking about Robb.”

I glanced at Jessica, half-expecting to see
dread on her face, but nothing crossed it. She might not have known
his identity for certain, but a part of her had been prepared for
the truth all along.

“I can’t risk this,” my father said and shook
his head.

“You either risk this or risk everyone in
this shelter,” I said back.

My dad stared at me. “Darthon will know it’s
a setup.”

“So, send some warriors with me,” I said,
“but let’s keep the Light away from here as long as we can. At
least until you can get the kids out.”

“It would give us enough time,” Urte said.
Everyone knew Brenthan was among the children at the shelter. Even
though he had his full powers, he wasn’t strong enough to fight. He
would definitely be among the casualties.

“We don’t exactly have a lot of time to
debate this,” Jessica said.

My dad blew out a rigid breath, but his stare
was unreadable as he turned from Jessica to look at me. “Do you
want this?”

“It’s the only choice I want,” I said. Both
of the options would result in death, but preventing more was my
only goal, and I knew it was Jessica’s, too. She wouldn’t have gone
back if that weren’t the case.

“Then, go,” my father decided before his
attention averted to Urte. “Prepare the others, and get the kids
out. You, too, Luthicer.”

The half-breed didn’t argue, but he did
linger by Jada’s side. “And you? Where are you going?”

She straightened up. “With Eric.”

Luthicer nodded. “I will see you later,
then.” He left without another word, and Urte followed my father.
The only ones left made up my team—Pierce, Jessica, Jada, and
I.

Pierce laid his forearm on Jada’s shoulder.
“I knew you’d come in handy.”

Jada brushed him off. “Don’t get excited at a
time like this.”

Every part of her reminded me of Camille.

“Let’s do this, then,” I said, but Jessica
grabbed my arm.

“There’s something else you need to know,”
she said. “Darthon knows about the rings.”

I glanced at her hand, the one that held the
jewelry, the piece of metal that kept me alive. “It’s too late for
him to take it off again.”

“Why do your rings matter?” Pierce asked.

I told him what I knew. “We think it’s
imbedded with a spell.”

“An immortality spell?” Jada was the one to
give it a name, but she crossed the room so she could see the
jewelry herself. “That’s wicked.”

“What are you talking about?” Jessica
asked.

Jada stared at us. “You two don’t know?”

We shook our heads in unison.

“Immortality spells exist,” she said, “but
they’re practically legends. They’re almost impossible to make.” A
blush ran across her cheeks. “I’ve been doing a lot of reading in
the library.”

“My mother made them,” I said.

Jada’s blush paled into a grimace. “That
makes sense,” she said, “but she couldn’t have been the only one to
do it.”

“How do you know?” Jessica asked.

“Because,” Jada drew out the single word,
“two people have to die for them to work, one from each side.”

Camille’s death may not have been a plan, but
it was always a possibility considering her position as my guard.
It made sense to create something just in case. And her
relationship with my mother wasn’t a coincidence. It was my
mother’s suicide that destroyed me. It was never out of depression,
after all.

I had to sit down. Jessica sat right next to
me.

When we didn’t speak, Jada continued, “How
did you think the ancient ones kept both of the sects’ powers
alive?” She took the moment to look at each of us. “The elders at
the time killed themselves.”

“Well,” Pierce leaned against the wall. He
didn’t make a joke.

“It’s a legend,” Jada repeated, but her voice
lowered when she looked at me, “but I guess I should’ve kept that
to myself.”

“No, no,” I found the words, but I had to
grab Jessica’s hand to speak. “Thank you, Jada.”

She beamed. “So, are we going to set up Robb
or not?”

“You seem entirely too eager for this,”
Pierce noted.

“I’ve been following the guy for a decade,”
she said. “It’s about time the story breaks.”

“Crystal?”

Jessica said it, and her question changed
everything.

Jada met her eyes. “I told you I was the best
reporter Hayworth would ever see.”

I couldn’t believe it. Jada—the new breed of
shade with multicolored eyes—was Jessica’s best friend, and she was
going to fight with us. I was numb to it. The only memories I had
of Crystal were ones that included Robb. She had been by my side
just as much as he had been, and I had deserted her when she never
left me at all. She had followed Robb for a reason.

Jessica shot up from her chair and wrapped
her arms around Jada. “I can’t believe it.”

“I would shift out, but it’s kind of painful
to shift back,” she managed to squeeze out the words during their
hug. “I thought you would’ve figured it out when I gave you the
necklace.”

“I’m sorry,” Jessica said. “I thought—”

“It’s all right, Jess.” Jada pushed herself
out of the hug. “Let’s get through this, and then we can talk about
it.”

Jessica nodded, but they kept chatting.

Pierce took Jessica’s seat, and he leaned
against me. “Crystal, as in Crystal Hutchins, right?”

“Right,” I breathed.

“I thought Luthicer was Jada’s father.”

“He is.”

“But Crystal only has a mother,” Pierce
said.

Lola Hutchins—practically the only reporter
in town—was a woman, and Luthicer clearly wasn’t.

I shook the contradiction out of my head.
“I’m not questioning it,” I said. If Jessica believed it, I did,
too. “Hand me my phone.” It was on the table closest to Pierce,
after all, but he didn’t reach for it.

“Why do you want your phone?”

I cracked a smile at him. “I have to ask
someone out on a date.”

51

Out of all the places in Hayworth, Robb
McLain wanted to meet at the coffee shop. He didn’t even question
why I wanted to meet, but he agreed to it, and that was all that
mattered.

“What happens when he figures out the
illusion was removed?” Crystal’s question echoed through the alley
we stood in. We were all humans, and surprisingly, having her with
us didn’t seem outlandish at all. Her punk appearance fit in right
between Jessica’s focused stare and Jonathon’s forced smirk.

“We’ll fight,” I answered when no one else
did. We knew it would happen. Getting him away from the shelter was
the only thing that mattered, but even Robb wouldn’t start a battle
in front of humans. He would find a way out, and the Dark would
clear out the children by then. In a way, we had already succeeded
in the first part of our mission.

“The elders are ready.” Jonathon’s eyes
shifted around as he used his telepathy to speak to my father.
Their adrenaline was the only reason they could speak, but I was
relieved by the news.

We were in the clear, and a few warriors were
near us. I could sense their energy in the air the way I sensed
rain coming. It was heavy.

I straightened my jacket. “I’ll let you know
if I need you guys.”

“When you need us,” Jessica corrected. When I
glanced at her, she smiled. “We’ll be right here.”

I nodded, but didn’t respond before walking
away. I held my head high. Robb couldn’t kill me, after all—not
unless he removed my ring—and I wouldn’t let that happen. Or
rather, I would do my best not to let it happen. Jessica and the
others would, too. Unlike Darthon, my people watched my back, and
when it came down to it, I believed Linda would have mine, too. It
would only be a matter of time before we found out.

The entrance bell chimed as I pushed the door
open.

He was sitting at a table in the corner with
his back to the wall. He faced me, and his head was held high. His
chin was practically pointed to the ceiling. It was just like Robb
to overdo everything. I had to fight a grin as I crossed the
room.

I sat down across from him without saying a
word, but I let my chair do the talking for me. It screeched
against the floor.

“Welborn.” We were back to my last name.

“McLain.” I had never used his before, but it
came out easily. “How are you?”

He didn’t smile. “Where’s Jess?”

“I thought you would know.”

He simply stared back, and for a moment, his
brown eyes were as hollow as Darthon’s black ones were.

“She’s with Jonathon,” I said. Not a lie.

Robb’s eyebrows rose as if they were
connected in the middle. “You expect me to believe that?”

“He’s her guard.” I shrugged. “Is there
somewhere else she should be?”

Robb leaned forward, and this time, the table
screeched. “She came to see me today.”

“I didn’t know.”

“I don’t believe that either,” he snarled
under his breath.

His eyes never shifted away from me, but I
was tempted to look around the shop. For the small size, it was
practically full. Even though I glanced at the crowd when I walked
in, I knew there was a chance Light members were among them.
Knowing my father, Dark warriors were here, too. Humans as well. It
was as much of a comfort as it was disturbing.

“Then, why meet me?” I asked, knowing every
reason why we wanted to be away from the shelter.

Robb grinned. “My people need to prepare just
as much as yours do.”

He had a plan of his own, and somewhere in
the silence, war had been declared. Tonight would be the last night
for some, but I wouldn’t allow it to be written on my
gravestone.

“Don’t think you’re safe anymore, Welborn,”
he continued.

As if I would.

“I never thought I was.” My life had never
been about safety. Neither of ours had been—not even when we were
born—but right when I thought he would attack, the entrance bell
broke his stare.

It was the only reason I glimpsed over my
shoulder, and what I saw made me turn fully around. Jessica and
Jonathon had entered. Crystal wasn’t with them, but that wasn’t
important. Their interruption was.

“
What the hell are you doing?”
I asked
Jessica telepathically.

She didn’t meet my eyes as she sent a message
back,
“We watched your back long enough.”
She sat down next
to me, but smiled at Robb. “How are you?”

His brown eyes lightened. “Great,” he said.
“Just catching up with an old friend.”

He didn’t know she knew his identity—not for
certain—but she did, and so did Jonathon.

“Well, does anyone actually want a drink?”
Jonathon chirped, but no one responded. He chuckled and stepped
toward the counter. “I’ll be back.”

I could not believe him.

Robb’s eyes never left Jessica’s. “Some guard
you have.”

I couldn’t believe Robb more. He had
confirmed his identity right to Jessica’s face. If he wasn’t sure
before, he was positive now. We no longer had time to play games,
and even Robb was making that clear.

Jessica didn’t flinch. “You’re right,” she
said. “He’s pretty great.” She didn’t deny it either.

Robb leaned back against his chair. He
smiled, but it broke apart as he shook his head. “So,” he said,
“you chose him, after all.” He spoke as if I weren’t even there, as
if I were already dead.

“Do you really want to keep talking?” Jessica
spoke for all of us. “You just gave away everything I wanted last
time.”

He flinched. “And I thought you were the type
of girl to care.”

“I do,” she growled. “That’s why it’s over,
Darthon.”

Robb’s face stilled, but his hand landed on
the table, and each one of his fingers tapped the top in a wave.
“I’m your friend,” he started, but she interrupted.

“Was,” she corrected. “What happened to
everyone’s memories anyway?” Crystal, as far as she had told us,
didn’t remember the bar. “Did you just erase them to play a game
this whole time?”

Robb didn’t answer.

“Erasing your own people’s memory,” Jessica
paused, but she nodded. “That’s pretty low.”

Linda and Zac had fallen victim to him, too,
but Robb still argued, “The Dark did it to you.”

“I did it to myself.”

Right when I thought Jessica would leap
across the table and start the fight, Jonathon interrupted—again.
“Coffees and crumpets.” He laid a plate of pastries on the table
before he juggled mugs out of his grasp. “I’ve always wanted to say
that.” If I hadn’t known myself, I would’ve thought Jonathon had
experience in the service industry. “All on me.”

Jonathon sat down right next to Robb.

Our enemy had to stare. “A little close,
aren’t you, Stone?”

Jonathon shrugged. “I don’t mind.”

Robb shifted away, but Jonathon shifted
toward him. “Want a pastry?” he asked. “They had cherry ones.” He
grabbed the plate, but Robb met his offer with a glare. Jonathon
shrugged before pushing the plate to me. “I guess I bought them for
you guys.”