Immortal Memory (Book One) (18 page)

Jeff grimaced in pain when he tried to
sit up in bed. “No, I won't promise you that. I’m finding his body
regardless of what you say. He’ll capture you, and I won’t allow
it. God's on our side, and I believe He’s the one who saved my
life. Stay hidden at the lake house. Allow the angel and me to do
the work. My faith is stronger than ever now because God kept me
alive.”

Tears filled Simra's eyes. “I’ve never
been as afraid as I am now. I didn’t imagine Tristan would turn out
to be this way. He’s killing his own family and trying to kill
mine. What kind of person does such things?”

“Demons. Allow Jeff to help. It’ll be
done much quicker with more people. Like your friend said, God is
on our side. The Lord protected your friend from getting killed.
Have strong faith,” Zach interjected, his expression
solemn.

She wiped away a couple of tears
falling down her cheeks. “Yeah, I suppose we need strong trust in
God to protect us. I can’t help but worry about you and my family,
Jeff. Tristan will try to kill anyone who gets in his way of
me.”

Jeff’s eyes filled with sympathy for
his friend. “I know, but I don’t believe God will allow the demon
to kill us. We each have a part in destroying Tristan.”

Zach paced the floor on the other side
of the bed and rubbed his chin. “Listen to your friend, Simra. We
do need his help.”

Simra turned her gaze toward the angel
as he towered over Jeff. Her wild heart pounded with a longing to
destroy Tristan once and for all. Tonight. She clung to her faith
by recalling how God rescued her many times.

The Lord also saved Jeff from being
killed. Determination rose inside her to find the body. Simra’s
eyes grew heavy from sleep deprivation. The round white clock
across from Jeff’s bed showed it was only 9 p.m. There were many
restless nights without much sleep. Her body began to grow
weary.

Simra blinked her eyes several times to
stay awake. “Zach, let’s look for the corpse tonight. My faith’s
strong right now, and you can protect me. We should be
safe.”

“Are you kidding me? Sim, I told you to
let me take care of it. It’s not safe for you. You’re the one
Tristan wants,” Jeff interrupted before Zach could
respond.

“Jeff, Zach and I are the
only ones who can destroy the body. Remember? I just needed you
to
help
us search
for it and take care of the drug dealer.”

The detective sank down into the bed
with distress. “I just think we're all worrying too much about each
other. You look so tired. Go home and get some rest tonight. Start
fresh on the search in the morning. Maybe I’ll be out of here and
well by then. Be careful out there. The cops are still looking for
Quint. Watch out for that thug.”

Zach gestured for Simra's hand and led
her toward the exit of the room. “Your friend’s right. Let’s get
back to my place so you can rest for the night. We’ll start fresh
in the morning.”

Simra smiled at the detective before
leaving the room with Zach. “I’ll do that. Take care, Jeff. You be
careful too. Hold on to your faith. Night.”

"Night, Sim."

As soon as they made it out of the
hospital, her cell vibrated in its holder against her waist. Simra
snatched the phone in hopes that Ms. Hanley, Mandy, or Lucinda were
safe. She shifted her heavy eyes to Zach. It was a call from
Tristan’s cell. The drug dealer might be calling to make threats
since he broke out of prison.

Simra lifted the phone to her ear and
answered with determination. “Quint, we’ll catch you and lock you
up for good this time. You won’t receive any money, and I won't let
you murder anyone else. The cops will find you, and you’ll never
locate where I’m hiding.”

“This isn’t Quint. It’s your fiancé.
Don’t look for my body. I wouldn’t send anyone else to search for
it either. We're getting married soon. My brother will be sent back
to heaven before anyone discovers me. I’ll kill whoever gets in my
way or tries to find me,” Tristan growled from the other end of the
line.

The phone clicked, and the vicious
demon hung up before she could reply. A deep ache filled her heart
to even think about losing her loved ones, and tears burned her
eyes. Simra grasped onto her tiny amount of faith with all her
strength. But it faded away more each moment.

Chapter 22

"Put on the whole armor of
God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the
devil." -Ephesians 6:11

Sunlight poured through the white lace
curtains of the bedroom window and stirred Simra from her slumber.
The digital clock showed 8 a.m. beside the bed. She slept very
late, but she needed to catch up on her rest. The bruises didn't
throb anymore on her leg.

Her nose twitched to the smell of bacon
and eggs coming from the kitchen. They smelled just like her
grandmother used to make them. Simra's mouth watered for her
grandmother's delicious breakfast. She missed waking up to
Lucinda's cheesy scrambled eggs, maple bacon, and cheese
toast.

She slipped into a pair of blue jean
shorts, a red shirt, and gold sandals after brushing her hair.
Applying a light touch of makeup, she got ready for the day. Her
cell buzzed from the other side of the room, and Simra rushed
toward it. Mandy must be calling from the office. Her cousin left
with their grandmother early this morning.

Simra grabbed the phone and placed it
to her ear. “Yeah? Hello?”

Lucinda’s voice trembled on the other
end of the line. “Azazel dangerous. Don’t allow him come too close
when you end it, Honey. He do something terrible to
you.”

“Grandmother, is Tristan with you? Did
someone dial my number for you, or did you remember it?”

The dial tone hummed in Simra’s ear.
Were Lucinda and Mandy in trouble? Her cousin couldn’t have dialed
the number for their grandmother. The demon might be at the nursing
home. Mandy wouldn't know if he was there because she couldn’t see
or hear him.

Simra squeezed the phone as tears
streamed from her eyes. Her grandmother warned her by those exact
words just before Simra broke up with Tristan. The curse must be
broken, and she’d never give up hope for the elderly woman. She
wouldn’t dare allow Zach to claim Lucinda’s soul.

Zach needed to take her to Lucinda. Her
grandmother might need her more than anything now. Simra rushed
from the bedroom to find Ms. Hanley setting a plate at the table.
It looked and smelled just the way Lucinda cooked it. How was that
possible? Lucinda and Ms. Hanley met only recently, and her
grandmother had a unique way of cooking breakfast.

Ms. Hanley looked at Simra and smiled.
"Simra! I made Zach's special this morning. I hope all my noise in
the kitchen didn't disturb you. I know you need all the rest you
can get. You looked so tired yesterday."

Simra bit her lip with hesitation on
what to do. She needed to find Zach and get to her grandmother. But
Simra didn't want to be rude to Ms. Hanley by not eating. "Zach's
special?"

Ms. Hanley nodded and gestured for her
to sit. "Yes, Zach had a unique way of cooking breakfast. He cooked
it once for us, and I asked him to show me how he made it. He told
us someone special taught him how to make it. I figured she was a
girl he liked."

Curiosity got the best of Simra. Maybe
she could eat very fast to see if it was like Lucinda's. Then,
she'd find Zach. Her stomach rumbled to devour the delicious
meal.

Simra sat at the table and tried the
scrambled eggs first. They were cheesy and tasted like Lucinda's
for certain. The cheese toast and maple bacon tasted just like her
grandmother's too.

Simra couldn't control a spark of anger
and sadness igniting through her. "He learned this from my
grandmother. She must've taught him how to cook it years ago.
Thanks for breakfast, Ms. Hanley. You're too kind, but I must hurry
to find Zach. I think he's outside."

Simra ran outside before Ms. Hanley
could respond. If he wasn't in the house, then he had to be in the
yard.

“Zach, please take me to Grandmother.
Where are you?”

Silence settled around the yard. She
called Mandy to see if they were all right. Simra’s shoulders
slumped when her cousin didn’t answer, which could've meant one of
two things. Something terrible happened, or Mandy became much too
busy to take a phone call.

Her cousin always tried her best to
answer Simra. She especially responded now that they were all in
danger. Leaves crumbled on the ground from a short
distance.

Maybe only an animal drew near her.
Worries about Lucinda, Zach, and Mandy caused her heart to skip
several beats. Simra's breathing became erratic when Tristan
appeared. A depraved grin curved across his lips.

“Hi, Baby. Looking for
someone?”

Simra looked past him at the front door
and hoped Ms. Hanley stayed inside the house. “Don’t call me that.
Leave me alone.”

Tristan placed a strand of hair behind
her ear before she drew away. “We’ll be married soon, and I am
allowed to call you that. You know, it disgusts me to see you with
my pathetic brother. Now then, I know you're only attracted to him
because he looks like me. He’s trying to take you away from me to
have you all to himself. I won’t allow it. At least not
anymore.”

What a lie! If anything,
that's one reason why she could
not
see herself with Zach. These games with the demon
were getting old, and Simra blinked only to find him gone. She
turned around to find Tristan smirking at her. Simra receded away
from the demon. Then, he moved behind her and grabbed her hands to
hold them in place.

His cold breath nipped at her ear, and
Tristan’s whispers were like needles of ice pricking her neck. “I
got rid of Zach for good. You have no one but me now. Our future
awaits us, Simra.”

A deep gasp escaped from her lips, and
Simra struggled to free herself from his tight grip. Tristan might
be telling the truth. Zach could be found nowhere. Then again, she
should trust nothing the demon said.

“I don’t believe you, Tristan. Zach’s
coming for me.”

Tristan threw his head back
and laughed. “If that’s so, why hasn’t he already come? I don't
sense him anywhere, and I’m certain you don't either. You're
engaged to
me
.
Zach’s gone forever and isn’t returning to this world.”

Simra’s eyes burned with
tears at the anguishing thought of never seeing Zach again. Tristan
must be telling the truth. Some of what he said was true so far.
The angel would’ve shown up to save her by now. Lucinda’s last
words caused a harsh ache in her heart. Tristan
was
dangerous, and Simra needed to
stay as far away from him as possible.

She strained to free herself
from the demon, but she couldn't escape his powerful grasp.
“Release me! I don’t want to be with you anymore. I
will
destroy you with or
without Zach.”

“It’s too late for that, Simra. I’m
taking you with me now, and we’ll be together for always. There’s
nothing you can do about it.” He gathered her into his powerful
arms and carried her away until thunder roared over
them.

The brutal winds stirred around them,
and jagged streaks of lightning lit up the sky. It caused Tristan
to stop. This indicated the demon didn’t cause the bad weather. The
storm did not seem as violent as the ones Tristan made. Another
angel must be stopping him, or it might be God.

The demon’s eyes glowed, and anger
boiled in them. He turned in every direction with Simra still in
his arms. “You’re not ruining my plans this time! Where are you?
There’s no need to hide.”

Zach’s powerful voice came from behind
them, and the angel gave Tristan a hard shove. “I’m right here,
brother, and your plans aren’t of God’s will. Therefore, they shall
not come to pass.”

Tristan released Simra and stumbled to
the ground. Jealousy and rage fumed in the demon's glowing eyes
when she rushed into Zach’s arms. “Simra, come back to
me.”

She ignored Tristan’s hideous face and
clung to the angel. “Tristan told me another lie, and I fell for it
again. He makes them sound so believable. I thought you were gone
forever.”

Zach drew her close in his protective
arms. “I promise I’m all right. Lying is what demons do
best.”

She dared taking another look at
Tristan. Her heart dropped to her stomach when she found him gone.
“Did he leave?”

Zach’s gaze shifted in all directions
as though searching where the demon might be hiding. “He’s not
gone. Go back to the house where it’s safe. I must send him
away.”

She broke into a mad run toward the
lake house. Zach groaned in pain behind her before she got too far.
Simra turned around to see what happened. She started to run toward
the angel. Tristan mumbled with his hand resting on his brother’s
head. The angel rushed into the thicket and disappeared as a
shadow.

Tears flowed down her cheeks. She
didn’t know if Zach was gone forever or sent away by him. Simra
started running toward the house without looking back but crashed
into Tristan. A wicked grin tugged at his lips.