MIDNIGHT DIVINE (The Helio Trilogy Book 1) (26 page)

“Oh! Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you!” I
repeat
, taking the pack from him and smacking it on
the base of my palm a few times before unwrapping the cellophane. Tossing it
into the trash, I light up the first cigarette I've had since leaving The Keep.

Cass washes the windshield
and finishes pumping for me while I smoke, and Beck comes to stand next to me
at the trunk of the car. “Who would’ve thought? What other tricks do you have
up your sleeve?” he asks, refer
ring
to my driving
skills.

“I guess you’ll have to
wait and see, huh?” I tease.

Solas joins my side,
leaning against the trunk with his arms crossed over his chest, “Why do I get
the feeling I’m going to regret making that wager with you?”

“Because you will,” I smile
and flick my cigarette across the road. “Come on. We need to get going. We’re
losing time!” I holler as I jump back into the driver’s seat. Cassius is
already situated in his seat behind me, but Beckett stares at Solas for a tense
few seconds, like he’s challenging him for the front seat. Beck relents and
climbs into the back, and Solas joins me in the front as I start the car.
What
was that about?
Pulling onto the highway, I speed off again with the radio
blaring.

Another hour passes and
Beckett mumbles from the back seat, “Shit.”

Red and blue lights flash
in my mirrors. I feel the tension in the car building quickly.
I’m not about
to lose time by getting pulled over!
“Calm down, Becky,” I mutter
coolly
. “I’ve got this.” I let off the accelerator to slow
down and keep my foot on the clutch. The cop behind us pulses his siren twice.

Solas starts to chastise me,
“What are you doing? We can’t get pulled over. You were going at least
one-fifteen. He'll take you straight to jail and none of us have
identification.”

“We’re not going to jail,
Chief,” I respond unaffected. Just as the speedometer reads sixty, I drop into
forth gear and speed off, throwing everyone back into their seats.

“Oh, Shit! Go, go, go, go!”
Beck cheers from the back seat, bouncing up and down while slapping my seat.

I redline the RPM's before
shoving into fifth gear and hitting
one hundred
. A mischievous grin claims my face as we climb back up to one hundred
and twenty miles per hour
, then reach one-forty
. “See ya’,” I drawl as the flashing lights fall back, the sirens fading
into the distance.

“You truly are a bad ass,
Ivy,” Cass breathes into my ear, making me smile.

It only takes thirty more
minutes for us to reach the hill country of Red Meadow. We're getting low on
gas, but we can make it. Crossing over into Red Meadow, nostalgia grips me, my
stomach churns, and a tear slips from the corner of my eye.

Solas reaches over and
brushes the tear from my cheek. “You’ve got this,” he whispers. Intertwining my
fingers in his, I welcome the comfort he gives me and nod my head. I slow down
as we approach the dirt road leading us to the estate.

Beck leans forward between
the front seats, “Um… It’s ten-forty-nine.”

Solas twists in his seat
and bites, “Great observation, Becky! Thank you!”

“I’m just sayin’,
Pigeon
,”
Beck spits in reference to Solas' ability to shift into a raven.

“What's that,
Pussy Cat
?”
Solas taunts back, insulting the leonine nature of Beck's Griffin.

Cassius restrains Beckett
from attacking Solas as I glance between them and the road. “Enough!” Cassius
commands with such force the interior quivers.

The gates of the estate
loom ahead, and I take a calming breath. “I guess I’m staying,” I
mutter
under my breath. Solas grunts, unhappy with losing
the bet. I pull up to the beautiful gates that protect the estate and park the
car before shutting her off. “We’re here,” I report soft spoken and unblinking.
There are several minutes of silence where no one moves, and it seems we're
holding our breaths.
I’m not ready for this. I can’t do this,
I repeat
like a chant in my head as I stare at the driveway beyond the gates.

“Maybe you should go see
her. We’ll wait here,” Solas suggests.

I nod, dropping my head.
“Yeah,” I croak. My fingers wrap the door handle, and I release a shaky breath.
I exit the car with my cigarettes and light one up before tapping
in
the gate code embedded in my memory. The gates ease
open and I shuffle past, not knowing what to expect.
Will she be angry with
me? This is all my fault. Will she let the guys come in at all? I really need
Solas by my side. He’s been my rock this whole time. I don’t know if I can do
this without him.

The mansion comes into
view. Seeing my Evo parked next to Jack’s Skyline, I keep my tears at bay.
Alice opens the door before I reach the steps, her face swollen and eyes
bloodshot. I imagine I look the same. She runs into my arms. We rock side to
side and sob into each other’s hair. There are no words of comfort either of us
can speak to make the situation any easier. When she releases me, I let out a
slow breath. “How is she?” I ask.

“She’s been waiting for
you,” Alice says
glancing
to the front door.

“Is she… Is she mad at me?”
I stammer.

She jerks her head my
direction, brows pinched together, “Mad at you?”

“Does she think it’s my
fault?” I have a hard time speaking as I choke on my words.

“Oh, no, honey!” she locks
an arm around my neck and smooths my hair with her other hand. I reach under
her arms and grasp her shoulders, embracing her to shield myself from the world
while hoping I can shrink away from my shame. “Nobody thinks it's your fault.
Nobody blames you. Not at all!” I let her words sink in and nod my head on her
shoulder, refusing to let go. Arms envelope me from behind and beside me with a
pure lavender aroma I associate with Evelyn and a musky spice belonging to
Eric.

I reel in my emotions and
wipe my face. “Ok, guys. I can’t breathe,” I gruff. Everyone releases me and
steps back. I avoid Evelyn's face, gazing at the ground, “I’m so sorry,
Evelyn.”

“I’m sorry too, Ivy.”

A few awkward moments pass
before Eric changes the conversation, “Where are your guards?”

“They’re not my guards
anymore, even though they feel an obligation to keep protecting me, but they’re
waiting in the car. I wanted a chance to explain before asking if they could
come in.”

“Alice and Eric explained
everything. As long as you want them around, I'll welcome them in my home. From
my understanding, if it wasn’t for them, you never would've been able to get to
Jack,” Evelyn voices.

“Thank you, Evelyn.”

“You can get your friends,
and we'll meet you inside,” she suggests.

“Wait. Is Michael here?” I
wonder.

“Yes. I've already spoke
with him. He understands there will be no rivalry between him and the Fallen
here.”

“Ok. I’ll meet you inside,”
I turn and pace back to the gates with my arms crossed over my chest.

Alice jogs up next to me,
“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“So...,” she drawls.
“There’s one more person here,” she claims with clear discomfort.

“Who?” I give her a
confused
sidelong
glance over my shoulder.

“You remember the Reaper
who took Jack?” her face cringes.

I stop in my tracks, “Why
would
he
be here?” Anger twists my
stomach.

Alice tucks a strand of
hair behind her ear. “Um… he was concerned.” She bobs her head before
continuing, “About you.”

“About
me
?” I resume walking again, not caring what the Reaper wants. I
note the guys standing around the car waiting for me. “Why?”

Alice freezes in place,
“Ivy.” I stop and face her. “It’s Azrael.”

All the blood drains from
my face, and I lose feeling in my legs. My knees buckle and hit the ground. I
sink back on my legs and cover my face with my hands. Three sets of footsteps
pound from behind and slow to a stop next to me. Solas lifts one of my arms and
Beckett lifts the other to help me stand. “What’s going on?” Solas’ deep voice
demands.

I cover my face again and mumble
through my hands in monotone, “I seriously can’t do this right now.”

“She didn’t know the Reaper
that helped us in The Keep's dungeon was Azrael,” Alice provides. “He’s here.”

“Why?”
Solas and Beckett
voice together
.

“You mean you don’t know?” she
remarks.

I remove my hands from my
face and cross my arms over my chest again, “Beleth didn’t even know, Alice. He
was furious when I told him. I guess he’s not the sharing type.”

“Ivy, what’s going on?”
Solas asks.

I sigh heavily before
Cassius fields the question for me, “He is her father.” I had forgotten that
Cass was my punisher in the dungeon. He was the only other person who heard my
confession to Beleth.

“What!” Solas and Beckett
shout, taken off-guard. It's the first time I've witnessed
true anger
on Solas’ face.

“I can’t be here, Ivy. I’m
sorry. I have to go,” Solas announces.

“Why?”

“It’s a long story. Let’s
just say, Azrael and I are not on the best of terms. I’m positive if we have to
be in the same space for more than a few moments, I won't be able to keep
myself from shredding him to pieces.”

“Please, Solas. I really
need you here,” I clutch his hand and hold it tight.
Confusion. Fear.
Admiration. Reluctance.

He harrumphs and chuckles,
“You don’t understand. We’ve been at odds with each other for
over
a decade.”

I turn to the others,
“Alice, can you take the Griffins to the house. We’ll be right behind you.”

“Sure, honey. Whatever you
need.” She rubs my back and regards the brothers, “Come on guys, I’m sure
you’re hungry. There’s food in the dining room. You guys look like you could
eat,” she smiles.

“Always,” Beckett smirks as
he and his brother follow Alice up the driveway.

Solas and I wait until they
reach the house, not wanting to be overheard with their impeccable hearing.
“Solas—”

“—Ivy, I really can’t,” he
repeats, withdrawing from me.

I hold his wrist as
he pulls away
, and turn him back to me. “I can’t do this without
you.”

His compassionate gaze
searches my face.
Love, want, need, fear, regret.
“You're stronger than
what you give yourself credit for,” he says softly.

“Please, Solas. You're the
only thing that’s been holding me together. I need you here. You've been my
rock.” I hesitate, my throat constricting, chest aching, and tears brimming.
“Please don’t leave me here.”

I'm enveloped with angelic
speed in his massive arms. He kisses the top of my head. “Ok, Ivy,” he
breathes. “I’ll stay.”

I pull back
,
scanning his face while keeping my arms wrapped
around his waist, “Thank you.”

His lips press gently to my
forehead. “Ready?” he prompts, stepping back from our embrace and slipping my
hand back in his.

I nod and wipe my face
before we stroll up the driveway hand in hand.
I’m scared,
I send
through my open mind.

“I’ll stay with you. We’ll
do it together,”
he tells me with a
thought.

When we enter the house,
Alice, Eric, and the Griffins are sitting in the entertainment room. We stand
before them with our hands entwined. The Reaper’
s
expressions make me
feel judged as if I'm
too
fond of Solas
, but
I don’t care. I need
him.

My attention is drawn to
Michael as he enters the foyer from the kitchen, “Ivy, it is good to see you
again. Though, I am sorry for the circumstances.”

“Michael,” I breathe. For
some reason, I find myself bowing my head to him in greeting, “Thank you for
coming.”

“Jack is a great warrior
like his father before him. Since his father was called back to Paradise, I
have looked after him. He is like a son to me,” Michael confesses, and I lose
all courage to bombard him with questions.

Evelyn comes through the
threshold of the kitchen with Azrael trailing behind her. Solas tense next to
me.
Stay with me, Solas. We’ll do this together. Right?
He squeezes my
hand in response. Azrael doesn’t speak as he glances between Solas and me in
disapproval.
I don’t give a fuck what you think. As far as I’m concerned,
you shouldn’t even be here,
I scowl at him.

Evelyn leads us into the
entertainment room. I stand next to Solas before the fireplace as everyone but
Michael and Azrael sit in the surrounding seats. Solas wraps his arm around my
back protectively. Michael and Azrael stand together opposite from us. There's
a moment of silence and images of Jack enter my mind
–
His body hanging in the dungeon, covered in blood.
Why
would Beleth do this? How much did Jack have to suffer before the Qeres took
over his body completely? How much torture did he have to endure?