Overshadow (11 page)

Andrei walked slowly up the aisle. When he reached the front, he fell to his knees; tears streaming openly down his face. Father Matthias and I hung back. “What’s going on?” I whispered to the priest.

“Abaddon is being redeemed,” he said.

I sat down on one of the benches. “I don’t understand.”

“Abaddon has chosen the side of the Creator again. He is no longer siding with the Morningstar.”

This wasn’t helping. “Who’s the Morningstar?”

“My grandfather,” Andrei said. I hadn’t noticed him walk up.

“Your grandfather?”

“Yes. Humans know him by another name — Lucifer.”

Now that name I knew. “Lucifer is your
grandfather
?”

“Yes, and Logan’s.”

Oh wow. My boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, was the grandson of the worst devil of all time. I didn’t know what to say.

“Lucifer wasn’t always bad,” Andrei continued. “He just had… large dreams.”

“He tried to overthrow Heaven,” I said. “I know that much.”

“Yes, and I helped him, as did my mother.”

“But Logan didn’t,” I clarified.

Andrei turned and paced up the aisle. “Why is it always about Logan?” he yelled. His voice echoed through the church. “Sorry, Father,” he said, lowering his voice.

“That’s okay, son.”

Andrei turned back to me. “I don’t mean to yell. It’s just… ever since Logan was born, it was all about him. Logan the angel… Logan the perfect child. He shone brightly even in the dismal realm of the Shadow Imperium. For thousands of years, my mother babied him. My grandfather favored him. He was the one who would turn the battle in our favor.” He walked close to me and leaned down, effectively barring me in the bench. “He was the one who would help us finally overthrow Heaven.”

I stood quickly. Andrei lurched back out of my way. “Logan would never do that!” I exclaimed.

“I know, but they still hold hope. The old Logan, the one that came bursting into the Shadow Imperium in all his glory, wouldn’t do it. But
this
Logan? The one under the spell of Serafina? Now he just might.”

I could feel the color drain from my face. “What do you mean?”

“When the witch cast her spell, it not only canceled Logan’s memories of being with you. It also seems to have radically altered his personality. Surely you have noticed this?”

“Yeah, he’s acting like an obnoxious jerk again.”

“But isn’t there something different?” he asked.

“Actually, yes. He seems meaner… crueler even.”

“That is his devil nature taking over, overshadowing his true personality.”

I felt as though my legs couldn’t hold me up anymore. I sat down heavily. “So what do we do?”

“The spell must be broken,” the priest said.

“What happens if it can’t be broken?” I asked.

“Then the world as we know it, and Heaven itself, could be in danger.”

“Andrei, I still don’t understand why you’re helping us. What do you get out of it?”

“I’ve already gotten it,” he said.

“What did you get?”

“Redemption. Freedom from my mother, my grandfather, and their plans.”

“But you helped them before. How do I know that you won’t again?”

“Their plan was never my own. They lied to me. They said that they sought redemption, and then re-entry to Heaven, but their real plan will lead to much bloodshed and unneeded death. That’s never what I wanted.”

I was still a little skeptical. “Andrei, I’m sorry, but I’m not sure I believe you. You did throw me in chains. You starved me, you threatened to kill me… you tried to kill your brother. I need to know that you’ve really changed. I need to know that you won’t switch sides again.”

“What do you want me to do? Get down on my knees and beg your forgiveness? Just say the word and I’ll do it!” He knelt on the floor and took my hand. “If you will just say that you’ll forgive me, I’ll spend the rest of my immortal life trying to make it up to you.”

“All right, I’ll forgive you. Now, please get up.”

As he stood up, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had made the right decision.

“Raena?”

I turned toward Nuada. She was perched on my bed in her human form. She raked long, claw-like fingernails through her waist-length, jet-black hair. There was an almost hypnotizing rhythm to it. I wondered if she would start licking her hand and using it to smooth her hair. A giggle escaped before I could stop it.

“I can hear your thoughts, you know. I’m not going to lick my hand,” Nuada informed me.

Now I began to laugh in earnest. She looked annoyed. “Just because I’m a cat sometimes, doesn’t mean that I retain feline characteristics when I’m in my human form. This
is
my natural form, after all.”

“I’m sorry,” I told her after I caught my breath. “It’s just — the mental image of you bathing your hair like a cat was just too much!”

She laughed as well. “It is quite funny. But as I said, I am fully human in this form.”

“Then why the nails?”

She frowned and stared down at her hands, spreading her fingers before her. “What’s wrong with my fingernails?”

“They’re just… long.”

She turned her hands over, palms up, and curled her fingers toward her. I noticed how her nails dug into her palms. She winced. “They’re not that long.”

“Yes, they are.”

“Well, they make good weapons.” She looked up with a mischievous grin on her face.

“Seriously? Weapons?”

“Yes. Now, will you focus on something other than my nails? It’s imperative that I tell you something.”

I tried to sober. “What is it?”

“Serafina is not what she seems.”

“No kidding. I could have told you that.”

She stood and crossed my room to stand in front of me. Her eyes were directly level with mine. Her eyes were strange, almost cat-like.
I thought she said that she didn’t retain any cat characteristics when in human form.
Best not to bring it up now. She obviously thought she had something important to tell me.

“You must stay away from Serafina as much as possible. She is…”

A knock sounded on my door before Nuada could complete her sentence. “Just a second!” I looked back at Nuada, but she had already shifted back to cat-form and jumped up on my bed.

I wandered over to the door and pulled it open. Genevra stood in the hall. She looked confused. “Were you just talking to someone?”

“Nope.”

“I swore I heard voices.”

“I was just talking to myself. Reading my English essay out loud.”

“Tanis didn’t mention anything about an English essay.”

Oops. I had forgotten Tanis had the same English teacher as I did, just as she had the year before. Better think of something fast. “The teacher gave me the assignment early. She’s giving me an extra week.”

“Why would she do that?”

“Well, she thinks I’m still traumatized from my kidnapping experience.”

Genevra looked pained. She pushed past me into my room and sat on my bed. Nuada stood up and moved next to Genevra, then began to purr. Genevra reached a hand down to pet her. “I don’t mean to pry, but…
are
you still experiencing trauma from your kidnapping?”

Uh, yeah. Of course, I was still experiencing trauma from my kidnapping! Being dragged into the dimension of the devils was a trip I didn’t care to repeat. Ever. Even though Andrei turned out to be a good guy — at least, he was now — I still might have died while trapped in the Shadow Imperium. Now that I knew what they really wanted with me...if Andrei hadn’t killed me, someone else might have.

Genevra was still waiting for an answer.

“I’m okay,” I finally told her.

I’m not sure she believed me, but she seemed pacified for the moment. “Well, if you need to talk, you know I’m here.”

“Yes, I know. Thanks.” I felt bad for being so short with her. I couldn’t tell her any of what was going on. I wanted her to leave, so Nuada and I could finish talking. Whatever she had to say seemed important, and I couldn’t talk to her about it with Genevra here, especially since Genevra still thought Nuada was a cat.

“Okay. Just don’t forget.” Genevra stood.

“I won’t. I’ll let you know if I need to talk,” I promised as I walked her to the door and shut it behind her.

When I turned back to my bed, Nuada had already turned human. She was combing her fingers through her hair again. “You really do groom yourself as much as a real cat,” I told her.

Her eyes focused on me and narrowed. “I do wish you would be serious.”

“Sorry.” I pulled my desk chair opposite her and dropped into it. “It’s just...everything has been so serious lately. Every once in a while, it feels good to joke around, even if it’s just teasing you about your grooming habits.”

She sighed. “Yes, I understand that, but the time for joking is behind us. If you want to save Logan, you must pay careful attention to what I am about to tell you.”

That got my attention like nothing else could. “What do you mean? I know he’s under some sort of spell, but is he in danger?”

Nodding, she told me, “As I began to say before we were interrupted, Serafina is not what she seems.”

“I already figured that out. Something’s weird about her, the way she came out of nowhere. Now Logan thinks he’s dating her. Does that have to do with the spell? Why would whoever cast the spell make Logan think Sera’s his girlfriend?”

“Because Serafina is the witch.”

I sucked my breath in so sharply that it hissed. “Wow. So I was right. That explains a lot. So, Sera’s the one who cast the spell.”

“That’s not all.” She watched me carefully. “Serafina is a devil.”

Whoa. No way was I expecting that.

The door started to creak open. I looked at Nuada, panicked. She tumbled off the side of the bed, away from the door. I winced when I heard the crash of her hitting the floor. I turned back to find Genevra standing in the doorway. She looked upset. Why had she come back so quickly? “Were you talking to yourself again?”

Oh great. What excuse could I give her this time? “No.”

She sighed. “Why do you insist upon lying to me? You never did before.”

“I’m not lying!”

“Well, none of us were in here. You’re not holding your phone… What else is left?”

“I ,umm, well…” Just then, Nuada jumped back up on the bed, in cat-form once again. “I was talking to Nuada.”

Genevra looked pained. “To the cat?”

“What's wrong with me talking to my cat?”

“It's not normal, Raena.”

I rolled my eyes at her. Probably not the best response, but I couldn't help it. “Lots of people talk to their pets.”

“Come on, let’s go.”

“What? Where are we going?”

“I’ll tell you when we get there.”

“Why won’t you tell me now?”

“Don’t argue with me. Just come with me.”

What was going on? “I’m not arguing with you, Genevra. I just want to know where we’re going. Is that too much to ask?”

“I think it’s time you got some help.”

“Some… help?”
Is she seriously saying what I think she’s saying?

She marched over and grabbed my wrist. As she tried to pull me toward the door, she said, “Yes, some professional help.”

“You’re taking me to a psychiatrist?” Panic began to rise within me. Logan had said much the same thing.
Am I crazy?

“I’ve already made you an appointment. Don’t fight me on this.”

“Of course I’m going to fight you on this! I don’t need to see a psychiatrist. I’m not crazy!”

“I didn’t say you were crazy. I just think you need some counseling, especially considering everything that’s happened.”

I snatched my wrist from her hand. “You mean like my mother dying? Being kidnapped? My boyfriend abandoning me for another girl? Now you’re going to add my foster mother thinking I’m crazy into the mix? Great, Genevra, just great. Thanks for helping.”

“You need someone to talk to. You’re obviously not going to talk to me or even Tanis. Maybe talking to a stranger would be easier.”

“So a stranger can think I’m crazy too?” I shrieked. I noticed Tanis appear in the hall behind Genevra, but I ignored her. “No thanks. I’d rather stay here.”

“You’re going whether you like it or not.” She nodded toward the door. What was Tanis going to do to help? Too late, I saw Shane coming in. I hadn’t known he was there. He picked me up, tossed me over his shoulder, and began to carry me down the stairs.

“This is ridiculous and unnecessary!” I shouted as I clung to Shane’s back. “Put me down, Shane. I’ll go to the stupid psychiatrist.”

He set me down at the foot of the stairs, but didn’t entirely release me. “You’ll go willingly?”

“Not willingly. I don’t like it, but I’ll go. You don’t have to carry me.”

Shane still held my arm as we all trooped out to their SUV. “I can get myself in the car, thanks.” I tried to yank my arm out of his grasp, but he was unrelenting. “Seriously? Do you think I’m going to make a run for it or something?”

All three of them remained silent. I allowed Shane to help me into the car, then crossed my arms and stared out the window.

“We’re only doing this for your own good. We’re all worried about you,” Genevra said.

I ignored her. We all stayed silent the entire drive to the psychiatrist’s office. There was a repeat performance of Shane helping me out of the car and grabbing my arm to steer me inside. I went along with it this time. I plopped into a chair and Shane sat next to me. Tanis sat across from me while Genevra went to the receptionist’s window to check in.

I looked around the room while we were waiting. It was sort of homey...inviting, strange for a psychiatrist’s office. We were the only ones in the waiting room, so when the door opened and a tall, slim woman emerged, I knew she was coming for me.

“Raena Davenport?” she called, pushing glasses up the bridge of her nose as she stared at the chart in her hand.

I grimaced and stood as Shane released me. Genevra stood as well and began to follow me. “I’m sorry,” the woman said. “I’m afraid I need to speak with Raena alone at first. There will be time where her family may join us later.”

I secretly gloated. Genevra wouldn’t have the opportunity to convince the psychiatrist that I was crazy before I got a chance to talk to her first. The doctor gestured for me to go through the door and she followed, letting the door swing closed behind us.