The Light of the World (32 page)

I shake my head, "Dude. You sound like a creepy
old man luring him with candy. I'm pretty sure you're going to
hell. That was so evil."

She laughs, "Rayne, girl. I met my Christian.
Now I am talking Advil and a cold bath. Not even kidding. But oh my
god. Fabulous. Now that was a religious experience, let me tell
you."

I laugh and Mona looks like she is about to
either cry or rock in the fetal position.

I frown, "What about Benny?"

She looks offended, "I was on a mission from God
Rayne."

I point, "God is ashamed of you. I'm ashamed.
Tots ashamed. You're going to hell. You know that right?"

She smiles wickedly, "I'll be in good
company."

I look at Mona, "Drama?"

She shakes her head, "I got B's in almost all my
classes. So that sucked. My mom wrote me an email and said not only
did her and Dick break up but that she wants me to move home and go
to school there."

She looks upset.

I grimace, "It's all my fault."

She smiles, "No it isn’t. I told her to go eff
herself and that Dick was a perve and that he totally perved on me
like twice." I feel rage.

"What?"

She nods, "Yeah. Twice. He let me know if I
needed help with becoming a woman, he would be more than happy to
help me out. Barf. I kicked him in the balls and told him to get
lost. Anyway she cried and said she was sorry. She's sending me a
bunch of money for Christmas." She rolls her eyes.

I'm sickened. "I'm probably going to eat him, if
you're cool with it?"

She nods, "Oh yeah. No issues here."

Michelle wrinkles her nose, "Nasty."

I rub my belly and smile, "No the meaner,
nastier, more evil ones tastes better."

Michelle pulls up a bag of candy and throws it
on the bed, "Wanna watch Christmas movies?"

I frown, "What day is it?" I feel like
scrooge.

"December eighteenth. You've been a busy little
bunny this last couple weeks dude." Mona grabs the remote for the
TV and presses a button on the wall. A huge TV spins around.

My jaw drops, "Oh my god."

She turns on the TV and Michelle opens the snack
bag. I curl up with them and we watch The Grinch, with Jim Carey.
Michelle twirls my hair while Mona and I play scrabble on her
iPad.

The movie ends and they are both asleep. I
realize the dead can't take me in this room. I'll never sleep.

I slip from the bed and out the door.

My feet pad along the hardwood.

I creep to the dark door. I touch it and now the
memories are real.

I turn the knob and creep into the dark room. I
smile when I see my chest, for the real reason. I kneel before the
chest and look back at the door. I push into the wooden carvings
and push in the right handle on the side. I lift the lid and smile
down.

I pull down the hidden compartment and pull out
the letter. The red wax seal is still intact.

I hold the paper to my chest and hug it tightly.
If I smell hard enough the chest has a lingering scent of her.

I trace my fingers along the seal. I crack it
and open the letter.

In the dark my eyes can see every word
perfectly. Her writing is stunning. Flowery and beautiful.

Tears leak from my eyes. I remember her face. I
remember her love. I try to make it more important to me than the
look she gave me when she left me. She left me to die.

I fold the letter and feel the love she has
expressed in it. Love and a plan.

I close the secret compartment and turn around.
He's standing in the dark watching me.

"Keeping secrets?"

I shake my head and hand it to him, "Read it if
you like."

He shakes his head, "I don’t need to. I know
you. You'll be blathering on about it in no time."

I laugh bitterly, "I'm sorry."

He shakes his head, "Keeping you in the dark was
the only way to keep the guards and protection upon you. It was a
gamble we had to take. I just never imagined you would fall in love
so easily."

"I never. He weaseled his way in there trust me.
Thank you for saving him and bringing him here."

He gives me his business only face. I've seen if
before, when he was angry with me. "What's the plan?"

I shrug, "She wants me to kill the devils and
then come for her. It's pretty simple."

He laughs, "Nothing with your family is simple
Rayne. Nothing. The devil's deaths should have been simple and yet
they are still alive."

"Then we leave now and go find them."

He smirks, it's sexy and makes my knees weak,
"Just us?"

I shake my head, "No. We need the team of us. A
one man show has never gotten any of us anywhere."

He looks annoyed at the shot.

I walk past him but stop before leaving the
room, "Why did you make it so the dead can't get to me in my
room?"

He turns, "The ring of fire that protected you
did this." He holds out his hand. I see an ugly scar on his skin.
He never marks for longer than a second. I've seen him pull out
stakes and the hole fills almost instantly.

"What is it?"

"The dead can do nasty things when they want to
Rayne. They have their own special magic."

"Will that heal?"

He shrugs, "I don’t know. I've never been
wounded by hellfire before. I've only heard about it in
legend."

I shake my head, "What am I to the dead?"

He leans over and brushes his lips against mine,
"Their savior." He is smoke and I am alone with my questions.

"You're an ass. We leave in the morning." I
storm to a guest room and let the dead take me.

'
You're dead Rayne. You were born dead and
every night when you sleep you are dead again. You've always been
dead and I just forgot to tell you. You're dead because I killed
you.'

Her words slip from her lips as tears flow
around them.

She looks up at me and smiles. "
I killed you
Rayne and I will kill you again.'

Her eyes are gray like mine and filled with
light. She is sitting on a lily pad in a white gown like the Nixie.
Her long dark hair flows around and moves, like it's part of the
air.

I reach for her, "Mother." I call out but I'm
falling away. She puts her head back down and chants some more.

'You're dead and I will kill you again'

I wake calmly and remember the feeling of
falling.

I blink and look around. I can hear the chanting
and the whispers still. It feels like I'm being watched.

I haven’t slept that good since I was in my dorm
room. I stretch and relax for a moment. I grab the letter from
under my pillow and hug it. My dream was weird, as always.

I get up and leave my room.

The hallway is silent.

I creep down the hall to my room Mona and
Michelle aren’t there. It isn’t that I don’t trust Constantine.
It's that he's mad at me. I recall that resulting in dead friends
before. I race down the stairs. I hear something. I stop and
listen. It's laughing. Wyatt, Mona and Michelle.

I turn and follow it. The house looks like a
Christmas movie. Decorations are everywhere. It's elegant and
overwhelming. I remember our Christmases together.

I smell bacon and eggs. My mouth waters. I walk
in to find them sitting around the small kitchen table. Food is
everywhere. I glance at Maria and smile. I rush and hug her.

She pulls me back, "I think you forget me Miss
Ellie." Her Spanish accent is just as strong, six hundred years
later.

I shake my head, "No never." She is my maid from
before. I hug her again.

I look up to see Michelle, Wyatt and Mona
eating.

I kiss her on the cheek and walk to the
table.

Wyatt grins, "Those are some pj's Rayne."

I blush and tuck my hair behind my hears, "Yeah
well it's morning. I'm not one for mornings."

Michelle chews a piece of maple bacon and raises
her eyebrows at me, "Where did you sleep last night?"

My eyes dart to Wyatt. I gulp. He grins, "She
slept in the guest room next to mine."

I frown, "You checked on me?"

He nods, "Of course. I was worried. How are your
wounds?"

I hold my arms out for them to inspect, "Looks
good hey?"

I glance over his, "You?"

"I heal fast."

"Faster when someone gives you some of his
magical blood." I turn to see Constantine strolling into the
kitchen.

Wyatt forces a smile across his lips, "Yeah and
I've been itching like a heroin addict all morning."

Constantine snorts and looks at me, "Did you
break the news to them yet?"

I look at them. Wyatt's eyes fill with fear.

"We leave today. To kill the five devils." Wyatt
looks relieved but confused. I can see he's about to speak up. I
continue before he can, "So pack light. Bring only essentials and
no cell phones." I look at Michelle mostly. She looks insulted.

Mona tilts her head, "Dude."

Michelle twirls her hair and watches
Constantine, "What counts as essentials?”

I sigh, "I'll pack your crap."

Mona looks upset, "What about Christmas?"

I look back at Constantine who thinks for a
moment. "We can do it in Switzerland, I have a house in the Alps. A
chateau." He glances at Maria who nods, "Si. I will prepare the
house. I will leave tomorrow."

Constantine nods, "Expect us the twenty-fourth."
He looks at Mona, "One day, maybe two."

She smiles brightly, "Okay.”

Wyatt looks conflicted. "First holiday without
your family?" I ask.

He nods, "Yeah. It's going to be weird." He
stretches and rubs his hands through his dark hair. I want to touch
it. I want to pull it a little.

He looks at us and takes a deep breath, "I've
made my choice. I think we are on the right path. I think the best
thing for the world is ending your parents. My mother is driven by
revenge, not her duty to God."

He glances at Constantine. I feel like I'm
missing something.

"Okay, well lets eat and then we'll head out." I
look at Constantine as I sit next to Wyatt and start putting food
on my plate. "You have a private jet?"

"Of course, my love. I'll call to have it put on
standby. New Orleans and then Rio De Janeiro."

I frown, "What about Caracas?"

He shakes his head, "No. Willow isn’t the only
one who has people searching. I have had some of my people
searching. None of the five devils live there. New Orleans, Rio,
Capetown, Karachi, and Ciudad Juarez. We will go to Rio first and
then hit Ciudad on the way out."

I frown, "You think in a week we can kill three
devils?"

He smiles, "The location was the issue, not the
killing. I have addresses, lovers, favorite restaurants,
everything. Modern day technology has basically made it impossible
for them to hide. Tracking them down this time was a snap."

"When did you get all this?"

He looks hurt. It's an act. "You think I would
keep something important from you?"

I nod.

He laughs, "I got the majority of it in the last
few days. My people followed the witches. Tom and the car will be
leaving here in an hour." He turns and leaves. I know he's off to
have his own breakfast. When we get to New Orleans I'll have to
find my own special snack.

Wyatt passes me the orange juice. I smile at
him. I can't help myself. I know I look like a moron around
him.

xxxx

We land in New Orleans and I am instantly
hungry. I climb off the jet and let the air lead me. The dead
whisper to me, they lead me to the left. I walk away from everyone
else. The man at the back of the plane smiles at me. I grab him by
the collar of his huge jacket and pull him into my face. The dead
don't come with me. They don’t like him. I suck him fast and hard.
I remember how to do it so fast no one even notices me when I do
it. He will look like he had a heart attack. They always do.

I prop him against the wheel and walk back to
the group. Constantine looks annoyed. He and Wyatt both caught me.
Mona and Michelle are oblivious.

"Seriously? That couldn’t wait?" Wyatt's dark
eyes burn down on me.

I shake my head, "Really evil. Breaks into old
people's houses. Duct tapes them and does bad stuff to them. He
kills them and lives in their houses."

Wyatt looks over, "Wow. All that from a kiss
huh?"

Constantine, "You obviously haven’t fallen
victim to her kiss of death."

Wyatt stands up taller, towering over
Constantine, "I have. I just don’t let her win the battle. Makes
her fight harder for it." He winks and walks past us.

Constantine's hands turn to fists. I grab his
arm and point, "Best behavior."

His nostrils flare. "If only you could see the
man you make me and monster you make him." He rips his arm from my
hand and stalks away.

I hate hurting him. I also hate when he says
cryptic shit.

I grab my bag and follow them inside the
airport.

When we leave the airport Tom is waiting for us
in a black SUV Constantine rented. We drive with Wyatt's head out
the window. I almost had to duct tape Constantine's face shut when
he noticed the dog like skill Wyatt has for tracking monsters.

Wyatt laughs, "I imagine this was far more
attractive when done on a horse. Left Tom."

I frown, "I thought you had addresses?"

Constantine gives me an annoyed look, "He left
and went on the bus. They followed the bus and lost him."

I sigh. Mona passes me the iPad. I have nothing
but vowels.

"Aioli." Constantine whispers and points to the
L in the corner. "Triple word score."

I pass it to him. He takes it grinning.

Wyatt screams, "STOP!" Tom slams on the breaks
just as I feel it. It's a sickening feeling inside of me. He's been
gathering sin again. I can smell him in the air. It's not one man's
sin, it's hundreds.

I grab my sword and jump from the SUV.