Unbound (51 page)

Even for a ghost, Ryan was looking ragged. Jenny screamed and her body began to vibrate. The air buzzed with energy. The spirits disappeared. “Ryan?” I called out, but no one answered. Then Jenny exploded. The petit cheerleader transformed into a hideous monster, probably seven feet tall, complete with claws and horns.

Drawing from a strength I didn’t know I had, I thrust my left hand forward. Jenny— well, Asaroth in full form now— stumbled back. Ryan reappeared next to me, looking very corporeal. I had a sudden idea. My hand flew up to the agate pendent I was wearing. I ripped the cord off from around my neck and tossed it to him. He looked at the stone and smiled.

“Go back to hell!” he said as he slammed the pendent into Asaroth’s chest. She screamed, but this time it was like a hundred gruff voices all at once. I gathered all the energy I could and drove the dagger deep into her chest. The handle felt hot and the blade glowed a fiery red. Finally, her head flopped unnaturally back. I pulled the dagger out and stepped back, panting and exhausted.

Asaroth let out a finally harrowing yell. Fire swirled around her, engulfing her in billowing flames. The dagger slipped from my hand. I collapsed onto the cold ground.

“It’s over,” I whispered.

I looked up. Ryan extended a hand. I took it apprehensively, not knowing if he could actually help pull me up. His cold, stiff skin clasp my sweaty hand and pulled me to my feet.

“Thank you Anora.” He smiled genuinely. The little girl and the man were behind him again. “We can finally be free.”

“Thank you. You saved me.” Emotions flooded my brain and tears stung my eyes.

“I’ve been waiting for a hundred years,” the man spoke. “No one’s been strong enough to stand up to her.” He came a bit closer. “Now I can be with my wife.” He looked up and let out a deep breath of relief. Slowly, he faded away.

The little girl said ’thank you’ rather shyly and faded too. Though I couldn’t see them, I could feel the presence of more spirits, grateful to be finally moving on. Ryan put a hand on my shoulder. “Asaroth was right about one thing; you are a powerful witch.”

“I don’t feel like it,” I confessed.

He placed his other hand on me and looked square into my eyes. “Do not doubt yourself. You saved four lives tonight and set many free. You stopped a demon from continuing a rein of torture and terror. You changed history.”

“You’re just saying that to be nice.” I felt embarrassed by his proudness of me.

He shook his head. “You will do great things.” His touch grew warm. “I’ll see you on the other side someday,” he said with a smile.

“Hopefully not anytime soon.”

 
Slowly, his body became transparent until I was looking at the blank wall. For a second, I missed him before I remembered that I should be happy he could finally move on.

***

Ethan spent two days in the hospital. He needed stitches, had two broken ribs, and lost a lot of blood. I was battered and bruised, but nothing was more serious than a mildly sprained right wrist. I modified the agree spell to make the doctors, nurses, and my parents not ask too many questions. Ethan and I made up a story about us getting mugged, which was hard to believe considering Ethan’s expertise in martial arts.

But he was home now and on the mend. Harrison avoided me the whole next day after his kidnapping. He was mad I didn’t tell him about Hunter and even more mad that he had to feel such fear.
 
That, and he was having a hard time dealing with the fact that he dated a demon. I couldn’t say I blamed him.

It was awkward for a mere ten seconds around Laney. She promised she wasn’t mad and was more concerned about me and Ethan. She told me that she knew I would save them all the whole time. Whether she was lying or not, I’d never know.

I helped Ethan settle into his bed as soon as he came home. The pain medicine he was prescribed knocked him out so I stayed close to his side, doing anything I could think of to make him more comfortable. Sam came into his room almost every hour, saying that she was checking on him but really all she did was scowl at me and wake Ethan up. I couldn’t blame her for being mad at me either; this was entirely my fault.

Now I knew that
I
wasn’t the one who beat Ethan, but the demon that did only did so because of me. And Harrison and Laney and Leslie all felt the effects of my new destiny. Even Hunter, though assigned to me through a destiny of his own, had to be taken to the vet for a few stitches. The people I held most near and dear had been hurt. I didn’t want to risk it anymore.

Tears rolled down my face. I knew what I should do. “Why are you crying?” Ethan asked groggily. I didn’t know he was awake. Quickly, I wiped away the tears.

“I’m not crying.” I tried to smile.

“Liar.” He slid his hand across the bed and into my lap. He extended his fingers and I put my hand down on his and he intertwined his fingers with mine. That gesture, small as it was, made another tear spill from my eye. “Annie, don’t cry.”

My chest shook as I tried to hold back a sob. “Lay down next to me,” Ethan said softly. Very carefully I got under the covers. “Don’t be sad.”

“I’ll try,” I sniffled. “This is my fault.”

“No.” He sounded tired again.

“How is it not?”

“Did you send Asaroth after us?”

“No.”

“Then it’s not your fault.”

I didn’t want to argue with him since he needed to rest. I ran my fingers through his hair until he fell asleep.

Mom and Dad let me stay home from school again Tuesday. I think they thought I was so worried about going there with a black eye and claw marks on my face. That was partially true, but I also had a lot of thinking to do.

Harrison knocked on my bedroom door Tuesday morning. “You coming to school?”

“No.” I was already up and out of bed. “I’m going other to Ethan’s.”

“Oh. How’s he doing?”

“The best he can be. He says he’s feeling better, but I don’t believe him.”

“Maybe he is.” Harrison half smiled. He was lying and I knew it, but the lie had good intentions.

“Maybe.”

I waited around for a while since I didn’t want to go over too early incase Ethan was still asleep. I was surprised when he answered the door. He looked considerably better today as well.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” I asked as I took off my coat.

“I’m bored just sitting around.” He hugged me the best he could. I made him breakfast and played some stupid shooting video game with him. (I lost every time.) Ethan was acting so normal around me, like the whole Asaroth thing never happened. I couldn’t get the images from that night out of my head and I knew it was only just a matter of time before the next demon attacked.

Again, I knew what I should do. I knew it was better in the end and that it had everyone’s best intrests at heart. But I didn’t want to. I told myself I was being selfish. Tears welled up in my eyes at my sudden change in thought, and Ethan noticed. He pulled me to him and I gingerly wrapped my arms around his battered torso. He just held me and let me cry until the front of his white tee shirt was wet from my tears. “I love you,” he whispered, making what I had to do even harder.

“I love you too, more than you know,” I told him and kissed him. Then I left. I had a lot to do and I better get started on it.

Since I’d never been good at good-byes, I wrote letters. Harrison and Laney’s explained that I was worried about them getting hurt again and that I was so, so sorry. I slid a note for Leslie in her tack locker at the barn, along with enough cash to cover all the work she’d miss. I paid the next months board for Neptune and Mystery, and wrote to Penny that I was sorry for the sudden leaving, but I had to do it.

The letter to my parents was the second hardest. They knew nothing about who I really was. I tried to articulate that I had to leave for my own reasons and that they shouldn‘t put any blame on themselves; they were wonderful parents, but I know I failed. The hardest letter was to Ethan. I sat at my desk with the pen hovering above the paper, tears streaming my face, for ten minutes. Finally I wrote:
I’m sorry. I love you.

***

I cried the first hundred miles. I didn’t even listen to music. Stopping every four hours to check on the horses made the already long trip even longer and I debated the whole time if I was doing the right thing.

On one hand I thought leaving was right; being a witch meant being targeted by demons and I didn’t want to subject my family and friends to that. On the other hand, I thought I was acting like a martyr and making this more dramatic than it really was. But this was a big deal; people’s lives were at stake and I happened to care very much about those particular lives.

I stopped for hopefully the last time and let Hunter run around and even took Romeo out of his Coach carrying case to make sure he was ok. It was tempting to turn my cell back on and see if I had messages from my family and friends. I was sure I did, but part of me feared Harrison and Laney might be glad to not have to deal with me anymore. Resisting the urge, I sighed and got back into the truck. I had packed everything I could and loaded it into the bed. My horse stuff filled the tack room of the trailer.

Sixteen hours after leaving New York, the truck bumped its way down the driveway of my Indiana home. Frost covered the bare trees and sparkled in the headlights as if someone had tossed glitter over the landscape. An odd sense of belonging swelled in my heart when the Victorian came into view. I pulled as close to the barn as was possible. Hunter took off as soon as I let him out. I expected him to search the area and then come right back. But by the time I retrieved the horses’ lead ropes from inside the trailer tack room, he hadn’t.

“Hunter?” I called but my Guardian didn’t come running. For some reason I didn’t feel nervous. I set the lead ropes down and walked toward the house. I heard the jingling of his tags on his collar and followed the sound to the front porch. Hunter was busy excitedly greeting someone. His tail wagged like crazy. He ran over to me and then back to him.

Ethan slowly stood. “I’ve been waiting for you,” he said with a smile.

Everything felt surreal as I rushed over to him. He caressed my face and kissed me; it was every bit as intoxicating and wonderful as the first time.

“What are you doing here?” I looked into his deep brown eyes.

“I told you you’d never have to be alone, and you‘re not. I‘m staying with you.” He kissed me again. “And you need a brave, strong man around.” He smiled his famous cheeky grin.

I leaned in and kissed him again. “I love you,” I whispered.

“I love you too, Anora.”