Vindicate (32 page)

“Vade.”

“Excuse me?” I muttered . His voice. Oh my , that voice. It was deep, powerful, entrancing .

“Vade. That is my name, ”
he stated as his eyes ventured over every part of me.

I could not stop staring at him. It was like his essence demanded attention.
“What team are you playing for, Vade?” I asked with all the courage I c ould muster. If it wasn’t mine I was already a gon er.
I’d never felt this much energy coming from one source before. I was sure of it. This guy not only had power, but he had control of it. Deadly.

A small voice in my head told me not to care if he was deadly. That more than likely I’d already passed death ’
s threshold.

“Survival. Equality.” He said as hi s ghostly smile turned sardonic, and his diamond eyes drank every part of me in.

“Kinda on the same team.” I glanced at the floating body of Bianca. “Or I was until she killed me.”

His diamond eyes sparkled. “You’re not dead.”

“Right.” I said glancing around the room. There was no way out. And it didn’t matter what thought to manifest I could not move from this marble room. “Well, I was in the middle of saving a few people. I kinda need to get back to that.”

He crossed his arms over his broad chest. “I’m afraid you are to o late.” He glanced at Bianca. “It appears she had allies. Inside secrets. She’s taken too much from the souls you are seeking.
You would have to find and restore over a million images to come close to finding the adored you seek.
”

I felt my insides collapse.
I didn’t want to hear that truth.

Vade began to move closer to me, still taking in ever y inch of me. I felt like a foreign species or something . I had no gauge on him. No idea if I saw lust, hunger, mercy, or compassion in that diamond stare of his. “Can I assume that does not bode well for you?
”
he mused.

“Don’t play with me.
” I glanced at the doves. The broken promise they now represented. I would not be there to vow for Draven or anyone else for that matter.
“
If that is true you should not have stopped her from killing me. I need to move on so I can come back again .”
My tone was so reasonable that you would have thought that I was changing dinner plans. Not planning my funeral.

Vade glanced at the doves as well.
“Another ride on the merry go -
round eh, that is what you seek.”
He said as his stare returned to me. It was like he wanted me to say why the loss of my life would damage so many.

That voice, it was so spellbi nding that it took me a second or two to understand what he said to me.
“I seek equality.”
I uttered as studied every immaculate feature of his strong profile.

He stopped before me and gazed down into my eyes. After a long moment he said. “I believe you.”

A wave of numbing energy soared through me for no reason at all. I held in the gasp that was nearly choking me and managed to say.
“Well, damn, you just made my day.”

He laughed, and when he did the energy in t he room became electric. “Did I.” H
e said as he managed to suppress his laugh.

“What can I do for you , Vade?”
I could not feel anything at that moment. I wasn’t mad, sad, or lonely. I was just numb. It was like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. For the past two days I had to keep a constant check on what I was feeling, but right now I didn’t have to feel anything, and that was pure rapture .

“Is that a sincere inquiry?”
he asked in a subtle, yet serious tone.

“I’m sincere in telling you that one way or the other I’ve got somewhere to be.”

“Naturally,” he said as he raised one eyebrow. Clearly agreeing that my train of thought was right on track.
“Willow. That is your current name. Correct?”

I nodded once. He smiled vaguely . “Willow, I want to apologize for har dship this soul has brought you,”
H
e said with glance to Bianca’s body.

“I can’t accept that apology.”
I wanted that to sound fierce. But it didn’t. It sounded humble.

His gaze became colder, yet the energy in the room was still humming. “Do you disregard this Escort or the race?
Speak the truth.”

It wasn’t a hard question to answer. “This one.”

“You hav e no ill regard toward the race?
” He pressed as that stare bore into my soul.

There was no way in hell I was lying to this guy. His essence demanded respect, maybe even loyalty. He was simply regal.
“Equality. Why should one bad soul mark the race? I have an issue with her.”

I’ll be damned. August, Madison, and Olivia’s philosophy was sinking in. A moment to late of course.

“I see.” He said as he glanced at Bianca’s body that was hovering in the air. “I would destroy her for you, but you see I have a te ndency to see the larger perspective .
” He hesitated to capitalize on his next words.
“
I do not ha ve an issue with this soul.
I do , however, have a problem with her creator.”

“Leave her like that for all I care.”

I saw his eyes sparkle. I’d amused him in someway. Maybe even made him proud.

“
You’re not begging me for your life. You’re not begging for redemption.”
He mused so quietly that I wasn’t sure I was meant to respond.

“Why would I beg you for something I own?
As far as redemption , karma will have its way. I just want to be released from here. My soul needs to find its counterpart so I can begin again.”

That made him smile. “I knew I’d like you.”

He had to stop smiling, looking at me that way. I felt like a humble servant, and even though I could not feel anything right now I knew when I remembered this I would be furious with myself for gawking at him. It wasn’t a lustful gawk. He was just forcing me to not hide how I really felt. My emotions may rage on the inside, but outwardly I always looked the same. Indifferent.
Not with him, though.
“What exactly do want from me again?”

“I want to make a deal with you.”

That took my breath a way, and all the fuzzy feelings on the inside vanished. I was not making a deal with the devil. Is that what he was? Lord please tell me he’s an angel. Do not waste evil on someone this pristine.
“Before you say another word let me tell you that I will not bargain with my soul or anyone else’s.”

“Now you’re just trying to impress me.” He said with a slight grin. “It’s a simple agreement.”

Aren’t they all ?
I thought sarcastically.
As if he could hear my thoughts he glanced in my direction for a brief instant before h e walked over to Bianca and considered every inch of her. It was clear to me that she was nothing more than rubbish to him. “I will res tore everything she has taken from them. I will restore your life.”

I waited for him to go on but he didn’t. “For?”

“For.” He repeated as his diamond gaze moved back to me. “For your support.”

“My support?”

“Yes. In your future you will come across souls that feel that Escorts are less than worthy.
I want your support. I want you to speak to the masses that you lead and tell them that one bad soul does not spoil the race.”

Draven’s image flashed in my mind. Even without this deal I would have stood up for him if his soul were in question.
“I will speak the truth. I will harm no one that does not harm me. I’ve been told that the ghost I’m fighting, Donalt, is or was a n Escort. I will not stand up for him or anyone like him. But I will defend anyone who is simply existing and not harming anyone.”

“Donalt.” He said with an amused grin. “I could tell you how to end him in an instant, but lets not exhaust this night shall we. We have energy to restore.”

“And how can you do that? Are you a God or something?”

He smiled faintly but never bothered to answer my question. “You will not remember me or this conversa tion. I will restore your adored’s energy along with yours. With that energy in place you will be able to send Bianca on her way.”

“All three of us will be restored. Correct?
And you mean I will be able to kill her.”

His eyes narrowed as the y sparkled. “I should have spoken to you long before today.” He was clearly entertained by me . “I doubt that you will have time to find her body and kill her. You need to leave The Realm immediately. There will be damage. I cannot undo a set fate . But rest assured your adored’
s heritage will burn through what was meant to harm him, and in turn he will rec over the reminder of his energy …
wherever it may rest at that moment.”

Burn? What did that mean?
“All you want from me is to stand up for Escorts? To defend those that bring no harm.”
This made no sense to me. Why could he not do that? Why did he need my voice?

“For now. We’ll see where the tide leads us.”

“Are you evil?”
I dared to ask.

“Not on purpose.”

When I didn’t smile he did. “I’m not harming you or anyone you care for. This is my olive branch. When I need you to remember tonight, you will. I truly hope that you are the person you have presented to me.”

“Why can I not remember it now?”

“I believe you have enough to concern yourself with at the current moment.
Your life and perspective will be foreve r more changed shortly. For now…f inish what you began.”

Just before he raised his hand he locked gazes with me. “I can only redeem you r soul once tonight. Finish this and leave.” He glanced at Bianca. “This child will have no memory of this either. I’m placing her across the r oom from you.” His eyes shimmered once more. “I bid you good luck.” With a wink he majestically said, “Until we meet again.”

A flash of light exploded across the obser vatory. It was so bright I had to shield my arms across my face.

Rage, grief, every horrible emotion was pulsing through my veins. What was I doing? What is going on? Why did I feel hope again? Why was I sure that I would save Landen. That he was not lost.
And why in the hell did I smell like peppermint all of the sudden?

The images of me were all around me. I could hear Bianca’s mocking laugh.
I scanned the room trying to find the source.

I felt someone grasp my shoulde r and turned to destroy the image, but I saw the tattoo.
I saw the word ‘love’ - that’
s when I saw the real Charlie.
She laced her arm through mine. “Show yourself!” she yelled.

Instantly, sha dows from every corner appeared.
Charlie began to speak Latin. Promising words in a dead language.

An image reached for her, and jus t when I prepared to strike it I saw the tattoo , the word.
The real Madison. I held my anger back and watched the two of them use the dead as a weapon – a s they commanded the dead to siege Bianca.

The ice in the pool was gone now. The water was boiling. I t was spil ling over onto the stone floor.
The steam from the cold floor and the hot water connecting made seeing anything even more difficult.

The water was rising on the floor, s o much so that I feared for Landen and Drake. I let go of Charlie and splashed through the water to where I’d left them.

An image was holding Drake’s body. H
er lips were on his, and from my perspective it looked as if she wa s pulling the life out of him.
Rage absorbed me, but just as I focused my thought, the image raised h er hand and I saw the tattoo. I saw Olivia .

“Willow! Willow!” she said, raising her arm . “Love! Love! Love! I’m real. H
e was drowning!”

“Guess what? I’m real, too,” I hea rd Bianca say against my neck. M
y anger thrust her back, and as I turned to bring more harm, the shadows that Charlie had called into existence consumed her.

The room was silent. T
he images were gone.
Really? Shadows? That was all it took to end her? For some reason I had a gut feeling that told me she was more deadly than that. Before I could search for her I felt something. I felt Landen. His energy was like a beacon in this room. How was that possible? How come he felt stronger now than he has in days?

I turned to see Brady and Draven at Landen’s side and Olivia and Aden at Drake’s.
Was this real? Or was this Realm toying with me. He was gone. They both were. I know they were. Gratitude for Charlie and her curse of dark whispers consumed me. They must have restored them, brought their essence back.

Brady had managed to hold Land en’s head above the water, but I guess Aden and Olivia were a moment too late.

The water was subsiding, and Aden held Drake’s head back as Olivia continued to give him CPR.

I ran to Drake’s side and hel ped her push against his chest. No. We are not dying again tonight. There are no third chances. That is what my thoughts were screaming. I knew I had to get out of here. I had to wake them up and get out of here. The urgency was suffocating .