I am sorry to disappoint you, mo chroí, but we have already turned your friend Molly days ago. It took no time at all because she was most willing to be Gancanagh. She is very content, but she is a little irritated with you for not telling her what you really are. I explained to her that you were probably trying to protect her. She did not realize ’tis what Seraphim do.
As for me being temporary, I can assure you that I am permanent and I am your destiny. You forget that I have tasted you. I know all of your deepest desires. The needs that you hide deep inside of you, I know them all. You want a family above all else. I will provide that family for you. You want other things as well, things that you don’t speak of to anyone. Ever. I will find your sire for you, I promise. I have been making inquiries, looking for your daddy. If he is here, we will find him.
I do not fear you. I fear for you. You have aligned yourself with the wrong side. You cannot trust the angels. They will turn on you. If there is even an inkling that you could be seen as evil, it will be over for you. We are ever ready to protect you.
It is you who is refusing to hear me. I am finished asking you, Genevieve, now I am telling you. Come to me before I have to come to you. I am not your enemy. I love you, and in time, you will love me too.
So Completely Yours,
Brennus
P.S. All of your belongings are awaiting your return, my beautiful angel.
Rage is overcoming me as thoughts of Molly’s death enter my mind. It’s just like the anger I feel when I think of what Alfred did to my uncle. Alfred viciously murdered Uncle Jim and I couldn’t stop him. I keep the secret of that anger locked away because it makes me feel as if the lining of my stomach is rubbing together when I allow it to rise up in me. My fingers are shaking as they fly over the keys of the laptop, responding with all the hatred I feel in this moment.
Dear Walking Corpse,
I will never forgive you for Molly. Send me your dead and I will bury them deep for you. I’m done making sense to you and I’m ready to face you. Come and die.
Hate you,
Evie
I have only minutes to wait until the email alert window crops back up, delivering Brennus’ response.
Dear Darkest Night,
I’m already dead, but looking forward to seeing you…in China. Be there soon.
Love You,
Brennus
I pick up the laptop and throw it across the room. It hits the far wall and showers in pieces to the floor. I push back from the desk and drive my fists right through its thick, ancient wood. It shatters and splinters into a pile at my feet. Looking around, all I can see is Molly’s face as it sagged after being touched by Brennus—I didn’t think to protect her. Of course she was a target. Brennus has all of my pictures—Molly is probably in half of all of those pictures.
The room starts spinning around me as my fists come up to my eyes to try to blot out the images of what her death must have been like. It would’ve been gruesome. They would have fed on her blood before one of them allowed her to feed on him. I wonder which one of them turned her. Was it Brennus or Finn…it could’ve been any of them…maybe Declan or Lachlan. I’ll find out which one it was and kill him slowly… painfully. Several killing scenarios pulse in my head as it’s spinning like someone stuffed me in a blender and hit puree.
Dizziness makes me sway on my feet. Bringing my hands away from my eyes, I feel as if I should be moving—I need to go to Molly—help her—it’s too late to help her. I need to go to Brownie and Russell. They need to be warned that Brennus is on his way to China now—he traced my email. He at least knows where the POP, point of presence, which I used to send the email is located. He will find me. If he gets close enough, he’ll probably be able to smell me, I think as nausea rolls through me. I need to warn Zephyr, Buns and Phaedrus—if he touches them, they will be Brennus’ slaves too.
Reed, I think as the room sways again. I feel like I’m spinning in infinity. Unable to control the whirling, I crouch down on one knee, resting my head on my other knee. My hands go to the floor as I attempt to steady myself.
I have to warn Reed…Russell…Zee, I think. The most unnatural feeling of lightness pulses through me like a shockwave while something lifts out of me. Looking up, my stomach twists as an image of myself becomes visible to me. It hovers near me like a luminous ghost for a few brief seconds. Blinking at the perfect representation of myself, I watch as my mirror image turns from where it is standing just in front of me. With a grim expression on her face, the glowing impression of me rockets itself forward so quickly that I can barely track it as it exits the room. I grit my teeth as another shockwave erupts within me. A second holographic image projects out of me like an ascending soul and immediately bolts from the room. When the third luminous “me” bursts from my body like a physical echo and leaves the room, I lose most of the dizziness that was overwhelming me. I stand on shaky legs and try to make sense of what I just experienced. As I stumble to the bed, I lean against the frame, willing myself not to fall onto it.
I take deep breaths and raise a shaky hand to my forehead, but I pause when a movement near the door distracts me. Reed is staring at me from the entrance to our room. His face is blank, but there is pain in his eyes. He moves forward, engulfing me in his arms. He is not wearing his shirt and his charcoal-gray wings are arcing out menacingly. I inhale his sexy, masculine scent as he presses me to his chest.
“You’re alive,” he breathes into my ear as his arms hold me like I’m a fragile flower. A clatter sounds behind me as he drops whatever weapon he had been holding. It sounds like some kind of sword as it hits the ground with a heavy metallic clang.
“What?” I choke, pushing against him so I can see his face again.
“I saw you. You passed right through me—there was such pain—sorrow when you went through me and then you just disappeared,” Reed says in a hushed and urgent tone, holding me to him and refusing to let me go.
“When did you see me?” I ask, giving up trying to see his face. Instead, I hug him back.
“Seconds ago—I thought…” he trails off as his voice thickens.
“You thought I was dead?” I ask and he just tightens his grip on me until I wheeze and then he eases his embrace so that I can breath again, but he still doesn’t let me go.
“How did you do that—send out a piece of you—your emotion to me?” Reed asks.
“I—my emotion?” I ask in confusion.
“At first, I thought I was seeing your soul when it approached me, but when it ran into me, right through me—I didn’t know what it was because it didn’t feel like a soul. It was raw emotion—panic and agony—but the scent…I could smell you, it left your scent on my clothes,” he says and pulls me back from him so that I can finally see his eyes. “How did you do that?”