Immortal Memory (Book One) (19 page)

She tried to conceal a deafening cry
for help. Her body grew limp from the dread building within her.
Simra could not escape from the powerful demon on her own. It
didn’t matter how much she attempted to fight him.

Tristan drew her into his arms and
carried her from the lake so fast that her head spun with
dizziness. “I’m taking you where no one will ever find
us.”

Simra closed her eyes in an attempt to
avoid her head from spinning. Opening them when it stopped, she saw
the inside of a large old abandoned home. Tristan stood beside her
with his hand resting on a dusty fireplace. The aged house must
have been deserted for many years. Thick dust smothered the stairs
except for a few footprints on them. A faint rotten scent caused
her stomach to churn.

Maybe Tristan’s body was hidden here.
She saw no furniture. Someone had scribbled symbols across the
walls of the home. Cold whispers of evil breathed against her
ears.

Simra gazed outside the windows but
didn’t recognize her surroundings. She needed to get out of there
somehow. Her family might be in danger with Quint. Maybe that's why
Mandy didn't answer.

She turned to Tristan and saw a devious
grin across his face. “Where am I?”

His depraved laugh caused bitterness to
grasp her heart with its icy hands. He lifted her chin with his
finger. “Zach’s gone forever, and no one will ever find you. I’ll
be certain you never escape.”

Chapter 23

"Trust in the Lord with all
your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your
ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths."
-Proverbs 3:5-6

The angel opened his eyes to see the
thicket around him. “What happened?” he groaned and held his head
with a hand.

Then, he recalled being sent away by
Azazel's demonic prayer. The lake's crystal water shimmered beneath
the late afternoon sun. Simra was nowhere in the area. Zach rushed
into the lake house to see his mom praying in tears.

"Lord, speak to me on what I can do. If
Simra's in danger, please surround her with Your love and
protection. Protect her family-"

Zach raced from the lake house to find
Simra. Azazel took her, and it was all Zach’s fault. The angel let
his brother get the best of him. He searched the entire city for
Simra and found her nowhere.

Zach looked in other places outside of
Longview and still discovered no trace. He searched everywhere.
Azazel could not even be traced.

The demon must have already taken her
to his world. The angel’s anger smoldered hot. A persistent hope
consumed him to never give up on finding Simra. God sent Zach to
stop his brother before Azazel took a bride.

He refused to fail Him again! The angel
wouldn’t allow the demon to become any more powerful by marrying
Simra. Azazel would be stopped before it became too late, and Zach
wasn’t finished with him!

Rage ignited in him, and Zach dashed
across town to see Lucinda. Did Mandy and Jeff know about Simra's
disappearance? Maybe the older woman knew of Tristan's whereabouts.
Perhaps Tristan stopped by to torment her before capturing
Simra.

Zach arrived in the woman’s room and
stepped in front of her to stop her pacing. Instantly, he saw the
worry in her mind about Simra. Zach placed his hands on her
shoulders to stop Lucinda’s fretful steps and gave her an intense
gaze.

“Lucinda, I promise I'll find her. Has
Azazel been here?”

Her tangled words were wild with panic,
and Lucinda’s faded eyes widened more. The woman's knuckles were
white from clenching them so tight. Lucinda didn’t look him in the
eyes but shook her compressed fists.

She snatched the collar of his black
polo shirt. “Hisss houssse!” She began throwing objects around the
room, and much anger seethed from her eyes.

Several nurses rushed in with
medication, and Mandy followed them. He gazed at Simra's cousin. He
noted how she knew not of Simra's disappearance. However, Mandy
started to sense something wasn't right. His mom must not have
known Mandy's number.

Lucinda slapped the drugs from their
hands and refused to take anything. She and Simra were just alike.
They were both determined to keep their family safe. Zach knew they
wouldn’t rest until they were certain each other was out of
danger.

Another nurse raced into the room with
a shot as two others held her down. Lucinda continued mumbling
unclear words until she was knocked out into a deep sleep. Zach
placed his hand across the older woman’s brow and bent down. He
whispered a ‘thank you’ in her ear. Zach turned to leave after the
nurses left her there to rest.

“I’ll rescue your granddaughter and
stop Azazel, Lucinda. I promise,” Zach whispered before leaving to
go to the house he saw in Lucinda's thoughts.

The angel raced to the old abandoned
house that still haunted him from many years ago. Returning would
bring him much pain. But he had to save Simra. Zach tried walking
inside, but a shield of darkness stopped him. The place was
protected well by demonic prayers.

One of God’s angels wouldn’t be able to
enter. Only Jeff could go inside, and he was still in the hospital.
The corpse had to be in there too. That's why it was so difficult
to find.

Zach got reminded in an instant of what
God sent him to do years ago. The demon must be stopped now. This
was the angel’s last chance to destroy Azazel before he married
Simra. Zach waited for this moment for years. Many people would die
if Tristan forced her to become his bride.

Zach wanted a life with her. Somehow.
He began to sense God brought them to work together for more than
one reason. Zach's love felt wrong for Lucinda, but his love felt
very right for Simra. But he had to be mistaken. Angels and mortals
couldn't combine.

Only the Lord knew the future. All Zach
could do now was trust God and hope for His will to pass. Plans to
save Simra began to unravel in his mind. Somehow, he must get
through to Jeff about the abandoned house.

Azazel could be drawn out of the house
long enough for Simra to escape. Then again, the demon had
everything he wanted there inside the house. He had Simra. Nothing
could draw him out of the house. Zach's only hope was getting
through to Jeff or Mandy.

It may be too late to stop Azazel. The
demon might have already forced her into marriage. Zach was knocked
out far too long. A painful ache rose in his heart for the
beautiful woman and what she must be enduring with his cruel,
manipulative brother. Azazel made certain Zach couldn't get to
Simra in this house like the angel rescued Lucinda here years ago.
Zach knew his brother wanted to make sure he got his way this
time.

Chapter 24

"I have said these things
to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have
tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." - John
16:33

The decayed odor suffocated Simra
inside the place and almost choked her. The body must be somewhere
in the house. Her sanity slipped deeper into darkness after
spending so long with the demon. Simra spent two days in the old
dusty home.

She began to lose all hope of anyone
finding her. Tristan had food stored in the house to keep her fed.
Simra fought tears from misting her eyes. She refused to believe
Zach was in heaven. Were Jeff and her family still alive? Quint
might have already murdered them by now.

The demon placed a gentle hand to
Simra’s cheek, and his gaze softened. “There's no reason to worry,
baby. Everything is fine. We’ll be married soon.” His lips tugged
into a smile.

Simra jerked away from the
vile demon. “You've created nothing but chaos for me and my family.
You’re a danger to everyone, and I don't believe anything you say.
I’m not marrying you. I’ll escape, and I
will
destroy you.”

“
I’m sorry about the chaos,
princess, but I had to go to great lengths to have you. I hate to
spoil your expectations of destroying me. You won’t escape. I've
waited too long for you, and I
will
have you.” Instead of showing rage, Tristan
remained calm. He kept showing an apologetic smile.

“I'm not your possession!” A sob lodged
in her throat, and she held back tears from falling.

Tristan's eyes danced with delight.
“I’ve always admired that about you. Determination and defiance.
Zach didn’t enjoy like those traits about you. You never listened
to him, and he couldn’t stand it. Besides, he wanted to collect
your grandmother’s soul.”

Simra’s cheeks fumed with heat from the
anger building within her, but her stomach churned with disgust.
“You admire me because I remind you of Grandmother. That’s what
drew you to me. You’re sick. You mean nothing to me, and you’re
only trying to turn me against your brother.”

Tristan chuckled from amusement. “I
fell in love with a strong, caring, beautiful, and innocent woman
when I saw you. Not because you reminded me of Lucinda. I knew we
belonged together. Now then, Zach wanted to collect your soul too.
Of course, there's no need to worry about him now. You have me to
protect you. Zach's a liar. If he's the twin of a fallen angel, how
can he be good?”

A sick feeling nauseated Simra to
realize how there could be truth in that, but she lifted her chin
in defiance. “If that's true, why am I getting closer to God since
I met him?”

Tristan’s smile faded, and he took slow
steps toward Simra. The demon clasped her hands in his. “That's
what he wanted you to think he was doing. But he was a wolf in
sheep's clothing."

Sadness filled his dark blue eyes. "I
don’t know how to take back the wrongs I’ve done to you and your
family. I’d like to spend forever making it up to you. You won’t
have to worry about how I disappear anymore. I’ve made several
horrible decisions in trying to win you back since my death. I
promise to make it right starting now.”

Simra squared her shoulders. “It's a
little late for apologies. I don’t wish to discuss it
anymore.”

Her worries about the people she loved
ran rapid. Where was Quint while Tristan kept her all to himself?
The drug dealer might be slaughtering Jeff and her family right
now. Lucinda was the main one in danger since Simra was closest to
her. She must find a way to get to her grandmother as fast as
possible.

Tristan framed her face with his cold
hands. “You’re worried about Lucinda. No one will bother her. I
promise. Would you like me to check on her for you?”

“No! Stay away from her. You’re the
last one I trust around Grandmother. You placed the horrible curse
on her in the first place.” Simra jerked free from the demon, and
her heart dropped at how he read her thoughts.

Tristan drew back in surprise. “The
spell became out of hand. I didn’t intend for it to get this bad. I
only meant for it to wash away her memory of me and my awful deeds.
I’ll just go check on her and report back on how she’s doing. I
won’t harm her, nor will anyone else. I’ll return with answers on
how she’s doing. Promise.”

Trying with all her might not to
believe him, Simra bit her lip in frustration. “Please
don’t.”

“I know you want me to, Simra. I can
see into that pretty little head of yours. I’ll be back.” Tristan
rested a cold hand on her cheek with a tender smile across his
lips. He rushed from the upstairs bedroom and locked the door
behind him.

Tristan locked her inside the room. He
must have lied to her about just checking on Lucinda. The hideous
demon might be going to kill her grandmother! Tears burned Simra’s
eyes, and she hurried to the bedroom window to study her
surroundings. It would lead her onto a balcony if she shattered the
glass.

The window could be broken for a way of
escape. Simra searched for any objects around the room. Her
traveling gaze stopped on a wooden plank on the floor. She grabbed
it and slammed it against the hard window.

Simra gasped from surprise when the
glass refused to break. It didn’t shatter after several attempts.
Tristan must have placed a curse on the house to hold her
inside.

Simra leaned against the wall and
groaned in astonishment and frustration. She stumbled backward when
the wall moved. A trap door opened. It must have led out of the
dusty old bedroom. The floorboards creaked beneath her
feet.

Simra climbed through the mildewed tiny
corridor and held her breath. The rotten stench was so strong
through the trap door that she tasted it, and it caused her to gag.
The door to another room creaked open, and the exit led down the
stairs. Tristan’s body must be hidden well, but she had no time to
look for it.

Simra rushed to the entrance of the
house. The door wouldn't open. She almost got lost inside the huge
place but made it to the back. The backdoor wouldn’t open either.
None of the doors could be unlocked.

The red writings and symbols on the
walls caused her head to spin. There were so many that they almost
sent her deep into a revolting dizziness. Nausea choked her, and
she ached to get out of the stuffy house as soon as possible. Simra
searched until she found a sunroom.