Pure Redemption (Tainted Legacy) (4 page)

Her parents had
been surprised when she’d announced on her eighteenth birth
day that she planned to move in
to the cabin that had been left to her by her grandfather. They were against the idea because of her recent frame of mind
. B
ut she had been adamant.
She tried not to think about how they, or her friends, would react if they knew she’d spent the majority of two days in a row waiting for a glimpse of the impossible.

She sighed as she ruffled th
rough the pages of the magazine. Her sunglasses hid
her eyes so she could watch the boardwalk and not really look at the pages at all. It was busy tonight and she would’ve feared missing Gabe, should he walk by, if not for the fact that his height would make him stand out.

There was something else that she hadn’t been able to share with her friends. At one point during their last day together, Gabe had told her what he’d found out about her birth mother. He had contemplated his decision but finally decided that she had a right to know. He had learned that she was gone and that his brother, Rafe, had been partially responsible for her death. So on top of losing Gabe, she was grieving for a parent she would never get to know. A parent she would never have the opportunity to search for. She couldn’t share this with her friends because there was no reasonable way to explain how she knew. So this, too, she dealt with in silence.

She knew that she would never be able to tell
her friends the truth about him. W
hat he
was
or what he had done for her. That was her secret and hers alone to keep.
The weight of the secrets and the lies was almost overwhelming.

As for whether or not the man
her friends had seen really was Gabe
, she was almost afraid to hope. She had seen him die. She had seen him fall into the fiery pit. Logic would dictate that it could not be him. That he could not come back. And yet…Ava now knew better than anyone that what she once found impossible wasn’t necessarily so.

Gabe’s fa
ther could not have conceivably
been a demon. But he was.

It was unfathomable that Grier, her foster sister for years, was a Grigori. An angel. A Watcher. And yet, that was true as well.

If she had not seen it for herself, she may not believe that Gabe was Nephilim. But he was.

So was it so foolish to believe that maybe, just maybe yet another seemingly impossible thing be real?

Her mind was constantly drawn back to the day she’d thought she’d seen him through the window while she was at work. The sun had been behind him, casting his silhouette into a shadow. Yet the silhouette itself was so intensely familiar; the width of his shoulders, the lightly
tousled hair, his stature. And then that flicker of something more as he’d suddenly moved out of the sun, under the awning and clearly into her view for just a split second.

In that insane, intense moment she’d been sure it had been him. She’d raced out of the shop and down the street in the direction he’d headed but he hadn’t been there. No one had been there. That was what had struck her as so odd. The sidewalk had been nearly empty. There was no one else that she could have confused him with. It was as if he, whoever he had been, had just disappeared.

Or, a nagging little voice reminded her, she had completely imagined the whole thing.

There were other times she hadn’t mentioned to her friends. Once, when she was driving by the park, the one where they’d had their picnic, she was sure she’d seen him. She’d veered off the road so quickly it was a small miracle she hadn’t caused an accident. By the time she’d pulled over to park, whoever she’d seen was gone. Again, not a trace of anyone. No sign of Gabe but no sign of anyone who could’ve been mistaken for him either.

Other times, memories of him flooded her thoughts
. T
he images of him were so intense that until she blinked them away, they felt real.

She let out a shaky breath. Because then there was the other night, the shadow in her bedroom window. But surely, if it were Gabe, he would’ve let her know he was there. Then again, something about that shadow hadn’t seemed right.

She tried to shake off the feeling of unease that memory brought with it. It was quite possible that she’d still been half asleep. That
that
had all been a dream.

But the other times? She wasn’t so sure what those had been.

As for why Gabe hadn’t contacted her, if indeed it was him; at first she couldn’t imagin
e a reason. She couldn’t fathom
that he would be cruel enough to let her believe that he was really gone. But then, a memory of a conversation they’d had flooded over her,
worrying
her. Gabe had made it perfectly clear to her
,
the morning of his death
,
that he didn’t
consider himself worthy. H
e
’d told her he
didn’t think they could have a future together.

Because of the
demonic blood that coursed through him—a legacy he received from his father—
he’d suffered greatly when he’d been forced into her father’s church. It was just one of many examples he’d used to try to prove to her that he should not be with her.
He felt it would be for her own
good if he wasn’t.

She was so lost in thought that she nearly shrieked when her bench groaned with the weight of the body that had slumped down into it.
Her eyes swept up the long legs, the lean torso and the well-muscled arms that were crossed over the broad chest. S
he found herself looking into a familiar,
enchanting face that was accentuated with a knowing smirk.

“Looking for anyone in particular?”
the cold voice mused.

“Rafe,” she returned in a voice that did not betray the panic she suddenly felt. “So nice to see you again.”

He grinned
at her. His beautiful face was like Gabe’s and yet so very different. If she did not know what he was, what he was capable of, she could so easily find herself intrigued by him.
The beautifully crafted cheekbones, the arched eyebrows, the vivid blue eyes
all looked so
achingly familiar
. His hair, so inexplicably red, was
nearly the only
external difference. But inside, Ava knew it was like comparing coal to a fine gem. Rafe’s soul was blackened beyond repair and his outwardly appearance did nothing to fool her.

“Likewise,” he said in response to her snide comment. “
So who is it you’
re looking for?” he asked in amusement. “And don’t lie to me and pretend you’re not. I’ve been watching you for a while.”

Ava felt her eyebrows twitch in agitation.
She’d been watching the walkway. N
ot paying any attention to what was going on behind her.
Without meaning to, her eyes scanned the crowded area. This time, she was not looking for anyone in particular. She was simply taking comfort in the fact that there were people. Everywhere. Rafe was the last person on earth she wanted to find herself alone with.

She shrugged. “I have no intention of lying. In fact, I have no intention of telling you anything.”

He chuckled next to her ear and the sound grated through her. “You don’t have to tell me. The answer is obvious enough. No sign of my brother then?”

Ava kept her gaze positioned over the river. Gabe had warned her to never look Rafe in the eye. Bu
t furthermore, she couldn’t bear
to look at him. Though they were so incredibly different,
the brotherly resemblance
made it
painful
to look at him.

“What do you want, Rafe?” she asked. She did not bother to hide her annoyance.

“The same thing you want,” he told her. “I want my brother back.”

A sharp laugh shot out of her mouth. “Why?” she demanded. “The local townspeople aren’t providing you enough amusement? No one to torture? No one to torment?”

Rafe was quiet for a moment and without meaning to, she finally looked his way. She would have preferred the usual look of derision to the one he was sweeping over her now. His
eyes crept slowly over her body. L
eaving her skin searing uncomfortably under the path his gaze
followed.

She fought off a shudder as his eyes settled on her chest. He
frowned
and she knew he was staring at her pendant. At the cross that he, himself, had torn off of her. He looked disgusted by the sight of it. Yet, she noted, he did not look the least bit surprised that she was wearing it.

She silently thanked Gabe for finding a way to return it to her. She couldn’t help but think that its presence around her neck was the only thing keeping Rafe from running his fingers over her.

“You know,” he said slowly, “at fir
st I could not imagine what Gabriel
saw in you. But now…” he let his voice trail off suggestively
. “
I see y
ou are
far more appealing than I ever realized
. Who would have thought?”

Ava cringed at his upside down compliment but continued to ignore him.

She grimaced when she felt his warm
breath. He was so close she could feel the heat on her neck.
She wondered what the passersby would think if they knew of the insanity of the conversation that was underway only feet from them.

“
You and I? We could pass the tim
e together while we waited.
I could
even
make it fun for you, Ava. In fact, I could make it
quite
enjoyable. Do you know how easy it would be for me to make you believe that I am my brother? Think about that. This misery you have immersed yourself in, and don’t deny it, your eyes betray you, it could be gone. I could make you happy,” he whispered in her ear.

“When Hell freezes over,” Ava
replied in a frigid tone.

Rafe laughed. “
Spirited
and
lovely to look at.
I definitely
misjudged you.
It was just a suggestion. It could be rather entertaining because I find you
somewhat intriguing.” H
e paused. “And luckily for both of us, Hell
has
frozen over.
Hasn’t anyone told you? The inner circle is quite miserable from what I hear. And as you know, Azael would have had firsthand knowledge. What little is left of one’
s soul is sucked out
into the icy void.” He shrugged. “Of course, we will have to ask my brother for confirmation on that. If there’s anything
left
of him to ask. I do think that if he
makes it back, there might be very little left of him
.”

She didn’t believe him. Grier would have told her. Gabe had spent time in Hell. That was true. But he’d been pulled out and offered deliverance. She refused to believe that his tattered soul would be left behind. It was just another mind trick of Rafe’s. One of a different variety than the type he typically employed.

“What do you want with Gabe?” she demanded.

Rafe was silent, as if weighing his response. “At first, I’ll admit, I was angry.
I wanted to make him pay for what he had done.
Now, I simply want to speak with him.”

She
was not naïve enough to
believe for a single second that
simply
speaking with Gabe was the only thing on his mind. She
scoffed. “
First you were angry. Now you’re not? You wanted to make him pay. Now you don’t? And how will you feel by the time he returns?”
She shook her head in disgust.
“
Grier warned me that your kind is fickle.”

“We are,” Rafe said. His voice was hard
and unapologetic
. “It might do you some good to remember that about my brother. Even if he does come back, he will tire of you soon.
Yo
ur innocence is a novelty. N
o girl holds his interest for long. He goes through them even faster than I do.”

She
clenched her jaw for a moment, not trusting herself to
say anything
.
When she finally did
speak
, her own words surprised her.

“You killed my mother,” she sai
d in a tone dripping with venomous hatred.

He shrugged. “Did I? There have been so many
. T
hey’ve all begun to blend together in my mind.”

The sound of Ava’s
palm
connecting with Rafe’s cheek echoed loudly, finally drawing the attention of a few people. She ignored them as she got to her feet. “
We’re done here.
Stay away from me,” she hissed.

He
smiled maliciously. “I’m only speaking the truth, Ava.
Let’s keep in touch!
”
he called after her as she disappeared into the crowd.