Sacrifice (6 page)

“Good news, pretty boy.”

Will looked up to see a guard’s face in the partially open door.

“You’ve just got yourself a temporary stay of execution. Let’s hope your girlfriend shows up soon.”

The lights turned off, plunging the room into total darkness. Will crawled onto the bare mattress and curled into a fetal position in an attempt to get warm. Would she come for him?

Will wasn’t counting on it.

Chapter Five

“Emma, you have to get up. You’re still wearing the clothes you wore when you got here, and the room reeks of smoke and wet dog.” Raphael threw open the drapes, flooding the room with light. “You have to eat and get your energy back. It’s time to get to work.”

Flinching, she squeezed her eyes shut. She’d lain in bed for two days, refusing to get up other than to go to the bathroom.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her into a sitting position then squatted in front of her. “I know you’re still upset, but this isn’t you. You’re a fighter. You don’t give up.”

After lying in the dark so long, she had to squint to look at him. “You don’t know jack shit about me.”

He grinned, his eyes lighting up. “Ah, she speaks.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“Gladly, if you’ll talk instead.”

She tried to lie back down but he held her up.

“Sorry, Sleeping Beauty. I’ve listened to you cry and call out for him long enough. You’re done.”

His hypnotic effect washed through her and she jerked out of his hold. “Get your hands off of me.”

He put his hands in the air in an exaggerated gesture. “Deal. As long as you get up. You’ve wasted two precious days of our six weeks to prepare that we couldn’t afford to lose. It’s time for you to start working.”

Her anger flared. “This is pointless. You saw the other night what I’m capable of. We also saw that I didn’t even come close to touching Aiden. Do you really think we have a chance against
that
?”

Raphael stood, turning his back as he moved to the window. “Honestly?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know.”

Biting her lower lip, she swallowed the lump of fear in her throat. She never expected him to admit it, even if he wasn’t sure of it.

He twisted around to face her. “But I know that we don’t stand a chance if you don’t at least try to save us. And I know if you’re dead that you’ll never get Jake back. If you’re defeated, what’s to stop Aiden from doing away with Jake too?”

Her breath caught and she had to force herself to exhale. “Aiden wouldn’t kill him.”

Raphael walked toward her, grim determination in his eyes. “We don’t know that. To Aiden, people are expendable. You included.” He sat on the bed next to her. “While you’re unique this time, your predecessor was reincarnated time and time again. Just like Alex and me.” He paused, tears glistening in his eyes. “Emmanuella was Aiden’s daughter and he did away with her to create you.” His fingers clenched into fists in his lap.

“Why? Why would he do that?”

“Who knows why Aiden does what he does? I grew weary of trying to figure out his games centuries ago.”

To what lengths would her father go to be entertained by this stupid game? Maybe the more accurate question was what wouldn’t he do? “No, no, no,” she mumbled frantically, shaking her head. “This is crazy! Things like this don’t happen!”

He stood. “You can live in denial all you want, but it doesn’t make it any less real.”

A fresh wave of grief washed over her. If denial could change reality, Jake would be with her and Will wouldn’t be dead. But she’d dreamed of Will in her twilight state the past days. He felt so real, answering when she cried for him, telling her that he was there. It only upset her even more. He wasn’t there. He was gone. Wasn’t he? “Raphael?”

He paused in the doorway.

“How do you know Will is dead?”

He hesitated before pity filled his eyes. “Emma, you and I both saw his body. Do you really think they would capture him and keep him alive?”

The question sent a shaft of pain through her heart.

“No. The answer is no. He’s of no use to them without his mark. And you know yourself that while Kramer’s men were ordered to capture you alive, they were none too gentle about it. You suffered a beating, bruises, and worse.”

Worse. She still wore the proof of worse. The stiff fabric scratching her thighs. She couldn’t think about her baby. She could barely think of Will.

“They killed him in the woods that night,” Raphael said. “And you know it deep inside.”

Did she? She was certain of it that night when Raphael made her say it out loud, but could she really give up on him so easily? “I dreamed of him.”

His expression fell away and he seemed to choose his words carefully. “Everyone has dreams, Emma.”

“Not like this. It felt real. Like he was
there
.”

He paused again before his eyes bore into hers. “Did you experience this when Will had the mark? Did you have dreams of him?”

Disappointment swept away her hope. “No.”

His mouth lifted into a smug grin. “No. You didn’t, but you did dream of someone, didn’t you?”

She heaved an angry breath and stood. “I’m not doing this with you right now.”

He took a step into the room. “Why not? Let’s get it out here in the open, Emma. Who did you dream of?”

“You know damn good and well who I dreamed of.”

“Say it.”

“Is this some fucking ego trip for you?”

“No, this is pointing out the facts. I told you that you were meant to be mine and the dreams prove it. You didn’t dream of Will. The only thing you had with Will was a shared mark and a baby. Now they’re both gone.”

“How dare you!” She released a sob of despair. “Don’t you dismiss him like that. He meant much more than that and you know it.”

“You loved him. Yes, I am fully aware of that. Don’t you think it was hard for me to see you with him when I thought you were my Emmanuella? Don’t you think I wanted to rip the man’s head off? But he had his part to play and I had to stand back and watch until it was done. And the fact remains that he’s human, Emma. He’s not like you and me.”

Her eyes flew open. “You said he
is
human. Present tense. You think he’s alive.”

He rubbed his forehead in frustration. “Look, I understand your need to grasp for straws.” His hand dropped. “But the sooner you accept this, the sooner you can move on and prepare. It was a slip of the tongue.”

“But the dreams—”

“Do you feel him now?”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “What?”

“Do you feel him now? Reach out to him. You said you felt him in your dreams. Before last night, you could feel him and talk to him when you were awake. That seems like a more certain link than vague dreams that in reality are your subconscious’s way of dealing with your grief. At least your dreams of me pointed to your future. Did your dreams of him do that?”

Her eyes welled with tears.

“The surest way to know if he’s still there is to reach out to him. So do it. Prove that he’s alive.”

Flustered, she squeezed her eyes shut, focusing on Will. “
Will
?
Are you there
?”

Silence was her answer.

“
Will
.
Please
.
I’m begging you. Don’t leave me. I need you
.” Tears streamed down her face as she choked back a sob.

Raphael cleared his throat and she expected to find him gloating. Instead, he stared at the floor.

“You’re not alone in losing someone you love, Emma.” He looked up, his eyes burning with pain and anger. “We both lost someone two nights ago, but we can grieve later. Now we have to concentrate on defeating Aiden.”

She knew this, but she couldn’t let Will go yet.

Raphael shook his head and turned to leave. “Get showered and dressed. There’re clothes you can wear in the closet. You’re thinner than she usually was, but they should work. Then come down and eat and we’ll get started.”

The door closed and she considered lying back down, but he was right, as much as she hated to admit. She needed to save Jake.

Avenging Will’s death was pure bonus.

She stripped off her gown and held it in her hand, a fresh wave of tears falling. The gown stunk of bonfire, mildew, and metal. She threw it into the trash can, telling herself that what was done was done. Crying wouldn’t solve anything, but the tears fell anyway as she showered, washing away the grime but reopening the pain. When she turned off the water, she stood at the stall threshold, a towel wrapped around her body. The air-conditioned breeze cooled the water droplets on her skin, sending chills through her body, but she hesitated.

I can cry in here and I can cry when I go to bed. But when I walk out of this shower, no more tears
.

When her foot hit the tile floor, a change swept through her. Her heart hardened and her back straightened, determination replacing her despair. Aiden would pay for what he’d done.

She found clothes in the closet as Raphael said she would, grabbing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Pulling them on, she tried to ignore that these were meant for someone else. That Raphael might be in pain too. Because to admit that he had suffered a loss made him more like her than she could afford.

He stood in front of the stove when she went downstairs. The smell of onions and butter, reminded her stomach that she hadn’t eaten in days. He smiled and gestured to a small round table in front of windows with a view of the backyard. “Have a seat at the table. I hope you like omelets.”

She turned her gaze to the table set for two and her back stiffened. “Look, we need to set some ground rules before we start this. Dining socially is not acceptable.”

He set down the plate and her traitorous stomach growled loud enough to hear.

“I have to make sure you eat.”

“No. You don’t. When and what I eat are none of your business. What we have is strictly a
working
relationship. I will work with you to save my son and then we are done.”

His gaze narrowed as his smile fell away. “Whether you’ve eaten or not
is
my business. You’re entirely too thin and you need your strength to do this. It’s going to be hard work, and frankly, I’m not sure you can do it.”

She clenched her teeth. “Then what the hell am I doing here?”

“Because I’d rather take a chance with you than team up with Alex. I loathe the man and honestly, he’s not much stronger than you at this point.”

“Are you serious? Did you see the storm he created?”

His eyebrow raised. “Did you see the fires you’ve created?”

She hadn’t seen the final results of the last fire, but she had seen the first one in Minnesota. She didn’t want to think about how many people she’d killed. “This is pointless. Sure, I’ve created two massive explosions and nearly died as a result. If Will hadn’t saved me the first time…” Mentioning Will brought a sharp stab of grief, but she swallowed it down.

“And I saved you the second. But you can learn how to do it without killing yourself in the process. You just don’t know how yet.”

“And you’re going to teach me? Fine, then we need rules. The first is you are not to touch me under any circumstances.”

“I’m not sure I can agree to that.” His hard stare told her he was serious.

She took a step back. “Then we’re already done.”

“What do you think saved you after you created that fire? What kept you from leaping out of a jet flying over the Midwest? I
gave
you energy. I won’t agree to not touch you, but I will agree to only touch you when I deem it absolutely necessary.”

She shook her head. “No way. You could claim anything you want to be ‘absolutely necessary.’ Why would I agree to that?”

A derisive laugh rumbled in his throat. “You think you’re the one holding all the cards here. You think you can set these terms and that I have no choice but to kowtow to your wishes.” His voice lowered. “But you forget that you need me just as much. Without me you have no chance of saving Jake.”

Her grief boiled into rage, her chest burning with power. “I don’t need you. I can always side with Alex.”

“Alex.” He laughed again, looking at the ceiling. “That’s rich. You think I’m going to believe that you’ll side with the man who raped you and kidnapped your son? You claim I don’t know jack shit about you, but I know you’d sooner die than team up with him.”

Anger filled her, her energy begging for release.

Raphael’s glare softened to disappointment. “You’re still so young and impetuous. You don’t even know how to prevent what you’ve just done.”

“Fuck you, Raphael.”

“Close your eyes.”

She narrowed them instead, her anger and hatred increasing the pressure.

“For God’s sake, Emma, if you can’t trust me in this one thing then we’re doomed.”

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.

“As impossible as this sounds, try to relax.”

She bit back a retort before a jolt shot through her body, then the pressure was gone. Her eyes flew open in alarm. “What happened?”

He turned around and poured a cup of coffee. “Sit down and eat.”