The Girl and The Raven (39 page)

“Fine, if I start feeling like a demon, I’ll let you know.” He tries to make light of it, but I hear the catch in his voice. “Or if you happen to notice that I’m slicking back my hair and torturing people, say something.”

I smile tightly and nod. We leave the safety of his car and walk up the sidewalk. “And you can call me if you need a dose of lighthearted girl talk, too. We can talk about Marcus. His great hair. His brooding nature. His
killer
taste in music and how sexy he looks when he plays guitar. He’s so dreamy!”

I playfully elbow Dylan but I can’t help laughing as he gushes about Marcus in a girly falsetto. After last night, I didn’t think I would ever laugh again. It feels good. Dylan slings his arm around my shoulders as he walks me to the door and my uncles, who happen to be waiting in the doorway.

“Lucy, where’s your dress?” Sheldon asks, eyeing my new outfit and the sandals from last night clutched in my hand.

“I tore it when I fell…leaving the dance.” More lies. Will they ever end? “Dylan’s going to take it to his dry cleaner and see if she can fix it.”

“She’s really good at fixing stuff,” Dylan adds. This sounded better when we rehearsed it in the car. The truth is, I don’t know what happened to my dress. I assume Jude threw it away.

“Great to see you, Dylan,” Bernard says brightly. The enthusiasm in his voice causes a stab of pain inside of me. They’ve got the wrong idea about Marcus, but I can’t tell them the truth.

“Congratulations again on the Homecoming game. You were impressive,” Sheldon says. “Lucy was disappointed to miss the game.”

He just shrugs and smiles. “We’ll get her to come next season.”

“You’re welcome to stay for dinner,” Bernard says and it’s obvious by his voice that he wants Dylan to stay. “We’re having pork chops.”

I lean against the garage with my eyes closed and listen as Marcus plays guitar. I recognize the song immediately from the second mix cd he made for me. The one he tucked beneath my pillow the night of the homecoming dance. He must’ve slipped away for a minute during the chaos of taking photos. When I found it the next night, I immediately downloaded the songs to my phone and have listened to them every day since.

Suddenly his voice, rough and textured, washes over me. My insides ache at the sound. Three weeks feels like forever as I waited for him to heal. I used every excuse possible to get away from my uncles and visit Marcus on the roof. Persephone and Aiden grew accustomed to my daily visits, asking how much longer it would be. Aiden called me thirty minutes ago while I was eating breakfast with my uncles. “Perhaps you and Lola should go out back, check out the garage.” That’s all he said. Not even a
hello
. Then he hung up on me. I made an excuse to my uncles, tried to act normal, fought to keep my legs from racing out the back door.

“Come on, Lola-Bean,” I cooed to her. I didn’t have to ask her twice.

I watch Lola soar high above me as Marcus moves onto another song. It’s gut-wrenching and beautiful. My skin tingles at the pain in his voice. After all he’s been through, it makes sense that happy songs aren’t on his set list. I want to burst through the door, but I’m afraid. Will he be different? Does he hate me because of what Jude did to him? He wound up in this mess because of me. I wouldn’t blame him if he told me we’re through. 

When he finishes the song, there is silence. I can’t wait any longer. I need to see him. I take another look at Lola, who’s in no hurry to come down just yet, then go inside. My heart swells, threatening to burst out of my chest at the sight of him. He’s focused on his guitar, plucking at strings, as if he’s looking for a certain chord to inspire the next song.

His complexion is gray. The pine-green colored sweater and brown corduroys hang loose on his body. He looks years older than he did at the dance. Persephone and Henry reminded me of the toll it took for him to heal me. No doubt they were preparing me for this moment.

I want to rush to him, tell him I love him, how miserable it’s been without him. But I stand frozen, afraid he’ll reject me. My whole body trembles.

Marcus looks up at me and a slow smile spreads across his face. I take that to mean he doesn’t hate me. But does he still love me?

“Hey,” I whisper. “I finally got to hear you play.”

His gaze burns into mine. “Is it true?”

I start to cry at the sound of his voice. I nod. My feet refuse to move, so I stand there stupidly, biting my lip.

Marcus gets up from his chair. He sets his guitar aside, and walks over to me. His high cheekbones stand out over hollow cheeks. The dark patches under his eyes give him a haunted look. I can’t hide my alarm. “Marcus…”

“It’s okay. I’ll get better.” He takes my hands in his, pulling me into the middle of the room, into the sunlight where it’s warmer. He’s not wearing his cologne and I miss it.

“I never thought Jude would give us his blessing.” He hesitates, as if he still doesn’t believe it.

Blessing is a funny word to use with Jude. “I didn’t either, but he’s grateful that you saved me.” I can’t stop staring at him. I touch his face, his hair, his shoulders. He’s all warm flesh and moveable limbs, instead of cold, hard stone. And that velvety voice, the one I’ve listened to over and over in old voicemail messages. “And he’d rather have a pain in the ass like you in his life than lose his second child. That’s a direct quote.”

Marcus’ smile is strained. I doubt he can find humor in anything related to Jude. I stroke his cheek. I ache being this close to him. I want to throw myself into his arms, but I’m afraid I’ll knock him over.

“I need to know what happened that night. How did Jude get you from the dance? Was it Jack Callow and his two friends?”

Marcus’ expression turns dark. I hate to bring it up, to make him go through it all again, but I have to know. “If you mean three guys whose ring leader had dark, cropped hair, then yes.”

Anger swirls in my belly.
I’ll get them back for this. I swear I will.

“They pulled me aside in the gym while you were off dancing with Dylan.” His face tightens and I’m flooded with guilt. The last thing Marcus should be worried about right now is Dylan. “They told me Seamus McAllister was waiting for you in the parking lot.”

“Did you suspect it was a trap?”

Marcus frowns at me. “Of course, but I couldn’t risk
not
checking it out. What if it really was Seamus?”

I clench my fists, my anger flaring. They knew exactly what to say to get Marcus outside. “Then what happened?”

“I went outside and found Daphne. That girl’s always been trouble.” Marcus shakes his head. “Before I could say a word, she’s spouting something…something in Latin…and when I come to, Jude’s slapping me, telling me to wake up and pay attention.” His expression turns frantic. “I was sure that Jude and Seamus were working together, that Seamus would get to you at the dance. I needed to get out of there, but that wasn’t possible with a black panther—a real live
panther
—and three huge dogs guarding me. Along with Jude and Daphne.” His expression droops. “So I did what I had to do…I went after Jude.”

“Marcus…no!”

“I couldn’t sit there and do nothing!”

I wrap my arms around him and take a shaky breath. He could’ve been killed. “That’s when he turned you to stone.” It’s not a question. With my face pressed against his chest, I listen to his heartbeat, his breathing, wait for his words.

“The next thing I remember is…excruciating pain.” His body twitches and jerks at the memory. His heartbeat thumps in his chest. I hold him tighter for fear he will collapse. “Demon magic turned me to stone and then changed me back.” He gulps. “When I came to, I was sprawled on Jude’s dining room floor. Persephone whispered in my ear what needed to be done. I had no time to regain my strength. I forced the change. It was agony…”

His entire body trembles. I rub his arms and back, trying to calm him. “I found a bloody white feather at Jude house’s the next day,” I tell him. My nerve endings are raw, envisioning his pain. I pull back, look into his face, tears blurring my vision. “You shouldn’t have done it. Any of it. You could’ve died.”

Marcus shakes his head. “The blood on that feather is yours, Lucy, not mine.” He takes my hands in his. His gaze meets mine. “As for saving you, I’d do it all over again.”

“I can’t stand that you were in so much pain,” I choke. It’s torture to know how much he suffered. “I love you.”

“I love you.” Marcus strokes my hair, his expression filled with tenderness. His voice turns husky and I hear his pain. It mirrors my own. “You have absolutely no idea how much.” He takes me in his arms. His lips press against my forehead, my hair, my cheeks, kissing away three weeks’ worth of misery. I guide his lips to mine. It feels like forever since we last kissed. I press myself against him as heat spreads through me.

Marcus pushes me away, an apologetic look on his face. “Give me a little time to get my strength back, okay?”

My cheeks flush hot. “I’m sorry.” He’s so fragile that I’m afraid to take his hand. Our conversation stalls for a couple of moments, then I remember the message that I’m supposed to deliver. “Jude asked me to make sure you’re on board with our promise. Persephone told you about that, right?”

He takes a step back and groans. “I could really use a lifetime away from that guy.”

“We have a deal, Marcus,” I remind him. “I remain in his life and you and I get to be together. You’ll never have to spend even a minute with him. I promise. I don’t want you to suffer.”

He glares at me. “I’ll never trust him, Lucy, especially around you. He’s a filthy demon.”

I feel a stab of pain at his words. I’m half-demon. Does that make me filthy and evil in his eyes? With a sinking feeling, I realize that it’s only a matter of time before Marcus recognizes that I’m not good enough for him.

“About Seamus...he’s out there still.” I try to keep the panic from my face, my voice. “Part of the deal is that I have to train with Jude. I need to be able to protect myself.”

“Apparently I don’t have a say in this.” His lips press into a thin, angry line.

I grab him by the arms and shake him gently. “Don’t you get it? I made this deal for us, so we can be together.” I watch his expression go from anger to acceptance, although it takes a lot of effort for him to get there.

“Come here,” he sighs. He pulls me to him. My head rests against his chest. No more conversations about demons. Marcus is here with me. He loves me.

“Lucy Walker! You better get into this house right now young lady!”

Marcus and I break apart. Sheldon is puffing his way toward us with Bernard just two steps behind.

“And you…you…you…” He waves his finger at Marcus.

Sheldon’s so mad, he can’t even find the words.

“I’ll call you later,” Marcus whispers. He gives me a light squeeze and moves away.

I give him a little wave and a smile as Sheldon wraps his arm around my shoulders and shepherds me out of the garage with Bernard in our wake. “What did we tell you? He’s no good for you! We want you to stay away from him, Lucy—”

I stop listening to his rant and just grin. I’m filled with the craziest sensation. A feeling of weightlessness, as if my insides are filled with air. This must be what real happiness feels like.

I live in Gram’s house with my memories of her, and with my amazing uncles, who will get over being mad at Marcus eventually. My best friend lives across the street. My protective gargoyle boyfriend lives upstairs. I have a great job taking care of two kids I adore, not to mention that it gives me time with my other best friend, Dylan.

Then there’s Jude. He’s not the father I’d hoped for. But compared to Momma, he’s not the worst parent in the world either. He loves me. He’d do anything in his power to protect me. That has to count for something, right?

And then there’s Lola. The only pet I’ve ever known. I beckon for her to come down from her perch high in the old oak tree. She lands on my hand, her talons gentle as they grab hold. She’s fully recovered and Persephone and I now share custody of her.

I always thought happiness would mean having a normal life—clothes that looked like everyone else’s, a best friend, a boyfriend who loves me, a family. Now I have all those things, but my life is farther from normal than it ever was without them. And I couldn’t be happier.

- The End -

My sincere gratitude to the following:

First and foremost to Dale, my sister and lifeline, who was (and still is) the biggest cheerleader of this book. She fell in love with Lucy and the rest of the characters from the beginning and never allowed me give up on them and their story.

To Dennis for believing in my dream and for being such a generous spirit.

My Aunt Winifred for her encouragement and belief in me as a writer, for her valuable critique and for her advice on so many aspects of writing and publishing.