Hades Sent : Book One of the Sent Series, page 19
“Better make a decision,” Jade says with no emotion. “Ireland is causing real harm to herself.”
“Tell me how to do it. I accept renouncing Edgeman. Get on with it so that I can get her home.”
Jade comes back up to me, fire and desire in her eyes. “Excellent.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Ireland
His eyes stare into mine as he carefully comes my way. My breath catches from being scared. No. Don’t touch me. Hands are too rough. No human should touch me. Filth. Vile creatures that should be controlled. Can’t allow flesh on flesh contact. Don’t speak. Do nothing.
“Ireland,” he says. “It’s okay. I’m going to take you home. Your real home so that you can see your dad.”
His voice is reassuring and I want to believe him, but I can’t. He’s half human and humans are not worth talking to.
“Please,” he whispers. “Jade is gone. It’s over and I will help you.”
Jade. Jade? I scream at the sound of her name. Must rock to avoid her. Must tear nails to keep from becoming her … Rock … Rock. Blood drops from my fingers. Rock … Rock. Pain in my back. Pain everywhere. It surrounds me, torments me.
“It’s okay,” he claims. “Do you remember me? I’m Greve?”
My body says I know him. My mind fights to remember. “Maybe,” I respond.
“Maybe is better than no,” Greve responds still looking at me. “Do you think you can trust me?”
Trust? Can’t trust. Trust causes pain. Uncontrollable gut retching pain. Demons don’t put their trust in anyone or anything. Can’t. Shouldn’t … my head begins to ache. I want to rock again. I want to escape this pain forever.
I shake my head no because I can’t find my voice to speak.
Greve’s face falls just long enough for me to see before he hides behind a planted smile. “You want to get out of here? To a doctor maybe? Tell me where you want to go and I will point you in the right direction.”
“Just want to die,” I hear myself say. “Leave me to die.”
I want to … rock. Rock against the wall. Sway. Fight the tears that form. There’s too … much … pain … bloodshed … guilt … anger. And not enough faith … hope … love … forgiveness … strength … to keep me balanced.
Greve bites his lip. “See, that right there is a big problem. I’m not here to help you die. I’m here to help you live.”
“Don’t know how to feel,” I whisper.
Greve rubs my head while pulling the matted strands of hair out of my face. “Then don’t feel. Don’t think or listen to all the voices in your head. Just follow me.”
His eyes meet mine and it’s in that instance that my whole world stands still. His eyes burn crimson when he looks at me. We are both one and the same. Two lost souls. Two kids who don’t know what the future holds. Two hybrids who are linked by an ever growing desire to be free.
I nod and take Greve’s hand when it’s offered to me. He grabs onto me tight to keep me from falling. I’m weak from fighting the demon inside me. I shake my head to try to clear it, but that only makes the sickness worse. My knees give out from the dizziness and my body starts to fall.
Greve’s hand attaches to my waist as he pulls me back up. The feeling of his hand on me sends butterflies to my stomach. I like that he’s touching me. I’m not so sure that I should. There’s too many mixed feelings bubbling up inside me to know what I should feel and want I shouldn’t.
“It’s okay,” Greve says as he pulls me against him.
Together, we walk slowly and when we get to the front room with all the bodies, Greve leans my head onto his shoulder to shield me from them. His touch comforts me in such a way that I can only describe as relief.
I grip Greve tighter as we walk outside the club to face the mob of people milling around, oblivious to what awaits them inside. We hurry along out of the way before people start asking questions. There are a few eyebrow raises and mumbles from the crowd, but one look from Greve shuts them right up. He has that effect on people. He can welcome them in or shut them away with just one glance.
“Over here,” Greve says as he guides me into an alleyway. We go back as far as we can, to get away from the public scrutiny. A chain linked fence blocks us from going any farther and we stop and rest alongside two brick buildings.
My breathing slows along with my heart rate. Greve helps me to sit and lean against the wall before he sits down beside me.
“I’m going to tell you something and I don’t want you to freak,” he whispers.
“Okay?” I can’t bring myself to look at him. Greve is terrifying in the sense that my heart knows him, but my mind is so unsure of who he really is.
“Don’t do that,” Greve says while placing his hands on either side of my face. “Don’t be scared of me. Ireland Grace was never really scared of me. You are still her in here.” His hand touches my chest, right above my heart. “Once you get back home, you will remember everything. I’m so sure of it.”
“Do I want to remember? Seems like my past was filled with terrible things and that’s why it was so easy to let it go.”
Greve places his hand back on my face and pulls me close. “You had no choice but to let everything go. Jade caused that. Ireland, you’ve been through so much just in the past couple of days alone. You will get yourself back. You are already halfway there. You get home and it will all fade into the background and solve all the questions you have.”
“How can you be so sure? How can I be so sure I want to remember anything at all?” My voice sounds hoarse because I’m trying not to cry. Tears are creeping just above the surface and I don’t know if I can hold them in anymore.
A tear escapes despite my efforts and begins to run down my cheek. Greve wipes it away. “Because I’ve done it and you will too. I can’t say that you won’t regret remembering it all when it comes back to you. But I can promise that all the harsh, horrible things you will be reminded of won’t replace all the good things that make you who you are. You need your father just like I needed my mother. He will help you to balance it all.”
“And what about you?” I whisper. “Why do you care so much? All I remember is her. Jade’s destroyed me. She’s weakened my mind beyond anything I’ve ever known. My heart tells me to trust you, but I barely have any recognition of who I am, much less anything else.”
“Now, here comes the reason why I said I didn’t want to freak you out,” Greve answers while pulling me closer. “I realize that I can’t say I love you. That would be too much to process and so little time to do it. So … I’m … not going to say that quite … yet.”
Greve smiles. “Believe it or not you have brought me back from a harsh place. I hope you will remember our time together, but do me a favor, okay? I am terrified that you will remember the me from before I really knew you. Before I cared what happened to you or anyone else. I am not that man anymore. So when you start to remember who really I am … take into consideration that you’ve changed me into a person that I thought I would never see again. That is the reason why I care so much.”
Greve leans over to kiss my cheek. His lips feel hot as they reach my skin. Before I register what I am doing, my head sways in his direction so my mouth can connect with his. Our lips touch and move in such a way that tells me I’ve kissed Greve before.
Greve takes my cue as a good sign. Soon, his mouth caresses my bottom lip, slowly and surely, in an effort to not go too fast. We stay like that for a while, just holding and kissing until he slowly breaks free from me.
“We’ve done that before.” Greve backs away from me.
“It feels like we’ve done that a lot of times before,” I say under my breath, with a slight smile. I can’t explain the thought process of kissing someone I think I know, but can’t really remember for sure. It’s daring and frightening. But on the other hand, the act seems so normal, as if his arms are where I’ve always belonged.
“I want to continue to kiss you every minute of every day,” Greve announces, so sure of himself.
I look away, embarrassed at his words. Has he really fallen in love with me? Before I can say a response, Greve lets out a suppressed breath. All good emotions have been replaced with ones that have turned his face cold and stern.
“Fuck. Your mother is calling me,” he says in a growl. “I wanted more time with you.”
“Why is she calling for you?”
Greve pulls away from me completely, to fish something out of his pocket. “Don’t worry about all that,” he answers as he takes out a small wooden box. “You might not recall, but this box was given to you as a way to get back home. I figured out how to call some of your friends. They will be here as soon as you open the box and tell them where you are located.”
The fact that Mother is calling for Greve feels off. How come I don’t feel her? “I don’t like this. Deep down my gut is telling me something is off. You won’t tell me, will you?”
Greve hands me the box and then places his hands over mine. “You will know why when you are mentally able to handle it. Please don’t take that the wrong way either. Ireland, you may think you are getting better here … and I might be able to get you past what happened today. I will not be able to get you through what has happened a few days ago … weeks ago. What you’re life has been like before me. Your mind is delicate right now and the best thing I can do for you is to let you go so that you can go home and be healed. Then, I’m hoping you will come back to me and I can explain further.”
“What will you do if I decide to never come back? You are so sure that I will want to.” I jump up to get closer to Greve. Then soon regret my decision. Immediately, my head begins to spin and my knees go weak. Greve catches me before my body hits the ground. He kisses my forehead as he brings me back up, level with him.
“If you don’t come back, I will have no choice but to continue on. Either way, you’ve changed me and there’s nothing you can do or say that will ever make me regret it. Now, open the box before your mother splits my head in two with her wailing. I’m confident I will see you again. Trust me when I say that.”
Greve leans over so close that his mouth touches my ear. “You’ll want to come back. It might not have anything to do with me, but I know you better than you know yourself right now. You’ll come back to prove yourself.”
Deep down, the inkling is there telling me that Greve is right. Whatever happened here, I’m going to want to find out. I deserve at least that. “Fine, I will open it.” I point my finger into his chest. “Just to let you know though, I’m trusting you.”
With shaking hands and a nauseated stomach, I flip the box open. A projected light comes on, showing a blonde headed girl staring back at me. The girl’s eyes reflect surprise as she takes me in.
“Hello. Where is your location, Greve?” The girl doesn’t even bother to look at me once she sees Greve in the background.
Behind me, I can hear Greve mutter some town and street address to this creature. Her face seems to glow in delight and behind her I see a beautiful, ivory cloud of feathers extending from her shoulders. Wings. She has wings.
“What’s your name?” I hear myself say a little too harshly then intended. My heart rate picks back up at the sight of her and those wings. Wings are what I wanted, isn’t it? And this girl gives me the creeps … there’s something about her. Did I know her before?”
“Her name is Gabriella,” I hear Greve say in my ear. “Faith is waiting on you,” he adds for good measure.
Unlike Gabriella, Faith’s name fills me with calm. “I want to see Faith,” I announce to Gabriella through the screen.
The girl pulls back from the screen. “You will see her soon, I promise. She’s preparing for your return.” Gabriella’s hand hovers over a button right beside her. “We can’t wait to see you,” she says before the screen disappears.
I turn back toward Greve to face him. “This isn’t right. She’s not a friend. I can feel it.”
“Faith is though. She says Faith is waiting on you. I’ve met Faith and read her to be well … willing to help you.”
“She wouldn’t present Faith to me. How do I know if she’s really there?” My hands clench his arm. “Something is off … something is wrong.”
Greve takes my arm and pulls me close. “Okay. If you feel this strongly, then we need to move before she comes.”
We take off in an effort to get out of the alleyway. Greve runs in front, as a means to guard me, while I struggle to keep my hold on him. He gets ready to turn the corner to lead us out, when he stops so suddenly my body collides into the back of him.
“Going somewhere?” calls the voice that appeared on the screen.
Greve slides his arm across my chest as a way to shield me. I feel a little pull inside my pants pocket, only to look down to see Greve sliding something inside. He looks at me as if to say, “Not now.”
Confused, I try to make a mental note to check my pocket later. Now is not the time to check it out.
By looking over Greve’s shoulders, I can make out Gabriella walking toward us. She doesn’t even bother to hide the fact that her wings are protruding from her back.
My breath catches at the sight of them. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful. Ivory feathers cascade from her shoulders all the way to her lower back. They look as soft as cotton and so alluring. Looking at them feels me with envy.
“As matter of fact, we are,” Greve answers for me.
Gabriella walks toward us still. She’s decided to ignore Greve altogether. Her eyes penetrate into mine before she giggles at what I have become.
“Oh, Ireland! You’ve been down here for weeks and still couldn’t complete this one simple mission.” Gabriella’s voice mocks me. She puts her hands on her hips before continuing. “He would have gone to jail for me. Honestly, it’s like you don’t know how to do the easiest things. This guy”—she points at Greve—“would have gone so that I could have been rewarded with my freedom. But noooo … that’s not the way you do things, is it?”
“Just shut up! None of it matters now. I’m not going with you,” I say as loudly as I can.
Gabriella pulls her lips so tight it looks like she swallowed a lemon. She catches herself and then places a big fake smile on her face instead. “Yes, you are. As I said, Faith is waiting for you. She’s been waiting for days.”
“Let’s go,” Greve says while pulling my arm.
“And as for you”—Gabriella motions to Greve. “Jade has something special planned for you. You’ll find out what it is any second now.
“I’m going to kill you!” Greve lets go of me to run to Gabriella. He gets about halfway before doubling over in pain. “Ahhhhh,” he screams, gripping his head.
“Greve!” My body jolts into action to see what can be done for him. “Oh god. Greve! What’s happening??”
Gabriella tugs me away from him in one swift motion. “Leave him. Your mother is in need.”
“Noooo! Greve! Don’t!” I can’t stop the tears from forming in my eyes.
He looks up at me with pain behind his eyes. “It’s okay,” he says weakly. “I’ll find you …”
I’m pulled away before I can hear anything else. Gabriella takes me by both arms and swings me into her arms. Her feet jump off and soon we are mid-flight, racing back to the place I once knew as home.
She looks down at me with disgust. “I would drop you, but I’m commanded to get you back no matter the costs.”
“Screw you,” I say for lack of anything better.
“Not the best choice of words given your predicament.” Gabriella smirks. “You know, I’m quite tired of hearing your voice. Let’s get you a nap.”
She leans her head back and butts me in the face. Stars dance in front of my eyes along with blurs of clouds and blonde hair. Blood trickles out of my nose, which is a side effect of impact and of being down on Earth to long. I am no longer immortal without a trip to heaven to regenerate myself.
Gabriella looks down at me. “Huh, that always works. Let’s try this instead.” Her hand clenches the side of my neck to put pressure on my main artery. I know in a matter of seconds the blood flow will be cut off to my brain. She presses and presses until blackness forms in front of my eyes. I look up one last time to see nothing but her cold eyes glaring back at me. Then the darkness swallows me whole.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Ireland
My body doesn’t jolt me awake as soon as Gabriella and I make it back through the drop-off. It’s only when she drags me down the stairs through various levels that my body finally recognizes that it is home.
The familiar brightness welcomes me like a spotlight. All eyes are on me and I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I’m thinking bad by the way people are looking at me. There’s not a single friend to greet me along the way to whatever destination Gabriella has in mind.
And while my body recognizes the familiar feel of this place, my mind is slow on the uptake. I know this is home, but do I really feel like its home anymore? Not to mention the fact that my whole body aches along with my head. I’ve gone through the ringer and I fear that I’ve spent so much time on Earth, that whatever power I had inside me to magically heal myself, is gone forever.
Gabriella stops at a door on level three just to push me through the threshold without any other warning at all.
My eyes blink from the sudden blackness that swallows the whole room. I hear murmured voices all around me, begging me to run. The sounds come at me all at once, all jumbled together in one terrifying tone.
Gabriella snatches my arm just as I turn to run back out the door.
