Chapter Twenty-Nine
If there was even the smallest chance that Michelle was still alive, Lavinia had to go to her.
Right now. She turned, immediately stopping in her tracks as she found herself facing the forever child.
His small, childish body looked incongruous on the battlefield.
No dirt or blood marred his tunic and trousers.
He glanced around her, seeing the bloody ravage of the rogue’s body.
He smiled. “I see you have prepared him for us.”
“What?” Lavinia said.
“We will take him from here,” Balor said, his high childish voice serene. “He has broken our laws. He has taken the powers of others for his own and imprisoned their souls. He will pay.”
“Death is justice,” Lavinia said, the oft-said phrase tumbling from her lips without thought. She didn’t have time for this. Somewhere, Michelle was facing an unfair battle alone. She had to be with her.
The child tilted his head. “Oh no, Lavinia, you don’t believe that yourself.
There is no justice in death. It would be a release, one that he doesn’t deserve.
This one here,” he nodded towards the rogue, “will enjoy a taste of his own medicine.” Without any further words, Balor strolled to the rogue.
He bent over the vampire’s ruined body, examining him as if he were a particularly interesting bug.
Lavinia didn’t wait to see what Balor would do to him. The witches had the rogue now. He’d been incapacitated and secured. That had to be enough.
She sprinted across the battlefield, dodging a couple of straggling demons. Her Sisters were there, sweat dripping from their brows, covered in soot and blood, exhausted and bruised, but still on their feet.
“What’s wrong?” Luce called out.
All Lavinia could force out was, “Michelle.” It was enough.
Luce nodded and continued the dirty work of sending every single demon back to the hell they had crawled from.
In the corner of her eye, Lavinia saw Arran and the two other witches surrounding the souls of the victims, guiding them together.
Safe, safe, they were all safe. But not Michelle.
Lavinia ran like she had never run before in her life.
There were the short dashes in battle, or the leisurely midnight jogs through the hills around Thornblood she so enjoyed.
This was nothing like either of those. She sheathed her sword as she skidded out of the building.
Her boots thudded against the pavement, her legs pumping.
Her lungs burned as they struggled to draw in enough oxygen.
A leaden fatigue was spreading through all of her muscles, but she ignored it.
The distance between her and her apartment, between her and Michelle, was twelve miles.
Such a small distance in daily life. Now the space separating them loomed impossibly large.
The clouds from earlier had drifted aside, the night sky guiding her.
The light from the stars and moon bathed her in their power, lending her strength.
Though they were difficult to see through the city’s light pollution, the stars were ever present, ever watching.
They shivered in the sky above as Lavinia ran as fast as her legs could carry her.
She didn’t think about being seen by humans. Their petty concerns weren’t important. Please be alive. Please.
Stars, don’t let me fail. I cannot bear losing her.
Three miles. Two miles. One mile. The familiar streets around the apartment.
All was quiet apart from a couple of humans coming home from work.
Lavinia paid them no mind. There was the building.
There was no time for keys and elevators.
She climbed the decorative wrought-iron fence surrounding the building with ease. Somewhere, an alarm started to blare.
No matter. She leapt up against the building, pulling herself up by the balustrade of the first balcony. She climbed, using the building’s rough stone exterior as hand guides. Within moments that felt like an eternity, she vaulted over the balustrade of her apartment’s balcony.
She was too late.
She took in the scene as if through a series of images, snapshots of horror that flashed before her.
Michelle. Michelle on the ground, covered in blood.
A demon bent over her, his talons sunk in the flesh of her arm.
Zachary, eyes closed, slumped on the far side.
His chest rose and fell slightly with his shallow breaths.
Oddly, the little lamp from the living room lay between his limp fingers.
It was too late. All of this had been for nothing. Michelle was dead, dead, and nothing made sense anymore.
A rage within her boiled, bathing her vision in red.
She roared, a wordless scream tearing from her that could move mountains with their raw grief.
Lavinia pulled her daggers from their holsters on her hips and barrelled at the demon, stabbing, tearing, rending whatever she could get within her grasp.
The demon tried to resist her but was overpowered by the relentless assault, and when Lavinia planted a dagger directly into one of its infernal eyes, it disappeared.
Lavinia stood panting, her hands covered in the demon’s blood. There was nothing left to do. Her knees buckled, and she slumped to the ground, head bent with sorrow.
“Vinia?” a small, shaky voice said, almost masked underneath the ringing of the apartment’s alarm system.
Lavinia’s head whipped up. She turned to Michelle, saw the small movement of the lips, the rise of her chest. She’s still alive, thank the stars, she’s alive, she’s alive. She dragged herself to Michelle, not trusting her legs to carry her.
“You’re alive,” she whispered over and over. “You’re alive.” She cradled Michelle’s head in her arms, kissing her forehead, her cheeks. The sweet saltiness of Michelle’s blood coated her lips.
“Yes,” Michelle whispered. “You have to stop saving me.”
Lavinia leaned back and gently removed Michelle’s hair that had gotten stuck in the blood on her face. “Never.” And she kissed her on the lips, the sweetest meeting. It was a small touch, a merest brush: a promise.
“I meant to tell you,” Michelle said, wincing as Lavinia shifted her slightly in her arms.
“What’s that?”
“I love you,” she whispered, a small smile forming.
Lavinia felt as if she could burst with joy.
Her body was suffused with pain, the battle taking its toll.
But her soul, her soul sang with triumph and bliss until she felt like the stars themselves would shine out with her happiness.
“I love you too.” Then more words tumbled from her lips, finally flowing free after having been dammed within her.
“I think I may have loved you from that very first night, when you told me to keep still so you could take care of the scratch on my stomach.” She caressed Michelle’s cheek.
“I would slay a thousand demons if that was what it took to keep you safe. I would face the most devious rogues or run around London like a woman possessed, all for you. I will do anything.”
Michelle smiled and leaned into the touch. She closed her eyes. “Please stay with me.” Pain distorted her features for a moment.
“I’m right here,” Lavinia said, kissing her forehead. “Right here.”