22. Andrea
22
Andrea
A sh’s voice has chills snaking down my spine.
And that pisses me off.
“Well, you won’t necessarily be cursed. It’s your native magic.” Cyprian’s face splits with a teasing grin at his brother. “He might be, though.”
“Absolutely not. He will not be coming,” I snap, not turning to acknowledge Ash behind Azra, but I swear I can feel his stare burning the side of my face. Azra’s brows pinch slightly while he silently asks Ash the question I want to know as well; why?
“I can guard her. You know the land won’t be able to detect me,” Ash answers out loud to his brother, knowing I was going to want to hear it.
Azra stares at the both of us for a moment before running his hand through his similarly dark hair as Ash mutters a curse.
“Ash will go with you, Andrea. I would rather Brielle wake up pissed but you’re still alive than the opposite.” I swallow the growing lump in my throat and just nod. I let out a sigh and stand from the chair. Walking past Azra, I stop so close to Ash that I have to crane my neck back to stare into his piercing eyes.
I can do this for Brielle.
“When will we leave?”
After rummaging through Brielle’s things, I decided to wear her brown leather jacket, my own jeans, and combat boots she told me she loved hunting in. Azra made sure I had a belt sheathed with knives, as well as a holster around my thigh with a knife. Just in case, he said.
My eyes stung when I saw myself in the mirror. It felt like I was looking at a part of my friend that died.
“You got this. Trust your instincts.” Salem squeezes both of my hands in the foyer. I said my goodbyes to Brielle when Azra moved her to their bedroom for the healer, Cleo, to watch over her. She has been sleeping nonstop since the first forty-eight hours she stayed up after the attack.
“I will.” I nod, more to convince myself than anything else. Azra is leaning against the door frame and dips his chin. He doesn’t have to say anything, but I know that was his way of wishing me good luck.
Ash moves beside me and reaches his hand forward for me to take. Looking down, I expected to see those same tattooed tan hands, but I was met with black leather.
Gloves.
My eyes snap to his cool ones. My scowl pulls on my tight ponytail as I forcefully shove my hand into his. Darkness begins to develop around us, but I don’t take my eyes off the sapphire pair staring so deep into mine.
The shadows that enveloped us dissipates quickly. The hue of the sky pulls my attention away from Ash. We are in a wooded area, but the trees are dead and rotten. The sky is gloomy with a burned orange hue. The air is thick, but not muggy like the air in Louisiana.
It’s ominous.
The howling wind takes me by surprise and I jump right into Ash. His warmth bleeds into my skin, taking my mind off the eerie feeling I have coursing through my body. Just as quickly as the feeling came, it went when he stepped back.
I catch myself from stumbling, and heat flushes through my body. My teeth ache under the pressure of clenching my jaw.
“Why did you even bother coming?” I storm past Ash, not sure where I’m going, but anywhere in this dead forest is better than just standing there while he stares at me.
He doesn’t answer, but I can hear his footsteps crunching dead leaves behind me. How could I be so stupid? I have never let someone get under my skin like this.
“Why were you able to bring me and not Azra?” Still no answer. “Or Torin.”
“Would you have preferred Torin?” His tone shocks me a little but I keep walking, not showing him I caught on to that.
“Actually, yes.” He is silent for a few moments longer, so I peek behind me. His baby blue eyes narrow on me as his jaw ticks and I snap my head back forward. A small smile pulls at my lips, knowing that he didn’t like that answer. “What did you mean by saying they won’t be able to detect you? Why?”
“You never questioned why I have the shadows?” His question is clipped as if he immediately regretted saying anything.
“No, I figured all fallen angels have some weird quirk about them. Though I’m not sure what Torin’s is besides an insane amount of muscle.” Okay, that was a small jab. I roll my lips to stop from laughing out loud when Ash releases a displeased grunt.
“We do. Maybe you’ll get to explore mine one day.” A lightning rod shoots straight to my middle. Thankfully, he is behind me because I know my cheeks are red from his comment. I don’t dare turn around to look at his face.
We are silent for at least thirty minutes as we continue to walk through these creepy ass woods.
“You couldn’t get us any closer?” I huff as we march up another incline.
Silence.
The only reason I know he is still behind me is I still hear his footsteps close, but not too close. I halt and turn quickly. “And are the gloves really necessary? Do I disgust you so much that you have to wear gloves ?”
“Not here, Andrea.” His stern voice warns me as he passes me up. I rush toward him and throw myself in front of him. He stops just before he runs into me.
“Then where? Are we ever going to talk about the other night? Or the day you called me?—”
“Do not finish that sentence.” His voice drops lower than it ever has; a warning. I’m tired of this back and forth, so I continue regardless of the caution rising in my body.
“I’m real tired of you telling me what not to do! You have assaulted me, you have deliberately withheld information from me, you have touched me in ways I shouldn’t have allowed all because of this feeling in my gut that can’t just get e-fucking-nough of you.” My balled fists heat at my sides.
“Andrea,” His tone is softer now, but I don’t care. I want answers now!
“I’m not done!” I poke him in the chest.
“Andrea!” He grabs my shoulders and spins me around. A large tree with small white flowers sparse on its branches haunts the clearing between dead ones. Whispers sound all around us. This tree wasn’t here a moment before. I would have noticed a live, healthy tree before now.
“Is that?” Ash moves beside me and nods.
“A blackthorn. It must have sensed your power and revealed itself.” Sorrow almost coats his voice now. He recognizes this tree.
I take in the enormity of this ancient piece of nature before me. I slowly approach it. I notice Ash not moving from his spot a few yards away.
“What’s wrong?”
“If it detects anything but you, it won’t be pretty. Hence why we had to walk the entirety of the way and I haven’t touched my powers since entering.” His arms cross over his chest and he widens his stance before nodding for me to proceed. I hadn’t noticed his wings had been concealed this whole time.
The black leather jacket he’s wearing tightens around his large muscles. I roll my eyes and let out a sigh. Why does he have to be so good-looking?
“Okay, so what am I supposed to do?” I look over the long thorns that coat every branch. I have never seen a tree like this one.
“Use your magic to burn a part of the tree until you fill the vile Salem gave you with ash. Instead of lighting a candle, summon that fire to your palm,” he gently instructs me from afar.
“Will it burn me?” I glance down at my palm.
“Only if you let it.” I feel as if his words have a double meaning, but I shake the thought off and clear my mind. It’s just like Salem and I have been working on.
My arms and body begin tingling like never before. The images of fire appear quickly and I repeat the incantation in my mind. Opening my eyes, a flame licks my palm and I feel no pain.
I smile and look at Ash, whose eyes seem distant. His eyebrows are pinched slightly. Clearing my throat, I move the fire in my palm to the bark of the tree. I pull the glass vial out of my pocket and hold it under the blackening bark.
Tree ash trickles into the vial. Screams begin in my head. I look around but Ash hasn’t budged. I breathe and try to ignore the piercing sound as the vial fills slowly. Visions begin to flash in my eyes, just like that night in Ash’s room.
I squeeze my eyes to rid of them, but they are becoming louder and more vivid. A cool wind blows through my hair and the screams become unbearably loud. I open my eyes to run to Ash, but I am somewhere different.
A burning village surrounds me. Charred bodies lie at my feet as women on posts scream while flames torch their bodies. My throat burns from the smoke in the air and the stench stings my nostrils.
Winged males rush alongside me, causing me to stumble over. Their wings are the purest white, nearly glowing in the carnage. Two of them are dragging a woman by her arms as she thrashes in their grip. Angels.
Her gauzy white gown is stained with blood and mud. Her bronze skin has a layer of ash settling over it and her long black hair is tied in a loose braid down her back. Her curls fall out around her sweat-slick face.
The two angels begin tying her to the large pole in front of me. Glancing at all the other poles with burned bodies tied to them, I know what is about to happen.
“Hey! Stop!” I yell, running toward them. No one acknowledges me. I try to push them out of the way, but my hands go right through them.
I look toward the woman as they bound her feet and she is staring right at me. My heart sinks when I notice the locket around her neck.
“Caroline?” I whisper, tears shine in her green eyes and her pinched brows raise. I lunge toward her, but she shakes her head quickly. The angels stand and I move to Caroline’s side.
“Last chance witch, where is he?” The one to the left speaks. His dark brown hair appears untouched, his brown eyes gleam with mischief. The other’s hair is golden and pulled back with a leather tie. They are both clad in gold and silver armor, their bright white wings tucked behind them like Azra and his brothers. Only Ash, Torin, and Azra’s wings are such dark shades. Is this what they used to look like?
The angel’s faces are perfect, ethereal with not a blemish or marking on their porcelain skin.
“I’m not telling you anything!” Caroline spits. It lands right on the angel that spoke’s cheek. “You all will rot for what you have done.” The angel laughs at Caroline’s curse.
“Just following orders, wench. I would say give Asher my regards but, well, we know you won’t be able to.” A sickening smile splits across both of their faces before they turn and walk away.
I try to untie her, but my hands pass through the ropes.
“Tell me how to help you! Tell me how to untie you!” I step in front of her. A beautiful smile graces her face as tears stream down it.
“It worked.” Her accent is so similar to Ash and his siblings, but much stronger.
“What worked? Tell me how I can help you,” I ask frantically as flames grow around her feet. I jump back and notice the villagers throw the torch to the ground they used to set her fire.
“You are me. Love him, he will know the answers.” Tears sting my eyes as her words seep into me. The flames grow higher and her screams are piercing. I’m frozen as my tears roll down my hot face. I hear her heart thumping rapidly and then instantly sync with my own.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I crouch down and scream. The pain that has suddenly taken over my body is unbearable. As if my skin is melting off in the roaring flame.
Silence surrounds me and only my screams fill the air. I open my eyes and I am back in front of the blackthorn tree. Ash’s muffled voice yells my name, but I just dig my nails into the bark.
My blood slides down from my fingertips as my chest burns and the skin directly over my heart starts to sizzle. I scream the loudest I ever have before. The pain builds and builds until it bursts.