Chapter 22 Callisto
CALLISTO
What he’s asking is impossible. The most we could do is banish the thing, but I’m not even capable of banishing whatever Alabaster is. It’s wrong and twisted, but I don’t even want to, and that scares me. I can feel my cheeks heating at the memory of Alabaster and me in the garden.
I can’t let him get to me.
I want to tell Cade. I want to talk about everything.
Okay, not everything. But it would be nice to talk about it, especially now that he actually believes me…
But I can’t put him at risk. I have no clue what Alabaster is actually capable of, but what he has already shown me proves that I can’t test it.
Too much has changed. For both Cade and me.
Everything that has happened since the pendulum appeared, gave us both shadows.
My brother’s: a guardian angel.
Mine: a demon.
Both of us bound. Condemned to a fate we never asked for.
My nightmares have become my reality.
I just wasn’t expecting him to be so beautiful.
I’ve been in the library looking through the book that was oh-so-conveniently thrown at Cade’s head, but it doesn’t offer much information regarding the God itself. Karma is curled up on the sofa, keeping me company.
My ancestor, Jonathan Halloway, founded the Covenant. How exactly he got the grimoire isn’t specified, but family history does say that he called upon the God through a spell from its pages.
It sure does sound like the grimoire may have the answers I need.
I stand in front of my bedside table, staring at the top drawer where the grimoire has sat for days, untouched, then I stop dead, reminding myself that I’m no longer alone.
If I’m going to open that thing back up, I’ll need to put up a barrier.
I turn on my heel and scamper into the kitchen to grab the container of salt and race back to my room, carefully creating a circle in front of my bed: around myself and the old book.
I take a deep breath and state my intentions clearly in my mind.
I need to know about the Covenant’s God.
I’m carefully opening the book when Alabaster’s voice booms from behind me. I jump, feet skidding, and break my salt circle—the book slamming closed as I pull my hands away.
“You have no clue how to use that thing, do you?” he says in a wry tone, Karma in his arms and a smirk plastered on his too-perfect face.
“Can you not see that I’m busy?” I say in a low, clipped tone, my annoyance obvious. “And put my cat down.”
“Our cat,” he tuts, clutching her to his chest, and the traitor nuzzles in. “And I thought we were getting along so well.” He pouts.
“Karma, you’re a traitor,” I groan, tilting my head back. “Go away, Alabaster.”
“I love that you keep pretending I’m not getting under your skin,” he purrs, taking a step closer and kicking at the useless line of salt.
“That is one thing you will not do.” I smirk, sitting up straighter.
“Wanna bet?” He sets Karma down on the bed, stroking her chin before turning back to me. “Sorry, sweetie, mommy and daddy need to have a chat.”
He looks almost predatory now. He stands to his full height, towering over me. He must be seven feet tall. He doesn’t even look real. His body shifts from a physical form into this mist-like substance, as if he is only partially here. His golden eyes darken when his voice lowers to a growl.
“Run, pretty girl…” The words seem to echo around the room.
He takes another step toward me, and the realization hits just as my instincts catch up. I bolt out of the room, knowing there is nowhere I can go that he won’t follow.
I want him to chase me.
So, I run.
Down the stairs and outside. I make a beeline for the trees surrounding the estate, my bare feet breaking twigs and sinking into the ground with each of my quickened steps. My lungs are burning at the point when I hear him laughing in the distance.
It echoes all around me, his presence pressing in on all sides, when I trip over a raised root.
“Fuck!” I squeal as I crash to the ground, gripping my leg as I scream into the air.
I look down to see my ankle is cut deep. The sensation is so overwhelming, my vision begins to blacken. I attempt to breathe through the pain.
I try to calm myself, sending my power to heal the wound, but to no avail. It’s too deep and I can’t focus.
Tears burn my eyes and I sit there, silently crying to myself, when I notice black smoke creeping through the brush all around me. It nears my foot then transforms into a gigantic pale hand, before an arm slowly appears—and then the rest of Alabaster’s body.
“Stay still,” he mumbles, voice surprisingly gentle.
I push at him with as much strength as I have—which isn’t much at this point.
“Get off of me, asshole!” I say stubbornly. As if it’s his fault I’m clumsy.
He takes his other hand and leans me back against the tree behind me, not looking up from my ruined ankle. He holds me there, in a gentle stronghold, his arms long enough that I’m unable to swing at him any further.
Watching helplessly, he leans down and opens his mouth, and his tongue slowly begins licking the blood from my ankle.
My stomach rolls from the pain and I hiss, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
He continues to hold me there, pinned, as his tongue makes its way to the deep gash. I cringe at the sight, my body jerking from the pain.
“Please sto—”
He removes his hand from my chest to cover my mouth and all I can do is sit there and watch him bent down on his knees, his tongue tracing the curve of my ankle.
I close my eyes tight, unable to watch any longer, when the pain begins to subside.
I slowly peek down and see him—looking up at me with my blood covering his mouth.
My wound is gone.
He releases my ankle slowly, with an almost innocent look on his face, those golden eyes blinking at me.
He healed me?
“You need to be more careful,” he says as he leans over to kiss my ankle.
“I didn’t know you could do that,” I say, reaching for the spot he kissed.
“There are many things I am capable of, pretty girl.”
I shift on the unstable ground and lean toward him.
“I would love another lesson,” I say, smirking.
“I think I can manage that, if you’re up to the task,” he says, kissing me softly at first, then crawling on top, grinding himself against me.
I feel heat pool in my gut just as… I hear Cade in the distance calling for me.
Fuck. Alabaster glares in his general direction at the interruption and collapses back into smoke in my lap.
I watch in horror as the smoke seeps into my skin and disappears.
“Calli! Where the fuck are you? Answer me now!” Cade calls out, his voice rough with worry.
“What did you do to me?” I ask in a desperate tone, speaking out loud.
Then I hear a voice in my head, as if it were my own thoughts.
“Relax. I can’t affect you the way I did your little friend.”
“Why can I hear you in my head?” My voice is high with panic.
“I told you I would get under your skin,” he says, sounding pleased with himself.
“Not literally! I think I’m going to be sick… This is what you did to Jack…”
“I can’t hurt you like this. I’m not very good at possession, definitely not skilled enough to possess a witch. Think of me more like a hitchhiker. Now stop talking to yourself before they think you’ve gone mad.”
“Haven’t I though…?” I say in a low tone. It’s rhetorical. Of course I have… This is madness, all of it.
“I like you crazy.”
I roll my eyes and stand, anticipating pain. I wiggle my foot, surprised.
Thanks, I guess?
Cade comes storming through the forest with rage in his eyes as I brush myself off.
He grabs my shoulders. “Where the fuck have you been? Why didn’t you respond? What the fuck, Calli?” he says through gritted teeth, shaking me slightly. “I had no idea what happened! We could hear you screaming from inside the house!”
“Quit yelling at me!” I snap. “I tripped. I’m fine. I’m sorry I made you worry.”
“What is going on with you? I can tell you’re lying to me. I can’t fucking help you if you don’t speak up.” There’s worry in his tone and something inside me breaks.
“YOU CAN’T HELP ME IF I DO!” I scream up at him, pulling free of his hands.
Cade straightens, clearly surprised at my outburst. I continue with as calm a tone as I’m able to muster, despite my voice cracking.
“I will always be broken in my own way. You can’t fix me, Cade.
” I take a deep breath in. “Look, if I want to talk to you, I will. I have been putting everything I have into learning how to control my power. I finally feel like I’m getting somewhere.
I’m sorry I scared you guys, but please… Don’t try to parent me right now.”
“Calli—” he starts, but I cut him off.
“No. I don’t want your logic. I don’t want you to try and solve my problems. I want you to see me,” I say with strength. “I’m more capable than you think.”
I slowly raise my hands, closing my eyes as I will the wind to pick up. I imagine it circling around us—and it does. Fallen leaves begin to pick up and form a vortex around us.
“You are magnificent.” The smile that meets my lips is more genuine than I have ever felt before—I did it.
“Of course you did. Now open your eyes.”
I open my eyes to meet my brother’s, but he is looking up, taking it all in with an expression I’ve never seen on his face before. Wonder. His face is in awe as I drop my hands and the leaves float to the ground in a circle around us. He looks into my eyes as I speak again.
“I want to put my past behind me, Cade. I don’t want you to see that scared little girl anymore.”
He stares at me for a long moment, recognition dawning on his face.
I speak, looking away as my voice cracks. “Please, tell me you understa—”
He rushes over and wraps his arms around me, holding me to his chest, saying nothing. My confidence breaks. I can’t hold back the tears, so I let them fall. My chest heaves as I let out all of the things I’ve been keeping from him without words—the fear, the confusion, the pain.
We stand there for a while, arms around each other tightly as he lets me let it out before finally speaking.
“I don’t know how you feel or what you’re going through. And I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.” He says it in a loving tone, but I can almost hear his mind whispering for me to please let him try.
My brother has never been one to show his emotions—I almost don’t know how to receive it. Right now, he’s accepting mine, and that is enough to break through the mask I try so hard to keep on.
I release him from the hug and step away, wiping at my face.
“I know you’re trying. But so am I,” I whisper, wrapping my arms around myself.
“Why didn’t you show me before?” he asks genuinely.
“I couldn’t… But I’ve been practicing.”
“Clearly,” he says, half smiling as he scoffs.
I look up at him and can’t help but smile as I shake my head.
“C’mon, let’s get home. Jack stayed back to wait in case you came home before me,” he says, gesturing toward the tree line.
We exit the forest and head back to the house, when I hear a voice in my head.
“You handled that well.”
I smile and speak under my breath. “Thank you. Now can you get out of my head?”
“No. I don’t think I will. I like it in here.”