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“No, he wakes me up from my dreams,” she said.
“Then why did you think it was a ghost, Mom? You screamed,” Drake pointed out. It was like pulling teeth to get answers out of her. She just shook her head and repeated herself.
“Because usually he’s not so transparent,” she said around a yawn. “I’m sorry, it was silly of me, I didn’t mean to wake you all up.”
“You didn’t wake us up, we were watchingThe Rocky Horror Picture Show,” I reassured her. Sarah’s eyes lit up and she sang “Time Warp.”
“Can I watch too?”
“Of course,” I said. “We just might need to make more popcorn. Some gargoyle knocked mine over.” I gave Kol a playful glare and she laughed like it was the funniest thing she’d ever heard. I appreciated her easy laughter and quick smiles, it was refreshing.
I turned away and ushered the guys out so we could get snacks going again. Maybe we could wear her out.
“Mom,” Drake’s alarmed tone had me turning back. Sarah’s eyes had turned white and she moved toward me, hands seeking me out until she latched onto my wrists. Her fingers were so icy they stung my flesh. Her hold was stronger than should have been possible in her weak state.
“Harlow. The time is coming. Your destiny is here. It’s time to make a difficult choice. It’s the only way. Your true protector will be taken, leaving you vulnerable. You can’t let the deceit take you by surprise. You can’t hide from destiny.” Her speech was choppy and stunted, an echoing quality to her voice had a shiver running down my spine. My body trembled as I tried not to let that fear take hold.
“Sarah?” I asked. Her words were settling like bricks on my chest, making it hard to breathe. My hands ached where she gripped me, the hold too tight to get her off of me. Monty was at my back and Drake was trying to shake her out of it.
Even as they fought to break the trance, I couldn’t look away from her depthless, white eyes.
“Drake, what’s going on?” I hissed.
“I have no idea.” He sounded as shocked as I was.
Monty was the calm one this time. He put a hand on my back to calm me.
“She’s a seer. Intertwined with fate. If she saw a demon who wasn’t quite solid, I would say she’s got a connection with someone in Helheim who can’t come here.”
“Is that even a power the demons have?” I questioned. “I’ve seen Hel come to me in the same way but she’s the only one.”
“It would have to be one of the higher demons. Very few of them, if any, have that power. Hel keeps us separated. Everything she does is calculated, so it’s likely I don’t know him. Helheim is a big place.” He paused for a moment, glancing between mother and son. “Actually. That could explain why Drake’s demon is so much stronger than most half breeds should be.”
“Can we focus on what the fuck is going on with my mom?” Drake growled. She was repeating her message like a broken record, and I didn’t know what to do to snap her out of it.
“Mom!” Drake screamed loudly enough it echoed in the small room, but she didn’t react or startle.
Then she shifted, moving even closer. “Your protector will hear your pleas but cannot answer your call. You have to save him if you want to take the power. The answers are there.”
Sarah finished speaking before she collapsed, her eyes closed before she fell. Drake caught her and carried her to bed. She was sleeping soundly again by the time he lifted her cover over her small frame.
We shuffled out of the room and back to the common room. It was only then that her words had sunk in. My stomach churned and bile rose, so I ran to the bathroom.
I barely made it before I emptied the contents of my stomach into the toilet. The dry heaving continued as my panic continued to bear down on me. The light dimmed as shadows moved in behind me. Fuck them. I didn’t need this right now.
Every bit of hope I clung to that this wouldn’t come to pass was gone. I knew in my heart that my true protector was Monty. Hel already had access to him, and I didn’t put it past her to not snatch him away. My demon and I may struggle, but I’d raze the world... or Helheim, for him. Like he’d do for me.
But it was her line about choosing that struck me to my core. The sacrifice had to be willing and it was my choice to make. If I had to make it, it would be to save one of my men. That was the only way.
“Hey.” Drake’s voice was much gentler than it usually was.
“She wants me to kill myself for her, Drake. Hel wants me to give up everything I fought for. What was my real life worth if I just lived in hell until I came here? Three months of happiness and it just gets to be ripped away? How the fuck is that fair?” He didn’t flinch at my hysterics, simply running soft touches down my back.
“It’s not and I’m not going to let you do it,” he said. Drake meant his words, but it didn’t matter.
“False promises. Every one of you has them for me but you aren’t the one who has to make this choice.”
“You’re not fucking making this choice; do you hear me?!” He yanked me to my feet, hands clenching my arms so I couldn’t escape. “Look at me. You aren’t going through with this.” His words were a low, venomous growl.
