Forever Trilogy 3: Angel Eyes Read online

  Once I stopped myself from staring, I asked, “And what part of the meal did your grandmother have to help you with?”

  His cheeks flushed red. “All of it?” he squeaked. We shared a good laugh over that. Of Darren’s many talents, cooking was certainly not one of them.

  Whoever had been ultimately responsible for dinner, it was delicious. The steak melted in my mouth like chocolate, and once you scooped the lumps of cheese to one side of the bowl, the macaroni was just as yummy. As for the vegetables? They and I had never been friends. In any lifetime.

  Once dinner was over, Darren and I stretched out in the grass, with me in his arms. It felt so natural to be there, so calming. You know that you’re in love with someone when you don’t have to speak to enjoy one another’s company. You just have to be near that person.

  The fireflies dancing above our faces had put me into a haze, and I could feel myself drifting off to sleep.

  When I awoke, it was to Darren’s smiling face. “I’m sorry,” I said, in the midst of a yawn. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

  “It’s alright,” he said. “Look at your hand.”

  I lifted my right hand first, examining it on both sides. Whatever he was showing me, I was missing it.

  He rolled his eyes. “The other hand.”

  Before I could even get my hand in front of my face, I noticed how heavy it was. When my fingers finally did reach my line of sight, my jaw dropped.

  “It’s our family’s engagement ring. It gets passed down every time the youngest male finds the woman he wants to marry.”

  “Darren…”

  “Ana, I know I’m young—too young to get married just yet. I guess we both are technically. But ever since I came back from being dead I’ve had this…feeling. Like it’s only a matter of time before I die for real.”

  “You can’t know that, Darren. And you know that I can’t stand it when you talk like that.”

  “Ana, I do know. I can’t explain it, really. This extra time you’ve given me, well I wanted to make the most of it. I wanted to tell you that I love you— deep down in my soul I love you. If I had a lifetime to spend with you, I would. I wanted you to know that. I wanted being married to the girl I love to be one of the things I accomplished in my lifetime. So, even if it’s a real thing for only the two of us, will you marry me?”

  Darren’s eyes were wet, and it occurred to me that I had never seen him tear up before. “Of course I will.”

  That’s when the sound of clapping erupted behind us. When I turned my head, it was Tristan’s eyes that met my own. I barely recognized them.

  Chapter Five

  Confrontation

  *Ana*

  Before I could speak a word, he had snatched Darren out from under me, slinging him back toward the house.

  Darren landed on his neck, and rolled up the sloping hill. He didn’t get back up.

  “How very touching,” Tristan said as he turned his cold eyes back to me. “I can remember you making that same sort of commitment to me once— six different times actually.” We were face to face and there could be no mistake now. This wasn’t boy that I loved; this was the monster who had preceded him.

  He attempted to put his arms around me, but I threw them off. I tried to step around him, but he had put up his arms to stop me.

  “I have to check on Darren. Get out of my way... Tristan.” I hesitated even to use that name.

  A sickening smile slipped across his face and he shook his head.

  The knot of heartache exploded within me, I could hardly stand to look at him. “What have done to yourself?”

  “What have I done to myself? What about what I’ve done for you? Who was it that saved you when those simpletons were about to burn you at the stake? I’ll tell you who it wasn’t, it wasn’t him!” He pointed to Darren’s motionless body, his pale face shaking with rage. “And who did you turn to when you needed help protecting the haven? He told you “no,” didn’t he? He told you he wouldn’t leave his precious haven for you. But I dropped everything, didn’t I? I did what you asked, even after you told me that you would choose him regardless of my being here or not. What was my reward for that, Ana?”

  “I’ve been trying to explain, but you keep shutting me out. Just let me check on Darren, and then I promise to explain everything, okay?”

  Again he shook his head. And again I searched those big green eyes for some glimmer of the Tristan I had come to know. There was nothing in them that I recognized. I took a couple steps backwards, away from him, and that was when I saw Darren getting to his feet.

  Tristan followed my eyes to that spot on the hill where Darren had collected himself. He turned to face him now.

  Terror reached through me, my mind playing out all of the disastrous consequences of the altercation that was about to take place. I had to do something.

  I barely had time enough to blink before it was over. Tristan had told me how lethal he was during the war, how it had made him famous among vampires. But this was the first time I had seen him attack without restraint. Darren lay at Tristan’s feet, shaking and covered in red.

  “Darren!” I ran toward him as fast as my feet would carry me.

  Tristan slowly turned his head as I approached, eyes wild with bloodlust. In one motion he had placed his hand around my neck and slammed me to the ground. I stared up at him, shocked, and that grin reappeared. My ability to breathe was now firmly under his control.

  “And now you die, Ana.” His fingers squeezed at the base of my throat, and I felt my windpipe shut, my mind filled with images of that nightmare in which Tristan had attempted to kill me. My hands pulled desperately at Tristan’s, my face suddenly feeling hot, my lungs screaming for relief.

  I was dying. The world became hazy, my oxygen starved brain going loopy. Out of the corner of my eyes I could make out Darren’s body, it was still now, no longer shaking. A burst of adrenaline surged through me at that moment, I couldn’t let him die. If I had to, my last dying breath, my last ounce of strength would be used protecting him. He hadn’t been brought back to die like this.

  The adrenaline gave me a moment of lucidity, and in those seconds I spoke the words that had made me a killer once before. “Kora… Mortae.”

  His grip finally loosened, and that allowed me to breathe again. Those first gulps of air tasted so sweet.

  My first instinct had been to roll over and check on Darren. With my fingers I felt his neck for a pulse, and it was there, albeit very faint. A heartfelt sigh of relief escaped my lips.

  I placed my hands under his shirt. His skin was wet with blood and my fingers fell into gashes where Tristan had tore into him. I thought about how much I loved him, in an effort to summon up that same healing magick which had saved him twice before.

  Only, nothing was happening. Terrified and trembling, I tried again and again to restore Darren’s health. Still nothing.

  “Guess what other spell didn’t work,” came Tristan’s bitter voice from behind.

  My head snapped around. His face was literally inches from my own, his features contorted in revulsion. “So you would kill me too? Just as you killed Aiden and Surya?”

  “Y-you tried to kill me! How could you do that? You are not the same person I fell in love with.”

  He stood up, spitting on the ground in front of me. “And neither are you. Enjoy what little time the two of you have left.”

  He smiled and turned away from me.

  “I hate you,” I called out to him. “I hate you Tristan!”

  In the next instant, he was gone.

  Chapter Five

  Regret

  *Tristan*

  London was right. I didn’t like this. I hated it. And now Ana hated me.

  I sat in the dirt, just out of view, behind a couple of trees. I was shaking, haunted by the memory of her panicked face. It kept flashing in my head, violently interrupting my thoughts. She had been willing to kill me, she’d said the words. London explained to m
e that I needed to push her to that point, but a part of me refused to believe that she would actually do it. What must she have been thinking when my hands were wrapped around her neck? I had to make it believable, but remembering that I had actually hurt her was eating away at my soul.

  The sound of footsteps crunching on the fallen leaves caused me to snap to attention. In an instant I was on my feet. “London, is that you?”

  “Shh,” she replied. She stepped from behind a tree. “How did it go?” she whispered.

  I dropped my head. “I did everything you asked. I think she believes that I’ve let myself return to my old ways.”

  “Good. How are you holding up?” she asked quietly.

  Violence poked at the sleeping beast within and I was struggling to maintain control. For real this time. “I’ll be fine,” I said.

  London’s head lifted and her eyes narrowed. “Look.”

  She led me past a couple of trees, up to the edge of the clearing, and pointed back to the spot where I had left Darren injured. Ana was seated next to him with tears on her face. An angel appeared overhead and dropped to Ana’s side. This new angel’s wings struck me. They were large and dark and a faint orange flame seemed to skirt across the surface.

  “That’s who we’re trying to save Ana from,” London whispered.

  I remained silent. I still couldn’t believe that the malnourished girl that I’d saved from Dashkov was actually a fallen angel come to prevent me reuniting my army. Ana seemed to be pleading with her; she looked hysterical. Leia put her arms on Ana’s shoulders, reassuring her of something. Then I saw Leia reach down and place her hands on Darren’s chest, the dull flame enclosing her wings increasing to a full blaze that forced Ana to move away from her.

  “What’s she doing?” I asked.

  “She’s healing him,” London answered.

  “Why couldn’t Ana?”

  “I’m guessing that she hasn’t learned how to use her abilities now that she’s fallen. We don’t channel our magic the same way.”

  “London, you should have known that. I could have killed him. Ana would have never forgiven me for that.”

  “I’m doing the best I can, Tristan. We both care about her. If I could, I would go out there right now and strike that angel down. But like I’ve told you, I’m not allowed to help Ana. Not directly. Going through you is the best that I can do. But the only way this will work is if you trust me enough to see it through. Can you do that?”

  I nodded. Darren had rolled over onto his side. Meanwhile, Leia had placed her hand onto Ana’s forehead, causing her body to go limp. She scooped Ana into her arms and then began to stare out into trees. She followed them around until her gaze settled on the spot where we were hiding. We were far enough back that she shouldn’t have been able to see us, but for a tense few seconds I wasn’t so sure about that.

  After a moment, her suspicion seemed to pass. She spread wings, letting them blaze up again. With Ana in her arms, she took to the sky.

  “I’ll do whatever it takes,” I said to London.

  She nodded. “Me too.”

  Chapter Six

  Retribution

  *Ana*

  When I awoke in bed, my first thought was that my confrontation with Tristan had only been a bad dream. How else to explain my being back in my room?

  “Get up child!” Helena called as she stepped into the bedroom. “School isn’t going to wait until you’re ready to roll out of bed.”

  Shaking my head, I sat up and scooted off the bed. Helena pulled open the curtain as she always did, and autumn’s sunlight swept into the room. In the distance I could still see the tents from the Halloween Festival standing tall.

  Helena reappeared with towels and a washcloth and dropped them into my arms. After studying my face for a moment she spoke. “Is everything alright?”

  I lifted my eyes to meet hers. “Um, yeah. I just had the weirdest dream, that’s all. At least I think it was a dream.” If it was a dream, then what did happen last night? Had I just come back here and fallen asleep after the festival?

  “And what makes you think that going to the lake house was a dream?” she asked.

  “Because…huh? How did you know?”

  She just smiled, and that’s when I noticed a faint orange glow behind her eyes. “Leia?”

  Her image shifted in front of me. She was now the teenage version of herself that I had come to know her as. She continued smiling.

  “Last night… Tristan… All of that really happened?”

  She nodded. “It did. But not to worry. I’ve fixed everything. I had to knock you out for a while. You weren’t exactly in the best state of mind when I arrived.”

  “What about Darren? Is he alright?”

  “He’s fine, I got there in enough time to heal him. Stop looking so worried. You’ve got friends now, you don’t have to carry the world on your shoulders anymore.” She winked at me. “You didn’t think that ball hit the target by itself, did you?”

  “Thank you,” I said, dropping my head. I still didn’t trust Leia, and I was very concerned about what she might ask in return, but she had saved Darren twice, and that certainly had to count for something.

  She gave me a big smile. “You are very welcome.”

  “There’s something I want to ask you. It’s about being a fallen angel.”

  Her stare turned curious. “What is it?”

  “I tried to use magic but nothing happened. Besides connecting with other people’s minds, I haven’t been able to use my powers at all. Not since I had my wings clipped.”

  She bit her lip. “Ana, you’re one of us now. That means the emotions that you use to channel your angelic magics will be different too. You’re used to using love to power your more powerful magic, but now that you’ve fallen, you’re going to have to tap into more earthly emotions like anger and fear. It’s a learning curve that we all went through.”

  I nodded and took in a deep. “What is it you’re going to ask me to do in return, Leia? What’s the price for you helping me?”

  Her smile darkened, and her eyes narrowed. “Funny you should ask. We’ll be discussing that very topic tonight, you and I. For now, just worry about getting ready for school. You’re not going to be very happy when you come home today, but I need for you to trust me okay? I’ve got your best interests at heart.”

  I felt an overwhelming sense of dread pass through me after hearing those words. “I trust you,” I replied. As blatant a lie as I had ever told.

  **********

  To my surprise, it was Taylor’s Jeep and not Darren’s car that pulled up behind the house. Once I stepped into the truck, Taylor explained that Darren had called her about an hour ago and asked if she could take me to school.

  “Did he say why?”

  “Said that he was feeling a little off, that he was staying in bed today. It’s probably just a bug that’s going around.”

  I took a deep breath. I hoped that’s all it was.

  “Oh my god!” she screamed.

  “What? What is it?” My heart had skipped a beat.

  “What is that on your ring finger?”

  I had to look down myself. The engagement ring Darren had given me to symbolize our commitment gleamed brightly in the morning sun. It looked enormous in the light of day.

  My cheeks flushed and I attempted to cover it with my other hand but Taylor was having none of it. “Tell me my best friend isn’t engaged at sixteen years old?”

  I just stared. I wasn’t entirely sure how “fake” our fake engagement was supposed to be. Would I automatically become his fiancée the moment I was old enough? Or was this just a symbol, and he’d ask me again when the time came?

  To save myself from hours of questioning, I just told her that it was his mother’s ring, and that it was meant as a promise ring.

  “But didn’t he already give you a promise ring?” she asked.

  “I guess this one means a little more,” I replied. I ran my fingers
over the top of it and thought of the tears in his eyes when he’d presented it to me.

  Taylor’s eyes got big, and she poked out her bottom lip. “That is so romantic! You seriously can’t ever get mad at him after a gift like that. His mother’s ring?” She stared at it, sighing and slowly shaking her head.

  Taylor spent the rest of the trip grilling me about the details of our secret getaway last night. She and Chris had seen us leaving the festival together. I spared no detail, well, of the good parts anyway. Everything regarding Tristan stayed locked away in my brain— I wasn’t ready to confront that issue just yet. By the time we arrived at school, I was certain that she was now in love with Darren too. Poor Chris, the bar had been set pretty high.

  Taylor and I were mobbed upon entering the school. A swarm of girls surrounded us and forced the two of us over to the giant bulletin board next to the office. Apparently Taylor and I were the two of the last five girls in the Miss Honeybee Contest. It was absolutely as hokey as it sounded. The fact that I hadn’t even entered, or that Taylor hadn’t even been in school the last three weeks didn’t save us both from somehow being finalists was proof in my book. Not that that stopped anyone here from taking it way too seriously.

  “This is not going to like, ruin you guy’s friendship is it?” asked a girl I had never met before.

  “No,” I replied. “It, like, totally will.”

  Several girls gasped, while Taylor shook her head laughing. At least she had caught the sarcasm.

  The bell chimed mercifully, causing the crowd of girls to disperse. Taylor and I had different first period classes but they were on the same hall, so she walked me there.

  “Do you think I could actually win?” she asked, cutting her eyes toward me.

  “Not you too, Taylor.”

  Color filled her cheeks and her eyes darted away from me. “I know it’s silly, but it would be kind of cool. I mean, I know it’s nothing for you, you’re always the center of attention.”

  I shook my head. “I’m sure that you’ll win. I can’t believe I got voted this far.”