When I stand, Dax already has everyone circled around him except Damien. Dax holds out his hand and grins. "Let's see how bumpy this goes with everyone."
After we appear on the mansion's lawn and Brad and his fighters leave, I turn to walk into the building, but a black shadow forms behind one of the trees.
Luke holds open the door for me, but I hold up a finger. "I'll be right there. I've got to take care of something first." I bet that's Damien coming to cash in on our deal. Little does he know that he'll be leaving empty handed.
A flicker of understanding flashes in Luke's eyes. "All right. I'd tell you not to do anything stupid, but I think you know what you're doing. Dax and I will wait for you in my office."
I'm ready to get this part over with. He needs to give me Beth and never bother me again. Making my way to the tree, I watch as the shadows form Damien right before my eyes.
He leans against the tree and winks at me. "So... now it's time for you to relinquish the artifacts to me." He removes the amulet from around his neck and holds it out to me. "I'm sure you want this."
Does he think that he can still bargain with me? He must be crazier than I realized. "No, I'm not paying you anything, but you're still going to give her to me."
"Like hell I will." He wraps his fingers around the amulet and snarls. "I guess your friend will never find true peace."
HIs cocky ass is going down. "Oh, yes she will. If you don't hand her over to me now, you won't be able to leave here alive." I'm tired of all of the bullshit.
He scoffs at me but takes a step back. "You don't have it in you." Lightning crashes right next to me, and he jumps back. "What the hell?"
"Give me her soul, and leave now, or you won't be around for another day." His days of having the upper hand are gone. I now can control all of the elements.
Black smoke begins to billow around him. Dammit, he's trying to leave. I force the air around me to be still which prevents him from transporting.
"You..." His mouth drops open, and he glances around.
"Don't be stupid." He's not used to not having the upper hand. "If you give me the amulet and leave, never bothering me or Becca again, then I won't stand in your way. Otherwise, be prepared to cease to exist."
"Fine." He holds out the amulet to me and drops it in my hand. "This will be the last time you see me."
"I'm serious. If I see you any time after this moment, I will kill you." I don't want to have to deal with his manipulation any longer. He's done having a hold on me.
"Even though it's at my expense, you've changed a lot in the last two months." Fire flashes in his eyes once more, and he steps back, the shadows taking over his human form once more. "I won't cause any more problems, at least until the artifacts are free again." Then, he's gone from my sight.
After all this time, I finally have Beth's soul right here in my hands. Her frightened face stuck in this stone creeps into my mind. I need to let her out and fast. She deserves to have a normal afterlife; one filled with peace.
I call to the fire inside me, and my hand blazes, melting the stone holding her soul. When it drips down onto the ground, my black reaper magic spurs to life and begins sucking from my hand. A coolness once again fills me, and I can feel when Beth transitions to her ever after.
It's a bittersweet moment for me. One, my best friend is really gone now, but she's found peace. This has reaffirmed that the council has been lying to everyone. Reapers have souls, but they don't want us to know so we don't have any qualms taking life or passing judgement. We die just like humans, and our actions determine our afterlife. Right now, I need to rejoice that Beth has found peace and won't live in terror day after day any longer.
Now I need to help Becca so she can have the same fate. I close my eyes and locate Becca. She's standing in front of her family house once more, watching them like an outsider. I clear all of the obstacles between us and transport to her location.
This time, she must have felt as I appeared behind her because she turns her head, and tears run down her cheeks. "I don't know what's wrong with me."
Even though I didn't know whether I'd get the irrational or calm Becca, I wasn't expecting this. Yeah, I didn't mean to cause this, but it's still my fault. "It's because you aren't meant to be here. Your soul is fracturing."
Her shoulders sag, and she runs her hand through her limp, greasy blonde hair, taking a clump of it between her fingers. "So... there isn't anything truly wrong with me. I'm not losing my mind?"
"No, it's because your time here is done. Once you move on from here, you'll be back to normal." It's strange because as I speak the words, I know they're true. "These are the repercussions of overstaying on Earth."
"Then, I'm ready to go. I'm tired of feeling lonely and out of control." Her hazel eyes beg me for understanding, and she clasps her hands together in front of her. "Please, help me."
A shiver runs through me. This is Dax's future as well. I've got to fix it all. They all deserve better than this. "Of course. Are you ready?"
She nods and holds her hand out to me. "Please, I'm going out of my mind."
Once again, my power
