Part 23 (1/2)
Leo stiffened. ”I was going to give your life back to you. That was the deal he made. The angel for you. I can make you human again. I can make you-”
”Keep your deal. I don't want to be human. I want to be exactly what I am...” She straightened her shoulders and stood to her full height. ”I'm the vampire in love with a beast. And you...you can go screw off.”
He blinked. ”What? You-”
Rose heard the rush of the wind. She looked up and saw the dark shadow of wings...right before Luke Thorne flew through the hole that Leo had left in the ceiling.
Luke landed right beside his twin. His gaze raked the scene, taking in everyone and everything, including the body that was missing a head. ”Did someone have a party...” he murmured, his sly smile flas.h.i.+ng, ”and forget to invite me?”
”Get Leo out of here,” Rose snapped at him. ”He's been helping that human over there-the one minus the head-your brother has been helping him take paranormals!”
”No,” Leo denied. ”I never helped Simon take them! He took them against my wishes-he stopped following my orders because he wanted his wife back! Why can't anyone ever just let go? Why can't-”
”Love.” Luke had locked his hand over Leo's shoulder. ”That's the s.h.i.+t you don't get. You think you're on the right side. Full of justice and might, but you don't understand anything. And there's about to be h.e.l.l to pay for that crime.” His powerful wings stretched behind him. He was going to fly away, to take Leo- And hopefully drop him in an ocean or volcano or someplace where they wouldn't ever see him again. Only...
”Wait!” Rose yelled.
She felt Julian stiffen beside her. ”You changed your mind,” he muttered and there was pain in his voice. ”You...want the deal?”
Changed her... ”Never,” she promised him. Her gaze met his, held. ”Never.”
The pain slid from his face.
”Uh, yes, I'm waiting, vamp,” Luke pointed out.
Her head whipped back toward him. ”I need fire.” He could give her fire. ”To kill Simon...” She pointed to the body. ”I have to use fire.”
Luke's brows climbed. ”He looks pretty dead to me.”
”He isn't!” Her breath heaved out. ”He's been using angel wings to gain supernatural power. He's going to come back. I need to burn him-”
”To ash,” Luke nodded. ”Yes, you do...especially if he's been powering up on angel wings.” He cast a pitying glance toward the angel. ”Guessing my brother screwed you over, huh? Maybe Team Dark isn't looking so bad right now.”
”Luke...” Julian growled.
He pointed at Rose. ”Grab a board.”
She bent down and picked up one of the boards that had broken down from the ceiling.
Luke snapped the fingers on his left hand.
Fire ignited on the end of her board, turning it into a torch.
”I could have just lit him up,” Luke said as his gaze met hers. ”But there are some things you like to do yourself, am I right?”
Yes, there were.
Her chest seemed to ache-her heart seemed to burn-as she walked toward Simon. She touched the torch to his s.h.i.+rt. His pants. The fire flared.
He burned.
The wind whipped as Luke flew up into the air, taking Leo away with him. And the whipping wind made the fire burn even faster, as if Luke had intentionally meant to stoke the flames.
Maybe he had.
Rayce picked the angel up into his arms and carried her out.
Rose stood right there, not moving until she was sure that Simon was gone. She wasn't going to look over her shoulder, always worried that he would reappear.
He was one monster that she would end.
When he was ash, she finally turned away from him. The torch still blazed in her hand even though the flames should have gone out long ago. Probably another bit of magic from Luke. When it came to fire, Luke always had total control.
Still holding that torch, Rose made her way outside. Julian followed right behind her, not saying a word. When she stepped outside, she realized the day had turned to night. Stars glittered overhead. They were so bright in the darkness.
She didn't see Rayce or the angel. And there was no sign of the witch or the muse. Everyone had vanished. She didn't blame them. She wanted to get away from that scene and forget the nightmare in the Everglades, too.
”You could've...had your life back.”
”I like the life I have.”
”You hate drinking blood.”
”Not your blood.” She loved the connection she felt when she bit him.
His face was tormented in the torch light. ”You never wanted this. You never wanted-”
”I wanted you.” There would be no more hiding. Not from him and not from herself. ”I wanted you from the first moment I saw you, and yes, after my change, I was scared...but I still wanted you. I used to dream about you at night. I ached for you.” She swallowed. ”And I loved you.” No, not loved. ”I love you. I love you, Julian.”
He didn't move. Why wasn't he moving?
”Ah, right, excuse me,” Luke suddenly said as he stepped from the shadows. The guy had come back far faster than she'd expected. Luckily, Luke appeared to have returned alone. She didn't see Leo.
The torch jerked in her hand.
”I hate to interrupt sentimental moments, but we need to seal the deal.”
Deal. She was coming to hate that word.
”Burn the building down, Rose. I'll make sure the fire doesn't spread from the scene. End this now.”
She looked back at the building. And then she went forward, touching the torch to different spots of wood. Flames flickered. They grew. They spread.
She turned back to see Luke standing right beside Julian.
”You know what he is?” Luke asked her carefully.
She did. ”The man I love.”