Bitter Demons

11. There's Got To Be A Way

My mouth fell open in surprise. "Your brother?"

"I told you it was a long story," he said, taking another sip of wine.

I couldn't put a voice to all the questions that flooded my thoughts. I knew that what the Order was doing to the demons was wrong, but I'd never thought of them as having families and being capable of love the same way humans were. But that was silly wasn't it? I mean, I knew Jackson was a demon, yet I desperately wanted him to love me.

"Tell me," I said. I put my hand on his. "Please."

Jackson began slowly, his voice shaky. "Aerden is Peachville's first demon. The Prima's demon," he said. "He was torn from our world a hundred years ago."

"That's why he protects me," I said. I slid the pendant back and forth along the silver chain. The zipping sound was so familiar to me now, it brought some comfort.

"When a demon gate is first created, the witches of the Order use a special stone. It isn't always a sapphire. Sometimes they use emeralds or topaz or even diamonds. I don't know the exact reason behind the different stones, but I think it has something to do with the specific energy of the location." He stood and began to pace the ground under the branches of the pecan trees. "The stone is used to create the portal, and a part of the connection between the first demon and the first witch is trapped inside the stone. A piece of the stone is chipped off to create a necklace like yours."

"What does it do?"

"It connects you to the demon. To Aerden," he said. "Whenever someone tries to use magic against you, he'll always come to help. It's especially important when it's worn by a Future, like you, before she's been combined with the demon in the initiation ceremony. After the initiation, the necklace takes on different powers. Like allowing you to teleport to the ritual room. Every Prima in your family has worn that necklace before you."

I pictured the stone around my mother's neck. And her mother before her. It was the only solid connection I had to my family, and it was precious to me. I never knew that to Jackson it symbolized the day he lost his brother to the Order of Shadows.

"One day, we were a family," he said. His fist was balled up by his side. "And the next, he was gone. At first, I didn't understand where he'd gone. It was like he just disappeared into thin air. It took me nearly fifty years to find him."

"So you came through the portal," I said. "To Peachville. Fifty years ago?"

Jackson nodded.

"1962. Once I came through the portal, there was no way back," he said. "I was stuck here, and so was Aerden."

"So, how did you become human instead of being forced into the body of another witch like the others?" I asked.

"A curse," he said. He turned his face away from me. "The Order cursed me and turned me into this human form."

I stood and ran my hand down his back. I had a feeling he wasn't telling me the whole truth, but I was scared to ask. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what he might have done back then.

"I came here thinking I could save him and bring him home, but I was too late," he said. "He's bound to your family for eternity, and there's nothing I can do about it." He turned to me. "And if your family dies out, my brother dies with you."

I could hear the anguish in his voice. It was obvious how much he loved his brother, but did he care about me at all? Or did he only spend time with me and try to protect me because he wanted to protect his brother? It was all so confusing.

I took a step backward and tripped over a plate full of fruit. I fell to the ground and cursed. My eyes watered.

"Harper." Jackson rushed to my side. He picked up my hands and wiped the dirt from my palms. "Are you okay?"

I avoided his eyes. I didn't want him to see the tears in mine, so I kept my head down. Wasn't I the one who'd pushed him to tell me the truth? I needed to stop being such a baby. I knew as well as anyone that the truth could be painful.

And that when it came down to it, most people had a hidden agenda. Why did I expect Jackson to be any different? Hadn't I learned my lesson by now?

"I'm fine," I said. "It just stings." I rubbed my hands along the sides of my jeans, then held them up to him. "Help me up."

Jackson gripped my hands in his and tugged me upward. For a moment, our faces were dangerously close. I opened my mouth slightly so I could draw in a deep, calming breath. Anything to slow the beating of my heart.

"Thanks," I said. I tore my gaze from his, feeling sad and confused.I sat back down on the flannel blanket and picked up all the fruit that had spilled. I tried to act like nothing was wrong, but I had a feeling he could see right through me.

He sat down and helped me pack the food and wine into the picnic basket. We worked in silence for a minute, the tension thick between us. I was starting to get the worst headache from using the glamour all day, and I just wanted to go home.

"Thanks for the picnic," I said. "Sorry if I kind of ruined it."

"You didn't ruin anything," he said. "I shouldn't have told you about my brother. I don't want you to feel like you're in any way responsible for what happened to my family."

"No, but I'm the reason he's stuck here now," I said.

Jackson didn't say anything. What could he say? He fastened the basket on the back of the motorcycle, and I folded the blanket. I watched him work and wondered what would happen to us if I was ever officially joined with Aerden. We could never have a real future together with his brother enslaved inside me.

"Is there no way to break the bond of a Prima and her demon?" I asked, handing Jackson the folded blanket.

"Not without killing them both," he said. "Believe me, I've spent the past fifty years looking for any way to free my brother from this slavery. I've never found a single reference to anyone breaking the bond without killing the Prima, the demon, and the entire town."

"What if we could find a way to close the demon gate?"

Jackson shook his head. "It's been done. Once before, in Paris. A group called the Hand of God smashed the portal stone and closed the demon gate."

"What happened?"

"Everyone died."

"Oh," I said, hanging my head. "What if we just ran away?"

Jackson turned to look at me, sadness in his eyes.

"What if we just got on your bike and drove away? If I never go through the initiation, maybe we could spend our lives trying to find a way to free your brother without the Order breathing down our necks."

Jackson carefully tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, then placed his palm on my cheek. "I wish we could," he said. "You have no idea how much."

"Why can't we?"

"The Order would find us no matter where we tried to hide," he said. "Especially now that you've gone through the confirmation ritual. Running away would make things so much worse for us both. Besides, there is no way to free my brother."

"Don't say that," I said. "We still have almost two years to look for a way out of this. There's got to be a way." Jackson let his hand slip from my face.

"Let's get you home" he said. "It's almost seven."

I climbed onto the motorcycle, my heart aching.