Angel of Fire - Requiem of Lost Souls - Book Two

Burn Baby Burn

Chapter 40

I don't know what surprised me more. The fact that Harry Scary had his mullet back, or the fact that my friends had morphed back into the most annoying species on the planet.

"Ugh! Teenagers."

"This is all your fault!" Serenity yelled, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. "You healed them. You healed all of them."

I glanced over at Carmen and the guys. They stared blankly back at me with huge eyes, minds still reeling from the effects of the eclipse. But other than that, Serenity was right. My friends appeared to be completely back to normal. The enormity of the situation slowly dawned on me. Serenity's reign of terror was finally over.

Go figure. My blood turned out to be juice with a higher power.

Not that I had much time to celebrate. No longer pacing, Serenity resorted to walkng around in circles ranting to herself like she'd gone insane. She didn't even seem to notice the sun peeking out from behind the silvery moon, the quiet sky with birds just beginning their morning songs, or the Dark Ones losing dominion over our world.

Dad lifted the blackness of his shroud and pointed at me. No longer did I feel the pain of my sacrifice, but the pain of a tormented soul pressing down upon me. I watched in guarded awe as the fallen melted into mere shadows, their darkened masses rising up and disappearing into the cold.

Soon my dad followed. He reached out extending one arm to touch me, but the distance was already too great. His voice rang out in a thundering burst. "So that you do not think I am entirely all evil, you shall be reunited with your lost love." My eyes continued to search the sky, but his presence could no longer be seen as much as it was felt. This time when he spoke his words echoed in my mind. "The heart you seek is with your soul."

Serenity stopped circling abruptly and turned toward me, her face pale in the gloom that comes with pre-dawn. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I stood up forgetting all about my lacerated wrist. "It means you lose, Serenity."

She narrowed her eyes into vicious slits. "I wouldn't be so sure about that. Did you forget that I still have the poison and can unleash it again at any time?"

"No," I replied honestly. "I didn't forget. So tell me something...was it worth it? All the pain, the suffering?"

Serenity smiled. "Take a moment to enjoy your little victory because, I promise, it will be your last."

I tilted my head thoughtfully to one side. "I've been doing that every day since this nightmare began. You know what I've come to realize?" When she didn't reply, I said, "We should all be living like today is the last day of the rest our lives. Especially you."

"That sounds like a threat," she sneered.

I shook my head again. "No. It's a promise. And I always keep my promises."

"We both know how bad you are at holding onto things," she taunted. "If you plan on killing me, you'll have to catch me first."

A blinding flash of light exploded in my face and Serenity was gone, taking with her my ability to see anything but huge black spots. My hand went out, blindly shooting a current of energy. The shot went horribly wide and fell sizzling into the cauldrons.

"Missed me," she giggled. The sound of her girlish laughter hurt my teeth.

Anger spilling out of me I trained my eyes on the long forgotten music stands. As I waited for my vision to return to normal, I attempted to get her to come out of hiding by asking a question. "Why did you go to so much trouble to bring together an entire orchestra of witches for one night?"