The Four Horsemen(24)

I drop into child’s pose, feeling the cold floor against my cheeks. My eyes are burning from the heat. I almost hope the flames reach me. I almost wish they’d burn me up. But I don’t. I would never get my revenge against him.

Mona sees the look on my face, “You didn’t know?”

I cry into the floor, “I didn’t know.” She starts to cry again. I smile, “I know that feeling you had. I had that once too, but I’m a fucking idiot who can’t get anything right. Not even the one simple thing I’m supposed to do.”

She shakes her head, “I’m sorry.”

I close my eyes, “Not as sorry as I am.”





Two




We land in the yard of the castle. Stella comes running, “WHAT IS IT?”

Mona hands her the sleeve of ash. Stella sighs relief. She grabs Mona’s head, “You smart girl.” She looks at her, “Got anyone else you brought that you want back?”

I scowl.

Mona pulls open the top of her dress. It’s filled with daisies.

Stella laughs and looks at me, “I’m sorry, for before.”

I shake my head, “Don’t be. I deserve your hatred. All of you.” I walk past them to the house. The whole thing is beyond what I am capable of feeling. His name is still in my heart, I realize it when I get inside of my room and collapse onto the bed. The heaviness of my heart weighs more than if the moon landed on my chest.

The dead take me.

I am in a garden, not the magical one but an English garden.

There is a girl who looks like me. She has dark hair and grey eyes. They light up when she sees me. She looks more like our mother. “Liana.” she says.

I smile. Another girl comes walking up looking almost the same, almost identical. She nods, “Ezara.”

I sit under the tree I am next to. They come and sit with me, and then a thin girl, who doesn’t look anything like us, comes up. She smiles, “Maggie.”

Lastly, the one who I remember the clearest, Ellie. She looks similar to me and the other two. I narrow my gaze, “You are my true sister in some way.”

She grins like a Cheshire Cat, all the while curtseying like a lady. “Ellie.”

We five stare at each other.

Liana sighs, “What a way to finally meet. The time of the fae has ended. Father has killed them all off and now he will kill the horsemen and take the power.”

I am such a failure. I look at their faces, “I’m sorry.”

They all smile the same, except Maggie. Her smile is sweeter than ours. She shakes her head, reaching for my chin, “Why are you sorry? You think each of us hasn’t lived this fate? You think for a second we bested him, any better than you? He used the love in your heart against you.”

“How are we able to meet now?”

“It is getting closer to your birthday. Your time is almost up. We will all be free soon.”

I frown, “You have all been waiting for this to end, instead of going to heaven?”

They giggle. Ellie gives me a cocky look, “You don’t know, do you?”

“What?”

Liana nods, “We won’t ever make it to heaven. We may choose our form. I want to be a willow tree, near a river.”

Maggie laughs, “A willow tree?”

Liana sighs again, “The thing I miss the most is the wind.”

Ezara looks up, “I want to be a speck of dust, floating on the breeze always, exploring everywhere.”

Maggie shakes her head, “I want to be water. I want to be part of the rivers and oceans and see what the nixie see.”

Ellie gives me a hard look to take, “I want to be ash with my love.”

I look at my shoes, “I want to be alone, where no one can ever get hurt by me.”

Ellie takes my hand in hers. It sparkles like their voices on the wind. She squeezes, “That is one thing we will never be, sister. We will never be alone.”

I stare at my shoes and listen to them. They don’t plan or offer me advice. They expect I will not win this war. They don’t care either way, not any more. They have all suffered so long and hard. I love that they laugh and smile and poke fun at each other. We are the truest sisters ever. They know the pain in my heart and the toll it has had on my soul. They know. Where no one else does, they do.

Ellie gives me an odd look, “How is he alive?”

I scowl, “Who?” Dear God, don’t let it be someone bad. I’m so tired and so hungry, and not in the mood for another disappointment.

“Go back, see if it’s true.”

I look at the others to see if they know what she is talking about, “Go back where?”

She blows in my face. The others see her doing it and they join in. Suddenly, I am awake.

He is there. He is alive. He smiles at me, “Didn’t think you would be rid of me that easily, did you?”

I leap at him, “Constantine!” He hugs me. I pinch him.

“Ow. What was that for?”

I shake my head, “Just checking. I couldn’t be sure.”

He hugs me tightly, “I’m sorry I made you pull the dagger. I thought you would bring it with you, and we would be no different than we had been. I didn’t know you wouldn’t come back to the palace.”

I grip to him, relief isn’t a strong enough word. I look up at the ceiling, mouthing, “Thank you!”

“Don’t thank him, it was the magic of the curse upon my soul. There is only one way to kill a direct member of my family.” I look up at him, he laughs, “I’m not telling you.”

I nod, “That’s probably not a bad idea. I tend to betray everyone at some point.”

He kisses my hands, “I made you do it. I tricked you with the bargain. The fae don’t tolerate dishonesty. All bargains made in the garden are firm. I made you have my dagger. I couldn’t bear the thought of not being in your heart.”

I look at him, “The dagger!” I slump, “Shit, I think Wyatt might have left it in Willow’s picture.”

He sighs, “We will find another way.”

He pulls back, “At least your heart has my dagger in it.”

I shake my head, “But Wyatt’s is in there too and he’s a bastard. He betrayed us.”

Constantine laughs, “You don’t think that was Wyatt still, do you?”

“What?”

“Oh Rayne, it was Lucifer. That was your father. That wasn’t Wyatt. He has some witches on his side. They do magic for him.”

My mouth drops opens, “That’s how he knew I went through Michelle’s phone. He must have put the texts in there, with magic maybe. To make me doubt Wyatt or cause issues.” I have images of wrapping my legs around him and kissing his cheeks and neck. “No.” I almost gag.

Constantine laughs, “Did you kiss him?”

I make a face, “I don’t want to talk about it. That was Wyatt.”

He shakes his head, “My love, let me tell you. Van Helsings are strong and willing to do anything to win, but they will not kill a fae. They are pure people. That was the devil himself.”

I drop my head, “Oh shit. What do we do? How did he know so much?”

“He more than likely has young Wyatt prisoner. He used him to glean information.” He smiles, but I can still see the pain in his eyes, “This isn’t his first time at the rodeo, as you Americans say.”

“What can we do?”

He leans forward, kissing my cheek, “Get the dagger from the picture, trace Wyatt’s steps to where Lucifer has him, and kill Lucifer.”

“He contacted Michelle, he could be here to kill me any minute. I don’t even know why he didn’t kill me before we went to the garden.”

“He needed you to get him inside. He must have done a spell where you masked what he was. If he’s already been here once, he will likely come again. We can’t worry about him right now. We have other matters.” Constantine’s eyes glisten, “My humanity is slipping away. No love, no heart. That’s sort of how things are for my family members.”

“What if he never took it into the painting? I don’t recall it in there, only him talking about it.”

He looks around the room, “Where would he put it?”

I look around the room, getting up and spinning slowly. I smile and walk to the bed. I drop to my knees and fish it out.

“How did you know?”

I shrug, “I know him.” I don’t say that he would have been desperate to get to me. He would have carried it to my bedside and rushed to put the dagger somewhere.

It is still coated in Lillith’s blood and the nasty nixie slime. I hold a hand out, “Handkerchief.”

He fishes in his jacket and pulls one out, “How did you know I would have one?” I look at him, “I know you too.”

I wipe the handkerchief and fold it carefully. When the blade is clean, I have the strangest instinct. I slice the blade along my arm, making Constantine hiss at me like a cat. I ignore him and rub my blood all over it. It sizzles, turns black, burns off, and then glimmers again.

He looks confused, “Was there poison on that?”

I shake my head, “I don’t know. I just had a feeling like I should do that.” I look at my arm and see a black line like a vein. Then there are a bunch of them. I nod, “Okay, it was probably poisoned.”

“Oh come on, what the hell was Van Helsing thinking?”