I look back, “Constantine gave you blood.”
He grimaces, “That would be it. We can’t take in vampire blood.”
He looks like himself again. Clean and strong. His body is battered though. He has bruises everywhere. He passes me the soap, “So I crapped my pants, literally?”
I take the soap as he turns. My laugh stops. His back is whipped like he was on the cross. My mouth won’t close. I am stunned still. He looks back, “What?”
My eyes are filled with tears, “They whipped you, almost to death.”
He nods, “I know, that’s the last thing I remember. The whip. It was barbed I think.”
My jaw trembles, “Oh my God. Who would do this?”
He steps to me, smelling like soap. “Hey, I’m okay. It’s healing.”
I shake my head, “It’s so bad, Wyatt. It’s so bad.”
He pulls me into him. I close my eyes and wish it had been me. Why isn’t it ever me? Why does everyone else have to hurt?
He kisses the top of my head, “It’s not bad, it’ll heal. I heal fast and Constantine’s filth in my veins will make it heal even faster.”
I just let him hold me, not moving or speaking. We just stand there as the water pours down on us. I don’t even know what to do with it all. There is too much, too much pain and sin and knowledge. I am lost in my own life, which makes sense. It’s technically fives lives. Five lives of five women who barely made it past childhood.
I kiss his chest and leave the shower. I have to change and we have to go. I don’t want him coming. I want him to stay here with Stella, Michelle, and Mona.
I change and leave the room fast. He probably isn’t even out of the shower when I board the helicopter.
We lift off and I force myself not to look at the castle. Constantine smiles, “I’ll give you three guesses who is tired of flying.”
I laugh, “It’s hard traveling by jet, compared to being dragged about the ocean by the nixie.” I give him a blank stare, “I know you suffer every time you have to do it.”
He cocks an eyebrow, “How is he?”
“Good. He’ll be fine. Lucifer whipped him, tore the skin from his back. It’s ragged and bloody and looks like chunks were torn out.”
Constantine grimaces. I nod, “It’s bad.”
“As long as he’s up and about, he’ll be fine.”
I sigh as we land at a farm. I glance around, “Why are we here?”
He looks annoyed, “The bastards destroyed the private strip I always use.”
“Great. Nothing is going to be left, is it?”
“They are bent on wrecking it all. I seriously don’t understand God’s plan with this one.”
I shake my head, “I don’t think there is one.” I climb off of the plane. Gretel meets me on the dusty grass of the field the plane landed in, “Is he all right?”
I nod, “He’ll be fine.” I use Constantine’s words. I don’t know how he will. I will never forget being tortured. Ever.
She closes her eyes and takes a breath, like it’s her first in hours, “Oh, thank you God.”
I feel sick seeing her devotion, “You’re thanking him—it was me and Constantine that saved him.”
She opens her eyes, “You are his angel, you will learn to love him.”
I shake my head, “Don’t count on that.”
She gives me an evil glare, “I am counting on it. You will need that in the end.”
I walk past her, boarding the plane. Sarah runs to me, “Is he okay? The cell phones are down now. Nothing is working.”
I smile at her, “He’s going to be fine.”
She sighs, “Thank God.”
That’s going to get old fast.
I force my smile to stay on my lips, “Yes, isn’t he wonderful?” I take my seat. Constantine jumps aboard and runs to the pilot’s cabin. The door closes and we start off. He comes back and sits next to me. He relaxes into the seat, “The pilot just refueled, so we have a direct flight to Iran.”
I cowl, “What?”
He nods, “This is going to be interesting, let me tell you.”
“Can we fly into Iran?”
Gretel gives me a look, “If it exists still. The whole world is on fire.” She says it like I don’t know that.
I drum my fingers against the seat, “Anyone else think this is a particularly bad idea?”
Sarah raises her hand, “I don’t think it’s a very good idea.”
Constantine sighs, “You are immortal; at least her being wimpy about it makes sense, she’s almost human. She can actually die.”
I scowl, “My head can get separated from my body. I can die.”
His lip twitches but he doesn’t say anything else. He pulls a huge book out from the bag next to him, “We have five hours. I suggest you ask the dead to take you.”
I frown, “I can’t just ask.”
He gives me a look, “Since when?”
I close my eyes and I am gone.
I don’t know if I dream or not. I don’t know how long I am floating in the empty air with them, but suddenly I am awake. I sit up, gasping. The plane isn’t flying. I am alone on it. Why do they always leave me wherever we end up?
I unbuckle and get off. I see smoke as far as my eyes will go.
Constantine is standing and looking out at a desert strip of land. I see a burning farmhouse in the distance. He looks back and waves. I walk to him, “Where’s Gretel and Sarah”
The heat and dust in the air are intense. I can’t help but squint when I look around. I shield my face. He smiles like he’s friggin’ Indiana Jones or some shit. “The Garden of Eden would have been here, in Menykh.”
I glance around, “Yeah, of course it was. Of course God would have the least lush place in the world called the Garden of Eden. Why not? He’s a funny guy. He’s ironic.”
Constantine sighs, “You don’t even believe in God.”
I shake my head, “I do not, no.”
He squints through the warm, dusty air and smoke, “They should be here any minute, really.”
“Where is Gretel?”
He nods, “Had to be difficult. She is off checking with her little facts to make sure the rivers are correct in placement, compared to the ancient biblical texts of Genesis. Some crap about four rivers.”
“Why did you let her come?”
He looks back at me, “I don’t know if you or she has to kill Lucifer. Her family has one purpose on this Earth, killing things like you and me. She brought a serious amount of weaponry; it’s in the jet. What did you bring? I brought that book. We aren’t killing him with a book, and I sure as hell am not drinking his blood.”
I look down at my chest, “We have weapons.”
He scowls, “The blades are not meant to come out.”
I know he thinks that, but I have a feeling the white-eyed man was on to something. To kill Lucifer and the four horsemen, I have to sacrifice. Love is all I have to kill off. What do I care, at this point, if I die?
God killed his son for the people. I will be forced to do the same. Even though I am not God, and I will have no rewards. I stagger out into the sand, tired and weak. I am going to die, I have a feeling. ‘Course I always have that feeling lately.
I sit down on a small dune and wait for them all to come and kill me. I make that decision instantly. When Constantine asked what I brought, I realized all I have is my life to forfeit.
Ellie is furious with my choice, but I don’t want to pull a sword from my chest.
I would rather die than choose, it is that simple. The world is screwed whether I live or die. So what if I would rather die than choose? Who will know? What will be left? Some dust and some ash and some starving people who will forget the minute I am gone and their own survival becomes more important.
“You ever think that maybe the prophecies were all right, and 2013 was going to be an unlucky year?”
I look back as Sarah stumbles over to me. She slumps into the sand next to me.
I nod, “Yup. I think they saw this and went ‘Damn, 13 is the worst number ever.’”
She laughs, “We are going to die and they don’t care.”
“I know. But think about it, we die here in Iran. Our friends don’t have to know. We are alone, four near strangers, in a desert. No one will be broken over it.”
She nudges me, “Wyatt will feel your death, all the way back in London. He will die inside the moment you do. You have to stop that from happening. You have a purpose.”
I look at her, “You think that?”
She nods, “He loves you. It’s stupid, you hardly know each other, but he does. I think in some weird, twisted way, he always has. I swear he knew about you when we were kids. The girl with the dark-brown hair and the grey eyes. I remember him talking about you like he knew you.”
I frown, “What?”
She smiles, “He’s a freak. We should have known he was half angel, always has been the over-the-top show off. Strongest, fastest, bravest, wittiest, smartest, most loved.”
“What about his sister?”
She shakes her head, “She’s Gretel’s pet. But the rest of the family always loved Wyatt best. Even my family loved him best. They were so excited we were supposed to marry.”
“You didn’t want to?”
She scowls, “No. I could never be you.”