I forced myself not to react, though. That wasn’t my sister. And in a few minutes, it wasn’t even going to be her body.
“You lying little cunt!” Johnson screamed, and at that point I was actually at a bit of a loss what to do. This was all about Deacon. All about demonic essence rushing in where it didn’t belong. All about demons fighting for territory in bodies that would burn out too fast from their energy.
And it was all about knocking Rose’s soul out of her body and capturing it safely in the vessel.
I had to trust him. Right then, I had no choice but to trust Deacon because he was the one who held my sister’s life in his hands.
An eerie yellow glow whipped around Deacon, and I remembered what he’d told me—that before he could leap into Johnson’s body, he had to put a protection around his own. For this to work, there could be no empty shell for Johnson to thrust his essence into.
From what I could see, Johnson knew exactly what that glow meant, and as he turned toward me, I saw a hint of fear in his eyes. I relished it, clinging to his fear and letting victory wash over me.
The emotion was short-lived, though, since it fast became clear that Johnson wasn’t going down easy.
And if he was going down, he was damn sure going to try to take me with him. And to prove it, he launched himself at me, the knife he still held aimed at my heart.
“No!” Kiera burst forward, knocking me out of the way. I stumbled as Johnson’s knife got her deep in the gut. As Kiera’s scream of pain and fury echoed in the chamber, he pulled the blade out, then turned on me, and for a moment I froze, undone by the image of my sister coming at me with a knife.
Then he lunged, and the image faded, replaced by hard, cold reality.
I shifted, avoided the blade, but he thrust a leg out and sent me tumbling—and knocking the vessel out of my hands. I yelled and stretched, and though my fingers skimmed the outside, it was no use.
I couldn’t catch it.
The vessel landed hard, shattering into hundreds of pieces.
It was broken, and I was furious. I lunged, my rage overwhelming. I’m not at all sure what I was going to do. Maybe choke the bastard out of my sister. But I never got the chance. Because Rose stood there, and threw her head back, and screamed.
Her skin began to move, as if the bones beneath were rearranging. As if I were watching a scene from a horror flick. There was a battle going on, and it was happening right inside Rose.
From the ground, I heard a small gasp, and I hurried to Kiera’s side, finding the wound and pressing hard against it. I used her blade to slice my wrist, but I feared my blood wouldn’t heal; that it would only buy her a bit more time. The injury was too bad, and she had only seconds left.
“I’m so sorry,” Kiera said, her words barely audible.
“Sorry? What do you have to be sorry for?”
“Was wrong . . . about you.”
“It’s okay,” I said, stroking her short hair. “It’s okay.”
She smiled, almost serenely, as if there were no pain in her world anymore.
“Kiera?”
“It’s nice, Lily. There’s light. It’s peaceful.”
And then she was gone. My partner—my friend—gone from this world, and I was cradling nothing more than a shell.
I felt the tears sting my eyes, and realized that despite everything, I was smiling. There’s light, she’d said. And that, I thought, was worth something.
I cradled her head, realizing that I’d lost more than just Kiera today. The vessel was broken. I’d risked Rose’s life, and I’d lost—dear God, I’d lost.
I’d gone out trying to protect her, and once again, I’d failed miserably.
I no longer even tried to hold back. I let loose, and I cried.
As I watched, the body in which that horrific battle was playing out fell to the ground, a bruised and battered mess.
And, very clearly, dying.
I shifted Kiera’s head to the ground, then crawled to Rose, my fingers skimming over her face, over her hair. Dear God, what have I done?
I looked up to find Deacon back in his body. “Stab her,” he said, his voice deathly urgent. “Stab her now before he can return.”
I lifted my knife, then held it there, unable to do it. Unable to end my little sister.
“Dammit, Lily, trust me.”
Terror flashed in Rose’s eyes, but whether it was Johnson or my sister, I didn’t know.
Tears flooded my vision, and Deacon’s voice seemed to fill the chamber.
“Now, Lily! You must do it now! Trust me!”
I hesitated only a moment longer. Because dammit, I did. I trusted Deacon. More, I knew I had to keep Johnson from coming back.
No matter what I did now, I’d failed. My sister was truly dead.