A red and golden mist began to form in the room as the walls broke apart, giving way to an endless realm. We were no longer in the basement of my mansion but standing on a dark-blue stone road, with nothing but smoke coming from the trees around the rocks we stood on. The gates were large and made of sharp onyx weaved against golden rods with pointed tops. There was no lock or chains holding them together. They were sealed with magic.
A shimmering blue hand reached through the gates, then pulled back immediately as if burned, which is what a ghost did when trying to get through the gate.
“They’re trying to get through.” She took a step closer, her fingers gripping me tightly.
“There are more on the other side than there were a few months ago. It’s like they know the gates are failing. I don’t know how or why it’s happening, but the ghosts are making a mass exodus here.” Selene pressed further against me, her body shivering from either the chill or fear.
“Do you know what is happening?” she asked, and I pointed to one of the golden rods that appeared more of a reddish brown than gold.
“The gates are breaking. Literally. A chink in the magic. I’ve tried to seal it back, including feeding it my blood, but nothing has worked.” I pulled back my sleeve and showed her the cut made across the tanned skin of my forearm.
“Jude.” Her whisper of my name made me close my eyes. I wanted to hear my name coming from her lips for a long time.
“I need to get out of here. I’m having trouble fighting back some depressing thoughts.”
I nodded and turned us to go.
“No!” a man screamed from behind us. A ghost crawled through the broken section of the gate. His fingernails dug into the sapphire-blue rocks.
Anger bubbled up from my chest as I pulled Selene close, covering her eyes. I held my other hand out to use my death magic.
“Go the fuck back to hell,” I growled, and watched as a dark smoke curled around the ghost, wrapping around his fingers one by one, up his arm, then hook his neck. I gripped my fingers tightly, and the ghost screamed while my power pulled him back through the burning gates.
I needed to leave more of my tendrils of darkness behind to guard the broken area or more would be escaping. No one else had the power I did to relieve me when I grew tired, and I needed breaks.
“Let’s go.” I walked with Selene in my arms out the door and slammed it so hard, the walls rattled beside it.
Chapter Twenty- Three
Selene
He didn’t want me to see his power wrap around the ghost like a dark noose to drag it back to the other side. Maybe a normal person would fear his power, but I wasn’t normal or afraid of him.
Jude walked us back upstairs silently, while I counted my blessings. Being in that room had brought out all my horrifying moments of depression, and it made me feel small and alone. My hand gripped Jude’s hand tightly.
“Come home with me,” I blurted out as we neared the doorway for me to leave. I wasn’t giving up on this. I’d made that decision as soon as I saw his face when he opened the door. Whatever force pulled us together was too strong, and I didn’t care.
“Selene.” His voice was thick with the pain of denying us.
“As long as you have someone to lean on, the darkness doesn’t feel so heavy. That’s what you said. So lean on me, Jude. Let me be the one to hold your hand and follow you into the dark.” I lifted our joined hands up to my lips and pressed a kiss to his warm skin. His lips parted, as his eyes darted to my lips, then up to my eyes wistfully.
“Just tell the Hero Society to meet here tomorrow morning. 9:00 a.m. I’ll see you then, Selene.” He gently used his other hand to unwind our joined connection, then took a step back, giving me his answer.
He was afraid. Instead of flinging hurtful words at him, I nodded once and left. I’d made my case, and the ball sat waiting in his court. He had to decide what he wanted and what he deemed worth enough to damn everything else. The chilled wind bit against my face as I cried unexpected tears. The pain increased as the gates opened for me this time as I exited the Mallory property. Jude must have been watching me leave. He wasn’t going to run out of his house to tell me that we’d walk hand in hand in the darkness. He’d rather shoulder his burden alone. I could yell and scream at him all I wanted, but the choice had to be mutual.
The hitchhikers were gone as I walked to my car and started it up. The silent drive grew heavy on my emotions all the way back to my apartment. As soon as I got inside my warm home, I lit a fire in the hearth and called Phillip.
“What’s shaking?” he answered, while a police siren wailed in the background.
“Hey, is everything OK over there?” I thought about getting back in my car and rushing to help but there most likely wouldn’t be anything I could do unless someone died. I didn’t have super strength or speed like Leo or spy skills like Lilith. I talked to the dead and took them to the afterlife, not exactly save the day material.
“A robber knocked over a candle at the hippie shop. He thought there would be pot there, but he was wrong. All is good here. What’s going on with you?” I heard the curiosity in Phillip’s voice, maybe wondering what words I would say to determine the future.
“Jude wants the Hero Society to meet at his house tomorrow morning at nine. The gates to the other world are falling apart, but he has an idea and wanted to talk to everyone about it.” At least that was my hope. Something needed to be done about the problem. If he didn’t have an idea, then maybe one of the others would come up with one.
“Sounds good, I’ll let everyone know. Gwendolyn and Arthur will stay behind. I’m pretty sure Gwendolyn would have a heart attack if she saw his place.” Phillip laughed.
Gwendolyn had Asperger’s and was the smartest of the group, but she was OCD and did not like messes. She was always organizing something at the Hero Society headquarters. She couldn’t help herself. I know she tried hard to restrain her obsessions when she came to my cottage, but sometimes I found her reorganizing my pantry.
