Clairvoyant (Spells and Sins)

4. Chapter 4

Millenias of love for Quinn rush into my heart and possess my entire fucking being. Many memories of us rule my mind, and Quinn is the queen of the kingdom. For another thousand years, I will always come to find her and place the crown upon her head. She will always be my reason for living.

My reason to die.

And my reason to come back to life when I need to search for her all over again.

But I know something Quinn doesn’t and with a guilty conscience, I climb the steps to follow her, knowing my time with Quinn is short. Soon, I’m going to die.

When all the memories came rushing back, I relived every death I ever had. She never remembers how I die because it isn’t her who is dying. Every time we finally find one another, we only get a handful of days together.

I won’t tell her because I won’t be able to bear the pain in her eyes. The heartbreak that will consume her is one I won’t be able to mend. I’d rather her love me blindly without worry than love me with the fear of losing me. Love given from fear has a different weight to it. It’s heavy, burdened, and afraid. It brings silence when there needs to be noise.

And I want our love to be so loud that the entire universe can hear it.

A door slams from upstairs, and I bolt up the steps, taking two at a time. “Quinn!” I shout. “Quinn!” I yell again, needing to hear her call to me. “Which room are you in?” The hallway is long to the right and left. All the doors are shut. I try the first one closest, gripping the handle and giving it a good shake. “Quinn!” I pound on the door with my shoulder.

“Where is she?” Rian asks, breathless after running up the steps.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen so many fucking doors in one hallway before. You start on that end. I’ll start over here.”

She nods and runs to the end of the hallway, her foot punching through a weak spot on the floor. Rian screams, the floor under her giving out until she’s gripping the edge, so she doesn’t fall.

“Rian!” I sprint, slide across the floor onto my stomach, and grip her hands. “You’re okay. I have you.”

“Oh God, please don’t let me fall. Please.”

“I’m not going to let you fall. You’re going to be fine.” Her nails dig into my arms, breaking the skin, and drawing blood. I bite back the discomfort and pull her up.

A growl comes from beneath her, yanking her back down, and she screams. Tears run down her face as she struggles to maintain her grip on me.

“Oh my God. It’s trying to pull me down. Beckett! Please, please, please,” she sobs, clawing at me.

“Look at me. Look.” I turn her chin, forcing her teary eyes onto mine. “What can be done? What can I do?”

Another growl sounds and this time, the scream that leaves her is full of pain and agony.

“It’s scratching me down my legs.”

“What do I do?”

“The holy water,” she gasps.

“You’ll be okay? Don’t you dare let go. Hang on, okay? That’s all I need you to do.” Before I give her the option to reply, I’m up and running down the steps, sweat beading on my forehead.

When I get to the bottom of the steps, I see a black mass to the right near the kitchen, snarling and slashing Rian’s legs. Blood drips onto the floor, flinging onto the walls. She’ll be a memory in this house if I don’t act soon.

In a quick dash to the living room, I dart my eyes around the room to look for the holy water she is talking about. There are three jugs in the corner. Wasting no time, I snag one, twist the top off, and as quickly as I can, run into the direction where Rian is hanging on for dear life.

Keeping a tight hold on the handle, I rear the jug behind me, then forward, allowing the water to escape. The dark mass begins to smoke and screech.

“How do you like that? You mother fucker.” I splash it again and again until it has no choice but to disappear.

Knowing my time is limited, I take as many steps at once as I can, using the rail for support. I set the jug down at the top of the stairs and crawl to Rian.

The floor groans, threatening to give out under us. Rian is pale and losing the strength to hold on.

“Rian,” I whisper. “I need you to hold on.”

She groans, shaking her head. “I can’t. Tired.”

I lunge forward when she lets go, reaching through the hole in the ground to catch her wrist just in time. Blood still drips down her legs, a small puddle forming beneath her. With a grunt, I pull her up and away from the hole, dragging us closer to the staircase.

“Hey, hey, Rian? Rian.” I lightly slap her cheeks to get her to wake up. “Quinn! Quinn! Where are you? Rian needs your help!” I place her on the ground, staring at the mess of her legs. “Jesus Christ.” Long slash marks cut into her thigh and go as far as her ankle.

I yank off my hoodie, grab the bottle of holy water near the staircase, and pour it on her legs.

That wakes her up.

She bolts forward, screaming from the agony the holy water causes. It sizzles in the wounds yet, to my shock, her wounds stop bleeding. I place my hoody over her legs, hoping it helps bring her comfort.

“I don’t know what to do, Rian. Tell me what to do. Do I call 9-1-1? What do you need?”

“That spirit,” she coughs. “Drained most of my energy. I promised Quinn I would leave if that happened. If the spirit comes back, it could kill me. Energy is my life force, Beckett. I have to leave.”

“Okay. I can help you to the car.” I try to slide my hands under her, but she pushes me away.

“No. You go to Quinn. I’ll be fine. Find Quinn. Tell her I’m sorry.”

“She will only care if you’re safe.” I push myself up to stand, but her hand clutches mine.

“Your secret is safe with me. I won’t tell them about you.”

I swallow, hating reality is looming above our heads. “Thank you, Rian. I hope I see you in another life.” I give her hand a small squeeze and a gentle pat, waiting until she is the first one to let go.

I give her one last look before giving my attention to the closed doors lining the hallway. I’m not about to let time go to waste. Knocking and yelling her name won’t work. Standing directly in the middle of the door, I take a few steps back and kick it in. The first door flies off its hinges, wood splintering everywhere, only to reveal an empty room.

“Fuck!” I yell, kicking down the next.

Then, the next.

I’m sweating by the time I get to the fourth door, but I refuse to quit or give in. I kick it down.

The room isn’t empty like the rest. There’s an old bed in the middle of the room, a crib to the left, and Quinn lies on the ground.

Still and unmoving.

“Quinn!” I barrel towards her, dropping to my knees, and scoop her into my arms. Bending down, I press my ear against her chest and sigh in relief when I hear her heartbeat. “You scared me, Stardust.” I rest my forehead against her chest. “You aren’t allowed to die before me. It’s never been that way. It’s always me who goes first. Always.”

I kiss her chest, pressing my hand against it so I can feel her life. I calm, breathing in and out. “Where are you? Where did you go? Can you hear me?” I push her hair out of her face, needing her eyes to open. “Come back to me, Stardust. We’ve traveled too far to lose one another now.”

She remains motionless.

And all I can do is wait.