Ink & Dagger (Sins of Eden #1)

45. Chapter XLV

Chapter XLV

Emily

W ith two steps remaining, I froze in shock, rooted to the spot as I watched the soul of a familiar woman smile at me from the edge of the circle across from me.

“My dearest Emily,” she said softly.

Her voice was like a warm embrace, wrapping around me and blanketing me in love and protection as I gaped open mouthed at the woman smiling back at me.

“Mom? Is that - is that really you?” I asked in disbelief, tears springing to the corners of my eyes.

She looked just as she had thirty years ago, forever frozen in time. Her dark hair was up in a loose elegant bun, the long black dress looked a little wrinkled like she’d just pulled it out from the back of her closet, and around her neck she was still wearing the locket that I’d given her for Yule when I was eight. Just looking at her now brought back all of the pain and heartache from the night she’d died.

“Mom, I am so -” a sob caught in my throat as I remembered Agatha’s admission. My mother died because of Charlie and I. She was killed because of what we were. “I’m so sorry.” I said, tears streaming down my face now as I took a step towards her.

“My sweet girl,” she said with a sad shake of her head and a step back, stopping me in my tracks.

“I am the one who is sorry. For all of the secrets and the pain you’ve been through, but even still, I would do it all over again just to have you both for the short time that I did. I’m so very proud of you, my love,” she said.

“You shouldn’t be here in this form, your presence is upsetting the balance and you don’t have much time. Emily my darling, once you leave this realm you need to destroy this house and the portal,” she told me sadly.

“What are you talking about, mom, I can’t -” I started.

“The portal is unstable. It’s just a matter of time before the barrier falls. You have to destroy it,” she said.

If I destroyed the portal, destroyed this house, then that meant that all of the trapped souls here would become banished. They wouldn’t linger or move on, they would just simply cease to exist. There had to be another way.

As if she’d heard my thoughts, she spoke up again. “Sweet girl, there is no other way. You must put an end to this cursed coven and move on with your destiny. There is nothing more here for you.”

Tears streamed freely down my face now as I listened to her words. She knew what this meant, for her and the rest of the Witches trapped within this house. There would be no coming back from this.

“I love you so much, Mom.” I said, my breath catching as I spoke.

“I love you forever and always my darling girl. Now go, quickly,” she told me, forcing a smile and blowing me a kiss.

The urge to run to her and try to pull her out with me was overwhelming as I gave myself a moment longer to look at her.

I took a deep breath and stepped back, my heart tearing in two as I walked away from her and reached the cages where our Familiars were being held. I tried to grip the bar to the cage and tear it away, but pulled my hand back, cussing as it scalded my palm. I fucking knew that bitch had hexed the damn bars to trap them, nothing else would have kept our Familiars from us.

I ran through my memories of counter hexes and tried to come up with a way to get them out. In the distance, I could hear swords clashing and the shouting of the two Angels below us as they fought. Hearing them gave me an idea. I wasn’t just a Witch, I was a fucking Angel. No spell I knew could break through a magical lock like this, but Holy Light? That might just work.

“I will have your daughters, Uriel. They are Heaven’s to claim.” Gabriel shouted from below as I closed my eyes in concentration.

I took in deep steadying breaths as I channeled my powers to my hands and felt my skin begin to prickle.

“You guys might want to move to the back.” I told Ghost and Cerys as I opened my eyes and took a peek at my hands.

“Took you long enough,” my grumpy Familiar grumbled. “You know you look like a damn glow stick right?”

“Not the time, Ghost. Just move back.” I grumbled, as I positioned my hands at the hinges of the door.

The sudden blast of power that shot from my hands startled me, but I scrambled to kick the door away just as Jaxon shouted from the other side of the room.

“Emily, he’s coming!”

He summoned balls of Hell Fire in either hand and watched the doors as footsteps echoed up the stairs.

Suddenly, the door to the ceremony room was sliced down the center with a blade of aether and shards of wood flew across the room at its demise. An Angel dressed in silver armor, similar to Uriel’s, charged into the room, throwing Jaxon to the side with a flick of his wrist as his menacing eyes locked on mine.

I pulled Cerys free from the cage and clutched her tightly to my chest as Ghost slithered out, hissing at the new arrival.

“Cerys, Charlie is safe. Go to her,” I whispered.

Keeping my eyes locked on Gabriel, I sat her back down and allowed Ghost to wrap around my arm as Cerys apparated out of the portal. I straightened my spine and stood stoically as Ghost climbed to my shoulder and nuzzled my cheek.

I missed you, too. Not that he’d ever tell me that.

“Emily, I presume?” The Angel asked as he began to sheathe his blade.

He was severely underestimating me if he thought that was a good idea.

Ghost hissed again and I raised my hand up to run my hand along his scales to calm him.

“What’s it to you?” I asked, my body vibrating with power.

If he thought he was going to take me, he had another thing coming. At that, he pulled his sword back out, smiling at me as he sauntered towards Jaxon.

Fuck.

“You have two choices. You may either come with me willingly or I can end his life right now,” he said, placing the tip of his sword to Jaxon’s throat.

Fuck. Why couldn’t I be the fucking damsel for once?

Closing my eyes, I blew out a resigned breath. If I could keep him distracted long enough, then we would all get out of this.

“Wait! Okay, I’ll come,” I said, opening my eyes and pasting on a look of defeat.

“What the Hell are you doing?” Ghost said angrily as I took a step to walk back through the barrier.

“It’s okay, Ghost. I’ll be okay. I need you to go to Jaxon once I cross the barrier. Stay together,” I whispered.

I was focused and determined, I would not fail.

As I stepped back into the mortal realm, I allowed Ghost to slither off of my shoulders, before removing Jaxon’s jacket. Gabriel stalked towards me, but I stood, rooted in place, to make sure Ghost was in position.

Ghost wrapped himself protectively around Jaxon’s arm, ready to attack, but that wouldn’t be necessary. I focused my magic, creating a protective shield around them both before looking back at Gabriel.

Now that they were shielded, I could focus on the Angel in front of me and perhaps find a way to send the Spirits of the Witches to the afterlife without destroying them.