Sin of the Saints (Between Delusion and Sobriety Duet #2)

Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Bartimaeus

“ T his way,” Valentina commands, and all I can do is follow her dark aura. I see nothing but her, and I must now rely on one who was, until recently, my enemy.

We run, hunched over, pressed against the walls under cover of darkness. If Valentina managed to sneak out of the castle, she’ll also find a way to infiltrate it without us being detected. Unfortunately, not only is my aura shining through my clouded eyes, Valentina sees it too. My damn aura might give us away, and I’m forced to cover myself in a black quilt.

This place is huge, so many dark corridors, and we hear orders being fired off constantly, footsteps running in every direction. Something’s happening, I have no doubt about that. This place is crawling with guards and the atmosphere is tense, and there’s no telling how we’ll find Belle in this demon trap.

“What the Hell…” Valentina sounds stunned.

“What is it?” I look at where her aura is pointing.

And there she is before me, running down the hall right towards us, looking like the Devil himself is pursuing her, or worse. A red, sense-paralyzing aura envelopes her, and I hear her panting hysterically as she dashes towards us.

We didn’t know where to start looking for her, and here she is, running right into my arms in the dark hallway, a crimson glow around her skin and around… her wings? She’s spectacular, she’s mesmerizing, she’s dangerous. And yet I feel her vulnerability and her fear.

I take Valentina’s coat from her; we’ll have to hide the aura around her to keep her from giving us away. I wrap her in the coat and she starts screaming. I have no choice but to cover her mouth. We turn on our heels and start running as fast as we can. Belle tries to resist, but given my past experience her strength is little more than a human girl in the middle of a tantrum. I think I hear bells ringing, which drives Belle to fight me, but I must be wrong. The presence of sacred bells makes no sense in a demonic castle.

“Hush!” Valentina whispers, and we cling to the brick wall, mere footsteps from our door out of this place.

“The bell sounds are coming from here,” I hear someone say, and the running steps approach us.

“Shit, what’s the plan?” I whisper to Valentina.

“Get her out of here, I’ll create a diversion,” she answers, and I hear her draw the Desert Eagle I gave her.

“No, there are too many of them,” I try to dissuade her from the preordained outcome – sacrificing herself. I can’t even believe I’m worried for a demoness, but she was my ally, even if for a short time.

“It’s my obligation, my calling. I don’t know how, but I feel it. Her father charged me with protecting her, and now I know what he meant.”

Her aura moves, and she pulls my hand, wincing at the burn. I smell charred skin. She draws something on my arm and shoves the car keys into my hand. “Go to this address. It’s an isolated cabin my father uses for emergencies. Completely discrete location. You’ll be safe there” I still hesitate. “Go, now! Don’t worry, angel , I have no intention of giving in easily,” she says, and runs straight into the lion’s maw. The aura around her rages, hinting at her determination and sacrifice in her heroic action towards Belle and myself.

I lift Belle up, covered in Valentina’s coat, and she whines in protest. I ignore the sound of the bells, knowing they’re only chasing us in my mind, and I run out of the castle. Blind, but my resolve is the lighthouse that illuminates my path to freedom.

When the voices behind me fade away, and my hands locate the tangle of bushes where Valentina parked the car, I lower Belle and take her coat off so I can look at her crimson aura.

“Belle?” I whisper her name, feeling her breath catch in her throat.

“B-Bar?” her voice cracks. Her aura moves sharply and she stares at me in silence.

I’m almost tempted to throw it all away, to embrace her and comfort her, but the urgency of getting away from the castle wins out and I fire off cold orders, shoving the car keys into her hands. “No time, we’ve got to get to safety.” I lift my arm and show her the address Valentina wrote on my skin. “Drive there.”

Belle doesn’t say a word. She presses the unlock button and the car beeps. I run to the source of the sound, seeking the passenger side and getting in.

“Now, Belle! Now!” She slams the driver’s door shut and with trembling hands has a challenging time getting the key into the ignition. When the motor stirs to life she switches gears and hits the pedal. “Put the address into the GPS,” I lift my arm in front of her and hear the ticking sounds on the touch screen. “Try to stay down as much as possible, at least until we leave the city. Here, take my quilt.” I hold it out to her, and when she doesn’t respond I place it around her shoulders.

I hear her breathe, she’s trying to control her sobs. Her aura trembles and I think I hear soft bell chimes, but I push that thought out of my mind. It’s not possible.

The drive takes too long, is too torturous, silent except for Belle’s quiet crying. I want to say something, but the words stick in my throat like a heavy boulder. All this time, thinking we might never see each other again, I wondered if she’d forgotten me, that unshakeable connection we’d had until the moment our paths diverged. Does she know I sold my soul for her, and will never be able to get it back?

I’m rocked back and forth and feel the car turning onto a dirt road. I grip the dashboard to steady myself, but my mind is awhirl and I think I won’t be able to find a solid grasp until I can finally touch her, to realize everything I’d prayed to do every day we were apart.

The car stops and we sit in silence. I give her a few moments to calm down as she bursts into tears, but the truth is I need time as much as she does.

Being next to her feels completely different, fragrant like a flower in full bloom. She’s radiant, literally, and the energy her body is putting out undermines the determination I had before setting out on this rescue mission.

I feel her sharp gaze on me. She blurts out, stunned: “You’re glowing.” A strange feeling of déjà-vu passes down my spine. “How can you be glowing, Bar?” She shakes my arm and I remain frozen in place.

“You can touch me,” I say when I realize she isn’t burned by my skin.

“Why wouldn’t I be able to touch you? And why aren’t you answering me?”

“Give me your hand, Belle.” I hold out my hand and wait for her to respond. She does as I say, and wraps my hand in hers. Our auras seem to charge each other, and I gasp. “Belle,” I draw her hand to me and she rests her head on my chest. My still heart is burning, racing, about to jump out of my chest in a frenzy. “Do you feel that, Belle? My heart is beating for you.” She pulls my hand and places it on her breast, and I feel her heart beating in perfect time with the pounding of my heart. I feel wetness on my chest. “Oh my God, Belle, I’ve waited an eternity, but now I know you were made for me.”