into her body. Adriana rushed up to her with heated blankets, wrapping Kate in them and plugging them all in to a power strip that Donovan was attaching to the outlet in the wall. The blankets added warmth to Kate’s frigid skin, but she knew that she wouldn’t be healthy enough to move or speak until her own tendrils of warmth melted into her pores and connected with her soul.
Kate looked up and watched Rico breaking most of the things in her house. He was fighting Erik, punching and kicking him, pushing and shoving him. The fight was brutal; both demons took punches and gave them. Within moments, the fight grew in severity until it was out of control; the demons collided together with a power that shook the foundation of Kate’s small beach house, and the rumbling knocked over most of Kate’s family’s possessions. Kate watched as Rico shoved Erik against the wall, knocking him unconscious. He kicked him a couple more times, ensuring that Erik would be out for a decent amount of time, and then rushed to Kate, a blur of black.
Rico slowed down and lowered himself so that he was on his knees. He looked up at Kate’s face. She was still shivering, even though the blankets radiated extreme amounts of heat, and Rico put his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them, hoping that he wasn’t counteracting the blankets. This sparked a thought, and Rico leaned forward.
He kissed Kate’s cold lips, drawing her to him. He moved his lips over hers, trying to force her to kiss him back, begging her to respond to his touch. She wouldn’t, so he kissed her harder, more urgently. He took her face into his cold hands and looked into her grey eyes. They were fading fast.
Kate was aware that Rico was pressing his lips against hers, at first slowly and then ardently, angry that he couldn’t bring her back to life with one, magical kiss. But life isn’t like a fairytale, she thought grimly.
Off to the side, Kate heard Adriana’s soft tears, could almost feel the way Donovan held Adriana, comforting her. She would almost miss Adriana the most.
Kate was standing on the top of the highest building in downtown Tampa. Up here the wind was soft, somehow, like a summer breeze. She stood there, waiting for someone to arrive. Kate looked out over the horizon, admiring the beautiful city.
Down below, people were walking through the nearly deserted streets. Couples held hands and ran across the street, contrary to the street signs. People walked their dogs. Children played in the fountain and out in the grass at the park. Kate smiled, knowing that these people were happy with their lives. She was so enthralled with them that she didn’t notice the presence standing behind her.
“Kate,” a voice said. It echoed like a beautiful melody.
Kate turned to see a tall, well-built man. He had graying hair and a beautiful smile. His eyes were the color of a starry night, an endless black that twinkled with the light of the stars. He wore white linen slacks and a creamy button-down that was tucked into the pants. A dark belt sat at the man’s waist, and he wore matching dark shoes. The man held his hand out to Kate and she rushed up to take it. The pair walked toward the edge of the building and sat down on a wooden bench that appeared abruptly. They looked over the edge, enjoying the spectacular view.
After a few moments of silence, the man turned to Kate. “Kate,” he said. “Do you know who I am?”
Kate smiled, knowing immediately. “You’re Light,” she said.
Light nodded and offered a small smile. “I am. Do you know why I have come to speak to you, Kate?” he asked kindly.
“No, sir. I don’t.”
Light sighed. “You have given up, Kate. You are on the edge of death. Your soul is on the verge of escaping your body, leaving it an empty vessel. Do you want to leave your life on Earth? Are you ready to leave that life behind you?”
“I don’t know,” Kate said honestly. She looked up into Light’s eyes, searching their starry depths for an answer, some advice, anything.
“Why would you want to leave your friends, your family? Are you willing to break their hearts?” he asked her kindly.
“No, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life doing this, running from demons. I almost feel as if it’s no life at all. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to keep this up, to live like this.”
Light tilted his head back and forth, thinking. He turned to look at Kate after mulling it over. “I understand your concerns, Kate, but I am not yet ready for you to leave this life. You have not fulfilled your purpose, your destiny, and should you leave without doing so, the world will never be the same. I need you to stay.” Light looked into Kate’s eyes, waiting patiently for her response.
“I thought that I wasn’t the catalyst. I thought it was a lie.”
Light laughed, all of the most beautiful sounds blended together into one single sound. “You are correct, Kate. You are not the catalyst. It does not, however, mean that you are not important. You are very much important.”
“Then, what is my purpose, Light?” she asked.
“I cannot tell you what your purpose is, Kate. That is for you to decide for yourself. I can, however, tell you that it is not death. You are not meant to sacrifice your life for humankind. You are not supposed to sacrifice your life to preserve the balance of good and evil. As you already know, people choose their paths for themselves. Demons do the same thing. We all have free will, Kate. We are all able to make our own choices. Even Darkness and I have made unwise choices. And now it is your turn to choose your path.”
“I understand,” Kate said with a nod. “Light does not always mean that people are good. Darkness does not always mean that people are evil. Rico, Donovan, and Adriana are examples of that. They are some of the best people I’ve ever known, even if they aren’t really people.” Kate smiled, thinking of her friends.
Light smiled at Kate as he stood up and moved toward the edge of the building. He turned around, his white hair blowing in the wind. “Yes, Kate,” he agreed as he held his hand out for Kate. “They are, and they mean a great deal to both you and I.”
Standing up, Kate walked over to where Light now waited. “Light?” she asked him.
He looked out over the edge. “Yes, my daughter.”
“Why can’t I stay here with you? I know that you say my purpose is not in death, but don’t I get to choose what it is?”
Light turned back to look at Kate. “Yes, Kate, you do. Before you choose, though, I would like to show you something. Would that be okay with you?” Light asked.
Kate nodded and was unsurprised when she suddenly stood in the nearly destroyed living room at her house. Rico was bent over Kate, head hung low. He stroked Kate’s hair as his cobalt eyes grazed the ground. Adriana and Kate’s mother, who had woken up at some point, were in the corner, crying and holding on to each other. Donovan was sitting in a chair, head in his hands, mumbling unintelligible words. They were miserable. They were destroyed by Kate’s death. Their mourning held their full attention, and no one noticed the tendril of fog that slithered through the room. Erik stood up, fully alive and stronger; the tendrils flowed from him and headed toward the people Kate loved. It was going to kill them, just like it had killed Kate.
“No!” Kate screamed, reaching out for them.
27
Kate was jolted awake. The dark wood of the floor was underneath her, pressing into her bones like weights. Its surface was cool and smooth, a somewhat comforting presence. In contrast, the warm blankets were thrown around Kate haphazardly, but they protected her from Erik’s watchful eyes. Kate could tell that she had been torn from Rico’s grasp by the way her body lay across the floor. She was sprawled in an awkward position, with her arms spread out and her left leg bent at an impossible angle. It was difficult to stay still but Kate bit her tongue and forced herself not to rearrange her body. She knew, grimly, that Rico had already been captured by the dark magic. Kate began formulating a plan in her mind, knowing that she would have to free her friends. She knew enough from practicing with Rico and Donovan that it was best to catch Erik when he was unaware of her presence, much like he was right now.
&n
bsp; Erik was laughing somewhere to Kate’s right. The sound pulled Kate from her thoughts, and she focused on Erik in an attempt to gather her surroundings. She extended her other senses as well, building a blueprint of the room in her mind.
“I can’t believe that you are all so enthralled with this human girl to mourn her death. Her soul is resting peacefully. You all should be happy.”
“Kern won’t be happy,” Donovan spat. “He will kill you.”
Erik laughed and a haunting sound erupted from his throat. He was crazed with power, and Kate feared that they didn’t have a chance. “He cannot kill me any longer,” he shouted at them. “I am a god now! I will live forever!”
“There are no gods among demons,” Rico said. His voice sounded dull and lifeless, and Kate had to bite her tongue harder to keep from calling out his name.
“Now, Rico, don’t say such cruel things. Haven’t you learned to be respectful to your superiors? I know that you wouldn’t want me to burn your little human pet.” Kate felt Erik’s presence move closer to her. Her heart began to race and she tensed, preparing herself for the worst, for anything.
Rico was silent and Erik laughed with the knowledge that he had won for now. Kate pictured her father’s face in her mind, contorted in such a way that marked him unrecognizable.
“You’re