Chapter 24 — With you by my side

Kell:

It doesn’t take long for us to get to Mathias’s place. Cassia Mathias’s is mate meets us at the door. Cassia is hot and tall with long blonde hair. Today she’s wearing a black tank top, black yoga pants, and her hair is tied up in a high ponytail. Like me, Cassia is supernatural. But she a full angel. She and Mathias met a few months back at Cal State when he went looking for her psycho father, Lukan Garron. They had a rocky start, but they’re a solid couple now.

“Hey, Kell,” Cassia says with a welcoming smile. “Mathias is expecting you; come right in.”

I take Amara’s hand and step into the room.

“Hello there.” She says with a twinkle in her eyes.

I close the door behind us and gesture to Cassia. “Amara, this is Cassia, Mathias’s mate. Cassia, this is my mate, Amara.”

Smiling, Amara takes her hand. They’re both so different. Where Cassia is light, Amara is dark. Amara’s long dark hair and green eyes ironically contrast with what she is wearing. Today, she’s wearing a white tank top and blue jeans. “It’s nice to meet you, Cassia.”

Cassia raises a questioning brow then gives me a knowing look. “Oh…Amara. I’ve heard of you from Haley.”

Amara chuckles. “I hope nothing bad.” Cassia waves her hand and giggles. “No, nothing like that.”

Just then, Mathias comes out of a room. Amara’s breath hitches in surprise. I can’t say I blame her. Mathias is an imposing bastard. He’s about six feet tall and muscular with Auburn hair. His eyes are a gold/hazel color.

He moves into the room and gazes at Amara suspiciously but doesn’t comment as he wraps his arm around Cassia’s waist and evenly asks, “Why are you all standing out here? Come in.”

Cassia giggles again. “Sorry, babe, I was just talking to Kell’s pretty mate.”

Amara nods her head shyly as she nervously wipes her hand down her jeans. “Yeah…um…sorry.”

Mathias simply tilts his head and gestures towards the living room. “Let’s have a seat.”

Taking Amara’s hand again, I give her a reassuring smile and lead her to a nearby seat. Mathias and Cassia’s place very similar to Azazel’s with its open concept living area, exposed brick, large picture windows, and dark wooden floors. Except, you can see a Cassia has put in a few of her touches in the art on the wall, the colorful jewel tone pillows and vases full of flowers. Everything is dark wood and steel with splashes of Cassia. Cassia moves across the room to the kitchen. “Can I get anyone a drink?”

Amara and Mathias shake their heads. “I’ll take a water bottle, please,” I ask nicely.

Cassias reaches into the refrigerator, removes several water bottles, then walks over to us, places them on the coffee table, and sits on the armrest near Mathias’s chair.

Mathias exhales, with a stiff posture, before he sternly asks. “So, you’re the Breija?”

Amara gives me an uneasy frown and turns back to Mathias. “Yeah, I’m the one that told Kell to call...I…a couple of years ago, I started having these visions. At first, I thought that they were flashes of some kind. That was until a few months ago…”

We all look attentively as she prepares to tell us her story. She exhales deeply and runs her palms across her forearms nervously. “Then, they became more vivid. It was almost surreal to find myself in the person’s mind. At first, I thought it was a dream.”

She looks at Mathias expectantly. “You know how sometimes you dream, and it feels like you’re awake?”

Everyone nods their heads in understanding. Which seems to put her at ease. “That’s how I feel every time I have a vision. I guess I was in denial because I ignored it at first.”

Her eyes gleam with tears, and her mouth trembles. “I’m just a normal girl. Stuff like that only happens in movies or books. It wasn’t until a few months ago that I first started seeing visions of Leslie Johnson. I didn’t think they were real.” She ends with a croak.

Silent sobs wrack her body as she recalls the visions. Unable to bear her pain, I wrap my arm around her and pull her into my chest. She places her hand on my chest and looks towards Mathias and Cassia.

Mathias furrows his brow and whispers gently. “What did you see, Amara?”

Amara places her hand on her lips in a nervous gesture. “I saw her walking home from some party. Everything seemed fine. She was a little buzzed, but she was happy. She was almost home when it happened. Her house was near a children’s park. I recall that she stopped because she heard a voice…a, a child’s voice, and some rustling near a secluded area of the park. Thinking that a kid is in trouble or something, Leslie walked over to the voice to see if she could help. All she wanted to do was to help a child.” Her breath hitches as she stops talking for a moment and gazes blankly forward as if reliving the nightmare. “It happened so fast. Something came up behind her and stabbed her in the back. They didn’t kill her, though. That came later…in the church.”

Mathias moves to the edge of his seat and places a hand on his knee. “What do you mean church?”

Amara opens her mouth then closes it indecisively. “The next time that I had the vision, she woke up in some church. She was tied up on an altar of some kind, and there were candles all around her. I figured by the way it looked inside that it was a church. I mean, it was hazy, but I could still see stained glass windows and pews. There was a woman standing over her. I couldn’t really see her face, but she sounded like a woman. She had these intensely hate-filled eyes. They were red and bloodshot.”

She swallows in disgust and grimaces in horror. “She was chanting something and holding a knife to her chest.” Her sobs intensify, and she bites her lip to stifle her cries.

Seeing her distress, Cassia rises from her perch, hands her a tissue, then moves back to her seat. Amara gives her a grateful smile and wipes her eyes and cheeks. “Leslie was so scared and confused. She…she begged her to let her...g-go. After she…after, the woman was done chanting. She…st-stabbed her in the chest. She killed Leslie!” She grits out angrily and covers her mouth with a sob. “She killed her.”

Mathias’s expression remains blank as he listens to Amara’s story. I guess Mathias has lived so long that the idea of someone’s death does not affect him in any way. I have to say that I admire his stoicism. “Did she do anything else?”

Amara shakes her head. “I don’t know. I woke up when Leslie screamed.”

Mathias quirks his head. “Did you see anything else? Or hear anything else? Maybe the woman’s name?”

Amara gazes around thoughtfully, then shakes her head. “No. About a few days later, Leslie’s body was discovered, and soon after, I began to have other visions of Sophie. My dreams of her began a few weeks ago. It starts out pretty much the same way. But this one is clearer. It’s almost as if I’m really here.”

Her eyes become distant. “I—she was sitting with her boyfriend and talking. He was telling her he loved her. I remember touching her hair.” She raises her hand and subconsciously rubs her fingers through several stray tendrils of her hair. “It was cherry red and long. Her hands were darker than mine.”

She takes a deep breath and frowns, looking forlorn. “They were walking back to a car when she was taken. They hurt him too. I’ve been having recurring visions of her since. Each time I had the visions, I got really cold. It was almost unbearable. My last dream was a few days before you found her. She died the same way. She was stabbed and taken to some kind of church where a woman chants over her.”

Mathias wipes at his mouth and exhales. “Does the woman say anything else?”

Amara furrows her brow. “Yeah, she said something about it having to work. She was so angry this time. She kept screaming about running out of options; that Sophie had to be her. She had to be the one she was searching for because she needed her power. Then she…”

Amara closes her eyes and sways. “Then, she stabbed her.” She shakes her head. “I did some research and, after some work, found out who she was. I found her name, Sophie Chandler. I called her house, but her mom said that she was on some tour to plant trees with the Earth club. I tried to get her to call her, but she said the reception was bad where she was. I just wanted to find her before, …but you know that already. And now she’s dead.”

Everyone becomes quiet as if digesting what they have just learned. Amara fidgets in her seat, clears her throat and says, “I guess I was too late.”

Mathias snaps to attention and rises from his seat. “I’m sorry we couldn’t get to her in time, Amara. But maybe we can help the next girl.” He gives Amara a gentle grin then turns to me. “I think your friend needs a break. Why don’t you take her home?”

He gazes at Amara and says, “I don’t want to overwhelm you with this right now. Not after you’ve released such a great burden. We can talk tomorrow.” Amara and I nod our heads exhaustedly.

Without another word, Mathias and I shake hands. Even though we still haven’t saved any of the girls. I’m grateful that everything is out in the open. Maybe this time, and with Mathias’s help, we can save the next girl.

“Thanks, Mathias; I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Cassia steps forward and wraps her arms around Amara. “Don’t worry, sweetie, Mathias will help you.”

Amara gives her a grateful smile. “Thanks, Cassia.”

Amara is quiet the whole ride to the house. She has been through so much lately that I’m sure she’s near her breaking point. I reach for her hand and raise it to my lips. “Are you okay, beauty queen?”

She turns her gaze from the window and gives me a sad smile. “I guess I’m in shock more than anything. It saddens me that we couldn’t save those girls. But I know that I’ll do anything to stop it so that no one else gets hurt again.”

I squeeze her hand tight, “You still haven’t told me about the other vision.”

She doesn’t answer at first. Instead, she stares straight ahead contemplatively and sighs. “It’s the same as it was before. I didn’t see much, but I knew that it was bad. That’s how they all begin. I know that my next vision will show me more, and it scares me.”

Her body shudders with trepidation. Gripping her hand tight, I try to reassure her, but her fingers are cold and stiff. “Are you cold, beauty queen?”

She nods her head with a slight shudder. “Yeah, I can feel it building in my bones.”

Turning the car, we both gaze up at her house. The lights are on, creating a sinister shadow over the grounds. I lean back on my seat and look into her beautiful emerald eyes. “I have to go home, or Alex will kick my ass. But keep your window open, and I’ll fly back to your house later. I should be back in half an hour. Can you wait for me?”

She tilts her head to the side, pulls her long dark hair behind her ear and smiles. “Okay, but be careful.”

Instead of answering, I reach forward, wrap my arm around her neck, and pull her to me. “Kiss me.”

She gives me a small smile and lays her lips over mine. The kiss doesn’t last long, but we’re both breathless by the time it’s over.

I get home as quickly as I can. I don’t want my beauty queen to wait longer than she should. The house is quiet when I step through the door. Mikhail, Nevaeh, and Rowan went back to school, so the house is pretty empty. Carrick is in his room texting back and forth; with Haley, I presume by his stupidly loving grin.

I lay in my room for at least another hour. But once the house settles, I fly out the window and head to Amara’s house. Just like she promised, her window is wide open.