11
Holly had just changed into a clean hoody, black leggings and boots when there was a knock on the bedroom door. “Yeah?” The door opened and Layla stepped in.
“Hey.” She said closing the door and leaning against it. “How you holding up?” She was dressed in jeans and a white tank, apparently not even the threat of death or catching pneumonia could stop her from exposing as much skin as possible.
“I’m good.” Holly replied sitting down on the bed, trying to keep the nerves from her voice. Death didn’t scare her, over the past year she had died a few times, it was the waiting that ate away at her.
“Really? I’m terrified.” Layla admitted settling down next to her.
“Me too.” Layla looked at her and wrinkled up her nose.
“How long do you think you can keep this a secret?” Holly shot her a perplexed look, and she motioned to her stomach.
“All these baggy clothes, you’re not fooling any one you know. You’ve gained like two hundred pounds in three months. You couldn’t manage that just from food binging, even if you wolfed down twelve packs of Twinkies a day. You’re pregnant aren’t you?” Holly didn’t know what to say, but she should have known that she wouldn’t be able to fool Layla. She saw through everything.
“Yes.”
“Dom’s or Caleb’s?”
“Why does everyone ask me that?” Holly uttered. Layla gave her a wicked grin.
“Well you were with Caleb before Dominic stole you away.”
“Yeah, but me and Caleb didn’t actually…” Holly watched Layla’s mouth drop open.
“Not even once?” Holly realized that she had missed Layla, even if she was sex mad.
“Nope. He’d lose his wings if he did.”
“Man.” She let out a low whistle. “Now that’s self-control. Come on.” Layla grabbed her hand and pulled her to the door. “Let me introduce you to the freaks outside, I’ve been getting the skinny from Jade.” The sudden change of subject mystified Holly ,but that was Layla. She was all glamour and energy.
No one bothered glancing there way as they emerged from the bedroom, they were too busy preparing and planning. “Okay, you see them over there?” Layla pointed to the couch were the group of women from earlier, were sitting, a man had joined them and they looked deep in conversation.
“They’re the May family. Witches all of them. Apparently Cassandra and her husband, that’s the one with short brown hair sitting next to the guy, they tried to exorcize a demon from someone and messed it up. It killed their son before they managed to kick its ass back to hell. The rest are her sisters.” Sympathy filled Holly, she couldn’t imagine anything worse than losing a child.
“Over there.” Layla continued dragging her away from the bedroom. “Is the shape shifters.” Holly’s eyes settled on the four men that had been eating her bacon earlier.
“What’s shape shifters?”
“They can turn into animals.” Layla said in a matter of fact tone. “Isn’t he hot.”
“Who?” She was having trouble with Layla’s erratic babbling. “Ray of course.” One of the men turned and shot them a killer smile. “I swear I’m going to ride that before I die.”
“I thought you liked Sam?” Layla waved her question away, like it was an annoying fly. “I am so over him.” She said it loud and clear and Sam shot her an inquiring look but Layla walked straight past him. The only other time Holly had met Sam was her first shift as a waitress back in Oregon. He hadn’t been very nice to her and had a go at Dominic. The only reason they hadn’t thrown down was because Michael had chosen that precise moment to attack.
“Layla, I thought he was Nephilim?”
“He is.” She replied absently.
“Then why did Legion refer to him as a wolf?” Layla sighed and pulled her down on a stool in the kitchen.
“That’s his power as a Nephilim. Sam’s part wolf.”
“What? What does that have to do with Angels?” Layla rolled her eyes. “Sam’s mother was a demon not an Angel. Every Nephilim power is different. Jade can see the future, Miles can bend metal and I can do this invisible thingy, which hurts like hell so I don’t tend to use it, Sam’s part wolf. It’s common among Demon spawn. The rest of his friends are the same. Which puts them at loggerheads with the shape shifters; it’s a whole grudge thing.” She rolled her eyes in disgust.
“Oh.”
“And those weird looking tree huggers over there, are Elementals. They’re powers are based on the elements you know, earth wind fire water air…and all that. There’s not a lot of them left now.” The people she referred to stayed closed to the door and spoke quietly amongst themselves. They all had tattoo’s that covered most of their exposed skin.
“Well anyway I’m going to go get laid for the last time.” With a wink she got to her feet and Holly watched her strut over to Ray. He was powerless against her charms and Holly couldn’t help but laugh. Trust her to think of sex at a time like this. Layla reminded her so much of Jo, Holly’s best friend. Tears stung her eyes at the thought and she glanced around for something to take her mind off of Jo. Holly spotted Jade sulking past and heading towards the apartment door.
Holly hesitated. She hated Jade with a passion and that would never change. She had been the thing that had spilt her Dominic and Caleb apart, okay so Holly cheating on him with Dom hadn’t helped matters, but when it came to Jade Holly only saw red. It was easier to paint her as the villain then herself.
Jade’s suspicious eyes fell on her as soon as Holly stepped out the apartment. “What do you want?” Holly forced her witty retort back down her throat.
“You can see the future right?” The conversation seconds ago with Layla had struck a chord in her memory, and she remembered Caleb saying the same thing back in Oregon.
“Yeah, what of it?” She threw back puffing herself up, trying to look tough. Holly remembered she had a mean right hook, and wanted to avoid it if at all possible.
“Can you see how this ends?” Jade thought about it. “No.” She said finally. “It doesn’t work like that. I have to have physical contact with the person I’m trying to read, and even then I can only see a few minutes ahead.” Holly slumped against the wall. It had been a long shot anyway.
“I don’t hate you.” Jade muttered after an awkward ten minutes had gone by.
“What?”
“I don’t hate you.” She repeated louder, staring at the ground. “I envy you.”
“Yeah because my life is so great.” Holly scoffed. She was standing in a corridor with a girl she couldn’t stand, waiting to be murdered. How could anyone envy her position?
“There it is again, the pity me routine.” Jade snapped. “I would trade places with you in a second. If I die today nobody will mourn me. Unlike you, when you were dying everyone was moping all over the place, and Dominic looked damn right suicidal.” Tears shone in her eyes and Holly was taken aback by the bitterness in Jade’s tone.
“You’re a somebody Holly, everyone knows your name. This whole war is about you. I would kill just to have half your fame.” Holly realized then that all Jade wanted was someone to love. That’s why she shagged anything with legs; Jade longed to be something other than invisible.
“The bond you have with Caleb and Dominic. They would willingly die for you and you for them. You don’t know how many people just want that...connection.”
“You’re wrong.” Holly told her. “Caleb cares whether you live or die.” Jade snorted her disagreement.
“He cares because it’s his job to care.”
“If you think that then you don’t know him, at all. Jade this bond you speak of, Caleb broke it for you. That should tell you everything you need to know.” Holly left her speechless and searched the cramped apartment for Dominic. It had just turned eleven and if the next hour was her last Holly couldn’t think of anyone she wanted to spend it with more.
He was still at the window looking up at the sky with nothing short of wonder on his face. Walking to him Holly glanced around and realized one of the shape shifters was staring at her. He was tall, dark and very hot and he didn’t avert his gaze when she looked back. He shot her a wink and Holly smiled back then turned away. Happiness swelled in her chest when she caught Dom glaring at him. The shape shifter quickly tore his eyes away. “I can’t leave you alone for a second, can I?” he mused when Holly wrapped her arms around him. Dom returned the gesture and they stood there clinging to each other.
“Where’s Legion?” She asked resting her head on his chest. “He went to get Balion.” Holly’s body tensed at his name and Dominic noticing it hugged her tighter. “He should have sobered up by now.” A wind had picked up and whistled through the gaps between the bricks. No one was walking the flooded street outside and the Angel had been let to face the elements alone. Its wings had started to decompose and dark feathers floated on the rain water that ran in rivets to the sewers.
“Dom? Could you take me somewhere real quick? I’ll be like two minutes I promise.”
“Where…?” He trailed off and Holly knew he understood. In a blink she was standing in a dorm room.
It was painted white and plastered with Johnny Depp posters. Sitting in the middle of the room on a single bed was Jo. She was lying in a guy’s arms watching the TV on the top of the chest of drawers. Holly’s heart brimmed at the sight of her best friend. Her unruly blonde hair was cut short and it brought out amazing cheekbones.
“Don’t worry she can’t see us.” Dominic said, as Jo seemed to look straight at them. “How did you know she was at Brown?” Holly inquired with raised eyebrows. He smiled at her sheepishly.
“Caleb’s been keeping tabs on her, just in case…how did you know?”
“Google.”
“You Google stalked your best friend?”
“What was I supposed to do? I can’t see her or even talk on the phone for fear of demons coming after her.” Dominic’s eyes hardened and he knew how hard it had been for Holly to leave Jo behind, they had shared everything. And Jo was the last link to her old normal life.
“Who’s the guy?” She asked trying to ignore the lump in her throat.
“Reginald Blake. He’s a major in…something or other. They’ve been dating a while now.”
“I don’t like him. He’s got shifty eyes.” Dominic’s laugh was infectious and she couldn’t help chuckling herself. “What? He has.”
“She’s happy Holly. I mean she misses you like crazy, but she’s safer out of all this.” Reg cracked a joke and Jo’s laugh sounded like music to Holly’s ears. The tears came like someone had just turned on a tap. She wanted to see Jo one last time but it was making the black void that had been created by her parents death, grow darker.
Dominic pulled her to him and let Holly cry. She barely noticed the change in scenery until he lifted her onto a wooden bench. Holly wiped her eyes on the sleeves of her hoody and looked at him. They were sitting in her old school yard back in Cherry Falls. The sky was the same grey but it was dry and still here.
“The trip down memory lane wouldn’t be complete without this.” He mused. The school had been the place where Holly had saw Dominic for the first time. He had been sent to corrupt her by his father but somehow Dom had actually fallen in love with her instead. It all seemed decades ago when in reality it was only a year.
“Happy birthday.” Dominic told her handing her a small black velvet box.
“What are you talking about? It’s not…” He looked at his watch.
“It’ll be the 31st of December in about forty five minutes.” Holly’s mouth dropped open. Somehow Christmas had come and gone and she hadn’t even realized with everything that had been going on.
Holly had made it to her nineteenth birthday.
With shaky hands she opened the box and the school around her vanished. “Holly breathe.” Dom ordered. She exhaled deeply and picked up the ring. Its sliver band gleamed in the moonlight and a dark jewel was encrusted with wings in the hilt. “It’s beautiful…” She gasped.
“I’ve had it for months; I bought it back in Oregon when we went to the mall. I’ve been looking for the right time…”
“Right time for what?” She eyed him suspiciously; his nervous fidgeting was making her heart hammer her rib cage. When he looked at her his normally dark eyes had paled to a bright gold.
“Holly I love you. And no matter what happens tomorrow nothing will ever change that. My mother used to say that it was sinful for Immortals to love humans. She said nothing good could ever come of it, but I can’t stop myself falling for you Holly. You’re a hard habit to break.” He hesitated. “What I’m trying to say is that it would be a honour if you agreed to…Holly marry me.”
“Now? You ask me this now!”
“I know the timing isn’t great…And you don’t even have to answer right this minute…” He ran his hands through his hair. Holly got up and grabbed the collar of his leather jacket.
“I meant you’ve took your damn time about it.” She couldn’t help beaming at him. “You should already know my answer. Yes Dominic.” His strong arms scooped her up and he kissed her like he never had before. The heat of it melted her insides, and she forgot all about Lucifer, hell and their impending doom.
Right now was all that mattered.