Back to Black

I had stayed at Nord Manor for a couple of days. Aurora had been unusually nice and not her usual mischievous self.

It was like she was on a mission to distract me and keep me happy. We were in the middle of decorating the grand dining hall when I felt a familiar energy.

“Damn, can I celebrate Christmas here this year?” Ellie chuckled, looking around the room in awe.

“You’re welcome any time, Ellie,” Aurora winked, that glitter of mischief returning to her eyes.

I took a step toward Ellie but stopped. I felt conflicted seeing her again and fumbled with the ornament in my hands.

Ellie reacted to my hesitation. “Are you okay, Bella? You almost look disappointed to see me,” she pouted.

“Yes, I’m just…worried, I suppose,” I sighed and smiled at her.

“Don’t be, I’m a bringer of good news,” she said cheerfully and grabbed my hand.

I looked at her with wide eyes. Had Damion actually done it? Why hadn’t he let me know?

“You’re joining the first, second, and eleventh squad when they go up north to deal with Marcus and his followers,” she said.

“Although I must confess, I’m stunned they dropped your suspension just like that.”

“Seriously? I’m welcome back to work like nothing ever happened?” I asked, feeling a little shocked.

“Yes, Louisa has pretty much said everything is as it should be. She thought you’d done well and was just worried about you since you’re so inexperienced,” Ellie explained, glancing at Aurora.

“What surprises me is that the council agreed to it,” she added.

“Damion can be quite persuasive,” Aurora said, smiling mysteriously at her.

They stared at each other in silence for a while, like there was some kind of communication going on that I was missing.

“I heard you went to find Erik for me!” I exclaimed, trying to break the awkward silence.

“Yes, I did, but it wasn’t entirely my idea. It was Louisa’s. You didn’t get the location of where the ritual will take place. After having thought about it for a while, she decided that Erik would have killed you already if he planned to, but if Victor asks, it was all my idea,” she explained and winked at me.

My jaw dropped. Louisa had issued a command behind our Dux Umbra’s and her husband’s back?

“And you dared?” I asked in disbelief.

“Yes, you looked like a husk of yourself, Bella. Besides, I agreed with her plan, and Aurora has also been oddly worried about you,” she said, looking at my host again, suspiciously.

“You think I wouldn’t have worried about you?” Aurora asked with an innocent smile.

I saw Ellie raising her eyebrows at Aurora, but she didn’t push the topic further.

“But, Bella. Are you sure you want to join this fight? It’s probably going to be messy, and you want to have any of us from the X-squad with you?” Ellie asked me, looking worried.

“Yes, I do!” I said a little too quickly, but the suggestion that I could sit out made my skin crawl.

I knew it didn’t make much sense, but I almost felt like I was responsible for the cult, like it was somehow my fault.

“You know, just because he’s your lover’s brother doesn’t make you responsible for his actions in any way. It would probably be more reasonable of you to not want any further part in it,” Ellie said seriously, looking at me with a sympathetic gaze.

“I know, but I want to do it, do what Erik can’t,” I argued.

“Well then, I guess all I can say is that I wish I was going with,” she said, shrugging and smiling sincerely.

“I can’t say I enjoy listening to you discussing hunting spellcasters, but they crossed a line, make them pay,” Aurora told me, with something wild in her gaze that made Ellie shudder.

Another strong energy I recognized entered the room.

Damion smiled warmly at his wife as he joined us. “Calm down, love, it’s not you who are going on a hunt,” he said.

“I’m sure your friend beat me to it, but your actions have been forgiven at the headquarters and you can go back home,” he told me.

My muscles loosened. I hadn’t even realized how tense I’d been until Damion entered.

His presence had that effect, like a weight lifting without warning.

“Yes, I heard. It sounds too good to be true,” I chuckled.

“Speaking of, how did you get out here if it wasn’t Damion that brought you?” I asked.

“Believe it or not, but I got a ride from a friend,” she laughed.

“Who? Most of our kind aren’t welcome here,” I pointed out, surprised. I knew that neither she nor Alex had a license.

“Well, he’s not an umbra, and not really of much consequence either, to be honest. I’m going to need help to get back home though,” she giggled. Before, I would have believed her, but I knew her better now, and I had a strong feeling that she was trying to hide something.

“Yes, I’ll help you to Wonderland after we’ve had dinner. If you’d fancy a drink or two?” Aurora winked at Ellie.

“Can I speak to you in private, Bella? I take it you’ll be leaving with Ellie?” Damion asked.

I nodded curiously.

“I’ll take over,” Ellie said, and grabbed the ornament I was holding so I could leave with Damion.

“Seriously, why do you do this by hand when you could just use magic?” I heard Ellie laugh at Aurora while we left the room.

Damion took me all the way to the library, where he closed the door behind me.

He looked at me seriously and took a deep breath before he spoke.

“You know you can’t tell any other umbra what you’ve learned here, right?” he asked.

“I kinda got that feeling,” I confessed, confused, wondering where he was going with this.

“Good, and I hope this will stay between us too,” he began. “During the solstice, I will help your eleventh squad to create an antimagic zone large enough to keep the entire cult from escaping.”

“On the site of the rite, you’ll see a cave. Marcus will most certainly be in there. Head straight for it, and be sure that you are the one to kill him,” he instructed.

I felt my tummy knot.

“Why is it important that I do it?” I asked, with hesitation. I wanted to do it—it mattered to Erik—but why did it seem to matter so much to Damion?

“Call it poetic justice? He tried to kill you, after all,” Damion chuckled.

It was definitely not the whole truth, but I felt his energy increase and didn’t want to push it. If he didn’t want to tell me, he wasn’t going to.

“He would have succeeded that time if you hadn’t come,” I admitted, feeling a little nauseous.

Remembering the slash of one’s claw, it wouldn’t have been a fun way to go.

“You were smart to call me. I’m glad you did,” he said with a warm smile, one that made me feel like I could easily trust Damion with my life.

“I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve your aid, but I am very grateful. You must be so busy, after all.” I thanked him.

“Not so busy as I used to be and hardly ever here, but I do travel a great deal,” he chuckled.

My cheeks got hot when I realized he had problems to solve globally, and yet he was helping us—helping me.

“I won’t abuse your kindness,” I mumbled and looked away, feeling embarrassed.

“I wouldn’t think you would, but I don’t mind when I have the time. You can always ask Aurora directly too. I’ll warn you though, she’s not as forgiving as I and tends to make a sport out of punishing people,” Damion explained with an amused smile.

“Seems like Ellie has learned that the hard way.” I commented, thinking about her earlier shudder.

“They have been friends for many years. I’d be surprised if she hadn’t,” Damion chuckled.

“The two of you are welcome here anytime though. Remember that if you ever need to get away.”

***

I was drunk that night when I got back to my own apartment. Before I went to bed, I took out the knife Damion had given me and examined it.

“You have been giving me bad dreams, shame on you!” I scolded it, thinking about the dead umbra.

It wasn’t much of a surprise to me that I had another strange dream, seconds after I’d put my head down on the pillow and drifted off to sleep.

~I was sitting on a meadow with a toddler. He had the most beautiful dark brown curls and deep green eyes. I was singing to him while making flower buds bloom.~

~I was happy in a serene way, just enjoying my time with my baby boy.~