Overshadow (5 page)

“Raena, you need to create better memories of this place,” Logan told me.

“I’m not sure I want to.”

“I’m here with you. Nothing bad can happen.”

I left my shoes in the car. We walked barefoot on the beach for a little while. When we came back toward the pier, I hesitated. I was afraid to walk under it.

“Rae, it’s okay. Look, there’s no portal there.”

I looked. Unfortunately, Logan had spoken too soon. Sure enough, directly under the beginning of the pier, air began to shimmer as Andrei appeared. “Hello, Raena.” He grinned.

Oh no. This couldn't be happening. “How did you know we'd be here? What do you want?”

He frowned. “I'm terribly sorry about this, Raena.”

His face was the last thing I saw before I felt a sharp crack to my head, and I slipped into blackness.

****

Logan

My anger had begun to boil the second Andrei stepped through the portal. It was directed not only at him, but at myself. How could I have been so stupid? I should have known better than to bring Raena here!

He headed straight for Raena as soon as he appeared through the shimmering curtain that was the portal to the Shadow Imperium. “Hello, Raena,” he said with a wide grin on his face.

My split-second reaction to lunge for her wasn’t quick enough. He dealt a sharp rap to her head, knocking her unconscious. I caught her as she crumpled to the sand. Kneeling, I laid her carefully on the cool ground. I felt a whoosh of air and ducked. Andrei’s sword whistled next to my head, narrowly missing my ear. Spinning in a crouch, I forced my wings out, gritting my teeth against the pain that I still hadn’t gotten used to. The pain was necessary. I needed the wings for balance, and I still didn’t know if I could access my weapons without first making my wings come out. Now was definitely not the time to find out.

Andrei stuck his sword point-down in the sand and he was leaning on it. “So, Angel Boy, are we going to fight it out or what?”

Why wasn’t he attacking? “You know, that’s bad for the blade. The sand dulls it.” If he wanted banter, I would comply. Every moment I kept him talking was a moment that Raena and I weren’t dying.

“Nah, it’s enchanted.” He jerked the sword out of its sandy sheath. “Nothing dulls this blade.” He offered me a wicked grin. “Why don’t you draw your weapons and I’ll show you?” He began to advance.

I had no idea why he paused to tell me about his sword or ask if I wanted to fight him. Was he playing with me? He had knocked Raena unconscious; of course I was going to fight him! I stretched out both hands, and the now-familiar golden light formed around my palms. When the light faded, my katanas — single edged, lightweight, slightly curved Japanese swords — rested in my hands. Much easier to handle than the double-edged broadsword that Andrei held. Although I hated to admit it, the guy was seriously skilled with that sword. Probably the thousands of years he spent wielding it. I wondered briefly how many people he’d killed with it.

We began to circle each other, but no one struck yet. “I don’t want to kill you, Angel Boy,” Andrei said.

“Then why bother with this?” I shot back.

“Because I need Rae.”

“You’re not going to get her. Not while I’m alive.”

“That could be easily remedied.” He swung at me and I dodged. All those years of fencing were definitely paying off.

I continued to circle him, hoping he would begin to wear himself out without me having to attack. I knew going on the defensive might be a bad decision, but winning wasn’t necessarily my main priority. Keeping Raena safe was. I ducked and weaved, avoiding each blow. He seemed to be getting frustrated, but unfortunately, he hadn’t made a mistake yet.

Finally his blade whistled close enough to me that I couldn’t avoid it. I had to parry. One of my katanas shot out, almost as if it were a part of me. I was already so familiar with the blades that I barely had to think about it. Unfortunately I miscalculated. Steel met steel and his broadsword scraped down the length of my blade. I succeeded in deflecting it away from my neck, but the edge bit into my shoulder. I fumbled my own weapon and it dropped into the sand. I bit my lip to keep from crying out in pain. The cut felt like a white-hot fire was coursing through my arm. I couldn’t clutch at it to staunch the bleeding, if I did, I’d lose the only weapon I had left. Instead, I allowed it to drip freely into the sand, where it was absorbed and stained the formerly tan colored grains crimson.

Andrei laughed. “You've lost your weapon. Give up yet?”

Turning my attention back to him, I glared. “Never.”

He came at me again. I couldn’t pause to try to retrieve my sword laying in the sand, nor could I mourn its loss. Instead, I switched my remaining sword from my right hand to my left. I might be wounded in that arm, but it was still my dominant side. Even injured, it was probably my best chance against Andrei.

I don’t know how long we fought, our swords creating a beautiful but deadly dance of swishing steel. Andrei landed several more blows. I now bled in several places, including from a gash in my head that was currently hindering my vision. I tried to wipe the blood running down my forehead, but it continued to flow. I had lost the advantage — if I had ever had one.

Something shimmered in the corner of my vision. What was that? Was someone else coming through the portal?

Distracted now by what might be another threat, I turned. A slight, waif-like girl stood next to one of the pier pilings. I frowned. She looked familiar for some reason. She began to mutter something. I strained to hear her. As her voice rose and reached a crescendo, I realized that she wasn’t speaking English. I tried to understand her. Father Matthias had once mentioned that one angelic gift I might manifest was to understand different languages. I knew I should be paying better attention to Andrei, but for some reason, this seemed more important at the moment. I just knew I was close to understanding her. Before I could muddle out any sort of translation, she disappeared.

“Should have paid attention to me and not to the pretty girl, Angel Boy,” Andrei informed me as he rapped my skull sharply with the flat of his blade. The force of it was enough to knock me off my feet. As I collapsed to the ground and darkness began to envelop me, I offered up a brief prayer that he wouldn’t take Raena away while I was unconscious. I didn’t want to give into the darkness, but its pull was so strong…

Raena

Logan was bleeding.

I didn’t know angels could bleed.

Logan was bleeding.

Blood ran freely from a gash on his otherwise unmarred forehead, tracing a crimson river across the plane of his cheekbone before dripping from his chin. The sand beneath him was stained red, although it looked off in the night. The dark hair on his head was matted and stiff where the blood had colored it as well. His wings had retracted, and he looked entirely too human, entirely too vulnerable.

Andrei stood in front of us, sword in hand. I could barely make out his features in silhouette.

“Why can’t you just leave us alone?” I shouted at him.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Rae,” he told me.

I was still sprawled out where I had landed on the ground when Andrei hit me in the head. At least, I think it was him. He had been standing in front of me and hadn’t been close enough to reach me. I don’t know how he did it. He was towering over us, and Logan appeared unconscious now.

I pulled myself slowly to my feet. “You
have
to be kidding! You kidnapped me and took me to another dimension! You threw me in chains and starved me! You claim you don’t want to hurt me?”

Something akin to pain flashed in his eyes. “I don’t, Rae.” Walking to the still body lying in the sand, Andrei planted his foot against Logan’s cheek, pushing his head to the side. If I hadn’t seen Logan’s chest rising and falling with his breath, I would have sworn he was dead.

Andrei leaned down and set his sword point against the hollow of Logan’s throat. “Shall I slit his throat? Maybe that will make you want to help me.”

Before I could respond, Logan’s hand shot up and grabbed Andrei’s wrist. Logan twisted Andrei’s wrist sharply, and the sword dropped into the sand. His leg scissored and took out Andrei at the knees. Andrei dropped to the ground, groping for his sword.

“Get in the car!” Logan yelled at me.

“What? Where’s the car?” I asked. In the confusion, I momentarily forgot where we parked.

He jumped up and grabbed my arms, hauling me up the rocks to where his car sat at the beginning of the pier. “Don’t argue! Just get in the car! He’s not going to stay down for long.” He opened the driver’s side door and pushed me into the backseat. “Don’t worry, Raena. I’ll protect you.” He pushed the lock button and slammed the door shut.

I watched, horrified, as Andrei ran up the sand and rock. He came straight at Logan, punching him in the face. I heard a loud crunch and I knew something was broken. Logan tried to defend himself, but it was if his strength was gone. Andrei hit him over and over again, pummeling Logan’s entire body. I heard quite a few more crunches, and I saw Logan’s blood spattering against the window. I cowered in the backseat, not knowing what to do, as Logan slumped and fell to the ground.

Andrei stretched out his hand and an ax appeared. He climbed on top of the car and started chopping at the sunroof. Glass fractured and shattered, showering me with needle-sharp fragments. His raven-black wings spread wide. As I watched, Logan’s hand reached up and took hold of Andrei’s ankle. There was a powerful surge and a blinding light as Andrei was thrown up and away.

I could just make out Logan’s voice through the car window. “I told you I would protect you,” he said with a smirk. Then his eyes rolled back and he crumpled to the ground.

“Logan!” I scrambled out of the backseat and threw open the door. Logan was sprawled out on the ground, definitely unconscious this time. Dropping down next to him, I pulled his head into my lap. I had to heal him! I didn’t know how; I just knew I had to do something to help him. Placing my hand to his chest, over his heart, I concentrated with everything I had.

Nothing happened at first. I looked frantically around to make sure Andrei wasn’t headed toward us again. No sign of him. Maybe closing my eyes would help. I felt the palm of my hand warming. My eyes flew open in surprise. Logan’s chest was glowing! No… maybe it was my hand. I couldn’t really tell. As I watched in awe, his wounds began to close. His breathing eased and returned to normal.

I continued to stare for a moment, wondering what happened. Had I done that, or had Logan done it himself? Was this because of the healing abilities Father Matthias mentioned?

There’s no time to hang around here!
I had to get Logan to the hospital. Or maybe the hospital wasn’t such a good idea. They’d want to run tests on him. What if the tests showed he wasn’t human? No, the best thing for him would be to get him home. Then I could sit with him and make sure he recovered.

How was I going to get him into the car? I stood, laying Logan’s head carefully on the ground, and opened the back door of his car. Grabbing Logan under his arms, I dragged him over to it. I pulled and pushed until I had him inside. His legs still hung out, so I had to try to fold them inside. I bent his knees and put his feet on the seat.

I slammed the door and ran around to the driver’s side. I rifled through Logan’s glove box until I found his registration with his address. I certainly couldn’t remember it. His keys were jammed in the ignition. I sat there for a minute, trying to remember what he had taught me. I prayed briefly that I wouldn’t be pulled over and get a ticket for driving without a license. Besides, how would I explain my unconscious boyfriend in the backseat? I took a deep breath, pushed the clutch pedal toward the floorboard, and turned the key.

As soon as I got the car into park, I threw open the door and, leaving the engine running, bolted for Logan’s front door. I threw myself against it, pounding my fist on the wood incessantly until his mother answered at last.

She took one look at me and at Logan’s still-running car behind me and immediately picked up on my panic. “Raena, what’s wrong?”

“I need help! I can’t carry him!” I shrieked.

“What do you mean, you can’t carry him? Do you mean Logan? Why do you need to carry him?”

I grabbed her arm and started to pull her out of the house. “Please! He’s been hurt! We need to get him to bed.”

“Tom!” she yelled back into the house for her husband. “Come here! Now!”

Logan’s father appeared in the doorway. “What’s wrong, Laurie?”

“It’s Logan! He’s hurt! Come help!” she called.

Tom ran quickly down the path to the car stopped haphazardly in front of the house. He hauled the back door open and his face paled when he saw Logan sprawled across the seat. He stared at his unconscious son for a heartbeat, and then scooped Logan up in his arms and carried him into the house.

“I should call 911. If he’s hurt, we need to take him to the hospital,” Laurie said, stopping in the middle of the walkway.

I sobered and shook my head. Too many questions would be asked if he went to the hospital. I had managed to mostly heal him, but he still bore signs of his injuries. Hopefully those would fade soon. “No, he’s not bleeding or anything like that. Just unconscious. I’m sure he will come to soon.”

Laurie stared at me for a moment. “If you’re so sure he will be fine, why were you in such a panic? How did he get injured, Raena?” She looked pointedly at the car and took in the shattered sunroof and dents from where Andrei had stood on the roof. “Was there an accident? Did this happen in Sacramento? Did you drive him all the way back like this?”

I held her gaze. If I looked away, she would be able to tell that I was lying. “There
was
an accident. We stopped by the beach before he was going to take me home and someone hit us as we were headed to my house. The car flipped. I just got lucky.”

Maybe she didn't believe me, but she didn’t say anything more. I trailed her into the house, hoping she would let me stay until Logan regained consciousness.

Several hours later, I was sitting by Logan’s bedside when he stirred. I placed my hand on his forehead to see if he had a temperature, and then ran my hand across his hair. “Logan? Can you hear me?”

His eyelids opened a sliver. He blinked a few times and then his eyes opened wider. He stared at me with a blank expression on his face. “Yeah, I hear you,” he finally mumbled.

I helped him sit up. He looked at me with a smirk on his face. “Now, I know you’ve always dreamed of getting me in bed, Raena, but I hardly expected you to sneak into my room.”

“Huh?” I hadn’t heard him talk like that in a long time.

He looked amused. “How’d you get past my mom?”

“Sh-she let me in,” I stammered, confused.

“Interesting. What an enabler. So you just couldn’t get enough of me at school, could you? Had to follow me home? Do I have my own stalker now?”

“Logan, what are you talking about? Do you remember what happened?” I asked.

“What do you mean, what happened?” He slid over on the bed and patted it. “Now then, why don’t you join me?”

This definitely wasn’t the Logan that had tried to protect me from Andrei. Not the Logan who rescued me from the Shadow Imperium. It was as if he had regressed to the Logan he was before all of this started, the cocky Logan I remembered all too well and didn’t particularly like.

“Well you don’t have to give me the silent treatment, Raena. If you don’t want to join me in bed, that’s just fine. Now, why don’t you take yourself home?”

I stared at him, horrified. He really didn’t seem to remember anything. “We brought your car,” I whispered around the knot that was beginning to form in my throat.

“We? What, did you stow away in my car? Hide in the backseat? I had no idea you had such a desperate need to see where I lived.” He shook his head.

Tears welled in my eyes, threatening to spill over. “You don’t remember anything? You don’t remember… us?”

He looked bemused. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Raena.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. His face was mere inches from mine. I swiftly closed the distance between us and kissed him fiercely.
Maybe this will bring back his memory,
I wished fervently.

His lips returned the pressure of mine, but he stepped back all too soon. “Well, now that you’ve answered your burning question of what kissing me might be like, why don’t we just get your little stalker self home? Since you’re insisting you came here with me somehow, I suppose I’ll have to drive you.”

No, I definitely didn’t like this Logan. I was beginning to think he might be even worse than he before. Before he was cocky, sarcastic, but at least he was nice to me. Now he was just a jerk. I had to get my Logan back, but there was no way I could stand to be around him now. Staring at him for a moment, I memorized his hard features, trying to superimpose his normal expression on his face. It was as though he was a stranger to me now. “No thanks. I’ll walk.” I turned on my heel and fled his room, not bothering to look back, so he wouldn’t see the tears that were finally coursing over my cheeks.

Logan’s mom called after me, but I didn’t stop to answer her. I walked as fast as I could out the front door and hit the sidewalk running.

I tried, but I couldn’t outrun my thoughts. Eventually I slowed, exhausted. I walked slowly down the road, still sobbing. Cars sped past, but I was oblivious to them. What had happened? Was I responsible for his seeming memory loss? Did something go wrong when I tried to heal him?

All of this was Andrei’s fault, so I needed to stop blaming myself. I had to find some way to reverse whatever he had done to Logan.

Right now my most pressing concern was to get myself home. I needed some time to think about what I could do, and I definitely needed to change out of the dress I was wearing. My heels lay somewhere on the beach, lost while trying to get away from Andrei. I belatedly realized I left my flats in Logan’s car. I wondered what he would think when he found them. I had forgotten my cell phone at home, so I couldn’t call Tanis to pick me up. Logan lived in Rio Del Mar, which was about five miles from my house. I mentally calculated how long it would take me to walk home. It seemed I had no other choice. I felt ridiculous, walking down the road barefoot and in my dress, which was reflecting white in the headlights of the oncoming cars. I looked like the quintessential virginal sacrifice. I laughed bitterly to myself. Maybe that’s what Andrei had intended all along.

I passed a gas station and noticed a pay phone. Genevra and Shane wouldn't mind a collect call, considering the circumstances. I just hoped they were awake. Who knew what time it was.

I picked up the receiver and when I heard the dial tone, hit zero and then our home phone number. The recording asked for my name, which I gave while silently praying for someone to answer.

“Raena? Is that you?” Genevra’s voice shouted at the other end.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“Where are you? Are you okay?”

“I’m in Rio Del Mar. Can you come get me?”

“We’ve been so worried about you! It’s way past your curfew. What are you doing in Rio Del Mar? Tell Logan to get you home now.”

“Can you please just come get me?” I asked, trying to fight back tears. “I’m at the gas station by the freeway.” I told her the name of the exit.

“What happened?” she asked.

“I’ll explain when you get here.” I clicked off.