Possessed (27 page)

Lucus stared at Ivan and then back at
me. His expression was startled and tight. “Louis? My brother? But
how?”

Ivan’s eyes simmered as sunbeams hit
them. He looked at Lucus with a ferocity that was so vicious it
made my skin crawl. “Hello brother,” he said before tackling Lucus
and pulling him down into the river.

“
What the hell, Ivan. You
said violence is never the answer!” I screamed, as I watched them
grapple and pull one another further and further into the
water.

“
There’s an exception to
every rule, queen!” shouted Ivan.

“
I swear I’ll do whatever it
takes to ease your pain,” said Lucus, as he tried to avoid Ivan’s
fist.

“
Your mom’s waiting!” I
shouted. “We need to go get Sabrina before it’s too
late!”

Oddly, watching them fight made me a
little happy. At least they were communicating, even if it was in a
non-verbal manner. It was kind of normal. Two brothers fighting and
splashing around in a river.

My pleas for them to stop fell on deaf
ears and I didn’t have time to waste watching them fight. I had
done everything Marie had asked of me. I had united Lucus and Louis
and now I needed to get Sabrina, and fast.

Chapter 43

What Are You Willing to
Sacrifice?

I ran non-stop from Darkwood River to
the swamp. The heat was unforgiving and the bugs relentless as they
feasted on my damp skin, but the only thing I could think of was
Sabrina.

As I ventured further into the swamp,
the wind gently rustled through the cypress trees, which promoted
the strands of Spanish moss to gently sway. I entered the murky
water and immediately headed to where I had left Sabrina’s
body.

The rock was bare.

“
Marie!” I shouted. “Marie!
Where are you? I did everything you asked of me. I made Louis
remove the trick and united Louis and Lucus. Their relationship is
going to take some time- okay, a lot of time- and it’ll probably
never be fully functional, but still, I did what you asked. Give me
Sabrina!”

The swamp animals were silent as I
continued to shout.

“
Marie?” I waded further and
further into the swamp, so far that the shoreline was far behind
me. “Sabrina! Where are you?”

“
Arelia. Arelia. Where has
your friend gone? Are you lost, Arelia?” whispered a
voice.

“
Can you help me find,
Sabrina? Where is she? What did Marie do with her?”

“
I can help you, Arelia. I
can help you for a price. What are you willing to sacrifice? You
know spirits must be appeased. They must be satisfied. What are you
willing to sacrifice?”

“
I don’t have anything to
sacrifice,” I said. “Please help me find her.”

“
Of course you have many
things to sacrifice. I can think of a couple of things. Look behind
you.”

“
Arelia!” I turned around
and saw Lucus. Ivan was right behind him trying to pull him back by
his t-shirt.

I ran to them. “Ivan, stop it! For a
second can you please grow up! Sabrina’s not here. Your mom took
her.”

“
Took her?” asked
Lucus.

I nodded. “She possessed Sabrina’s body
to show me what I needed to see. She promised that once I united
you guys she would let her go. She’s not responsible for placing
the curse on you. Someone else is.”

Lucus looked puzzled and then relieved.
“She’s not?”

I shook my head.

Lucus surveyed the swamp. “She must be
here somewhere.”

Ivan was quiet as his eyes frantically
searched the swamp. Without a word he started to walk further into
the water. “Mother!”

“
Oh, silly Arelia. Sabrina
is no longer on this side. You haven’t seen all that you need to
see. Sabrina won’t be free until you agree to see more.”

“
What more do I need to
see?”

“
Are you willing to find
out?”

I nodded. “Yes. Please just tell me
where she is.”

“
Are you willing to make the
sacrifice?”

“
Arelia, what is it?” asked
Lucus.

I glanced at him and my heart sank. I
knew what I had to sacrifice. I smiled at him like Marie had smiled
at Jacques. It was a strong and reassuring smile; however my
insides were broken and bruised. I looked up at the swirl of fluffy
white clouds and knew that at least for a while my world would no
longer be fluffy and cheesy.

I pulled him close and brought my lips
to his ear and whispered, “Thank you.” I covered his mouth in a
bittersweet kiss and prayed that somehow he would remember
me.

Book #4

Coming Soon…

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