Unraveling of Avery Snow, The (18 page)

Chapter Thirty-One

Ending

I called Kerri to come pick me up. She was tired, but she drove to get me anyway. I grabbed my bags and May, and hopped into her car. On the way I told her everything I could manage to. To my surprise she had nothing to say. She nodded and stared wide eyed at all of it.

We pulled up to my apartment and she still sat silent. I knew she was tired and that was a lot to take in.

“Kerri, it will all work out. I promise.” I hugged her and got out. As I reached the glass entrance she called out to me.

“Avery, be careful.”

“I will.” I could promise I would be careful, but that was all I could promise. I had no idea what the outcome would be. I would make sure Dallas would be okay and I would take Sarafe down. As for me, who knew what would happen. It was the first time that I didn’t care. I knew that everyone loved me. I knew that my Affinity would be fine. He and I would see each other again. Ianni would be well and I would fight to make sure her soul would come Home. No matter what I had to do.

I reached my apartment and opened the door like I hadn’t been gone for months. May ran to her spot on the couch and curled up. I had to get prepared so I steamed a cup of tea to calm my nerves. It was time to get the people that I needed. I didn’t even know if they would come help me.
I gulped the tea and felt it work instantly. I would never forget when Ianni had given it to me to sleep. Yulu was a strong tea that would knock me out instantly. I curled up in my bed and fell fast asleep.

Amanda was sitting there waiting for me as soon as I had entered the beach house. She smiled at me like she expected me. It seemed she knew something was up. My plan was working so far.

“Do you know why I am here?” I asked her
sternly.

“Yes, I do. You know that I cannot help you
, right?” I did know that she couldn’t help me kill Sarafe. If she did she would be in Ianni’s situation.

“I understand. But I need help from you right now,” I said as I sat with her. “I need John. You have a connection to him that no one else does. I noticed it at my accident.” She blushed. Only a fool would be blind to see that John and Amanda weren’t somewhat involved. The way they were together showed that he was hers and she was his.

“I can get him to help you, but you will need something else. Isn’t this why you’re here?” she asked as she held out her light. It was as beautiful as Ianni’s was. Except it wasn’t burning this time. The light of the angel would kill a human if it was burning bright. I remember this from the last time. That is why I wasn’t sure if I would survive this fight. Once I used it to kill Sarafe its light alone would kill me unless she got me first. I was willing to find out.

She handed it to me and I took it. The light hummed inside of the sword and I held it tightly. I felt its weight and its
strength.

“If you mean to use it you must believe you can. If you do not it will not work for you,” she told me as she placed a hand on my shoulder. “You must believe in yourself, Avery.”

I woke up with empty hands. The light was gone. I searched my bed for it, but came up bare. I could only hope that it would come to me when I needed it. I also hoped that John would in fact come as well. Without him I was screwed.



I waited until the moon was highest in the sky to call her to me. I was certain she would come to me once I offered her what I had. Knowing her she would want it. I clutched it tightly in my hand, the shirt from the night
Dedrick tried to kill me. The shirt I wore that he tore open with his evil claws. Along with my blood, his stained it as well. I knew she was desperate enough to want something with his dirty, black blood on it. Ianni had tried to hide the shirt from me several times. She thought it would bring only bad memories. It had been the opposite though. It reminded me that I survived something evil once. I could only hope that I could survive such evil again.

I stood on the balcony looking out at the still dark sky. The stars were so bright and the moon so full. It was a perfect night to die. I had once watched every sunrise, each morning
, but now it was night I craved. I would sit and watch the stars as they sat staring back at me. I wished countless times for Landon to remember me. Not knowing why, but now I do. I wanted him to remember because I never forgot.

“Avery,” John said behind me. I didn’t turn because I knew he didn’t want me to. He didn’t want to give away his position. It was time.

I picked up the shirt and took a lighter to it, burning only a small edge. Once the fire hit Dedrick’s blood she screamed in the night air. I looked up to see her flying towards me, her black wings flapping angrily. She looked like the devil and I was letting her inside my house. Before I could ask for the light of the angel to appear she knocked me down. I fell back and fought for breath.

“You bitch,” she said as she tried to extinguish the flames. “This is all that’s left of him.” She was too
busy to see me close my eyes. I called the light to me. This time holding out hope that it would come. I opened my eyes and she was running toward me, her blue eyes now gone. Black holes took their place. She slapped me hard and I felt blood on my lip.

“You’re usually such a coward
, Sarafe. I’m surprised you came here to fight me,” I spat. “You hit me and run. You threaten me and fly off. Then to top it all off you hit Dallas and still run away. I wonder if you ever fight your own battles.” Her face grew angrier as she reached out to wrap her hands around my throat. She pulled me up into the air with her. I struggled to breathe now as we flew out into the night.

“I could drop you and you woul
d die like a bug,” she said, spittle flying out of her mouth.

“Do it then!” I gasped. She only squeezed harder at my challenge. I could feel my body start to go limp. At any point it would have been nice for
John to help out.

“You’re going to die and I will not run away. I want to watch you take your last breath.” She spun around and I felt dizzy. Suddenly I saw my past lives
flash before me, playing out like a movie on the big screen.

My first life as Claire.
I held Henry’s hand as I watched my children; Annabelle, Anastasia, and Henry, Jr. They were all putting on a play, while Claire and Henry clapped loudly. Then they went away and Emily came into my view. She held Cooper close as they wept for the loss of Garrison. They truly felt sorry to see him die. But they knew that what they had done was what was destined.

As soon as they came into view they left with Elsie and Adam taking their place. Elsie was healthy and
happy,not stricken with cancer yet. Adam, fresh faced and young, held her as they danced at some sort of event.

Then I saw Landon and
I, hiking a mountainside. He turned to help me as I leaned into him, a large pregnant belly hiding under my shirt. He lifted me to a hill and we looked towards the valley below. He leaned down and kissed my stomach.

My eyes flew open and I could feel the light in my hands. I willed it to brighten and it did.
I had believed that I could accomplish this task.

The light shone
like a beacon in the night, like we were on top of a lighthouse in the pitch-black night sky.

“No!” she screamed
as she let go of my neck. I clung to her waist as she tried to pull me off of her. Finally John came into view, knocking her down. She fell with me at her waist. I had no idea how to kill her. At the moment, my hands were busy and I had no idea where to strike.

“Do it then,” she screamed in my face
, her black eyes turning blue. “Send me to him!”

I
raised my hands and felt the pull of the blade tug at my life. I felt myself die slowly, but I would kill her first. As we fell towards the ground, I noticed her wings were gone. John had taken them off of her. I shoved the blade in her heart and we plummeted towards the earth.




“Come on
, Avery,” I said as I tried to push my breath into her lifeless body. She lay on the ground, a dead Dark Guide crumbling beside her. John had caught her before she hit the earth. He stayed with us as we tried to get her back.

“Landon, maybe she’s gone,”
Ianni sobbed.

“No! She can’t be
. I need her here with me,” I said. I had fought the tears thus far; I would not give in. Dallas had woken up and told me she was fighting Sarafe. He told me I could save her. I believed him because I believed in miracles; him waking up was a miracle. We all thought he was delusional when he said Avery was here, but when he yelled at me to save her, I came. Sure enough, my cousin was right. The girl I loved was fighting in the sky with Sarafe. I watched as she took the blade and pierced her heart. Then John caught her and let Sarafe fall, alone.

I pumped on her chest
, counting out loud. I knew CPR, but only a little. I was working on hope that she would breathe again.

“John, help her,” I begged him.

He hung his head. He couldn’t help me, not now. He had done all that a Watcher could do. I had to watch her die again.

“Landon
, look!” Ianni said as she pointed towards three angels that stood before us. One was a blond man, who looked like the leader, and he walked ahead of the others. A small blonde with pure white wings and next to her was Lillith. I gasped at her now pure white wings. Her colored wings were gone.

“
Lillith, your wings,” I said. She only smiled.

“Landon, I am Gunther
, the head of the Relife Council,” the blond man said. “We are here for Avery.”

I grabbed her and held her tight
, letting the tears fall. I didn’t care now if I cried.

“You can’t have her! She’s mine and we love each other. Why must you always keep us apart?” I screamed.

“We aren’t here to take her,” the blonde girl said. “We just came here to help.” She reached out towards me and held out her arms. I placed Avery’s limp body in them.

“
Lillith has agreed to follow all of the rules of a guide now, promising me that she will no longer come to Earth. In return, I will help Avery. What she did was brave, but foolish,” Gunther told me. “But she put her life on the line.”

“Don’t forget your other promise
, Gunther,” Lillith said, crossing her arms. She may have promised to follow the rules, but my Lillith would never behave.

“Yes
, Lillith. I have agreed to let Ianni come home.”

Ianni
jumped up and ran towards Gunther. “I don’t want to come home. I made a life here. I fell in love,” she said love as if it were a sin.

“No
, dummy, you get to have a soul,” Lillith chimed in. I had no idea what that meant, but Ianni was pleased. I only cared about Avery. I wanted my girl back. I wanted to tell her all the things I didn’t get a chance to yet. I wanted to make plans and see the world together. I wanted to make her happy anyway I could.

All I wanted was for us to have a chance to prove them all wrong
; that we were in fact meant to be together. And that no matter if we are Affinities, our love would live on forever.

“Promise me one thing
, Landon,” Gunther said.

“Anything!”
             

“You and Avery will not reincarnate anymore after this life. I don’t think I can take it.”

“I will make sure we don’t.” I didn’t want to move on anymore. I wanted to live our lives together, here on Earth, and in Heaven.

“Dallas will not remember your past any more. He will no longer remember his own past life either,”
Lillith told me. “But you and Avery will not forget. In time it will fade.” She reached her arms around my neck and hugged me tight. She looked so angelic with her white wings. It was strange to see her like that.

“Landon,” Avery called out to me from the other angel
’s arms.

“Avery, I’m here.” I took her in
my arms and held her close. She reached up towards my face.

“I want to go home to Washington. That’s where you and I belong,” she said. I laughed at her request.

“Wherever you are, I will be,” I told her.

Epilogue

I woke up in the middle of the night to an empty bed. I struggled to get out
, but managed by rolling myself off the side. My belly had made it hard to do anything lately. Our son was due in only a few more weeks. I couldn’t wait to have him and get my body back, to be able to hold him in my arms instead.

Landon was not in the kitchen
or in the living room. I went out to the balcony that overlooked our yard. We had just moved into our new house a week ago. We were happy living in Washington, but we couldn’t be away from our friends and family. Especially our new goddaughter, Natasha. Kerri and Justin chose us to be her godparents and we had to live by her. Not seeing Natasha grow up would be too hard for Landon and me. So we chose a location close to everyone.