Beauty Awakened

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“YOU’VE GOT TO TRY THIS.” Laila shoveled a piece of chocolate into Nicola’s mouth before she had time to form a reply.

Chocolate contained caffeine, so very rarely did she allow herself to indulge. But when she did... The gooey goodness delighted her, and she closed her eyes to savor. A mistake. She and her sister were in the process of strolling along the cobbled path winding through the park, and she bumped into a trash can.

The thud brought Laila’s attention around, and her twin burst out laughing. “Kooky Co Co kicks a carton.”

Empty wrappers, half-eaten sandwiches and Starbucks cups spilled onto the concrete, yet Nicola smiled as she cleaned the mess. How wonderful to hear her sister’s amusement. When she finished, she dug the antibacterial gel from her purse and slathered her hands.

“You’ve got chocolate on your chin,” Laila said, trying to be calm but failing. The gray of her eyes glimmered gorgeously. The sun cast bright, golden rays over skin that hadn’t seen the outdoors in months, illuminating her, making her radiate health and vitality.

Nicola wiped her face with the tips of her fingers. “Better?”

“Much. Now you’re almost as pretty as me.” Pretending a vanity she’d never possessed, Laila studied her decimated cuticles. “Notice I said almost.”

“Someone needs glasses. Your hair is blond but your roots are red,” Nicola replied, giving her ponytail a flip. “It’s quite hideous.”

Laila gasped with mock outrage. “I’ll have you know this look is all the rage right now. Total style and sophistication.”

“I don’t follow trends. I make them.”

Grinning, her sister held out her hand. “You are so totally lame. Come on, walk with me.”

They linked fingers and resumed their stroll. The tranquillity of the moment helped diffuse the memories of the attack—something she hadn’t shared with her sister. Memories kept trying to rise to the surface of her mind. While she was in the shower. While she selected today’s underwear. While she cooked breakfast.

Once, she’d almost broken down and cried. But then she’d remembered Koldo’s kiss, his sweet, sweet kiss. His uncertainty. His vulnerability. His desire to make sure she was enjoying herself. And everything had changed.

He was such a big, strong warrior. There was a time she would have bet nothing could shake his confidence. But then she had.

As if her opinion mattered to him.

“I could hear you at the hospital, you know,” Laila said, delving into a subject they had previously avoided.

“Really?” She’d always wondered. Had always hoped.

“Yes, and you kept me there longer than I wanted to stay. Anytime I would feel myself drifting away, you were right there to tug me back.”

“That makes me happy.”

“But not me. I was ready to go.”

The words were like a fist to the gut. “Well, I’ll never regret holding on to you, La La. I love you.”

“And I love you, too.” Laila’s smile was sad. “But, Co Co, if we’re ever again in that situation, I want you to let me go.”

Nicola stopped, forcing her sister to do the same. They faced each other, right there in the middle of the path, causing the people behind them to trip to the side in an effort to avoid slamming into them.

“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “I won’t. I’ll fight for you with every bit of my strength.” And Koldo would fight with her. Right?

She wanted to believe it, but he’d seemed to abandon her. He’d promised to give her an hour a day, to teach her, to train her, and then he’d vanished for good, leaving her to believe he regretted showing her so much vulnerability.

And why shouldn’t he? She had nothing to offer him. He was tough, fierce and knowledgeable. She was weak, defenseless and ignorant of the truth.

Exasperated, Laila spread her arms. “Be practical about this.”

Expecting a twenty-three-year-old girl to die of heart disease was practical? “Koldo says we have to—”

“Ugh. Koldo this, and Koldo that.” Laila anchored her hands on her too-tiny waist. She’d gained weight since her release from the hospital, but not enough. “He’s all you ever talk about anymore. Whoever he is, he’s lying to you, my love. Why can’t you see that? He’s not an angel any more than I’m the tooth fairy.”

“You’re right. He’s not an angel. He’s a—”

“I know, I know, but it doesn’t matter. If he’s so concerned with our health, where is he?” Her sister’s tone gentled as she added, “Why isn’t he here, giving me this information himself?”

Her shoulders drooped. “I don’t know.”

A mother pushed a stroller around them as Laila reached out and tugged at the end of Nicola’s earlobe. In the background, a dog barked. “He’s not a Sent One, whatever that is. He’s a con man.”

“I’ve seen him pop in and out of thin air.”

“You’ve seen an illusion.”

“Just wait until you meet him.”

Laila tsked with a mix of exasperation and pity. “Darling, he’s only looking to sell you a miracle cure.”

“No. He’s giving me a miracle cure and paying our bills.”

“So you think.”

Nicola swallowed a sigh. No matter what she’d said, or what angle she’d tried, her sister had rejected all things Koldo. She’d called Sent Ones “a romantic idea.” She’d scoffed at the concept of demons.

Frustration and upset had tried to take up residence inside of Nicola—neither of which she welcomed, per Koldo’s orders. She just... She had to get through to her sister. Laila’s life was in danger. She needed saving, and Nicola would do whatever was necessary to save her.

Laila shook her head, saying, “You only believe him because you have a crush on him. Your eyes go dreamy every time you talk about him.”

“Do not.”

“Do, too.”

“Not!”

“Too!”

Laila dropped the empty box of candy and they began a slap fight, giggling like the girls they used to be, before sickness and fear and loss had taken such a vicious toll. But Laila sobered all too soon, too busy fighting for breath.

Nicola picked up the box and tossed it in the nearest trash can, then reclaimed her sister’s arm to urge her forward. She’d missed this kind of interaction. A few years ago, she’d gone to the local community college and Laila had opted not to “waste what little time she had.” Then Nicola had gotten a job at Estellä and Laila had focused on her art. Then, Laila had gotten sick. Well, sicker. After that, Laila had stopped painting and had started spending every free minute inside a doctor’s office or in bed.

“I promise you,” Laila said. “There isn’t a demon following me around.”

“Not right this second, no.”

Another sad smile was cast her way. “You’re seeing things again, that’s all. That’ll stop, just like before.”

No, it wouldn’t. Not this time. Nicola’s spiritual eyes had been opened, and she would never shut them again. But she didn’t want to spend her lunch hour arguing. “So, listen. I already said yes to this, and I’d love for you to join me. Just...promise you’ll keep an open mind when I tell you about it, okay? Please.”

Laila’s brows drew together with confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“A guy at work asked me out. Asked the two of us out, really. On a double date, not anything weird,” she rushed to add. Some men heard the word twins and their minds went to strip clubs and tag teaming.

“I’m intrigued so far. Go on.”

“Yesterday I called him and accepted. For me, not for you.” And she’d only debated three hours before picking up the phone—and another hour after that. She’d just gotten tired, and maybe a little resentful, of waiting for Koldo to appear, of hoping for something more than a conversation and a kiss with him, of dreaming of what might have happened if Laila hadn’t interrupted them, of wondering how he would look at her the next time he saw her. Tenderly? Fiercely? Or as coldly as a teacher with his student?

And what if he wasn’t allowed to date? Or, what if he was already committed to someone and forever off the market?

A fiery fog rolled through her mind, and she experienced what she suspected was a killing rage. If that sleazebag had a girlfriend...

“Uh, Co Co?”

“What?” she snarled.

“Nothing. Nothing,” Laila said, holding up her hands, palms out. “You just tell me when you’re ready and not a moment sooner, and I won’t wonder what this little mini makeover is all about. I mean, one second I was talking to my big sis, and the next I was staring at a serial murderer.”

Calm down. Just calm down. Already her heart was pounding erratically, and if she wasn’t careful she would pass out. Or worse, strengthen the demon toxin. And really, this was silly. She was raging for nothing. Koldo wasn’t the type to cheat. He was the type to just flat out tell you he was done with you.

“There’s the sis I know and love,” Laila said. “So...continuing our previous convo. You accepted a date with a coworker.”

“Yes. And I’d love to call him back and accept on your behalf. The other guy’s name is Blaine and he’s—”

“Stop right there. The rest of the deets don’t matter. I’m in!”

After Laila’s last disastrous relationship, Nicola had expected a little resistance. “Really?”

“Really. I’m not sure how much longer I’ve got to live, so yeah, I’ll be doing anything and everything I possibly can.”

“That includes listening to what Koldo has to say, I hope.”

Laila stuck out her tongue. “We’ll see. So, what’d this guy at your office have to do to get you to say yes? You’ve always been oblivious to the male population.”

“I have not. I just didn’t want to have to deal with all the complications.” And, okay, yes, the argument fell a little flat considering Koldo brought more complications than most.

A shirtless guy in blue shorts grinned as he jogged past Laila. “Hey, beautiful.”

“Hey.” She returned the grin with one of her own, and even waved, causing him to slow and then stop, clearly determined to approach. Her sister saved him the trouble and closed the distance.

Sighing, Nicola stepped off the path to wait. Another five minutes, and she’d have to head back to work.

She sidestepped a man walking his dog and—

Saw a shaved Koldo?

No, not Koldo, she realized with disappointment. A few yards away stood a male with the same body type as Koldo, with a bald head and bold features almost eerie in their similarity. This male wore a black shirt and black leather pants, and both were molded to his skin. He was, perhaps, ten or twenty years older than Koldo, the skin around his eyes and mouth lined. He was handsome, but he was without a sexy, beaded beard.

They had to be related, though. There was no way two guys could look so much alike and not spring from the same family line.

She waved, only to freeze in place when he reached up to stroke...a snake. A large snake with fur sticking out from underneath sickly green scales and the long, multipoint antlers usually only seen on deer. The rest of the creature’s body coiled around the man, the tail shaking and rattling. Its eyes were as red as rubies—and watching her intently.

Not a snake. That thing couldn’t be a snake. A...demon?

Evil wafted on the breeze, a hint of sulfur in the air. Oh, yes. A demon. And demons caused sickness, Koldo had said—and probably a thousand other things she wanted no part of.

No way this man was any kind of Sent One.

“Laila,” she called hollowly.

“Just a sec,” Laila replied. “I’m currently memorizing a very important number.”

The jogger chuckled.

The bald man grinned at Nicola, but it wasn’t a nice grin. A gaze as dark as the night perused her from head to toe, reminding her of the leering Mr. Ritter. Her heart, already amped up from the chocolate, kicked into an erratic beat.

Nicola raced forward and grabbed her sister’s hand, tugging her a few steps backward. “Come on. We have to get out of here.”

“But—” the jogger began.

“Why?” Laila said, turning her back on him to concentrate on Nicola. “What’s wrong?”

“Do you see that man over there?”

Laila glanced to the right. “Baldy? Yeah. So?”

“What about his pet snake? Do you see it?”

“Uh, he doesn’t have a pet snake. Or a dog or a cat or a bird. Honey, are you okay? You’re pale and shaky.”

Her sister still couldn’t see the demon, then. “Come on.” She pivoted and quickened her pace, dragging Laila with her.

“What’s going on?” her sister demanded.

“I’ll tell you later.” The park was crowded with moms and their kids, dads and their dogs, as well as businessmen and women out on their lunch break like her, hoping to soak in a little sun before crawling back inside the shadows of the daily grind. She maneuvered around them, but wasn’t quite at her best and ran into a few.

She heard “Hey!” and “Watch it!” multiple times, and had to mutter a few hasty apologies. Her blood chilled to a dangerous level, even as her skin threatened to overheat. Sweat rolled down her spine.

“Slow down,” Laila huffed.

She cast a glance behind them. The man was still there, still grinning at her, and still stroking the demon. But he wasn’t following her. Relieved, she slowed...slowed...and finally halted.

Panting, Laila pressed her palm over her heart. “Can you tell me what that was about now?”

She opened her mouth to do just that—only, another demon slithered from the tree beside her, baring long, sharp fangs with dripping ends, and the words formed a jagged knot in the center of her throat, only a few gurgling sounds escaping.

Nicola stumbled to the right, tugging Laila with her.

“What are you—”

A woman stepped from around the thick trunk, and Laila closed her mouth. The newcomer was bald, just like the man. Her skin was as pale as milk, which was a striking contrast to the black mist seeping from her pores.

“Do you see that?” Nicola demanded of her sister. “The mist?”

“No. But the woman...”

The corners of the woman’s lips lifted in a slow grin...revealing fangs of her own.

Nicola’s heart skipped a beat as she once again launched into motion, heading in another direction. “They’re after us,” she rasped. “We have to get out of here!”

“Who...are they?” Her sister could barely get the words out. Neither one of them was used to this kind of activity. “What...do...they...want?”

Nicola glanced back. The woman remained just under the tree, but the demon had opted to follow Nicola and was closing in fast, its scaled and furry body dragging over the ground, its antlers shaking.

What did it want with her? What would it do to her if it caught her?

Another bald man stepped in her path, grinned evilly, and she screamed. She jerked Laila to the left, heading in the only uncharted direction. A second...third...fourth demon followed this time, slithering, slithering so quickly, as if they’d just scented the afternoon meal: two gimpy mice.

“Nicola, please,” Laila pleaded. “I can’t...take much...more.”

She wanted her sister to see what was happening around them, to finally believe, but she also didn’t want her sister to see. Fear would probably consume her, and fear would do her no good right now.

No one else seemed to realize what was happening. People went on with their day, smiling and laughing and flying kites, completely unaware of that other realm currently teeming with malevolence.

“I can’t...” Laila ripped from her hold and hunched over, gasping for breath. “You have to...”

Nicola backtracked, leaped in front of her sister and spread her arms, expecting the demons to attack. But they surprised her. They skidded to a stop a few feet away, gravel and twigs settling around them. Vile red gazes locked on her.

She fought a wave of dizziness, her eyesight dimming. Not now. Please, not now. The creatures circled her, but she couldn’t move with them and continue protecting Laila’s back; there were too many of them to watch all at once.

“Go away,” she demanded.

One hissed at her. Another spit at her, spraying whatever dripped from its fangs. The others flashed razor-sharp teeth stained crimson, as though blood was a morning obsession.

“Go away or...or...I’ll ask the Most High for help.” Yes. That’s what Koldo had said to do.

To her utter shock, the hissing and the spitting morphed into whimpering, and the creatures began to back away from her.

Already, it was working. “Most High,” she shouted, hit by a sudden wave of confidence. “If you can hear me, I could really use your help right now.”

The demons froze in place—before slowly backing away from her.

It was working, she realized.

“Most High,” she repeated more loudly, and terror fell over the creatures. They quickened their pace, desperate to get away from her. But they weren’t fast enough. Two warriors unfamiliar to her shot from the sky and swooped into the park. Their wings were the color of cerulean and they wore robes of the most brilliant white.

Nicola threw her arm around her trembling sister, who was still hunched over, gasping for breath. “Everything will be okay now. I know it.”

“My heart...”

“Just breathe in...out... Good girl.” She watched, wide-eyed, as the Sent Ones—angels?—unsheathed double-edged swords and attacked. The demons darted in different directions, too many for the two warriors to contain. But she should have known they would find a way. They flashed to one and hacked, then to another and hacked, then to another and another, their opponents swiftly decreasing.

“Do you see them?” she asked.

“See who?” Laila said through gasps.

Well, that answered that.

At last the battle was over, and no one on the other team was spared.

The warriors returned their weapons to their sheaths and looked to Nicola. They inclined their heads in greeting, flared their wings and, without a word, shot back into the sky.