I cleaned my brush again and used my palette knife to mix more of the blue shade I needed. We were in Miles’ living room using the coffee table for my project. I had spent the last hour putting the night sky on Miles’ cast, complete with stars, gasses, and even the moon. Now, all I needed was to mix the Tardis blue and paint in the Tardis flying through the sky.

“So…” Miles began, looking at me over his glasses. “What do you want to talk about?”

I chewed on the corner of my bottom lip as I mixed the paint. “I didn’t say I needed to talk.” I tried to make my voice light, but it didn’t work.

“No, you didn’t.” His eyes were warm as I met them. “But you usually draw or paint when you have something on your mind. And you usually do it at home.”

I resisted squirming under his eyes. He always was too observant. “Okay, you… might be right.” I picked up the brush and started working on the little blue box.

“What is it?” he asked gently in his silky-smooth voice that I loved.

“Let me finish this first,” I hedged. I really didn’t want to fuck up his cast because of what I was going to tell him.

“Are you nervous about Isaac’s fight today?” he asked, as if he couldn’t help it.

I smiled to myself. “Yeah, but that’s not it.” I started working on the side of the box.

“Are you worried about Ethan’s back?” Miles tried again.

I shook my head. “Yeah, but again, that’s not it.”

“Am I in the proximity?” he asked.

I shook my head as I began cleaning my brush. Knowing Miles, he was just going to keep guessing until I told him.

“All we need to do is let it dry before I do the white on the Tardis,” I told him as I cleaned my fingers with a paper towel. I stalled as long as I could. I looked up and met his eyes. “There is something I need to tell you.”

His eyes ran over my face before coming back to my eyes. “Is this about your scans?”

I swallowed hard. “Yeah. The results came back.” I looked down and started tearing the paper towel to pieces. “They aren’t good.”

His hand reached out and stopped me from tearing the towel even more. “How bad are they?”

I let out a deep breath and held his hand. “Do you remember back in October, Rory had me see every kind of doctor there was?”

“Yes.”

I looked up and met his emerald eyes. “When my aunt Claire, died, the family learned that there was a black spot of dead tissue on her brain. There was no medical reason for it, but the family knew what it was. It was damage from the dead.”

His eyes narrowed on mine. “They found a spot in October, didn’t they?”

I nodded. “Yeah, and after getting jumped in April, Rory wanted me to get the scan again. I put it off as long as I could.”

“The amount of dead tissue grew, didn’t it?” he asked carefully.

My eyes burned as I looked down at his hand holding mine. “Yeah. And the symptoms are getting worse.” Tears fell down my face.

“We’ve noticed you’ve been tired lately,” he admitted, his voice rough. I wiped my face and tried to breathe past the tightness in my chest.

“I’m also getting nosebleeds for no reason now,” I admitted.

Miles grew tense beside me. “Alright, what are our options?”

My eyes shot to him. “Um, surgery, cutting back on crossing the dead, uh… that’s it. There’s nothing else to do.”

“Alright,” he said carefully, his eyes unfocused as continued. “I’ll have Dr. Zimmer find the best neurosurgeon in the States-”

“I’m not having the surgery,” I told him, my voice soft.

His eyes focused on mine.

“Lexie, if it could help, if it could buy you more time, isn’t it worth it?” Miles’ hand tightened on mine.

I gave him a small smile. “There’s no proof it’ll work. And…” I wiped my face again as a fresh wave of tears fell down my face. “And I’d rather spend the time I have left with the people I love rather than in pain. The only thing I can do is wear my beads right now and cut back on crossing the dead.”

Miles’ jaw clenched. “Lexie…” he whispered, his voice rough around the edges. I leaned into him. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tight while being careful of his cast. I buried my face in his shirt and clung to him. “We’ll keep looking,” he promised, his face buried in my hair. “We’ll find a way to keep you safe.”

“I hope so,” I breathed. I really hoped we could.

I woke up only to realize I was on the couch in the living room at home. Rubbing my eyes, I tried to remember what happened. I got really tired at Miles' house so I came home, and apparently, I didn't make it upstairs. I sighed. This whole being tired all the time thing was starting to piss me off. How long did I sleep this time? I pulled my cell out of my pocket and checked the time. It was two o’clock. Shit! I grabbed Hades, jumped into the Blazer and took off for the Rec Center.

I parked, shut off the truck, and ran inside. By the time I reached the payment table, the lobby was empty. One of the fights must have started already. Shit! I got my ticket and hurried in. The MMA cage was in the center of four large bleachers full of people. I looked for the guys and spotted Zeke’s giant frame in the bleachers on the far side of the ring.

Careful to keep Hades beside me, I moved around the ring and officials until I was near the side of their bleachers. Zeke spotted me coming. He said something to Asher who was by the edge. Zeke was a little further down. Ethan and Miles were sitting behind them. Asher turned and spotted me. I looked up at them and the packed bleachers, wondering how we were going to get up there.

Asher moved his feet and reached down to me. “Put your foot on the ledge, Ally.”

Getting an idea of what he was doing, I reached up, took his hand, braced my foot and did a one leg jump. Asher pulled me up and stepped back a little towards Zeke.

“Get your ass out of my face,” Zeke growled. I looked up and met Asher’s warm eyes. It was a couple of heartbeats before I could pull away.

“Thanks, Ash.” I moved up the bleachers to sit between Miles and Ethan. It was the only safe thing to do right now. Asher made room, Hades managed to jump up and squeeze between Zeke’s knees.

“So, did I miss him?” I asked as Asher sat back down in his spot.

“Nah, but Jordan got his ass kicked,” Ethan informed me. Ouch. Yeah, Jordan hit on me and couldn’t take a hint, but ouch.

“What happened?” Miles asked, his voice hushed.

“I, uh,” I turned to him, “I fell asleep.”

His eyes filled with understanding as a tall man with a microphone moved out into the cage. I recognized Isaac’s shoulders and he walked through the bleachers to the cage. Another guy followed not far behind.

“In the red corner, weighing in at one hundred and seventy-three pounds and standing five feet ten inches tall - Isaac Turner!”

We cheered as Isaac moved into the cage. He continued shaking his arms and legs to keep them warm.

“In the blue corner, weighing in at one hundred and seventy-five pounds, and standing six feet tall - Michael Bower!”

Everyone applauded. I watched Isaac, my stomach already in knots. I could watch a guy I was in love with get the shit kicked out of him. Right? Oh fuck.

Isaac and his opponent moved to the center of the ring. They touched gloves and circled each other. I took Ethan’s hand and tried not to squeeze it too tight. Bower moved in first, throwing a series of punches. Isaac blocked, slipped to the side and got him with a right hook. I winced as Bower backed off a little. They sized each other up. Bower moved in again, feinting a blow to the head and then landing a blow to the ribs.

They went at it, throwing punches and shooting out kicks. It wasn’t long before Bower got his arms around Isaac. Then he pushed Isaac and took him to the mat. Isaac landed a nice punch to Bower’s jaw. The guy tucked his chin and it turned into a grappling fight.

“Come on, Isaac!” I cheered as loudly as I could, hoping he’d get Bower in a lock.

The ref broke them apart. They got to their feet and each moved to a side of the cage. A strange shadow crossed Isaac’s face. I blinked and looked up at the lights to see what was causing the shadow. I looked back at Isaac again. The shadow was gone. I started bouncing my knee.

This time Isaac went after him. And I mean went after him. Isaac changed in a second. He knocked Bower around the cage, landing punch after punch. He didn’t miss a kick, he didn’t miss an opening. He tore into Bower. Bower’s right eye swelled. A cut opened on his face.

When the ref went to break them apart, Isaac brushed him off and almost looked like he was going in for more. But he got up and turned to go back to the other side. That shadow moved up his throat to his ear then disappeared. That was strange…

When Bower was good to go the ref stepped back. There was no circling this time, there was no sizing up. Isaac tore into Bower, beating him. It went on and on until Isaac got him to the mat. Isaac drove his knee into the guy’s gut, then punched him four more times before the ref pulled Isaac off an unconscious Bower. And I mean pulled Isaac. Isaac swung around with his fist raised as if he was going to clock the ref. That shadow ran over his face again, down his neck and down his chest.

Or… at least it looked that way. Dread filled my heart as the ref checked on the unconscious Bower.

“Medics!” the ref called. The paramedics hustled into the cage. Isaac walked out and headed for the locker rooms without looking at anyone. I watched the medics work.

“Did that feel off for anyone else?” I asked them carefully.

“Yeah, that was fucking off,” Zeke snapped as he turned to look back at us. “He was on the verge of illegal.”

“That was disturbing,” Miles said carefully.

“What the fuck was he thinking?” Ethan snapped.

“He didn’t even check on Bower,” Asher pointed out. “He always checks if he’s knocked someone out.”

And then there was that shadow… I looked over the ceiling at the lights, for flags, looking for anything that might have caused it. I didn’t see shit. That knot of dread in my chest grew bigger.

“I think I’m going to go talk to him,” I said as I got up. I braced myself on Asher and Zeke’s shoulders so I could step down between them to their level.

“I’m knocking his head off,” Zeke growled as he tried to get Hades out of the way.

I turned back to him. “Zeke, give me five minutes. I think something’s wrong.”

Zeke met my eyes and we had our usual staring contest. This time he sighed. “Five minutes exactly,” he told me.

“Got it,” I told him as I started moving sideways on the bleachers. I had to slip by Asher, who was sitting down, his face a little above boob height. Yeah, that wasn’t awkward at all. I jumped down as the medics started taking Bower out on a stretcher.

I opened the men’s locker room door. “Girl coming in; cover your junk!” I called before waiting a second. There were a few chuckles.

“Everyone’s already dressed!” a guy’s voice shouted back.

The locker room wasn’t full, thankfully. A thick silence hung in the air as several muscular guys wrapped their hands and ankles as they got themselves ready for their fights. I looked down the first row. Isaac wasn’t there.

“You looking for Turner?” A guy who looked to be in his twenties with short, dark, cropped hair asked. I nodded.

“He’s down two aisles,” a familiar voice offered. Jordan got up from the bench. His face was bruised and cut, at least from what I could see around the ice. “Heard Bower took a beating. How bad was it?”

I met Jordan’s one open eye. “He’s on the way to the hospital,” I said quietly.

The older man straightened, his brow drawn. “Well, shit.”

I walked two rows over and found Isaac sitting on a bench in the middle of the wide row, unwrapping his hands. Even from here I could tell he looked like shit. The bags under his eyes were dark, his face was pale.

“What do you want?” he growled, his voice boiling.

I walked over and stood next to the lockers. “Are you okay?”

“Fine.” His voice was short and clipped.

“What the hell was that out there?” I asked, keeping my voice down.

“Fighting.”

“Isaac, he’s going to the hospital,” I told him, very clearly. “You just put a guy in the hospital.”

“It’s a fight. He lost, I won,” he snapped.

“That isn’t what happened out there,” I stated, my voice growing harder. “According to Zeke, you came really close to illegal fighting. What is going on?”

He got to his feet, slammed open his locker and jerked his gear bag out. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Well, you need to, because you went ape shit on that guy, you’re not hanging out with us, and you're pissed as hell lately,” I told him, keeping my voice down. “What is wrong?”

His shoulders became taut with tension as he dropped his bag.

“Isaac, talk to me,” I pleaded.

He shoved his feet into his shoes. “Back off.” His voice was deeper than usual. It sent a shiver down my spine.

“Isaac, I’m your friend—"

“Some fucking friend. You blew me off yesterday,” he bit out. "Whenever you fucking need something, I'm there. But I need you and you're fucking off with my brother or the guys! I'm so sick of this crap. You're never around! You even fucking kept Sophie a secret! Who fucking does that? So don't give me that ‘I'm your friend' bullshit!" He got to his feet, grabbed his bag and headed for the emergency exit.

I’d had enough. I grabbed his arm to turn him. “Cookie Monster—”

Isaac dropped his bag and turned.

My heart leaped into my throat. That wasn’t Isaac. His face was thickly shadowed, his irises flashed a burning red. He bared his teeth at me. “Why would I want a cunt like you around?” he snarled, his voice dark and deep. It sent cold fingers of fear down my spine. I knew that voice… His hands shot out. I fell backwards into the lockers, hard, the sound echoing through the locker room. I slid to the floor. Stunned, I gaped up at him. The red glow disappeared from his eyes, the shadow pulled back from his face. He stared down at his shaking hands as if they had betrayed him. It was only a second before running footsteps came towards us. Isaac grabbed his bag, and ran out the emergency door.

Jordan and the other guys came around the corner.

“What was that?” Jordan spotted me and scowled. “Did he just fucking push you?”

I nodded, still staring after Isaac. A door opened and closed somewhere.

The dark-haired older man squatted next to me, his eyes concerned. “Did he only push you?”

I nodded. “That’s… he’s never…” I was struggling to wrap my head around this.

“Well, steroids will do that to you,” he said. “He needs some help. Come on, let’s get you off the floor. It’s gross in here.”

He held his hands out to me. I took them. He helped me to the bench.

“Did a redhead come through here?” Ethan asked cheerfully.

Jordan turned toward the front of the locker room. “Lexie’s down here. And if you don’t beat the shit out of Isaac, I will.”

Footsteps hurried down the aisle. I was still staring at the emergency door when Zeke and Miles came around the corner. The others went back to getting ready as Hades pulled on his leash.

Miles squatted down to turn my chin with his good hand. “Lexie, what happened?”

I met his eyes. “He told me we weren’t friends. He called me a cunt. Then he pushed me into the lockers.” I still couldn’t quite believe it myself. Ethan and Asher joined us. Hades began straining toward the exit.

Zeke’s face grew murderous. “Where is he?

“He ran.” I looked up them. “I think something is wrong with him.”

Zeke’s massive frame turned and strode towards the emergency door. “Yeah, he’s about to die,” he announced in his deep, gravelly voice.

“Zeke,” I called.

He turned back at the door.

“You don’t understand,” I tried again. “Something is really wrong. Like…”

It finally clicked.

Holy. Fucking. Shit. Something… was in Isaac. Oh fuck, oh fuck. Don’t panic, Lexie. Breathe.

I got to my feet and headed for the emergency exit. Sweat started to bead on my skin as I led them further away from the door so we couldn’t be heard. I turned and looked up at them. “I think Isaac is possessed or something.”

Zeke scowled at me. Asher’s eyebrows were sky high. Ethan’s face grew pale. And Miles’ face? Well, he had his thinking face on.

“Why do you say that?” Miles asked, tapping his fingers on his thigh.

“I saw a black shadow covering his face.” I swallowed hard. “I saw it during the fight too. I just thought it was from the lights or something.” I shook my head. “His eyes turned red and the voice he used…” I looked up at them. “That wasn’t Isaac. It was deeper than Zeke’s voice.”

“What?” Ethan breathed, his face growing even paler.

Miles stopped tapping. “Are you sure?”

I looked at him. “I… I don’t fucking know.”

“Okay, well, before we go tell him he’s possessed, let’s check with someone who would know,” Asher suggested.

“Serena,” I stated, pulling out my phone. Serena and I didn’t have the best of relationships, well, with her threatening to kill me and me wanting to live and all. Serena’s phone went straight to voicemail. That was it. I had been leaving this bitch messages all fucking week!

“Serena! I need you to pick up your fucking phone! I think a friend of mine is possessed. CALL ME!” I hung up. My chest grew tight as panic set in. Hades moved away from Zeke and sat on my foot, only to lean against my leg.

“Okay, okay. What do I know?” I asked myself out loud as I moved away from Hades to pace, trying to stay calm. “I know a bunch of theoretical shit!” I covered my face and took a deep breath.

Miles stepped closer and pulled one of my hands from my face. “We need someone with experience with this, right?”

I nodded, my heart hammering away in my throat.

His thumbs stroked the back of my knuckles. My panic pulled back a bit. “Alright. You think it’s the demon from Cara and Mia’s house?”

I nodded.

“Then, maybe we should go to the Catholic church and talk to a priest,” Miles suggested.

A priest? Priest! “Shit!” I pulled my hand from his and grabbed my phone. “Serena gave me the name of a priest months ago.” I unlocked my phone with trembling fingers. I found the number and hit the call button. I started chewing on the bottom corner of my lip as it rang. Finally, someone picked up.

“Hello, Saint Joseph’s church,” a young man’s voice answered.

“I’m looking for Father Francis.” I skipped the pleasantries.

“One moment, he just came into the office. Let me transfer you,” the man said. I got an earful of elevator music. I started pacing, my hand balling in the hair of my ponytail. Come on!

“This is Father Francis. How can I help you?” An older man’s voice came on the line.

“Do you know a woman named Serena?” I asked immediately.

There was silence. “I’m sorry, I think you have the wrong number.”

Fuck it. I didn’t have time for subtle. “Look, here’s the deal. I’m a Necromancer, I’m seventeen years old, and a witch named Serena gave me this number if there was anything I couldn’t handle. Right now, I’m pretty sure one of my best friends is possessed by a demon. Hence the phone call. She’s not picking up. Now, can you help me or not?”

There was dead silence on the phone. I held my breath. Don’t tell me I just fucked up any hope of helping Isaac. Me and my big—

“Yes, I knew a Serena years ago,” he stated. “Why do you think your friend is possessed?”

I quickly summed up Cara and Mia’s house, Isaac not sleeping, the way he’d been acting, and then, oh yeah, the big shadow and red eyes. I barely managed to keep the sarcasm from being too much.

“If that is indeed what is happening, it sounds like your friend is in the advanced stages of possession. It has manifested extraordinarily fast,” he said, his voice clinical. “You’ll have to get him here to the church in Boulder, Colorado. Then we’ll determine if it’s possession or not.”

I moved the phone from my mouth to turn to Miles. “We need to get him to Boulder.”

Miles pulled out his phone and was calling before I finished my sentence. “I’ll have the jet prepped.”

“We’ll be there today,” I told him.

“Now, listen. If this is the advanced stages of possession, then the entity will try to take over a body permanently, which means killing the soul of the rightful owner of that body. Be on the lookout for it to come to the surface. They have abilities - telekinesis, throwing fire, conjuring hallucinations. You name it, a demon can do it.”

“Got it. Super powers, great,” I muttered.

“Now, listen. This is very important. Do not leave him alone,” he stated. “If a demon is found out, they’ll kill the person instead of the soul. And they’ll do as much damage as they can on the way out.”

“He ran off,” I admitted, my stomach knots growing knots.

“Find him and get him here. We’ll examine him when he arrives,” he told me.

“We will.” I hung up and turned to the others. “Not good. We need to find him, now. It’s going to try to kill him.” I turned to Miles. “We need something to knock him out.”

Miles nodded. “I’ll take care of the plane, Hades, and the medication. You guys find him.”

Everyone split up. When I started the Blazer my hands were trembling. I took deep breaths and let them out slowly.

We had to find him. There was no other option. We had to.

I didn't even stop for the stop sign at the intersection. There were no cars, so I just drove through. My heart was racing in my chest. My clammy hands gripped the wheel. It was a job just to breathe.

"Ethan, calm down. We aren't going to help him if we're in another accident,” Miles announced, reminding me he was in the car.

I cursed as I slowed down to only five miles over the speed limit. "He's going to..." Bile rose in my throat. I couldn't even say it.

"We'll find him,” he reassured me.

"Yeah, how?" I snapped as I turned the wheel. "We don't know everyone he knows!" I hit the brakes hard. The car screeched to a halt at the stop light. I couldn't lose him too. I couldn't seem to breathe. Taking deep breaths, my chest ached as if it were replaced with a deep, burning pit. My control was paper thin. Everything I was, shook. I couldn't do it again...

"Deep breaths," Miles ordered.

I did as he said.

"Now, Zeke and Asher are out looking too. So is Lexie. We'll find him,” he promised. I swallowed hard and nodded as my eyes burned. I just... couldn't...

We spent the next two hours looking for him. We were running out of time. The knot in my chest was pulling tighter and tighter. The longer it took, the harder it was to breathe. My phone rang. I looked at it in the holder and hit the button as I pulled off the highway.

“Cookie Monster?”

“Lexie…” Isaac’s voice was so strained I couldn’t take it.

“Where are you?” I asked, running my hand through my hair.

“I need you,” he whispered, his voice shaking.

“You got me,” I said instantly. “Tell me where you are and I’ll come to you.”

“The scenic overlook off ninety-three north. It’s about three miles outside of town,” he said absently. I wasn’t even a mile away. “Hurry.” The phone went dead. I floored it. My heart raced as I sped out to the overlook. I hit my speed dial.

“Did you find him?” Zeke demanded.

“He called me. He’s at the overlook off ninety-three north. Three miles outside of town. He asked me to come,” I practically shouted into the phone.

“Not alone!” Zeke shouted.

“Then follow! I’m already here.” I hit the brakes and skidded to a stop in the almost empty parking lot. My eyes were on Isaac, standing on the other side of the railing, five feet out at the edge of the cliff. “Hurry.”

I left my phone and jumped out of the truck, not even bothering to shut it off. I ran to the railing, climbed over, and went straight to him.

“Isaac,” I called gently as I walked slowly towards him. That black shadow covered him, moving constantly over his skin as he looked down at the floor of the valley, over three hundred feet down. I got no response. I moved closer. “Cookie Monster.” I kept my voice soft.

“Lexie.” His voice cracked. My throat grew tight at the sound.

“I’m here.” I swallowed hard as I eyed the edge. “What are you doing?”

He shook his head hard. The shadows moved away from his face.

“I want it over, Lexie,” he whispered. My heart stopped. “I can’t take it anymore.”

“Talk to me,” I begged.

“I killed her.” His voice was so quiet I barely heard him. “It’s my fault she’s dead.” My heart shattered. Isaac…

“No, you didn’t,” I told him firmly. He looked at me over his shoulder.

“I could have left the car,” he growled, his eyes tinged red. “I could have gotten help.” I shook my head.

“The accident was still happening, Isaac. You would have been killed too,” I pointed out. He looked back down at the valley floor. “With her injuries, there was nothing you could have done except be with her.”

“I smothered her!” he growled. His hands moved to his head, his fingers digging into his scalp. He closed his eyes tight and shook his head. Tears fell down his face.

“What?” I couldn’t believe he said that. “No, you didn’t…”

His tortured eyes met mine. “I smothered her. I remember doing it.”

“No, you didn’t, Isaac. You made sure that in her last moments she knew she was loved and treasured,” I assured him, my eyes burning. “That’s what she told me before she crossed. You made it so she wasn’t scared to die. You have no idea how much that meant to her. That was all you did. It was all you could do.”

The black shadow moved over his head again. This time I heard the whispering.

“Don’t listen to the voice telling you that it’s your fault. That’s not you, Isaac!” My hands shook.

“Bullshit.” He turned to glare at me, his hands dropping from his head. “It’s been there since the day she died.”

“But now there’s a new one, right?” I asked, carefully stepping closer. “This one is worse, telling you that you should leave the people who love you.” I looked down at the cliff. “Telling you to do something that you know you will kill all of us.” Isaac shook his head, blinking hard.

“It’s loud,” he said softly.

“That’s not you, Cookie Monster,” I told him adamantly. “That’s why we’ve been looking for you since you ran off.” The shadow fell back down his neck. “It’s the demon from Cara’s house. It latched onto you and I didn’t see it. It’s trying to kill you.”

He chuckled darkly; the shadow moved up his neck again.

“I’ve been trying for a long time,” he admitted, looking down at the valley a thousand feet below. “Maybe it’s time.”

“No.” I strode towards him. The shadows darkened. Isaac warned me off with his hand out. I stopped a couple feet away.

“Don’t come any closer, Red,” he snarled. “I want to hurt you. To pound my fist into your face until you stop talking.” Tears fell down his face faster. “Don’t let me… please…”

Isaac looked like he was listening to the voice again. The black shadow surged over his face.

“It’s right,” he whispered. “I’m the piece of shit that let her die. I hurt you and I wanted to do it.”

“Isaac, I can’t imagine this world without you,” I said desperately, my voice cracking. Fresh tears started falling down my face at just the thought.

“I don’t deserve to live,” he said softly as he looked out at the drop again. I slowly stepped closer.

“That’s not you, Isaac,” I told him vehemently. “You’re my Cookie Monster.”

I stepped even closer.

“You enjoy the little things. You sing a song every time you have tuna for lunch.”

The black shadow lightened over his head.

“You love pranks, silly string, and using me as a shield when you run away from the guys.”

His entire body went rigid. The shadow surged over his head.

“Isaac, you don’t have to hide from me. You never have to hide from me.”

“I let her die. I killed her....” he rasped, his entire body shaking.

“You didn't smother her. You didn't cause the wreck,” I told him.

He turned back to me, his eyes blinking.

“Think about it, Cookie Monster.” The shadow slipped back down to his neck a little more. “Did you do everything you could?” It was agonizing waiting as he thought about it.

“Yeah.” His whisper was like a breath.

“You are not God, Isaac.” I tried to reach him as I stepped closer. The black shadow swirled faster over his skin as I spoke. “You don’t have control over who lives and dies. All any of us can do is our best.” I was close enough to touch him. “You didn’t smother her. You didn’t kill her.” He had to listen. “She didn’t blame you. She said that you made her feel loved in her last moments of life. She was grateful for those jokes. You made it so she wasn’t afraid.” I stepped closer until I could smell limes. Tears poured down both our faces. “She also said to tell you you’re wrong.” Isaac finally met my gaze. His eyes were lost in a storm of agony that I couldn’t fix. I could only stand beside him and go through it with him, let him know he wasn’t alone.

“Back up,” he said, his voice pleading.

I shook my head as I stepped closer, until there was only a breath separating us.

“No.” He was finally hearing me and I wasn’t about to lose Isaac to a fucking demon. “You would never hurt me.”

The shadow spilled over his head and face, his eyes started to burn red. NO! I grabbed his shirt and pulled him down. My lips found his. His lips were still, but I didn’t care. I kissed him deeper, harder, desperately. He needed to know that he wasn’t what he thought. That he was essential to me, to my life. His lips finally moved and one arm wrapped around me. The other went to the back of my neck, holding me still as he kissed me back. Vaguely, I felt that sick cloud move away from his skin, but I didn’t stop. I wanted Isaac in control again, and if I couldn’t do it with logic, I’d sure as hell do it with love. My body burned as I pressed against him. He took over the kiss. It grew softer, gentler. His lips slowly eased from mine. He pulled away a little, his breathing heavy. Those amber eyes were warm and wide when they met mine. His hand flexed at my waist as the other moved from my neck to cup my face.

“Lexie?”

“Losing you would kill me,” I told him softly, moving my hands to hold his jaw. “So fight that fucker back and hold on. We’re getting rid of it.”

The storm in his eyes was calming, but they were still full of shadows. Tires screeched in the parking lot, car doors slammed. I didn’t take my eyes off his. He finally gave me a small nod. I kept eye contact as the others started to run towards us. Isaac looked away from me to them. His eyes flashed red as the shadow surged over him again. I grabbed his face and forced his eyes back to me.

“Cookie Monster!” His eyes flashed back to amber. “Fight it. We love you. Don’t let that thing take you from us,” I all but growled. Isaac’s eyes were desperate as he nodded again.

“Move slowly, guys,” I told the others, my eyes not leaving Isaac’s.

“Red…” Isaac warned, his voice deeper. The guys stopped moving.

“Fight,” I ordered. “This is your body, not his. This is your life, not his. You make your choices, not some fucked up thing from hell. So choose.” Tears kept falling down my face again. “Choose us, choose our family, and fight like hell.” He took several deep, shaking breaths before he nodded. The guys moved slower this time.

“Isaac, we’re going to put a zip tie on your wrists, alright?” Miles said in his soothing, calm voice. “It’s to stop you from hurting yourself or us.” Isaac struggled to fight against the shadow again, his eyes never leaving mine. Then he nodded. I took his hand from my face and moved it to my lower back. Then I held his face again, keeping his eyes on me. The smell of engine grease reached me as I heard a zip tie being closed behind me. Isaac tensed. The red started to come back. I pressed my hands harder into his face.

“Cookie Monster, I’m right here,” I whispered. “Feel me. I’m right here. You aren’t alone in this.” The shadow finally pulled back until it almost disappeared completely down his shirt. Isaac nodded.

“I’m good,” he said softly. “Get away before it comes back.” I hesitated. “Please,” he pleaded. I nodded.

Isaac lifted his arms up over my head and I moved. Zeke and Asher went to both sides of Isaac and started walking him away from the edge of the cliff. I didn’t leave Isaac’s sight as we got him into the Blazer. Asher climbed in the back, he turned and helped Isaac get inside. Zeke followed closely. I drove, following Miles and Ethan to the private section of the airport. It was a tense drive.

“We’ve got your back, man,” Asher told him firmly. Isaac nodded, his body tense.

We got to the airport without any issues. Zeke and Asher got Isaac out of the truck. When he saw the plane he went white.

“No, no, no,” Isaac began, shaking his head. “You don’t know what this fucker can do. It could probably tear that apart in the air.”

“We know. That’s why we’re sedating you.” Miles came over with Dr. Zimmer. Isaac’s face filled with relief.

Dr. Zimmer’s face was serious as he opened his bag. “Do you agree to sedation, Isaac?”

“No shit, doc,” Isaac snapped.

Dr. Zimmer drew up a syringe of medication. “When you wake up, we’ll have landed in Boulder.”

Isaac nodded. I watched the shadow on Isaac’s neck as Dr. Zimmer gave him the injection. Isaac blinked heavily. It was only a couple minutes before he was out and sagging in Zeke and Asher’s arms. The guys carried him to the plane and strapped him in. I followed with Dr. Zimmer.

“Thanks for coming,” I said.

“I’ve known Isaac for years,” Dr. Zimmer answered. “If something is really wrong, I’m going make sure he gets through.”

My eyes burned. “Thank you.”

Miles’ plane was beautiful and comfy looking, but I couldn’t really appreciate it right now.

I took the seat next to Isaac, wanting to keep an eye on him. I held his limp hand as everyone strapped into their seats. Ethan sat in the chair across from Isaac. He met my eyes. Neither one of us said a word; we didn’t have to. We were both terrified. Hades planted himself in front of Isaac. I eyed him. He was in the guard position, but it wasn’t for me. Odd.

The pilots closed the outside door then moved into the cockpit. The cabin was silent, the tension thick.

We were waiting to taxi to the runway when I remembered something. “Oh, shit.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

“What’s wrong?” Ethan asked.

I dialed Rory. “Rory.” I turned to look at them across the aisle as I held the phone to my ear. “Parents.”

The others cursed and pulled out their phones too.

“Hey, kid,” Rory answered.

I cringed. “Um… don’t kill me…” I quickly gave Rory a rundown of events. He immediately started cursing. He told me to take care of Isaac, and that I was in deep shit when I got back. All in all, it wasn’t bad.

The plane took off soon after that. I kept hold of Isaac’s hand. For the first time in my life, I felt like praying, but I didn’t. I was too worried about Isaac. The others were just as quiet. Two hours. Just two hours and we’d be there.

We were halfway to Boulder when it happened. Hades growled. Isaac’s hand suddenly crushed mine. I gasped in pain as I looked up. Isaac’s face was in a snarl, his eyes glowing red through the black shadow completely covering him. His hand jerked away from mine. The zip tie broke; his fist snapped out. I felt the hit, tasted blood. I dropped out of my seat to the floor in an effort to get away.

“You fucking bitch!” A deep, demonic voice filled the cabin as the lights started flickering. There was shouting. I was pulled to my back. Isaac was over me, his weight on my waist pinning me down. “You think you can take him from me!” The demon pulled his fist back. “He’s mine, you’ve already lost.” Before I could block, a black blur knocked Isaac off me. I scrambled away from the fight between Isaac and Zeke. The plane suddenly plummeted. Asher moved to help. Zeke was hitting Isaac. That wasn’t going to work. The plane was in a nose dive. Heart hammering in my chest, I crawled to the wrestling guys. I moved to Isaac’s head while Asher got through to Zeke.

“Isaac!” I called to him. The demon reached for me. Both Asher and Zeke slammed Isaac’s arms to the floor of the plane. “Cookie Monster! Help us!” Isaac shook his head hard; the plane suddenly made a hard turn. Everyone was pressed into the floor. I held his face and lowered mine to his until his eyes were all I could see. “Isaac, fight,” I whispered. Isaac’s amber flickered in his wild red eye. He was fighting, he was just losing.

No! Something inside me snapped. My chest felt solid, strong. Without thinking, I sent my will searching for him. I focused on sending out that gold thread to grab onto his soul. I watched, as if in slow motion, that golden thread move over Isaac’s chest. Then it dove deep into his chest.

I was instantly thrown into Isaac. It was like I was skydiving and sliding down a rope at the same time. I held onto that thread and dove past all his memories; I wasn’t here for them. I was here for Isaac and nothing would stop me. Suddenly, there was darkness everywhere. I hit the ground hard. I moved to my feet. It was pitch black. Before I even wondered if it was possible, I conjured a light and threw it a few feet above me. The ground was rocky, dry, and covered with red clay. That voice was whispering again. I ran towards it, sending the light ahead of me.

“There is no point in fighting me. They don’t want you, they don’t care.” The voice was growing louder.

Isaac screamed. I increased the light and kept running along a small dirt path towards a craggy outcropping. I threw more lights up to brighten Isaac’s center.

"Isaac!" I shouted, hoping he'd hear me as I moved along a desert ridge.

“You are not me,” Isaac repeated over and over. “Get out, you fucker!” I ran into the middle of an outcropping of stone pillars and found Isaac, pacing, with his hands over his ears.

“You belong in the dark, Isaac. You know you do,” the demon called.

Oh, hell no! I instantly conjured a fireball and threw it towards the voice. It hit a boulder and lit it up, not burning, just making light. The demon roared. I sent another and another until there was enough light to see by. Isaac stood still, gaping at me.

“That’s not going to do it, girl,” the demon hissed from the darkness. I strode into the middle of the pillars of stone where Isaac was still eyeing me.

“You're in my territory now, bitch,” I warned the demon. Something in the shadows moved through the formations. I kept my eyes on it. “You may be stronger than me, but you don’t rule here.” I turned to Isaac; he backed up.

“Cookie Monster, it’s me,” I told him. He blinked.

“Red? How… how did you get here?” he asked, confused.

“I don’t exactly know. But I’m here. We need your help. I don’t know how much time I have here, so listen.” I pointed at the dirt. “This is your center, Isaac. This is who you are, everything you are. You control this world. Bring in the light and you'll drive it away.” I really hoped I wasn't lying. Isaac just stood in the sand.

“I don’t have any light left, Lexie.” Tears were running down his weary face. “I’m tired.”

“Then you can have mine.” I conjured a golden ball of light from my own energy. I made it grow. Made it brighter. I poured more energy into it, until my nose started bleeding. It was huge. I sent it up into the sky. The shadows fell back a good five hundred feet. There was a scream of pain from the demon as the light burned its flesh. I searched the remaining shadows for it. The shadow was gone, for now. When I turned back, Isaac was looking up at the light with hope in his eyes.

“It’s not gone, is it?” he asked wearily.

“No, but this will give us time,” I admitted. “You can get him to back off. Visualize light; imagine the heat on your skin, that sting in your eyes, and will it into existence. That’s how it works here.”

“Really?” he asked, his voice cracking.

“Yeah, that’s how it works.” I felt that pull. I quickly conjured a pack of road flares for him to use. “Shit, I’m being pulled back. We are with you, we are fighting for you. Hold on—”

I was jerked back and thrown out.

I opened my eyes and the world spun. I groaned and curled up on my side. Pain radiated from my temples and back over my head. It felt like I had broken something in my brain and the shards were digging in. What… Green eyes met mine. Miles gently brushed my hair from my face.

“Lexie?” Miles’ smooth, silky voice was nice on my mind. A tongue licked the back of my hand.

“Here… minute,” I whispered. I closed my eyes and floated in misery. Someone pressed a napkin to my nose. I held it there and groaned. Nausea had my stomach in my throat. “Kit,” I whispered. There was movement. Someone put a nausea tab in my hand. I popped it into my mouth and tasted cherries. When the nausea finally pulled back, I opened my eyes again.

“I take it we aren’t crashing?” I asked, feeling miserable.

“No, as soon as you closed your eyes the pilot was able to get control,” Miles told me. “What did you do?”

“Not now,” Dr. Zimmer told them. Miles moved so the doctor could kneel next to me. He pulled out a light and checked my eyes. I answered his questions to his satisfaction before he got to his feet.

“She checks out fine, let’s get her in a seat,” Dr. Zimmer announced.

I swallowed hard. “Let me get up.” I rolled to my stomach and pushed to my feet, swaying instantly. Zeke caught me, lifted me off my feet, and moved me to sit in the closest seat.

“What did you do?” Zeke snapped.

I checked my tissues before meeting his eyes. “Well, I kind of grabbed Isaac. I… I somehow went to his center.” Zeke frowned. “I found him in the dark, helped him, told him how his center works. Then I was yanked back out.”

“How the hell did you do that?” Asher demanded, his eyes wide.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I was desperate and just kinda did it.”

“But you spoke to him?” Ethan asked, his voice thick.

I met Ethan’s eyes. “Yeah.”

A wave of exhaustion crashed over me. I laid back against the seat. “I… I think I’m going to pass out…”

Miles hit a button and the comfy seat reclined. Oh, that was better. Engine grease filled my lungs as my belt was buckled.

“Rest, Ally,” Asher whispered. A hand took my left; I recognized the callouses on his fingers. It was Ethan. Darkness washed over me.