Savage Wings: Book Three of The Whitechapel Chronicles

Chapter 8

"You should never have come here."

We sat on the edge of the bed, side by side, and I could barely believe it was real; that he was real. My eyes coveted every inch of him, convinced that if I blinked or looked away, then he would be gone again, back into that dream world in which he had lived since we had arrived on the doorstep of the Chapel. The sting of the wound on my neck and the taste of him on my lips told me this was no hallucination and yet I still couldn't take my eyes off him. 

He held my arm on his lap, idly tracing the pattern of blue veins on my wrist and my skin tingled furiously under the gently touch of his fingertips. There was a disapproving tone to his voice, but it was tinged with sadness and although I was relieved that he wasn't angry, somehow his sadness seemed harder to bear. I could cope with an angry Harper Cain. I could deal with every spiteful word that slipped from his tongue. I could deal with his simmering rage and his thunderous temper. I'd been there, done that, worn the T-shirt and thrown back at him everything he ever gave to me, but this was different. This wasn't how things were meant to be and I knew instinctively that not only was he torn over my decision to save him by seeking sanctuary with Josiah, but he was also tortured by the silent grief of remembering what he had lost in the dark, bloodied woods of Oxleas. To wake up and discover yourself in the twisted web of the seers was one thing; to wake up and remember your brother was dead was quite another.

"I did the only thing I could do," I replied softly. "I had to protect you and Lucius. You understand that, right? I had no choice."

He smiled then and raised my wrist to his mouth, pressing his lips against the papery skin. "Yes, as much as I hate to admit it, as much as I despise the fact the seer manipulated this whole damn thing, I do get it. I just wish he hadn't pulled you into this. I made this mess, not you."

"As soon as Josiah knew what I was, my fate was sealed and the fact he knew I would never desert you just made things easier for him. You made no mess because it was already a damn mess to begin with. She's insane, I mean truly insane and has been for many, many years from what Josiah told me."

"Oh you don't need to tell me that," he said, rolling his eyes. "I was the one who had to sleep with the woman. I mean, the things she...."

"Okay, okay," I interjected quickly. "I really don't need details."

He chuckled and nipped playfully at my wrist, before interlocking his fingers with mine and sighing deeply. "So, what are you going to do? Are you going to do as he asks?"

"That's counting on the fact I would even know what to do once Caelan has passed over into Purgatory. And even if I somehow work it out, which at the moment seems highly unlikely, why should she be the first one that is allowed to ascend? There are so many waiting already and their patience is wearing thin again. I can feel it. I can hear them. And besides...." I trailed off, my skin breaking into goose bumps as I remembered Him and the weighty power of that smile.

"What?" Harper frowned, his forehead crinkling with concern. "What is it?"

I swallowed, desperately trying to moisten my throat which had suddenly gone very dry. "He's waiting for me," I lowered my voice to a whisper. "The Smiling Man. I went looking for....." I paused, not wanting to twist the knife any deeper. "I was searching for Garrick."

For a split second the grief shadowed his features, twisting his face with dark shadows and haunting him with ghosts of memories he wasn't ready to deal with. He squeezed my hand and sucked hard on his bottom lip.

"And did you find him?" he said. The flicker of hope in his eyes was crushing.

"No." I shook my head. "I thought I saw him, but it turned out to be nothing but a trick. It was Him. Lucifer. And now He's waiting for me, only I have no idea what He wants or what I'm meant to do. How do you even begin to work out how to deal with the Devil himself?"