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"Ambitious and fiercely original. Sondi Warner is the exciting new voice we've all been wai...
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September 12 | Morning
I whipped around, not sure which way to look first. At Mys and Haley running to join the fight against Darcy, at Tegan who was now a ghost like me, or at my dead father. A younger version of Wallace Edison stood in front of the heavy oak doors. He spread wings so white they lit up the foyer, spanning at least his height.
"Dad," I whispered again. My heart raced as the angel approached wearing a benevolent smile, but his eyes weren't the same as my father's. I hesitated before hugging him.
"No, I'm not the man you remember," he admitted. "Nothing of my prior existence is known to me. It happens that way so Guardian Angels can focus on protecting their future charges instead of holding onto the past, but...by some miracle...my charge is you."
"I can't believe it. How many years have I prayed just to see your face?" An errant teardrop fell, and he swept it away. "I worked so hard to take care of Haley and make you proud, Daddy."
"You did well. I've been watching over you, sweetheart." He gently chucked my chin. "I'm beyond proud to be your Guardian. That's why it's time for you to wake and live again so I can continue to do my job."
"We...tried." I shrugged, unable to explain what had gone wrong with the Resurrection. I glanced over my shoulder at Baron Samedi.
"Mais ouí," Sam replied as he ambled toward us. "Unfortunately, we were misled about the state of mademoiselle's readiness, and so we have overstayed our usefulness, right, Maman?"
"So ye claim." The saucy Mama Brigit smiled furtively. She planted a fist on her hip, watching the skirmish raging along the second-floor landing, in no hurry to go.
I was captivated by the fight. Dressed head to toe in black, Mys maneuvered with the prowess of a dancer. Or a ninja. Their lithe body demanded attention. The glint of the sword flashed in a blur. There was something infinitely appealing about the way their muscular form wielded it in defiance of physics. Darcy moved too fast for me to see with my naked eye, but the Empath seemed to sense the vampire's every move.
My jaw dropped as wide swathes of light emanated from Haley's fingers and lit up the battle scene. Whenever Darcy would materialize, she'd singe him with the glowing beams, and the wolves would continue to strike. The black alpha led the attacks with a relentlessness that left the vampire unable to heal as quickly as his wounds were reopened.
For the first time since being dragged into this house of horrors, I felt a twinge of hope. I pivoted to the elegant top-hatted loa who was studying the locked front door with interest. "Baron Samedi, wait. I want to thank you for not transferring my Soul into Darcy's wolf, but can I...can I ask another favor of you?"
"As you please." A half-smile played on his lips as he bowed to me.
"Resurrect my friend." I wrapped an arm around Tegan.
