After Dusk

Chapter Twenty One

Another week passes by without incident. Theo doesn't find out about my mistake and, thankfully, I haven't seen Declan since he left my room the morning after the Halloween masquerade ball. He'd called me multiple times, leaving messages every time but I just stared at the phone, not once picking  up, not once listening to his messages. Sometimes, late at night as I lay awake, I'd clutch the moonstone necklace he'd given me and think of him, wanting so bad to pick up the phone and hear his voice. I restrain myself, though. I won't break my promise twice.

Amora and Egan have been busy planning Amora's birthday bash that will take place tomorrow evening. Egan is determined to make this party perfect for Amora, seeing as all of the birthdays that she's had since she found out that she's a demigod have sucked do to her lack of friends. Spending your birthday alone and holed up in your room isn't fun. 

I've been avoiding the Leaders- and their questions- for two weeks now and I can tell they're getting frustrated. Their frustration only adds to my guilt. They don't deserve to be ignored and kept in the dark, but, dammit, I'm a goddess and I can do whatever I damn well please. That includes not being pestered about my divine-ness.

So, now, I continue drowning in my own guilt, at the willow tree with my friends. I sit on Theo's lap, encased by his warm, muscular arms. I look down at the necklace around my neck, the one that Theo had given to me just this morning.

"Hey, babe," Theo greets, giving me a quick kiss on the lips. "I brought you something."

I watch as he digs in his pocket and pulls out a necklace. He motions for me to turn around and, when I do, he fastens it around my neck. I admire the fiery orange stone that dangles from the chain. I twist and turn it, watching in awe as it glistens in the light.

"It's a sunstone," Theo explains with a shy smile, "I thought that you might like it. And. . . I thought that. . . maybe . . it would remind you of me." He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly, a faint blush staining his sun kissed cheeks.

"It's beautiful," I breathe, pressing a delighted kiss on his lips.

As we leave the room, I glance back at the moonstone necklace that lies on my nightstand.

 

I rest my head back on Theo's strong shoulder with an inaudible moan. Not long after that, I started to feel nauseous. The dizziness threatens to overwhelm me.

Unaware of my not-so- good state, Amora chats about her party.

"Since it's so close to Halloween, I'm going to have a haunted maze! There'll be strobe lights and people that pop out and scare you- the whole she-bang!" she gushes, grinning excitedly at Egan, who has an arm draped lazily around her shoulders. He wears his love for her well.

"Sounds awesome!" Wade comments, giving Amora a high five.

Everyone joins in on the conversation, excitedly anticipating Amora's party, which, after all, should be amazing considering that Egan's sire god is the god of wine and partying. I'm grateful for the distraction. I don't want to think about my dizzy spell. Of course I'd get sick the day before my best friend's birthday party. Just perfect.

I distract myself even more, glancing around the circle at my friends'  cheerful faces. My eyes land on Adam, who's sitting awfully close to a blushing Aubrey. Looks like they've gotten along quite well since I set them up at the ball, I note with a mental satisfied grin. Good for them. They deserve to be happy.

Suddenly cold, I wrap my sweatshirt tighter around me. I nearly growl. Why the hell am I sweating? I'm freaking freezing!

Surprised by the sudden silence I hear, I look up, only to find every pair of eyes glued to me. Gods, I hate that.

"So. . . you've been holding out on us, miss goddess," Wade tells me in amusement.

The others chuckle and agree with him. Thankfully, none of them seem to be disgusted or mad or standoffish towards me. For that, I am grateful. The last thing I need on top of everything that has happened is to lose any of my friends.

"That implies that I knew about it," I mutter dryly. Discretely, I wrap my arms around my torso, fighting the urge to vomit. I have a feeling that tossing my cookies in front of my boyfriend wouldn't be very attractive.

Undeterred, Seraphina asks, "so, you don't remember anything from your life as a goddess?"

I bite back a growl of annoyance. I don't exactly have a good track record when it comes to my temper when I'm sick. I'm typically a huge bitch, even when I try not to be. Somehow, the bitchiness trickles through.

I wish that I could just scream "of course I don't remember anything! I don't even believe that any of this is real! I'm not a freaking goddess!" but, of course, I don't. Instead, I shake my head and lean farther back into Theo.

Aubrey opens her mouth, obviously to protest, but a smooth, deep voice interrupts her.

"She's telling the truth. Gods born in a mortal form tend to not remember their former life for quite a while. Their memories do come back though. Gods, do you not pay attention in Gods 101?" Declan says tersely, coming to my rescue.

I tense at the sound of his voice. So much for avoiding him. . . Theo's arms automatically tighten around me, trapping me in fire. A wave of nausea washes over me suddenly and, once again, I have to fight not to throw up.

Looking up, I see Declan with a halo of sunlight around his dark, tousled hair. He stares down at me with what seems to be a blank expression, but I can tell that, inside, he's lost. 

I groan and clutch my head, which has suddenly decided to feel like it's exploding. I look backup at Declan in shock. Could he be doing this to me? Oh, my gods! What if Theo was right? What if Declan really is the killer?

Quickly, I switch my gaze to the ground, but not before his dark eyes meet mine. I take one of Theo's hands in mine, clutching it tightly as a reminder that Theo is my one and only. He'll protect me if Declan really is a murderer.

No one says anything and, in that silence, a terrible scream rips though the air, raking its claws down my ear drums. We're all on our feet in seconds, braced for an attack. We run towards the horrendous sound, all dreading what we might find.

"Please! Somebody help! They're hurt!" a feminine voice shrieks out in fright.

A demigod girl with tear-filled eyes hovers above a man and a woman who lay on the grass like they decided to take a nap. A gasp escapes my lips at the sight of them.

Just like the others, the two could have been sleeping, if it had not been for the scorching holes in their chests where they had been burned right through. The others, upon seeing the two, back away with horrified expressions on their faces.  I'm frozen.

How did I not know? Why didn't I feel it? Why can't I see their spirits now? How long have they been dead?

At the sound of a twig snapping, I look up. There, covered in the trees, is a man with a white mask that covers his entire face. He just stands there, looking at me with hooded eyes. I look back at the others to see if they see him, too. They don't. I look back at where he was standing but he's gone, leaving only empty woods in his wake.

With a feeling of dread, I look at everyone in the group, counting who's here and nearly break down in tears.

Declan is gone.