“No!” someone bellowed above the roaring in my ears. I tried to move toward the voice, but my feet would not obey me and I tripped backwards instead. My hands flailed as my feet tried to find purchase, but there was nothing but air as I toppled over the edge of the cliff.

I’m dying. The thought hit me at the same moment I collided with the little tree clinging precariously to the face of the cliff. My hands grabbed the thin branches, barely feeling the needles that tore at them as I clung to the tree with my rapidly fading strength.

Dangling over the boiling surf, I could barely hear the shouts and roars from the battle raging above me. I tried to call out to them, to let them know I was here, but when I opened my mouth, warm frothy blood was all that came out, running down my chin to drip into the sea.

Strange. I always thought I’d feel scared when death came for me – not this peace that slowly spread through my body. There was sadness too: for Nate who would be alone now, for never seeing Roland’s playful smirk again, and for Nikolas whose handsome face swam before my eyes, his eyes sad instead of their usual stormy grey. He had tried so hard to save me and I knew he would blame himself. I wished I could tell him that it was not his fault. More than that, I wished I could let him know that somehow through all of this, he had become an important part of my life.

My hands opened.

The last time I’d fallen, Nikolas had caught me in his arms, though I had no memory of it. This time it was the ocean that wrapped me in her cold embrace. I sighed as the pain vanished and the world went dark and the waves closed over my head.

Chapter 21

“Look Daddy! I can go all the way around without falling now.”

“That’s great honey!” Daddy watched as I skated in a wide circle around him. I made my way over to him on wobbly legs and he caught me just before I fell. “Whoa, slow down there Gretzky.”

“I’m cold. Can we go get hot chocolate now?” I asked him hopefully and he grinned down at me.

“Of course! When have we ever not gotten our hot chocolate?”

We sat on the bench and Daddy blew on my drink for me. “There you go honey.” I took a long sip and he smiled at me. “Be careful, or you’ll burn your tongue.”

But the chocolate did not burn me and I drained the cup. I held the empty cup out to him. “Can I have some more?”

“More? Don’t you want to skate again?”

I shook my head, shivering in spite of my warm coat and mittens. “Please, Daddy, I’m so cold.”

“How does she fare?”

“She is alive and she is a fighter. That is all I can say.”

“She looks so human, so fragile.”

“Aye but she is stronger than she looks.” A cool touch to the forehead. “Rest now and get well, little one.”

“I don’t feel so good.”

Daddy’s hand felt cool against my face. “Hmmm, you are a bit warm. Where does it hurt?”

I coughed and winced. “My throat hurts and it hurts here,” I rasped, touching my chest.

He tucked the blankets around me and left my room, returning with a glass of water and some pills. I took the pills obediently and greedily drank the glass of water. “More,” I gasped. I was thirsty, so thirsty.

“Why does her body resist the healing?”

“It is the demon blood, it is poisoning her.”

“But the demon is part of her. How can it harm her?”

“No, it is the other demon’s blood that was on the weapon. Her body must choose to accept it or reject it.”

“What will it do to her if it does not kill her?”

“I cannot say. She is not like any other we have healed.”

“Can we do something to help her?”

A sigh. “It is up to her now.”

“Am I dead?”

“What an odd thing to ask, honey.” The corners of my dad’s warm green eyes crinkled when he smiled. He patted the sofa beside him and I curled up happily in the crook of his arm. “I can’t believe it. My little girl is all grown up.”

My brow furrowed. “I don’t understand. Where have you been all this time?”

He sighed and gave my shoulders a squeeze. “I never left. I’ve been with you every day.”

“But I couldn’t find you. I was alone and scared and you were gone.”

“You were never alone, Sara. You had Nate, and your friends. You still do.”

Tears burned my eyes. “I messed up so bad, Daddy. I lied to everyone and I hurt Nate and my friends. They probably all hate me now. Everything I do hurts someone. Even Nikolas. He tried to help me and I let him down too. It’s no wonder I died.”

“No one hates you, honey, and you’re not dead.”

I shook my head. “You died and the only way I can be talking to you is if I died too.”

He kissed the top of my head. “My sweet girl, you can talk to me anytime you want to.”

I closed my eyes and laid my head against his shoulder. “I miss you, Dad.”

Soft tinkling sounds like glass wind chimes pulled me up from the warm cocoon of darkness wrapped around me. My eyes felt heavy as if I’d slept for a long time and when I opened them, it took them a minute to focus. When I could finally see my surroundings, I knew I must still be dreaming.

I lay in the middle of a large canopy bed, covered by white sheets made of soft linen and a comforter of the lightest down. The walls of the room were entirely covered in sweet smelling flowering vines and the domed ceiling was made of stained glass depicting the night sky. There was no window and no door that I could see and when I leaned over to look at the floor I saw what looked like hard pressed earth. On a glass-topped table beside the bed, a small oil lamp flickered softly.