here.”
My mouth clamped shut. Oh God, it sounded just like her. Her eyes filled with tears and poured down her cheeks. She trembled, her eyes afraid. Revulsion sank deep.
I was wrong. This was the fate they received, to spend eternity to rest in the depths of this place? My stomach turned again with sickness.
Before, I had the chance to vomit, Drake stepped forward until he was just a few steps away. “We have missed you terribly.” He glanced to the others. “She has come to save us.” He smiled.
I gave my head a shake as tears filled my eyes. “No this isn’t real, you’d be in Heaven. I know you would.”
“The Devil captured us,” Tyrianna said in a soft tone that I’d only heard in Zia’s memories. “He stole us while we were crossing over. He knew this day would come and prepared for it.”
I gasped as I stared into the face of the mother I never knew. “That can’t be true.”
“Sadly, this is all very true.” She wiped a tear away from her eyes and looked utterly dismayed. “The others have not been here as long. It has been much longer for me.” Fear crossed her face and she reached forward to take my hands, her eyes pleading. “You cannot leave me here. You must take us with you. He has promised that if you leave, we can go with you. We can be free from here. We can come home with you.”
Tears trickled my cheeks. My Mother in the flesh. I needed to feel more of her. Without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around her. She was so warm. I sank into her embrace. Finally feeling just what it was like to be wrapped in her love. It felt so good.
Something gnawed at me, made me hesitate. Why hadn’t I agreed yet?
Tyrianna pulled me away from her chest, her eyes so soft and very loving. This had to be real. It just had to be. Anything that was dark was always seen in their eyes, shadowed with evil. None of that lived in her. Her light hazel eyes glowed with happiness.
Just then, Gloria latched onto me, took me in her arms as she trembled. I gripped her tight, remembered just how this felt. How I missed her hugs. She smelled like she always did, like freshly baked cookies. “Mom…I’ve missed you so much.”
“I have missed you too,” she whispered beside my ear. “I love you, Nexi. I love you so much.”
After that, I was passed onto Drake and Frank, who both embraced me in their love. I was back in their arms, a place I thought I’d never be again. It felt so good, too good. I didn’t ever want to let go.
Frank made the decision for me and stepped back as he said. “My darling, Nexi. Your Mothers are right. You cannot leave us here. It’s terrible, horrible in the worse ways. Your poor mother, what this is doing to her.” His voice sounded so heartbroken, so worried for her. “You need to take us with you.”
My guts were being ripped apart. Here were my parents, who begged me to save them. Trapped in this purgatory hell, and I was the only one that could free them. I shook my head in an attempt to get a grasp on this. My only choice was to save them, I couldn’t let them continue on this way, but something kept nagging at me. Why was I hesitant to do this? This was my family who I loved and missed terribly. Why were the words to free them trapped in my throat?
Drake cupped my cheek and I sank against his hand. “Free us from here and we will return to the Otherworld with you. You’ll no longer be without us. You won’t feel the pain you have suffered from our disappearance from your life.” He wrapped an arm around Tyrianna, gave the same strong look that I’d seen from him a thousand times. “We can help you defeat the Demon Lords. Your mother and I will stand by you as we fight against the darkness. We may not defeat Satan now, but we will in time.”
There it was…the Devil’s mistake.
Drake would never say those words to me. Just one simple statement changed it all. This wasn’t them. Drake was a Guardian. They are by far the most protective beings and I knew him well. He’d never tell me to go and fight against dark ones. Ever. He’d be raging mad