Loni widened her eyes for a moment, then said, her voice filled with concern, “So how do you feel?”
“Like I’ve done five rounds with an invisible fairy,” Emma replied as she started to scan the room. “But what about my dad? Is he... I mean, did the darkhel—”
“Scratch him?” Loni interjected before quickly shaking her head. “Thankfully no. And none of the others are scratched either. Though they have been thrown around quite a lot and are in shock, not to mention suffering a few broken bones, but it could’ve worse, so much—”
But whatever Loni was about to say was lost as Emma’s dad suddenly limped into into the kitchen, followed by what looked like a Department of Paranormal Containment medic, but all Emma was aware of was that her father had now enveloped her in his arms and her face crumpled and she started to sob.
“It killed her. Mom. That’s how she died. She figured out that you were the Pure One and that it might try and get to you, and the only way she could stop it was to give her life.”
For a moment her dad was silent, then he tightened his grip, his voice hollow and hoarse. “She never even mentioned anything about sacrificing her life. Not once. I would’ve tried to make her change her mind.”
Emma shook her head and pushed away her tears. “It wouldn’t have worked. Mom wasn’t just protecting you; she was protecting us all. That’s just how she was.”
“I know.” Her dad’s face was racked with pain. “I wish it could’ve been different but trying to stop her from doing what she thought was right was like trying to stop a hurricane. That’s one of the things I love most about her.”
Emma stiffened. “You said you love her. In the present tense.”
“Of course.” Her dad looked surprised. “Always. I could never stop loving your mother. Did you really think I could?”
Olivia suddenly appeared in the doorway, Tyler at her side, looking around the burned-out kitchen in confusion. The minute she caught sight of Emma and her dad, she let out a strangled sob and hurried over.
“You’re both safe.” She grasped both their hands and squeezed them tightly. “Are—are you okay?”
“We’re fine.” Emma pushed away her tears as her dad put a protective arm around Olivia’s thickened waist, and for the first time in . . . well... ever, she didn’t feel sick at the sight of it. “We’re both fine,” she started to add, but before she could get all the words out, the world began to buckle and spin beneath her.
“Emma, your leg.” A pair of strong hands caught her just before she fell and she twisted around in time to see Curtis behind her, holding her up. She knew something was wrong and she followed his gaze down to her leg.
There was a long angry slash running all the way down from her thigh to her ankle and the wound was bleeding profusely over the floor. Emma bit down on her lip as she realized just how much damage the darkhel had done. And now that she looked at her leg she could feel burning hot tendrils of poison go racing up and down her entire body like it was on fire. She turned back to Curtis and winced. “I think I might’ve screwed up. It really hurts.”
“Of course you didn’t screw up. It’s just a scratch. You’ll be fine, Emma.”
But whatever he was about to say next was lost as Emma’s head started to spin and the world went black.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Emma was floating somewhere on a white cloud. It was nice. She felt weightless, and when she looked down at her leg, it was exactly like it had always been. A tiny scar under the knee from where Tyler had once bet that she couldn’t climb over the hedge at the far end of the practice field, but otherwise intact. No sign that a darkhel had ever dug its poison talons into her exposed flesh.
She flexed her toes. They definitely felt normal. Then she realized that someone else was standing beside her. Mom? She widened her eyes. You’re here.
Of course I’m here. Her mom smiled at her and Emma felt a surge of happiness go racing through her.
This is so great. Emma settled deeper into the cloud. There’s so much I want to talk to you about. The darkhel. The Pure One. Why didn’t you leave more notes? It was so hard to find. I was