Page 18 of Last Hope
Isis rushed over to her Soul Mate’s side and felt her forehead, to make sure she wasn’t running a fever and that she was okay. It had nearly killed her, knowing that while she was sleeping, Anya had been attacked by an enormous snake and survived a bite. Luckily Victoria Phillipe had saved her and taken her to the hospital, where she was treated with great care.
“What’s your plan?” Antonio asked.
“A spell,” Anya said simply.
They all looked at her incredulously. “What are you talking about?” Isis asked.
“There is a powerful spell I know of,” Anya began. “It is a protection spell. Not the type of spell that will protect you from harm, I believe those are beyond my abilities as a witch, but there is a spell that will protect you from the eyes of those who want to find you.”
“Like an invisibility spell?” Esmeralda asked curiously.
Anya nodded. “More or less. It will hide her from the demons with the sight.”
“Trackers,” Antonio whispered. “It’s a good idea, but I also think that she should go away as well.”
“Go away?” Isis’s attention snapped up. “With you to Spain?”
Antonio shook his head sadly. “Not with us, but you should definitely leave the country, go somewhere else.”
Isis felt a moment’s disappointment. Of course they weren’t going to welcome her to Spain with them. They were leaving to beawayfrom her. She resisted the urge to cry; instead she balled her hands into fists.
“Actually, that is not a bad idea,” Anya said firmly.
Isis stared at her. “What?”
Anya nodded. “The simple act of me putting a protective spell upon you will not stop them from trying to reach you. They know where you live; my guess is they’ve been following you for a while now. If we left the country it would be more difficult for them to get a trace on you.”
Isis contemplated this for a moment. Sure, they were right. But where would she go? Where could she hide without endangering people? She wasn’t sure she trusted the spell. How long would it last? Would they send werewolves after her?
“Where would I go?” Isis asked.
There was silence and then, “We can go to Romania. I will take you there.” When Anya saw the surprised look Isis gave her, she smiled and squeezed her hand gently. “Where you go, I go.”
For a moment, all of the sadness had vanished from Isis’s chest. She looked into her Soul Mate’s eyes; green, mixed with specks of brown and light blue with a touch of silver that glowed eerily. Anya wanted to stay with her…Anya wanted to help her.
“Thank you.” Isis smiled through her tears and gripped Anya’s hand firmly in hers, and the warmth and electricity it caused between them, made her never want to let go.
* * *
“Be safe.”Esmeralda whispered as she wrapped her arms around Isis’s waist, squeezing her tightly. “Promise me you’ll stay safe.”
“I promise.” Isis held onto Ezzy and marveled at how small she was. It had been so long since she last noticed her height and made a jab at her about it. She wished she could, but her mouth wasn’t able to form the words when she didn’t feel that normalcy that she was used to; this was anything but normal. Hell, this could have been their final goodbye and though she would want Ezzy to remember her as she was, she just couldn’t bring herself to make fun of her.
“I love you, Isis.”
Isis felt tears form at the back of her eyelids and she held her best friend tighter. “I love you too, you know that.” She inhaled the scent of her hair, memorizing it. It smelt like strawberries.
“So…” Ezzy pulled back and sniffled, wiping away the tears from her cheeks. “I’ll see you soon?”
“Sooner than you think.” Isis smiled and bent down to kiss her on the forehead. Ezzy smiled and took a few steps back, giving Isis another moment to memorize everything about her. Her hair was bright red and gold-brown, falling down her shoulders in waves. Her cream skin was hidden behind a purple zip up sweater. Her eyes were the color of the deeper depths of an ocean, shining brightly underneath of the streetlight.
“Soon isn’t soon enough, I think.” Antonio blocked the view of Esmeralda and wrapped his arms around Isis. She inhaled the familiar scent on his leather jacket in an attempt to memorize it as well. Motor oil and soap and black pepper. He pulled back all too quickly and smiled his crooked smile at her, giving her a small glimpse of his fangs.
“It’ll go by fast.” Isis tried to mirror his smile but couldn’t seem to do it. Instead, she reached her hand out and ran her fingers through his soft dark curls. “I’ll miss you, Santiago.” She eyed him up and down and knew that her words were nothing but the truth. He was in his black leather jacket, wearing a wine colored T-shirt underneath. He was wearing tight jeans, a chain hanging out of his pocket, and thick leather boots. His brown skin was a shade lighter than hers.
“I hope it does.” Antonio smiled widely.
Holding back tears, Isis turned to the side, where Anya was holding Viktor. Smiling, she took him from her Soul Mate and held him up at eye level. “I’ll miss you, too, Viktor.” She made a funny face at him and he stared at her with those rich dark blue eyes of his. How odd, Isis mused to herself, Viktor was a perfect mixture of both of his parents.
