His embrace felt too good to be true. I glared up at him, trying not to let him see how affected I was by his touch. “So you decided to rescue me.” The bitterness in my voice made him drop his arms to his sides quickly.
“No. You look like you had that under control. But I wanted to tell you that I still love you, and I was worried that after tonight, I wouldn’t have another chance.”
His words sank in. “You love me?” The world spun.
He nodded, blushing. “I always have.”
There was a pause, and then I flung my arms around his neck, squeezing him tight. Our lips met, and I melted. “But why did you think you wouldn’t have another chance after tonight?”
Justin sighed. “I had a vision. I don’t think now’s the time to discuss it.”
Suddenly, I remembered my parents. “Justin, when you came up the stairs, did you see—”
“Your parents?” He finished for me, and I nodded. “Yes. I healed them both, or at least I tried to. Your mother kept insisting that she could do it without my help.”
I laughed, relieved. “So they’re okay?” He nodded and I stood up. My legs were shaky, but I took a step away from him, my mind reeling. I was alive, my parents were safe, and Justin was there beside me. It was almost too much to take. Then I glanced over the side of the roof and took a step forward. I looked down to the dark street below.
Realization hit me like a truck, and I burst into tears. Justin looked surprised, but he drew me close and started stroking my head. “It’s okay. Everything is okay. You did it.”
At his words, I cried harder. What exactly had I done? I’d become the person I swore I wouldn’t be: I’d murdered my best friend. I sniffled. “Justin, I killed Rochelle.”
He didn’t look surprised, but I thought I saw him clench his jaw. “She was trying to kill you, Darlena. You acted in self-defense.”
I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. “But I’ll have to answer for that! You know the threefold law.”
“But not right now, Darlena.” He stroked my hair, whispering. “Right now, you’re safe with me.”
I let him hold me while I cried, exhausted and frightened. Even as he stroked my hair and whispered soothing things, I knew that Rochelle’s death would come back to haunt me.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“I have to go talk to my parents.” We had reached my house, and all the lights were on, illuminating the dark street.
Justin shoved his hands in his pockets. “But I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”
I hesitated. “Justin—there are things I need to do.”
“So I’ll help you!”
I shook my head. “Look, I really appreciate everything you’ve done, but I don’t want to put you in any more danger. Hecate has no problem using the people close to me, and I don’t want her to get her hands on you.” I hated myself then, but I didn’t want to put anyone else in danger. Still, pushing Justin away felt like I was sticking a nail into my heart.
“I’d like to see her try.” Justin clenched his fists and I grabbed his hands, shaking my head.
“No, you wouldn’t. I don’t care how strong a White Witch you are, Hecate will always be stronger. She’s stronger than me, too, but I’m not trying to beat her.”
A confused expression crossed his face. “Then what is all this about?”
I sighed. “I want to use Red magic to find some kind of balance. Hecate wants things to tip in favor of chaos, I don’t know why. But I need to find the other Red Witches and see what we can do together.” I had realized that Hades was right. I didn’t have to do this alone. It wasn’t about winning; it was about using Red magic for good. Maybe if I found the other Red Witches, I could learn something.
He frowned and looked at the ground. Gently, I touched his cheek.
“Justin, look at me.” Reluctantly, his eyes met mine. “I love you. Nothing changes that.”
His frown deepened for a moment, but then he nodded. I kissed him lightly.
“Thank you.” I hoped he understood what I meant: I wasn’t just thanking him for tonight.
“I still think I can help.” He sounded petulant, and I smiled.
“You already have.”
My parents were sitting in the living room when I opened the door. Xerxes crept out from under the couch, purring regally as if nothing had happened. He hopped up beside my dad, who began petting him absentmindedly.
I drew a deep breath. “I have a lot of things that I need to tell you both.”
Mom shook her head. “No, you don’t, honey.”
“But—”
“Darlena,” Dad interrupted, “we knew when you made your declaration that there would be certain things you couldn’t tell us.”
I stared, confused. Mom got off the couch and crossed to me. “You’re a Red, sweetie. And we can’t help you very much.” She embraced me tightly.
“You know I’m a Red?”
Dad nodded and Mom patted my cheek. “We’ve known since the beginning. Don’t you remember when Hecate visited us?”
I stared at them, confused. Had their memories just been miraculously restored? What if the spell Rochelle had cast had dissolved when I killed her? My stomach flipped at the thought, and I tried to ignore the memory of Rochelle sailing off the roof to her death. “But what about tonight?”
Mom sighed. Dad stared at the crackles of electricity flying off the cat’s back as he stroked him.
“Tonight,” Dad said firmly, “you saved us. I still don’t know what was going on, but I know we’re safe. And so are you.”
“We’ve missed you, Lena.”
“Missed me? What … ” I trailed off as Persephone walked out of the kitchen. “Oh.”
She stood in the doorway, her face expressionless.
I crossed to face the goddess. “Well?”
Her eyes flashed. “Well, what, child?”
“Shouldn’t you be in the Underworld?”
Surprise showed on her face. “Aren’t you concerned about the past weeks?”
I shook my head. Whatever had happened while I was gone, I trusted her. It was a nice feeling to finally have a goddess I could trust. I looked up at her. “Thank you.”
She sighed. “In the end, my glamour wasn’t enough to fool that Black Witch.”
“I know. It wasn’t your fault. I gave myself away, too.”
Her eyes studied me for a long moment, but she didn’t speak.
“Persephone,” I hesitated. “I have a message from your husband, and there’s something I should tell you.”
“Go on.”
“Dennis is dead.”
Her temper flared. “Is that the message my lord would send to me?”
“No, no,” I hurried on despite my fear, “that was my fault. He died when I ran to the Underworld.” Tears filled my eyes, but I brushed them away. What was done was done, and I couldn’t spend too much time thinking about the people who had died because of me. If I did, I might go crazy. “I’m sorry. He was really special.”
She nodded, struggling to master her emotions. “And the message from my lord?”
“He loves you, and hopes you’ll come back soon.”
Persephone made a sound that could have been a sob and began to dissolve in a cloud of Red light. “Perhaps, little Witch, you will bring balance after all.” She kissed my forehead before she vanished, but her words hung in the air. “We will meet again, Darlena. I swear it by the River Styx.”
She faded, and I was left alone with my parents. Squaring my shoulders, I turned around.
“I know you don’t want to know a lot, and I don’t want to tell you anything that could hurt you,” I drew a deep breath, “but I can’t stay here very long.”
“We expected something like that. Persephone told us that you were in conflict with Hecate.” Dad’s voice was calm, despite his words.
I nodded, trying not to laugh at the way he phrased it. Dad made it sound like Hecate and I were just having a minor disagreement rather than a war. “It’s not over yet. What happened with Rochelle was just the beginning. I need to find a way to balance Red magic. I can’t let chaos happen unchecked.”