Horrific images sprang into her mind. Battlefields soaked in blood, the dead and wounded stacked in massive piles while bombs exploded everywhere. She heard Wrath’s rattling laugh and the fragile spark within her sputtered.
Clarissa. The sweet invocation of her name curled around the wick of the weakening flame, stoking it to life. The death-strewn battlefield disintegrated, along with Wrath.
Squeals of rage blasted from the remaining sins. Their crazed flurry like a whirlwind, they swooped on top of her, hurling her into the lake. Their claws dug into her hair, trying to dunk her beneath the waves. The light faltered.
A barrage of disturbing images flashed before her—machines of mass destruction and greed stripping the earth, erecting altars filled with rotting waste.
Clarissa. The beckoning of her coven sisters cracked through the dark.
The machines stalled, crumbling into rusted flakes. Hideous wailing came from Greed and Gluttony as the sins dissolved. Envy’s talons sank into her flesh, mad desperation contorting its features as the creature plunged her beneath the oily water. Her lungs filled with the incessant, drowning darkness.
She started to fade.
Rissa. Logan’s voice pierced the emptiness, floating toward her like a life preserver. The light of his love filled her chest, making her buoyant. She surged upward, breaking the water’s surface with a gasp.
“No,” Envy roared, hatred blazing in its eyes. “You’re mine.” The lake seethed and roiled. Funnels of fire torpedoed from its depths as Seven’s formidable bulk ascended from the surf and towered behind Envy. The beast’s many jaws yawned open, venomous hatred dripping from its fangs.
Envy yanked her head back, its claws aiming for her throat.
Rissa, I love you. The power of Logan’s declaration thundered through her, and the light exploded in a fierce illumination.
Envy screamed. A brilliant white glow leached the darkness from its irises and slowly spread throughout the sin. Its remaining siblings writhed beside it, their own bodies radiating the same blinding refulgence. The creatures distorted, bending out of proportion before snapping together as one and rocketing into Seven.
The mighty beast bellowed, its tentacles whipping through the air. It lunged at her, bursting into a white glare of flame. For one dazzling moment, the sky became a canvas of luminosity.
Seven’s thrashing carcass toppled into the water, sending up a massive wave that ruptured the darkness. A gurgle discharged from the lake, and the ooze began swirling, siphoning toward the epicenter of its belly. Thousands upon thousands of souls launched from the receding waves, shooting skyward.
She felt herself flying suddenly, soaring toward those luminous, twinkling lights. The coven house stood amongst the tapestry of stars. Her fingers closed around the doorknob, but it wouldn’t budge. Heavy pounding shook the other side, and she could hear Logan calling to her.
Clarissa. The voice wasn’t his. She floated sideways and noticed a vibrant, golden tree. It reminded her of the one she’d first glimpsed upon waking in this place. Only this oak shimmered with endless life. A woman emerged from the trunk, her face more ancient than the bark. Gaia—mother goddess of all.
“Your family awaits, Clarissa. Both within that house and here.” Gaia gestured to the illuminated tree behind her. “It’s time for you to make your choice.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
The sound of joyous crying and chatter jerked Logan back to his body. He rolled closer to Clarissa on the bed, his palm curving around her cheek. She was still unconscious.
Why hadn’t her soul returned? He’d felt her on the other side of the door, trying to—
No spirits will be able to pass through the barrier, including hers.
Mama Heloise’s pronouncement ripped through the confused tangle of his thoughts. Sweet Jesus. The bed. They had to get her body out of here.
Frantic, he scooped her into his arms, plowing toward the exit. One of the guild members knocked into him, and he growled as Clarissa’s limp limbs jostled within his grip. “Fucking move.”
Finally everyone seemed to get their heads out of their asses and cleared a path. He gently settled his mate on the carpet and hugged her tight. “Baby, come back to us. We need you.”
A hush fell over the room, the silence almost unnerving. Each tick of the bedside clock felt like an eternity. Felt like a torment.
She lay motionless, her body defenseless and vulnerable. Misery howling inside him, he clutched her hand, pressing it to his thudding heart. His throat vising, he buried his cheek in her hair.
Another lifetime passed before he felt it. The almost imperceptible flex of her fingers.
He froze.
Her hand moved again, seconds before a shudder rippled through her body. He jerked his head back, the air jamming in his lungs as her dusky lashes fluttered. She opened her eyes, her unfocused gaze landing on him. Blinking, she lifted her hand to his jaw. “You called me back.”
Tuning out the excited clamor surrounding them, he bent his head and kissed his mate. Moisture filled his eyes, but he didn’t move to hide his emotions. “Welcome home, baby.”
The rest of the day was like a surreal dream to Clarissa. Compared to that nightmare world she’d left behind, the love and friendship encompassing her from every direction felt like a comforting cocoon. Never in her wildest imaginings would she have expected to be the recipient of all these people’s thoughts and prayers. Their light still resided within her chest, humbly reminding her of everything she’d almost lost.
Her tummy rumbled suddenly, calling attention to the fact that she was once again in possession of a stomach that required sustenance. Logan’s palm smoothed over her arm. He’d looked for any excuse to touch her for the past two hours. Not that she was complaining. She’d looked for any opportunity to touch him too. “I’ll get Gloria to fix you somethin’. Be right back.”
Her fingertips brushed his cheek. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He rested his forehead against hers before he stood and left the parlor. As soon as he was gone, Tanner and Constance came and sat next to her. While her coven sister clasped her hand, Clarissa offered Tanner a tremulous smile. “I’m glad you and your mom are with us.”
The boy swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Me too. And I’m glad you’re okay.”
Footsteps scrunched on the carpet, and Clarissa looked up as Willa approached. She still didn’t understand what the young witch had been doing in Seven’s horrific realm or how she’d gotten there. But the weariness and exhaustion in Willa’s eyes stalled her from making any mention of it. No doubt the guild had been grilling the girl endlessly for the past several hours. She wasn’t about to add to Willa’s frustration. Instead, she stood and wrapped her arms around her. The hug felt right. Natural. She would never again be afraid of letting anyone close. Not after everything she’d almost lost. “Thank you. For everything.”
“I-I’m just sorry I couldn’t help Logan save you before those bastards extinguished your light.” She sniffled. “I hope that ugly son of a bitch burns in Hell.”
Her mind flashed back to Seven’s thrashing form. “I don’t think there’s any question of that.”
Fiona, Marabella, Jade and Peach joined them, adding to the already crowded conditions around the sofa. She was almost glad that Jemma and Griffin were still off on their honeymoon, clueless of the drama that’d unfolded the past few days. Much as she loved having all her coven sisters within arm’s reach, she was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed by all the attention.