Of Witches and Warlocks: The Complete Series

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Using his government contacts, Dad managed to get a private jet to fly home in the next morning. A body bag arrived with the car that would take us to the airport. I thought my heart was going to fall out of my chest as I watched my dad pull the zipper up over the face of my sweet husband.

Completely numb from head to toe, I was running in robotic mode, sitting next to the wooden casket that had been waiting for us on the plane. Thankfully, my family had the coffin placed at the far end of the plane and not in the cargo area. I was able to sit there next to it—by myself, alone with my thoughts.

I had run over the events of the previous night in my mind many times. The one thing that continued to stand out to me was the fact Vance's demon attributes had come to the surface after he had been stabbed. We were so sure he'd been cured from that.

"How is that possible?" I asked my grandma later that evening, wanting answers.

"I wish I knew what to tell you, Lollipop," she replied. "We've always known things were different with Vance. When your powers affected him so positively, we just assumed he'd been healed somehow."

We were stupid to have thought that would be the case. After all, he had been fed demon blood again while we were staying with Douglas and Fiona. And surely having the strength to perform a demon kiss on his father must've meant something. Not only was he able to perform the kiss, but he also assimilated all of Damien's powers, as well as those Damien had stolen from other people. Maybe the reason he stopped having withdrawals after performing the kiss was just because the demon side of him was being fed something it needed from the transfer. He'd complained to me on several separate occasions about the difficulty he was having controlling his emotions.

Sighing heavily, I glanced up the aisle a few rows to where Krista was still sleeping heavily. Whatever drug Douglas and Fiona used on her was certainly taking a long time to wear off. She hadn't even moved a muscle—didn't even know her son had died trying to save her.

I wasn't looking forward to having to tell her about it, yet at the same time I was hoping she might hold some of the answers to my questions. Not that any of it mattered. Answers were not going to bring him back to me.

Suddenly, I felt a little queasy, and I realized I hadn't eaten anything today. My mind instantly went to the day when I had gotten sick and Vance was sure I was pregnant. I'd give anything to be pregnant right now, just so I could have a little piece of him with me still. I knew that wasn't the case, though, since he had been very careful to make sure it didn't happen.

Standing, I walked down the aisle to where a tray of fruits had been set on the sideboard.

"Getting an appetite back?" my mom asked casually when I reached for an apple.

"No," I said. "I'm just starting to feel a little sick right now."

"Is there anything I can do?" she asked with a concerned look.

"No, Mom," I said, and I took a bite. "I'll be fine," I added, over my mouthful of the crisp fruit, returning to the rear of the plane and thinking I'd never be fine again. The painful ache I was feeling would always be with me.

I stopped to check on the sleeping Krista, before I made my way back to Vance's casket. Sitting down, I placed my free hand on the surface that covered his mortal remains, drifting to sleep.

When I awoke, it was to find we were on final descent into New York City for refueling. The tears popped instantly into my eyes when I remembered the last time I had been here was on the first day of our honeymoon.