Sapphire Flame (Sapphire Wings Book 3)

It’s a strange feeling to look through your own eyes and know that you’re no longer in control of your body. That’s what I was doing as I fell back into the darkness of myself, now sitting side by side with the one who had invaded me. It was like taking a back seat in my mind to someone else, and it was very scary.

However, I also felt like I had a bit of luck this time around. I was now able to be aware of what was going on outside of this prison within myself.

My dad knew right away that I was not the one in control anymore. He quickly stood up, staring down at me.

“Who are you?” he demanded.

The one inside of me looked up at him, and I could sense the smile crossing what should have been my face.

“I think you know who I am.” a female voice answered.

It was crazy to realize that she was speaking through my mouth now. She had no intention of hiding herself any longer.

Dad stood his ground, not showing any fear of her. Yet the air around us had turned deathly cold. I could feel it even in my trapped state.

“Noel Renaldi, right?” he guessed.

“That’s right. How nice to finally meet you. I didn’t think I’d ever get the chance to see Raphael and that woman’s child so easily.” Noel responded.

“You’re so full of it. You’ve been manipulating their grandson, and now, you’re possessing him.” Dad countered.

“True,” Noel agreed without hesitation, “and I’m rather enjoying being in this body right now. It feels so nice to be in a flesh and blood body again. It makes it that much easier to get to the others.”

“Shut up! I really could care less about the vendetta you’ve got against my father or Michael. All I want is for you to get out of my son!” Dad ordered.

Noel grinned, “Now, now, Raziel. That’s no way to talk to your aunt. Besides, we haven’t even had the chance to get to know each other yet without them filling your head with ideas about me. How very sad.” she stated, pouting a little.

“I don’t need to know you. I’ve already seen that you’re monstrous.” Dad growled.

“Not at all.” Noel countered. She stood up to fully face him.

I pushed a little against the darkness surrounding me, trying to get out of where I was locked within my mind, but it was no use. She was too strong right now.

Dad still stood his ground as she walked in a circle around him. It was like she was admiring him now. That made me feel a bit sick to my stomach. It was like she was comparing my father to Raphael.

“Then tell me, what were you? How did you justify turning your whole family against each other and killing your own mother?” Dad asked her.

“I said it before and I will say it again, I didn’t kill my mama!” Noel sneered.

“Don’t lie. I’ve heard the story and I know you drove her to her death, just like what you tried to do to my wife.” Dad countered.

Noel pursed her lips, reining in her anger.

“You’ve only heard what Michael believes along with your father. The truth is much more painful, and aside from that, if you wish to take hits at me, then you might not enjoy what I have for you, especially when it comes to the skeletons in your father’s closet,” she warned.

I knew what she was talking about. There were truths that even Michael didn’t know back then. They were things that Raphael had never wanted to tell him.

In the end, the past was an ugly thing for our family, and something my grandfather had been trying to escape for years, or at least keep buried. I just prayed that Noel wouldn’t tell my father about those things simply to spite him. We’d already been through enough with what happened to Mom.

Unfortunately, Dad seemed more than interested in her challenge.

“Fine. Then tell me, what happened back then? What happened between you and my father? I know there’s more to it because of that curse. I’m not stupid, and neither is anybody else in this family. There’s a reason that my father fears talking about you. What did you do to him?” he asked her.

Noel chuckled, “Is that so? Well, who am I to deny my nephew the truth of it all?”

“No, no…” I heard myself saying.

Dad still wouldn’t back down. Must’ve been stubborn pride. He’d always been like that, although this time it wasn’t a good thing.

“Go on,” he told her.

Noel seemed to think about her words before speaking. She slowly circled my father again as she did.

“You know, your father was the only one in my world back then. He was the only one that I felt truly cared about me and understood what had happened to me. None of them could have ever understood the pain I felt every single day. So, of course, it was only fitting that Raphael was the first Nephilim to awaken in our family, not our father. Raphael was the only true angel. He didn’t judge like Daddy and Michael and Gabby did. He loved me just the way I was, and I in turn truly loved him.” She stopped for a moment, now frowning, “You and this boy really should not exist. Raphael belonged to me, not that brazen whore who caught his eye after my dear mommy and daddy sent me away!”

“Is this why you chose to reach out to Noah and possess him? Because you wanted revenge on me and my mother?” Dad asked her.

“Nope,” Noel answered, “I don’t need revenge against the child Raphael so willingly made with her. What I want now is to see Michael and Raphael suffer the way I did. It will never allow me to forgive Michael for breaking my hold over Raphael and making him push me away. It never lets go when it aims for you, you know. Just look at my mama. You know she hung herself. Do you know why that happened? Same thing with your sweet little wife. She didn’t want it to touch dear daddy, so she let it devour her, and it drove her right to that noose!”

Dad looked pale now, although he was still trying to stand his ground against her. I felt the same way he did. She had driven Mom to what she did, just like my great-grandmother.

But something about it confused me. She spoke like she’d done this, yet referred to ‘it’ as actually causing this.

Wait, was she talking about the curse?

“Listen,” Dad finally spoke after a few minutes of silence, “Whatever this is, you don’t have to keep doing it. You don’t need revenge on my father or Michael.”

“But of course I do. After all, he wouldn’t even tell the truth about things back then, just like Daddy. It wasn’t fair to me, especially when I came back with open arms to him. I can’t forgive him for abandoning me after everything!” Noel insisted.

“What the hell are you talking about? What truth?” Dad asked her.

Noel giggled, “I could tell you, but I won’t right now.” she teased. She took a step closer to him, “Besides, there are other things that are much more important right now. Namely, the fact that this family has played favorites ever since it came into existence. I’m sure that you’ve realized the appeal that Michael has had ever since you can remember. It’s something that he’s had ever since he was born. Michael always was the favorite, especially to our mother. That was also passed on to his daughter and now grandchildren. Tell me Raziel, how did it feel growing up beside Mia once she was able to return here? Didn’t you ever feel that twinge of resentment toward her?”

Dad remained still, “No. I love Mia very much. She’s like a sister to me.” he informed her.

“You’re lying!” Noel sneered, “I can see it in your eyes. Mia always had things better than you. She chose to love a Fox and let him impregnate her, yet nothing was ever said against it. Yet when you chose to love that woman, no one believed your love was real. But, of course, let us not forget the first girl. You lost so much to that demon, didn’t you? Not only her, but that little one you thought was yours.”

I stiffened as I heard this, not understanding what she was talking about. My dad had always been with my mom. They’d been together since they were fifteen years old, and I was his only kid.

Yet by the way he stiffened up, I could tell that there was a lot more to it. But he managed to respond to her, even if his voice was shaking a little now.

“That is none of your business, and it’s all in the past. Aside from that, everyone accepted Anna and love her just as much as I do. Maybe we did start out wrong, but we still fell in love, and I love her and my son more than anything.” he defended.

“But you didn’t at first, and you even admitted it. Besides, don’t think I haven’t read what went on when you two first met. That wife of yours is quite the barrel of information. She has an incredible memory, whether she tells others about it or not. It was very easy for me to access everything from her past when she touched this boy.” Noel responded.

Dad looked down, actually looking more upset now.

“Like I said, maybe we didn’t start with love, but the past is the past, and you have no right to hurt her or our son. They had nothing to do with you, so just leave us alone!” he demanded.

“You just don’t get it, Raziel,” Noel laughed again, “My goals with all of this are very clear, although for whatever reason this family has never been able to see the forest for the trees, as Daddy so liked to put it. I don’t need revenge on you or your little family. Like I said before, I’m after a much bigger prize. I want to see Michael and Raphael suffer until they give me what I want!”

“You mean you resent Michael and you’re angry at my father, so you feel like they owe you something.” Dad guessed.

It felt like ice-cold air wrapped around me again, and I swore Noel’s soul seemed darker somehow.

“Don’t be so naïve.” she stated in a deeper voice, “I love Raphael so much, and I will see how far he will go to deny my love. As for Michael, I will make him step down and bow to me. He will see that he was never fit to lead!”

Dad scowled at her, “I don’t believe you. I think you fear Michael, or what’s using you does.”

“Of course not” Noel scoffed.

Yet I had the distinct sense that she was lying. She didn’t want Michael to find her there now. It was like she knew her hold over us would be broken if he did.

“Then why don’t you prove it?” we suddenly heard my grandfather say.

Noel spun around to see him and Michael standing in the nearby doorway. A smile crossed her face as she did.

“How very sweet. It’s a family reunion. Isn’t my sister going to join us?” she asked, still keeping up her coy act.

“Let the boy go, Noel. He has nothing to do with this.” Raphael ordered.

“Oh, no Raphael. He has everything to do with it now. He is your grandson after all. Besides, how can I pass up a child who carries such resentment inside of him? It’s like a moth to a flame.” Noel responded.

I began pushing harder to make her release me. No, she was not going to tell them how I really felt about so many things.

But all at once, the darkness around me seemed to flex, and within seconds, I was back in control of my body. I could feel Noel fading deep into me, laughing the whole time.

Then, it was like she had gone to sleep there.

I would only later understand that this had happened because Michael was there. He could break her hold on me, although he couldn’t drive her out. He only forced her back and into dormancy for now.

Raphael leaned against the doorframe and let out an exhausted sigh as he rubbed his head. He looked tired.

“Well, I guess we know the answer to most of what’s going on,” he muttered.

“I don’t care what the hell she’s supposed to be or who she was! Just get her out of my son!” Dad demanded as he looked at them.

“I’m afraid we can’t. I can make her lose her grip on him, but I don’t know how to force her out.” Michael admitted.

“Why not?!” Dad fumed.

“Possession is a very dangerous thing, Raziel. You know that from what we’ve studied before. It can take a lot of time and effort to make a spirit relent and leave a body in peace once they try to take over it. Sometimes, it’s not even possible at all.” Raphael reminded him.

Great. So now they were saying out loud that I was possessed. I halfway felt like I should’ve been in the Exorcist or some demon horror movie. I was just glad that my head wasn’t spinning all the way around.

Well, at least not yet. I cringed at the thought and hoped that Noel didn’t get any ideas.

Dad was still fussing about this as I thought about those things.

“Then figure out how to make her leave!” he insisted.

“That’s enough, Raziel,” Michael ordered, “We will take care of it and Noah will be fine. You need to relax and let yourself calm down. You’ve been through far too much in the last twenty-four hours and you’re going to break if you don't.”

Looking back on this scene later as I stood outside on the porch, I understood how completely broken my father must have felt. My mother had almost died, and now I was possessed by the spirit that had tried to kill her. His personal life was practically in ruins now, and when I thought about it, it was my fault.

Noel had been right about my resentments and how they attracted her and this curse. I’d had a lot of them when I let myself think about it. She’d had a point about our family and what felt like favorites too. I could look back and say with absolute certainty that I sensed that. In my generation, it had always been between Sevee and me.

I’d always been jealous of Sevee, and perhaps I carried a little bit of jealousy toward Seraphina too. I never knew why, but I always felt like they had it a little better than me. Sometimes, even as a little kid, I felt like I wasn’t that wanted. I couldn’t explain why that was. It wasn’t like I wasn’t loved and doted on, especially by my parents.

But then, maybe it did have something to do with them too.

I thought about what Noel was saying about my father and the start of his relationship with my mother. I didn’t get a lot of that. From how she was talking, my dad had a girlfriend before my mom, and he thought he’d gotten her pregnant, but apparently, he hadn’t. There was something about a demon then too, although I couldn’t make heads or tails of the real story yet.

But had that also played in with him getting together with my mom, and creating me? Was there another motive for Dad doing that aside from loving her?

“Hey, how are you holding up?”

The sound of Raphael’s voice brought me back to reality. I looked to my right as he stepped to the railing beside me.

“To be honest with you, I feel like a trapped bird right now,” I answered.

Raphael chuckled, “Poetic as ever. Well, I suppose I can look at that as a good sign. At least I know it’s our Noah I’m talking to.”

We stood in silence for a few minutes. I looked out at the trees, drawing in a long breath. We were alone now, and it seemed like a good time to have my say on things that Noel had shown me.

“Why did you let her do it?” I asked quietly.

“Do what?” Raphael responded.

“Why did you let her take control of you and force you to sleep with her? She was your little sister. Could you even comprehend what was happening?” I clarified. I hated saying all of this out loud, but I had to know the truth.

Raphael stood up straight again, “Perhaps this would be the time to speak more about all of this. Come with me, Noah. I want to show you something.” he stated as he stepped off the porch.

I followed him to his car, “Hey, is it okay to just leave like this?” I asked as I got into the passenger’s side.

“It’s fine. I told your father that I wanted to do this, and he agreed. Knowing him, he’ll probably end up meeting up with us.” Raphael answered.

“I guess. But where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

Raphael pulled out of the long driveway, and we continued down the long country road to the very end, turning onto another road that led to a dead end. Just as we reached that point, we pulled into a gravel driveway. It was very long and lined by trees for the first half of it. But then, the trees opened up to reveal a nice-looking farmhouse set in a large yard with several maple trees around it.

The strangest feeling of déjà vu hit me as I looked at that house. It was like a part of me knew where we were.

Raphael parked in front of it and turned off the car, looking over at me.

“It’s familiar to you, isn’t it?” he guessed.

“Yeah. What is this place?” I asked him, still not able to take my eyes off the house.

“What you’re feeling is from Noel and her memories. This was our childhood home when our family moved here from Los Angeles.” Raphael answered.

Now I got it. Even though I’d never seen it before, Noel certainly would’ve recognized it right away. The house didn’t look in bad condition, although I could tell that no one had lived there for quite a while.

“Do we still own this place?” I asked him.

“Yes. I currently own it, although I’m not doing anything more with it at this time. I’ve considered renting it out, but I can’t quite get myself to do it. Your father also spoke about wanting it before, but your mother’s never felt that comfortable about being here after hearing what happened to your great-grandmother.” Raphael explained.

The two of us opened the doors and got out. As I stood beside the car, I looked up at the light blue siding and large windows of the house. There was an eerie feeling here. Maybe it was because of what I now knew. This was a place of death and destruction right before my father was born. This was where my great-grandmother had lost her life, along with Noel.

I finally forced my eyes away and looked at Raphael, taking in his neutral expression as he regarded the house. He was good at not letting on what he was feeling, although I noticed now that his eyes looked conflicted, along with remorseful.

“So, why did you bring me here? Are you trying to get something out of Noel?” I asked him.

Raphael shook his head, “No. I made sure that Michael kept her blocked inside of you for the next twelve hours because I wanted to show you this place, and I wanted to speak to you about what she may have been showing you through her memories. I thought it would be better this way, both for you and for me.” he confessed.

I felt more respect for him as I heard this. He was going to tell me the truth along with facing it. He wouldn’t leave me and Dad in the dark about the past anymore, and he’d help us even if it meant that he’d have to bare his soul with all of his mistakes from years ago.

Before I could respond to him, both of us heard another car coming up the gravel driveway. We turned to see that it was my father’s Mustang. It looked like he’d finally decided to join us. It was quicker than I thought it might be.

“Are you sure you’re okay to be out here now?” Raphael asked him as he parked the car beside us and got out.

“I’m good. I got some more rest and checked on Anna, and they said she’s doing fine, so I thought I’d come out here with you all instead of sitting around the house thinking too much.” Dad responded. He looked at the house for a moment before continuing, “I never thought I’d be standing out here like this though. I’m almost wondering if we’re about to step back in time or something with her around again.”

“Pop mentioned that you’ve been here before and thought about us moving into this house,” I told him.

“Yeah. Your mom and I came here and looked at it, but we didn’t go through the whole house, and your mom wasn’t that comfortable after hearing the family history here. Well, the one with your great-grandmother.” Dad admitted.

“Let’s move on and head inside,” Raphael spoke up as he stepped forward, “It won’t be much warmer, but we do need to move on with things before we figure out our next moves.”

The porch stairs creaked under our shoes. I glanced at the old wood, noting where it was splintering slightly. It was another sign of this house’s age and the absence of people living there.

Raphael opened old the creaking storm door, then unlocked the main door of the house. Stepping inside, a musty smell greeted me. It must’ve been closed up for a long time too. I looked around as we walked through the kitchen and into the den room, taking note that there was no furniture there. The emptiness of the place felt kind of creepy.

Dad stood near me, also looking around, “Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve been in here. I’m surprised that you still own it.” he commented.

“Well, we had planned to try and sell this place again a few years ago, but I changed my mind. It always feels nostalgic to be here, despite everything that ended up happening. I just can’t seem to let it go.” Raphael admitted.

“So, this is the place our family moved into when you all came to Maryland?” I noted as I walked around the large room, still taking it all in. It was feeling even creepier as I noted the white carpet and nearby stairs.

No way. It was exactly like that nightmare.

Raphael’s response brought me back to reality, “Yes. Our mother picked this house when we were planning to move from Los Angeles, and our father agreed that it looked like the perfect place for us to try to mend our family after everything that had happened with them and Noel. At first, it seemed like they were right. But it didn’t last long before that curse began its effects on Noel here.”

“No kidding,” Dad sighed as he walked over to the stairs and looked up them, “It sounds to me like Gramps never thought that curse would end up doing what it did.”

Raphael and I walked over there with him. I hesitated as I stared at the top of the stairs, that vision going through my mind again. Yeah, it was all the same. The only things missing were the pictures on the wall.

Raphael noticed my apprehension, “She showed you something, didn’t she?” he guessed.

“Do you want to stay down here?” Dad asked me.

I shook my head, “No. I’m alright. I want to go up there.”

The second floor of the house was like I’d remembered from that nightmare too. All of the doors were closed and in the same places. I led the way to the last one at the end of the hall, which was the master bedroom. Grasping the doorknob, I took in a breath before turning it.

The door slowly swung open, revealing the same room that I’d seen in that nightmare. The only difference was that there was no furniture in there now. But I could still envision what it was like back then. I swore for a moment that I was even there, and that woman was turning to face me. She was beautiful, with long light brown hair and light green eyes. I felt the strangest longing inside of me in those few seconds of staring at her, like I wanted to run to her and hug her.

But the vision quickly faded, and I was again standing in that lonely, empty room. I looked down and held a hand to my chest, feeling an ache inside. Was it from me, or was it from Noel? I couldn’t tell. Maybe it was from both of us.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and realized that it was my dad.

“You okay?” he asked me.

“Yeah, I’m good. It’s just, I don’t know, sad, to be in here now and know what happened.” I confessed.

Dad glanced at the nearby closed door, which I was sure led to the bathroom where my great-grandmother had died.

“I’m kind of surprised that you can even come in here, Dad,” he commented.

“I avoid it most of the time, but I can handle it,” Raphael responded. He walked over to the window, glancing out at the nearby maple tree, “It’s strange to think back and realize some things now. I guess they were things we never could’ve understood as kids, and things that our parents didn’t know how to fight or solve. I think our parents really did believe after they broke free from that curse’s influence that we’d all escaped it, but the reality was that it only moved on, wrapping itself around Noel after she came home. She never was the same after she was kidnapped, and it didn’t help that the man who did those things to her was never completely brought to justice for it. The truth is that he killed himself shortly after Noel was returned to us.”

“You never told me that before. So he wasn’t brought to trial or anything?” Dad asked, sounding surprised now.

Raphael shook his head, “Only the first preliminary hearing. But the circumstances of his death were always strange to our father, and we’ve always thought the same thing after he explained what had happened. The day that this man took his own life, he had managed to escape from the guards that were escorting him to court and had run to the roof of a nearby office building. He stood up there for what they said was about ten minutes, then jumped to his death. Needless to say, he died instantly when he hit the sidewalk below.”

I felt a tenseness rise within me as he said this. Yes, that suicide was connected. Noel had shown me that she had caused it. I remembered it well from her memories. A young man with a shaved head, who was wearing an orange jumpsuit, was standing on the edge of the building. He looked deathly afraid as he stared down at something. Then, a little girl’s voice whispered to him.

“Throw yourself away like the trash you are.”

The man had no choice. He stepped forward and plunged to his death.

I jumped as I came back to reality. Dad looked alarmed when he saw it.

“Are you okay?!” he asked me.

“Yeah. I think so.” I managed to answer, rubbing my head.

“You saw it, didn’t you?” Raphael guessed.

“You already know what I saw?” I responded.

“Yes. She used to brag about it to me. I just didn’t believe her for a long time,” Raphael confirmed, “I learned from my father years later that the day it happened, he had taken Noel to that same building for a therapy session. They were going back to the car when the man came running out onto the roof, and he’d said that Noel had been staring up there for several minutes before he jumped. He also mentioned that she’d been looking out of the window toward the end of that session, and he believed that she saw the man running in there to hide.”

“Is that the other reason he decided to move away?” Dad inquired.

“I believe it was. The whole thing shook him up very badly, and it wasn’t long afterward when he announced that we’d be leaving Los Angeles for good. But things slowly continued running the same course through the next four years, culminating in Noel taking almost complete control of me through the power that the curse granted her. I’ve always been thankful that Michael was able to break her hold, and that Dad sent her away to live with your great aunt. But we also believe now that doing that was a mistake. She came back three years later to end everything, and you both know how she went about that.” Raphael explained.

Yes, we most certainly did. But thinking about it, I couldn’t stop thinking about how it had all affected him.

“Out of curiosity, is it true that she sealed off most of your emotions when she died?” I asked him.

“It is. That was Noel’s final curse on me. You could say that she was more than spiteful when she learned that I was having a family and breaking away from her completely. But we aren’t going to let her do as she pleases anymore. The cycle has to end now. I won’t allow the past to repeat itself and neither will Michael or Gabrielle. That said, I do believe that Michael’s suggestion is probably the best option we have right now. I do need to ask you though Raziel, are you sure you want to come and leave Anna for a while?” Raphael continued.

I looked at my dad, this conversation now going over my head, but chose not to say anything yet. Obviously, they’d been making plans since last night.

“She’ll be okay. I talked to her about this, and she agreed. Besides, Mia said that she’d also watch over her with Sara and Gabrielle until we got back. Sean will be around too, so I’m sure that she’ll be safe.” Dad answered.

“Um, where exactly are we going?” I finally asked them.

“We’re taking you back to the other side of the Veil. Morosa has extended an offer to help us with this.” Raphael told me.

I didn’t like that one bit. I hadn’t felt comfortable with those Sumarians before, and it didn’t help that Morosa had rubbed me the wrong way in the first place when he’d ordered that I be put in that small holding room.

“How exactly are they gonna help me?” I asked Raphael, not bothering to hide my suspicion.

“The Sumarians know a lot about possession. They may be the only ones who can tell us the best way to approach removing Noel from your body.” Raphael explained without hesitation.

“I guess that means that Lenore is going with us,” I noted.

“No. It’s just going to be the four of us.” Dad told me.

“Four?” I repeated.

“Michael will be going with us too. He wants to make sure that Noel remains restrained as much as he can until they step in.” Raphael explained.

So, my dad, grandfather, and uncle were taking me back to those freaks that had captured me before. How ironic, considering that now, they may be my only start to salvation.

But as I thought this, I suddenly felt a bitter cold inside of me. Noel chuckled, although her voice sounded deeper again.

“They won’t help you,” she warned me, “By the time we’re done with you, you’ll wish you dead like me!”

I cringed, doubling over as sharp pain raked down my back. Dad held my shoulders to keep me standing.

“What happened?” he asked, clear concern marking his voice.

“It’s fine. She’s just mad again.” I breathed as I closed my eyes.

I could feel something warm running down my back now, and had a sneaking suspicion that I was bleeding again. If anything, Noel enjoyed seeing me bleed.

I took off my coat and then my shirt. I could feel it trying to stick to my back as I did. Damn, I was bleeding again. I winced as my dad checked the cuts on my back.

“She’s being vicious, but at least they don’t look that deep,” he said, taking in a breath to keep himself composed.

I was getting worried about my dad now. He was reaching his limit with all of this. First with Mom, and now with me. Even though I didn’t like what we needed to do, I knew we didn’t have a choice, if only for him and Mom.

I was still stewing about all of that as I sat up in my room later that afternoon. I stared at the closet mirror in front of me from the side of my bed, my expression set just like my resolve.

“You won’t win,” I stated quietly, “Do you hear me in there?”

I heard Noel laugh as I spoke, “Really boy, do you think you’re any match for me?” she gloated.

“I’m stronger than you think, and I’m not going to let you hurt anyone else. I’ll go to those Sumarians and you’ll be forced out.” I responded.

“They can’t. Not even Michael can do that.” Noel’s image appeared in the mirror in my place. It was strange to see her there. She looked so much like Gabrielle, except that her blue eyes were much darker. I could also see her black wings behind her, “You know, you’re underestimating how strong this darkness is. It wraps around you, envelops who you once were, and drives you mad until it destroys that person. Just look at me. Do you believe I wanted to be like this, that I asked for this?”

“Stop playing mind games with me and get out of my body!” I ordered.

Noel’s eyes seemed to turn darker, and the room became colder, “No, no. You have best hold your temper, little boy, lest I hold it for you!” she hissed.

“You won’t do anything to me.” I challenged.

She raked her hand to the side, and a burning pain went across my chest. I pulled up my shirt to see a cut there.

“You should stay on your best behavior, boy, or do you want me to tear you apart in front of your precious daddy?” Noel continued, her voice now very deep and menacing. It didn’t feel like her talking anymore. More like something else, something much darker that was holding her soul.

“Leave my dad out of this! You’ve done enough to him and my mother!” I demanded.

“Then listen to what I say,” the deep voice continued through her, “I can easily break your father now. He’s already breaking from what I did to your mother. Seeing you suffer should be enough to shatter him.”

“My father’s stronger than that. He knows that I’ll fight you until the end.” I responded, although I admit that I wasn’t feeling that confident in myself now. This whole thing felt unnerving.

Noel’s eyes seemed to lighten as she heard this, and she put her head down in her hands, then held her hair in her fingers. It sounded like she was laughing and crying at the same time.

“There’s so much you don’t understand yet!” she cried, “You have to stop this! You have to stop this! Stop me!”

I stared at her, not sure what to think. She looked so scared and sincere in it. Was this an act, or part of her insanity?

I was pulled out of this by a loud knock at my door. I looked over there, then back at the mirror, but Noel had vanished. I quickly pulled myself together, doing my best to act normal as I called to them.

“Yeah?!”

I was expecting my dad or Raphael or Michael to come in, so it shocked me when I saw that it was Sevee. This was new. He never knocked.

“Hey,” he greeted me.

“Hey. What do you want?” I asked him as I remained sitting on my bed.

“Don’t act like that. You know I’m not here to start trouble with you. Not with everything that’s been happening.” Sevee responded, walking over to me.

“You’re always starting trouble, whether you mean to or not.” I reminded him.

Sevee chuckled, “Yeah, I know. But this time is different too, especially with what’s going on with you and what happened to your mom. She’s doing a little better, right?”

“Yeah. She’s awake now from what I’ve heard, but I haven’t gotten to talk to her yet.” I admitted.

“That’s at least something good,” Sevee sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. He glanced around my room before speaking, “I heard that they’re taking you to the Sumarians.”

“They don’t have much of a choice. Michael can’t force her out, so they asked Morosa for help in figuring out how to do it.” I confirmed.

“Well,” Sevee went on as he sat beside me, “if anyone would know an answer to that, it would be them. The Sumarians are elite warriors from what I’ve learned. They’re considered to be in rank the same as the Watchers and just under the Angels.”

“Really? I’d imagine you’re fond of them too for letting Lenore come back to you and Sage.” I noted.

“I am, although her creation wasn’t up to them. I’ve been told it was our great-grandfather who pushed for it to happen, and I’m extremely grateful for that. But back to what I came to see you about, I wanted to apologize to you too. I’ve needed to do that for a while now.” Sevee continued.

“What for?” I asked him.

Sevee sat back a little, “I know I already apologized to you about what happened to your wing, and you told me that it wasn’t a big deal, but it still bothers me. Not just for you losing your wing, but because you and I discussed this whole curse thing, then I felt like I abandoned you to it after Sage was born and Seraphina broke down. Even when she told me that she saw memories from you that weren’t yours, I didn’t say anything even though I suspected it could’ve been from Noel. I also didn’t say anything about her contacting you before you took off, or how you told me before that she was trying to influence you into your feelings for Seraphina. I feel like a lot of this has been my fault.”

I probably should’ve expected this. Now that he mentioned it, the memories of the days before I lost my wing returned to me. That was right. We’d both been putting together pieces of this curse. But somehow, we’d lost track of what we were figuring out after that incident. I wondered if it was an effect of this curse.

“You don’t need to apologize, Sevee. I know you feel that way, but I don’t blame you for anything that’s happened. You also did promise me not to talk about the stuff with Noel when we were in that den, so I’m kind of glad that you kept your word, even if it didn’t turn out that great for us.” I told him.

A smile crossed Sevee’s face as he chuckled, “Yeah, but we’ve always done that kind of stuff for each other. Besides, it’s not like we could’ve told for sure that she was possessing you for a while anyway. Lenore told me that spirits like Noel normally would’ve left a mark on you to prove that you’re their host, but Gabrielle examined you thoroughly the other day and didn’t find anything. You’re still as flawless as they come.” he continued.

“You make it sound like you were looking too.” I joked.

“Well, we did grow up together, and it’s not like I haven’t seen you practically naked at times back when we were kids.” Sevee joked back.

I decided to relent a little on answering what he wanted to know, “I do have a mark from her, and yeah, it’s in a good hiding place. But I’m not gonna tell you where.”

“A good hiding place huh?” Sevee raised an eyebrow at me, “It must be a place that you always keep covered, although I’m sure not anywhere too private. I doubt that Noel would’ve gone after your mom if she hadn’t touched it by accident.”

He was right. Mom had accidentally touched where that star was twice; once in the kitchen the night I got it, and the other the night before when she’d tried to clean it off after it began bleeding.

“You do know that I’m not telling you where it is, so why keep pushing it?” I stated.

Sevee shrugged, “I just thought I would. But if you don’t want to tell me, then that’s fine. I won’t force you to. Besides, like I said, I owe you a lot too. I also wanted to go with you guys to the Sumarians, but Michael wouldn’t let me.”

“You wanted to go?” I asked.

“Of course I did.” Sevee responded without hesitation, “No matter what, you’ve always been like a brother to me. Maybe also one that I could annoy at times, but still a brother too. We’ve grown up together, and aside from that, your mom has been a lot like mine to me. I can’t let go of what Noel and that curse tried to do to her.”

Yes, I did know that he meant that. Sevee had always loved and respected my mother, just like his own. It probably did eat away at him hearing about what happened to her.

I sat back and sighed, “You don’t need to worry about this, Sevee. I’m going to make sure this stops now and Mom stays safe.” I promised him.

“I guess I’ll take your word for it. You are strong-minded, just like me.” Sevee stood up again, looking at me, “I’m gonna have to get back, but are you sure you’re okay being up here alone?”

“I’m good. It’s not like anything worse can happen to me right now. I can take my torment until they get her out of me.” I informed him.

Sevee let out a quiet sigh, “You know Noah, I did mean what I said about us being like brothers too. You, me, and Seraphina have always been closer than most siblings, and it’s not just my promise to Sera or my guilt that’s making me want to help you. I hope you know that.”

I couldn’t stop the smile from crossing my face, “I know, and as much as you can annoy me, I have missed hanging around with you.”

“Then let’s get this done and do that again. But also, promise me something.” Sevee responded.

“Promise you something? Is the world coming to an end?” I joked.

“Now you’re being a smart ass.” Sevee retorted, though it came out light-hearted.

A laugh escaped me. Somehow, he’d managed to lighten my mood. But looking back on growing up with him, I realized that Sevee had that talent with me. We may not have always gotten along, but he was always there when I needed help or just my spirits lifted.

“Alright. Fire away.” I conceded.

“I’m being dead serious about this too,” Sevee informed me, “I want you to come back as yourself. Not only for your parents and Seraphina but for me. I’m getting tired of not being able to spar with you like I used to.”

“Okay, but I will win when I do,” I warned him.

Both of us laughed at that. I think for the first time in years, I felt like an equal to him again. Maybe the entire rivalry thing between us was part of this curse, just like what Noel was trying to describe to my dad.

Sevee ended up leaving shortly after this talk, and I watched from my window as he got into the car with his dad. I shook my head, smiling to myself. At least he’d been able to lighten my mood a little more before I had to face everything that was going on.

But that lightness was short-lived as I felt the star on my thigh begin throbbing. It was a warning not to get too comfortable. I would have to be cautious until this evening.

As I stood there, my reflection caught my attention from the corner of my eye. I turned around, then screamed and fell back, landing on the floor as my eyes focused on the image of my mother standing there. She was crying and held up her bleeding wrists for me to see.

“It made me do it!” I heard her scream.

In an instant, the horrible vision was gone, but my reaction remained the same. I bolted to my feet, shattering the mirror with my fist in a rage, all while hearing the deep, mocking laughter echoing in my head.