Only a Mother Could Love (Afterlife Book 3) Read online

  "Thanks," Harper said to the police officer as they hopped out of the car.

  "You're welcome," the woman said. "I hope your friend will be alright."

  "Me too," Sarah said. She ran to the hospital with Harper right on her heels. They reached the front desk and stopped. "I'm here to see a patient, Monica Reynolds."

  The nurse glanced at her, glanced at Harper, and then typed the name into her computer. "She's on the fourth floor, in the ICU. Room number twelve. You'll have to be immediate family or at least on her contact list to see her, though."

  "I'm her emergency contact," Sarah said. "Come on, Harper."

  They went to the elevators, and waited impatiently for an elevator to arrive. When one did, Sarah nearly jumped inside it, hitting the button for the fourth floor. Harper dove inside and the two of them waited for the elevator to lift. It stopped on the second floor, and Sarah let out a low groan, tapping her fingers nervously.

  "Hey," Harper said, "it's going to be alright."

  "You think so?"

  Harper nodded.

  The elevator doors closed and went to the fourth floor. They got out, glanced at the signs on the wall, and turned towards the ICU. They were walking now, and Sarah seemed to be almost dragging her feet to stall for time. Harper shook her head, put a hand on her arm, and guided her down the hallway. They reached the doors of the ICU, and Harper pushed the intercom button. "We're here to see Monica Reynolds, room twelve."

  A minute passed and then the doors clicked open. They went inside, and followed the room numbers down to room twelve. They stopped outside the door.

  "Maybe you should go in alone," Harper said.

  Sarah nodded. "I think that's probably a good idea."

  Harper glanced around, saw some chairs, and grabbed one. She dragged it over to the outside of the room, plopped down and waited.

  Minutes ticked by, and she was starting to sweat. She'd never particularly liked hospitals, and she could feel her anxiety rising. Surely if Monica was alright, Sarah would come and let her know? Maybe they were talking, figuring out what to do next. Harper frowned. How had Lewis found her? How had he known where she was staying?

  She was contemplating the ways that Lewis might have stalked Monica when Sarah came back out. She looked terrible; there were new rings under her eyes, and she was wearing gloves. She pulled them off without a word, dropped them into a nearby garbage can.

  Sarah didn't even seem to see Harper. She walked towards the door like a woman in a fog. Harper glanced around, hopped to her feet, and followed.

  "Sarah? How is she?"

  Sarah left the ICU, heading for the elevators, still not speaking.

  "Sarah!" Harper said sharply as she stepped into an elevator. Harper had to run to catch it before it closed. "Sarah, what's going on? Talk to me."

  "He killed her," Sarah said. "She came in unconscious, and she didn't make it. He killed her, Harper. Because she called him. She called the ass, and he killed her."

  Harper closed her eyes, putting her head against the wall. She thought of Monica saying how much she loved Lewis, despite how many times he'd beaten her. Now she'd paid the ultimate price for not being able to separate herself from him.

  "I didn't even get to say goodbye," Sarah said. "She was already dead when we arrived. They just hadn't moved the body yet. You should have seen her. She was in a terrible state. Broken bones, bleeding from her nose, and her ears, and her eyes were open, and she was just staring into the distance..."

  Harper didn't know what to do. She put a hand on Sarah's arm, and tried to draw her into a hug, but she was unsuccessful. Sarah pushed her away as the elevator dinged on the ground level and she went out it, and went to the outside.

  "Hey," Harper said. "You did what you could, Sarah. She made her own decision in the end."

  Sarah turned towards her, her eyes haunted. "You think she chose that? You think she chose to die?"

  "I don't know," Harper said. "But you said she called him..."

  "Women like that, battered women, they don't have choices," Sarah said. "They're beaten so often and so badly that they start to believe they deserve it. They think those men are their lives, and that they can't live without them. She didn't have a choice in the end. She was just another victim. This wasn't her fault."

  "No, of course not," Harper said. "I didn't mean--"

  "--No," Sarah said. "It wasn't her fault. It was Lewis's fault. It was his fault, because he couldn't control his anger."

  Harper nodded. "The police are on it," she said, "They'll arrest him, he'll go to prison, Sarah. Okay?"

  Sarah shook her head. "No," she repeated. "No, he's mine."

  "He's yours? What do you mean? You're not thinking of going after him, are you? He's not a demon, Sarah!" Harper grabbed her arm again. "You can't go after humans. Even if they deserve it."

  "Maybe you can't," Sarah said, yanking her arm free. "But we're not the same, Harper."

  Harper didn't know what to say to convince her. She thought about calling Alec, or Chloe, or anyone from Afterlife, actually. Maybe they'd be better suited for handling this particular situation. Before she could act on her impulse, though, Sarah began to change.

  It wasn't quite like watching her transformations into a panther or wolf. Those came instantly; one moment, she'd be standing there, the next a large animal would be in her place. This time was different. This was slow and horrifying to watch. Sarah's nails began to lengthen, becoming sharp and pointed and bloody. Her hair grew too, becoming matted and dirty looking. It was her mouth that caught Harper's attention the most; her canines became more feral and beast-like. It was like watching someone turn into half of an animal.

  Then, the most shocking change, a pair of long, red wings sprouted from her back, and Sarah lifted off the ground. The air seemed to swirl around her as though it were supporting her weight.

  "Sarah!" Harper exclaimed, but Sarah wasn't even looking at her. She was staring into the distance, a feral look on her face. Before Harper could do more, she'd taken off in flight, ignoring the pedestrians who pointed at her in wonder.

  Harper let out a low curse, ran to Sarah's car, and quickly threw it in reverse. She sped all the way back to Afterlife, knowing she was risking an actual ticket this time. No police car pulled her over though, and soon she was back at the club.

  She ran through the entrance, ignoring the cleaners and going straight for the back. She grabbed the doorknob but it was locked. She began hammering on it relentlessly till Chloe opened it.

  "What is it?" Chloe said, immediately registering Harper's shocked, pale face. "What's happened, Harper? Is it the demon?"

  Harper shook her head. She went into the room, looking at all the people there. Her eyes settled on Alec.

  "It's Sarah," she said. "She turned into some kind of... I don't know, demonic fairy."

  "What?"

  Harper quickly told them the details of their visit to the hospital, and how Sarah had changed afterward and taken off in flight.

  Conner let out a low whistle. "Oh, God," he said. "She's changed into a fury."

  "What's a fury?" Brittney asked.

  "They're demonic angels," Alec supplied. "They're not fully either in truth, but that's the best way to describe them. Their creatures born out of rage, deep rage, and they won't stop for anything until they get revenge on the person who angered them. They consider themselves arbiters of justice."

  "She'll be going after Lewis then," Harper said. She let the others in on the details of her and Sarah's trip to Monica's home, and how they'd tried to get her away from her abusive husband, but she'd ended up dead anyway.

  "We'll have to protect him," Alec said. "We can't let her kill him."

  "How do we get her back?" Harper asked. She looked around the table and saw nothing but desolate faces. "We can get her back, can't we?"

  "I don't know," Alec admitted. "Once someone's changed into a fury, it's almost impossible to reason with them. She's not going to listen to a
ny of us. Look, Harper, you met Lewis. You'll have to be the one to protect him."

  "Me?" Harper shook her head. "I don't think I could stomach protecting him. Not after what he did to his wife. I met her, Alec. I saw what he did to her, and I know he killed her. How am I supposed to guard someone like that?"

  "I don't know," Alec said. "But you'll figure it out. Take Chloe with you. If Sarah attacks, perhaps seeing the two of you will slow her down. The rest of us still have to focus on getting that demon with the mask."

  Harper stared at him. "You're kidding, right? You're telling me that Sarah has changed into some kind of justice-seeking demon angel hybrid and you don't want us to do anything about that? Just protect the guy she's after and continue on with everything else like nothing has changed?"

  It was Conner who answered this time. "Nothing has changed, Harper. We've still got a demon out there killing innocent men. We have to stop her before more people end up killed. I know you don't like to hear this, but Sarah is a big girl. She's going to have to take care of herself. I told you, we can't reason with her. There's nothing we can do, except try and stop her from doing something she'll regret. Do you think when she comes to her senses and returns to normal that she'll like hearing that she killed a man?"

  Harper glanced around for support, and found none, not even with Brittney.

  "No," she finally answered. "I suppose not. I can handle this myself"

  "Are you sure?" Chloe asked.

  "Yes."

  "So you go protect him," Conner said. "And the rest of us will research. Alec, get some rest. I know you haven't been to bed yet."

  Alec scowled.

  "Don't give me that look," Conner said. "You know you need the sleep, and we need you ready for tonight. We're going to stop this woman, and we're going to do it tonight."

  EIGHT

  Harper approached the house with a fair amount of trepidation. She wasn't eager to see Lewis, and she knew he wouldn't be too keen on seeing her either. Still, she had a job to do, and she was damned if she was going to let him get in the way of that. Sarah deserved better than to come to her senses and realize she'd killed a man -- even a piece of scum like Lewis.

  She thought the police might have been there already and was surprised they weren't. Law enforcement wasn't always quick to act, though. Not as quick to act as Sarah.

  She knocked on the door. A minute went by before Lewis answered it.

  "Oh," he said, "It's you. If you're here to talk to Monica, she left. Remember? You and your girlfriend came along and told her it was alright to leave me."

  "Cut the crap," Harper said. "We both know where Monica is, and what happened to her. I'm here to convince you that you need to turn yourself in."

  Lewis laughed and moved to shut the door on her. Harper stuck her foot in the gap before he could.

  "The last thing you want to do is ignore me right now," she said. "Trust me, your life is on the line. One wrong move, and you're going to be serving an eternity in hell rather than a prison cell."

  "Are you threatening me?" Lewis demanded. "Because the last woman that threatened me--"

  "Oh, I'm not threatening you," Harper said. "Though perhaps I should. You have no idea who you crossed, buddy. But listen to me, and listen well. If you don't turn yourself in, you're going to be facing someone a lot more frightening than me. Someone who will stop at nothing, and I mean nothing, to see you dead. I'm here to tell you this because I'm trying to protect you."

  Lewis shook his head. "I'm not guilty," he said, "I didn't do anything."

  "Right," Harper said dryly. "Because that's so believable. You'll beat your wife up, but you always manage to stop short of killing her. What happened, Lewis? Did you just lose your cool? Didn't know when to stop? Pushed it a little too far?"

  "Shut your mouth," Lewis said. "I'm warning you..."

  "Invite me in," Harper said.

  "No."

  "Invite me in," she insisted. "Because every moment we stand out here on your doorstep is another moment that she'll be able to find you, and if that happens, I don't think I can take her on. I don't think I would take her on. Not for someone like you."

  "What are you talking about?" Lewis demanded. "Who are you talking about?"

  "Invite me in, and I'll tell you everything I know," Harper said.

  Lewis sighed and stepped back. He made a mocking gesture for her to enter. Harper glanced up at the sky, but didn't see Sarah anywhere, so she went into the house. She made herself comfortable on the sofa, double checked her purse to make sure her gun was easily accessible, and then folded her arms.

  "So," Lewis said, "someone is after me."

  "Yes," Harper said. "A fury. Do you know what a fury is?"

  Lewis shook his head.

  "They're creatures born of intense anger," Harper said. "An anger so strong that nothing and nobody can reason with them. They have one goal in life, and that's to see justice meted out, however they see fit. They don't care about laws, they don't care about harm, all they care about is getting revenge."

  "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Lewis said. "You're trying to convince me there's some a demon after me now? What kind of stunt is this?"

  "It's not a stunt," Harper said. "It's the truth. The girl from the other day, the girl with me, the girl who convinced Monica to leave your sorry ass, she was a shape-shifter. But when she saw Monica -- when she saw your dead wife -- she became something more than a shape-shifter. She became a fury."

  "Yeah, okay."

  Harper shrugged. "If you don't believe me, that's fine. If she ends up killing you, that's fine with me. You deserve it. But tell me, do you really want to die?"

  "I didn't do anything," Lewis said again. "Whatever you think I did, I didn't do. It wasn't me. I have an alibi."

  "Of course you do," Harper said. "Men like you always have buddies willing to back them up. But I don't care about that. I know you did it, because I can see the truth plastered across your face. Do you even regret it?"

  Lewis sighed. He put his face in his hands, wiped the sweat off his brow, and looked at her. "Of course I regret it," he said, "I always regret it. I want to change, but I just get so angry..."

  "And instead of taking anger management classes, or seeing a shrink, or learning how to meditate, you decided it was alright to continue beating on the woman that loved you -- yeah, she loved you alright, -- until you actually killed her?"

  "It wasn't like that," Lewis said. "I didn't mean it."

  Harper shook her head. "I don't care about your excuses. I'm here for one reason, and that's to keep you safe. The best way to keep you safe is to convince you that you should turn yourself in. It might not be so bad. You'll get prison time, sure, but you'll also learn to manage that anger so something like this never happens again."

  "I can't," Lewis said. "Do you know what that would do to my life? My business? Everything I've ever worked for will be ruined. Any friends I might have, I'd lose them. My family would never speak to me again."

  "And Monica?" Harper asked. "Do you think she's fulfilling her life goals right now? Do you think she's ever going to see her friends again? Her family? She's not. She's dead, and that's because you killed her. Be a man for once. Stand up and do what's right."

  "It's not that simple," Lewis said. "And I don't need you to protect me. I can take care of myself. I've proved that, haven't I?"

  It took all of Harper's restraint from screaming in his face, or even better, from getting up and slapping him. Neither of those things would accomplish much in the grand scheme of things, so she didn't do either. She just sat back into the sofa.

  "If you won't turn yourself in, then you're stuck with me," she said. "And trust me, you hit me, and I'll hit back. And once I start, don't think I'll stop."

  "I'm not going to hit you," Lewis said. He put his hands on his face. "I really didn't mean it," he repeated. "If I could take it back, I would. You might not believe me, but I loved Monica. I've loved her since the moment I met her.
We were kids then, barely out of high school. I was still starting my business, trying to build up a client list... and Monica, she came like a savior. She had a way of talking to people that I've never seen before. She could convince them to do whatever she wanted. She helped me move my business from being something I did out of a garage to something that became big."

  Harper thought about reminding him that he'd killed her, that woman who'd helped him build his business. In the end, she didn't. She just let him talk, nodding occasionally. She'd viewed Lewis as a monster, with no compassion, and no redeeming qualities. She was learning, though, that people weren't so black and white. He wasn't a demon trying to feast on the innocent. He was a man with a temper, and many problems, but he was also human.

  She didn't like to think of him that way; he was a murderer, plain and simple. Except it wasn't plain and simple. She could see the anguish on his face, hear the regret in his voice. He'd done something unforgivable, but he didn't deserve to be killed for it. Harper vowed than that she would protect him with her own life, if it came to that.

  She knew Sarah wouldn't agree; Sarah saw him as the enemy, and for good reason. But she also knew that Sarah, in her normal state, wouldn't kill someone.

  Just as this thought flickered through her mind, the doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts and Lewis's monologue. He got to his feet, preparing to answer it.

  "No!" Harper said quickly, "Let me."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Yes," Harper said. "You might think I'm lying to you, trying to coerce a confession, but I'm not. There's someone out there that wants you dead. I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen, so let me at least answer the door."

  "Fine," Lewis said.

  Harper nodded, grabbed her purse, and went to the front door. She pulled it open, and gasped. It was Sarah. She didn't look like herself; she was still in her fury form, and the air around her swirled like a storm. "Go," Harper said. "You can't do this, Sarah."