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  “I know that, Julie. And what you did for me. Kicking Sean out of the apartment. Making me move out, get a lawyer, I’ll never forget any of it.”

  “Good,” Julie stared across the cage at Jade, smiling. “But then I had my accident, remember?”

  “Of course I do! It took you years to recover.”

  “I was so mad at the man who had done that to me. I just didn’t understand! How could someone be so stupid? So inconsiderate? Don’t people know, that you have to take responsibility for your actions? And the guy ran! He only got caught, because of the guilt, but dang! He could have gotten away. I could have been paralyzed! He was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. He’s almost served his time! He’ll be out soon for good behavior, and then on Halloween I had all of those powers and all the emotions I had… they just kind of hit me full force.”

  “And then when Sky cast that spell…”

  “The evil just took over,” Julie said, finishing Jade’s sentence. “Yes.”

  “How did it feel?”

  “Honestly? It was amazing!” Julie cried, laughing a little at how truthful she was being. “I’ve never felt anything like it, Jade. I had all of this power inside of me, and no one telling me how to act, how to feel, what to do with it. I felt free, for the first time in a very long time. But at the same time, it scared me. I was hurting innocent people. I was hurting you. My family, and then Elijah…”

  “You fell in love with him?”

  Julie smiled, nodding, as she held a hand to her stomach. “I did,” she whispered. “And not just because of the way he made me feel, but how he treated me. What he and I did. We went to so many places after we got married. I didn’t remember a lot of it, because of the curse obviously, but over the last couple of weeks I started to remember more. He took me to Paris, and I got to see the Eiffel tower. We kissed at the top,” she said, smiling, as she remembered. “We went salsa dancing in Rio. We ate the most amazing Sushi in Japan, and when we made love…”

  “Okay. I think I’m going to stop you right there,” Jade said, holding up a hand. “I do not need to hear any of that.”

  “Right.” Julie laughed. “Sorry.”

  “But I think I’m beginning to understand a little bit, about what you went through, and what Mom said,” Jade said. “About how it could have been me who could have turned to the dark side. Or Josslyn, or Jasmine. Any of us could have!”

  “And that’s exactly why you need to be eliminated,” Liam said, as he flung the door to his left open, and walked through. “So that you’re not even tempted, and now, your family is dwindling one by one!”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Because your nieces have been taken, by the beetles.”

  “What?” Julie and Jade jumped to their feet. “What beetles?”

  “The beetles, that will give their bodies to Cyrus. It’s what he needs to complete his resurrection.”

  “And you let them into the heavens, didn’t you?” Sky asked, appearing in a reign of light behind him. “You wanted them to be captured.”

  “Sky! Old buddy. Nice to see you,” Liam said, glancing over his shoulder. “And yes, I did. After all, he and I do want the same thing.”

  “The sapphire.”

  “Precisely. Plus, he has knowledge of the experiment I want to start. To get rid of all the… half-breeds.”

  “Sky, how did you get here?” Julie asked, staring through the bars of the cage. “You got your powers back?”

  “A gift from Myron,” Sky said, pointing to the cage and flicking his fingers. The cage door flung open.

  “He did always have a soft spot for you,” Liam said, lifting a hand, and slamming the door to the cage back shut. “You’re not going anywhere!”

  “Yes, they are!” Sky shouted, jabbing his finger at Liam. Yellow lightning flung from his finger, zinging toward Liam. Liam ducked, and Sky quickly opened the door to the cage. “Hurry!” he shouted, gesturing them out. “You have to go! They need you back down on earth!”

  “But we can’t just leave you, Sky!” Jade cried.

  “You have to,” Sky told her. “Because I’m the only one who can defeat Liam. Now go!”

  Jade stared at him another moment, then grabbed Julie by the hand, disappearing in a reign of electricity.

  “You ruin everything!” Liam shouted, lunging forward. He struck his hand out, knocking Sky to the ground. “You might have a God’s powers, but you’ll never defeat me, Sky!” Liam shouted, raising his hand, and slinging Sky across the room.

  “Agh!” Sky groaned, his body slamming back against the counter, and he struggled to his feet. He closed his eyes, disappearing in a flash, and reappearing behind Liam. “Oh, Liam…”

  “Get back here!” Liam shouted, shooting a bolt of lightning toward him.

  “Come and get me!” Sky shouted, shooting his own bolt of lightning toward Liam. “You think I can’t defeat you? You think I can’t master these powers? I’m just as powerful as you now!”

  “Not quite, Sky,” Liam said, jabbing his finger to the skies. The ground shook underneath them, and Sky gasped, grabbing a hold of the cage next to him, watching as the roof caved in above them. Dark, gray clouds swirled above them, lightning flashing through the sky. “What do you have up your sleeve this time, Liam?”

  “Your demise,” Liam said, laughing, as a long rope appeared from out of the skies, wrapping around Sky.

  “No! Let me go!” Sky shouted, struggling, trying to use his powers, but they didn’t work. “What did you do to me?”

  “Oh so much, Sky,” Liam said, letting out an evil laugh as he strode forward. “And it is just beginning, ask the other Gods. Oh wait, you can’t, because they’re all hiding from me! Cease him!”

  “What are you going to do with him, sir?” the black angel asked, timidly.

  “Teach him a lesson,” Liam said. “And he will never be the same.”

  “Jade! Julie!” Jasmine rushed forward, as the two appeared in the room, embracing them. “Oh, I am so happy to see you! Myron said something about Liam? Has he turned… evil?”

  “I’m not sure there was ever any good in him,” Julie said, returning the hug. “He said some terrible things about us, about our family, Jasmine! Something about eliminating the half-demons, half-witches, even the half-angels throughout the magical world. It’s not right!”

  “And what about Sky?”

  “He told us to leave, and to find you guys,” Jade said, as she stared down at the book. “This stone; is it really as powerful as they say, Jorja?”

  Jorja nodded. “Yes, very dangerous.”

  “This is insane!” Jade cried. “I know we say this all the time, especially with the world we live in, but why would someone want to bring back Cyrus? After all these years?”

  “That’s a mystery we’ll just have to figure out,” Josslyn said, frowning. “Hey, do you know where the girls are? I’m getting worried about them.”

  “Oh, Joss…” Julie trailed off, not knowing how to break the news to her sister. “They’ve been kidnapped.”

  “What? How?”

  “Liam allowed those gigantic beetles into the heavens, and they took them. I guess Cyrus needs more witches, in order to become human again.”

  “What! But why would Liam…” she trailed off. “Let me guess. He said that he needs something from Cyrus, right?”

  Julie nodded.

  “I don’t like this!”

  “Neither do I,” Jorja said. “Because I’m willing to bet, that whoever went to all this trouble, also has my daughter. It’s why I want the sapphire. I think she’s in the hidden city.”

  “Then what do we do?”

  “What else can we do?” Josslyn asked. “We have to get to Lake Superior and find the next clue, before the dark angels do! If we can put the stone back together, and find the hidden city, we can end this. Get rid of Cyrus for good and get our daughters back.”

  “So, we’re all going to go to Lake Superior?” Jasmine ask
ed.

  “No.” Jorja shook her head. “We need to split up. Someone needs to go to Josslyn’s office and explore that pit. Josslyn said that there was some sort of beast, some sort of monster down there, but it can’t be Cyrus. He was entombed in the Hidden City. He’s trapped there until someone opens the passageway to the city. Someone else is down there, and we need to figure out who it is, and what they are doing.”

  “She’s got a point,” Julie said. “How about Joss and I go to her office, and the rest of you head over to Lake Superior?”

  “Sounds like a plan to me,” Jade said, slamming the book shut.

  “But what about Sky?” Jasmine asked. “We can’t leave without him. Where is he?”

  “Gone.”

  The voice sounded behind them, and they all turned, as a young, brown-haired woman appeared in a reign of light behind them.

  “And who are you?” Jasmine asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

  “I’m Leslie,” the woman said, as she walked forward. “Your new angel.”

  “What?” they all uttered the word in surprise.

  “But what happened to Sky?” Jorja asked.

  “It’s Liam, isn’t it?” Jasmine asked. “He did something, didn’t he?”

  “We’re not sure,” Leslie said. “The Gods and the angels, all felt this big commotion up in the heavens. It had to have been Sky and Liam, but now they’re missing. No one can find them, and until this is resolved, I’ve been assigned to you.”

  “Then you need to find them!” Jasmine shouted.

  “That’s not my job. My job is to keep an eye on you.”

  “What? Like a babysitter? Jade asked, rolling her eyes. “We’re grown women, we don’t need you to keep an eye on us.” She grabbed the keys off the podium, tossing them at Jorja. “Come on Jorja, Jasmine, let’s go for a ride. I’ve had enough of this.”

  “And whether it’s in your job or not, I expect an answer to where the man I love is when I get back,” Jasmine said, as she passed the Leslie. “I will not lose him again.”

  “Jasmine—”

  “Do you really want to test me right now?” Jasmine asked, glowering at the woman. “I’m about two seconds away from going off on you, lady. I don’t like you, and I definitely don’t trust you, but I have other things I have to take care of right now. Jade, Jorja, let’s go.”

  “But where are you going!”

  “To figure a way out of this mess,” Jade said, turning, and disappearing out of the room with her sisters.

  “We should get going too,” Josslyn said, nodding to Julie. “Who knows what we’re going to find down in that pit.”

  “I’m not sure I’m ready to see what’s down there,” Julie said, something deep inside her telling her that what they were going to find was going to be something scary. Not to mention the feeling deep down in her gut telling her that her secret was about to be revealed.

  Remember, Julie, secrets don’t keep long in this family, and as soon as someone finds out what you did, they’ll never forgive you.

  She shoved the thought away and grabbed the keys from Josslyn. “Come on, let’s go. I’m driving.”

  Sky was gone.

  Jasmine swallowed, staring out the window, as they drove down the interstate as she fought back tears. She lifted a hand to her mouth, muffling the sob that threatened to come out, refusing to believe that he was gone. He couldn’t be gone. She would know!

  “Jasmine, are you okay?” Jorja asked, turning in the passenger seat, and reaching back to squeeze her hand.

  “Is she okay?” Jade rolled her eyes. “Did you really just ask her that?”

  “Well what am I supposed to say?” Jorja asked. “It’s not like I’m going to look at her, and say, hey I know Sky is dead and all, but life goes on.”

  “Jorja!”

  “He’s not dead!” Jasmine snapped, glaring at her two sisters. “I don’t care what any of you, or that damned angel said back there. He’s not dead! He can’t be! If he were, I would know. I would feel it!”

  “Jasmine…”

  “Can we just focus on the task at hand?” Jasmine asked, waving away their worry, and grabbing the paper from Jorja. “So the clue says in the land of a thousand lakes, the greatest of waters will wash away the sins of the past.” She frowned. “Now that’s strange. Wash away—”

  “I’m thinking we need to go to the lighthouse,” Jorja said interrupted, as she pointed to the guide. “In Duluth. It’s got the closest lighthouse to Lake Superior. From there, we should be able to see what it’s talking about.”

  “I still can’t believe we’re on a freaking treasure hunt of all things,” Jade muttered, as she glanced over her shoulder, merging into the traffic. “I never believed in these things. Treasure was just a myth!”

  “Trust me, it’s not,” Jorja said, thinking. “And you know, I’ve been thinking about what I want to do with my life.”

  “Oh. And what is that?”

  “I think I want to open a museum,” Jorja said. “I mean, we are looking for a new house, right Jade?”

  “Ah, yeah. We can’t stay doubled up in the bedrooms forever.”

  “Well, what if after we find a new home, we turn the old one into a museum. I mean, it has been in our family for generations. We might as well do something with it, right?”

  “You know, I think that’s a great idea,” Jasmine said, stroking the bracelet on her wrist. Sky gave this to me, she thought. Right after Halloween, when we first got together. “After all, you can’t stay unemployed forever.”

  “Says the one who always seems to be able to get out of work,” Jade muttered, sending her a look.

  “Lilah trusts me! She knows I have a lot of family emergencies.”

  “Plus, she is taking classes. How is that going, Jasmine?”

  “Thank God I can do them online,” Jasmine muttered under her breath. “I would never get my law degree with all of this going on!”

  “I guess it is a good thing I hired Bree to take care of the bar,” Jade murmured. “I would never have any money coming in with how much I’m gone. Oh hey, did you know where Julie was off to today?”

  “Yeah, I do,” Jasmine said, eyeing Jade. “I’m guessing you found out?”

  “I kind of followed her this morning.”

  “What? Jade!” Jorja swung around, staring at her in disbelief. “That is not cool!”

  “What? I was curious about where she was going.”

  “Not to mention that you still don’t trust her, right?” Jasmine asked. “Jade, you have to trust her at some point.”

  “She’s hiding something,” Jade said, as she stepped on the gas. She switched lanes, passing cars, and glanced back at Jasmine. “I know she is, and she can’t hide it forever. Even if she wants to, and I will find out what it is. I’m very good at getting to the bottom of secrets.”

  “And sometimes, you should just let things be,” Jorja said. “Jade, even if you don’t trust her, which I think is a bunch of baloney, you have to give her the freedom to do what she wants. She’s never going to get past everything that happened down in the underworld if you don’t let her.”

  “And that is exactly why I don’t trust her,” Jade said, softly. “She chose evil, guys! I might act like I understand what she went through, but I will never forgive her. I’ll play the good sister, listen to her, be there for her, but I will never accept the fact that she turned her back on her own family, which is why I need to keep an eye on her. That’s why I had a talk with the chief today, before I met Julie outside of the police department.”

  “You what?”

  “Jade, please tell me you didn’t!”

  “I told him, that Julie isn’t in the right frame of mind to become a police officer. That the accident, left her severely scarred, both physically and mentally.”

  “Jade!”

  “He seemed pretty upset about it,” Jade said, softly. “And told me, he would promise to let her down nicely when she came in on
Monday.”

  “That is so wrong on so many levels!” Jorja cried, glaring at Jade. “Jade, that is not fair! Julie has the right to do what she wants with her life. Are you upset that Josslyn is going to become a P.I?”

  “Well, no.”

  “Then what is the difference if Julie wants to become a cop? I for one, think is a great idea! She’s helping people, no one should get in the way of that, and she is recovered from her accident, Jade. She doesn’t have any pain. She can run, do pushups, do whatever she needs to do. She is completely capable of the job. What I think the problem is, is that you don’t want to let her go.”

  “She’s going to hate you for this when she finds out, Jade,” Jasmine put in. “You talk about Julie keeping secrets, not trusting her. Well, maybe it’s you who shouldn’t be trusted. You’re keeping her away from her dreams. You’re standing in the way of her future, and as far as I’m concerned, that makes you the evil one.”

  “The hole’s down there?” Julie asked, peering down into the dark basement, glancing above her as the light flickered. “Leave it to you to find a place, that’s creepy as hell.”

  “You know me. I don’t do things boring,” Josslyn said, giggling a little, as she flicked the flashlight. “Ignore the light. It does that… a lot.”

  “I’ve faced scarier things then the dark, Joss,” Julie said, flicking on her own flashlight and starting down the stairs. “The dark doesn’t scare me.”

  She took a step down, the stair creaking under her feet, and she gripped he banister. Fear washed over her, and she quickly shoved it away. Julie, don’t be scared! Like you said, you’ve faced things much scarier than this!

  She took another step down, Josslyn right behind her, listening to the sound of scurrying feet. Must be the beetles, she thought, rounding the banister, and continuing down the next set of stairs. Her feet touched the concrete floor, and she peered around the corner, staring at the large hole lying in the ground.