A Want So Wicked (A Need So Beautiful #2)(68)

The scene changes, and his brother, Richie, is on life support. Abe clings to his bed, begging him not to leave. Begging for his family. And as I watch, his baby brother slips away. Leaving him truly orphaned.

In front of me now, a tear streams from Abe’s eye. But he doesn’t blink or look away. He lets me have it all.

It’s later that same year that the Needs start. He’s living with his aunt, a decent woman who’s never home. It’s easy at first, doing the good deeds with Marceline’s guidance. But then Abe meets a man, a Shadow. He tells Abe he won’t be Forgotten if he leaves with him, but it doesn’t mean anything to Abe. His family is already dead. He doesn’t care who remembers him.

And it’s then that the Shadow figures out what Abe will stay for. He promises that nothing can ever be taken from him again. That he can have power over people, over situations. He promises to make him strong. And most of all, he tells him that he will never hurt again.

I start to cry, knowing that it isn’t true. That even though he agreed, Abe still screams every night. Missing his family. Wanting to go home to them. But he’s trapped, here, in the Shadows.

My heart swells and I’m overcome by his misery. His pain.

“I should have gone,” Abe murmurs.

“I’m so sorry,” I say, wishing my words could mean anything. But in the end they’re just words. He made his choice.

“What is this?” Onika asks, looking between me and Abe. “Elise, I’m not going to play games this time. You come with me now, and maybe I won’t make Daddy dearest go play in traffic.” She hikes her thumb at my father.

I glance at my dad, knowing he’s still in there somewhere. “I love you, old man,” I say, wiping at my face. “I hope you know that.”

He stares blankly at me.

I have to make things right—there are no other options. I have to save my father. I straighten, clenching my hands at my sides, letting the Need build up, the heat. The fire. I start walking toward Onika, ready to have it out, not even sure what that would entail.

“Elise,” Abe says warningly. “Don’t do that.”

“This is it, Abe,” I state, growing calmer. “This is what I’m here for.” My shoes are soundless on the pavement as Onika opens her arms, welcoming me.

“No!” Abe shouts. I faintly hear the sound of running as I continue toward Onika, licking my lips and thinking how they taste of cinnamon. How they taste of love.

Onika bares her teeth, looking ready to pounce. I brace myself for her attack, but just then something hard knocks into me, pushing me aside. There is no silence before the screaming starts.

Abe is in front of Onika, her fist buried in his chest. He falls away from her, writhing in pain on the ground as the shadows slowly start to seep from the gaping hole in his chest. His skin is tearing off, ripping to shreds. I cover my mouth in horror, and Onika steps back. Not sorry, just stunned.

But Abe is slowly dying, and it looks painful—nothing like the quick death that Rodney got on the roof.

Abe stretches out his hand to me, and I lower myself to the ground, gripping it. He’s moaning as his skin slowly burns, dissolving to ash. The horror is too much. No one should suffer like this. I begin to weep.

“Elise,” Abe chokes out. His fingers dig into my forearm as agony consumes him, slowly breaking him apart.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m so sorry, Abe.” When his dark eyes meet my gaze, he stills—even as his body continues to wither.

“You’re so bright,” he murmurs.

I look down at my arm and see the gold glowing bright under my skin, not tearing through but illuminating me in light. Abe is entranced by the beauty of it. He takes my golden palm, pressing it to his cheek before turning his face to kiss my skin. It’s the closest he’ll ever be to the light again. And it’s all I can give him now.

Abe’s body scatters then, falling as ash over my hand and onto my clothes. I choke back a cry, trying to gather the ash, trying to do something—but the wind catches it, washing him away.

CHAPTER 29

I sit motionless, staring down. Lucy moves quickly, grabbing my father from the ground and backing him out of Onika’s reach. I think then that Lucy hasn’t lost her humanity. At least not yet.

Next to me Onika makes a soft sound, and when I look up, she’s staring at me. “He sacrificed himself for you,” she says as if she can’t believe it. “Why would he do something so stupid?”

I climb to my feet then, no longer afraid. I know what I’m here for—despite the love I have for my family, for Harlin, there are things bigger than me.

My body begins to heat, the glow becoming more intense. I feel so incredibly powerful, as if I could burst at any second and cover this place in light. Onika’s eyes widen as she watches, the gold illuminating her face. She’s in awe.

“Elise!”

I turn to see Harlin running up, stopping short when he sees me. A mix of admiration and devastation crosses his face. He knows what this means. He knows I have to do what’s right.

“I wish it could be different,” I say to him.

There’s a sudden gasp, and I turn to Onika, but she’s staring past me. I follow her line of vision. Monroe approaches in the distance, slow as he limps slightly with exhaustion. I let the Need take me into Monroe’s mind. I see the plan that he and Marceline came up with, the plan at my expense. I know what I have to do, and how this will end.