by Holly Evans
"So... reading, huh?" I said to Quin with a lopsided smile.
He grinned back at me. "You might even find it interesting. It's about how to kill stuff."
I laughed, and Lysander soon joined in. "Am I so one-dimensional? So... simple?"
Quin frowned again. "No. You just have different focuses. You're the protector."
I smiled and gave him a nod. We headed out the door in reasonably high spirits; progress was being made. I didn't relish the idea of being lost in books all day, but having my twin close at hand again and sharing laughter would be worth it.
Kadrix was himself. He bounced on the balls of his feet while Quin cleared a space for Lysander and me to work. The elf muttered something under his breath. He soon rushed off and began scribbling varying symbols down on a scrap of paper. It made about as much sense as sanskrit to me. Quin peered over his shoulder with two vials in each hand; he tilted his head and gestured at the second line.
"What if you change that to Esorel?"
The elf pursed his lips before his face lit up.
"Yes, yes, then this becomes Karin, and then from there we slip into Gaty and Hru."
He nodded enthusiastically.
Quin grinned and finished clearing the space while Lysander and I sat on the wooden stools, waiting patiently like school children. We'd been told not to touch anything unless Quin or Kadrix handed it to us. The temptation to run my hands over everything increased with every passing second.
Quin placed a slim red leather-bound book in front of me, and quickly followed it by a lurid green wooden-bound book, and a deep purple textile-covered book.
"Start here," he opened it to pages that had been marked with small metal disks. "You're looking for anything on celestial apparition, lifeforce, or essence."
The small scrawling text swam before my eyes. I forced a smile when Quin grinned at me before he went and joined the elf again. Lysander gave me a wry smile before he leaned over the book and began reading. I'd never been a particular fan of reading, unless it was something directly relevant to my interests. The book in question was talking about matrices and how they interacted with crystalline energies, particularly when elven magic was involved. The words soon blurred into black wobbly lines. It meant nothing to me.
I took to skimming the pages looking for key words and reminded myself that it was making Quin happy. I was close to my twin, and it would help us track down the celestial. Still, my mind wandered back to more interesting things, such as the feeling of Lyander's firm body pressed against mine. A happy warmth bubbled within me; Lysander flashed a grin at me. I cleared my throat and focused on the task at hand; it was bizarre having him know that I was thinking about him that way. I wasn't ready. My body was more than ready, but my mind wasn't.
The hours crawled by. We called Quin over to read a number of passages, but none of them were quite what they were looking for. Kadrix was growing increasingly excited about his formula thing, though; I hoped that meant one of us was making meaningful progress. Elise slipped in not long after dusk with lots of food and tea. Kadrix glared at her when she set up a small picnic on one of the workbenches; she smiled sweetly back at him. We tucked into freshly made sandwiches. The break was more than welcome.
The overall mood was quite buoyant; the elf spoke in riddles about celestial auras and how the matrix was the key. I nodded and smiled while looking for another sandwich. I hadn't realised how hungry I was.
Zair appeared just to the side of Elise. She spun on her heel and had her hand around his throat before any of us had even fully registered who or what he was. Tiel was soon behind me, and Ioel snuck up behind Quin.
"What do you want?" I snarled.
"We want you to do as you were told,” Zair snapped back.
Elise squeezed his throat, she dug her fingers in deep and managed to draw blood.
"Enough!" Ioel shouted.
"Yes, we have had enough,” Quin said.
Ioel glared at Quin who met his look with one of his own. Tempers flared.
"You were given a perfectly simple task. Find a witch, who, I may add, is so powerful that we're concerned about her, and end the problem. It's like finding a lighthouse in the dark," Ioel said with contempt.
That was all it took. After all of the bloodshed and anger that the celestials had brought about, there was no patience left in the room for their bullshit attitude. Lysander and I turned as a unit. Tiel flashed me a grin and focused on me as I drew my blades; his mouth turned downward in a frown once he realised what they were made of. He went to step back, but Lysander kicked the back of his knees; the crunch was incredibly satisfying. Tiel's face rippled with golden energies. We were just getting started. The celestials were going to learn their place in the pecking order.
Translucent blades formed in Tiel's hands; they shone blue and silver when they caught the light. I kept my eyes on his face, which flickered between amusement and rage. His eyes never left mine, giving Lysander the room to land a heavy punch to the celestial's lower back. I heard the other two scream in rage. Bottles shattered. The tinkling sound of glass shattering formed the treble of the cacophany. I danced around Tiel, keeping his focus on me while he idly spun his blades, trying to distract me. I'd seen and practised with escrima sticks; I was familiar with the method and openly laughed at him. His grip tightened on the blades. Lysander punched him in the back of the neck. I lunged forward and sliced his tight stomach with my left hand before I sank my other blade into his upper thigh.
Tiel didn't stand a chance. Lysander and I were a perfect pair. We each knew what the other was going to do. Still, the celestial roared. He sliced through empty air. The blade brushed the arm of my shirt, slicing open the fabric, my skin untouched. I laughed once more, mocking the old warrior. His nostrils flared. He went to focus on Lysander, who remained behind him, keeping him off balance. I dove in and slashed at his ribs, drawing his attention back to me. Lysander landed a spinning kick on his other ribs. The sharp intake of air and shock on Tiel's face sent a thrill through me. We weren't just silly little humans. He put his hands up in the air. The blades vanished.
"Enough."
I glared at him while spinning my blades. He kept his hands up in surrender. Lysander came and stood at my side. I risked a glance around the room to see the other two celestials were bloodied and furious, but they also held their hands up in defeat.
I took a deep breath and took half a step back, giving Tiel room to recover himself.
Elise smirked and said, "Now. Where were we?"
She picked up a small plate of sandwiches and offered them to Quin. "These are local ham, they're quite delightful."
Quin took two sandwiches and handed one to Kadrix; no one acknowledged the fuming celestials.
Zair huffed and said, "You're quite something, for humans."
I raised an eyebrow.
"You all surrendered, did you not?" I said.
He shot me a look filled with a lust for blood.
"You were quite impressive, really. Had we have actually tried, you would have lasted minutes instead of seconds," Tiel said with a grin.
Lysander punched him in the stomach. I stroked the hound's hair and smiled.
"What brought you here? I assume it wasn't Elise's fantastic sandwiches."
"Or to apologise for the shit you rained down on us," Elise snarled.
Zair and Ioel both became consumed with the need to brush imaginary dust from their suits and to try and straighten any wrinkles that may have been formed.
Finally, Tiel said, “We came to check on Evelyn. We felt some changes within her."
As if on cue, the fire burst from within me. I didn't even look for the invisible flames that time. I glared at Zair and embraced the sensation of burning from within. Images of him slowly burning and begging for mercy made me smile. He narrowed his eyes at me and went to step closer. Quin and Kadrix blocked his path, stopping him from coming anywhere near me. Lysander ran his hand down my back and nuzzled against m
y neck. I took a long deep breath and focused on his calming, soothing presence. The fire subsided. I leant against Lysander, suddenly feeling exhausted. My muscles shook from exertion. Elise took my hand and led me to the closest stool. She plied me with pie and pastries.
"Here, sugar will help you."
The others surrounded me, forming a barrier between me and the celestials. I felt weak, but still grateful for their presence.
Finally, Quin growled, "There is nothing wrong with Evie. Leave us."
Zair smirked at him and gave a little shrug before he said, "So be it."
Tiel ran his tongue over his lips and blew a kiss before he vanished with the others. I leant against Lysander and let it all slip away. There was nothing but sugar and the comfort of my little family.
Once I'd stopped shaking and my head had cleared, Elise pushed Kadrix away and said quietly, "Talk to me, Evie. What happened?"
Kadrix tried to lean over her shoulder, a pen and pad in his hand. I glared at Kadrix.
"I am not an experiment. Elf."
He huffed.
I took a deep breath and simply said, "I felt as though I was on fire. Apparently the bond with Lysander is getting deeper and that's a less-fun side effect."
I shrugged, hoping that I looked nonplussed. Elise's frown suggested that I failed.
"Can you not help her, Lysander?" she asked.
"I do what I can, but the bond will settle in its own time," he said.
"Fascinating," Kadrix squealed.
I sighed heavily. "Really, Kadrix?"
"Oh come along, Evelyn. No human in recorded history has bound to a hellhound before. The opportunities here are boundless!"
I shook my head. "You are not experimenting on me. Lysander is going to take me home. I am going to sleep. Then tomorrow you are going to tell us how to find and kill that celestial."
He pouted and put his pad down on top of the heap of books. I didn't understand the elvish muttering under his breath, but it made Quin smile.
Elise hugged me tight. "I'm going to help these boys out. Sleep well."
Lysander's arm wrapped around my waist and held me close. He rested his chin on top of my head while I said goodbye to the others. He refused to leave my side and remained firmly within two feet of me the entire journey home.
I kicked off my boots and said, "Relax, Lysander. Your fretting is tiring."
I yelped when he scooped me up in his arms.
"Then I'd best carry you to bed," he said with a roguish grin.
I rested my head on his chest and went with it. I didn't even make it to the bed before I was asleep.
Quin hadn't come home, or if he had he'd slipped out before I crawled out from under my nice warm blankets. I was rubbing the sleep from my eyes and looking for something resembling breakfast when a rapid tapping from the door. I glanced back at Lysander who gave me a shrug. The tapping became a loud knocking. I grabbed my blades and approached the door cautiously. The knocking stopped when I got within a few feet of the door. Lysander had tensed and flexed his fingers; the claws of his hound form started coming through. I opened the door slowly, unsure what to expect. Felix, the lycan, stood in the hallway with the hood of his black hoodie pulled up.
"Subtle," I said.
He looked around the hallway before he stepped forward to step into my home.
"You're not even supposed to know I live here," I said as I blocked his entrance.
"Please," he said with a low growl.
I stepped back and allowed him in. A flutter vaguely resembling guilt formed in my stomach when I saw his scarred face. The witch or healer they'd gone to had done a remarkable job, but he'd never be pretty again. I reminded myself that he'd started it, and he was still a lycan.
He froze when he saw the large windows on the far side of the living area, with the little table sat beneath one of them. He stepped back, hiding behind the wall near the front door.
"We are being hunted," he said quietly, a tremble in his voice.
I looked between the window and him. Lysander's arm slipped around my waist once more, his eyes never leaving the large lycan.
"Hunted?" I said, disbelieving him.
He pulled back the hoodie and paced around the small area in front of the front door. "Yes. A celestial has been seen around the pack homes. It keeps pushing."
The cold weight of dread dragged down my mood. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," he growled.
"And you've come to my home because…?" I snapped.
"Please. Evelyn," he said softly.
Lysander's hand slipped down over my hip, his fingers stroking the sensitive skin there.
"You're sure it's hunting you?" I asked.
"Evelyn, it's been seen testing the territory boundaries. Our cubs have seen it following them home from school." The waver increased in his voice.
I sighed and gave a small nod. "You're the only pack with this problem?"
"Yes. I don't know why,” he growled and returned to pacing.
"Settle, beast. I will solve this problem. Now, leave my home."
"Thank you, Evelyn."
I gave a sharp nod and nothing more. Once the door was shut, I texted Quin and asked him where we were with the celestial tracking potion or whatever they were working on. Lysander made me coffee and handed me a croissant while I waited for his reply.
"I'll pluck them. If that rogue harms so much as a hair on any of those cubs' heads, I'll pluck them."
Lysander gave me a crooked smile. "Is it so bad if I hope the rogue tries?"
I laughed softly. "No, no, that's not such a bad thing. The prospect of plucking them calls to me."
Quin text me back while I was in the shower, saying he needed to speak to Felix himself. I didn't exactly have the lycan's number; the only time I usually dealt with him was when one of his pack were causing trouble. Things weren't comfortable between us.
"Looks like we're heading to Café Silhouette," I said to Lysander.
He curled his lip. "Must we?"
I pulled on my leather jacket and double-checked I had switched to my silver blades.
"You can always go for a run instead."
"No."
He pulled on his own jacket and quickly joined me. "I can handle the lycans, Lysander. I did so many times before you."
He growled quietly, "I know."
Quin could handle himself, and he knew Felix's pack better than I did, but I was tired of being on the sidelines. I wasn't going to sit at home and wait for further news. Lysander remained vigilant and glued to my side as we crossed the busy intersection in front of the lycan bar. The red and black interior looked a little different since my last visit. I hadn't been back since I'd gotten into a fight with Felix and two of his followers over the rogue lycan Quin had been dealing with at the time. Things had gone south, as they're prone to doing with lycans, and I threw wolfbane in Felix's face. Guilt writhed in my stomach as I remembered his screams, how he'd curled up on the floor. I reminded myself that he was a beast and he'd had it coming.
Quin approached with a slight bounce to his step, but his eyes were mildly glazed. An older woman gave him a dark look when she had to walk around him, not that he noticed. He grinned and pulled me into a hug.
"We're making good progress, Evie. Things are going wonderfully. And how're you two?"
I didn't like how he paired me with the hound. I gave a shrug.
"Felix showed up at our front door. So maybe it's time to move."
He sighed softly. “Once this celestial business is wrapped up we'll do it."
"We need to find out how he got the address," I said coolly.
Another soft sigh was all he gave in response. He pushed aside whatever was bothering him and gave Lysander a firm pat on the arm.
"You'll be among people more like you for a while, that must be a good thing."
Lysander narrowed his eyes at him and said nothing. Quin's mouth tugged downwards a little; I opened the door and strode into the bar. Th
e red paint on the walls was almost bright enough to hurt my eyes, the art even bolder and more absurd than I remembered. It was not my kind of place.
The lycan behind the bar gave me a long hard look, his hand posed over the bar, a rag clamped within his long rough fingers.
After a silent stand-off, he turned and called out, "Felix. Hunters."
He lowered his head and focused intently on the bar, scrubbing it within an inch of its life. A pair of small children, they couldn't have been more than six, peered out from around the doorway to the next section of the bar. The little girl's pale brown hair was pulled back into a scruffy ponytail, her dark brown eyes, flecked with amber, wide and getting wider as she looked at me and my companions. The boy looked around her and gasped. They whispered frantically back and forth before they crept out from behind the archway and edged closer. I watched with a curious smile; they could have passed for normal human children. They drank in every detail of us, awe written all over their innocent little faces. A pang for children of my own hit me. I drove it aside. I couldn't bring children into our world.
Felix came into the bar; dark shadows hung under his eyes. Exhaustion filled his every movement, the way he almost dragged his feet, the usual power and grace diminished. He couldn't help but smile when he saw the children, a smile that forged its way across his face before he shooed them away.
"They're having a day off school,” he said quietly.
"We'll keep them safe,” I said without thinking.
They were innocents. They were too young to know what they were, or the potential they held. Felix nodded before the barman pushed a glass of some amber liquid across the bar to him. Quin sat on the stool next to the lycan alpha.
"I need to know everything you can tell me about the celestial."
The barman visibly paled and slipped away into the storeroom.
Felix growled, "Jackson, close the bar for a while."
The barman slunk out from the storeroom and bolted the front door shut. Two shiny new locks slid home alongside the original two. They were scared. Jackson refused to look at anyone and slipped away into the storeroom once more. Felix knocked his drink back in one, set his shoulders back, and looked at Quin.