Everlasting Flame

by Katelyn Anderson

  Chapter Six

  The car ride home had been filled with silence. It wasn’t because Damian had shushed me before we left Lorenzo’s; it was for a completely different reason. How was I supposed to tell Damian that I wanted to be an assassin? How was I supposed to tell Damian that I wanted to be trained by someone as ruthless as Cyrus? How was I supposed to tell Damian that I didn’t want a normal life? I didn’t want to go to school. I didn’t want to go to college. I didn’t want to pretend that everything was fine when clearly it wasn’t. Damian risked it all to save me and I wanted to throw that all away.

  The world was corrupt. The magic council refused to help Tainted Beings from being hunted to extinction. I couldn’t understand why they stood idly by while innocent people were being exterminated like insects. Magic brought about immortality. It didn’t happen by random chance. They should be helping us, not turning a blind eye. I appreciated the fact that a council member lifted the bounty off my head but that was only through blackmail. If Damian didn’t have such a high power status, I wouldn’t be breathing. I wouldn’t have made it this far without his help.

  Being saved had to mean something. That’s why I wanted to become Cyrus’s pupil. I didn’t want other immortal children to suffer the same fate as me. They wouldn’t have anyone to protect them. As far as I knew, most were already dead. It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair. If I got into the agency’s good books by killing immortal crime lords, I could live with that. No innocent blood would be on my hands. I could become a Trojan horse to bring the agency down from the inside. I needed to become the ultimate weapon.

  But I needed to tell Damian. How? You don’t just throw that in casual conversation. Oh, hey, Damian. By the way, I’ve decided to become an assassin and have Cyrus as my mentor. Is that cool with you? Yeah, that would go down swimmingly.

  I just needed to rip the bandage off but I was too hesitant. Lorenzo said to live in a bubble of normality while I could. Did that mean I say nothing until Cyrus made his move? This was all very complicated.

  Why did I agree to such a thing? Well, I had decided it was up to me to change fate. I had a dream that one day immortals and humans could coexist harmoniously. In order to achieve that dream, the agency needed to be brought down. The only way to bring it down was from the inside. To skip formalities – no one gets noticed in the agency’s academy – I had to be trained by the very best of the best. I had to be turned into an assassin, an assassin whose talents would be noticed by the company I would eventually be the downfall of.

  I had to tell Damian. How? Damn it. If I didn’t have the strength to tell him, then how would I have the strength to become a successful assassin? I needed to be cold-hearted.

  Lorenzo’s bubble of normality sounded really good right about now.

  Damian and I were cutting off price tags before putting clothes away. He chose not to look at the numbers and just absentmindedly cut. He threw the tags into a designated bag that would undoubtedly burn with the rest so Isabelle remained ignorant of my shopping spree.

  It had been a long time since I had seen my cousins. Jason and I got along well. Isabelle and I... not so much. My hand twitched at the idea of breaking her nose in a future that Damian had altered. How long would that peace last until I cracked and actually broke her nose for real?

  “I think that’s the last of it,” Damian said, closing the wardrobe and dresser drawers shut. “I’ll round up the bags and dispose of the evidence.”

  “Damian, I–”

  “Normality bubble, Joan,” he reminded me, meeting my face for a brief second before dropping eye contact. His expression was unreadable. I had never seen him look so... empty.

  Damian gathered up the bags, stuffing them all into one. The bag bulged by the time he was finished.

  I needed a moment to gather my composure. It was almost as if Damian had read my mind. He couldn’t do that, could he?

  “You know?” I asked, voice quiet and hesitant.

  Damian gave me his back, like he was too afraid to look at me and reveal the anger settled on his face.

  “I can see the future, Joan. Of course I know.” There was a harsh bite to his words. “What I can’t understand is why you would choose to go down that path. I moved heaven and earth to keep you safe. I wanted to give you a chance at a normal life. In time I had hoped you would be able to move past the traumatic event you went through. Instead, you decided to become a part of something you can never come back from. I can save you from people who mean you harm but I can’t save you from yourself.”

  “I’m sorry but I need to–”

  “I know what it’s like living in the darkness. You don’t want that life, Joan. Revenge isn’t everything. You don’t need to fulfil the prophecy. That burden shouldn’t be yours to bear.”

  “You have the power to change everything. I saw what you did to Maria and those agents. You didn’t even lift a finger.”

  “The origin of my magic is dark. I don’t use the full capacity for a reason. I can’t do anything to help your vendetta against the agency.”

  “They killed your sister! My mother! And you’re doing nothing!”

  Damian’s shoulders stiffened at my sudden outburst. He remained facing the door, refusing to look back at me.

  “I saved you. I protected you from being hunted. That is not nothing. Your mother wanted me to keep you safe. Those were her last words to me,” he spoke softly, tone careful, like he was trying not to raise his voice. “I’m doing my best to keep you safe but you are making it difficult. I can’t keep you safe if you wish to dive head first into danger. I won’t lock you away like your parents did. I’ll give you the freedom you desire but just know that I’m not going to watch you become something you’re not,” he turned around at the end of his sentence, dropping the bag he was holding to place both hands on my shoulders. His eyes glistened. “You are not a killer.”

  I shook off his grip and took a step back.

  “I can’t just pretend everything is fine. I can’t bury my head in the sand and be normal. I want to change everything. To do that, I need to make sacrifices. Taking the lives of criminals is something I will learn to live with if that means I will be saving the lives of innocent people. I need to do this, Damian. This isn’t just about my parents. This is about changing the way things are for the better since the council refuses to make a difference. I’ve taken it upon myself to be the one that changes everything.”

  “I know what it’s like having the weight of the world on your shoulders. You don’t want this life, Joan. Right now you think you do but a few years down the line... you will have regrets.”

  “The only regret I’ll have is losing you.”

  The light touched Damian’s eyes, making the ocean blue sparkle. The next thing I knew, he wrapped his arms around me in a warm bear hug, holding me in place so I couldn’t squirm my way out. Magic hushed against my skin in soothing waves, like water lapping the shore.

  “I’ll always be watching over you. You’ll never lose me, not for a moment,” he said, pulling away from the hug. “You may not see me but I’ll always be in here.” He pointed to my heart and smiled. “When all hope is lost, I’ll be the light that guides you out of the darkness.”

  Damian placed his hand on the top of my head for a short moment before walking away, taking the shopping evidence with him.

  I watched him leave the room, unable to speak up. I didn’t know what to say to him. Perhaps I had already said enough. I needed to focus on something else before I fell to pieces.

  I decided the clothes I was wearing were suitable enough to jog in. I grabbed a pair of socks and slipped into sneakers, doing up the laces in a tight bow. I didn’t know the area that well and didn’t want to get lost. Maybe I’d ask Damian to join me. It didn’t have to be running if he didn’t want to. If we went out for a walk, I could familiarise myself with the area and jog later. That sounded like a good idea.

  I was beginning to have doubts. Was I making the ri
ght decision? If I didn’t step up, who would? The resistance was gone. There was no one left to fight for our rights. I had to do something. Doing nothing wasn’t an option. Innocents had to stop dying. I wanted to put a stop to that, permanently. I would bring the agency down, brick by brick.

  “You planning on going for a jog?” Damian asked when he came back.

  “Yeah. Figured it would be a good way to blow off some steam. Wanna join me?”

  He smiled. “Sure. Let’s go.”

  “You’re not running in that?”

  Damian was wearing a black shirt with a collar and denim shorts. A singlet would be better so he wouldn’t overheat, or maybe a lighter colour. Black was notorious for absorbing heat.

  “I don’t wear singlets. So yes, this is what I’ll be running in.”

  “Why don’t you?”

  Damian gave me a gentle shrug that seemed to mean nothing but everything at the same time. He wandered out of the room; I followed.

  “You hiding something?”

  “Scars,” he replied quietly. The tone of his voice made me hesitant to ask further questions.

  There was an extra house guest standing by the door when we made our way down the stairs. Lorenzo was leaning up against the closed door, arms folded, golden eyes narrowing further with each step we took towards him.

  “I know where you live, Damian,” Lorenzo started in a threatening attitude. The stupid grin on his face gave the game away. “Leaving without payment when I know where you live isn’t smart.”

  “It was still funny. A text message would have been fine instead of turning up. What is it?” Damian asked.

  Lorenzo sighed and pressed himself off the door. “The coven is upset that you went behind their back. Salena wants to speak with you.”

  “Speaking with her isn’t going to change anything. I did what I had to in order to keep someone I love safe. I will not undo any of my actions.”

  “You’re Salena’s second, Damian. I can’t speak for you on your behalf. Go. I’ll take care of Joan until you’re home.”

  “I don’t need a babysitter,” I protested.

  “Yes, you do,” Damian and Lorenzo replied in unison.

  I was close to arguing but the look Lorenzo was giving me made me change my mind. I bit my lip and stayed quiet.

  “Fine. I’ll go speak to her. It’s going to do more harm than good but what would I know?” The end of Damian’s sentence was overflowing with sarcasm so potent that it left a heavy atmosphere behind when he walked out the door. I was surprised the door didn’t slam shut. He wasn’t happy.

  “Just how much trouble is he in for going to the council?” I asked quietly, feeling a little guilty that I got Damian into this mess in the first place.

  “Nothing he can’t handle. Don’t worry. Were you heading out for a run?”

  There was no point pressing the matter further. Lorenzo wasn’t going to tell me anything. Coven matters didn’t concern me, even though Damian was in trouble because of me.

  “Yeah. Wanna be my jogging partner?”

  “That’s if you can keep up, sweetheart. I do spend most of my time at the gym. I’ll go grab some bottles of water out of the fridge. Don’t even think about gaining a head start, missy,” he said, patting my head as he walked past. “You don’t get very far in life by cheating.”

  “Using magic is a disadvantage to those who don’t possess it. That’s kind of cheating,” I called out when he disappeared around the corner.

  “That’s why people who don’t possess magic remain ignorant. They don’t know it exists and it will stay that way. That’s not cheating.”

  “You have a biased opinion.”

  “Nobody likes a smart ass, Joan,” Lorenzo scolded, chucking a bottle of water at me; I caught it immediately. “Nice reflexes, I’m impressed.”

  “I wasn’t about to let a bottle hit my face.”

  “Those reflexes will save your life one day. C’mon, I need to lock up,” he said, tucking the water bottle under his arm to fish his keys out of his pocket. He led me out the door and locked it behind us.

  “Why do you have keys to Damian’s house?”

  “Him and I basically share everything... except his wife, of course,” he said, laughing after he spoke.

  I smacked him on the back of the head with my free hand. “That’s a terrible thing to say.”

  “What?” he replied, flashing me an innocent smile. “I’m only being honest.”

  “You know, I was just beginning to like you, but now I’m starting to think you aren’t the most respectable person–”

  “Hey, hey. I’m only teasing. There’s no need for that,” he interrupted me, gently smacking the top of my head with his water bottle. “There’s a park a few blocks away from here. Want to walk or jog there?”

  “We can walk. Will be a good muscle warm up. Lead the way.”

  “Chicken,” he teased, sticking out his tongue.

  Lorenzo didn’t need to look back to know I was following him. The thudding of my irritated footsteps gave me away. His shoulders were trembling with restraint from trying not to laugh.

  “Bully,” I called him.

  “Princess.”

  “Jerk face.”

  “Stroppy teenager.”

  “Italian douche canoe.”

  “I’m Italian, yes. Douche is shower in French and last I checked, I’m not a canoe.”

  “I’m sure a lot of women left you up the creek without a paddle, though.”

  That made Lorenzo stop in his tracks. He swung around, forcing me to stop walking so I didn’t slam into him. He didn’t look mad; there was no red flush in his cheeks. He looked more surprised and perplexed than anything.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You hideout in a simplistic apartment with your cat named Whiskers so girls fall for your dim-witted personality, not with the money that your penthouse will so clearly radiate if you take them there instead. Having wealth puts you in an awkward position, hence the creek comment.”

  “How old are you again?” he asked, sounding as if he couldn’t believe the words coming out of my adolescent mouth.

  “Fifteen.”

  “You’re far too smart for your own good.”

  I gave him a small and brief smile. “Sometimes.”

  Lorenzo shook his head and turned around to continue his walk down the footpath. Instead of trailing behind him, I walked by his side, admiring his handsome face whenever I got the chance to look; his golden eyes were breathtaking.

  The occasional stranger glanced at us when they walked by, paying more attention to Lorenzo than me. I didn’t blame them. He was gorgeous. Everyone else looked ordinarily plain next to him.

  The sun was shining. Wind blew throughout the trees, rustling the orange and yellow leaves, causing some to fall and flutter down onto the pavement. Cars whizzed past, disrupting the serenity with their roaring motors. It would be a lot more peaceful once we reached the park, away from the road. Despite that, it was nice being outside.

  I was no longer a caged bird. Freedom felt glorious. This freedom came at a cost, a cost I still couldn’t wrap my head around. I became an orphan and had been given a new identity overnight. Nothing had prepared me for such a thing. It was still sinking in and I hadn’t quite accepted the situation.

  We reached the park. The grassy field seemed to stretch for miles, as did the trees and bushes dotted around the area. A small lake sat in the centre of the park. Ducks paddled across the surface of the water, creating ripples. The ducks eagerly darted closer to the lake’s edge. Kids were feeding the ducks bread, chucking small pieces into the water that vanished instantly in gulps.

  “We’ll jog a lap or two and see how you feel. We can do more if you’re up for it,” Lorenzo said, stretching his arms and legs; I followed suit. “If you need to stop for a breather, there’s no shame in that. I won’t tease you, honest.”

  “And my hair is purple,” I muttered sarcastically under my breath. I knew he
would tease me. He seemed to find any chance he could. I guess I relied on that. At least his joking side made me take my mind off the things that were really troubling me.

  Lorenzo poked my arm with one finger. “Tag, you’re it,” he said, darting off and avoiding my outstretched hand as I tried to tag him back.

  That little...

  I chased after him. This wasn’t jogging. It was sprinting. He wasn’t being fair. His legs were a lot longer than mine and he ran really fast.

  Lorenzo glanced back every now and then to make sure I was still there. There was a fair distance between us so he wouldn’t become the tagger. I counted the average times between his glances and decided to try and cut him off when he wasn’t looking. That would be my only chance for a surprise tackle.

  When his eyes were no longer on me, I sped up, feeling my lungs burn and the wind rush past me. I cut through the trees, dodging the branches that were close to smacking my face and arms. I ran out of the bushes and tackled Lorenzo to the ground. We rolled across the grass, down a hill, and eventually slammed into a tree at the bottom. Lorenzo took the full brunt but he was too busy laughing to care.

  “Someone is awfully competitive,” he teased, pushing me off him so he could stand up.

  Lorenzo dusted off his singlet and shorts, getting rid of the leaves and dirt plastered to his clothes. He plucked a few autumn coloured leaves out of his hair, shaking his head at me.

  “What on earth are we going to do with you?” he asked, helping me to my feet.

  I was trying to catch my breath. That fast sprint took a lot out of me. I dusted off my clothes, watching the dirt clouds disappear. I took a swig of my water.

  “Totally worth it. By the way...” my voice trailed off and I jabbed him in the shoulder. “Tag, you’re it!”

  Lorenzo caught my wrist. The momentum of my sudden jolt forced me to swing backwards. I twirled and fell into his arms like some sloppy romantic. Thankfully I was a head shorter than him, or else that would have been awkward. My face was pressed up against his chest. If we were the same height, that would have been a completely different story.

  “Not so fast,” he said with a tsk.

  Lorenzo released my wrist. He had thrown me off balance so it took a little longer to pry myself off him. That was my excuse because I didn’t want to admit that I liked being cosy with him.

  “We need to head back. We’re being watched.” He caught my chin before I had the chance to look around. “You need to be subtle. We will casually jog back, alright?”

  “Alright,” I said, rubbing my chin when he let go of my face.

  “Stay close to me and don’t run ahead,” he ordered softly, beginning to jog.

  “Ok. Do you know who it is?” I asked, jogging beside him.

  Panic swam through my veins. The panic subsided a little when I looked at Lorenzo. He was completely calm and confident. That made me feel safer.

  “No,” he answered.

  “Are we in any immediate danger?”

  “Don’t worry your pretty little head, Joan. I’ll keep you safe. For now, we’re good. They’re not following us.”

  “How do you know without looking?”

  He shrugged and gave me a dazzling smile. “Intuition.”

  There were so many people in the park, I wasn’t sure who was watching us. To be honest, I had noticed people glancing at us for playing around and being silly, but I didn’t realise someone had been watching us intently. I wasn’t allowed to look back to see who it was. Lorenzo had made that quite clear when he said I needed to be subtle. Was it the agency? The council? Cyrus? Damian’s coven?

  Lorenzo stopped suddenly when a beautiful woman crossed our path. I stopped as well since he requested that I stayed by his side. I didn’t really have much choice in the matter. His hand fell on my shoulder to hold me in place so I wouldn’t budge.

  The woman stepped in front of us and cocked her head to the side, letting her black hair coil past her shoulders. Her eyes were a greenish grey that held a speck of hazel. Black eyeliner and mascara made those dazzling eyes stand out more. She had a dainty nose and heart shaped lips that were painted with red lipstick. She stood up straight and tucked her hands into her jacket, swinging on the balls of her feet.

  “Renée, what a pleasant surprise. How astonishing that you’re not cowering and hiding in the same hole as Cyrus,” Lorenzo said, easing his grip on my shoulder; he didn’t let go.

  “I was behind the scenes and never showed my face. I wasn’t as bold as Cyrus. I didn’t see the need to join the front lines and get my hands dirty,” she replied, voice calm but firm. Her accent was American with a hint of something else. I was leaning towards European.

  “Didn’t want to break a nail?” Lorenzo retorted.

  She laughed. “Funny. You’re always so funny.” Her attention moved off us for a moment and she pursed her lips. “You seem to have a shadow.”

  “Not one of yours?” Lorenzo asked, not glancing back.

  “Nope. They don’t look like an agent either.”

  “That just leaves the council,” I mentioned quietly, noticing Renée’s eyes fall on me when I spoke. “Right?”

  “Most likely,” Lorenzo agreed; his hand fell from my shoulder. “Wanting to make sure Dane doesn’t break his word I suppose.”

  “I don’t believe Damian had the gall to go to the council in the first place,” Renée said, scratching her nose. “I’ve never known him to take risks like that.”

  “People do what they have to in order to keep those they love safe, a foreign concept I’m sure you’re not familiar with, Renée,” Lorenzo said with a cold snap. “I’m sure it’s not mere coincidence that we ran into you as well. What’s the deal?”

  Renée stopped bouncing on the balls of her feet and folded her arms. It was amazing how quickly her casual stance could turn into something sterner in an instant. Her eyes gleamed with anger.

  “Do you know why there are council lackeys shadowing you and keeping watch on Damian’s house? It’s so they know for sure he hasn’t gone off the rails,” she paused to let out a calming breath of air. “As well as making sure the person he called the favour in for isn’t going to be murdered... causing World War Three. It’s not rocket science.”

  “That still doesn’t explain why you’re here,” I said irritably, muttering the sentence under my breath.

  “Cyrus asked me to scope the situation out since he’s occupied elsewhere. Is she the proph–”

  “Now is not the time or place to be speaking of such things,” Lorenzo interrupted Renée sternly. “You have what you want and you’ve made your point. Go back to the hole you crawled out of and leave us alone.”

  “You’re not going to forgive me, are you?” she asked, voice soft. It was easy to tell by her tone that she already knew the answer. A sense of pain and longing smothered her words, along with a slice of regret.

  “No,” Lorenzo snapped, blunt and to the point. “Goodbye, Renée.”

  “Goodbye, Enzo.” She bowed her head and disappeared into the crowd, moving further and further out of Lorenzo’s reach.

  Judging by the pained expression on Lorenzo’s face and the shininess in his golden eyes, even a fool could tell that he had been in love with her, and maybe still was.

  “What was all that about?”

  “Nothing. Nothing at all,” he replied in a murmur, resuming the jog back home. Something told me he was running from other things as well. You couldn’t run away from a broken heart.