Once she got to her spot, she tied Majesty’s reins to the tree. As he munched on the soft grass nearby she placed her palm on the thick bark, looking up at the branches in the moonlight. Was it possible that a piece of her mother’s soul was here, being that they had buried her here all those centuries ago? She longed to hold her, to ask her for help in the upcoming battle. Loneliness swept through her. Yearning for Sathan and Kenden, she cursed their distance, wanting so badly to hug them both.
“I still feel her here,” came a deep voice behind her.
Joy burst in her chest as she rotated around. “Ken!” she yelled, jumping into his arms, holding him for dear life. His chuckle rumbled in her ear as he rocked her back and forth.
“I missed you so much,” he said, squeezing her tightly.
“You missed me? I thought I was going to die without you. Why in the hell did it take you so long?” Pulling back, she punched him in the chest. “If you ever leave me for that long again I’ll burn down your fucking shed. I mean it.”
His brown eyes looked down at her, filled with love. “Not my shed. It’s my favorite possession.”
“I fucking know it. I swear, Ken, up in flames. Just try me.”
“God, I missed you,” he said, scooping her up and swinging her around in a huge embrace. Placing her back on her feet, he ran his hand down her hair before it fell to his side. “How are you, Randi? I saw the texts about your father. I’m so sorry.”
“I’m okay,” she said, her heart filled with intense pain. “I can’t believe he’s dead.”
Kenden sighed, shaking his head. “He never recovered after Rina was kidnapped. I should’ve done more to help him secure peace.”
“It’s not your fault,” she said, taking his hand and squeezing. “Sathan wrote him letters asking to negotiate peace several centuries ago.”
His brow furrowed. “That can’t be true.”
“I found them in his desk and burned them outside the barracks. He caused so much death, Ken. How could he have done that?”
Kenden exhaled a large breath and shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s so sad. His mind was crazed from losing your mother. I just don’t think I ever realized the extent.”
“I loved him so much, even though he never loved me back.” Tears welled as she struggled to control them.
“He loved you, Randi. I know he did.” His thick arms enveloped her in a warm embrace. “Don’t let your grief take that away. He loved you as best he could.”
Several moments later she lifted her head. Straightening her spine, she pulled from the hug and regarded him. “Did you find Crimeous’ daughter? I know you wouldn’t have been gone so long unless you were successful.”
Worry crept into his features and she stiffened.
“It’s bad news,” she said.
“It’s…unexpected…to say the least. I’m wondering how to tell you so that you won’t be completely blindsided.”
“Just tell me,” she said, crossing her hands to rub the chill bumps that had formed on her upper arms.
“I found her,” he said, his features glowing in the moonlight. “She lives amongst the humans and has for almost eight hundred years. But she’s only part Deamon.”
Miranda eyebrows drew together. “What does that mean?”
“She’s part Deamon.” His gaze drilled into hers. “And part Slayer.”
Disbelief coursed through her. “That’s impossible. Different species can’t produce children.”
“So we all thought. But she’s a hybrid. I met her and spoke to her. I confirmed it with my own eyes, Randi.”
Miranda puffed out a breath. “Okay, well that should only want to make her want to help us more. Right?”
“There’s more,” he said, lifting his hands to gently grasp her upper arms.
“Okay,” she said, her heart fluttering, anticipating that his next words would change her world somehow.
“She’s—”
“Your sister,” a strong voice said from the riverbank. Slowly, Darkrip came into view. “Sorry, Slayer,” he said, giving Kenden a dry look, “but I was becoming bored with the drawn-out story.”
His green gaze swung back to hers. “She’s your sister, Miranda. Borne by your mother after being raped by my father.”
Miranda’s body pulsed, adrenaline rushing through her as she looked into the Deamon’s eyes. “And you’re my brother,” she said, finally allowing herself to acknowledge the small shafts of recognition that had seized her during their previous meetings.
“And I’m your brother,” he said, coming to stand in front of her. “Good grief, Miranda. It took you long enough.”
She studied him, emotion flooding her. “You have her features. Her eyes.”
“As do you. I thank the goddess every day that I look like her and not like my wretch of a father.”
Miranda clutched her chest as her knees buckled, the knowledge overwhelming her. Kenden rushed to her side, comforting her.
“I’m fine,” she said, waiving him off. Feeling anything but. “As you might have figured out, I’ve already met Darkrip,” she said to her cousin. “Although I’m just figuring out our connection now.” She shot him a dark look.
He shrugged. “Would you have believed me? Hi, Miranda, I’m your long-lost half-brother from the Deamon caves?”
She breathed a small laugh. “Absolutely not.”
With a nod, he looked at Kenden. “Your cousin is the most infuriatingly stubborn person I’ve ever met. How in the hell do you put up with her?”
“It takes practice,” Kenden said, lightening the mood slightly. Miranda punched him in the arm.
Rubbing it, he regarded the Deamon.
“So, you met Evie,” Darkrip said.
“Yes.”
Darkrip’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed, his expression filled with what Miranda could only identify as regret.
“And she is well?”
“She lives a good life among the humans. She’s still pissed about you ordering her death though.”
Darkrip rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “It was a long time ago. I was trying to rid the world of my father’s blood. It was a huge mistake that I cannot ever atone for.”
“She has no desire to help us. This doesn’t help our cause, as she is a descendent of Valktor.”
“Shit,” Miranda said, fully understanding the gravity of her newly uncovered knowledge. “The prophecy says that a descendent of Valktor will kill Crimeous with the Blade. It doesn’t say which one.”
Kenden nodded. “So, it could be one of you, or it could be Evie.”
“I wanted to befriend you, to align with you, so that I can fight alongside you to defeat my father,” Darkrip said. “Together, we have a two-thirds chance at beating him.”
“Does he know you’re plotting against him?”
“He suspects,” Darkrip said, his eyes narrowing. “Which is why we must form a plan and work together to defeat him. The full moon is a week away and if we squander this chance, we won’t get the opportunity again.”
“Then we’ll work together,” Kenden said. “How often can you meet with us?”
“I have erected a barrier to my thoughts. A shield that won’t allow my father access. I have also erected one for Miranda.”
“How did you—”
“Details don’t matter. I told you I would do what I could to ensure your success. I can meet with you all each morning while my father sleeps after his nightly torture sessions. Let’s start tomorrow morning. Somewhere private, where no one will discover us.”
“My shed,” Kenden said. “It’s private and sits well off the main part of the compound.”
“Yes. I’ve seen images of it in your cousin’s head.”
Miranda swirled toward him. “You read my thoughts?”
“Relax. Just images. Small snippets that come to me when I concentrate. I need to know where your mind is at so that I can manipulate my father.”
“I don’t want you in my head,” she said, angry at the intrusion.
“You are a very private person, Miranda. You have no reason to trust me but I assure you, I don’t invade your thoughts. In this piss-ant excuse for a world, we all deserve our moments of peace and solitude.”
She struggled to believe him, knowing that half of him was pure evil.
“Then we’ll start at nine a.m. tomorrow. At the shed,” Kenden said.
“Yes.” Darkrip gave a firm nod.
Pulling Kenden away from him, she spoke softly. “Leave me with him. I need to speak with him privately.”
“Do you feel safe?” he asked, worried.
“Yes,” she said, speaking truthfully. She didn’t understand why, but she honestly felt that Darkrip wouldn’t harm her.
“Okay,” he said, placing a kiss on the top of her head. “Come find me when you get back.”
Nodding, she watched him retreat into the darkness.
Alone with her brother, she faced him. Approaching him gingerly, she lifted her hands, framing his face.
“You look so much like her,” she said, sadness threatening to overtake her.
“Not as much as you. You’re the mirror image of her. It’s unnerving.”
Lowering her hands, she struggled with the breadth of her questions. “How did she die? Did she suffer terribly?”
“You know I won’t answer that for you. You’ve had enough pain in your life. At least I can let you remember her fondly, as she was before he abducted her.”
Studying him, she asked, “Did you deliver the parts of her body to me each year?”
“Yes,” he said. She heard a rasp in his voice. “I felt you should have some part of her to bury. I would watch you here, with your cousin,” he said, gesturing around them with his hand. “It brought me some sense of peace, knowing she was getting a proper send-off to the Passage.”
“You loved her.”
He nodded, slight and contemplative. “The only person I have ever felt emotion for. Besides you.” Lifting his hand, he placed it on her cheek. “I find it paralyzing and unwelcome. Caring about others is a sure-fire way to get yourself killed.”
She smiled, her heart breaking for him. “Please don’t be afraid to care for me. I’m so happy to have found you. To have another piece of her with me. You’re my blood. I won’t hurt you.”
Sighing, he lowered his hand from her face. “Hurt is often bestowed upon us by those we care for the most.”
An image of Sathan popped into her mind, and she admitted that he spoke the truth. Gazing down at the plushy moonlit grass, she felt a rush of sadness.
“You’re in love with the Vampyre king.”
“No, I’m not—”
“It’s pointless to lie to me. I see everything. Notice I didn’t mention it to your cousin. I told you, I won’t violate your privacy.”
“We have no future so it’s futile to discuss it.”
“As stubborn as you are, Miranda, I’m sure you’ll find a way.”
“What of our sister? Evie, you said her name was? Shouldn’t we find her?”
“Evangeline,” Darkrip said. “She is lost to this world. I hope that you or I are able to fulfill the prophecy. If we have to count on her, we’re all doomed.”
“You tried to kill her?”
“Long story. For another time. Suffice it to say, I am still the son of the Dark Lord. I have killed many in my time and a dark evil lives inside me. Although I care about you, I’m extremely dangerous. You would be wise to take caution around me. I don’t want to harm you.”
“You won’t. Your Slayer blood courses through you, making you stronger than you know. I have it too and it has led me here. My people are on the verge of peace. I have faith in you.”
“It’s undeserved but I won’t waste time arguing with you. We only have another week to train, Miranda. I will make sure that you and your troops attack my father where he is most vulnerable. I’ll be inside, waiting to turn against him. It is imperative that you tell no one of our plan, even Sathan.”
She frowned, feeling uneasy. “I don’t want to lie to him. If he discovers our connection I have to tell him the truth.”
“No,” Darkrip said firmly. “My father already distrusts me. He can read people’s images in their minds as I can. I have erected a barrier for us and I’m able to do this for you because we share blood. I won’t be able to do the same for Sathan. He can’t know of our plan. We’re too close. Telling him will jeopardize everything.”
Miranda chewed her bottom lip, contemplating. She felt so sure that the man she trusted with all her heart would understand if she told him the truth. Surely that was the right course.
“No, Miranda,” Darkrip said, tilting her chin up to his with his fingers. “It will cost us everything. Trust me. When this is over, and we kill my father, you can tell him about our connection.”
“Okay.” she said, anxiety burning in her stomach. “I trust you. I won’t tell Sathan of our plan.”
“Thank you,” he said, lowering to place a soft kiss on her forehead. “I’m so glad you finally know who I am. It took me almost a thousand years to tell you. I was a coward, held prisoner by fear of my father’s retribution if we failed. But with you by my side, I know we will succeed.” Surprising her, he pulled her to him for a hug. “You’re my secret weapon.”
Pulling back, she smiled. At her brother. The wonder of it filled her.
“And you mine. I’ll see you in the morning.”
With a nod, he disappeared. Miranda climbed onto Majesty’s saddle, never noticing that they were being observed from behind the darkened canopy of trees.
Chapter 32
Miranda met with Kenden and Darkrip the next morning, feeling energized by the session. Their plan was clear. Darkrip would lure his father to a vulnerable spot in the caves, one that could be accessed from above with just a small amount of TNT.
The walkway to the cave was also short. This allowed troops to enter quickly and attack while others detonated the dynamite above and entered there. The two-sided attack would hopefully lead to a quick victory of the Deamon army, isolating Miranda and Darkrip with Crimeous while they wielded the Blade.
Miranda would attempt to kill him with it first and, if unsuccessful, Darkrip would try.
After the meeting she went to the gym and listened to Alice In Chains through her earbuds as she sparred with the punching bag. She felt healthy and strong. Ready to ensure her people’s future.
Later that night, she texted Sathan.
Miranda: Feel great today. Flu is all gone. Less than a week left. We’re so close.
Heading into her bathroom, she prepared for bed. Several minutes later, under the covers, she glanced at her phone. Usually Sathan wrote her back by now. He must be busy at the compound.
Pulling the covers to her chin, she settled for talking to him in her dreams.
* * * *
The day had also been eventful for Evie.
When she’d approached the Slayer in his hotel room, she had been annoyed. She had confronted him, told him to fuck off and gone about her life.
But as the days wore on she became increasingly filled with fury. Partly due to the evil that always coursed inside her and partly due to the arrogance of the Slayer. How dare he attempt to upend her life? To ask for her help? She owed the immortals nothing and seethed in her contempt.
Eventually, the anger consumed her. Unable to control it, she plotted her revenge. Thriving off the fact that they underestimated her, she conspired against the Slayer and his cousin.
Her mother had always called her Miranda. It had burned her soul with a pain she could never assuage. She had always resented that the broken woman her father mercilessly raped and tortured in front of her each evening could only find it in her heart to love one of her daughters. Her father had used it against her, taunting her that she was wretched, undeserving of any emotion, much less love.
She had worked so hard to move on but seeing
the Slayer had conjured up every ounce of self-hate she possessed. He would pay for unsettling her, and the cost would be high.
Armed with the knowledge he gave her, she skulked back into the land of the immortals for the first time in centuries. The air almost choked her as she inhaled the stench of the world she’d once left behind. She hated it with her entire being.
When she first spied the Slayer princess, she was taken aback. The woman was the embodiment of her mother. It was off-putting. She couldn’t wait for her to meet the same fate as Rina.
Her opportunity came several nights later, as she recorded the secret meeting between Miranda, the bastard Slayer who had rousted her from her respite and her brother. Traitor. He seemed to show true remorse for trying to kill her all those centuries ago. Smiling, she reveled in his weakness. It would make him easier to defeat.
Capturing a video of them on her phone, she returned to her hiding spot to edit the footage. Finally, she had everything she needed.
Tomorrow night, she would decimate the Slayer and his cousin. They had been unwise to mess with her. Closing her eyes over her shiny new brown-colored contacts, she reveled in her upcoming revenge.
* * * *
Sathan worked at his desk, signing off on the last approvals for the trains. Anticipating that they would have peace soon, he had asked Heden to also design tracks to connect Uteria and Restia to their compounds. He felt secure in his optimism, knowing that Miranda would prevail. His tiny Slayer was intent on saving the world.
Smiling, he signed the last document and lifted his head at a commotion at the doorway. A woman was standing inside, her breathing labored.
“Can I help you?” he asked, alarms sounding in his head as he stood.
“Yes,” she said, advancing toward him.
“Stop,” he said, holding up his hand. “I would urge you not to come closer. You have not been vetted by my soldiers, otherwise they would have escorted you to me. Who are you?”
“I’m sorry,” she said, tears escaping her eyes. He noticed that her clothes were torn, her feet bloody. “I came as soon as I could. To warn you.”
The End of Hatred Page 28