by Kasi Blake
Jack spoke out the side of his mouth to Silver. “Get up the stairs as fast as you can. I’ll take care of her. Run. Now!”
Pagan came at him. She lunged to the right with her sword before swinging to the left with all her might. Jack ducked. He shoved her, hands flat against her back. She flew in the opposite direction. It gave Jack time to grab a weapon. Going to his knees, he jerked the zipper on the duffel bag open and pulled out a bloody dagger.
Pagan returned. She tried a different tactic this time. She stabbed at him with the end of the sword. He easily deflected it with the short blade in his hand. Metal clanged against metal as they fought. She tried to drive him backwards, trapping him in the corner, but he wouldn’t allow it.
Jack pressed forward.
Pagan lifted her sword higher. She brought it down hard, trying to split his head open. Jack dove sideways. His head hit the wall instead, rattling his teeth. He went down hard. For a moment he couldn’t think straight, and he almost blacked out.
It would take a few seconds to recover. He suspected Pagan wouldn’t give him the time. Any second he expected to feel the sword cutting through his flesh. He hoped Silver got away. At least she would be safe... but Silver hadn’t left.
She was there in a flash, stepping between him and the sword, the second dagger in her hand. She jumped into the fight without hesitation. Her feet moved like a professional fencer. No doubt she’d been professionally trained. It was too bad she was half the size of her opponent.
Jack cringed every time Pagan’s sword got close to its target. He reminded himself that Silver was a trained fighter, but that didn’t make him feel any better. He tried to catch his breath so he could get up and help Silver. He liked the odds of two against one better than Silver working alone.
There was a horrible screech from above, the sound of a wraith returning. It distracted Silver. Her eyes went to the ceiling for a second. Had they missed one?
Pagan drove the sword through Silver’s body with a hard, smooth motion. The long blade exited her back, covered in blood. Red drops dripped on the floor near Jack’s leg. He watched in disbelief as Silver’s body slid off the sword and crumpled on the ground. It couldn’t be real. His mind screamed in vain; it wasn’t real. Silver couldn’t die. She couldn’t leave him. He wouldn’t let her.
Pagan held the bloodstained sword in her hands and flashed a vicious grin at Jack. She moved in his direction, ready to kill him too, and he was going to let her. As much as he wanted to see her lifeless body laid out next to Silver, he didn’t want to face the world without the most important person in his life.
The sword flew out of Pagan’s hands. It hovered in the air, held by an invisible person. Blue smoke appeared, shaped like a woman, only it wasn’t a wraith, at least not anymore. This woman had a beautiful face, flowing hair, and an angelic smile.
Pagan cried out in protest, recognizing the wraith. She had probably helped Jersey hold it captive downstairs. Her legs moved to run, but she didn’t get far. The wraith flattened her against the wall like a useless bug. It took the sword, twirling it in the air. The sword moved fast, drilling a hole through Pagan’s gut.
Jack crawled over to Silver. He smoothed the hair back from her face and leaned forward until his damp cheek touched hers. She took his hand and held it as tight as she could. He felt the life draining from her body. There wasn’t anything he could do. He was helpless.
“You’re going to be okay,” he said, lying to give her comfort. “It’s not that bad of a wound. I’ve seen worse.”
She tried to speak and couldn’t. Blood filled her mouth, coloring her teeth. She was drowning in it. Her hand tightened painfully on his. She gasped for air. Her eyes began to glaze over.
Jack shook his head, and his vision blurred with tears. There was nothing he could do except hold her hand. He closed his eyes and prayed for a miracle.
Her hand began to burn in his.
Jack opened his eyes to find Silver’s body bathed in light. The wraith (angel?) stood over her, hands stretched out. He watched in fascination as Silver’s eyes focused again. A smile tilted her lips.
He moved her sweater aside and searched for the wound. The skin was smooth and blemish free. She had been healed. He pulled her to her feet and examined her closer. He wanted to thank the wraith, but he couldn’t tear his eyes off Silver. She looked more beautiful to him than a thousand sunrises.
Silver turned to the wraith, awe in her voice. “You saved me.”
A musical voice replied, “You saved me.”
It was the wraith, the first one Silver had killed, the one she hadn’t wanted to put down. Jack’s arm went around Silver’s waist as they watched the lady of smoke drift up through the ceiling. It was over. His nightmare had turned into a beautiful dream.
He grabbed Silver by the shoulders. “Why don’t you ever listen to me? I told you to go. You almost got yourself killed trying to save me. Don’t ever do that again.”
She nodded, speechless. He pulled her into his arms, held her tight. He didn’t want to ever let her go, which could be a problem once they got home to her father.
Glancing at her watch, she said, “You still have time to get to school in time for English.”
“Why would I want to do that?”
“Maybe Jersey won’t suspect we let the wraiths go if you’re in his class today. Just do it, okay? And act normal.”
Act normal? Moments ago she’d been dying in his arms. Now she wanted to go to school and play normal student. He wasn’t sure he could do it. He wasn’t that good of an actor.
On the other hand he did want to have a talk with Jersey Clifford. He hoped the man had some good answers, because Jack was deciding on whether to kill him or not. Almost losing Silver had tipped the scales in her favor. Jersey better have a great argument for sparing his life.
Chapter Twenty:
BITE ME
For the first time since Jack had joined the Jefferson Memorial student body, English class dragged by at snail speed. He sat in the back row, twirling his pencil and tapping his foot beneath the desk. He wanted to explode out of his seat and demand some answers. His eyes drifted over the other students. Until they were gone, he couldn’t say a thing to Jersey Clifford about the wraiths.
Jersey was in rare form today. He led a fascinating discussion on their next assigned book, but Jack only heard half of it. Jersey was wearing the same outfit he’d worn on Jack’s first day: black trousers and turtleneck with red sneakers. His eyes rested on Jack a few times during class. It was obvious he noticed Jack’s distracted state. Maybe that was why he didn’t call on Jack to answer any questions. Good thing, since Jack couldn’t string a coherent thought together to save his life.
The bell rang, and the students scattered. Jersey dealt with the couple who wanted to speak with him after class. He rushed them on their way while Jack remained in his seat. Jersey closed the door and slowly revolved to face Jack, his expression wary.
“Something on your mind?” Jersey perched on the corner of his desk.
Jack took a deep breath and forged ahead, knowing Silver was going to freak out when he told her later what he’d said to the werewolf-slash-teacher. “You have wraiths. Why?”
An untrained eye wouldn't have noticed the change in Jersey's expression. His face froze, but Jack saw him swallow. He saw how Jersey tried hard to maintain a blank stare. There was a sliver of fear deep in his eyes. Then Jersey’s mouth slightly lifted at the ends. “You’ve been to my house again?”
“I found your real home this time. A house beneath a house. Clever. That junky place you claim to live in was a disappointment. I was almost glad to see you have a mansion underneath it.”
“It suits me, don’t you think? Originally I’d wanted to build a castle, but I decided gray stone walls would be too ostentatious.”
Jack got u
p, leaving his notebook and pencil on the desk. Instead of the detailed notes he usually took in class, the top of the page was covered in doodles. He moved closer to Jersey, even though his well-honed survival instinct told him to keep several desks between them.
“Let’s talk about the wraiths,” Jack said. “They used to be women. Now they writhe around in pain all day, and they’re slaves at night. How do you justify what you did to them? Can you?”
Jersey had the audacity to laugh. If that wasn’t bad enough, he spoke to Jack like he was talking to a five-year-old. “I am a werewolf, son. What did you expect to find in my home? Tea and cookies?” He pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. “Oh, Jack, you have to understand my position here. I have an important destiny to fulfill.”
“You actually want to build an army and start a war. Don’t you?”
“Look around you. The Earth is a mess. Humans are worse than animals. They run around grabbing greedily at everything they can get their hands on and crawling over each other to get ahead. They kill and maim without reason or thought, all the while believing they are at the top of the food-chain. It’s time for someone to show them the light.”
There was a touch of insanity in Jersey’s eyes, and Jack wondered why he hadn’t noticed it before. Jack said, “Humans aren’t perfect. Some of them might be greedy and psychotic, but others are compassionate and loving and gentle and—”
Jersey made a rude noise, interrupting Jack’s list.
Jack added, “I won’t let you start a war.”
“Of course not. It’s your destiny to try to stop me, but you will fail.” Jersey went to the chalkboard and began to erase it. “You cannot stop me because I am not of this world.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Haven’t you guessed? I’m not your typical werewolf.” Jersey turned and posed, reminding Jack of some ancient Greek statue. “I was originally an angel.”
Jack blinked. “I read Lovely’s diary. She created you, cursed you so she wouldn’t have to choose between you and the other guy. You admitted that yourself.”
“I was never from this world, Jack. It took me a while to figure it out. Lovely cursed me, changed me, but I am an angel sent to Earth to destroy the human race.”
He really was insane. Certifiable didn’t cover it. Jack felt a strong headache coming on, starting at the back of his brain and working its way forward. He decided to try to reason with Jersey. If that didn’t work, he would try humoring him. “Why would you want to wipe out humans? And what makes you think you’re an angel?”
“Of course I’m an angel. I realized it after I killed my wife. I threw myself off a cliff, smashed my body on the rocks below, but I didn’t die. I realized then that I was immortal.” Jersey dropped the eraser and jumped up on the desk with a great leap. He stood, arms out, like a surfer riding a gnarly wave. “Humans are evil. They are frail and useless. I am perfect, strong, and good.”
Jersey pinned Jack with a hard stare. “That is why they must die. All of them.”
“You aren’t an angel. You're a werewolf.”
“It is your lot in life to disbelieve.” Jersey climbed off the desk, a sober expression on his face. “That’s okay. I cannot prove I’m an angel because my wings were taken. Once I complete my mission, destroy the humans and take the world, I will soar above the clouds again. Have patience, and I might allow you to live long enough to see it.”
“I was a vampire,” Jack said. “If there are vampires, there are werewolves. How do you reconcile your angel story with that? Am I an angel? Do you think the crazy janitor is an angel?”
“Don’t be childish about this, Jack. I am the only angel on this planet. Vampires and werewolves are simply monsters. They have been cursed because of their many sins. It’s another sign of the end.” He smiled at Jack’s shocked expression. “I guess I shouldn’t have told you the truth. I thought you would understand, but it is too much for you to handle. Forget I said anything.”
Right. Jack slowly backed away from the teacher. Poor Jersey had gone crazy after killing his wife and discovering he was a monster. He had tried to commit suicide but found he was immortal. The only way he could live with the curse was to come up with this incredible angel story to give himself a purpose.
There was no longer any question as to what Jack would do with the rock. He desperately wanted to kill the werewolf janitor. He wanted to kill the monster for his mom and dad, in their memory, but he didn’t have a choice. If Jersey was allowed to live, he was going to wreak havoc on the world. The war would be beyond tragic, beyond frightening. No one could reason with his insanity.
Cowboy always said the only good werewolf is a dead werewolf, but he hadn’t told Jack about the worst sort of werewolf. The worst werewolf was a crazy werewolf.
Jersey Clifford had to die.
Jack went to bed early that night.
He skipped dinner, preferring to be alone. On the ride home from school Silver had announced she was going to tell her parents about killing the wraiths. They weren’t going to like it. She didn’t have their permission to kill anything without them standing right there. At least she had the good sense to leave out the part about being run through with a sword. She was just giving them the bare facts. It would be enough to piss them off and start a long argument.
Jack wanted no part of it. After the day he’d had, he wanted to crawl into bed and pull the covers over his head. He wanted to block the world out entirely. As usual, what he wanted and what he got were two different things.
When the knock came, he was lying on top of the covers, fully dressed, and playing with the magic rock. He should have turned his light off. Too late now. He glared at the door. “Come in.”
Silver entered. She shut the door behind her and climbed onto the bed next to him. Once again they reclined shoulder to shoulder, her arm tucked under her head. He closed his hand around the rock and lowered it to the mattress. For a long time they stared at the ceiling in silence.
“How did English go?” she asked.
“It was okay.”
“I can’t stop thinking about him going home to find his assistant dead, not to mention the wraiths.” She was quiet for a few seconds. “Did we do the right thing? I mean, what if he goes nuts because of what we did and takes it out on someone else? For all we know he’s on a killing spree right now, or he could step up his plan to change the whole town into werewolves.”
“What did your mom and dad think about it?”
Silver drummed her fingers against her sweater-covered belly. “They were not pleased. I think their reaction had more to do with me being their little girl and putting my life in danger than it had to do with possible consequences.”
“You didn’t tell them about Pagan and the sword, did you?”
“I told you I wouldn’t.”
Yes, she did. But sometimes her mouth ran away with her. And on that note, he remembered his words to Jersey.
“Jersey won’t go nuts on other people,” Jack said. “He’ll know it was us. If he wants revenge, he’ll come for us.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Because I admitted I saw the wraiths.”
“You did what?” Silver bolted upright. “Are you crazy? Why didn’t you just confess right there and tell him Pagan was dead? Unbelievable.” Her eyes went north. “He’s probably outside the house right now, preparing to tear us limb from limb.”
Jack’s hand reached out and stroked Blanca’s fur. The cat was half-asleep. A contented purr started to buzz deep inside her warm body. Jersey wasn’t outside. Blanca wouldn’t be so relaxed if a werewolf was nearby.
“Do you have a death wish?” Silver asked. “Seriously. You have to be out of your mind to admit anything to him. What am I saying? I’m talking to someone who thought it might be a good idea to become close friends with the head werewolf.�
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Those days were over. Jack decided to tell her the rest, give her some peace of mind before she went stark raving mad. “I’m going to use the rock on him.”
She blinked a few times before a huge smile transformed her face. “Really? You’re going to kill Jersey Clifford?” He nodded and she hugged him. Her head rested on his chest, and her fingers gripped his side. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her silky hair. She said, “Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are the best. I love you.”
Her body went rigid, and his hand froze in mid-stroke. A palpable silence surrounded them. Neither of them knew what to say next. The three little words hung in the air, echoing in their thoughts. Her admission of love was out there, and it couldn’t be denied or ignored.
Should he say something? Was her admission for real, or had she accidentally blurted the words out because she was grateful for his help? Jack knew he loved her, but he didn’t want to admit it if she didn’t truly love him.
Silver slowly disengaged. She sat up, a stunned look on her pretty face. Her eyes traveled around the room, probably looking for something to clean or reorganize. She leaped up and headed for the door on quick feet. Although he hadn’t wanted any company, hadn’t want to talk to anyone, he couldn’t let her leave like this.
Jack jumped up, ran across the mattress, and beat her to the door without even using vampire-speed. He blocked her way effectively and said the first words that popped into his head. “Don’t go.”
“Please don’t make an embarrassing situation worse.” She still didn’t look him in the eyes.
“Why are you embarrassed?” He took a deep breath and asked, “Did you mean what you said? Do you love me?”
Her gaze reluctantly slid up to meet his. “I…uh...yes, okay. I love you. Deal with it.”
“I love you, too.”
She rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to say that. I wasn’t trying to corner you into saying words you don’t mean. Just stop it.”
His hands went to her shoulders, grasping them firmly, and part of him wanted to shake her until she stopped being stubborn. “I wouldn’t lie to you, not about something this important. I fell in love with you a long time ago.”
“Really?” Her eyes brightened. “When?” She blushed. “I mean, when did you know you were in love with me? And why didn’t you say something before?”