by Sonia Harper
As they reached the top of the stairs, Adelyn started to feel as though her legs were supporting a little more of her body weight. Relief flooded her as she started to feel a bit more in control now. Picking up the pace, her gaze focused ahead on the door at the end of the hallway.
It suddenly felt like years had passed since she was last in the room. She wasn't sure exactly how long she had been unconscious, but she surmised it was only a couple of hours judging by the fact that it was still dark out.
Derion's arm came into view as he turned the door handle and pushed her bedroom door open. Taking in a deep breath, Adelyn felt calmer now that she was in familiar territory. The soft, faded scent of her perfume filled her lungs and brought tears to her eyes.
As much as she loathed to admit it, it felt like she was home. Pushing aside the mental reminder that her bedroom was located in a den of possible monsters, she shook off Derion's arm and planted her feet into the ground. Pytho let go before she had a chance to shake him off, too. Thankfully, they both took a step back and let her stand for a moment. She was able to support her own body, although a bit unsteadily. Her knee locked and unlocked with every jarring motion from her thigh muscle as it fought for balance.
Finally, sure that she wasn't going to fall, she shakily turned her body toward the closet door and took a small step toward it. Feeling more confident in her own ability, she took a few more steps and threw open the door as soon as her hand was able to touch the handle.
Sinatra's nose poked out from underneath a row of pants, sniffing the air madly. Adelyn fell to her knees and whistled softly. The small dog crawled out from under the clothes and took a flying leap toward her lap.
Grasping his small, warm body, Adelyn lifted him to her face as she buried her nose in his hair.
Safe. She was safe. Sinatra was safe.
An odd feeling spread through her chest. Now that she knew he was safe, the rational side of her brain seemed to kick in.
She was safe.
The two men behind her could have killed her at any moment. Hell, any of them could have killed her the minute they set eyes on her outside.
But they didn't. In fact, one of them even took the time to bandage her up.
One hand shakily drifted up to the edge of the bandage on her forehead.
Still...whatever that grey thing outside was, it did not look friendly. She may be safe with these two, but she still wasn't sure what the hell that creature was.
"Pepper spray," she said suddenly as her eyes flew open. She turned her head around to look at Derion and Pytho.
"Oh, right," Pytho reached into blood-spattered jeans to pull something out of his pocket. "Here." He extended it back to her.
"Thanks," she mumbled, trying to ignore the feeling of his cold skin as she took it from him. What were they? She glanced back up at them. They seemed oddly calm as they stood near the door of her room. They didn't seem as though they wanted to hurt her at all. In fact, Derion seemed more interested in Sinatra than he was with her. He had a curious look on his face as if he had never seen a dog before.
"Am I-," Adelyn spoke without really thinking. She paused and carefully considered her next words. "Am I going to need this?" She asked, raising her meagre weapon. Her voice sounded far weaker than she had intended it to be.
"What is that?" Derion's eyes broke away from Sinatra to stare curiously at the can in her hand.
"It's pepper spray," Pytho explained, shoving his hands back into his pockets. "It's used as a weapon."
"Keep it with you if you feel you need to," Derion finally replied with a shrug. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but right now you need to rest."
Adelyn felt herself nodding. She was suddenly extremely tired. Sinatra wiggled out of her grasp and fell to the floor. Slowly picking herself up, she took a few unsteady steps before falling onto her bed. Sinatra jumped up after her. Clutching her pepper spray in her hand, she melted down further into the mattress. Turning her head, she saw Pytho and Derion leaving through the door.
Anxious about being left alone, she almost felt relief as Pytho turned back around, his hand on the door handle. A small smile made its way across his face. "I'm going to lock this, okay?"
Adelyn blinked a few times before his statement settled in. She felt torn on her feelings about being left alone. A locked door at this point didn't seem to offer much protection, but his voice seemed so comforting, so confident. If he thought locking the door would help, maybe she should trust him - at least for now.
She slowly nodded and watched as he smiled once more, then caught the light switch with his hands. As the lights plunged her into darkness, she heard the lock click, then the door shut. Listening intently, she heard the echo of footsteps as they both walked away from her door.
Sitting in silence, she closed her eyes briefly and melted away.
Chapter Five
"I don't know. I don't like this."
Adelyn almost opened her eyes upon waking but forced them to remain shut. Her heart started pumping furiously - she wasn't alone anymore.
So much for locking the door.
"I don't like it either, but what other choice do we have?" A soft voice replied.
Donovan, Adelyn thought. It came from somewhere near her closet door. She carefully cracked an eyelid and could barely make out four blurry figures standing in her room. There was a grey tinge to the room, which meant that daylight was probably only an hour away, she thought. That meant she only slept for a few hours.
"I don't understand what the problem is," a harsh voice spat out. "Just dump her somewhere."
Adelyn's anxiety spiked. Dump her somewhere? She wasn't sure if they meant dead or alive. She slowly and deliberately began searching with her fingers under the covers until they landed on something cool. Clutching her pepper spray in her fist, she tried to control her breathing. She could feel Sinatra's warm body snuggled up against her back. She mentally cursed at him. Would it kill him to bark once in a while and possibly let her know that intruders were entering her room?
He really was like a cat, she thought bitterly. She should look into buying a litter box.
"Gideon, she's been seen. We don't know if we got them all last night. If Pytho hadn't caught the one hiding behind the greenhouse, we would have had a much bigger problem on our hands. If there were any more that we somehow missed, they could find her and use her for information," Donovan replied, voice as steady as if he were describing the weather.
Swallowing, she felt a bit of her anxiety subside. At least Donovan seemed to care about her well-being.
"Which is why I believe the best option is just to wipe her memory and put her back in her home," Donovan continued.
"What?" The word came out of Adelyn's mouth before she could even stop it. Her eyes flew open, and she stared up at the four men in her room. Pytho and Derion were leaning against the wall while Donovan crossed his arms and turned his head to look at her. The fourth man, Gideon, was glaring down at her from a few feet away.
If looks could kill, Adelyn was sure she would have dropped dead by now. Hell, even if looks couldn't kill, it certainly looked as though he was capable of taking care of the job. She took her eyes away from his angry gaze and briefly glanced down his tall, overly-muscular frame. Yeah, he was the guy that took out that grey thing last night. He could definitely hurt her.
"Gideon, back away," Pytho jerked away from the wall. "You're scaring her."
"Good," Gideon continued to glare at her as he carefully began cracking his knuckles. Adelyn could have sworn she saw a flash of a sadistic grin across his face as her eyes widened slightly.
"Move," Pytho shoved Gideon hard in the chest. Gideon turned his gaze away from Adelyn and practically snarled at Pytho.
"You really want to start with me, boy?" He yelled and took a step forward.
"Back down, Gideon," Donovan said forcefully from his position by the door. "Pytho, don't be stupid. Try that again, and I'll let him tear you a new one."
Gideon made that snarling noise again and glared at Donovan, but he moved four steps away from Adelyn. Pytho moved in between Gideon and the bed before turning back and glancing over her.
"We need to figure this out before we can let her leave this room," Donovan crossed his arms again.
All at once, Adelyn felt a sharp pain in her head, followed by intense heat. She cried out and clutched her head, sitting up. Her pepper spray fell from her hand and landed in her lap.
"What's wro-," Pytho was cut off as a familiar voice was heard in the room.
She stays.
It was that man's voice, Adelyn realized as the heat and pain subsided. That man in the basement. She searched the room, but couldn't find him anywhere. Where had his voice come from?
"What the hell is he thinking?" Donovan's face finally showed a hint of annoyance as he stormed out of the room with intent.
"I don't know, but I don't think it's a good idea to question him," Derion called out after him. He turned back toward the others. "Well, that's decided."
"Like hell it is!" Gideon shouted in horror as he, too, stormed out the bedroom door.
Adelyn stared at Derion and Pytho. "What's going on?" She finally asked once she found her voice.
"You're staying here with us," Derion stepped away from the wall he was leaning on. "But I assume the details are still being ironed out," the lilt in his voice led Adelyn to believe he was being sarcastic.
"Are you sure about that?" Pytho asked in a low voice, stepping closer to Derion.
"Nobody changes Cain's mind once it's made up," Derion replied. "It's done. He obviously thinks she'll be a threat to us if she leaves."
"Hey, wait a minute," Adelyn shook her head as if to clear it. "Wait...who says it's anybody's decision? Why can't I just leave and pretend this never happened? Look, I don't know what you guys are, but I promise I won't tell anyone. Nobody will believe me anyway!" She threw her hands up in the air for emphasis. "I don't even know what's going on here!"
Derion sighed, pensive for a moment. He then turned to Pytho. "You have more experience with this sort of thing."
"Why me?" Pytho asked, eyebrows furrowed.
"If she's staying here, somebody's going to have to explain what's going on eventually. She needs to be aware of certain...dangers," Derion trailed off and gave Pytho a pointed look. "Are you going to put her mind at ease, or let her sit here and worry?"
"Again, - why me? I've never had to explain anything to anybody. My family just knew that I wasn't human."
"You were in Adelyn's position when Cain finally found you and brought you home to be with the rest of us. You know where to start."
Pytho sighed and closed his eyes briefly. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.
"Whatever," he grumbled after a long pause. He turned around to face Adelyn, and a sudden grin crossed his face. "Hi, I'm Pytho, and I'm not human," he threw his hand out and took hers, shaking it in an exaggerated motion. “Neither is he,” he jerked a thumb over his shoulder in Derion's direction. “And neither are they,” he pointed to the open door. “Any questions?”
"Yeah, I've got that," Adelyn replied, reclaiming her hand and jumping slightly as Sinatra wiggled his way into her lap. She pet him for a moment before looking back up at them. "Are you guys...are you...vampires?" She finished in a whisper.
Derion laughed, his blonde hair falling over his face as his whole body bent over at the waist, shaking his head. "What on this earth would make you think that we're one of those disgusting little creatures?"
Pytho shook his head, but a grin escaped his lips. "It's a thing nowadays with humans. They have a weird obsession with vampires."
"Are you serious?" Derion couldn't stop laughing. "Why?"
"Wait, vampires are real?" Adelyn's head went back and forth between the two men.
"Sort of. They're nasty little bastards. Not at all like what you people think they are. Trust me, they do not look appealing at all," Pytho shook his head in disgust, as if he could see one of them at that moment and was about to lose his dinner.
"Is that what was outside last night?" She asked.
"No," Derion stepped forward and shook his head, though clearly still amused. "Those things are...different."
"Look, there isn't exactly a frame of reference for what we are, but we refer to ourselves as daemons," Pytho explained.
"Are you being serious right now?" Adelyn asked after a pause. "Vampires? Daemons?” She looked between the two of them. “Are there also little fairies floating around here that I should be concerned about?"
"I have no idea what a 'fairy' is, but I can assure you that we are very serious," Derion replied, leaning back against the wall once more.
"Okay," Adelyn closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "So, assuming I go along with everything you're telling me...why am I here? What was that thing last night? And what the heck do you mean by a daemon?”
"We're just a different species, that's all,” Pytho's eyebrows raised as if the answer was obvious.
"Oh, that's all?" Adelyn's eyebrows raised in reply. "Just another species that happens to be able to set things on fire and turn them into ashes within seconds?"
"Yeah, that's...just a special talent specific to me," Pytho replied, his voice fairly low as he crossed his arms. "And yes, we're just another species."
"You guys don't kill humans, do you?" Adelyn asked though she knew these two wouldn't hurt her.
"No,” Pytho replied quickly.
“Well," Derion glanced at the ceiling. "That's not exactly a fair question. Some do, but it's frowned upon. Nobody stops them, of course," he sighed. "But you're safe with us."
"Why are you here?" She asked.
"We're here because Cain recruited us to guard the gate to our world."
"The gate to your world?" Adelyn repeated, feeling a bit like a parrot.
"We don't live here with humans. We live in...well, I don't know exactly how to describe it, but," Pytho fumbled over his own words, and it was obvious to Adelyn that he was searching for the right words. "We have a gate that connects our world to yours," he finally continued. "And that creature you saw last night? They call themselves ‘guardians’," he spat out the word. "guardians, my ass. They're annoying pests trying to wipe out any non-human species."
"Why?" She asked.
"They were originally human at one point," Derion explained. "At least, that's what we think. It's possible they dabbled into some sort of power they couldn't control in order to fight against what they believed at the time were..." he trailed off and glanced at Pytho as if he couldn't remember the right word.
"Witches and demons," Pytho supplied.
"You mean you guys?"
"No, we're not demons as you believe they are," Pytho explained.
"These guardians have taken it upon themselves to organize themselves and destroy anything they see as a threat to humans," Derion continued. "Unfortunately, that means declaring war on us, even though we'd much rather be left alone. Save for the occasional rogue, we generally keep to ourselves and don't bother coming here much."
"Why is there a gate connecting your world to here?" Adelyn asked. "I mean, can't you just stay in your world?"
"We mostly do," Derion shrugged lightly. "But certain daemons have the power to...rip...if you will, the fabric of power separating our worlds. We do our best to contain those who enjoy coming here for a bit of...fun," he struggled over that last word. "And we do have the ability to patch those rips, but this particular one was created by a very, very powerful daemon, and it can't be closed."
"Okay, so...you guys are fighting those grey things-,"
"Guardians," Derion offered.
"-guardians," Adelyn corrected. "And why, exactly, am I here?"
"We needed a legitimate cover story for humans to stay away from the property. That's why Donovan started his finance company. Plus, well, for a time anyway, we needed a human to work here to keep suspicious guardians away," Pytho explained
. "Gregory noticed that there was a security breach in the computer systems yesterday, and it's possible our cover was blown last night if any guardian got away from us."
"Couldn't you guys just pretend you had humans living here? I mean, why hire me?" Adelyn asked, still confused.
"We needed a human presence here. Guardians can't sense us, but they can sense humans. We needed someone here to fill that void and throw off any suspicions."
"Wait, are you telling me everything I've been doing all this time has been for nothing?" Adelyn's eyebrows dropped into a frown. "All that paperwork was just for show?”
"Not entirely," Derion replied. "You've taken care of the household by stocking food and supplies. The corporation you've been running is actually a legitimate business. Donovan runs his finance company to fund our expenses while we're here."
"Gregory!" Adelyn suddenly blurted out. "What about him? He's human, right?"
"Ah, well..." Derion's voice trailed off.
"Are you kidding me?" She squeaked. "I've been working with him all this time!"
"No, he's part human, I guess," Pytho rubbed the back of his neck. "He's, well, he was human at one point."
"We don't need to get into that now," Derion gave Pytho a very pointed look.
"Who is this Cain guy? Is he the guy from the basement?" Adelyn asked.
"What?" Derion took a step forward. "Explain," he demanded, but Adelyn was confused by the tone of his voice. It completely conflicted with the shocked look on his face.
"Sinatra, he found his way into the kitchen last night," Adelyn explained, confused. "I found a staircase behind the pantry wall. When I went down there to go get Sinatra, I came across a man in the basement. He didn't seem happy to see me down there."
"He let you leave?" Pytho reached out and grabbed her shoulder.
"Well, yeah," Adelyn looked down at his grip. "What's the problem? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, no," Derion placed a hand on Pytho's shoulder. "It's fine," he said before pausing. "Yes, that was Cain. He's just very dangerous, that's all." Adelyn felt Pytho's grip loosen on her shoulder as Derion gently pulled him away. "You shouldn't go near him again. He stays in the old cellar for protection. Our protection," he added after a pause.