The Pentagram Child: Part 1 (Afterlife Saga Book 5)

by Stephanie Hudson

  I felt my phone ping in my pocket and I groaned when I saw it was a text message from Alex.

  ‘Sorry, I know it was wrong but I needed to stake my claim.

  Please don’t blame me for being an overbearing asshole

  Miss you already. X’

  I released a sigh and quickly texted back my reply,

  ‘Not cool but I forgive you, you big jerk hot head! ;)

  C ya soon x’

  I just couldn’t bring myself to say I missed him too, as right now I most certainly did not. The last twenty minutes had been some of the most difficult in my life and that was saying something considering all I had been through in my twenty four, soon to be twenty five years!

  “Argh, bloody men!” I growled walking closer to the edge rubbing my arms in the cool summer night.

  “Amen to that, sister!” I groaned out loud before turning round to face the smallest Draven.

  “Sophia.” I said her name as a warning making her laugh nervously and holding both her hands up in surrender.

  “I know what you’re thinking.”

  “Murder?” I asked sarcastically making her grin.

  “Well I didn’t think it went that bad.” At this I burst out laughing but wasn’t completely convinced it was in humour.

  “You were there at that table right?” I said dragging a hand through my hair and holding it at my neck in frustration. Even this action reminded me of the man I had tried so hard to forget.

  “Keira…” She said my name softly making me wince.

  “No Sophia! I told you…I bloody told you! All this time… Jesus, I mean nearly a bloody year of not wanting even the tiniest bit of information about him, and you what…thought that actually meant I wanted to see him again!?” I was ranting I knew but I felt so betrayed and after last year then this was a massive issue with me.

  “I know you’re hurt sweetheart but just listen to me for a second…” I felt her hand curl around my wrist as she pulled me to face her. I couldn’t help but bite my lip when her eyes took note of the tears that were threatening to spill over.

  “Oh Kazzy, please don’t blame me, I didn’t know he was coming here…it happened before I could even warn you about it. He knew I was meeting you and up until the last minute he refused to come with us but then…”

  “Wait a minute…you tried to get him to come with you?!” I screeched out this new information making her blush for once.

  “Uh…ooops.” She made a cute as all Hell scrunched up face and shrugged her shoulders.

  “Ooops!?”

  “My bad?” She tried that one and sounded just like Pip!

  “Arrrrh! I take it back…bloody Dravens!” I shouted knowing I was never going to trust any of them again!

  “Ok, ok…so I know I was in the wrong but Keira, you both can’t see what’s going on around you and you are both so damned stubborn! You needed to at least start seeing each other again or the Proph…”

  “Don’t! Just…just don’t Sophia. I can’t hear one more word about some damn Prophecy that is dead set on ruining my life…it did it once but not again…you hear?!” Now the tears were falling and I wiped them away angrily knowing I had spent far too many seconds of my life crying over what the fucking powers above had deemed to be my future. But not anymore!

  “Alright Keira, I understand but please…please just try to understand me. What would you do for a brother you love…? What lengths would you go to if it was Libby’s happiness at stake? I didn’t just do it for him.” I sucked in a jagged breath, widened my eyes to try to hold back the tears and once again bit my lip all in vain of trying to keep my emotions in the prison I had constructed from hurt.

  “Just come back inside and be with us…that’s all I’m asking…we miss you, Keira.” I turned to look at her and could no longer hold back. I ran the distance and threw myself into her body, wrapping my arms around her and holding her close while the dam broke. She was shocked for a few seconds but then I felt her arms go around me to hold me closer. She waited for my silent sobbing to calm, all the while stroking back my hair and saying soothing words in another language.

  I could feel my tears soak her beautiful dress that would probably make some ridiculously expensive designer weep at the sight but I couldn’t help it. She was like a sister to me and it had been hard to keep up this act around her for so long.

  “I’m sorry. I know you only did what you thought was best but just seeing him again…it…it hurts, Sophia.” My voice broke on the word ‘hurts’ and I pulled back to wipe my tears away for hopefully the last time tonight.

  “I know honey, and I am so sorry you’re in pain but Kaz, did you really think that was it…that you would never see each other again?”

  “But he was the one who did this… he was the one who threw away my love, Sophia not the other way around.” Sophia took a deep breath, closed her eyes and released it slowly.

  “One day you will understand and when you do it will mark the day of change for us all but until then, all I can say is it’s not my place or my story to tell.” She had said something like this before or at least tried to but like now I had brushed it off as an excuse. I mean really, what could there possibly be to have made him act the way he did?

  “So what changed his mind?” I asked hating myself for needing to know what had changed.

  “Why he came back?” I nodded at her question. She gave me a mischievous half smile that screamed the Sophia I knew and loved.

  “Why do you think?” I turned to look back at the view of the national park lit only by the moonlight and felt my heart getting heavier by the second. Of course I knew why he had come back and I hated the feeling of self-loathing it created.

  “He heard about Alex.” It wasn’t a question as it didn’t need to be. There was no doubt this was the only reason Draven was back and the idea hurt me more than it should after all this time. He wasn’t back for me…to see me…no, he was back to see me with Alex.

  “Right, I get it.”

  “Do you?” I shook my head, begging her silently for her not to continue, one she thankfully took on board.

  “So what do you say to just one night…that’s all I’m asking for?” Could I really do it…? Could I really go back to those days knowing how it would rip me apart for many months to come? It was like being offered the sweetest torture, one you knew could destroy all you have left but leaving you dying with the most blissful memories to hold your hand. I sighed as I knew before I even asked myself this, what my answer would be.

  “Have you ever known me to say no to you?”

  “I dread the day.” Sophia said laughing and walked past me giving me a pat on the arm. I continued to look out at that view even with Sophia by the door at my back. I focused on the moon as I would often do since all that had happened last year and it took me back to how I did the same when locked away in that filthy prison thinking about my mission...

  My mission to save Draven.

  I heard the whoosh of the door and my voice broke free, saying words so painful they hurt making their way out.

  “He died, Sophia.” I felt her freeze without even needing to see her but at her reply my body turned to ice.

  “Yeah, and without you…

  He still is, Keira.”

  Chapter 6

  Through Draven’s Door

  After that bomb, kindly left by Sophia, I had no choice but to remain frozen, suspended in time alone on this balcony with nothing more than her words to haunt me. It was like being slapped across the face and then trying to ignore the action of it coming from your best friend. Why had she said that? Why would she tell me something like that knowing how I felt? It was like dangling one bloody carrot in a pen of starving donkeys with all my emotions trying to latch on to that one sentence. Was he really hurting that badly?

  No! No, I couldn’t think about this. I couldn’t obsess over this one question as I had done for nearly a year. I’d spent too many minutes of the day sat staring out
into the world through my window, wondering if he was missing me as much as I was him. Wondering what he was doing right at that precise moment in time and if, like me, he was thinking back to our time together.

  That’s the problem with blissful memories, they were never going to be as great or as wonderful as that exact moment when you created them. There was no scent to breathe in, there was no touch to experience and there were no words to hear by the voice of those you loved. They were just black and white grainy photographs void of real life.

  That’s how my memories felt.

  I don’t know how long I had been out here but it must not have been that long as I didn’t get another member of the Draven clan to come in search of me. And my guess was that Vincent wasn’t far from standing up to the task. If I was honest with myself I wasn’t entirely sure if given the chance I would have left this balcony to walk straight out of this club and never look back.

  Even the club itself felt like I was coming home and that hurt just as much, knowing half of me wanted to leave it behind me forever. But I just couldn’t do it. Call it weakness or call it a craving but it was the same reason I couldn’t walk away from this situation I now found myself in. I knew what was good for me but when did that ever stop me from making crazy decisions? Christ, most of last year was one giant crazy decision and look how that turned out. If going to Hell and back wasn’t bad for me then I don’t know what was!

  So with my mind made up I sucked in a big girl breath and turned to go back into the unknown.

  “You can do this…it’s just one night, Keira…yeah right, who am I kidding?” I said to myself as I walked through the sliding doors.

  I couldn’t help but look to the bar and the same pain clinched in my chest when I still expected to see my friend Karmun at the bar. I bit my lip for the millionth time trying to eradicate the picture of him fading away in the arms of his lover. It was always a painful memory, like so many others this place held. Which made me wonder, if all the memories I had of the place were placed on a scale, which way they would tip…good or bad?

  I shook those depressing thoughts away and walked round back to the top table feeling both ease and unease at now doing it alone and without Alex by my side.

  “There you are, your seat’s waiting for you.” Sophia said making me fail my mission in getting to my seat without looking at Draven, only in the end it didn’t matter…

  He was gone.

  I again mentally cursed my stupid heart for the disappointment I felt and tried to kid myself into believing it was a good thing. I went to the end of the table when Sophia said,

  “Not there silly, up here.” I looked up to see she was motioning to Draven’s empty chair. I looked back to the seat I was first sat in at the other end, only to find it had been taken away, so there was no escape for me. I tried not to make it obvious that I was dragging my feet as I had no wish to ever sit in that chair again, knowing how painful the last time had been. I winced as a flash of me with short black hair, sobbing into the frame pierced my brain, adding to that invisible scale and not tipping it in Afterlife’s favour.

  “I don’t think that’s a good…”

  “Keira, it’s fine. I doubt Dom will be coming back anytime soon if that’s what you’re worried about.” Sophia assured me but considering her past assurances I wasn’t entirely convinced. In the end I just let out a sigh and sat down but I couldn’t ignore the shiver that ran the length of my spine and coated my skin with chilled bumps.

  “Hi.” I said turning to Vincent and beaming at him when I saw he was finally smiling.

  “Why, hello beautiful.” He said winking and making me blush.

  “How have you been?” He asked and Sophia, who was sat next to me, nudged my arm laughing,

  “Come on, you can say you missed us.” I laughed once trying in vain to force back the emotion that was building thanks to that simple, light hearted question.

  “Hey.” Vincent said sensing the change and pulling me into his arms for a hug. I felt a single tear fall and I watched a drip of colour darken on his faded black t-shirt, one that said ‘Indian Motorcycles’ and was obviously vintage.

  “I’m sorry, I guess…well, being back here after all this time…”

  “Keira you don’t have to explain, it is perfectly natural that you are finding it difficult…and I think you gathered by now that you’re not the only one.” I pulled back and wiped my eyes again, hating the fact that I had cried twice now and not even been back a full hour. The night certainly wasn’t looking too promising for my sanity that was for sure!

  “So, that damn temper of his got the better of him again, didn’t it?”

  “Almost.” On hearing the deep voice reply right behind me, I ended up making Vincent chuckle when I mouthed the F word before turning round to face the man in question. I gulped when my eyes finally made it all the way up his expensive suited body to a pair of frowning eyes of black.

  “Uh…hey…my bad?” I said lamely and followed Sophia’s lead when dealing with being caught out. I braced myself for his reaction and released my held breath when I saw a small smile playing at those perfect lips of his. His eyes also softened before he said,

  “That chair suits you,” then nodding down at me. I bit my lip and quickly stood almost making the chair fall backwards.

  “Oh shit! I mean…I erm…well sorry, I will just…” I fumbled with the back of the chair that had been saved by Draven’s quick reflexes from crashing to the floor and bending at a funny angle to do so. I heard Sophia snigger at my comical actions and I shot her a death ray glare that did nothing but make her giggle more.

  “Keira, its fine, please sit down,” Draven ordered softly using his reasoning voice that was always hard to resist, damn him. I sat back down and wondered for half a second if he wasn’t staying but then that flew right out of my head when he turned to face me. He casually leaned his weight against the table, turning his back to the rest of his council to stare down at me after crossing his arms.

  O…k…talk about making a girl feel uncomfortable, jeez, I felt like I was being stripped naked and examined with a magnifying glass! ‘Don’t bite your lip…don’t bite your lip…don’t bite your lip.’ I chanted and kept rolling my lips back in my mouth, probably looking like a fish just from trying to hold back the urge that intensified tenfold whenever Draven was around.

  “You’re looking well, Keira.” Draven said after giving me an extensive once over, one that had my heart pounding like a juiced up kid after a Halloween’s worth of sweets. I mean Jesus, did he just purr that sentence!

  “Thanks, you…you too,” I murmured turning shy and brushing the shorter side parts of my hair behind my ear just for something to do.

  “Hell yeah she does! Just look at all those curves.” Sophia shouted enthusiastically and I was once again begging her with my eyes. Oh this was another set up alright. One look into her gleaming eyes dancing with mirth told me as much.

  “I’m looking, Sophia.” Draven said still looking down at me and I quickly started to turn a very unattractive shade of burnt Brit sunbather! Was it just me or was it baking in here?! I turned to Vincent and caught him smirking, with a half-smile hidden behind his hand. What was this, a damn conspiracy?

  “So did you all just get in or have you been here a few days?” I asked after wracking my brain to find small talk but really, in this situation there wasn’t much to go with.

  “We arrived early this morning.” Vincent said softly and obviously my best Draven choice for aiding with my small talk plan.

  “Yeah but Dom here got back from Hell, what about two hours ago?” Sophia said looking up at Draven and gaining a look of disbelief back.

  “Sophia!”

  “Sophia!” The two brothers scolded their sister at the same time, whilst I was left looking like a fish gasping for air.

  “Did…did she just say…Hell!?”I couldn’t help it this time when my voice grew in pitch by the end of that sentence.

 
“What? Why can’t she know that? You only went to visit our father!” Sophia whined like a petulant child.

  “Oh…you saw your father?” Draven was still scowling at his sister but at my question he dragged his gaze from her to me. Thankfully he swapped his burning annoyance for something softer before he turned it on me.

  “I did.” Draven said, as always a man of many words I thought sarcastically.

  “Well that’s cool…how was he?” I couldn’t help but ask thinking back to very fond memories of the King of Lust…well that was minus the reasons I was there in the first place but man, the guy could give a mean foot rub!

  “Keira.” Draven actually groaned at my question before saying my name like he was now dealing with two naughty children that he wanted to send to bed without supper. Ok, Keira, for your sanity you must remember never, NEVER, to think of another analogy where Draven and the word bed are in the same sentence!

  “What? He was nice to me.” I argued making Vincent burst out laughing, Sophia grin like a mad woman and Draven roll his eyes and mutter what I presumed was a swear word in another language.

  “Well he was.” I muttered reaching for the glass in front of me and forgetting what was in it. I took a gulp and quickly reacted as if I had just swallowed acid. I started coughing and spluttering in a very unladylike fashion and I felt a pair of hands pull me forward and start patting my back.

  “Holy mother of Hades! What is that stuff, paint stripper and liquid nitro?! Jesus!” I complained as the large hand at my back stopped patting but instead continued to rub large, soothing circles around my back. I looked up, parting my hair and expected to see Vincent there as the one who had been helping me but couldn’t help but inhale sharply when it wasn’t.