I didn't want her. She wasn't my type.
“I have something for you.” She pulled out a folded piece of paper and placed it on the table. “Now before you open it, remember, this isn't a threat.” She slid the paper toward me.
“Threat?” Confused, I tried to read her mind. To my surprise, she blocked my attempt.
“You don't have to read my mind,” she said as she tucked her coin purse away again.
How she knew my name remained a mystery that I didn't want to solve. I knew right then and there and this was a minion, which meant that the idea of us not being the only Deamhan in the city returned. “Who are you?” I questioned her. “What Deamhan owns you?”
“You'll find all your answers if you just read.” She stood up from the booth.
“You're a minion?” Jesse asked in disbelief.
The thought that The Brotherhood had found me made me want to run out of the club with Jesse and back to Finley so we could leave. However, this time I quickly changed my mind. I grew tired of running. I liked my life at Fontay Club.
“Yes and the Deamhan who can answer your question is outside, waiting for you,” she replied.
“Who is this Deamhan?” I questioned again but with a tough voice.
She turned to walk away. Jesse moved to stop her but I halted his advance. We knew nothing about this other Deamhan—if he was older, an Ancient or an enemy. I opened the piece of paper and read the writing.
“It's an address.”
Jesse looked at me, intrigued. “An address for what?”
“I don't know.”
“We should find Finley.” He looked to me for reassurance.
“No. We will handle this.” I stood up. “We're going to go out there and see if this Deamhan is a threat. If he is then we'll get Finley and we all will kill him.” I exhaled. “And we'll kill his minion as well.” I looked toward the windows of the club, trying to pick up any Deamhan scent in the vicinity. I stood there for moments, contemplating if confronting this individual was the best thing to do.
Jesse stood up and straightened his jacket. “Are you sure?”
Knowing that he'd follow me outside, I headed for the exit and he followed. We left Fontay Club and stood outside on the sidewalk. With the full moon hanging overhead in the sky, brightening the darkness around us, I picked up on Bianca's scent and the scent of a male human coming from a dark alley just across the street.
We quickly moved in that direction, still cautious of what to expect. As we advanced farther, the scents became stronger. We walked into the alley. A young human male with brown rimmed glasses and short brown hair stood facing us and Bianca stood by his side. Upon gazing at us, he smiled and his mouth opened slightly.
Jesse didn't waste any time and he tossed the male human to the ground. I pinned Bianca to the wall and watched Jesse place his hand over the human's mouth and whisper to him, revealing his sharp fangs. “If you scream, I will kill you.”
The male nodded frantically.
“Where is this Deamhan?” I asked Bianca.
She didn't seem afraid of my approach. Her eyes moved to the male and Jesse slowly removed his hand from the human's mouth.
The human gasped for air. “I didn't think you were going to accept the invite.”
“Answer us. Where is this other Deamhan?” Jesse asked.
With his brown eyes glued on me, the human spoke. “My name is Butch Tiernan. You've already met Bianca. We aren't a threat to you, Jesse, and we aren't a threat to Maris either.”
I looked back at him, confused.
“Just don't kill us,” Butch said, “and listen to what we have to say.”
Humans—always crying to be spared from death. “No, you listen to us,” I said. “How do you know who we are?” I looked at Jesse. “How do you know our names?”
With his breathing now calm, he whispered, “Ayden.”
The name didn't sound familiar. “Who is Ayden?” Again, I revealed my fangs and I let my eyes turn color in a feeble attempt to scare them.
“He's been looking for you for a very long time,” Bianca spoke. “After you and Jesse killed his minion.” My mind reverted back to Jesse's first night, in the alley as he fed on the prostitute.
“After all this time, now he comes for us?” I replied in disbelief. “What does he want? Revenge because we killed his minion?”
“No,” Butch said. “He knows Silvanus. He was one of the Deamhan you were supposed to meet in New York when you arrived in America.”
Jesse looked at me. “What is he talking about?”
I slowly released Bianca. “Let him up.” Jesse continued to gawk at me, questioning if that was what I really wanted him to do. He then stepped back and I told the human to stand. “What do you know about Silvanus?” I asked him.
“We only know what Ayden has told us.” Bianca straightened her clothing.
“Anyway, why now? Why didn't he make himself known earlier to us?” I had enough of this guessing game. I stared into Butch's eyes and I began to empty myself, scouring his thoughts. He blocked me and—not giving up that easily—I dug further, trying to find out if he told the truth. “Scared?” I smelled fear and I saw sweat beads travel from his brown hairline down his face.
“Scared?” he repeated with a little bravado in his voice. “I'm perfectly fine. God is on my side.”
“Typical humans,” I scoffed. “You use your religion as a base for your safety.”
“No one on this earth should have the tools to play God,” he said. “Even your ancestor who created your kind in the first place.”
As I continued, I picked up on a Deamhan scent and I pulled back immediately. By the time Jesse noticed that we weren't alone, I saw his body hit the opposite wall from the corner of my eye. I immediately turned, finding the alley empty except for Butch and Bianca.
“Who's there?” I searched frantically. I heard another whooshing sound behind us and I turned again. Now on his feet, Jesse also joined me in the hunt.
The whooshing sound happened again and instead of looking around the alley, Jesse grabbed Butch and lifted him off his feet. “Who else is here?” he asked in a demanding voice.
We heard the sound again but this time I saw a brief shadowed outline of a male body. It grabbed Jesse by his back and tossed him several feet in the air to the opposite end of the alley. Before he landed, the shadow pushed me back and I fell into a pile of garbage and old wooden crates. I then felt the weight of his body on top of me.
“I sent him.”
I stared back into the mesmerizing green eyes of a male who looked no older than Finley, but he reeked of a Deamhan a little older than myself. I couldn't help but notice the Metusba's long dark hair and heart-shaped face.
“I thought they were going to kill me.” Butch Tiernan stood to his feet. “You arrived just in the nick of time. She's the one, right?”
The Metusba opened his mouth to speak. “She's the one.”
Butch exhaled loudly and turned to look over his shoulder. “What about the other one?”
“He's not a threat right now.”
I struggled but the Metusba managed to keep me pinned to the ground. He looked at Bianca. “Are you alright?”
She nodded. “I'm fine.”
“Good,” the Metusba spoke. “Your work is done here. Return back to the sanctuary.”
She quickly escaped the alley.
I struggled again and—finding that I couldn't escape his strength—I turned restless. “You must be Ayden.”
“Yes, I'm Ayden,” the Metusba replied. “Please don't fight. I would hate to hurt you.” He quickly let me go and stepped back. I watched him gloat in the fact that he had overpowered me.
I stood up and gathered my wits. “So you know Silvanus?”
“Yes.”
“Are you lying to me?”
“No,” he said. “I've been looking for you for a very long time.”
“For years you knew I was here. Why now?”
&nbs
p; “Because things are urgent.”
I tilted my head to the side. “What things?”
“Your life, for one. Silvanus wanted your protection and I did just that, but from afar.”
“Don't speak about him. He's dead. The Dorvo vampires killed him back in London.”
“No, Silvanus is very much alive,” Ayden replied.
His revelation made me speechless.
“He survived the fire,” he replied. “Many other Deamhan did not.”
“So you've been stalking me. Fine, I get it. But I don't need your help anymore. I'm stronger now.”
“You're not strong enough to deal with what's to come.”
I looked around. “There are no Deamhan and Dorvo vampires in the city. The only people I have to look out for are humans like your friend.” I pointed to Butch. “Is he from The Brotherhood?”
“Yes, he's a researcher, but he isn't working for The Brotherhood in that way,” he replied. “It's not humans you have to worry about. It's other Deamhan. They're the real threat now. The Brotherhood and the Dorvo vampires are the least of your worries.”
“Why? Because your human researcher friend says so?”
“Because The Brotherhood has a piece of the tablet and he is going to take it from them.”
“What tablet?”
Ayden looked at Butch. “Please explain it to her. Her friend is waking and I have to put him out again.” Ayden casually walked to the other end of the alley toward Jesse who still lay on the floor. I wanted to run after him but I knew that Ayden was too strong for me to handle.
“The Curse your ancestors created. They wrote it down on a tablet called the Dark Curse,” Butch said. “Along with that, there are other spells and incantations. I'm sure Silvanus has told you about this?”
“He only spoke to me about Limbo and the first eight Deamhan.” I kept my eyes on Ayden, worried that he'd kill Jesse. “I've told Silvanus that I don't practice magic. My only connection to this Curse is that I'm descended from the person who created it. That's all.”
Ayden quickly returned. “Silvanus is right. She is clueless.” He cleared his throat. “We don't want the original eight Deamhan in Limbo to be freed. Ever. You, Maris, have the ability to free them.”
“And I would never do that.” I folded my hands across my chest.
“If your enemies have it their way, you won't have a choice.”
“If you're going to tell me to run, then don't bother,” I argued back. “I will not.”
“I'm not telling you to run. I'm telling you that you should not make yourself more visible than you already are.”
I eyed him.
“The Curse can do more than just free the original eight from Limbo. Maris, there are other things the curse obtains that are both helpful and hurtful to Deamhan. Dorvo vampires and The Brotherhood know this. Currently, the tablet is in two pieces. Once it is assembled, they will seek you out and use you to speak the incantations and your blood to perform the ritual. Look at it this way. Think of the original eight, the Pure Deamhan, as roots of a tree. You and I are just branches if not twigs and leaves. The vampires want to cut those roots and kill the tree.” Ayden looked to Butch. “You must go. I can handle the rest.”
Butch didn't hesitate. He walked out of the alley and disappeared from my view.
“And there are Deamhan who believe that the only way to stop them is to kill you,” he continued. “One in particular is from your past. You've met her.”
“Ethel?” I stood still for a moment after I said her name.
Ayden nodded.
“She's here? In Chicago!”
“Yes and she knows you're here as well.”
I looked over my shoulder at Jesse lying on the pavement.
“Your friend will be fine.” His quick response astonished me. “What's important now is that you come with me.”
“I'm not going anywhere with you,” I said back to him.
He immediately placed his arms on my shoulders and he pushed me with such force that I found myself airborne then on my back. Before I could jump to my feet, he was on top of me with black eyes. My eyes turned and my fangs appeared. “You have no idea how important your safety is.”
“And you have no idea how important my siblings are to me,” I replied. “So I'm not leaving them to go with you; someone whom I hardly know or trust.” I gathered my strength and managed to push him off me. He landed back and straightened his clothes.
“I can force you to come with me.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?”
He didn't attack. Instead he shook his head at my stubbornness. “The paper that Bianca gave you. I assume that you read it?”
“Yes, there's an address on it.” I showed him the paper and immediately he snatched it from me.
“That is the only place where you'll be safe.” He placed it in his pocket. “There are other Deamhan there who are willing to protect you.”
“I've already done that with Silvanus at his sanctuary. It didn't turn out well.”
“I know, but this time, things will be handled differently. You have the age of Ancient Deamhan on your side. Believe me, there is no Deamhan in this world who can threaten you when power like that is standing behind you.”
“Not even Ethel?”
“Ethel has pull in this city, more than you realize.” He stepped back. “If she comes for you, and she will come for you, she will slaughter your two siblings with ease before finishing you off.”
“Let her come,” I replied. “I'm not afraid.” I approached Jesse and I turned to look back at Ayden who had disappeared from my view. I turned Jesse over, staring at my sibling. Blood poured from his nose and a small wooden stake protruded from his stomach. I took it out and tossed it to the side. I grabbed him, placing him over my shoulder, and I slowly walked out of the alley.
I decided to go home and wait for Finley. There I would tell him that what threatened us in the past had returned. Hopefully this would make our bonds grow tighter and inseparable. At the same time, I wondered what kind of danger I placed both him and Jesse in. They both had grown to be my soul mates, my companions, the only two I would die for. With them by my side, I could go anywhere and do anything. I couldn't keep this from him. I just couldn't.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Realization
“I can smell that Metusba all over you.” Finley's eyes turned dark and his fangs slowly dropped. His mouth widened and his upper body curled slightly, as if he planned to attack me.
I didn't change my clothing, thinking that I didn't have to. It didn't take him that long to smell Ayden's scent lingering over every inch of me. When he saw the huge blood stain on Jesse's clothing, he immediately demanded we tell him what had happened.
I explained every detail from my encounter: Silvanus didn't die in the fire, the Dorvo vampires and The Brotherhood knew I survived, and most importantly, Ethel was in the city and she would come for me. He seemed more upset that Ethel, once a follower of Silvanus, wanted my death, and in our years together in Chicago, we had grown too accustomed to human surroundings to not notice the dangers.
“Ayden may be right,” I said. “We should be on alert.”
“We're not running.” Finley gazed at Jesse who sat on the flora couch, looking at his stomach wound, which had already healed.
“I told him that I wasn't going to run.”
“I will kill Ethel,” Finley said in a mulish voice.
“You know that she is too strong,” I replied. “We will all die, Finley. It's not rational.”
“We need to get our own sanctuary.” He stepped toward me. “I've waited years to find the perfect home. I should've never waited this long.”
“A sanctuary of newly created Deamhan isn't going to protect us from her,” I said. “She'll slaughter all of the new Deamhan easily.”
“But they will protect us as long as we need them to.”
Jesse rose from the couch slowly, gripping his stomach. “Ayden w
as strong. I couldn't do anything against him. If Ethel is as old as you say she is, then maybe we should leave Chicago.”
Quickly Finley gravitated to Jesse with his fangs at the ready. “I said we're not running.”
I stepped in between them. “We shouldn't fight among ourselves.”
“We're not fighting,” he replied. “We're debating.”
Tired of his hardheadedness, I rolled my eyes.
“You're not listening to reason,” Jesse said to him.
Finley reached for his throat and I intervened quickly, pushing him back. He stumbled against the wall, shattering the blue vase on the corner stand. “Move out of my way, Maris,” he ordered.
“No. I'm not moving until you listen to me.”
He rushed at me but Jesse tackled him. They landed on the ground where Finley somehow slithered from under him and pinned Jesse's shoulders to the floor.
“Stop it! Both of you!” I yelled at them.
“I sired you,” Finley growled at Jesse, “and I can kill you.”
“You're acting like Anastasia.” I grabbed Finley by the back of his neck. Soon, humans would be knocking at our front door at all the commotion. I had to end this.
Surprisingly, Finley stood down on his attack. His eyes moved from Jesse, to me, then back to Jesse. “Oh, I get it now.” He growled. “You've both bonded.”
“Yes, we bonded during the first night I fed.” Jesse quietly stepped back. “But our bond has nothing to do with this.”
Finley huffed. “So you say.” He walked back into the room, grabbing his clothes and his boxing shorts. “I can't stand any more of this.” He stomped out of the room.
“You're my sire,” Jesse said to him. “I'm still bonded with you.”
“You're only supposed to be bonded to me!” He screamed loudly enough to shake the window glass and the front door.
Jesse held up his hands. “I still am,” he said. “That's why I think we should do what's best for our protection. If we have to leave Chicago, then we should leave Chicago.”
“You can both leave if that's what you want.” Finley huffed again. “But I'm staying. I will not run place to place like a cockroach.”
Deamhan Chronicles, Books 1-5: Deamhan, Kei. Family Matters, Dark Curse, Maris. The Brotherhood Files, Ayden. Deamhan Minion Page 66