“If I promise you’ll get answers tonight, will you promise not to run away?”
“Done,” I say.
I stay in my room for the rest of the day. Divya allows it. She doesn’t try to get me to meditate or talk about my feelings. She just hangs out in the living room while I hang out in my room, waiting for Fiona to come home.
I try contacting Rynne a few more times. I never manage to get him on the phone, but he does text me, saying he’s fine and that he’ll explain why he apparently left Reverie without a word to the twins as soon as he gets a chance. It’s like trying to get answers out of Fiona all over again, and it only makes me angrier about everything.
I feel alienated.
The hours go by and eventually I hear Fiona come home. The apartment is too small to hide the sound of the front door opening. I don’t bother leaving my room, though. I’m tired of begging her for answers. This time Divya gets to do it. I only hope I get the answers she promised.
About a half hour passes before Fiona opens my door. She doesn’t bother knocking.
“Sounds like we have some things to talk about,” she says. “I was trying to respect your parents’ wishes, but as Divya pointed out, there’s no reason to keep this from you any longer. You’ll go off and do something reckless if I don’t, so I guess it’s better to tell you.” She pauses. “You’re only sixteen. I was hoping I could wait to tell you all of this until you were at least eighteen, but life doesn’t always work out the way you want.” She laughs, but it’s a bitter sound. “Your parents didn’t want this life for you, but it’s found you regardless.
“Tasia, Divya and I are part of the EEA, the Evil Extermination Association. I only work at an office part of the time. The rest of what I do is field work. I’m the commander of the Pennsylvania Branch of the EEA. Your parents were part of the EEA, too. They retired from that life when they found out they were pregnant with you.”
“EEA?” I repeat dumbly.
“Yes. Evil, monsters, ghosts, all the things your parents ever taught you about have been a problem for humans since the beginning of time, but most people see these things as an undercurrent or a myth. Make no mistake, monsters are real. They’re smart and good at hiding. Their numbers are much smaller than ours, too. This is why most people don’t even know of their existence. The odds of someone getting attacked by a creature of the night are relatively low—even with times changing and those odds rising. Because of that, we’re an independent group with no relation to the world’s governments or anything like that.”
“So it’s illegal?” I ask.
“Not exactly. We are an official group, worldwide, but only those who believe in the supernatural and want to combat evil pay us any attention. The US government, for one, just sees us as an eccentric religious group.”
“That sounds really ignorant of them.”
“It is, but it’s easier for them to be ignorant about us and the monsters we hunt. There’s a world full of crazy people for them to worry about.”
I stare at my lap. “Why would my parents hide the EEA from me? Why didn’t they prepare me better? Why didn’t they tell me just how real monsters are?”
“Your parents loved you, Tasia,” Fiona assures me. “They hoped you’d never find yourself in the kind of situation where you’d have a desire to seek out an organization like the EEA. It’s a dangerous world.”
“I’m part of that world,” I whisper. “Maybe if they had told me the truth from the beginning, they’d still be alive.”
“Your parents were the best of the best.”
“Then what were they doing in Reverie?”
“What your parent did isn’t unusual, Tasia. Wanting to get out of this life isn’t unusual, especially when children are involved. Your parents still ended up teaching you much more about the supernatural than they wanted to.”
“Because I have a sixth sense.”
Fiona nods. “More than anything, they wanted you to have a normal life. Even with your ties to the spirits of the dead, they hoped they could discourage you from knowing about this part of the world. The dangerous part.”
“If they haven’t been part of the EEA since I was born, why did they have to die?” I whisper.
“I wish I had the answer to that question. There often isn’t an answer. I did learn one thing, though, about the monster that killed your parents.”
“The vampire?” I ask.
“It seems he isn’t a vampire. He’s something worse: a demon.”
“D-demon?” I become aware of my heart pounding in my chest.
Divya joins us and the conversation, saying, “Are you certain? An actual demon?”
Fiona frowns. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. I don’t want to believe it, but I know a few vampires wouldn’t have been able to kill the Wrens. At first, I thought a coven must have decided to terrorize Reverie, but I’m afraid it’s worse than that.”
“You think it was demons,” Divya says. “We’ve never even seen demons before.”
“No, but we’ve heard stories of the past. Many religious texts mention demons. We all know there’s some truth to stories.”
“So you’ve never heard of Arsen before,” I say, dejected. “That means you have no information on him. No leads.”
“I actually do.”
“What?” Divya exclaims. “You didn’t tell me anything about that.”
“I just got the lead yesterday, as well as a splendid new addition to the EEA.” Fiona studies me with intense eyes like she’s trying to glean information from me without asking the question.
“W-what?” I ask. I feel like I’m melting under her gaze.
“What do you know about your friend Rynne?”
I stare at her dumbly. Why is she changing the subject like that? What does Rynne have to do with any of this? What…
“Do you know where Rynne is?” I ask incredulously. “Didi and Connor told me he left town without a word, and I feel like he’s ignoring my calls.”
“He’s fine,” she says.
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Yes, I know where Rynne is.”
Crazy thoughts start popping into my head. Fiona started talking about Rynne right after saying she has some information on Arsen. She knows where he is. He couldn’t possibly be involved in this messed-up life, could he? Not the Rynne I know. He’s too perfect. Too kind.
“He told you about Arsen?” I ask. My voice is trembling.
Fiona regards me for just a moment before answering. “Yes. It seems he has personal experience with Arsen. I’m sorry, Tasia. You wanted the truth. Here it is.”
“Has anyone ever been honest with me in my entire life?” I demand.
I can’t believe this. Rynne’s been lying to me, too? He knows about all of this? He knows about Arsen? Does that mean Arsen ruined his life like he ruined mine? Are Rynne’s parents even alive or was that another lie? Why else would he be living in Reverie’s hotel all by himself? But then where did he get the money?
“No hunter wishes this life on anyone else, Tasia,” Fiona says. “No one was hiding the truth from you to hurt you. I’m sure of that.”
Tears are stinging my eyes. I don’t even know what I’m mad about. Part of me wishes I didn’t know about any of this. Another part of me wishes I’d known it all sooner. Maybe it would have made a difference. Maybe it wouldn’t have.
“My boyfriend was killed by a werebeast. A werebear specifically,” Fiona says.
“The monsters brought out by a full moon,” I mutter. “Wait. The same boyfriend who owned your Camaro?”
“Yes. His death set me on the path to becoming a hunter, and in the end, I found my way to the EEA. Your parents were already members. They knew a lot more about hunting than I did. They became my teachers, but they also became my friends.”
I take a deep breath to fight off my tears. “What are we going to do about it? What are we going to do about Arsen?”
“I’m not going
to let him get away with this, Tasia. It’s going to take time to find him. There isn’t much known about demons, but I’ll do everything in my power to find him and kill him. You have my word.”
I shudder at the word “kill.” Fiona doesn’t think I can handle this. She doesn’t want to include me in hunting Arsen down. I have to find a way to convince her I can help.
“Can you tell me more about my connection to the spirits of the dead?” I ask. “I tried to use it to find my parents back when… but I blacked out.”
“You haven’t been strengthening your ability,” Divya answers. “You’ve been sheltered from it, so that doesn’t surprise me. Fiona had me looking for your parents’ ghosts to try and get some answers as well, but I didn’t have any luck finding them. This means they’ve probably moved on. Even those who can communicate with the spirits of the dead can’t reach out to spirits that have moved on.”
“You have a sixth sense, too,” I say. “Spirits come to you.”
“Yes.”
I fidget with my black diamond. “Teach me,” I say. “Teach me how to use this ability. If anyone can find my parents, I can.”
Divya frowns.
“It’s worth a try!” I insist. “Why would they just move on after being brutally murdered like that? Let me become a hunter. I can help you find Arsen. My parents can help us find Arsen. The more information we have, the better chance we have of finding him. When can I join the EEA?”
Fiona’s eyes harden. “I still don’t think—”
“Please!” I beg. “I won’t get in the way! I can be useful. Even though I don’t know anything about fighting, having a sixth sense is worth something, right? I won’t get in the way.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
She doesn’t understand. I’ve never been so driven to do anything in my life. This is all there is. I have to… I have to kill Arsen. I’ve heard stories of demons. You find mention of them in practically every religious text. They’re creatures made of pure darkness and evil. They shouldn’t exist in our world.
“You don’t understand,” I say. “I can’t stop thinking about him. He’s always there, inside my head. Maybe my black diamond saved me back when I met him in my house, or maybe he was screwing around with me, and that’s how I survived. But he won’t leave my mind. I know the other monsters there that night must have been demons too, but something about Arsen…”
Fiona rubs her temples. “We know the female you saw with Arsen is for sure another demon. Her name is Yuki. Rynne said that Arsen is the one calling the shots, at least between the two demons you saw.” She sighs. “Fine. I’ll let you join the EEA, Tasia. But there’s a condition: you have to continue school. You have to finish high school through those online courses. If you cram, you could end up graduating early. The choice of pace is yours, but I’m not letting your education go to waste just like that.”
“I can do that,” I say.
“All recruits go through a physical test, regardless of where you end up inside the EEA.”
“I’ll do whatever I have to do.”
Just as I say the words, I get this overwhelming sensation that Arsen is near. I look out the window, expecting to see him there, but all that greets me is the night. I need to stop this before I lose my mind.
CHAPTER 18
Arsen
I MEANT TO RETURN to Yuki, but I never did. I’ve been searching for an angel, any angel. I want answers, but even if I found one and tortured them, they most likely wouldn’t give me the information I seek. Angels are notoriously loyal like that. No. I just need to rip into one. I need to prove I haven’t lost my edge. I need to prove they haven’t won anything. I can still kill them. I can still…
That girl plagues my every thought. Yuki said she felt the presence of angels that night. They’re planning something for me, and I need to know what it is—but I can’t find a single fucking angel anywhere. What’s worse is I have this itch, my beast inside of me telling me to move. I’ve been on the move for days, and I’m starting to think my beast is just leading me around in senseless circles. It’s just restless. It needs release—but I can’t allow that. I can’t…
An apartment complex. It’s rather generic. I’ve passed by countless others while in Philadelphia, but my beast guarantees this one is different. My beast is rattling around in my chest. It wants whatever is inside. I jump and climb my way onto the roof of an apartment complex across the parking lot of the one I’m interested in, so I can scan most of the windows of the apartments my beast is set on. I study each window, using the humming inside of my chest to tell me if I’m getting close to what has my beast so excited. When I start looking through the windows of the third-floor apartments, the humming in my chest grows so intense it feels like pounding drums.
Then I see it. I see why my beast has refused to leave Philadelphia since I arrived. I see her.
My heart skips a beat, and then its pace quickens. It sends a throbbing sensation through my entire chest, and it hurts. My body burns against the freezing air blanketing the city tonight. I grip the fabric of my jacket covering my chest in an attempt to alleviate some of the pain, but it does nothing. I can feel my beast rattling around in my rib cage, begging me to let go. My logician is barely hanging on.
I lock my gaze onto the girl. I try to let my logician puzzle out what has my beast so irritated, but the dissonance doesn’t stop, and the two sides of me continue their war.
I cringe as I watch her. She’s sitting on her bed, but she isn’t doing it idly. It looks like she’s talking to someone, but she’s the only one I have a clear view of through the window—and I do mean clear. I can see her soft brown hair falling past her slender shoulders, the beautiful curve of her body as she sits tall. I can even see the slight wrinkling of her forehead when her face shifts into concern. I shudder. I feel an inexplicable urge to go to her. My beast tells me she’s everything.
Everything.
I breathe deep, but it does little to stop my beast’s onslaught on my logician. My beast, my instincts, can see things my logician can’t. My logician and beast can usually come to some sort of agreement, but that isn’t the case here. I know I can’t give in to my beast or I’ll get caught in some kind of trap. I could die if I give in and go to her. The last time I saw her, she rendered me powerless.
“Why are you so infatuated with her?” I growl under my breath.
I’ve never laid eyes on this girl, not until that night in Reverie. The strangest thing of all is the kind of feelings I have for her. I’m not consumed by simple lust, by greed, any of the deadly sins my beast takes and amplifies. It’s something else.
I belong with her. She belongs with me. My beast insists this is true. I want to heed its call, but my logician is barely holding on, barely holding it back with the promise of things ending badly if I give in to this inexplicable desire. The angels have compromised my beast. It’s working against me.
But I belong with her.
A growl escapes my lips. I’m going to claim what’s mine. I’m not waiting anymore. I can’t wait anymore.
I feel my body changing, my fangs growing, my horns peeking from my head, my hands and fingernails turning into paws and claws. Any second now my beast will take control of my actions and appearance. Every demon and angel for miles will be able to sense the enormity of my darkness. They’ll—
Angels. I smell angels.
My logician rejects my beast just as I’ve leaped from the building. My logician and beast fight for control, paralyzing me momentarily. I fall into a prickly bush below. It cushions my fall some, but it snaps underneath me, and I end up hitting the cold, hard soil below. My body is screaming at me. I feel broken. I am broken. My ribs are sticking out of my chest, and I’m bleeding everywhere. My fall alone couldn’t have done this. My beast and logician were literally tearing me apart. What a waste of life essence. At least my logician is in control again.
I spend a moment coughing and gasping as my body repairs i
tself. The process feels like eternity, but in reality, it takes less than a few seconds. A good thing, because after that idiotic stunt, I’ll probably have an angel in front of me any minute now.
I wait, expecting the angelic presence to come closer. It doesn’t. It’s staying close to the girl. So the angel won’t come for me unless I go for the girl? She’s the key to the trap they laid and they won’t come after me otherwise. I can’t bring myself to find this angel and hunt it down either. It’s too close to the girl. They want me to go to her, but then what? Are they going to sacrifice her? I could go over there and snap her neck in an instant. It would be that easy.
Except it’s not that easy, or I would have done it before. She stopped me. How did she stop me?
I stare up at her window, but I can’t see her from down here. Now my beast is whining at me, a pained howl trapped in my throat.
“Enough!” I hiss under my breath. “Enough of this nonsense. We’re returning to Yuki. We need time to think.”
“Over here! I swear I saw someone falling out my window!”
“Are you sure you weren’t just imagining it?”
I stand up and brush the remnants of the bush off of me. Two humans shout and point at me, but then I’m gone. I’m running fast and everything’s a blur. The night lights of the city are like lingering streaks of color left on my vision.
I need to think.
CHAPTER 19
Tasia
I DON’T SLEEP WELL. I haven’t been sleeping well since the night my parents died, but it’s really bad tonight. I could swear I felt Arsen’s presence when I was with Fiona and Divya, but then it vanished just as fast as it came. I feel uneasy about it. I can’t stop thinking about the skin-crawling sensation of being near him. I can’t stop thinking about the ridiculous infatuation. I cringe. I should feel absolutely nothing for him but hate. Everything else is an illusion, a trick.
I haven’t felt his presence again since that moment. But I keep thinking about him. I always think about him—particularly at night.
I’m relieved when I hear Fiona come out of her room and head for the kitchen. I focus on the sound of her moving. Divya didn’t spend the night for once, so the sounds in the kitchen are all Fiona. She’s cooking breakfast this morning. I decide I’ve waited long enough. There’s no reason to pretend to be asleep any longer if she’s awake.
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