Fire And Ash

by Nia Davenport

  Ugh! I’m disgusted with myself for being caught so vulnerable. I make a mental note to always carry the knives with me, regardless of where I am going or who I am going to be with.

  “Fine,” I grit out. “I won’t tell anybody.” The words taste sour in my mouth. I feel like the lowest of traitors. But I will hold to them anyway. It is not cowardice or fear that makes me. Derek and his threats can kiss my entire ass. It’s the six year old little girl not him that forces me to agree. She doesn’t want to find herself standing over Cassie’s body too. Or worse, being the one to take her life.

  I was born a hunter, and I will die a hunter. I think about the vow I took. I could kill Derek without hesitation, his mother I could force myself to. But Cassie, a human and innocent like my mom, deep down I know I could not.

  Derek nods. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small switchblade. He slices it across his palm.

  “Vow it by blood,” he says holding the knife out to me.

  I look at him as if he’s lost his mind, or maybe he never really had it to begin with. “You’re cracked out. Blood vows don’t really work. I am not cutting myself and letting my blood mix with yours.”

  I don’t miss the condescending smirk on his lips or the weighty judgement in his eyes.“Why because I’m a monster?”

  “No because you’re an ass.”

  He snorts dismissively. It says I don’t like you either.

  I want to hit him. Hard.

  “For hunters to think they know so much they truly love to be ignorant. Your lot has chosen to forget a lot of things that we remember. Like blood vows working between my kind and yours. It holds both parties to them and makes it impossible for either to break.

  “Yeah, I believe that. Not.”

  “Yeah, and I give a shit. Not. I only care that you do it. It’s the only way you’re getting out of this car alive.” He pointedly looks at the locked door.

  “Whatever.” I snatch the knife from him. “I will not expose you or your mother as phoenix. But just so we are clear, I am not afraid of you. I’m only agreeing to this for Cassie. And another thing, I will be watching you. If I find out that you are preying on any person in this town in any way don’t think that you will be safe because Cassie being human will keep me from telling my family about you. I will personally see to it that a silver blade is embedded into your heart. You might be stronger, but I promise I have a stronger resolve. I will kill you.”

  “You can try,” he drawls completely unaffected.

  “I can do a lot more than try.”

  We engage in a silent stare down. Our eyes remain locked as I slice the knife across my hand and thrust my palm into his.

  It feels like fire is melting the flesh from around the open wound.

  Derek smirks in mocking challenge. Waiting to deride me for pulling away. I straighten my spine and leave my hand where it is. I don’t blink, I don’t mutter a sound, and I certainly do not let my hand shake from the pain. I remain as still and as stoic as he is. After what seems like an eternity of my hand being consumed by invisible flames, the burning slowly recedes. I do not remove my hand from his until it completely fades away.

  His eyes flash with surprise and I swallow a gloating smile. Ha! I can handle whatever you can dish.

  The locks on the doors pop open and Derek reaches his arm past me. He looks at the open passenger door pointedly.

  I remain in my seat for a beat longer, refusing to be dismissed on command. I count to ten slowly in my head. After the second time of doing so I get out of the car and slam the door behind me with as much force as I can. The window shatters and I smile sweetly into the open space it leaves behind.

  “Oops. Sorry.” I turn around and march to my front door without waiting for him to respond.

  I hear the angry screech of tires against the pavement behind me.

  When I go to bed I am still smiling at the strangled, livid look on his face.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  He's Not A Boy

  As I drive to Cass’ house, an amber alert blares on the radio. A thirteen year old boy makes three abducted teenagers from Highland Village this July. The search for him will end with finding the charred remains of his body like in the instances with the two girls.

  What the hell is going on? I think to myself. My family will be leaving for an extended period of time again to help with the search. I am amazed that they have yet to catch the phoenix responsible. My family is good at what we do. We are arguably the best.

  My hands grip the steering wheel tighter. We are the best, which means I am one of the best, and they refuse to use me. I am additional manpower. I can help. Sometimes one more person won’t make a difference and sometimes one more person makes all the difference. At first it was just about me not wanting to be left out of the action. But three abductions and two burned bodies later it has become about me actually wanting to help catch the individuals responsible.

  I hit the knob on the radio a little too hard abruptly cutting the newscaster’s words off about a summer storm that may be moving our way.

  Damn it. I can help. Why won’t they let me?

  My mood is already bad enough by the time I get to Cass’ house and of course Derek answers the door and makes it worse. I pull my hand up short from punching him and his infuriating smirk in the face on sight. “Oh it’s just you.”

  I don’t verbally respond. I simply shake my head and think how a pretty face and a hot body is such a damn waste on Derek. If he were any other boy it would have been a nice surprise to see him answer the door in nothing but swim trunks and dripping wet with his dark hair curling about his head.

  Since our conversation in his car two and a half weeks ago the interactions between us have become even more tense and antagonistic. I know what he is. I also know he knows what I am, and there is no longer any reason for him to reign in his feelings of nothing but disgust for me. I dislike him equally but we tolerate each other and put on a good show when we are both around Cass.

  Mick’s gym during the twice a week MMA class that he insists on showing up to is an entirely different story.

  Mick matches people to skill level so he always partners us up when it is time to spar in the ring. Each time we nearly kill each other and the only reason we don’t is because Mick gets between us and calls it quits before we do.

  “Cass, I thought it was the pizza but it’s your friend,” Derek yells so she can hear him in their backyard.

  The way he says your friend makes me envision holding his head under water until he stops breathing when Cass isn’t looking.

  “I have a name.” I push past him into the house not waiting for him to invite me in because I know I will remain standing on the porch if I do.

  “Aren’t you swimming?” Cassie asks me when she comes from outside and sees the absence of a swimsuit beneath my clothes. I’m wearing the sports bra and cropped pants I put on for work.

  I hold up my messenger bag. “Yeah I am. I’m coming from teaching my first class at the gym. I need to change.”

  “The pizza should be close behind. Hang out in the living room until it comes. It’s hard to hear the bell from out back,” Derek tells her then heads for the backyard.

  Cassie rolls her eyes. “The bell can be heard just fine. Derek just wants an excuse to make out in the pool with the random girl he invited over without me hovering since Mom’s not here.”

  “Wait, what? Since when does Derek have friends? And I’ve never seen him with a girl.” I realize how ridiculous the last part sounds after it leaves my mouth. I rub the side of my neck to stop the blush that is trying to creep up it.

  “Oh he doesn’t have friends. He has random girls he picks up from who knows where.” Cassie yells the emphasized words loud enough for Derek and whatever girl he has in the backyard to hear.

  “That’s not surprising,” I mutter and I am half telling the truth and half lying.

  It isn’t surprising. Derek looks exactly like the type of g
uy that girls would fall all over. His height, athletic build, and the six pack that I could probably wash my clothes on make him hot, but his dark eyes framed by dark thick lashes and the bad boy vibe he puts out make him irresistible. Not to me, I tell myself. But I’m sure to every other girl.

  I am half lying though because Derek doesn’t give off the impression that he is they type of guy who would let them. He’s an arrogant ass, but I hadn’t pegged him as an arrogant, shallow, ass.

  “Hi,” the pizza guy says from the open doorway.

  “You can change in my room upstairs while I pay for the pizza and take it out back. Hurry. Don’t leave me as a third wheel for too long,” Cassie says to me before turning to grab the four boxes the delivery guy is balancing in one hand.

  I check my reflection in the mirror hanging from the back of Cassie’s door. I am satisfied that I look good in the swimsuit I borrowed from Aunt Farrah’s closet. It’s a black one piece with the sides cut out that leaves my back completely bare except for the string that is tied around my neck and the one that is tied around my back like a bikini’s strings would do.

  It is nothing Dad would ever let me own and the bikinis I have are much too boring for my objective. The way the one piece is missing materials in places that a normal one wouldn’t gives it an edgy, sexy feel. And Derek had told Cassie I was three. I don’t give a damn what he thinks, but I am not a three. I brought the swimsuit to wear when she told me he’d be around off of principle alone.

  Principle is also what leaves me feeling gleefully vindicated when I walk out of the house and Derek’s eyes go wide a moment before he catches himself.

  My victory is short lived when I notice that the random girl he invited over is not so random after all.

  “Hi Ashley.” My used to be best friend Miranda gives me a fake smile.

  She slides her hands down Derek’s stomach and into the waist band of his trunks. I imagine holding her head underwater until she stops breathing off of principle alone. I just don’t like her.

  I sympathize with her because it really is my fault we’re not friends anymore but I didn’t force her to become a catty bitch.

  “I guess Laurel Springs is a small enough town that most people around here know each other,” Cass says over a mouth full of pizza. “Want a slice? I made sure to get one with just pepperoni.” She pushes one of the four boxes towards me.

  I turn my back on Derek’s and Miranda’s hands that are nauseatingly touching all over each other.

  “And this is why you’re awesome,” I tell Cass while I stuff my face with my favorite pizza. I ate breakfast then a protein bar earlier in the afternoon before the gym, but it’s early evening and I’m starving now.

  Cassie scowls at something going on between Derek and Miranda over my shoulder. I hear him murmur something deep and then her laugh airily and I do not turn around to see what they are doing.

  “You know you have a room,” she says dryly.

  “But pools are much more fun.”

  Without looking behind me I know Derek’s smile matches the smugness in his voice.

  “I can punch him for you, or drown him,” I offer.

  “Can you drown her?”

  I consider it. I seriously consider it. And I wonder why the idea is so appealing to me. Miranda turned into a bitch with a capital B after we parted ways, but I’ve never felt the particular way about it that Becca does.

  Cassie’s eyes widen in shock. “You look like you are actually considering it.”

  “We used to be friends, but we’re not anymore. It’s a long story. She’s one of those Cheerleader types I told you that everybody flocks to.”

  “In that case, no thank you. I do not want to join when school starts up.” The way Cassie’s nose wrinkles in disdain for what she assumes is Miranda’s mean girl treatment of me is endearing.

  Miranda would never be so bold. She knows if I decide to be too nice to kick her ass, Becca definitely will not. I try to stay on my best behavior and might slip if I’m provoked enough whereas Becca only operates in one of three modes: bad behavior, worse behavior, and hellish behavior.

  Our former BFF is more of the passive aggressive type. She tosses around fake smiles, calls me Ashley and her Rebecca even though she knows we both hate being called by our full names, whispers something low enough for us not to hear to her brainless minions as we walk by, notices a boy that one of us likes or might like and hooks up with him out of spite.

  “Come on. Let’s go ruin Derek’s fun,” Cassie grins at me devilishly as she gets up from the table. “Follow my lead.”

  “What’s your name again? Kaime right?” Cassie innocently asks Miranda as we step into the pool.

  I swallow a smile loving where this is going. “No,” I correct her. “Kamie is Derek’s friend from yesterday who came over for a swim. I see how it would be easy to confuse them. They both have brown hair. But Kamie’s is blonde at the roots just like Jasmine’s is who came over the day before that.”

  Cassie does an oscar worthy job of looking confused. “Are you sure Ash because I thought it was Michelle who came over yesterday not Kamie.”

  “No Cass. Michelle came over the day before yesterday after Jasmine left remember? And Kamie came yesterday. She was supposed to come early but got here late and then Derek had to call Laura and cancel on her so they wouldn’t end up over here at the same time.”

  “Oh that’s right?” Cassie smacks her hand against her forehead sounding every bit like the stereotypical dumb blonde, even though she is anything but. Cassie is bubbly and perky but she is a far cry from an airhead.

  “Sorry,” she says turning to Miranda. Derek has so many girls coming and going that it is hard to keep you all straight. “What’s your name? I promise not to forget it again.”

  Miranda’s face is a bright shade of crimson that matches her skimpy bikini. When Derek opens his mouth to say whatever he is about to say to smooth things over she slaps him across the face. He stares after her stunned as she climbs out of the pool in a huff and marches out of the back gate.

  “You two are so not funny,” he spits when Cassie and I double over in laughter.

  “I told you to get a room,” Cassie says unapologetically. “No one wants to see you suck face with some random girl you picked up. And you have the audacity to complain about Ash coming over. At least Ash is my friend and I actually know her.”

  Her words in defense of me leave a hollow feeling in my stomach. We have become fast friends in the last month and it is not missed on me that I have been deceiving her about who I am the entire time. And if she knew the truth, considering what Derek told me about her parents, she probably wouldn’t want to be anymore.

  Derek snorts, sinking everything I just thought into the dismissive gesture. “Whatever Cass.”

  Cassie is about to retort back but then her shoulders start to shake a little. When she notices it she forces them rigidly still and awkwardly tells me she will be right back.

  “Is she okay?” I ask Derek as I watch her retreating form disappear into their house.

  “Not that it is any of your business, but yes she is. She just needs a minute to compose herself. When she gets upset or excited or experiences any emotion too intensely her eyes turn gold like she’s a full phoenix. And when she’s really pissed off she might accidentally do other things. She’s trying to keep either of those things from happening around you.”

  “Wouldn’t it just be easier to tell her I know? And to tell her about me?” I’ve wondered over the last couple of weeks why he insists that she be kept in the dark.

  Derek crosses his arms over his chest like it is supposed to make me afraid of him and pointedly tells me “No.” It makes the part of me that isn’t always on her best behavior rear its head.

  “Why?”

  “Because I said so.”

  Ha! Not good enough. “Yeah and apparently somebody died without telling me and made you king of the world. I don’t care what you say. I’m tell
ing her.”

  “No you’re not.” He takes a menacing step towards me. The cool water of the pool ripples around his torso as he moves. My gaze dips down, notices how the water licks at his smooth skin, and then abruptly jerks back up.

  “And I suppose you think you can stop me?” I keep my eyes trained on his face.

  He takes another step towards me. “I don’t have to try. The blood vow you took will.”

  “It would if I had actually sworn not to tell her about me which I didn’t. I only said I wouldn’t tell my family about yours.”

  My triumphant grin doesn’t last long. It sputters away when Derek narrows his eyes at me and his hands shoot out quick as lightning yanking me against him. My breath catches in my chest when his fingers touch the exposed skin at my side. Something like a zip of electricity shoots from his finger tips to the skin he touches. My body goes rigid even as my heart beats erratically in my chest when his fingers touch the band of my swimsuit’s waistline resting low on my hip. I think the electrical shock must have short circuited my brain because I should definitely either be jerking away from him or shoving him back from me. But that same brain registers that I am standing as intimately close to a boy my age as I’ve ever stood with a lot of exposed flesh and very little clothing between us. What the hell? He’s not a boy, he is a phoenix and I should definitely be pulling away.

  After a beat Derek’s body goes as tense as mine then it relaxes casually. His warm fingers tug upwards at the waist of my swimsuit. “You might want to keep that covered. And if you care about Cassie you won’t tell her. She wants to be normal. Knowing about you or knowing that you know about her won’t help her with that.”

  Derek smoothly steps away from me as Cassie comes walking through the sliding glass door.

  “Sorry Ash. I just…um…had to go to the bathroom really bad.”

  Derek shoots a meaningful look at me then looks to Cassie. I see the desperation in her eyes to be normal behind the lie that she tells me for needing to leave.