The Forsaken

by Laura Thalassa

  He turned to face me. “The devil?” he asked.

  I caught my breath and shook my head. “Just scared of my own shadow—oh and the Politia paid a visit.”

  He captured my jaw in his hand and pressed a kiss to my lips. “I heard them but could do nothing. Luckily, they are incompetent fools. You were the best thing that ever happened to them.”

  Even as he spoke, Andre directed me back to the car. Flattering as his words were, we both knew that it wouldn’t take long for the Politia to retrace my steps—incompetent or not.

  The persecution tunnel let out to a rocky outcropping that overlooked the ocean. Peel Academy was off to our left, sitting on a tiny piece of land that jutted out into the water. A narrow, grassy trail cut through the sloping bluffs we stood on, and we clambered up it like billy goats to get back to Andre’s car.

  Okay, I clambered up it like a billy goat. Andre just looked like the badass mutha-effer he always was.

  “How did it go?” he asked when he swung into the driver’s side of the vehicle, sliding the key into the ignition. The engine roared to life.

  I concentrated on buckling my seatbelt. The metal buckle tapped against the clip. I missed the slot once, twice, three times.

  Andre placed a hand over mine.

  I drew in a shaky breath and glanced up at him. His gaze was concerned. He squeezed my hands.

  “It’s okay,” he whispered, understanding what I didn’t say. “It’s going to be fine.”

  I nodded quickly—too quickly.

  “My soulmate took care of herself. That’s all I care about.”

  I still hadn’t gathered together the courage to let him know what I had done.

  I was a coward.

  Andre gunned the car, pulling us onto the road.

  I pressed a hand to the window and watched the ruins of Peel Castle disappear behind me. I’d only attended for mere months, but I’d come to love the place. The warm glow of the wall scones, the smell of musty books, the casual magic that wrapped itself around the buildings themselves. I finally understood what made this place, this island, so very appealing. There was some part of it that called to the primordial magic that ran through my veins.

  We careened through the town of Peel, the dark storefronts staring back at me. How many weekends had Oliver, Leanne, and I come here to drink coffee and eat pastries? Never would that happen again. I caught sight of the zany fondue restaurant Caleb had taken me to all those months ago, when I was just the dark, strange girl that captured his attention.

  Caleb. A lump rose in my throat. He’d been so sad. What I would give to know his thoughts. Did he hate me as much as the rest of them? I didn’t think so, but who knew? People were complex. They could be reasonable when you expected them not to be, but they could also be unreasonable when you thought they’d understand.

  My breath fogged the glass, and I drew a frowning smiley face. Gah, I was depressing.

  Next to me, I could feel Andre’s tension seeping into my bones. I wasn’t sure I was the only mess in this car. He just did it while looking regal and broody as all get out.

  Outside, the city fell away, hills and glens replacing the small town. Even this scenery tugged at my heartstrings. On that first trip from the airport to Peel, Leanne had explained that the small mounds that dotted the landscape were from ancient burials.

  Just as I reached up to add a tear to the frown-y face I drew, a shadow streaked across my vision.

  I rubbed my eyes. Just one more thing falling apart these days.

  Andre’s hand fell to my thigh and gave it a squeeze. I glanced down at its comforting presence. This was how lovers touched each other. I still hadn’t gotten used to it—that we could touch each other like this, not just in the bedroom, but outside of it as well. The reminder sent a thrill through me.

  I glanced up at him, my skin beginning to shimmer. The glow of it reflected in his eyes, which watched me.

  Another shadow caught my eye. My head whipped to the window. Only this time, the shadow didn’t disappear.

  Ghostly sentinels stood at the edge of the field that bordered the road. I recognized them at once for what they were—the devil’s minions.

  “Uh, Andre?”

  He slammed on the brakes. “I see them.”

  He turned the car off and the door opened in the next second. “Stay here, soulmate,” Andre ordered, never taking his eyes off the demons.

  I guffawed. “Oh, right. Sit here on my ass while you’re busy slaying incorporeal beings. I don’t think so,” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt.

  “Soulmate.”

  “We already have enough enemies to fight. It’s going to be hard if you’re trying to get me to cooperate on top of that.”

  Andre ran a hand through his hair. “Why must you always be so stubborn?” he grumbled as I slid out the daggers I carried on me.

  “It’s one of my charms.” I smiled at him.

  Oatthhhh breakerrrr, the wind hissed.

  I turned my attention to the demons that watched us. These weren’t the good guys. The underbelly of the supernatural world had come out to play. “Why aren’t they attacking?”

  In fact, several of them folded in on themselves. I realized belatedly they were bowing.

  To me.

  My stomach contracted. I might not have the Sight like Leanne did, but my instincts were going off, and they were telling me that we’d fallen into the middle of something we shouldn’t have.

  The shadows stirred, their smoky bodies rippling as something passed through them. Then the darkness condensed, and there, from the shadows, emerged a man.

  No, not a man. The devil, clad in one of his usual suits. He only had eyes for me.

  “Evening, consort.” His gaze had me pinned to the spot.

  “Why are you here?” I asked, clutching my weapons even tighter.

  “Soulmate, we need to go.”

  “It’s too late for that, dear Andre,” the devil said.

  Just like the centaurs had done, the demons circled us. I still didn’t understand their motives. They couldn’t attack me here, nor could the devil. They were incorporeal.

  The devil’s eyes fell to my weapons. “How precious. You mean to stave us off with your crude tools.”

  Andre stepped in front of me, and the devil’s attention turned to him. “And the king of vampires, here to defend the siren against his creator.” The devil’s upper lip curled back. “I would smite you where you stand for touching my consort if I did not know that her parting would ruin you worse than my lashes ever could.

  “Does it frighten you to think that one day soon she’ll leave you? And once that day comes, she will warm my bed, and she will stand faithfully by my side for all eternity?”

  My gooseflesh rose at his words. He said it to get under Andre’s skin, and it worked. Our connection pulsed as a wave of Andre’s power washed over me. The crowd of demons stirred at the sensation.

  “He pushes you behind him, consort, as though you cannot protect yourself.”

  The devil was doing this on purpose. Baiting me. He knew Andre’s overprotectiveness annoyed me.

  “As though,” the devil continued, folding his arms, “you aren’t far more powerful than he is.”

  My breath caught. In front of me Andre stiffened, either from insult or from the shocking possibility.

  The devil let out a surprised laugh. “You both genuinely never knew?” The devil clasped his hands together. “Well, cat’s out of the bag. She’s far stronger than you, vampire, old as you may be. She is my mate, after all.”

  I glanced down, seeing myself for the first time. Could he be right? I’d never tested the extent of my powers because of how frightening they were. But as I took in my heavy limbs, the slight palsy I’d developed, and my slow heartbeat, the last thing I felt was powerful.

  “She’s nothing of yours,” Andre spat.

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” The devil turned to me. “Isn’t he, consort?” He took a step f
orward, something behind his eyes shifting and curling like a flame might. It mesmerized me. “I am something to you, aren’t I? You’ve known this from your first memories of me.”

  The man in the suit standing in the flames of my house as it burned. Yes, even then I’d known that I belonged to that fire as much as he did. And then there had been the time shortly after I’d been adopted when he visited. The first time I’d seen him since the fire. By then, I’d lost everything I’d ever known.

  Everything, save for him.

  He scared me even then, sitting on the neighbor’s roof, just watching me through my bedroom window. But another part of me found relief in his presence. He’d been the only person who’d ever consistently stuck around.

  I touched a hand to my forehead, the knife I still gripped now coming dangerously close to my face. “Stop it.” He did this on purpose, digging up memories better left buried and seeding emotions where there had been none.

  “All you need to do is die, and then you will come into your powers.”

  “That will not be happening tonight, Lucifer,” Andre said.

  The devil shoved his hands in his pockets and strolled around us. “Another empty promise, Andre? Really, you can only disappoint people so many times before they stop trusting you.”

  The devil swiveled to me. “You know he cannot prevent your death anymore than you can.” He was that dark voice inside my head, the one that probed for my weaknesses, then exploited them, and right now he was trying to drive a wedge between Andre and me.

  The devil’s attention returned to my soulmate. “But not to worry, brute, I’m not here to take my consort home this evening.”

  Andre’s hair ruffled, and I couldn’t tell whether the breeze that moved it came from the island’s wind or Andre himself.

  I stepped forward. “What are you doing here?” I demanded. I pretended not to hear tremor in my voice.

  The devil’s eyes narrowed on me. “Enjoying bloodsport.”

  I looked around, taking in the ephemeral beings. “What bloodsport?”

  He smiled and my stomach plummeted.

  “Soulmate, let’s go.”

  Andre placed a hand on my back, angling me towards his car. We were almost to the ring of shadows when the devil spoke.

  “You haven’t told him, have you?”

  I stopped, closing my eyes. I could feel Andre’s probing gaze on me, even without looking.

  In the distance I heard the rumble of an engine approaching, coming up fast. A small part of me hoped they would see us as they passed and stop to help. A much larger part of me already knew that no one who stopped would be as well equipped to face the devil as Andre and I. They’d just be casualties.

  “Tut, tut, keeping secrets from the vampire. Though I don’t blame you, consort. This one is a doozy.”

  I opened my eyes. Next to me, Andre’s jaw had tightened, his gaze trained over his shoulder at the devil. His hair flicked like the tail of an agitated cat.

  The car slowed down, drawn to the sight of us undoubtedly.

  “Ah,” the devil held his hands out, “look, we have company.”

  Would they be supernaturals, like us, or regular humans? The Politia was still after me. Maybe it was an officer. But if it was, then they drove a civilian vehicle.

  The engine cut off, and the driver-side door swung open. A man stepped out of the car, and my senses kicked into gear. His gaunt face and bloodshot eyes were a far cry from the dark perfection of the devil’s own features. He smelled of black magic, alcohol, and sickness. This man, like me, was dying.

  Liver failure. My nose could detect that. It could also detect what he was. It washed over me, the smell unlocking a memory of a stainless steel table, a still heartbeat, and the touch of death. I’d come across one like him before, though the last man’s life force had been long gone by the time I’d ever laid eyes on him.

  Necromancer.

  They practiced dark magic, so definitely not the Politia.

  When I swiveled back around, I caught the devil smirking. Never a good sign.

  Another heartbeat came from the car.

  “There’s someone in there with him,” I said to Andre.

  “I know.”

  Around us, the demons and even the devil had fallen silent.

  “Necromancer,” Andre called, “get back in the car and drive home to your loved ones. This place holds only death for you.”

  Rather than taking Andre’s advice, the necromancer pulled out a knife.

  Something told me this dude wasn’t on team Andriel—yeah, I’d made Andre and me a celebrity name.

  The man brought the knife down, the weapon biting into his skin. Andre swore, his form blurring as he ran to the man.

  Was I the only one who had no idea what was going on?

  The sharp tang of blood filled the air, making my fangs slide out.

  “See, little bird?” the devil whispered in my ear. I jumped at his voice, but when I rotated to face him, he still stood a great distance away. “Bloodsport.”

  The two grappled, which is really to say that Andre quickly put the necromancer in a chokehold and was threatening to kill the man if he didn’t cooperate.

  That heartbeat in the car still thumped away, calling me towards it. I moved forward, trying to pick up the person’s scent.

  Smoke congealed in front of me, and out of it stepped the devil. “Ah, ah, ah, consort. All in good time.”

  His words were only proof that I’d taken the right course of action.

  I continued forward, undaunted at the prospect of passing the devil. I’d go through him if I had to.

  The ground rolled, knocking me onto my ass.

  The necromancer laughed, drawing my attention to him. “It’s too late, vampire! My blood stains the—”

  Andre took the man’s head between his hands. A deft yank was all it took. Bone cracked and his neck snapped.

  I felt Andre’s power wash over the field as his anger took over. “What is the meaning of this?” he roared, swiveling to face the devil.

  What had I missed?

  Suddenly the shadowy demons shifted, their forms filling out as they solidified.

  Uh oh. They weren’t supposed to do that.

  I crab crawled backwards.

  “Get back in the car, soulmate. Now.”

  For once I listened to Andre. I scrambled to my feet and ran towards the car. Fifteen feet, ten feet—

  A shadow plummeted down from the sky. It crashed onto the roof of Andre’s sports car, crushing the frame beneath its body. A very solid, very sinister demon chuckled low in its throat, the sound more monster than man.

  “Uh, Andre? I think it’s too late for a quick getaway,” I said, watching the being step down, its entire focus trained on me.

  When I glanced over my shoulder, Andre was already in the heat of battle. Black blood littered the ground and stained his clothing. He withdrew his dagger from a demon’s chest just as another jumped on his back, its razor sharp teeth lunging for Andre’s throat.

  I opened my mouth to scream, only to feel a hand grab a chunk of hair. The demon who’d smashed Andre’s car yanked my head back. His lips receded, revealing a set of pointy teeth. And his breath—ugh, dude had never been introduced to a toothbrush.

  I brought the blades I still held up and slashed them across his neck. Inky blood splattered across my face, and I cringed at the putrid liquid. The demon fell to his knees. His form shimmered, then disappeared altogether.

  “Well done, consort.” The devil had strolled over and watched me with folded arms. He seemed to drag the night with him as he did so.

  I had no time to flip the devil off before another demon came at me, this one with slitted pupils and claws. I sidestepped him, shoving one of my daggers into his back. Not a mortal wound; just enough to piss him off something good.

  “I thought necromancers only animated the dead,” I said to the devil as the demon recovered.

  “Most do,” he said, �
��but some can do the opposite—give bodies to those without.”

  The clawed being rushed me again, and feeling like a matador, I once again sidestepped him, only attacking him the moment he passed me. As my blade carved into my opponent, I noticed that several of the demons had focused their attention on the necromancer’s car.

  That second heartbeat. I took a step towards it, only to be distracted by my opponent’s snarl.

  I turned my attention back to the fight a second too late. The demon plowed into me. Air whistled out of my lungs as he tackled me to the ground. His claws lunged for my heart, ready to dig it out.

  I brought my forearm up to block the attack. I let out a choked cry as his talons dug into the skin of my arm and sliced up the side of my face.

  Grunting, I brought a leg up and kneed him in the crotch. The creature on top of me let out an inhuman howl and reflexively curled in on itself. Demons may not be human, but apparently they do in fact come with the same plumbing.

  I didn’t waste the time I’d bought myself. I rolled on top of the demon and plunged one of my knives into the creature’s heart.

  A car door slammed, and my head jerked up. From the necromancer’s vehicle, several demons dragged an inert woman. Her shoulders slumped, her dark hair dangling loosely in front of her.

  I sucked in a breath.

  No.

  I was up in an instant, running towards her. “Let her go!” I screamed. My skin had already begun to glow, and in my panic it brightened. Only here, among creatures not from this world, my glamour carried no power.

  Demons closed in on me from all sides, and I brought my daggers up, slashing with abandon. Between their numbers and my injuries, I couldn’t cut my way through them. They yanked away my weapons and dragged my hands behind me, pinning me in place.

  “Cease!” the devil boomed. Immediately his legion of followers fell back, giving me a view of our battlefield.