The Quarter Moon (Afterlife saga)

by Stephanie Hudson

  “How do you feel?” I had been so deep in my shock that I hadn’t noticed Vincent had now left and for the first time it was just Draven and I, alone and as we truly were.

  “Confused.” I said as all physical pain was now a thing of the past, overshadowed by the biggest question of all…why?

  “That’s not surprising.” He said and like his brother before him he wouldn’t come any closer until I said something.

  “If you fear for my nails scratching out your eyes, I think you’re safe, although I wouldn’t let me loose in your kitchen just yet…too many pointy ends.” I said dryly, trying to kill the tension being in his presence was bound to bring. He didn’t laugh but I at least noticed a light spark brought to his eyes.

  “I will have to remember that.” He replied stepping further into the room. I was expecting him to approach the bed like Vincent had done and I braced for it, knowing what being so close to him would do to me, but in the end I needn’t had worried. Instead of coming too close, he moved a chair with his mind until it was over a metre away from the bed. I had to say it hurt that he didn’t want to be close to me, but then I really couldn’t expect anything else could I…? I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn’t a reunion, this was an ending.

  “I think you and I are overdue a chat, don’t you?” He said after a moment of silence had let me take in my surroundings. The room was a pretty girly room that screamed chintzy, but tastefully so. It was actually such a feminine room it was difficult to see Draven being comfortable in it.

  The walls were whitewashed stone and on the only flat wall that must have been the divider to an ensuite bathroom, there was a blue and white china pattern painted, one that you would normally have found on an old Chinese plate. I looked down at the bed I was in and saw there was a folded comforter at the end in the same design which also matched the cushions both on the bed and on the cute wing backed chairs. I could at least be glad I was no longer in the same room I had found Aurora in.

  This thought brought on one of deep shame at my actions and Draven must have seen it written across my face.

  “How is Aurora?” I felt disgusted with myself for asking but couldn’t help it.

  “I hear she’s fine.” He stated like he cared little on the matter and I couldn’t hold back the feeling of great relief I felt when I heard that he hadn’t seen her for himself.

  “What happened?” I asked him, looking down at my hands that were fiddling with the sheet still covering half of me.

  “You don’t know?” He asked in a surprised voice that had me really looking at him more than my usual aching glance. He was wearing a pair of light denim jeans and a charcoal shaded long sleeve t-shirt moulded to the hard lines of his ever impressive upper body…it was a painful sight to someone who, up until now, had been so used to touching such perfection.

  “I…well since you…you know…” He nodded knowing what I was trying to say without words.

  “I started to feel stuff happen when I get angry only…it never really seems to happen when I want it to…like when those guys…”

  “I would advise you not finish that sentence.” His voice had turned hard and I saw the flash of purple lurking there around his beautifully angry eyes.

  “Did you…?” He knew I was trying to ask about what happened to them all, but he cut me down with a harsh,

  “They got what they deserved and more! I will not have them mentioned again, do I make myself clear?” I frowned at him and then when I saw his hands ball into fists, I decided to simply snap out,

  “Crystal!” and have done with it. He nodded once and after he must have thought the silence was long enough for me to calm, he said,

  “Why don’t you continue by telling me when it happened the first time.” I thought back to the first time as he suggested and was surprised to find when the first time was.

  “I was on the balcony in Germany, it was just after Lucius had taken me. I was so angry, that it just kind of happened.” I said wondering at the fact that I might have lost my mind, considering here I was having this relatively calm conversation with a man I had thought dead for months.

  “What happened?” Draven asked leaning forward to rest a bent arm on his knee. His hand spread out over the lower half of his face that was dark with thick stubble, making the muscle in his arm bulge and I forgot just how huge the man really was.

  “I threw a shot glass across the lake at the mountain opposite and it not only hit it, but it caused some damage.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this before?” He asked almost accusingly, which made me snap,

  “Oh what, do you mean before you left me to go and find an Oracle that didn’t need saving or after that, when you then decided not to come home and just play dead instead!?” I was at least thankful for the flash of pain I saw, no matter how brief it was.

  “I understand…” I held up my hand to stop him and said,

  “Unless you do fancy that eye scratching after all, then I would definitely not say that you understand anything when it comes to my feelings.” I said this in a way that spoke volumes to how hard I was trying not to lose it.

  “If you think this has been in anyway easy for me Keira, then you are decidedly mistaken.” His eyes bore into mine as if he was trying to will me to see something in that sentence he couldn’t say…but instead of giving him that hope, I hit him where I hoped it hurt the most.

  “Oh really, well let’s put this to the test then Draven, how would you have felt that day if it had been Libby turning up at your door and telling you I was the one who was dead!?” I saw the agony that thought brought him when it wasn’t red that circled his eyes…or Hell, it wasn’t even purple…no, it was all Heaven’s blue light, an emotion I hardly ever saw on Draven…I knew I had gotten through.

  “That’s what I thought, so don’t you dare say that you understand what you have put me through, Draven…never again, you get me?” I said swinging my legs round and leaning forward to make him understand exactly what I was saying.

  “Alright Keira, I think you’ve made your point.”

  “Agreed.” I said, getting up from the bed, making Draven lean back in his chair.

  “Where are you going?” He said as though I was about to bolt out the door any minute.

  “To the bathroom, unless you want to come with me to carry on with this delightful conversation whilst I pee?” He gave me pointed look that said I was acting like a child without actually saying the words. I just shrugged and then said,

  “Your loss.” And stormed off to the bathroom, knowing relieving my bladder came second to needing to put some space between us. I didn’t know what was harder, us fighting with anger, standing in the aftermath of a battlefield filled with the evidence of our heartbroken fuelled power all around us…or this. Simple, calm and even reasonable to a degree that could be called civil. Either way it hurt just looking at what was no longer mine. The man I could no longer touch like I once had or the love I made no attempt to hide, as I had to do now. Because love was a weakness in this war and my heart couldn’t afford to lose again.

  After using the toilet and peeing like I had needed to for days, I came out of the room asking how long I had been asleep for, when a commotion stopped me dead.

  “You can’t keep me from her! Where is she…? I care not for your kingdom and I swear you this, I will tear everything apart to find her! Keira...! KEIRA!” I walked in just as Draven stepped in front of me as though to protect me. But the man looking for me was not one I would ever need protecting from, no matter what Draven thought he knew. I tried to side step only to see one mountain trying to stop another as Ragnar struggled to hold back the man trying to enter.

  “Sigurd? Is that really you?”

  “It’s me Lille øjesten…now let me through old man!” He said, calming his rage enough to speak softly to me.

  I cried out at the sight, shouting,

  “No, let him through! Please…I need him!” Draven’s head snapped r
ound to face me and the jealous temper flaring there in his eyes was easy to spot, considering I’d had great experience with it not that long ago. Ragnar looked back to Draven, then to me and my heart melted at the sight of two men who had protected me with their very lives, time and time again.

  But it was only when seeing these two stood side by side did the penny finally drop and my hands flew to my mouth in shock. I could barely believe it until the words came out and I saw the reaction to my assumption, which turned out to be a deeper level of betrayal…

  “Ragnar’s your father!”

  Chapter 62

  Bad Blood

  For a moment everyone seemed to be in a state of shock and it was obvious from different reasons for each of us. Draven looked as though he couldn’t believe I even knew who Sigurd was, let alone that I was trying to get round him to get to the man.

  “You told her!?” Ragnar bellowed the question at his son and Sigurd rolled his eyes before answering his father.

  “I think it’s obvious enough she figured it out without my help, old man.” He remarked dryly making Ragnar look even more pissed, which was a clear sign when his potted skin turned a deeper shade of red.

  “Ok, can someone please tell me what’s going on here?!” I said before the father/son bickering stepped up another notch.

  “I second that…Ragnar, what is the meaning of this?” I turned to Draven who now had his arms folded, looking even more pissed than Ragnar did. Well, at least I wasn’t the only who had no clue what the Hell was going on…which in this year seemed to be a first!

  I side stepped Draven given he now had his arms folded, but this turned out to be a mistake. Before I had even made one step to Sigurd he had wrapped his arms around me and picked me up, turning on one foot so that I was once again behind him.

  “I think not…now stay.” I frowned up at him and then snapped,

  “Stay? What am I now, a damn dog?” He growled down at me proving what I already knew about who was the dog in this picture…well he was the one who had hurt me after all, I think calling the man a dog was pretty fitting!

  “Well said, øjesten.” Sigurd said getting in on the action, which just aided in getting Draven more outraged.

  “I suggest you control your child, Ragnar as I will only grant so much patience your family’s way.” Draven threatened without looking away from my eyes, which I think were matched evenly on the pissed off scale.

  “Child! Ha! Yeah, well this child was the one saving your woman’s ass when you were taking this little vacation, so maybe you should add some fucking respect along with that patience, buddy!” Sigurd had clearly had enough and the tick in Draven’s jaw told me he had some time ago.

  “You will hold your tongue, boy and know your place in sight of the King!” Ragnar almost roared at his son but Sigurd didn’t look in the slightest concerned. He just turned his hooded head and snarled,

  “He isn’t my fucking King, Elder!” At this Draven lost all control and spun from me. He had Sigurd by the throat and in turn Sigurd did the same. They were quickly locked in this stronghold, both changing into their demons in a show of dominance. Draven’s veins flooded with pulsating purple and Sigurd unleashed his shadowed serpents that slithered in the air around by his shoulders.

  The two provoked men were similar in height, with Sigurd being only an inch or so taller. Their bulky bodies were both tight with muscle giving in to the anger they displayed and seeing them opposite each other you could also see their height wasn’t the only similarity. Both of them were huge and both of them were acting like animals!

  “Oh for Christ’s sake...! Stop it now!” I said rushing to try and split them up, but it was as if I wasn’t even here.

  “You need to leave, son.” Ragnar said trying to get him to back down.

  “The Hell I do! I have protected her and it looks like my job hasn’t finished yet!” Sigurd said making Draven react by bringing Sigurd’s face closer to his, to roar in his face,

  “She doesn’t belong to you!”

  “And she no longer belongs to you as you foolishly gave up that right when you relinquished your protection!” He argued back.

  “She was safer without our kind being involved! Why do you think I ordered for no contact allowed and for it to be punishable by death!” Draven said this last part facing Ragnar.

  “My Lord, you wouldn’t listen, but she was still in danger.” Ragnar tried but Draven shouted in denial,

  “NO, she wasn’t!”

  “Why don’t you tell him just how much, old man? You were with me that day.” I frowned taking this all in, feeling sick to my stomach at how much of my life was kept hidden from me.

  “Explain!” Draven snarled without looking at Ragnar.

  “I know what you ordered, My Lord, but I owe the girl a life debt and in the ways of my people I could not just walk away leaving her unprotected.”

  “She was in no danger.” Draven was adamant in this but it was about time the guy got slapped with his own damn saying.

  “Assumption is the mother through all mistakes are born” I whispered making him glare at me through his anger, but before any of us got to say anything more Ragnar continued,

  “At first I just sent my son there to make sure, but then the killings started in the mountains.”

  “What killings!?” This time it was Sigurd who answered, only he looked like he took greater pleasure in it than his father had,

  “From the remains of what was left of the bodies, I would assume demon but there was something else.” Draven finally released Sigurd and I was thankful when Sigurd did the same.

  “Tell me!” Draven looked as though he couldn’t believe this was happening but the leader in him continued to demand from those around him what he needed to know.

  “It looked like both Angel and Demon were working together, but from the scorch marks I found near the bodies, I would say the Demon had been summoned and was without a host.” I thought back to that day when Jack had first told me about the attacks on the hikers found.

  I had remembered feeling the same weak feeling of nausea I did now, when hearing how they had needed too many body bags for just a few bodies. But this was the first I was hearing about it being supernatural, although at the time, given that Sigurd had dropped some evidence of his own, that being an Oreo cookie packet I had given him, I had thought he had been involved. Well, I guess I had been right in a way, but it would have been nice coming from the man himself!

  “And how do you know it had anything to do with Keira and wasn’t just some random attack?” Even I knew with this question Draven was clutching at straws because let’s face it, if something supernatural is going down and I am anywhere within a fifty mile radius, then it’s a given it would have something to do with me! I was starting to wonder if the whole of the supernatural race didn’t consider me as a bad penny.

  “Really...? This is Keira we are talking about, Hell just her name should mean trouble!”

  “Hey!” I said even though I was just thinking along the same lines not moments before.

  “Sorry kid, but you know it’s true.” He said smiling down at me making me roll my eyes and bump my hip into his leg. Draven took in our exchange with a frown and his flashing eyes told me not to do that again for fear of Sigurd finding his throat ripped out.

  “Whatever” I said for both their sakes.

  “Anyway, I got there before the humans were all over the scene and found a picture of Keira that had no doubt fallen from the killer. It had obviously been taken by someone in her class and considering your sister isn’t the one sat next to her, I would say it was after your disappearing act.” Oh shit, and it was going so well! Sigurd looked smug when Draven took a step toward him in anger, but I quickly intervened by placing my hands on Draven’s chest that felt like I was pushing against a rolling boulder.

  “Draven, please.” I pleaded looking up at him trying to drill holes into Sigurd.

  “No Keira, I would be happ
ier if you let him.” Sigurd said pulling his hood back giving us all a chance to see the serpent in his eyes start glowing.

  “Knock it off big guy and quit being a big ass! He might have left me unprotected but so did you! I seem to remember you saying you would come back for me!” I challenged in an unbelievable turn of events…was I really kind of sticking up for Draven?!

  “And I seemed to remember you promising me you would keep your little ass in that hotel room until I did come back for you!” He growled back.

  “You do not speak to the Chosen One like that, boy!” Ragnar almost roared and we both shouted back,

  “I’m not the Chosen One!”

  “She’s a pain in the ass!” Only one of those statements was said in earnest but Draven looked ready to blow at both of them.

  “Enough!” He ordered shutting us all up.

  “I will have the matter investigated but as far as I am concerned you are no longer required in your services, the girl will be protected from here on…Ragnar, release your son of his duties.” Once again we both spoke out our annoyances at the same time.

  “The Girl?!”

  “The Hell I will!”

  Draven ignored us both and nodded at Ragnar to continue, but as soon as he put his hand on his son’s shoulder he shrugged it off aggressively.

  “No Viðara, it is not possible, you know the bond won’t allow it.” Sigurd said making Ragnar’s hand drop as if he had just remembered what his son said was true.

  “I think everyone needs to just take a minute here.” I said trying to diffuse the situation that I knew was about to erupt again any minute. Besides I didn’t think Draven was going to take the fact that Sigurd and I were still blood bound as a happy, happy, joy moment!

  “What bond?” This time it was his demon asking and I replaced a hand to Draven’s chest feeling the power there pulsing beneath my cold fingers. Wait…why was I suddenly feeling so cold? And my head felt like it wouldn’t stop moving…was it moving, or was it just my vision turning funny?