The throbbing soon subsided, and I looked at the light to find me staring down at…me. Not again. I hated this guy. He spoke in riddles and had white hair. Unlike last time, when my tattoos came alive and became this guy, he appeared without the use of my tattoos.
Now that I mentioned my tattoos, I didn’t remember seeing them when I reached for the blood.
The white light came from somewhere behind him, making him, or me, look like some kind of God-sent Angel. “Light—” The other me spoke as he stared heavily at me.
The new muscles on my back flexed; wings stretching out over the yard.
The light me tilted his head, continuing, “And dark.”
I labored to get to my feet. When I was in a standing position, I stared at the other me and said, “What are you saying? Stop speaking in riddles!”
He didn’t respond to me directly, all he did was say, “A man destined for darkness was born and raised in light. You were chosen for that reason, and that is why you chose her. Her light cannot be extinguished.”
I hated riddles.
Chapter Twenty-Eight – Kass
The shower was relaxing, just as I thought it would be. My pajamas were comfy, just as I thought they would be. My room was quiet and Taiton-less, just as I thought it would be. Everything, minus the dire circumstances, was as it should be.
At least, that’s what I thought until I neared my bed to find a lump taking up the majority of the king-sized bed. Gabriel.
Gabriel groggily stirred, slowly opening his cerulean eyes and murmuring, “Kass. You’re back.” He smiled, but was too tired to keep the smile going for more than three seconds. He must have seen something in my expression, for he quickly said, “What’s wrong? Did something happen? Where is Crixis? I’ll kick his—”
“No,” I replied, pushing the boy down after he sat up. I knew sitting up was the first step in his process of storming out of my bedroom to find Crixis. “I’ll tell you all in the morning. Right now, I just want to sleep.” I didn’t want for him to reply; I snuck under the cover, curling against him.
My rapidly beating heart took a few minutes to slow down. Did it beat that fast because of what we learned tonight, or was it because I was suddenly so aware of how nice it felt to cuddle against Gabriel?
The door was more sophisticated than I remembered it. Then again, I was only a kid at the time, and I was forced to forget everything (including the door), so my memory was not the most reliable source.
Curiosity took hold, just like it always did, causing me to slowly reach for the knob. Before I knew it, I pushed the door open and walked into the room where my mother was killed. For some reason, her body appeared untouched, but there was no blood around her.
“Kassie.” It was my mother’s voice. But that was impossible, because her dead body was here… I looked to the giant painted-glass windows. Impossible. She couldn’t be two places at once, could she?
I looked to her crumpled body on the ground, finding that it was suddenly gone.
“You are troubled.” My mother’s expression softened, making me realize how much I’d missed her in my life. I’d never known the comfort of my mother’s voice, the feeling of her reassurance through a hug, or the disappointment in her eyes when I did something wrong.
Shaking my head yes, I said, “I am.” My mind recalled the situation I was in with Crixis, the very Demon that took her from me in the first place. “I don’t know what to do.”
Her hair flowed gracefully, the way hair looked when it was completely submerged in water, as if gravity meant nothing. “A feeling more common than you think.” A soft sigh left her, instantly saddening the room. “Forgiveness is never easy. Forgiving an enemy is the hardest, but it must be done.”
“Crixis?” I blinked, hoping that wasn’t who she meant. “You want me to forgive Crixis?” Watching her nod in utter disbelief, my mouth dropped. “He’s the reason you and Koath are gone. There’s no way I could ever forgive him.” I felt a twinge of guilt for raising my voice to my mother.
“True enough,” her words smoothed into each other, sounding divine, “but he is a monster of creation.” A look from her emerald eyes told me she wasn’t kidding or trying to pull a fast one on me. “The one you should fight is the one he cowers from.”
My open mouth curved into an incredulous smirk. “What are you talking about? His maker?”
I could not forgive him. I would not. Not even if there was someone worse out there.
My mouth had difficulty forming the words I wanted to say. “Why should I forgive him?”
“Kassie, you will soon find that things are hardly as they seem. Enemies will become friends, and friends will become enemies. Be strong, my love, and know that everything is about to change.” Just as she usually did, my mother faded into light.
And she never once told me why I should forgive him.
Just as well. He didn’t deserve forgiveness, and he wasn’t going to get it from me.
Watching Michael and Liz together, I felt like I intruded on something private. I blamed that feeling on the look they gave each other, like there wasn’t a bunch of other people surrounding them, which there was.
“Are you sure you have to go?” Michael’s expression saddened.
A wide smile spread across her face before she spoke, “Positive. While the boys may not have to go, I am the principal, and missing a full day of work, like yesterday for instance, is something I have to prevent from becoming a habit.”
Waiting for his response, I wondered what he could possibly say to that.
“Besides,” she said as her hand stroked his cheek, “you have a job to do as well, correct? Sneaking into Cleo’s apartment won’t be easy. She probably has every lock imaginable.” Liz pecked his mouth, waved goodbye to us, and left the house.
When Michael faced us, meaning me, Gabriel, Raphael, Taiton, Max, Rain, John and Alyssa, I said, “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Michael’s eyes met with mine. “Do I have a bloody choice? If I don’t make sure Cleo is or isn’t the one, Crixis will no doubt take care of her, and there can be no uncertainties about this.”
Crossing his arms, Rain stole a glance at me before he looked to Michael. “Do you want one of us to come with you?”
The Englishman shook his head.
“Are you sure?” Raphael asked. “If you run into trouble, no one will be there to help you.”
Michael cleaned his glasses, replying, “It will be much easier to sneak in alone.” When he was finished with his furious polishing of his thin-rimmed glasses, he grabbed his keys off the counter and said, “I’ll be back soon.”
Max, Gabriel, Raphael and Taiton dispersed throughout the house, leaving me to fend for myself with the other three people in the room.
“What have you guys been up to?” I mentally winced when I heard myself ask the question. I hated small talk, so why did I feel the need to start up a conversation?
Alyssa glimpsed at her two brothers. One was attentive (Rain) and the other was paying no attention (John). A soft smile formed when she turned back to me. “Nothing much.”
That caused John to laugh outright.
Flipping to her brother, she creased her eyebrows and retorted, “What is your problem?”
“My problem—” John paused as he received dirty looks from both Alyssa and Rain. “—is that you think nothing’s been happening. That moving into a small town in the mountains and starting over is nothing.”
Sighing, Alyssa spoke to me, “Sorry about him. John’s been rather…agitated since we came here, you can understand why.” No duh. “But he’s right. We’ve been through a lot. Much has changed.”
Rain glared at his brother, saying, “John’s been having the hardest time, especially with—”
“Shut up,” John hissed, storming out of the kitchen.
Was John acting like a real teenager, or was it just me? “Who?”
Alyssa said “My friend” the same moment Rain replied “My gi
rlfriend’s sister.” Both responses startled me, to say the very least. When they lived here, Alyssa was my only friend and Rain kind of, sort of, had a thing for me.
It did explain the new bounce in his step, though, and Alyssa’s newfound confidence.
“Wow” was all I could say. I wanted to ask how long Rain’d been dating, but I figured that’d be a little personal.
“And get this: she’s a Witch too.” Alyssa seemed happy that she found a Witch friend.
Once again I was shocked. “Really?”
Her head nodded underneath her curly hair. “We’re planning on doing a spell that will—”
“Alyssa,” Rain coughed out her name, “I thought we decided that it was too much of a risk? I don’t want you two to harm yourselves on our account—” He was instantly hushed by the ringing of his cell phone. Flipping it open, he said, “Hey.”
I glanced to Alyssa and she shrugged in response. The both of us had no idea what was going on.
“Whoa,” his tone became troubled, “slow down. What happened?” His eyes widened. “What? A car accident We’ll be there as fast as we can.” There was a pause before he said, “Everything will be alright. I’ll see you soon.” Hanging up his phone, he yelled to the house, “John!”
The second he ran into the kitchen, John asked, “What happened?”
“It’s Angel” was all Rain needed to say for John’s demeanor to change instantly. “She was in an accident.” The more words the other brother said, the more distressed the younger one became. Rain stood in front of me, saying, “Sorry we can’t stay until the end of this.”
“I understand,” I said. “I hope everyone’s okay.” A pat on my arm was Rain’s way of saying goodbye. Not what I was expecting.
John side-glanced at me, said “Bye,” and walked out. Alyssa was the only one who’s goodbye lasted longer than one second.
“I’m sorry, Kass.” She truly appeared apologetic, but it was all good. I got it. Their new friend needed help, so they had to go. People moved on, people made friends, and sometimes those new friends got into car accidents. With a quick hug, Alyssa was out of sight, and soon out of mind.
The Daywalker that entered the house made me forget all about the departure of my three old friends, though.
“Your friends are leaving you during a crisis like this?” Crixis eyed me up as I closed the door. “Perhaps they’re not really your friends, after all.” He smiled.
I sneered back and said, “It’s none of your business if they’re leaving or not, and don’t bother with the whole they’re not my true friends thing.”
“If you say so.”
I said not another word and stormed up the stairs. Unfortunately, Crixis decided to follow me. A thought crossed my mind, a very violent thought, but a thought nonetheless. So what if I couldn’t purify him for good? Shoving him down the stairs and watching him fall (and hopefully break his neck) would be a lot of fun.
It was the moment I stepped foot on the second flight of stairs when I spun around to find Crixis inches away. “Why are you following me?” The feeling of his green eyes traveling downward made me shudder.
He grinned, sending more tingles down my spine. “Does it bother you?”
“Yes.” I stamped up the stairs. When I landed on the mid-flight part of the stairs, his rough hands grabbed my wrist. In a flash, Crixis pinned me on the wall, keeping me in check by using his hands and knees to restrain my attempts to free myself. “Let me go,” I whispered to his face, glaring at him all the while.
“Make me,” he whispered in my ear.
A flash liberated me from my Crixis prison, and I had Raphael to thank for my freedom.
Holding the murderous Daywalker in the air, he threw Crixis back and growled, “Do not touch her. Ever.”
I blinked as I watched the ex-priest’s face. Raphael was pissed. In Gabriel’s terms, that meant kick-a-puppy-dog pissed.
Crixis wiped off his sleeve, as if he was getting the dirt off his shoulder. “We were just having an amiable talk.” What a lie. What an out-and-out, utter, blatant, downright lie. You don’t have an amiable talk with someone by holding them against the wall.
Knowing I couldn’t deal with this now, I said “Thank you, Raphael,” and ran up the remainder of the stairs to my room.
Chapter Twenty-Nine – Crixis
“My friend,” I laughed, “you shouldn’t interfere where you don’t belong.” He was fuming with rage. For being the original Purifier, Raphael certainly did have uncontrolled anger. Then again, perhaps that was on account of him being made Vampire all those years ago.
Vampirism did wonders with controlling your emotions. That, or intensifying them. It seemed that for Raphael, it was the second one.
His shoulders rose and fell with heavy, albeit phony, breaths. “Do not try to turn this around on me, Crixis,” Raphael growled out my name. Truth be told, he was the only one who could articulate my name with such animosity.
“I’m simply stating the facts.” Digging my hands in my pockets, I shrugged. “Tell me, Raphael, when do you plan on telling her?”
“Telling her what?” Squinting his eyes, he clenched his shaking fists.
Hoping to enrich his wrath, I chuckled. The result was as I expected it to be. “That you plan on leaving.” The look in his astonished face told me all I needed to know. “Don’t bother denying it.”
“I am,” Raphael was measured in saying, “no longer welcomed here—”
“That is not the whole truth, though, is it? I know why you’re leaving. An asinine reason, really.” I could hardly believe him. I had him by the neck, metaphorically speaking of course, and he knew it, yet he still felt obliged to shun the truth.
For the past few days I’d kept this house under constant surveillance, meaning that, with Vexillion’s consummate hearing, I heard every conversation in it as well. The simple truth was that Raphael was near leaving permanently.
“You do not get to criticize me.” Raphael stepped closer and lifted a finger. “You have no clue how difficult it is for me, being here. Do not pretend to empathize with me, because you don’t know what this feels like.”
His outburst did not catch me off guard, because I knew Raphael too well. “Perhaps, but I can only assume those feelings were universal among both those Vampires that were here. You are not the first to be entrapped by her—” By whatever it was that made her smell like candy, that made me feel things I hadn’t felt in centuries.
Regret, namely.
The fury waned into mild distress. “And I, undoubtedly, won’t be the last.” He delivered a sneer before flashing away, trying to make a point.
Raphael knew his feelings for her were wrong, and that she already had her perfect match. That awareness was driving him to abscond sooner than he wanted. It didn’t matter if the boy told her his feelings or not. Come rain or shine, he was going to depart.
And when he left, I’d be here to take his place.
Chapter Thirty – Michael
The familiar click in the knob came quicker than I anticipated. I was better at picking locks than I remembered. Until now, I figured it was all water under the bridge.
My gloved hand slowly and quietly turned the handle and pushed it open. Cleo’s apartment was easy to find and break into, which was definitely not what I was expecting. I had some serious suspicions. If she was the Witch who was attempting to revive Sephira, why wouldn’t she have more security?
Luckily, I was free to search her entire apartment while she was working with Elizabeth at the high school.
My gut told me I’d leave empty handed.
After firmly closing the door and bolting it, I stood to make sure there was no movement in the apartment. There was not a single noise, so I began my room to room search in the small living room space.
Nothing but old mail and TV guides.
I moved into her kitchen. Searching every drawer and cupboard, I found nothing but pans and silverware. The only thing out of the ordina
ry was the detail she had more knives than the normal person had in their kitchen.
I wiped my forehead. There was not a thing that seemed out of place.
There was only one more room to check. Her bedroom. If Cleo was hiding the body of Sephira, would she hide it in her room?
What sane person would want something like that in their bedroom? Using the same logic, one could ask the question: what sane person would want to reawaken an Original? Even the most immoral, wicked and sinful people on this earth would not dare to bring back an Original Vampire.
Not thinking twice, I tried to open the door. However, the knob wouldn’t twist.
Interesting, I thought as I dug my lock picking kit from my pocket, very interesting.
Who would lock their bedroom door when they weren’t home?
Only a person who had something very horrific to hide.
Chapter Thirty-One – Liz
I, for one, liked to have my tea sitting down, not on the go. Tea on the go was one of the most awful things invented. In reality, it was the same thing, but there was something about the cardboard cup that I didn’t like.
That’s precisely why I refused to bring tea from home in a canister and walk to the teacher’s lounge to make myself a some every morning. Actually, the lounge was my first stop, because all I brought with me from home was my purse, so there was no point in stopping in my office to drop it.
The mug was warmed from the tea inside it, and I was thoroughly enjoying the tingling sensation. Sodding awful, though, that I wasn’t going to enjoy the tea itself half as much.
“Good morning,” I greeted all the students I passed while walking back to the offices. Most were pleasant enough to utter a good morning back. Others avoided me like the plague. That came in tow with being the principal of a high school.
A woman, who was certainly not Cleo, glanced up from the desktop computer. Tugging on her flowery collar, she said, “Ms. Abby, the superintendent, Mr. Roth, would like for you to call him. He has something he wants to talk to you about right away.” With a chubby smile, she looked back to the computer’s screen.
The Nightwalkers Saga: Books 1 - 7 Page 100