Staked!

by Candace Wondrak

  No one moved. No one blinked. No one said a word. Why? Possibly because they were afraid of Crixis, or maybe no one knew what to do or what to say. No one but me.

  Sending a glowering stare to Crixis, I spoke, “That’s it? Are you sure she’ll be okay?”

  He cocked his head at me, letting a small piece of hair fall over his eye. “I may be many things, but I am not a liar.” There was something in his low voice that made me feel very unnerved.

  Gabriel’s puffing of his chest indicated that he was just seconds away from going off on him, and I didn’t blame him. I wanted to go off on Crixis as much, if not more, than anyone here. All the things he’d done…one good deed, one forced good deed, wasn’t going to make up for anything.

  The blonde boy’s rage was evident in his appearance and his voice, “You know what I think? I think you’re lying about not being a liar. I think you’re the best liar around. You’ve had more years to master it than anyone else around here.”

  A rough snicker left Crixis as he crossed his arms, creating creases in his black dress shirt that I shouldn’t have noticed. That dream. I blame my ultra-awareness on that dream.

  “Before we deal with your problem,” I said, walking over to the door. “I would like to make sure Claire comes out of this.” Once again: no one moved, no one blinked, no one said a word. Were they really that clueless? “I want everyone besides Max and Steven to leave.”

  “No. I’m not leaving,” Gabriel stated, storming to my side and giving me an icy stare.

  “You will. And if you know what’s good for you,” I whispered through clenched teeth, “you’ll take everyone with you. The last thing she needs is to wake up to a room full of people.” At least, that’d be the last thing I would want.

  He mumbled some swear-word ridden response and walked out.

  Michael came by me, said “I hope you know what you’re doing,” and left the room.

  It was like the final battle scene from a movie; where everyone who’s alive on your side stopped in front of you, said their last words, and went to their positions (where they’d probably end up dying because the enemy soldiers outnumbered them twenty to one).

  Liz smiled softly and said, “Ease her into this, Kass.” I nodded and watched her leave, hustling to reach Michael and grab his hand. Were they a couple now? Were they a real item, or was it a short fling while she stayed here to find Max a new Guardian?

  Rain muttered “Do not trust him” before exiting the room. There was something different about him, a new skip in his step, but for the life of me I couldn’t place what exactly that something was.

  John kept his eyes averted and said not a word. Pretty much what I expected from the ex-psychopath.

  Alyssa flicked her brown eyes at Crixis before whispering, “No matter what happens, I’m with you the whole way.” Her faint voice reminded me of the good old days.

  A stern-faced Raphael was next in line. “Be careful, Kass. Crixis is known for his trickery.”

  What a fantastic warning. Too bad I already knew that. Too bad Raphael was a Daywalker and the first Purifier. Ever since we found that out, things hadn’t been the same. Gabriel hated him even more, and I…well, I didn’t look at him as an attractive priest anymore.

  I expected Taiton to come up to me next, but was quietly shocked to see Crixis standing before me. What a malicious, vindictive, spiteful Demon who I wished I could end.

  “In all my years—” His white teeth contrasted with his supremely tanned face. “—I’ve never suffered that much distrust,” there was a slight pause, “in the same room.”

  My mouth ran without comparing notes with my mind, “That’s because you’d rather kill people than let them be. It’s the only thing you’re good for.”

  “Oh, I beg to differ on that.” Crixis stepped closer, a mere three inches between us. “I’m good for certain other things.”

  Taiton pulled him away from me, declaring in a threatening manner, “Do not get near her.”

  “Very well,” Crixis replied, shooting the dark giant a provoking glare, “I shall save it for her dreams, then.” As my mouth dropped, he laughed curtly and left.

  To look down at me, Taiton had to bend his neck at a tremendously awkward angle. “I do not like this plan,” Taiton announced. “I do not think it wise to aid the enemy, no matter what it promises us. If he lays a hair on you, the deal will be off and I will do what I came for.” With one, last squint of his black eyes, he straightened himself out and moved towards the door.

  Well. Not wholly unexpected, there.

  Chapter Twenty-One – Crixis

  Their staircase wall was filled with pictures, just as I was sure countless of others were. In all of my time, I had never seen so many pictures together. I, personally, never understood the point of pictures. If one wished to remember a loved one or a pleasurable memory, one had his mind to do it, not pictures.

  Tilting my head, I stared at a picture that must have been taken many years ago. Kass was still a child, and the defensive blonde one was rubbing his fist in her hair. What’s the word for it? Ah, a noogie.

  They seemed truly happy.

  If my maker was raised, everyone’s happy memories would be the last thing on their minds.

  No one could fathom her, and I wasn’t positive if it was because they thought I was the worst thing to have entered their lives or not. I may have made Kass’s life miserable, but there were times when I had little choice.

  Sometimes creating mayhem was the only way I could control the Demon inside.

  Though that wasn’t always the case.

  A loud cough broke my intense concentration on the wall of pictures. My peripheral vision spotted the Council Agent glaring at me from the bottom of the stairs. He definitely didn’t like me, did he? Why was that? Oh, that’s right.

  He was sent here to purify me.

  What a ridiculous concept purifying was. The God-sent Council simply needed a new name for killing. They differentiated between the two by believing that one could only purify a Demon, not a human. Never a human. One could kill a human, but that was a sin. Purifying a Demon, though, wasn’t a sin.

  Humans and their specifics.

  There were some times when I could barely identify with them. It’d been so long since I’d felt anything but hatred and malice. The only time I felt anything remotely different was when I was near death.

  Odd how death could make me feel alive.

  “Move it, ass,” Gabriel hissed on his way up the stairs.

  I leaned against the rails, smiling at the fact he had a bug up his own. No one enjoyed having me around, I knew that before I stepped foot in this house. They would never trust me, after everything I’d done.

  Their trust was a thing I did not need anyway. All I needed was their help, and then I’d be gone. They thought they were tricking me now. What a laugh. With my inhuman hearing, I knew they planned on purifying me after we defeated her the first moment they proposed it.

  Or should I say, the moment Gabriel proposed it.

  It was dust in the wind, essentially. Over the millennia, I’d grown accustomed to receiving such hate and abhorrence. It was a daily occurrence.

  I wanted one thing, and one thing only: to annihilate her just as she did me. However, one question remained: what was I going to want after we defeated Sephira?

  Chapter Twenty-Two – Kass

  Her light blue eyes opened slowly, and I knew from my own personal coma experience that those same eyes felt heavier than stone. It pained her to breathe, and it was equally hard to speak. It didn’t help that her mouth was covered in blood.

  “Claire,” Max was the first of us to talk. He gripped her pale hand and squeezed, saying, “It’s okay, you’re fine now. You’re safe.” I recognized the glint in his eyes; it was the same one Gabriel had when looking at me.

  “What—” Claire froze when her tongue licked her lips. She was up in an instant, wiping her mouth with her sleeve.

  Steven and
I glanced to each other.

  “What is this?” Her face gradually regained her normal color. “What happened? Whose blood is this?” Claire was lively and full of questions. The second was anticipated, but the lively part? That blew me away.

  “Crixis fed you some of his blood,” I began to explain, but was soon cut off by a cross Claire.

  “Crixis?” Her voice rose, startling the three other people in the room. Claire herself seemed to be the only one who thought her behavior was normal for someone who had been comatose for the last twenty-four hours. “You let him feed me his blood? What’s wrong with you?”

  “Claire,” Steven took up his uncle persona, “that was the only way we could get you back, otherwise…” He stopped. He had no idea how to finish that sentence. But I did.

  “Otherwise you’d be a brainless Nightwalker,” I tried speaking lightly.

  Claire’s blue-eyed gaze fell to her lap when she muttered, “You should have let me go.”

  I shook my head in disbelief as Max replied, “Why would you say something like that?”

  Her scrutiny was back on me when she answered, “Because now we’re in cahoots with the Devil. We’re his right hand. We’re on his side now, and who knows what he wants in exchange for my life?” Claire dug her bloodied face in her similarly bloodied hands. “It would have been easier for you to just let me go—”

  “It wouldn’t have been easier for me,” Max threw back his retort.

  “Me neither,” Steven agreed, setting a comforting hand on her foot. “I have a duty to—”

  “Protect me,” Claire interrupted, sounding even more upset. Great. This wasn’t how I pictured this going. “I know. You made a promise to Anna on her deathbed that you’d protect me from the dangers of the world,” her voice became high pitched.

  Was she trying to imitate this Anna girl? If so, she was failing and sounding like she was going to cry. Not that I blamed her. She was right when she said we were in cahoots with the Devil.

  What did I do?

  Steven did nothing but hug her and whisper, “And I plan on keeping that promise until the day I die.”

  Claire responded by pushing him away and staring squarely at me. “What do we have to do?” Amazing how she was smart enough to know that we had to make a deal with Crixis to save her. Seriously. If I was her, I would have been oblivious.

  Steven and Max both looked to me for the answer.

  I opened my mouth, not wanting to explain how we had to team up with Crixis to take his evil maker down.

  “How do you plan on taking this Sephira down?” Michael was furious at the Daywalker, just like everyone else in the room. “You must have some idea!” He heatedly tore off his glasses and started to clean them.

  “We,” Crixis corrected him, “must stop the Witch before she succeeds in awakening her.”

  Gabriel narrowed his icy eyes at him. “And how are we going to do that? You don’t even know who this Witch is.”

  “That is exactly why we must go out tonight.” Crixis flicked his green eyes to me before saying, “There is a club where Witches gather. I hope to gather some clues as to who she is there.”

  “Why do we have to go?” Gabriel crossed his arms, touching me with his elbow.

  “We don’t,” Crixis growled to the blonde boy. “All I need is Kass.”

  Taiton shook his head, saying, “I will not allow you to take her out of my sight.”

  “Then you will all die” was what Crixis chose to say next. For such a charming monster, he needed to learn some manners. Not that I thought anyone could teach him, because after thousands of years, his intimidating attitude was a habit that couldn’t be broken.

  Rain set his ankle on his knee, speaking up, “Sounds like she’s after you, not us. What have we got to worry about?” His dark eyes rested on Crixis.

  Crixis’s lips drew taught. Not a good look. “Sephira cannot kill me. She may not know you personally, but she will destroy this entire city searching for me, and if she doesn’t find me, then she will wipe out every place she goes until she does.”

  “Sounds like you’re out of luck,” Gabriel shrugged, as if it was that simple.

  Alyssa breathed in, getting ready to speak. The old Alyssa would never have spoken to an entire group of people. She was always quiet and shy. What happened to her to make her so outgoing? “Why don’t you just give yourself to her if you know she’s on a warpath?”

  “Because,” he took up a nasty tone, “a true warrior fights until death. She turned me over two thousand years ago and obliterated my village; I plan on fighting until she meets death. It is in your best interests to aid me. She will have no mercy for those who oppose her, and she will slay anyone you’ve ever cared about.”

  Funny how he said my village and not my family. Was he attempting to forget them?

  “I’ll do it,” I cautiously said, knowing that would raise many objections. “I’ll go with you.”

  “Then I’m going with you,” Gabriel told us while placing an arm around my shoulders.

  Crixis shook his head, saying, “No. It must be Kass and I.”

  “Preposterous,” Taiton yelled, temper rising. “Kass isn’t going anywhere with you—”

  “This isn’t up for discussion,” I increased my voice to make sure everyone in the living room heard it. I probably broke Gabriel’s ear drums, but too bad. I just wanted to get this thing over with, and if they didn’t agree then it’s too bad. “We promised we’d help him, and I’m going to keep my word.”

  No one was happy. But no one spoke in objection.

  I kept going, “If this Witch succeeds in bringing her back to life, then we’re going to be the ones who are out of luck, and I don’t want that. I’m going along with Crixis’s plan, so I’m going with him tonight to this club. I’ll be fine.”

  Michael was the one who spoke up first, “No. I will not allow you to go. I don’t want you in any more danger—”

  “Michael!” I shouted his name, stopping him instantly. “Do you see who’s in our house?” Since Gabriel’s arm was firmly locked on my shoulders, I pointed to Crixis. “And besides, I’m always in danger. What makes this any different?”

  The stubborn Englishman started, “But—” The moment Liz squeezed his hand he halted in his tracks. The powerful one in that relationship? That would be Liz.

  “She’s not a child, Michael,” Liz’s accent was thick. “She’s almost an adult, and soon you won’t be their Guardian. They’ll be on their own, have to make their own decisions.”

  Michael was caught off guard by the things she said. The day I legally turned eighteen was going to be the day Michael stopped being my Guardian? Was he only watching Gabriel and I because I wasn’t of age yet?

  Did Purifiers usually make it that long?

  Clearing his throat, Michael finally said, “And they’ll make their fair share of mistakes as well. As of now, I’m still their Guardian. I still make the decisions here, and I say Kass isn’t going.” His dark eyes dug holes into me. “End of discussion.”

  “No,” I argued, “it’s not the end of discussion. Michael, whether you like it or not, I’m going. If I’m the only one who decides to help Crixis and keep my word, then so be it. I don’t care if I’m the only one.” Finally managing to struggle free from Gabriel’s secure arm, I jumped up and stared down the people on the couches.

  Raphael said, “I’m with you, Kass.”

  I shot him a thank-you-so-freaking-much look before I dragged my eyes along the rest of the people. They were silent and stared straight back at me. Were none of them going to stand by me besides Raphael?

  After about thirty more seconds of awkward silence, I gave up and stormed out of the room. I had better things to do than stand there and let them disagree with me using their eyes.

  Staring at the black dress I wore to Claire’s father’s funeral, I thought, no.

  The next dress was almost five years old, and the style of it was outdated. Another no.

>   Following those were more negatives. And after those rejections were more rejections. Why was it that I always had trouble finding the right outfit when I had an enormous closet?

  I didn’t want to go to the club. I didn’t want to go anywhere with Crixis. The only thing I wanted to do with him was stab him in the face. Repeatedly. Because that’s what he deserved. But I promised that I’d help him if he cured Claire, and he did, so here I was.

  Sighing, I fell to my floor and looked at the shrapnel of clothes around me. Not one wearable thing. What was up with that?

  A creak in my door broke my contemplation. I raised my eyes to Gabriel, who had a small, red dress in his hands. “Here.” He offered no further explanation as he proceeded to hand the dress to me.

  Within seconds of touching the fabric, I knew it was an expensive dress. There were just some things that the stores in the mall/Target/Kohls couldn’t do, and make a dress that felt like this was one of them.

  Holding the ruby red dress, I glanced up at the silent blonde boy and asked, “What is this?”

  He turned and began to walk out, muttering, “A dress. What’s it look like?”

  “Gabriel,” I spoke his name forcefully, stopping him in his anger-ridden tracks. I was extra careful to set the precious outfit on my dresser (that was now back in its rightful place) before running to him. “Where did that dress come from?”

  He diverted his blue eyes to the nearby wall, replying, “Liz gave it to me to give to you. She’s the only one who thinks you should do what you want.”

  There was a pain in his face that I could not overlook, causing me to say, “And what do you think?” I didn’t know why I was so interested in his opinions, because I knew they would go something like this: I think you’re being really stupid and you’re pissing me off.

  “I think,” he paused as he brought his hands to my face, “that Crixis can’t be trusted. Seriously, though. I don’t think you should do this, but I know I couldn’t stop you if I tried. You’re too stubborn, Kass. Sometimes I think you’d be better off tied up in my room.”