Staked!

by Candace Wondrak

  “I know. I’m not two.” Her hands were set on her hips defensively. “I just don’t want you touching my hand, or any part of me, actually,” she added the last part as an afterthought.

  A curt laugh easily flowed from me as we entered my car that a dealership had been so kind as to give to me for nothing at all. Usually I kept compelling to a minimum, but a car was necessary in today’s day and age. If one had no car, one would go nowhere.

  Though I was capable of travelling vast distances in no time at all, due to my Vampiric speed and the added effect of Vexillion. I wanted a car, so I got one. Everyone’s allowed some narcissism.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, smiling at the thoughts that were probably running through her head.

  Kass grunted a response, took off her heels and set her feet on the dashboard, causing her already short dress to become even shorter. The blood red cloth was scarcely covering her upper thighs.

  I gripped the steering wheel tighter, hating it.

  I told myself I wasn’t going to get this way, at least not until Sephira was taken care of. Why did I think I could hold myself back? Why did I think Vexillion made me invulnerable to this girl’s Demonic allure?

  I’d like to think of myself as different from the other Demons she knew, the greater Vampires, the Morphers, the Witch, but deep down I was the same. Though I had Vexillion, I was a Demon long before I was more.

  “We need to tell Michael and Liz.” Kass intertwined her toes, turning her ankles ever so slightly. Her olive eyes locked gazes with mine. Luckily, we were at a red light. “They’ll know what to do.”

  “Will they know where she lives?” Although I didn’t want to, I had to break eye contact so my concentration was now on the pitch-black road. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her twirl a lock of hair with her finger.

  She was so very much like her mother.

  “They should,” she said.

  I grinned.

  Perhaps they could give me the Witch’s address and I could scope out her dwelling and investigate every square inch of that place. If I found her, then I’d kill her and get rid of her body better than I did before. If there was no trace of her in her home, then I’d sneak out and leave the Witch alive.

  All of these years, I knew it was only a matter of time before someone tried to resurrect her. I wished they could have waited about fifty years, though, because I was having far too much fun with Kass.

  Sephira.

  Sephira was the Original who made me into the thing I am today, and I wasn’t about to let her come back into this world to make more monsters like me.

  One was more than enough.

  Chapter Twenty-Six – Kass

  Taiton and Raphael were the only ones who waited up for us. Go figure. Apparently Steven and Claire went home; Rain, John and Alyssa went to a hotel; and Max was in Gabriel’s room, sleeping.

  Gabriel, I assumed, was in either his room with Max or in mine, waiting for me to come home and he didn’t want anyone to know it.

  Liz…was with Michael, and I’m not sure if Taiton meant with Michael, or with with him. If it was the second one, then I thanked God I slept on a different floor, otherwise it would be kind of disturbing.

  After my inquiry about the location of everyone, it was the dark giant’s turn to talk. “Was your mission successful?” Taiton directed the question at me, completely disregarding Crixis. Not that I blamed him at all. If I could, I’d disregard him too. Sadly, though, that didn’t seem to be a possibility any time soon.

  “We found the Witch—” Crixis spoke the word that rhymed with it the same moment I said it, which reminded me of something Gabriel would do. We were always finishing each other’s sentences. “—and she’s part of the Council.”

  “What?” Taiton was taken aback, just like I was when I saw it was Cleo, the school’s preppy new secretary.

  Raphael was the one who spoke more words, “Are you positive she’s in the Council?”

  “She was one of the people who came to the house after—” My nodding slowly stopped when the memories of Koath’s last, bloody minutes alive flooded my mind. “She’s part of the Council. I’m sure of it.” I didn’t know why I couldn’t bring myself to say it. Maybe it’s because I didn’t want to think about it.

  Or maybe it’s because the man who killed Koath stood less than two feet from me.

  “Then we must tell Michael and Elizabeth.” Taiton had his foot set on the first stair when he had second thoughts. “Or…perhaps it can wait a bit, unless one of you wish to enter his room—”

  It was a dire situation, but that didn’t change the fact that no one wanted to walk in on him and Liz getting down.

  “I have a book to read” was Raphael’s response.

  “No freaking way” was mine.

  “I wouldn’t; they’re still up” was what Crixis chose to say.

  Oh, God. Could Raphael and Crixis hear them? Did that mean they were still in the process of…you know, doing it? Sick.

  “I am showering,” I stated to anyone who was still listening, “and then I am going to bed.” With a heavy sigh, I headed up the stairs and feared for that dreadful moment when I had to pass the second floor.

  Michael’s floor.

  Yuck. I did not need that image in my head.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven – Gabriel

  Dashing out of thick underbrush and out of the forest, I landed outside our house, in the backyard. The traditional grill was sticking out more than it usually did. Why? Oh, no specific reason, besides the bloodied limbs that were laying on it.

  Other than that, everything was normal.

  Whisperings came from the grill, so I guardedly walked closer to see the root of the disturbance. For some strange reason, I reached out my hand and touched the maroon blood. Rubbing it between my thumb and index fingers, I watched in horror as it grew in size.

  After a few, tense seconds, the blood had hardened and enveloped my entire hand. My arm followed suit. In less than a minute, my entire body was encased in a shell of solidified blood.

  What was going on? Blood didn’t normally do this.

  A familiar voice emanated from nowhere in particular, “He chose you.”

  “Who?” I spoke to the air. An intense, concentrated pain erupted from my mouth and my forehead. A low moan rose from my throat as I lifted my hands to my teeth. I ran two fingers along the canines. The sharp canines.

  “He chose you for a reason.” There was that voice again.

  My trembling hands moved to my forehead, where two, large horns had protruded.

  “What’s happening to me?” I managed to say between throbs of agony on my back.

  “Your destiny is unlike any that lived before you.”

  A light shined in front of me, and I tried covering my eyes, but the pain on my upper back was too great. I fell to the grassy ground, writhing as something jutted out. When I felt the extra muscles that were never there before, I knew they were wings.

  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 girlfriend’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 troub
led, “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.