by Martha Woods
Skylar bowed her head. “But it wasn’t.”
“No. It wasn’t.” She clenched her fist. “That black hearted monster gave me back control right after I crushed the village leader’s skull between my hands, let me know for sure that everything was real and there was no coming back from it. That fucking smile… I’m never going to be able to forget it no matter how long I live.”
Skylar wasn’t quite sure what to say, or even if there was anything she could say. A horror like that… How could she possibly hope to comfort someone who had gone through something like that? How could she even comprehend the wounds that something like that left behind, regardless of whatever strength you possessed before. All she could do was shift closer, let Leila feel her presence and hope that it did something to help her out of whatever dark hole her mind had gone to now.
Leila nodded her thanks, working up the will to finish what she was saying before she lost the nerve. “I have done a lot of terrible things in my life Skylar. I’ve hurt people, I’ve killed people, for money, for power, and just because I didn’t like them. But I’ve never violated someone’s mind so fully like that, wormed my way in and left them unable to think of anything but what I did to them for decades afterward. I just… I don’t understand how someone can do that.”
“Monsters often have reasons that they see as justified.” They turned around, Cassandra walking briskly towards them. “He did these experiments to gain power for himself, but he explained to me as he was dying that he saw his powers as a tool to bring our coven to the height of power, to take us to our rightful place at the top of the hierarchy.”
“Your coven?” Skylar raised an eyebrow. “He enslaved dozens and forced innocent people to slaughter entire villages… Just so your coven could gain more power?”
Cassandra took a seat across from them, nursing a drink in her right hand while she inspected her nails. “I suspect that is what he told himself. I don’t know what you know about coven politics, but weakness is typically looked down upon. The higher you are, the safer you are, the more protection you can call upon in the event hunters come knocking at your door. If you’re one of the smaller covens you’re on your own, just more weak blood to be purged.”
She took a sip of her drink, pondering her next words. “At the end of the day however, he still enslaved and murdered hundreds for his own gain, regardless of his reasons there was an ocean of innocent blood on his hands. Anything that can be gained from that… It doesn’t matter what it is, nothing is worth that price.”
Leila nodded. “Especially not when it isn’t paid with your own hands. He isn’t the one who wakes up in the middle of the night wondering where they are, wondering if it’s happening again and they’re going to find their loved ones spread across the room again. He can’t even comprehend what that feels like.”
“Hey.” Skylar nudged her with her hip, waiting until Leila turned to look at her. “I know you wouldn’t hurt me, I trust you. He isn’t here and he can’t do anything to you, we’ve all got your back.”
She smiled, briefly, before she tore her eyes away from Skylar once more. “That’s a nice sentiment Sky, really it is. But those people in that village trusted me too, they had my back no matter what. And look how that ended. With their hearts in my hands and their bodies in three different places.”
“You know that wasn’t your fault…”
“Of course I know it wasn’t my fault, that’s why I can’t make peace with it. It would be easy to blame myself, to say that I could have done something else, but there wasn’t.” She clenched her teeth, the table starting to vibrate in her anger. “He is the only one to blame, the only monster that deserves to be killed out of all this, and the fact that I can’t do anything to him is ruining me. I want to strip him down atom by atom, inflict on him every ounce of pain that he made me give to those villagers, and then I want to send him down to the deepest ring of hell that I can. But I can’t.”
“Not yet.” Cassandra nodded, finishing off her drink. “You can’t do anything to him yet. But you’ll be able to, mark my words you will be able to have your revenge.”
Even though they had only vengeance in mind for him, Skylar and Leila were still surprised by her willingness to take part in her brother’s death. “You’re really ok with that? He’s still your brother after all...”
“I already killed him once, and he deserved it then. Whatever he has been doing since then, whatever it is he plans to do, the only punishment that he deserves is death.” She waved her hand, sighing somewhat regretfully, “I’m sure I will have to relive that same feeling of gaining and losing a brother once more, but ‘tis a price that I am more than willing to pay. If it means that the world can be just that little bit safer then I would sacrifice my entire family.”
In spite of herself, Skylar found herself smiling. When Cassandra saw she couldn’t help but tilt her head in confusion, a small blush creeping up on her cheeks. “W-What are you smiling about?”
“Nothing. It’s just… You seemed so much more... Evil when we first met. Sure you were helping us out quite a lot, I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for you, but I thought that there might have been some other motive.” She grinned even wider, reaching over and pushing her arm lightly. “But you’re just a complete idealist, aren’t you? You’re not evil at all.”
“Why does everyone assume so readily that I’m evil? Because I live out in the middle of nowhere, alone? Many people like to do such things!” She hid her face, trying to hide the blooming blush. “I may not be the most upstanding of people, but I have morals you know. I take them very seriously.”
“That’s why with you in this fight we actually stand a chance, your conviction in your morals gives you a reason to be strong,” Leila said, “You and I are the only ones here who know what he is capable of, and you are the only one who has actually managed to beat him. Without that… We would already have lost.”
“That does not mean that we are safe, by any means. In many ways I think that he and your Christian are very similar, chiefly in how they choose to weaken and defeat their enemies.”
Skylar leaned forward. “And how is that?”
Cassandra looked back over to the hotel room, Liam sat outside the front door cradling Abigail and reading to himself. “He knows that loved ones are a weakness that many cannot help having. If he aims to kill an enemy, he will strike for their heart first.”
Skylar understood immediately, not wasting any time standing and marching towards Liam. What was left of her family may be at her side, but that didn’t mean that there were not people that they all cared about elsewhere. In fact, she could think of entire colonies filled with people that they cared about that were not under their watch right now.
“Liam, can we talk?” She tried not to let her panic seep into her voice, but the sight of his raised eyebrow and the frown on his lips told her she hadn’t been successful.
“Of course Sky, what’s wrong?”
“The three of us were speaking about Cass’ brother, and I realized... It’s all well and good that we’re hunting Christian to protect our family, but what about the pack? Or Hayley’s coven, or Cayden’s clan? We need to be able to protect them, and I don’t know if they’re prepared for anything to happen.”
“Like what?” He sat up, leaning forward with an utterly serious look in his eye. “What should they be prepared for?”
“In all likelihood?” Cassandra stepped up to them, nodding solemnly. “All-out war.”
That was a good enough answer for Liam, taking out his phone and dialing in a number that he seldomly had to use. He and Michael had made the in hindsight incredibly reckless decision to leave their pack and leave them without an Alpha or a Second, but they had at least taken measures to leave someone in charge temporarily. Though Quint was relatively new blood in terms of maturity, he had shown good initiative in leadership, which meant that he was a shoe-in for a temporary command position. “Quint, it’s Liam. I don’t have time t
o explain, and I’m not sure I would even be able to, but I want you to put everyone on alert and take measures to protect yourselves.” He looked back into the hotel room, his friends lounging around and playing cards. “I also want you to get someone over to the coven and to the hunters, tell them to do the same. It’s important that you work together on this, I’m not sure any of us would make it through otherwise, have you got that?”
“Yeah I’ve got that but Liam…” Quint paused, his breath still clear over the line. “What’s going on?”
“Something big Quint, something big. Just make sure everyone is safe.” He hung up, dialing in the next number and placing the phone to his ear. “Jim, it’s Liam Conway, how is construction on the bunker going?”
“It’s going well Sir, everyone has the day off for today, but I think it should be done within the next two months at this rate.”
“I’m glad to hear that, but I need you to increase productivity as much as you possibly can. And before you say anything I want you to know that I’ll pay you and everyone there five-hundred-percent more than what I was already paying you to get this done.”
There was no answer for a moment, Jim quite clearly stunned by the offer. “Sir… You do realize how much money you are talking about, don’t you?”
“I do, and it’s inconsequential.” He looked back down at his daughter, felt his wife's hand in his. “Whatever you need to get the job done as fast as possible, you have it.”
“Thank you Sir… I’ll call everyone in tonight, we’ll get this done for you as quickly as we possibly can, you have my guarantee on that.”
“Thank you, Jim, I look forward to seeing the results of your work.” He disconnected, pocketing the phone and bringing Skylar’s hand to his lips. “It’s done, now they should be prepared if anything comes their way. I’ll let Hayley and Cayden know that their groups are preparing themselves as well, once I’m sure of exactly how to say it.”
“Everything has gotten so serious so suddenly, I don’t know how to keep up with it.” Skylar nodded over at Cassandra, who only looked on curiously. “I’m sure you must be having a hard time with all of this, it can’t be easy knowing that your family is out there again.”
“Well, you just went through that same thing yourself only a month ago. The only difference is that your estranged family is a positive addition, and mine is a blight that I will be glad to be rid of.”
“You say that but… Surely it can’t be that easy to know that you have to fight your family again.”
Cassandra looked off to the side, the sight of the people that she had come to know so well in such a brief time warming a heart that had gone cold for so long. She shook her head, smiling slightly and clenching her fist in resolve. “Family is more than just blood. We may have called ourselves a family once, may have loved and cared for each other with a bond that only siblings can have… But those times have been over for longer than we ever even knew each other. I have people that care for me now, who don’t see others as some sick experiment to run, and I intend to protect that.”
She sighed, “I will not lie and say that the thought of fighting him doesn’t sadden me, I wish dearly that there was some other solution. But that is not where our paths led us, and that is just how it has to be. ‘Tis a shame, but the world is hardly fair now is it?”
Skylar thought back to her mother wasting away from her sickness, the look of resigned acceptance on her father’s face moments before Sarconi pulled the trigger. She thought about exactly what they were doing out here, and all she could do was sigh, “No, no it’s not. But that doesn’t mean that it has to be lonely, or even hard. The friends that I have here… The family that I have here, they make life worth living, and I’m so glad that I can count you among them.”
“I… Thank you.” Cassandra looked taken aback by the confession, but there was no hiding the pleased smile on her face. “I feel the same wa-”
“Uh, hey! She’s awake!”
Iggy hadn’t even finished speaking before they were piling through the door, all of them needing answers to the questions that had been going through their minds for days on end. If Claire could answer even one of them then they would consider that a success, though given their luck so far they weren’t exactly counting on a miracle.
And of course, there was still the small matter of whether or not she could be trusted at all. Whether they would be taking her along for the ride with them, or if Leila would take her out to the back of the motel and bury her in an unmarked hole. They were all hoping for the former, but their past experiences with Christian’s people told them that the latter was a very real possibility.
“Nnn…” Claire groaned, mouth opening and closing before she could croak, “Water...”
Though Iggy hadn’t enjoyed being the one to watch over her, he was still taking the duty that had been appointed of him seriously, reaching over to the side table and filling a glass of water. Slowly, he tilted her head back, letting the water fall into her mouth gradually enough that she wouldn’t choke. She closed her eyes as the icy shock spread down her throat, for the first time in days feeling a little more like a human being again, just starting to cough before he took the glass away.
“Hey Claire,” Cayden said, smiling down at her. “How you doing kiddo?”
“Shit… So that really was you,” She laughed, wincing when her stomach tensed up. “I thought I was actually just dying then and seeing things, weird place for us to meet up again.”
“Tell me about it, I didn’t think that the sweet girl I used to know would end up covered in blood underneath some big slab of murderer, but there we go.” He pulled a chair up, sitting opposite Iggy. “What were you doing out there Claire? Why were those hunters after you?”
“Before I tell you about all that, I think you should introduce me to everyone here. It’s not that I don’t trust you but… Actually, yeah that’s it, I don’t trust you yet.”
“You think that I could be working with Christian? After the way I left? After everything that’s happened since?”
She scoffed, a private reaction that none there knew the reason for. “Let’s just say that I’ve felt stranger betrayals lately.”
“Alright…” He introduced the members of the group one by one, not telling her the exact reason that they were together, starting with Skylar and ending with Iggy. She looked over each one of them closely, noticing the telltale eyes of a shifter and the crackling energy around a witch, before finally looking to the side and seeing the predatory gaze and sharp teeth of a vampire.
“So, you’re travelling with a bunch of paranormals, which I’m guessing means that you’re the ones attacking and killing each outpost of Christian’s hunters that you find?” She smirked at Cayden’s surprise. “I keep an eye on communications Cayden, it’s not hard to see the difference between someone going dark and someone going silent. Permanently.”
“I forgot how sharp you were. I guess there’s no point in lying about it even if I wanted to.” Cayden nodded. “That’s us, we know that Christian needs to be stopped, and we’re going to make sure that happens.”
“Well that’s just great for you isn’t it? You always were pretty sour on Christian right near the end, I can’t say this is really that surprising. Which brings me to my next question...” Claire glanced back at Iggy, her eyes lingering on his teeth and the hungry look in his eye. “Are you going to kill me Cayden? Because if you are I would really prefer that you cut out all the bullshit and just get it over with already, I am in no mood to play any games.”
Cayden was too busy thinking over how to respond to notice Leila at his side, her hand extending and rubbing Claire’s shoulder in a way she intended to be comforting. “That all depends on you, I would like to get through this without having to kill you, but if I have to then I won’t hesitate.”
“Heh, normally people just say no so that the person starts talking. But not you huh?”
“Not me.” She smirked. “I feel like yo
u would just see through all the bullshit anyway, there’s no point in lying to someone like that.”
Claire laughed, “Oh I like you already. Alright fine, what do you want to know?”
“Why were you being hunted by your own? Those wounds of yours weren’t all from that one fight, so clearly you had been on the run, what happened?”
“What happened… Was that I finally managed to discover who the people I loved really were, and I wasn’t satisfied with what the reality was.” Claire shrugged, looking at Cayden. “I guess now I understand why you left all those years ago, Christian really doesn’t hold up as a hero once you know what he’s done.”
“And what was that?” He took her hand, leaning in. “What did you find out that he’d done?”
“I found out about the innocent people that he had ordered to be murdered, about the defenseless paranormals who were otherwise just going about their lives that we slaughtered. I found out that he was keeping me in the dark about all this because he didn’t think I was ready to hear it, that I was still too idealistic to handle being able to ‘Do what was necessary.’”
She ground her teeth together, tears of anger starting to bead at the corner of her vision. “But what really pushed me over the edge was finding out that my sister had lied to me all these years, that she had lost her son and decided that the best thing to do was to dedicate her lives to making other people suffer that same loss.”
“Yeah…” Cayden sighed, “It’s… Hard, knowing that the people that you loved weren’t anything like you thought they were. It’s enough to push you into despair.”
“When I found out that she held a gun to a child’s head… To a baby’s head… That was it, I was done with all of it. I don’t want to be a part of a group that can do something like that and still be self-righteous enough to think they’re in the right.”
Claire looked up at the group, noticing the way that Liam and Skylar had flinched upon hearing her words. She inclined her head curiously, running through what information she had learned and starting to connect the dots. She blinked in understanding, saying, “You’re her, aren’t you? The one that Christian is so scared of, the one who’s been killing all of his men. You’re the one who killed my sister.”