Cursed by Darkness (An Urban Fantasy Novel) (Befallen Tides)

by Anna Sanders

  “Do you even need to ask?”

  “You’re both strong. It could be a close match. You’ve got some brawn on you. But she has w—” He cut himself off midsentence, face twisting in horror.

  “She has what?” Winx pressed him.

  Keaton started to walk away. “I am going to go help with…something. Please excuse me.”

  Winx had a good idea about what he’d stopped himself from saying. The urge to cuss him out was a strong one.

  Like Keaton, the inhabitants of the Gunnison National Forest were all incredibly helpful people. They made sure that Winx was full enough, warm enough, and almost pampered enough.

  And the food. The food was outstanding. Nearly everything they brought her was grilled or smoked. For a species that ate mostly raw, they sure knew how to cook. The authentic fare was spoiling her more than the queenly way she was treated around the Bandits.

  Even so, she was prepared with her foot in the proverbial door. No use getting comfortable.

  She was starting to care for the bandits. The children were all adorable, playful things. The inhabitants were overly friendly and wise. Winx could feel the ice around her heart melt and turn into puddles. It was a dangerous feeling.

  But Winx distrusted the illusion of peace. In fact, it scared her more than anything else.

  CHAPTER 15

  KEATON KNEW THAT HE WAS being stupid. Probably really, really stupid. It seemed that lately his days lately were consisted of four things: eating, sleeping, working, and yearning.

  The times that he was forced into patrol by his father, Cohen, were days that he lamented silently to himself. He would don his ill-fitting clothes and race around as fast he could, sniffing the air and checking behind every nook and cranny surrounding their camp for signs of savages. But the absence of evidence made him not only hopeful but sloppy. He found himself cutting corners and skipping areas. Anything he could do to make his shifts faster.

  After he was released from duty, the first thing he would do was hurry back to the camp grounds, wash his face and hair, be sure that there was nothing between his teeth, and then hurry back to the company.

  If Winx was not sitting on her stoop or speaking with the alpha, she would separate herself as far as possible from everyone. Usually, she would drag a chair over to a tree or to a creek that babbled not too far away. Sometimes, she would be tinkering away on her computer, scanning news articles. Other times, she was writing notes and staring at maps.

  He would find a place and watch her. Snow had yet to set its blanket over the encampment, so there was nothing to hamper his view.

  She was usually dressed in something warm these days instead of her revealing L.A. outfits. She looked far more genuine and approachable without makeup on. Her head was starting to stubble slightly since she had abandoned the chore of shaving it daily. Always, she looked morose yet thoughtful. Even if she were reading, a frown would be on her face. She never seemed to notice him watching her, or if she did, she completely ignored him.

  It was stupid. He knew it was stupid. But he liked her.

  Winx was impossible and tested him constantly. It really bothered him that she purposely distanced herself from having a real connection with anyone. But her manner was growing on him, and so was his attraction.

  In the brief moments when she smiled or when she let herself relax, he saw something special.

  Keaton wanted to see her all the time. Secretly holding a staring contest with the back of her head was fulfilling in a strange way, but keeping that secret was becoming harder to contain. He was starting to get teased by his friends and relatives for always wanting to be in her company, like a lovesick puppy.

  He hadn’t really had a yearning for a woman in a while. All of the women of his troop were ones he’d known for so long it was strange to considering being with them. Even if there was a chance for something to grow, he just wasn’t interested. Or they were related by blood. Or married. And sadly, some had recently died in the savage attacks.

  Whenever he found himself attached to a woman, it was always someone who was passing through the Bandit territory or even someone who lived in the cities. And it usually ended with listlessness, clashing schedules, or the lady’s inevitable leaving town.

  None of them had been like Winx anyway. They didn’t have her fire or her hidden emotion. Or her mouth.

  The thing was, he knew what Winx would say if he opened up to her. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out.

  What was it about her? Did he just like a challenge? Or had Winx unwittingly used some of her psychic power to ensnare him? Was there a chance, even of the most miniscule of opportunities, that she could ever see him the same way?

  “Is somebody over there?”

  Winx turned in her seat in an attempt to see behind her. Keaton stopped gripping the tree trunk that he was leaning on and pushed away from it in nervousness.

  “It is just me, Winx!” His voice sounded too cheery, so he toned it down as he walked over to her. “Ahem. I mean. I was looking for you.” Deeper, more manly, sexy. That’s the ticket.

  “Oh.” She went back to staring at the notebook in her lap. “What’s up, Keaton?”

  “I just came back from the watch and was wondering where you were. Just checking on you. How are you doing?” He stood behind her chair. A much better view, as he could see the long curve of her bejeweled neck as she tilted her head in thought.

  “I’m fine. Did you find anything?”

  “Nothing important. Not so much as a footprint. I just did a quickie perimeter check. I think we’re out of the woods… so to speak.”

  His cheesy joke didn’t make her laugh, and he didn’t really expect it to. But being near her did funny things to him.

  “Hmm. Well, do me a favor: don’t get comfortable. You and I both know that things can make a turn for the worst at the drop of a hat. The savages know that there is prey out here. They are driven by instinct. I’m surprised that we haven’t seen much of anything since those five after our arrival.”

  “Missing your tattoos?” he teased.

  “I’m just saying. If they aren’t swarming here, then they are swarming somewhere else. And we need to be on our toes. I’d hate for those things to be spawning, making bigger groups.”

  “Is that what you’ve been doing? Obsessing over where the savages are?”

  “I don’t have a choice. We need to be methodical about this.” She pointed to her notebook. “Everything I’ve found shows no reports of missing persons or animal attacks anywhere around here. The closest I could find was in Denver. That means that nothing’s happening in your woods or outside of it. And I’m tired of patiently waiting for something to nip me in the ass. We need to move.”

  “Probably.” Keaton agreed with her. “Spawning could be a problem, too.”

  “That it could be. I can only take on so many at a time.”

  “You aren’t doing this alone.”

  “I am the only daevor here. That means that I am the only one who can draw them in.”

  “But you are not the only fighter. No one will make you go this alone, Winx. There’s not a snowball’s chance in hell. We’ve got your back. “

  Winx surprised him by actually turning to look up at his face, as if to test his candor. When she did not see anything out of the ordinary, she gave him what could be construed as a halfhearted smile. Or it could be considered a grimace. He chose to take it as a smile; it made him feel better.

  “Thanks.” That was all she said. Then she redirected her attention to the rushing water and preoccupied herself once more with her thoughts.

  Keaton decided it was best to leave her alone even though he wanted to stay longer. Pressing her fair mood for too long could leave damaging effects to their consistently rocky friendship.

  While walking away, he bumped into Genevieve. She was pirouetting around the yard with a happy look on her face. The princess was not such a locked box as the daevor, not by a long shot. And to be honest,
even when she was on her holier-than-thou rants, he found himself occasionally liking her. Her perky attitude was admirable, considering she was used to palaces and the like. The only person who seemed to spur her into a mighty tantrum was Winx. Most others were spared from her sporadic royal act.

  “Good day, Evy.”

  “Oh, hello, Keaton!”

  “What has you in such a mood?”

  “Nothing in particular. I just got up in good spirits.” She changed her tone. “I have actually been meaning to speak with you, my good man. Would you mind joining me in my tent so that we might have some privacy?”

  Keaton did not see what that could harm. Nodding, he followed her closely to her secluded area and stood back as she led the way inside. Once they were both in, she made sure that the flaps were secure and offered him a seat.

  The inside of her abode was as decorated and full as the outside. Colors were absolutely everywhere: fluffy pink pillows and frilly batons, glittered tapestries and teddy bears. It looked like an homage to a fairy Muppet from Sesame Street.

  “Where…when…?”

  “Not too long ago. I went into town for a few things. There wasn’t much to choose from, so I made a lot of this myself.” She sighed dramatically and traced a finger along one of the posts. “I miss my bedroom at home. This makes me feel close to my Queendom. Of course, things there are a lot more lavish. There are pillars encrusted with diamonds and carpets as soft as clouds, as well as servants around every turn. But this was the best I could do with the time and money I had.”

  “You realize that if you have to pack this all at the drop of a hat, you will have your hands full, right?”

  “Oh, I do realize that abandoning some of it might very well be a necessity. Perhaps Winx could allow me to toss some of it into her mobile home.”

  He was not sure where she got that idea, but he simply shrugged and sat down on a beanbag chair. He sunk immediately and almost lost his balance, but he caught himself in the nick of time.

  “What did you want, Evy?” He squirmed around, feeling the Styrofoam on the inside crinkle on his thighs.

  “Right.” Genevieve moved across from him demurely, sitting straight serenely. “I wanted to speak with you about your position among your pack.”

  Keaton braced himself. Of course. She had been talking to everyone around the camp since she had arrived, and it seemed that she was doing her best to bring as many fighters as she could with her back to the Order. Why else would she ask to speak with him in confidence?

  “Do you feel happy with where you are amongst this society?”

  Keaton shook his head—in disbelief, not in reply. But Genevieve took it as an answer.

  “No? I suspected as much! How could you be, really? You are essentially a lackey here. Have you ever considered joining ranks with the Order? We are far more organized, with opportunities for advancement in ranks, and even a benefits package? We need soldiers, Keaton. And you would fit right in.”

  “I need to be here to protect my family.”

  “That’s just the thing! The eradication forces are taking care of the savage problem so that civilian cryptids don’t have to! Our armies are growing by the day—”

  “From forced labor. Like with Winx.”

  Genevieve lost her smile. “Well, yes. The majority of our volunteers right now are…convicts. But demons like Winx are using their specialties for the greater good!”

  Keaton crossed his arms, but it was far from intimidating from his seat in the beanbag chair. “She is not a demon. She is a daevor.”

  “Daevors, like Winx,” Genevieve corrected herself. “I realize that this is daunting, but that is why The Three are doing their best to recruit real warriors ready to work for the Order. Oh, the advantages outweigh the bad, I promise you. The best thing is, this is all in the early stages of development. Which means you could place yourself quite highly, and extremely significantly, from being one of the first members of our recruits.”

  “So will Winx get paid as well? Have an opportunity for advancement? Get benefits? Otherwise, how could I accept all of that while knowing that there are ones like her who do not?”

  Genevieve was starting to look sterner. “Winx did a very bad thing.”

  “Yes. She avenged the loss of her sister. How horrible.”

  “Instead of waiting for the Order to take care of it, she mercilessly murdered human beings. That sort of behavior, though you may see it as admirable, must be punished. Your loyalty to her is great. But you should think of yourself, Keaton. Think of the prestige, your future! To be fighting for more than—”

  “Than what? The survival of my pack?”

  She looked like she almost swallowed her tongue in alarm. “That is not what I meant! At all!”

  “Then what did you mean?”

  “Only that…that…we need people like you, Keaton! Strong men to fight for us! Your tribe is a testament to the paramount of our need.”

  “I think that I have heard enough.” Keaton went to stand, trying to rid his bottom of the infernal seat to which he’d been ensnared.

  “Oh, please do not be cross with me, Keaton! I am still new to all of this. I simply suffer from a poor choice of words!”

  “An incredibly poor choice.” Keaton ended up rolling onto his side to get out of the beanbag chair. He hit the hard ground and rounded so that he crouched, letting out a huff of irritation.

  “You belittle the sacrifice of my pack. And you expect me to leave them so that I can protect your precious order from the uprising.”

  “It is not only the Order you would protect, but all realms in need! Including yours! Do you really think that yours is the only place affected by the savages?”

  “I have no obligation to the Order or to any other territory. My place is here!” Keaton pushed himself upright. “Really, Miss Merrick. I thought that you had come here to help us, too.”

  “I did. But I also came to find help for us!”

  Keaton frowned, then cocked his head in confusion. “What?” Genevieve stopped talking. She ducked her head, looking away from him. “Genevieve. Are the lixyns in danger as well?”

  “Everyone is in danger,” she said. “Look around you. The savages have a might that few can match. Those that can stop them, and are willing to, are a commodity.”

  “What happened? What haven’t you told us?”

  She stared at him with her bright blue eyes, even more deeper with her sorrow. “The Queendom was overrun, just as your homeland was. It seemed there weren’t enough ready warriors to contain the onslaught, and instead of trying, we abandoned it. My mother was moved somewhere secure, secret even to me. I haven’t talked to her in months, I miss her terribly. But The Three assure me that she is safe, and that she asks about me often.”

  “Shouldn’t they have taken you in as well?”

  “The only reason I am not with her is because I preferred to stay behind and get things back into gear so that we could go home. We need to defeat the scourge and take back our palace.”

  “You just up and decided to stay behind? And the Order let you make that choice?”

  “They had no say. I insisted, and I fought them until my personal guard was given to keep the Goddess safe. I have given up everything to come here.” Genevieve wiped a sudden tear away.

  “I still do not understand. You are the princess. You are every much as important as the Queen. Why hasn’t she herself demand that you come with her?”

  “The Goddess understands that I aspire to grow my wings. And the only way I can do that is by showing initiative.”

  “You…need to grow your wings?”

  “It is a figure of speech, but yes. Only by a righteous action will I be respected amongst my people and seen as the true heir to the throne. It is a rite of passage.”

  “There has to be a way to help us all,” Keaton said. “To stop the savages on all accounts.”

  “That might mean leaving your family. You have to at least consider it.�
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  He glared at her. “I will not leave them vulnerable. And I will not join the eradication forces. But I will help bring events to some sort of… conclusion.”

  “You have to understand that an army, one true army, is the only way.”

  “Not the way the lixyns are doing it. I cannot agree to it.”

  “Because of Winx?” she ventured. Keaton didn’t react. He just continued to look at her. “I have seen the way you watch her. Are you really so blinded by your adoration that you would excuse her past actions?”

  “You do not know anything about it.”

  “Do you?”

  “More than you do. I’ve heard from Iragall and Winx herself. Think. If you lost a sibling to a human, would you not demand satisfaction? In many ways. the savages are tearing your family apart. And look what you resort to in order to put things right. How can you blame Winx for attempting to do the same, for trying to bring peace to her mind?”

  Genevieve shook her head. “The situations are in no way comparable, Keaton.”

  “Only if you refuse to see it as such.”

  He felt like the conversation had come to a close. Since he was already standing, all that was left to do was turn toward the exit.

  “I really do need help!” Genevieve followed him out, tugging on his arm as they reentered the sunshine. “I cannot abandon this. Everything depends on me.”

  He remembered saying something quite similar to Winx, but he couldn’t sympathize. There was a war of words in his head, and how he longed to use them. The lixyn had to go.

  Keaton looked up from the corner of his gaze and saw Winx coming back into the clearing. She was still wrapped up in her long, heavy coat and was eyeing him standing beside Genevieve.

  “We will come up with something,” he told her. “But we cannot do so if we are divided. If you agree to an adjustment of your plans, we can see eye to eye. Keep in mind, princess. Though we Bandits are used to living the itinerate lifestyle, we have born just as much of a grudge as you and your Queendom has. Unity will lead us to the real finality of this dread.”