by J. L. Weil
After a few moments of flirting with the idea of escape, I set forth to finish what I’d been assigned to do. Really, there wasn’t any other option. No matter what I did or didn’t do, I would pay for it later. And let me tell you, payment at the hands of the facility wasn’t something I ever wanted to feel again. My one act of rebellion in that first week was enough for me to learn my lesson. I’d always been a fast learner.
And I had drunk the brain-washing Kool-Aid.
Pushing aside the big green leaves from the stalks, I meandered through some farmer’s field. Flat land stretched out in front of me, making me realize that I was probably still in Illinois, maybe even not far from Spring Valley. It was hard to pinpoint a precise location when all I had to go on was miles of corn. A cow mooed in the distance. The sound startled me, and I whipped around in a circle, swiping the dagger stashed in the back of my pants. I was on edge and more nervous than I’d bargained for.
I snorted.
God, I was acting like a helpless twit. Not only had I been trained to kill, but I was also better equipped than a Navy SEAL. Shoving the dagger back into its sheath, I continued along the rows of corn, looking for signs of Hell. I mean, that was the whole of point of this exercise—to hunt and kill.
I went over and over in my head the signs of tracking, until I didn’t have to think at all. Pure instinct kicked in. But, in the end, it wasn’t me that found it.
It tracked me.
I hadn’t heard the hound coming, not until it snarled right behind me. They were known to be stealthy, but, heck, so was I, and I was irked that the mutt had gotten the jump on me. It threw off my guard and wounded my pride.
Pivoting around on my heel, I came face to face with a butt-ugly dog, the dagger clenched in my clutches. Through clamped scissor jaws, the hellhound stared me down like a giant piece of key lime pie. I’d always figured the first time I had a showdown with something unnatural, I would be quick, light on my feet, and deadly—a force to be reckoned with.
Lately, nothing ever went according to plan.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead, pushing loose strands of hair away from my face. The heat was unbearable as it blazed down on me. The giant stalks of corn offered very little coverage from the summer’s heat, but just enough to keep us hidden from some unwanted farmer’s gaze.
I backed up as the blacker-than-night hound stomped the dirt with a paw the size of a lion’s. My heart thumped in my chest as the dagger was slick in my sweaty palm. The hound growled low in its throat, baring hideous teeth and drooling potent salvia that could mark a human for Hell’s GPS.
Oh, Hell had all kinds of dirty tricks. They didn’t play by any rules. They didn’t know what a clean fight was. And they sure as heck didn’t care who got in their way.
I stopped in my tracks and waited to see what my next move would be. Maybe a bolt of lightning would strike the ground and I would be hit with a brilliant plan, because right now…I had nothing.
I froze.
Sweet baby Jesus.
He pounced before I even saw him move. I cursed its inhuman speed as the ground slipped from under me. My ass hit the dirt, and the force of the impact caused me to lose my breath. I didn’t even have a time to inhale before the hound was on top of me, slamming my head to the ground. The blade went flying out of my hand.
Just peachy.
I heard my skull crack, and then it was followed by a sharp shooting pain. White starbursts danced behind my eyes, yet there was no time to lick my wounds. With the hound’s weight bearing down on my chest, I struggled to get the upper hand. The size of the damn thing was a surprise. Teeth snapped at my throat and all I could think was this was it. I wasn’t going to make it through my first hunt.
It was almost comical. And pathetic.
All the hours of sweat, intense labor, and degrading humiliation were for nothing. A wave of frustration tore through me. It was just the adrenaline I needed. Pushing against the hound’s neck, I reached with my free hand as far as I could down the side of my leg. At one point, I thought my arm was going to pop out of the socket.
Wouldn’t that just be my luck?
I almost sighed in relief when the tip of my fingers touched the top handle of the knife hidden inside my boot. Just another inch or two and I would be able to grasp it.
Please, God.
A bubble of gleam rose up in me when I was finally able to nudge the weapon into my hand. Clenching what had become my lifeline, a switch flipped inside me. Moments ago, I wasn’t sure I had it in me to kill, even something as evil and dangerous as a hellhound. But now with the power of the knife in my hand and the hound’s foul breath on my face, I knew I had it in me.
This hound was dead meat.
“Suck on this,” I sneered, right before I slammed the ruby blade into the hellhound’s throat. Blood the color of ink splattered on my face and hands. The hound gave one long tortuous yowl before he exited this plane to be returned to the fiery pits of Hell.
“I hope you burn, you S.O.B,” I added for my own satisfaction.
With the little strength I had left, I tossed the beast off me, and just in time, too. Still lying flat on my back, the hound’s bloody and lifeless body beside me erupted into ash. Particles of the dark grey soot rained down on me, sticking to my slick-with-sweat skin.
I must have looked a fright.
My first hunt hadn’t exactly been clean or without a few hiccups, but I had done it. I had killed my first hellish creature. I was told it was easy as pie after the first kill. The knot in my stomach wasn’t too sure. I had a feeling that I was the kind of hunter that might not ever be comfortable with killing. Demon or not, the act of stealing a life was some deep shit, and I guess I still had a shard of compassion left inside me.
But there was one thing I knew, whether I liked hunting or not, it was necessary for my survival that I enjoy the kill.
All hunters do.
I couldn’t be the exception.
Chapter 3
When I was told my training was over and I would be getting my first assignment, all I could think was…freedom. I did a mental happy dance. Inside the facility there was absolutely no dancing, let alone anything happy. Then my eyes scanned the vanilla printed sheet. Right across from my name, written in bold, capital letters was the name of the Divisa I was supposed to eliminate: Chase Winters.
God hates me.
There couldn’t be any other possible rationalization at this point. Out of all of the hundreds, maybe thousands, of half-demons in the world, it could have been any old Tom, Dick, or Harry. Oh no. Not me. I get assigned the notorious Chase Winters. Not only did he have a reputation among the hunting and demon community as being the freaking badass of badasses…but he was also Travis’s blood, his cousin and his best friend. Though Chase and I could hardly be called friends, and I was as confused as ever about Travis, I still didn’t want to have to kill Chase. Even after all my training, Chase scared the ever-living crap out of me. But what choice did I have?
Damn.
This totally killed my freedom buzz.
It had been a year since I’d stepped foot into civilization. Into Spring Valley. As much as I dreaded the task set in front of me with every fiber of my being, I was so glad to finally be going home. When I was told I was going to be given an assignment, I figured they would send me to some godforsaken wasteland, not to the one place I’d dreamed of every night since my recruit.
The excitement at seeing my mom, seeing Abi was bubbling inside me like a little girl. I pushed aside my feelings about Chase and focused on seeing the family I’d missed for over a year. Seeing the house I loved, but was hardly able to call a home. There would be time later to dwell on what I’d been sent to do.
Right now I just wanted to go home.
My first breath of Spring Valley was filled with the fresh, earthy scent of manure.
Go figure.
Fall harvest was in full swing, which meant the air smelled putrid most days…and I loved it.
Of course there were many days were you would get that sweet sniff of apples, pumpkin pie, burning leaves, and the cool starry nights. I guess there were some things you never forgot, no matter how many kinds of hell you endured.
Like Travis’s eyes…but I wasn’t going there. Not now.
My boots crunched on gravel as I walked down the lonely, flat road. I had traded in my ballet slippers for combat boots. Oh, how things had changed. But as I looked around, my eyes couldn’t seem to get enough of the countryside. It was both new and familiar. The same old farmhouses lined Main Street. The apple orchard was in full bloom. The mosquitos were still pesky buggers on a blistering autumn afternoon. I loved the music of crickets during a drought. I guess it wasn’t Spring Valley that was different. It was me.
I was the new change in town.
As I strolled down the road toward my home, I wondered if anyone would recognize me. Would they stop me and call my name? Would there be tears for the girl who had gone missing?
Before I’d left the facility, I was given a large tan envelope with my instructions. These included my cover story. I mean, I couldn’t just pop back into my old life as if I hadn’t been gone for over a year. My mom had been brought up to speed regarding my impending arrival. My room was being readied. And Spring Valley had better watch out, because chaos was about to hit this sleepy town.
Really the only uncertain factor in my return was Abi, who now, at four years old, was a blabbermouth, a complete chatterbox. There were some concerns about whether Abi would be able to keep up the pretense, because in reality she was too young to really understand it all.
But none of that mattered, because I couldn’t wait to see both Monkey and my mom. I was literally jumping out of my skin with excitement, and I wasn’t nearly as worried as my parents were about Abi blowing my cover. If anything I was more worried about what they might do to Abi if something slipped out. You can’t expect a four-year-old to keep monstrous secrets.
I just hoped she remembered me. Emmie.
Walking through my front door, I was washed with an onset of memories. The homely smell hit me like a ton of bricks, and I felt a crack in my hardened heart. I didn’t expect balloons, banners, or a welcome home party, but it would have been nice if the house hadn’t been empty.
From room to room, I strolled, calling out for Mom and then Abi. The only thing that answered me was dead air and the stupid chime of the grandfather clock. I tried to bury my disappointment. There wasn’t room for feelings as a hunter, but I was still a young girl and I wanted to see my mommy.
Pushing open the door to my bedroom, I stared at the room with its pink and lace bed in the middle. There was a part of me that longed for the sparkle of the girl who used to sleep here, but the crossbows and daggers had won. Glancing around the room made me feel like I had walked into another dimension. Had that girl ever been real?
Slumping onto my bed, I closed my eyes and sighed. This beat the heck out of the stiff and lumpy mattress I’d slept on for the past year. The bed was sweet luxury. I felt like a princess. Then I remembered I couldn’t be farther from a princess if I tried. Staring at the ceiling, my mind went blank.
An hour passed before I heard the garage door open.
I rushed down the stairs in an ungraceful whirlwind, flying around the banister and slipping on the floor. The smile on my face was stupidly huge. “Mom,” I said, tears clogging my throat.
She looked…magnificent. Her blonde hair was swept up in a sophisticated bun, and her light green eyes went wide. “Oh, Emma. What a surprise.” She embraced me in a giant hug, and I was afraid to let go. She pulled back at arm’s length and studied me. “You look amazing.”
I felt something wiggle between us. “Hiya, Monkey,” I said, grinning down at the little girl with strawberry-blonde hair, who looked like a miniature me. She was dressed in a pink leotard and black ballet slippers. She reminded me of the old me. I saw the future I’d once had flash before my eyes, except it was Abi’s face, not mine. I tried not to feel cheated as my grin faltered.
Crouching, I got down to her level. Monkey was suction-cupped to my mom’s thigh, and my heart plummeted. Around my mom’s leg, she snuck a glance at me with uncertain emerald eyes. We used to be thick as thieves. She had looked up to me. Now I was like a stranger to her.
I couldn’t help but wonder where my boisterous, giddy baby sister had gone. This little girl seemed shy and withdrawn.
“Abi had a dance lesson today,” Mom said, explaining their absence.
Nodding, I tried to hide my disappointment and annoyance. I doubted I fooled anyone. I was flabbergasted that one dance class couldn’t have been missed for Abi’s big sister’s return.
Where were the tears?
Where was the home-cooked meal?
The three of us stood in hallway in uncomfortable silence, shuffling our feet, straining for something to say to each other.
In my head I’d thought my homecoming would have been emotional and eventful, but I should have known with a family like mine that was an illusion I’d created. Shoving aside those weak feelings, I latched onto my priority with renewed determination.
To find Chase’s weak spot.
I had a better chance at finding Victoria’s Secret.
Chapter 4
It took no stretch of the imagination to see that Chase Winters was in love.
Hell must have frozen over.
I’ll be damned. I couldn’t believe it. Chase…in love? What kind of girl fell in love with someone like Chase? She either had to be incredibly stupid or incredibly ballsy. I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Never in a thousand years had I expected to come back home to this.
And at the same time, I think I had just found the Achilles heel I’d been looking for. Chase’s kryptonite.
Like every day since I’d been back, I watched from a distance. This newcomer struck me as someone who might be worth checking out. Call it hunter instinct.
She was pretty in a non-frills kind of way, so unlike Lexi, Chase’s cousin and Travis’s sister. This girl looked like she had a sense about her and didn’t like to be led astray. Her dark hair was loose and long, and it was apparent that she was quite friendly with the neighbors.
Odd.
The Winters weren’t very sociable. I would know. They normally kept to themselves and never mingled with humans. It wasn’t safe. Not all Divisa had the morals that the Winters were brought up with, but in the end it didn’t matter.
They were dangerous.
They were killers.
They were deadly.
And they deserved to die.
This girl had quite the interaction with my target, and at first I couldn’t put my finger on what their relationship was. Some days, I thought that she despised his guts, and then the next she looked like she wanted to shove her tongue down his throat.
I was puzzled.
And intrigued.
But in the end, I recognized their relationship for what is was…attraction. Combustible attraction. They were like a fuse and a match; one strike and they went up in flames. I was fascinated and utterly stupefied. This was not at all what I’d excepted when I’d come home. I couldn’t decide if this complicated matters.
As far as I knew, I was the only one who lacked the fear chromosome. I hadn’t met another human who wasn’t afraid of the half-demons. Actually, it was the one subject that the facility never even touched upon, because as far as they were concerned, it never happened.
Little did they know.
And trust me, I wasn’t about to enlighten them. I had been there long enough to know what the consequences would have been: a padded room and daily dissection of my brain, my body, and God knew what else. I would have become a lab rat.
A shudder ran through me.
If it had been a different scenario in another time, I would have liked to meet this mysterious girl. I had a slew of questions for her. Did she ever get that inkling of fear? Did she have the first clue what her nei
ghbors where? How could she stand to be in the same room with Chase?
Currently, I was on a stakeout in the school parking lot of Hall High. It brought a twinge of regret being back at here at school. Those dreams I’d once had slowly came to the surface.
I scoffed.
“Get your head out of the clouds,” I mumbled to myself.
Dreams were not a part of my life now. I had bigger and more important things to concentrate on than something as frivolous as my old life.
Slinking lower in the seat, I listened as Chase and the girl named Angel approached my parked car. They passed by, and I held my breath.
That had been too close.
A small smile broke out on my lips. Being this near discovery was like living on the edge of a cliff. It made me feel empowered. Oh, how the facility would be proud that the skills they’d beaten into me were put to great use.
“Hey, you okay?” I heard Chase ask her, and I bit my lip.
Holy crud. They stopped right in front of my car. I tried not to panic. It was not in my plan to be discovered just yet, and it looked like I wasn’t out of the woods.
“Your face just lost ten shades of color,” Chase commented as if he cared.
Wow. He actually sounded concerned. That was new. I kept as still as possible unable to believe my luck. I’d never been able to get close enough to hear what they talked about.
“Angel, look at me,” Chase demanded. “Nothing is going to happen to you. Not while I’m here. I promise.”
Well, well, well, sounded like Chase’s new friend knew more than I’d counted on. If she and Chase were both worried about her safety, that could only mean one thing: Hell was nipping at their heels.
“You can’t be sure of that. What about when I’m alone?” Angel asked.
“You won’t be alone,” Chase fired back.
He sounded like he would defend her through the gates of Hades. This was not the Chase that I knew. Not by a long shot. And trust me, I am an excellent shot. He’d always been protective, but only toward his own kind, never what he considered as outsiders, which was pretty much the rest of us. And now he was protecting a human? What the hell had happened after I left? Had Spring Valley been exposed to some kind of chemical warfare? Had there been something in the goddamn water? Because Chase caring about the wellbeing of a human was…freaking unheard of.