by A and E Kirk
Tristan shuffled files and papers. “And of course, there’s this guy.”
I opened the file with trepidation, staring at the handsome Italian, and breathed, “Cristiano Cacciatori.”
“The one and only,” Blake said with a grin. “The Seduction Class Guru. My true hero.”
Great, Blake was gaga over my assassins. He might sell me out to this one for a few hot tips on how to pick up girls. I was doomed.
“He’s practically Mandatum royalty,” Tristan said, his tone clipped. “Long prestigious lineage on both sides. Cristiano's father was killed when he was just a kid. And so many of Sophina’s ancestors have been in charge of finding the Divinicus Nex, it’s almost considered her birthright.”
I felt a chill. “And we still don’t know what Arman—uh, I mean Cristiano’s power is?”
“Nope,” Tristan said. “They keep it very hush-hush. Couldn’t find a thing.”
“How is that possible?” Logan said.
“Not sure.” Tristan didn’t look happy. “Word is anyone who’s ever seen it, hasn't survived long enough to talk about it.”
Comforting. Not.
Ayden flipped through the other files. “There’s no Hallucinator on their team but we know one messed with Heather and the minds of the other kids who attacked Aurora. Is there any evidence these guys were involved?”
Tristan shook his head. “Not even using M’s computer. There’s plenty on their many successful sanctioned missions, plenty on demon kills, but not much else. I’m searching for hidden files or a secret server, but haven’t had much luck...yet.”
Logan asked, “Could Cristiano be a Hallucinator?”
“Possibly,” Tristan said. “Or they recruited help, or hired out for the hit on Aurora.”
Hit on Aurora. Whoa. Tristan sounded so cold when he said it, casually talking about someone’s plans to murder me. I stared at the photo of Cristiano.
I’d stopped from calling him Armani, but it fit him. He had the look of an Italian model. Square jaw, an aristocratic nose—according to Blake—and piercing, pale green eyes that seemed to look right through me.
While tall and lean, he was also big. Not Blake big, but heading in that direction. Broad shoulders, thick with muscle, he was more powerfully built than most football players. Like he spent an inordinate amount of the time at the gym getting bigger and buffer.
And more lethal.
And hotter.
But definitely lethal. He could certainly slay me...lethally speaking, that is.
Ayden saw me staring. “That’s enough for now.” He had to tug the file a few times before I released my near white-knuckled grip.
There was something mesmerizing about the face of the guy who was trying to kill me. Sure, he was good-looking, but what was going on in his head? Why did he act like he knew me even though we’d never met? And what would make him so obsessed with ending my life?
Psychos. Why did I always attract psychos? What did that say about me? Nothing good. I shivered.
Ayden’s hand on my shoulder gave a light squeeze. “Want my jacket?”
I glanced up into his warm chocolate brown eyes, and it helped me remember that I didn’t always attract psychos. A bit of tension eased from my body.
“No, but thanks.” I shook my head, blinked, trying to clear the vision of Cristiano stuck in my brain.
Matthias strolled up. “While I’m disappointed I didn’t get to see Aurora in the body bag, Dad and I were busy checking out how the demons bypassed the protection wards around the town.” He shook his head. “Several areas were sabotaged, but how demons did it without killing themselves, I have no idea. We fixed a bunch, but we’ll have to do another recon.”
“Dude, I thought you and the sheriff were using my artistic expertise to check with the real estate companies.”
“We did that too,” Matthias said. “We showed your sketches of the demons in their human form to a bunch of real estate agents.”
“And?” I asked.
“Got a hit,” he said. “The demons rented a cabin, but the IDs were all fake. We searched the house they used, but didn’t find anything except maps of Gossamer Falls.” He pulled a yellow manila envelope from his jacket. “Doesn’t help much.”
Jayden took the envelope. “I may have the ability to extrapolate data on how they utilized the maps. Perhaps that would avail us some clues.” He began removing the maps. “However, it is the analysis on the particulates which should expound our most propitious information. Especially the data on Aurora’s Black Death.”
There had to be another way to say that.
Tristan gathered files. “Aurora, we had to run the analysis on the evidence through M’s computer so it wouldn’t get flagged. Keep an eye out for it.”
“Great,” I said. “So my family can happen upon an analysis of the Black Death? Luna and Lucian are already a snooping nightmare.”
“Don’t worry. Even if they find it, the report will sound all sciency, nothing supernatural or so dramatic.” Tristan snapped his backpack closed. “I’m off to Novo tomorrow, so if anyone needs me, call my cell. I’ll have it with me at all times.”
After the guys slapped Tristan on the back and wished him well, I wrapped him in a hug, “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks,” he grinned. “Me too.”
“Your dad is so awesome,” Blake said. “Remember the time he got us kicked out of the demon history exhibit at that conference in Prague?”
Tristan laughed. “He picked a fight with the curator, arguing that the information on one of the displays was wrong.”
“And then Jayden started agreeing with your dad,” Logan said.
“Because Mr. Grant was accurate,” Jayden said. “It was exceedingly obvious.”
“Yeah, they loved that so much security escorted us out.” Ayden smiled at the memory. “It was so cool. And remember at the Great Barrier Reef he told us mermaids lived in the giant clams, and—”
“—we kept trying to pry them open!” Logan laughed.
“We got kicked out of there too,” Blake said proudly.
The guys reminisced about the good old days. The times before their powers activated, when they just hung out and did normal kid stuff. Then, even after the trauma of their early activation, when a demon from the portal had killed their friend, there were several years where they had somewhat normal childhoods.
There were changes, sure. Tristan being raised by his grandparents, Blake by his Uncle Reece—still didn’t know what happened to his parents and sister. Another horror story? Couldn’t be. He was such a sweet, fun-loving guy. Then there was Matthias, new kid on the block whom they all had to get to know.
“Dude, you were such a jerk.” Blake whacked the Aussie’s shoulder and spoke in a terrible Australian accent. “Mr. I’m So Bleeding Cool Cause I’m from Down Underwear Land and Call Everyone Mate.”
“I didn’t sound like that,” Matthias scoffed. “But I was so bleeding cool. Still am. Mate.” His dimples couldn’t be contained as they all laughed and told him how wrong he was.
Sure, their days were interspersed with Mandatum hunter training, but their parents and Father Bancroft covered a lot of the demon related activity in those early years, slowly preparing the guys to take over. It made me sad to think it was all gone for them at such young ages, but it was also nice to hear them yabber on with good-natured fun. Such a change from—
“Matty!” Sheriff Payne yelled, running toward us with a look on his face that said the fun was over.
CHAPTER 20
The sheriff didn’t look very sheriffy. No uniform. Instead, he wore jeans and a nice dress shirt. He looked good, because it was impossible for Sheriff Hottie to look anything other than gorgeous.
Matthias got to him first. The sheriff gripped his son’s shoulders, face grim. “The facility, it’s been attacked.”
There was an empty second, then Matthias swayed on his feet, knees buckling.
The sheriff grabbed the A
ussie’s biceps, holding him up. From the look on Matthias’s face, devastated, ready to fall apart, his dad was probably literally holding him together. The blood drained from the Aussie’s face like a stopper had been unplugged, leaving him pale as a corpse, and seemingly boneless.
I hadn’t a clue what was happening, but I knew it was bad. Beyond bad.
At the Aussie’s reaction, the Hex Boys had stepped closer to him, forming a semi-circle at his back as if they were readying to catch him if he did indeed crumble.
Matthias's eyes didn’t take the time to swirl into black, they just changed in a blink. Literally. One moment his irises were the usual pale grey then his lids closed, and when they opened, everything had turned into a fathomless black pit. I’d never seen any of their eyes change so quickly. It was scary. It gave me chills.
His arms hung down at his sides, unmoving, but his hands twitched. Onyx squiggles flickered from his fingertips, then gained in thickness and length until they converged together and corkscrewed into the ground. They hit like rotor blades. Dirt, grass, roots, and pebbles flung through the air, the darkness cutting paths forward. As the power seared through a pond, water spurted like a geyser, sending geese, swans, and ducks, scattering with loud noises of protest.
Some kids looked around. Tristan immediately flung an arm. A purple mist shot from his fingertips and created a ring around us. The ring expanded out, moving across the lawn, and as it touched students, anyone looking at our way went back to acting like we didn’t exist.
Cool.
Sheriff Payne shook his son. “Matty, no! Listen to me. Everyone’s fine.” When Matthias’s shiny, ebony eyes remained glazed over and unresponsive, the sheriff shook him again. “Did you hear me? No one is hurt.”
Like a straw doll coming to life, Matthias blinked, seemed to focus, the black receding slowly, his irises regaining a dull grey. Then his body shifted and began to regain skeletal function. The black that had shot out from his hands and caused such destruction disappeared. He looked at his dad, and after a moment, brought his hands up to grasp the sheriff’s forearms. Sheriff Payne flinched slightly, but he kept his grip on Matthias, never losing eye contact.
Matthias’s voice sounded shaky. “No one’s hurt?”
“No one.” Sheriff Payne said firmly.
Like heat off asphalt, I could almost see the relief rise from the rest of the Hex Boys.
“What facility?” I asked, since I was obviously the only clueless one.
The sheriff gave me a quick glance and a tentative smile, but kept his focus on Matthias. “It’s a Mandatum compound in Sydney where I used to work. We still have a lot of friends there. People Matty grew up with. But they’re all okay.”
That was good news. “Who attacked it?”
“Demons,” the sheriff spat. “There’s been a string of assaults by rogue groups on various Mandatum targets.”
“Since when?” No one had told me. Typical. “And why?”
“A few weeks,” Sheriff Payne said. “We’re not sure why. They’ve only hit Europe and Asia so far, but they seem to be expanding.”
Now that Matthias seemed to be able to stand on his own, the sheriff’s hands moved to cradle the Aussie’s face. “The facility suffered damage. I’m going there now to help with security and recovery.”
Matthias licked his lips. “Okay.” He nodded, like he was coming out of a heavy bout of sleepwalking. “Good. That’s good.” He looked around as if trying to figure out where he was. “I’ll come with you.” He nodded again, the dull movement slowly gaining speed. “I can help.”
“Of course you could, but I need you here.”
“Dad.” His voice almost broke.
The sheriff clenched his jaw and swallowed hard. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but they’ll only agree to let me go if you stay with your team and check into what’s happening here.”
“But—”
“The Grants, Ishidas, Houghs, and Bancroft are already gone. They want Reece too.”
“What?” Blake’s head jerked around. “When?”
“Tonight,” the sheriff said. “Between the gathering and these surprise attacks which seem to be escalating, it’s all hands on deck. The Mandatum is stretched thin. They promised to send you some backup, but it will take a few days. Can you do this for me?” He looked at Matthias, then at the rest of us. “Please.”
As we nodded, Ayden said, “We’ve got this.”
“Thanks,” Sheriff Payne said. “Except Tristan. He’s coming with me.”
“Wh-why?” Tristan said, surprised.
“Yeah, why him? He’s not even an offensive hunter.” Matthias gave Tristan a glance. “Sorry, I didn’t mean…it’s just if anyone goes, it should be me.”
“I get it,” Tristan assured him, but looked a bit hurt.
“Not to Australia,” Sheriff Payne said. “I need the jet. I’ll drop Tristan off at Novo on the way.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t go,” Tristan said. “If I’m needed here…”
“No.” The sheriff gripped his shoulder. “Family is too important.”
“He’s right,” Matthias agreed. “Be with your dad. We can handle things until you get back.”
“But be safe,” the sheriff said. “Especially until backup arrives.”
Sheriff Payne flashed that megawatt smile and put an arm around Matthias’s shoulders as the two walked off, talking softly. I noticed he’d need a new shirt. Where Matthias had held his dad’s arms when his hands still dribbled with the black, shadowy power, the shirt was shredded, and the sheriff’s skin bled from shallow cuts.
Since when did the Aussie’s shadow whips cut through stuff? And another thing…
“What’s The Gathering?” I asked. “At first I thought the sheriff said, ‘the gathering,’ but then I realized he said, ‘The Gathering.’ ”
“Sorry, babe, but you just said the same thing twice.”
“No. I said it with capitals and without.”
“I heard it,” Logan said.
Jayden paused from studying the map he’d spread on the table. “So did I!” He wore a wondrous, self-satisfied smile. “My cultural acclimatization and colloquialism dexterity pullulates exponentially.”
If he said so.
“Oh, you were talking in code.” Blake gave me a nod. “Like when you say you’re not my secret girlfriend and you’re really—”
“—not your secret girlfriend,” I said.
“Exactly.” Blake gave me a big wink.
Logan shook his head. “The Gathering is a high level meeting for the Mandatum bigwigs. Very hush-hush. Our families are helping with security, which is the only reason we know it’s coming soon.”
“We’re not big enough wigs to get the deets or be invited. But you would be.” Blake put his arm around me. “When you’re finally outed, can I be your plus one?”
“Blake, you’re being preposterous,” Jayden scoffed.
My brow knitted. “So I wouldn’t have to go?”
“Oh, as the Divinicus you would definitively attend,” Jayden said. “Be the guest of honor, in fact, which would make Madame Cacciatori’s life much easier since she currently is required to appear and explain why she hasn’t yet found you.”
“Yeah, well tough,” I said.
“I’m sure she takes quite the grilling,” Jayden said. “But at The Gathering, your ‘plus one,’ as Blake elucidates in vernacular terms, would obviously be your Bellator.”
Ayden tensed. “We don’t know if Aurora would even have a Bellator, Jayden.”
“Well, I for one hope babe does have a Bellator,” Blake said. “A hot girl hunter with killer skills? Awesome! She could be my other secret girlfriend.”
Jayden sighed. “Since the Bellator is the lifelong romantic companion of the Divinicus, and based on Aurora’s established heterosexual inclinations toward Ayden, her Bellator would be male.”
“Really? Bummer,” Blake pouted. “Unless babe’s multisexual." He smiled at me. "I wouldn’t h
old it against you. But I would hold you against me.”
“Shut up!” Ayden snapped, wrapping an arm around me in a tight grip. “Both of you. She’s not multi…anything, and she’s already a Mandatum anomaly. The first female Divinicus and she has her own killer skills so she doesn’t need any Bellator protecting her. Especially when she has us.”
“Of course she has us,” Jayden said. “We might even be assigned as her Sicarius protection detail given our history with her, if we were so inclined to reveal our levels of power. But the Bellator would seem to be an inevitable coalition of…muscle, if you will, to help her remain alive. Especially considering how long it’s taken to find her and the years of missed opportunities.”
Ayden’s mouth barely moved as he glared at his brother and ground out, “You’re full of crap.”
Jayden blinked. “No. My conclusions are based on rational evaluations of—”
“Jayden!” Logan whacked the genius’s shoulder. “Let’s concern ourselves with current problems.”
I had so much on my plate, the Bellator aspect of my Divinicus Nex drama didn’t much enter into my daily concerns. Did I have one? Was he—or she—out there somewhere looking for me? I’d been so busy worrying about dodging demons and traitors, keeping myself off the radar and everyone I loved out of danger, a possible Bellator by my side hadn’t registered as a real concern. I hadn’t given it much thought at all.
But it seemed like Ayden had.
As this conversation had gone on, his grip on my shoulders had escalated to near painful. He seemed ready to explode. A sharp whistle from Sheriff Payne was a welcome distraction, making Ayden’s eyes turn more rich brown than set-you-on-fire flaming.
The sheriff gestured for Tristan to join him and Matthias. As the three drove off, the rest of us waved, except Jayden who’d produced what looked like a pen and hovered it above one of the maps of Gossamer Falls found in the rental cabin. A purple light emanated from the pen and made the map glow with splotches of silver.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Demons don’t have fingerprints,” Jayden said. “But they do have…a certain energy which transfers to items they touch.” He indicated the pen-like thing, “This is a prototype I invented for imaging the photophosmorpheous electromag—” Ayden bumped Jayden’s shoulder. “Right. We’ll just call it a gizmo, actually a fun word to say, so a gizmo which can detect that demonic energy.”