Bloodlines

by Powell, Jaime W.

  “It’s more than that,” I finally say, pulling my father forward. “My mother has been attacked, as well as myself, two days ago. The brothers saved us both and are sure the demon will return. They’ve offered to help with our protection until the demon can be destroyed.”

  “Another Incubus?” Molly asks.

  I nod, but I hesitate. I decide it’s best to be honest. “It’s Silas’s father, Damius.”

  “It’s his father?” Dennis exclaims. “How do we know in a battle he wouldn’t change sides. He can’t be trusted, Abraham, tell them.”

  I glance up at my dad, scared we are losing the battle here. Perhaps I’ve said too much.

  “That wouldn’t happen,” Silas says, walking up behind me and taking my hand in his. “I am not like my father. Nor are my brothers. We want peace, same as you. We didn’t ask for this life and only use our powers when necessary, and only to help.” I squeeze his hand.

  “What is this, Christopher?” Abraham asks. “You ask us not to kill him, you bring him to our secret society, and now he holds hands with your daughter?” He shakes his head and his nose curls in disgust. “Do you know what he is?”

  “I know what he is,” I interrupt. “He’s the man that saved my life not once but twice. He’s the man offering to keep us all safe, and he’s the man who knows Damius better than anyone. That’s who he is,” I snap. “If that’s not reason enough then…Bill, go ahead and write in your book that I’m in love with him,” I say.

  “Abraham,” my father’s now-small voice says, “Micah had come for my daughter and this young man saved her.” Some people now whisper or peer at one another in surprise at the name drop. Micah. They all know who that is.

  “My family needs protecting. I’ve seen what he and his brothers can do. I’d like your help as well as everyone’s,” he finishes.

  Abraham shakes his head. “We will not aid you in this, Chris. These demons must be destroyed.”

  “Not by me,” Rain says. My head snaps in her direction, as does my father’s and Silas’s. “I’ve seen a demon’s aura and that is not what I see with Silas.” She looks to her mom. “Mother, I won’t kill a man.”

  Molly nods. “I stand with my daughter.”

  “As do I,” David says.

  “David!” Dennis exclaims. “You would trade us for them?”

  “I’m trading no one,” he says. “I will do what’s right, though.”

  “You can stand against me in battle?” Dennis asks him.

  “Will you stand against me for what you think is right?” David retorts. Dennis’s face boils red, and I see him take something from his pocket and flick it quickly open.

  “No!” I scream. But it’s too late. Dennis has thrown his knife and it is planted in Dennis’ chest. He gasps for air and his eyes are large. He grips the knife.

  “Silas!” I yell. He has already knelt beside David and is pulling the knife slowly from his chest. Blood pumps out as David’s heart races. My father stands above us with wide eyes, his hands now fallen to his sides as he kneels beside the wounded brother.

  Soon, a red light I have to squint against fills the entirety of the room, and David screams in pain. I know that holler all too well. Silas is cauterizing the wound. It hurts like mad. You think you are dying, but it’s for the best.

  “If Zeke was here it wouldn’t hurt so bad,” I hear Silas mutter under his breath. “It’s going to stay hot for quite some time. He’ll be uncomfortable, but he’ll survive.”

  I stand, grabbing the knife, intent on putting it right through Dennis, but my father’s hand catches my arm. “Remember who you are,” he whispers. I take a much needed breath, dropping the bloody knife from my hand, and bury my face in his chest. It’s there I sob.

  I feel a hand stroke my hair and glance up to see Molly. She wipes a tear from my face and I grab her into a hug. “Thank you,” I whisper through my tears. “Thank you for helping us.” My arm reaches out for Rain and she joins in our hug.

  My father kneels at David’s side. “You’re going to be all right now.” David nods, still clutching his chest. “Let’s get you some ice,” my father says. “Come, Emma, Silas. We have to go now.”

  “Christopher,” Abraham calls out. My father turns to his name. “Are you sure you want to go to battle with the people who put food on your table? Who clothe you and your family?”

  I peer up at my father and he smiles down at me, placing a hand on my red cheek before answering. “As David said, I will do what’s right.”

  “Abraham, we can’t run away from who we were born to be. But we can make the choice to not live under your corrupt sense of righteousness,” Rain says. “We, too, will do what is right. Dennis trying to kill his own brother over this shows that this group has taken what little power we have to an evil place. Never forget we are here to fight for the side of good.”

  Abraham peers at us all. “Whoever decides to leave in order to shield these demons will be considered our enemies and therefore on our list of targets as well. Keep that in mind.”

  We climb the stairs and out of the underground room, through the padlocked door, and outside to our vehicles.

  “I sure hope you know what you’re doing, Christopher,” Molly says. “We are biting the hand that feeds us.”

  “Oh, something tells me we’ll always have pizza,” he says through a bitter laugh. I chuckle at his humor. It’s the first time in years I’ve heard my dad joke. Silas helps David limp to his nearby truck.

  “When you get home, an ice pack will help,” he tells David. David smiles weakly and pats Silas on the shoulder.

  As Silas and I climb into my car, I peer over at him and take a deep breath. “We’re all insane.”

  He nods and glances out his window. “Maybe so.”

  That night my mother cooks, not just for me, but for Silas, Kutz, and Zeke. Something new is forming now. Something stronger than bloodlines.

  Seventeen

  The First of Many

  I suppose I expected something a little different from a safe house. Of course it won’t be safe from the Huntsmen, but we can see them coming. Hopefully it will be safe from the demons, though. Jefferson is full of beautiful Victorian homes. I had my eye on a few on the way here.

  Every time we would slow near one I’d think ”this is it,” but I was wrong. The safe house is a plain, single-story brick home that appears it could belong to any middle-class family. Maybe that’s the point — to not stand out. Well, it works.

  I feel immediately withdrawn from the estate as we walk in. The house hasn’t been updated for thirty years. The carpet is matted, the walls are chipping paint, and the house smells moist from possible leaks.

  “This is the safe house?” I ask David. He and Kutz are the two assigned to me my first day here. I glance to the ceiling where I see a dripping. The small leak falls into a black, kitchen pot on the floor. “Lovely.”

  “It’s not for long, Emma. Just until we can get everything squared away,” he says.

  “Squared away,” I mutter.

  “What were you expecting?” Kutz asks. “The Hilton?”

  “No, but humane living conditions would have been nice,” I mumble.

  He laughs. “I’ve seen worse.” I stroll from room to room, dodging leaks and trying not to touch anything. Why, I’m not sure. It just seems dirty in here.

  “Emma,” Kutz calls out.

  “Yeah?”

  “Always within earshot of us,” he reminds me. I take a breath and enter one of the rooms, dragging my bag behind me and tossing it on the bed. This room doesn’t seem so bad, I suppose. There’s no point in unpacking. My clothes will probably stay drier in the suitcase.

  I sit on the edge of the springy bed which squeaks under my weight. So, this is what it’s come to. I lay my head down for a moment and think about Silas. I wish he was here with me my first night. It would make things so much easier.

  I suppose I’m glad it’s Kutz and not Zeke, though. Although I know
Zeke is a good guy, it does make me a little uncomfortable knowing he doesn’t approve of my relationship with Silas. It would probably make for a long day here. Kutz, on the other hand, is so carefree. I’m not sure anything bothers him.

  Last night was something special. Having my family open our home to the brothers made for a good night. I’m still shocked at how my father has taken them in. The only reason could be him seeing them save my life. Thank God, my mother thought to call them.

  My mother. For the first time in a long time I miss her. I feel like I’m just getting to know her for the first time since I was a kid. I can remember her taking me to the park and school plays with her holding a video camera, but it’s only now that I’m old enough to appreciate her. I’m glad she has come out of her fog.

  I take out my phone where I took a few secret pictures of everyone last night and gaze at one in particular. It’s where Silas was sitting next to my mom at the dinner table and they were both laughing. A grin spreads across my face, but then I remember David and his near-death experience. There’s not much left to smile about anymore.

  Everything has turned into life and death. Considering all of this, I suppose I haven’t been the best daughter, myself. I give my parents a hard time about not being in my life, but I never made a point of trying to be a daughter. Maybe if I had, my mother wouldn’t have turned to the bottle. I need to start making a better effort.

  I dial her number as I roll onto my stomach on the bed and place the phone to my ear. I chew on the inside of my cheek as I wait for her to answer. When she does, her voice seems the sweetest I’ve heard in a long time.

  “Hey, Mom!”

  “Hey, honey. Are you safe and settled in?” she asks.

  “Err, as settled in as you can be here, I guess.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  “You have no idea,” I mumble. Suddenly I hear a slamming noise on her end of the phone, followed by the sound of her phone falling to the floor.

  “What are you doing here?” my mom’s muffled voice calls out. I hear a man say something, and now my mother cries out in pain. The sound of crashing dishes and perhaps someone falling reverberate through the receiver.

  “Mom! Mom!” I holler. Her cries weaken as I call out louder and louder. “Mom! Answer me! Pick up the phone!”

  “What’s going on?” David asks as he and Kutz rush into my room.

  “I don’t know.” I call out into the receiver once more. “Mom! Answer me!” But there’s nothing. Nothing but the sound of heavy footsteps fleeing and the door slamming once more before the line goes dead.

  “She’s gone,” I whisper. “Someone was there with her. They barged in while we were talking.”

  “What do you mean?” David asks.

  “You mean she’s dead? Where’s your father?” Kutz asks.

  I shake my head. I can’t find words anymore. Even though I didn’t see it with my own eyes I know someone just murdered my mother. I need to cry and yell, but I can’t. I throw the phone and run past them and head for the door, but as I open it, Kutz is right there, slamming it shut.

  “I have to go!” I holler at him

  “No,” he replies sternly. “If what you say is true, it’s even more imperative that you stay hidden away.”

  “He’s right, Emma,” David says. “Do you know who it was?”

  I close my eyes. “No. She never said a name.”

  “But she knew them?” David asks.

  I nod. “Definitely. She knew exactly who it was.” The room falls silent. I couldn’t be sure who it was, but I knew it wasn’t a demon this time. She spoke to whoever it was. She knew them personally.

  “One of your people?” Kutz asks David.

  David hangs his head. “I hope not, but it’s possible.”

  “I thought you didn’t kill people,” I say, now nose to nose with him. Kutz pulls me back away from him.

  “I don’t. But if someone interferes with the destroying of a demon or tries to protect them, it’s possible.”

  “How was my mother interfering?” I demand.

  “Emma, I’m not saying I know for sure. I have no idea. I’m only saying its possible.” He glances to Kutz. “How do we know it wasn’t one of your people? Silas’s father. She would have recognized him, too!”

  “My mother wouldn’t have asked a demon ’what are you doing here?’ She would have run. There’s a big difference.”

  “Okay. Okay,” Kutz says, rubbing my shoulders. “Let’s all calm down. Everyone in this room is a friend. Remember that. No one here is to blame. But no one can leave either. I’ll call Silas and he’ll go see…well…if she is in fact hurt.”

  “Will he be able to save her?” I ask.

  Kutz takes a deep breath. “If she’s hurt, yes. If she’s already gone, there’s nothing he can do, I’m afraid.”

  * * *

  The minutes drag on as I bite my nails and imagine life without my mother. Yes, she had a drinking problem. Yes, I felt ignored as I grew up into womanhood. But a mother is a girl’s best friend even still, and I’m not sure how to live without her.

  Even in her drinking days, had I come to her with a problem I believe she would have found a way to help me. And seeing her this past week sober and loving, cooking, and entertaining was such a good taste of life for me that I’m not sure how to let it be the last.

  My leg bounces up and down as I sit on the sofa next to Kutz, awaiting Silas’s call. Where is my father? Could he be there now? Where was he when it happened? Could he be hurt, too?

  So many questions plague me now, that concentrating on only one proves impossible. David sits across from us in a chair, his face in his hands. Until this moment, I haven’t given much thought to what he must be feeling.

  His family and the society turning on him. His own brother trying to kill him. Then the pain he endured as Silas healed him, and now, sitting here wondering if the Huntsmen, maybe his brother Dennis even, have killed an innocent woman. Perhaps my father as well.

  When Kutz’s phone finally rings, I grab onto his arm, clutching it with wide eyes. He places his hand over mine before answering. He doesn’t even say hello. As soon as he answers his phone, Silas is on the other end talking.

  I know the answer before it’s told to me. As soon as I see Kutz’s shoulders slump slightly, I know. I know my mother is gone. We weren’t fast enough to save her.

  I can see by David’s reaction that he knows the answer as well. He stands and begins pacing the room, rubbing the top of his head and back of his neck nervously. It becomes clear as Kutz hangs the phone up that David feels he’s in over his head.

  “We’re all going to die. They know they can’t fight us all together so they are picking us off one at a time,” he mutters as he continues to pace. I stare at him but say nothing. “For all I know my brother did that. It could have been Jason, too.

  “I already know it’s not Abraham. He wouldn’t want to get his precious hands dirty. So he sends two guys, one his own son, in to kill an innocent woman.” He continues his rant until I finally have my fill.

  “Enough!” He stops pacing, and Kutz puts his arm around my shoulder to console me. “Where’s my father?” I ask, defeated.

  “He was there by the time Silas got there. He had run to the store down the street. They had to have been watching the house, waiting,” Kutz answers.

  “Which means they could have just as easily followed us here. This is, after all, one of their safe houses,” I say.

  He nods. “It’s possible, but you’re still safe here with us. I don’t have to sleep. I’m able to stay awake for days. There’s nowhere safer for you to be,” he assures me.

  David has since slumped back down in his chair and finally meets my eyes. “I’m sorry, Emma. Laura, she was a good woman.”

  “Yeah,” I say, “she was.”

  That night I expect Micah to show up, but he doesn’t. It’s for the best. I know he came for her. He is probably giving me time to accept that, but I
can’t. Not yet. How could he know this was going to happen and not prepare me for it?

  He could have done that, right? He knows when it’s someone’s time. He said as much when I was shot. I’m not sure I can ever forgive him for that, and when I die, they better send a different angel because I might just rip his head off.

  Tonight, I can’t hold back the tears as I did in front of the guys. Although I’m sure they can still hear it, I muffle my cries into my pillow. My eyes burn from the salty tears and I can’t help wishing Silas was here to hold me. What I wouldn’t give for his arms around me right now — someone who loves me, because I know now, my mother’s arms will never be around me again.

  Eighteen

  The Real Enemy

  I’ve been laying here staring at this window for hours. Night approaches, but I keep no account of what time it is. Kutz and David are still up in the living room, the last time I checked, playing a game of chess to pass the time.

  I stare out this window hoping to see Silas but I know he can’t come. He’s working, I’m sure. Which makes me think of happy, little Simone. I can’t decide if I envy her noninvolvement or if I pity her for not truly understanding how the world works.

  I yawn as I roll onto my back, reaching for the lamp switch and turning it off. Closing my eyes, I pray for nothing more than a good, deep sleep. My body finally relaxes and my shoulders sink into the bed with a heavy breath.

  Suddenly, pressure. So much pressure on my shoulders. They’re being pushed into the bed as if hands are holding me down. My eyes jolt open and I’m staring into the face of evil.

  “Hello, again, Emma,” Damius says in a smooth, cocky voice.

  “Damius,” I say equally smoothly, though I’m surprised at my calmness.

  “How nice of you to remember me. You obviously found our last meeting as unforgettable as I did.”

  “What do you want?” My eyes narrow at him, though the resemblance between him and Silas is uncanny. That dark hair and those piercing green eyes. His have a glow to them tonight, and I already know that can’t be good.