by Toni Aleo
“Why won’t you say?” I ask, and Killian’s eyes cut to my own.
“I have to protect my family,” he mutters, but I don’t think he wanted to be heard.
“Who is your family?” I ask, and he rolls his eyes.
“He won’t tell you,” JJ says as I stand up, coming toward him.
“Were you here to kill my sister?”
“Yes,” he says simply, and I inhale sharply.
Something is bothering me, though. “You’ve had plenty of opportunities to do so. Why haven’t you?” When he doesn’t answer me, only looks away, my brows pull together in confusion. “Did you not have the chance I assume you did?”
“I did,” he barks at me, glaring, and I eye him.
“So why didn’t you?”
Shaking his head, he yells, “Why don’t you just kill me? Get it over with!”
“That seems like a good idea. Let’s do that,” Jonas says, but I shake my head.
“No, we need to find out who he is,” I say, turning my back to him and looking to my father. “Can we call on the witches? Surely they have some spell or something that can ascertain who he really is.”
JJ nods in agreement as my father taps his chin. “Yes. Let me call her,” he says, speaking of the high witch, but when he turns, Killian looks right up at me.
“It won’t work.”
I eye him. “No?”
“Nope,” he says smugly. “I’m not what you think I am.”
“I think you’re a shifter.”
“You’re wrong.”
“Then what are you?”
“Something that your father has tried to prevent,” he says matter-of-factly, and with that, my father looks over at us, an expression of panic in his eyes before he turns, speaking to whoever is on the phone.
A chill runs down my spine as I watch Killian. As I really look into his eyes, trying to figure out what he is, I start to notice something. His wounds are slowly but surely disappearing, and soon all he has is blood on his face, but no wounds.
“JJ, what creature do you know that can heal like that?”
Coming up beside me, he glares. “Only one I know,” he says before looking over at me. “And that’s a wolf.”
Yeah, I was afraid of that.
“If he isn’t a shifter, does that mean he’s a wolf? Did we lose our loyalties from the Conners?” Jonas asks, his eyes a little crazy. But Killian, or whoever the hell is he, is just laughing. He finds this mighty comical. “Or did the Kelleys hire from another clan? I thought we were good with everyone. Who else did we lose?”
Shaking my head in annoyance, I look to my brother. “Don’t go jumping to conclusions. I’m sure we haven’t lost anything.”
“Yeah, surely the wolves wouldn’t betray you, Anus. Why would they when you’re screwing their princess?” Killian says, and I whip around, my eyes going dark as anger floods my whole body.
“Watch your fucking mouth,” I warn, and he grins.
“Aw, don’t like when I speak of your precious wolf? Heard she’s marrying another. Wouldn’t it be something if the Kerrigan family were the ones who hired me? Trying to kill off everyone you love before their heir marries your bitch.”
My body roars with anger, but just as quickly as I was ready to rip his head off, I swallow it back. He’s trying to piss me off; he’s trying to put incorrect assumptions in my head. My family is fine with the Kerrigans. Even if that dog is marrying my love. “They didn’t send you.”
“No?”
“No, they wouldn’t. But we’ll find out who.”
He nods very condescendingly. “Sure you will, Anus.”
Irritated, I look back at my brother, only to find that he is laughing. “He called you anus. You know, ’cause your name is Oceanus.”
“Are you done?” I ask, and Jonas grins.
“What? It’s funny!”
“Dumbass,” I mutter before looking to my father, who is approaching us. “Any word?”
“She’s on her way,” he says, glancing to Killian. “I want to know more about what you assume I’ve tried to prevent in my community.”
Killian shrugs. “Think real hard and maybe you’ll figure it out.”
Father looks to me as I look to him. “Mixing of the clans?”
“A hybrid, then?” he asks, and I shrug.
“But don’t you kill all of them?”
He nods. “I do. I don’t understand.”
Before I can say anything more, something along the lines of maybe Killian was made in secret, I hear Rebekah in the hall.
“And I ignored you. Let me go!”
“Someone deal with that,” Father says dismissively, and I roll my eyes. Not because I know it will be me to take care of it but because he never wants to do anything that involves dealing with Rebekah. Opening the door, I find Rebekah and Cyrus struggling with each other against the wall. They don’t see me or hear me as they argue.
“Now, brother, we both know I’m stronger than you,” she yells before slamming his face into the wall, her elbow digging into the back of his skull.
That’s when Cyrus sees me. Reaching for Rebekah, I take her by the back of her arms, threading my arms through hers and holding her back as she yells out in frustration
Laughing, Cyrus says, “Yeah, but you aren’t stronger than Oceanus.”
With displeasure in my voice, I ask, “Rebekah, why are you assaulting our brother?”
She tries to shake me, but I’m not letting go. With a sigh, she says, “He won’t tell me where you went or what happened to Killian.”
I don’t want to lie to my sister. It’s the last thing I want to do. It will make me like everyone else in our family who treats her as a child, but I know if she finds out he is behind the door we are standing in front of, she’ll lose her shit. She’s all about saving people. Fool girl will go after him, and I’m not sure what my father will do if that happens.
“I had to meet Father, and Killian left before we did,” I say, and she struggles against me.
“Can you let me up?”
“Are you going to attack Cyrus again?”
“Not at this moment.” I nod and let her go. She turns, stretching her arms out. “Did Killian say where he went?”
I shake my head, looking to Cyrus, hoping he can tell that we are hiding everything about Killian. “Nope, he said he had to go. I said, whatever, and then Father called for us.”
She looks at me like I’m lying, like she can see right through me, but I stand tall, sticking to my guns. That is, until I see Irvina Kovalchik, the Grand High Witch of the Works. I haven’t seen her in years, and I expected her to be old and scary by now, but I was so wrong. Irvina is breathtaking. Like a beautiful sprite, with white skin, long black hair, and catlike green eyes. No one would expect her to be a day over thirty, but she is actually a hundred and thirty.
Also, she’s the second most powerful person in the Works.
She scares the shit out of me, but she is our only hope right now. We need her to tell us what Killian is. Without even looking at us, though, she walks into my father’s office.
I look back to Rebekah, and our gazes meet as she asks, “What in the world is Irvina doing here?”
More lies. “I don’t know, Rebekah. Go on to bed.”
“No! I want to know what is going on.”
Holding on to her, I urge her with my eyes as my fingers bite into her arms. “Please go to bed. Don’t fight me on this. Tomorrow, we’ll talk.”
She doesn’t seem convinced, and she glares at me. Trying to come off as unfazed, I smile as I say, “It’s no big deal. Just some witchy shit.”
Holding my gaze, she asks, “Does it have to do with Killian?”
Swallowing hard, I shake my head once more. “No, Rebekah, he left. Seriously.”
When she turns without saying more, I know she is pissed, but I can’t deal with that right now. I have to know what Killian is. I need to know more, but before I can enter my father’s office, m
y phone vibrates in my pocket. Pulling it out, I see it’s a text from Taegan.
Taegan: Where ya at?
Me: Family shit. Rain check?
Taegan: You suck.
Me: Yes, you’re right, but please understand. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.
Taegan: You better. Text me when you’re done. I’ll come over.
Me: Awesome. Love you.
Taegan: I love you.
I stare at our words. The three words that hold so much meaning between us. Should I even be telling her I love her? Won’t it just make it worse?
Who am I kidding? I’ve completely fucked up with her, but I can’t quit her.
Tucking my phone back into my pocket, I open the door just as Irvina’s hands lift from Killian’s head. Her head is hanging back, her eyes rolled up in the back of her sockets, while Killian looks up at her like she’s the scariest thing he’s ever seen. I, too, think she looks terrifying, but apparently, I’m the only one because everyone else is watching her, mesmerized.
“So, what am I?” Killian asks, but Irvina is still doing whatever she is doing. “A monster? Ooh, no one has seen one of those, huh?”
Her eyes haven’t rolled back into place, nor has she moved, and it’s sort of freaky watching as she stands there, swaying from side to side. Walking up beside Jonas, I whisper, “What happened?”
“She put a truth spell on him so she can read him,” he whispers back. “Don’t know if it is working.”
“Shouldn’t you know what I am by now? If not, you kind of suck,” Killian says then. Man, this guy is annoying. He reminds me of someone, though; I just can’t place him.
Suddenly, the lights flicker, and when I look back to Irvina, her head is upright and she’s looking at my father. “William, I have no clue what this creature is. I can’t read him.”
“Oh, no,” Killian says, looking around the room. “What are youse going to do now?”
“This guy is funny,” Jonas whispers to me, but I’m too busy trying to listen.
“What does that mean? Does that happen a lot?” Father asks, and Irvina shakes her head.
“Almost never. I don’t know what he is doing, but he’s blocked me. I’m sure he is a shifter, though,” she decides, and I stand up.
“Well, we knew that from the silver. But silver can burn wolves too,” I say, and she nods.
“Yes, but it takes wolves a while to heal from silver cuts. He’s healing and burning, then rehealing and reburning. It’s odd, but all I’m sure of is, he is a shifter.”
“So you couldn’t see who sent him?” JJ asks. “The Kelleys?”
“No, nothing. He’s blocked me out. It’s ridiculous. Let me try one more thing,” she says, and that must have surprised Killian because his eyes widen as she comes toward him, a vial in her hand from her bag.
“What the hell are you doing?” he yells as she takes out a knife, and for the first time, his smugness is gone—replaced by fear. She pulls his shirt down and then cuts him clean across his shoulder. He doesn’t react, only watches what she is doing. Quickly, before he heals, she pours a purple powder into his wound. Within seconds, it starts to spark with a green light. I’ve never seen something so bizarre. But then it’s gone, and he’s healed.
“He’s a Kelley, but not a full Kelley.”
My face scrunches up in confusion as I look to my father. “What does that mean?”
The room is eerily quiet as Killian looks around the room. “Means I’m the monster that goes bump in the night, I guess?” he laughs before shaking his head. “Listen, no one sent me. I came to kidnap Rebekah for the possibility of a reward from the many clans that want her as leverage.” I don’t believe him, not in the least bit, but then he continues, “But then I thought about it, and it was dumb. It isn’t like anyone can kill her, and I couldn’t get past the hired monkeys anyway. So I let it go.”
“Or you started to like her,” I say, and his eyes widen as everyone looks at me in confusion. “I saw the way you look at her.”
Glancing down at his lap, Killian shrugs. “Guess it doesn’t matter now, huh? I’m a dead man.”
I look to my father, and he is glaring. I fully expect him to agree, but instead, he shakes his head. “You’re a vile piece of trash, and until I can figure out what the hell you are, or who really sent you, I will not give you the satisfaction of death. Instead, I am sending you down to the bastille.”
Horror is all that is in Killian’s eyes as he looks up to my father. “Bastille? What’s that?”
Before he can get an answer, though, JJ has him up and out of the chair, leading him out of the office. I guess he is about to find out. When the door shuts, I look to my father as he kisses the palms of Irvina’s hands.
“I thank you for your help.”
She nods, her face still twisted in confusion. “He sparked a bit of yellow, William. That means he has Conner blood in him.”
My stomach drops. Why did he spark the Conners? Father’s face twists like hers as he says, “Hm, I wonder.”
“He’s dangerous, William. He is resistant to everything. You should just kill him,” she stresses, and for the first time, I agree that death is the answer for this guy. I’ve never seen someone so unaffected by things that are meant to torture them. It was crazy to see, and I worry that if he can withstand that, what will happen when he gets down into the bastille?
Before I can voice that, Father says, “Not until I know what he is.”
And I see it in his eyes, he sees Killian as a science project he has to fix, which is so idiotic of him. We have to protect Rebekah.
“We will leave, go to our neighboring clans, and see if anyone has any information,” he says then, looking to Jonas and me. “We leave in the next few days.”
“What about Killian?” I ask frantically. “I don’t think leaving him with Rebekah in the house is a good idea.”
“She’ll be fine. I’ll heighten security because JJ will need to go. He knows some of these clans better than I,” he says, visibly thinking before he looks back to me. “We will figure this out.”
I just hope we do it before something happens to my sister.
“I don’t think we should leave Rebekah,” Jonas says cautiously as Father looks back at us. “She protects Cyrus, yet you want him to protect her?”
“Screw you, I’ve got this. How hard can it be?” Cyrus laughs, and for goodness’ sake, he’s as high as a kite.
“For one thing, if you’re going to protect our sister, make sure you’re not high,” I say, smacking him upside his head. “And two, he can do it, but the extra security will be needed,” I say to Father, and he nods.
“Already in place. Kurt was very generous when I told him what was going on. He says it’s all the Kelleys, but I worry he is just trying to cover himself. I plan to get to the bottom of it when we go to his house.”
We’re going to the Conners’ estate? “We are stopping there?”
He nods, unaware of the excitement in my voice. I could get to see Taegan. “Yes, for a night.”
I nod as Cyrus says, “Rebekah’ll be fine. Promise.”
“Maybe we should take her with us,” Jonas suggests. “Just to be sure.”
“She can’t know why we are leaving or for what,” Father says and I nod. “Nor can I allow her to leave this house.”
Before I argue that, I look to Cyrus. “She can’t know about Killian being in the house. I feel we need to tell her what he is, but that we killed him.”
“Fine,” he says simply. “I can do that.”
“She’ll go after him,” I say, and Father nods in agreement. While I know she’ll be fine, I really don’t want to leave her. But I know we have to. We have to go to each faction’s headquarters, talk to the leaders, and make sure everyone is still loyal to us. Staying the night in their houses, speaking with all who reside there gets the job done, but it is tiring. The only good thing is that I’ll see Taegan, outside of my bedroom. That’s enough to urge me to go.<
br />
“We’ll get this figured out,” Father says for the umpteenth time, but for the first time, I can tell he is nervous. Which makes me nervous. Does he truly believe we’ll figure this out, or is he just saying that to save face? I’m unsure, but I don’t have a chance to ask before the red light in his office flashes and an alarm sounds.
Which means there is an issue in the Clandestine.
Usually, I wouldn’t worry. Probably just a fight, but Rebekah is working tonight. We have sent her assassin down into the bastille, and the threat against her is still real. So it’s easy to say I am out of my seat and running down the many stairs to the Clandestine without even thinking. I’m unsure what I’m about to walk into, but I pray my sister is alive and in one piece. Coming through the side door, I enter the Clandestine. Everyone is in motion, visibly upset and panic-stricken, as Rebekah stands proudly, her arms across her chest in a smug way.
Samuel comes from the left, grabbing Cyrus before they take off outside, leaving me to thank the God above that my sister is alive.
“Are you okay?” I ask, breathless, but thankful beyond belief.
“Fine, there was no problem. I took care of it,” she says, grinning from ear to ear.
“What happened?” I ask, and JJ turns to me. Samuel comes back to stand beside JJ, breathing hard and looking a little like he could die at any moment. He’s getting a lot older. I glance around, making sure no one can hear us, to find that everyone is being ushered out by security.
“Guy comes in asking for Killian. Rebekah is talking to him, and the next thing I know, she has him on the bar, her knee in his neck. I went over to break it up, but he knocked her off and took off.”
“So, a shifter?” Jonas asks, his arms crossing over his chest.
“I guess,” JJ says, sighing heavily. He looks to Samuel. “You couldn’t catch ’em?”
He shakes his head, defeated. “They were long gone, and Hank didn’t see the license plate, so no help there.”
“But they got a make and model?”
“Town car,” Cyrus says, shaking his head. “Could be anyone.”
“True, but who?” Samuel asks, and everyone is stumped. “Would the Kelleys really try to come in here after their first soldier failed?”