She watched Nathan make his way to the far back where the dirt path split into two. He stopped, first looking right then left. The cemetery was bigger than they expected.
Remy kneeled next to a gravestone and read the inscription. “Hey, I know this girl,” he replied with excitement in his voice. “I think I killed her.”
They ignored Remy and proceeded further into the cemetery. Nathan slowed down his walk and he leaned against a tall marble statue of an angel.
“Rest here,” Anastasia said to him.
“No, I’m fine.” He waved off her worry.
She knew he wasn’t fine. She knew his body had grown weaker in the past year. “Are you sure?” Unfamiliar with human sicknesses, his previous answer still didn’t register to her.
“We’re losing sight of what’s important here,” Nathan replied.
Against her better judgment, she nodded and quickly began her search, running through each and every plot, scanning over them as quickly as she could. She stopped just short of a small embankment, glaring at a thin layer of rotted leaves covering a few graves. She swiped away at the leaves with her feet, revealing headstones of an entire family from the 18th century. She stepped over their graves and continued, approaching more graves in the next row.
The cemetery reminded her of her beloved country and her past. She tried to remember Ayden’s sire but it was impossible to remember every Deamhan and human she killed. There were too many. However, she couldn’t forget marauding villages with her sire, seeking out victims who fled into the cemetery thinking they could get away. How easy it was to hunt them all down and put them down like rabid dogs.
Remy caught up with her and stood by her side. “Nathan is troubled by this new information.”
“Wouldn’t you be if you were in his place?” She stepped carefully over rotted slumps, fallen branches, and small mountains of leaves until she noticed that the ground underneath them was soggy, making her feel like she walked over a marsh.
“I don’t know, really.” Remy shrugged. “I wasn’t that close to my human father. Were you close to yours?”
His question made her snarl. Again, he pried in on her thoughts.
“I guess not.” He smiled. “Still he’s taking all of this better than I thought he would.” He placed his hand on her shoulder. “So, what’s the story behind Ayden and Maris?”
“Stop asking me.”
“So, your past is catching up with you.”
Regardless of what she thought about Remy, he always seemed to know when a problem brewed. This time she didn’t hold back in telling him. “Ayden over-powered me earlier tonight.”
“Over-powered you?”
Anastasia looked at him. “Yes. He could’ve killed me.”
“We’re talking about Ayden, right?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting.” He tapped his chin in thought. “What do you want to do about it?”
Several ideas about what she wanted to do came to her with her first thought of killing him. “After this is over, I’m going to kill them both.”
“You know it won’t be easy,” Remy replied. “If Ayden could easily manhandle you, what’s to say that Maris couldn’t do the same?”
Just then a sliver of moonlight bounced off a columbarium in the back, catching her Deamhan eye. She approached the brick wall covered in veins from a tree near the right of it. She began to read the names, noticing that the columbarium contained humans all with the last name ‘Tiernan.’ One plaque with the name of ‘Nathan Tiernan Senior’ made her pause but then she remembered that Nathan was named after his own grandfather. Eventually she noticed one plaque engraved with the name ‘Eliza Tiernan’ and another with the picture of a crescent moon and the name ‘Butch Tiernan.’
“I have to tell Nathan we found it.” She turned around, coming face to face with Ayden and Maris. Somehow she didn’t notice that they snuck up on her and by the way Remy also glared at them, he also stood surprised. From the corner of her eye, Anastasia signaled to Remy. She didn’t want to leave Ayden and Maris alone with her findings. She wanted Remy to stay with them until she came back with Nathan.
Remy easily read her behavior. “We’ll be here when you get back.”
Anastasia immediately made her way back to Nathan. “We found it,” she whispered to him.
Nathan sighed and he followed her through the cemetery and back to the site.
They watched as Nathan rubbed his hand along the plaques of his mother and father. He took his time while remaining eerily silent. Headstones, graves, and a columbarium made no sense to Anastasia. Not once did she mourn the death of any person or Deamhan she encountered in life, including her own parents. However, she found it in herself to give Nathan a moment before she desecrated his father’s true resting place.
Her eyes turned stark and she balled up her fist, punching at the plaque. After several moments it shattered and she reached in, grasping onto a cold steel urn. She pulled it out and noticed that the lid was melted shut. “I have to break it open.” She looked to Nathan and awaited his go ahead.
He nodded and looked away as Anastasia raised the urn over her head and slammed it to the ground. The urn shattered and the cremated remains floated through the air. Among the broken urn pieces she saw five smoothed pieces of stone with carved writing. She placed the pieces together.
“They must have broken the last piece to fit it in the urn.” Anastasia looked among the scattered ashes on the ground. Her eyes picked up on the small green crescent amulet shimmering in the moonlight. She began to place the pieces of stone and the amulet in her pocket when Maris stopped her.
“That belongs to me,” she said.
“Not anymore.” Anastasia stuffed them in her pocket.
Maris stood up to Anastasia. “That amulet is mine.”
“Stop this!” Nathan raised his voice, squashing the conflict. “What part of ‘we need to all work together’ do any of you not understand?” He turned back to the broken urn. “We need to get back and put those pieces together.” He held out his hand. “Give them to me.”
Anastasia handed the pieces to Nathan but before giving him the amulet, she looked into his weary eyes. “Your father was a great man.”
Nathan cleared his throat. “I would like to think so.”
“He was.” Ayden added, “Yes, he kept secrets from you but because he wanted to protect you. Kyra wanted to protect you.”
****
“I never liked it. I pretended to, for my mother’s sake, but there was always something about it that didn’t sit right with me, especially after I became Deamhan.”
Anastasia, Remy, and Nathan watched Maris grab the amulet carefully, lift it to her nose, sniff it, then place it back on the table. “It’s a dangerous heirloom.”
“So how does this thing work against dark magic?” Remy snatched the amulet from the table and Maris quickly moved back.
“You shouldn’t touch it like that. Put it back.”
“Why?”
“Because it can kill you.”
Remy placed it back on the table. “I don’t believe in that magic mumbo jumbo anyway.”
“She’s right.” Anastasia also moved away from the table. She remembered seeing the amulet before dangling around Maris’ neck the night she sired her. At that time she also felt uncomfortable near it and she didn’t know why.
“So how does it work?” Remy squatted to take a closer look at the amulet.
Anastasia ignored Remy’s childish antics. She knew he didn’t believe in anything magical. It was part of his Catholic upbringing he carried over from his human life. Instead, she looked at Nathan who sat quietly in his seat. She pried on his thoughts, finding them blocked.
“The question we should ask ourselves is how will it help us?” Nathan arranged the pieces of stone. The writing on the tablet was in cuneiform writing and according to what he knew, Kyra was the only one who could decipher it. Still, he asked Maris and when confronted with the ide
a, she denied it.
“I don’t have any idea on how to read it,” she said. She glared at the puzzled pieces. “It should’ve been destroyed years ago.”
“So where can we find this ‘Kyra’?” Remy questioned.
“She contacts me,” Ayden replied. “But she won’t. Not as long as Lucius and Selene are chasing her.”
“Well I guess you need to brush off the cobwebs and tell us what’s on this stone,” Remy said in a snobbish tone to Maris.
“I told you. I don’t know.”
They continued to argue as Hallie entered the room.
“I may have found something.” She hurried over to them and she placed a blank journal on the table. “When you were all out at the graveyard searching, I was looking through all these Journals of Blank Pages. There’s one that talks about the Curse and I think the amulet.” She flipped through the blank pages. “There’s something about recharging the amulet but I don’t know what that means.”
“Recharging?” Nathan questioned.
“The amulet is supposed to protect the person wearing it from any Deamhan,” Hallie said. “Here it says that you need ‘Juniper Herbs’ to recharge. Oh, and it also won’t work if no one is wearing it.”
“Are you sure?” Ayden asked.
“If you don’t believe me, find some moonlight and read it for yourself.”
“No, no. I believe you. Besides Nathan, you’re the only other person in this room I trust.” He smiled at her. “You and I are both Metusba Deamhan, Hallie. We tell the truth more than our counterparts. It’s in our blood.”
Nathan snapped out of his silence. “There are a few New Age stores located on the east side of the city, near the Mississippi River. They might sell Juniper Herbs.”
Ayden paused before he picked up the amulet from the table. “We need to go.” He placed the amulet in his pocket and looked around the room.
“I’ll go with you.”
Hallie’s unusual jump at the chance to go startled Anastasia, but before she could say anything, Remy nudged her with his elbow, signaling for her to be quiet.
“I’ll go too,” Maris replied.
Nathan nodded. Anastasia watched as they left. After hearing the front door close, Remy clapped his hands together and waited for a few moments before opening his mouth.
“Hallie did good. Remind me to buy her as many cigarettes as she wants.”
Baffled, Anastasia said to him. “What did she do?”
Remy raised his hand. “Before you and Nathan get on me about this, let me explain.”
Anastasia stepped up to him. “Did you force her?”
“You know I can’t force that girl to do anything she doesn’t want to do,” he replied. “Look. You don’t trust Ayden and Maris and neither do I.”
“Remy, what are you doing?” Nathan’s lips quivered.
“The three of us need to have a little chat about those two.” He folded his arms across his chest. “We also need to discuss what to do if we manage to stop Lucius and Selene.”
Anastasia sensed that Nathan felt confused and troubled about Remy’s suggestion. She glared back at the pieces on the table again, wanting to know what he had in mind.
“They’re going to try and kill Anastasia and I’m sure they won’t stop there,” Remy said. “Nathan, I know you trust Kyra and her judgment but something doesn’t fit.” He walked over to the table and picked up a broken piece of stone. “Like why they didn’t destroy this in the first place? Why Ayden didn’t tell Kyra that he brought Maris here?”
“It’s crossed my mind,” Nathan replied.
“Maris should not be alive.” Remy’s brown eyes danced in the dim light of the study. “The longer she lives, the more danger she puts us in.” He looked to Anastasia. “Lucius will get Kyra. It’s just a matter of time. Am I wrong?”
Anastasia scrunched her lips at the idea.
“That isn’t our choice to make.” Nathan exhaled and he wiped the sweat from his brow.
“It’s not your choice, Nathan. It’s ours,” he replied. “We’re Deamhan. We’re the ones who will suffer the most if Lucius frees the Pure Ones.”
“All of us will suffer, Remy,” Nathan objected. “Killing Maris won’t end this.”
“Not only Maris. Kyra too.”
Nathan shook his head. “I’m not listening to any more of this.” He headed for the door. “No one is killing anyone. That is not what we’re here to do.”
“I’m not risking my life for them,” he replied.
“Then don’t. No one is asking you to.” Nathan left the study.
“Sometimes he can be so stubborn,” Remy mumbled. “You know I’m right, Ana. You know that both Kyra and Maris have to die.”
“I’m not doubting it, but we need them against Selene and Lucius.”
“So, we kill her tomorrow then, along with Ayden?” Remy leaned on the table and smiled. “And we find Kyra and kill her to?”
“Kyra won’t be easy to kill. She’s the oldest Deamhan alive.”
“But she’s no Pure One. She has the same weaknesses as we do.”
She didn’t hesitate. “Yes. You know, Nathan will never forgive us if we do this.”
A wide grin appeared on Remy’s face. “I don’t care about his forgiveness. Besides, he’ll get over it.”
1
DARK CURSE. DEAMHAN CHRONICLES #2
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Anastasia felt ecstatic and ready to take on anyone and anything.
Human blood did that to her. Every time, after a fresh kill, her body felt as if transformed into a bigger, better killing machine and with no force or no one standing in her way, it made her Deamhan-self feel indestructible.
Shortly after sunset she left Blind Bluff Manor, ready to gorge on as much fresh blood as possible. She had to be healthy for the plan to work or in case it backfired. By the time she finished with her human meal, she made her way to a nearby rooftop of a building across the street from Ollie’s warehouse, scaring the human mercenary who also waited alongside Remy, Maris, Ayden, and Kenneth.
Anastasia eyed the human, still wary of The Brotherhood’s involvement. The mercenary, dressed in all black military garb, holding a walkie-talkie, moved off to the side with his eyes focused on the building. She placed her foot on the ledge and rested her hands on her knee, taking in the scent of the nearby Mississippi River mixed with wet pavement and rotting trash. In the distance, she heard the engines of cars driving over a bridge above the river.
Remy leaned close to her with his mouth close to her ear. “You’ve fed.”
Anastasia licked her lips. “Have you?”
He chuckled slightly.
She looked forward. If their plan in killing Maris and Ayden faltered in anyway, she knew Remy wouldn’t hesitate to go to Plan B which meant leaving Minneapolis all together, with or without Nathan. She was determined that the plan wouldn’t fail, even if it meant her death.
A static voice came over the mercenary’s radio and he replied back with a “ten-four.” He placed the radio in his pocket. “Everyone’s in place, Mr. Dearhorn.”
Wearing a dark suit and tie with a trench coat, Kenneth straightened his clothing and he stood up straight. “Nathan said that you have the piece?” he said to Anastasia.
She eyed him carefully. “Do you think he’s dumb enough to trust you with it?” She patted her coat pocket. “I have a fake.” She held out her hand to Ayden. “Give the amulet to me.”
Ayden refused.
“Are you going to give it to her or should we make you give it to her?” Sensing the commotion, Remy joined in. Ayden pulled out the green amulet and placed it in Anastasia’s palm.
“What’s that?” Kenneth asked.
“An amulet that protects the wearer from Deamhan,” Ayden answered.
Kenneth shook his head in disgust. “There’s nothing in the world that can do that.”
Anastasia wrapped her left arm around Kenneth’s waist and she stood on the ledge of the
building. She heard his heart race for a moment before she stepped off and safely landed with him on the pavement below.
She scanned the area for a brief moment and lifted her head. From where they stood, she could still smell Mr. Austin’s scent along with Kei’s and the other Deamhan being held. However, she didn’t pick up the scents of either Lucius or Selene.
She walked toward the front door, opened it, and walked inside with Kenneth following her. The sanctuary was vastly silent and emptied of any humans, not like the first time Anastasia walked in. The assembly lines, once filled with human workers, now sat motionless.
She headed for the elevator just as Kenneth grasped her arm. “If you do anything to double cross me or The Brotherhood, there will be consequences,” he whispered.
“Your threats don’t scare me.” Anastasia wrestled her arm away from his grasp and she placed her finger over her mouth. “Now shut up.” With her Deamhan ears zeroing in, they stepped into the elevator. The metal doors closed and it began its descent below.
Kenneth gripped his long trench coat and he cleared his throat.
“They can smell your nervousness from a mile away,” she whispered to him.
“I’m not nervous,” he whispered back.
The elevator stopped and the doors slowly opened. Still vast with a towering ceiling, the basement of the warehouse now smelled of a mixture of Deamhan. Anastasia stepped out of the elevator and she waited, her eyes scanning the grated walkway and the four cages on her right and the four cages to her left.
“They know we’re here,” she whispered to him. The last time she’d stepped foot in the basement, Lucius showed her the cages containing Deamhan. Now they were all empty except for one. She walked up to one cage, seeing a female sitting with her back toward them. The woman looked over her shoulder and immediately Anastasia sensed her age.
She placed her hand on the glass. “So you’re Kyra,” she whispered.
“Kyra? The oldest Deamhan on the planet?” Kenneth questioned.
“Yes, that is Kyra.” They heard Lucius’ voice. Dressed in a long tan shirt with black jeans, Lucius stood firm with dark penetrating eyes. Along with his scent, Anastasia also smelled the blood of the Pure Ones running through his veins at alarming speed. Selene stood next to him wearing a long black dress with her carrot colored hair pulled back in a ponytail.
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