by L. C. Davis
He scowled. "Well, don't sound so surprised."
"Sorry," I said with a nervous laugh. "It's just, uh, does he know about the... thing we talked about?"
Clarence took on a guarded expression. "Not yet," he muttered. "That's at least second date material, don't you think?"
At least they were both keeping secrets. "Yeah, well, try to get to it before the wedding bells."
"Will do, ma," Clarence called, giving me a sarcastic wave as he left.
When I turned around, Sebastian and Victor were both watching me expectantly. "What was that about?" asked Sebastian.
I crossed my arms and scowled at them. "Oh, no. You don't get to run around like the Hardy Boys and judge me for keeping someone else's secret."
"What's a Hardy Boy?" Sebastian asked, turning to his brother.
Victor shrugged. "Sounds like Remus is the one with the guttermind."
I rolled my eyes and flopped on the couch with an exasperated sigh, turning on the game console that had been hooked up to the flat screen. "Clarence just needs to tell Hunter something before things get serious."
"Wouldn't count on that," said Victor."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Clarence is full of mysteries," said Sebastian. "It's kind of his thing."
"Am I missing something?" I asked, looking between them.
Victor hesitated. "No one ever told you about how Clarence got here?"
"No."
He sighed. "We found him. Well, Ulric did. He was a teenager and Billy found him wandering around killing sheep in his beastform. He had no idea who he was or how he ended up there. No ID, nothing. Ulric took him in a little after Sebastian and I came here."
"I had no idea," I murmured. "He never talks about himself."
"There's not much to talk about when your life started at sixteen," Sebastian snorted, squinting at the screen. "You don't play games."
"Correction, I never have time to play games," I said, sliding through the character selection menu until I found my favorite. When he changed the subject, I knew pressing for more information was a lost cause. I had half a mind to interrogate Clarence the next time I saw him, but if Sebastian was telling the truth, he probably didn't know much more than I did.
"You're playing as the girl?" Sebastian snorted. "Big surprise."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, choosing a weapon next. Machete, as always.
"Nothin'. Why not the chainsaw?"
"Because I just want to be able to slice through the horde without worrying about finding more gasoline," I said. "It makes me panic."
He watched curiously as I started the level. I tried to play it cool, but I soon devolved into hysterics as I slashed my way through an ever-increasing horde and not one but two bosses descended on me. I shrieked and leaned into Sebastian's side, blindly smashing buttons by that point.
Sebastian laughed. "Vic, get over here. You have to see the way he plays, it's hilarious."
I glared at the screen since I couldn't turn away from it. Somehow the horde finally cleared and I ran like hell to get to the shelter of a bridge up ahead.
I could feel Victor looming behind the couch. "What's this?"
"One of those zombie games. Wait until the zombies come in and watch what he does, it's fucking adorable."
"I'm not a Pomeranian," I muttered, slashing the head off a lone zombie I pretended was Sebastian. It was big enough.
"I'll reserve judgment on that until we see your beastform," said Sebastian.
Another swarm came pouring down over a hill and I jerked the controlled hard to the right as if that would help somehow. At least I managed not to scream this time. I cut my way through the horde as best as I could and ran for the safe house up ahead only to discover my least favorite boss was hiding in it.
I yelped and slashed wildly, perching myself on the back of the couch for safety. Victor grabbed me from behind, laughing hysterically. "Are you wearing an imaginary virtual reality helmet or something?"
"Knock it off," I grumbled, feeling like my heart was going to explode in my chest as I made it into the safe room with all my team members. I collapsed back on the couch as the next level loaded.
"He survived," Sebastian said in awe.
"Somehow," muttered Victor. "You know, you'd do a whole lot better if you didn't always try to protect your teammates."
"That's not any fun," I said, handing the controller over to Sebastian. "That's enough for the day."
Victor chuckled. "You're even a martyr where imaginary people are concerned, aren't you?"
"I think it's cute," said Sebastian, switching the game out for his favorite.
"It does provide a bit of insight into some of his more irrational choices, doesn't it?" Victor mused.
"You can say that again. Call to Arms 6?"
"Only if I get to be Serbia this time," said Victor.
"Not a chance, big bro," he said, rushing through the main screen before Victor had the chance to turn on his controller.
"You can't even find Serbia on a map," Victor protested.
"Them's the breaks," Sebastian taunted as Victor squeezed in on my other side. The couch would normally have fit three people comfortably, but there was nothing normal about two Wolves--especially not when one of them was Sebastian.
I resigned myself to being crushed between them as they started the game. As they played, they traded insults ranging from the benign to the obscene to the mystifying--Sebastian's disparaging mom joke was obviously not fully thought out--and I found myself relaxing a little. I still wasn't happy that they were keeping things from me, but I decided that whatever it was probably wasn't all that bad if they were united on the matter. Besides, it was nice to see them spending time in the same room together and enjoying each other's company without anyone getting beaten up.
Granted, they were shooting at each other in the game, but still. It was progress. If only things could remain this way after I had made my decision between then, that would be the real miracle. As it was, I found myself less inclined to make a choice than ever, but the stakes to do so had never been higher.
After a while, I rose to stretch my legs and arms. Victor leaned away when I passed the screen, but they seemed otherwise oblivious to my absence.
"Hey, while you're up can you grab us a couple of beers?" asked Sebastian.
"If it's not too much trouble," Victor added.
"Sure thing."
Before going on my appointed run to the mini-fridge Sebastian had installed the first day we moved in, I leaned into Arthur's room to check on him. His head had turned to the other side of his pillow, but he seemed to still be unconscious. I took a hesitant step forward and touched his arm.
To my relief, his skin was still warm. The heart monitor was beeping steadily, too, a welcome reminder that my friend was still very much alive and human, if only for the moment.
I moved to pull my hand away only for his hand to clamp around my arm with more strength than it seemed possible for him to possess. When Arthur turned his head his eyes were the same ghastly gold color as the doorman's, only this time it was obvious there was no trick of the light at work. When I opened my mouth to scream, I felt the stabbing pain of a needle rapidly stitching my lips shut.
My eyes welled with tears from the silent pain and I struggled for release from his grasp to no avail. He pulled me onto his chest and held my wrists tightly in his fists.
"We meet again at last, abomination." The monster had Arthur's voice, but it wasn't him. Everything from its tone to its inflection was older, wicked. "Tell me, do you know who I am?"
I stared at him helplessly. Was this a sick joke? My lips still burned from straining at the thread that bound them shut.
"I know you can't speak aloud, but I can hear your thoughts," he said in a low voice that stretched Arthur's voice beyond its natural range. "Your 'gifts,' as you call them, are the counterfeit versions of my power."
Prentice....
He gave
a low, snickering laugh. Arthur's mouth was shut, so it was impossible to tell if the sound was telepathic or audible.
"Is the vessel the wine that fills it? Try again," it said patiently.
My eyes widened in horror. You're the Patriarch.
"Right you are, little one. And you are that whore's favored grandchild, the product of the union between her two most beloved children. My, what delicious irony it will be to have you sacrificed on her altar," he mused.
What have you done to Arthur?
"The boy has long outlived his usefulness to me, but he is of great importance to my vessel, so he shall remain untouched for the sake of convenience," he replied. "For now. You, on the other hand. I have quite the plan for you come the hunter's moon."
"Everything okay in there?" called Sebastian.
I writhed and he held me tighter. "Ah-ah-ah," he said as the stitches began to unwind from my mouth, causing even more excruciating pain than they had on their way in. "We wouldn't want anything to happen to your little dogs, would we?"
"F-fine," I choked out, struggling to sound as normal as possible. "I'll be there in a minute." As soon as the words were out of my mouth I let out a silent cry.
"Good boy. Sort of. She outdid herself in terms of blasphemy with you," he mused.
"What do you want?" I whispered, trembling. His comment was beyond my ability to decipher, even if it was meant as more than just a jab at my lack of gender conformity.
"Long term? The dissolution of all that ever was and all that never will be," he said simply as if it was a perfectly reasonable desire. "In the short term, I'd settle for killing her little pet. From there, everything else will set itself into motion."
"Then why not just kill me now?" I asked hoarsely. "Why drag all these other people into it, including your own children?"
"So deliciously eager to sacrifice yourself. She really has gifted you with marvelous intuition. Tell me, do you know what your other gift is?"
I shook my head stiffly.
"Just as well. Wouldn't want to spoil the big surprise. Here's a hint: that bitch is nothing if not ironic."
His words puzzled me, but there were far more important things to focus on at the moment. "Why do you hate her so much?"
"Because my throne was not enough for her. She envied my one truly flawless creation and sent her vile children to rob me of him," he said, straining Arthur's voice even further with the depth of his words.
"The legend," I breathed. "They killed your son."
He sneered at me. "The wolves do have their telling of it. As always, the vampires are closer to the truth."
"Please," I begged. "If I'm as important to her as you claim, just kill me and let the bloodshed end with me."
"Kill you?" he laughed. "Not yet. Not until it counts. You'd better hope you really are a fitting sacrifice, because if your blood won't do the trick, the rivers will run with the blood of your precious wolves and vampires."
"Why?" I asked in horror.
"Because only then will the wretched earth be stopped in her constant cycle of rebirth," he seethed. "Gaia has betrayed the natural order by favoring that whore, bringing back her abominations time after time while denying me my one heart's desire. If she won't take your soul in exchange for his, then the blood of all that live is on her hands."
I swallowed hard as his words sank in. "That's why you haven't killed me yet. You need me."
Arthur's face twisted into an unnatural sneer. "You do catch on." He glanced down at Arthur's body. "Maybe I will have a bit of fun with this vessel since you're so attached to it. I might not be able to kill you, but I can certainly make you wish for death. I wonder if your will can withstand as much torture as his?"
Panic and adrenaline forced me to act quickly. I brought my head down sharply on Arthur's and it bounced back from the impact. He let out a scream of pure rage and his hands closed around my arms like vices. My head spun and my nose gushed blood as I struggled to remain conscious.
The screams of rage turned to pain and it was only when I looked down to see a circle of smoke rising up from Arthur's hospital gown that I realized something was wrong. He shoved me off the bed and I rolled onto my side as Sebastian and Victor rushed into the room.
Sebastian went to my side immediately while Victor ran over to the Patriarch's writhing form. His chest was smoking even more heavily and bits of the robe were being burnt away.
The unearthly screams turned into frail screams of agony as Arthur pulled madly at his gown. Victor already had his gun out and aimed at Arthur's head.
"No," I cried, straining to get free of Sebastian's grasp. "It wasn't him, it was the Patriarch. He was possessed."
Victor lowered the gun slightly but didn't take his eyes off of Arthur.
"How the hell are we supposed to know he's not still in there?" Sebastian muttered, looking me over. "Your head is bleeding."
"His eyes. The Patriarch's eyes always glow gold," I said, noting that Arthur's eyes had returned to their usual color. I was more concerned about the stitches than my head, but when I felt around the edges of my lips, there was nothing. I let out a choked sob of confusion. "I don't understand, he stitched my lips shut."
Sebastian and Victor looked at each other and I could tell what they were both thinking. "Stop looking at me like I'm crazy. Focus on Arthur."
Victor turned back to the hunter, who was still clawing desperately at his chest. "It burns," he sobbed, looking down at the familiar sigil that had recently been carved--or burned--into his chest. Now that it was no longer smoking, the lines and curves looked like raised burn scars in a familiar pattern.
"The moon's sigil," I murmured. "Where did this come from?"
"I carved it into him at the hotel," Victor admitted. "It healed, though. You both saw his chest when Clara was examining him, there wasn't a mark on him."
"Why would you put the moon's sigil on him in the first place?" asked Sebastian.
"I thought if he did turn on us, it was worth a shot after everything I've seen Hunter do," Victor muttered. "Guess it didn't work."
"It did," I said, still struggling to catch my breath. "I think he was going to try to hurt Arthur, but I headbutted him and my blood dripped onto his chest. It must have activated the sigil somehow."
"You headbutted him?" Sebastian tilted my head back and prodded my nose tenderly. "Thatta boy," he said proudly.
"The hybrid's blood," Victor murmured, mostly to himself. His gaze was fixed intently on Arthur, who was still panting and in a half-conscious state. "It's always had special properties, according to the legends."
"If this undead freak is using the kid as a conduit, I say we put him outside and let the hunters have him," said Sebastian.
"It's not just Arthur," I said quickly. I could tell Victor was already considering it. "It could be anyone. Me, you, Ulric. The same thing happened to the doorman at the hotel. His eyes glowed gold, just like Arthur's when the patriarch was possessing him."
The twins exchanged a look. I could tell they were having another telepathic conversation and it was driving me crazy.
"Why didn't you say something?" asked Victor.
"I thought it was just a hallucination," I admitted.
"And you're sure it was the Patriarch, not Prentice?" he pressed.
"That's what he said. He mentioned something about not being able to kill Arthur because he's important to his vessel." I pulled free of Sebastian's grasp and stumbled over to the bed to check on Arthur. He was still out of it and made a pathetic sound as he slumped against me.
"I'll get Clara," Sebastian said, leaving the room.
"Is he going to be okay?" I asked, looking up at Victor as I covered Arthur with the blanket and held him against my chest. He was whimpering softly and murmuring something about a wedding in his sleep.
"I'm not sure," said Victor. "If he really was just possessed by the Patriarch, it would be the psychic equivalent of stuffing Jupiter inside a duffel bag."
"But Ar
thur thinks Prentice has been possessed by the Patriarch to one degree or another since his transition," I said. "He seems fine."
"If what Arthur says is true, then Prentice was made for the job."
I gulped. "You think we can stop the Patriarch by killing Prentice, don't you?"
"Your father was certainly intrigued by the idea," he admitted. "It's obvious that the Patriarch needs a vessel to walk on earth. Considering the fact that we haven't seen the moon running around in human form, I'd say that finding someone strong enough to be a full-time vessel is rare. Maybe he's limited in his power when he's possessing anyone other than Prentice."
"Let's hope."
Victor frowned. "What did the Patriarch say to you?"
"Not much besides what I told you," I lied. If I tipped either of them off to what the Patriarch had said about the moon, I knew they would stop Hunter from progressing further in his work with her and, at the moment, that was the most reliable method of protection we had.
Footsteps moved quickly down the hall and Ulric and Clara joined us a moment later, followed closely by Sebastian. I moved aside so Clara could look at him and Ulric caught me in his arms. His hands cupped my face and he examined the cut on my forehead. "What the hell happened?"
"I'm okay, dad," I said quickly. "Arthur got possessed by the Patriarch but I headbutted him and my blood activated the moon sigil Victor carved into his chest and everything is fine now."
He stared at me for a moment with increased worry before he looked at Victor and Sebastian. "How hard did he hit his head?"
"I'm afraid everything he said is true," said Victor. "At least, we have considerable reason to believe it was the Patriarch."
"And the boy?" he asked, glancing at Arthur.
"That I don't know."
"He's not injured," said Clara, flashing her pen light in Arthur's eyes. "Aside from the scars on his chest, there's nothing physically wrong with him at all. How did this happen? These marks weren't here when I examined him last."
"They were cut into him before he was brought here, but they reappeared as soon as my blood hit the sigil," I explained.
Clara looked like she was going to be ill. Any talk of sigils or the moon seemed to have that effect on her as of late. "Well, he's delirious but there's nothing I can do for that without knowing the cause. Remus, let me see your head."