Apparently, Declan felt the same about Jared. “Jare. Take the bed.” Like Jared hadn't been sleeping on Declan’s floor for however many nights the last several weeks.
Jared shook his head, tossing his pillow on the floor. “I’m good.” He had spent plenty of nights sleeping on hard surfaces, and a warm bedroom floor with his brother watching his back sure beat sleeping alone on a cold rainy street. Jared sat near his pillow and looked up at Declan. “Shelter workers don’t have next of kin tags like field Renegades do. And you didn't answer my question.”
“Doesn’t make you guys any less official, at least not to me.” Declan pinched the bridge of his nose. “And I asked Slater because I wanted to make sure he was legit, that he could explain without help what he does. What we do.”
“You don’t trust him.” Jared observed.
Declan flopped onto his bed with a sigh. “I don’t trust anyone.” His words hung in the air, and Jared internally finished his brother’s thought. Not since Dad was killed.
“You wanted me to trust Gideon,” Jared pointed out. “Just because you said so.”
“That was different.”
“How?”
Declan levered himself up on his elbows and glared at Jared. “Seriously?”
Jared shrugged. “Okay, fine. But Reese seemed to know what he was talking about. He knows how the rescue system works and he knew of even more sanctuary cities than we did.” Jared curled his fingers into his blankets, remembering the way Reese had talked about some of the recent drop offs he had made. There were too few people willing to help rescues, and way too many that were content with looking the other way while they came into harm. To do nothing meant being okay with the status quo, which said that ditchbreeds were nothing, less than nothing. Inhuman. Damaged. It was nice to know that Reese didn't think like that.
Declan’s voice broke into his thoughts. “So would anyone working with William, with whoever was out to get Dad.”
“Why are you so jaded?”
“Why aren’t you?” Declan fired back. He sat up, piercing Jared’s eyes with his own. “William killed Dad because the Agents knew how good he was at stopping them, while helping rescues to boot. And they knew how good I was getting, under his training. And more than likely, they know that he has two other kids who also make it their life’s mission to help rescues, and that guess what? One of those kids is a rescue himself. You think that because William is dead, the Agents will just stop trying to find what they are looking for? That they will stop hunting us down the same way they hunt down rescues, that they figure it all ended with Johnathan Cooper and William fucking Kingsley?” Declan lowered his voice to a harsh whisper and pointed in the direction of Jared’s room. “For all we know, Reese is one of them, sent to track us down and get what he needs before tying up the loose ends. That would be us, Jare, in case you weren’t-“
“Okay, Declan, jeez, I got it.”
“Do you?”
Jared narrowed his eyes. “What the hell, Declan.”
“Don't think I didn't notice the way you were looking at him. Or the way he was looking at you.” Declan snapped off the light and bunched his pillow up beneath his head. “I could have lit a match between the two of you and set the whole place on fire.”
Jared tucked himself beneath the blankets, facing away from Declan and shoving the arm marked with his scar underneath his pillow. He hunched his shoulders against the fear that was slowly forming in his chest. Declan was right; not about Reese being one of the men who was after them, Jared was sure, but about the fact that there still was someone, or someones, out looking for them.
It hit Jared then just how long they had been out of work, and how many people’s lives that might be costing. He wasn't helping any rescues that were being hunted, hadn't been for weeks. And now he was likely being hunted himself.
Declan’s heavy sigh rolled around the room. “Look, Jare, I-“
“Forget I asked.” Jared pulled the blankets even further up his body, covering his ears. He could hide from everything that was threatening life as he knew it, if only for just one more night.
CHAPTER SEVEN
When he came in from his run the next morning, Jared found Gideon in the kitchen, talking to someone on the phone. “Yeah, don’t I know it. Mm hmm. Ain’t much we can do about that one.”
Jared made lots of noise grabbing a mug and rattling the coffee pot so that Gideon would know he was no longer alone. Gideon spun around from where he had been hunched over the stove and gave Jared a nod. Speaking to whomever was on the other end, Gideon said, “You do what you can down there. I’ll talk to the kids when they’re all around. Jared takes after his daddy, up and at ‘em early, but those other two are damn good at wastin’ daylight.”
Jared’s stomach did a funny turn at hearing Gideon refer to Johnathan as his dad and took a sip of hot coffee to keep his throat from tightening up. He pulled out a carton of eggs from the fridge to scramble as Gideon wrapped up his conversation. “Yeah, Slater is here with me. No, you remember what I told you about that. Stay out of it now.” Despite his words, Gideon’s voice was gentle, more so than Jared had ever heard it. “You take care, you hear me? Hmph. I’ll see you soon.” Gideon ended the call, wiping a silly half-smile off his face. “You sleep good?”
Jared shrugged. “Okay.” He divided the cooked eggs between two plates, and sat down at the table across from Gideon. His run had made him hungry, and even after all these months with Gideon, Jared’s easy honesty with the man still surprised him, so he dug into his breakfast without saying much else.
After a while, Jared figured he should take the opportunity to talk to Gideon while no one else was around. Jared pushed his fork around his almost empty plate, and asked something he had wondered for years. “What does. Um. I mean. Why…” Jared tangled his fingers together, and fiddled with his bracelet.
Gideon refilled Jared’s coffee cup, then his own. He squeezed Jared’s shoulder. “Spit it out, son.”
Jared took a breath, and bypassed correcting Gideon this time. “I just want to know…and don’t get mad, okay, I’m sorry for saying it but.” He looked up at Gideon. “What does ‘ditchbreed’ mean? I mean I know what it means.” He said hastily. “But where did it come from?”
Gideon’s hand tightened around the coffeepot. He pulled a trivet across the table to set the pot down and took a seat next to Jared. “Your daddy never told you?”
Jared shook his head.
Gideon sighed, and gestured to Jared’s wrist. “He burned it off, but didn't tell you why you had it?”
Jared ran his fingers over the cuff covering his scar, where the dark stain used to be. “I know I was born with it. I know it means something bad.”
Gideon shook his head. “No, it don’t. It just means you come from something else, that’s all.”
Jared gave him an imploring look. “From what, exactly? I’ve heard so many different things and I just need to know the truth. I know I’m different; I just don’t know why.”
“He should have told you,” Gideon muttered. He took a long sip of coffee. “It was a long time ago. No one knows why it happened.”
“The Ravaging.” Jared had heard it a million times growing up on the streets, spoken mostly in fear. But no one would ever tell him what it meant.
Gideon nodded. “The Ravaging. Happened almost a hundred years ago. Stories say that Hell itself opened up and unleashed its fury on earth. The whole world over was destroyed by it. People killed, cities leveled. Infrastructure burned to the ground.”
“But what caused it?”
“No one is sure. Some say demons, some say Satan himself. Some say humans finally turned on each other, though I put my money on the hellspawn theory. Ain't no way humans caused that much destruction in such a short time. There are no living survivors from The Ravaging today, only descendants. They’ve tried to put some stories on record, but most of the survivors at the time were so damn traumatized that nothing much came out.”
An uneasy feeling came over Jared. “Hellspawn?”
“Like I said, most people say The Ravaging was caused by a hellish force. A war between the King of Souls and the Queen of Light...before the Ravaging people would have said heaven versus hell, angels against demons. See, people used to fight over lots of nonsense back then; religion, skin color, even sexuality, if you can believe it. Had a hard time letting people just be people.” Gideon waved his had dismissively. “A lot of things that used to matter back then don’t matter no more. But most say that evil demonic forces rose up and took their collective revenge on the selfish, spoiled human race.”
Gideon poured himself a second cup of coffee, but didn't drink it. “I’m guessin’ you never went to school, though Johnathan certainly did somethin’ right, smart as you are. But it’s in all the history books. Half the population, completely decimated in the blink of an eye. Scholars still wonder today how advanced the human race might be if The Ravaging had never happened. Had to build just about everything back up from scratch...buildings, roads, phone lines, houses, you name it. Most luxuries got streamlined, since so many resources dried up. After The Ravaging, people had a very back to basics approach, which is why everything is now so heavily monitored and regulated; why we all got either civilian issue trucks or bikes, standard mobile phones, and the like.”
“That still doesn't explain-“
“I’m gettin’ there. These dark souls that rose up, caused all the destruction, they didn't just kill. They also…” Gideon looked uncomfortable. “Hell, you deserve to know the truth. Some of them mated, with human females. Against their will, of course.”
“They raped them.”
Gideon nodded solemnly. “Yes. Nine months later, thousands of babies were born with a mark, an imprint of the darkness that helped create them. A permanent stain on the top of the left wrist. The mothers, they died the instant the baby was born, but the babies lived, and went on to make more babies, and, well. There are still some descendants of those today.”
“I have a mark of Hell on me,” Jared choked out, horrified.
“No, son, you don’t. You are one hundred percent human, just like the rest of us. The demonic forces, whatever they were, died along with those poor women they violated. It happened all over the world, but here in the states, a huge divide of burnt earth was left along the banks of the Mississippi River. It doubled to twice its size and the edges turned black. The largest batch of offspring to come from The Ravaging were born in cities along those ditches.”
“Ditchbreed.” Jared whispered.
“Just a nasty word used by nasty people, or those that don’t know any better.” Gideon sighed. “I’m ashamed to say I used it a time or two back before I realized the damage that stigma was spreading.”
Jared curled his right hand over his left wrist, digging the cuff into his skin.
“The babies were pure, their offspring were pure, you’re pure,” Gideon promised. “Ever since then, humans have just been tryin’ to rebuild, to bring back the life they once knew before The Ravaging. There has always been ignorance, unnecessary prejudice directed towards those who still bear a hereditary mark, but thanks to our current government, there is now a resurgence of hate born from fear of another Ravaging.” Gideon wrapped his hands around Jared’s, where they now had a death grip on his coffee cup. “But it’s all nonsense, you hear me? Nonsense. It’s a damned crazy quirk of genetics, that mark. That’s it. You ain’t any more evil than the dust beneath my fridge.”
There was a tightness in Jared’s chest, and he was grateful for Gideon’s grasp on his hands because they were developing their familiar tremor. “I’m stained.”
“You’re a Cooper,” Gideon countered. “Loved, safe, and full pure human, just like the rest of us. Vivienne Knox, now there is a spawn of Hell. Has a whole army of Agents dedicated to wipe out an impurity that don’t even exist.” Gideon squeezed his hands. “We won’t let her, Jared. You ain’t a stain to be wiped clean, you hear me?”
Blood rushed Jared’s ears, at the memory of Johnathan telling him that exact same thing just days before he died. “He saved me.” Jared cast his eyes upstairs, where his brother and sister still slept. “They saved me.”
Gideon released his hands. “They damn sure did. And you deserved it. There are other Renegades like Johnathan Cooper, like your brother, like Reese Slater, who just want the world to learn that rescues ain’t nothin’ to be scared of.”
Jared shot up from his chair, backing up against the kitchen wall. Knowing there were good people out there didn't cancel out the bad. “Vivienne wants us gone. She wants us eliminated, and she’s having no problem convincing other people to help her.”
“Sadly, you ain't wrong. And Declan killing William out of revenge for murdering your daddy started a whole fight within a fight. Vivienne probably wants him now more than ever. But no matter how many Agents she’s got, we Renegades are gonna stop them.” They both heard movement coming from upstairs. “We are in for one hell of a fight, son, but don’t for one second think we ain’t gonna win it.”
Jared wanted to believe that was true, but the reality was, all he’d felt lately was loss.
After dinner that night, Gideon directed them all to a local bar where they could “let off some steam and maybe get to know one another,” though he was mostly eyeing Declan and Reese at that last comment. Gideon had begged off, telling them he had to be on hand for any Renegade communication that might come through.
Jared and Rae hopped into their truck with Declan, while Reese followed on his motorcycle. The bar was small, half-lit, and just the right place for someone like Jared to be able to get in without an ID.
Shortly after grabbing a round of drinks, Declan and Rae both got up to mingle with the local crowd. Rae first squeezed Jared’s hand, looking at him with silent question.
Jared shook his head. “Go.” The guy Rae had her eye on was cute; lean, polished, and had been smiling at her with perfect dimples and straight white teeth for a good five minutes. He didn’t blame her for wanting to check him out. Jared glanced at Declan, watching him lean casually against the bar while chatting up a pretty blonde.
“You can go join him, if you like.” The corner of Reese’s mouth turned up. “Looks like she’s got a friend.”
Jared flushed, quickly looking away. “I uh, I didn’t come out tonight to meet people.” His eyes roved over Reese’s dark hair. “I’m not much for blondes anyway.” Jared wanted to smack himself when he noticed Reese grinning at him.
Luckily for Jared, Reese let the comment slide. “Didn’t take you for much of a drinker.”
Jared shrugged. “I like beer. Not much else. Back home, a couple neighborhood bars were really all that was around for entertainment, so when we felt a little too much cabin fever that’s where we would go. Bartenders there got to know me, but here...” Jared shrugged. This was the first time they’d been out in a long time. He didn’t blame Rae and Declan for trying to find some company for the night.
“Hard to get around a new place without an ID.”
Jared sighed. “Declan or Rae always have to get me drinks. I had a fake ID for awhile but when the new government regulations came down with stricter security measures a couple years ago, we couldn’t find anyone who could make a genuine copy.” Jared played with the label on his beer bottle. He tried to inflect a lightness in his voice, but feeling like he shouldn’t even be sitting here made it hard to find the confidence to do so. “It’s like I’m not even a person.”
Reese scoffed. “A piece of paper in your back pocket isn’t what makes you a person.”
Jared looked up through the hair that had fallen into his face to see Reese’s storm cloud eyes piercing right through him.
A hand on Jared’s shoulder startled him. “Don’t wait up,” Declan said, tilting his head in the direction of the blonde at the bar. “I gave Rae the truck keys.” Jared nodded. Declan studied the two of them. “Anything I need to worry about,
Slater?”
Reese brought his beer bottle to his lips. “You just worry about your ability to seal the deal. She looks like she’s about to lose interest.” Reese laughed when Declan scowled at him, the sound rich and full.
Jared coughed. “I’ll be right back.” He gave Declan a playful shove as he rose, letting his brother know he was fine. What the hell was Declan afraid of, that Reese would snatch Jared out of the bar and take him somewhere else to have his dirty, wicked way with him?
The thought didn’t bother Jared nearly as much as it should have.
He made his way to the bathroom, using the break to splash some water on his face and clear his head. It had been Rae’s idea for them all to come out tonight, and while Jared had been getting sick of the confines of Gideon’s cottage, the jogging trails and lakeside views did enough to combat his own case of cabin fever. A part of Jared was enjoying being out, sitting and having a beer with Reese like they were just two normal people, but he was too on edge, and maybe still a little wary of the man that was Reese Slater, to fully enjoy it.
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