Without even thinking about it, my own energy surges around my left arm. It’s the same dark energy sleeve that appeared during my bout with that boxing jerk, but this time, it’s not heavy. Michael is stunned. Everyone is. In the blink of an eye, Michael’s face goes from astonishment to rage. He rushes at me. Matthew tries to step in the way, but his brother pushes him aside like it’s nothing. He takes ahold of my arm, examining the armor.
“It’s so pitiful and small. I bet it couldn’t even take a hit.”
Simone appears beside me and runs her fingers over my armored arm. “Oooo, I’ll take that bet. Two of my most loyal servants on Sugar Lump here.” Sugar Lump? Everyone else nods in agreement. “What do you say, Kyle darlin’? Wanna play?”
I grip my hand. I’m not normally the center of attention, and people aren’t often on my side. It feels kind of cool. “What the hell.”
“You’re on, Simone, but if I win, he has to leave and never return. Agreed?” Michael asks, holding out his bare left hand. I take it, and he smiles like he’s already won. We set up. He stands in front of me, his eyes screaming, “I’m going to embarrass this guy.”
“You ready, human?” I hold my arm straight in front of me and nod. Everyone watches in anticipation as I watch him. A confident smile spreads across his face. He’s going to take my arm off. “Here I come, human.”
I open my palm. He takes a step forward, and I feel the power radiating off him, aimed at me. I close my eyes and brace myself as his fist comes full force. He hits my hand. The impact knocks me back.
Thin arms catch me before I can hit the ground. I look over my shoulder to Simone smiling at me as she effortlessly lifts me to my feet. My arm is gelatin, burns, and is racked with pins and needles, but I don’t think anything is broken.
Michael is kneeling, holding his arm, which is now bare.
“What happened?” I ask, shaking away the energy from around my arm.
Simone skips around me and kneels next to him, examining his purple hand. “Well, let’s see here.” She runs her finger from his shoulder to the tip of his fingers. “His shoulder and elbow are dislocated, and his hand is quite fractured. Oh, and he owes me two soul drops.” She finishes with playful smile but a sinister look in her eyes.
Michael curses under his breath.
The butler comes into the courtyard. “Ahh, Zel, just in time. It seems poor Michael needs your assistance,” Simone says to him with an amused smile.
“Yes, Madam Daws. Master Kyle, I have come to inform you that you have been summoned by Mistress Valene.” Zel walks by me and goes over to Michael to examine him. “Easily mended.” Zel lifts Michael by his good arm. “Please, follow me.”
As I move to follow Zel, Simone grabs me from behind. “Be safe, Sugar Lump,” she says, licking my neck. She pushes me, then waves. “Be seein’ you.”
Zel leads us through the house to a grand staircase that splits at the top. “This is where we part ways, Master Kyle. It’s just up the stairs and to the left. Her room is at the end of the hall.”
“Thank you, Zel.”
He bows his head. “My pleasure. Now, Master Xanthos, let’s get you some tea, and we’ll fix you right up.” As they leave, Michael gives me the nastiest look, but it doesn’t faze me. I won, and I was the one summoned by Valene.
I go up the stairs and to the left. After a few turns, I’m at the end of the line. The hallway I find myself in has rows of windows on each side, allowing the light from the setting sun to enter. At the end, a lone purple and gold door bears a sign that reads, “Valene.” The air is strong with her berry perfume, and I can’t wait to see her. Got to chill, can’t be too eager.
Halfway to the door, a chill runs up my spine, making me anxious, similar to the way Mayra makes me feel when she creeps up on me in cat form. I feel someone here in the hall with me. I scan the rest of the corridor, and my eyes focus in on a shadow cast by a window shade. There’s something off there.
“Who’s there?”
A silhouette appears, darker than the shadow it was hiding in. Slowly, the figure steps out of the shadow and stands in the middle of the corridor, cutting me off from Valene’s room. It’s covered in shifting dark energy armor from head to toe and stares at me with golden eyes.
“What do you want?”
It gets into a fighting stance and takes off toward me.
“Oh boy.”
It moves with such blinding speed that within a second, it’s right in front of me. It’s not all that tall—if I had to guess, I’d say it’s about five feet. Its fist hits me hard in the stomach. My vision blurs, and I collapse to my knees, throwing up. I look up, trying to keep myself conscious. It steps in, brings its leg around, and kicks me hard in the side, sending me sliding into the wall. The entire left side of my body screams, and I curl into myself.
“Is that it?” it asks, breaking its fighting stance. It has the voice of a kid.
“What are you talking about?” I manage to ask.
He walks over to me, grabs the collar of my shirt, and lifts me to meet his shadow-covered face.
“You’re Kyle, right? Kyle Ross?” I nod, trying to gain my bearings. “For the past two days, she hasn’t shut up about how strong you are. And after seeing what you did to Michael, I thought…” He lets me go, and I drop to the ground. “Man, now this is no fun. I was looking forward to a challenge or something. Oh well, I’ll just get rid of the trash.” His leg comes at me so fast it’s a blur. My mind goes blank, and everything goes dark. I awake standing. My fist is clenched so hard that my whole arm is shaking. The little guy is on the ground holding his jaw. “What the hell was that?” he asks, eyes wide.
I look back and forth between him and my fist. “Good question.”
He stands, still holding his jaw. I get into a boxing stance.
“So, it was all a joke before?” Even though I can’t see his face, I can hear the smile in his voice. “You’re stronger than you’re letting on. You cheeky bastard,” he says, getting back into his stance. “Well, as they say: fool me once shame on you, but that twice part ain’t happenin’.”
He comes at me again; he moves so fast it’s insane. As I brace myself, he slows to a snail’s pace. Thank goodness this works out here. Seeing it coming, I catch his fist, then time resumes. His eyes grow wide with surprise as he quickly retreats. His punch hurt even more than Michael’s. Closing my hand, it cracks. I think it’s broken.
He attacks again with a barrage of kicks and punches. Every muscle in my body grows hot, and then my limbs begin to move on their own, allowing me to follow his every movement and block, parry, and evade his strikes with ease. Knocking aside one of his kicks, time slows again. As we stand in slow-motion, I look over his body until I pinpoint a spot that isn’t guarded—an opening. With a right hook, I drive my fist into his ribs, sending him sliding backward about two feet. He stops sliding, still on his toes and ready to come again, but with one step forward, he stops, slumping over and holding his ribs.
“Did I hit you that hard?”
Slowly, he stands, clenching his fists. He runs at me and falls into a slide, preparing to trip me up. At the last second, I flip over him and smack his head mid-flip. Fun fact about me—I’m bad at flipping. I can barely do a roll, let alone a handless front flip. I turn toward him and laugh a little, surprised at myself.
He growls as he flips over into a runner’s starting position. It seems he took my laughter as a taunt. Energy builds around him. I don’t think I’m going to like this. He vanishes, then appears directly in front me. All of his weight is behind his shoulder as he drives it into my stomach. I’m lifted off my feet as he plows through me, pushing me down the corridor and through Valene’s door, which seems to open on its own.
I hit the floor and hit it hard. We split, bouncing across the floor like skipping stones. I land on something soft. “Dear God, that hurt,” I grind out, trying to sit up. Someone sits on the bed next to me. Looking up, all I see is a pretty smile on a prett
y face surrounded by damp hair.
“Hi, Kyle,” Valene says, wearing nothing but a towel.
“Hey,” I say, holding my side.
At the foot of the bed, my little opponent hops up off the floor. “Ha! How’d you like that, y-you…” His gaze moves from me to Valene. The fight and confidence in his golden eyes vanish, turning to fear. “H-hey, Sis. H-how’s it going?” he says, stepping away from the bed.
Tying her towel tighter around her, she stands from the bed and begins tapping her chin as she walks toward him. “Jason, what is the one rule I’ve asked you to follow?”
He clears his throat. “To stay out of your room, unless I have permission.”
“And do you?”
“No,” he says. There’s a tremble in his voice.
She appears next to him, takes him by the throat, and lifts him into the air. “Exactly. And what were you doing that you fractured six of Kyle’s ribs and shattered his hand?”
How did she know that? She barely looked at me.
“Ah, just a little sparing, Sis,” he rasps out.
“In full armor?”
Jason chuckles nervously, trying to think of an excuse, no doubt. Valene’s grip tightens, and he coughs. His armor melts away, revealing a boy no more than twelve years old with tan skin, curly light-brown hair, and eyes of gold like Valene. She sighs, annoyed. “You’re lucky Mom and Dad love you, otherwise…” The air grows cold, and I understand why he’s afraid of his own sister. The dread and terror that sweeps over me knows no bounds. If she wanted to, she could end the both of us. With another sigh, that terrifying energy vanishes. With no effort, she throws him across the room and out the door. “Go bother someone else, half-pint.”
He jumps to his feet, still holding his injuries. “I’m telling Mom!” he yells as he vanishes in a cloud of darkness.
The door slams shut and locks. Valene looks over her shoulder to me. She chuckles as she turns back and then vanishes. She reappears on the bed next to me. I jump so hard that I start crying; my ribs hurt so badly. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she says, gently placing her hand on them.
“No, it’s fine.”
Her smile fades to a worried expression. “Let me get dressed, and we’ll go see Zel. He’ll patch you right up.” She vanishes and appears next to big set of doors that lead to a giant walk-in closet. Valene steps in, and I look at the room from her bed. It’s huge, which isn’t surprising, considering the size of the house. It has high ceilings, hardwood floors, and expensive furniture. There are no windows, but it’s as bright as if the sun were shining. There must be a bathroom as well.
As I scan the rest of the room, my eyes come back to the open door of her walk-in closet, specifically the mirror on the door. I see Valene in it, from the waist up. I know it’s rude and indecent to stare at someone naked like this, but I can’t take my eyes off her. She isn’t very muscular, but she’s fit and a little curvy. It was apparent how strong she is when she lifted her brother with ease and threw him across the room. I’m positive her legs, arms, and back are thick with muscle, but it’s all hidden within that beautiful form.
A large, intricate tattoo sits in the middle of her back. A Celtic knot? I stare until I notice her looking back at me. I look away, slowly trying not to aggravate my ribs more than breathing already does.
She walks out of the closet wearing jeans and a red and black crop top. “Come on, let’s get you some help.” She helps me up from the bed, and we head out into the hall.
“Umm, so what was it that you wanted?” I ask.
“I wanted to see you, silly, but you were taking forever, so I decided to freshen up. I didn’t realize Jason was holding you up. Sorry, by the way.”
I hold my ribs, thinking about my fight with Jason. I’m amazed at my skills. I mean, I remember all of my training with Shadow, but to actually be able to do it…I really have changed. “No problem. It was fun actually.”
She suggests we play Twenty Questions. The first few are average: favorite color, favorite foods, random things that each of us like. Valene’s a pretty normal girl, besides being disturbingly strong and a demon. We come around the corner, and at the bottom of the stairs are Vivica and the others, along with fifteen or so people I didn’t meet earlier.
“Your attention, please. I present to you Lady Valene,” Zel says aloud. Everyone turns their attention to us and bows.
“Good evening, my friends. I would like to thank you for attending my birthday party. The food and entertainment are in the dining room and the courtyard. Please enjoy,” Valene says with a little bow, still holding me. Zel directs the guests to a set of giant double doors that hadn’t been there before. We descend the rest of the staircase, and Valene passes me to Zel. “You know what to do.”
“Yes, my lady.”
She looks at me, smiling. “I’ll see you in a bit.” She walks off to the party, leaving me with Zel.
He takes me to the kitchen, sits me down, and examines my ribs. He feels around my right side until he finds the spots that are the most tender.
“Master Kyle, please raise your shirt.” I do as he says. He presses hard enough to make me scream out. “Bear with me. This will hurt only for a few seconds.” His fingers grow cold on my skin, and it burns. I try to move away, but his other hand grabs my left shoulder, keeping me still.
Seconds later, the pain stops. It’s easier to breath now, as if I wasn’t just hit by a twelve-year-old with the tackling power of a 250-pound football player. “Thank you, Mr. Zel.”
“No need for thanks, Master Kyle, and please, just call me Zel. Oh, and your hand, you should be able to move it now.”
I move it like it was never broken. “How is this possible?”
“A healing ability, granted to me by my master. This way, I am more useful to the family. Now, let’s get you to the party before the mistress comes looking for you.”
I follow him through the kitchen and a set of swinging doors into a large room. Chandeliers of every size hang from the ceiling, and portraits of Valene hang on the walls. I’m bombarded by the smells of food and liquor, and noises from music, games, and the crowd, which has grown by 20 people.
“Enjoy, Master Kyle.” I turn around to say something, but Zel is already gone.
I’m not very good with parties. I always feel like the outsider, that awkward guy no one talks to. This party is especially nerve-racking, since everyone here is most likely a demon. I go over to the food first—mostly because I’m starving, but also in hopes that no one will really try to talk to me while I eat. I grab a plate and start piling food on: hot dogs, chips, and finger sandwiches. Some of the other partygoers are gathered ahead of me, talking and eating. I don’t know how, but I get drawn into a conversation about, of all things, cookies. Apparently, there’s no love put into baking anymore. The guy speaking says he was there to try the first perfect, homemade Toll House cookie, before they were Toll House. Says it was “otherworldly.”
I move on to the gaming area. Flat-screens with the latest and greatest systems line the wall. Everyone is so into what they’re doing, they don’t notice me. I manage to get on the most popular one—a fighting game called The Sole Chronicles—and dominate.
“You’re pretty good, kid,” says a guy sitting in the chair next to me, “but I know the guy that made this game, and even he can’t beat me.”
I look at him. He’s light-skinned, with dark-red eyes and an elaborately styled hairdo. “You’re on. First person to three wins.”
Everyone gathers around as we select our characters. My opponent chooses the villain of the story, while I choose the hero. “FIGHT!” flashes on the screen. For two hours, we play against one another, until we’re tied, two to two. We pause to give our hands time to stop cramping. Pretty much everyone at the party is standing around cheering. There’s even some money being exchanged and bets being placed.
“You ready to lose, kid?”
I smile. “I should be asking you that.” We take up our controller
s and begin again.
Half an hour goes by, and we’re still tied, but his special meter is filled, and that means trouble. He pushes a few buttons and activates his character’s ultimate form—a huge dragon with a mean set of attack combos that take up the entire screen. With just two hits, my character is on the brink of dying. There’s still one thing I can try as a last resort.
“This is it, kid. The finale.” His character glows purple as it gears up for its final attack.
I’m going to lose. Better try it. Hopefully I remember the whole sequence. I push a series of buttons as quickly as possible. As his character’s final attack is about to hit, I complete the sequence, and the screen goes black.
“What the hell is this?” he yells.
The screen lights back up, and a cut-scene plays. My character’s eyes turn white, and a sword of energy appears in front of him. He grabs it, the entire screen turns white, and then slashes of black appear. When the scene ends, we all watch as his character hits the floor, and the game announces, “K.O.!”
The entire crowd is silent, along with my opponent, then they all go wild, cheering and yelling for people to pay up. The guy stands and walks over to me. He’s thin but muscular and way taller than me; I’d say he’s taller than Mayra, and she’s two inches shy of six feet. “How the hell did you do that? That’s the attack used only in story mode.”
“My aun—sister, knows the guy that made the game as well. He told me about it, and only a few people know it,” I explain.
“That loser is always holding out on me. Wait, what’s your name?”
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