by P. C. Benson
I blasted Allen and Paul with energy. They hastily stood, which dislodged the ladies next to them, and one fell on the floor. The two brothers pulled the dancers out of the room in a hurry.
Lilly’s face was red and seething in anger.
I smiled at her sweetly. “Problem, Sister?”
She got up and stomped off to the bathroom.
I eyed Jake and the brothers who sat back on the couch, but they all avoided eye contact.
Daemon peeked at me and hid a smile as he took a sip of his beer.
Lilly came back, with darkness trailing her. Fuck, she was pissed. She pulled Jake off the sofa. “I wanna dance.” They danced, and her dark energy rose up to the ceiling, which looked like a dark storm cloud. It concentrated on the girls, which made them act drunker. They got louder and had no inhibitions. Although they kept their clothes on, they were touching themselves and each other inappropriately. Paul and Allen walked to the kitchen in silent whispers, girls latched on to them like they were sex craved. The girls grabbed a whole bottle of vodka and started chugging and passing it along. Lilly’s energy was riling them up.
This was getting out of hand. The girls looked out of control. I took measured breaths. I wanted to stop this, but I didn’t want to make a move yet. I pretended to play with my phone but sent another text.
Where are you? It’s getting closer. She’s losing control. It’s just her and the brothers. DO NOT HARM DAEMON. I CURED HIM.
Alec: Okay, Gabrielle. We’re close and ready. Don’t worry. Just give the signal.
I looked up when I felt a blast of Lilly’s energy. I thought she’d finally made her move. Instead, she looked like she had the first time she’d first became the Dark one. Dark tendrils surrounded her. Her eyes were pure black, and she was breathing heavily, but her anger wasn’t directed towards me. Her darkness crept its way towards Jake and the girl clinging to his arm who shivered like a leaf. The other girls whimpered behind the couch.
I stood and sent out a shield around the humans.
Jake, the brothers, and Daemon stood side by side, trying to calm Lilly down.
“Baby, it’s not what it looks like. She came to me, but I didn’t do anything. You know how they can’t resist me.” He tried to pry the girl’s hands off his arm, but she latched on like her life depended on it.
“Lilly, breathe,” Allen said.
Paul tried to step closer to Lilly, but he looked like he was struggling.
I sent out my distress sign, although I suspected Alec would have felt my panic even without it. I wasn’t afraid for myself, but there were ten innocent humans here, and by the looks of it, Lilly was beyond reason.
Daemon turned to me and said, “Gabby, do something.”
That got Lilly’s attention. “Oh, the favorite sister to the rescue. I’m so sick of you, did you know that? Gabby this, Gabby that! Why couldn’t you just leave my men with me?” she shrieked at me as she threw her hands out and raw, black, dark power blasted towards me. It was pure evil—pure darkness.
I countered it with my white light. I poured out all of my raw feelings from losing Lilly and the love I had for my sister. I didn’t hold back. My energy overpowered her fast.
Everyone ducked when our energies collided. I saw Daemon pull some females behind the couch and shield them, glass shattered, and furniture blasted out of the way.
Lilly stumbled, her energy receding, but her shield still intact. I still didn’t want to hurt her. I just wanted to save the girls.
When the blinding light from my energy dissipated, I felt Alec’s energy behind me. He was inside. I hope he stays hidden.
I glanced behind me to see if I could spot him, and everything happened so fast. I saw Alec and the Nephilim enter from the balcony to my right. The Fallen were on my left. Vik and Ti quickly moved in and took the females. Alec tried to get to me, but I rapidly erected the same impenetrable shield like before, immediately feeling his frustration.
I also erected another one in front of me because I sensed Lilly direct her hatred blast towards the Nephilim.
Daemon froze and gaped at Celeste. Fuck! Why is she here? Celeste had the same expression on her face, as she stood, frozen, staring at Daemon. God, I hope no one noticed these two. I reinforced my shield and made sure that Daemon and Celeste were covered.
Lilly kept blasting my shield and screaming in frustration when it held and didn’t budge.
The brothers joined in and attempted to break my shield to get to the Nephilim.
Lilly had both of her hands clenched—her heavy breathing pronounced with the rise and fall of her chest. Her face was contorted with rage and hatred as she gathered more darkness in her hands. She now had a massive ball of dark energy in front of her.
I waited, ready to fight back. Alec pounded on the barrier. “Gabby, let me the fuck in!”
Lilly sneered at me, and I braced for her to aim at Alec or me but, instead, she turned at the last minute and aimed at Jake and the girl clinging to him.
“No!” I screamed as I rushed to the girl and thrust my hand out to shield her and Jake.
It was like time stood still. I tried to race and get ahead of the ball of energy, but my shield was a second too slow—Lilly was closer. Jake, the girl, the brothers, and even Daemon who’d stepped out of my shield, were affected by the impact. Everything that wasn’t protected by my shield, the sofas, furniture, mirror, and the windows got blasted into a dark cloud of destruction. Only Lilly was left standing.
As the scream died down from my throat, my chest constricted, and my breathing came out in short bursts with anger, guilt, and a slew of emotions. I turned and raised both my shaking hands and sent the Nephilim and the girls back to the glass house. I then dissolved the shields but kept my own in place.
I waved my other hand and levitated all the debris off the body and stepped closer to the girl. I glared at Lilly, looked down at the girl, brushed her blond hair off her face, and closed her lifeless blue eyes.
I swallowed the sob that escaped my mouth before I stood on shaky legs and faced Lilly. She faced me with a defiant expression—she was ready. Her legs were apart, and she had a huge dark orb in her hands, larger than the last.
“Whoever you are, you are not my sister. Lilly died the day darkness took over. You better hope the day never comes when I decide to kill you because it will be easy. The only thing that’s saving you is that you wear her face.” I paused and took a shaky breath in. “Tell Abaddon, good job. His plan worked. But know this, Lilly, hurt any more innocents, and I won’t be merciful. I will stop you!” I said this in a cold and steady voice. I didn’t give her a chance to say anything. I came at her fast and strong because I wanted to deliver a message. I sent a full concentration of warm energy directly in her system and drove the darkness out of her. The dark ball of energy sizzled out of existence. I stopped when she only had a sliver in her and was barely alive. She’d survive, but she’d know that I meant what I said. I left her on the floor and checked on the brothers. They were all breathing.
I healed Daemon. He sat up and looked around, picked up the girl, laid her on the couch, and covered her with a jacket.
“Time to pick a side, Daemon. I can knock you out and you can wake up with them or you can come with me. What will it be?”
He looked straight at me and took a step forward with his hand outstretched, without hesitation. His eyes looked lost but hopeful.
Eight
Chapter 7: Lost
We materialized in the living room of the glass house. It was loud—everyone’s energy was tense, and they were talking over each other, but they stopped when we arrived.
Daemon laid the body of the girl in the hallway and stayed by my side, his shoulders tense. I laid my hand on his arm in comfort, causing Alec’s gaze to darken.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Ti asked.
“What she said.” Vik stood tall and menacing.
Celeste stayed in place, avoiding eye contact, but peering up f
rom underneath her lashes when she thought Daemon wasn’t looking.
I stood in front of Daemon, who had his arms crossed, and his legs apart—a life of living as the Dark one didn’t go away overnight.
“Okay, everyone calm down. Why don’t we all sit down so we can talk?”
Daemon placed his hand on my shoulder. I looked behind me, and he gestured to the body.
Alec growled, and I felt his anger through our bond.
Who the fuck growls?
“Daemon is right. We should set our drama aside and respect the dead. What should we do with the body?”
“Ti and I will take care of it. You three, figure this out, and once you have, we want the whole story. C’mon, Ti.”
She glared at Daemon, then at me. “What he said,” she reiterated, then followed Vik.
Vik scooped up the body, and they disapparated.
“Let’s all have a seat. Shall we?” I led the way to the couch.
Alec had his arms crossed, waiting for me to sit—I think testing me on where I would sit. I crossed the room and wrapped my arms around him. I could feel his masked jealousy. “Hi.”
He released the tension in his body and hugged me back. “Hi.”
“Come and sit.”
He nodded and released me. Daemon sat at the single couch in front of Celeste. The two avoided each other’s eyes.
“Daemon, this is Celeste. Celeste, this is Daemon.”
They both shyly looked at one another and held each other’s gaze.
“Do I know you?” Daemon finally said.
“Is that the only line you have? You said the same thing to Gabrielle when you first met her,” Alec said with an acerbic tone.
I nudged him on the rib.
Daemon and Celeste both flushed red under their brown skin
“Why is he here, Gabrielle?” Alec raised his brow at me.
“I would like to ask the same thing?” Ti asked as she walked in, followed by Vik.
“What she said.” Vik grunted.
I got up and eyed Vik and Ti, “What is going on with you two? It’s not like you two to be in agreement.
I stood next to Daemon. Alec’s eyes flashed with annoyance once again.
Vik and Ti stood behind Alec as they faced Daemon and me. “What are you talking about?” Vik asked in frustration.
“You and Ti. It’s weird that you’re both in agreement.” Alec and Celeste chuckled.
Ti narrowed her eyes at me, and Vik’s lips twitched.
“Never mind that, what is this?” Ti gestured to me and Daemon.
“I saved Daemon, so I’m protecting him.”
“What do you mean, you saved him?” Alec asked as he leaned forward.
“Are you forgetting that he was the former Dark one?” Ti asked at the same time.
I rolled my eyes. Daemon tensed, so I laid my hand on his shoulder, pushing some calmness. Once again, Alec’s eyes narrowed at my hand on Daemon. Celeste didn’t look bothered. As a matter of fact, she was quiet, with a blank expression. She probably already knew what had happened.
“Abaddon corrupted his soul with darkness, so I drove that darkness away and cured him. It would be nice if you guys could lay off of him. It hasn’t been easy on him.”
“It’s fine, Gabby. I can defend myself. I understand the wariness of everyone in this room. I remember my past deeds. We all have met in battle, and I don’t expect to be forgiven or everything to be forgotten overnight. I understand that I need to prove myself. However, before I start doing that, I have my own conscience to deal with. It has only been a few hours. I hardly remember my past before I was the Dark one, so I don’t even know where to begin. I just feel lost at the moment.”
“You don’t remember?” Celeste asked, sounding disappointed.
He held her gaze for a second, then shook his head in dismay.
I touched his shoulder and said, “Celeste and I will help you remember. Take your time. Just tell us what you need. We’re here for you. Right, Celeste?”
“Yes… Daemon. Of course, we will help you. Just let us know when you are ready.”
He smiled the first genuine smile that I’d seen from Daemon, and Celeste returned it. They held each other’s gazes before quickly looking away.
I smiled to myself and went back to Alec, who tugged me onto his lap. “What are you up to?” he murmured in my ear.
I slightly shook my head.
“Tell us what happened, Gabby?” Vik said as he and Ti moved behind the other couch but didn’t sit.
I could still picture the sightless eyes of the girl. My chest tightened, and my breath stuttered. “Lilly fully embraced the darkness and killed a girl in a jealous rage.” My voice cracked in the end, so I hid my face on Alec’s neck and let the tears fall.
“What happened to Lilly and the Brotherhood?” Ti Asked.
“Gabby knocked Lilly out, but not before Lilly knocked us all out when she aimed for the girl,” Daemon said.
Ti was silent but narrowed her eyes at Daemon. Vik’s shoulders were stiff, and his jaw was clenched.
“What happened to the other girls I sent here with you? Was anyone else hurt?” I sniffed.
“We wiped their memories and sent them home,” Vik said.
“And the dead girl?” I whispered.
“We took her to the Regent. They will find her family and figure out a story to tell. They will lay her to rest.” Ti hesitantly broke her hard stare from Daemon and looked at me with tenderness.
I looked away and blinked hard, trying to get the vacant eyes of the girl out of my head. I missed what they were saying.
“That’s against even the Fallen’s protocol,” Daemon said.
“What is?” I asked.
“No one is allowed to kill an innocent human. On either side, even as a casualty of war, they are not allowed to get hurt. That’s when God interferes. Everyone follows that rule because the consequences are severe,” Celeste said from the couch.
“What will happen to Lilly?” I directed the question to Daemon.
“Who knows? She’s new, so maybe nothing too harsh, but the others will get severely punished. There are strict rules that are enforced on both sides otherwise, like Celeste said, God interferes.”
I had mixed feelings about that. I wanted her punished, but I was uncertain if I wanted her killed. I don’t know. I was so confused.
“They need her, so they won’t do anything permanent,” Vik said from behind the couch. They were both still standing, looking tense.
“Question is, what do we do next?” Ti interjected with her arms crossed.
What is up with these two?
“What do you mean?” Alec said from behind me.
“She means, what do we do about the Fallen?” Vik glanced sideways at Daemon, which was not missed by anyone, then looked at Alec.
“You can talk freely around Daemon,” I reassured.
“It’s okay, Gabby. You can’t keep defending me, and you can’t demand their trust. I will need to earn it and fight my own battles.” He looked unfazed but from the tension in his shoulders, I could tell that it bothered him. Hmm.. since when did I recognize Daemon’s subtle signs?
“Oh, I know. Don’t worry, Daemon. You will have a hard path to walk, which I can’t do for you. I’m not even allowed to interfere. You need to pave your own way, but like it or not, you are my responsibility. I did this to you. You are now a target from both sides, so if anyone has a problem with that, then they will have to take it up with me,” I said stubbornly. I looked around the three Nephilim, who returned my gaze with their own narrowed eyes. Celeste smiled at me, her eyes shining, and I noticed the slight tension on Daemon’s shoulder released.
Alec’s jealousy flared again, so I went back and sat on his lap. His body stayed rigid, and he held me tightly.
“Well, still. We can’t take him back, and we need to figure out what to do from here. You might have vouched for him, Gabby, but I still don’t feel comfortable talking abou
t strategy around him. Until I see otherwise, I’m not budging.” Ti jutted her stubborn chin up.
I sighed. “Fine. If you guys are gonna be difficult about this and won’t drop it, then we will need to prove it. Otherwise, we won’t get anywhere. This is not pleasant, so I won’t do it again.” I stared at the couple and got up.
I sat on the coffee table in front of Daemon and raised my eyebrows. He leaned his head back and shut his eyes, then gestured for me to proceed. I tentatively placed my hand on his arm and heard the others shuffle closer. I drove the darkness away but not out of his body. It wouldn’t be as unpleasant as before, but I was sure it was still uncomfortable. I could feel the tension in his arm. I gathered the dark energy around his chest, but you could see his colorful aura. Celeste came closer and touched Daemon on the shoulder.
Daemon’s eyes opened, and they stared at each other. It was such an intimate moment that I felt like an intruder. His aura flared pink. I smiled and looked at the others. Alec nodded his head, and the other two looked shocked. That was good enough for me. I slowly released my hold on Daemon and watched the dark energy coat him again.
“Why did you leave darkness in him?” Celeste asked.
“When I healed him, I wasn’t sure if he was staying or coming with me, and if he was staying, he needed it to mask his true aura. I believed only his creator would be able to sense that he’s changed.”
“And what if he’s asked to show his powers?” Alec asked.
“Daemon, I have been meaning to ask you the same thing. Do you still have the same level of control?”
Daemon had his brows furrowed. “I think so. I still have an affinity with electricity.” He waved his hand, and the lights flickered on and off.
Vik and Ti looked at each other. I knew that was huge. No one divulged their power easily, as that was their leverage against their enemy. They finally took a seat.
“It’s been a long night. How about we pick this up in the morning?” Celeste asked. “Daemon, I’ll show you to your room.”
Daemon smiled timidly at Celeste but followed her.