Edge of Darkness Box Set

by Margaret McHeyzer

  Yes! Victory!

  “It’s okay, I won’t bring the bike to school anymore. My grandmother has a car she said I can borrow. She prefers her bike to the car.”

  What! No…

  “Your grandmother has a motorcycle?” Dad asks.

  “Yeah, she’s the one who taught me how to ride. Clara… ahem… my grandmother, is different from most grandmothers.”

  “You call her by her name?” Dad’s tone is somewhat amused, but his forehead is scrunched together, surprised.

  “She doesn’t like being referred to as anything but Clara. And she has tattoos. And yesterday she dyed her hair purple.”

  “She did?” both my father and I echo in unison.

  “When I met her, she had pink hair,” I say to Dad with a huge smile.

  “You’ve met his grandmother?” Dad asks.

  “Yeah, Tobias took me to his place and I met her. She’s really nice. I think you’d like her.”

  Dad suspiciously looks at me then to Tobias. “You and I have to have a talk,” Dad says to me.

  Instantly, my stomach drops. Am I in trouble?

  Ivy. Azael calls me, my tension apparently awakening him.

  He’s here, sharpening his talons ready to plunge them further into my soul.

  My breathing speeds as I attempt to push him away. He will not ruin this for me. I refuse to let him win.

  “I have some homework to do,” I say abruptly as I turn to leave. I need to get him out of my head.

  “I’ll pick you up in the morning for school?” Tobias calls as I’m heading away from him and Dad.

  “Sure,” I yell over my shoulder in a shaky voice.

  Ivy, come play with me.

  “She okay?” I hear Tobias ask Dad as I shut the door to my bedroom. I don’t hang around long enough to hear Dad’s response.

  Sliding down the door, I grip my head in my hands and try to block him. But not only is he calling me, he’s standing in front of me, cajoling me with his deep, silky voice, and a promise of peace.

  You know what’ll make you feel better?

  “Go away,” I whisper to him, cradling my head with fingers digging into my scalp.

  I can make you feel so much better. You’ll be calm when your dad talks to you.

  “Please…” I beg. Tears well in my eyes and threaten to spill. “Not today.”

  Fight him, Ivy. Fight him. You can do this.

  Ivy, I want you to pull yourself together.

  I hate him. Hate him so much. My blood turns icy whenever he’s near me. He always promises to be quiet after I’ve cut. But he always comes back.

  “Go away.” Letting go of my head, I lift my head to look ahead of me. He’s here. In my room, standing by my bed. “I can’t do this anymore,” I say to him.

  Azael is faceless, but I can tell he’s smirking at me. He says nothing to me, but his presence is menacing and terrifying. I know he’s waiting for me to pick the blade up and cut. He’s anticipating it.

  “Screw you.” Standing, I straighten my clothes, and wipe at tears. Opening the door, I head into the bathroom to splash water on my face. Looking in the mirror, he’s standing behind me, taunting me to touch the sharp blade.

  My gaze quickly flicks to the bottom drawer, but I take a deep breath and push past him. I refuse to let him break me today.

  “Don’t let yourself down, Ivy. Fight him,” I say to my reflection.

  An air of power surrounds the girl in the mirror. She’s not going to give in to him, and neither am I.

  Once the redness in my eyes has faded, and I’ve pulled myself together, I head out to find Dad in the kitchen cooking. Tobias is long gone. “Hey,” I say to Dad who turns to smile at me. He flicks his head to one of the stools at the breakfast bar. “I know,” I mumble. “You’re concerned about Tobias.”

  Dad stirs a pot of something on the stove. “Why haven’t you told me about him?” Dad’s voice is steady, which tells me he’s been thinking a lot about this and he’s disappointed with me.

  “It’s kinda new.”

  “I talked to him for a while after you went to your room. Did you freak out because I was home and met him, or because I wanted to talk to you?”

  “I wanted you to meet him. I’m happy you did. It’s just… it’s new. And I don’t know where it’s going to go.”

  He stops stirring, and looks up at me. “I know you don’t have anyone to talk to, but I’ll do my best.”

  “You’re a great dad, Dad.”

  He takes a deep breath and focuses back on the pot. “Do I have to give you the ‘be safe’ talk?” He cringes… and so do I.

  “I’m fairly certain I’m aware of how everything works.” My face flushes red, as do the tips of Dad’s ears. “And besides, I’m not sure when I’ll be ready for that.” Oh my God, how embarrassing.

  An awkward silence falls over us. Dad’s face reddens, and I can barely control my flight instinct. But, if Dad’s making an effort to talk to me about this stuff, the least I can do is hear him out. “Well, that’s good,” he finally says.

  “But I think I like him.”

  Dad looks up to me. “Think?”

  “No, it’s not what I mean. I do like him, but I want to get to him know him a bit better.”

  “He seems like a good kid. Although, the motorbike riding is out of the question. And you met his grandmother?” Dad presses. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Dad. You’re always at work. And I didn’t want to say anything in case things didn’t work out between us.”

  “Huh,” Dad huffs. “What is it about him you aren’t sure about?”

  “I don’t know how to explain it. He’s really nice, and he seems to have it all worked out. But, he and Jared had a bit of an argument. Well, you can’t even call it an argument, it was… I don’t even know how to describe it.”

  “What happened?”

  “Tobias asked me if I wanted a ride home, and Jared jumped into the conversation and said he wanted a ride. If you know what I mean.”

  Dad laughs and shakes his head. “He’s such a flirt.”

  “Yeah, Jared said it as a joke, but Tobias snapped at him saying how he’s not gay. But he was so angry. I thought for a second, he was going to hurt Jared. He didn’t, instead he left, but he seemed so angry.”

  “He has anger issues.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “It wasn’t a question, it’s a statement. He has anger issues, and I don’t want my daughter hanging around a guy like that.”

  “But he’s not like that to me. And now he and Jared are friends.”

  “I don’t like this, Ivy. He’s only a young kid, and to show angry tendencies so early on, to me it’s a red flag.”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think he’s violent, I think he might not like gay people. But then, that’s contradictory because he and Jared are now friends. And you and I both know Jared is openly gay and doesn’t try to hide it. Maybe he was having a bad day.” I shrug my shoulders, I’m truly questioning everything.

  “Sweetheart, you’re seventeen and a smart girl, so I’m making this clear to you. If he lays one finger on you, I will hurt him.” Dad leans on the counter to make his point.

  “I know you will. I really don’t think he would hurt me. When he brings me home, he’s super cautious. The feeling I get is he’ll protect me, not hurt me.”

  “I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I’ll be watching him like a hawk. One mark on your body, and I will hunt him down and hurt him.”

  My stomach roils with anxiety. It tightens, and releases. Tightens and releases.

  I know Dad’s protective. I totally get it. He’s lost Mom, and now all he has is me. So he’ll protect me with every breath in his body. “I know.” I smile at him.

  “Tell me about his grandmother, she sounds… different.”

  “She is. I haven’t met his Mom yet, but Clara is so great. She swears… like a lot.” Dad laughs. “And she has two full sleev
es of tattoos.”

  “Like grandmother, like grandson.”

  “Really?” I question Dad. “He only has one small tattoo.”

  “Are you sure it’s only one? And if you say yes, then the next question will be, how do you know? So, choose your words carefully.”

  Smiling at Dad I nod my head. “Yes, to my knowledge it’s only one. No, I’m not a hundred percent sure. Like I said, I’m taking it slow.”

  Dad breathes out. “Do you know why he got the tattoo? I noticed it says ‘Stay strong,’ does that have any meaning to him?”

  “I assume it does. He touches it a lot. I’ve asked, but he never really answers the question.”

  “Maybe something happened. He said his dad doesn’t live with them.”

  “Yeah, he told me his dad took off. He never talks about him. But I do know he’s really close with his Mom and Clara.”

  “Is Clara his Mom’s mom or his Dad’s mom?”

  “I’m not sure, I haven’t asked. I assume his Mom’s. Dad, you really have to meet her. She’s not like any grandmother I know. She won’t even let Tobias call her anything but Clara.”

  “She sounds very spirited. Maybe we can invite them over for Thanksgiving. What do you think?”

  A smile spreads across my face. “Yeah?”

  “I mean you’ll have to cook the turkey, because as we know, I can’t get that right. But, if Tobias is important to you, I want to get to know him and his family.”

  “I’ll ask him and see what they say. Thank you, Dad.” I leave my stool and walk around to Dad, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

  “Wanna boil the spaghetti?” he asks, changing the subject.

  “Sure thing.”

  I feel a sense of calm wash over me. Everything is okay. Azael is nowhere to be heard or seen.

  Maybe this is the start of something new and positive. God, I hope so.

  Chapter 9

  “Dad, Tobias will be here soon. Have you seen my Converse?” I call to Dad from my bedroom.

  “Yeah. When I wore them last, I returned them to where I found them.”

  “Smart ass,” I grumble back.

  Sliding my jeans up, I fix myself in the mirror and make sure everything is looking okay. Getting down on my hands and knees, I look under my bed for my Converse. Instead, I see something small and shiny.

  Damn it, a pair of manicure scissors. A sparkle catches my eye and immediately I’m drawn to it.

  Tonight’s my date with Tobias, and my stress levels have been slowly climbing throughout the day. But I’ve managed to fight Azael off. He’s been quiet since I’ve shut him out, but now, the sparkle pushes me to catch my breath and derails my train of thought.

  Lovely Ivy. Let me show you how much better you’ll feel.

  Reaching for the scissors, my fingertips brush against the razor-sharp point.

  One little cut.

  I snatch my hand back, the overwhelming feeling of bliss already starting to etch its way inside me.

  Let me play with you, Ivy.

  Sitting back on my haunches, I stare at the scissors. One small cut, a tiny one will feel so good. But, no. I can’t let him influence me.

  I crouch for a long time staring at the manicure scissors. A huge part of me wants to pick it up and cut myself. But there’s another part of me that’s challenging him and telling me I don’t need to cut. I fight with myself and my demon. I rationalize this in my head, trying to silence the part that’s screaming the loudest. I can’t cut. I have to get ready for my date with Tobias.

  But if you cut, it will release the stress inside you.

  Standing, I head over to the mirror again. “The stress is only there because of you,” I say to him through gritted teeth.

  He laughs at me.

  “I hate you,” I whisper.

  I know. But don’t you feel more composed and in control when you cut? The blood releases, and your heart beats faster as you watch the first drops ooze out of the skin.

  “Stop trying to influence me. I’m not listening.”

  Then why are you responding?

  “Go away.” My back straightens and I clench my jaw tightly.

  He disappears as quickly as he appeared.

  Sneaking a glance around the room, I notice he’s gone. I calm my mind and listen for him. He’s definitely gone.

  Good.

  Examining myself, I smile. I pull my hair back into a high pony tail, and opt to wear some tinted lip gloss. I’m not a make-up kind of girl. I don’t like it, because when I do, people tend to stare. And let’s face it, I’d rather blend into the background than call attention to myself and have eyes on me.

  “Dad, have you seen my Converse?” I call out again as I head into the living room.

  “They don’t fit me, so no, I haven’t seen them.”

  “Dad… come on.” I rush around, knowing Tobias will be here any moment to pick me up. “Now, if I was Converse shoes, where would I be?” I tap my finger to my mouth as I look around the living room.

  “Look in the mud room,” Dad says and goes back to watching whatever’s on TV.

  “Why would they be in the mud room?” I ask as I nearly jog toward there.

  “You’ll have to ask your shoes.”

  “Funny, Dad.” As I open the laundry door, my Converse are sitting by the back door. “They’re here,” I yell.

  Grabbing them, I go to sit with Dad so I can put them on. “Told you they were there.” He chuckles.

  Once they’re on, I stand and get my purse. As I head back out to Dad, there’s a knock on the door.

  My stomach twists with enthusiasm. I’m really excited for tonight… well the part where Tobias and I are going out for dinner. The party, not so much.

  “I’ll get it,” Dad says as he stands and slowly walks over to the door.

  “Can you go any slower?” I ask.

  “Someone’s eager. Hmmm, I think I need to tie my shoe lace.” Dad pretends to check his shoes.

  “I’m not letting him stay out there.” I make a bee line for the door, and Dad runs ahead of me, pushing me out of the way. “How old are you?”

  Dad’s laughing when he opens the door. “Tobias, good to see you again.” He holds his hand out to shake Tobias’s hand.

  Tobias enters the house, and I gasp as I see him. Jesus, he looks so good. He’s wearing black jeans, and a gray t-shirt. The t-shirt stretches across his chest and outlines the muscled curves of his arms.

  Butterflies flitter excitedly low in my gut. Suddenly, sweat coats my palms and I can’t wait for tonight.

  I mean the dinner… not the other part.

  “Hi,” Tobias says as he leans in to give me a kiss on the cheek.

  Damn it. Why are my cheeks turning red?

  “Hi,” I croak.

  Get it under control, Ivy, I scold myself.

  “Hi,” I say again with more confidence.

  “You look, beautiful,” Tobias replies as he eagerly smiles at me.

  “Tobias, a word,” Dad says, and leads Tobias out the front door.

  “Dad, leave him alone,” I scold.

  Dad flicks his hand up at me but keeps walking down the front steps from the porch.

  “Sorry,” I mumble to Tobias.

  “Hey, it’s all cool. Your dad’s probably going to give me ‘the talk’ about what he’ll do to me if I hurt you.”

  Rolling my eyes, I grumble to myself. “Sorry,” I mutter again.

  Tobias leaps off the steps and goes to Dad, who’s standing in the front yard with his arms crossed over his chest. Dad’s showing Tobias who’s the alpha. And surprisingly, Tobias’s body language is calmly accepting Dad’s dominance.

  It takes only a few minutes, and I’m desperate to run down there to hear what Dad’s saying to Tobias. Instead, I stand at the door with my hands on my hips, waiting for them both.

  They shake hands.

  Then they turn and start walking toward the house.

  “Did you play nice, Dad?”
I call out.

  Dad makes his way up the steps and gives me a kiss on the cheek. “We’re on the same page,” Dad says. “Have a good time tonight. Do you need money?”

  “I’ve got it covered, Mr. Jones.” Tobias smiles.

  Dad looks Tobias up and down, carefully considering him. He raises his hand and points at Tobias. “Just remember what I said.”

  “I’m fully aware of the consequences, and trust me, I have no intentions of finding out.”

  Huh? Finding out? Finding out what? “What’s going on?” I look between them both. Clearly, neither are going to tell me what they’ve talked about.

  Dropping my shoulders, I resign myself to the fact I’ll probably never know exactly what Dad said to Tobias.

  “Are you ready?” Tobias asks.

  “Yeah.”

  “Be home by midnight,” Dad says. “And, keep your phone with you.”

  “I will,” I reply essentially answering both Dad’s requirements with one sentence. “Love you.”

  “With all my heart,” Dad responds as he closes the door behind us.

  His words always make me smile. Tobias leaps ahead and opens the passenger side door for me. “What did Dad say?” I ask the moment we’re both in the car.

  He snickers and shakes his head. Surprisingly, he tells me. “He told me if my penis goes anywhere near any part of you, he’ll detach it from my body and I’ll have to learn how to pee sitting down.”

  Horrified I stare at him, my mouth open in shock. “Please tell me you’re joking?”

  “Will that make a difference?” He pulls out into the street.

  “You’re actually serious?”

  He nods his head and smiles. “Afraid so.”

  “I’m so sorry he threatened your…” I can’t quite say ‘manhood’ or ‘penis’ so I stupidly make a circular motion toward his groin. “Oh my God,” I say, quickly realizing all my attention is focused on his crotch. “I’m so sorry.”

  Holy shit, Ivy—you’re such an idiot.

  Tobias laughs as he sneaks a sideways glimpse at me. Covering my mouth with my hand, I turn my head to look outside. How damn embarrassing.

  “It’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not. I’m talking about your penis… Crap! I’m doing it again. Jesus, just shut up,” I scold myself aloud.