Bloodstains and Bitemarks

by Kyra Quinn

  “Because I never thought I’d hear you say those words. After Zeke shot me, your face was the last thing I saw before I died. And I wanted—I tried so hard to tell you I love you, but I couldn’t. The words wouldn’t come out.”

  Her words fill me with an unfamiliar warmth both comforting and unsettling. It doesn’t burn like my fury or the fires of Hell. Instead it’s soothing, the tiny flicker of a candle against my inner darkness. I thought nothing could sound better than Nadia telling me she hates me, but I was wrong. Hearing her say she loves me plants seeds of emotions inside of me I never thought I could experience.

  I give her hand a squeeze and turn towards my street. “Come on, pet. Let’s go home.”

  * * *

  “I still don’t understand.” Dagon massages his temples, leaning against the balcony railing with a deep frown. “How the fuck is any of this possible?”

  “Good question.” I take a long drag off my cigarette, wishing I had a blunt. “I know no more than what I’ve told you.”

  “Is she a reaper or a witch?”

  Another valid question I don’t have an answer for. “She’s Nadia. The same girl who left here this morning. It doesn’t matter who her father is.”

  “Do you hear yourself?” He scoffs. “It fucking matters, Kane. We do not understand what the daughter of Death is capable of.”

  The same concern tickles the back of my brain, but I push it away and shake my head. “Why worry about it? She’s on our side.”

  “Is she?” He snorts. “She’s on her own side. It’s a survival strategy for mortals. She’ll pretend to align with us until she finds a better option.”

  “Are you sure we’re still talking about Nadia?”

  His expression darkens. “The fuck is that supposed to mean?”

  “You know what it means, D. She isn’t Hollie.”

  I regret saying her name the moment it crosses my lips. After all, I’m the one who suggested she leave before someone forced her to. She disappeared hours after my empty threat, and I’ve swallowed my guilt and held onto the secret ever since. I’m the last person with any right to throw her name around in an argument, even if Dagon doesn’t know what I did.

  “Fuck you,” he snarls. “Don’t you dare bring up Hollie. Whether or not you want to admit it, we have no idea what sort of darkness Nadia keeps hidden behind that pretty face of hers. If she’s truly the daughter of Death, what’s stopping her from reaping all of our souls for her dear old daddy?”

  It’s a reasonable concern, but not one I’m willing to entertain. I suck down the last hit of my cigarette and flick it over the railing towards the ocean. “Nadia isn’t that fragile. She’d never betray us for someone who didn’t even bother introducing himself for the first couple decades of her life. She’s not some pathetic little mortal who lets her emotions guide her decisions.”

  Dagon barks a bitter laugh. “Isn’t she, though? She hated you enough to throw in with Zeke and the Dark Hunt. Or how about the portal she opened by mistake? She isn’t mortal, but that only makes her emotions more dangerous.”

  He’s probably right, but I don’t give a damn. I’d burn the entire world to the ground if she asked me to. A little moodiness or black magic isn’t enough to change my mind. I lean forward and grip the warm metal railing.

  “What if you had a choice?” I ask, dropping my voice low. “Between all of this and Hollie. If killing her guaranteed us victory in this war, could you bring yourself to bury a blade in her heart?”

  He’s silent for a long moment, a frozen statue by my side. “No, probably not. Even after all this time apart, I don’t think I could force myself to hurt her.”

  “But I did.” My chest tightens. “I handed her over to Zeke, and I watched him shoot her in the fucking head. And when her body hit the ground, something inside of me snapped. I’m not unaware of the danger she might carry; I’m indifferent to it. It doesn’t bother me more than the thought of losing her again.”

  For two furious beats, Dagon doesn’t respond or even acknowledge I’ve spoken. He stares out at the ocean with a blank expression. I turn to head inside and find Nadia, but he clears his throat before I reach the door.

  “She can stay. With Zeke dead, I’m sure the entire Dark Hunt will come after you both. She’s safer under our protection. We can figure out a way to protect the rest of us from her if the need arises.”

  “It won’t,” I vow, never more certain of anything in my life. I had my doubts on the drive home, but her fingers laced through mine melted them all away before we pulled into the garage. She loves me, and I feel something for her I never thought I could. If it isn’t love, it’s the closest my wretched soul can come.

  Dagon hangs his head. “Let’s hope you’re right. Where is she now?”

  “I asked Arachne to help her wash up and find something to eat. I figured you’d want to hear this from me without an audience.”

  He turns and leans his back against the railing, folding his arms over his chest. “What now? Smuggle her out of Miami before the hunters find us?”

  If only. The hunters don’t concern me anywhere near as much as whatever deal she struck with Lilith and Death. Even if we fled the country and somehow hid ourselves from Lilith, no one can hide from Death.

  “Leaving won’t solve anything. And I can’t abandon our community now. I have a hunch things are about to get a lot more intense around here with Zeke’s murder.”

  He grimaces. “Don’t remind me. You should have disposed of the body.”

  “No. We’ve played defense long enough, and we’ve paid for it. Michael deserves to find his precious brother slaughtered the same way Nadia found her mother.”

  His frown deepens, but the glass door sliding open behind me ends our conversation in its tracks. Arachne steps out onto the patio with a nervous smile. She’s twisted her magenta hair into two little buns on either side of her head. She’s dressed in a pair of black leggings and an oversized Sex Pistols shirt, the tights ripped in strategic spots to reveal her pale legs.

  “She’s asleep on the sofa in the den. I thought about carrying her upstairs to her old room, but I don’t want her to panic if she wakes up there alone. Terrible memories or whatever.”

  “Thank you,” I say, both for taking care of Nadia in my absence and for considering her future comfort. “She’s probably exhausted after everything that happened today. We’ll let her rest for now.”

  Arachne winces. “About that. I would stay with her and read while she slept, but…”

  “But?”

  “Come downstairs and see. I don’t know how to explain it, but it doesn’t seem good.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Nadia

  I’m back in the cemetery. My mother stands in front of a forgotten mausoleum with her hands folded in front of her. A starless sky hangs over our heads, the only light coming from a tiny sliver of moon. Her midnight hair falls around her pale face in wild curls, but her expression is calm. Her lips part into a smile as she waits for me to approach.

  The grass beneath my feet is damp and cold. The ground threatens to swallow my bare foot with every step. I hurry towards her as fast as I can without tripping over any exposed roots or broken pieces of stone. If anyone can help me make sense of the last forty-eight hours of my life, it’s my mom.

  “Is it true?” she asks, her voice breathy. “Is Ezekiel dead?”

  “He is. You can finally rest.”

  Her eyebrows furrow. “Rest? Oh, no, dear. No, no, no. Wars don’t win themselves.”

  I shake my head, stepping away. Something isn’t right. My mother never cared about the war. She walked away from her coven and most of her magic to give me a normal, mortal childhood for as long as she could. With her murderer slain, nothing else should matter.

  Unless I never knew my mother at all.

  “Zeke is dead. Isn’t that enough to end this senseless bloodshed?”

  Her face softens. “His death will only increase the violence a
gainst Paranormals. Michael will use it to fuel the hunters’ hatred and fear. Many more humans and Paranormals will lose their lives before this cursed war finally ends.”

  I suspected as much even before I stabbed him with his own blade but hearing her confirm it aloud doesn’t bring me any comfort. Knowing the truth doesn’t stop me from wanting to feel my mom hold me and reassure me things are okay.

  “Did you ever plan to tell me the truth about my father?” I ask, unable to tolerate any more conversation about war. Not with this massive deception standing between us.

  She sighs, turning away to hide her face. “So you know.”

  “No thanks to you,” I snarl before I can stop myself. “How could you keep so much from me for so many years?”

  She makes a strangled noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob. “You won’t believe me, especially not now, but I did it for you. To protect you. And it killed me to look into your beautiful little eyes and lie, but I wanted to keep you safe from all the danger and madness magic often brings. I thought you deserved a normal childhood for as long as I could give you one.”

  “But what about when I got older? Why didn’t you tell me then?”

  “Because you seemed so normal. Like every other kid in the neighborhood. I told myself I’d wait until your powers blossomed. You wouldn’t have believed me any sooner, anyway, and things could’ve ended in disaster if you repeated any of it to Adam.”

  The Reverend’s bulldog face flashes through my thoughts. “I take it he didn’t know?”

  “No. I think he may have had some suspicions about your parentage, but he never guessed the truth. He made a few remarks in passing over the years about how little you resemble him, but I’d almost always talk his concerns away.”

  So my mother’s affair isn’t the reason for the Reverend’s cruel treatment. He’s just a dick.

  “How? How is it possible?”

  She sighs again, tucking her chin to her chest. “It’s a lengthy story.”

  “Give me the cliff notes, then.”

  “The quick answer? I struck a deal with Death in exchange for a child. Adam didn’t want children, but I couldn’t stand living in that house with him alone. The doctors said I’d never have a baby, but that only made me more desperate to have one.”

  My jaw drops. “What did you promise him?”

  Tears fill her eyes, but she forces a weak smile. “You, Nadia. A child blessed with life and death in her veins and a destiny not even God can interfere with.”

  “I don’t understand—”

  “I don’t either, but at the time I didn’t care. He promised me a baby, and I took it. I worried he might try to take you for a few years, but he kept his word and stayed away. For a little while, if I didn’t think about it too hard, life seemed perfect.”

  “But what does Death want with a child? With me?” I wrap my arms around my waist. “What destiny?”

  She shakes her head. “That’s all I can tell you for now. He didn’t say much about his sudden interest in procreating. But even if I knew what was coming, I couldn’t tell you. Knowing too much about the future has a funny way of unraveling it.”

  A growl climbs up my throat, gathering enough steam to become a full scream by the time it reaches my lips. I smash my fist into the nearest headstone, but nothing happens. It’s like punching a pillow.

  “I’m sorry,” she mumbles after my throat becomes too raw to scream. “I never meant to do anything but love and protect you. Which is why I’m here now. There’s one last thing you need to know.”

  My muscles tense. “What?”

  “I told you my sister had a baby girl when she died, yes?”

  I nod, unsure where this is going. If she tells me my aunt is my actual mother, my head might explode.

  “I never told you who the father was, did I?”

  Only that he was bad news and inevitably led to her untimely demise. “Let me guess: Death?”

  “No. A certain Archangel you’ve spent time with.”

  “Michael?” I choke.

  It’s not possible. Michael shows so little interest in sex or dating I’d always assumed he was asexual. An unwanted image of him screwing my dead aunt springs into my mind until I gag.

  “That’s the one. And her mother—”

  “You mean Aunt Nadya?”

  “Not biologically. She carried the pregnancy to term and delivered the girl, but the baby wasn’t hers. Nadya was a surrogate for someone to hide the child away from danger.” She shakes her head. “You already know how this story ends. Or, part of it, anyway.”

  With my aunt murdered and her daughter tossed into the foster care system. “I take it you know where to find her?”

  “As do you. I believe she calls herself Jade these days.”

  The ground spins. I grip a headstone to steady myself as my legs turn to limp noodles. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. And with Ezekiel dead, she’s in grave danger.”

  I shake my head. “Michael is a dick, but never to Jade. He wouldn’t hurt her.” Especially not if she shares his blood.

  “He didn’t pull her into the Dark Hunt to look after her, Nadia. Michael killed my sister to get his hands on the girl. His only interest in her is what he might do with access to power like hers. Ezekiel and Michael lost most of their abilities after they fell from Heaven. Girls like you and her, however, represent untapped potential for power he can manipulate.”

  My hand drifts towards my neck, massaging the spot where Zeke inserted my last injection before the kidnap. I never asked how many of the other hunters he dosed with the same toxic chemicals.

  “If they intended to use us as weapons, why drug us and suppress our abilities?”

  “So you’d believe you needed them instead of the other way around. Michael is nothing if not proud.” Her eyes drift up to the sky. I follow her gaze in time to watch the sliver of pale moonlight melt away until only an ocean of darkness remains.

  “We’re out of time,” she says, her voice breathy. “Go, before you can’t.”

  “But—”

  “Go!” she roars, unleashing a gust of wind that knocks me to the ground. I reach for her, but it’s too late. The grass beneath me opens like the mouth of a ravenous beast, swallowing me into darkness once more.

  * * *

  I open my eyes to find Kane hovering over me. His eyebrows knit together with concern, his lips pressed into a thin line. He backs up a bit as my eyes open, but the intensity of his stare doesn’t lessen.

  “Nadia,” he drawls, “did you have any interesting dreams, by chance?”

  I blink, my throat tight. How can he possibly know anything about my visions? “Why, what’s wrong?”

  His eyes flicker to something behind him. “Oh, nothing. It’s not the first time you’ve opened some creepy portal in my house or anything.”

  “But,” Arachne’s voice chirps, “it is the first time she’s killed every plant in the room.”

  I spring up, my heart nearly stopping as I take in the massive glowing white light splitting the room from ceiling to floor. It’s smaller than the last crack I tore open in the universe, and the light is less intense, but something about it still chills me to the bone. I can’t pretend they’re just dreams anymore. My mother is reaching through the veil between life and death to communicate with me, even if I don’t understand how.

  I scan the room, noting the wilted fern and dead roses Arachne mentioned. Dagon is here, too, though he stands by the door and watches me with suspicion. I don’t blame him. Who in their right mind would trust someone who opens portals in their sleep and rises from the dead without explanation?

  “This could become a problem,” Arachne says, her tone still light as she gestures towards the portal. “We have no idea where this portal goes, or what sort of nasty creatures it could let into our world.”

  “If the portal’s energy is lethal to plants, I’m guessing it doesn’t lead anywhere good,” Dagon says.

  “
We’ll figure it out,” Kane snaps, reaching to help me to my feet. “It’s not like she’s doing this on purpose. She needs time to learn to control her abilities.”

  Dagon doesn’t appear convinced. “I’ve never known a witch who could do something like this with nothing but her mind. This is intricate magic. It normally takes years of complicated spellwork and locating exotic ingredients to open any sort of portal between realms.”

  Until recently, I didn’t even realize realms existed outside of Earth. But it doesn’t seem like the sort of defense Dagon will care about, so I go with an unconventional approach. Bowing my head towards my chest, I slip into the submissive role I perfected for killing Kane with ease.

  “I’m sorry. I do not understand how or why that happened. Maybe this explains why Michael and Zeke pumped me full of drugs to suppress my powers.”

  “No!” Kane barks, as expected. If he’s not the source of my suffering, I can always count on Kane to come to my rescue. “None of this is your fault, pet. Most witches have entire covens full of elders who teach them how to use their powers in their teens. Everyone in your life has lied to you and tried to make you less than what you are.”

  “And what is she, exactly?” Arachne purrs. Her eyes twinkle with curiosity. “Besides incredibly talented and lucky, that is.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Dagon says, straightening his posture. “She’s both dangerous and in danger. It’s only a matter of time before Lilith learns what happened and comes for her. You’re on borrowed time.”

  He doesn’t even know how right he is. Now that Lilith knows about my powers, nothing will stop her from exploiting them for her own gain. The words twist an invisible knife in my heart. I’d do anything to lie with Kane forever and let him comfort me, but that’s not an option. A deal is a deal, and something tells me Lilith won’t give me a choice in honoring mine.

  “So what do you suggest we do?” Kane growls, folding his arms over his chest.

  “Leave.” Dagon says. “It’s not what I want, but we don’t have a better option. Lilith may still track you down somewhere else, but at least it won’t be as easy. She has eyes and ears everywhere in Miami.”