DAEMONEUM

by Laney McMann

  “I suppose you think the Anamolia, Kadence, is responsible?”

  She pushed him to move faster. “I don’t know what to think anymore. But we have someone knocking too close to our front door. We have to block everything off in Glastonbury.”

  Caelius couldn’t disagree with that. “Where is Elder Cato? He should be notified if there have been attacks.”

  “Probably off harassing someone,” she snapped. “He’s too concerned with proving himself right than doing anything useful. He isn’t here. And he may have stolen my title as Chancellor of the Eldership Council, but I still have a responsibility to do my job. Especially when he is clearly not doing his.”

  “Hey!” Someone shouted from a few floors up. “Stop!”

  Without hesitation, Hadriana swiped her arm through the air. A bolt of violet light discharged from her palm and blasted the stairwell above them, shattering the glass steps between them and the person who had shouted.

  “I suppose you have no choice but to come with me now.” Caelius sped down another flight of stairs, coming to the bottom floor, out of breath. He wrenched a door open and ran from the building into an open courtyard, his mother hard on his heels. She turned and sent another charge of energy careening at the stairwell door, shattering three-quarters of the building into rubble.

  “I think that is sufficient, Mother.”

  Hadriana made a scowling noise.

  The Leygate stood yards away, a shimmering vortex of pure white energy. Caelius reached for Hadriana’s hand, and they leapt into the cyclone. With a swish of her wrist, she closed down the gate with a pop behind her, shutting it off from Stella Urbem entirely, and they both vanished.

  Cole didn’t speak after they left Euryale’s cave in Greece. He was waiting for Kade and Heru at the entrance to the Underworld and reached for Kade’s hand as she exited, gently tracing circles on her skin with his thumb. They tracked across the invisible bridge and through the field to the Leygate overlooking the deep blue-green Ionian Sea, but his expression was a blank mask. Kade glanced at Heru several times, but his expression was also impassive. She wondered if he’d regretted taking them to Euryale—telling Cole the truth.

  As they took their seats on the train to Venice en route to the station near Heru’s villa there, her heart sank. In silence, Cole rested his head on the seat next to her, vacant blue-gray eyes staring up the ceiling, her hand still held tightly in his, sitting on his thigh. She wanted to console him, but had no idea how. What could she possibly say? We should break up so you can have your life back? Those were the only logical words she could come up with and the most devastating to consider—and not at all consoling.

  Everything she’d been given in the last few weeks—a boyfriend who loved her, the real her, and a true guardian who had her best interests at heart—had been ripped out from underneath her. And now, in response, she was ripping their lives out from underneath them. The truth couldn’t be denied—she had wreaked this destruction on Cole and Warden Caelius. Maybe unintentionally and unknowingly, but she had still done this to them, and ultimately to herself.

  Being with Cole, loving him, wanting him, was Turning him into something his entire race had feared for several millennia. No longer the Primori he was so proud of being, but the Devil God his own government would try to annihilate. The same government who had imprisoned his grandfather for trying to help her, even though she had no intentions of harming their way of life.

  In a matter of a few weeks, Cole’s life had been stripped bare. All he knew, all he was, was morphing into something foreign and alien, and the only way to stop the progression, from what Euryale said, was for Kade to stop seeing Cole. Even then, she wasn’t sure. Maybe the effects of the fusionem crystal were already too far gone to stop them now.

  And worse, if it could get any worse, somehow Kade felt lighter—better than she had, maybe ever in her life. She understood now. She had purpose and reason that was good, not evil. Anamolia were born of love not of fear. And there were hundreds, probably even thousands of her kind years and years ago—a whole race of Anamolia. Like Euryale had told her, Kade could choose—light over dark, angel over devil—and for the first time in her life, Kade felt proud of who she was instead of afraid.

  She glanced at Heru, silently sitting across from them in the train car, ebony aged hands folded in his lap. He smiled gently but offered no words. Neither did she. There was nothing to say. Content for the time being to stare out the window at the Italian countryside, her eyelids grew heavy, and she rested her head against the back of the seat.

  Cole let go of her hand. The motion startled her, until she realized he was repositioning himself. Scooting away from her, he extended his legs as far as he could down the bench seat, laid his head on her thighs, and wrapped his arms around her waist, his face nuzzled against her stomach. He said nothing, didn’t look at her, only held her.

  Kade placed her hands on his head, running her fingers through his hair, and within minutes, his breathing was steady and deep, and he was asleep in her lap.

  Sweat beaded across Plumb’s forehead, her hands wringing in her lap. For the first time since she’d moved to Colorado she was hot—and afraid.

  Elder Cato continued to pace in front of the fireplace in her office at the Brotherhood. Dressed in a black suit and tie, white hair perfectly cropped, he’d been waiting for her when she got back from the Kinship.

  “Where is she?” he asked again.

  “I told you I don’t know.” Plumb shook her head, sitting behind her desk. “I don’t.”

  “But you do know who she’s with.” Elder Cato gave a cruel smile with yellowing narrow teeth.

  Plumb didn’t speak, eyes averted. “She’s only a kid.”

  “Only a kid?” He continued to pace, hands folded behind his back, black dress shoes scuffing the fake bear-skin rug. “A powerful kid who has joined forces with another powerful kid, apparently.”

  Plumb frowned. “What are you trying to say, Elder Cato?”

  “Do you know Warden Caelius has fled?” he asked, ignoring her question.

  “Sorry?”

  “Caelius,” he repeated. “He fled Stella Urbem. Foolish.

  She glanced at her hands in her lap, fingers still fidgeting.

  Cato shook his head. “He has nowhere to go. I thought perhaps he would come here. He isn’t at the Ward. In fact, very few Principals are.” He eyed her.

  Beads of sweat dripped down her brow. “I haven’t seen him.”

  “He has admitted his guilt by fleeing.”

  “He … I don’t understand,” she said. “How did he ‘flee’? He came in for questioning. You … you imprisoned him.” It wasn’t a question, and Plumb knew she’d been a fool. If Warden Caelius had fled, then Plumb should have listened to Cole and not trusted the Eldership Council in a situation like this.

  “Of course,” he said. “Aiding and abetting is a crime, Ms. Plumb. Caelius is guilty of that crime. Criminals are put in prison.”

  “But … I understand that, Elder Cato, but he was only protecting an innocent girl. I wouldn’t call this a crime. Kade isn’t—“

  “An Anamolia?” His brows rose. “A threat to our well-being?”

  “I don’t believe she is a threat, no.” She held his cold blue stare. “She’s just a girl. If you just gave her a chance, got to meet her, you’d see. She’s not a threat to us. On the contrary.” Plumb wanted to smack herself. Cato wasn’t interested in knowing anything about Kade the girl, only about the devil’s offspring he believed she was. The Anamolia. Their intent would be to capture her. Plumb had trusted the Eldership to do the right thing, and Cole hadn’t. She understood now why he’d been so furious with her about encouraging Kade to go to the Star City. Cole had been right, Danny had been right to be angry, and Plumb had been very wrong.

  “You don’t believe she is a threat?” Cato bent down to eye level with Plumb, leaning forward on her desk.

  “No.” Her voice shook. “I don’t.”<
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  “Are you in contact with Cole Spires?”

  “No.” She shook her head a little too quickly.

  “When did he leave the Brotherhood with the Anamolia?”

  “I … I don’t know. I didn’t … I don’t know where he is.” Her body trembled.

  “Clearly we misjudged you and Mr. Spires. The girl, if she were not a threat, would not have felt the need to flee. Criminals flee. Innocents stand tall and face their crimes.”

  “She has committed no crime,” Plumb said with force, standing up from her desk, words stuttering slightly. “A crime was committed upon her. You should be pursuing the one who did this to her. If you feel the need to condemn someone, it should be the man who did this.”

  Cato smiled, keeping eye contact. “That man is dead, thankfully. I think that fulfills his condemnation, don’t you? And the crime I am referring to, Ms. Plumb, is running.” He emphasized the word. “The girl ran from the Eldership. That is her crime. People who have nothing to hide do not run.” He waved a hand in the air, backing away from her desk. “I have no more time to stand here and argue with you. If you would be so kind as to tell me where the girl is, I can be on my way.”

  “I … I told you I don’t know.”

  “Very well,” he sighed. “Perhaps you will remember from a cell in Stella Urbem.”

  “Www ..hat?”

  “Only the weak stutter. I never stutter.” He motioned toward the office door, and two Star City guards, dressed in identical black suits, entered the room. “Either you lead me to the girl, or I will draw her out. I have the means.’”

  Plumb backed up, her heels hitting the wall behind her. “You have to be kidding. I haven’t done anything. I have a common house full of children to manage. A job to do.”

  “Mr. Spires is close to you, from what I hear,” the man sneered, ignoring Plumb’s plea, and the guards caged her in on either side of her desk, “you’re like a mother to him.”

  “I …”

  “I’m sure he’ll come for you,” he said. “And when he does, I will have what I need.” He motioned to the guards. “Take her into custody. I want every member of the Brotherhood questioned. Go door to door. Even the youngest ones. I hear they are quite fond of their Alpha Mr. Spires.”

  “No.” Plumb yanked away as one of guards grabbed her arm. “The little ones, they won’t understand what’s happening.”

  “That, Ms. Plumb, is something you should have considered before you allowed the Anamolia to run.”

  Chapter 27

  “We can’t go back to the Brotherhood,” Danny said as he, Giselle, and Lindsey stood arguing in the middle of the field outside the Leygate in Boulder.

  “But Plumb at least likes you,” Lindsey said, “Thatcher hates me, and G isn’t even living at the Kinship anymore. She can’t just show up there.”

  “No way in hell am I going to see Plumb,” Danny said. “She’ll ask a million questions. Not to mention we’re supposed to be finding Cole.” He eyed his sister. “Plumb wants Kade taken to Stella Urbem. No.”

  “Okay, fine.” Lindsey crossed her arms over her chest. “I, unfortunately, have to meet Jake before he sends out a search party or something.”

  “He won’t.” Giselle dug through her backpack, sitting on the ground. “You might hate him, but he’s good at what he does, and he’s not going to alert anyone if he thinks there’s something going on—not unless it’s an emergency.” She smoothed her chapstick on her lips. “And he probably thinks there’s something going on by now. The three of us are gone. Cole and Kade are gone. Jake isn’t an Alpha because he’s dumb.”

  Lindsey gave her a stare full of contempt. “I would rather not have to witness how well you and Jake know each other, if that’s okay.”

  Giselle laughed. “Oh, please. It’s Jake. I mean, really?”

  “Really.”

  “So?” Danny motioned between them. “We can’t stand out here forever. Lindsey, you go to the Kinship and see Jake. G, you come with me to Kade’s dad’s and see if we can find any clues about the coiled ring.”

  “That ring sounds scary,” she said. “How can something like that track someone’s movements?”

  “I don’t know. Cole said something about positive and negative energy acting like a relay to Kade’s position.”

  “But what about sleep first?” Giselle complained, tossing her backpack over her shoulder and standing up. “We were discussing where we were going to shack up for a while.”

  “Please don’t say shack up when you’re talking to me.”

  “Oh, my god, I’m tired, Dan. What are we doing?” Her head tilted toward the sky. “I need some sleep before we go digging around in the mad scientist’s laboratory again.”

  “And I’m not comfortable with just the two of you going alone, anyway,” Lindsey chimed in.

  “Are you going to tell her what we found?” Danny asked.

  Giselle looked mutinous. “Will you shut up?”

  “No, I won’t shut up, G. She needs to know. And if she’s going to Dracon's house with us, she definitely needs to be clued in. Why are you ashamed of it? You didn't do anything wrong.”

  “I'm not ashamed of it!”

  “Shut up, both of you,” Lindsey shouted. “Damn. Just tell me what's going on.”

  Giselle remained silent, staring at her brother.

  “Fine," he said, “don’t say anything.”

  Lindsey looked between them. “What is it?”

  “Turns out Kade isn’t the only freak of nature,” Giselle said, not looking at Lindsey. “Looks like I’m not a true born Primeva.”

  “Sorry?”

  “The experiments the mad scientist was conducting all those years ago, trying to create an Anamolia …” she shrugged.

  Lindsey was white.

  “We found a baby picture of me in the house when we were there before. Looks like I was one of the experiments when I was baby, right alongside Kade.” She stared at Lindsey with a small smile. “No wonder I’m so eff’d up, right?”

  “You think that’s funny?” Lindsey’s tone was venomous.

  "I think it explains some things.”

  Lindsey stared up at the sky, hands on her hips, and let out a slow breath. “I have no words for that.”

  Giselle looked at her brother with sad eyes and popped her shoulders.

  “Come here.” He reached out and tugged her forward into a hug. “I love you, baby sister.”

  “Only baby by three minutes,” she said, hugging him back. “Love you, too, even though you annoy the hell out of me.”

  “Ditto. Proud of you.”

  “Yeah, yeah, let go.” She untangled herself and glanced at Lindsey. “I should’ve told you earlier. I’m sorry. It’s just … it’s a lot.”

  Lindsey nodded, her golden eyes glazed. “Yeah. It is,” was all she said.

  “So,” Danny clapped his hands together, “we could head over to Kade’s dad’s—uncle’s—”

  “Hell, no.” Giselle plopped back down on the ground, sitting criss-cross applesauce. “I’m tired. I need to sleep first.”

  “There’s nowhere to sleep.”

  “The bunker,” Giselle said. “No one is going down there. Plumb thinks we’re out looking for Cole and Kade. She’s not going down there.”

  Lindsey shook her head, long dark ponytail swinging side to side. “That’s a locked underground cage if anyone were to come knocking. There’s no way out.”

  “Okay, well …” She put her backpack on the ground and lay her head on it, “let me know when you two figure it out. I’m taking a nap.”

  Danny’s eyes shifted to the right. “We could stay in the Jeep.”

  Giselle opened one eye, staring at him.

  “It’s not the worst idea you’ve come up with,” Lindsey said. “We’d be mobile. You know, besides the ways we already are. We’d be mobile with shelter.”

  “It’s decided then.” Danny walked toward Cole’s Jeep parked in the desolate field
. “Lindsey goes to let Jake know everything is fine, no issues, and meets us in what … an hour?”

  Lindsey nodded with a slight shrug, seeming unnerved.

  “Then the three of us go to Kade’s house and try to find the coiled ring. ‘K? ‘K.”

  “What about sleep?” Giselle griped.

  Cole barely spoke after he woke up on the train in Kade’s lap. He gathered himself up off the seat, yawned a few times, stretched, grabbed their luggage, and without a word, walked out of the Venice station to where gondolas were docked along the canal.

  Kade took in the beautiful surroundings and didn’t know what to do—or say—or how to approach him, so she kept quiet while he loaded their stuff in the boat, reached for her hand, and helped her into the seat beside him.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered, tugging her close.

  “It’s okay.” Kade squeezed his hand. Was it? No. It wasn’t. Nothing about this was okay.

  Heru climbed in the boat. “So, we’re off,” he said, clearly hoping to break some of the tension in the atmosphere. The gondola captain pushed away from the canal bank and the train station.

  Venice was similar to Verona, except that it was much bigger and the canals running through the sinking city were everywhere. There were no cars, only boats. It was just as lovely, maybe more so, as Verona had been, and Kade wanted to pinch herself for being there with Cole. Until she glanced at him. Dark wells colored his closed eyes, his brown eyelashes barely touching his skin, and his head propped against the back of the seat. She had the urge to lean over and kiss him, tell him everything would be okay, but it felt like a lie.

  Instead, she turned away from him, watching Venice in all its splendor roll by in a wash of watery colors she no longer cared to see.

  It turned out that Heru owned several properties all over Europe. Kade shouldn’t have been surprised. She guessed if a person lived to be as old as he was, owning a lot of houses was probably normal. His Venice villa was in the city center on one of the canals that snaked through the town, but this home was larger and had a distinctly lived-in feel in comparison to the unused atmosphere in his Verona villa.