DAEMONEUM

by Laney McMann

  Giselle hadn’t regained consciousness. Her ankle was broken along with her arm, but her vitals were stable, and there was no head trauma. The pile of dirt she’d landed on had saved her—that and Danny, who had obviously tried to shield her from the explosion with his body. Cole had told Kade that Primordial were hard to kill. Clearly he’d been right.

  Jake lay next to Kade in silence, blue eyes staring up at the white ceiling of the tent he couldn’t see. He hadn’t spoken since Cole had flown him from the rooftop of the Brotherhood down to the medical area. His face was dotted in cuts and bruises, but he had no broken bones or internal injuries. The doctor who was monitoring him said the trauma from the explosion likely caused Jake to lose his sight, and with any luck, it would be temporary. Kade prayed that was the case. As she’d said since the day they met, Jake was a good guy. The fact that he’d been with Danny—the two of them clearly working together—spoke volumes for his true character. He’d already lost Alex, she thought. He’d been through enough. They’d all been through enough.

  Kade wanted to talk to him, ask what happened, but his vacant stare caused all her questions to stay in her throat.

  “Who did this?” The words were soft, strained, Kade almost didn’t hear them.

  She turned to Jake, and he shifted his head in her direction, obviously trying to see her. “I …” She glanced at Cole, head still in his hands.

  “The Daemoneum have never hit one of the common houses before. And it couldn’t have been Dracon.”

  “Why would you think that?”

  “Dan told me about the gurgulio who was tracking you in Verona—he told me what it said about Dracon still being alive. It was telling the truth—he did survive. For a little while.”

  Her mind went blank, her body numb. “What?”

  “It takes a lot to kill demons,” he went on. ”And Cole hurt him during the attack—real bad, but your Astrum necklace didn’t materialize on your bedside table by itself. He left it for you. The Leygate in your dad’s house—that’s where we all were, at your dad’s trying to find leads on the coiled ring—it led us to an underground tunnel. Dracon was waiting for us. He created it for us to find and take us to him.”

  Her eyes were wide, fear-filled, nerves ricocheting. “And …?”

  “Dan has a message for you,” Jake said. "I'll let him give it. Your dad wanted to see you.” Kade heard a trace of something in Jake’s tone—sympathy? “He’s dead now, Kade, He died a little while ago. Danny and I didn’t hurt him. He died of the injuries he sustained.”

  She didn’t respond. Too much had happened. Too much to assimilate. Too much for anyone.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, and his voice sounded far away. “When we left the tunnel through the Leygate again, it didn’t take us back to your house, it took us to the Brotherhood’s roof. It was a trap. I don’t think Dracon could have done it, he was too weak.” His eyes shifted upward again, toward the ceiling of the tent. “Someone else is pulling the strings.”

  Yes, she thought, someone no one will ever suspect. Someone with far too much inside knowledge.

  “Where are you going to go?” Jake asked.

  “I don’t know.” She stared into the distant bleakness of the gray sky through the open tent flap. “I haven’t really thought about it.” Where was she going to go? Warden Caelius was still gone. Spurius was on the loose. She had no idea what was happening with the Eldership, she was just thankful they weren’t there. How had everything gone so wrong?

  “You and Cole should go,” Jake said. “Somewhere no one can find you.” His hand tightened on hers.

  She didn’t know what to say. Maybe they’d go back to Venice. Everything was a mess.

  "You're a good person, Kade. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.”

  “Thanks, Jake. So are you.”

  Heru finally broke away from his conversation with the Ward’s main doctor and crossed the snow-covered lawn, dipping his six foot frame under the flap of the tent and making his way toward Cole. He bent down, whispering in Cole’s ear.

  “Thanks for finding me,” Jake said, and Kade shifted her attention to him.

  “It was Cole. He found the Leygate that led you guys here. We followed it.”

  “Well, thank him for me. We probably would’ve died up there on the roof.”

  “No need to thank me.” Cole leaned against the edge of Jake’s bed. “Pretty sure we’re even now.”

  Jake smiled, staring up at the ceiling.

  “You could stop holding Kade’s hand, though.” There was a playful edge in Cole’s voice.

  “Dude,” Jake smiled wider, “let it go already.”

  Heru motioned for Cole and Kade to follow him out of the tent.

  “We have to go, Jake.” Kade pushed to her feet, letting Jake’s hand fall to his chest.

  “Be careful. Both of you.” He held his fist up, and Cole tapped it with his own.

  “You know it. We’ll see you soon,” Cole said. “You’re the Alpha of two houses for a while. Do me justice.”

  “You know I will.”

  Kade leaned down and hugged him. “Bye, Jake.”

  “Remember what I said,” he whispered. “Go where no one can find you.”

  She nodded. “Close your eyes.” He did, and she placed her hand over them, covering them with her palm. She wasn’t sure why she did it, it just seemed like she was supposed to. “You’ll be okay, Jake,” she whispered and turned away.

  Giving Giselle a kiss on the cheek, she said, “Get better, G. You’re good.”

  Cole reached for her hand, but Kade walked to Danny, and placed her hands on his injured leg. She squeezed gently and let go, following Cole and Heru out of the tent.

  Heru waved politely at several of the Principals who were eagerly waving at him like he was some kind of messiah.

  Kade eyed Cole. “They really like him.”

  “Love him would be a better description.” His mood had lightened by maybe five percent. There were dark wells under his eyes, though. “No one wanted him to retire.”

  “So, why did you?” she asked Heru as they walked across the yard toward the road.

  He shrugged. “Thought I could do all the things I was missing out on, ya know hobbies and such.”

  “Problem is,” Cole said, “he doesn’t have any hobbies.”

  “Anyway,” Heru eyed his nephew, “for now ya and Kade will be staying at my father’s place,” he said quietly. “It’s small, a bit drafty, but untraceable on over five acres of land in the middle of the woods. I cleaned it up. It should suit ya two fine until we figure out our next step. We need to get out of here. Too many eyes—too many questions.”

  “We’re staying with Uncle Osiris?” Cole raised a brow like that wasn’t about to happen.

  Heru laughed. “No. I’m moving him into my villa in Verona. It’s time he remembered what suitable living arrangements means. You’ll be safe at his home.”

  “Alone, you mean.” Cole stopped outside the Leygate at the end of the driveway.

  “Yes. Your grandfather has escaped the Eldership,” Heru said under his breath.

  “What?”

  Heru grinned. “With your great-grandmother.”

  “Your great-grandmother?” Kade’s eyes shifted between them.

  “Yes,” Heru answered. “Which is one reason we need to get out of here. Too many questions, and I would prefer not to spend another minute spinning a web of lies.”

  Cole shook his head. “Where are they?”

  “Can’t say.”

  “But you know.”

  “I do.” Heru crossed his arms. “Another reason we should be on our way.”

  Cole let out a breath. “You’re meeting up with them.” It was a statement.

  Heru didn’t respond.

  “Fine.” Cole glanced over his shoulder toward the tent.

  “They are in good hands, Cole. I’ve left word with the doctor to keep me posted hourly on everyone’s condition, and I will
promptly keep ya updated as well.”

  He nodded, distracted. “Just give me a second.” Nudging Kade to follow him, he tread across the yard and back into the medical tent. Kade was thankful to see Jake had kept his eyes closed and seemed to be resting. Giselle hadn’t moved.

  “Dan,” Cole bent down, talking softly, and took Danny’s hand in his. “I have to go, me and Kade.” Danny didn’t move, eyes didn’t twitch, nothing. Cole swallowed audibly. “I love you, brother.” His voice strained, and he leaned close to his ear. “Find me when you wake up. It was my dad, Dan. It was my dad.”

  Chapter 36

  It was the wee hours of the morning in the Verona countryside as Kade and Cole made their way behind Heru up a darkened walk bordered by trees. A small house loomed in the distance.

  “As I said, it’s a small place, but it will work well for our purposes.” Heru ambled up the steps and onto a dilapidated front porch of Osiris’ little house nestled in the forest. Swinging the front door open, he stood on the threshold.

  Kade stepped inside.

  The entire house was probably smaller than the two-car garage at Kade’s dad’s. There was one window in the tiny living room flanked with white cotton curtains, a brick fireplace with roaring fire, a couch covered in multi-colored wool blankets, and a recliner that had likely seen its prime in the 1940’s.

  A round wooden table with two chairs sat in the dining room, which could barely be considered a dining room. A kitchen, in which only one person could fit comfortably at a time, was off to the side of it. Wood floors ran through the house and were rubbed down to splinters and covered in light colored wool rugs.

  There was one small bedroom with a queen-sized bed covered in several overstuffed white down comforters. The only bathroom had a small, but clean, tub, a sink, toilet, and a tiny window.

  Kade smiled at Cole as he passed Heru walking inside, but he just looked exhausted and annoyed, and set their suitcases down.

  “All right,” Heru clapped his hands together, “ya shouldn’t be alone all that long. Few days at most, I hope. And then I’ll be back, and hopefully we can figure out something a bit more permanent.”

  Cole glanced around the house and then at his uncle. “This is my life now? Running from place to place and hiding?”

  Kade sighed.

  “What would you rather do?” his uncle asked.

  “Fight. Fight like hell. You know that. Everything is being dismantled, and I’m not doing a damn thing about it—haven’t done a damn thing about any of this since I hauled ass from Boulder days ago in the dead of night to find you.”

  “Cole,” Heru bowed his head, “yar grandfather gave ya an order, ya followed the order. Under normal circumstances, and in light of our discoveries, I would agree with ya and let ya loose at this point, ya know that. However, this is far from normal. I’m not letting ya fight yar own father.”

  They stared at each other. “But it’s okay for you to?”

  “I have loved ya since the day ya were born,” Heru said gently, “and I have remained silent at times I now realize I shouldn’t have. I will do whatever I have to do to keep ya safe, Cole.”

  Cole exhaled hard, eyes averted, and reached into his pocket. Holding his hand open, a ring covered in blood and pieces of human flesh and bone sat in his palm. “I got the ring.”

  Heru released a breath. He stared down at it and glanced back up. “I'm sorry ya had to do that.”

  Nodding, Cole shoved the ring back in his pocket. “Does Grandfather know what’s going on?” he asked. “Does anyone know?”

  “Not about yar father, no. I wasn’t positive myself until a few minutes before ya saw him. Jimmy knows, obviously. Osiris has some idea, but otherwise, no, no one.”

  “So, Jimmy is meeting up with you, I guess?”

  “He will be.”

  “This is insane.” Cole bowed his head. “All of it.”

  “I will not disagree with ya there. But this is where we are. And unless ya’d rather shack up with Euryale, this is the best option we have for the time being. Letting her loose on yar father might be amusing.” He gave a small smile.

  Cole dragged a hand through his hair, not smiling. “Any word on Danny or the others?”

  “Not yet. It’s only been about forty-five minutes since we left the Brotherhood.”

  “Right. Traveling back and forth through Leygates and time changes is messing with my head.”

  Heru reached out with a gentle hand and tugged Cole toward him by the back of his neck, resting his forehead against his nephew’s. “Trust me.”

  Cole nodded slightly, eyes brimming. “I do.”

  “‘The course of true love never did run smooth,’” his uncle whispered. “Our man, William Shakespeare. Yar father might be a surprise, and we will handle it, but ya signed up for the rest.” He eyed Kade.

  Cole let out a breath, wrangled out of Heru’s hold on him, picked up one of the suitcases, and carried it into the small bedroom.

  “Ya’ll will be okay here,” Heru said to Kade. “The sun will be coming up soon. Daylight always makes situations look a bit brighter.”

  “I know. He’s just …”

  “Upset,” Heru provided, “and he has every right to be. And he will be for a while. I’m sorry I can’t stay and assist. I’ll be in touch with news soon.” He laid a set of house keys on the arm of the raggedy recliner. “Stay within the five acre boundary. Ya’ll be safe.”

  “Okay.”

  “I will talk to ya soon, Cole,” Heru shouted.

  “I’m sure you will,” he said without coming out of the bedroom.

  Heru gave a concerned sigh and closed the front door behind him.

  Kade peeked her head into the bedroom, leaning against the door frame. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” Cole was lying across the bed on his stomach, staring at the roughed up wood floor.

  “We really get to stay here?”

  “Yeah. Sorry. I know it’s not Verona by any stretch—” He rolled over onto his back and put his hands behind his head.

  She climbed on the bed next to him. “It’s perfect, though. Our own little hideaway in the woods. And it’s Osiris’ house. That’s crazy.”

  Cole kissed her cheek with a slight grin. It was nice to see him smile. “I’m glad you like it. We could be here for a while.” He got up and made his way into the living room, returning with the other suitcase. “Does everything work?” he asked, glancing in the bathroom. “The water turns on?” He tried the faucet in the sink, washed his hands, and then checked the shower faucet. “God, I hope there’s hot water.”

  Kade followed and stood in the doorway watching him. The way his light brown hair fell across his gray-blue eyes, his jeans resting low on slim hips, his T-shirt pulled tight across his chest underneath his unzipped jacket. He was a mess, and beautiful.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Do you realize you stare at me all the time?” He wrapped an arm around her waist, tugging her close.

  “You’re hard not to stare at.” She kissed him softly. “Wanna see if the hot water works? There’s a bathtub.” She pointed, thinking a bath might unwind his nerves.

  “I saw that.” He let her go, maneuvering them out of the tiny bathroom. “I have to get some more wood for the fireplace. Otherwise we might freeze to death out here.”

  “Why’s it so much colder than it was in Verona?”

  “Less people, more open space.” He shrugged and opened his suitcase and started neatly placing his folded shirts and jeans into the small wooden dresser.

  “You okay?” Kade sat on the bed.

  “Yeah.” He kept unpacking without looking at her.

  “We haven’t really had a chance to talk about what happened.” She leaned over into his sightline. “And a lot’s happened.”

  He held her gaze for half a beat. “There’s not much to say is there?” His tone had a hard edge in it. “My dad is a lunatic who wants to rule the universe, and he b
lew up the only home I’ve known since I was nine years old possibly killing my friends and my best friend in the process, I’m turning into an Anamolia, my grandfather broke out of a prison he never should have been put into—with my great-grandmother—so, who the hell knows what’s going on with the Eldership—I guess they’re preoccupied now, which is the only good news, and my life is completely unrecognizable.“ He shrugged. “What’d I miss?”

  “You miss him—your dad.”

  He tossed the shirt he was holding into a drawer. “Do I? I don’t know. I did.” His gaze found hers before he leaned against the bed, head bowed, eyes downcast toward the white comforter. “I don’t know what to say, or think, or even feel,” he whispered. “He’s crazy. All of this is completely crazy. After he died, I didn’t think life could get any worse.”

  “I’m sorry.” She put her arms around him. “If I had the words to stop the pain, I’d give them to you.”

  “The thing is, I’ve always known he was off—I mean since I was able to understand it. I have a picture of us when I was a little boy. I was probably six, and I was sitting on his shoulders, laughing. He seemed so happy, but I don’t remember him that way. It’s like looking at a photograph of someone you’re supposed to know but not recognizing the person in it. He was never happy. Not with me.”

  “Cole—”

  “It was why I tried so hard to be the best. I thought maybe that would make him happy, maybe I’d be enough for him then. I didn’t really think about what he was doing, or why, but now …” His stare focused downward. “I think he did it all just to use me,” he took a breath. “All of this training and electrocuting me … I mean what in the hell? Who does that to their child? All of it was to make me stronger for his own purposes.” He shook his head. “Like a show dog.”

  “Maybe he wasn’t looking at it like it was wrong,” Kade said. “He was just thinking you’d help him. My dad, or uncle, or whatever, Dracon, he was always saying he needed my help. I don’t know if he knew what he was doing was wrong. In his eyes, I don’t think he believed it was.”