Shivers

by Remmy Duchene

  “Okay, the obvious question here… Who is your father?”

  There was a silent pause. “Aerios.”

  Kofi chuckled. “Oh, right. Like I’m going to trust you after all the crap your father heaped on my family.”

  “I am truly sorry about that. Look, I will explain. My mother is human. My father is a Shiver. I do not know if they were ever in love, but they at least liked each other for one unguarded moment, for here I am. My father wanted nothing to do with me at first. He saw me as weak.”

  “What changed?”

  “Well. I began showing hints of Shiver power.”

  The story made sense inside Kofi’s head on more than just a few levels. “So why are you here now? Why do they keep you?”

  “They thought my powers could help them. The joke is on them because my blood has been diluted by the human DNA. I am not as strong as the full-blooded Shivers. When they found out, they imprisoned me in here, blocked what little powers I have so I cannot escape until they can figure out what to do with me.”

  Kofi arched an eyebrow. “You’re not messing with me, right? Because I’ve had a shitty day and I need to warn Osaki and I have no way to do that. Everything is blowing up, so if you’re playing some sick joke…”

  “No, I promise you—no joke. My life is in danger here.”

  “You are a Shiver. Why not just vanish or something?”

  “I cannot. Like I said before, my powers are not as strong as Ciro’s or Koi’s.”

  “So it all comes down to there is no way you can get us out of here before Osaki comes barging in here?”

  “Osaki. I have heard of him. Is he really as strong as they say he is? He has my father’s powers.”

  “Yes. Well, I don’t know how much they’ve told you, but your father tried to kill my brother, Osaki and Ciro and almost left half of Cuba submerged under the ocean.”

  “Yeah—again, sorry about that. I am uncertain how he and the other rogues came out so horribly wrong…”

  “Well…”

  “Shh! Someone is coming. We did not speak, okay?”

  Kofi nodded and hurried across the room to sit on the floor beside the bed. He brought his knees up to his chest and waited. It didn’t take long before the door slid open and a man, who looked eerily like Osaki, stepped through it.

  “Ah, so you are awake,” he said in that sickeningly sweet voice that made Kofi want to punch him in the face. “There is some fight in you, Kofi. I can see what my brother sees in you.”

  The man stood just a short distance from him. Kofi said nothing.

  “Where are my manners. I am Aoi Hirosuke.”

  “No, you’re not. Aoi Hirosuke has been dead for years,” Kofi told him. “What you are is an asshole with a Cain and Abel Complex.”

  “My brother always did like them with a little spice.” Aoi smirked then walked closer. He hunched down before Kofi and leaned in slowly. “Great body, beautiful face—the only downside is he has already bedded you. What a waste.”

  “A waste?” Kofi spat. “I don’t think so. Osaki is the best thing to ever happen to me.”

  “We all make mistakes.”

  Kofi eyed him, wishing looks could kill.

  “You know, I am willing to look past your failings, to look past your frailties and when I rule this miserable planet, you could stand by my side.”

  With those words, Aoi trailed a finger down between Kofi’s eyes and over his nose. Kofi lashed out, boxing the immortal’s hand from his face but following it up quickly with a hard punch to Aoi’s left cheek. That threw Aoi off balance and he hit the floor on his ass. “Not if the world was ending,” he told Aoi. “And touch me again and you and I are going to have a major problem.”

  “You will pay for that.”

  “Why is it every guy in your position sounds the same? This ain’t Pinky and the Brain, asshole. Besides, if anything happens to me, Osaki won’t come here and you want that.”

  Aoi stood, glaring at him. Kofi smiled and rose slowly to his feet. He wasn’t about to show fear. If he was going to die, he was going to do it fighting.

  Aoi glanced toward the door then hurried out. The door slid shut after him and Kofi released the breath he was holding and crumbled to the floor.

  “Are you there?”

  Kofi crawled across the space back to the wall. “I’m here.”

  “It will not be long now.”

  “What’s your name? I can’t keep calling you the Shiver on the other side of the wall.”

  The man laughed. “I am called Liosh.”

  “Well, Liosh. I’m Kofi and if you are who you say you are, we’re family now.”

  “Yes. I suppose so. You are Ciro’s brother-in-law?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then that does make us family.”

  “I think we would have been friends if we’d met under different circumstances.”

  “Do not count it out yet,” Liosh said softly. “Just give this a chance. Brace yourself. I have a feeling when the cavalry comes, we are going to be needed.”

  Kofi nodded. “I’ll be ready.”

  The room seemed to be a little hotter than it was before, so he peeled off his jacket and tossed it behind him. He didn’t hear where it landed and he didn’t really care. Liosh had gone silent on the other side of the wall and if he was anything like Osaki, he was meditating. Kofi chuckled. “Correction—there is no one quite like Osaki.”

  What if I never see him again?

  “I can’t think like that,” Kofi whispered, looking around, rubbing his palms into his thighs. He paced one way then the next. “I just can’t think like that. I’m going to see Osaki again and we’re— Shit, damn it to hell.” He struggled to keep from wearing a groove into the floor but his mind was too far gone to stop himself.

  “Did you hear that?” Liosh asked, banging into the wall.

  “No.” Kofi strained to listen. “I don’t hear anything.”

  “Whatever happens, stay away from the walls and windows,” Liosh continued.

  “But—”

  “No, Kofi. I must keep you safe.”

  Kofi pressed his forehead forward. With his eyes closed, he rested his left palm beside his head and inhaled. “But you do not know me.”

  “Ciro and Osaki would wish for me to keep you from harm. Please, stay away from the windows and walls.”

  With those final words, Kofi moved away from where he was standing. He sat on the floor and rested his back against the bed. His brain was rapid firing, trying to figure out a way to help the others. There was no talking them out of what they were about to do because he was pretty sure he could speak to Osaki if he wished. If he couldn’t talk them out of what they were about to do, he would be ready.

  On the other side, where Liosh was, there was a loud sound. Kofi gasped and jerked back. When it happened again, the wall seemed to crack and someone groaned. Kofi rose to his knees as the sound came once more, then again, and soon the barrier was crumbling and sliding away. Finally, he realized what was happening. Liosh had been crashing into it at full speed until he broke all the way through. He slumped to the floor and Kofi rushed to his side, wondering if the others hadn’t heard all his smashing about.

  “Liosh!” Kofi whispered hoarsely. “You know they heard all that, right?”

  A smile graced the handsome young man’s face, even as Kofi rolled him over and pushed his brown hair away. “No they did not,” he replied, breathing heavily. “They have their hands full at the moment.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Liosh sat up slowly, moaned and grabbed his left side with his right hand. “Remember me telling you to prepare for the cavalry?”

  Kofi nodded.

  “They’re here!” He dragged it out like the character from Poltergeist.

  Chapter Twenty

  Osaki hovered over the path, his eyes crackling with the fury that surged through his veins. He fought to keep the wind around him from flaring, from gushing throug
h the leaves, and when he failed, Ciro calmed the air. Aoi had gone into his house and had stolen the man he loved. That was a transgression that could not be forgiven. Osaki knew that. He must use this as a lesson. When he was finished, all his enemies would know Kofi was off limits. This was like war in the ancient days—to teach a lesson, one must strike fast and deadly. And while it was against his brother, Osaki felt no more softness for Aoi.

  “You guys were right,” Osaki broke the silence around them.

  “Right about what?” Ciro asked, rising in the air to levitate beside him.

  “Aoi is dead.”

  A hush fell around them. Osaki knew it was because Hercules was finally speechless and Ciro would be frowning at him. He’d come to know these men as he knew himself. The woods around them were quiet, as if spirits were roaming around killing the noises dancing leaves should make.

  “Osaki,” Hercules spoke from the ground.

  “Yes?”

  “I know you love him. I know this love has spanned decades and hardships. I know the absolute anger you feel right now. But you must swallow all that. Do you understand?”

  “I understand.”

  Sure, Osaki got it. He was going to swallow all that until he was sure Kofi was safe, then he was going to burn their existence to the ground. “You know the plan,” he said to Ciro without turning to look at him.

  “Yes.”

  Osaki landed beside Hercules and, without so much as a word, they took off sprinting through the forest, periodically rising through the air and pushing off trees. Branches whipped at him but he ignored the sting of them, passing like air through a sieve. The woods became darker and darker. Something bitter sat on the atmosphere like a dark cloud, and though Osaki knew he was walking into a trap, he couldn’t stop himself. There was no way around it, but he was going to be smart about it.

  Once they reached a certain part of their destination, Hercules went to the right and he took the left. He continued speeding until he could feel Kofi the strongest. To his surprise, he felt determination in his man and his heart soared. The good feeling did not last for he also sensed someone else in close proximity to Kofi, someone Osaki was not familiar with. But he had to focus. He would handle things one combustible scenario at a time. Just before he crashed into the magical barrier set up around the compound, he vanished.

  The next time he reappeared, he was hovering over the roof of the only building. He looked up at the sky and was happy it was clear. Normally, his anger affected the weather in his immediate area so badly that Ciro or Koi would come to save the day. Gliding forward, Osaki lowered himself toward the roof, through the roof then into a room that had a few surprised immortals blinking at him as if he’d suddenly sprouted horns. He landed in a slight crouch, knees bent while reaching for his katana. The familiar sound of rushing footsteps and metal leaving wood filled the room. But they weren’t the ones Osaki was after and dwelling on a battle with them was just a waste of time and effort. They were no match for his Shiver powers as he went through them like a tornado. Soon he had them headless on the floor and made his way to the door.

  The place was like a maze and he was pretty sure that was what they were counting on. But his love for Kofi pushed him in the right direction. A few others tried stopping him and even as his blade sliced through the bones of their spines, and their heads hit the floor with a resounding thud, he wondered where so many immortals came from. From somewhere in the distance, there was a loud cry of pain. He hoped it wasn’t Ciro or Hercules, but he didn’t turn to see who. The clash of metal on metal echoed through his head. He sheathed his katana and continued making his way through the house.

  “Osaki, it is Herc. He is not here, proceeding to extraction,” Hercules sent him telepathically.

  Osaki muttered a profanity.

  “Checking in, Osaki—do you have him?” Ciro sent. “Something is blocking my sense in here, so if you can—”

  “I can feel him. Get out of there. I will handle this.”

  The moment he burst through the door, however, he skidded to a stop. There was a man, younger than Kofi, standing before his lover. He rooted himself and shoved his right hand down toward the floor. His lance appeared, glowing blue and ready.

  “Osaki, no!” Kofi screamed and ran to him. “No wait!”

  “He is Shiver and since I know nothing about him, he is dangerous,” Osaki replied.

  “He saved my life!”

  Osaki lifted his head to the Shiver still at the wall with the gaping hole in it, even as he wrapped an arm behind Kofi’s neck and pulled him in. He hung onto Kofi, feeling his warmth and hardness against his body. A part of him just wanted to crawl into that comfort, to hold onto this human he loved so deeply. But the other part, the samurai, kept screaming that they were at war.

  “Who are you?” Osaki asked.

  “I am Liosh—son of Aerios.”

  Osaki shoved Kofi behind his body.

  “Osaki,” Kofi called his name so softly. “He’s not trouble. I promise.”

  “Can we please get out of here? I shall explain and answer any questions you and the others may have, but I am not strong enough to leave on my own.”

  “And why is that?” Osaki still didn’t trust this Shiver. “Why were you imprisoned here?”

  “I am only half Shiver. My mother is human.”

  Osaki nodded. Once he had gotten over the extra Shiver, he glanced around. Aoi wasn’t there. Getting to Kofi had been remarkably easy and that unnerved him. He sent a message to Hercules and Ciro to come toward him—to find him. Osaki knew war and deception. He also knew that Aoi would not play fair. He really wished he could call this new thing a different name than that of his beloved brother.

  “What is the plan, Osaki?” Liosh asked.

  “The plan is we leave here and on our way—” Osaki looked up. Aoi was inside his head calling for him. He winced at how loud it was.

  “What’s wrong?” Kofi asked.

  “I will have to fight Aoi another time. My first priority is to get you to safety.”

  “Baby, this will never end if you don’t end it now,” Kofi said softly, cradling Osaki’s face. “I hate to see you going off to fight but enough is enough.”

  “But—”

  “No buts, Osaki. We end this now.”

  Osaki smiled and kissed Kofi. “As you wish, my darling.”

  “I hate to break up this beautiful moment,” Liosh called. “But if we do not leave now, we probably never will.”

  “What is the matter?” Osaki asked. Before Liosh could reply, Osaki felt it. He muttered something under his breath and pulled his swords out, ready to go. “Whatever happens, stay behind me.”

  “Like hell,” Kofi muttered. “You’re not doing this alone.”

  They made their way down the corridor leading to the exit. Their attackers emerged from hidden spaces in walls. Even as Osaki and Liosh fought, he couldn’t kept his eyes off Kofi, who held his own. A few times Kofi went flying across the room but for the most part, Osaki was proud to call Kofi his.

  Eventually, they burst out the other side into a lane of dying trees. All the leaves lay brown and dry on the path, but that wasn’t what caught Osaki’s attention. He felt his brother and knew Aoi was close.

  “Liosh, please keep him safe,” Osaki said.

  “Osaki, what—?”

  But Osaki merely kissed him and backed away. To his relief, Liosh erected a shield around both himself and Kofi. Osaki bowed to his new ally in thanks, then met Kofi’s eyes. His lover was banging his fist into the shield, pleading to be let out.

  “Let me come with you,” Kofi implored him. “I know I can help.”

  “I am sorry, Kofi. But this fight is something I must do alone. Please understand that no matter what happens, I do love you.”

  “Osaki…”

  “I love you, Kofi. I always have.”

  “Don’t do this. It doesn’t have to be like this.”

  “I love you…”


  Kofi rested his forehead against the field and slid down to his knees. Osaki fell on the other side and pressed his palm against it. He wanted so much to touch Kofi, to feel his hard skin smooth and trembling beneath his fingertips. But there comes a point in every samurai’s life when he must do what he has to do. For the first time since he became a samurai, he feared death for he did not wish to leave his heart behind.

  “What a pitiful sight…” The voice was sickening. “A samurai reduced to a sobbing mess over a mere human.”

  Osaki instantly surged to his feet. When he swung around, he noticed Aoi wasn’t close. “Another reason I pity you, brother,” Osaki spat. “You will never know what it feels like to be loved.”

  “I know what it feels like,” Aoi teased. “You loved me once, am I correct? That cowardice paradise you call using your heart. I want none of it.”

  “Then you are worse off than I thought.” Osaki pulled his katana and without a glance back at the man he loved, he walked along the path, leaves crunching beneath his footsteps, sword extended to his side.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “I love you…”

  Hearing those words broke Kofi’s heart and even as he watched his man walk away toward an uncertain end, he felt as if his whole life was being drained from him. He rose slowly, keeping his eyes on Osaki, who continued to move, hair blowing behind him, sword extended to his side and the ribbons of his hakama fluttering in the breeze. His heart slammed into his chest painfully, but he just had to keep his gaze on both men.

  Hercules and Ciro appeared behind them and it seemed Liosh allowed them into the shield.

  “What is happening?” Hercules questioned.

  “Osaki has asked me to keep Kofi safe,” Liosh said. “I will explain all once this battle is over.”

  “Shouldn’t you help him?” Kofi questioned. “It’s not like he can do this alone.”

  “Osaki is more powerful than Aoi,” Ciro explained. “I taught him all he needs to know. With that and his own training, he is capable. He just has to believe he is.”