by Sonia Harper
"They tried to kill him?" Adelyn asked, eyes wide.
"Oh yes," Derion replied. "As civilized as the Court wants the world to believe they are, they're vicious and brutal."
"Not to mention hypocritical and self-serving," Donovan added darkly.
"What's this Court thing?" Adelyn asked. "I thought you said you were a part of it?"
"The Court is a group of families in our world what are supposed to enforce the laws in each of their designated land borders," Donovan rubbed his forehead as if the topic pained him.
"They're kind of like noble families," Pytho placed a hand on the back of Adelyn's shoulders and helped her sit up. "They think they're all above the rest and pretty much do whatever they want."
"You're one of them?" Adelyn asked Donovan, tilting her head back slightly in case her nose started to bleed again.
Donovan nodded slowly. "My family governs one of the largest land areas, and they're very influential in the Court," he continued. "Unfortunately, they're also the most corrupt. I volunteered myself to Cain after our ruler disappeared. I think Cain understood how badly I wanted to be free of my family. He's certainly no stranger to the Court's atrocities."
Adelyn glanced between Derion and Pytho. "Are you guys from the Court as well?"
Pytho laughed and shook his head, his red hair shaking free from his blood-stained forehead as he did so. "I'm not even from their world. I was raised by a human family here."
"Really?" Adelyn's eyes widened. "I thought you said that daemons usually stayed in your world."
"They do," Pytho shrugged his uninjured shoulder lightly. "I guess I was abandoned shortly after I was born. I must have been brought here because my human family found me crying in the woods behind their house. They brought me in and raised me."
"Did they know what you were?" She asked as she reached up and tucked a stray curl behind her ear.
"Well, after I turned 50 and still looked like I was in my teens, they began to suspect something," he grinned. "Not to mention accidentally setting fire to their barn a few times..." he trailed off.
"Are you still in contact with them?"
"No," Pytho's voice turned flat, and his grin disappeared. "They were all murdered by the guardians for taking me in and raising me."
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Adelyn reached out and lightly touched his uninjured arm.
Pytho shook his head and forced a thin smile on his face. "I was with them for three generations before the guardians caught up to me. Cain found me years later. He told me who I was and where I came from. I begged him to let me join him here in the hopes that I could track down the guardians who killed my family," he turned his head and glanced at Cain's prone body.
Adelyn dropped her arm from his and paused. "So," she finally broke the silence. "Cain picked every single one of you to guard the gate here with him?"
"Yes," Derion leaned against a table and crossed his arms over his chest. "For different reasons, I'm sure. My mother was a mystic, a rarity in our world. She worked for our ruler in his own household. I know Cain was aware that she had taught me as much as she could before she was eventually killed, so that's why I'm here."
"Was she killed by a guardian as well?" Adelyn asked hesitantly, although she could see that Derion wasn't as upset by his admission as Pytho had been.
"No," he shook his head and gave her a small smile. "She was killed by one of the guards. They're our ruler's soldiers," he explained. "He wanted her to give him something that would make him powerful enough to overthrow our ruler and take control of the Court. She refused." He shrugged. "She was unarmed at the time, and he killed her right there in cold blood. He was going to kill me too," he added, almost as an afterthought. "But I grabbed as many of her books as I could carry and ran."
"It sounds more and more like you guys live in a very violent world," Adelyn muttered to herself as she looked between Derion and Pytho.
"It's no different here," Donovan pointed out, standing up from his chair and walking toward Cain. "Humans are very violent towards each other. I can't read your daily news without seeing senseless violence splashed across the pages."
"True," Adelyn conceded. "I used to track those stories down at my last job," she watched as Donovan knelt down and checked Cain's breathing. "They weren't that difficult to find."
"I'm sure they weren't," Donovan agreed softly.
"So, what happens now?" Adelyn asked after a pause.
"For now, we just need to guard the gate and make sure Cain doesn't cause too much damage, especially to himself," Donovan sighed. "I don't think the idea has ever crossed his mind to seriously hurt himself, but if he does, I don't know what will happen. There's nobody next in line. That power has nowhere to go."
"Are we going to brief him on the attack after he wakes?" Derion asked, straightening from his perch and smoothing his shirt.
"He's going to demand it," Donovan replied. "How much longer do you think this tranquillizer will last?" He asked, looking up at Derion from his crouched position.
Derion shrugged and held his hands up. "I have no idea. The last time it lasted about four hours, but he wasn't as wound up as he was today. If I had to take a guess, I'd say a little less than an hour."
Donovan nodded, then glanced down at Cain, contemplating something.
"We should probably get him back downstairs just in case he wakes up and he's still in a rage," Derion pointed out.
Donovan nodded again in agreement, then reached down and rolled Cain onto his back. He stood up and reached down, grabbing Cain's two arms and lifting the top half of his body.
Derion walked around the table and grabbed Cain's legs. They lifted Cain's body off the floor as if he weighed nothing. She had no doubt that either of them could have carried him on their own. Going as a pair must have been for safety, just in case he woke up. They slowly made their way out of the room, disappearing from view as they turned down the hallway.
"It's nearly dawn," Pytho said as he placed his hand on the ground and pushed himself off the floor. "Aren't you tired?" He asked her as he stood and brushed off his jeans.
"Not really," she said as she, too, brushed off and straightened her clothing. "I should probably go get Sinatra though, I left him in the library," she sighed and touched her nose, feeling around the injured area. "Don't I need to do something about this?" She asked, pointing to her nose.
"I have no clue," Pytho stepped closer and reached out, gently nudging her chin so that she was facing him directly. "It doesn't look like it's crooked or out of place," he finally said after examining her nose. "I'm sure Derion would have done something if he thought it needed more treatment."
"Well, I'm glad it's not crooked," she gave him a grin as he removed his fingers from her chin.
"Sorry," He apologized, a grimace on his face.
"For what?" She blinked. "This?" She pointed to her nose. "This wasn't your fault. It was mine for getting too close to Cain. I should have known better." Though, she thought to herself, she had been closer to him before. She wasn't surprised that he had succeeded in hurting her today, but she was surprised that he hadn't done so when he had every opportunity before.
Although, she reasoned, he also tried to kill Gideon. He must have really been in a fury today.
Pytho leaned in closer. "What happened when you were with him downstairs?"
"Nothing," she admitted. "I thought he was going to kill me...he even said as much. Then he just kept pacing like a mad man and beating his fists into walls until I finally fell asleep. Then Gideon came downstairs to tell him that we were under attack." She didn't mention the part about sleeping on his bed. She had a feeling he wouldn't believe it anyway, especially if he was used to seeing Cain in this sort of state.
She jumped as a loud, banging noise suddenly echoed in the room. Instinctively putting a hand on her chest, she turned toward the door and exhaled suddenly.
Gideon grinned from his position inside the doorway, his hand still resting on the door
he had pounded on to get their attention. "Oh, I'm sorry," his hand flew up to his chest, landing over his heart in fake concern. "Did I interrupt your pleasant little conversation?" He dropped his hand, and a sour look crossed his face. "Cain's already up. Move it, kid," he snapped, pushing himself away from the door and walking down the hallway, his heavy footsteps echoing behind him.
Adelyn turned to see Pytho glaring at the spot where Gideon had stood. "Asshole," Pytho muttered to himself.
He shook his head and took a step forward. "He probably woke up before they could even get him down there. Come on, I'm sure he's going to want to hear from you as well," he said, reaching back and touching her elbow.
"Hear from me or try to take another crack at my face?" She replied sarcastically, eyebrow raised.
"Possibly both," Pytho grinned. "But we'll hold him off if you promise not to run towards him this time."
Adelyn laughed and followed Pytho out of Derion's office. "I was worried Gideon had killed him," she admitted as they began walking down the hallway.
"No," Pytho shook his head, still smiling. "That's one thing we can't do." He stopped as they reached the room they had converted into their own personal armoury. "You go ahead, and I'll meet you in the kitchen. Don't go down the stairs without me. I'm just going to take your dog upstairs to my room. He'll be safe with Salien," he added quickly as she frowned at the mention of his cat. "Trust me, it's safer that he stay in my room for now," he rested a hand on her shoulder. "Okay?"
"Okay," she finally agreed, then rubbed the arm that his cat had once scratched. "Are you sure she won't attack him, though? She did a good number on my arm."
"No, she won't touch him," Pytho smiled and then nudged her down the hallway. "Don't worry. I’ll move his food and his pee pad to my room and then I'll meet you in the kitchen."
"Okay," she finally agreed, taking one last look at the doorway and biting her lip before turning away and walking down the hallway. If Pytho said it was safer for Sinatra to be in his room, then she trusted him. Sinatra certainly wasn't safe around her, she sighed. Not with guardians trying to attack her.
Shaking her head, Adelyn glanced up at the large bay window at the end of the hallway, identical to the one the guardians had broken through upstairs. She could see a pinkish tinge to the skyline above the trees in the distance.
She had a feeling it was going to be a long day.
Chapter Ten
Cain could feel the pressure building around his body, crushing down on his shoulders and tightening like a vice around his neck and head. The weight of the power he was incapable of harnessing turned against him, trying to choke the life out of him. He squinted his eyes shut further and slowly exhaled through his nose, trying to focus his attention on the strangely hollow sound of Gideon's voice as he reported on his encounter with the guardians.
With the vermin, Cain corrected himself, fists clenching.
Gideon's words continued to wash over Cain as another wave of pressure built up, this time from inside his chest. No matter, he thought to himself as his muscles clenched and released involuntarily under the onslaught of his powers returning to full force. He was with Gideon for most of the fight. Although he relished the usual violence of Gideon's stories, especially when it came to those disgusting worms, he needed to focus on keeping his body under control.
The pressure nearly split his skull with a roaring wave that subsided as soon as it had started. In that split-second moment, his arm jerked involuntarily as an all-consuming rage engulfed his senses, and then left as soon as it had begun. Voluntarily pulling his arm up angrily with a grunt, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned into the wall with his right shoulder. As he ground his teeth, his body clenched as he tried to bring about some kind of control over his own body. It was bad enough that his own powers were trying to destroy him, but now they were trying to control his bodily actions as well.
Fuck that, he mentally snarled to himself.
He leaned further into the back wall of the room. He had claimed this spot immediately upon his arrival, throwing himself away from the supportive hands of Donovan and Derion. Tranquillizer be damned, he was not going to be carried anywhere like a goddamn baby.
A sudden surge in the pressure rose as if the invisible force had remembered the dulling effects of the tranquillizer and tried to lash back. His eyes flew open as his right knee suddenly gave out, buckling under the intensity. Quickly jerking it back and locking his knee, he felt a choking sound escape his throat as frustration overtook him.
Cain furiously snapped his head around and glared at the three daemons across the room, almost daring them to comment on the uncontrollable actions of his body, on his weakness. He glared at them as they stood on the other side of the room, just inside the door. Their arms were crossed, and they were avoiding eye contact with him. He could tell they were tense, ready to take him down again if need be. They gave no indication that they had seen his knee buckle, judging by the way they were acting.
Satisfied, he snorted and turned his head around to stare at the empty bookcase in front of him.
Of course, even if they had seen him struggle, they were probably keeping their damn mouths shut about it because they pitied him in his condition.
Fuck.
Anger bloomed in his chest, and he slammed his fist into the wall, driving his knuckles further into the concrete wall by twisting his fist. He felt the scabs over his knuckles start to rip open, and he pushed further, marking the wall with fresh blood. Relief temporarily flooded his senses for a few precious moments. The pain was a temporary distraction; a way for him to focus his anger where it belonged: with himself.
Gideon's voice snapped him back to reality. "That's everything. I need to take care of-," Gideon started angrily before Cain cut him off.
"Go," he demanded, still grinding his fist into the wall. "I want the exterior windows replaced and reinforced. Fast," he added, turning his head to glare at Gideon. He punched his fist into the wall once more as a fresh wave of anger threatened to take over. The pain shot up his forearm, and he inhaled sharply as the pressure subsided, leaving only a slight ringing in his ear.
Gideon pressed his lips together and gave a curt nod before he turned around and walked through the open door behind him. Clearly, he wasn't happy about being given such menial duties.
"Well, look who finally decided to grace us with their presence," Cain could hear the disdain dripping from Gideon's voice as it echoed into the room a few seconds after he had exited. He watched as Derion frowned in confusion and turned his head to look down the hallway.
"Fuck off, Gideon," Pytho marched into the room a second later, his hand protectively around the human woman's shoulders as he led her in a wide berth around Gideon and into the room.
Cain's eyes followed as Pytho gently nudged her in Derion's direction before turning back around to face the open doorway. Derion jerked his head slightly, and the human woman caught on. She edged closer to him and placed her back against the narrow strip of wall next to the door.
A defensive position, Cain recognized. Smart.
"You're lucky I don't have time for your shit right now, kid, or else I'd knock you into a fucking wall and paint it with your drool!" Gideon roared from the hallway. The heavy sound of heavy footsteps faded away as Gideon made his way to the staircase.
Cain ignored the gesture Pytho shot through the open doorway and focused his gaze on the human instead. She looked horrendous. Her hair was falling down from the weak tie behind her head, and she had dark shadows under her eyes. His eyes narrowed on the scrapes across her face and the fresh bruise across the bridge of her nose. The tip of her nose was bright red, with smeared blood dried along the edges of her nostrils.
A flash of memory struck him as he stared at the blood. He suddenly remembered grabbing her arm and dragging her down to the floor during his rage-induced attack in Derion's office. His heart started pounding at the memory of blood streaming down her face, his daemon nat
ure excited by the mental sight of it.
She glanced around the room for several moments before finally looking right at him. Immediately, just as it did when she came into his room the day before, the pressure increased around his head and shoulders, as if something had gripped him and was attempting to push him towards her. He gritted his teeth, and his fists clenched involuntarily under the onslaught.
Easy prey, his powers seemed to whisper to him as it urged him to race across the room and bash her skull into the wall behind her until her blood warmed his hands and ran easily through his fingers. His jaw clenched tighter under the suggestive images that raced through his mind.
The reaction infuriated him, which was exactly what the invisible force was attempting to do. It knew that the constant pressure on his body over the past year had turned him into a live wire. He was raw, exposed. His ability to focus, to control his own emotions had greatly diminished in the past few months. The slightest provocation caused him to lash out without warning, and it made no difference whom his fury was directed at. The invisible force delighted in these moments and seemed to enjoy instigating these situations, as it was trying to now. If he couldn't gain control over his emotions, he had no doubt that his powers would fuel the rage in his body, hoping for a repeat of his performance in Derion's office.
It was damn close to getting what it wanted.
Cain exhaled forcefully and turned his body around to lean heavily on the wall, closing his eyes in concentration as he tried to harness the unruly power that swirled around his body as it throbbed, suffocating his senses.
The first time the human had entered his room to retrieve her animal, the pressure had increased, nearly unbearable at the time. He lashed out, directing his powers to surround her body and inflict pain.
