“Where the hell are you, Aym?”
Movement in the corner of my eye, a shadow dashed passed me between the trees.
Bjorg? But shouldn't she be behind me?
I slowed to a walk, peering over my shoulder. She should've caught up with me by now. I stopped, brows slanted low, as I strained to hear over the sound of my own breaths.
There!
I snapped my head to the right, ears perked. Eyes searched the dense woods lining the path. Something hurled through the trees. Patches of fur peeked between cracked scales. I shrieked. Blood drained from my body. Legs tightened. I spun on my heels, and charged toward the school.
What the hell?
Trees blurred, feet barely touched the ground.
Holy crap.
I hit the brakes. Dropped to the ground. Skin on my hands singed from raking through the gravel. Heart bounced like a pinball in my chest. I slid on my butt along the grit, toward a beast blocking my way.
Yupp. That’s a demon. No doubt.
Pin needle teeth on display in a contorted smile. Scales and fur melted together on a spider like body. Shit, shit, shit. I whirled, throwing myself forward. Hands churned up the gravel trying to correct my balance and get me back on my feet.
A roar cracked the air behind me. The ground shook.
I'm gonna die.
I glanced over my shoulder, the path was empty. Air was forced from my lungs when I bounced off something solid, and hit the ground. Eyes climbed the stocky body, and landed on the round, low set head. Beid? I stared up at his pinched expression, fear trickled from my body. The forest cracked. Breath caught. The beast barreled through the trees, tackling Beid to the side. They crashed into the bushes, rolled through the sharp thorns. Claws swiping through the air.
I screamed.
Hell yes. I screamed.
"Hey, Bonnie."
Tell soared through the air, throwing himself into the fight with a shrill, "Whohoo." A wide smile plastered on his face.
They're insane.
Did he just fly?
I'm insane.
This isn't real.
Is it?
My scream faded, like a deflating balloon. My head tilted to the side, brows wrinkled in confusion. I sat there, like an idiot, watching the fight.
They can see the demons?
Brain not willing to accept what I saw.
Oh, it had no problem accepting the demon, it just didn’t want to connect it to Tell and Beid, who were putting up one hell of a fight.
A rustle of gravel behind me spiked the hairs on my back. I gagged at the sudden spike of sour milk, and rotten eggs in the air. The crackling of breath twitched in my ear. I turned my head, sluggishly. Heart took an elevator to the bottom floor. A man stood behind me, shirt open, middle sucked in, ribs like a canopy. His jaw was slack, as if the muscles had withered away, and his wicked smile was lined with black teeth. Something climbed above his shoulder, a tail, ending in sharp thorns.
“Move, Mira. Move.” Aym screamed in my ear. He’d shimmered in on my shoulder while I was awestruck by the creature in front of me. I catapulted to my feet, and bolted between the trees. Away from the fight.
Shit, shit, shit.
“I guess he sent the big guns.” I panted.
“You think?” Aym’s sarcasm rattled the fear from my mind. Branches brushed over my face. I stumbled on the uneven ground, flailed. Feet ripped from under me. Heart raced in my chest. Back hit the dirt. Slid along it, collecting pine needles and wilted leaves. I was nicked from the ground, left ankle clenched in thick rope.
"Come on!" I wiggled, like a worm on a hook. My old gym teacher's face popped up in my mind. Oh, she would have loved this. I looked for the tailed man. Head pounded as blood quickly drained from my legs, and pressed against the inside of my skull. Aym’s little hands and feet pinched through the fabric of my clothes as he scaled my body. He cursed in that weird language that I never understood, the one he used when he was upset.
A pair of brown boots came into view, the tip of an armed crossbow tapped against a leg.
Swallow your fear, Mira.
Eyes climbed along the leg, the t-shirt, and landed on a familiar face. Cas?
"Do you mind?" I looked at him from my upside-down position. The rope tight around my ankle, hands fought a losing battle with gravity over my t-shirt.
"What are you doing here?" He kneeled, hand rested on the crossbow while he dug his mismatched eyes into me.
"Oh, you know... just hanging."
A flash of a smile transformed his face to pure sunlight. He got to his feet, and lifted me into his arms. He back tracked a few steps, the noose slacked and I kicked me ankle free. When my feet connected with the ground, he coughed and stepped back. Putting enough space between us to fit a horse.
"Now? Why are you out here?"
To hide my flushed face, I busied myself with brushing away moss from the back of my thighs, and digging out needles and leaves from under my shirt. "Well... gym, and then... why do you have a crossbow?" I tilted my head to the side, brows raised.
"Gym? But I told Lux..." He shook his head, bewildered. "Nevermind. Go back to school."
"But— “
"Now!" He scowled, and spun a bolt between his fingers. With a swift flick of his hand, he secured the bolt on the crossbow, and stormed off.
What a douche. And here I was thinking I liked him. Pfft. I patted away dirt from my sweater, and followed him. I stumbled, fighting off thorny bushes that apparently loved my sweats.
"I can't go back. There's something out there.” I tripped, hands flailed. Cas turned on a dime, and caught me with ease. He set me back on my feet, the second he felt I was steady enough, his eyes travelled over my shoulder.
He hitched a brow, and pinned the bow to his shoulder with lightning speed. Heart plummeted to my shoes, and I quickly threw my hands in the air.
Chapter 14
"D-D-Don't shoot." I stammered.
A flash of surprise, but the bow stayed pinned. "I'm not aiming at you? Get over here before it kills you."
"What?" Voice trailed off. Hairs on my back spiked. I turned. The rapid beating of my heart echoed in my ears. The demon-man was back, a grim smile, framed by a grayish pale face, jaw clung to his cheeks with meaty strings of thorn muscle. Talons, the size of my hand, reached for me. Cold tendrils shot through my back and froze me in place.
"Give me the key." A grim voice ripped through the bottom of his chest.
Beads of sweat followed the creases of my forehead.
Holy crap, it speaks?
None of the imps ever spoke. They mostly just snickered and shrieked. Dumbfounded, I stepped back. Big mistake. Huge.
The monster snarled, Cas roared.
Me? I threw myself to the ground, that’s what I did.
Caught between a rock and a complete lunatic place I kept my head down, and crossed my fingers that I wouldn’t get hit by anything.
"Oh, Meshlamtaea. You disappoint me. Your father had such high hopes for you, yet here you stand." The beast grated out a snort in disappointment. It edged closer on blackened feet, a bolt stuck in its shoulder. Brute force got me to my feet. A vice like grip crunched around my arm, rolling muscle over bone. Foul breath slithered along the back of my head. "This one smells divine. I know that's important to you." Sharp claws ripped at the skin on my neck. "Can you hear it? Her heart pounding?"
Cas' eyes met mine over the crossbow, a forest on fire under furrowed brows. "This is your fault."
Well, thanks for the reminder, right before I'm about to die.
The demon flinched, dug its claws deeper into my neck, warm liquid edged down my neck. "It would be my pleasure to--"
A roar. The pain disappeared, so I threw myself forward. A wide-eyed Cas pulled his weapon out of the way just in time to catch me.
"Took you long enough." He rumbled over my head.
"Sorry. I was busy." Heat soared through my body at the luscious voice.
"Bus
y?" Cas shoved me to my feet. "Busy with who? Did you at least get her name this time?"
Lux ignored the snide comment, deep oceans laced around my face. "There you go again." His lips curled, and he flicked his right wrist, removing brown slime from a sword.
I gaped at the two of them, brain refused to work. Eyes drifted from the sword in Lux hand to the hilt sticking up over his shoulders. Swords? Who carries swords, or a crossbow for that matter?
Cas hung the crossbow over his shoulder. "So much for keeping the kids in class."
Lux patted away some dirt from his sweats. "Don't blame me," he protested.
"Right, cause it's never your fault." Cas sighed, and turned to me, hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Let's get you back to the gym." He offered a hand.
I stared at it, and for a moment I couldn't remember what to do next. "You can see them?"
His hand dropped to his side. "Yes."
My brain clicked, like cog wheels finding their rhythm after hundreds of years of standing still.
Click.
Click.
Click.
"You... I mean... how..."
Yeah, it took a while to get the old diesel engine going.
Lux raised the sword over his shoulder. With a singing sound, it slid down, until the hilt was the only thing visible.
"You've got a real way with words, don't you?" He smiled one of those teasing smiles that flipped every switch in my body. "Come on. Time to go." He grabbed my wrist and lead me through the trees, making sure to keep the lower branches from my face. I dug my heels into the gravel when the tower became visible over the treetops.
"No." I tugged free and laced my arms over my chest. "Tell me who you are, and how you can see them?"
He tilted his head, for a moment we stood, toe to toe, both of us refusing to yield. I threw my hands up when the silence became too daunting. "Say something.”
He shot me a stern look, so I decided to add a ‘please’.
"We’re here to protect you. Well, maybe not you, but the key."
Simple as that, I got my answer.
"Who sent you?"
"Your father."
"My dad? I don’t even know him, why would he… You know what, it doesn’t matter. Just… What are you?”
He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Okay." He inhaled. "We’re— “
“Stars, Bonnie." Tell sauntered toward us, his hair a complete mess of broken twigs and leaves. “Bright, and shiny. Here to save the day.”
“Not helping.” Beid grumbled behind him.
“No offense, but you? Seriously?” I gawked at Beid, the guy who’d tormented me for the last two years.
“He was assigned to keep an eye on you here at school, but with the war escalating, he called us.” Cas strolled from the forest, brushing dust from his cargo pants.
“Keep an eye on me? He tormented me. Well, okay, maybe not. But you’re an ass.” I glared at Beid, and he gave me a one shoulder shrug in response.
Tell snorted, came to a stop next to me and threw an arm around my shoulders. “Ya know? He canny help it. He’s a right dobber that one.”
“Super.” I chewed my lip, and shoved my hands into the pockets on my sweats. This is just too weird.
“I’ll call the others. In case there’s more demons out there.” Cas bent his head, dark waves fell forward and covered his face. “They won’t give up until they have the key.”
Lux shoved Tell’s arm out of the way, gripped my shoulder, and pulled me back. “Don’t move.”
Easy for him to say. I had to bite my tongue to not groan under the claw like grip. To make things worse, he leaned close enough for his hair to tickle my ear. The warmth of his rapid breaths drew scorching heat up my neck.
“Imps.”
“What?” Three voices joined as one.
Damn it. I forgot about Aym. I wiggled free from Lux’s grip.
“Uhm. Yeah. It’s mine. The imp. He’s okay. I promise. He’s been keeping me safe since I was a kid.”
Four gawking faces surrounded me, so I stumbled on, hoping they’d understand that Aym wasn’t a threat. “Yeah. He’s one of the good ones, he’s like— “
“One of the good ones?” Beid shook his head. “There are no good ones.”
“How would you know?” I argued, eyes narrowed into thin slits.
Lux barked a laugh. “There you go again, Mira. Making it impossible to— “
“How about we focus on the question at hand.” Cas interrupted, hauled the crossbow from his shoulder, and locked eyes with me. “Where’s the imp?”
“I don’t know. He was here earlier, when I was swinging from the rope.”
Footsteps crashed through the gravel, and I turned, disdain dripped through my core. Witchy. Of course. Like this wasn’t weird enough. A freckled smile chased away the grump in me. Aris bumbled along the road, whistling, his brightly pink t-shirt lit up the dim surroundings. I was petty enough to find some comfort in the annoyed look plastered on Witchy’s face. Small victories, are still victories.
“Where’s Ain?” Cas gave the witch a hard look.
“Busy.” She slid an arm around him, marking her territory. I snickered to myself. Another victory. Must be my lucky day. It certainly was a clear compliment if she thought I was even close to being a threat to her. She was like a fine wine, and I was the grape that didn’t quite make it to the winery.
“We might need to get Mira out of here,” Aris suggested while his gaze wandered along the forest. “There’s too many innocent people that can get hurt.”
“What?”
“You’re right. If we move her to the cabin, we have a better chance of keeping her safe.” Cas said.
“Are you kidding?” No one was interested in listening to me, the kettle in my gut simmered hot.
“Maybe we should just lock her up in one of the churches,” Witchy sneered in my direction.
That’s it.
“Bitch, shut up.” My sudden rage quieted the discussion going on over my head. “I’ve had enough.” I unhooked the chain from my neck and threw it on the ground in the middle of the group. “There! Problem solved. Take it. Lock it up, and leave me alone. I’m tired of this. Seriously. I had no problem hanging on to that when I thought I was the only one who could protect it, but now… Nope. Not doing it.” I stomped away, kicking up gravel with every step. A voice in my head told me I acted like a spoiled brat, but I duct taped that sucker shut. I didn’t make it far, though. The seductive cedar smell enveloped me as Lux hoisted me off the ground, threw me over his shoulder and carried me back to the group.
“Oh, come ooon?” I complained. “You’ve got the key. Can’t you just take it and— “
He put me down, a hand on my head to spin me around. “Pick it up.”
I studied the group around me. Petrified faces staring at the copper key. “Are you shitting me?” I cackled. They couldn’t pick it up?
Body quaked with laughter. “This can’t be happening.” I folded at the waist, gut clenched. “Tell me you’re joking.” I pinched my nose, laughter bubbling through me. Gaze travelled along their serious faces, and I howled. “This is brilliant. Oh, my god.”
“Just pick it up already,” Beid snarled.
A snort between gasps, pushing air through pursed lips to calm myself. “You know what? You pick it up. I’ve been protecting that damn key for almost my entire life, thinking I was alone. And here you are. Stars! With fighting skills, and weapons.” Anger coiled through my spine, effectively killing my humorous mood. “Why did I have to do it alone? Huh?” The alarm went off in my head, deafening. Hands to my ears, I dropped to my knees. “What? What?” I screamed over the noise.
“Mira?” I looked up at Cas. A deep horseshoe crease between his brows, hand caressing my arm. His voice came from far away, I frowned, squinting to make out what he was saying.
“Mira? What’s wrong?”
Chapter 15
Earthshattering pain bounced around in my head, drilli
ng spikes into my skull. Eyes pressed shut, I removed a hand from my ears, and rifled along the dirt. Fingers closed around the key. The alarm faded, leaving behind a high-pitched ringing in my head. I collapsed on my back, staring up at the sky, six faces lined up above me, like a wreath surrounding the heavy sky.
“What happened? Are you okay?” Aris’ forehead crinkled in worry lines, until his eyebrows almost connected above his thick nose.
“Aym.” I rolled over, and rose to my knees. “He gets this weird sense of pleasure from screaming in my head whenever I try to get rid of this horrid thing.” I brushed away the dirt from my hands, and hung the key back around my neck.
“I like him. Haven’t met the imp, but I like him.” Witchy smirked.
I glared up at Cas, fighting the urge to wrap my hands around Witchy’s delicate neck. “Would you mind putting your girlfriend on vibrate? ‘Kay? Thanks.”
I squealed, legs kicked for support. Lifted off the ground with such force I was airborne for a second.
"Calm down, Bambi." Aris smiled, before diving down to pick up my phone. A wide smile, the kind that made your heart melt, tugged on round freckled cheeks when he stood, my phone between his fingers.
"Thank you."
“Enough. We need to figure out what to do with her. If they attack the school— “
“They won’t.”
I jumped at the sound of Aym’s voice on my shoulder. Lux drew a sword, Cas pushed Witchy behind him with his free hand and pinned the crossbow to his shoulder. I grabbed Aym and pressed him to my chest. “Are you fucking insane? Put the weapons away.”
Aym trembled in my hands. He’d taken a big risk showing himself like that. His body trembled and caused Maroon glitter to sift between my fingers. “Well?”
Cas lowered the crossbow, but his eyes stayed cold, and alert. I glared over my shoulder at Lux, breath hitched when he arched a brow, before he hesitantly slid the sword into the sheath on his back. God, he’s gorgeous.
It caught me by surprise every time I looked at him. Aym pressed on my fingers, urging me to unclasp them.
“They won’t attack the school. The big boss said no to that,” Aym stated with a firm shake of his tail. Pride swelled in my heart at the squared shoulders and determined stance he delivered, despite the tremor of his tail.
Before Limbo (After Life Book 1) Page 6
