The Demon-Born Trilogy: (Complete Paranormal Fantasy Series)

by L. C. Hibbett

  I closed my fingers over the wound on my palm, and a shiver of trepidation ran over my skin. “We should probably get ready for the lesson, Sam.”

  We made our way up the stairs in silence.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Eve was already back in our quarters when we got there. Sam hesitated on the threshold. “I’ll go get my stuff. Check on Elijah.” I nodded, hanging on to the handle of the door. He waited for a moment, holding my gaze, before jogging down the corridor toward the quarters he shared with Cain, Elijah, and Jasmine. I shut the door and leaned my back against the cool wood, waiting for my heart rate to return to normal.

  Eve filled the kettle at the sink, setting it to boil while she folded towels into my sports bag. “I thought you weren’t interested in Sam. After he let you down for your date.”

  I winced at the memory. I hadn’t even told Cat about the stupid, failed attempt at a date. Eve had rubbed my back that night, washed my face, reminded me that people like us weren’t cut out for relationships. We could only trust each other. I slunk into the kitchen and yanked the lid off the biscuit tin in an attempt to avoid her questions.

  “Did you ask him why he treated you as poorly as he did, Grace?”

  I took a bite of a chocolate chip cookie, massaging my sternum as if I could ease the pain in my chest using brute force. “It was just a kiss. Lasted two minutes. It’s nothing, we’re just going to be friends.”

  Eve poured boiling water into the teapot, taking out a large mug for me and placing it beside her bone china teacup. She lifted her face to look at me. “I don’t want to see you hurt, Grace. Not everyone who acts as though they care for you is sincere. The world is filled with frauds and liars. We can only trust each other.”

  I shrank away from her, stung. She slid my mug along the counter and handed me the jug of milk. “I think you may have been right, Grace. We should stick to our original plan and leave here as soon as possible.” She paused, glancing at the door. “Even if that means leaving Catherine and Dawn behind.”

  Milk splashed onto the floor as the jug slipped from my fingers and clattered across the countertop. “What are you talking about, Eve? We can’t leave. We have to stay together.”

  Eve’s forehead puckered. “You were the one who was eager for us to continue with the plan, Grace. That we didn’t belong here.”

  “That was when I had just woken up, I didn’t even know what it meant to be a Shadow Child then.”

  “But now you do? Because some sullen brat made eyes at you?”

  “It’s nothing to do with him, Eve. We’re safer here.”

  Eve slammed her cup down. “Safe? Since those people revealed themselves, you have been touched by Spirit Demons on three occasions. We were in less danger back at the cottage. If they hadn’t started to spy on us—”

  “We would have had to move anyway! Dawnie was sick. And she is better here.” I held up my hand. “I know she isn’t totally healed, Eve, but she’s happy. She has friends. Have you seen her with Ozzie? They’re inseparable already. We couldn’t tear her away from this. And Catherine cares for Cain. She deserves that. And you and Emmanuel are friends. Isn’t it nice to have a friend?”

  Eve’s face so tightly drawn that I was scared something inside her might snap. “Nice is never enough, Grace. You cannot possibly understand. Catherine will not leave here, we shouldn’t even ask her to. They might be safe here, without us. It is different for them, Grace.”

  “How is it different?” I swallowed hard. “How am I different, Eve?”

  She closed her eyes, pressing the heels of her hands against them. Every muscle in her body was as taut as a rubber band stretched across a slingshot. The clock ticked on the mantelpiece.

  There was a knock on the door, followed by the sound of somebody entering. Emmanuel’s smooth baritone voice slid over the heavy silence. “Am I interrupting something?”

  I shook my head, grabbing my sports bag. “Nope. Not interrupting a single thing.”

  The glass in the small window beside the door rattled as I slammed it shut.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  “This is incredible.” I turned in a circle taking in the white sand spreading from one side of the sheltered beach to the other. The cliff wall towered forty meters above our heads, curving outwards to form an overhang. A white dingy was lodged in the sand beside the small outcrop of rocks at the mouth of the cove. Deirdre threw her pack down at my feet. “I must have gone straight past this place twenty times last summer. How did I miss it?”

  Deirdre curtseyed. “What can I say? Your tutor is a talented woman.”

  I grinned at her blatant self-satisfaction and tilted my face upward, letting the sun soak into my skin. I felt like my argument with Eve might be written on my face like a tattoo. Lucas slithered over the rocks to our left, landing two feet away from us, with Lydia hanging onto the back of his t-shirt. She screamed at him. “You’re such a sneak, Lucas, you totally tripped me up!”

  Frank and Jasmine climbed down after them, followed by Sam and Elijah. I ducked to avoid a flying bucket as one of the younger students started a sand fight. Deirdre threw her hands into the air. The sand levitated and then formed a miniature tornado, spinning like a dust devil toward the offending teenagers. They ran into the water, laughing hysterically. Deirdre winked at me and marched across the sand to Jabol, barking orders at every kid she passed.

  Jasmine unpacked the bags, pulling out beach blankets and towels. Elijah and Frank headed straight for the ocean, leaving a trail of t-shirts and flip-flops behind them. Jasmine glowered at their backs as she picked up their clothes and threw them into a backpack. “Yeah, that’s great work, guys. Throw your crap on the ground and then make us all spent an hour trying to find it before we go home. Ugh.”

  She scrunched Elijah’s t-shirt into a tiny ball and shoved it into the bag. Sam grinned and tapped her on the shoulder. “Jas. This make you feel any better?”

  He nodded his head toward the shore where the two boys were flipping past each other playing a game that looked like tag on steroids. Sam narrowed his eyes at the water and took a deep breath. The waves around Elijah and Frank rose up, churning and bubbling like a living creature until the ocean had formed a twenty-foot wall.

  Elijah turned his head, suddenly aware of the looming danger. He spun to face the beach, pointing a finger at Sam. “Samuel Hayes, you jerk, do not—”

  Sam smirked and exhaled, sending a torrent of water spilling over their heads. Jasmine whooped and slapped him on the back as she ran down after Lydia and Lucas to join the fun. The breeze carried giddy shrieks of laughter onto the shore and send them echoing off the cliff wall behind us.

  I could feel Sam’s eyes on my skin, watching me as I watched the others. He slipped out of his trainers and stepped closer, digging his bare feet into the warm sand.

  “Hey, Grace.” He nudged me with his arm.

  “Hey, Sam.” The echo of Eve’s voice whispered in my ear. A devil on my shoulder. I hugged my sports bag against my chest. “I should go get changed, didn’t get a chance to put on my bathing suit.”

  I couldn’t meet his eye as I scurried into the cave that the girls were using as a makeshift locker room. The sand under my feet was muddy and dank. Metallic tasting air filled my lungs, and I squinted as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. “Damn, sorry, didn’t realize there was anyone in here.”

  I covered my face with my hand and backed away from Megan’s half naked form. She tugged at the straps of her swimsuit and pulled it up over her chest. The taste of jealousy was sharper than bile on my tongue as I imagined Sam’s face when Megan sauntered onto the beach. The desire to escape was overwhelming, to get away from Sam and Megan, and every cursed thing about my life. I fumbled in my bag for my phone.

  “Whatever, I’m done.” Megan’s voice was muffled as she bent down to pick up her stuff. My fingers curled around the smooth plastic, and I scrolled through the call log, searching for Cat’s number. Megan pulled an oversi
zed t-shirt on over her swimsuit and squeezed past me. She stopped at the mouth of the cave, resting her hand against the damp stone wall.

  “Grace.” I looked up at Megan. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to help with Dawn. She’s a cute kid.” I nodded, pressing my lips together in surprise. “And Sam. He’s a good guy. Don’t be a shit to him.”

  I struggled to find my voice to respond, but Megan had already gone, slipping across the sand like a golden goddess. I pressed my hands against my face and took a few deep breaths before I opened my sports bag and slipped my phone back inside.

  The smell of freshly laundered clothes hit me as soon as I unzipped the bag. I ran my hand over the soft towels that Eve had packed for me, reaching under them to retrieve a swimsuit. I prepared myself for a neck to thigh style one-piece, Eve wasn’t exactly known for her taste in bathing wear. Instead, I found a simple black bikini, exactly like one that Eve had refused to let Cat buy me the year before because she thought it was too adult for me. It was perfect. I pulled it on and slipped my phone out of my bag, sending Eve a thank you message.

  Sam was exactly where I had left him. Megan was standing beside him, her blond hair blowing gently in the breeze. He lifted his hand to shade his eyes as I stepped onto the warm sand, twisting his body to face me, turning his back to Megan. A smile played at the corner of his lips. I felt my own mouth curl in response, a biological impulse I was powerless to control. Sam’s gaze flickered to my right, and the joy drained from his face replaced by a look of irritation.

  A clammy hand pressed against my shoulder, and Peter’s voice filled my ears. “My dear, it appears you have made a captivating recovery.” I smiled politely. Peter was leaning heavily on his cane. “I brought Dawn and Oscar down to join you, they are far too advanced for the younger class.”

  His stare was focused on the breaking waves where Dawn and Oscar were running through the foam with Jabol. Dawn’s hair was soaking wet already, and she squealed with delight when Jabol created a fountain between the two children. Jets of water flew in all directions. Oscar drew his hands into the air, and the water parted. He caught Dawn by the hand, and the two disappeared into the tunnel.

  My chest tightened, and I started to run but Peter grabbed my arm, holding me back. His voice was giddy. “Wait. Wait.”

  I strained against his grasp and counted the seconds, waiting for Dawn and Oscar to emerge. I yanked my arm free, unable to hold off any longer. My mouth gaped in horror as the tunnel collapsed and water rushed in every direction, smashing onto the rocks that lined the cove.

  I blinked, pressing my hands against my throat as relief flooded over me. Dawn and Oscar were on their feet, riding the highest wave as if they were surfing, before tumbling onto the beach in a fit of giggles. I sank down onto the sand.

  “Aren’t they splendid, Grace? It’s been a long time since I have seen anyone walk on water.” I craned my neck to get a better view of Peter’s face as he stared down at the children. He pulled his notebook from his pocket and began writing.

  “Were you a scientist? Before this?”

  Peter cocked his head at me. “Of sorts, I suppose. I have always been interested in evolution. Isn’t it intriguing? A species can change the course of an entire world with the right genetic nudge. And look how it works, you're drawn to each other, you extraordinary creatures. Like a magnetic force. Catherine and Cain, Samuel and yourself, Dawn and Oscar.”

  My eyes widened. “Ozzie is Demon-Born?”

  Peter peered down at me like I was a specimen in a Petri dish. “You are still unable to discriminate between the energy forms. Intriguing. You appear to be curiously lacking in ability. Perhaps Sam’s skill is a natural complement to your lack of talent. He hardly needs a match.”

  He flicked through his notebook, jotting something down. I looked around, desperately catching Jasmine’s eye. I mouthed an S.O.S. in her direction.

  “Of course then there is Eve. Poor Eve. Unlikely to find a match and yet unparalleled in ability. Perhaps there is a lesson in that.” I wasn’t sure if Peter was talking to himself or to me.

  Jasmine sat down on the sand beside me and tucked herself under my arm. “Uncle Peter, Jabol is teaching Dawn and Ozzie to create a Light Storm.”

  Peter’s expression sharpened, and he disappeared through a slip without a word, reappearing at the water’s edge beside a vexed looking Jabol. Jasmine grimaced a silent apology in Jabol’s direction and he rolled his eyes in response, smiling. She patted my knee. “Sorry, Grace. I hope he wasn't too weird?”

  “Oh, no. He was fine.” My voice sounded forced. Jasmine pulled her glasses down on her nose and gave me a look. “Okay. He was weird. He’s a creepy guy. Sorry, Jasmine.”

  She laughed and settled her glasses back into place. “That he is.”

  “What’s the deal with him anyway, Jas? He’s your dad’s brother, right?”

  Jasmine nodded. “Yeah, his twin. We never met him when Dad was alive. Dad’s family are old school Shadow Children, not like Maman’s. They have been Shadow Children as far back as the Great Divide. Uncle Peter went missing before we were born. Occupational hazard. Nobody had heard from him until three years ago when the New York City cell did a raid on a Silent Home outside Calcutta. Lucas and Oscar’s mom found Uncle Peter there trying to protect a little Demon-Born child. Dad was dead, my grandparents were dead, Mom was already missing, so Peter came to us.”

  I shook my head. “Had he been there all that time?”

  “Yeah. Dad always talked about how powerful his brother had been. The Guardians used him for experiments. All sorts of crazy stuff. That’s how he can locate the flashes now. He never had that skill before. He’s an anomaly. Emmanuel says he is almost like a Seeker.”

  “A Seeker? That’s what Deirdre said when I told her how I got through Ozzie’s wall.”

  Jasmine scrunched her face up, sympathetically. “She must have been joking. Seeking is one of the lost powers, it’s pretty much just a myth at this stage. There’s an old story that when the Half-Blood race was formed new powers emerged. Powers that could rule the world if they were combined. Seeker, Seer, Reaper, Heart, Fire, Storm and the Spark. It’s just a fairytale, though.”

  My eyes sought Deirdre out, watching her demonstrating a barrier for Sam. “Oh, I must have been confused.” I frowned and looked back at Jasmine, storing the conversation away. “So it’s a miracle really, that Peter is home. And he can use his power to help so many people. And having family around is always good, I guess?”

  Jasmine shrugged her shoulders. “I suppose. Peter isn’t exactly a family kind of guy. He doesn’t remind me of my father. He barely even looks like the man in the photos from when they were young.” Her eyes ran over the beach, settling on Sam’s scarred back. “I guess that’s what spending half your life in one of those places does to you. Nobody escapes undamaged.”

  She lay back against me and nestled into my side. I rested my chin on Jasmine’s head and watched Dawn and Oscar blasting darts of light at the barrier Sam had created in the air. Each one collided with the shimmering veil and exploded like tiny fireworks.

  “No. I guess they don’t.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  My face burned as every person in the room made a conscious effort not to look in my direction. Deirdre’s ranting rose an octave higher, and something slammed against the closed door and ricocheted around the adjoining classroom.

  Emmanuel’s words were a dull murmur, but Deirdre’s response carried through the walls as if they were made of paper. “No. Absolutely not Emmanuel. I can’t bear another day of it. It’s been the longest week of my life. Hardship. Jabol will have to take over.”

  Jasmine tried to fill the silence with some light conversation, but Deirdre’s voice burst through the wall again. “I have tried that, Peter. Whatever the connection is for the other pairs it’s broken with her. I don’t know. You need to find another couples therapist.”

  I cringed, wishing the ground would swallow me
up. Sam was sitting on the window seat at the opposite end of the magic room, Megan leaning against the wall beside him. Sam caught my eye for a second before I looked back down at my knees.

  Lucas linked my arm. “Ignore her, Gracie. She has a stick up her ass about having to include somebody else in her precious one-on-one time with her star pupil.”

  I gave him a half-hearted smile. “Maybe, but she does have a point. I am pretty awful at this stuff. I wish Emmanuel would just let me go back to the junior class and learn from the start.” I scrunched up my face. “I don’t think this explosion of mixed-blood genius that he’s hoping for is going to be a runner. I’m a dud.”

  Lucas squeezed my cheeks. “But such a cute dud. Yes, you are. Oh, yes you are.”

  “Lucas. Are you quite all right?” Eve asked, stepping over the threshold, followed by Emmanuel and Peter. She arched her eyebrows and tilted her head in our direction. “This is how we spend our self-managed practice hours? Enlightening.”

  Everyone peeled themselves from their seated positions, gravitating toward their partner. Sam slunk across the room with his hands buried in his pockets and his shoulders hunched. I wrung my hands.

  “Guys, Deirdre is right. This isn’t working out. I’m just wasting everyone’s time here,” I said, looking from Eve to Peter before meeting the Master’s amber glare. Emmanuel crossed his arms. I pressed on despite his stern look. “I don’t mind practicing with the younger class, honestly, Emmanuel. And I might be able to pick something up if I was partnered with a kid who is just starting to discover their abilities?”

  “I don’t want to swap partners.” Sam’s jaw was set, and his eyes were like storm clouds. “She nearly there. I can feel it. She’s just holding back.”

  Irritation shot through my nerves like a thousand volts of electricity. “I’m trying! It just won’t come. Maybe if I didn’t feel under so much pressure.” I looked up at Emmanuel. “Maybe if I tried with Jasmine again? Or Lucas? Or Elijah? If I felt more comfortable?”