Flesh and Blood

by Patti Larsen

  Oh, that had to be bad. “Sass—”

  “The penalty is death for what I'd done.” Sassy stopped circling, one hand in his pocket. “Mom and Dad, they convinced the Rulers to let me take banishment instead. I blamed them, when they didn't fix it. Thought they would fix it. Was sure of it. Thing is, they did. The best they could.” His eyes met mine, a great and aching sadness taking him over. “I didn't know love, Syd. Or kindness, not really. Because I wouldn't let it in. Not until Thaddea Hayle found me, a wretched, sulking mess, my cat body dying in a London back alley over a hundred and fifty years ago. It took me a long time not to blame my parents anymore. In fact, it took me until pretty much just now.” His laugh was choked, bitter, but not turned outward this time. Internalized.

  “We all make mistakes, my friend.” Galleytrot chuffed softly. “I was an evil man before the Sidhe turned me into a hound. They made a good soul of me. Eventually.”

  Sassy drew a deep breath. “I regret what I did,” he whispered. “But not the life I've lived here, with you. I may have acted otherwise, but I've learned so much from the Hayle witches. Patience, strength, courage. But mostly love.” He smiled at me then. “I do love you, Syd.”

  I had a sudden surge of fear as power poured into the demon shield he'd raised. Why did it sound like he was saying goodbye?

  When he pulled the crystal out of his pocket, I scrambled in my own for the familiar feel of it.

  “Sorry, Syd,” he said. “I need to do this. Don't you see? It's the only way I can finally forgive myself.”

  “Sassy, you can't.” Liam's face shone with tears. Did he know something I didn't? From the look on his face he'd managed to finish reading the demon book.

  “Liam?” I looked back and forth between them as Sassy turned toward the statue, crystal in his hand. “Tell me.”

  “Syd, you have to stop him.” Liam lurched forward, but the demon shield held him back. “The book he was reading. It wasn't just about demon sacrifice. It was about human as well.”

  Sacrifice? My heart clenched as I drove my power into the shield. My demon lashed out, still in pain, but ignoring it as best we both could. It seemed everything I threw at it was simply absorbed.

  “Don't bother, Syd.” Sassy gestured with the crystal. “You're keyed to this, remember? And I'm using it to power the wards. You're just making them stronger.” Something silver flashed in his hand as he turned toward me at last.

  The knife. The same damned knife Dad used. No.

  No.

  “I've known for a while,” Sassy said softly, almost apologetically, “what I had to do. To save Harry. I just didn't have the courage.” He lifted the knife in front of him, the blade flashing in the light. “You were right, when you said a sacrifice had to be made. But not you, Syd. I'm the only one for the job.”

  I lunged at him, using family magic, Sidhe, throwing everything I had at him. Galleytrot did to, Quaid beside me, Liam pouring green fire over the shields. But I'd given too much, the crystal was full of my power, and we just couldn't break through.

  “I love you, Syd.” Sassy saluted me. “Don't ever forget that.”

  I was screaming, one long, endless note of loss and grief as my friend lifted the knife and plunged it into his own chest.

  ***

  Chapter Thirty Four

  Blood poured outward, thick, red, gushing over his hands, over the blade, running out over the crystal as Sassy clutched at his heart where the knife entered. The family magic reacted instantly, surging upward, repelled by the demon shield. Liam acted before I could think, a thick green ward forming around the bubble of amber.

  The family magic fell back, stirred to anger, but unable to find its quarry, circling slowly around the pentagram and the macabre scene unfolding before us. I didn't care now if our house was flattened, if the Dumonts came, the Enforcers. My friend was dying, falling to his knees, toppling over on his side, lying across the feet of the effigy of my father.

  “A willing sacrifice,” Liam whispered. “The greatest source of power.”

  I whipped my head around, tears pouring from my eyes. Liam winced, but went on.

  “If your father had succeeded in killing himself,” Liam said, “he would simply have just died. But Sassy giving himself, his existence... Syd, he may have just saved your father's life.”

  Sassy gurgled on the other side of the double shield, blood pooling behind his lips to spill down over his cheek. His brown eyes locked on mine, amber fire waking behind them. The crystal, soaked in blood, fell slowly to the ground as his hand went limp, the pulsing red and amber stone coming to rest on the statue's metal foot.

  I watched his life leave him, could only sob and reach for Sassy while Quaid held me back, the last of the light leaving Sassy's eyes, a sigh of air escaping before his body fell still.

  No. Nonononononono.

  NO!

  Quaid had his hands full with me as I writhed and screamed silently, mouth gaping open with nothing coming out, my heart breaking into a million pieces as my dear, dear Sassafras died at the feet of my father's statue.

  I almost missed it, so broken was I in that moment. Almost failed to notice the ringing sound through the rushing hum in my ears from my own grief. The shimmer begun at the base of the effigy, racing upward in a rush of light I finally couldn't ignore as crystal engulfed steel until the exact replica of my father stood there in the light of the shields and the single bulb, sparkling like a polished diamond.

  Both shields collapsed in a rush, blown outward by the light trapped inside. Liam cried out, clutching his head as his power recoiled into him. The family magic stilled, paused, held its breath. I was sure it would surge forward, but it had nothing to attack.

  Not any more.

  The floor above us rumbled and someone screamed, a hoarse sound filled with more agony than I could bear. I turned my face toward Quaid's chest, only for a moment, spinning back around as the basement was suddenly infused with amber light. The whole house shook, shifting slightly as pure demon power poured down through the floor and into the diamond effigy.

  He was there, shining and perfect, the clear gem taking on the soft red tone of his demon skin before his human coloring returned. I heard pounding feet behind me, felt Mom crash into my back as she froze in her headlong flight to see what was happening.

  “Your father’s gone,” she whispered. “From upstairs.”

  “I know.” She was staring, not believing. I was with her on that one.

  Dad moved. Stretched. Smiled at me, at Mom. She choked on a sob, one hand covering her mouth, but she wasn't looking at Dad.

  Her eyes were locked on Sassy.

  My father bent and picked up my friend's body. A hazy mist of amber magic rose from it, clinging to Dad, wrapping around him like a shroud. In one last flash of amber fire, Dad was gone from his statue, back to Demonicon at last.

  And he took Sassy with him.

  ***

  Chapter Thirty Five

  Two days.

  Two days had passed since Dad left and Sassy...

  Since Sassy died.

  It took me that long to even be able to say it in my head without breaking down into sobbing tears so hard I couldn't breathe.

  Almost as bad? Mom couldn't reach Dad. I tried too, but now the crystal was gone, I found it impossible to tear through the veil. And without Theridialis waiting on the other side to pull me over, I was out of luck.

  We tried not to worry. “Your father was fine when he left. He looked fine to you, didn't he, Syd?” Mom was as big a wreck as I was. If we weren't crying over Sassy, we were crying over Dad.

  Meira was oddly the most stable of the three of us. Was she upset? Naturally. But she seemed able to control her grief better and instead ended up taking care of the two of us as we tried to come to grips with Sassy's loss.

  I munched popcorn that tasted like ashes, drank water that did nothing to quench my thirst. Mom managed to keep the coven running, mostly because Erica stepped up.
r />   Shocker.

  “Mom,” I whispered to her on the second night as she, Meira and I all curled up together on her bed where we would sleep in a huddled pile. “What if Dad doesn't come back. What if he's not okay?”

  She refused to answer me, just stroked my hair to comfort me while she wept into the black satin pillowcase.

  When Quaid tried to contact me the first day, I shoved him aside, not able to go there, to embrace the love he offered through all of my pain. Liam didn't bother trying, leaving me that night with a gentle hug and a whispered, “Let me know if you need anything,” before leaving me be.

  I perked twice in those long two days. Once the first night when the wards were tripped by magic, but not witch sourced. I found Sunny in the kitchen, holding my sobbing mother. Her arms opened to me as well.

  When we'd finally calmed and Meira was given her own hug of comfort, Sunny told us the other reason she was there.

  “The werewolves are still here,” she said. “They didn't go with the Dumonts. Galleytrot's power seems to have freed them after all.” She sighed deeply, her disgust plain, but the Sunny I knew winning over her distaste. “They've been hovering around, Miriam. The leader, Raoul, actually came to see me.” Her perfect brow creased as she frowned over the very idea. “They want to talk to you. He has information, he says. That could help.”

  “Of course,” Mom told her, gripping Sunny's hand. “Thank you.”

  The second reprieve from grief and guilt came when a familiar power arrived in my back yard and refused to leave. My usual break neck race down the back stairs was reduced to a melancholy foot drag, until I slunk just inside the back door looking out at Quaid who stood there, waiting for me.

  I almost didn't go to him. But his power called me and I couldn't resist. I found myself in his arms, sobbing all over again and tired of it, frankly. He lifted me, carried me to the bench, sat with me in his lap, the familiar feel of leather under my hands, the scent of him mixed with it helping more than it should have.

  Instead of asking me questions or trying to make me feel better, Quaid talked. About his time with the Dumonts. What living with the coven was like. The Dumont brothers. Some of his comments actually made me laugh, giggle really, until, late in the night after he'd fallen still and we remained, just being together, my heart finally stitched itself back into one piece.

  Love's a funny thing like that.

  I woke the next morning in my bed, Quaid long gone, feeling like I'd broken free from a horrible dream. And while the sadness of losing Sassy was still there, I could function, move, get up, have a shower, get dressed.

  Go to school. What was it about me and going to school when my life was a wreck?

  Liam met me at the sunlit nook and hugged me immediately. “I wanted to come over.”

  I shook my head, breathing in the scent of laundry detergent and his earthy aroma, letting my friend support me for a moment. “Thank you, but there's nothing you could have done.”

  I really wasn't into school, but I went through the motions anyway just to have a dose of normal. That was it, of course. School was normal to me, ordinary. The last vestige of something I could control, with nothing to do with magic, life or death, the coven. It just was.

  I was on my way home, head down, kicking stones out of my path, when I felt the veil part and my father cross over. I froze there on the sidewalk, unable to breathe or think or act, as much a statue as the diamond effigy he'd left behind.

  Syd, Mom sent. Come home, Syd.

  She sounded happy. And so was I. Mostly. I raced home, through the kitchen door.

  Past the basement.

  Up the stairs to my room.

  I flung myself on the bed, the tears returning in full force, choking hoarse cries of sadness into the quilt. I hugged a pillow, breathing into it to muffle my grief, not even having the strength to shield myself from them.

  Someone climbed on the bed next to me, little arms wrapping around me, a soft, blue blanket pressed between us. I turned to Meira, discarding the pillow in favor of hugging my sister and the cat-hair covered childhood memory which was all we had left of my lifelong demon friend.

  We cried together for a while until we were both teared out.

  Meira snuffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “I want to go see Dad,” she whispered, voice thick with old tears. “I’m so glad he’s okay. But...”

  “I know.” I hugged her tighter, cheek resting on her hair. “I know.” Going down to see Dad, talking to him, knowing he was fine, back to his old self and a Demon Lord again, just seemed disrespectful. Like Sassy didn't matter.

  I knew it was crazy, that he'd want us to be happy. That he'd given his life to save Dad on purpose.

  “It's not fair.” There was a wail behind Meira's words. “Syd, why did Sassy have to die?”

  “Because,” I said. “He loved us and wanted Dad to survive. For us.”

  “He was so awesome.” She sniffed. “The best ever.” Meira's amber eyes welled. “I was so mean to him, Syd!”

  “You weren't.” I felt calm return, knew I was done with crying for my friend, at least the terrible life wrenching crying I'd been doing. I was still sad, but I wanted to remember him happy, not gripped by this tearing grief. “He loved you so much.”

  “I loved him too.” She twisted the hem of her shirt in her fingers. “He was my best friend.”

  I never had that with Sassy. It made me sad again to realize it. I'd never allowed him in my confidence far enough. “I wish.”

  “Did I tell you?” She twisted around to look up at me, a little smile on her face. “I found his favorite toy. You know, the silver fish on the stick?”

  I laughed. “You mean the toy he loved to hate.” Sassy always complained about his cat body, how he was unable to control certain urges. Like chasing toys.

  Meira giggled. “He really loved it,” she said. “He'd play for hours.” She sighed. “I still have candy left over, from last Halloween. You don’t know this, but some of the boys stole my treat bag before I got home.”

  She hadn't told me. Because if she had those same boys would be now mortally terrified of me.

  “Sassy got my candy back.” She giggled again. “I'm not sure what he did, or how he did it, but the three of them have stayed away from me ever since.”

  We had rules to follow, as a coven. Sometimes I wondered if Sassafras followed them as closely as he was supposed to.

  “I wish he was here,” Meira whispered. “I'd let him eat every last piece. Even if he did throw up later. I'd even clean it up.”

  My door creaked, knob turning. I sighed, knowing Mom must have finally decided to come get us herself. I turned away as the door opened, hugging my sister one more time.

  “He would have loved that,” I said.

  Something heavy landed on the end of the bed. “Mmm. Chocolate. My favorite.”

  Meira and I looked up. Stared. And stared. That frozen sensation I'd felt earlier was back with a vengeance. It wasn't until Sassafras, his shining silver fur rippling, came sauntering across the comforter toward us that it broke.

  Meira lunged forward and gathered him into her arms, burying her face in his thick fur. He began to purr, the sound so loud the bed vibrated, fed by demon magic reaching out to both of us and drawing us to him.

  “Thank you for the kind words,” he said at his most haughty. “I'll be sure to save them for later, when I need ammunition.”

  I laughed, unable to contain it, leaning forward to press my forehead against his. His amber eyes glowed happily, tongue snaking out to roughly clean the end of my nose.

  “Sassy, how?” Meira pulled back, bits of silver fur stuck to her wet cheeks. “And you're a cat again!”

  “This body was my only choice.” He shrugged in his fat cat way, power humming from him. He felt different, stronger. “My soul made it back to Demonicon, thanks to Harry. They tried to return me to my demon form. I had no idea Dad kept it all these years.” He shuddered slightly, whisker
s quivering. “But I'd been a cat for too long. There just wasn't enough of me left in that old body.”

  “They were going to let you stay.” That was the only explanation for putting him back in his original form.

  Sassy nodded slowly. “They offered. But I wanted to come home. To my family.”

  More tears. But these were happy ones. “Don't you ever do anything that stupid again. Ever.”

  He winked as Meira finally let him go, one paw lifting to his tongue only to swipe vigorously at his ear. “We'll see.”

  I reached for him with my power, my demon finally recovered, and felt what I suspected.

  “You're whole.”

  His purr was louder, punctuated by a sweet cry. “Syd,” he said. “I am.” If a cat could cry, I knew he'd be doing it.

  More happy tears. I didn't think I could bear it. I'd had enough crying for every reason.

  I scooped Sassy into my arms, my sister at my side, and went downstairs to join my parents.

  ***

  Chapter Thirty Six

  Graduation was rapidly approaching. Good thing I was a quick study. I was able to recover from my almost week of crash and burn enough I knew I'd at least pass. Not like I needed good marks to get into the college I'd be attending. Being a witch was all I needed. Still, I'd always been a good student and the thought of not making it, especially in my last year, rankled.

  Liam was a big help on the studying front. Fortunately, he and Quaid had formed some kind of truce during my absence into grief and now seemed like pretty good friends.

  When Liam broached the prom subject, telling Quaid he was happy to step aside and let my boyfriend take me, I kyboshed it immediately. And even though I knew it made Quaid jealous, he was great about it. I guess he knew better than to push me after what he'd put me through.

  Smart boy.

  Theridialis popped in far more regularly, and Sassy seemed happy about that. When I taught him to ride the veil, my demon cat acted like he'd known all along even though from his excitement he'd had no idea.