I FOLLOW WELDON BACK INSIDE, feeling a small sense of relief. Weldon has always had a knack for helping me see past my own stubbornness. He always knows just what to say to make me really listen.
When my eyes finally find Gavin’s, I already know my time at denying has run its course. It’s time to face my future; to face the decision I have been dodging from the moment that Demon opened his vile mouth. I was a fool for thinking this would ever go any other way than it has.
“They have him,” Gavin says with a forced hardness. Beneath his blatant gaze, I see the tremor of realization quaking through him. He’s only one lie away from cracking; one disappointment from breaking into a million pieces.
Bravery is easier said than embodied. This hunt will change everything.
“Okay,” I say quietly. A certain calm settles over me, like knowing the moment is here has relieved some of the pressure on my conscience.
He stands up, taking in a breath like it’s the only thing that can bring him salvation. “They’re dropping him off at my place, so we need to go like now.” He runs a hand through his dark brown hair. “I uh…well… Never mind.”
I nod, feeling like I’m more out of my body than in at the moment, like I’m hovering above, watching all the bad decisions we’re about to make. I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to quiet the flurry of thoughts storming my head. The girls get up and follow Gavin out the back of the theater. Jezi doesn’t even bother looking my way. I think she might be scared it will open a door for me to back out of.
“You ready?” Weldon asks, reading my expression. His hand latches onto my shoulder and squeezes.
I look over at him. “Do I have a freaking choice?”
He grins, but there’s no amusement in the gesture, only sadness. “There’s always a choice, young friend.” He nods to the door. “Come on. Let’s go.”
OUTSIDE, THE SKY CHURNS WITH swirling dark grays and soft whites. Bands of rain fall in the direction we’re headed. Weldon hops into the passenger seat of my truck and slams the door shut.
“I’ll follow you,” I yell over the cab of my truck to Gavin. He nods from out of his window and pulls out onto the street. I barely even see the roads I’m driving as we make our way to Gavin’s place. All I can think about is what they’re about to do…what I’m about to do.
Weldon nosily fiddles with the different compartments in my truck, digging through the garbage and papers. “You should clean this out,” he says, sorting through the papers in the center console.
I grab the papers from his hand and shove them back in the console before slamming it shut.
He snorts and flicks his gaze over to the window. Rain pelts against the glass at a sideways angle. I can barely see Gavin’s taillights in front of me. “This can’t be a good sign,” I say, setting the wipers on high.
“So, what you’re saying is that your glass is half-empty?”
I roll my eyes, dragging in a breath. “I’m saying the rain is shitty, and what we’re about to walk into is even shittier.”
“Rain can also be viewed as cleansing and bountiful.”
“Will you shut the hell up?” I snap. “Seriously, your philosophical sarcasm isn’t helping.” I switch lanes and hook a left. My heart speeds up with every mile we cross.
Weldon laughs a deep, hearty laugh. I catch him shaking his head out of the corner of my eye and grip the steering wheel, praying for control. I know it’s not his fault. He means no harm, but he’s here, and he’s the only thing I can take my frustration out on at the moment.
I feel him shift in his seat to face me a little better. “How about this… You look so beautiful in the soft, ambient light of the setting…”
My lips crack a little. I chew the inside of my cheek to refrain from smiling. “You’re an assmonkey,” I manage, trying to keep a blank face. I cast a quick glance in his direction.
He’s beaming a satisfied smile and tips an imaginary hat before laughing and settling back into his seat. “Well, I figured since you’re acting like a girl, I should treat you like one, my sweet,” he throws in.
Gavin takes the last turn to his apartment, and I begin to shake. It starts in my hands at first, like a small tick, and then travels all the way to my chest where it embeds. After parallel parking, I shut the truck off and stare off into the rain and up toward Gavin’s apartment. The Middleton’s car is parked in front of me, which means the Witch is already up there; already awaiting his unjust death.
I reach for the handle to get out, but Weldon stops me with a hand on my forearm. “Be sure this is something you can live with,” he says with caution glowing in his liquid gold eyes.
I clench my teeth and shove the door open. Anger is the only thing that’s going to get me through this. Anger is the only thing that will quench the fear. I may not be able to live with this injustice, but I can live with knowing my brother will live a full, sated life.
Gavin waits under the awning with Cassie and Jezi. “Yo,” he says, hands tucked deep into his pockets.
I nod, fists balled at my sides. “Let’s get this shit over with.”
He doesn’t stop to ask me if I’m okay. He knows. He heads inside, and we make our way up the stairs two at a time. I can’t keep my hands from shaking at my sides. Sweat already forms along my forehead. My heart is two beats from breaking out of its cage.
The Middletons are waiting by the door with the Witch in between them. Gavin unlocks his door, and we enter his living room. Mary guides Joe to the chair Gavin grabs, and ties him down with a magical rope she manifests. Gavin uses a static, sparking net of volation to hold him in place, binding his magic.
“We know who he works for,” Russell says without emotion. He’s standing in front of Joe with his arms crossed.
I wait for the name. I brace myself for the final push into my grave, but the name never comes.
“It’s just a suspicion. Mary thought she saw-”
“I did see her, Russell. She looked right at me. She-”
He quickly looks over at her, raising his eyes a little. They’re communicating through their affinity marks. After a long moment, he looks back over at me. He straightens his shoulders a little. “Until we can confirm who and what we saw, we think it’s best that none of you know, for your own protection, of course.”
“We’re all in this together,” I say. “You shouldn’t be burdened alone.”
He tucks his hands behind his back and takes a small step toward me. “Yes, but this kind of information is the kind people are killed over, Jaxen. Though this mission was a team effort, I’m not risking any more lives than I have to. Mary and I are going to meet with Maddock tomorrow after the Culling.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot about that,” Cassie says. “Your daughter is of age now, right?”
Russell’s face brightens with pride. “Yep. The moment I’ve been waiting for since I first held her. She’s going to be a Hunter. I just know it.”
I can’t help but notice Mary’s face pale a little. She licks her lips and drops her gaze to the floor, fiddling with her hands. Russell’s gaze drifts over to her, and the light in his eyes dims a little. He clears his throat and drops his hands to his side. “That being said, we completed our mission, and Maddock promised us a light hunt tonight, so I think we’re going to call it a night. Our daughter is waiting on us. You can handle him, right?”
I know in his question, he’s asking more than just about this situation. I look to my brother who avoids looking my way. The shell around my heart shatters a little. For him, I would battle the fires in the Underground.
“Yeah, we’re good here,” I say with as much confidence as I can muster. I think he buys it because he smiles, squeezes my shoulder, and takes Mary’s hand. I don’t wait to watch them go. I turn back to Gavin as the door clicks shut behind me.
Weldon claps his hands together. “Welp, let’s get this party started.”
“And who invited you?” Cassie asks snidely.
“I’m the refe
ree,” Weldon says as he plops down on Gavin’s couch. “Therefore, I invited myself.”
“How convenient,” Cassie says with an eye roll.
“Gav?” I say, ignoring everyone else.
He finally looks up at me. Desperation clings to his gaze. He wants me to tell him what to do…something I’ve never had to do before. He’s always been the backbone, ever since our parents left us. As much as he wants to save Cassie and me, he also wants to do the right thing. It’s what we signed up for. It’s what we pledged our life to, but if I call the shots, if I eat the guilt, then my brother can live. He can truly live.
I swallow the crudeness of the situation and shut everything off, switching into autopilot. “Who’s doing the spell?” I ask, looking away from Gavin and over to Jezi and Cassie.
“I will,” Jezi says definitively. She walks over to me, her hazel eyes sparkling with love. “I knew it. I knew you wanted this to work.”
My chest tenses at her words right as Weldon snorts out a laugh.
Her eyes move in his direction and then back to me. “Why is he laughing?” I don’t like the slight edge of fear hiding within her words, or that Weldon is still laughing.
“I don’t know. Ignore him,” I answer shortly. “Let’s get this over with.”
I try to get her to turn back to the Witch, but she won’t budge, and Weldon won’t quit laughing.
“What?!” she fires off as she spins on him.
He stops and clears his throat, as if his composure was simply hiding in the gesture. He sits straight and tilts his head up at her. “I apologize for my lack of manners. I just can’t help but find the humor in your thought process.”
I wince the minute his words roll off his tongue, knowing nothing good is about to happen from that comment.
“My thought process?” Jezi asks, trying to keep up with him.
I should stop this right now. I know what he’s going to say…where this conversation will lead. I know it’s nothing Jezi needs to hear right now, but for some reason, I can’t stop Weldon from burning the bridge for me. I can’t keep him from saying what I lack the guts to say, and so I do nothing.
Weldon lazily crosses his legs, looking way too amused with himself. “Yes, your thought process. You honestly believe Jaxen is doing this for you, for your so called ‘relationship?’” He sighs mockingly, rolling his eyes to the side. “You really have no clue, Jezi, and I almost feel sorry for you because of it. You’re so ready to sacrifice one of your own for an unrequited love. What does that say about you?”
“I don’t care what anyone thinks about me, least of all you.” Her voice breaks, right along with a piece of the thin frame keeping our fabricated relationship together. She steps toward Weldon. “This isn’t just for Jaxen…it’s for Cassie, and for the countless others who will suffer from this curse,” Jezi says hotly. Her fists are shaking at her sides. Her power is starting to pull from mine.
He drops a brow. “Really? ‘Cause I think it’s solely for a relationship you think exists, that will never exist.”
“What are you talking about?” she breathes out.
“What I’m trying to say is this, go ahead and slaughter the cow in the name of love, but just realize that Jaxen’s decision to go ahead with this spell has nothing to do with you and everything to do with his brother.”
“Enough already!” Cassie yells behind us. “Weldon, stop talking shit.”
“No,” Jezi says firmly. Her eyes are locked on the side of my face. “Tell him he’s full of it, Jaxen. Tell him.”
“Tell him, tell him,” Weldon mocks in a high-pitched voice. He stands up, towering over her. His amber eyes darken with fury and mockery. “There’s nothing to tell, Jezibelle. If he really loved you, then he would love you already, the same way our dear Gavin loves Cassandra. But Jaxen doesn’t, now does he? At least, not in that way, he doesn’t. The spark isn’t there, and the sooner you realize it, the better.”
She lunges for him with a cat-like growl, but I expect it. Her murderous intentions are running clear through my mind. “I’ll kill you!” she shouts, pawing through the air for him with magic sparking off her fingertips. “You’re nothing but a blood-drinking, low-life, scum Demon. A bottom dweller. A nobody. I hate you! I hate you!” Tears gush from her eyes. I hoist her up over my shoulder and head for the door as she kicks and cries and screams.
Before I get there, I stop right beside him as he stares out the window with a contented smile. “That wasn’t your place to tell her,” I say under my breath to him.
He waits a moment before flicking his gaze up in my direction. “Then why didn’t you stop me?”
“PUT ME DOWN!” JEZI SHOUTS as her fists beat against my back. I barely even flinch from her magic-filled punches. I set her down outside of Gavin’s apartment door and take a step back. “Why didn’t you back me up? Why don’t you ever back me up?” she shouts at me angrily. “You’re a liar! I hate you, Jaxen Gramm! I wish I’d never been partnered with you!”
Her words slice through my heart, switching my emotions back on. This has been a long time coming. This has been a realization I’ve ducked and avoided for far too long. I owe it to her to be honest with her. I owe it to her to give her a fighting chance at real love. I run my hand up her arm and grab her chin, forcing her to look at me.
“You knew this day would come, Jezi.” I’m surprised at how relieved I feel as the words pass through my lips.
Her eyes clench shut as more tears silently drip down her cheeks. “I don’t understand, Jaxen. I love you. Don’t you know that? Despite everything, I love you. Just let me in a little. I can show you. This can work.”
“No,” I say firmly. She wants to continue to debate, but I stop her. “It isn’t because of the curse, Jezi. I’ve used that as a shield…a crutch, and up until this moment, up until I decided I wanted to go through with this spell, I didn’t know for sure how I felt about you. I told myself we never tried because I didn’t want you hurt by the curse, but that’s not the truth. We’ve never tried because I don’t love you like that. You’re my friend, a very good one, but Weldon is right. There is no spark, and you deserve better. You deserve that spark.”
She takes a step back from me, shaking her head in denial. “You don’t mean it.”
I reach for her hand, but she yanks it away. “I do, Jezi. I do and I’m sorry.”
An eerie calm settles over her. It’s a rare moment where I don’t know what to expect…what to say. She wipes her eyes and straightens her shoulders. Resilience overtakes her gaze. She is a woman of strength; a hardened heart I have unintentionally created. “Fine. I’m done chasing you.”
“I never asked you to chase me.”
Hazel eyes, boiling in fury, find mine. “No? Well, good for you.”
“Jezi, come on,” I say, reaching for her again. I don’t want her to hurt, but I also don’t want to drag this out any further than it already has been. “I never meant to hurt you. I don’t want you to hurt.”
She sucks in a deep breath. “You can’t change it with words, Jaxen.” She exhales and stares down the hall. “But if I’m being fair, I know…I think I’ve known all along. I just need time to accept this.”
“Okay,” I say, feeling a small sliver of relief.
“And your support,” she says firmly, looking me dead in the eyes. “You have my back, no matter what. And don’t…don’t date in front of me…if that ever happens.”
I laugh. “Yeah, right.”
A small smile flashes across her lips. “And I won’t do the same.”
I cup her face. “I want you to date. I want you to be happy.”
She shuts her eyes. “As sweet as that is, please stop. Saying things like that is like pouring salt on my open wound.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, dropping my hand.
She sighs. “We should get back in.”
“Yeah.” I turn for the door.
“Jaxen?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank yo
u for finally opening up to me…for finally letting me in, even if it didn’t work in my favor.”
I toss her a small smile and open the door.
“ARE YOU DONE BREAKING HEARTS? Can we get this over with now?” Cassie asks the moment I cross the threshold. Joe struggles under her spell, trying to break free. “His dark magic is going to eat through my spell if we don’t hurry.”
I shut every one of my emotions off. I know I won’t go through with it if I don’t. Jezi pulls out the spell and moves to stand in front of the Witch. He’s glaring daggers at her, struggling against the magic holding him down. Gavin moves next to Cassie, using his strength and volation to dissipate the magic streaming off the Witch.
We all stare at each other for a moment, realizing that there is no going back, realizing that we will forever be bonded in blood.
“Is this where you want to do it?” Jezi asks, looking around the room. “We have to bleed him out. I don’t want it to ruin your carpet.” Her voice quivers a little as she adjusts her stance.
“I got this,” Cassie says. Her eyes close as words roll off her tongue under her breath. A very large bucket appears beneath the chair, ready to contain Joe’s life force.
“You’re making a mistake,” Joe says, his voice hardened with fear. “My blood will do nothing to help you. I’m not the one who cursed you.”
Cassie slaps him across the face with a spell that seals his lips shut. “We didn’t ask for your opinion, now did we?”
Jezi looks rattled. “Okay,” she says. She adjusts her stance again. Her thoughts tumble through my head in a scattered mess.
I reach out and rest a hand on her shoulder, stabilizing her. “You can do this.”
“Odd, coming from you,” Cassie spits out. I ignore her.
Jezi nods, taking in a few good, deep breaths. “Okay,” she says. “I can do this.” She shuts her eyes, and words roll off her tongue, calling the God and Goddess to us.
“To the great Horned God, Lord of the sun,
We call upon you to witness our rite and offer us protection.
The Gramm Curse (The Night Watchmen Series) Page 9
