by Trina M. Lee
“That’s the understatement of the year.” Because I couldn’t outrun memories, I threw myself into the driver’s seat. After leaning over to unlock the passenger door for Willow, I sat there with my hands on the wheel, basking in the faint residual energy left behind by my forbidden love.
“Ok then,” I muttered to myself. “That’s enough of that.”
I busied myself with adjusting the seat and mirrors for my much shorter height. Being in Kale’s car gave me a weird feeling that he would know somehow, even from fourteen-hundred miles away.
“So,” I said, shaking off the memories that haunted me. “Where are we headed?”
“Do you have a tissue or something?” Willow gestured to my bloodstained face. “You’re looking a little like a horror-movie monster.”
Good call. I dug through my bag for some tissue and did my best to cleanse the mess from my face. Between my smeared eye makeup and the faint red marks beneath my eyes, I looked like hell.
“Better?” I asked, receiving a half-assed nod in reply. I turned the key, and the engine roared to life. It growled, purred, and snarled all at once. I was in love. “Hot damn, this is a fabulous car.”
Willow, unable to relate to my enthusiasm, shrugged and waited for me to stop gushing. As soon as the car started moving, I was hit with a pang of longing. I missed Kale. That thought created a domino effect. I was mad that he left, mad at Arys for orchestrating it, mad at Arys for killing Doghead wolves, and then furious at what he’d done tonight, forcing me into an altercation.
As bizarre as it was, I understood why he did it. It had been his last resort, a desperate attempt to reconnect with me. Violence might not seem like the best way to do that, but it played a large role in what we were. Violence had its own intimacy.
It was time to stop running from him. I had to accept responsibility for the role I’d played in our downfall. Maybe if I hadn’t pushed him away, he wouldn’t have started hunting the Doghead wolves. Maybe we would be strong enough to fight the twin flame madness rather than falling victim to it. Maybe…
Maybes were useless. Too late for maybe now.
Hitting the gas hard on my way out of the parking lot, the squeal of tires brought me a small shred of satisfaction. “So, where are you taking me? Wherever it is, it better be good. I need a distraction.”
Willow gripped the door handle as we flew around a corner and screeched to a halt at a red light. “Everything is so different for me now. I’m sure you know that.” He paused for my nod before continuing. “Being tapped into evil allows me to feel it, all around us, in all its forms. So I’ve been seeking it out and confronting it.”
I glanced over at him when he didn’t continue. “And? What does that mean exactly?”
“You’ll see. Take a right at the next set of lights.”
That wasn’t creepy or anything. I followed his random directions, my curiosity growing with every turn. Though I was eager to discover just what Willow had been up to in recent nights, I grew wary.
We headed over to Ellerslie, to the industrial park on the south side of the city. Industrial areas at night were not known for their friendly, inviting atmosphere. Neither were the people who frequented them.
“You understand how unnerving this is, right?” I tried to focus on the power of the car, the rumble from beneath the hood. Tuning out the dark vibe that poured from Willow wasn’t that easy.
We left the regular streets behind as we turned into an area littered with warehouses, shipping yards, and construction vehicles. I hadn’t been a fan of these types of places when I was alive, and I sure as shit still wasn’t now.
“Pull over up ahead. We’ll walk from here.” As Willow gazed out the window, a strange calm settled over him, like he was readying himself for something.
“Should I be expecting a fight or something?” I asked, suspicious. “What are we doing here, Willow?”
“Patience,” he said with a cagey smile that was all demon and not at all Willow.
As soon as the Camaro came to a stop, Willow thrust his door open and got out. I hesitated a moment before following and not before I’d strapped the Dragon Claw’s sheath around my waist. Just in case.
Right away the sound of voices reached me. They came from several buildings away, but there were many. Male. Willow’s secretive manner was starting to grate on me.
Like I had so many times before, I marveled at how human he appeared. Appearances were so deceptive. Jeans and a t-shirt made him look like any other random guy, but he was so far from it.
Willow turned suddenly and caught me staring. “What?”
“Nothing.” I motioned for him to lead the way and fell into step beside him. “Just feeling guilty. You sacrificed yourself for me, and I’ve been a total fuck up ever since.”
He shrugged it off, dismissing my guilt as if it were unfounded. “You’re adjusting. It’s to be expected. Besides, nobody is perfect, nor are they expected to be. Just be you. Let the rest fall into place.” The next smile to cross his face was much more characteristic of the Willow I knew. It was almost reassuring.
“Will it though?” I hadn’t meant to ask it aloud. It just slipped out. All of my doubts and fears had a way of spilling out when Willow was around.
“That’s more within your control than you realize.” For just a moment Willow’s eyes looked green in the dim streetlights. A blink and they were red. Wishful thinking.
Willow led me to two warehouses on the same property. Side by side, there was enough space between them for a car to pass through but just barely. Pressing close to one building, we headed toward a yard in the back.
The sound of voices grew louder. Aggressive and harsh, I was able to determine that these guys were up to something shady.
We got close enough to have a view of the gravel covered warehouse yard while still being concealed between the two buildings. There was a semi truck backed up to a loading door. Half a dozen guys unloaded boxes from the trailer. Standing near the front of the truck was another half dozen guys or so in a heated argument. They were divided into two groups with one man as the appointed speaker for each group. I suspected this was some kind of gang activity.
I glanced at Willow, expecting some kind of explanation. A frown marred his face. He appeared distracted.
“We have company,” he said in a low tone. We were far enough away from the men to go unheard and unseen. “Brook, you might as well show yourself.”
Brook appeared with the soft rustle of wings settling. He was spitting mad, spewing venom at Willow. “What the fuck are you doing here? This is my job. Got it?”
Completely unfazed by Brook’s outburst, Willow shook his head. Just once. “Not anymore.”
His black eyes like two drowning abysses, Brook shoved by me to get right in Willow’s face. “You don’t get to just change sides on a whim and start launching takeovers. Find your own party. This one is mine.”
Willow stood his ground, unflinching beneath the riled up demon’s dark stare. We all knew Brook was inferior to Willow, but I had to give Brook credit for refusing to acknowledge that. He was like a scrappy little Chihuahua barking in the face of a Rottweiler.
“Don’t make me repeat myself,” Willow warned. “Don’t you have some teenagers to haunt or something? Go away. Or stay. I don’t care. But keep your mouth shut.”
Surprise dropped my jaw. I’d seen Willow be fierce but never just an outright dick. He was dealing with a demon, however. Still, something about him just felt…off.
“This is my job, Willow. Don’t fuck this up for me.” Brook’s anger was tainted with desperation. “You can get your rocks off anywhere else.”
I was confused to say the least. Demon tasks and their hierarchy wasn’t something I was well versed in. Watching the exchange made me uneasy.
“Well, I’d like to get them off right here. So shut it.” Raising a hand, Willow hit Brook with a pulse that doubled him over.
Though it hadn’t been meant for me, the afters
hock reverberated through my head in waves. Son of a bitch, that hurt. Stumbling back a few steps, I focused on shielding harder. Shya had broken through my shields before without even trying. Willow was even stronger than he was.
With a devilish smirk, Willow turned back to the men we were watching. He eyed them for a moment, listening as the two appointed leaders argued over a missing box. Whatever was inside their shipment, it had to be bad news.
“What are we doing here, Willow?” I asked, sparing a glance for Brook who leaned against the building, clutching his middle. “I want answers.”
“Having a little fun. Doling out some justice.” When he saw the stone-cold stare I leveled at him, he shrugged and said, “These guys are supplying the narcotics that end up in Arrow’s possession. The very same shit that almost cost Jez her life. Don’t you want to see them stopped?”
Of course I did, but something told me that what Willow had in mind wasn’t going to involve cops or jail time. It was going to be so much worse. He waited for my reaction, and I wanted to give him one that didn’t involve wary suspicion, but I was at a loss.
“So let’s tip the cops off to this little gathering then,” I said with growing unease. “Then they’ll all get carted off like they deserve.”
Willow shot my suggestion down with a glare. “No cops. That won’t teach them a damn thing. They’ll just get out anyway. Evil is evil, and humans suck at dealing with it.”
Brook’s low chuckle drew both our gazes his way. “And you, a demon, think you can dole out punishment for evils done? I know you’re new to our side and all, Willow, but that’s fucking stupid. It doesn’t work that way. Evil doesn’t punish evil. It can’t. That’d be like a snake eating its own tail.”
As much as I hated to agree with Brook on anything, he was right. Willow couldn’t possibly bring any good from an evil situation by doing something just as evil, if not worse.
“We’ll see.” Willow turned back to the drug deal taking place.
With a snap of his fingers, the scene changed. One guy pulled a gun and started firing. He didn’t aim only at the other group but at his own men as well. As fast as they started dropping, they started shouting. More weapons were produced.
The two leaders didn’t hesitate. No questions asked, they lunged at each other, one with a knife in hand. The blade found its way into the throat of the other. Blood sprayed. The aroma reached me across the distance. I licked my lips, watching the violence erupt.
Men pummeled one another with fists. Punches turned into kicks once men were on the ground. Gunshots continued to ring out, many bullets missing the mark but just as many finding it. Not once did anyone try to stop it. Nobody attempted to play peacemaker. It was every man for himself.
Willow watched this with twisted glee. The smile that curved his lips struck fear into my heart. Not fear for what was taking place but for him. My dear friend. Lost to darkness. Because of me.
The men dropped so fast I could barely keep track of them all. Until there were just two left. One of them had a gun. The other was on his knees, begging for mercy.
Vibing off the mass of homicidal energy, I stood stiff, hating that I loved the way it felt as it rolled over me. The dark inside me responded to the scene, basking in it. My stomach turned, and I wanted to vomit, something that vampires didn’t seem able to do in my experience so far.
Being surrounded by murderous mayhem, Brook, and Willow should have been overwhelming. I expected the dark to take me, to bring out the vampire side of me in a blaze of glory. It didn’t.
Much to my surprise, there was a flicker of something else in my core, something bright and full of life. Steadily it grew, filling me with wonder. Blue and gold lined my aura, crackling all around me like lightning dancing in place.
Brook did a double take before backing away.
“Willow, stop this. It’s gone far enough.” It wasn’t a request but a demand. I didn’t know what to do. I just knew that I couldn’t stand there and watch someone I cared about delight in evil. This was Willow. He should never have ended up this way.
“Not as long as any of them are still standing, it hasn’t.” Willow turned a vicious red stare on me. “Do you have any idea what kind of damage these fucking assholes do? Jez almost died. She’s just one of many. There are kids hooked on the shit they sell. Kids who sell themselves for more. Brinley’s kids, Alexa.”
“Don’t.” I shook my head, unwilling to let him get to me through one of my weak points. “Don’t try to manipulate my emotions. That’s not who you are. You’re better than this. You’re…” I faltered, searching for something that would get through to him and coming up short. “You’re Willow.”
Brook snickered, enjoying Willow’s descent into darkness. Without thinking I turned to him with a raised hand, dealing him a blow that knocked him on his ass. I had half a mind to go after him with the Dragon Claw. A slice from the blade would force Brook out of here, back to the other side, to the spirit realm where demons dwelled. However, he wasn’t the problem here. Willow was.
“Not anymore,” Willow muttered. His gaze settled back on the two remaining men. They seemed to be in limbo, inactive until Willow made his final move. “These men prey on the weak. They profit from addiction and desperation. You of all people should want them to pay.”
“I do.” I held up both hands in surrender as I drew closer to Willow. The power crackling all around and through me wasn’t going to help me get through to him. “But mass murder isn’t the way. Or at least it’s not your way. Stop this now before it’s too late.”
Willow crossed his arms and stared at the men. His voice was hollow when he said, “It’s already too late. It’s been too late since I fell in love with a whore.” He laughed then, a sharp, bitter sound. “A fucking whore. Even I know how ridiculous that sounds. Pathetic.”
This wasn’t Willow. He would never have spoken of Christina like that. Ignoring what she was, he had loved her for who she was. Willow always searched for the kindness within a person’s soul. Sometimes he even revealed it to them. He’d done it for me, encouraging me to embrace my role here no matter how hard or pointless it seemed at times.
His sour words slashed their way into my heart. Witnessing how far he’d fallen took me to a place of sorrow too deep for tears.
“Willow, please. Stop this now.”
He didn’t hesitate or so much as glance my way. He merely inclined his head in a half nod, and the man on his knees took a bullet in the forehead. The man holding the gun then turned it on himself. He stuck the barrel in his mouth, and it was over.
Willow gestured to the gruesome scene. “Call the cops now if you like. It would be best to get those narcotics dealt with before someone else comes along.”
I stared at him, aghast. Speechless. Brook shared my stunned silence. I couldn’t tell by his expression if he was afraid or impressed. He appeared to be a little of both.
When I didn’t produce a response, Willow scowled. “How can you look so shocked? Your kill count isn’t quite zero either, you know.”
How could he not realize that my horror wasn’t for the dead men but for him? It was the eye-opening realization of how drastically Willow had changed that left me shaken and in despair. Demons were pure evil. This was not news to me. Seeing Willow in action, justifying his evil as he committed it, that was the absolute worst thing that could ever have happened to him. It broke my heart.
There was nothing I could say.
Scorn shone in his scarlet gaze as he glowered at me. Had he expected me to participate in this? Yes, he had. Under different circumstances, I suppose I might have.
“Don’t you dare mourn for me,” he hissed, lunging toward me. “Don’t you dare stand there and feel sorry for me. I won’t be pitied.”
Because I wasn’t sure of his intent and because he couldn’t be trusted, I threw up my hands and hit him with everything I held ready. Like the night I faced Shya, I channeled my dark power, manipulating it with the light. Turnin
g all I had into a force of divine greatness, I hit Willow right in the chest with it.
The force struck him and held him frozen in place. An anguished cry erupted from him as he fought back. It wouldn’t hold him long. However, he wasn’t fighting it.
With a sob lodged in my throat, I pulled the Dragon Claw from its sheath with the sound of metal singing. “I’m sorry,” I whispered before plunging the blade into his chest.
Stabbing my dagger into Willow was one of the most fucked up things I’d ever done. It wouldn’t do any lasting damage, but it should keep him off the physical plane for the rest of the night.
His body disappeared before it hit the ground. That visual was going to haunt me for a while. Overcome with emotion, I collapsed to the ground. I wished I could sob or cry, but my tears had all run dry.
Brook still stood there, watching me, his expression unreadable. He flapped his big, black wings once and then he was gone.
So much had been revealed to me tonight. Too much had been unveiled that I could no longer ignore. Willow was no longer himself. He was, but he wasn’t. Wrapping my mind around that was difficult.
I couldn’t let this be all that he was now. Gripped with a sense of urgency, I knew with every fiber of my undead being that the only way to honor Willow’s sacrifice was to ensure that the Hound of God ruled in me. The Protector of Mankind. I would never be rid of the dark that came with being joined to a Dark Flame. But I was learning how to make both sides work together, and I might have been half-crazed with the lust for blood and power, but I didn’t have to accept it. I could fight and prove that it wasn’t all I was. It wasn’t who I was.
Willow’s blood stained the Dragon Claw black in the night. Even as I was making promises to myself to overcome my own dark side, I reached to slide a finger through that sinful stain.
I stared at the demon blood on my fingertip. Hell yeah, I was tempted. Until I brought it closer and inhaled the scent of it. Noxious and sulfuric, I recoiled as the smell assaulted my olfactory senses. No doubt there was vast power in that one little smear of crimson, but there was also absolute evil. Though the dark side of me was intrigued, the light would have none of it. Never.
