Between the Bleeding Willows (The Demon Hunters Series Book 1)

by Roach, D. A.

  “Not bad, let’s see how you handle hand to hand combat.” He replaced our sticks in a holder along the wall and returned. Sweat was stinging my eyes. I lifted the front of my shirt to wipe it away. “Ready?”

  I nodded.

  “Hit me. Hit me with all you got.”

  “Where?”

  “Anywhere.”

  I punched his stomach hard, but held back.

  Jackson laughed. “Come on, Cassidy! Again, this time, hit me, don’t tickle me. I shouldn’t be laughing after a hard hit.”

  I hit him harder, but I still felt like I was holding back.

  He didn’t laugh; he said nothing this time. Instead, he walked away from me, paced around the room, looking scary and pissed off.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t really want to hurt you.”

  He walked up to me fast. My adrenaline surged. “If you don’t practice hitting hard, you’ll get your ass handed to you. Now. Hit. Me.” His voice was thunderous and terrifying.

  I hit him as hard as I could on his left cheek and he returned with a punch to my stomach. I could not breathe. I gasped and searched for air, falling to the floor on all fours, sucking hard to draw in oxygen, but somehow failing. I was going to die. I was dying…

  “Jackson…what’s going on in here—Cassidy!” Killian was by my side in a flash.

  I couldn’t answer him. I couldn’t do anything but focus on not dying. My vision was fading in and out. “Jackson! What the hell happened?”

  “I probably knocked the wind out of her, Sir. We were sparring.” He didn’t sound worried or panicked like Killian and I.

  “Sit up, Cass.” Killian sat on the ground next to me and wrapped his arm around me. “You need to calm down. The air will come when your muscles relax. Don’t force it, just try for slow, deep breaths through your mouth.” I let out a loud gasp for air and then a few shorter breaths followed. Tears fell down my face. He held me till my breathing returned to a normal rhythm.

  “I think I’m okay,” I croaked. Killian pulled my hair back out of my face; his eyes held the same intensity they had when we shared the passionate kiss yesterday. My tattoo warmed and my heart skipped a beat. I needed to focus on something else, though. “Why did that happen? What the hell kind of attack move was that? I thought I was going to die.”

  Jackson crouched in front of me and chuckled. “It was a simple punch. Your diaphragm muscle clenched, and it kept your breathers from fillin’. Happens sometimes. Next time, puff out all your air when I make contact with you, and it shouldn’t happen.” Jackson helped me up and showed me a reddening welt on his face. “Nice shot, by the way. I might even have a bruise tomorrow. Wanna have another go?”

  “I think I’m good for today. Thanks.”

  Casper guided me out of the sparring room. Killian stayed to chat with Jackson, though I noticed his eyes followed me as I left.

  “Oh my God, that was terrible. Have you ever had the wind knocked out of you?” I asked Casper.

  “Nah, no one can catch me.”

  “Lucky. I have never experienced anything like that in my life. I thought I was gonna die.” I shook my head.

  “You clocked him pretty good. Really good hit. I was kinda surprised he hit you back.” Casper led us to the fitness room. “Of course, Jackson is unpredictable and likes his crew to be ready for anything.”

  “I was surprised too. Next time, I won’t be caught off guard.”

  “Next time? Guess you liked it, huh?” Casper smiled at me. “Come on, bruiser, time to get you strong again.” The fitness room had resistance bands, pull up bars, inclined surfaces for sit-ups, and various other equipment. Casper had me lie on what looked like a scooter board, hold onto tight elastic bands attached to a bar in the wall, and push off to work my quads. My heart pumped fast and sweat dripped down my neck. After correcting my technique, he walked to a pull up bar and began his exercises. There was not an ounce of fat on him, just muscle and bone, which clearly helped him be so fast in combat. I lost count of his reps, watching him work his muscles hard.

  “Not doin’ too bad, Cass. How do you feel?” Casper smiled at me. My muscles quivered from the exercise, weak from the inactivity of being unconscious, and my fist was starting to throb from making contact with Jackson’s brick face.

  “I’m okay. But you are a machine! How often do you come down here?”

  “As much as I can.” He chuckled at the expression on my face. “What? I can’t bulk up like Killian and Jackson. My metabolism is too fast, so I gotta be faster than my opponent.”

  “Good point. I need a drink and a shower.”

  “Drink first, my dear, and maybe some food.” We made our way to the dining hall and grabbed juice, jerky, and some trail mix, and then we headed toward my quarters.

  “You’re unbelievable. Jackson was really trying to hit you and you evaded it every time.”

  “Yeah, everyone hates sparring with me. My intuition gives me an unfair advantage over him, but he’s hopeful he’ll catch me off guard someday.”

  “So this intuition thing, have you always had it?”

  “To a degree, but it intensified a year ago when I turned eighteen and was tattooed. I believe the angel blood they mix with the ink intensified what was already in me.”

  “Angel blood?”

  “That’s what the legends say, though I have never seen an angel—seen a few demons while on patrol—but never saw an angel.”

  The walk to my room was too short. His story was just getting good, and I didn’t want him to stop.

  “Come in. You can’t leave till you finish this story.”

  “Cassidy, I don’t know how much of it is true. They’re old stories.”

  “Well, I want to hear them.” I pulled him into the room and urged him to sit beside me on the couch. “So you were saying something about angel blood.”

  “Yeah, they say that the demons were gaining ground, getting more aggressive and trying to possess more people. Our Clan was losing the battle. If the demons continued, it would have been Hell on Earth and the human race would’ve died. So one day an angel was sent to the complex to work with the Clan, to help them fight and bind the demons. They successfully bound many of the demons that are trapped in the binding chamber, but they also came up against some strong demons. Anyway, the angel was fatally injured, but before he died, he instructed the Clan to drain his blood and use it for magic. Now we use it for crossovers, summoning, healing, and in our tattoos. But since our supply is running low, we take blood from each other to infuse the tattoos. Pretty diluted but still beneficial.”

  “You haven’t had any angels come back since that one?”

  “If that was truly an angel…” he corrected, “no.”

  “So this tattoo of mine has angel blood in it?”

  “According to the story, yes.”

  “Is it one of the Clan member’s blood?”

  “Yes, that’s all they use now. I don’t know whose blood they used, but you are bonded to someone here.”

  “Bonded?” I looked at the serpent that coiled around my arm.

  “You ask a lot of questions…” Casper’s eyes squinted when he looked at me. “Sorry, I’m used to everyone knowing this stuff. Um, yeah, bonded, connected in some way to them—at least as long as that tattoo inks your skin.”

  “Till death do us part,” I muttered.

  “What did you say?”

  I looked up at Casper, “Till death do us part. You know, like when people get married—join their lives for life? But this is literally ‘till death do us part’.” Casper was quiet. “Do people marry within the Clan?”

  He shook his head. “Not anymore. Heard they changed the rules some time back because they didn’t want the Clan safety jeopardized over love.”

  “So how are there new recruits? Wouldn’t the Clan eventually die out?”

  “People can have sex and reproduce without a marriage commitment.” Yes, that was true. I blushed; I didn’t mean for the conversation
to turn toward a sex talk, but I was curious. “And if they want to be married, they can leave the Clan, or transfer to one that doesn’t forbid it.”

  My mouth fell open. “There are other clans?”

  Casper nodded and smiled at my surprise. “The Demon Realm is broken into four parts. There’s a clan in each part.”

  “Have you met any of them or battled with them?”

  “I haven’t, personally.”

  I looked down at my tattoo again, wondering who I was bonded to. “Do you know who you are bonded to?”

  “Yeah, my Aunt Abby. She died in a battle several months ago, shortly after my tattoo ceremony.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I didn’t really know her, my mom wanted to keep me far away from the Demon Hunter life. I only met her at my tattoo ceremony, and then she left to head back to her own clan. My mom said that’s where my intuition comes from. See, my mom had the gift of premonition, but her sister, Aunt Abby, had intuition.”

  “What’s the difference?”

  “Premonition is the gift to see a future event…like a battle that is going to happen in a month, or our crops will get struck by lightning. Intuition is more immediate.”

  “Like you dodging punches.”

  “Exactly.”

  “So where is your mom now?”

  “In the Human Realm, living in an apartment on the south side of Chicago.” It was hard to imagine that Casper’s mom was living a normal mortal life while her son trained to fight demons. “What? Didn’t expect that answer?” I shook my head. “She never wanted to be a part of this. I found out she even took medicine to stop her premonitions. Tried to keep it all secret from me, but eventually I was drawn to it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When I turned sixteen, I started becoming obsessed with demonology. I checked out library books on it and researched online. I also took up Krav Maga; it’s a self-defense martial art. Some of the moves I learned are similar to what they teach here. Anyway, I started hanging out at the Blaylock Grove Cemetery. I ventured out there every free chance I had—just hangin’ out by the big willows. The school called my mom one day and said I hadn’t been showing up for classes. She knew right where to find me…under the willows in near the gate to the Demon Realm. She explained it all to me and told me that the decision to join the Clan or not was mine, and she apologized for hiding it from me.”

  “And your dad?”

  “Never knew him. Mom had a one night stand with some guy and…here I am.”

  “Well I’m glad she did because you’re a pretty great guy.” He smiled at the compliment. “So if I was bonded to someone with powers, I might get their abilities?”

  “Yes, it could happen, or it can mutate and create a whole other ability that has not been seen yet. Or maybe you wouldn’t get anything.”

  “Interesting. Now I’m curious to find out who I’m bonded with.”

  “Me too. Maybe we could ask Lena. She was the one caring for you in the med unit.”

  “Good idea. But first I need a shower. Meet me back here in an hour.” Casper agreed and left to clean up.

  I turned the water as hot as it went and stepped in, letting the heat unkink some of my overworked muscles. As I lathered with soap, I saw evidence of bruises up and down my shins and several on my forearms. Speckled with faint purple tender spots, I felt badass and so alive. After washing my hair and rinsing off, I dried off with the thin body towel that was neatly folded on a shelf. Pulling on a long tee and some leggings, I worked my fingers through my wet hair. There was a knock. Casper was fast even with showering! I opened the door. “Hey Casp…”

  Killian filled the door frame. “Can I come in?”

  “Um, yeah.” I went back to the mirror to tame my tresses. “Everything okay?”

  “Well, that’s what I wanted to ask you. Are you okay, you know, from earlier?”

  “What? Jackson kickin’ my butt? Yeah. Mostly it scared me. I’m not sure I ever want to experience that again.”

  “Yeah, suckin’ air when your body refuses to let it in is no fun. But you learn and get better at knowing how to avoid that.” He looked at me, face turning serious. “Listen, something’s been on my mind for a while, and I need to get it off my chest.” He turned away from me and paced the floor while raking his hand through his hair.

  “What is it?” This was it. The talk about the kiss. I knew it could go either way, be awkward and fall to pieces or it could be the next step for Killian and I.

  “It’s just…seein’ you in the medic unit…I’m sorry for crossing you over and almost losing you.” He looked down and took some noticeable breaths. “I had no idea. I hope you believe me. I’d never intentionally hurt you. I thought it was your best chance at surviving. But you were so lifeless…” Lost in the memory, he couldn’t look at me. And although he spoke sincerely, this was not what I anticipated him saying.

  Feeling disappointed, I walked over to him. He was at least six inches taller than me, and it was more noticeable in close proximity. If he wasn’t going to bring up the kiss, I would. “Killian, I—”

  “Let me finish. Looks like we’ll be able to get you back home in a couple of days. Bad stuff is coming, and you’ll want to be far from it.” There was a knock at the door. Killian opened it to find a grinning Casper pale upon the sight of Killian.

  “Killian, umm, hey. I was just coming to hang out with Cassidy.” My tattoo hummed and drew my eyes to it. Green like the other day. What the…? I looked at Killian, who was staring at his green-hued tattoo. Our eyes met briefly, and he quickly exited.

  “Cassidy?” Casper asked.

  “Did you see that? My tattoo was glowing green. And I swear Killian’s was doing the same.”

  “I missed that. Are you feeling okay?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “It’s just that our tats glow blue at times, especially when we are tapping into that magic, but I’ve never heard of it turning other colors. Just wondered if the sparring was a bit much and has you seein’ things.”

  “No. I got some bruises, but my head is fine.”

  Casper walked to the door. “Well, let’s go see Lena. Maybe she can check your head and tat when we ask her who you’re bonded to.”

  As we walked to the medical unit, I looked at Casper. He was an attractive guy, tall, lean, muscled, and he had an awesome personality. I asked, “How come you don’t have a girlfriend?”

  “What? Are you hitting on me?”

  “Seriously, any girl would be lucky to have you. But no, I’m not hitting on you.”

  “Damn.” There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. My mind raced, thinking of a way to not make him feel rejected. I’d thought it was clear we were just friends.

  He glanced back at me, the corner of his mouth twisted up into a half smile, letting me know he was teasing me again. “Gotcha. But seriously, do you see many couples around here?”

  “No, actually, I don’t…” I thought back to what he’d told me earlier.

  “Two reasons: There’s the ban on marriage, like I told you. And second, I think we are all somehow related—could you imagine dating your sister or cousin? Weird and gross.”

  “So, if no one in the Clan is married and if they want to get married, they can leave or go to another clan. How do you keep the population alive?”

  “Most of us stay on our own. But there are a handful of us that find mates outside of the Clan and repopulate with them.”

  “You mean with humans?”

  “Yes.”

  “So where are the mates? And where are these kids?”

  “Many of the mates are here now. They blend in with all the others since they had to get tattooed to survive the crossover. But some stay in the Human Realm and raise their child there until they hit their late teens and feel the calling.” He turned and pointed a finger at my chest. “But you, my dear, are the first human to survive it without a Clan tattoo.”

  “Mind-blow
ing. I wonder why I was able to cross without dying.”

  “You are a mystery to all of us, Cassidy. Med unit, here we are.” He opened the door and let me pass through first.

  Lena had graduated to crutches. “Cassidy, are you okay?”

  “I am. How are you holding up?”

  Lena pulled up the hem of her wrap skirt. Her bandage was soaked with various colors. “Looks like I need a bandage change.”

  “Anything I can help with?” This woman cared for me until I had come to; it was the least I could do.

  “Um, sure, an extra set of hands wouldn’t hurt.”

  “Great, you first. Just tell me what to do.”

  She started hobbling toward the washbasin.

  “Lena, sit. Just tell us what you need and we’ll get it,” I said.

  “Soap, towels, basin of water, and bandages. Are you sure you wanna do this? It’s kinda gross.”

  “I’m sure. But you’ll need to coach us.”

  Lena eased onto one of the beds and guided me through the process of changing her bandage while Casper ran a basin of fresh water over for rinsing the wound. The wound did not look good. It had signs of infection within the wound and the skin around it was hot and red, extending outside of a painted circle. Casper returned with the water. “Thanks, Casper. Lena, what’s with the circle?”

  “Nothing. Now tape the bandage in place and go wash everything with the soap.” She pulled her skirt back over the fresh bandages and gathered her crutches. “Thank you, Cassidy. Now, what can I help you with? Surely you did not come down just to change my bandage.”

  “Right. I actually wanted to ask if you could tell me whose blood you used for my tattoo.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, I’ve been feeling some strange sensations in the tattoo, and I’m trying to make sense of it.”

  “Come here, let me have a look.”

  I obeyed and took my turn on the exam table. Casper came over to my side and leaned against the table. It’s a shame that they couldn’t marry within the Clan because he was a nice-looking guy and fun to hang around. Lena could use someone like Casper to mellow her out and make her laugh.