Taming The Fae - An Exsilium Short Story

by Karen Swart

  The trailed of blood on her face ignited the fury within me. Suddenly, my thoughts and actions were pushed backwards into darkness. And an unholy roar echoed into the alley.

  Chapter 12

  Nanini

  The roar had my attacker freezing. Luckily for me, I had already heard such a roar. Yep, I have another ‘born’ problem to handle. But first… I held my hands together over my chest and pumped up a major fae bomb. The moment he looked down again, it was already in his face. The demon flew backwards and hit the wall, bits of stone and gravel scattering from the impact. Jumping up, I crouched and surveyed the scene. The hellhound grabbed a demon and ripped him into pieces. I ducked in time before I had demon chow for the night.

  “Really? You have to rip them apart?” Eeeuw. The other demon was grabbed from behind .The hellhound lifted him high, then brought him down face first, totally squashing his face into the ground. An eye jumped out and rolled over to me. Looking down at it, I knew I had a big freaking problem. The noise coming from my left was the only indication before I was hit with a knee right in the knocker. My nose broke under the impact, and I swore like a pirate.

  Holding my nose, I looked with a glassy vision as the hellhound ripped the final demon apart. Ah man, now I have to do this with a broken and bleeding nose. Finished, the hellhound looked up and straight at me. Oh shit!

  Okay, so what did I do the last time? Oh yeah, I slammed him with a huge bomb, wrapped my legs around his neck and tried to choke him. I stood, wiping the blood of my jeans. Dark, crimson eyes watched my every move. Okay, big boy, let’s rumble. I stormed him and jumped into the air, going for his neck. Mid-air I was grabbed.

  “Oh crap.” I looked into those red eyes as he held me suspended in the air.

  “We can’t, perhaps, talk about this like a normal pair of fallen, can we?” I asked.

  Silence.

  All he did was watch me. Clearly not. Alright, Lada said I could do this from a distance. I am sure being held in the air qualifies at the moment. I concentrated, trying to calm him. What calms me? Oh, I know. The feeling bubbles always give me when I climb into the bath. The way they creep up my flesh and goosebumps break out all over me. Then the amazing feeling of being wrapped in warm water that smells like flowers. I focus on the delightful smell each one would give off when it popped, and how I would breathe in deep to collect it. Absolutely the closest to heaven I could get. I pried my eyes open slowly, and found a pair of blue eyes watching me intently.

  “You really like bubbles, don’t you?” The smile broke out over his face, igniting my fae pissed off instantly button.

  I turned and ripped myself from his hands, landing gracefully for a change. I stood up and turned to give him a huge smack, only to walk straight into his chest. Argh!

  “Are you hurt? Why is your nose bleeding?” He lifted my face up to look at it.

  “I thought it would be awesome to have a broken noise! The bloody demon did it! Now, let go of me and back the hell away from me.” I glared at him, as he stepped back. His smile was replaced with a frown.

  “I told you to wait. Why don’t you ever listen to me?” Oh, he so going for a huge smack.

  “I am the Custos. You are the Apprendo. I say duck. You ask where. That is how it works.”

  He looked around at the scene around us. “You mean it’s supposed to work that way. Clearly I have more skills than you, even as a so-called Apprendo in your world.” He didn’t!

  “What! You have years to go to even try and reach my level of awesomeness. Years, jerk. And let me tell you, you lost control here, not me!”

  He crouched down and picked up his swords. “Yes, I won’t deny that, but I also saved you in the process.” Oh, hell no!

  “Now, you look here. I am this close to really showing you my level of awesomeness. You didn’t save me. I was trying to figure out how to pin them down to get some information from them. You know we are trying to find a loco harpy and a demon price?” I was up, okay, well, sort of, in his face.

  He looked down at me. “We already have Kasadya to stress over all the time, Nanini. You can’t just storm in like her. Watch. Gather intel, and then form a plan and execute.”

  Yep, my arm totally jumped up all on its own. The uppercut was short, sweet and bloody amazing. He held his jaw, bent over. “And that’s why I am the Custos and you are the Apprendo, Apprendo.” I turned around and walked away, my nose pounding from the pain. No worries; in a few minutes I would be all healed up.

  “Alright, fallen, let’s call it a night and report back to Exsilium,” Vulcan instructed using Corra.

  I stopped and turned around to look at the jerk. He was standing over what was left of a demon, looking at it. “We need to get back. Have you gathered enough memories from the scene?” I taunted him. He didn’t move, didn’t reply, and I could feel distress creeping over me.

  “Max!” I yelled at him.

  “What if you weren’t around? What if I went born when I was alone? Would it be a human I would look at and not a demon?” His voice was filled with regret, and fear.

  “No. Even without me I think you are way to bossy to let your hellhound take control in such a way,” I tried.

  “He won, Nanini. Look at what he did when I couldn’t keep him under control. Maybe… maybe it’s better if hellhounds are destroyed when we become like this.”

  I looked up at the sky filled with stars, threw my hands up and silently asked, “Seriously? Did I do something wrong?” No reply came from the heavens.

  I walked over to him, and watched as he looked up and at me. His face became ashen from the knowledge that he could lose it completely and become an indestructible devastating force. I stopped in front of him. Our eyes met, and I hit him so hard he actually fell backwards.

  “That’s for totally freaking me out! So you lost control and killed a demon, who hasn’t? I suggest you suck it up, hellhound, and get with the program. You either destroy them before they destroy us, or you die. And just for your info, I would have kicked your ass if you tried to hurt a human! That’s why I am the Custos and you are the Apprendo. Got it?” I shifted us home and landed in the hallway, upstairs.

  “Now go get cleaned up and get your act together.” I turned and stalked to my own bathroom. I sure as hell did not sign up to mother any bloody hellhound.

  Chapter 13

  Max

  There was just no use in arguing with her. So I did get a shower and did get my act together. The little vixen had a really powerful punch. My jaw struggled to heal from the two hits she gave me. But I will admit that she is sly and fast. I decided that I will not confront her again tonight; I’ll go and see if I can get something to read. I reached the stairs and stopped dead on the third one. Below, Nanini and Kas were standing at the door leading to the lounge. Kas looked up and our eyes locked. I looked at Nanini, and all I could see was fury. She was a handful, and I mean that in a really bad and exhausting way.

  “Vulcan said I couldn't kill him,” Nanini mumbled to Kasadya.

  I could see the shock those words brought to Kasadya. She leaned in and whispered something to Nanini, who rolled her eyes and then walked into the lounge.

  Feeling suddenly old, I slowly made my decent down the stairs and met Kas at the bottom.

  “How are you?” I asked. She looked as tired as I felt.

  “I'm ok, considering the circumstances. But, alive is good,” she replied.

  I nodded, not finding more words to say. It’s over between us, but it still hurts a little. But more amusing, it wasn’t the problem that was really eating away at me. It’s the fact that I barely made any progress with Nanini. She simply hated me.

  “It’s hard. She doesn't want anything to do with me,” I murmured, rubbing my hand over my face.

  “It’s going to be alright. She just needs time to get used to it,” Kasadya said and placed her hand on my arm, trying to give me some comfort. I didn’t reply, but tried to give her a reassuring smile
. I looked into the lounge trying to find Nanini, and instead saw a young girl with black hair breathing hard as if she was about to collapse.

  “Who's the kid?” I asked, making my way to stand in the doorway, stopping only to observe them.

  “A lost hellhound we found. She was left behind during the attacks. A real pain in the ass,” Kasadya replied, walking over to lean against the door frame.

  A lost hellhound? “That’s not good,” I replied, moving closer to look at the young female.

  “How is it possible that you have survived this long out there?” was the first question that jumped out.

  She looked at me, but had difficulty replying. Breathing hard, she looked at Chax again.

  “It’s going to be alright, Raven,” Chax said, worry etched into his face. The girl looked at me again, her eyes pleading for whatever she was experiencing to end. Whatever she saw behind me had her narrowing her eyes and taking a huge leap to recovery.

  “You!” Raven exclaimed as she pointed at Kasadya standing behind me.

  “You suck!” she continued her rant.

  “Nothing new there,” Kas replied with a smile.

  She flew up and I grabbed her, holding her back.

  “I'm going to kick your ass!” Raven all but screamed at Kasadya.

  That is all we need, another female who is going to make us grey before our time. “Great, another feisty one,” I joked with Chax as I pushed the young female down.

  “I like her,” Nanini commented, smiling at Kasadya.

  I have a feeling this is just the beginning of a lot of trouble for us. Lord, give me strength.

  “Calm down, Raven,” Chax soothed her as he shot a disapproving look at Kasadya.

  Raven breathed deep, but I could see the fury inside her eyes. Clearly Kasadya and the young hellhound didn’t get off on the right foot. Chax suddenly jumped up, and my eyes flashed to Kasadya, who was standing just a feet or two away from us. And she was livid.

  “Calm down. Go and see where the others are,” Chax instructed Kasadya.

  She glared at him, and stormed out of the room. This is not good.

  “So, Raven,” Nanini came and pushed Chax away to sit down next to her, “Where ya from?” she continued.

  The young hellhound looked at Nanini, and I could see in her features that Nanini’s presence was really appreciated. I smiled at my little vixen. I froze. Did I just referred to her as my little vixen? Well now, it would seem this mating business moves fast, really fast.

  “Well, I grew up in Kansas, but my Dad was transferred to Rome for business.” She looked at all of us. “I didn’t even know that he was moved there to kill demons. He said that a fallen pair had a newborn and he had to fill in for them.” The sadness that washed over her face had me worried.

  “Raven, what was your father’s name?” Chax asked.

  “Jeremy Black, and my mom was Emily Black,” she replied, but the sadness in her voice grew worse.

  “I knew your father; he was a great warrior, and your mom was an amazing harpy. I am sorry for your loss,” Chax continued.

  Raven nodded and looked at the floor, her eyes blinking rapidly. I looked at Nanini, seeking assistance. “Now, enough of all the sad talk. How many demons have you killed so far?” Nanini asked, her smile as beautiful as always.

  “Well, I sort of lost count around twelve. It just became too much trouble to keep counting and killing at the same time.” Raven was suddenly more confident.

  Nanini whistled. “Wow, that’s not bad. Not bad at all. Now that you are here, you are going to learn some epic stuff and really take out the demons.”

  Raven beamed at her. Good girl, Nanini. I couldn’t help but smile at her. She had this amazing way of always lifting the spirit in a room. Sometimes though, not in a very funny way.

  “Kas and Chax found a lost hellhound girl,” Lada said outside in the hallway.

  The female hellhound came storming into the lounge followed by Caim. She sat down on the other side of Raven and offered her hand. “My name is Zurita, and this is my mate, Caim,” she introduced Caim. How easily she announced her new mate in such a short time. It would seem that Caim didn’t have as much trouble as I did. My eyes met Nanini’s, and she captured me completely in that instant. There was no aggression, no doubt; she was just looking at me for a change. Could there be some hope?

  Kasadya and Vulcan entered, and I could see that Kasadya already took a bite out of him. Her eyes spoke of death. Vulcan walked over to Raven and held his hand to her.

  “Salve, young one. I am Vulcan,” he greeted her.

  Raven proceeded to give them the short version of what had happened to her, and when she finished, the room was in utter silence. To survive a mass attack and even afterwards was just amazing. I could see this little young female was going to surprise everyone.

  “Well, I thank Chax and Kasadya for finding you and bringing you home. Now, you are safe and ready to start your Apprendo training,” Vulcan said, patting her on the arm.

  Vulcan’s words had Raven smiling at everyone in the room. Nanini jabbed her on the shoulder and broke out giggling. Females, I would never be able to understand them. My eyes traveled around the room and I watched as Chax whispered to Kasadya, her face etched with concern, but also something else.

  Suddenly the whole house shook with a force that felt and sounded like an explosion. I jumped up and try to stable myself. My eyes darted around, seeking out the danger. Could they have breached Exsilium? Fear spread over my heart and I found myself next to Nanini. I would protect her at all costs, even with my own life. Chax frowned and looked around the room, his facing changing instantly.

  “Abby!” he yelled, storming out of the room. Kasadya and the rest of us followed closely behind, wondering what might have caused the explosion. I watched as Chax marched to a door in the hallway and pulled it open. Smoke billowed out into the hall.

  What on earth?

  Ben and Abby suddenly came crashing out of the door, running right into Chax, slamming him against the wall. As Abby knocked Chax to the floor, Kasadya grabbed Ben and steadied him. He was covered in black ash. Abby appeared to be covered in the stuff herself.

  “Abby, what in heaven’s name have you done now!?” Chax bellowed.

  She cringed and rolled off him.

  “Um.... we tried something, and it kind of didn’t work,” she explained, grabbing the hand Lotan held out to pull her up.

  “What did you try?” Chax asked, climbing to his feet.

  Abby tried to dust off her clothes and looked at everyone now standing around staring at her.

  “We tried to build a small bomb,” she admitted, dejected.

  Kasadya burst out laughing, while Chax’s expression revealed he was about to explode. He glared at her and then back at Abby.

  “What?” Chax demanded, clearly upset with her.

  “Before you cuss her out, I can explain,” Ben said, moving between Abby and Chax.

  “We used some of the Fallen elements and infused them with napalm. As you can see, it works. We just didn't think to test it outside,” he admitted, looking at me for support.

  Kasadya looked over at me, and I was unable to hide the smile. Ben had always had this thing about science and how to use it to destroy things. I might have had a huge hand in that as well.

  “Why would you want to create a bomb?” Chax asked, walking over to the door and looking down. His face fell even more before he scowled.

  “To make sure we can take down as many as possible when the time comes,” Ben answered.

  Chax stood there, his face showing that the picture below was not pretty. He muttered something and turned around to look at us.

  “Go get cleaned up,” he ordered, dismissing the two of them.

  “That was awesome,” Raven said, trying to see what the damage was downstairs.

  We all laughed at her outburst, Nanini’s laughter lifting the moment even more. I l
ooked at her dazzling face, begging to be wrapped in my hand. I grabbed the back of my jeans and placed my hand between it and my back. I have to control that urge. Nanini would most certainly leave me with one hand missing.

  “Vulcan,” Chax said, his gaze shifting to address him. “We must find her a Custos.”

  “I will take her,” Caim said, placing a hand on Raven’s shoulder.

  I watched as the female hellhound joined Caim. Her pride of him could be seen by all.

  “Done,” Vulcan said as he flashed Chax a smile. Chax, as always, remained neutral.

  “Fine then, I think we all should get some rest. Tomorrow the hunt continues,” Chax said as he placed his hand on Kasadya’s arm. I dug my hand deeper into my jeans. The urge to do the same with Nanini was almost undeniable. Nanini, however, made sure that the moment was short-lived. She grabbed Raven’s hand and stormed past me, her shoulder punching me in the stomach. I stepped away and watched her stroll off with Raven, her smile radiant and full of life.

  Defeated once more, I decided that sleep would remedy the day’s failures. With slow but determined steps, I walked upstairs and into my room. I didn’t even bother to get undressed but simply laid down and closed my eyes. Yes, tomorrow would be another day to try again. I prayed for a small miracle.

  Chapter 14

  Nanini

  Oh man, a new day! I felt like a million bucks. And this means…. Yeah, time to make some noise. I got dressed and flung open the door, going straight for the room next to me. I didn’t bother to knock; I knew they were still asleep. Storming inside, I found the young females drooling over their pillows.

  “Okay, you two, come get up and let’s get some funk on.” I jumped on Abby’s bed first, sending her flying into the air. Her face looked shocked as I jumped from her bed and landed on Raven’s.

  “Come on, we don’t have all day!” Holy cow, do they sleep or hibernate?

  “What the hell, Nanini?” Raven tried to tuck her head under her pillow. I grabbed it and hit her over the head. “Get up, sleepy head.” I flung the pillow three more times before she finally gave up and got out her bed.