“So, the three races aren’t that different. They have long lives and extra powers?” Victor asked.
“Pretty much. Lots of ‘demons’ aren’t really demon at all. They’re just transplants, either original or descendants of originals. Michelle and Mickala, being royal, have a few extra abilities. Aiden and Ian, however, are verifiable demons, as far as I know. I don’t think either of them have Solarian or Elagonian blood.” She smiled at Victor’s confusion. “You have to remember, Mickala’s wolf form only goes back two generations, to Angel and Sathe.”
“So, that’s what makes a demon a demon? Not being connected to Solaris or Elagon?” Victor asked.
“Right. Mickala’s father, Kristopher, was a true demon, and it helped to reinforce the wolf part of her DNA.”
“So, Mickala’s half Solarian?”
“Actually, since Sathe was Elagonian, Mickala is only a quarter Solarian, a quarter Elagonian, and half demon,” Nehela replied.
Victor just shook his head, rubbing his temples. “I’m so confused.”
Aiden laughed. “Maybe we’ll get it all straight one day. See, Nehela’s been a friend of Michelle and Mickala’s for centuries, so she knows all of this like the back of her hand.”
About thirty minutes later, Mickala came downstairs. They could all see she looked a little better, but she was still pale. “How do you feel?” Victor asked. “You look weak.”
“I’ve been better, but I’m starving.”
“Likewise. We just finished having the most wonderful conversation about human, demon, transplant genetics,” Victor said. She just laughed, saying she hadn’t even gotten it all straight. “Where did you want to go eat at, since it’s your last night of freedom?”
They all looked at Mickala, and she grinned. “Chaz’s?” He nodded, and she went back upstairs to change clothes.
“It’s a karaoke bar,” he told them. “And she loves going there. The food’s pretty good, too.”
***
She came back down, and they had all gotten used to the punk grunge princess look she’d taken since they’d gotten back. He remembered their faces the first day they’d really seen it, and he’d laughed, saying it how she always dressed. They all got in the Jeep and Victor had taken the top off. Chaz’s was just a few minutes away, and Mickala grinned hugely at the loud welcome she received as soon as she walked in. Nehela grinned. “You come here often?”
“Just a little,” Mickala said, laughing as she wrinkled her nose at her friend, and she got the song book before she’d even glanced at the menu.
Over the course of the night, she went up several times, and they were all stunned, except for Victor. They’d heard her singing before, but it was usually along to the radio. This time, it was for real, and she was amazing. Ian shook his head. “Is there anything she can’t do?”
Eventually, she talked Aiden into going up with her for ‘Perfect’ from Beyonce and Ed Sheeran, and even Ian’s mouth dropped. Nehela laughed. “Mickala’s definitely left her mark on him. He seems so happy and carefree.”
Victor shook his head, watching the two of them. “I can say the same for Mickala. Now that she has all of you in her life, she isn’t the same woman she was when she went to Miami. It’s more than just her having an outlet. She knows she can talk to me about anything, but I know sometimes, it’s still strange for her to completely be herself around me, wolf ears and all, but with you guys around, she’s got that outlet she needed. It’s more than that, though. It’s like you were all meant to be together. That’s the only way I can describe it.”
The song ended, and Mickala and Aiden received a standing ovation. They ended up having to leave about thirty minutes later so they could get plenty of sleep before school the next morning. When they got back home, they made sure they had their bags packed and ready by the front door, then they all went to bed. Mickala was braiding her hair, and thunder rumbled as an evening storm rolled in. “I think you caught everyone off guard, Aiden,” she said, laughing. “Has anyone ever heard you sing before?”
He grinned, shaking his head. “Even an old fox like me still has a few tricks up his sleeve.” He saw her thoughtful face. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. I just feel funny for some reason. I can’t really explain it, except it’s almost like everything that’s happened so far has just been a prelude. Now, it feels like it’s about to get serious.”
“Trouble?” he asked, and she could almost feel him becoming even more alert than he had been.
She shrugged. “It’s nothing concrete. Just a vague feeling.” She suddenly rolled her eyes. “I hate not knowing.”
He chuckled, taking her hand, then he kissed her. “You can’t know everything, love,” he told her as they laid down, and they were both asleep in minutes.
Thirteen
High School Bullshit and Dark Betrayal
The next morning, the alarm clock went off, and Mickala sat up, and she reached over and shut it off before shaking Aiden’s shoulder. He groaned, pulling the pillow over his head. Mickala laughed. “Come on. You knew this was coming.”
They got out of bed and dressed, then Ian and Nehela came in. He had a deep scowl on his face. “Really?” he demanded, gesturing out the window. “The damn sky’s still dark.”
The other three just laughed, and Ian’s scowl only deepened. It deepened further when they went downstairs, and Victor was whistling cheerfully as he cooked breakfast. Victor saw Ian’s face and grinned. “Don’t worry, Ian. You’ll eventually get used to it.” Ian muttered something that would have been heavily censored on television or radio.
After they ate, Mickala and Aiden went to feed Adelaide and Titus, and the two Dellings wished their Connecteds a good day at school. Finally, they were ready to head out.
The parking lot was packed, and Mickala began the introductions to friends she had who weren’t in the band. Finally, they could get to their lockers, which all were right beside each other. Mickala groaned as soon as they walked into their first class, which was Honors English. “What’s wrong?” Nehela asked.
“You see the girl with the curly hair in the second row?” she asked quietly, and they nodded. “That’s the girl someone made EJ sleep with.”
“The one who used to be your best friend?” Ian asked.
“Used to. I can understand what happened to EJ. He literally wasn’t in his right mind, but she was. She knew what she was doing, and she didn’t care. She hasn’t let me live it down since.” Mickala shook her head. “If there was ever a human I wish I could kill, it would be her.”
“What’s her name?” Aiden asked.
“Kira Connelly.”
The girl, Kira, looked up, and an instant smirked formed when she saw Mickala. Her narrow brown eyes went to Aiden, and she seemed to sense their relationship. Her smirk deepened.
They all grabbed seats in the back of the class, and Kiran slid into an empty seat in front of Aiden, immediately flirting with him. He cut her off gently. “Thanks for the obvious interest, but I’m already seeing someone.”
“Who?” she asked.
“Me,” Mickala said for herself.
Kira snorted. “Please. I’ve already taken one man from you,” she said, her nose up in the air.
Mickala rolled her eyes. “Riiight. Because who would pass up the chance to have sex with a whore who’s slept with every male in town over the age of fifteen?” Aiden and Ian instantly raised their hands, and Mickala laughed. “Well, it looks like you won’t get these two. Sorry, not sorry.”
“Hmph,” Kira said with a coy smile. “We’ll see.”
She kept talking and Aiden shook his head mentally. Is this girl really serious? She’d promising the best sex of my life if I leave you.
Sure, and you’d probably catch something you couldn’t get rid of with Clorox, Mickala said with a laugh.
***
Kira kept it up, though, and it was getting on her nerves. She closed her eyes, and it was just a few seconds before three or f
our yellow jackets came flying in through an open window. Ian’s eyebrows rose slightly. Really? Insects, Mickala?
She gave a mental smirk. I know. It really doesn’t seem like all that much, does it?
Not really, Aiden said, his own eyebrows up.
Would it make more sense if you knew she was deathly allergic to wasps and hornets? Of course, I won’t let them sting her, but she doesn’t know that.
They all laughed. That’s cruel, even for you, Nehela replied.
The four of them enjoyed watching her flinch every time one of them would come near her, but Mickala finally sent them out, and Kira breathed a sigh of relief. However, it was just a minute later before Kira started in again, but this time, she was trying with Ian. Okay, Mickala. She’s pissing Nehela off, and that’s pissing me off. Do something with her before I do.
The wolf demon’s eyes narrowed. Enough is enough. It’s only the first day, and I’m already sick of her.
Mickala’s eyes narrowed slightly, and Kira’s books went flying off her desk and slammed up against the wall. Their teacher turned around. “Kira Connelly, what is your problem?”
Kira’s face was white. “It wasn’t me, Mrs. Adams. I didn’t touch them.”
“Oh, so suddenly, your textbooks have a mind of their own, do they? They can move by themselves? Somehow, I find that hard to believe, Miss. Connelly. This is your only warning. Another outburst like that, and I don’t care if it’s the first day of school or not, you’re going to the principal’s office.” Kira started trying to stutter an apology, but Mrs. Adams cut her off. “I don’t want to hear it, and I’m done with this conversation.”
Everyone could see she didn’t want to touch her books to pick them up, but no one offered to do it for her, either. The bell rang at the end of the class, and the demons and elf laughed as they walked by her. “Later, Kira,” Mickala called over her shoulder. “I hope you have better luck with those fits. Someone might think something is wrong with you.” They went out into the fall, and she burst out laughing. “God, that human hates me,” she said in a whisper, her eyes dancing. “I love it!”
They had two more classes, AP History followed by AP Japanese, which was their foreign language, then it was time for lunch. They all went into the lunchroom, and Mickala felt two sets of curious eyes on her. She glanced around, but she didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. They saw a guy who looked like a smaller, younger version of EJ began making his way toward them.
He stopped in front of them, and Aiden saw the dark surprise on his face before he carefully hid it away. Good. So EJ didn’t let him know he was still alive, he thought to himself.
***
“Guys, this Trey, EJ’s brother. Trey, this is Ian, Nehela, and my boyfriend, Aiden.” The three exchanged glances, but Mickala was too busy grilling her supposed friend to notice. “Why didn’t you tell me about you two? It would’ve explained soo much, like why I couldn’t get to my powers that day.”
His eyes were down. “I’m sorry, Mickala. I never knew how to tell you, and I never thought EJ would flip out like that.”
“What he did wasn’t his fault, you know,” Aiden said, his eyes intent on Trey. “Someone was controlling him.”
“What?”
“Yeah. Fortunately, we figured it out before we killed him. We weren’t able to figure out who it was, but it had to be someone close to him. The takeover was too fast, too complete. Only someone who knew EJ and Mickala well would use him to hurt her like that. Not just the attack, but making him cheat with her own best friend. You wouldn’t know anyone who could do something like that?”
Trey actually looked like he was thinking. “No, not right offhand. We don’t know that many demons here in the human world. We’ve always kind of stuck to ourselves.”
Aiden frowned. “Are you sure? Like I said, I did the probe myself. And it had to have been someone close to him. Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, the person he was talking to before each takeover…was you, Trey.”
His eyes narrowed as Mickala’s widened. “What exactly are you trying to say? Because to me, it sounds like you’re trying to say I had something to do with what happened. Mickala’s my best friend.”
Mickala saw Trey’s trembling, and the sudden coldness in his eyes, but it was the false note in his voice that began sounding off the alarm bells in her head. Her eyes narrowed, and she began probing his mind as much as she could without him knowing. “What makes you think I’m saying that?” Aiden was asking. “Well, here, so you won’t think I’m ‘beating around the bush’, did you? Because, truth be told, I really think you did.”
If looks could kill, the one Trey gave Aiden would have dropped the fox demon where he stood. Ian stepped up to stand beside Aiden, his own eyes cold as he stared at Trey. He almost wished this Trey would try anything, and his hands curled into fists at his side before he forced them to relax.
***
Something gave in Trey’s mind, and Mickala recoiled as if Trey had physically slapped her, seeing everything he’d been hiding from her. “Are you serious?” she asked in a whisper, horror and betrayal on her face.
His hate and contempt finally won, and his voice lowered. “I can’t stand a human lover,” he said in a faint snarl. “I’ve hated every second I had to pretend to be your friend. You want honesty? I’m glad everything’s out in the open, so I don’t have to continue acting like I really give a damn about you.” He turned to Aiden, his eyes seeming to go all black, his voice a low hiss. “You haven’t heard the last of me. I give you my word on that.” He left the lunchroom, giving them all one last look of loathing.
Mickala was white and shaking. “What did you see?” Aiden asked.
“Everything. He’s been tracking me for centuries. He wasn’t only responsible for what happened with EJ, but he was the one who sent Valez, time and time again. Trey hadn’t counted on my being able to be reborn, but he fixed that.” Tears filled her eyes, and she closed them tightly. “That’s the fucking demon who murdered my father. He’s the one who gave Valez information about me, and his demon realm home is in the very swamp where Kaldiss flowers grow. It was all him.” She looked at Aiden, and he could see she was in shock, her face pale with hectic, bright red splotches on her high cheekbones. “And you knew. You all knew.”
It wasn’t a question, but he nodded anyway. He felt as if he was being torn in two. Half of him wanted to stay with Mickala, but the other half, his demon half, wanted to go after Trey and rip him limb from limb, then let Ian set fire to the pieces. Eventually, it was the half who wanted to comfort Mickala that won out. “Well, we knew about EJ. We didn’t know about Valez or your father.” She asked why they didn’t tell her, and he sighed. “We knew he was supposed to be your best friend, and we weren’t sure if you were ready for it or not. We thought if I could draw him out and let you see for yourself, it might be a little easier.”
She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Well, I’d say it worked. You’re probably right, though. I’m not sure I would’ve believed it if you would’ve told me before. Victor tried to tell me something wasn’t right, and I didn’t believe him, either.”
“Are you okay, dear?” Nehela asked quietly, laying a hand on her arm.
“I will be. I think out of all of it, the fact he’s the demon who murdered my father hurts more than anything, then he had the nerve to pretend to be my friend?” She just shook her head.
***
A sudden thought hit Aiden. EJ?
Aiden?
He almost laughed at the shock and surprise in EJ’s mental voice. Yeah, it’s me. Trey showed himself to Mickala. So, be careful. Apparently, you hadn’t told him we didn’t kill you, but he knows you’re alive now. He’ll probably be looking for you.
EJ? Mickala popped in as they went through the lunch line. Go to the house. Victor knows the truth, and we’ll all sit down and talk about what we need to do now when we get home.
All right, and thanks for the head’s up,
EJ said gratefully. I’ll see you later.
Mickala looked up at Aiden and smiled. “You’re a good man, Aiden.”
He shrugged. “It’s not his fault Trey’s an asshole. He’s already had to go to prison because of his brother. He shouldn’t have to lose his life as well.”
Lunch finally ended, then they headed to the band room. As soon as they went in, what felt like their entire four hundred and sixty-eight member band swarmed around Mickala, asking if she was okay now. She laughed, her hands up in defense. “Guys, I’m okay, I’m okay. I went home and slept like a rock. I’m fine now.”
They started practice, and she had to admit, it felt good being inside with the air conditioning after dealing with the sweltering heat the previous two weeks. After school, however, they had to go outside, but everyone kept checking on her every few minutes. Once practice was over, they made it home, and they found EJ outside with the Dellings.
He looked at Aiden. “Thank you for the warning, man. You didn’t have to do it,” he said again.
Aiden shook his head. “Really, it’s no problem.”
“It may be a small thing for you, but Trey would’ve killed me if he could get his hands on me.”
“Is he that powerful?” Ian asked.
EJ shrugged. “Well, he’s no weakling.” Mickala went into interrogation mode, asking what he was capable of. “He’s a fire demon, and he was complete and total control over his flames. Obviously, he’s good with Compulsions, but maybe it’s just easier because I’m his brother.”
Releasing the Demons: Solarian Chronicles II Page 12
