by Vivi Anna
Stomach clenching, I reached down and flipped the latch. The lock was open. I could open the casket if I wanted to. Swallowing hard, I looked at Merlin, asleep inside. Did I really want to?
Fear crept upon me but I swallowed it back down as I slid my fingers into the grooves along the coffin's side and pulled upwards. I expected it to creak since it was so old but it didn't. There was definitely a sound, but it was no creak. More like a pop from a release of pressure. As if I opened a freezer door for the first time in a hundred years. I also didn't expect the blast of cold air on my face or the smell that escaped. One of rotting fish.
After the lid was up, I stumbled backwards, gagging on the stench. I never thought he would stink so badly. It totally took me by surprise.
I wiped at my nose, trying to rub the horrid odor away before I leaned in to inspect the sword. It was long; a broad sword I guess it was called. Merlin had his frozen fingers wrapped around the hilt. I'd have to pry them off. Oh Jesus, what if they broke off while I was touching him? The thought made me queasy. I rubbed a hand over my stomach hoping to ease its suffering.
Closing my eyes, I counted to three, then quickly opened them and without losing my nerve, reached in to touch Merlin. His skin was cold and hard under the tips of my fingers. For some reason I was expecting it to be oily but thank God it wasn't. It just looked that way.
As carefully as I could, I dug my fingers under one of his and lifted it. There came a crackling sound as it moved but it didn't crack or snap off. Once I had one digit successfully lifted, that gave me the strength and will to lift the others. Soon, all of Merlin's fingers were bent back and up, and I could touch the hilt of the sword.I wrapped my hand around it and sliding my other hand under the blade I was able to elevate the sword out of the icy casket.
It was heavy and I wondered how I was even going to wield it. But at least I had it. I'd worry about using it once I took it safely back topside and to Trevor.
I smiled down at Merlin's form. "Thanks buddy. You just saved my life."
His eyes snapped open, forcing me back.
"Nivaine," he breathed on a puff of cold air.
"Shit!" I backpedalled away from the coffin. Dragging the sword at my side, I sprinted out of the cave. I ran blindly down the tunnel hoping like hell I was going the right way.
I ran for what seemed like hours, my lungs burning, until I finally felt the pull out of the shadows. But right before I came out, I dropped the sword. I collapsed onto my hands and knees on the cold tiled bathroom floor. As I gulped air furiously, I looked around. I was alone. Scrambling to my feet, I tore open the door to find Trevor. He had to come back with me to retrieve the sword.
The moment I came out of the bathroom, I knew something was considerably wrong.
The lights were off and the place was empty. It was as if no one had ever been there to begin with. Except I did see evidence on the floor that something had gone on earlier. There were empty drink containers and ripped concert tickets littering the floor.
I moved through the corridor. "Trevor!" my voice a little high, nearly hysterical.
There was no answer.
A chill ran up my spine. I had only been gone a half hour tops, hadn't I? The show should've still been going on. Where the hell was everyone?
I ran into the main hall and shouted, "Trevor!"
"Where've you been, sugar pop?"
Thane's voice echoed through the hall. I swung around looking for the source. I couldn't see him in any corner, in any doorway.
He laughed and it curled around me like a snake. The sound was close. Then it hit me and slowly, my skin growing clammy, I glanced up.
Thane was on the ceiling, leering down at me. He laughed again. "What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Where's Trevor? What have you done with him?"
"Nothing. Yet."
"I want to see him."
As fast as a blur, Thane landed next to me. Startled, I nearly fell back onto my ass. But he grabbed my arm before I could.
"Let me go." I tried to yank my arm away, but it was pointless. His grip was so tight I was quickly losing feeling in my hand.
"Did you see him?"
Avoiding his gaze, I looked over his shoulder at the wall. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Sure you do. If you had stayed on the path you wouldn't have been too late to save your boyfriend."
"Screw you." I spat.
"You're a bad liar, sugar pop."
"I'm not lying."
He bent into me, sniffing along my neck. I clamped my eyes shut as revulsion rolled through me. "You're a lot like me, you know."
That had my back up. "Like hell I am. You're a monster. I'm...I'm..."
He grinned. "Exactly like me. I know you almost killed that boy back in Boise. You couldn't stop yourself, could you? It felt good didn't it? Like you were finally truly alive for the first time."
I cringed away from him. I didn't want to face his truth. Because some of what he said did ring true. I had liked the feeling. Didn't I just nearly do the same thing to Trevor? Twice.
"What do you want?" The tears came. I was so scared I couldn't stem them. I feared that Trevor was already dead and it would just be a matter of minutes before I faced the same fate.
"Oh, come now, sugar pop. You were doing so well there. I could practically smell your rage. Don't start with the water works. It doesn't suit you."
"What do you want?" I screamed it into his face.
"I want you to leave it alone. I want you to forget what you've seen, what you know and go away. Don't follow us, don't think about us." He titled his head to regard me. "If you do that, I will let you and your boyfriend live."
Movement in the corner caught my interest. I turned just as Devon, Quinn and Seth dragged Trevor into the room. They dumped him, like a ragdoll, onto the floor.
He groaned and rolled over onto his back. Even in the gloom I could see that he'd been beaten badly. His face was bloody and raw.
"Trevor." I tried to go to him, but Thane held me in place, pinning me with his fierce gaze.
"Why should I believe you?"
"Because, sugar pop, I kind of like you."
I looked at him then. "You're kidding right?"
"Nope. I don't even like Quinn all that much. But you, there's something about you, that I just can't not like. Must be the monster in you." He grinned, and then let my arm go.
I rushed to Trevor's side, touching him. "Trevor. Jesus." He was worse than I thought. His face was a mass of hamburger. He could barely even open his eyes. They were both swollen and purple.
"You should be proud of him," Devon said, "He wouldn't give you up even after I pummeled his face a dozen times."
I glared at her. I wanted to rip out her eyes and feed them to her.
"It wasn't until I threatened to torture your BFF Chloe and your dear mummy, that he finally told us what the two of you were up to."
"Oh, baby," I murmured to him. I brushed the hair from his brow. Not that it helped any. Most of it was matted with blood and stuck to his skin.
Thane walked over to us, and glowered down at me. "Do we have an agreement?"
I touched Trevor's chin. He moaned, and moved his head a little. I couldn't even tell if he was conscious. If he knew I was there with him. Tears rolled down my cheeks and dripped on the sleeve of Trevor's shirt. Another moan. But this time, his one eye opened and fixed on me. I leaned down to his lips, tilting my ear to him.
His words were barely audible, but I heard him in my heart. "Don't let them win."
I glanced up at Thane, a rage so pure so searing nearly scorched my throat as I spoke, "You're going to pay for what you've done."
His eyes widened; he was either surprised at the vehemence in my voice or the fact that I bolted up from the floor fingers swiping at his face. I managed to cut his cheek before he backhanded me across the face sending me sprawling sideways.
"Sugar pop wants to play," Thane snarled as
he advanced on me.
Fear and a heightened sense of survival had me sprinting across the floor and crawling up the wall before he could wrap a hand in my hair. When I reached the ceiling, I had no clue what to do. I hadn't mastered the floating and sticking to things trick yet.
Laughing, Thane stared up at me. "You're quick, I'll give you that."
"Quit messing around," snarled Devon, "and kill her already."
I looked over at her and saw she'd placed a booted foot on Trevor's chest to keep him from moving. Fury burned like acid in my chest. I twisted my hands into fists and sprang like a grasshopper from the ceiling aiming not for Thane but for Devon. Hate fueled my aim and made it lethal.
I grabbed her around the neck and grappled her to the ground. She shrieked as I yanked on her hair and slapped at her face. I managed to get a boot to her gut before I was pulled off and tossed to the side like a bag of trash. I landed face first on the hardwood floor. My nose smooshed into the ground. I heard the snap of bone and felt the rush of blood.
"You can't win, sugar pop."
I felt Thane's presence looming over me.
"You should just let it go while you're still breathing."
Hot bitter tears filled my eyes blinding me. I couldn't stop them as they rushed out and dripped onto the floor beneath me, mingling with the blood drops. Thane was right. I couldn't win. They were much too strong. There was nothing I could do to hurt them.
They were going to get away with all the rotten murderous things they'd done—turning me into a monster, turning Trevor as well, and killing his sister. It was too much for me to bear.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I slapped the palms of my hands down on the floor in frustration. I was helpless, unable to defend myself, unable to save Trevor.
I opened my eyes again, staring down at the floor powerlessly. It was then that I noticed I was lying in a deep shadow in the corner. Squinting, I spied a glint of something beneath me. Something bright. Something shiny.
Merlin's sword.
"Get up, sugar pop, so I can kill you properly."
Taking in a deep breath, I reached into the shadow, willing my arm to dissolve into the darkness. My skin tingled as I pushed through the shadows. My hand groped blindly, my leap of faith the only thing guiding it. Until finally, blessedly, my fingers wrapped around the leather hilt.
I drew the sword out of the shadow just as Thane reached for me. I pushed up with my other hand and twisted my body, swinging the weapon around with every ounce of strength I could muster.
Like in the movies, the next two minutes moved by in slow motion. Surprised, I watched as the blade sunk into Thane's body. He looked just as shocked when he noticed the steel protruding from his chest. His hands came up to the wound, caressing the sword in his palms. Blood quickly spilled through his clenched fingers.
Stunned silent, I watched as the blood ran in thin rivulets down his forearms to finally drip, like a leaky faucet, onto the floor.
His gaze flickered over me and I could see the shock in his eyes. Shock and something unexpected. Remorse. But remorse for whom? Me or himself. Thane opened his mouth to speak. I wasn't sure I would hear him anyway, but it was too late, because he fell over onto his side, slack-jawed and lifeless before he could utter one word.
Sinking back onto my rear-end, I turned to look at the others. Seth and Quinn stared wide-eyed, mouths gaping like fish out of water. Devon, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to rip out my throat, which I thought she was gearing up to do.
"I'm going to slaughter you, bitch!" she screeched.
I reached over and grabbed the hilt of the sword with both hands. I drew it out of Thane. The second it was removed, his body turned black like charcoal, and then it split and broke apart into pieces sinking into the floor, dissolving into the shadows until there wasn't anything left of him but a puff of fine soot-colored dust.
I pushed to my feet, hefting the sword in front of me. It was heavy and my arms shook with the strain but I refused to let them see how frightened to death I was. How mortified I felt for killing Thane, although he deserved it full heartedly.
Seth shook his head. "I'm out of here. This isn't worth it." He ran toward another of the big shadows on the floor and disappeared inside it. Quinn followed his lead.
That left me, Trevor and Devon. I knew she would never run away. She'd stay and fight to the end. I just feared it was going to be my end. With Thane I had the element of surprise; with Devon I had nothing by my false bravado.
"You won't get that thing up before I twist your head off."
But before she could come at me, Trevor sprung up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, effectively pinning her arms to her sides. She struggled against him, but he held her firm.
"Get off me!"
I raised the sword in front of me and walked toward them. My arms hurt, my hands were sore. I could barely keep the tip of the blade from scraping on the floor. But I kept coming, determined to end this once and for all. For Trevor. For me. For all the people we were going to save.
I wanted to go home.
"This is for my sister," Trevor grunted as he shoved Devon forward. Hard.
She came spiraling toward me, shrieking like a banshee. I hauled the sword up just in time. Her eyes bugged out as the blade impaled her.
Unlike Thane, she didn't die quietly.
With a scream that nearly burst my ear drums, Devon exploded into a thousand dark pieces. Ebony glass-like shards fell to the floor and shattered into dust. A breeze blew through the center, carrying her essence with it as it swept the building and out through the back door.
I dropped the sword and ran to Trevor just as his knees buckled and he collapsed onto the floor. I knelt next to him, cradling his head on my lap.
"We did it," I murmured to him.
He smiled up at me and I knew it caused him a lot of pain to do so. "You did it, Salem. I knew you would." He coughed and blood bubbled between his lips.
I wiped it away with the sleeve of my hoodie. "It's okay, baby." He tried to speak again, but I put my finger on his lips. "Don't. Save your strength."
I checked the rest of him over. I didn't see any blood blossoms on his chest or legs. The red on his t-shirt I assumed came from his face. At least I hoped it did.
"Can you move? We need to get out of here."
He shook his head. "I'm broken."
New tears rolled down my cheeks. "I'm going to fix you, okay? Don't worry."
He tried to protest but I stopped him by pressing my lips to his. He tried to pull away but I held him still by gripping his chin with my fingers. Closing my eyes, I thought about the energy inside my body, gathered it to me and breathed it into Trevor.
My essence left my body and went into his. It was a strange sensation, maybe how drowning would feel. Like losing oxygen. I poured it into Trevor until my lungs burned and my head swam.
I stopped only when he nudged me away, breaking the spell.
"Enough, Salem. It's enough." His face wasn't as pale or sweaty. His eyes were clearer.
I nodded then put one hand under his shoulder, and the other gripped his arm. "I'm going to pull you up, okay?" I didn't wait for his reply.
It took about five minutes to get him up to his feet. He couldn't walk, but had to lean on me. If I had been a weaker person, there wouldn't have been a chance in hell that I could've carried him out of there. But my demon genes gave me the strength I needed. Go figure.
As I helped him hobble into the nearest shadow, he turned his head and looked at me. "Take me home, Salem."
I nodded, and took him at his word.
Chapter 29
A lot can happen in a week. I'm proof positive of that. Twice.
The first time I went from average teen, if slightly off kilter, to half demon roadie for a demonic rock band. This time, I went from half demon ex-roadie to semi-normal teen back at home trying to assimilate back into her life.
When Trevor had said home, I took him literally and
stepped into the shadow and transported us back to my bedroom in Boise. Needless to say, my mom nearly had a heart attack when she burst into my room to find Trevor bleeding on my bed and me sitting beside him trying to wipe that blood off. Oh, and she'd happened to notice the sword lying on the rug.
I'd asked her for a washcloth and some water and she got it for me without much argument. I figured she could see the determined and devastated look in my eyes and knew not to push the issue.
It wasn't until after I'd cleaned up Trevor and left him sleeping, that the questions came fast and furious.
She'd alternated between yelling and crying but after a few hours I'd been able to tell her something that she could believe. That Josh had attacked me and Trevor had saved me by beating Josh into a coma and we had run because we didn't know what else to do. Although I suspected, she hadn't believed one word and now was just waited for me to spill the truth.
I could've told her she might be waiting for a long time.
To both our surprises--my mom's more I suspected--Trevor healed quickly. He'd slept for nearly six hours and when he'd woken, his eyes hadn't been swollen any longer and the bruises on his face had already started to green.
My mom hadn't asked. I suspected she thought there was more to Trevor than I was saying. More to me too. She'd looked at me oddly, but it wasn't full of disgust or shock just curiosity and interest. My mom, the rock. She was the epitome of unconditional love.
I probably could've confessed all and told her the truth and exposed Trevor and I as cambions and she'd take it in, absorb it, and come out on the other side, just more enlightened. She'd probably want to ride the shadows and find the other two members of Malice and end them because of what they did.
I was almost inclined to let her. But for me it was over. I'd gotten my retribution. I was okay with how it all turned out. I just wanted to move on with my life.
And for now, we were enjoying just being us. Two normal teenagers trying to navigate the tumultuous road of life and well, love.
"Salem." My mom knocked on my bedroom door. "Trevor's here."
Bouncing off the bed, I jammed my feet into a pair of sneakers, grabbed my hoodie from the floor and opened the door. My mom was there, leaning against the wall, waiting for me.
