“I think your escort is growing impatient,” Kian remarks with a smirk.
“Escort?” I snap, trying not to roll my eyes and give him all of the ‘tude he deserves.
“She is far from an escort and by the looks of it, you know it.” Aiden challenged.
Kian nods. “Indeed I do. We have already been introduced so there is no need for formalities.”
Aiden narrows his glare but does not look at me. However, I know he is pissed. Beyond pissed. He doesn’t like being in the dark about any of my encounters.
“What is it that you want?” One of the witches, a white haired old crone quizzed.
“And why is it that we can sense your power, but cannot identify what you are?” Came the second witch who is more haggly than her friend.
“You reek of the House of Light,” the witches declared together. “But you look and carry yourself like a mortal. What are you?”
“None of your goddamn business!” Aiden growled.
Could it be true? Is Aiden a member of the House of Light? The same House responsible for the eradication of the Greys, and more recently my family? I shudder at the possibility. What will I do if I find it to be true?
“Why are you here then? Have you not looked around you? Are you really foolish enough to bring her into the lion's den or did you bring her so you can deliver her into my care?” Kian challenged, rising to his feet.
Aiden didn’t even flinch. “She can defend herself just fine. Sheltering her is placing her into more danger. Or is that what you are looking for Kian? A damsel in distress to soothe your pathetic ego?”
They…know each other? How?
“Give her to me Aiden,” Kian demanded taking a step forward.
“She is not a prize Kian,” Aiden said gripping his sword by its handle.
Kian glances at me and then at Aiden. I don’t like this one bit. Regardless of how gorgeous Kian is and how much an alliance with him would be more beneficial to my cause, I am definitely not some prize to be won. I am Kai and Demetrius’ daughter and so with that in my mind, I am vacuumed deeper into myself as I was earlier when I single handedly fought off the Berserkers and tap into that unlimited source of unrestrained power-absolute Darkness and with a swift move of my hand I send a thunderbolt of black lightning into Kian and send him flying backwards. He slams into the brick wall, and slumps forward. All eyes are on me. Except for Aiden’s. He is still glaring at the other members of the table. The room is completely silent, and as more adrenaline pumps through my veins, a part of me wants to demolish this entire building, and as I fight for control over myself one of the old crones looks at me, eyes wide with fear and says,
“She possesses the strengths from both Houses. So the prophecy is true.”
I have no idea what she could mean by that being that both of my parents are Greys.
“I need to know who kidnapped Kai,” Aiden snarls through clenched teeth.
“We are aware of what happened to her family, especially Demetrius,” says one of the lovely nymphs who sit idly by with her legs crossed. Her mini dress barely covering her petite thighs.
“And good riddance,” mumbles Kian as he struggles to get to his feet.
Rage boils within me from the comment and as I contemplate hitting him again with another charge from my fingertips, one of the shifters who had been watching the scene take place approaches slowly from the edge of the bar. She appears to be well into her forties, her honey brown eyes telling a story filled with war and pain and she stops just a couple of feet away from me to my left. She wipes a stray strand of strawberry blonde hair from her slender face before speaking.
“I don’t know much about whatever prophecy the witch speaks of,” She began, her country accent as thick as the tension in the room.
“But, there is a man that I work for who might know more about what’s going on. Word on the street is, there is an entity out there much stronger than the queen herself, and he is looking to place his bid in the war-“
“How do you even know about a war?” Aiden pressed, turning all of his attention onto the shifter who eyed him with a high level of appreciation.
“C’mon man, every level of entity knows about this age long war between the houses. We have watched as hundreds of her kind get slaughtered mercilessly along with those of us who get in the way. The only question that remains is once the entire Grey population is decimated, how long will it take for the Queen to turn her attentions on the rest of us?”
Her last question is followed by silence and I too wonder what the Queen will do next once she is finished with her mission in eradicating my race. What is to stop her from targeting even humans?
“Who is your boss?” Aiden demands.
“ I work for an entity who is also a hybrid. But I must warn you, he ain't gon’ take too kindly to strangers, especially those he can’t identify such as yourself. He is a strong and ruthless son of a bitch and once I am done working off my debt I am leaving the goddamn country. Oh and just so you know, this motherfucker wants this girl-“ she says pointing at me, “in the worst possible way, so I suggest that she not accompany you when you meet him.”
“Well who the fuck is it?” Aidan demands.
“His name is Derrick. You can find him usually in any one of the passion houses where the sirens live.”
Just the mention of the name “siren” pisses me off.
“And just who are you?” Aiden asked.
“The name is Luna,” she says before inching closer and lowering her tone. “And just so you know, the next time you decide you want to waltz into a place like this, be better prepared for a fight. Fate was on your side tonight being that none of us wish to harm the girl, but keep in mind that there are many of us who would not think twice about doing so. We actually hate the queen, so if you want our help, just ask.”
I listened intently to everything Luna said and release a sigh of relief. Allies are always good to have during times like these and if there is a prophecy out there claiming that I am to lead some army, I wonder if any of these entities would be open to joining my team. Luna steps back and I watch as she and Aiden share a knowing look before Aiden spins on his heels and beckons for me to follow. Unfortunately, Kian takes it upon himself to follow us outside and I am not in the mood to separate these two.
Aiden
I can sense the aggression oozing from the Berserkers pores as he stalks behind me. Dawn is trying to wedge her way between us, which will not work to her advantage. Why she forgot to tell me she had a run in with this big bastard is beyond me, but what’s done is done. The son of a bitch has already staked a mental claim on her. I can feel it. I push my way through the crowd, anxious and ready to put an end to this particular Berserker’s misery. I know he knows what I am: there is no way he doesn’t-another reason for me to end his life. Once outside in the dark and vacant parking lot, me and the Berserker face off, and Dawn pushes her way between us.
“Listen Aiden,” she pleads placing her palms gently against my chest.
“Not now Dawn,” I mumble through gritted teeth.
“But Aiden!” She yelps as I gently grip her palms and push her away from me.
The Berserker is barely a foot away from me, his feet spread firmly, his shoulders rolled back and his gaze focused on me. He cracks his knuckles. I smile.
“Kian!” Dawn screams at the Berserker whose gaze meets her panicked stare. He offers her a half grin.
“Get out of the way Greyling,” he growls.
Our eyes lock. One false move and it is on.
“What makes you think that you can protect her Light Bringer?” The bastard’s grin widened exposing a perfect set of white teeth.
I can feel Dawn’s questioning stare, but I don’t have time to address it. I launch myself at the Berserker, and even though I can hear Dawn’s screams and I feel the irritating blasts from her now all too powerful palms. She manages to knock Kian away from me and just as I recover from one of his punches, she knocks
me down too. I hit the pavement hard, scraping my back before bouncing off onto my side. Dazed, slightly wounded, and surprised at her audacity, I hear the whispers of the patrons now exiting the club. Kian is gone and Dawn stands just a few feet away from her, her expression unreadable.
Luna pushes her way to the front of the crowd and helps me to my feet. “What the hell just happened?”
I don’t say a word as I pretend to dust myself off like everything is normal. Dawn storms off in the distance towards the car. This is not how I wanted her to find out. I can only hope that after all that we have been through that she will trust me enough to forgive me. Otherwise, there will be nothing I can do to stop what is coming next.
The drive is a silent one. And I let her be. I need time to figure out how best to explain myself. She has shut herself down completely, almost to the point where I am beginning to wonder if I even exist to her. She is staring out of the window, expression unreadable; and her hands limp on her lap. I try to connect with her telepathically and I instantly am greeted with a wall. I could kill that Berserker-no, I will kill the Berserker when we meet again.
We on our way to San Francisco, which happens to damn near be the Siren capitol of the world. For whatever reason those entities are drawn to the bay area, along with the nymphs and imps that hide in the shadows of the underworld. I need to find this, “Derrick” as soon as possible. I glance over at Dawn who is fidgeting in her seat. She slowly turns her head, her eyes barely meeting mine.
“Can we make a stop? I have to use the restroom,” she says evenly.
I nod. “Yeah. I do too come to think of it. Are you hungry? We can stop and grab a bite to eat…?”
She doesn’t answer. She just returns her gaze to the scenery whizzing past us from the window.
I sigh and try to focus on the road until a thought hits me: she may try to run as soon as we make the stop. We need to get this straightened out before I let her out the car. I pull over to a 76 gas station and just as she begins to unbuckle her seatbelt, I lock the doors. She glares at me at the sound of the click.
“Dawn, we need to talk,” I say unbuckling my own seat belt and giving her a pleading look.
“About what?” She snaps.
“You know what Dawn, so lose the ‘tude. It doesn’t fit you.”
“Well lies don’t fit you but then again, maybe they do.”
Ouch.
“Dawn I-“
“Listen Aiden- if that is even your real name- I just need to know the truth. Are you really a Light Warrior? Kian referred to you as a Light Bringer which can only mean one thing…all this time you’ve been lying to my parents-for goodness sake they trusted you! Who do you work for? So help me Aiden if you had anything to do with the raid I will kill you myself!”
She then struggles to break out of the car, and it is only because of her panic that she is not thinking clearly enough to use her powers.
“Dawn,” I say calmly. “I swear to you I had nothing to do with the raid. And I lied to protect you. If I really wanted to hurt you I could have easily done so many years ago or even more recently if that were my intention. If your parents knew what I was you and your entire family would have been dead a long time ago. It was because of me that you’ve been safe up until this time. Your parents had no idea what was coming and to this day, they still don’t-“
“Who sent you Aiden? Tell. Me. The. Truth.”
Her demand was simple but commanded more than what words could ever describe. She knew there it was just no coincidence that I would show up in her life and become her silent guardian until the time came for her to need me. I sighed once more, and reclined my seat. What little faith in me she had, she was begging for me to restore it and I will do whatever it takes to keep her close to me. I am not sure where or how I even began, but as much as I didn’t want to tell her that the Queen of Light is my mother, I did. As much as I didn’t want to tell her that I was sent by the Queen to kill her because of a prophecy, I did. As much as I didn’t want to tell her my discovery of my own mother assassinating my father, I did. And as much as I didn’t want to tell her that I swore to protect the moment I laid eyes on her, I did. The only thing that I managed to keep to myself is the fact that she is and will forever be mine. She does not need to know all of that-at least not yet.
She swallowed thickly as she fought back huge tears that glimmered underneath the moonlight. Even her tears are beautiful. Without thinking, I lean over and capture a tear onto my fingertips. I gaze it, amazed that it still maintained its oval form before it splashed onto the seat. She allows me to take her hand, and I gently brush her knuckles with a kiss.
“From the mouth and honor of a Warrior of Light, Dawn I promise to never harm you or your family. I know it seems like the House of Light is nothing more than a murderous race of savages, but I am from the Royal Court, and once avowed there is none that can break it.”
I want to seal this vow with a kiss which is customary among my people, however, that may be a bit much for her. Instead I pull away and allow her time to digest my confession.
“The Queen wants me?” She asked a few minutes later, staring blankly at me.
I nod.
“But why? Isn’t it enough that she wants to eradicate an entire race? What do I have to do with anything?”
“You are special…and she doesn’t like it. Especially since your uniqueness will not work in her favor.”
She pauses. “You really defied your mother…?”
I shrug. “My mother and I were never ever really on the same side when it came to a variety of topics. But you in particular took the cake.”
She begins to fidget, which reminds me it is time to empty our bladders and fill our stomachs because we still have a long night ahead of us, so I unlock the doors and watch as she hops outside into the night air. She staggers a bit when her feet hit the ground, and I can tell that she is drained. She used too much of her newfound powers, and has yet to learn how to conserve energy. I can protect us both should the need arises. I just wonder how much of the fatigue I am responsible for causing.
Chapter 17
Kai struggled against the chains that held her bound several feet above the ground. Things didn’t go well with the would be suitor. She wasn’t what he wanted. Everyone seemed to be after her daughter for a myriad of reasons, and the only thing she could do was pray that she and Demetrius had taught her everything they could about survival. If Dawn was smart, she’d be in the safe house reaching out to other compounds, building an army, strategizing her next move. Night would be her cover, resting as little as possible in the day time; gathering resources, and doing everything she had to do to make it.
This was all her fault. She should have spent more time looking for answers to the questions regarding Dawn’s parentage. Instead, she denied the fact that Dawn wasn’t actually hers. She brushed the reality aside and now her daughter was out in the world unaware of all the danger that lurked in every corner with her name on it. Not only did she have to fear The Queen but now, an equally powerful entity that oozed destruction from his pores. Kai thought about her compound sisters, and smiled at the knowledge of some of them escaping. She still had the cell phone buried underneath the floorboard of the other cell she was originally placed in, and hoped that it would remain undiscovered. Half starved and fatigued beyond all reason, Kai knew that if she did not do something soon, it was pretty clear what would become of her. She needed to get to Dawn, and quickly.
Using what was left of her own power, her palm ignited with white hot heat that proceeded to melt away the metal shackles that held her captive. After a few minutes, she held in her yelp when she dropped to the floor. Dazed, and weak she forced herself to her feet and even in the absolute darkness she discovered a small opening in the wall where a small ray of light broke through. It was now or never. With her palms still burning with heat, she burned a hole through the stoned barrier before climbing through. She knew if found, the repercussions of her escape w
ould be at worst, fatal, but waiting around to see what would happen was not an option for her.
The moment her feet touched hit the pavement from the outside, she ran at full speed-freeze framing- towards the iron gates a hundred or so yards off in the distance. She could sense the silent detectors alarming the guards of her movement, so she pushed herself harder toward the gate. They were coming for her, but she did not allow the thought to slow her down. She makes it just in time to climb over the gate, her hands and knees bloodied by the razor edging that was meant to deter intruders and escapees, and seconds later she is over the gate and making her way towards the other side of the realm to freedom. Her chest burned from exhaustion, her legs cramped and chaos was behind her. She would have to run another mile or so before reaching the realm’s end, but she pushed onward through a thicket of dense forest and subtropical heat.
Just a little further, she told herself as she sped passed a moving vine that snapped at her. Minutes later, she reached the end of the realm, which resembled the scenery of the horizon at daybreak. She crossed the barrier and found herself back in her own world, on familiar grounds which was where her compound once stood. She almost fainted at the sight of the remains. Someone had utterly destroyed it. There was nothing left but burnt ground and debris. No sign of Dawn or anyone for that matter. With now blistering bare feet, a broken heart, her body’s energy reserves on E, the last thing she needed was to sense the presence of the very entity who started this war her family and members of her kind had to fight in the first place. The light was blinding, and even though her defense system was firing away for her to fight back, the combination of fatigue, grief and desire to stay alive shut down. The last thing Kai would ever remember is thinking death had to be easier than this.
Dawn
I have always known that there was something “not human” about Aiden, and now I know why. He is a Warrior of Light, and supposed to be my arch enemy and a total threat to my kind's’ well being…however, here he is with me as my protector doing everything in his power to keep me safe and to find answers. After stuffing our guts with fast food, we are on our way to one of the many pleasure palaces ran by Sirens. I want to ask him if it is going to be a repeat of the last encounter with a siren, but I decide to keep my mouth shut. Who he sleeps with is none of my business. I have other more important matters to worry about, like the text message from my mom. She told me to keep running, which is something that I am quite good at. But, what I am also good at, is fighting. Since my last dream world encounter with the darkness, I am stronger. Faster. And much more powerful than I have ever felt. I deflected a Berserker without as much a second thought. I don’t want to keep running any more.
In the Light of Darkness Page 11
