by Weil, J. L.
“Is—is she dead?” I whispered against the softness of his hoodie. I felt a shudder tear through him as he held onto me.
His lips moved through my hair. “Stay here.”
For once I didn’t argue.
At the same moment that Chase dashed off the porch, the door behind me flew open. Tears were openly streaming down my cheeks, freezing on the way down. Travis was at my side before I could process his presence.
“Angel, what is it? What did my asshole cousin do now?” he asked, searching my pale face.
All I could do was shake my head as I brushed aside the tears with the back of my hand. Winds of sorrow blew back my hair, mourning the loss of someone too young to die. I knew from the retched pain that seared my gut that she was dead. Chase let out a growl that was part sob, and his emotions slammed into me with the force of a wrecking ball.
I staggered.
Emma stood in the doorway, eyeing me wearily. She reached behind her, pulling out a wicked red dagger.
I hiccupped back a sniffle at the sight of the gleaming knife.
“Are you guys trying to wake the dead?” she asked, poised for danger.
That did it. My eyes welled up again with a new set of waterworks.
“Jeesh, are you PMS’ing?” She crossed her arms and stared at me.
Travis finally noticed Chase in the distance. His turquoise eyes narrowed at the sight of his cousin carrying a motionless body in his arms, one with flaming red hair. He hissed a sharp intake of air. “No.” His sandy head began to shake back and forth in denial. “No!” he said much more forcefully. Then like spontaneous combustion, his eyes burned amber, mirroring his cousin’s.
“Oh God,” Emma said, coming up behind me and hugging me. We clung onto each other as the men we loved mourned the loss of one of their own.
Sierra was dead.
Chapter 15
Her body had been brutally beaten. Knowing Sierra, she had gone down fighting. We might have had our differences and maybe we disliked each other more days than not, but I never in a millions years would have wished her this. Not death. And certainly not one so disturbingly horrible as hers appeared to be. My stomach knotted.
It didn’t have to be said.
We all knew who was responsible.
Alastair.
The name echoed over and over in my head, along with the image of his awful face. This was our first warning. He hadn’t forgotten about us. He hadn’t gone off into the blistering sunset as I had hoped. I trembled to see what was next. He wanted me. For what, God only knew, or more like Hell only knew. I couldn’t help but feel that Sierra’s blood was on my hands. I might not have plunged the knife that killed her, but maybe I could have prevented it—saved her.
No one saw this coming, a mistake we would never make again—underestimate a demon.
I wished I had been able to do something. Too little too late, but it never occurred to me that Sierra might be in danger. How foolish it had been to assume that Chase and I were the only targets. Of course Alastair would use people we cared about to get us to bend to his will. This sucked.
Apparently it was open season.
The details after we found her body were shadowy. It felt like a raging storm hung over my head as I dragged my feet back home. Alone. Afraid. I walked through the door zombified, not hearing or seeing anything. The world was black and white; it had lost all its color, all its brightness, all its hope.
The person I needed most was there as I staggered in, blood chilled and heart heavy. My mom. “Oh, Angel,” she said, seeing my pale face. “I’m so sorry.”
“Mom?” My process time was slow.
In a few quick strides, she was at my side. “Devin called me and told me.” Her voice was soft and overrun with worry.
“What?” I could not believe that he had called my mom. Nothing was computing.
“Oh, baby.” She wrapped me in her arms, gentle tears rolling down her cheeks. “I heard about that girl. Th—that you found her. I came straight home.”
I nodded, unable to speak. Then my body began to shake, and I was sobbing uncontrollably. Seeing my mom did that—broke down the detached exterior I had put up, needing to keep it together for Chase.
“Shh,” she whispered, running her hands down my hair and leading me into the toasty family room. “I’m so sorry.”
I didn’t know what I would have done if she weren’t here. The idea of being alone in this house was unappealing and drab. Torn in two, I didn’t know which I wanted more. To protect her from this insane, painful, deadly world I’d tumbled into, or empty my broken, dispirited soul to the one person who always made everything better.
I decided that tomorrow would be soon enough to stress about how close she was getting to all of this. Tonight I let her comfort me, take care of me. We both needed it.
If anything ever happened to her…
It was impossible to think about. She was all the family I had. She was the one constant in my life, and without her I would be lost.
We curled up on the couch, my head on her shoulder, taking relief in knowing she was alive—safe. She tucked a bunny-soft throw around me, probably thinking the same thing about me.
I was alive—safe.
But Sierra’s parents, they were the ones whose world was just swept out from under them. Their little girl was gone—forever. No more Christmas mornings. No more birthday celebrations. No more dreams for their daughter.
Because I had such a small and close-knit family, I had been sheltered from death. It hit me hard, but it wasn’t just my feelings I was dealing with, which made it that much tougher. Chase’s pain weighed down inside me. And there was nothing I could do about it.
Keeping me close and whispering soft words of comfort, Mom listened as I babbled senselessly. I didn’t really know what was coming out of my mouth, but I believed she thought I was in shock. And I probably was. But the nonsense about demons, that was all true.
Having run myself dry, I stared into the crackling fire, listening to the sounds of wood popping. There was a gaping hole inside me, and I knew that Chase was in agony. His pain was a viable dark cloud that dangled over me. Devin and Travis had gone with him to bring Sierra to her parents.
Chase had been split in two about leaving me, but I had pushed him, knowing that he felt he owed it to Sierra. She deserved to be with her family, and they deserved the opportunity to say their goodbyes to her. They deserved to know the truth about her death. Parting from Chase had been difficult, especially when I wanted to wrap my arms around him and offer whatever solace I could give. Everything was a little bit easier together.
It was after midnight when my doorbell rang, and because there were no tingles present, I knew it wasn’t Chase on the other side of the door. Mom swiped a piece of hair off my cheek before getting up to see who was at the door. Disinterested, I continued to watch the orangey flames flicker out.
“Oh, Lexi, dear,” I heard Mom say.
Turning my head toward the entryway, I saw Mom bundle Lexi in a motherly hug. For the first time since I’d met Lexi, she looked a hot mess. Her blonde hair wasn’t styled, her mascara was running, her eyes were bloodshot, and I knew that Lexi needed my mom as much as I did. We needed each other.
Lexi’s gut-retching sobs tore open the wound inside me again, like someone had poured salt on it. Mom ushered her inside and tucked her on the couch beside me. Lexi took one look at me and slumped onto the black and white print cushions. We shared our grief, three weeping females leaning on each other for support.
Not long after, Mom dozed off from sheer exhaustion—tears do that, leave you bone tired and achy. So Lexi and I crept upstairs to my room. My muscles were cramped and stiff from being curled up on the couch for so long. I stretched out on my bed with my racing thoughts that just wouldn’t quiet. Nothing short of a tranquilizer would shut them up.
“I can’t believe this is real,” Lexi said in despair. “She’s gone.” Her eyes puffy and red, were ringed wit
h black smudged makeup.
I sucked at consoling as I racked my brain for something reassuring to say, like she was in a better place, but none of us really knew if there was a spot for demon spawns in Heaven. So I just went with, “Me neither.” Lame. I know. I sighed. “We should try to get some sleep.”
Neither of us was up for talking. There just wasn’t much to say.
Lying on my hands, I tried to find a comfortable position. Chase, Lexi, and Travis, they were always watching out for me. Tonight I was going to watch over my best friend. I didn’t sleep at all, and Lexi was restless. She would occasionally cry out in her sleep. I held her hand, just to let her know she wasn’t alone.
Sometime in the wee hours of morning, I felt my mark spark to life.
Chase.
Leaning in my doorway, he looked tired with an enormous amount of guilt weighing on his shoulders. I ate up the sight of him. It had felt like days, not hours, since we had last seen each other. “How is she?” he asked, his voice gravelly.
“Sleeping now,” I whispered.
He nodded.
I tiptoed out of bed, careful not to wake Lexi, and went to him. Framing his face in my hands, I wanted, needed that human contact that told me he was real.
He closed his eyes and dropped his head back against the wall. “Angel.” The sound of my name and the sorrow that came with it broke my heart. In one quick breath, he had me in his arms and buried his face in my hair.
We stood enfolded in each other, not saying a word. Time went by before he moved and took a seat at the window bench, pulling me into his lap. “I can’t even begin to express how I feel.” His voice was just above a murmur. “On one hand, I’m filled with profound sadness. On the other, I can’t help but be relieved it wasn’t you.”
I laid my hand on his heart, feeling every breath he took. Admitting the turmoil swirling inside him had been hard.
“If I already didn’t have a one-way ticket to Hell, I am positive that this relief I feel would send me straight there. If—if I had lost you…I don’t—”
I put my finger to his lips, silencing him. “I’m okay. We’re okay.
Chapter 16
To say that my winter break sucked major poo was a complete understatement. But that was to be expected when a girl you knew was slaughtered. Chase and I hardly saw each other after that night, but when you had a standup guy for a boyfriend, it was a sure bet that he would be there to help everyone through the tough times.
He spent most of the days offering a hand to Sierra’s distraught parents. I am not sure if he told them who Chase and I suspected had really killed Sierra. Sure the police were calling it a murder, but we knew it was so much more. No one outside his circle would have believed us anyway. Telling the authorities that a demon killed our friend just sounded bad.
The few times that I had seen him just confirmed what I felt.
Chase was a basket case inside.
He was brimming with so much anger and guilt it physically poured off him. I knew it was only a matter of time. With the right push, he would lose the lid he had containing all that pent-up emotion. Harboring so much hate was bound to backfire sometime.
It was pretty scary, because I knew just how horrible it would be when he unleashed—a demon blizzard. For now, all I could do was hope he would be able to work through losing a lifelong friend. And if he let me, I would be there to shelter some of the pain.
The first week back was the absolute worst. Walking the halls at Hall High was like being at a funeral. It was no secret that Sierra was hard to get along with, had terrorized and frightened most of the school, but her death still shook the small town. It wasn’t so much that she had died, but that she had been murdered. And brutally murdered at that.
The whole town went on lockdown. Parents kept their children at home, and Spring Valley turned into a ghost town. As long as there was a murderer loose, doors were bolted, people stayed home, and the whole town was on edge. If they only knew how dangerous and deadly the murderer really was. No locked door and no amount of hibernation was going to stop Alastair if he wanted you.
The town had no idea who they were up against, and truthfully neither did I.
I think the hardest part in all of this was I could feel Chase drifting from me. At first I just thought he needed space, time to heal, but as the days slipped by and turned to weeks, I began to worry. And it wasn’t just his distance. His emotions were a turbulent cluster of chaos. Up, down, and all around, he made my head spin. I was the only person seasick on land. The problem at hand was, I didn’t know how much longer I could handle our emotional bond in its current state.
Most days it was easier to just shut them out, but that took more effort than I had.
During these periods of days without Chase, I came to the conclusion that I was the weakest link. I had no formal training like everyone else. That was about to change.
Chase already had too much on his plate, and honestly, he probably would have said no. Too dangerous. You have me, what do you need to fight for? I could hear him say. Neither of us had the energy to spare in a round of Chase vs. Angel. So I came to the conclusion, the only person I could ask was my dear Emma.
I must be desperate.
And a little nutty.
“Emma, wait up.” I caught her between classes. Chase and Lexi hadn’t returned to school, which left the unsteady Emma as my watchdog. Desperate times, desperate measures, but in this case, it worked in my favor.
“What do you need little demonziod?”
She’d pay for the name calling later, after I got what I wanted. “Just a small favor.”
“Is it going to make your boyfriend angry?”
I nibbled on my lip, contemplating on how to answer. “Probably.”
“I’m in.”
Just like that. No questions asked. “Good. Can we go to your house after school?” I must be insane willing to walk into the Deen’s house. I had visions of torture rooms and padded cells.
She paused. “Wow. This must be a big deal. You’re willing to go into the lion’s den, huh? Impressed.”
I rolled my eyes. “My life is kind of important.”
Emma was intrigued. “After school. I’ll meet you at your locker. And then you can tell me what this is all about.”
Oh boy. What did I do? I was about to get butt kicked, willingly by a hunter. My muscles were going to hate me.
I waited until we were both situated inside her car, cruising toward the exit. “I want you to train me to fight.”
Her foot slipped on the pedal and the car jerked, throwing her strawberry hair in her eyes. “What?”
I said the words slower the second time. “I want you to teach me how to defend myself against demons.”
“That’s what I thought you said. You were right. Chase is definitely not going to like this.”
“So will you? Help me?”
She kept her eyes on the road, but I could see the deliberation behind her emerald eyes. “Why not. What else do I have to do?”
So that was how Emma’s class in kickbutt 101 started.
There was a building behind her garage stuffed with workout equipment, dummies, shooting targets, and of course a large weapon stash. It was frightening.
“Welcome to casa de Deen. Where you never lack for protection from the strange and unusual. You name, it’s here somewhere,” Emma said when she saw my jaw drop.
“I’ll say.”
“When you step through that door, I won’t be your friend. I’ll be your instructor; you’ll be my pupil. I want to make that clear first, before we step into the ring. No questions asked, you do as I say. If you can agree to those terms, we begin.”
I knew she took this stuff seriously, but jeesh. Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I thought about her agreement. I could handle the aches and pains, the sore muscles and bruises. It was the following orders no questions asked that raised my hairs. I don’t like to answer to anyone, least of Emma. She had tried to kill me on
multiple occasions. And me coming here, on here ground, gave her the means to chop my head off. I prayed that my compulsion stuck. “Fine. I agree.”
Emma was a ruthless teacher, but I had expected nothing less considering where she had learned her mad hunting skills. She had been to the school of hard knocks for demon fighting.
Here’s how my pathetic first day went down:
Emma, left jab: Oooh, that’s gonna leave a mark.
Me, stumbling: Oomph. Ouch! That hurt.
Emma: There’s more where that came from.
Me: Oh, goodie. I can’t wait.
Emma, dancing on her toes: Look alive Morgan. Your sucky attitude is not going to kill demons, but it might drive me to the grave.
Me, baring teeth: Has anyone ever told you that you are the absolute worst teacher?
She came at me wave after wave. There were no weapons that first day, not while I was such a novice. I had really only managed a few pot shots, and they were probably on accident. When my clenched fist finally connected to Emma’s shoulder, it wasn’t exactly the punch of the century, but it was better than hitting air.
“There you go. Channel that rage inside you. It is going to save your life.”
Oh, I was going to channel alright. I swung out at her mouth, and she sidestepped to left. My over exaggerated movements had me spinning around in a circle, following the momentum of my throw.
Emma laughed…and laughed. I think she even snorted. “Man, I almost peed myself. It has been forever since I laughed that hard.” She clung her belly.
“It wasn’t that funny,” I grumbled.
“So here is my assessment of the day. Strength is not your strong suit, but stamina…it might just save your life. You would do better will a lighter weapon—a dagger like this.” She whipped out the one I’d seen before, at school. “You won’t sever any heads with this, but one pierce will get the job done.”
And so the afterschool lessons commenced. Day after day for as long as Chase skipped classes, and he bought the little white lie about my tutoring Emma to catch her up so she could graduate on time.
