Cult of the Hexad (Afterlife saga Book 6)

by Stephanie Hudson

  “You can what?!” I shouted, finally giving them the freak out they had all been waiting for.

  “Sweetheart calm down.”

  “Calm down, calm down! Do you realise how many rude thoughts I have had about us...and in front of people?” I hissed this last part and he tried not to laugh but he sucked at it!

  “It’s okay, we can’t hear now, not since Draven taught you how to block shit out but I must say, for a while there it was very entert…no… it… wasn’t.” Pip trailed off and then picked it back up again trying to rectify what she had started to say after receiving evil glances from Adam.

  “I can’t believe this.” I said lowering my head to my hands and trying to trace back to every single thing I had thought when around people. No wonder I kept thinking I was talking out loud or I thought Draven was just really observant! Oh my God what a shmuck! This time I gave myself an actual forehead slap instead of a useless mental one.

  “That’s why when he walked in…” Draven growled, making me jump in my restraints.

  “Uh, best let’s not go there again Katie girl, I don’t think the helicopter would survive it.” Lucius said stopping me from going back to that delicate time and rightly so.

  The rest of the journey went by quicker than I thought, well considering I now had a lot on my mind or more like going back over everything my stupid mind had come up with!

  Soon we were on the ground and I must say, other than the first ten minutes I can’t say it was an experience I would remember for the right reasons. There were cars waiting for us at the landing bay and they were the epitome of expensive luxury, but that was no big surprise, not considering this was the Dravens we were talking about here. I was becoming to realise pretty quickly that the Dravens didn’t do anything by halves and they never paid for it that way either!

  I remained quiet and Draven was getting more and more agitated with my one-word answer of ‘Fine’ to the question, ‘Are you alright?’. I know it was stupid and the damage had already been done but it was just such a personal thing that I felt I had been violated. Why hadn’t anyone at least said anything to me, although at the time I hadn’t really known everyone in the room was a supernatural being of some kind. I felt like I battled against myself between finding excuses for them and feeling hurt for me. But in truth what could have been done? If Draven had told me that everyone and their Auntie could hear my thoughts I would have freaked…not like I am now, but the worse kind of freaked.

  “Katie please, speak to me, shout at me, by the Gods hit me woman but no more of this silent treatment!” Draven said after finding his limit.

  “I’m sorry, I am just so embarrassed right now.”

  “Please don’t be. It is so natural of our kind to hear the minds of humans that most are blanked out. I very much doubt people heard all of your thoughts as it is something we try to avoid.”

  “Really?” I asked getting hopeful.

  “Yes.” I thought about that and if it was me with this gift and it was Draven’s mind I could hack into well I know that I would have been just as guilty as him. I raised a sceptical eyebrow at him but then decided to turn it around and leave it. What was the point of questioning him if I was only going to make myself a hypocrite?

  “Good, now that is out of the way come here, it has been far too long since I kissed you.” And just like that my little freak out was done. We ended up kissing all the way to the hotel where Draven had booked us all in to.

  “Do they have enough space for us all?” I asked as the car pulled us round to the front entrance.

  “I found it easier hiring out the entire hotel for the few days.”

  “What?!” I screeched, admittedly not making a very nice sound.

  “But what about all the other guests?”

  “They were compensated and moved to another hotel.” Wow! How much has something like that cost, I couldn’t help but wonder? The door to our car opened and Draven got out first then turned to help me out. I stepped out feeling a little like royalty, but this was only because I was with Draven not because I was getting out of an expensive car. He just seemed to emit power and authority and it radiated from him in everything he did. It was slightly overwhelming if I was honest and it was made more so when we were out in the real world, as I would call it.

  It even went as far as the way he was greeted at the hotel’s front desk. He was welcomed by the hotel manager who assured him everything was ready for him and if there was anything he could do then not to hesitate to ask.

  “Do you think whilst robbing a bank for you, he would hand over his first born with one hand and sign over his soul with the other?” I asked Draven once we were in the lift alone and he laughed.

  “You thought it was too much?”

  “I don’t know, can anyone say ‘Grovel much’.” I replied sarcastically.

  “Money speaks its own language. The currency may change from land, to titles of grandeur and gold, jewels then to paper but greed will never stop and therefore its power will never fade.”

  “But surely it isn’t that to you?” I said not knowing if I liked his speech. At this he laughed once and said,

  “I must confess you learn very quickly to enjoy the finer things in life, it is not only human nature but ours as well. However, having my wealth is also a means for me to do what I was put here to do as money means influence and that is powerful indeed.” I understood what he was saying and although to most he would have seemed arrogant, I knew he was simply stating facts.

  “However, you must know that I would give up every last penny I owned just to have you in my life safe and happy, now that kind of love is more powerful indeed.” And in this, I definitely agreed with him. After all,

  I would rather spend my time on love.

  Chapter 36

  The Wall

  That night as we travelled to the wall you could tell there were people on both ends of the spectrum when it came to tonight’s events. There were those like me and Vincent that were clearly anxious about how tonight was going to go and there were people like Pip and Marcus who seemed buzzing for the fight to come. Then I would say the rest swayed between looking bored and those that were just looking for the excuse to crack a few skulls, Orthrus’ words not mine.

  Either way we all made it to the wall without killing each other, which I thought was a sign of the group progressing and bonding further. But saying that, I also wasn’t holding my breath that a fight wasn’t going to break out at any minute. Marcus had already been put in a head lock by Orthrus and Pip had received another spanking, this time for flashing her breasts at some teenagers on a road trip. Oh and Ruto, which I found was the young lad’s name, had threw his knife and killed a squirrel, much to Pip’s horror.

  I was actually surprised that I was able to show people the exact place I had come over the wall. To be honest I had been worried I wouldn’t remember which road it was, let alone find the same spot that I had jumped over. After describing the whole thing to Draven he told me that place would be best considering we had found the road from the cabin, which must have been the same road used by the Fathers. It made sense then that this would be the best chance for us to get straight to the Colony without much difficulty.

  Unfortunately for Draven, he only thought the powers the wall held were a concealment of what was inside, which was why he could never find me. Although what he also never counted on was that once I finally escaped the Wall, he wouldn’t be able to find me then either as my mind had been altered. But of course he knew none of this.

  In actual fact I was only found due to Lucius’ witch Ness, as she decided not to try and track me down, but track my dreams down instead. I wasn’t exactly sure on how this was done or what it really meant but I just know from Lucius that she found me the day I had the nose bleed in Lucy’s house. After that she didn’t take too much longer tracking me down and after she met me, she then went back to Lucius with her proof and the rest was history up until this point.

&nb
sp; But now it was time to make new history and there was no room for error. I could feel my palms sweating knowing what I would have to do next, which was why in the car over here I grabbed Draven by his jacket and kissed him like it might be my last. It was hot, it was steamy but above all, it meant everything to me in that moment knowing it could be the end. Because once I was over that wall I was on my own. I had no backup other than the small blade I kept hidden in my boot and unfortunately, that was one only destined for me.

  So I made that kiss count for all the others I might not get chance to receive. For all future kisses that I might be sacrificing in the name of saving my sister. Because if I didn’t do this, then I wasn’t worthy of them anyway…

  I wasn’t worthy of his love.

  “What was that for?” He’d asked me when I had to tear myself away as I felt the emotions building.

  “For luck.” I had told him.

  “I don’t need luck when I have you by my side.” He said before kissing me once more and then got out of the car. I then wiped the tear that finally had its chance to escape before whispering to myself,

  “Then you will need it tonight.”

  Now we were all stood awaiting our orders and I waited for just the right moment for Draven to turn his back to me as he addressed the others. He was dividing everyone into three groups to take the wall at different points, reminding everyone of the plan to capture the Fathers for further questioning. This was when I backed away slowly, getting closer to the wall. Vincent knew what the plan was so stepped in front of me, blocking me from view.

  Sigurd had been waiting in the shadows and when I looked to see him getting closer, I noticed that most of those shadows he created himself. They swirled around him, hiding him from plain view making him look even more forbidding. I nodded to him to tell him that I was ready and in one swift step I was being lifted with his hands at my waist and hoisted to the top of the wall. Suddenly the symbols lit up the wall at my connection and I gripped on in time just as Sigurd’s hands left me as he was flung backwards. I pulled myself up quickly just as I heard shouting.

  I knew I had no choice but to keep going as this was my only shot at this. The damaged truck was still there, twisted and bent from when Ari had slammed it sideways into the tree. I gripped the branches and jumped down onto the roof of the car bringing back horrific memories of that night.

  “KATIE!” Draven shouted for me and when I turned I hated myself for what I had no choice but to do to him. The hurt, anguish, anger, worry was all there for me to see in one look.

  “I’m sorry Draven, I have no choice.”

  “Katie, listen to me, we will figure out a way! Just come back over and we will go in there together!” I swallowed hard wishing more than anything that I could do just that. That I could simply grab the branch above me and pull myself to the safety of his arms. It would be so easy to escape this nightmare just like last time. But if I did that now then I would only be making the same mistakes that I did last time. I would be turning my back on Ari and for that I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself. Which is why the second I made it over the wall my shields had dropped subconsciously so that Draven could hear my thoughts now.

  “No! Katie please…please don’t do this to me again!” He started to plead with me and now the tears were falling fast and free.

  “I have no choice. The wall won’t let you through until I destroy its power!”

  “Rue! Get this shield down, now!” Draven snapped and I slowly shook my head at him.

  “It’s no good Draven. I am the only one that can do this now. Just promise me that once the shields are down you will come for me.”

  “Rue!” He shouted her name again, ignoring me as his desperation took over.

  “It’s too powerful…I…can’t…”

  “Just get me over that fucking wall!” He roared hitting out at it again making it spark with sizzling power.

  “My Lord, I…” I saw Vincent walk over to her and whisper in her ear.

  “Draven I don’t have much time, promise me!” I shouted trying to get him to listen to what I was saying.

  “No! Come back here or so help me!” He was getting so angry I knew I would have to leave him this way if he didn’t calm down and I really didn’t want to do that. I wiped away my tears angrily and said,

  “So if something happens this is how you want it to be, you want me to walk away knowing I’m not taking your promise with me…is that it?” I said quickly chewing on my lip to stop it from quivering. At this he hung his head for a moment and then in front of everyone he laid his soul bare. For when he looked back up at me the tears in his eyes were on display for his entire world to see.

  “Please…I am begging you not to do this to me again.”

  “And I am begging you to let me go and trust that I can do this.” He shook his head and I saw a tear fall down the side of his nose. My breath caught on a sob at the sight of what I was doing to him.

  “Why? Tell me why? Why you would leave me.”

  “Because if I don’t do this now, then I won’t be the person you love and I am so desperately trying to find her for you Draven I can almost taste how close we are. And you can’t stand there right now and tell me that Keira wouldn’t do the same if it was her own sister on this side of the wall. And you love her! You love her Draven…As I love you. So please, let me go…let me go and be her.” I said this last part on a whispered plea that I tasted on my lips as my tears continued to fall.

  He let his head fall in defeat and I sucked in a shuddered breath as his final words to me were,

  “Then I promise you that I will come for you. I will always come for you.” I cried out the breath I was holding when he said this and nodded as my voice was too thick to say more. I looked around at everyone that stood witnessing this painful farewell. The girls all cried freely as I did and there were unshed tears to be seen in some of the men’s eyes as well. I nodded to them and held my open hand to my heart as my way of a ‘thank you’ to all of them.

  “Then I…I will wait… for you on the other side.” I managed to get out between my tears of heartbreak and from the looks on his face he read in between those lines and knew that I meant I would wait for him,

  Even in death.

  So I turned my back on my family and climbed down on to the bonnet and then down to the ground. I then looked down the lonely road of darkness to my own chosen destiny with the sounds of heartbreak erupting behind me.

  Those were the hardest steps I ever had to take.

  But the start of journey is always the most terrifying because you are stepping into the unknown. Or in my case I was terrified because I knew what lay waiting for me and the only thing I could hope for was that I was strong enough to survive it.

  Normally I would say that the full moon above would be a bonus as it lit up the woods around me. But in this case it was simply like looking up and finding a timer ticking down the seconds on a bomb. This was it. I only had one shot at this so I had to make it count, which was why, as soon as the road started to flatten out, I started running. I let the fear that I could be too late drive me forward until my heart hammered wildly in my chest. Until my body hurt with strain and my lungs burned from taking to many wild jagged breaths.

  “Okay, this is it, don’t let me down Gods above and below…I have a feeling I will need you all in this one.” I said to myself as soon as the cabin came into view. I decided it was best to get off the road, so I crept my way closer to the building from the back where all the logs were stored. I heard faint voices but it was the sound of a girl weeping that had my blood running cold. I snuck down low and taking small, slow sidesteps I edged my way around the side.

  “Well look what we have here.” My heart dropped at the sound of one of the Father’s voices and I froze knowing it was all over before I had even really began.

  I had failed.

  “Nice of you to finally join us.” I swallowed hard, closed my eyes a moment and then spun round to f
ace the end…

  To find nothing there.

  “Get her inside. Now you brought the meat, the fun can begin soon and my cock has been itching for a piece of that ass since we brought her here!” I swallowed down the bile at the thought of anyone touching my sister or violating another girl. That night in the barn came flooding back to me in utter disgust and thinking about what I had done then, well I knew I wouldn’t ever let it happen. No, not while there was still breath inside of me would I allow it. I would fight to the death, I knew that.

  I continued down slow and when I finally reached the corner I peeked around and finally, there she was…Ari. She was tied with her hands behind her back and even though she had a dirty pillowcase over her head I knew it was her. Because she was next in line for the sacrifice, she knew that, which is why she told me to bring them back with me to save her…to bring back my Demons. Well I had certainly done that and I just couldn’t wait until that shield was down so they could join me.

  I waited for the two to go back inside, dragging my poor sister in tow. She looked weak and barely able to walk. I closed my eyes against the images of the pain she had no doubt endured in the time I had been gone. The punishments, the starvation, the humiliation and the …no! I couldn’t think of all of that now. I had to keep a clear head if I was going to be of any use to anyone. Now was not the time to lose it.

  After I heard the front door swing shut I continued to creep round remembering the small basement window that was ground level, the one that Ari and I had found. The sight that became both an end and a beginning. Seeing it again now was as haunting as every single element of that night, the one I had selfishly tried to blank out was all flooding back to me. It felt like I was stood on a beach with no one else at my back just waiting for the devastating sight of death racing towards me, ready to swallow me whole in an earth shattering wave. She had sacrificed herself to save me, now it was time for me to do the same.