“Why do you feel so left out?” Harley asked Katya bluntly.
“I’m not. I mean, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do, otherwise you wouldn’t be hounding her so badly about it.”
“I don’t know. I’m the protector of my family. She is my sister.”
“I don’t need protecting from Mychal,” Aleksandra said firmly.
“He has the makings of a perfect psychopath,” Katya pointed out.
“Don’t we all?” Harley said. “We hunt and kill and we enjoy it. You can’t even try to argue that with me.”
“You can’t protect me from Mychal. I have seen him in action and you haven’t. You wouldn’t be good enough. It’s that simple,” Aleksandra said softly and knowing how proud her sister was of her talents she added, “Don’t take it personally. You’re a magnificent hunter but no one would be good enough to beat him. Not Isabelle, not anyone.”
“Be careful. That’s all I ask.”
“Honestly, he is rather sweet when you get past the bad manners and barely talking,” Aleksandra said. Katya gave a bitter laugh.
“You hear that, Harley? The world’s scariest demon hunter is sweet.”
“A demon hunter, sweet, gorgeous and barely talks. What an exemplary mix,” Harley ticked them off on her fingers with a naughty grin on her face. The girls were laughing loudly when Izrayl stuck his head in the door.
“There are people out here trying to work, you bunch of clucking hens.”
Mychal was sitting on a couch next to Hamish studying the plans and documents he kept getting passed.
“If you want my opinion I wouldn’t be driving so close to the main gate. Going in defensively is a foolish idea. You would be better off parking further away and going in on foot. This service road here,” Mychal pointed to a faint squiggle, “would work. You’re supernaturals and hunters. You know forests and you know how to move quickly in darkness. How often do the perimeter guards change shift?”
“About every four hours,” said Fox from her position on the floor.
“If you attack one after the change, then it wouldn’t be so suspicious if they don’t hear anything from them for the night. You can pick up his security passes and his uniform if you have to.”
“You know what, Aleki,” Hamish said with a big smile, “I think you can keep your boyfriend. He is quite a clever bloke.”
“Well, now that she has your permission. Idiot,” Isabelle said sarcastically and gave him a flick in the head. Aleksandra prayed that the earth would swallow her up. She hadn’t even thought about what to label their odd relationship.
“I will be hers as long as she wants me,” said Mychal calmly without even looking up from the printout he was studying. Aleksandra blushed as she caught Fox’s eye, who mouthed “bitch” at her.
At lunchtime, Mama Lya arrived with food and they all went out to eat at the tables at the back of the shop. Mama Lya approached Aleksandra and Mychal once everyone settled in with a big bowl of jambalaya.
“Abélard rang me this morning and asked me to ask you two to his shop later for some coffee. He has taken a bit of a shine to you, Aleksandra.” Despite her words, her sharp eyes were on Mychal the whole time.
“If they can spare us here for a few hours I don’t see a problem,” Aleksandra answered with a big smile.
“I still can’t shake the feeling that I know Abélard from somewhere,” Mychal said after Mama Lya had left them to go and chat with Fox.
“He’s a very nice man. He has old world manners and a whole load of charm. It’s a shame those gentlemanly characteristics have died out. He also has enough power to make your skin dance.”
“What do you mean charm has died out? I gave you a rose every day.”
“It doesn’t count if you don’t know who they are from.”
“You knew.”
“Eventually I did. I spent a lot of time in beginning thinking that you hated me.”
“Being scared of someone and hating them are two very different things.”
“I’m so terrifying.” Mychal looked at her long and hard. No one’s stare could bore through her head like Mychal’s.
“Will you please stop looking at me like that?”
“Does it make you uncomfortable?”
“No, it…” Before she could finish he took her delicate wrist in his long hand.
“It’s the problem you have with your pulse,” he said and smiled cheekily.
“Oh, my god,” interrupted Cerise, “Everyone look! Mychal can actually smile.” As one, the faces around the table turned.
“Of course I can,” he said calmly.
“Aleksandra must have some hidden powers,” commented Honaw, winking at her.
“Very funny, the lot of you,” Aleksandra rolled her eyes. They took the hint and went back to eating.
“Are they always like this?” Mychal asked.
“Always.” She looked down the long table of the joking, squabbling, loud, teasing group that was her family. “They are actually behaving because you’re here. I think they are afraid that they will scare you off.”
“If demons can’t scare me away from you, they have no chance.”
“Thank you for making an effort with them. They are like big, rude children and I wouldn’t change them. I know you aren’t comfortable around so many.”
“Very true,” he said before he leaned close to her ear and whispered, “I’m willing to put up with them so I can stay sitting here next to you.”
“So you say.”
“Do you know your neck is going red?”
“Do you know you lack tact?”
“Yes, I’m aware of that.” It was like arguing with a brick.
“I have been talking with Harley and they aren’t going to need you so I can take you over to Abé’s place,” Mama Lya stated in a voice that allowed no argument. Once lunch was over, they helped her carry the empty dishes to her old black Bentley before climbing in themselves.
“I have a feeling this has been arranged,” Mychal said as his eyes flicked around the car.
“Don’t panic. Even if it has, I very much doubt their intentions would be in anyway malicious.” Mama Lya got in and drove them very slowly and very carefully through the busy streets.
Abélard’s shop was in Seventh Ward. Mama Lya parked at the back of an old, brightly painted, set of buildings. Voodoo symbols in swirling paint decorated the walls and doorframes. Mama Lya banged on the back door impatiently.
Abélard opened the door and his face cracked into a huge smile. “I didn’t expect you guys so early. I guess Lya got impatient.” He chuckled at the haughty look on Mama Lya’s face. “Come on then, coffee is on.”
The inside of Abélard’s shop was cluttered with candles, skulls, hex bags, and other assorted items. In between them were books. Lots and lots of books. Most of them very old and fragile looking. Many of the voodoo items were for tourists but every now and again Aleksandra would get a sharp little tang of real power. They were soon seated around a pine table in a very neat kitchen at the back of the shop.
“What’s this all about?” asked Mychal.
“Why do you think it would be about anything?” Abélard asked as he poured coffee.
“It feels like a set up, that’s why. My instincts are usually right about this kind of thing.”
“Perhaps I wanted to talk to you both without the circus around. I’m going to tell you something and I can guarantee that you will not want them to know. Not yet anyway.” Abélard lit one of his thin black cigars and Aleksandra saw that his hands were shaking a little.
“Stop the games-” Mychal’s tone was becoming angry so Aleksandra gently placed her hand on his arm and he relaxed.
“Do you ever stop and wonder how she can do that? Calm you right down,” Abélard inhaled. “And why you feel so much better in her presence?”
“What is this all about?” Aleksandra asked softly, “We are all friends here. Do not worry about Mychal’s reaction. He wi
ll behave.”
“I will?” His voice had gone cold and she flinched.
“You might not like it, Mychal, but I have a right to tell you this and you need to hear me out,” Abélard said. “I’ve had dreams about you, son.”
“No, I don’t want to hear it, “Mychal stopped him bluntly.
“Do you have any idea who you are? What you are?” Mychal didn’t reply but Aleksandra did.
“No we don’t-”
“Aleksandra…” Mychal said softly, “I don’t want you to know these things.”
“She has to, Mychal, she is a part of it too,” said Mama Lya. “Besides if anyone is going to accept it, she will.” Aleksandra touched his cheek very lightly.
“It won’t change anything,” she promised. “Go ahead, Abélard.” The old man stood up again and gently lifted his shirt. His flesh was branded with a strange silvery glyph and it was glowing.
“It does that every time I’m around you. I got it from what I suspect was an angel. I was very young and had a powerful set of visions and dreams. You were in them.”
“How is that even possible?” Aleksandra questioned.
“What do you remember as a boy, Mychal?” Abélard asked. “Come now, I mean you no harm. I need you to play along with me in order to get to the bottom of this.” Mychal hesitated for a long time before finally relenting.
“I remember my parents fighting. My father used to beat my mother, more so as I grew. He accused her of being a whore because I looked nothing like him. I don’t recall much of everyday things. I remember midsummer and a funny little girl playing with me when no child from our tribe ever would.” Mychal cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Funny little girl indeed,” Aleksandra huffed.
“It was you?” Mama Lya asked.
“Yes, when I started having visions of Mychal, I knew there had to be some kind of connection because I had never had them about complete strangers before. He let me, very reluctantly, enter his mind and I found the memory. That’s our connection.”
“No, it’s not. You were drawn to him but that isn’t all. I will get to that though. Keep going, Mychal.”
“After midsummer, the fights that my parents were having, had come to a head and the tribe stoned my mother, which is the penalty for adultery. They tried to capture me. She knew what was going to happen and told me to run before they came for her.”
“I saw them kill her. After that, I ran. For three days and nights, I lived off the land. On the fourth day, I came across a camp. The stranger offered to share a meal with me. I didn’t know it then but he was a demon. I got a nauseous feeling in my stomach.” Aleksandra wanted to take his hand badly but she didn’t want him to think that she pitied him. He would hate that even more than having to talk about himself.
“I remember being very confused about the promises he was making if I agreed to go with him. He told me he could bring my mother back from the dead. I got really afraid and when he was asleep that night I escaped again. That’s when the demons started coming for me. I ran and hid, and ran again until I couldn’t do it any more.”
“It was very late and I was running across a field, hoping to get to the town I had spotted. I could get shelter there. Then I was hit, the demon’s claws tearing up my back. I saw Vadim trying to fight them and I was paralysed. Then there was the white light. Vadim screamed in pain, shielded his eyes, and tried to cover me, but I still saw. Through the light, I saw something fighting the demons off. I blacked out after that.”
“When I woke again, a man in priest’s robes was talking to me. He had golden hair and I knew he was the thing that had fought off the demons. He was whispering, “Dear Mychal, torn and broken again. I hope it’s worth it, brother. If the demons get you they will deliver a heavy blow to heaven and still you come back.” He told me many other things that I can’t recall. He healed me, left the scars as a reminder of how close I came to being taken by the demons. They tell me their boss has a bit of a hard on for me.”
Abélard and Mama Lya looked at them wide eyed, their coffee becoming cold and forgotten. Abélard re-lit his cigar that had gone out.
“You have killed enough of his creatures for him to want to kill you,” he said. “Do you know what angel it was that spoke with you?”
“No, he shows up in my dreams from time to time. Checking in on me I think.”
“And you never told Vadim any of this?” asked Aleksandra. Mychal shook his head.
“No, I didn’t want to worry him more. He suddenly had a damaged introverted boy to teach and train. He didn’t need any more of a burden. I know my silence hurt him but I was protecting him, like I would have protected you if they hadn’t marked you the way they did. He taught me how to kill demons and I’m very good at it. That is what I’m meant to do. I have never tried to find out why the demons want me or why the angels talk to me. I have left well enough alone because I haven’t wanted to know.” Aleksandra saw him retreat into himself and she knew he wouldn’t share anything more. She was rattled.
“You need to know who you are whether you want to know or not. It’s the missing piece of your soul!” Abélard argued.
“Aleksandra,” Mychal interrupted, “I need you step outside for me.”
“Mychal…”
“Please, I’ll be there shortly.” Aleksandra got to her feet confused and embarrassed at being dismissed like a child. She trusted Mychal so she did as she was told but she didn’t have to like it.
Mychal waited until she had left before he turned his attention back to Abélard and Mama Lya. He felt something move under his skin, the same thing he felt when he hunted. Instead of burying it down deeply, he let it shine through his eyes.
“I didn’t mean either of you harm,” Abélard said. Mychal held up his hand and the old man stopped talking.
“I know you meant no harm,” Mychal’s voice had changed, growing deeper and authoritative. “I know you know who I really am. The time for it to be revealed is not now.” Mychal rose slowly to his feet. He felt the presence with him recede slowly into that hidden spot within him. “I need to find her.”
“I’m sorry if I caused trouble between you. She’s a lovely girl,” Abélard said. “I hope you can protect her.” Mychal held out his hand and Abélard shook it.
“So do I.”
An empty cab was parked not far from the front of the store and Aleksandra climbed in it. She told the driver the name of the hotel. It was only when she was safely sitting on her bed that she started to cry.
She felt guilty for leaving Mychal there without telling him where she was going. She shut her eyes and sent Katya a message to get Harley to call Abélard and let him know she had gotten back to the hotel safely. She really hoped Mychal wouldn’t be angry at her. She needed time to process what he told her. She was angry and confused at him for dismissing her but something in her had automatically obeyed. She didn’t know what was happening to her.
Aleksandra woke as the light was fading. Clouds had blown over and there was a deep rumble of thunder in the distance. She had passed out on her bed and the wet patch on her pillow told her that she had been crying in her sleep. She felt cold and drained. Mychal still wasn’t back. What if he had left her again? A deep empty pain filled up her chest.
Angry and despondent, Aleksandra walked out onto the balcony and leaned against the railing. The storm had come over and lightning cracked overhead. The rain began to pour down, saturating the streets. The wind was picking up and in minutes, she was soaked to the skin. Lightning flashed once, then again and suddenly Mychal was standing at the other end of the balcony. He was drenched and she wondered if he had walked from Abélard’s.
“I thought you might have left,” she said, not moving an inch. He looked as angry as the storm.
“I wasn’t the one who ran.”
“I needed space. It’s impossible to be around you and think clearly about anything.”
“I will leave for a while, if you wish it. Or permanently if
that is your decision. You should never have been dragged into this.” He turned to leave as he had so many times before. Aleksandra ran and grabbed the back of his shirt.
“I don’t even know what “this” is! Don’t you dare walk away!”
He spun around and gripped her shoulders tightly. “You don’t know what I am and I can’t tell you. Not yet. I can tell you that your life will never, ever be safe. I will always be hunted and you will always be a target. Do you even want that? How could you? You deserve a life of safety, filled with children and happy times, not fearing for your life every second.”
“Do not presume to tell me what I want! My life will never be simple or easy even if you were to leave. I would rather spend a lifetime being hunted than spend it without you. I couldn’t do it. So don’t leave. Stay please.” She wrapped her arms around his waist, his wet shirt clinging to her face. A deep sigh rolled up through him and he swore. She held on, determined to restrain him physically, as if she could.
He lightly lifted her tangled mass of wet hair from the back her neck and rested his hand there.
“I’m a liar, you know,” he said. She looked up at him in the scant light.
“How so?”
“I said I would leave if you wanted me to. I don’t think that’s possible, even if I’m a freak who will probably get you killed. I am just that fucking selfish.”
“You aren’t a freak, Mychal. You’re exactly who you are meant to be, whatever that is,” Aleksandra dared to let go and standing on tiptoes, kissed him shakily. “I know that you aren’t human. You aren’t a supernatural either. I have known it from the first vision I had of you. It didn’t matter what you were then and it matters even less now.”
“Come on, we better get you inside and dried off,” he said brusquely. “I don’t want to alarm you but your dress is rapidly becoming see through.”
“A slightly see through dress is low on the list of my worries at this moment.”
“It is rather high on mine.”
“I’m trying to make you stay, so making you uncomfortable is probably not a good idea. Now, if I step back are you going to run away?”
Ashes of the Firebird (The Firebird Fairytales Book 2) Page 32
