Night Rises

by Amber Lynn

  “I will leave all the jet setting to the younger generation. When this thing is finally over, I just want to finally make a permanent home for myself and hopefully find my mate,” Jonas says.

  “I’m with you,” Jake says. “I have played around long enough and watching Nyx evolve into a family person makes one want that connection with another person.” At least I am good for something. Who would have thought it was to promote starting a family? It is nice to hear the two guards looking forward to something other than fighting for the rest of their lives.

  “I just want to start living again,” Dad says. “I have been hiding out for so long; it would be really nice not to have to look over my shoulder.”

  “And not have to worry about changing your appearance every month or so to confuse people,” Walt adds. “Walking down the street by myself would also be nice. I could just keep listing freedoms that I have missed, but I will stop at that.”

  “You guys have had things harder than the rest of us. Alex started to feel the sting towards the end of this battle, but from day one you both have been targeted,” Sebastian says. “I say it will be a nice day when we are all able to wake up in the morning and are able to take full breaths for the first time in years.”

  I cannot say I am in the same boat as the others, at least the others that have been a part of the paranorm community for more than a year. A year ago, I was still human in my mind and was probably researching the movements of one of the paranorms out there trying to give the rest of us a bad name. The only thing that kept me up at night was a fear of my knives going dull. A possibility that never happened.

  “You aren’t going to kick us all out when we get back, are you?” Will asks. “I have really enjoyed getting to know all of you and I would hate for the fun to end. Plus, I am still learning from all of you. I haven’t made any friends outside of you guys, so I would be on my own in this crazy world.”

  The actor in Will is coming out. We need to set up a paranorm movie industry to keep him busy. If he is alive next week, I will suggest he start setting something up.

  “Some days I am so happy I am the smart one amongst your children. Repeat this back to him,” Clyde says. “I don't think Mom could kick you out if she wanted to, Will. She made you what you are, so she is stuck with you. She counts her lucky stars every night that you aren't as big of a douche as you first appeared to be.”

  True, but a little harsh. “Clyde wants me to remind you that I have a duty to you and as long as you feel a need to stay with us, the door is open.”

  “Chicken. Have you been without cussing for so long that you can’t even bring yourself to say douche?”

  “I am not a chicken. I just don’t feel like being rude. What about the rest of you, any big plans when you aren’t required to hang out with us?”

  “Other than the globe trotters, I am pretty sure the rest of us aren’t planning on going anywhere,” Marcus says. “So, if you are hoping to get rid of us, you are in for a fight. As far as plans, me and Hilda are still trying to figure out how to make our strange relationship work. It is something that hasn’t been done before and even though the stick fits in the donut just fine, there are a lot of differences we need to overcome.”

  “A little too much information, Marcus. I figure we are going to be needed to help settle things down and keep you out of trouble,” Smitty adds. “In a hundred years or so you will possibly be able to get rid of us.”

  “I concur. I may want to start a family, but I think your nice big house is big enough for me and any mate and children that come along,” Jonas says. “I was born to serve the Gentry family and I am planning on doing it until the day I die.”

  I have a child now, but the thought of a bunch of them running around gives me the willies. I can picture them all turning into wolves and gnawing on my ankles. I am going to have to invest in silver ankle cuffs to save my skin.

  “I would like to get back to my writing. I had started a few things while I was hiding out in Ghost Town, but I didn’t have the right motivation to finish them. Like Will, I am hoping you won’t decide you don’t need me around anymore,” Dante quietly says. “The protection I feel in your home frees my mind from worrying about other things.”

  “That protection will always be open to you and any paranorm that feels they need it. Things are going to be a lot different when the rightful rulers are back in place. We don’t stand for bullies and we have the power to teach them lessons. Now, I recommend we all try to get some sleep. We shouldn’t be long in Seville and after that stop we aren’t going to be able to see the back of our eyelids for a while,” Sebastian says.

  As nice as it is to talk about what the future will hold for us, a nap sounds like a good idea right about now. Sophia should be good for most of the flight. I am sure she will wake me up if her plans change.

  Chapter 14

  Airports + Demons = Run the other way

  My feeling about airports is if you have seen one, you have seen them all. That is how little I like the whole process of travelling by air. Flying on private, even if they are huge, planes does have some perks, and we are able to bypass a lot of the red tape. Having huge, scary looking guys around me makes all the lines move faster these days, and if they weren’t I can just ask Soph to start throwing a fit and that should get things moving right along.

  “It took you guys long enough to get here. I really thought your plane would be in yesterday. How many more meetings did you have to sit through with those jerkwads?” Ben asks walking over trying to help carry bags.

  We were so close to making it outside without any incidents. A demon showing up out of the blue classifies as an incident in my book. If my mind wasn’t so busy thinking about other things, it should have picked up the strawberry stench that is now obvious in the air. To anyone that has my nose anyway.

  “Do I want to know what you are doing in Seville waiting for us?” I question back. He took off like he remembered he forgot to feed his Hellhounds and was worried they were moments away from turning into cannibals. I know he can track my movements, but it looks to me like he has been here at least a day. The fact that he just got done saying he thought we would arrive yesterday is a big clue.

  “I had to prepare for your visit here,” he replies finally wrestling a bag away from Jake. He is working hard to be helpful and helpful demons should be banned.

  “Would you care to explain that further?” I ask as we exit the airport. Even with Ben showing up and pausing my progress, it was the least amount of time I have had to spend in an airport after landing. I am planning a party to celebrate the feat at a later date.

  Outside there are four vehicles waiting and they look to be for us. Those that didn’t ride first class are hanging around the airport while we go grab whatever it is Sebastian can’t live without. I am voting it is some kind of special pair of underwear. I am not sure how they will help in a fight, but they somehow shoot bullets in my mind.

  Sebastian leads us to the head vehicle and straps Sophia in the middle row of seats. I am not familiar with the make and model, but it is some kind of SUV. As soon as Sophia is in place, Sebastian takes a seat on the other side of her and I fill in the row. Alex takes the wheel, with Dad sitting in front with him. Marcus, Hilda, and Ben finish off the passengers in our vehicle.

  “Where are we going? Depending on the direction you take, I may have a pit stop for you to make,” Ben says still not explaining things to me.

  “I have a place in Triana that I need to pick up some things from.” Sebastian could of said he has a place in Quiggly Momo and I would have believed it was a place around here.

  “If you don’t mind going the long way to get there, we have someone we need to pick up in Macarena.”

  “I don’t consider picking up a passenger a pit stop. If you needed to stop for a steak, I would consider that a pit stop,” I say not aware of where we are going and how far out of the way this Macarena is. I am getting aggravated on merit alone.
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  “Believe me, it is better for all involved if you do what I ask,” Ben replies. “I rarely ever steer you wrong.”

  That is only because I try to spend as little time as possible with him. I think he sometimes forgets he is a demon and leading people astray is in his blood.

  “Will this person have an effect on our plans for the coming days?” Alex asks. He is driving, but the speed he is employing has to have the people behind us wondering where the parade is.

  “That would be an affirmative. Depending on the timing of things he could make all of our lives a lot easier.”

  I know he wants to have his big reveal when we get to the mystery person, so I don’t even bother badgering for more information. I have wasted more breath trying to get things out of the men around me than I care to think about. Let’s just say I could fill a couple hot air balloons if I would have collected the wasted air.

  “I should let you know that your Great Ruler dropped in looking for you. For some odd reason, she thought you would be with me and she wasn’t too happy about having to look for you. I am choosing to believe that is why she left a giant portal in the middle of my front yard.”

  “You two are so much alike. I know you hate to hear it, but the temperament is definitely an inherited trait. She will simmer for a while, but in the end she will love me again. Did Clyde take care of the hole? He shouldn’t have had a problem, but I can stop by and fill it in so it isn’t hazardous to any crawling cuties. How are you doing today, Sophia?”

  “Very well, thank you, Uncle Ben. Grandmother is coming over for a visit next week, I think Mom would not be as prone to kill me for suggesting it if you were able to come and serve as a buffer. If you let me know what you like to eat, I can make sure someone has a plate waiting for you.”

  I don’t know if she thinks talking in her adult sounding voice is going to smooth over her invite, but I do know bringing it up is a bad move on her part. I think I am going to develop some horrible, incurable disease before this trip is over. Maybe Mommy Dearest won’t want to visit if I am on my death bed. She has already said she doesn’t do well with emotions and I am sure everyone around me would be in tears if I were really ill.

  It isn’t going to happen, but my mind is still trying to find some coping mechanism.

  “Where am I going? If one more human zooms past us and flips me off, I am not going to be responsible for what I do,” Alex says and I can feel his pain. I spend most of my time on the road making humans eat my dust and no matter what the discussion is going on in the back seat, my foot is to the floor.

  “Do you know the city? Just follow this until you see a way to get on Ronda Urbana Norte. I can give you further directions when we get closer. I should have brought my guest to the airport with me, but I was worried what mood you would be in and I didn’t want you to act rashly.”

  “If your guest is a succubus that I want to kill, I can assure you there will be nothing rash about what I do to her. I would love for you to just deliver her to me, but there is no way she is leaving my sight without being in a million pieces,” I explain my very level headed thinking.

  The view outside is more interesting than watching paint dry, so I am working to enjoy it. There are times when I love viewing architecture and I have heard, through Sebastian, that this city has some beautiful sights.

  “First, let me answer the little one. Sophia, I would love to come over and have a tea party with you. Name a time and place and I will wear my best suit. My favorite dishes aren’t available around these parts, so don’t worry about making anything special. Secondly, Candy is in Scotland waiting for you. She is trying to team up and control anyone that may face off against you. When her last attempt failed, she moved on to the bigger fish.”

  Of course he has already found out where she is and he just decided to wait to tell me about it. I am already planning on paying the Highlands a visit, so it is nice that she is playing into my hand. Between the Panoptic knife and Aphrodite, I think I might stand a fighting chance. I just have to make sure Gabe doesn’t swoop in and scare her away again.

  “Your disappearing act actually proved useful? That has to be a first.”

  “You can blame your angel friends for my quick exit. They are either really smart or they are going to get us all killed. I am still leaning towards the former, but the latter is just as likely to happen. Turn left here, driver. Down the street a ways you will see Calle Dr. Marañón. We are looking for the University in this neck of the woods. When you find it, park out front and we will find my surprise guest.”

  “Demon, you know how to get on a person’s bad side,” Alex says following directions.

  “Guilty. Although most people find me quite charming. It is the people I try to impress that I always end up annoying the most. I have come to the conclusion that I am greatly misunderstood. One of these days, I am sure I will have a child and then maybe just one person will be able to make sense of all that I am.”

  “I have been meaning to ask you, since we now know what Nyx is, what evidence did you have to convince Nyx to have your child? When I ventured into that first dream you shared together, you were certain something would change her mind,” Sebastian says.

  I remember the conversation and how I laughed to myself at how foolish the demon was. I will point out that having kids wasn’t a choice I technically made.

  “I can’t believe that was only months ago, it might as well have been years. So much has happened since then. I guess I can tell you that I found some papers that either mapped out Nyx’s full DNA or one of her offspring. I couldn’t believe the traits I was seeing, but then she walked into that airport like my own personal angel. I just really hope one of these days you guys take pity on me and let me try for a kid of my own.”

  I still feel no inklings to grant his wish. I understand his desire more now, but he would have a better chance of finding a way to become human, or any other fertile species, and settling down with a woman of his own.

  “Are the papers from the Collective? Why would you think they were from an offspring? Sophia wasn’t born and I verified when we made the little bugger that Nyx couldn’t have had any other children.”

  Ben must either be a time traveler, or he knows one. Any other conclusion doesn’t make sense, not that those make a lot of sense.

  “Look, there isn’t a date on the papers, but I wouldn’t doubt someone like Witchy here could find a way to travel backwards or forward in time. The science exists for those that can figure out a way to use it.”

  “Can we get a copy of what you have? We have multiple people doing some research into what makes Nyx tick and it would be nice to have something to compare it to,” Sebastian says. The papers are exciting him about as much as the sight of me without clothes on does. If Sophia wasn’t in between us, I would consider checking the real effect of the thought of reading medical records has on him.

  He is weird. That is all anyone can say on the subject.

  “Is this our stop?” Alex asks bringing the vehicle to a stop in front of a building that clearly states it is a university. The sign is all the proof I need. I don’t know if we are all going in or if the guy is meeting us out here, so I sit and await instructions.

  Chapter 15

  Learning to like the taste of metal

  “Are we just going to sit here and wait?” I ask getting bored. It has only been thirty seconds, but I am tired of looking at the people in the crowd trying to decide who looks important enough to be the one we are picking up. All I am seeing are a bunch of humans and if we are picking up one of them I will use Aphrodite to learn how to sword swallow.

  “The demon flew the coop the second we parked,” Hilda says from behind me. “I can chase him down if you want, but it might scare the humans.”

  I don't waste my time verifying her claim. The car still smells like strawberries to me, but a little of the arrogance has left the air.

  “Who wants to just leave him here?”

  �
��My guess is that he knew that would be your first idea because he is jogging at a quick pace heading in this direction,” Dad says pointing out the window.

  I bet this is the first time Ben has ever run. Really why would he even need to, other than the fact it looks like he has a human beside him and for some reason he doesn't just zap them both into the SUV. They couldn't have started that far away judging by their speed and the amount of time we have been sitting here.

  The guy looks normal enough. He isn't a paranorm, but I can tell there is something different about him. He looks older than me, possibly in the lower thirties range. He is wearing a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses so his features are hidden. I would say he is trying to pull off a disguise. I hope Aphrodite isn’t as sharp as she looks. It might tickle when I put her down my throat.

  They reach the car and they both jump in. We don't really have the room for another person in the car last I checked.

  “I guess I can sit on Marcus' lap. It is going to be a hardship on my part, but I will try to endure.” Hilda adds some sighing to her poor acting job. Everyone knows she is doing a jig in her mind.

  “Thanks, Witchy. Why don't you start us back on the road, Alex? We can talk on the way to the next destination.”

  Sebastian gives Alex a set of instructions and our procession gets started again. I still don't pick up a specific vibe on the stranger. He smells like sawdust, but that doesn't give me a species.

  “Are you ready to talk?” A block down the road is more than far enough to get things going.

  “It is easier to explain now. You might not have believed me before. My friend here is Solly. I don't think he will mind you using the nickname, as King Solomon tends to raise eyebrows. Let that sink in for a second and you will see my concern with you running into him on your own,” Ben states.