He rubbed the bite wound on his neck and examined his fingers, only to notice a dark substance covering his fingertips. After dragging himself to his bathroom he glared in the mirror. The liquid oozed from the two holes and unable to stop it he searched the medicine cabinet for anything to cover it up. He found an old rag and wrapped it around his neck, securing it tightly.
Regardless of what was happening in his body, there wasn’t any better feeling in the world than being back in his own room. Before being ejected from Blind Bluff Manor, Hallie made good use of the space. After his silly idea of rescuing Veronica from San Diego failed, he returned and Hallie didn’t have the time to clear out all of her things. Posters of musicians and actors she loved remained still taped to the walls, including one of Leonardo DiCaprio that Remy desperately wanted to use as a dartboard. He threatened to throw her manga-inspired blanket into the fireplace if she didn’t retrieve it in time and use her glittery purple flip flops as his own personal shower shoes.
He heard the sound of footsteps racing down the hall. They stopped in front of his closed bedroom door. Remy rummaged through his dresser for something to wear when it creaked open.
“Remy?”
“Well, hello there, my littlest Deamhan.”
Hallie walked into the room. “How are you?”
“Peachy.” He pulled out a dingy white shirt and held it in the air.
“Anastasia’s here. She just got back.”
He noticed a journal in her hand. “So, I did hear her howling voice from downstairs. Sounds like she’s not alone.”
Since Sia stole his Deamhan partner in crime away years ago, his feelings about Anastasia didn’t rank that high on his friend’s list. She made no attempt to write or call to update them on her whereabouts and progress. He assumed she did this to protect Maris.
“What did she think of the present I left for her in the study?”
“You mean Ruby?”
“Who else?” He finally pulled out a black t-shirt and satisfied, he put it on. “I can’t wait to tell her how she was hiding at those Wabasha Caves. Of all the hideouts she could’ve chosen, she decided to crash at some small, funky, and odor-filled place. Who knows what the hell she was thinking.”
“But you found her. That’s all that matters.” She pointed to the bandage around his neck. “I told her the other Deamhan bit you.”
“Just a flesh wound. No biggie.” He walked toward her. “Is that the Journal of Blank Pages?” He pointed at the book.
“Yeah, I grabbed it for you.” She handed it to him. “But I don’t think you need it if you’re looking for a cure. They know how to cure you.”
He closed his eyes and took a moment to gather himself. Just then, a quick pain jolted his insides. “I don’t need a cure.”
“Yeah, you do from what they said.” Hallie reached out to touch the wound on his neck. “You don’t look so good.”
He slapped her hand away. “Who else is down there with Anastasia?”
“Sia.”
“Oh… her. Of course it’s her. The other two are here also?”
“Maris and Ayden.”
“Gross.”
“Oh, and a human; a girl—Krerina.”
“Krerina? Who would give a girl that name? Poor thing!”
“She’s a Kashshapu.” She grabbed the journal from him. “But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that they know how to cure you.”
He snatched it back. “A Kashshapu, huh?”
“Yeah. Weird thing is… I thought they were all dead. That’s what I read in Nathan’s journals.”
He let out a small sigh and tilted his head back. “They are. That’s what I was told as well. I wonder if Ana believes that Krerina is a real Kashshapu. I bet you a million bucks she doesn’t.” He walked back to the only window in his room.
“I don’t know.” She followed him. “When Sia introduced him to Nathan, Anastasia didn’t look very happy. She also wasn’t happy that Kenneth is still alive.” Hallie approached him. “She thought you would’ve killed him by now. But Remy, that’s not important. The bite—”
“Hold on for a just a second.” He opened the journal and moved it to the right, then to the left, until the moonlight hit the pages on the mark. Cursive writing appeared in faint black ink.
“Remy, what I have to tell you is important!”
He flipped through the pages until he arrived at the end of the journal, where he paused. “Ahh, here it is. Estrie Deamhan.”
Hallie stared and read the writing. “Estrie Deamhan. Violent, unpredictable, white eyes.” She looked carefully. “Is that it?”
“Of course, that’s not it.”
She looked closely at the writing. “It says here that an Estrie bite is toxic to all Deamhan. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
He shot her a wide-eyed stare.
“You’re dying.” Sorrow filled her eyes and he noticed.
“Awww, is that sorrow?”
“This isn’t funny. Sia said all you need is a drop of Anzuna’s blood to heal you.”
He slammed the book shut and handed it to her.
“What’s wrong?” A confused look appeared on her face. “That’s good news, right?”
He thought back to his encounter with Anzuna in the caves. According to her, the Dark Mother didn’t consider him important; he felt as if he had an important role to play in this game or whatever it was. Perhaps, with the threat of death looming over his head, they knew that Anastasia would do whatever she could to save him. There was a high chance that if she went after Anzuna, she wouldn’t return. The Dark Mother would claim her again, like she did years ago.
“Do me a favor and put this back on the bookcase in the study. I’ll be down there in a minute. I want to have a little chat with Anastasia. She can’t go out there and find Anzuna.”
“She has to. You know Ayden won’t leave Maris’ side and Sia is already against her going anyway.”
“Good because I’m against her going too.” He headed to the door when another jolt of pain made his legs wobble.
“Getting her blood is the only way.”
“That’s what the Dark Mother wants.”
“Who cares?! You’ll die without it.”
“I guess I will.” He gathered himself again.
“Don’t you say that!” She yanked off his bandage and gasped. “You can’t die. You…” Her lower lip twitched. “…you can’t. If she doesn’t go, I will.”
“You’re staying here. I don’t want you to go out there and get yourself hurt.” He fastened it back.
“I can take care of myself. You do know that I go to the city almost every night on my own.”
“Yeah, Lambert told me.” He took another step and his eyesight grew out of focus. “Maybe I should sit for a little bit.” He sat down on the bed and his brown eyes scanned Hallie from head to toe. “He said you’ve been seen in vampire areas in the city.”
“And? They don’t scare me.”
“It’s not them I’m worried about. It’s this other person, Defiler, or whatever her name is.”
Hallie shook her head. “Who’s that?”
“Exactly.” His shoulders slumped. “I don’t get you sometimes. I mean, I understand but at the same time I don’t. What are you trying to prove?” As he waited for her to answer, he noticed that she looked surprisingly edible. Her scent caressed his nostrils. “Wait a minute.” He pulled back. “You smell like food to me.”
“I smell like food?” she repeated in awe.
“Yeah, like human. Hallie, have you had human tonight?”
“No!”
“Not like it’s bad thing. I was just asking.”
“That bite is really affecting you, like badly, if I smell like food to you.”
“I don’t think I’ll be sane by morning if this keeps up.” He laughed gently. “Hell, I’ll probably be dead before sunrise.” He rubbed his covered wound. “Hallie, whatever happens, you have to promise me that you w
on’t go out there and get yourself killed for me. Just, let this take its course. Who knows?! We might find another way or I might beat this on my own.”
“Or you might die,” she spoke through tightened lips.
“Listen. I’m serious. You—”
“No, I don’t need to listen to this.” She resituated herself.
“Yes, you do.” He closed his eyes in thought. “Promise me.” He reopened his eyes and realized that her scent toyed with his growing hunger.
“Remy, your eyes are dark.” She pointed at his face.
“Ugh, sorry about that.” He wiped them. “Sometimes they do that on their own.”
She stood to her feet and backed away. “And why are you staring at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you still want to eat me.”
He raised himself from his bed. “I don’t want to, not like I could anyway.” His craving grew. Realizing that he couldn’t hold it back any longer, he made his way to the door. “I’m feeling smothered.” He also couldn’t control his eyes from changing colors. “I need to get out of here.” His dry mouth cracked as he spoke. A drop of sweat fell from his forehead and landed on his hand. Deamhan couldn’t sweat!
“I’ll get Anastasia.”
Her voice enticed and ate at him. “I know what it is. Being sick is just making me super hungry. I’m going to hunt.” He grabbed the handle and squeezed it until it shattered in his grasp. A large wooden fragment embedded itself into his palm and he pulled it out.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Hallie positioned herself in front of the door. “You should relax and stay here. I’ll grab Ana.”
“You think she can save you, don’t you?” He placed his hand on her cheek.
She moved her head back. “Remy… you’re scaring me.”
He smiled. In Deamhan speed, he grasped her shoulders and tossed her back toward the bed. Before she landed, he ran to her, pinned her to the ground, and placed his lips over her own. I just need a little, he kept telling himself. But when that ‘little’ turned to more, he couldn’t stop. He didn’t want to stop.
Hallie pushed him off her with enough strength that he skittered back and caught his footing before falling over. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “What the hell was that?!”
He smiled. “Stop crying and come back over here.”
“No. Stay back.” She scooted back on the floor.
“Don’t you want me to get better?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then get the hell over here!!!”
She jumped at his demand. “This isn’t you.”
“C’mon, how long have we known each other?” He crept to her.
“Remy…”
“I would never hurt you, Hallie.” He smiled. “I just want to get better, that’s all. I just want the craving to stop.”
“We don’t feed from other Deamhan. We can’t!”
“Just a small taste. That’s it.” Then I’ll devour every inch of your body. The urge to feed from her returned. This time, he didn’t want a piece of her. Instead, he wanted all of her. “Just a taste.”
He moved in to feed again when he heard Anastasia’s howling voice behind him.
“Get away from her!”
Her loud and demanding voice rang in his ears. He felt her hand grip the back of his neck. “You’ll kill her.”
“I don’t care!” Feeling her grip tighten, he tried to break her grasp to no avail. With another Deamhan in the room, his hunger grew tenfold. “Let me go.”
“Would you listen to yourself? You’ve gone mad.” She pushed him toward the bathroom. Through all the pain, he felt twirling inside his body; nothing felt worse than being unable to satisfy his hunger.
When he finally looked at his reflection, he suddenly understood their concerns. The black goo that ran from his wound also seeped from the corners of his eyes and down his cheeks, staining them. He wiped it away but it continued to drip. Coming to terms with what he just did, he leaned against the wall, defeated.
“The toxins are making you irrational.” She let him go.
“I’ve never felt this way before,” he mumbled. “This… Anastasia… this isn’t good.”
“I know. But it can be fixed.”
“That’s what Amenirdis wants. She wants you to find her so she can force you to drink from her again and control you.”
“No, I think she’s desperate.” She placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. “No matter. I got this.”
His eyes turned to Hallie. “My littlest Deamhan, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She held her head high. “I’m more worried about you.”
“I think for everyone’s safety, you need to be chained downstairs.”
“Next to Kenneth?” His eyes widened.
“Yes, until I get back with the blood.”
“No way in hell I’m going down there,” he flat out refused. “I’m okay now. I know what’s going on. I can control it.”
“Remy, you’re going.” She placed herself in front of him. “If you don’t, you’ll force me to do something I don’t want to.”
He knew exactly what that meant. “At least if you killed me, it’d be quick.” He wiped the goo away again. When push came to shove, Anastasia used her strength and age to make him do what she wanted him to do. There was no getting around it.
“Let’s go,” she urged him to walk to the door.
“At least reconsider going out there.”
“If I don’t go, you’ll die.”
“So you really do care about me?” He couldn’t believe his ears and her newfound stance. It was completely different from the Anastasia from the past.
“Shut up and walk.” She pushed him forward.
“Whatever you say.” He smiled.
CHAPTER SEVEN
ANASTASIA
Anastasia watched dark ooze seep from the corner of Remy’s eyes. “This is my fault. I should’ve never left. I should’ve stayed.”
Remorse wasn’t her strong suit but neither was feeling useless while watching Remy slowly succumb to his bite wound. Like Nathan, she considered him a part of her family, but it wasn’t like this way before. When they met for the first time years ago at the manor, she wanted nothing more than to tear his heart out. Everything about him annoyed her: the way he dressed, the way he walked, the way he talked and tried to flirt with any and every female in his vicinity. When she attempted to go cold turkey and stop feeding from humans, he toyed her by giving her dead squirrels to eat. He tried to feed from her numerous times just because he wanted to see what it was like, and each time, she violently turned him down. When Veronica came to the city, he turned his attention toward her, making himself her sole protector. At one point, she remembered that the thought of siring her crossed his mind.
Veronica! With so much going on, she forgot the promise she made to Remy to help him rescue her back from the Brotherhood. She made the decision to hand her over to them in exchange for their help. To this day, she didn’t forget how angry he was, not only to her but everyone around him.
She felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. Her somewhat ‘family’ was falling apart, right in front of her, and there wasn’t much she could do. She placed her life in danger if she left the manor to find Anzuna. That’s exactly what the Dark Mother wanted. She wanted chaos, confusion, and death. She wanted those who opposed her to suffer and lose everyone around them. She wanted Anastasia to crawl on her hands and knees back to her.
“Will he be okay down here with Kenneth?” Hallie, who stood next to her, asked in a worried voice.
“He should be.” Anastasia folded her arms. Now what to do with Kenneth? Killing him felt too damn easy. She made him pay for what he’d done by turning him into what he hated the most. However, keeping him around felt like a chore.
“I’ve been feeding him every night, just so you know,” Hallie said. “So don’t get mad at Remy.”
“I’m not mad. I just don’t understand why he kept him alive for this long.”
“To torture him. That was the reason you sired him, right? So Remy could torture him for as long as he liked?”
“I guess, but I never imagined it would be for years.”
Hallie looked disgusted. “I wouldn’t kill him. I can’t take anyone’s life like you and Remy can.”
“Of course you couldn’t.” Hallie’s discern caused Anastasia to question the young Deamhan. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
She sighed. “I keep thinking if this will always be my life. Will we always deal with people trying to kill us because of what we are? I didn’t ask for this. I never wanted to become a Deamhan.” She twiddled her fingers. “When you were gone, my sire appeared in the city. He came looking for me, but not because he wanted to know me. He was being chased by an Empusa and he thought that by being here, he could use the people I surround myself with to protect him.”
“Why didn’t you get a message out to me?”
“Because I knew we could handle it and we did, thanks to Lambert. Now, Remy is sick…” She wrapped her arms around her waist. “It never stops, does it?”
“It will once we put Amenirdis back in Limbo. Things will return to normal.”
“I hope you’re right. I don’t know how long I can handle this.”
Anastasia gawked at Kenneth, her offspring, while he gawked back at her. He didn’t take his eyes off her for a second, even as she paced back and forth.
As a human, Kenneth did his best to undermine Veronica’s search for her mother. He attempted to turn the Brotherhood against her and he wanted them to become more involved in Deamhan affairs, which went against their ‘code.’ His behavior earned him a spot as the president of the Midwest Division and he used this to attempt to infiltrate the sanctuary they lived in. Most importantly, he’d acquired the other piece of the Dark Curse which Ruby later stole from him.
Divination Page 7
