Noticing my assessment, the man grinned, still holding me in his iron grip, and waved his other hand. The bedroom door swung shut at his command and I heard it lock in place. “Good evening, Wynn. Sorry for the intrusion, but you and I need to have a little chat.”
My insides lurched violently when he spoke my name and I could feel the bile rising in my stomach. He broke into my bedroom with Elyse home? How was that possible? She would have heard him?
I felt violated and dirty at the very thought of it, knowing that he could cause me physical injury without even breaking a sweat. There was a very real possibility that he would kill me, and Elyse was still downstairs … I had to warn her.
My heart must have been going a mile a minute as I tried to think of anything I could use to fight him off. As if he knew what I was planning, the dark man sneered. “I wouldn’t get any smart ideas. While I don't mean you any harm, there is nothing keeping me from amending that decision.”
The tone of his voice warned me that it was not an idle threat and I nodded as tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. My insides were all twisted up in knots; I was terrified. The man smiled slightly, his face mere inches from my own.
“Good. I'm only going to say this once, so I hope you listen carefully: there are three other people living in this house who do not know of my existence. You and I are going to keep it that way. If one of them should find out, I will rip out their beating heart in front of you and feed it to you for dinner.”
He paused to make sure that his threat had sufficiently sunk in before deciding to continue. My obvious horror must have pleased him, because the ghost of a smile played at the corner of his lips. “I'm going to release you now, but if you run, or try screaming for help again, it will be the last thing you ever do. Understood?”
I nodded again, this time much more vigorously. The minute his hand released me I gasped to catch my breath, massaging the tendons in my throat. He backed away slowly and turned to place his hand against the wall. A kind of mirage seemed to ripple across my room before he returned to his seat on my bed. I blinked in shock, still trying to process what had happened.
“Silence barrier, just to be safe,” he told me with a tight grin.
I fought against the impulse inside of me that was telling me to run and stared at him defiantly. “Who are you?”
“Currently, I go by Aidan,” the man informed me. “Though I’ve gone by many other names in the past.”
Swallowing hard, I tried feigning bravery and asked him, “What do you want?”
“To finish what I started,” he responded icily. “I’m not fond of leaving things unfinished. Your mother and I were partners a long time ago, she and I had an arrangement of sorts which ended working out well for the both of us. However, given her current circumstance, I was hoping you’d be willing to help with a project of mine.”
My hands were shaking as I listened to his odd request. “What? No way, I don't want anything to do with you. I'm just a kid—”
“I'm perfectly aware of your age,” Aidan snapped, “and I've already deemed that to be irrelevant. Michele was a valuable asset, but unfortunately she has managed to outlive her usefulness. You, on the other hand, have become my primary interest for quite some time now. I thought it was high time we finally met. I've heard so much about you over the years that I had to come and see if her stories were true — if you lived up to my expectations. You're not what I'd been expecting to be quite honest.”
I scowled at his thinly veiled insult and crossed my arms in front of my chest, “Should I be offended?”
Aidan gave a wolfish grin as he looked me over critically. “Hardly. You're far more than what I'd envisioned Michele's daughter to be, lovely too in fact — I couldn't be more pleased. What could I do to change your mind?”
“You just broke into my house and threatened to kill my family! You’re CRAZY! Why would I help you?”
“I’m so glad you asked. You see, I wasn't going to stand by and let all those years of planning get flushed down the toilet just because Michele had a sudden attack of conscience… so I've decided to take matters into my own hands. I’m prepared to offer you a deal. Help me tie off a few loose ends, and I'll see to it that your mother makes a full recovery.”
“Just like that?” I asked sarcastically.
“Just. Like. That.”
There was no hint in his voice that it was an empty promise. He’d already managed to appear out of thin air and shut my door from across the room, so I wondered if it was possible that he could heal my mother. Still, what could she possibly have been doing with a man like this? And why would he choose to seek me out? It didn’t make any sense. A glimmer of hope for her return was enough to keep me listening. “How?”
His eyes grew wistful for a moment as he looked me over, eventually resting his gaze upon my necklace. “I meant what I said before about the necklace suiting you. It’s no mere trinket that can be passed down as a family heirloom and it was never meant for some ordinary girl who does not respect its power.”
I stiffened at his change in tone and stared at him confused. “P-power? What are you talking about?”
“Did you think it was coincidence that I showed up when I did?”
“What do you know about Mom’s necklace?”
His grin widened and that's when I noticed his teeth: perfect canines carefully concealed behind pale, ashen lips. “Quite a bit, considering I'm the one who gave it to her.”
Realization struck me like a punch in the gut and I started backing towards the door. “You’re not human…” I stated flatly, remembering that he’d been able to shut the door with a simple wave of his hand, and the unnatural speed with which he’d flown across the room before slamming me against the wall. The ripple that had spread across my wall alluded to further power that was unlike any human I had seen. My heart started pounding harder in my chest and I felt my mouth run dry at the thought of it. “What are you?”
He chuckled slightly and crossed his arms in front of his chest, shifting his weight on the edge of my bed. “My my my, aren’t you the perceptive one,” he crooned. “What I am is not important. Do we have a deal, or not?”
He needs to leave.
“What happens if I refuse? Are you going to kill me?” I asked, slowly edging towards the door. There was no way I was going to enter into an agreement with a man who had broken into my bedroom and threatened me repeatedly. My eyes kept flitting towards the exit and Aidan blocked it like a well-trained bloodhound that had backed its prey into a corner.
Aidan laughed at my question, which was more terrifying than the reaction I expected. A deadly silence fell across the room as he sat back in his seat. “No, my dear, I need you alive for now. But I also don't need your consent to get what I am after. It’s come to my attention that you possess a certain skill which interests me, and I believe you hold the power to do great things. I want you to embrace that part of yourself and follow me to a world you’ve never seen before.”
“And then?”
“I’ll assign you tasks as I see fit — ones that are suitable to a creature of your particular talent rather than being tempered by this human façade.”
“Façade?”
Aidan grinned, his brown eyes twinkling in the cloudy haze that filtered through my window. “Not all things are what they appear to be. I can make you powerful. I can make you strong. All you have to do is come with me and leave this world behind you.”
My throat felt tight as I contemplated his request, my blood pressure steadily rising. “You’d save my mother only to take me away from her … what kind of monster are you?”
His face hardened at my refusal and he stood up, rising to his full height so that he towered over me. “Fine, we'll do it your way.”
At first I didn’t realize what was happening, but then he removed a ring on his finger and a rune flared on the back of his hand. It resonated through his fingers and emitted a pallid glow around them. I realized what was about
to happen, but before I could scream out “no”, he lunged from across the room and grabbed me by the wrist. The instant our skins touched I felt a powerful wave of electricity shoot through me and knock the air from my lungs. I let out a startled yelp and pulled my arm back reflexively, but the damage had been done and a burning sensation began to grow in my hand. My legs weakened beneath me as I looked up at him confused, clinging to the chair for support.
“What did you do?” I wheezed.
Aidan sneered as I went crashing to the floor. “Something I should have done years ago.”
Amidst my confusion about what was happening, there was a knock at the door and both of our heads snapped towards it. “Is everything alright in there? I thought I heard voices.”
“Nate!” I gasped in horror. They weren’t supposed to be home for hours! There was no way to warn him about the impending danger and Aidan’s threat to rip out their hearts still burned in my ears.
“How the hell did he hear past the barrier?” Aidan hissed furiously to himself. “Well, no matter. I’ll dispose of him quickly, then you and I can finish our little chat. Don’t worry, I won’t make it too painful for him.”
His eyes were dark, his jaw set in a professional manner as he turned towards the door.
Oh, my God he’s going to kill him. I have to do something!
Mustering up all my strength, I propped myself on my arms and I managed, “You. Leave. Him. Alone!” My voice was so hoarse I barely got the words out, but I knew Aidan could hear me.
He paused and turned back on the heel of his shoe with a victorious grin. “What was that, my pet? I couldn’t hear you.”
Someone, anyone, please help me! I begged the universe silently.
Another knock at the door made me jump. “Wynn? Are you alright?” When his question was met with silence the door pounded once again and Nate started to get frantic. “Wynn, this is getting ridiculous, just open the stupid door!”
Nate’s voice had gone up an octave and I knew he was getting worried, but all I could do was whimper in response. The burning in my hand had spread, completely overwhelming me. What made it worse was that I did not lose consciousness, just thrashed in agony, wishing that I could. Even breathing was white-hot pain, but I would never stop fighting to protect my family — never.
The universe wasn’t going to save me, but I wasn’t ready to give up. “I. Said. Leave. Him. Alone. If it’s me you want, then fine, but leave my family out of this!”
“So loyal,” Aidan mused. “It’s a pity you’re forcing my hand, I could have put that tenacity to good use.”
Aidan bent over me and just as I’d resigned myself to whatever he had in store for me, the corner of my room began to glow. There was a sound of fluttering wings and Aidan’s head whipped around with a look of fury. I lifted my head in confusion to try and see what had captured his attention.
Two magnificent beings shimmered into my bedroom and took a defensive stance against my attacker. The man stood tall, every muscle taught with anticipation while the woman crouched low, her hand itching towards the flaming scimitar strapped to her back. Their eyes cast an eerie blue light from beneath their hoods. When they removed their cloaks, I was surprised to see I recognized the boy — it was the same face, same hair, same remarkable blue eyes that had caught my attention at the hospital. However, the body armor and cloak he wore now was vastly different from the scrubs he’d been wearing previously.
There was something unnatural about the way they carried themselves — regal and imbued with power. In a way, they seemed to be even more formidable than my current tormentor, but thankfully their wrath was not aimed in my direction. Indeed, neither of them even glanced at me pinned on the floor, their eyes were focused on Aidan exclusively.
I blinked in shock at the sight of them. More?
Aidan hissed at their arrival and stood to face them, his eyes wild with rage. The boy was first to speak, “All right, you've had your fun. Now leave!”
The timbre to his voice was clear that it was not a request, but a command, issued with indisputable authority. I felt a tremor of fear rock through my body at the sound of it, but Aidan crouched down in front of me and let out a threatening growl, “You don't give me orders, boy. My ‘fun’, as you so eloquently put it, has just begun. I'll burn this city to the ground before I let you take what's MINE!”
“She's not a piece of property!” the girl shot back. “Least of all yours.”
“Well, I did pay for her,” he responded. “I warned you once to stay out of my way. Now stand down Guardian — or I'll destroy you.”
“Are you threatening me?”
Aidan smirked. “I am telling you to walk away. The Elders have no part in this.”
The two Guardians shared a meaningful glance and the girl unsheathed the sword on her back. Her partner was already armed with a two-handed crossbow he’d summoned out of nowhere. “Well, if you insist on making an issue out of this then we have no choice but to challenge it!”
Aidan roared in anger and a pair of bat-like wings erupted from his back. His remarkable, Grecian physique shifted into something malevolent and more terrifying than even my darkest nightmares could produce. A twisted pair of horns burst from his skull and a serpentine tail wrapped its way around his back. A pair of blood red eyes replaced the dark brown ones and as the transformation ended, a giant beast now towered over us.
He barreled towards them as a tornado of teeth and claws, trying to rip them to pieces. The boy was able to dodge him and fire a couple shots from the crossbow in his hand. The girl sliced down through the air with her scimitar but missed and couldn’t raise it again in time. Aidan's enormous, taloned hand grazed her face and left three claw marks running down her cheek. Gingerly, she reached up to touch where her silver blood oozed from the side of her face.
The sight of her own blood only seemed to enrage her further. Her eyes were wild with hate, and I watched in awful terror as she recovered her momentum and whipped her blade around in an orange flash. A burst of heat came with the blow and sent Aidan flying into my bookshelf on the opposite wall, destroying it completely. Books and debris went flying everywhere, leaving my room a tiny scorched warzone.
“WYNN! I’m getting Dad!!” Nate screamed to me inside.
When the dust began to settle, Aidan was nowhere to be seen.
It was eerily silent for a moment as the three of us looked to see where he had gone, but there was no hint of Aidan anywhere. My throat was dry as I strained to look around the room. When I opened my mouth to speak the boy gestured for me to be silent.
“Can you sense him?” the girl asked quietly. He said nothing, but pulled a bolt from the quiver on his back and laid it into the groove. As he was cocking it to shoot, I saw the edge of a bat-like wing poke out from the shadows behind my closet door. My eyes grew wide for a moment and the boy must have heard me gasp, because he whirled around in an instant and shot the bolt into the shadows. I blinked and the monster was gone. He reappeared across the room, directly behind the young woman.
“Maya!” the boy cried out in warning, but she wasn’t fast enough.
As she turned around, a dagger-like spike shot out of Aidan’s hand and pierced her in the side. The boy’s face paled as he reloaded his weapon, but before he could pull the gear back on the crossbow, the floorboards pulled themselves from the framework of the house and snaked around him, encasing him completely. With his weapon out of reach, the boy was helpless as the wood held him captive on the ground. Wires came to life beneath him and wriggled through the gaps in the wood, wrapping themselves around his waist and ankles. We both watched in repulsed horror as Aidan held the girl aloft by her neck and unhinged his lower jaw. She struggled hard against him, but a rasping came from deep inside his throat and he began drinking in a cloud of mist that swirled around her body. She continued to kick and scream, but Aidan just drank deeper and her attempts at fighting became feeble. Eventually, her eyes turned white and she went limp within his a
rms.
“MAYA!” the boy shouted.
I watched her companion grappling helplessly against his vicious cage and wished there was something I could do. I wanted to protect them. I wanted Aidan gone. Most importantly, I wanted to fight back. He looked over at me in desperation, and for one second, it felt like we connected. There was something vital he was trying to communicate with me. All I knew was that I had to protect them, nothing else mattered. Then it hit me — Aidan wanted me for a reason.
Maybe I wasn’t as weak as I thought I was.
I struggled through the pain and pushed myself up to a sitting position, wheezing to catch my breath. I would not just lay here and become another victim to Aidan's plot, waiting for someone to rescue me. If I failed, then I would go down fighting.
All my fear and frustration turned into an empowering rage boiling up inside of me. An electric sort of power coursed through me like static, from the tips of my fingers to the soles of my feet. I felt stronger, braver, and more determined than I had ever been. I concentrated and mentally forced the burning energy from Aidan’s touch back down towards my hands. They became intensely hot, and suddenly a magnificent wave of energy detonated, sending a shock wave through the house. I saw the ripples along the wall disintegrate as it broke down the barrier around the room.
The explosion broke Aidan’s concentration on the floorboards just enough that the boy was able to wriggle his way free and reach his crossbow. While Aidan had his attention fixed on me, the boy pulled the trigger, burying a bolt deep in the demon’s side. There was a tremendous yowl of pain as he stumbled forward onto his knees and dropped the girl on the floor in front of him.
She scrambled to get away from him and wheezed a couple times. The boy drew another bolt from the quiver on his back and lined up to take another shot, but instead of firing, he just aimed it at the creature and gestured for him to leave.
Dealing with the Devil (The Earthwalker Trilogy Book 1) Page 3
