by Zoe Parker
“We’re so happy for you! When I told folks that you were getting your first house, they decided that a party was in order. We brought food and a big cake to celebrate.” George’s smiling face makes her smile again. “I hope you don’t mind,” he whispers close to her ear. Her eyes meet Voss’s over his shoulder.
Voss doesn’t look happy now. Is he jealous?
“I don’t mind at all. Let me put the food from the car in the fridge,” she says, turning towards the car. Unloading the bags of Chinese food, she takes them in the house and puts them away, while taking a moment to look around her new kitchen.
Her new kitchen.
Satisfaction fills her with contentment. It’s the first time she’s felt it and stands there enjoying it for a few moments alone. Her skin goosebumps, and she looks at the door as Voss walks through.
“Are you and George involved?” The quietly spoken question makes her laugh.
He’s jealous!
“If we are, it’s none of your business.” She starts to walk around him, but his hand wrapping gently around her upper arm stops her. She looks up at him, and his closeness instantly warms her up.
“Are you?” he repeats. She considers stomping his foot then changes her mind.
“No, Voss. I’m not involved with anyone and don’t plan on being any time soon. But it’s still none of your business.” She pulls her arm out of his grasp and fast walks back outside.
Damn the man for having nice, big hands.
The evening passes quickly, and after stuffing herself with good homemade food and a cake that melted in her mouth, she sees the last of her guests off, except for Hank and Voss. They’re staying after so they can go over the new information they have on the case.
After going over all the information, none of it truly new to her, she sits back in her chair and stares thoughtfully at the files spread out on the table. It was the first and only piece of furniture delivered so far. She’s already resigned herself to sleeping on the floor until the beds get here.
“You know something strange,” she begins grabbing both men’s attention. “I have yet to see a single female member.” Both men strike a pose similar to her own thoughtful one.
“I can’t say that I have either, in any of the reports or anything. You might be onto something there, but you can’t tell me there aren’t women who don’t want to be involved. So, where are they?” Voss is staring at her, as he has off and on most of the evening, and she gives him a questioning look.
“Is there something on my face, Voss?” He smirks at her and shrugs.
When his face grows serious again, she braces. “I allowed Ashley in to see Max. After less than ten minutes in the same room with him, she came out and asked me for permission to break the bond between them.” Good for her.
“There has to be permission?” It’s not like they went through the legal process of marriage.
“In our world, yes. Sometimes the partner being abandoned protests, and this way, the one seeking to separate is protected for their choice.”
“I’m assuming you gave it to her?” Not that it matters to Sora on a personal level anymore. She’s let go of that part of her life, including the envy she felt in the beginning for Ashley. Now she just pities her.
“Yes. On paper, I put the reason being that Max will be spending the rest of his life in prison.”
“That long, huh?” She’s not disagreeing with his decision and says nothing else about it. Max didn’t only betray her, he betrayed everyone and doing that to your kind is against the law.
“Well, I’m going to get going. I have an… appointment,” Hank says, standing and stretching.
“Date you mean?” Devil asks, floating into the room. For the most part, he’s spent the evening exploring the house, but she knew he was close enough if she needed him.
“Perhaps.” Hank smiles and is gone before Devil can pick on him for anything else.
That leaves her and Voss sitting at the table, and when Devil leaves the room again, they’re alone. He’s watching her intently with a lazy smile on his face and as sexy as it is, she doesn’t want to be the target of it.
“Shouldn’t you be heading out?” she asks, going to the sink to wash the single fork in it. Where it came from, she doesn’t know, but it gives her something to do, or at least the appearance of it.
“Are you kicking me out, Sora?”
She starts to give him some excuse but then stops herself. “Yes, I have things I want to do, and you’re a distraction.”
“It’s good to know that you feel that way.” He’s moved closer to her, she can feel him there, right behind her. Annoying man.
“Don’t you have alpha shit to do?” she grouches.
“Luckily for you, I do, but we will work this distance you’re trying to put between us out.”
“You said you were okay being friends,” she argues, turning to face him with the wet fork in her hand. She’s holding it slightly away from her, contemplating stabbing him with it if he moves any closer.
“For now, I am, but you’re not even allowing me that.” She can’t disagree because it’s kind of the truth. “If you need help unpacking, text me.” Then he’s gone like smoke.
Grumbling to herself, she puts the fork back in the sink and goes to occupy herself.
She’s settled in the bedroom, unpacking clothes when there’s an ear-piercing shriek followed by the house shaking. Someone is trying to breach the wards! Running out of the house, she goes outside with Devil beside her, searching for the source. She finds it immediately.
The amber-eyed sin eater is standing at the end of her property, smirking at her. His two companions, both sorcerers, are casting magic against the wards. They react by growing stronger and bouncing the magic off into the brush. His smirk fades when he sees this.
“You’re well protected,” he says idly, seating himself on a nearby rock to face her. “It’s a genuine shame you’re not on our side. You’re incredibly resourceful.” His eyes fall on Devil. “That guardian you have is unique among his kind. I’d love to study him.”
“The only study of me you’ll get is when I kick your ass, dickwad.” Devil throws out his normal snark, but Sora notices how he moves closer and more in front of her. A shield.
“I’d silence him, of course. There’s no need for him to be able to speak.”
“Not happening. What do you want?” Sora watches him carefully, out of the three men she’s most concerned about him. Yes, a sorcerer can hurt her, unless she gets to them first, but Devil is her ace in the hole with them. These two are flashy, but there isn’t much substance to them.
“Actually, I’m playing errand boy today. There’s someone who I was told to bring to meet you.” Out of the shadows behind him, another man walks into the dim glow of the streetlight. Plain brown hair halos a pale face with brown eyes, with slight wrinkles around them. They’re empty and cold until he looks at her. They light up from within, and he tries to walk through the ward only to stop halfway, his nose slightly bending from the solidness it projects to keep him out.
Freaked out, Sora arms herself. A knife in one hand and her Hand in Power lit up, ready to get to him. This is the man she sees in her nightmares sometimes. Residual memories from Amanda, Voss’s niece. This is the man who tortured and then killed her for revenge. A child that only turned on her rapist out of desperation.
He deserves to die, and he’s within reach. The only thing giving her pause is the power oozing off him. It’s not fear. It’s caution. She can’t get a clear read on him–especially with his lack of a guardian–to determine his power level, and with the other idiot as backup, she’s potentially outgunned.
“Come out of there to me,” he orders her, freaking her out even more. Who the fuck does he think he is that he says jump and expects her to ask where to land?
“This is Cris, one of our founding members. The Father recruited him young and keeps him as his right-hand man. Unfortunately, he’s killed so many peo
ple that he’s completely lost his mind. In my time with him, this is the first time I’ve seen him speak more than a word or two. He must really like you.” Why is the sin eater giving her the other’s name when not giving his own? Is he trying to play head games and psych her out or what? “Cris is special in the sin eater world. He’s a shifter half breed. The Father is pretty proud of that fact and never fails to remind the rest of us of our inferiority.” It’s hard to tell if the amber-eyed one is Cris’s ally or enemy, given the way he speaks about him.
“But since the Father insisted that I bring him here for this introduction, I obeyed. Not that I understand why, he’s nothing more than a big dumb–” Cris turns and, in one swift move, grabs the other by the back of the neck and drags him to the ward. With his arm lit up like a small fire, he pushes the other man’s face fully against it knowing that the ward will violently react.
Sora isn’t sure if he’s trying to use the man to break through or simply hurt him.
“Looks like he doesn’t care much for your opinion, since he’s killing you and all,” Devil says, moving fully in front of Sora.
The sin eater screams, and Sora steps towards them. The ward is starting to burn the man's face; the damage as it is will never heal. “Stop torturing him!”
“Why?” Cris asks, confused.
“Because it’s wrong! Like killing Amanda was wrong!” No excuse he can give will ever justify the girl’s death.
“Is it? She murdered my brother in cold blood. Didn’t she deserve the same ending?” He asks the questions like what he did was nothing important. An ending he felt was deserved… for an innocent girl. It pisses Sora off.
“She was a child who defended herself against a rapist! She had every right to take his life!” She clenches her teeth to bring her voice back down to normal. “All you did was murder her because he was your brother. You didn’t even consider what he did to her.”
“He was all I had, and she took him from me. That was unforgivable. His life was worthwhile… unlike this wasteful wretch.” He levers his other hand against the man’s head and pushes him fully onto the ward.
Her eyes flick down to the suffering sin eater. Most of his face is gone exposing his muscle tissue and bone. There’s no saving him any longer. Death is coming for him. All she can do to help him is to end his suffering.
Devil, as if sensing her intentions, flies forward, and his fire flares out straight at the screaming sin eater. The flame is so intense it makes Sora break out into a sweat. She shields her face, and when she looks again, all that’s left is ash. Cris looks down at his now empty hand and dusts off his fingers.
His face is blank, and if there is any emotion, it’s disappointment.
Furious that the only way to save him was to kill him, Sora jerks her eyes to Cris’s. For the first time, he shows something akin to real emotion. His eyes widen, and he takes a single step back.
“You will kill me one day,” he whispers, but it’s so nonchalant that Sora is unsure how to react. “Maybe you will have vengeance for the girl, after all, Sora Suen.”
A hot tear scalds its way down her cheek. Teeth clenched, she says, “I will have it. You will suffer as she suffered.”
“The Father has named you as an enemy, but we are forbidden from killing you. After meeting you, I have to agree with him.”
It’s a strange thing for him to say, and she can’t help but ask, “Why?” If given a chance, she will destroy him, maybe even all of them.
“You are… different. Strong. I think it’s possible that you will end up defeating us all if you’re determined and smart enough. It’s a shame you picked the wrong side because your pain will be great before you see the end of it.” His words ring of prophecy, and she takes a step back.
Oracles are born into every race, able to see through time. The past, future, present. Usually, the group that rules them comes in and snags a freeborn oracle up before anyone else can get to them and wrap them in their shrouds of secrecy. This man escaped their grasp.
And that makes his presence even more concerning.
“You’re very lucid for a sin eater that has taken so many lives,” Devil comments, floating near the barrier.
“Only because she,” he points at Sora, “pulled me from that dark place. But it will claim me again soon.” She’s surprised he explained it and barely keeps herself from saying anything else. “The next time we meet, do not count on my mercy.” With those cryptic words still lingering, he turns and walks into a portal the sorcerers behind him made. It snaps shut behind them, and Devil and Sora both slightly relax.
Sora looks at the pile of ash, the only thing that remains of a sin eater she thought of as a dangerous foe and then back to where the portal disappeared. Cris is the dangerous one, and she needs to tell Voss about him. It’s the man he’s sought since Amanda was murdered.
He deserves the closure of at least knowing his identity.
“Well, at least the wards work,” Devil says, floating closer to the ground to look at his handy work. “You need to stay away from that one, Sora. There’s something dark about him that concerns me, something evil.”
“As you heard, he’s the one that killed Amanda.” Her voice is shaky as the adrenaline leaves her system.
“He did us a favor with this one.” He rises to eye level. “He killed one of his own for an unknown reason. I have a feeling in a weird fucking way… that he did it for you.”
“We have to find out more about these people. They knew where I was the day I moved in here. That’s creepy.” To think that they’re watching her even now makes the hair on her neck stand up.
There is one person they can ask or take answers from. Contemplating it doesn’t make her happy, but Amanda’s murderer running around doesn’t either.
“That look says you’re about to do something stupid,” Devil says, suspicious.
“Maybe, but it might give us some answers.” She steadily holds his gaze; she can do it with him by her side or alone. It’s happening either way.
“What is this plan I’m going to hate?”
“Well, once I talk to someone and hopefully get some information, we’re going to set a trap. They recruit people, Devil. There has to be a way to contact them.”
“And who is this person?” Although she can see he already knows by the look on his face.
“Max.” She hates the idea too, but what he knows might matter in this situation.
Warmth rolls over her skin, and the wards wobble a little but don’t keep the man walking towards her out. Voss is barefoot, wearing only a pair of jeans. It takes everything she has not to ogle him, and having the temptation makes her disgusted with herself.
There’s a dead guy two feet away from you, Sora. Get your head out of your ass.
“I can take you to him tomorrow,” he says, prowling completely out of the shadows.
“You were there the entire time?” Devil accuses.
“No, I arrived as they were leaving through the portal.” His eyes glow in the dim light.
“You heard what I said about Amanda?” He nods, and when he smiles coldly, exposing sharp teeth, she hastens to say, “I know you’re ready to go chase after him, but Voss, he’ll kill you before you kill him.”
“I’ll gladly take him with me.”
He’s not getting her meaning. “No, you don’t understand. It won’t go that far. You’ll die alone, Voss.” She looks off into the shadows. “I have to be the one to go after him.”
Voss scoffs. “You think you can kill him because you’ve taken some stupid self-defense classes and carry knives?” Her mouth tightens in reaction to his insulting words. She fights to keep her temper reigned in. He’s hurting, lashing out because he loved Amanda, and her murderer just slipped away through a portal. And now, Sora is telling him that he can’t get the satisfaction of tearing into him and enacting his vengeance.
Watching the feral gleam in his eyes, she decides that instead of arguing with him, she’ll show hi
m. Her arm tingles as she walks up to him, and her hand is barely on his arm before he’s on his knees, looking up at her with eyes widened with shock. A groan of pain passes through his clenched teeth, and she glimpses the image of herself in his irises. Dark flames light up her eyes and travel up her head to form a halo of fire.
“Let your sins come forth and share their pain,” she whispers, her voice distorted by the magic. All these sins, even the ones he refuses to think about surge forward into his mind. He hisses in agony as all of them hit him at once.
“Sora!” Devil's call pulls her from the flames, and she releases Voss. He jumps to his feet, and a clawed hand is heading for her face in a blink. She catches it mid-air with her fiery arm.
Looking him directly in the eyes, she says, “You underestimate me like all of them do, but I don’t think you’ll make that mistake again.” His claws retract, and she releases his arm.
He leans forward, his face close to hers with eyes no longer filled with anger or fear. “You’re just full of surprises, Sora.” He steals a quick kiss, leaving the taste and warmth of him behind. “I can’t promise I won’t try to kill him if given a chance, but I no longer have any doubts that you can.” His eyes trace her face. “You’re beautiful every day, but breathtaking when you’re angry,” he whispers.
Normally, a compliment like that would make her feel on top of the world. But the high emotions drain out of her, and she’s just plain tired. “I’m going to bed. Go home, Voss.”
He smiles, knowing that he’s gotten away with something. “I’ll have someone collect the ashes.” He starts to walk away, then stops. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” Then he’s gone. Voss is the king of disappearing.
“I thought he said he got here when they were going through the portal,” Devil says as they walk up the sidewalk. Sora pauses and looks over her shoulder into the shadows Voss disappeared into. Not sensing him, she continues inside.
