by Kelly Hall
Could she?
She missed her friend but couldn’t help the contempt she had in her heart that grew increasingly worse as each minute passed. How had it come to this? She would have to go after him, and he would have to face punishment. Killing him was not an option, but she wasn’t sure where to keep him. Perhaps she should make him run and become part of the hunt. She could make a decree that no one speak his name to her again.
Tears filled her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away. How could she be thinking such things about a man who had raised her? He’d been her rock in times of troubles, and strangely, she needed him now. She didn’t know how to be herself without him. He’d made her, after all.
She put her head on her desk, and it was at that unfortunate moment that Canter walked into the room. She looked up through her hair and quickly sat up.
“I’m sorry,” she said, wiping her eyes and gesturing toward the chair across the desk from hers.
“For what? My uncle told me once that tears were nothing to apologize for.” Canter took a seat. His dark skin had taken an almost gray tone, and his eyes were puffy and bloodshot. He knew what he had to say was going to be tough, and he figured sitting would at least put her at ease a bit.
“I’m your Huntress; I should be strong for you.” She reached across the desk for a tissue.
“You are. And your tears show me your heart. I know you care about me and Katie and that what happened was hard for you too. And that makes it hard for me to come to you like this. But I wanted to prepare you. I owe it to you to say the things I have to say.”
Rebekah shook her head. “No, you don’t owe me anything, Canter. But did you remember something? From when you and Katie were in the library?”
“No, nothing. It’s still all a blur. I remember thinking Grady had found us. That the shadowy figure I caught a glimpse of was the stigmata. Only now, I know it was Ignis, which makes sense. He had probably returned for his phone.”
“What were you doing there with her in the first place?” Rebekah had meant for him to keep Ignis’s library a secret, along with his mission.
“I had blindfolded her. I knew she couldn’t see the library, but I wanted her to see the stars from the upper level. It’s amazing up there. It’s where I proposed to her. It’s all I can remember right now. I guess it’s all I want to remember.”
Rebekah felt horrible for questioning him about taking her there, but she needed to be absolutely sure if something had happened to trigger Ignis to the level of anger he’d used to kill Katie.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not important. As I said, you owe me nothing.” She waved her hand dismissively.
“No, I vowed my life to you. And while I will still honor that, I can’t do it from here. I have to leave. I hope you understand.” His words came quickly as if he didn’t want her to try and say anything to stop him.
Rebekah’s heart dropped to her toes. She hadn’t expected him to leave his friends in his time of need. “Canter, I need you here, but I understand. If you want to make this decision, I should let you go. I could arrange for you to join another team of hunters. You could take your choice.” She couldn’t see him wandering around alone, steeping in his misery. It wasn’t healthy.
“I think I need to be alone for a while, if that’s okay? Besides, what I have to do, I don’t want to give anyone else the chance to do.”
Her blood turned to ice water in her veins. “You are talking about revenge, aren’t you?” She narrowed her eyes in concern and wondered if he really knew what that would mean.
“I have to go after him.” He met her eyes directly, as if he wanted her to know he meant business. “I’m going to kill Ignis, and while I want you to know that, I don’t want you to have to watch it happen.”
The words stung Rebekah’s chest like they had set it ablaze. “I’m already working on how to handle this, Canter. Ignis’s life is too important to waste by killing him.”
Canter sat forward and slammed his fist down on the desk. “And my Katie’s life is not important enough? That’s bullshit, and you know it. I need to honor her by making this right, and the only way to do that is to hunt and kill Ignis.” He gave her a sideward look, his eyes filled with accusation. “You’d let the bastard go? Knowing what he’s done to her? You heard him. He said he’s always been in control. You never meant anything to him, Rebekah. The Ignis we knew was a lie, and he’s dead to me. He may as well be dead for real.”
Rebekah’s entire life had been built on lies, and she knew that was why it was so easy for her to believe Ignis had been part of one too. Especially with everything he’d been keeping hidden. “Forgive me if I’m having a hard time accepting that. He is my closest and oldest friend.”
“Who never was a friend. Have you ever wondered why he took on this task of creating you? Or why he’s made it his mission to be in your life all these years? Does he even tell you those things? You were just a tool to him. A means to an end. He’s got Talia. He could go live in the swamp with her. Why doesn’t he?”
“Because the naiads’ camp is no place for a man of any kind,” she defended. “Besides, he knows I need him. He brought me into this world. He concealed my mother’s pregnancy to help her and my father. He is an honorable man.”
“And what did he get out of it?”
Asylum. It had given him a place to hide where no vampire could come after him. That, she knew. Did he have his own agenda the entire time? Rebekah took a deep breath and tried to focus. “I don’t care if you want to trap him or if you feel the need to kick his ass, but you have to understand my position on this.”
Canter waved his hand dramatically. “I understand. He’s your weakness.”
“No, he’s the Fellowship’s.” She covered her mouth, hating that the words were coming out. “He is the one who can make new hunters with my blood, Canter. I can’t do it without the spell that he created when he created me. This would be the end of the hunters.”
The words came as a shock to him, but it didn’t change his next mission. “I’ll give you time to figure it out, but until then, I’m leaving. I’ll try to keep in touch with you and Jarreth. Delilah is going to need a friend. She might need someone to talk to, you know, about Jarreth. She lost Katie and Aziel, and with me gone, you’re all she’s got. I know there’s always some tension with you two. I’m asking you to let it go. Support each other. For Katie’s sake. She’d have wanted it that way.”
“I will. I respect Delilah, even if she doesn’t always respect me.” She could tell that he was saying his final piece and making his final requests.
“She loves you. Or else she’d have stayed behind with Brock. She didn’t just come back for Jarreth. She’s here for all of us. She knows this is her family. Take care of them.” He got to his feet and headed to the door.
“Canter, promise me you won’t act before I can figure this out.” Every instinct inside of her was firing sparks that said she had to stop him. She hated that feeling.
“I’m not making any promises if I happen across him, but I won’t search right away. I can’t tell you how long I’ll be able to hold off. If I had my way, I’d go after him right now, and I’ll respect you enough to not tell you what I’d do to him.” He was gone before she could tell him how dangerous it was to cross the mage.
Rebekah closed her eyes and saw Ignis back in the days of her childhood. He reached out for her as she was about to jump down from her father’s horse. “Come now, Bexy. It’s time for your nap. You have to get plenty of rest so you can attend the celebration later. There will be cake with sweet frosting.”
“Is it a special occasion?” she’d asked.
“Of course, it is. It’s your birthday.” He’d smiled and reached over to tug her braid as he gave her a wink.
“What’s a birthday?”
Ignis had laughed. He was always so happy when she was little, and she never remembered a time when he was angry or cross with her. “It’s the day you were born. And I’
ve celebrated it every year. This year, you’re old enough to celebrate it too.”
She looked up to the painting and gave a sigh. Canter was right. The Ignis she knew and loved was gone.
Canter hurried up the stairs to his room. He would have to finish packing and see if Lulu could make him something to take along to eat. As he was rounding the top of the stairs to his room, Jarreth stepped out of his.
“Hey, how are you holding up?” he asked.
His look of concern was nearly more than Canter could take. He didn’t think he could stand too many more days of everyone’s awkwardness. No one knew how to talk to him anymore without the tone of pity in their voices, and all he wanted to do was not think about what he’d seen. If he had to relive it over and over in his mind, he’d go crazy.
“I’m fine, really. It’s okay to stop asking.”
“Hey, I care about you. Of course, I’m going to ask how you’re holding up.”
“I’m not even sure how to answer that. But thanks. I know you and everyone else mean well, but I just can’t take it. Which is why I’m going to leave just after Katie’s service at sundown.”
“Hey, at least wait until morning.” Jarreth hoped that if he got past the funeral, he might be okay. “If you could just get through the hard part.”
“The hard part?” Canter narrowed his eyes and wanted to ask Jarreth if he was for real. “The hard part is going to be waking up every morning and realizing that this fucked-up nightmare isn’t a goddamned dream. It’s reality. And I have to live in it every fucking day.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I just know this is all very hard, and the funeral is going to be hard too.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry too. I know it’s not easy trying to figure out what to say. But that brings me to my other point. It’s okay not to ask.”
“I don’t want you to go.” Jarreth hoped he could change his mind.
“I’ve got to. Don’t try and talk me out of it, okay? I’m going to hunt Ignis. I’m going to kill him and make sure he can’t hurt anyone else.”
“I’ll go with you then. I don’t want you to end up dead too.”
“I’m not afraid to die, Jarreth. I’ll be with Katie then.”
“That sounds like you’ve got a death wish.” He didn’t like what was happening to his friend. Canter had always been so strong.
“No, not a death wish. I’m not going to do anything stupid to myself. But I’m making it my personal mission to end Ignis. I don’t care if it’s tomorrow or a month from now. As soon as I see him, he’s dead.” He knew he’d promised the Huntress differently, but he also knew the pain in his heart would not allow him to let Ignis go if he was put in his path. He would take it as fate and let the cards fall where they may, even if it cost him his life.
“I understand. I really do. If it was Delilah, I’d do the same thing, man. But Rebekah’s not going to take it well.”
“I’ve already warned the Huntress.” He decided not to go into detail. “She knows what I have to do. She’s not happy with it, but she understands.”
“I still think I should go with you.”
“No, you shouldn’t. Grady is still on his way. He’s bringing hell with him, so you’re going to be needed here. If he and that stigmata come and this place is unprotected, you’ll all be dead. And I’d really like to see you again, my friend. Besides, you need to stay with Delilah.” He didn’t want to think about the happy couple, although he knew that was what Jarreth needed to focus on.
He just couldn’t help but be jealous, and another reason he was leaving was because he couldn’t stand to see them happy together. He was ashamed to admit it, but it was just too much for him to handle.
He clapped Jarreth on the shoulder. “I’ll see you at sundown. I have to get ready.”
Chapter 3
The sun was setting in the western sky, and all was still and quiet. “What does she call this place?” asked Delilah as they walked down the stairs. “I mean, castles usually have some type of name, don’t they?”
“I’ve never heard her call it anything, come to think of it.” Jarreth felt uncomfortable in his skin and realized he’d never really been to a funeral for anyone he knew as well as Katie. “Do you think this thing is going to take long?”
“I doubt they’ll want to drag it on.” They reached the bottom of the stairs, and she squeezed his hand. “Did the others arrive? The men from the Dublin academy?”
“They arrived earlier. Lulu fed them as a thank you for their service, and they’ll leave as soon as the ceremony is over.”
“I know it will be hard for Canter, but we’ll be strong for him. We’ll help him in the weeks to come.”
Jarreth hadn’t told her that Canter was planning on leaving. He cleared his throat and decided it was time to break the news to her. “There’s something I need to tell you, Del.”
She released a long breath. “If it’s bad news, can’t it wait?”
He searched her eyes. “Its going to be too late then, and then you’ll be angry that I didn’t tell you.”
“Fine.” She covered her face with her hands. “Then tell me now. Make it quick and painless.”
“I don’t know how painless it will be, but here goes. Canter is leaving us, Delilah.”
“What?” She turned like she was going to go back in the house to find him. “We have to talk to him and tell him that’s a horrible idea. He will need us. I will need him. I need to know he’s going to be okay. I can’t worry about him the whole time he’s gone, Jarreth. He’s our best friend.”
“Who wants to be left alone. Look, I tried, okay? I tried to talk some sense into him, and he’s got his mind made up. I even offered to go with him. He said no. That I needed to stay here with you and help hold down the fort.”
“You were going to leave me and go with him?”
He hadn’t really thought about her at the time but knew better than to admit that. “Well, shit, Delilah, I was trying to be comforting. Of course, I’d have asked you to go too. I just didn’t know he’d be so dead set against it. Which he is. So, don’t waste your time trying to talk sense into him. He’s hurting. He’s angry.”
“He’s going after Ignis, isn’t he?” She took a deep breath. “Whatever power Ignis was using, it was strong. Rebekah even said so herself. Canter couldn’t even remember everything that had occurred once it was over. I’m worried about him.”
“Me too, but look, he’s a grown man. He’s going to do this whether we like it or not. You had to go and do your thing, and now it’s his turn to do his.”
Delilah held her hand on her middle. “Just promise me you’re not going to leave me. You’ll never go off without me unless Rebekah makes you.”
“Deal. But you have to promise me the same.”
“Deal.” Delilah knew keeping her promise was going to be a breeze. Rebekah never chose her for anything anyway.
They walked out to the chapel, and when they went inside, Canter was kneeling at the front by Katie’s body, which was still lying on a shallow board, one with ornate carvings of vines on the sides and handles at each end. Her graduation robe was draped down one side, and she looked like a pale goddess, sleeping forever.
“She’s beautiful,” said Delilah. She couldn’t help but think that she would have made a beautiful bride. She’d been so hopeful for Katie and Canter.
Delilah wiped her eyes and looked away. She couldn’t bear the sight of her anymore. The girl she once thought she hated. Delilah had never been able to imagine sparring with her or practicing holds, but now she wondered how she was going to get along without her.
Jarreth paled at the sight of Canter kneeling and said a silent prayer, hoping he’d never have to do that with Delilah. Dear God, take me first, please. He wasn’t strong enough to endure it. But she was so strong, she’d make it okay without him. Despite what she said, he knew she was stronger than he could ever be.
Mace made her way in and sat in the wooden pew in ba
ck. She looked like she’d been crying, but Jarreth knew she’d punch anyone for pointing it out. She had gotten used to her solitude down in the basement, and he wondered if she was ever going to try and fit in with the rest of them.
Sister Frankie and Father Timms walked in and made their way to the front, where Frankie helped Father Timms to the podium before taking a seat. The two men from Dublin got up and walked over to stand next to Katie, and Canter did not budge. He held Katie’s hand and looked up at Father Timms like he was ready when he was.
Rebekah walked in and took her seat with Frankie up front, and then Lulu came in next, sitting in the back next to Mace, who gave the older woman a half smile befitting the solemn occasion.
Father Timms, the former priest, cleared his throat. “We are here to honor the memory of Katherine Anne Kelly. A beloved daughter, huntress, and friend. Katie was a bright light in many of our lives, and she touched us all in her special way. She was strong, opinionated, and a bit sassy at times, but it was easy to be her friend once you got to know her. But I don’t think anyone could say that better than our own Delilah. Who has asked to come forward and speak her heart about her beloved friend.”
Jarreth looked down at Delilah, who looked like she might throw up. Instead, she took a deep breath and got to her feet. After a moment, she stepped forward. She looked so small behind the podium but stood straight and tall like a proud huntress.
“It’s no secret that when I first met Katie, I didn’t like her much. She was everything I wasn’t. Blonde, pretty, and not afraid to speak her mind or put you in your place. That last quality was what made us clash so much, I guess, and maybe I was a little like that too.”
Jarreth cleared his throat, and Canter looked up at her and gave a half-hearted smile.
As her cheeks turned red, she thought of the day Aziel had suggested she spar against Katie in training because of their height. “A good friend once told me to give her a chance. I didn’t want to team up with Katie because I had formed my own opinions of her. And then, when my best friend Canter had an interest in her, I thought he’d lost his mind, but I decided to give her a chance. For him.” She looked down and met Canter’s eyes.
