Beneath A Sinister Moon, page 19
part #3 of Demon Hunter Series
People all around us nodded their heads in agreement.
“And the worry over Cassidy and her powers—after seeing her in action, I believe this Clan is better off with them than without them. She showed epic control by taking out Vygad and bringing Killian back from the dead. She’s a hero.” He sat down and nodded toward Jackson. People clapped in agreement.
My eyes filled with tears. I felt terrible for hurting Casper, but I also felt so lucky to have such an amazing friend in him. He turned back and looked at me, as if he’d heard my thoughts, and smiled. I let that bit of goodness in, allowing it to heal part of my wounded heart.
When the crowd quieted, Jackson continued, “Thank you Casper for sharing your perspective. Unfortunately, despite my begging Cass and Killian to return to the Clan, they’ve declined.”
Murmurs sounded around us, and Killian tensed beside me.
He seemed shook up…vulnerable, very unlike his usual “in control” demeanor.
“Hey, are you doing okay?” I asked.
He gave me a half smile. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“You always do.” I rubbed soothing circles on his muscular back. My brain raced through all the possible reasons for his serious mood. Was he simply mourning the loss of so many he cared for, or…had he changed his mind about staying with me in the Human Realm?
“I love you Cass,” he looked around and shook his head as he struggled with some thought. I’d never seen him this troubled before.
My heart sank; I braced myself for whatever dismal news he was about to deliver. “Killian, what is it?”
He grabbed my hands and held them tight. “My timing sucks, but this can’t wait a moment longer.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to—I’m just no good at this.”
“You’re killing me. Just say it before I—”
“Marry me.”
“What?” Wait, did I hear him right?
“Marry me.” The intensity in his stare made my heart race. “You are the only woman I have ever loved, and I want to spend every day for the rest of my life waking up next to you, fighting demons, kissing you, and ending my day with you in my arms.” He managed to smile past his nerves. “Marry me Cass.”
A few gasps sounded from those close enough to hear.
“I-I don’t know what to say.” My hands began shaking within his grasp. He rubbed his thumbs over the back of my hands to comfort me.
“Say ‘yes,’” he urged.
Everything disappeared around us. In that moment, it was Killian and I in our own private moment. It didn’t matter where we were or who was around us—none of it mattered. He gave my hands a slight squeeze reminding me I needed to answer him. I looked down at his strong hands holding mine and then met his eyes. This decision, regardless of my answer, would change everything.
I’ve loved this man from the first moment I saw him. He’s been the light guiding me out of my darkest days and a constant source of unconditional love, especially when I couldn’t love myself. “Yes!”
“Yes?” He narrowed his eyes and read my energy. “You’re sure?”
I nodded.
The smile that spread across Killian’s face was contagious. He pressed his lips to mine, holding me against him in this sweet and intimate moment.
“Hey, break it up over here, meeting’s not over yet.” Jackson said with a mocking tone of authority. “As I was about to say, the Elders, upon hearing your request to nullify the marriage ban, have agreed to dissolve the law.” The room erupted in sounds of joy. When it calmed Jackson continued, “We’d be honored to have you both reinstated as Hunters if you chose to return.”
All eyes fell on us. Killian looked at me and I gave him a nod of approval. He raised both our hands into the air, united. “We will gladly rejoin the Clan and are pleased with the Elders’ decision as Cassidy and I plan to marry.”
We were surrounded by people congratulating and welcoming us back.
Jackson found his way over to us and clapped Killian on the back. “Thank God you’re back.” He let out a relieved breath. “This leader of the Clan job is too stressful. My brain needs to rest.”
We all cracked up at Jackson’s emphatic relief.
Serena joined our small group. “Killian, Cassidy, congratulations. And for the record, I saw this day coming the minute I saw you two together for the first time.”
I had forgotten Serena had the ability to know things deep within you that no other knew.
“Thank you, Serena.” Killian hugged her. “All right, time to get back to work,” Killian instructed. “Who’s on the next patrol?”
“Boy, that took no time at all for you to get back to bossing people around,” Anchor walked up and joked as the crowd began to dissipate. “Congrats you two.”
“Thanks Anchor.” Killian and I both said.
Killian looked past me and straightened his stance. I turned to see Lena approaching. “I’ll see you both later.” Anchor gave us both side hugs, then left us.
“Cass, Killian—” Lena hung her head. “I’m sorry for the trouble I caused. My emotions got the better of me. After hearing you had died and then seeing Casper in such bad shape…you were an easy target to direct my anger and frustrations. But it wasn’t right. You deserved a chance Cass and I didn’t give it to you. I hope you can forgive me.”
“I get it, and I can relate to how you felt. I hate what I did to Casper. You know I love him.”
“I know.” She nodded. “He knows it too.”
“I forgive you.” I reached out and pulled her in for a hug. Her arms came around me and Killian stood there watching us. When we pulled apart she noticed her brother.
“Killian—” She leapt into his arms. “I’m sorry.” She sniffled.
He held her tight in his arms. “It’s okay. You went through a lot.”
“We all did.” She said as she separated from him and wiped her eyes. “I’m so glad you both are back.”
Casper came up beside Lena and put his arm around her. “Congrats you two.”
“Casper,” I looked at my friend who still had his wounds wrapped but was now able to wear a black tee instead of the kimono style shirt. “Thank you for what you said today.”
“Meant every word of it. Glad you both are back.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Cassidy
After the dining hall had cleared, Killian and I headed back to the Human Realm to collect our belongings from Casper’s mom’s house and notify the Junctures of our departure. Casper had given permission for the Junctures to use the house as needed for the Clan in exchange for them maintaining it.
When we returned to the Blaylock Grove cemetery to cross back to the Clan, I paused at my dad’s grave, thinking about the short time I had with him.
“Hey Cass, looks like you have a visitor.” Killian nodded in the direction he’d been looking. “I’ll see you back at the compound. Take as long as you need.” He kissed me and offered a wave to whoever had come to see me.
I looked around and finally saw Tyler leaning against a tree, all in white, covered in white ink, and looking badass. “Tyler!” My heart leapt at seeing him. I walked over and looked at the angel version of my good friend. “This is a good look for you.”
“Yeah?” He smiled and pushed off the wall to approach me. “You look pretty good yourself these days.”
“Thanks.” It felt surreal, standing here, talking to Tyler after I’d watched him die. “You know, I never thought I’d see you again.”
“Me neither, Cass. Listen, I don’t have a lot of time, and I’m kinda breakin’ a rule by being here, but Tehya said she’d cover for me. Thankfully, that chick gets me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean she knew I needed some time with you. You and I have unfinished business.”
“Oh yeah? Enlighten me.”
“Okay, well, being an angel has its perks. For instance, I can see and hear things that I tune into, kinda like a radio station. I can’t hear everyone, but when I tune into a particular person, I hear and see things loud and clear.” He waited for me to process what he said.
“Okay.” I had no idea where he was going with this.
“And…when I tune into you—” He let out a breath and looked away a moment. “It’s hard to explain. You’ve got a lot of really cool powers up your sleeve now and need to figure out the good and bad of them. But I watched you in battle after I died, and I saw something that I hope I never see again.”
I shook my head as I searched my brain for what he could be talking about.
“Guilt. You let your guilt of not being able to save me and Killian take you down a dark path.”
His words took me back to that painful memory and the helpless feeling it created.
“You remember that feeling, don’t you?”
I nodded.
“Now imagine an all-powerful Cassidy, ruled by guilt, anger, and sadness…”
My star tattoo buzzed to life on my wrist as his words sunk into me. “I hadn’t thought about that.”
“You haven’t had time to. But with some guidance, you’ll learn to be aware and have better control.”
“Any chance you’ll be offering that guidance?” I’d love to spend more time with Tyler, but if his duties kept him as busy as Tehya, I’d be lucky to see him in an emergency.
He smiled. “Yep, unless I’m not available. The first lesson is letting go of the guilt and regret. Anytime you feel those emotions, be aware of it, consider what you were thinking about when the feeling came on, and then give yourself permission to let it go.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Good, because there will be a quiz.”
“Seriously?”
Tyler laughed hard. “No, not at all, but we’ll talk about it next time I see you.”
“When will that be?”
“I don’t know—soon. I’ll find you.”
“I’m excited I get to spend more time with you.” I wanted to scream and jump up and down, but I controlled myself.
“Yeah, I owe Tehya—she pulled some strings to make this happen. Most new angels serve in some sort of holy army at first, but she argued that I had plenty of battle experience. Thankfully, they took her advice and let me be assigned to you.”
“I’ll be sure to thank her when I see her. Oh, hey! If I run into Tegan, can I tell him about you and your new angel gig, or are there some rules about that?”
“Yeah, he’ll flip out, but Tegan’s so imbedded into this angel and demon stuff that telling him is no biggie, just don’t share it with any other humans. I plan on paying him a visit soon, when I get a moment.”
“Got it.”
He looked down at the stone ground beneath his feet. “So, are you seriously gonna marry Killian?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “‘Am I seriously gonna marry Killian?’ Are you jealous?”
He looked up at me and smiled. “Only a little. I want you to be happy.”
“Do you really dislike the guy? You do know that your first impression of Killian was him being possessed by Jace, right? Not exactly the best or accurate first impression.”
“Ugh, Jace. You had to mention that jerk’s name!” He shook his head in an overly dramatic way. “I guess now that the angel gig has taken me off the market, Killian’s the next best match for you.”
“Boy, you’re not cocky at all.” I teased causing us both to erupt in laughter. “But seriously, I appreciate your concern. Killian is good for me, especially now that he’s realized I’m not a fragile China doll and can fight as well as any Hunter”
“Better if you ask me.”
“Thanks. And thank you for being there for me when I needed you most. You’ll always have a special place in my heart.”
He smiled and grabbed my hand, turning it over so the star tattoo he had placed on me months ago faced skyward. His blood ran through my veins, connecting us, always. He traced the black outline causing the white flames within to dance in excitement. “By the way, the reason you had trouble using your mind control and fire powers against Vygad is the same reason you can’t use them against me. His blood is my blood.”
“But the fire tornado?”
He shrugged. “He wasn’t burnt by it, just picked up, spun about, and tossed. Thankfully you found another energy source to help you fight him. Just keep that in mind in the future.” He looked past me and gave a quick nod. “Looks like my time is up.”
I turned to see Tehya standing a few yards away pointing at her wrist and signaling he was out of time.
Tyler held up his pointer finger and turned toward me. “Think about what I said about guilt and regret.”
“Let it go.”
“Such a quick learner!” He teased as he wrapped me in a hug. “Love you, Cass. The next time I see you, I might have to call you—” He pulled back. “Wait, does Killian have a last name?”
“I-I don’t know.” I laughed. I’d never thought about it before.
“He probably has one of those weird symbols for a name, like Prince. Guess at the least I can call you Mrs. Cassidy Killian.” He laughed. “Boy that’s lame. Don’t tell him I said that.”
“I won’t.” Everything was always better—more tolerable and light-hearted around Tyler. “I’m glad you’re back in my life.”
“Missed you too. I’d better head out before Daenerys over there unleashes her dragon on me. See ya.” He trotted over to Tehya, who totally looked like a knock off of the Game of Thrones character. They headed toward the Center to flash out of the compound to God knows where.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Killian
I called a council meeting after the formal announcement. I wanted to be sure we were all on the same page before moving forward.
Maren, one of the older Elders who was out of action but still advised the Clan stood, “Killian, we welcome you back as leader of the Clan. We’re curious as to why you’ve called this meeting.”
“Thank you for the welcome. I want to discuss an issue that has weighed heavily on my mind since I’d stepped down as leader…the voice of our people.” I looked around at the puzzled faces staring back at me, wondering where I was going with this. “After I left with Cassidy, I learned a large number of supporters approached this council, asking for the decision to be reconsidered. What shocked me was the number of people that had to approach you for you to listen to them. If a Harvester thinks a crop is failing and suggests planting a different plant species in that space, do you listen to them or wait for the crop to officially fail? If all the Harvesters come to you with the same concern, would you listen then?” The puzzled faces now looked around the room at each other, considering my words. “I think this council represents the Clan and helps settle issues that need settling. But you’ve gotten away from listening to the individual Clan members, and I think that needs to change.”
“Killian...” Maren cleared her throat. “You’ve always excelled at keeping your finger on the pulse of this Clan, and we’ve tried to hear you out with each thing you’ve presented to us. But what is it you ask of us?”
“I may not always be here, and each Clan member should feel comfortable and sure that if they approach any of the council that their concerns will be heard and considered. I don’t mind speaking for others, and I will continue to do so, but I want to break down the barrier and help them be heard.”
“Do you mean you want us to meet and discuss every issue that is brought before us?” Serena asked.
“No, I think you each could determine which topics need further discussion and which you could answer immediately. For instance, if a new Hunter asked to bring her human boyfriend here for a look around, the answer would be…” I motioned for the group to answer.
“No.” “No way.” “Unacceptable.” They all agreed with each other.
“See. You could answer that question on the spot without having to bring it here for further talks. My point is that taking those moments to stop and really listen to their concerns will help connect us all together.”
Jackson stood and addressed the group. “I think it’s a great idea. In the short time I got to wear Killian’s leader hat, I had many people approach me with different issues. It made me appreciate the trust and connections Killian had built with those individuals. They knew they could come to him with their worries and be heard. I’m down for doing whatever needs to happen to help make those connections with them.”
“I second it,” said Lena.
The rest of the council agreed and brainstormed ways to interact and check in with different individuals and groups each week.
After the meeting, each council member shook my hand and told me they were glad I was back.
Jackson laughed. “I’m not sure who was more nervous about me trying to fill your shoes, me or the council.”
“Looks like you managed things just fine.”
“If only you knew.” We both laughed.
“Hopefully the changes we discussed will help bring this Clan together. We could use a little unity around here.”
“Speaking of unity… you’d better go make those wedding plans before the next evil drama threatens to mess them up.” He nudged me.
“Good advice.” I patted him on the back. “See ya. I’m off to find my sister.”
Lena sat across from Casper in the dining hall. “Mind if I join you two?” Casper motioned to the empty chair between them. “Thanks. Casper, how are you holding up?”
“I’m improving—Lena’s banned me from…everything until I lose the mummy costume.” He held up a bandaged arm. “How’s Cass?”
“I think okay. Tyler showed up, so she’s probably still talking with him. Has anyone checked in with the priests?”
Lena shook her head. “No, but Jax just moved his family back home, so we can send word and have him check in with them, see if they were successful with the exorcism.”
