Beneath A Sinister Moon, page 8
part #3 of Demon Hunter Series
A feathery touch across my knuckles woke me. How long had I been asleep? I fought against the tiredness and urged my eyes open, wanting a glance at Killian.
He lay awake, staring at me as he, once again, brushed his thumb over my knuckles. He smiled weakly. “Didn’t mean to wake you. I just couldn’t resist touching you.”
“It’s okay.” I felt my face heat with the bold sentiment.
He must have noticed because he reached out and placed his cool hand against my left cheek and grinned.
I leaned into his touch and closed my eyes, allowing myself a moment to tuck this memory into a special place in my heart.
“You’re so beautiful.” His words sank deep, penetrating the depths of my soul. I opened my eyes and saw an intensity in Killian’s stare. One I hadn’t seen before.
“Thank you. How are you feeling?”
He released my hand and relaxed against his pillow. “I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. Everything hurts and feels stiff.”
“Lena said you got some kinda infection after your surgery and transfusions.” I bit at my thumb nail. “Your fever got pretty high—”
“You were scared.” It wasn’t a question. He read my energy.
“One day you’re gonna teach me how to read energies!”
“It takes a little time, but you’ll figure it out.” He smiled. “Anyway, I only remember shaking really badly, but I must have lost consciousness again because I don’t remember anything else.”
“Yeah, you were in bad shape. Glad you’re better.”
He linked his hand with mine, pulled it to his lips, and kissed it. “Thanks for staying with me.” He yawned.
“You need your rest.” I looked at all the wires and tubes and got an idea. “Hold on a second.” I pulled the machine to the other side of the bed and moved the wires out of the way. Then I crawled up next to him in bed and rested my head on his chest.
“Best medicine a doctor could order.” Killian kissed my head and pulled me against him. He drifted off a few minutes later, and I soon followed, letting the comfort of his warm embrace and the rise and fall of his breaths take me far away from this long and terrifying experience.
***
I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. “Cass?” Lena whispered.
I squinted against the light. “What time is it?”
“It’s shortly after daybreak. How’d the night go?”
“You can stop whispering,” Killian said in a tired voice.
She hurried to his side wearing a huge grin. She looked like a kid on Christmas morning standing before a mound of presents under the tree. “I’m so glad you’re awake.”
“Well, that makes one of us.” Killian chuckled. “I wouldn’t have minded a few more hours of sleep.”
She placed her hand on his forehead. “No fever.” Then Lena checked all the readings on the machines. “Everything looks good.”
“Well, I feel like a pack of Krevarians ran me over.”
She scrutinized him, reading his energy. “You’ve been through a lot. I’m not surprised you feel roughed up. Good thing I have something to make you feel better.” She went over to a shelf and grabbed a bottle of herbs and placed it into a cup of water.
I placed a kiss on his bare chest and propped myself up on an elbow. “The night was uneventful.”
“Thanks for staying with him, Cass.” Lena returned with the cup. “Now, no complaints. It smells bad but will make you feel like a million bucks.”
“Yeah, thanks for staying with me.” He wore a sleepy smile as he took the cup and smelled its contents. “Gah.”
I climbed down from the bed.
“Wait, where are you going?” He sounded desperate to not let me out of his sight.
“Nowhere, just giving Lena room to check you over and treat you.” I sat in the chair beside his bed.
Lena came nearer and narrowed her eyes at him in warning. “Drink. It’ll help get you over the hump. The antibiotics have only been in your system for a few hours. They’ll take time to work.”
Killian pinched his nose and tipped the cup back, drinking its contents down like a shot. He held out the cup and visibly shook from the foul taste. “That’s the worst tasting thing I’ve ever put in my body.”
She took it and rinsed the cup at the basin. “Are you hungry?”
“Not after that.” He made a fake gagging sound.
“Well, we’ll try and get you eating and drinking a little today.” She picked up a few instruments and dragged a stool over to the other side of the bed. “Let me prop you up a little so I can do a physical check.” Lena checked him over and asked him a lot of trivia questions to test his brain function, including, “Who am I?”
Killian studied her a moment, then answered, “The annoying redhead that brought me back from the dead.” Killian smirked as he reached out and grabbed her hand. “Hey, seriously, Lena, thank you for saving me.”
“You’re welcome, but if Serena wouldn’t have acted quickly, Sean and I would have never been able to help heal you.” she added.
“Did someone say my name?” Serena walked into the Med Unit carrying a few boxes of supplies. “Killian! Good to see you awake and colorful again.”
“Thank you for saving me.”
“You’re welcome. Thankfully I had some of Tehya’s blood with me. It helped stabilize you enough to cross you here, the rest was Lena’s doing.”
“Are you and Jackson okay? I don’t remember much after the star got thrown back at me.” Killian absent-mindedly touched at the bandage covering his neck wound.
“I’m fine. Jackson’s okay too, I think. He should be here any second with the other boxes, so you can ask him yourself,” Serena offered.
“Jackson okay?” Lena snickered. “That’s debatable.”
“Hey, I heard that!” Jackson’s voice sounded behind Serena. Killian laughed, throwing him into a coughing fit.
Lena walked toward him, but Killian kept her back with his extended arm. “I’m fine.”
Jackson set down the supply boxes and came over and embraced Killian. “Man, that was too close a call.”
“Ahh, you can’t get rid of me that easily.”
Serena shook her head and laughed in disbelief at the casual way he joked about his brush with death.
Lena, on the other hand, did not seem amused. She echoed, “Too close. Next time make a different choice. One that leans on the side of self-preservation, especially when Jace is involved.”
“You know I can’t promise that.” He took my hand in his and gave a gentle squeeze, letting me know that even though he directed his answer at Lena it was also intended for me.
“Can’t or won’t?” she returned.
“Both.”
Lena let out a frustrated breath, but she probably expected this. Danger was part of the Demon Hunter life.
“When can I get out of here?” Killian tried sitting but fell back against the pillow, closing his eyes. “Ugh, too quick.”
“Sorry, Bro. You lost a lot of blood and need to let your body heal. Don’t rush it,” Lena cautioned.
“Killian, I heard what happened.” Tehya stood near the room entrance. “That was a close call, even by my standards. Thankfully you are in good hands.”
“Boy, you have a brush with death and suddenly it’s a party!” Jackson teased. “Tehya, when did you get here?”
“Just arrived.” She nodded to Jackson.
“Where’ve you been?” Killian challenged the angel. I didn’t miss the bitterness in his tone. Angels went where they were needed, and it would have been great if she could have prevented Killian’s brush with death.
“Well, while I couldn’t be there, you had the next best thing…my blood. I go wherever I am sent, and I handle what needs handling.”
Killian looked about as disappointed as I felt. I wondered if those above him would have his back when he needed them most.
Tehya approached and stopped at the foot of his bed. “I heard you had a chat with a few priests.”
“I did. There have been a lot more possessions in the Human Realm and each victim bears the mark of Vygad. Any idea why he is encroaching upon Rya’s territory?”
Serena pulled up the image on her phone and showed it to the angel. Tehya looked surprised. “I don’t. How long has this been going on?”
“We were just alerted to it and went to look into it.” Killian answered. “When we headed back to the gate, we found Jace and Tyler in the Blaylock Grove Cemetery, so clearly Rya is still acting in these parts. But, I was surprised.”
“Do you think Rya is aware of his presence?” Tehya zoomed in on the picture.
“I don’t know.” Killian shook his head and winced as he gingerly touched his neck.
“I’ll do some looking around,” the angel answered. “Stay in touch with me about this.” She patted Killian’s leg.
“I will. Let me know if you hear about activity in other quadrants. If the demons are smart enough to work together, we might need a completely different game plan.”
“Agreed. The Demon Rulers have never gotten along; that’s why they broke the world into quadrants. Even Rya and Vygad are too power hungry and narcissistic to make any partnership last long—mark my words.”
“Still, if they strike cooperatively, it could be devastating.” Killian carefully shifted positions in bed. “It wouldn’t need to be a long partnership, just long enough to take us out.”
“Maybe your best plan is hitting Rya when she least expects it.” Tehya raised her eyebrows.
“Agreed.” Killian looked to Lena, whose lips were pressed into a stern line. “Now, maybe you can convince my sister of this.” Lena narrowed her eyes at him. “Seems she wants me to take the day off.”
“Sorry, but I agree with her,” Tehya said. “You need another day or two to recuperate. Plan your attack from that bed.”
“She’s right,” I added, giving his hand a squeeze. “You won’t have any distractions in here. Great place to plan your strategy.”
The group dissipated and soon Killian and I were alone in the Med Unit.
“Quite the gathering huh?” I asked
“Yeah, a little overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to see them all but it’s a bit much to wake up to.”
Chapter Twelve
Cassidy
About an hour after everyone left the Med Unit, Sean came in and checked Killian’s IV’s. “Mind if I unpack the supplies? It shouldn’t take long.”
“That’s fine.” Killian answered. He turned to me. “Are you getting hungry? Maybe you should grab something to eat while Sean is here.”
“I’m okay.” I hadn’t felt much like eating since Killian came in injured.
“You need to eat,” he insisted.
“But I’m not hungry.”
“Yeah but it might be a while before someone comes to relieve you,” he persisted.
Sean glanced at us, overhearing our argument.
“Are you trying to get rid of me? Because it feels like it,” I asked flat out.
“Yes, but just for a bit so I can talk to Sean,” he confessed.
“Wanting to talk strategy?” Sean asked.
“I have a few ideas I wanna discuss with you…and Jackson.” Killian turned toward me with a pleading look. “Cass, can you find Jackson and send him here for a quick meetup? I promise I’ll send one of them to get you when we finish.”
“Okay.” If I needed to leave him so he could devise a plan to get Tyler back before it was too late, I’d give him all the time he needed. I stood and gave Killian a quick peck, not thinking or caring about Sean being there to witness the affection. Marriage was outlawed in the Clan, not kissing.
I checked various rooms for Jackson but finally found him in the training room restocking the bandages and wraps. “Jackson, Killian’s asking for you.”
“Oh, hey Cass. Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, he’s wanting to talk attack plans with you and Sean.”
“Hey Cass.” Jax walked in and pulled off his hoodie with the skyline of Chicago printed on it. “Come to work on those powers again?”
“Hey, Jax. Actually, I have some time to kill so, why not?”
Jackson quirked his eyebrow up at me.
“What? If I’m goin’ into battle, I’d better know how to work this shit.”
Jackson laughed and patted my shoulder. “Careful around her Jax. She gets a little hot when you get her agitated.”
“Oh, I know.” Jax smiled.
“Jackson, come get me when you’re finished?” I asked as I joined Jax in the center of the room. “What are we starting with today?”
When Jackson left, Jax said, “I wanna know your story.”
“My story? Why?
“Because this power is driven by your emotions and I need to understand what motivates you, scares you…breaks you.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
He said nothing, waiting patiently for me to start telling my tale.
I took him back to my high school days, when Jace and I had been a couple and Gram and I lived in the old white house in Homer Glen. I told him about how I had lost them both within weeks of each other, and I was surprised that I still teared up as I spoke. Then I told him about meeting the Hunters and Tyler. “Then Rya took me to her fortress and put me in this dark and tiny cell. I don’t know how many days I was there, as there was no sunlight to help me tell the time, but it felt like forever. And the longer I was there, the more I worried that the world had forgotten about me. What’s crazy is that those cramped quarters soon became a comfort to me.”
“How so?” He asked.
“When Tyler finally freed me, I couldn’t stand feeling so vulnerable in large open areas. I locked myself away in my room, unwilling to come out.” I noticed my hands shaking at the memory.
Jax looked down and noticed my unsteady hands. He offered a sympathetic smile. “You’ve been through a lot Cass. So, what happened after you were free?”
I continued the story, telling him about Tyler having his tattoos removed and embracing his half demon side and about the fight that had ended with my childhood home engulfed in flames.
He nodded as he took it all in. “So here you are, worried about Killian’s life and wanting to save Tyler from Rya. Right?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, what if Killian forbids you from going with to get Tyler?”
My palms warmed. “I’d tell him I’m going, and he can’t stop me.”
“But he’s the head of the Demon Hunters, a whole Clan of people that follow his orders. Are you seriously going to fight them to go on the mission?” He paused letting that sink in. “You’re not good enough, and you have no control over your powers. You’re a liability.”
My anger grew as he vocalized the words I’d often heard in my head.
“You’ll only put more people in harm’s way if you can’t access those powers when we need you to. You’re too inexperienced to go.” He continued, sending me spiraling down the self-deprecating path to self-loathing.
My hands ignited, and I seemed to transcend to another level of consciousness.
“Cass? Can you hear me?” Jax’s voice sounded muffled, yet I could hear his words. “Focus all your pain and frustration into one ball of pure energy.”
Everything looked hazy, like a cloud had fallen from the sky and landed in the training room. I listened to his words and let all those open wounds mix with every emotion I’d felt over the past year.
“Good! Good!” Jax cheered. “Now, push that away from you, right into the rock wall on the other side of this room.” He waited but when nothing happened he tried, “Rya is standing in front of that rock wall next to Tyler who is about to snap Killian’s neck, ending him and becoming a full demon. What are you gonna do?”
I looked at the wall and saw the horror he had described. In one action, I could lose them both. Desperation and dread filled me. I shot the pulse across the room, destroying the illusion and leaving a large black soot mark on the wall. Then shot five more wanting that God-awful image out of my head. “Your methods suck, Jax! Remind me not to train with you again.” I stormed out of the room, feeling worse now than I had before we started.
“Cass!” Jax called after me.
I continued down the hall but stuck my hand in the air and gave him the finger.
He chuckled at the gesture and yelled. “You did great.”
But I was in no mood to hear it. It had been too soon—too close of a call with Killian to relive my fears of losing him. I retreated to my room, needing to calm myself for fear I might hurt someone with all those emotions that had been called forth.
Knock, knock.
“Cass, it’s me, Jackson. Can I come in?” He spoke through the door.
“Yeah.” I didn’t even turn to look at the door.
Jackson sat on the edge of the bed with his back to me. “You okay?”
“I guess.”
“I went to the training room to find you, but Jax said you’d left a few minutes before. Anyway, he told me about the session. Sounds like he pushed you pretty hard.”
I tried to bite back the sob that begged for release, but it fell out with an ocean of tears.
I felt his arms around me. Jackson’s hug was loose but comforting, different from Killian’s and Casper’s. “Hey, it’s okay,” he soothed me. “Jax said he felt bad for going too far. He also told me you launched six fireballs.” His chest shook with his laugh. “You’re unbelievable, Cass. Pretty damn impressive.” He pulled back and wiped my tears away. “Now come on. I’ll take you back to Killian after we grab you some food.” I gave him a look, wanting to argue that I still wasn’t hungry but stopped myself, knowing he’d insist especially after the training session I’d just had.
