I woulda done way worse to save my mom.
Only that didn’t work, either. The son of a whore slit her throat right in front me.
It’s not at all like they show in movies. Blood squirted everywhere and she choked on it. Later, I would understand that he cut her windpipe, but back then, the sound of her trying to breathe destroyed me.
Beating on the black-eyed man with both of my fists, I screamed all the bad words I knew as she flailed on the linoleum. He grabbed my wrists in one hand and pinned me against the floor until Mom’s body went limp and still, and I knew she was gone.
Furious, I called up my power and tried to blast the man again, but still couldn’t get through his shield. I started kicking and clawing and biting, but he had me in a good hold, and I couldn’t do damage.
“Demon,” he said, “remember our contract. You will make regular reports directly to me, and don’t intentionally kill him.”
A sound like shattering glass bounced around my skull. Shrieking, I grabbed my head and squeezed it, hoping that would stop the pain. It didn’t, and I curled up in a ball, clutching my head.
The man kept talking as he walked away, but the glass-shard voice was still going off in my head, and I couldn’t makeout what he was saying. Right as he opened the door, I managed to raise my hate-filled eyes to glare at his back.
“I’ll be seeing you again,” I hissed. “One day, I’ll hunt you down andendyou.”
“Keep that spunk, kid.” He looked over his shoulder at me and smirked. “You’re going to need it.”
Then he left me there with Mom’s dead body, and the demon in my soul laughed and laughed.
#
That memory had been plaguing me for the last coupla days. Every time I opened my eyes, usually because my bladder was screaming at me, it was right there in the forefront of my mind. If I didn’t have Chessie’s charm to protect me from nightmares, it would probably be tormenting me while I slept, too.
What is my brain trying to tell me? The only new information I have is the black-eyed man’s name.
And as soon as I recovered, finding Samuel Castle was gonna be my top priority. Himandhis buddy, Reginald Hubler. They had my girl, or at least knew who did, and I was gonna get her back if I had to peel their skin off an inch at a time until they started talking.
A noise came from outside my door. Not wanting to be bothered, I closed my eyes again and steadied my breathing.
“Good. He’s still out.” The guy’s voice was familiar, but my brain seemed to have used up all its thinking power. “That will give us some time.”
“It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes him to recover from his first power drain. Maybe even long enough for us to finish this.” Another familiar voice.
“I don’t think we’ll be so lucky, Rome.”
Hmm, I think I know someone named Rome.Unfortunately, closing my eyes was a mistake. Sleep was calling me again.
“He’ll hold it together for a little while,” continued not-Rome, “but the longer this goes on, the harder it will be. Gina and I will be back as soon as we can, but you’ll have to be his keeper until then.”
“So what do I do?”
“The best you can. Don’t let him alone or go off on his own. Keep him calm as much as possible for as long as possible. He has more contacts in the Dark World than anyone I know. Encourage him to use them. At the least, it’ll distract him. At best, you might get a few viable leads.”
“And if the worst happens? If she dies?”
Brain-dead I might be, but my heart knew who Rome meant, and I suddenly needed every bit of control I could find to lie still. Thankfully, the heavy weight of exhaustion was pulling me under again. It fogged my mind and numbed my body better than Chance’s apathy ever had.
“In that case,” not-Rome muttered, “all you can do is save as many as you can.”
Just tell him to run. Run and don’t look back,was my last thought for a long, long time.
2. I’ve Ruined Everything
Gemma
The one carrying me laid me down on something soft. Forcing my eyelids up, I made out a dark silhouette in the gray haze.
