Seduced by Darkness (5 page)

A moth of peace, and he go to the war,

— William Shakespeare, Othello

I HAD MY
doubts about the party, but the weather accommodated. A bright warm day made the perfect outdoor party scene. The older kids set out tables as Greta brought food out with the assistance of her kitchen helpers. Tables with chairs flew through the air and landed in place as those with telekinesis made quick work of decorating. A fire starter lit lanterns around the perimeter and an ice maker created an elaborate life sized sculpture of a Greek god, in honor of Elysium. When the music started the kids and even some adults were down to party. Only those of us who knew what was really going on kept our guard, nervous but hopeful that this plan would work and the threat to our lives would end today.

We'd talked Father Patrick into staying with Alaric and the younger kids. He'd not been a fan of the idea, but he didn't have powers and we couldn't risk someone hurting him. Besides, there were a lot of kids. Alaric looked sick to his stomach when he realized he'd be alone with all of them. I personally begged him to stay and keep an eye on Ana. We hated leaving her, but this was the best way to protect her.

Sam stood at a makeshift podium covered in white Christmas lights. As she cleared her throat, the music quieted and so did the crowd. "Thanks for coming, everyone." She smiled and my heart skipped, remembering the other night, the passion and intensity of our lovemaking.

"We are here to celebrate life. To celebrate the special gifts we've all been given and to remind ourselves that no matter how dark times get, there is always hope. Always a reason to smile and laugh and dance and enjoy our lives."

Suddenly, someone screamed and Sam turned, looking behind her, toward the woods. I followed her gaze and saw the red glowing eyes a fraction of a moment before the Beast leaped at her, growling.

She stumbled to the side and ran, just in time. The Beast tore through the podium, breaking the tiny white lights and biting a chunk out of the wood as it sought Sam, caught her in its sights, and lunged toward her.

From the perimeter, men in black and armed with guns jumped out of the woods, surrounding the beast. A few trainees from our group were with them, including Luke, Lucy and Ocean. The adults who had been brought into our plan ushered the kids to a safe place as IPI took over the attack.

They shot at the Beast with darts, and it paused, stunned for only a moment before charging again.

I ran for Sam, my heart pounding as she stumbled over a rock and skinned her knee. I could smell her blood, but ignored it as agents tried to trap the Beast.

But their carefully laid plan fell apart as the Beast charged the agents, knocking them away like pins in a bowling alley. Hunter put himself between the Beast and Sam as I reached her and helped her up. He fought with this large blade as he lunged, parried, and dove for the Beast with an agility not entirely human. Derek joined the fight in wolf form, growling and nipping, not giving the Beast any quarter. I pulled Sam away and protected her as we ran toward the mansion, keeping my eye on the fight as we did.

The Beast grabbed Hunter with one paw and tossed him aside like a rag doll. When Derek attacked, the Beast rose to his hind feet and growled so loud it shook the ground. He growled again, longer, and roots from the trees rose from the earth, coming to life and pulling down any agents who go too close. What kind of creature had these powers?

Luke and Lucy turned their attention to the trees and roots, fighting them with swords they'd taken from fallen IPI agents. Luke used his para-power to stop attacks coming at him, but it wasn't enough. The trees around us came alive, attacking, tearing, trapping and destroying anyone who tried to harm the Beast. Even Ocean, draining part of the lake to push the trees back with powerful bursts of water using her witch powers, couldn't hold them back for long.

The Beast threw Derek aside, and both he and Hunter lay limp, either unconscious or too hurt to go on.

Behind the Beast I noticed a shimmering, and I froze.

No. God. No.

Toby materialized behind the beast and sunk a knife into its back.

The brave fool. I ran to him as the Beast backhanded the boy and threw him several feet into the air. He landed hard, knocked out and bleeding from everywhere it seemed. "Sam, run! Get safe. Protect Ana. I can't leave Toby."

Hoping she listened, I went for the boy, picking up Hunter's sword on my way. It glowed in my hand, sending power pulsing through my veins. Had it ever done that before?

The Beast leaped for Sam who had turned to find me, and I leaped through the air using everything in me to stop it from hurting my wife.

I felt like I was flying as I soared through the air in a way I never had before. Strength surged in me, strength I thought I'd lost forever when I lost my old powers. Now that old strength paled in comparison to this. I drove the sword into the beast, ramming it through its stomach as we both collapsed on the dirt-packed ground.

The Beast raged, roared and swung its claw at me, flinging me to the side as it stood and pulled the sword out of its stomach, blood spilling into pools around its feet, soaking into the earth. It charged me, and I grabbed the Beast's claw with my hand, holding it back as my muscles stretched and tore.

A look of surprise flashed across its face.

With my other fist, I punched into the Beast's wound. It stumbled back and I tried jumping again, jumping high, landing on the other side of the beast. I pulled out the knife in the Beast's back and slashed at its neck, but I wasn't fast enough. The Beast turned and bit into my shoulder.

I screamed, falling to the ground as my muscles tore and blood gushed out of me. The Beast kicked me into the air and I crashed to the ground, the poison from the Beast seeping into me even as my own body, now Nephilim, rejected it, purifying my blood as I struggled to heal.

The Beast turned its attention back to Sam, who hadn't left, who'd instead picked up a sword and tried to fight. The Beast gained on her, was about to kill her when Rose, who hadn't turned, who hadn't fought, jumped in front of Sam and protected her. "No!" She screamed at the Beast. "Leave her alone!"

While Rose faced off against the Beast, Sam ran to me, dropping to my side as she used the sword to cut her wrist and drip her blood into my mouth. "You need to feed. Don't fight me."

I was losing consciousness, and her blood smelled so good. Tasted so good. I wanted to resist, to push her away, but I drank and my body sighed in relief and set to repairing itself. The Beast glared at Rose and I feared she'd be torn apart, but instead the Beast ran into the woods, leaving a trail of blood in its wake and leaving Rose alone.

Reputation, reputation, reputation! Oh, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial.

— William Shakespeare, Othello

SO MANY WOUNDED,
mostly IPI agents, but also some of our people. Toby faired the worst. I'd recovered quickly after feeding on Sam and had scoured the battlefield. When the smell of blood from the injured tempted me, I ignored it, hating the urge even though blood worked to heal wounds that would have killed anyone else.

I carried Toby into the infirmary as Dr. Susie set the lounge area to accommodate so many injured. Fortunately, no one had died, and the worst injuries were from the living trees. The Beast hadn't bitten anyone but me, so no one would die as Curtis did. We considered that a miracle given the level of destruction wrought.

Serena, so small with her long blond hair, dressed bandages and helped Dr. Susie. She'd become an apprentice to the nun-turned-doctor and was learning to use her healing powers in small doses, enough to help accelerate healing in others without draining herself and risking her own life. Her white Persian cat followed at her heels, hissing at anyone who threatened her human with too much closeness, especially anyone with shifter blood.

Rose stood next to Derek's bed, holding his hand and whispering something to him. Lucy did the same with Hunter. They'd both heal fast, but it couldn't be easy seeing someone you loved hurt.

Sam hugged me, shaking as the last of our friends and allies were given care. "What the hell happened out there? How could he control the trees like that?"

I kissed the top of her head. "I don't know. I've never seen powers like that. He's going to be harder to defeat than we'd thought."

Mr. White walked in, and I stormed over to him. "Bishop Alaric was right," I said. "This was a blood bath. You put everyone here at risk."

He inhaled a cigar and stared at me. "You can't catch a monster without taking risks."

"You didn't catch him," I said.

"No. We didn't. But we will." He walked away without any more explanation.

Sam and I went to collect Ana and help the younger kids get settled, and I held my little girl. Exhausted, she fell asleep on my shoulder, all innocence and trust.

"Sam, I need to talk to Beleth. Can you call him?"

She nodded, closing her eyes as she focused her tracking and mind reading to hunt down Beleth. When she opened her eyes, she looked tired.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I just need this day to be over."

We went back to our cottage and put Ana to bed while I waited for word from Beleth.

He showed up late that night, looking more haggard then I'd ever seen him.

We shouldn't have been walking around outside. There was a ban on the outdoors until the Beast was caught, but I wasn't worried with Beleth.

"I need you to train me," I told him. "I have to know more about my powers." I'd had a taste today, and it felt exhilarating, even under the circumstances. If I could channel that more, maybe I had a chance against the Beast.

"It went after my family," I continued. "Your family. It'll come back again, and I'm going to make sure it can't hurt us or anyone else ever again."

Beleth stared at the moon in the sky, a glowing sliver against the darkness. "This is not wise. Your powers should remain dormant. My talk with the Twilight Queen was… worrisome. You will be a pawn if you grow stronger."

"I don't care. I'm going after the Beast, with or without your help."

Beleth didn't reply and hope sank in my chest but I walked away, determined to end this no matter what I had to do.

A cool hand stopped me. "I will train you."

I turned to look at the man who was my father. "Thank you. I'm ready."

"You're not ready. But I will train you. And then we will face the Beast together."

By his dear absence. Let me go with him.

— William Shakespeare, Othello

"I WANT TO COME
with you."

Drake smiled, kissed me and slung a backpack over his shoulders. "Who will take care of Ana?"

I frowned, knowing he was right. I could leave her with Luke and Lucy, but with everything going on, I couldn't be away from her that long. "Can't you train here?"

"No. Beleth said we need to be somewhere so remote no one will notice the flying."

I arched an eyebrow. "The flying?"

He shrugged, but I could see the excitement in his eyes. "It's a Nephilim thing."

"Do I have to ring a bell for you to get your wings?" I teased, referencing the classic movie
It's A Wonderful Life
.

"No, you have to kiss me."

So I did, deeply, passionately, wishing we could go back to that night we let go of our inhibitions, but Ana toddled into the living room and squealed, "Daddy's going to fly!" and so we pulled away from each other, grinning.

I bent down to pick up our child, who patted my cheeks. "Mommy is sad, but I'll be here to make her happy."

I kissed her pudgy face and smiled. "You do make me happy, my little muffin. Now say goodbye to Daddy. He's going to learn how to be an angel."

She leapt into his arms and kissed him, then wrapped her little arms around his neck. "Daddy’s already an angel."

She pulled back and grinned. "Daddy, will you take me flying? I want to fly too!"

He laughed. "We'll see."

Beleth showed up at the door and stood like a dark statue made of ebony. Ana looked at him, wide-eyed. "That man has lots of pain," she whispered.

Beleth's lips twitched, and I could tell he heard her even without reading his mind.

I'd been trying to stay out of Drake's mind, but his thoughts floated to me and I knew he was worried about losing control around us, about hurting us. As much as I hated him leaving I hoped this training would give him the confidence to control his powers and know we were safe with him.

We'd already gone through too much in the past with his powers for this to come between us again. I couldn't deal with that; I refused to deal with that.

After Drake left, I took Ana for a walk to find Luke and Lucy and the four of us sat by the lake throwing stones into the water and watching them ripple over the smooth surface.

"Remember when we'd do this back at Rent-A-Kid?" I asked.

Luke grinned. "Back when life was simple."

"Ha! Our lives have never been simple," said Lucy as she threw a stone.

"Back when your hair was long," I said, tweaking her short brown bob.

Lucy pulled Ana onto her lap and gave her a smooth stone, showing her how to throw it. "But we didn't have this little angel with us then, did we?"

It had felt normal for a moment, throwing stones with my two best friends. But when I looked at Ana I remembered something I'd been trying to forget.

She had Nephilim blood in her, just like Drake.