Overworld Chronicles Books 1-2: Sweet Blood of Mine & Dark Light of Mine (48 page)

"Dad!" Elyssa shouted. "Just listen to him!"

"No. I've heard enough of its lies." He slammed the bottom of his fist against the other palm. "Didn't I teach you how spawn operate? How they gain your trust before betraying you?" He glared at me. "Oh, they might look and act human. But they're demon spawn, girl. Hellborn and tainted by evil."

"I'd like to think I'm a nice guy," I said. "Obviously a spawn did something really mean to you when you were a kid." I shrugged. "Maybe stole your lunch money or made fun of you. I don't know. I don't care. I love your daughter. That's the simple truth. I would never do anything to harm her and I would do anything for her. Put me through a Templar lying test if you don't believe me."

"I'm through with this farce," Thomas said. "Elyssa, get inside this instant. You," he said, pointing at me, "get off our property before I have you hauled off."

Elyssa put herself in front of me, hands splayed protectively. "Don't you dare, Father." Tears trickled down her cheeks. "You keep your hands off him."

"Or what,
daughter
? Will you attack your own father to protect this filth?"

"Think sense, child," Leia said. "Haven't we taught you better?" She wiped a tear away, her face shifting from anger to grief-stricken. "He's spawn! Where did we go wrong in explaining what they are?"

"It's not a trick," Elyssa said, shaking her head. "It's not!"

Her mom's face softened as she looked at her. "Sweetheart, that's what they do. That's how they infiltrate your very soul and steal it from you."

Elyssa shook her head as tears dripped from her cheeks. "No, Mom. I
know
him. I love him."

My heart ached so much for her right then I couldn't stand it. But I didn't know what to do. I loved her and this situation was tearing her apart. What if my dad had told me the same thing about dhampyrs? What if he'd hated Elyssa? The thought sent a shard of ice stabbing into my chest.

"Please, stop," I said, standing in front of Elyssa. I turned to face her. "You were right. This was a horrible idea." The backs of my eyes felt as though they were floating in hot salty pools, but I didn't dare cry in front of these people. "I can't get through to them," I said in a low voice as I shook my head sadly. "I love you and can't stand seeing you so conflicted."

She pressed her hands to my cheeks, sniffing through her tear-reddened nose. "I told you, Justin. I tried to make you see. They thought I'd ended it. Now that they know I didn't, I'm afraid for us. For our future."

I gripped her hand tight. "We'll make it work. You're my Buttercup and I'm your Westley. I'll become the Dread Pirate Roberts if that's what it takes to win them over."

She smiled through the tears and kissed me. Her mother hissed in displeasure. Strong hands gripped my shirt and slung me away. I hit the ground hard and rolled in the grass before coming to a rest next to a fence. It seemed oddly reminiscent of the time Elyssa had tossed me across a gravel parking lot when she'd figured out what I was.

I rose unsteadily and held up my hands in surrender in the harsh glare of her father. "I'm leaving. Thanks ever so much for the grand hospitality."

Elyssa looked at me, tears sparkling from the violet light in her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you," I said, and then turned and walked back down the long asphalt drive, my hands trembling with anger, my heart thudding in agony. I wanted to punch her father in the face. "Well, that could have gone so much better," I grumbled as I reached the perimeter fence and climbed over it. My legs faltered with fatigue and hunger. I had to feed. Now.

A presence closed in on me. I turned, praying to god I wasn't about to have to fight my way free. Thomas would make mincemeat out of me. Instead, Ryland appeared, a smirk on his face.

"The demon boy who could love," he said in a mocking voice.

"I'd toss you a Milk-Bone but I'm all out," I said, turning away from him.

He blurred in front of me, his face so close I could smell the coffee on his breath. "Funny thing is I know you're telling the truth."

I threw my hands in the air. "Great. The wolf-man believes me. All my problems are solved."

"It took me a long while to gain the trust of Thomas Borathen. Believe you me, it was not a fun process."

"Does he hate lycans too?"

"Nah, I wouldn't say he hates so much as he doesn't trust anyone until they've proven themselves." He shrugged and the corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile. "Except for spawn. He definitely hates your kind."

"What happened? Obviously one of my dear relatives did something horrible to him."

"I only heard rumors about what really happened. About Thunder Rock. "

"Thunder Rock? That sounds like the name of a really bad boy band. Did a group of teenage demon spawn make his ears bleed with love ballads?"

He chuckled. "Nah, Thunder Rock is a place. Unfortunately, there ain't anyone who will talk about it."

"Why? Because Thomas Borathen would beat the snot out of them?"

Ryland shook his head. "No. Because they're dead."

I sighed long and deep. I needed a good sigh right about then. "And yet again, someone hates me for something I have no control over."

"I hate to say it, but I feel for you." Then he howled with laughter.

I slapped my forehead. I was hopeless as ever. Trying to take charge of my life seemed to backfire on me no matter what I did. "Whatever," I said, and walked toward the road, hoping I could find a nice crowded restaurant where I could sit down and recharge.

Ryland followed.

I spun on him. "Don't you have guard duty or a nice big bowl of Kibbles-n-Bits to go munch on?"

He bared his teeth. "Don't mock me, spawn."

"Are you just making sure I clear the premises?"

"I'm here to escort you home, wherever that may be."

"Argh!" I threw my hands up in the air again and tossed in an eye-roll just to be sure the universe understood I was frustrated as hell. "Fine. Tag along if you want, but I have a couple of pit stops to make."

The first place I went was a Waffle House. I looked like crap with my torn shirt and grass-stained jeans but I figured their clientele wouldn't much care. After polishing off breakfast for dinner while feeding off the emotions of an animated couple who were discussing their plans to win the lottery, I felt much better—or at least as well as I could considering mine and Elyssa's doomed love.
I really need to lay off the melodrama.

"Do you think Thomas will keep her from going to school?" I asked Ryland as he tore into a very rare, very bloody steak.

He finished chewing, wiped his mouth, and shrugged. "He's an unpredictable man. Then again, he's been around since this nation was born, so I imagine he knows the value of never broadcasting his intent until it's too late."

"We're talking high school here, not war."

"Ah, to Thomas Borathen, everything is tactics and war. And you might be a war he wasn't prepared to fight."

I groaned. "I'm only eighteen and now I have to worry about a lunatic warlord father coming after me?"

Ryland's fist slammed on the table, shaking the syrup and knocking over the sugar. The restaurant grew silent as everyone stopped what they were doing and stared. Ryland didn't seem to care. He leaned toward me. "Thomas Borathen is a great man. Do not dishonor him with such name-calling."

I held out my hands in surrender. "Calm down, man. Jeez, it's not like me calling him names is gonna hurt anyone."

Ryland shoved another piece of steak in his mouth, though his eyes remained suspicious. I drank some water and stared out the window, trying to decide what my next move should be. I didn't want Ryland following me back to Shelton's place. I might be able to outrun him, but seeing as how he was the first werewolf I'd met, I had no idea if he could sniff out my trail even if I outdistanced him.

"Why do you think I'm telling the truth about my feelings for Elyssa?"

Ryland grinned. "I smell the truth, friend."

"Are you sure it's not just my deodorant?"

He finished his steak and sat back in his seat. "My old pack leader told me I had the best nose of anyone."

I sat up straight. "You were in a wolf pack?"

He nodded. "For a time."

"What happened?"

"What do you think happened?" he said, as though the answer should be obvious.

I guessed almost immediately. "A woman."

"Isn't it always?" he said, laughing softly. "She was the one our Alpha wanted, but she liked me." He sighed and jabbed a thumb at his chest. "Wolf politics and human sensibilities do not make a good mix."

"Wolves have to beat the crap out of each other for that, right?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Did you like the girl too?"

He shrugged. "She was very attractive and her scent…it was delicious." His eyes grew troubled. "But I didn't think she was worth the cost to our pack. Unfortunately she chose to push the issue when I rejected her and left me and my Alpha no choice but to decide matters."

"So the Alpha kicked your butt and you left?"

He winced and looked down at the bare bone where his steak had been. "He was my best friend."

I felt for the guy. My supposedly best friends had turned on me. "That sucks, man. I'm sorry."

"I almost killed him," Ryland said, staring at the plate. "I could always beat him, but I never wanted to lead the pack. I left him bloody and near death after our fight. The others demanded I take over as Alpha." A haunted look crossed his face. "But I couldn't do it. I had to get out of there."

"I didn't realize werewolves could die so easily."

His face hardened. "Easy? You've never seen werewolves fight. We aren't weaklings."

"Stop getting ticked at me. I hardly know squat as it is so I'm bound to jump to conclusions."

"Your family never taught you about the Overworld?"

"Dude, I just found out I'm a spawn maybe two weeks ago. My dad told me a little bit but otherwise I'm a total newbie."

"How interesting."

"Yeah. That's one way to put it." I dropped some cash on the table to pay for my food. I wasn't about to pick up Ryland's tab, considering he'd gone through two rare steaks and an order of bacon. That guy could shovel it down like nobody's business.

He paid and we left. I really wanted to go back to Shelton's hideout, but I needed to ditch wolf-man first. I hated to do it, but the best course of action seemed to be figuring out how to lose him. He had an amazing nose, apparently, which meant I'd have to cover myself in rabbit feces or something to make him lose the trail. Or, I could take him someplace he might not want to be anyway.

"Are you a big Wolverine fan?" I asked him as we hiked down a dark road.

He stroked one of his mutton chops. "Yep."

"He's pretty cool." I found a road sign and got my bearings. "You ready to do some running?"

Ryland showed his teeth and stretched his arms. "I thought you'd never ask."

It was dark and nobody was in sight. I zipped away, looking behind me to see how far he was lagging behind. I heard a chuckle and looked to my left. He was pacing me without breaking a sweat. I could've gone faster but I didn't want to waste the energy. After winding our way down some back streets, we flashed down a ragged asphalt road and to an abandoned property with warehouses. I stopped and stared at the place the warehouses should have been. At the place where Stacey lived.

All I found was rubble, flame, and smoke.

Chapter 8

Ryland stared at the destruction and wrinkled his nose. "Sulfur."

I tested the air and caught a faint whiff as well. "What does that mean?"

"Surely you've heard of brimstone."

"Like the stuff from Hell?"

He nodded. "This sulfur odor is not natural."

I couldn't tell the difference. It all smelled like rotten eggs to me. I saw a small form on the ground and ran to it. A pile of concrete had crushed a calico cat. A quick glance around revealed more tiny bodies strewn about. "Oh no." I looked around frantically for the body of a woman or a large cat, my heart aching at the thought of Stacey being hurt or killed. "Stacey?" I called. "Stacey!"

No answer.

Flames flickered in the ruins of several buildings, casting an eerie glow across the shadowy mounds. My blue-tinged night vision kicked on and off as I stared at them.

"You know someone who lives here?" Ryland said.

"Yeah. A friend."

"All I smell is sulfur and felines."

"Dead felines?"

He drew in a whiff. "It's too soon to tell. This happened very recently."

"What's the deal with brimstone and sulfur? You know who did it?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You really don't know anything, do you?"

"Obviously."

"Sulfur usually means demons. Since demons can't just waltz into this realm without a lot of fuss and bother, that would mean manifested demon spawn or their ilk were here." His silvery eyes glinted as orange flames licked and consumed a large wooden beam.

Ryland knelt and examined a shoe print. "I'll survey the perimeter."

"Thanks." After he left, I stared at the rubble and took deep breaths. I hadn't known Stacey long, but I considered her a friend, even if we had met because she was trying to feed off me. Worry settled a hard knot into my stomach and I couldn't just sit around and do nothing. So I grabbed a large chunk of mortar and tossed it onto a patch of bare ground twenty feet away. I grabbed more bricks and tossed them in the same spot. Soon I'd cleared a little of the area where one of the warehouses had stood, but it'd take a while before I put much of a dent in it.

On the other side of me lay the bodies of several cats I'd pulled from the wreckage, all of them crushed when they'd been caught in the avalanche of bricks, wood, and metal. Some of their remains consisted of little more than bloody, furry goo, but I knew Stacey would mourn them all and want bodies to bury. Ryland rejoined me a moment later.

"Hellhounds," he said grimly. "At least three of them."

"Those sons of bitches," I said crushing a brick in my hand to dust.