Rise of the Fallen 1 - My Soul to Keep (24 page)

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

Mr. James nodded at me. “No harm. She’s this way.”

I followed him to the half open garage side door. I hoped it would
just be Brett and Jess. I hoped he wouldn’t do anything stupid. Like kill her.

Mr. James called his celestial sword. It came to his hands and looked
like one of those giant Scottish swords you
needed
two hands to hold. Its
handle and hilt were pure silver and the blade flamed with eerie green light. He
nodded at my empty hand.

I closed my eyes and called my blades. They sprang forth in a puff
of black smoke. The blades gleamed dully and seemed to darken the room. I saw Mr.
James’ eyebrows meet above his nose as he saw my swords.

“They’re not what you think. The runes are different.”

“Perhaps, but that is a matter for another time. Follow me, young man.”

“Yes, sir.”

He did a double-take at that. Maybe I was being too polite. It didn’t
matter. All I could think of was Jessie. For once, my thoughts of her weren’t pleasant.
She sat in my mind, broken and bleeding. I let out a growl and followed her father
into the dimly lit garage.

Jessie sat unconscious in a leather chair in the center of the garage.
Nobody else was there. I smiled and ran to her, or I tried. Her father’s hand on
my shoulder stopped me.

“If something appears too easy or too good to be true. It usually is.”

I looked around. We were in a garage. Nobody else was there. Jessie
sat alone in the middle of the room. I couldn’t see any danger anywhere. I took
one small step forward.

Mr. James was right.

“Stupid,” he yelped.

Through my jeans I couldn’t feel the thin fishing wire he had strung
six inches above the ground. It pulled through a series of eyehooks and knocked
a multitude of sealed glass jars from the rafters in the roof. They fell eight feet
to the ground and shattered all around Jess in a rough circle. The smell of gasoline
and other highly flammable liquids filled our nostrils. Breathing hurt.

The metal storage locker burst open and Brett stepped out. An evil
smile darkened his face as he pointed an orange flare gun at the floor by Jessie's
feet. I couldn't believe I hadn't heard him in there. Then I realized the back wall
of the cabinet was gone. So was the garage wall behind it. He had made himself a
secret entrance. More importantly, he had made himself a fireproof exit.

“Hiya, Connor. I’ll be honest. I didn’t think it would take you that
long to find me. Shame on you.”

“You never let me see who you were, Brett. You kept clawing my eyes
out like a little girl. Can’t blame me for that one.”

“Like a little girl? I was bored! You move too slow! I can’t believe
you gave me this much power! You’re pathetic. So now, I get to take everything from
you, kill you, and then I’m going to eat your family.”

“Put down the flare gun and I’ll let you have me.”

I don’t know who looked more shocked, Brett or Mr. James.

“You would sacrifice yourself for my daughter? Even knowing her father
is one of the Chosen?”

“In a heartbeat, Mr. James. I love her. With all of my heart."

He frowned, but it softened into something more thoughtful. Then I
swear I saw the corners of his mouth lift just a little. It was
almost
smile-like.

“You make me sick. Know what? Screw you. And your family. Maybe I’ll
make your sister a vampire,” he said.

Time slowed as he lowered the flare gun just a hair more. I could hear
the tendons in his finger as he pulled the trigger. I watched helplessly as the
glowing ball of fire flew from the tip of his gun and strike the chemical soaked
floor. The whole world exploded, or at least mine did.

Jessie started screaming. Mr. James stepped toward the flames and shielded
his eyes. His clothes caught fire and he swatted at them but kept trying to get
closer to Jessie.

“Screw this,” I said and ran. Not for the door, but for Jessie. I almost
knocked her father over as I felt the first of the flames. Jessie's screams urged
me on. I picked up her and the chair and ran for the wooden garage door. Just before
we hit it full force, I turned. I shielded us with my wings as my back rammed the
door, splintering it into a hundred pieces. We flew through the air and I landed
on my back with Jessie and a chair on top of me. I hurt everywhere.

I thought demons liked fire.

I looked up and saw the Reaper Darius and Clarisse looking down at
me.

“Are you okay?” Clarisse knelt down and started unfastening Jessie's
bindings. She didn't take her eyes off of me the whole time.

“Yeah. Just ducky. Thanks.”

A smoldering Mr. James flew through the hole I had created a moment
before. He swatted at the remaining fire on his clothes as he bent down and scooped
the newly freed Jessie into his arms.

“She is safe,” he said and took a deep breath.

“For now, Maclyn. For now.”

He looked up from his sleeping daughter and frowned at Darius. “Hello,
Daren.”

“Maclyn, you know it’s Darius. Show some respect,” Darius said angrily.

“He does it to everyone. He even calls me Conrad,” I said, trying to
ease the tension in the air.

“Silence, young one,” Darius said.

I shut up and moved over by Clarisse who was also unusually silent.

“I have my daughter back. I shall leave you three to clean up your
mess.”

“Is it okay if I see her tomorrow, sir?”

He paused. I could see the wheels turning in his head.

“I should say no. You are a Fallen. I shouldn’t let you within a mile
of her.” My heart sank. “However, you helped me save her. You love her. She obviously
loves you, too. I do not know how much time she has left and I would never deny
her what little joy she has in her life. Yes. Come by tomorrow, Conr…
Connor.
”

“Thank you, sir,” I said and meant it.

He smiled at me, frowned at Darius, and ignored Clarisse. I felt
very
happy as he jumped and pumped his powerful wings.

I watched them disappear into the night sky. I took a deep breath and
let it out. Jessie was safe.

Chapter 28

“Are you ready, brother?”

“Um, for what?”

“We need to find your creation. He must be stopped.”

“Oh, yeah. Duh. Sorry, my mind was on getting Jessie safe. How are
we gonna find him?”

“We’re not. He will find us. We have something he wants,” Darius said
and pointed at my chest.

“What?”

“You,” Clarisse finished for Darius.

“You think he’ll come after me?”

“What do you think? He’s got it bad for you. He thinks you’re the only
thing in the universe stronger than he is. He also has been toying with you. Now
he thinks you’re weaker than he is,” Clarisse added.

“I’m starting to think so, too.”

“We shall see,” Darius said ominously.

I faced him and my stomach suddenly turned. Something was wrong. Something
was very wrong. I could feel my sister’s fear in my head. Brett was there. He was
going after my family. “No!”

“What?”

“He’s at my house. He has my family,” I said and jumped higher and
farther than ever since becoming one of the Fallen. I beat my wings and headed home.
I didn’t even look to see if Darius and Clarisse were following me.

* * *

I landed in the middle of the street right in front of my house. The
front door hung open and no lights were on. I swallowed my fear and walked up the
driveway. I didn't hear any screaming and told myself it was a good sign. I pushed
the door the rest of the way open and…

“Well, that was fast. Maybe you’re not as stupid as you look.”

My eyes adjusted and I saw Brett standing there holding my sister in
front of him. He had his elbow bent and held her throat in his talons. One squeeze
and he could rip her throat out. That didn’t stop Caelyn’s eyes from bulging at
the sight of me. I’m sure she figured I wasn’t wearing a Halloween costume anymore.

“What do you want, Brett?”

“You, dead. But not before you suffer.”

“Why? What did I ever do to you?”

“You made me what I am, so I guess I should be thanking you. One thing
kept bothering me though. You made me promise never to hurt anyone. I couldn’t help
myself. Those people who adopted me never loved me. They wanted a slave. It was
time for a little payback if you know what I mean.”

“Brett, I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”

“Don’t pity me! Pity yourself.”

“Why?”

“Because I realized something after I killed Janice and Phil. You didn’t
know I'd done it. See, the way I looked at it is, if you were the creator and I
misbehaved, you should have known. I think you goofed. I think you poured too much
power into me. The other demon said it herself. I shouldn’t have changed that fast.
You screwed up. You made me stronger than you are. The way I figure it is if I kill
you, I’ll be invincible. The watching you suffer part is just a bonus.”

That settled it. Brett was crazy.

“You’re nuts,” I said.

“Yes, but there’s nothing you can do about it, demon!”

He brought his lips to my sister’s neck in an unbelievably fast strike.
Her eyes widened as his fangs pierced her flesh. I expected him to rip it open like
he'd done to the others. Instead he drank, looking up at me while he did. His blood
covered lips pulled up in a smile.

I took a step forward. “Stop!”

He pulled back and Caelyn slumped in his grasp. “Or what?” He smirked
as she dropped to the ground.

I prayed she was just unconscious as I called my blades and attacked.
She surprised me by lifting up his pant leg, latching onto his ankle, and biting
him with everything she had. He didn’t have time to stop her as I attacked twice,
slashing his chest. He caught my other blade in his hands.

“Stupid demon,” he said and kicked me with the leg in Caelyn’s mouth.

His kick broke her grip and kicked me through the open front door.

Darius caught me before I crashed down on the driveway. “Problems,
brother?”

“Always. He’s got my family.”

“Come.”

The three of us walked back into the house. Brett was reaching for
my whimpering sister. She scrambled to get away from him. He looked up as we entered.

“Connor, now that just isn’t fair. Three against one. Really? You should
have brought more demons.” He moved across the room so fast I couldn’t follow his
movements.

Darius could though. He caught the vampire in his hand.

“Now you see why he’s a Reaper,” Clarisse said from behind me. I nodded.
Darius was f
ast.

“That was unbelievable.”

“You should see the Warriors.”

Darius picked Brett up by his throat. The vampire struggled futilely
in his grasp. He stopped when Darius put his hand against the vampire’s forehead
and pulled. My arms shivered at the sudden drop of pressure in the room.

Darius’ hand left Brett’s face. A blue light leaked from the center
of his forehead and gathered in Darius’ palm. The more light that escaped, the more
it took on characteristics of Brett. It looked like a pale life-sized blue ghost
of himself.

The ghostlike version smiled hideously and wrenched itself from the
Fallen’s hand.

Darius looked at his palm in surprise as Bret slashed him across the
throat. Darius fell clutching his wound.

“No!” Clarisse’s scream brought me to my senses.

I'd only started to move when Brett smashed the wooden end-table next
to the couch, grabbed one of the splintered legs, and drove it through Darius’ chest.

“Stupid demon,” he said and kicked the dying Fallen. “Where were we?
Oh, yes. I was about to kill
you
, your friend, your sister, who is quite
tasty by the way, and your parents.”

He struck Clarisse in the face. She hit the wall and slid down. I still
hadn’t seen him move. One minute he stood on one side of the room, the next he had
attacked. We were seriously screwed.

“Brett, please stop.”

“No,” he said and threw a couch at me. I ducked, but not fast enough.
I hit the wall and began to search for loose change in the cushions. With my face.

I pushed the couch off of me and pulled myself out of the wall separating
the living room and the kitchen. Pieces of drywall and 2x4 were stuck in my back.
I could feel the blood dripping down. It felt like a Mack Truck had plowed me into
the wall instead of a 1970’s couch.

That’s enough of that shit.

“Let’s see you deal with the real me,” I said. I called my true form.
Maybe then I would be strong enough and fast enough to kick his undead ass.