Within weeks governments had fallen. Monarchy"s had been eliminated, a warped genocide, madness. No one but the crazies who had believed in such things was prepared. They knew how to protect themselves with stakes and silver, hiding places underground. Otherwise only the strong, quick and the smart had survived. The barbaric culling of the human race left us scattered across the world in tiny pockets of civilization. Communities of people who put aside old hates based on colour and religion, and blended together until the human race was a convergence unlike anything ever predicted. We lived in an overcrowded region of land surrounded by electricity, a patch of city untouched by the horror Outside.
At least, that"s what the Priests told us in their sermons. Most people alive now-a-days were too young to remember what had happened, and the old ones who had experienced it had died of old age years before. Against all odds endangered humankind had survived and had the Sect to thank. A group of human men and women had erected the Wall, and set the strongest of us as guardians. Determined to keep fighting and to survive at all costs, they selected new protectors from the ma.s.ses seeking sanctuary and trained them to hunt the monsters that had stolen the planet. Those protectors were the Clerics. They hunted down any demon that dared step on our territory. Of course I remembered the Rupture; it was something I, nor any other being, would ever forget.
Clicking her fingers in front of my face, Alex flicked my nose and I recoiled. She smirked, happy to have broken into my down time. "You wanna end up like the people who lost their lives for nothing?"
"Wouldn"t call marching up to the closest demon and trying to kill it, nothing," I said. Chewing my bottom lip, I cautioned myself to be careful. "I ran that"s all. I just ran."
"Thinking on it, I don"t believe you," Ro said.
I shrugged. I couldn"t tell them, it was too big.
Alex placed her palms on the table. My eyes darted from hers to the small runes that decorated the back of her hands. "The Wall keeps us safe. It keeps those demons out and us humans in. That"s the way it be, Rae. If a vampire or goblin were to lay hands on you-" She shuddered, her eyes becoming hollow with visions of death and gore from years past. "Your life here means something. Don"t throw it away."
"The Rupture happened lifetime"s ago. Who knows what it"s like out there?" I leaned forward and lowered my voice to match hers. "They may have changed, evolved." I thought of Breandan and Tomas. "Y"know, I don"t think he Sect have been honest about what they"re like."
"Evolved? Demons be animals, dangerous animals driven by need, nothing more." She took a deep breath. "The Doctrine of the Sect is law. Clerics keep the law, and Doctrine says going beyond the Wall is forbidden. The rules keep us safe." She visibly relaxed as she said the words.
Familiar frustration bubbled inside me at her lack of curiosity. "What if that"s not how it"s supposed to- Forget it," I said and ducked my head. I felt her eyes on my face and I carefully kept it blank, my gaze cast down to the floor.
I couldn"t force her to change her mind in a minute, nor did I want to. She was the one making sense and thinking clearly. I was the one making waves, and allowing dangerous beings to run riot unchecked and unopposed.
A voice said close to my ear, "Am I to keep the vampire in your wardrobe a secret?"
I jerked up and Devlin leaned back, grinning impishly. I swear, if I had not spent a lifetime controlling my face and emotions, I probably would have launched myself at him shrieking. Ro had wandered off across the room, and I hadn"t seen Devlin sidle up, too lost in my thoughts. How the h.e.l.l did he find out? He must have seen Tomas carrying me across the Temple, but Tomas was sure we would be moving to fast to be seen. Panicked, I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I didn"t know what to say. Oh G.o.ds. Devlin gazed at me, green eyes clear and sharp. I decided the best plan was to deny it. To call him deluded or whatever I had to get him off my back. It was his word against mine, and though I was considered freaky, the mere suggestion I had a vampire in a wardrobe was just crazy. But then hadn"t my behavior had been somewhat suspect? I glanced around. Devlin coming over to talk to me captured the attention of the entire cla.s.s, but no one seemed overly alarmed.
"What?" I said in a perfection imitation of cluelessness, but I knew my face was white as snow and my voice brittle.
"Don"t worry, I won"t tell anybody. What fun would that be?"
He was still leaning close over me, speaking right into my ear so no one else could here. To the casual observer it may have looked like he whispered sweet nothings in my ear. My heart sunk. What did he have in mind? Blackmail?
"Why are you doing this?" I asked in a low voice. "Just go away."
I sank further into my seat and turned my head away slightly, clearly giving the message I didn"t want to talk anymore. Childish tactics, but confrontation didn"t seem to work, maybe ignoring him would. He had that amused smirk that made his face look smug and I found myself detesting his presence. There was something decidedly off about him, and the perfection of his face was making me sick.
He turned to Alex, narrowed his eyes and moved his lips without sound. Maybe if I acted bored of this theatrics he would get the message and leave. I watched him with cool detachment.
He spoke to me whilst keeping his gaze on her, "This is a female of strength. You choose your friends well." His fingers, seemingly infused with light, brushed her check.
I didn"t like that and I smacked his had away. Alex started, as if coming to from a trance and sent me a baffled look.
"Who"s the boy outside?" Ro said from across the cla.s.s.
I shot up. Devlin backed away a pace, as if I was suddenly too close for comfort. I excused myself and walked speedily to Ro"s side, all the while telling myself the fairy-boy I"d met that morning would never dare. He would know he could not show up here at Temple, and parade around half naked, and glowing. I reached the window and made a strangled noise. Breandan. At least he"d had the good sense to glamour himself human. His eyes flicked from me to behind me, and then he beckoned to me.
"Rae, you know him?" Ro asked and eyed me head to toe. A slow smile spread across his face, and the green beads he"d tied into the end of his cornrow plaits clicked together as he laughed. "You be keeping secrets, eh?"
"Yes," I said, took a step backwards. "I mean I don"t know" In truth I was not surprised Breandan was there. I just wondered how long he intended to follow me and if his ultimate goal was to have me strung up Outside by the Clerics.
Breandan waved at me, impatient this time.
"He seems to know you." Ro ran his tongue over his top teeth. "If you don"t want him, I"ll take him."
Breandan stood on the gra.s.s with his hands loose by his sides and somehow, through the rain, I saw the storm in his eyes threatening to drown me. He didn"t beckon to me again, but I knew he wanted me to go to him. Afraid of the hot, fluttery feeling spreading through my limbs, I shook my head hoping he got the message. This was not okay. He could not come here and expect me to run off with him into the forest like a lunatic.
His head drooped then snapped up, his gaze directed over my shoulder.
"Rae, you right?" Alex asked from beside me. "What"s going on?" Then she spotted Breandan scowling at me. "That"s him? The boy from this morning?"
A few other Disciples got up out their desks and came over to look out the window at whatever it was we were looking at. I took a few steps back until I b.u.mped into someone standing behind me. Devlin stood in my way and looked furious. What was his problem? He was the one on my back, not the other way round. Then his shoulders started to shake and I realized he was laughing. He looked straight at me and smiled. No. Not a smile, but a sn.i.g.g.e.r filled with wicked delight. The intensity of his stare boldly probed mine, and the chill that slithered down my spine had me wound to near breaking.
When I looked back round Breandan"s entire body tensed, and just like that, with one last glance at me he turned and darted away. A sense of relief was replaced by a fiercer surge of regret. The moment he winked out of sight the longing to see and feel him, pressed upon my consciousness. The emotion was like a splinter burrowed beneath the skin, determined to settle in for the long haul.
I thought then about telling a Cleric, Breandan, a demon from beyond the Wall, could get onto the Temple grounds. Why was I was covering for some boy I barely knew? Yes, he"d told me I was a demon, but what if that had been a lie. I looked pretty d.a.m.n human to my eyes. Yes, I"d done some demon stuff, but I could be a witch. The thought made me very nervous. All witches were bad, forces of evil. Did I really want to wish to be one? My mind wandered back to Breandan, the boy who made me warm and tingly when I thought about him. And that is why I resolved to keep my mouth firmly shut. That and the fact I was hiding one of the scariest of demonkind in my wardrobe.
Ro stared out the window, confused. Unlike me, he was not used to the fairy disappearing act, and I could see him trying to figure out how Breandan had left so quickly. The other Disciples had lost interest and had wandered into small groups again.
It was all getting a bit much for me, and I couldn"t keep up. My head felt light, spongy, and my limbs weak. I was hiding so many things from so many people my brain felt like it was being pried apart. Alex seemed to sense my stress since she dragged me out the door by my sleeve the moment the bell rang.
"C"mon," she said. "We got Alchemy and I don"t want to be late."
Stumbling out the door, I waved goodbye to Ro. "But, I thought you were ditching," I said, trying to keep up mentally.
"I need to keep my eye on you."
Skipping out the room, I watched the back of her bobbing head. Breathing in I focused on her drama instead of mine. "You like Ro, a lot," I said.
Pushing out the side door to take a shortcut through the courtyard in the middle of the building, we carefully trudged down the slippery pathway and she shot me evil eye. Pulling up our blazer collars, we raced across and the rain pelted hard against my skin. My feet splashed in every puddle along the way and the wind tugged on my body. Storms never bothered me. The power and beauty of the sky churning, clouds darkened with rain and flashes of lighting made my skin goosy. We made it through the heavy doors, and I rung out my hair and clothes as best I could, wiping my dripping face on my wet sleeve.
"I don"t do steadies," Alex said. She strutted off and I trailed behind, smiling into my shoulder.
Ro would be the perfect steady for Alex. He would take care of her, and love her for more than her beauty. She knew this, and though she kept going on and on about his fondness for guys when he wasn"t with her, that"s what the real problem was. He saw through the c.o.c.ky smiles, the extrovert character to what she was about.
Marriage was an old and tired concept. The last union performed around a century before, about the time the last of the old religions died out. But if it were practiced they definitely would be suitable candidates in my mind. People didn"t tie themselves to each other anymore. Why should they? Chances were you"d find somebody who appealed more in a few years. People knew it was best to keep it simple. There were romantics, of course, who feel in love and ran away to other regions to start new lives. Two Disciples had tried that idea three years ago, and had tried to travel to the next region by going Outside. The Clerics had us Disciples visit their graves once a year as a reminder of what happens to the stupid and irresponsible.
"Lex, I can"t," I said and stopped walking.
She spun round and frowned. "Can"t do what?" Her face smoothed. "Rae, if we don"t turn up to cla.s.s-"
"I know," I cut in and backed away. "You go on. I"m going to go sit in the Library for a while. Cover for me? Say I have a headache and went for some quiet time. I"ll deal with the punishment." I didn"t wait for her answer, and took off at a run back down the hallway.
Walking into the Library, I gave myself a mental pat. It was empty and blessedly quiet. The library was just a bunch of bookcases pushed against the wall and a few tables and benches arranged in the centre. It smelt musty, but not unpleasant, as if it had been a while since the air was last disturbed.
I settled down on a table with a low lamp and closed my eyes, enjoying the stillness. Here I could be at peace. I drummed my fingers on the tabletop. Then I ran them through my hair and frowned when I encountered tangles. I redid my makeshift hair bun, trembling a little when I fingered the twig and remembered what had happened after I had found it. I scrunched up my face then relaxed it again. Scrunch and relax. Urgh, but my mind was not quiet. It was shrieking at me, throwing back everything from that morning. Closing my eyes did not change the fact I had a vampire in my wardrobe that was going to reanimate in a few hours. My mind lingered on thoughts of Tomas"s dark, bottomless eyes and the fact Devlin somehow knew he was in my wardrobe. How did he know? How, how, how? Breathing in deeply did not fix whatever genetic quirk made me a demon. Oh G.o.ds, how could I be a demon? Shouldn"t I have figured that out by myself? Why did someone have to point out such obvious things for me to finally add it all together to equal demon? As my thoughts touched on Breandan, my body went haywire. My heart sounded to pound and my hands became slick with sweat. Where was he? Would I see him again? In the s.p.a.ce of one morning my whole life had been turned upside down, yet the thought of never seeing or touching him again wasunbearable.
I got irritated with myself. I"d come to the Library for a quiet place to think and figure out what I was going to do, not moan about what had already happened. I needed a plan of action. I needed to remain calm, and collected, and work this thing out. I tried to get comfortable on the hard wooden seat, but the feeling of discomfort that had appeared when Breandan left had lingered, and in the last few minutes had changed slightly. The splinter wasn"t burrowing under my skin anymore, but had almost, insistent. Like, "look here I am".
The door opened. Sounds and smells of the world rushed in, breaking my reflective bubble. I jerked up. In a lifetime of habit, I shied inward and prepared myself to become part of the furniture.
A boy, blazer collar turned up sauntered into the room. White hair flopped down to conceal one of his sparkling eyes. The G.o.ds be d.a.m.ned, it was Devlin. Rather than launching into a tirade of accusations like I expected, he said nothing. He simply stared at me like I was the most fascinating thing he"d ever seen. It made me feel like a b.u.t.terfly, entangled in a web of lies, and waiting for the spider to pounce.
The solid silence was driving me mad. "Hai, Devlin." My voice was strained.
"You don"t like me very much," he said.
A few responses played on my lips before I chose, "Direct."
"That boy we saw outside Demon Theory, how long have you known him?" I looked away, stayed silent. "It was a simple question." He paused. "Boys from the slums can be dangerous." His voice held an undercurrent of humor that I didn"t like. It was like he knew Breandan was not from the slums. Like he knew he was I looked down at my shoes. "I"m not talking about this."
"May I ask why?"
There was that odd speech pattern again. There were so many different dialects mixed in with the broken slum speak, that it was difficult to determine someone"s roots just by how they spoke unless they told you. I knew next to nothing about Devlin, but his manner of speaking was familiar to me. Where had I heard it before?
"Not your business," I replied succinctly.
His face darkened, as if he had guessed the direction of my thoughts.
"What do you want, Devlin? Making good on a bet to embarra.s.s the misfit?" My cheeks got hot. "Why do you keep trying to be friends with me and how did you know about-" I shut up. I was meant to be pretending I didn"t know what he was talking about when he said I had a vampire in my wardrobe. Scrunching my brows, I shook my head. "I don"t know you, and you"re questioning me? Being a fellow Disciple does not give you a hold over me. Despite what you think I can talk to whoever I like. It"s my business and I"m dealing, so stay out of it."
His eyes lit with a shocking fierceness and I jerked back. His constant intensity was disconcerting, but he seemed to know nothing else to be a threat to me. Clearly, he"d managed to catch a glimpse of Tomas, put the pale skin, fast movement together and figured, vampire. But to prove it he would first have to get someone to listen and believe him so that he could be allowed into the Bayou, the girl"s dorms, to show them. Would he risk his reputation on a whim like that? I was panicking for no reason. He had nothing. I managed a polite smile. I stood up and marched past him.
"Well, I"ll see you around." He grabbed my arm and I lashed out with a hard shove. "Why can"t you back off?"
He staggered back and lowered his brows at my rudeness. I pushed him so hard his blazer flapped back off his shoulder and I saw a flash of green and gold swinging from his neck, resting on his chest above his heart. He had a pendant like mine. It explained why he was so interested in the one I wore. His was different though, bigger and darker in colour. Huh, despite his interesting taste in jewellery, I was still p.i.s.sed at him. I was raw and not fit for any other surprises. A girl can only handle so much crazy. I"d told him to leave me alone, but he didn"t seem to take subtle and even blatant hints. It was time to be rude. My shaking hand pushed the hair from my eyes so I could glare properly.
"Why do you keep popping up? Everywhere I go there you are." As I said the words I realized how true they were. He was always nearby, lurking somewhere. I"d never seen it before then.
"So what if I am following you?"
I scowled. He wasn"t even going to try and deny it. "If you are then stop."
"Of course, but I want you to give me something first."
The door swept open again. My heart skipped a whole two thumps then pumped at double time. Because Breandan stepped into the room, his bare feet silent on the stone floor. He let the door of the library close with a dull click, and his gaze flicked between us. If I could have picked one person to never join the conversation I was having with Devlin, Breandan would be that person. Clearly the universe was out to get me.
Irritation twisted Devlin"s expression before it settled into overly pleasing handsome lines. His lips twitched and his attention locked solely on me.
My head swung from one to the other unsure of where to focus. As if one stupidly good-looking boy wasn"t hard enough to deal with, I now had two messing with my mind. I sat down heavily on the nearest bench I could find and put my head in my hands. I was beginning to think it possible for your head to explode from stress.
Breandan straddled the bench and settled close by me. He sighed. "You can"t help but find trouble," he said.
My rude response caught in my throat. I stared at his guarded face and wanted to scream at him. I wanted to demand to know what he was doing exposing himself and me like this, and tell him to get lost.
All I whispered was, "You shouldn"t be here."
Something shifted in his expression, and told me he knew how much I was freaking out, since he smiled.
He touched my cheek. "We are safe."
"Am I interrupting?" Devlin asked icily.
His hands were fisted both sides of him, and his lips had a rigid set. Blazer hanging open, I glimpsed his impressive physique as he turned his gaze to Breandan. Impressive but odd, he didn"t have any marks. All boys had marks. Not as many as Breandan, who had enough tattoos for three, but Devlin"s skin was completely pure.
"Rae, aren"t you going to introduce us?" he asked and stared at Breandan.
Without looking at him, Breandan replied as he entwined his fingers with mine. "I"m no concern of yours."
Fingers firm and warm rubbed against mine. I was hyper aware of the touch. It reminded me of the last time I had my hand in another"s, in a vampires. That thought pulled me up short. The vampire had touched me and I"d let him. Wow. I was seriously messed up. Years of being unable to interact with others, and I let demons drape themselves all over me. I tugged my hand away but it was a pitiful attempt. More for the sake of telling myself I had resisted, rather than actually wanting him to let me go.
"Interesting," Devlin said. "I thought only Disciples, Clerics or Priests were allowed at Temple. I"m new here, but I"ve never seen you before. When did you enroll?"
They peered at each other warily. Backs straightening and necks stiffening, they became silent.
A pressing need to defend Breandan had me stuttering, "It"s no big, Devlin. He"s my, uhguest." I shrank back as Devlin"s glare turned on me. The last thing I needed would be for him to run and spill Breandan was on Temple grounds. I did tug my hand away this time and fisted it on my lap. I felt annoyingly bereft that he had released me. "I want him here," I added in a rush.
Breandan went still beside me, and I felt his focus shift to my face.
It grew cold. The lights flickered and ominous silence draped over me. A weird feeling crawled over my skin, so I tensed. The lights blacked out. The room temperature hit rock bottom, and an icy gust of air lapped at the back of my neck. I clutched Breandan"s hand tight in mine again. Was it him doing this? He needed to stop because he was making it a little too obvious that he didn"t belong. I squeezed the hand I held. The moisture in my eyes stung, and the pores on my skin shrank. Then "it" pa.s.sed and the lights came back up. The air warmed.
"Power outage," I said tactfully.
My mind was not able to deal with the concept of anything other than that. It was an easy lie. Breandan snorted and rested an arm over my shoulder. He made soothing circles on my wrist. It was nice, the lazy soft brushes against my skin.
"Rae," Devlin said slickly, "Would you like to come with me? Somewhere private." He smiled, nice and slow. The kind of smile that suggested not much talking would be going on once he got me alone. "We could get to know one another some more?"
Confused at his sudden suggestive undertone, rejection was on the tip of my tongue. I had a vampire to get back to, so my plan was to extract myself from this conversation as soon as I could and leave. Who knew what Tomas would do if I was not there when he woke up. All of this had pa.s.sed through my mind in a split second then flew out as quick. Breandan"s reaction to the invitation was explosive. Snarling, he moved startlingly fast and blurred into a dark streak, a shadow.
Chests heaving and eyes blazing the boys faced off nose to nose.
I was confused and stared at the vacant spot the fairy-boy was moments ago. My reactions caught up and I made a noise of alarm. I jumped up to push Breandan back a few paces, with difficulty since he packed a truck-load more muscle and height than me. I tugged his chin down to look him in the face. Tense seconds clicked by as I looked into the eyes of someone alien to me. Breandan glared at me with traces of disgust and disbelief. I felt bad and annoyed because I wanted answers from him, but I couldn"t have him b.u.t.ting heads with other Disciples. If Devlin told a Cleric I"d let a strange boy into Temple, I"d come under question. h.e.l.l, if Devlin threw in he knew I was hiding a vampire in my wardrobe, I would never see the light of day again. They would probably lock me away for the rest of my life. Or kill me if they could prove I was a demon and a threat.
"I think you should go," I said wearily.
The horrible moment pa.s.sed and Breandan"s face gentled into exasperation and impatience. The shift was so fast; I floundered, unable to account for the sudden change. Chuckling to himself, his arm propelled me towards the door picking up my bag as we went.
"Walk me out," he said cheerfully, he even had a spring in his step.
Wasn"t I doing a dandy job of extracting myself from this situation? I was meant to be in my room by now, waiting for my guest to wake up so I could answer his questions and get rid of him. Instead, I was walking out a fairy that seemed happy to be in mortal peril, for that was the situation for any demon on Temple grounds.
"You have my word no harm will ever come to you that will be of my making," a voice said in my ear. I turned to look Breandan in the eyes, sincere and warm. "I will always protect you. Even when you don"t me to," he added after a small pause.
"I"m not afraid," I said tartly and took a half step before drawing deep and taking another larger one. I lowered my voice, "And I can take care of myself. By doing what you did back there you"ve painted a big target on my back. I need to be careful after what happened this morning and you are putting me in danger by just being here, and throwing your weight around. Devlin is a Disciple, a popular one at that. He could get me into serious trouble. Besides, I think I"d be safer with him than I ever would with you."
He raised an eyebrow then became thoughtful.
As we left Sanctuary, cool air blew into my face and the speckles of ash that floated by were comforting, familiar. It was tinged with smoke now the fires had been lit in preparation for the night. The days were short so close to winter.
Breandan moved ahead of me and took my hand. Before long I heard a group of Disciples nearby, their high and happy voices floating through the dark coming straight toward us. He turned so we no longer walked on the path to the main gate but out onto the lawn surrounding the Temple, into the darkness. Over my shoulder I saw Devlin followed silently and he didn"t look alarmed but rather annoyed. Rather than an all-dark figure, I made out his angular features and the green of his eyes. With a start I realized everything looked lighter, and then I saw why. Breandan"s tattooed skin glowed in the dark. It was like he wanted to get caught. Like he really didn"t care Devlin could name him as demon.