Chained (The Reaper Saga Book 1), page 11
"Ok, ok, I get it!" I screeched in embarrassment.
"Good, now if you'll take my advice, I suggest you stay here for a while until your mother’s been found. We’ll help." Spiky said, making me release a breath.
"But, why?"
"Don't mistake my actions for Lex's behavior. I was partially responsible for what happened to him. That's why I can't let him destroy you any more than he already did." Spiky breathed out, clearly something akin to sadness hidden behind his tone but it didn't make any sense to me.
"I wasn't destroying her! Ask her how she woke me up. This witch can't even brew soup."
"Hey!" I yelled above his scream.
Maybe Spiky had enough as he turned his back on us, walking ahead to his what I assumed his office. "I'm warning you, don't interrupt us, Lex. It's not a child's game anymore. Keisha is running open in the world, doing who knows what. Emeline, you can come with me to the office. Can you trust me for this?"
No, I couldn't. I shouldn't.
"I want to." I softly whispered.
"You can trust us, Emeline. And in return, I give you my word to never give you a reason to think that you can't trust us." Spiky sounded pretty serious. Even Lex lifted his dark eyes to me in the most sincere look I had ever seen in his gaze.
"And, I give you my word to not ever mess with your head...oh for devil's sake! I will try to have not too much fun with your little soul. Happy?" And just like that, the infamous Darkness was back.
"Fine. But what do I call you?" Spiky looked startled at the question as if he didn't realize that I didn't even know his name.
"Oh hell, I forgot to introduce me, didn't I? Name's Zedkiel Lytton." Lytton? Before I could stop, the words flew from my mouth.
"Lytton as in Bhaltair Lytton?"
Zedkiel looked surprised that I knew that much. "Yes, that's my uncle. The previous clan leader of our clan."
"Oh, Spiky suited you better." Oh shit. Way to go, now he was going to think of me as a creep.
I looked back at Zedkiel to see him muttering something like, I swear they are meant to be.
Huh? What's that supposed to mean?
"See? Even little soul thinks Spiky will suit you. I told you man, change the hair." Lex spoke swatting Zedkiel's hair, making his spike to go into a weird shape.
Zadkiel patted the unruly hair, his glare clearly meant for Lex."My hair is just fine, thank you. I believe you'll keep your ass out of this business."
"But I'm involved as much..." Lex started only to get cut off by Zedkiel.
"You promised."
Dejectedly, Lex nodded. "Fine. I will be here until you two are done."
Leaving Lex there, sometimes I wished I could tell exactly what was running through his head just so I could prepare myself from getting hurt. No manipulation, no illusion. Just his true self reflecting all the time?
"Come in." Hearing the voice inside, I clicked open the door of the said office. My eyes widened to see the room which was noticeably larger than my previous clan. The desk in front of me was filled with numerous files and a desktop computer set on it. The room also had weapons lining the walls.
Knives, swords, daggers, guns, spars...
How lovely...
"Uh...Are you feeling comfortable?" Zedkiel questioned licking his lip ring, a slight urgency in his voice. He looked worried and frustrated for some reason but oddly I wasn't afraid of him like I was with Lex. But the bigger question, why was he even with Lex?
These two acted like polar opposites.
"Emie? Sorry, can I call you Emie?" At the sound of his voice, my head shot up.
"Only if I can call you Zed. Also it's not like I've anywhere else to go. As your Lex oh so kindly reminded me." I snapped, my voice laced with sarcasm. Just because I was letting them help me didn't mean I was gonna make it easier for them.
He sighed, looking away from me. "Lex isn't mine, Emie. And just as I said before, if you want help then you have to give us your full trust. Otherwise, we can't help you when you're in danger."
My eyes must've shown confusion as he beckoned me to sit on the chair where he took a seat in the opposite one. Sitting down, I waited for him to talk but what he showed me almost had me run from the room in fear.
"Y-You're a clan leader? I can't do this." I could feel Zedkiel tense at my blunt negative response to his question. I couldn't believe that he gave me a contract paper where I was to stay in his clan and care as long as I didn't find my mother and finish my last business.
He wanted me in his clan...
"This is for your own good. You can't stay here when you don't belong to my clan. I know I have very few members, yes, but still, they will ask questions as to why a person who has broken her connection to her clan is living here without truly belonging. You're already in pain, I don't want you to feel hurt when there will be complaining about you staying here."
He had a point but he had to understand that I could never truly belong to a clan after what happened. Joining a clan did not only meant you are in their protection but it also meant you care about each and every member like your own. You think about their problems before yours. But what I was going after, could very well mingle with the members, risking their lives in the long run.
And, I couldn't do that.
Noticing my silence, he continued. "Think about the connection you will have with us. That way when you're in danger, we can help in any way you want. And, I'm not telling you to care about my members, their problems would be mine to care about. Just by bonding with us, you are making a place in this clan, that's all."
Could I really join a clan again after betrayed by one before? Then again, Lex didn't seem like he belonged to this clan either as he was dead before. So, how was he here?
"Zed?" I managed to get his attention. "Is Lex a part of this clan? As far as I can tell...he's not a warlock. And, for this very reason, no clan should accept him into their clan."
He steadily rose to his feet, coming close to where I was sitting. "You know Bhaltair, my uncle? He died when I was only thirteen. There were rumors that I killed him to take over the clan. Many were getting ready to get rid of me when all I wanted was to help him from his own demons. You know who stood by me then? Alexei. Only a nine-year child and he couldn't sound any braver. Doesn't matter what changed between us, Lex will always be welcomed in my clan. But he's not in danger, you are. So, yes, you need to join this clan more than he ever needs to be."
Ugh...this was going harder to say no. Could I? Or could I not?
"Fine. I'm ready to do the pledge."
He smiled, approaching closer to the daggers hanging from the wall. Picking one, he gestured me toward the altar. Just get this over with...Thankfully there was already a small cup in there and when he murmured some words, an orange hue appeared before the cup was holding a nice fire. Dragging the sharp edge on his palm, he made a small cut letting the blood flow from it into a cup.
Still bleeding, he handed me the dagger from which I also made a small cut.
"Do you, Emeline Deshayes, agree to make a pledge for the Moon Clan willingly?" Zed asked, his voice hard and commanding for once.
"Yes." Offering my palm, I watched him mix our blood, his eyes much softer now. "In birth, in life, and in death. Now I, Emeline Deshayes, willingly make this pledge to honor and be loyal to my clan for as long as I shall live."
Just then a load of unknown feelings rammed into my head at once, almost rendering me speechless. It's been so long that I had felt the connection of another being in my heart. But today, right there I was feeling like the old me again.
I looked up at him to see he was looking at me with an odd look. Before I could ask what's wrong he shook his head as if in disbelief.
"Zed? You're kind of scaring me now." I finally said bursting whatever bubble he was in. He shook his head again, a frown appearing on his face.
"I just saw something I didn't think was possible, that’s all."
"Well, are you going to tell me?" I insisted noticing the look on his face.
"It's nothing important, I overreacted, I'm sorry." He laughed, placing a hand on my back. "You ready to meet your new family?"
Why did I feel he was just lying?
EMELINE
Grand gestures were always a little too much for me.
Growing up in the clan, I was only happy to be noticed or talk to someone about my struggles. That was just enough to plant a big smile on my face. Now, even breathing in this living room felt like breathing underwater. Everything was so expensive and old that I had to think twice if I was allowed to even sit in the coach, which was wrapped in fine fabric. For God's sake, even the ceiling was covered in gold and I had an unlikely doubt that they were as real as they came.
"Drink?"
I jumped, startled by the sudden voice. Since I insisted on leaving the room dark and the few people who lived there already went to sleep, it was hard to see who it was. But once he stepped into the light with a drink in his hands there was no doubt who I was staring at.
"No, thank you," I whispered curtly.
"Fair enough." Lex shrugged, hogging the small place beside me. The coach was too small for two people, but somehow he managed to make it look like it was no big deal. "But no, really, what have you got so...depressed lately?"
I had to laugh at that. What got me so depressed? Was there any reason for me to laugh lately? Or for the past year?
Since I woke up in this strange place, the only thing I could think about was last year. And the things that got me here today.
How they willingly threw me onto an altar for death.
How I survived only to awake a centuries-old dark creature.
How that said creature was now letting me stay in his place even if he could have just left me alone. There were just so many things that happened for me to be depressed.
Even smiling felt like a chore these days.
"Oh, please, don't ignore me!"
Of course, now he was pouting like a child.
"How did I get here?" I asked avoiding his stare. He told me that he took me from a destructive site, but what really happened? And most of all, how couldn't I remember?
Running a hand through his hair, he grunted. "How much do you remember?"
I paused before answering. "I remember you trying to kill me and then going after her..."
He listened without stopping me. Even coming as far as to leaning close so that I could whisper until I noticed he was practically on my face, eating up every word coming from me.
"Uh...I was following the voice and then-I woke up here. Sorry." I cleared my throat, leaning back a little. If he noticed, he didn't let me onto that. Instead, he sighed clenching his fists.
"Little soul, what I am about to tell you, you just listen, Ok? Listen carefully before interrupting me."
Shit, what could be that important? Having no choice, I nodded.
"Okay." He mumbled to himself before letting go of the dam. "After you released your mother, she needed a vessel to stay on this plane as she lost hers when she was banished into that dimension. The one you saw in that mirror. Now, of course, your attachment to your mentor was greater than any of us thought. In grief, something in you snapped. After that, the only thing you could think about was killing mortals-"
I jumped, hearing the intensity in his voice. He really couldn't be talking about me wanting to kill someone, did he?
"That's not true." I interrupted, feeling a glare thrown over me. His eyes narrowed to silt, a whoosh of shadow parting from his lips so fast that I had a hard time believing what was happening.
"What did I said about interrupting me, little soul?"
I cowered away from him.
"That's what I thought. So, as I was saying, taking your mentor must have had a shocking surprise to your soul. So much that you triggered the curse to stop feeling pain."
My spine tensed immediately. A storm of choice words were on the tip of my tongue, ready to deliver. Cursed? I was cursed now? I just wanted him to stop lying. He was doing it so well for the past year that it was hard to know if he was lying now or not.
"I am sorry. I think I heard something wrong. Did you say anything about a curse?"
That damned smile was back. "Don't tell me you don't feel that something is wrong. Don't you feel the urge to just...take something?"
Take something?
As if his words were triggers, my throat clogged up. An intense hunger came back in full force making me gasp. But for what?
"I don't understand...what?"
"Reaper. Ever heard of that?" My head swirled with the information. Reaper? The Grim Reaper? He had to be joking.
"Do you see any scythe anywhere, Darkness, no?" I snapped, poking his chest. "Maybe because I'm not a freaking Grim Reaper!"
His face scrunched badly. "Ew, no. Not the Grim Reaper. He's death, made into a Reaper from hell, the friend I told you about. You, however, became a Reaper afterwards, from a curse. You know I'm right. Tell me how you feel inside. Come on, witch, whisper it. Let them out."
"I feel...something strange in my heart. I know this is crazy. I just feel people inside me. They all talk at once. I don't even know how's that possible." I whispered, avoiding looking at him.
He let out a whistle. "Oh, little soul, you already knew and yet keeping those secrets from me, I see. What should I do about that?"
What he could do was just tell me the truth without playing his stupid games. But the only thing left on my lips is mumbled curses. "By God, Lex, the only thing I'll ever regret in my life is the day I let you out. If it was in my hands, I'd prefer bleeding out in that grave."
He shrugged, knocking back his drink. "Still would've bled out in my grave. You wanted till death do us apart that bad?"
"Darkness, please, stop playing around. There are so many questions I have no idea how to even ask. I mean why am I alive?"
He spat the drink out. "Pardon me?"
"You said your shadows recognized something that day. The day of our-my wedding. Even you were surprised to be alive, you didn't do anything. You didn't save me, there was something else, isn't it?" The gaps needed to be filled today or I'd get insane. "Also, the spells that were used was in a grimoire that I've heard Gema read like a hundred times. If there was a way to bring a spirit back from the dead, trust me, she would be the first one to try."
He looked hesitant for a moment, sweating even in cold. When I thought he was totally going to ignore me, he surprised me by letting out a chuckle. "You had something of mine that saved you. And for me being alive, I think you have the power of necromancy."
Huh?
"I'm sorry, what!" I was about to lose it, alright. "No, absolutely not! I can't be a necromancer and a Reaper at the same time. That's against nature. That time I didn't even know how to do magic. Even you lost your powers after you became Darkness. If it was true I could've bring Hannah back but I can't."
"Updated necromancer?" He shrugged.
My voice was hoarse. "This is my life, Lex. It's not a joke."
"Tell that to your parents, they created an ungodly creature. Sometimes I think you can turn out to be a unicorn and I wouldn't even bat an eyelash."
"Why do I even try with you?"
"Look, Hannah's soul is already gone. Without it, what are you getting back? Just a vessel." He shook his head, hollering Zed's name suddenly. "Master! Come here quickly!"
I fisted his shirt to shake some sense into him. "Are you nuts! Its witching hour, everyone is sleeping!"
He unwrapped my fingers one by one with a smirk. "Trust me, he doesn't sleep. Also, it's the best time to prove my doubts-"
"What is it that you can't tell me in the morning, Lex?"
Holy shit!
Zed looked every bit of irritated when he stared down at Lex. "Well?"
"See? Doesn't sleep." He poked my nose, making me even angrier. "Now, Zed, I want you to find me something...dead so little soul here can bring it back to alive."
"No!" I quickly talked over him. "I didn't tell him to-He can't be serious."
"Oh, he is. Lex, why didn't you offer your heart then?" Zed snatched the drink from Lex's hands only to finish it himself.
"Haha, very funny." Lex rolled his eyes. "Seriously, I need to prove a point."
Sighing, Zed snapped his fingers. "Fine. Have it your way."
I waited for something magical to happen.
Or something to explode.
But nothing happened. Not at first, not until I felt something tease my traces with cold fingers. Turning around, I was surprised to see there was no one there. What the hell? The next time I felt another touch, I reached out to catch it, shocked to find something solid. Again, what the hell?
"What am I touching?" I asked both, my eyes wider than normal.
Lex only stared in amusement where Zed crept closer. "A house spirit that won't cross over. He needed something dead, you think you can help her?"
"To cross over?" I asked with hope.
"Hell, no." Lex interrupted, pushing me closer to the spirit. "Bring that kid back. Come on, I'm cheering for you."
The question was, does the kid wants to be back?
Just as I thought that somewhere someone howled, sending a jolt of pain across my body. Whimpering, I tried to let go of the hand of the spirit but it just won't let go. Instead, marks started appearing in my arms where it touched, all the while Lex just sat there, intrigued.
For the love of God...
"Ekiem!"
Shouting, I shoved the hand, almost kicking the spirit to the other world. But to my surprise, with another howl, something thumped against the floor. Something solid. Something that awfully looked like...
"A kid. There's a kid in the room."
"Looks like it is." Zed finally spoke, seemingly just as shocked as me. "I-I need to take her to the healers."
Half the members already suspected that I was a bloody Reaper, I could only assume what the poor healer's reaction was going to be.
Lex raised his hands in surrender as Zed left with the kid. "You do that. I'll wait here until she doesn't look like the Walmart version of a tomato."
The hell?
