Static. Part 25

Laughing, Thane stared up at me. "You're quick, I'll give you that."

"Quit messing around," snarled Devon, "and kill her already."

I looked over at her and saw she'd placed a booted foot on Trevor's chest to keep him from moving. Fury burned like acid in my chest. I twisted my hands into fists and sprang like a gra.s.shopper from the ceiling aiming not for Thane but for Devon. Hate fueled my aim and made it lethal.

I grabbed her around the neck and grappled her to the ground. She shrieked as I yanked on her hair and slapped at her face. I managed to get a boot to her gut before I was pulled off and tossed to the side like a bag of trash. I landed face first on the hardwood floor. My nose smooshed into the ground. I heard the snap of bone and felt the rush of blood.

"You can't win, sugar pop."

I felt Thane's presence looming over me.

"You should just let it go while you're still breathing."

Hot bitter tears filled my eyes blinding me. I couldn't stop them as they rushed out and dripped onto the floor beneath me, mingling with the blood drops. Thane was right. I couldn't win. They were much too strong. There was nothing I could do to hurt them.

They were going to get away with all the rotten murderous things they'd done-turning me into a monster, turning Trevor as well, and killing his sister. It was too much for me to bear.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I slapped the palms of my hands down on the floor in frustration. I was helpless, unable to defend myself, unable to save Trevor.

I opened my eyes again, staring down at the floor powerlessly. It was then that I noticed I was lying in a deep shadow in the corner. Squinting, I spied a glint of something beneath me. Something bright. Something s.h.i.+ny.

Merlin's sword.

"Get up, sugar pop, so I can kill you properly."

Taking in a deep breath, I reached into the shadow, willing my arm to dissolve into the darkness. My skin tingled as I pushed through the shadows. My hand groped blindly, my leap of faith the only thing guiding it. Until finally, blessedly, my fingers wrapped around the leather hilt.

I drew the sword out of the shadow just as Thane reached for me. I pushed up with my other hand and twisted my body, swinging the weapon around with every ounce of strength I could muster.

Like in the movies, the next two minutes moved by in slow motion. Surprised, I watched as the blade sunk into Thane's body. He looked just as shocked when he noticed the steel protruding from his chest. His hands came up to the wound, caressing the sword in his palms. Blood quickly spilled through his clenched fingers.

Stunned silent, I watched as the blood ran in thin rivulets down his forearms to finally drip, like a leaky faucet, onto the floor.

His gaze flickered over me and I could see the shock in his eyes. Shock and something unexpected. Remorse. But remorse for whom? Me or himself. Thane opened his mouth to speak. I wasn't sure I would hear him anyway, but it was too late, because he fell over onto his side, slack-jawed and lifeless before he could utter one word.

Sinking back onto my rear-end, I turned to look at the others. Seth and Quinn stared wide-eyed, mouths gaping like fish out of water. Devon, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to rip out my throat, which I thought she was gearing up to do.

"I'm going to slaughter you, b.i.t.c.h!" she screeched.

I reached over and grabbed the hilt of the sword with both hands. I drew it out of Thane. The second it was removed, his body turned black like charcoal, and then it split and broke apart into pieces sinking into the floor, dissolving into the shadows until there wasn't anything left of him but a puff of fine soot-colored dust.

I pushed to my feet, hefting the sword in front of me. It was heavy and my arms shook with the strain but I refused to let them see how frightened to death I was. How mortified I felt for killing Thane, although he deserved it full heartedly.

Seth shook his head. "I'm out of here. This isn't worth it." He ran toward another of the big shadows on the floor and disappeared inside it. Quinn followed his lead.

That left me, Trevor and Devon. I knew she would never run away. She'd stay and fight to the end. I just feared it was going to be my end. With Thane I had the element of surprise; with Devon I had nothing by my false bravado.

"You won't get that thing up before I twist your head off."

But before she could come at me, Trevor sprung up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, effectively pinning her arms to her sides. She struggled against him, but he held her firm.

"Get off me!"

I raised the sword in front of me and walked toward them. My arms hurt, my hands were sore. I could barely keep the tip of the blade from sc.r.a.ping on the floor. But I kept coming, determined to end this once and for all. For Trevor. For me. For all the people we were going to save.

I wanted to go home.

"This is for my sister," Trevor grunted as he shoved Devon forward. Hard.

She came spiraling toward me, shrieking like a banshee. I hauled the sword up just in time. Her eyes bugged out as the blade impaled her.

Unlike Thane, she didn't die quietly.

With a scream that nearly burst my ear drums, Devon exploded into a thousand dark pieces. Ebony gla.s.s-like shards fell to the floor and shattered into dust. A breeze blew through the center, carrying her essence with it as it swept the building and out through the back door.

I dropped the sword and ran to Trevor just as his knees buckled and he collapsed onto the floor. I knelt next to him, cradling his head on my lap.

"We did it," I murmured to him.

He smiled up at me and I knew it caused him a lot of pain to do so. "You did it, Salem. I knew you would." He coughed and blood bubbled between his lips.

I wiped it away with the sleeve of my hoodie. "It's okay, baby." He tried to speak again, but I put my finger on his lips. "Don't. Save your strength."

I checked the rest of him over. I didn't see any blood blossoms on his chest or legs. The red on his t-s.h.i.+rt I a.s.sumed came from his face. At least I hoped it did.

"Can you move? We need to get out of here."

He shook his head. "I'm broken."

New tears rolled down my cheeks. "I'm going to fix you, okay? Don't worry."

He tried to protest but I stopped him by pressing my lips to his. He tried to pull away but I held him still by gripping his chin with my fingers. Closing my eyes, I thought about the energy inside my body, gathered it to me and breathed it into Trevor.

My essence left my body and went into his. It was a strange sensation, maybe how drowning would feel. Like losing oxygen. I poured it into Trevor until my lungs burned and my head swam.

I stopped only when he nudged me away, breaking the spell.

"Enough, Salem. It's enough." His face wasn't as pale or sweaty. His eyes were clearer.

I nodded then put one hand under his shoulder, and the other gripped his arm. "I'm going to pull you up, okay?" I didn't wait for his reply.

It took about five minutes to get him up to his feet. He couldn't walk, but had to lean on me. If I had been a weaker person, there wouldn't have been a chance in h.e.l.l that I could've carried him out of there. But my demon genes gave me the strength I needed. Go figure.

As I helped him hobble into the nearest shadow, he turned his head and looked at me. "Take me home, Salem."

I nodded, and took him at his word.

Chapter 29.

A lot can happen in a week. I'm proof positive of that. Twice.

The first time I went from average teen, if slightly off kilter, to half demon roadie for a demonic rock band. This time, I went from half demon ex-roadie to semi-normal teen back at home trying to a.s.similate back into her life.

When Trevor had said home, I took him literally and stepped into the shadow and transported us back to my bedroom in Boise. Needless to say, my mom nearly had a heart attack when she burst into my room to find Trevor bleeding on my bed and me sitting beside him trying to wipe that blood off. Oh, and she'd happened to notice the sword lying on the rug.

I'd asked her for a washcloth and some water and she got it for me without much argument. I figured she could see the determined and devastated look in my eyes and knew not to push the issue.

It wasn't until after I'd cleaned up Trevor and left him sleeping, that the questions came fast and furious.

She'd alternated between yelling and crying but after a few hours I'd been able to tell her something that she could believe. That Josh had attacked me and Trevor had saved me by beating Josh into a coma and we had run because we didn't know what else to do. Although I suspected, she hadn't believed one word and now was just waited for me to spill the truth.

I could've told her she might be waiting for a long time.

To both our surprises--my mom's more I suspected--Trevor healed quickly. He'd slept for nearly six hours and when he'd woken, his eyes hadn't been swollen any longer and the bruises on his face had already started to green.

My mom hadn't asked. I suspected she thought there was more to Trevor than I was saying. More to me too. She'd looked at me oddly, but it wasn't full of disgust or shock just curiosity and interest. My mom, the rock. She was the epitome of unconditional love.

I probably could've confessed all and told her the truth and exposed Trevor and I as cambions and she'd take it in, absorb it, and come out on the other side, just more enlightened. She'd probably want to ride the shadows and find the other two members of Malice and end them because of what they did.

I was almost inclined to let her. But for me it was over. I'd gotten my retribution. I was okay with how it all turned out. I just wanted to move on with my life.

And for now, we were enjoying just being us. Two normal teenagers trying to navigate the tumultuous road of life and well, love.

"Salem." My mom knocked on my bedroom door. "Trevor's here."

Bouncing off the bed, I jammed my feet into a pair of sneakers, grabbed my hoodie from the floor and opened the door. My mom was there, leaning against the wall, waiting for me.

She smiled, and tucked a stray newly dyed blue hair behind my ear. "Be home early. You have school tomorrow."

"I know. I will." I kissed her on the cheek, lingering a few seconds to drink her in. Her scent never failed to make me feel loved.

Trevor was waiting for me at the door. He smiled when I came barreling down the hallway and tackled him with a hug. He wrapped his arms around me tight and kissed me on the lips.

"I missed you," he said.

"You just saw me yesterday."

"I know," he nuzzled my ear, "but I miss your messy bed head in the morning."

"Oh, like it is now?"

He looked at my hair and ran a hand over it. "Yup, perfect."

"Have fun," my mom called from the kitchen.

"See you, Lynn," Trevor returned.

She popped her head around the corner. "Be good. And take care of my girl."

He slung his arm around my shoulders. "You know I will."

"Bye mom." I pushed open the front door and we went out.

Hand in hand, we walked down the driveway to the fabulous POS Trevor had bought with some of the money he'd earned by being a roadie. He opened the door for me.

"So, I was thinking, there's this new band playing..."

I shook my head. "No. No bands. If I never go to another gig in my life it will be too soon." I slid into the seat. He shut the door.

He got in the other side and started the car. "It's jazz. What could possibly go wrong at a jazz concert?"

"I don't even want to know."

Laughing, Trevor put the car in drive and pulled away from the house.

It felt good to be out with my boyfriend. We were going to a movie with friends. Chloe and her new boyfriend were meeting us at the theatre. It was nice and normal.

Just what both of us needed right now. For today it was perfect. For tomorrow? Well, I didn't know. Does anyone?

About the author.

Tawny Stokes has always been a writer. From an early age, she'd spin tales of serial killers in love, vampires taking over the world, and sometimes about fluffy bunnies turned bunnicidal maniacs. An honour student in high school, with a penchant for math and English, you'd never know it by the foot high blue Mohawk and Doc Martens, which often got her into trouble. No longer a Mohawk wearer, Tawny still enjoys old school punk rock, trance, zombie movies, teen horror films, and fluffy bunnies. She lives in Canada with her fantastical daughter, two cats, and spends most of her time creating new stories for teens.

You can visit her at www.tawnystokes.com.

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