ARC: Cracked (4 page)

“Demons also feed on souls, good people that they couldn’t turn – gives ‘em kind of a high. They especially try to murder Beacons – people who are particularly good or who will have a positive impact on the world. Da Vinci, Gandhi, Betty White and Mother Teresa are the classic examples, but there’s a bunch of other, much less well-known ones.” He gives me a meaningful glance and I freeze. He can’t know I eat souls. There’s no way. All he saw was the demons trying to kill
me.
Oh my God, he must mean…

Bahahahahahaha. He thinks I’m a Beacon. I look down to hide my twinkling eyes. Bad day or not, that’s hilarious.

“It’s OK. You don’t have to be scared, I’ll protect you.”

Big brawny man, protect this damsel! I try to look angelic and helpless – Beacon-ish. The haircut and the blood can’t be helping. Fortunately he seems particularly thick. “And wh– what are you, exactly?” My voice is sweet. Timid. Awed.

“Malachi Dupaynes, but you can call me Chi.”

I said
what
, not who. Funny, though, that his nickname rhymes with “die”. A sign, I wonder? We shake and our hands stick a little, because of all the blood.

“I’m a Crusader. Or at least I will be, once I graduate.” His chest puffs in that way of young men.

“But you’re so strong.” I fawn, I flutter. “Strong enough to fight that monster… you can’t be just a normal
student
.” I saw how he moved – he isn’t just a human.

“No, that’s in the blood. My ancestors have been fighting demons for centuries. We’ve been given certain… gifts… to help us.”

Crap. That doesn’t sound good. “How did you know I needed help?”

“I can sense demons – that’s part of it too.” Double crap. That doesn’t sound good at all. If this “demon-sensing” thing kicks in, I’m screwed. “I knew they were here so I came to rescue you.” His chest inflates. “It’s what Crusaders do.”

As he crouches biting distance away from this half-demon, I can’t help but think he has a startlingly short and unimpressive career ahead of him. Because, although he just saved my life, he makes a career out of hunting my kind. Not that I feel the teeniest bit of loyalty towards my “kind”, but it is going to be a problem once he senses what I am. There’s no choice really.

I’m going to have to kill him.

FOUR

Mom wouldn’t have liked it, but I find my near-death encounter has left me a little peeved with Mom at the moment. The killer part (ha, other than me) is it’s my
second
opportunity to learn who I am. I’ve been wandering aimlessly around North Carolina for almost two months without a single break and now I’ve had the opportunity to learn the truth twice in two hours.

And for the second time in two hours, I’m going to punch that opportunity in the face.

If my shoulder didn’t smart so bad, I’d reach up and pull my hair out.

But I don’t really have a choice. He managed three demons on his own – three demons who handily whooped my ass. Answers don’t mean a whole lot to a dead girl.

Even with Mom on mute, I still feel a little guilty about killing my rescuer. But what can I say? I’ve been known to bite the hand that feeds me. And anyway, he wouldn’t have saved me if he had known the truth. My savior would quickly try to become my murderer if he did.

I’ll compromise and make it quick. Having experienced the whole fear-and-pain thing, it’s the least I can do. I just need him to turn his back and it’ll be over before he knows it’s happening. I cast around for a distraction – and my eye lands on the most obvious in the room.

I point to the smoldering corpse, “Are you sure it’s dead?” It’s mostly slime and smoke, so yes, yes it is. I’m banking on the fact that he seems more like the physically gifted type than the mentally.

“Yes.”

“Maybe you should make sure.”

“No, I’m pretty sure.” His eyes twinkle.

“I think I saw it move.”

“Unlikely.”

“Just go look at it!” I snap, then cough and bring my order back down to a whimper, placing a hand on his arm. I look up through my lashes, then bat them a few times for good measure. “I’m sorry, I just want to make sure it can’t come back to get me.” He smiles like a boy asked to stomp on a spider for a silly girl and I know I’ve won.

It’s a shame, he has a really pretty smile.

He hops to his feet and I put out a hand so he can pull me to mine. He strolls the few feet to the body while I hang back.

I look at his broad back and think about death. The colors, the flavors, the squelching and splashing. I think about the Hunger and the power. The control. The bloodlust grows and pulses through my veins, spreading like a hot, heady poison. I let it take over, glee replacing the little twinges of regret.

I crouch and I roll on to the balls of my feet. I tense. My legs are springs, my hands are claws.

I narrow my eyes, focusing on the back of his neck, where the brain stem becomes spine. The thin column that is so vitally, vitally important and yet so very, very fragile.

I draw back, preparing to spring. Lower, lower, lower. I am a sleek black leopard, a silent predator who delivers pouncing, painless death…

WHAM! The door bangs open
again.
I jump behind the overturned loveseat instead of towards my victim.

Five
intruders in one night? This really is turning into a party.

Chi spins around at the sound, one hand flying towards a holy-water globe on his belt, the other for his gun. When he sees who it is he relaxes and straightens.

“What are you doing here?” he demands.

Limping in from the entryway is another teenager. A girl this time, with a metal brace wrapped from hip to ankle over her tatty jeans. She has wild-woman hair, olive skin and a glare that makes me marvel at Chi’s courage. Her leather coat matches his, but hers has sleeves. A knife’s sheath peeps out from beneath her jacket.

“What am I doing here? What the hell are you doing here?” She starts forward and I creep deeper into the loveseat’s shadow. “
I
came to drag you back, you’re not supposed to be – is that a demon?” She picks up her pace until she’s standing over the bubbling mess. “You actually fought demons?” She says it as an accusation, but Chi’s chest swells.

“There were three of them. I injured another but he escaped with the third,” Chi brags.

In spite of herself, the girl can’t contain her curiosity. “Did you–” she puts out her hands and wiggles her fingers “–purify him?”

“I did.” Chi grabs the sides of his leather jacket and rocks forward a little. “He won’t be reborn.”

She looks impressed for about three seconds, then her scowl returns. “Well, it was stupid, coming out here by yourself. Everyone’s too busy to rescue some idiot who likes to play hero. Besides, you’re supposed to be guarding the school.”

“Really? Then why didn’t you stay at the school if they need protection so bad? Or did you plan on playing a little ‘hero’ yourself?”

“I’m not sure saving your stupid ass counts as heroic. Besides–” her mouth twists into a bitter shape and she smacks her leg-brace “–they wouldn’t let me help even if the school was under siege. They wouldn’t even let me fetch you if they knew.”

Chi’s eyes slide to her leg then awkwardly away. Then he’s back on the offensive. “Why
did
you come? I had it under control. I don’t need help.”

She crosses her arms. “It’s not always about you, Mr Hero. The Crusaders are away, so upperclassmen–” she snorts and corrects herself “–
able-bodied
upperclassmen are supposed to be guarding.”

Chi rolls his eyes. “That’s a BS job and you know it.”

“Your orders are to protect the school, whether you like it or not.”

“A Crusader school hasn’t been attacked in centuries, if ever. I’m needed in the field – I’m better than anyone who graduated last year, they should have let me finish early.”

She’s unimpressed. “Well, they didn’t.”

“Aw, come on Jo, the demons were practically on our turf this time,” Chi argues. “There wasn’t anyone else to take care of it, so I needed to.”

“You didn’t
need
to do anything – demons are attacking people everywhere.” She scolds him like he’s a naughty schoolboy. A neat trick since he’s at least six inches taller than she is. “You only went after these because you could make it back to school before you were caught.” She narrows her eyes at him. “Or so you thought.”

Chi switches tracks and looks charmingly sheepish. He takes a step closer and scratches the back of his head, making his triceps bulge gloriously. “Well, I’m not going to say it didn’t help that it was so convenient…”

Unfortunately for him, she’s not easily charmed.

“It was reckless and irresponsible–”

He cuts her off with a groan and an eye-roll. “You used to be more fun, Jo – you used to have balls.”

“Yeah, well, I traded them for brains. I see you’re still thinking with yours.”

Haha, I fight the urge to like her.

“If I hadn’t, she would have died.” He points to where I crouch, peeking around the loveseat. I let my crouch collapse into a cower. Jo turns, obviously surprised to see me.

“Who is that?” If a fish could be furious, it would gape like Jo.

“The girl I rescued,” Chi brags.

Ah, my poor ego, to be so defined!

“What’s your name?” she demands.

I consider lying, but don’t – they’re both going to die anyway. Besides, Mom always said honesty is the best policy. I frown. Obviously not a policy she kept.

“Meda,” I whisper, back to playing the innocent victim. I shuffle out from behind the loveseat, keeping my head lowered and my eyes on the floor.

“You live here?” she demands with all the gentleness of a fifteenth-century Spanish priest.

“Yes.” That’s sort of true. I’ve been here two weeks, which is longer than I stay anywhere these days. Silent seconds pass and I peek to see what is happening. Jo is examining me, taking in the cut on my face and my bloodstained nightgown.

“What happened to you?” Her tone is edged with suspicion.

I let my voice tremble when I answer. I actually am a little trembly – the attack
was
traumatic. “I was attacked by demons.” Also sort of true, though not where the blood came from. She eyes me and I don’t like the expression I see there. Analyzing, calculating.

“Whose blood is that?”

“A nurse here,” I say, again lowering my eyes. “He didn’t make it.” Both true.

“Why would the demons come here?”

“To kill me.” That one’s barely true. They came because of some alarm I triggered, but I don’t really know whether they planned to kill me. That’s just how things ended up going. Dancing closer to that edge!

“Why?” How to answer that one without lying? Blast.

I open my mouth to lie when Chi cuts in, saving the day. “It’s obvious. She’s a Beacon.”

That isn’t true at all, but I didn’t say it. I guess it really depends where you stand on the whole lie-by-omission thing. Personally, I’m on the fence.

“We need to bring her back to the school with us,” Chi adds.

Jo stares at me for a few more awkward seconds before turning to him. “Can I talk to you for a minute?
Alone?
” She tosses a brittle smile in my direction before limping around the corner, from the lobby into a hallway. Chi smiles more genuinely, then follows her.

“We’ll be right back,” he assures me as they disappear around the corner.

Now’s the time to kill them, while they talk. Although, if left alone long enough, there’s a good chance they’ll kill each other.

Chi will be first, as the bigger threat, then the gimp. I creep towards the corner, padding on silent feet. I peek around and can’t see them, but I can hear them. I move towards the voices, coming from a room a few doors down.

“You met her for, like, two seconds – how can you possibly not like her?” Incredulous, from Chi, my stalwart defender.

“I didn’t say I don’t
like
her, I said I don’t
trust
her.”

“Still!”

There’s a pause then Jo says, “She’s too… slick. Smooth.” Jo knows I’m wrong, but she can’t quite put her finger on it.

Hehe, because it’s too slippery.

“What? What does that even mean?”

Ah, the dismissive tone of know-it-all boys. But I know what she means. Of course I’m slick, smooth. My soul slithers, my face is a porcelain mask. All the evidence of my flaws is spackled over and sanded smooth – like a home-seller hiding the wicked cracks that evidence a poor foundation. Lies are smooth, deceit is smooth, slime is smooth, slithery slick smoothness of something very, very wrong.

Jo growls in frustration – at her inability to find the words or Chi’s inability to find a brain, I’m not sure. I creep closer and peer into the room. They’re in my sights, just feet away, standing in front of the only furniture in the room, a grey metal bed. Chi’s back is to me. Ideal.

“Well, why do you trust her so much? You only just met her.”

“I just have a feeling about her.”

A silent beat from Jo. “You’re an idiot.”

I’m in complete agreement, but she seems to think it’s a bad thing.

“She could be a demon for all you know!” Jo continues.

Yes, yes, she could. A wicked, crouching demon about to dive from the dark.

“No, she couldn’t. I would know if she was a demon.” He holds out something chained to his jeans and waves it at her. I roll up on the balls of my feet. Now, before he uses that thing…

“Well, you wouldn’t know if she’s a halfling, now, would you?”

Wait, what? He wouldn’t?

WHAM. The front door again. You’ve got to be kidding me – this is getting ridiculous.

I take two giant bounds down the hallway, almost bringing me into the lobby, then turn one-eighty and pretend that I’m running away from the lobby just as Chi and Jo race out of the bedroom, holy globes and guns in hand. I decide to let the two of them discover the identity of lucky guest number six, so drop behind them.

My eyes are on the entryway, but my mind is somewhere else. The gimp said Chi can’t sense halflings. Opportunity wars with risk as possibilities play out in my mind. I could infiltrate the Crusaders, snatch the secrets out from under their noses and then disappear. If they catch me, I’m toast. But if they don’t…