Beyond the Veil (16 page)

  I sat on the edge of the couch with the sword across my lap. I was safe here. Stefan would be back soon. Why not get it over with? I ran my finger down the sharp edge, watching a bright red droplet of blood gather at my fingertip before dripping freely on to the floor. I curled my fingers into my palm and waited for the blood to pool, then smeared it over both hands. When I placed my hands gently on the blade, the images rushed me so suddenly I jerked rigid, sucking in a gasp.

  The lakeside house and its comfortable decor vanished. The lake and mountains beyond became a distant dream. I could see, hear and smell the city. The noise, the lights, the colors. The images printed themselves on my thoughts, stamping over one another in their rush to be seen. I struggled to keep up, my breathless panting and the rush of blood in my ears all that anchored me to my body.
The sword plunged through flesh. I cried out, then, now, in my head. I couldn
’
t see who it was, but I heard his liquescent gasps, lungs bubbling with blood.

 
Voices, male. The room spun. The city lights behind the windows swirled like fireflies in the air. Red coat, a smiling face.
Use this,
Akil said, tossing the sword at the man in the red coat. He caught the sword, snatching it from the air with one hand, a half-smile pulling at his lips. The image shattered, fragmenting into hundreds of pieces before each sliver rushed back together, pulled as if by a magnetic force. I saw the blade sink into a man
’
s chest again, felt the metal carve precisely through muscle and lung tissue. He choked on the rising blood, spluttering it over his lips as he fell forward. I saw his face.

 I knew him.

 Sam.

 The sheer wave of horror tore me from the vision, thrusting me back into my trembling body like an unwelcome visitor. My stomach lurched. A disorientating pain sliced through my skull. I couldn
’
t breathe, couldn
’
t think, could barely remember where I was. All I saw was Sam
’
s face and the fear and confusion in his eyes. Hunched over, I sunk my fingers into the rug beneath me, digging my nails in as a wretched groan escaped from my lips.

 
“Muse…”

 
Stefan
’
s hand rested on my back. His touch ignited the fury within me. I snapped my head up, snarling at him.
“
Get away from me.
”

  He lifted his hands in surrender, leaning back on his knees, a muscle jumping in his jaw as he gritted his teeth.
“
I was there, but I had no hand in what he did.
”

  A sob bubbled up my throat, followed by another. I tried to keep it all inside, to blockade the rush of grief, but sorrow swept aside what little strength I had left. Collapsing back against the couch, I covered my eyes with my bloodied hand, not wanting to witness or believe what I
’
d seen.
“
Not Sam
…”
I choked on the words as cool tears trickled over my cheeks.
“
Not him.
”

 
Stefan
’
s hand pressed lightly on my shoulders. His grip tightened as I trembled.

 
“
Don
’
t.
”
I shoved at him, pushing him away.
“
Don
’
t touch me.
”
But he caught my hand, then my arm. I tried to tug free, needing to retreat, but his grip tightened, preventing me from fighting him and then his arms closed around me, holding me close to his chest. Trapped against him, listening to the sound of his steady heartbeat, the fight in me evaporated, and I couldn
’
t hold back any longer. I cried so hard the sobs wracked my shivering body. I clutched his shirt in my hands and buried my head against him, welcoming the embrace as though it could block out the truth, shut out all the anguish and pain. My element thrashed inside me, but the demon slunk back, cowering at my core. Perhaps it was Stefan
’
s embrace that held her back, or the symbols on the walls, because I didn
’
t feel the raging heat that I should have. I just felt fragile and alone.

I sat at the end of the jetty with the shimmering water of the lake all around me. The cold wind teased through my hair and nipped at my face, forcing me to hunker down and tug Stefan
’
s heavy leather coat around me, pulling my legs against my chest. But I wasn
’
t going inside. I couldn
’
t. Not yet. Stefan had known. He
’
d known Sam was dead days ago, and he hadn
’
t said a word, preferring instead to force me to witness it firsthand.

 Akil had killed Sam. There was no denying it. No amount of lies could refute it. I
’
d seen it.

 
I remembered the message Sam had left me. A job, he
’
s said, one he couldn
’
t refuse. Akil. Phoenix Developments. The biggest property development firm in the city had invited Sam with the promise of a contract, and he
’
d gone willingly, walked right into Akil
’
s office with no idea he was meeting with one of the Seven Princes of Hell. I could imagine Akil
’
s charming greeting, his easy-going mannerisms, and all the while he was playing Sam for a fool.

 
I should have told Sam the truth about me. If I
’
d been straight with him, told him everything about me, he might still be alive. In trying to protect him, I
’
d left him exposed, like a lone sheep in a pack of wolves. Tears moistened my cheeks, but the sobs had died. I hugged my knees against me and watched the ripples on the lake. The wind hissed through the trees behind me. I felt Stefan watching me from inside, probably wondering whether he should leave me or intervene. He had better leave me.

 
Not a single word. He
’
d swaggered into my workshop.
I want you to read this blade
…
Why didn
’
t he just say,
“
Akil killed Sam and he
’
s coming after you?
”
What was so hard about that?

 
I thought of the phone messages I
’
d left for Sam. I
’
d said I was sorry, that I was wrong, that I was afraid. He would never hear those messages. I should never have got involved with him. He was a good man, one of the best. I wasn
’
t meant to have someone like that, tainted as I was. I should have stayed away. He
’
d died because of me. It didn
’
t matter how you looked at it. The blood was on my hands.

 
“
Come inside.
”
Stefan stood behind me. I hadn
’
t even heard him approach.

 
“
Screw you.
”
I sniffed. The wind whipped my hair across my face and in front of my eyes so that I had to raise a trembling hand to sweep it back.

 
“
Please. Just come inside.
”

 
“
You
’
re no better than Akil.
”
I rested my chin on my knee, teeth chattering against the cold.
“
For all I know, you
’
re working for him.
”

 
“
I am.
”

  I tensed and turned my head to look up at him.

 
Stefan crouched behind me.
“
At least, that
’
s what he believes.
”
He held out a hand, fingers curled lightly into his palm. His gentle smile tried to reassure me.
“
Come inside.
”

  I watched the wind tease his hair about his face. His brilliant eyes locked unblinking on mine.

 
“
How do you think I knew about your workshop?
”
he asked.
“
Knew what your demon name was, knew about your talent for reading metal? Akil hired me, Muse. He believes he hired an assassin. I was to play with you before killing you, and his involvement would never be revealed. But he
’
s been deliberately misled. I
’
m an Enforcer. I protect people like you, caught in the crossfire.
”
He paused, offering his hand again.
“
Come inside.
”

***

 
It felt good to wear properly fitting clothes again, even if they weren
’
t mine. Stefan had picked some up on his visit to town, guessing my size surprisingly well. Boot cut jeans and a white V-neck long-sleeved top. Simple, but comfortable, and that
’
s what I needed. I was a long way from home, and my life old was life torn to shreds. I had nothing to my name, literally nothing to call my own. Even the clothes on my back had been bought for me. I couldn
’
t go back to my apartment, and I dared not go back to Akil. There was no one else. Even Stefan
’
s motives were dubious. I had begun to trust him; why wouldn
’
t I? He
’
d been the one ray of light in this whole wretched nightmare, but I could no more trust him than I could Akil. By his own admission, he was working for Akil
—
hired to play with me and execute me.

 
Stefan planted a tub of chocolate ice cream on the kitchen table and handed me a spoon. We hadn
’
t spoken since his confession on the jetty, and in that time, the silence had begun to drag like a trawler net between us. Unspoken words weighed us down.

 
He saw me frowning at the ice cream.
“
What? Don
’
t tell me you don
’
t like ice cream?
”
He looked shocked enough that I had to smile.

 
“
Sure.
”
Ice cream before lunch? It was just a bit odd. That was all. I sat across the table from him and watched as he popped open the lid.
“
I gather you like ice cream?
”

  An eyebrow twitched comically.
“
Snow demon.
”
He shrugged.

  His oddly placed humor made it difficult for me to stay angry with him. Leaning forward, I sunk my spoon in into the ice cream, cracking the hard chocolate layer before scooping out a bite-sized chunk. It did taste pretty good.

 
“
I meant what I said.
”
He flicked those dazzling eyes to me before scooping out some ice cream for himself.
“
You
’
re safe here.
”

 
My smile fell short of meaningful.
“
I
’
ve never been safe. You think you being here makes me safe? Or the remote location? He
’
ll find me. Nobody escapes Akil. If he doesn
’
t
…
some other demon will. I
’
ve only survived this long because he protected me. I
’
ve always belonged to one demon or another. On my own
…
I
’
m vulnerable.
”

  He bowed his head, pressing his lips as though struggling to find the right words. When he looked up, he leaned on the table, closing the distance between us.
“
They lied to you. You
’
re not vulnerable. You
’
re powerful.
”
Pointing the spoon at me, he said in all seriousness,
“
They want us dead because we have it all.
”

 
“
What do you mean?
”
I jabbed at the ice cream with my spoon, chipping off frozen chunks.

 
“
They kill half-bloods because we
’
re dangerous, preferring to scrub us from existence rather than regret it later.
”

 
I licked my lips, twisting the spoon in my fingers. Akil had said something by the marina, right before he
’
d dragged my demon out of me.
There
’
s no such thing as half a demon.
I looked up at Stefan, meeting his eyes. A flicker of understanding passed between us.

 
“
They
’
ve lied to you since birth, Muse. It was that or kill you.
”

 
I laughed.
“
Okay, say I believe you. What makes us so terrifying?
”

 
“
We exist in both worlds. The veil means nothing to us. You and I, we can pass freely between realities. We have the ability to call upon a vast amount of power, not just in this world, but from across the veil too. Full-bloods can
’
t do that. Not even a Prince of Hell can do that.
”

 
I grunted disbelievingly.
“
Right. Even if that were true, I could never contain that much power. It
’
d tear me open
…”
He looked at me in such a way that I felt a tickle of excitement dance across my skin. Those eyes peered through his lashes. A crooked smile lifted his lips at one corner.
“
You
’
ve done it
…
Haven
’
t you?
”
I whispered.

 
“
Twice.
”
He jabbed his spoon into the ice cream.
“
It
’
s not easy to control, but I can show you. I need to show you if we
’
re going to stop Akil.
”

 A flicker of hope skittered through me, a fleeting dash of possibility.
“
You
’
re not lying?
”

 
“No.”

  My demon shifted inside me, a curious resettling as though she were satisfied. I was not yet convinced.
“
No? Then why did you keep the truth from me?
”
I dropped my gaze.
“
About Sam.
”

 
“
I couldn
’
t trust you. If you cared for Akil as much as I thought you did and I told you he
’
d killed Sam, you wouldn
’
t have believed me. I tried to call you after it had happened. To warn you
…
but you
’
d have gone straight to Akil. I
’
m sorry I kept it from you
—
I am. But the only way you would believe me was to see it for yourself.
”

 
The white noise on my answering machine
—
the silent messages from Monday morning. They
’
d been from Stefan. That didn
’
t explain why Stefan had been there, in my vision. Why he had smiled when Akil had tossed him the sword.
“
I saw your expression. When I looked into that blade
…
You were there, right by Akil, when he killed Sam.
”

 
Stefan stabbed the spoon into the ice cream and left it there, leaning back in his chair.
“
I didn
’
t know who Sam was. I
’
d been about to leave
—
our business transaction was over with
—
when Sam arrived. I was late
—
he was early
—
whatever. Akil thought it would make the ideal opportunity to test my allegiance. I had no idea he was going to kill him in front of me.
”
Stefan rubbed a hand across his face.
“
The plan was to infiltrate Akil
’
s operation. We
’
d set up the assassin identity and put the word out, knowing he
’
d eventually bite.
”

 
“
You and Ryder did this? You set Akil up from your garage and Ryder
’
s kitchen? I find that hard to believe. Akil
’
s got people everywhere. He
’
d have checked you out.
”

 
Stefan crossed his arms and leaned back.
“
It
’
s not just Ryder and me. There are others. The Enforcers don
’
t stop with me. You think Akil
’
s got people everywhere? You don
’
t know the half of it.
”

 
It was a great deal to take in, and I wasn
’
t entirely sure I believed any of it. I set my spoon down on the table, wondering what other secrets were out there. I
’
d been sheltered by my demon owners
—
I knew that
—
and later by Akil. Frankly, I hadn
’
t gone looking for trouble.

 
“
Why me?
”
I asked.
“
Akil hired you to kill me, right? So
…
Would you have done it? How far were you meant to go?
”

 
“
When he told me you were a half-blood
…
I knew
—
I knew I couldn
’
t hurt you.
”
Stefan
’
s chair scraped back as he stood. He moved to the kitchen cupboards where the view captured his attention and held onto it.
“
I had no intention of hurting anyone. It was a ruse to get in
…”

 
I waited, sensing he had more to say. He turned and rested back against the countertop, facing me.
“
I
’
ve not met a half-blood before
—
someone like me.
”
The perpetual smile had vanished, and I realized he felt the loneliness as keenly as I did. A lifetime of persecution. I had no idea what he
’
d been through, but being different was never going to be easy. He might not have suffered as I had, at least not physically, but that didn
’
t mean he wasn
’
t hurting.