Dark Calling (53 page)

She drops to her knees beside him and rolls him over
.  His shirt is drenched in
blood.  She knows she has to stop the bleeding, but first they need out of here and away from these Demons. 

She looks around the room again for anything she may have missed earlier.  The Demons are keeping their distance from her and Bryon.  They haven’t touched them once.  In fact, they appear to be purposely stalling.  Or maybe confused.

Keely pats Bryon’s pockets.  Finds his phone.  Even as she pulls the slim cell phone from his jeans and begins to dial, they do nothing to stop her.  And that’s when it hits her.

This is a trap.

Keely ends the call before it has a chance to r
ing.  She stands quickly.  P
uts one leg on each side of Bryon’s waist.  Bends o
ver and clasps his hands.  P
ulls him up to a sitting position.  He grunts in pain, grinding his teeth.

“I’m sorry, but we have to get outside.  It’s our only chance.”  She takes quick, short steps backwards, pulling him to his feet
.  D
rags his arm around her shoulder and takes the waist of his jeans firmly as she moves him forward.

The cat eyed De
mon towers in front of the door
unmoving, but his eyes flick quickly to the other Demons.

“I’m going out that door.  One way or another.”

“Prince Apophis-
”

“Get out of my way.  Now.”

His cat eyes reflect the setting sun as he looks back at her.  She holds his gaze.  “That
is an order from your Princess,
”
she says strongly.

His eyes dart to the side, to his friends for help.  Kee
ly doesn’t take her eyes off
him, so she doesn’t know what travels between them unspoken, but the Demon takes one large step to the side clearing the door.

She doesn’t try to open it
, just kicks out the last chunk of glass and finagles her way through
,
pulling Bryon with her.  He
suck
s
a breath through his teeth and
she
looks back at him
.  A piece of glass scrapes across his shoulder drawing more blood.  She nearly lets go of him, but he begins to fall and she squeezes him instead.
 

“Almost there.”

Apophis appears as if from thin air.  Leans against Bryon’s car like she would do sometimes afte
r school.  But he’
s no
t a
friend.

Keely stops so abruptly, Bryon sways beside her.  Apophis looks up as if just noticing them and clips the tip of a cigar.  “Where
are
you going
dear sister?”

“He’s hurt.  H
e needs to go to the hospital.  Please.”

Apophis tsks.  “Not yet.”  He leans close to her as if sharing a secret.  “I’m waiting on someone.”  He lights the cigar.  Puffs of thick smoke swirl around them.

“Who?”  Her voice quivers over the one wor
d.  She knew this was a trap, b
ut she hadn’t called
anyone
for help.  But she wouldn’t necessarily have to
she realizes
.  “Asmoday.”

Apophis winks at her.  “Clever little kitten.”

Thirty-Four
:

Though this was not how he intended on the evening playing out, Apophis carries forth with what is left of his plan.  It would have been better if he
had Keely in his possession, h
idden away in a realm.  Asmoday would
have felt
the loss of their connection.  The agony would have brought him to his knees.  He would have folded like a piece of paper, agreeing to anything Apophis had of
fered.  He’
ll have to revise
his plan
as he goes.  But i
t
could still work i
f he plays
his hand just right.

While he waits for Asmoday to show, Apophis watches Keely struggle to hold the boy up.  She is so small next to him.  He wo
nders if she even realizes she’
s covered in his blood. 
He’s cu
rious if she is at all enchanted
,
the way he is
,
by the sensation of hot, sticky blood on one’s skin.  With a long pull on his cigar, he fantasizes about trailing his tongue over her arms, her hands, her fingers.  Licking her body clean of the Watcher’s sweet vital fluid.  How much
blood
has he lost?  His wound must be deep.  Apophis hopes the boy is strong enough.  Hopes he makes it until Asmoday arrives.

“What is taking him so long?”  He grins at Keely.  Crosses his legs at the ankle.   “
It makes me
wonder if he truly cares about you
at all.  If it were me, I would have been here by now.”  He tosses the cigar and places his hands in the pockets of his suit jacket.  “He isn’t looking to
o
good.”  Apophis gestures at Bryon with an elbow.

“Please,”
Keely plead
s.  “Just let us go to the hospital.”

Apophis glowers at her.  “Do no
t beg for his life.  It’s pathetic.”  He adjusts his expression, aiming for indifference.  “Of course, if you come with me willingly, we could make arrangements.  Contact an ambulance.”

Keel
y stares at him.  He knows she’
s tempted.  But not stupid.  He enjoys the torment that passes over her featur
es as she weighs her choices a
nd it occurs to him that
,
though she is not stupid, she is selfless.  He can’t help himself, he straightens his lazy posture
.  Fights against the smile that wants to spread his lips.  She is going to do it.  She is going to give herself over to him. 
Her life for an ambulance.  It’
s almost funny, h
ow little she thinks of herself.  How much importance she places on this boy’s life.

“Look, dick, she is not going anywhere with you,” Bryon says.  His voice is cocky and hateful, but weak.  His skin is an ashen white from blood loss.  The skin around his eyes is dark.  Sweat beads at his hairline.  No, there is not much time left for him at all.

“Though I do enjoy a foul mouth,” Apophis begi
ns, “I don’t think your heart i
s really in it.  You are dying.  You know it.”  He nods his head at Keely.  “She knows it.  And I know it.”  He takes a step bringing himself just inches from Bryon’s face.  “You can’t stop me.”

“
But
I can.”

Apophis
stiffens.  Puts a smile on his face.  As he turns, he catches the twitch of Keely’s lips.  “
Well, well.  It is about time.  I was beginning to think you weren’t going to show,” Apophis calls.

Asmoday looks past Apophis.  His eyes rake over Keely.  His heart races at the sight of the blood.  It takes him a moment to see through his panic.  He takes in the sight of Bryon.  Observes the way his weight rests on Keely. 
Eyes slide back to her. 
“Are you hurt?”

“No.  Just Bryon.  It’s ba
d.  He needs to get to a doctor
,” Keely exp
lains.  Her voice is choked with
worry.

Asmoday reaches out his hand.  “Come on.”

Apophis laughs loudly.  “Do you really think I went to all this trouble just for you to swing by and pick her up?”

“Come on, Keely,” Asmoday says again.

Apophis jerks Keely’s arm, knocking Bryon to the ground.  “
We need to
make a
rrangements first.  A treaty
, if you will.”

“Let her go or I will kill you.”  Asmoday fixes Apophis with a glare that makes Keely cower away
.  She has never seen him look so much like a…a Demon.  “We both know I can do it.”

“There has been talk.  Of war,” Apophis says as if Asmoday never spoke.  He squeezes Keely’s arm, twisting it in a vice like grip.  She gasps and tries to pull away.

“Do not harm her,
”
Asmoday warns.

“Of course.  I wouldn’t dream of it.  N
ot as long as we can come to an
agreement.”
  Apophis puts his lips to Keely’s ear.  “Your friend is running out of precious time.  You may want to help move things along.”

“Asmoday, please.  Do whatever he wants,” Keely cries.  She looks down at Bryon and tears fall from her lashes.

Asmoday drops his eyes.  “What do you want?”

“Your allegiance.”

Asmoday glares at the ground.  Shakes his head before raising his eyes to Apophis.  “What do I get in return?”

Asmoday shrugs casually.  “I won’t kill her.”

“Ever,” Asmoday amends.
  “And you let her go.”

Apophis laughs again.  Releases Keely’s arm.  “I never really wanted to
hurt her
anyway.
  You know how I enjoy beautiful things.”

“No,” Bryon murmurs.

“Too late, Watcher.”  Apophis gazes at Asmoday.  “It’s done.”

Asmoday nods, a slight incline of his head and Apophis vanishes in a blur.

Keely drops to the ground next to Bryon.  “Help me get him in the car,” she cries.  “We have to get him help.”

“My way is a bit speedier.”

Asmoday picks Bryon up as though he were a child.  “What have you done?”  Bryon’s blue lips barely move.

“
What I had to,
”
Asmoday says.

***

Keely sits in the waiting room staring
at the dried blood caked under her finger nails
.  Asmoday sits beside her, still and quiet and cold as an ice sculpture.
  His hands ache to pull her close
to him.  To hug her tightly.  Inhale
her familiar scent, reassuring him that she is all right.
  Because right now, all he feels from her is a frigid numbness.  It reminds him
of the eerie stillness of a forest before a storm. 

Asmoday also feels a certain numbness of his own.  His entire body thrums with it.  He has never in his life felt the terror he experienced tonight.  Even when the Demon King would threaten
to feed him to the Rapax Demons
,
he hadn’t been this frightened.  Not even when
he
sliced his palm to allow his blood
to
drip into their pit,
teasing them with a taste as th
ey twitched and clawed their zombie-like
bodies
toward him
,
licking where their lips had once been.  That was the most terror Asmoday had ever known until an hour ago.  Because it wasn’t fear for his own life.  It was for hers.
  And that fear sits like dead weight
in his stomach.  How did he get here?  From not understanding what love meant, let alone feeling it for anyone, to loving so completely, so thoroughly that it threatens to tear him apart from the inside out.  And she doesn’t come close to comprehending the depth of his devotion. 
She couldn’t possibly.

He is certain she does not care for him the way he cares for her.  Would she trade everything she knows for him?  Would she leave her life behind just for fleeting moments with him?  Would she do anything to protect him?  Would she, could she
,
die for him?  He doesn’t allow himself much time to ponder these questions, and not just because he’s positive the answers are no, but because he wouldn’t want them to be yes.  His life means nothing.  She is everything.  She is what matters and she should never sacrifice anything for the likes of him.

“Keely,” Nick sighs, relief coloring his tone thickly.  “What happened?” 

Keely looks up, tears in her eyes.  “He was protecting me.  They won’t let me see him.  Won’t tell me anything.  I’m not family.” 

Nick’s gaze
draw
s
slowly over her.  Take
s
in the big eyes, messy, blood streaked hair.  Flinches at the fresh bruises on her neck that cover the old yellowing ones.  Hovers on the red brown of dried blood that coats her clothing.
  “Is any of that yours?”

She looks down at herself.  Eyes go wide.  She begins to tremble.  Shakes her head slowly.  “Not mine.  All his.”

Nick’
s eyes dart over to Asmoday, looking
as worried as he feels,
then squats in front of her.  He takes her hands in his.  “His parents are on their way.  We’ll find out how he is.  He’s strong.”

“He lost so much blood, Nick.”  She stares at her shirt again.  “I can’t lose him.  I can’t…”

Nick pulls her in for a hug.  “Shh.  It’s o.k.”

Keely allows him to hug her for a moment before pulling away
.  “We don’t know that yet.  Please.  Just…  I just need…”