The Ghost and the Darkness Volume 1 (The Fallocaust Series Book 2) (12 page)

Reaver being dead
. What an odd thing to say, though it also led to the question... one I didn’t have the nerve to ask when Elish had let me silently slip into Aras to get the cat and my friend’s things:

“So, you’re on our side?” I asked, breaking my eye contact from him. I felt exposed under that intense gaze, stripped down and vulnerable and not in a fun way.

Elish seemed amused by this question; perhaps it was a stupid one considering everything he had already done for us.

“There are no sides; there is only what has to be done and what has to be prevented. If you need the solidarity to help you sleep though, yes Reno, I am on your side.” A small smile raised the corners of his lips, though his eyes were still cold. “Everything has worked out rather perfectly. I am impressed with how it all came together.”

My face darkened, his smile seemed to mock every tear I had shed for Leo and Greyson, Killian and Reaver. I tightened my lip, refusing to succumb to the soothing feelings the sedatives were giving me. “Your chimera is dead, so is his partner. Killian and Reaver are hundreds of miles from their homes. How can you say that?”

Elish’s face didn’t move, not even a pull of his bottom lip. “Because Silas doesn’t have Reaver or Killian, or you for that matter. That is what Lycos and Greyson died for, to keep Reaver safe and hidden. He’s safe now and he’s hidden.”

I pushed down the hole in my chest, feeling the soft fabric tense under my tightening grip on the sheets. He was right when you consider the bigger picture but my heart was still broken from what had transpired.

I was a greywaster far from home and my friends, in the hive of the enemy. The big picture was too massive and far away from my vision to find much relief in it.

“It’s amusing to me... not once have you asked of your own fate.” To show his amusement I saw a sardonic smile creep onto his face. It did nothing to lighten his cold countenance; if anything it made my hackles rise. Elish looked even more sociopathic than Reaver and that was saying a lot.

“I don’t care what happens to me,” I said honestly, busying my fidgeting hands with the sheets resting over my bandaged and bruised body. The aching gnaw in my gut seemed temporarily silenced by the drug they had given me. “I just want to make sure Reaver and Killian are safe, and Silas doesn’t have them.”

Elish shook his head and tented his hands like a mage about to conjure a spell. “Silas is dead, and he’ll stay that way for the next several weeks if not more. Reaver and the deacons did a fair number on him. That will give me more than enough time to make preparations ensuring their safety which you will be helping me with.”

My eyes widened; Elish drank it up with a smile. “I see, now you’re wondering your own fate.”

I didn’t trust that smile. It was out of place on his face, it just radiated sinister thoughts. “What do you need me for? Aren’t I already your pet?”

“Oh, you are about to become more than that,” Elish said quietly. “You want to help your friends, no?”

“I would do anything for them.”

And with that I learned my fate. I learned just what his plans for me were.

“Reno, you will be going undercover for me, and you will be retrieving a certain key card I am going to need. It’s for a lab in a place called Kreig, where your friend Reaver was born.”

I gaped at him. “Undercover? Like I’m going to be James Bond?”

Elish gave me that look, I think everyone knows what that look is. A pained and almost pleading look where the person tries to convince himself he just didn’t hear that.

Elish chose to ignore me. “I left Skytech many years ago, so my rooting around the archives would bring attention to me I do not want. You’ll get that card for me and give it to Luca.”

I swallowed hard, feeling a prickle of excitement form in my stomach. I was going to be useful? I had a mission like Reaver and Tinky did? I had never been important before.

“How? How am I supposed to get in there? Like you want me to be a burglar or something?”

Elish shook his head and tented his hands with a thin smile. Then he told me something that I think I knew would change my life forever.

“I will be selling you to my brother, the president of Skytech, Garrett Dekker.”

Back to my place on the couch. I stared at the white, spotless ceilings and felt Biff nuzzling my hand, which was hanging off of the couch. Luca was lying with his back against my body, taking care for his back not to hit my sore stomach. I played with his wavy blond hair out of habit.

Luca loved styling his hair, and at Elish’s request he had been let loose on me too. Elish wanted me to remain low profile while Silas was healing. I would get a new name that Garrett would give me, and an altered appearance.

I had wanted to dye my hair platinum blond but apparently it would clash with my darker features and look weird according to Mr. Beautician Luca. Instead Luca had tried silver hair dye on me, and with some hair clipping and layering, had styled me to look like quite the twink. With the hair dye to start off and a pill I would take once a month the colour would remain.

I wanted to ask if it would change
other places
I had hair but Elish had been in the room.

To my delight I also had gotten new clothes since I had been released from the hospital. I was too tall and lanky to fit into Luca’s clothes but Jade’s fit almost perfectly. So on top of being a silver fox now I also had a wide variety of brothel-ready clothing. I felt hilarious wearing them at first, but now I had embraced the fact that under all that muck and dirt... I was fucking hot.

Reaver would’ve laughed at me, laughed until he cried. Killian might blush under my skimpy clothing but deep down the little knuckle head would like it.

I missed those two; every day I missed them more.

Until I went back where I belonged Luca would be my Killeaver replacement. He loved being touched. I couldn’t blame him living with two Reavers. I might need to buy myself a servant. It was easier than finding a boyfriend. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about him being the king of the greywastes like my last potential boyfriend.

I filed that thought away under
‘Possible Solution for Loneliness.’

“Is there any special chimera protocol I need to follow?” I asked after the show had ended, we were watching a commercial. Tomorrow I would be leaving this place and moving into Garrett’s skyscraper, a towering building in the middle of Skyland affectionately called Skytower. The one I was living in was Elish’s skyscraper, Olympus. Each god damn chimera (except twin chimeras shared) had their own palace in the sky. They really knew how to live it up here.

Luca shifted around a bit; he turned over so I could see his face. “Respect, just be very respectful. But being around you, you don’t have to worry, you’re very tame. Garrett will like that.”

I snorted, amused at his choice of words. It was like he was talking about a pack of wild animals, which was true for some of them.

Though there were obviously a few wild animals still here. I poked a long silver scar on Luca’s shoulder. “I’ve only seen Jade twice, but it doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together. Elish beats the shit out of you guys doesn’t he?”

Luca’s face whitened and I saw his green eyes go wide; he sat up and scanned the apartment. Most likely expecting Elish to be hiding in a corner somewhere with a whip.

“Listen to Elish, that’s all. Jade doesn’t and I well, I’m just as sengil, I get treated well but sometimes I am disobedient, though Master Elish hasn’t struck me in years.” Luca rose and I sat up with him. I pushed my feelings of guilt down and decided to continue pressing him for information.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked curiously. I picked up my crutches and grimaced as I rose.

“Elish loves a challenge, Jade was a slumrat Morosian, but very popular in the slums. He caught Elish’s eye and he took him as a pet and broke him as you would a wild animal.” Luca slunk his head and picked up a duster he had put down when I had asked him to watch TV with me. He started to distract himself with cleaning, typical of the sengil. “Garrett is the president of Skytech; he’s no Elish, not at all. I clean for him sometimes or stay with him when Elish gives me leave. He’s always friendly towards me, even though I am just a sengil.”

I watched him in silence as he buzzed around the room with a thirst to clean that suggested it was more a disorder than a command.

More questions burned in my throat. I walked over to the dispenser and grabbed myself a glass of hot water for tea. Tea was everywhere in Elish’s apartment, any kind you wanted. Elish was a complete tea fiend.

“And I have to find folders with key cards to get into Kreig?” I whispered, more to myself than him. I ran over Elish’s instructions for me, I had done it again and again over the past several days. It was simple in theory but right now it seemed so complicated it made my gut sour. Elish was depending on me.

Elish needed to get into Kreig, with Reaver and Killian. That was where Reaver was born, and there was information imperative to the plan he had been forming in his head for god knows how long.

‘It all depends on you, Reno, get the card key and give it to Luca if I am not here.’

My throat moved as I swallowed that information, like a jagged pill it stuck in my throat. I didn’t want this to be dependant on me. I had spent waking nights in my bedroom worrying myself sick over the fact that this part of the plan was on my incompetent ass.

And it really was all up to me, it wasn’t something Elish could do himself. Elish had stopped being involved in Skytech years ago, a very rough departure on bad terms (I think a factory explosion that supposedly incinerated their chimera brother might have something to do with it). If Elish started nosing around now, after Reaver’s emergence, it would put a glaring spotlight on Elish that wasn’t wanted. Especially considering he
was
hiding Reaver.

There for, I would soon be officially stripped of my title as greywaster and now I was Garrett’s cicaro. It would show up on my census blood tests and everything.

Oh, how life can change so suddenly.

The next day was the day I would meet my new master. I took it all in stride, admittedly I was rather curious. Luca and Elish had both told me he was a friendly guy but a bit socially inept. He could close a deal and grow chimeras in microwave tubes but he was rather unlucky with men. Luca had even told me a story about how Garrett dragged him off to a fancy pub to make a waiter jealous when he scorned his advances... it had ended with the guy being shot in the head.

Shot in the fucking head.

Chimeras.

But I knew chimeras and I knew them well. So I was probably going to be a maid and a sex doll. As long as he didn’t smack me around I was okay with that. I hadn’t even stroked one out since I had gotten shot. Too painful and my head was swimming with too many troubles to think about it. It might be fun, chimeras were hot and they all had smoking hot bodies to make up for their inbred personality disorders.

I inhaled a deep breath and checked myself out in the mirror. I shook my head at the bizarre person staring back at me. Silver hair and bangs, a little past my ear and flipped out at the ends. My eyebrows manicured and shaped giving my face a thinner more fancy appearance. If Luca showed emotions he probably would’ve cried when he was done with me. I could tell he was proud of his handiwork. I think I was a project to him. I wonder if he had done the same to Jade.

I saw movement beside me and I turned to see Luca with a box. I raised an eyebrow as it moved, and a moment later I heard a mournful mew.

Oh, it’s Biff... I hadn’t thought about if I would be bringing him, I guess he was officially my cat now. I watched as Luca stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth to try and balance the crate and gave him a smile.

“Do you want to keep him for now? I’m sure once all this shit is done Killian and Reaver will want him back, but that might take a while. Why don’t you take him?”

Luca’s face lit up, at the same time Elish glided out of his bedroom, fixing his gloves back onto his hands; he was all dressed up and ready to go.

He gave us both looks as we turned towards him and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. I guess two boys and a moving box must’ve looked questionable to him. At this point Biff gave another somber meow.

I smiled at him and gathered up all my charisma. “Elish, can the cat stay here with Luca?”

Elish glanced over at us; at the same time Luca put down the crate and ran over with Elish’s coat in hand.

I took this moment to open the crate and pick up the cat; then I held Biff up to my face with a goofy grin.

Elish only stared at me flatly; probably counting down the moments to when I left his apartment.

“Would that please you, Luca? He’s not a kitten, every request you’ve made has been for a kitten,” Elish replied casually.

Luca’s soft face lit up and he put his hands behind his back. “I don’t mind, he’s very well behaved, Master, and his white fur will not clash with your furniture. He’s lazy and calm... if, if it’s okay with you...” Luca let the last part drag.

“Well, I suppose you finally got your cat then, very well, he may stay but the cat hair must be put to a minimum.” Ice Man looked down as Biff started hovering around his legs, meow-purring at him in a tone that almost made him sound like a hopper.

Behind Elish and out of his vision Luca broke his usual calm placid look with a big smile, even jumping up and down twice before he got his composure back.

“Thank you, Master!” Luca’s voice raised a couple more octaves; then he ran towards Elish and started straightening up Elish’s robes and shirt. He was vibrating excitement.

Once Elish was prepared to go, he said something quietly to Luca, who nodded and ran off. I waited by the door with my hands behind my back for something to happen.

When Luca returned a minute later he was holding something leather and studded in his hand. I felt my eyebrows raise and my mouth purse to the side when I realized it was a collar, not unlike what Jade wore.

Elish walked up to me in a strolling gait and without a word of permission (obviously) he put it around my neck; then a tinkle of chains as he hooked on what looked like a leash.

He handed the leather handle to me and I took it. I don’t know why but I immediately tried to pull myself with my own leash. I coughed, feeling it constrict my neck.

“Very suiting, Cicaro,” Elish said, with a biting smile that suited his cold face like a tight-fitting glove.

I decided then even with the collar, I would always be Reno.

I growled at him like a dog and bared my teeth at him as comically stupid as I could. I saw the faint hint of a smile on Elish’s face, so I took it as a win.

With a last fleeting goodbye to Luca, though not for long since he did come to clean and I would need someone to watch TV with, I left the apartment with Elish in front of me and we made our way to the elevator.

I stood in my own silence. My bags were already there though I didn’t have very much to my name. I was the only one missing now.

The next couple of hours would shape the next month or longer. Longer if Garrett wasn’t the nice guy everyone had told me. No matter what though, I had to get into the Skytech office and find those papers, no matter what it took. My goal was clear in front of me; I knew what I had to do.

“Do you have any pointers for him?” I asked as the elevator started to descend to the lobby. Chimeras might not mind awkward silence but it always drove me nuts.

Elish was quiet for a moment, I tried to read his face but of course I couldn’t. The chimera stared forward, his purple, cold eyes unblinking. His long blond hair falling way past his shoulders, only shortening slightly to form long bangs in the front.

“Did you know my cicaro is an empath?” Elish finally replied. The elevator doors separated and we both walked into the large and elegantly decorated lobby. A young woman stood in the corner behind a black wood desk, tapping away at the computer until her eyes realized Elish was the one coming from the elevator. I watched as she stood up and bowed to him, even though she was ten feet away in a corner.

“No, I didn’t, what’s that?” I asked. I stayed a foot behind him as we walked across the lobby. I had seen Jade and Luca do the same and I decided to start practicing my pet skills.