"Do you think he'll be alright out there on his own?" I asked Maeve as I teetered in my seat nervously and gazed out the window. The taunting night sky flashed an endless ocean of stars in my face, almost as if to give me a false sense of security.
"Hello? This is Kade we're talking about! None of us have ever been to this part of town before so he just wants to scout out the place. You know, make sure everything's safe," Maeve answered as she plopped a grape in her mouth. "Man, this hotel's got some good food," she added comically.
I looked over at Odis who was listening to the whole conversation and frowned deeply.
"Why didn't you go with him?" I asked impatiently.
He shrugged his shoulders, not seeming to be all that worried, and raised his hands in defense. "Hey, I tried! But he wouldn't let me come. Typical Kade for ya," he replied. I sighed heavily and shook my head, gazing down at the street outside the window.
We had started our little journey in search for Galendale: me, Kade, Odis, and Maeve (since no else was able to come), and made it through the first day without any problems. Kade seemed to know where he was going so we all followed his orders and went along with everything he said. Although it wasn't exactly planned, we ended up in an unknown part of Boston and had to find a hotel to stay at for the night. As Maeve said, we were waiting for Kade to get back since he had gone out for a bit to check for anything (or anyone) who could possibly be a threat to us. So far, after an hour, he hadn't returned.
"Aw! Someone's worried about her boyfriend!" Maeve teased as she chuckled at her own comment and caused Odis to join in. I rolled my eyes and kept my back turned towards them in an attempt to block them out.
"No. I'm worried about my friend, Maeve, and so should you two," I retorted and brushed my finger over the cold glass of the window.
"That's the point, Bella! You shouldn't be worried about him! Kade comes from a family of powerful warlocks. He'll be fine!" Maeve said as I stared at her reflection in the window. I took a deep, calming breath and tried to allow her words to reassure me, but something was keeping me at the edge of my seat.
Something didn't feel right.
I returned to staring back down at the dark street below and tapped my nails on the windowsill anxiously, feeling as if something was crawling up the back of my neck. Whatever it was made me feel like I was doing something wrong by just sitting around and waiting for Kade's return. So, I pushed back my chair, stood to my feet, and headed towards the door with no clue what I was planning to do.
"Hey, where are you going?" Maeve asked, finally sounding worried. She began to get up too but I raised my hand and signaled her to stop.
"You two stay here, I'm gonna... go out for a bit. Maybe I'll bump into Kade," I said quietly with a total lack of confidence. After eyeing Maeve and Odis carefully and ensuring their obedience, I slipped out the door and into the short hallway of the hotel. After a couple flights of stairs, my feet hit hard pavement and I was out into the chilly night air, intentions set on finding Kade and bringing his stubborn ass back safely.
But like I mentioned, it was freezing outside so I had to pull my arms tightly against myself and pray that Maeve's jean-like pants and blouse kept me warm. Against her word, I was still wearing the jacket I put on in my attic which didn't seem to gain me too many looks from people. I assumed it was because it was black and almost everyone during this time wore some kind of black covering.
The streets were still a bit lively, but not like they were during the day. There were couples walking hand-in-hand, single people enjoying walks, and others hurrying anxiously towards some objective. I scooted right by a few of each, being sure to keep my head low and not draw attention for some unknown reasons. Maybe I wanted to avoid any type of suspicion or conflict just so I could find Kade faster.
The problem was, though, I had no idea where to look first. I didn't know what is was like in Boston in 1903, so the question was: where would Kade check for danger? He would know where possible threats would lurk so the smart thing to do would be to check those places first, right? The only places that came to mind were your typical dark and gloomy alleyways, the only things I would think to search. So, I immediately began glancing down every alleyway I passed, listening and waiting for any sign of the boy.
But every one I examined: short, long, wide, and narrow, had nothing, not a thing. I passed at least fourteen on one street, and then eight on another. On the third one I lost count, but a random estimate led me to believe it was about seventeen.
It felt like I searched for hours, and I was sure Maeve and Odis were getting worried. The more I mindlessly ran around town started to make me even more worried about Kade. Did he really drift that far away? Or had I just missed something?
The latter sparked a funny feeling so I began back tracking my steps carefully, being sure I checked harder down every alley.
But before I could even get past the first two, a sudden yell pierced right through the cold air and made my ears ring. It sounded horrid, pitiful, almost as if whoever emitted it was in serious pain. I didn't take the time to think and took off running in the other direction, down more unknown streets that seemed to section off more than before. A couple more yells led me straight to the longest and widest alley I'd come in contact with tonight. It was extremely dim, barely any light from the street lamps reaching it, and casted an eerie feeling into my bones, making me shiver slightly.
I squinted my eyes and tried to make out the little bit of movement I saw shifting in the shadows about a dozen or more feet away. It was subtle and wouldn't be noticeable if someone wasn't paying close attention. Whatever was making the movements was low to the ground and glued to the wall, appearing to be a person sitting. I slowly crept forward as whoever it was groaned painfully and breathed loud and raspy breaths.
The sounds were too familiar to make me feel reassured.
When I closed a safe distance between me and the person, my heart stopped beating for a split second and sent cold blood through my veins.
It was Kade. And he was bleeding... badly.
I rushed forward without thinking any further and crouched in front of him, touching the arm he had pulled against his stomach. "Kade! What happened?" I asked frantically as I brushed a few strands of dark hair from his face. His face, bruised and bleeding, twisted in pain and he spit blood onto the ground beside us.
"Bella... no," he grumbled and shook his head slowly. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion when I tried to comprehend what he said. But before I could even process the thought any further, something slammed into my cheek and made me tumble a few feet away from Kade, skin scrapping concrete and bones hitting hard. I groaned in anger and pain and lifted my head weakly, meeting the grayish blue eyes of a young boy, seeming to be my and Kade's age. His hair was a strange dulled brown, and even in the dim lighting, I could see his handsome features that looked oddly similar to Kade's. But Kade easily outranked him.
"Well, well, well. Who is this pretty lady?" he asked, seeming amused by the situation. He walked a bit closer to me, stopped just a few feet away, and studied me hard with an intense gaze. I glared heavily at him and wiped blood dripping from a cut in my lip.
"Leave her alone, Trent," Kade griped warningly as he shifted uncomfortably and tried to recover himself. Unfortunately, it didn't work.
"Why should I Kayden? She's too pretty to abandon," the guy, apparently named Trent, cooed as he closed the remaining distance in between us and bent down to meet my eyes on a more even level. "Oh... purple eyes? How unique," he added quietly to himself. He suddenly grabbed my chin with his thumb and index finger and tilted my head back slowly. I tried to resist against his hold but my arms felt too weak, almost as if I wasn't controlling them.
His face etched closer to my exposed neck, and when I felt his hair brush my cheek and his nose touch my skin, I flinched and tried to squirm away. "My, you smell nice," he whispered seductively and brushed a few strands of hair from my face.
"Trent! Get off of her!" Kade yelled louder with sudden strength as he pushed himself closer to us. Trent didn't move away and caressed my left cheek with his hand.
I still couldn't move my arms, nor my legs.
"Oh, is she yours, Kayden? My bad; wouldn't want to take your girl," Trent responded without taking his eyes off mine.
"She's my friend, you sick bastard," Kade replied with the lack of strength as he collapsed against the wall again and coughed up more blood. Trent seemed oddly excited by his comment and smiled sadistically at me.
"Oh really?" he whispered and turned his head towards Kade. "So you wouldn't mind if I did this?" His lips suddenly crashed into mine and sloppily kissed me, as if he wanted to savor every second of it in a lazy way. I scowled behind the whole thing and tried to resist, but without the mobility in my limbs, I couldn't do anything but cringe madly.
Kade yelled without words and when I opened my eyes, I saw him trying to stand again. But alas, it still didn't work.
I groaned with disgust when Trent tried to gain access into my mouth with his tongue, desperately gripping my cheeks as if expecting me to allow it. I tried turning my head away but he followed.
Finally, he pulled away and brushed his finger over my bottom lip admiringly, still smiling sadistically. "Wow... she tastes nice, too. How is she not yours yet, Kayden? Aren't you curious to see how she performs in bed?" he asked in an daze while, again, not bothering to look away from me. My face twisted in greater disgust at his words.
"And you wonder why Dad was disappointed in you," Kade groaned, also in disgust, as he stared up at the sky painfully.
Dad? Don't tell me these two are...
"Father? You mean that low life scum? Why would I care what he thought of me? He's dead anyway so why bring up his memory?" Trent retorted, sounding a little less confident and allowing his smile to fade.
Kade turned his head towards us and smiled as if he knew he hit a weak spot. "You always cared what he thought. That's why you grew to hate me because you knew I was his favorite. He was disappointed in you. You never displayed any good potential," he said in a low voice.
"Shut the hell up," Trent ordered.
"I never understood your intentions, Trent," Kade defiantly continued. "One day you're doing everything you can to impress Dad and the next, you're hating his guts."
"Salazar helped me decide which side to choose."
Kade nodded slowly and stopped smiling, now frowning angrily. "Yeah, I guess he did... considering you just stood there while that bastard snapped his neck!"
"Oh, big brother Kade... when will you see that our father was nothing but a wimp, just like you!" Trent yelled as moved slightly to show me off to his brother. "Can't even protect your own 'friend'."
"Perverted bastard," I mumbled as his grip on my chin tightened. Suddenly, his eyes shot back to me and displayed something psychotic. He lowered his face and almost touched his nose to mine.
"Careful there, beautiful. Or I may have to wash out that dirty mouth of yours," he warned quietly.
"Try me," I tested shakily.
I heard Kade groan from afar and saw him shake his head. "Bella... no, don't-" was all he managed to say before Trent took action.
He forced his lips onto mine again and didn't bother to hold back at all. His tongue made it through my parted lips and tried to explore my mouth as I squirm against him, the lack of mobility seemingly stronger. He made sounds of pleasure and held my head firmly in one place with his hands and nails burying into my my slender cheeks. I grew nauseous at the feeling of his tongue shifting around restlessly in my mouth and eventually did the only thing I knew to do.
I bit it... as hard as I could.
And it worked because he pulled back immediately and cuffed his hand over his mouth; but before he could cover up the aftermath, I saw blood trickling from his tongue and down his chin.
"Ah, looks like you're a feisty one, huh?" he asked with a smile but with no amusement. I smiled mischievously at him and wrinkled my nose, trying to rid the taste of his tongue.
Without speaking, I attempted at bringing back that unknown force from before and forced a wave of pain behind my eyes. This time, I was trying to be a little less violent and not melt the guy's insides... although he deserved it.
The tingling sensation that coursed through my bones last time took a few moments to spark, but I felt it at my fingertips and managed to wriggle them free from the force keeping me down. The spark then jolted up my arm and once at my shoulder, exploded throughout my whole body. It seemed more overwhelming this time... made me feel more powerful. A headache was the only bad thing about it in my opinion, but when I glared at Trent, he fell to his knees, staring blankly as if his mind had abandoned him. I managed to gain the mobility in my arms and legs again and scrambled to my feet.
"Woah, you gotta teach me that," Kade teased with a sexy smirk on his face. I smiled in return and rushed back over to him, examining what I had to work with. "What did you do to him?" he whispered more seriously.
I looked back at Trent and noticed he was still sitting on his knees, staring blankly ahead with wide and seemingly dead eyes. It kind of terrified me at how emotionless his face was, almost like he was actually dead.
What if he was...
"I don't know. I just sort of brought back that feeling from before. Apparently it worked... but differently," I answered with a fading smile. But it soon came back when I looked at Kade again. "Your brother's a dick," I added comically.
He arched an eyebrow and laid his head back against the wall. "You think I don't know that? I had to live with him for fifteen years. And before you say it, yes... I know he's a big pervert. I don't know where he gets it from."
"You sure he doesn't get it from his big bro?" I teased as I slipped an arm around his waist to help him up. He huffed a laugh but didn't reply, almost if he wasn't sure how to respond.
"We need to get back to the hotel. Maeve and Odis are waiting for us," I said seriously this time as we headed in that direction. Kade pulled me back and shook his head quickly, looking terribly worried.
"No," he whispered, "listen." I strained to hear whatever he was talking about and studied the sky hard when he looked up. Something was causing air to whoosh in an odd rhythm that sounded quite familiar. I shook a bit from the nervousness and cold and searched with frantic eyes to find the source.
"What is it?" I whispered to Kade, noticing that he was now staring down the alley.
"He's gone," he mumbled to himself. I followed his gaze and realized he was talking about Trent, who was indeed gone and left nothing but an empty, dark alley behind. Panic swirled inside of me and I looked back towards the sky as the whooshing sound grew louder.
"What is that noise?" I questioned in a higher volume so that Kade could hear me. He looked back up also and allowed the worry to spread over his face. He only mumbled one word but it was enough to set me into action.
"Gargoyles."