Death's Dilemma (DHAD #2) (16 page)

“I told you I’d get you, bitch.”

“Funny thing about that….you still haven’t succeeded. Eddie was the one who knocked me out and saved your life.” His eyes slanted, and he threw his scythe into the wall, an inch from me.

“It might be hard to keep you alive until he gets here if you keep giving me lip. He did say dead or alive, but alive gets me more.” My head throbbed as I looked at the shovel that was next to where he’d thrown his scythe. It still had my blood and a chunk of hair attached to it.

“Fuck you,” I said softly as I tried to clear my throat, and my head fell forward.

“What’d you say traitor!” John shouted, so I spoke softer.

“Fuck you.”

“Speak louder when you’re being spoken to!” he said as he yanked my head back.

“FUCK YOU!” I yelled and then spit the blood that had in my throat onto his face. He slapped me across the cheek, and I felt my skin break from one of his nails catching it.

“You’re not ever going to be able to defeat me. Just leave already before you embarrass yourself.”

“I won’t lose to you again.”

“Yes you will. And I promise, I will not leave you alive this time, John.” Eddie’s eyes widened at the comment, and I took a good look at him. He looked much older and drained than the last time I saw him. It had been a really long time, but the look on his face told me he’d aged ten years in the past few months “Don’t think about doing something you’ll regret, Eddie. That’s an easy way to be on the fast track to Demonhood, you idiot.”

“And what would be wrong with that?” Eddie asked, but he didn’t lift his head to look at me.

“Internal damnation, constantly fighting a war you’ll never win, or being tortured and beaten when you fail. Not to mention, being a higher level Demon’s slave. Those are a few things that stir me away from that path. Just a few, not to mention I’d never let either of you get that close before killing you,” I added, and John’s face went red.

“Don’t listen to the bitch, Eddie. She’s been brainwashed by the Guardians.”

“Brainwashed? Really? That’s an interesting theory. Or maybe something is not right with what’s been going on lately, and I’m the only one trying to do something about it. That could be it too.”

“LIAR! It was just as we used to tease. The realm has known ever since she was little that she wouldn’t be able to handle the duties of a Reaper. She became weak and soft. I’ve seen her around the human. She acts as if they are childhood friends, sisters even. They should have never let her train with us in the first place.”

“If I am really that awful, why hasn’t Drake joined your little hunting party?”

“He’s confused because you were supposed to be married. It’s just taking him time,” Eddie tried to explain as I rolled my eyes.

“When has Drake ever taken time to think about anything? He decides and moves, so that should tell you something about your so called ‘mission’ right there!” I shouted, and Eddie started to lower his scythe.

“Don’t you dare! You’re letting her taint your mind?” John said as he stepped closer to me.

“Eddie, listen. You need to untie me.”

“I’m not.” Eddie yelled back at John. “Let’s just get on with this.” On with what, I wondered until John pulled out a blade.

“So, you’re going to tell us what happened last year, and if you don’t, well…let me paint this picture clearly for you,” John said as he traced the blade at the base of my neck and up my shoulder before he dug it into my rib cage.

“MOTHER FUCKER!” I screamed as he pulled it out of my side, and I felt the blood start to flow down my torso. “That was just a sample. I missed all the main arteries for now of course, but we’ll get there if you don’t tell me.”

“I’m not really sure what you want me to tell you, to be honest.” I heard his hand whip through the air seconds before it cracked the skin on my face again. I lifted my head and smiled. He wound up and punched me square in the cheek, making my head snap into my left shoulder. He followed it up with a back hand to the left side, apparently not wanting to leave that side of my face out. Black spots filled my eyes as my ears began to hollow in and out. I felt my head slump down to stare at my lap which held a pool of blood that was beginning to drip down my legs. “Is that all you’ve got?” I mumbled out.

“What did you say?” he screamed and came in closer to me. He lifted my hand with two of the fingers from his left hand and came within inches of my face. We stared at one another, both refusing to even blink. He smiled right before slamming the dagger into my right knee, but I kept my gaze. I refused to lose even a staring contest to him.

“Is that all you’ve got?” I asked again through tight lips as I cleared my throat to ensure he would hear me loud and clear this time. His right foot connecting with my face told me he’d heard as he decided now was the time to deliver a round house kick to the girl tied to the chair. My face slammed into the cold wood floor, but it didn’t hurt nearly as bad as the side of my face he’d just kicked. I tried to move again but luck wasn’t on my side as I’d remained attached to the chair when it tipped over.

John crouched down and moved the hair from my eyes so he could see the damage he’d inflicted. “How does it feel to be on the losing side?” he asked.

“I haven’t lost yet.”

“Cendall! Just shut up,” Eddie said from behind him. Well, I think he was behind him. With one eye swollen shut, it was hard to tell from this angle on the floor

“Don’t talk to her,” John said right before kicking me in the gut. “I’m going to keep kicking until you say ‘stop’. This is your decision.” By kick three, I could feel my body beginning to really surrender. Never had I imagined I’d die this way, but if I told them what happened, they’d find Lacie and kill her themselves just to be a hero back home.

“KILL HER ALREADY!” Eddie screamed.

“Stop!” I yelled with what would have been my last breath if he hadn’t heard me. He picked up my chair, so that I could face them both again. My eyes were shut, but I knew he was near as I felt his warm breath on my face.

“I think she’s finally beginning to learn her lesson,” he said.

“You’re both going to die,” I tried to say, but it came out muffled.

“Speak up, bitch,” he called, and I mumbled again as I bit my lip to try and stop the numbness. I lifted my head for the last time.

“Know that killing me has sealed your fate, and I know my father won’t be as kind,” I said as strongly as I could as I put my head back down and closed my eyes, waiting for the blow. To my shock, it never came. Instead, I heard John back away from me as a warm hand latched onto my shoulder. Two fingers pressed against the side of my neck. My pulse reached out to touch them, and that was all the hand needed to rush forward and spring onto John in a blur. I tried to lift my head to see what was happening, but my vision kept going in and out. I heard a shrill scream, and moments after, I was being untied. I opened my eyes, but they felt like cement had been poured onto of them, sealing them forever.

“Cendall…it’s Trevor,” I heard in my ear as he placed my hands on my stomach. “You need to heal yourself.” I tried to get words out, but nothing came. “Cendall, please.” His voice broke. I tried to think of the time I’d healed him, but my mind couldn’t piece together that day’s events when I almost lost him.

“I can’t,” I mumbled out.

“YES YOU CAN! CENDALL, NOW! You don’t have much time. Please.” I tried again but couldn’t even get my brain to get my fingertips to move against my stomach. This was the power I of course hadn’t mastered yet, that would’ve been too convenient. I’d only used it that one day, and since nothing had worked to trigger it.

“Take care of her,” I tried to get out and hoped he understood my mumbles.

“No Cendall, I can’t because she’s here right now. She’s dying; she needs you to heal her stomach.”

“What? Lacie?” He pulled my arm to the side to touch her. Sure enough, my fingertips finally moved, and I could feel her sticky blood between them. I had to. With whatever I had left, I had to. I tried to think, but my mind went black as my ears hollowed out. I heard a muffled voice.

“Cendall,” I finally made out. “You have to try. She only has seconds.”

I sucked in a breath that would be my last and focused solely on my fingertips. I felt them burn as a smile reached my lips. I’d done it, and my world went black.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Birds and the Bees

“You’re alive,” I said as I opened my eyes and saw Lacie sitting at the foot of my bed. She jumped on me and scooped me up in a hug.

“Don’t you ever do that again!” she yelled as she came back up and faced me. Her cheeks were wet, and her eyes beat red.

“Me? How about you! Why were you even there in the first place! I told you not to come,” I said as I wondered how the hell I was even talking to her, unless we were both dead, because there was no way I survived that.

“We’re not dead are we?” I asked.

“No, definitely not.”

“Then how am I alive? Last I remember, Trevor asked me to save you, and I surely thought that would be my last act on this earth.”

“I wasn’t there,” Lacie said. “You healed yourself.”

“What do you mean I healed myself? I tried that before you were there, but it didn’t work. Then, he asked me to heal you. I felt your stomach; it covered in blood.”

She lifted her shirt to show me her midriff. “No scars here, sister. I wasn’t there. You saved yourself.”

“Then how did I feel you? He tricked me.”

“To save your life, yes, he tricked you. You’re seriously going to be upset about that?”

“No, I just—”

“He figured your gift was a mind thing, so since you wouldn’t save yourself, he pulled your hand away and then put it back on you, saying it was me, and voila! You must really like me.” She laughed. “I’m so glad, for once, that he was right.” So was I. I looked down at my body, and I still felt sore in several places, but there weren’t any open cuts or bruises anywhere. If I hadn’t known better, I’d swear I’d imagined the whole thing. I wonder what happened to John and Eddie. If I was breathing, that meant their chances weren’t good. I tried to run a hand through my hair, but it got stuck. I let out a laugh. My hair provided me the proof I needed to let me know the events had transpired. I got up and looked in the mirror at my mini fro. “How did that happen?” Lacie asked as she stood behind me in the mirror.

“When I went to save Cameron, to try and knockout John, I electrocuted him while having him in a death grip hug. Since we were connected, it shocked me as well.”
Shit.
Cameron.

“Where is Cameron?” I asked.

“He’s still sleeping in our guest room. He got hurt pretty bad, but they said he’ll live. He just needs a lot of time to rest. Trevor said we’re leaving here tomorrow night, so we’ll need to come up with how he got this way before we leave. ”

“That’s good that we have a new spot now. I’ll think of a story for Cameron,” I sighed as another thought came to mind. “How did Trevor even find out where I was? And where was Drake during all of this.” She took a deep breath before she answered.

“Okay well you can’t be mad because I sort of saved your life through them. You were taking forever to get back, and I got worried so I called Trevor up here. At first Drake and Trevor almost fought, because Drake was in my room, but then I brought you back into the main focus. Trevor said he was going, but made sure to threaten Drake before he left. Telling him he’d slice off his lower region if he came back and I was harmed in any way. I think it was an empty threat though. I told Trevor why you sent Drake to me in the first place, and he sort of agreed with the logic of always having someone who could port me to safety. Well anyways, so Trevor left, and then he came back with you in his arms, “she began to tear up, “you looked like death Cendall. And not in the way you usually do. Drake then took Myah home and here we are. Please don’t be mad, well actually be mad. I don’t care, you’re alive and that’s more important.”

“I’m not mad,” she disobeyed but my heart was still beating because of it. “ I’m going to get in the shower. Will you help me brush my hair when I get out?” I asked her and she nodded her head.

***

Lacie kept the conversation light as she brushed the knots out of my hair. The only responses I could formulate from her were “uh huh” and “yes”. My mind, however, wouldn’t stop racing. When she was done, I’d have to go and talk to him. Thank him. He’d come and saved me. Just me. Lacie wasn’t there, and I sure as hell wasn’t his assignment. He’d sure enough broken rules to come and find me. He never left her side, never broke the rules before, but he had for me, why? Because he felt he owed me since I’d saved his life before? Or was it because Lacie was better protected with me around? Or was it just…

“Your hair is no longer in a fro, so my work here is done. I can tell you have things on your mind, so I’ll leave you to your thoughts.”

No more stalling. It was time to have my questions answered, or at least tell him thank you. My feet dragged to his doorway. I went to knock but noticed it was already open. I stepped inside, but he wasn’t there. The light in the bathroom was on though; he must be showering. I turned to leave just as his bathroom door opened. I watched steam roll out of the doorway as the scent of Curve and evergreen filled my lungs. Trevor stepped out, and I watched as water droplets rolled off his chest and onto the towel at his waist. My tongue wet my lips, as I bit my bottom lip, and my insides went numb. I tried to concentrate on taking deep breaths to calm my body so my mouth would work, but it wasn’t getting the message. I was left standing there with my breath caught in my throat, looking like a deer in headlights.

“Cendall?” I tried regaining my body, but still no feeling anywhere. I closed my eyes as Trevor started to walk toward me as a final stitch effort to settle my nerves. When I felt his hand brush against my arm, I opened my eyes and leaned in. All I could see was his shady blonde hair that fell at his jawline. I looked up and down his torso while my lips slowly glided along my teeth inside my mouth. My eyes made their way back up to his damp hair. My stare was met by two blue, inviting eyes. They looked to be begging me to taste what my body craved so badly.