Nephilim (8 page)

“Ada” Travis spoke gently after some time.

Ada’s tears had begun to dry and she sat in her Father’s arms as he pet her hair and cooed gently to her.  She looked up startled as she had forgotten Travis was even there.

“Travis, what are you doing here?” she asked with complete exhaustion threaded through her voice.

“You’re not safe Ada, I wanted to protect you” Travis replied.

Kade pushed Ada gently out of his arms and went towards where Travis had pulled himself into a sitting position against the wall. Travis cowered as Kade approached him, but gingerly took Kade’s outstretched hand and stood.

“What do you mean she is in danger? What do you know of it?” Kade asked firmly yet gently enough to stop Travis cowering.

“I can’t explain it. But since Ada healed me I feel her, I can sense where is, who she is with, what she is feeling and what is going on around her.” He said as he tugged his hand through his hair.

Ada noticed for the first time his dishevelled look, it appeared that Travis hadn’t slept in days, let alone bathed.

“I can’t hear her anymore, which Ada explained to me, but I feel things and this is going to sound crazy but I see things too. I see Abaddon. I see him in the woods where we used to play, he has your Mum Ada” he continued.

Ada turned to look at her Father who had narrowed his eyes at Travis.

“You saw Merza?” Kade asked.

Travis nodded his head and chewed on his thumb nail.

“And she is alive?” Ada asked.

Travis shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know Ada. I’m sorry. I’ve just seen her in the woods, her eyes are closed and Abaddon, he is close to her” Travis said.

Ada went to Travis and took his hand as she used the connection to reach into him. She began to search his memories, she could see her and Travis as a child playing, his time with his brothers, there were images that flashed of Kade and Merza. Then she found a vision that seemed promising. She could see herself through Travis’s eyes.

The room had gone dark and tree’s surrounded her; the only sound she could hear was that of the night insects and the odd critter that scurried through the undergrowth.  The air was cool and a slight breeze whipped around her legs as she walked through the tree’s that loomed like monsters of the dark. Every now and then there was a flicker of light from a fairy that passed through the branches.

Ada stopped and listened for familiar sounds, but couldn’t hear anything. She continued to walk trying to work out where she was. As Ada came close to the edge of the outcropping of trees, she could see rocks looming up in front of her. They glowed blue; the Warlock sacred stones stood in front of her. Ada sent her feelers out to try and detect any living presences, but she felt like her feelers bounced against a wall and came back to her. Ada was confused by what was going on and couldn’t explain what was happening. It was as if she her power was hitting an invisible field. Ada stepped forward silently, reaching her hand out tentatively attempting to feel for an invisible shield in front of her.

Suddenly Ada was pulled back into her bedroom. She cried out with disappointment and felt Travis’s hand tighten on hers. With sudden realisation Ada noticed that he had managed to shut her out. Ada creased her brow and looked towards Kade.

‘I saw something but he shut me out’ she spoke into Kade’s mind.

Kade nodded and ran his hand through his hair as he began to pace the room.

‘Was it your Mother?’ Kade asked.

Ada frowned and shook her head.

‘I was in the woods near the Warlock sacred stones. But he cut me off before I could see what was there. However, I couldn’t feel her presence’ Ada replied.

Ada turned to face Travis who was busying himself looking out the window. She narrowed her eyes and clasped his hand tighter trying to read his responses.

“Why did you shut me out just now?” Ada asked.

Travis turned to look at her with a slight smirk on his face which he quickly replaced with a look of shock. Ada felt her Father step forward which meant he had seen the smirk also.

“I didn’t know I had. I’m sorry Ada” he said dropping his eyes to the ground.

Ada sighed and dropped his hand. She felt like he suddenly had developed two different personalities. On one hand he felt like he was lying on the other it felt like he was telling the truth. Ada had never experienced anything like this before and she was completely confused. It made her long for Merza all the more; the one woman that could truly teach her all that she had to know, Ada had to attempt to save her Mother and the human race half informed. It was so frustrating, she felt lost.

‘I can’t explain this’ Kade spoke into her mind.

She could feel her Dad’s energy starting to become nervous. Not something that often was experienced by Vampires, so it put Ada more on edge. Ada sighed and scratched her head.

“I don’t know what is going on with you Travis. I can’t explain why you are seeing the things you are. Didn’t Frankie take you to the coven yesterday?” Ada asked.

Travis nodded and looked down at the ground.

“I didn’t stay there. Once Dane and Frankie left I ran out the back door. I don’t want to lose you Ada. I don’t want to be disconnected to you” Travis said, his eyes welling with tears again.

Ada sighed and ran her hand through her hair and closed her eyes.

“Alright, well let’s get you cleaned up and then I think we will all sit down and go through everything. I know I could use a nice herbal tea or a strong whiskey” Ada sighed as she led Travis to the bathroom.

Chapter Nine

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight it’s the size of the fight in the dog” Mark Twain.

Ada searched through her wardrobe, sure that she still had some of her ex-boyfriends clothes stuffed in the back that would fit Travis. When she finally found what she was looking for, she turned to see Travis standing in the doorway, a towel wrapped around his waist. For the first time she noticed his chest was much more muscular than she remembered, suddenly her eyes were roving over his body, the light smattering of hair that dotted his abdomen and drew a line down to below the towel. Ada had to peel her eyes from the front of the towel and back to his face. She could feel her own face redden as she caught the look on Travis’s face, the slight smirk that said he knew what she was thinking. Ada cleared her throat as she thrust the clothes at him without making eye contact.

“Um these should fit you I think” she said as she brushed past him and closed the door gently behind her.

She was certain that she heard Travis chuckle as she walked away.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she muttered to herself as she walked into the kitchen where Kade was preparing a teapot of chamomile tea.

Ada couldn’t hold back the giggle when she also noticed the bottle of Jack Daniels on the bench beside the teapot. Kade looked up and shrugged with a grin on his face. He glanced at her bedroom door.

“What do you think is going on? Do you sense anything?” Kade asked.

Ada shrugged, in truth she had no idea what was going on.

“There is something still in him, I’m convinced of that, but it can’t be Demon. It is something else that attacked him” Ada said.

“Abaddon?” Kade asked.

Ada turned to her Father leaning her back against the bench and closing her eyes. She nodded.

“It’s possible. He would know who Mae was to you. He would know that the best way to draw you out is to attack her son” Ada said.

Kade breathed in and sighed nodding his head, he leaned forward and lightly banged his head on the cupboard in front of him, before picking up the tea pot and taking it to the table with two mugs. He poured the tea into the mug and handed it to Ada, she took a sip feeling it warm her to the toes.

“This is a fucking mess” Kade growled.

Ada nodded her head sitting on the chair at the table and drawing her knees up to chest as she stared into her mug lost in thought.

“It sure is. Any closer on who let that evil prick out?” she asked.

Kade shook his head and pulled the chair out beside her flopping down into the seat and leaning his head back, running both hands through his long dark hair.

“No, nothing, there are no Demons, no affiliations, nothing, it’s like he just was able to one day break free. I don’t understand it, he is locked away for centuries and then one day wham he’s free and wanting war” Kade said.

They both turned to the doorway when they heard it open and Travis smiled a weak smile as he timidly came forward. The shirt was tight across his chest and Ada could make out the muscles that seemed to ripple underneath, she felt her groin begin to tingle and she shook her head. She watched as Travis poured himself a tea and ran his hands through his damp hair, which too seemed to have lengthened. Ada glanced at Kade who was staring at Travis also, his face pulled into a frown.

‘What is it?’ she asked Kade’s mind.

‘Do you notice anything different about him?’ Kade asked turning to look at her.

Ada nodded slightly and touched her hair; Kade nodded also and brushed his chest. Ada frowned. So it wasn’t just her that noticed that Travis had suddenly changed physically.

‘It’s like he isn’t human anymore’ she said.

Kade’s frown deepened and he nodded again. Travis looked up and caught both Ada and Kade staring at him, his smile faltered slightly as he looked between the two of them.

“What?” he asked sitting down at the table in front of them.

“It’s well, you’ve changed. It’s like you’ve suddenly got stronger, different. You didn’t have all this definition a few days ago, your hair has grown faster than a human’s hair. I can’t explain it. But there is something different about you, something a little less human” Ada said watching Travis’s face visibly pale.

“But I have a heartbeat, I’m alive, the Demon didn’t kill me” he said looking between Ada and Kade.

Ada sent her feelers out trying to sense what Travis was thinking or feeling. His eyes snapped to Ada and he stood straighter suddenly.

“I felt you, just then, I felt you in my body, like you were going through my system. I didn’t feel you before. But just then I did.” he said, backing up towards the counter.

Ada turned and looked at Kade.

“He shouldn’t have been able to feel that, Dad what the hell is going on?” she asked.

Kade shook his head as he slowly stood.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to go and speak with the Authority, Travis I want you to stay with Ada, you are not to leave her, you could be in real danger” he said turning to Ada. “I’m sending Frankie here to keep surveillance, something is not right and I can’t put my finger on what it is, but it’s not right”

Kade left the house; Ada put her face in her hands and breathed out a sigh. She felt completely exhausted. As she leaned her head onto her knees a loud knock on the door gave her a fright and she looked up at Travis and then the clock on the wall. It was 3am and it was too soon for Frankie to arrive, her Father had not long left, which meant he would have only just called Frankie. Ada sent her feelers out, the presence at the door wasn’t human it was an energy she recognised but couldn’t place it.

“Ada it’s Dane, I can feel you trying to sense me” she heard through the door.

Ada breathed out a loud sigh as she stood from the table and went to open the door. Dane smiled warmly, but didn’t step into her house right away.

“Are you coming in?” she asked with a frown.

“Do you want me to?” Dane replied.

Ada frowned and waved her hand dramatically allowing him into her home. He stepped in through the door and glanced around the room. Dane frowned and his smile dropped as he noticed Travis standing in the doorway.

“Dane is it?” Travis said stepping forward with his hand outstretched.

Ada raised an eyebrow, Travis had been a trembling mess in front of Kade but suddenly it was like a switch was flicked and he had become brazen. Dane frowned deeper and looked down at Travis’s hand before taking it into his in a handshake.

“Yes. What are you doing here Travis?” Dane asked.

Travis suddenly became like a rooster, his chest seemed to be puffed out and he stood to his full height, which seemed unusually taller than before, his shoulders squared.  He appeared quite intimidating, however if Dane was at all ruffled by it, he didn’t let it show.

“I’m protecting Ada” Travis announced.

Dane looked between Ada and Travis; a smirk grew across his face, followed by a slight snort.

“You’re protecting Ada? From what?” Dane asked.

“You” Travis said calmly.

It was then that she noticed Travis’s canine teeth extend and his eyes begin to glow red. His aura grew dark and he lurched forward, lunging towards Dane. Ada screamed, conjuring a dagger in her hand. She silently cast a spell of protection over herself. As Travis reached out to grab Dane a blinding white light split through the room, Ada felt her head spin and behind her eyes ache with the intensity of the light. She heard Travis screech in pain.