Hexers: Reign of Lilith

Just The Start (Chapter 3)

“This it here?” Claude asked, pulling up slowly to a quaint home. 

By the time they’d arrived, the sun had created a yellow haze in the sky, blue sprawling out like waves. Astrid was still sound asleep in the back, the slim jim still hanging from her full lips.  

“Huh wha?” Marishka jumped, having dozed off a bit during the drive. Her eyes flicked over the small house. Its cottage-esque architecture brought a comfort that only home could provide. Marishka hadn't realized how much she was longing for the normality of her plush bed and purring cat.

“Yeah,” she licked her lips. “This is it.  Uhm,” she scratched her hair, sleep still tugging at her eyes. 

“You wanna come in? Put her on the bed?” She nodded back towards Astrid, eyeing the slim jim hanging from her lips.

“Oh yeah, sure,” he chuckled, looking at his sister. He climbed out of the truck, moving to pull his sister out. There was little shade around the house, making Claude deem it safe, for now.

Astrid groaned in his arm, chewing on the slim jim, as he put it back. 

Marishka laughed at the two, having unlocked her house by then. She held the door open for Claude to bring Astrid through. 

“I have steak , corn, and mashed potatoes if you want some.”

“Steak?” He practically howled with joy, “I’d love some… um where can I put her?”  

She chuckled at his response, oh’ing when she realized she hadn’t brought him to her room. 

“This way,” she motioned for him to follow her down the hallway and to a door marked “ Danger Zone”.

“Sorry about the slight mess, late nights,” she laughed, opening the door and ushering him in. 

The room was very muted, with earth tones giving a calm feel. A bed took up the entire wall by the window,pillows galore. 

“Cosy,” Claude smirked, setting Astrid onto the bed. 

“You said there was steak?” he grinned, rubbing his hands together hungrily as he took a deep breath. Suddenly he began gagging, the smell of feline overwhelming him. 

“Forgot you said you had a cat,” he coughed.  

She looked at him like he had grown a second head, mouth twitching in amusement. 

“I don’t know why, but I have a feeling you hate cats, “ Marishka pondered sarcastically, laughing as she headed to the kitchen. She pulled out a  container, putting it in the microwave. 

“I’m just a little...sensitive to them,” He coughed again, following behind her. He licked his lips at the plate, stomach growling obnoxiously. 

“So where’s that um… furball of yours, anyway?” The male wondered, looking around curiously.  

She smirked, grabbing the plate and a fork. “Wanna see something cool?” 

Sliding the plate across the table to him, she opened the kitchen window, and a beeping noise went off on a little device by the door. 

Claude waited for something cool to happen as he began to dig into the food. He groaned at the delicious taste but kept his attention focused on her, still waiting. If he didn't want to make her his before, he definitely did now. Her cooking was quite frankly some of the best he'd ever had. 

"You're right, that is a cool trick," he joked, " I haven't even seen your beautiful body and I'm moaning like a mad man." 

Marishka burst into laughter, a rosy tint coloring her cheeks. 

“Well no, but thanks for the compliment you just skillfully slid in there,” she winked, at him as she leaned back on the counter.  

“But I assume it’s goo-YAH!” 

Marishka jumped back from the counter as she felt the prick of four little claws grip her back. Without even pausing she scowled, turning around to glare at her attacker. 

“You little bastard!”  

Slitted green orbs narrowed at her, a yowl of displeasure sounding from his throat. The orbs settled on the man across from the table and they seemed to radiate hatred.  

The lithe feline, pushed off of the window seal, landing on the counter edge before bounding over to the table in a single leap. The cat was very large to say he was domesticated, and he stood at eye level with Claude as he gave a demonic grumble, hunches raised. Claude's expression somehow managed to match the cat's. The man released his own growl, a deep rumble radiating from his chest. 

Great, now my food is gonna have cat fur in it. He thought to himself. 

“This.... is your cat?” Claude said skeptically, gazing into the cat’s eyes with annoyance, "you sure it's domesticated?"

Marishka was still trying to process the pissin contest she'd just witnessed. Quickly, she snatched Akhenaten from the table, causing the cat to yowl in defiance. However, he couldn't get far with her iron grip. 

“Y-yeah. Sorry, he can be a bit of an asshole to guys. Especially if there’s flirting. I don’t know HOW but he always picks up on it.” 

“Probably cause he’s not a cat,” Claude spit, just as Astrid wobbled into the kitchen, sleepily. 

“We should go,” she croaked, not recognizing, or possibly ignoring the hostility in the room. 

In a burst of strength she didn’t know he possessed, Akhenaten sprung from her arms and onto the table. The most ungodly growl that she had ever heard from him, filled the room as he hissed and spat at her guests, ears flat against his head. 

A deep and gravely voice seemed to emit out of nowhere, it was thick with cruel intention and hostility.

“Mind.Your.Business.Boy." 

The cat seemed to grow in size as it's growl resembled that of a mountain lion, the sound bouncing off of the kitchen walls. 

Astrid’s eyes widened as they settled on the cat. 

“Woah...never seen a spirit like this before,” she commented curiously as her inner scientist revealed itself. She completely ignored her snarling brother, with his bristling skin, threatening to release the beast within. 

“Not too smart are you? Giving yourself away that easily,” Claude replied with a gruff and gritty voice. The room was crackling with tension as the two male's grew distorted in figure

The slanted eyes widened, the hostility melting from him as he looked over to Marishka. The woman was silent, her coffee con crema skin resembling just cream. Pale as a ghost, Marishka's jade orbs were wide and full of fear. The cat’s head lowered, and he took a slow step towards her, watching her attentively. 

His mouth opened, and instead of the customary meow, she heard her name softly called along with a little feline coo. She promptly hit the floor.

“Fucktard,” Claude grumbled, moving around the table with inhuman speed, and scooping her up. 

The room settled into a quiet, the tension never disappointing but simply transferring to a more pressing issue. The smell of souring water began to creep into the home. New animalistic growls filling the silence but coming from neither male. 

“W...we need to go,” Astrid said hesitantly. She peaked out of the window and hissed in irritation. 

“Who’s idea was it to come here anyway?” She grumbled, “hurry and get her into the car, we need to go.”  

“Who are you,” the cat hissed venomously at the intruders. 

“And put her down!” He specifically targeted the male this time, ”she is NOT leaving with you.” His frame shook with anger and frustration, his eyes darting wildly between the two strangers. 

The sound of contemplating demons grew stronger. Some of the figures were bold enough to creep up to the window, their heads blacking out any possible light from creeping into the kitchen. 

“How about we have this talk when we’re safe from the literal demons chasing us,” Astrid hissed, to the cat-like being.  

Akhenaten’s ears flickered as he looked towards the window, and heard the faint sound of gargling, disgusting wheezing. He looked down at his paws, claws raking against the counter as he growled in frustration. Eyes flickering back to the window, he grunted. Suddenly his pupils dilated, covering his eye in a seemingly endless black. The skin over his lithe muscles rippled and pulsed till he shivered, and he looked back towards the woman with newly elongated canines bared. 

“.....Let’s go.” 

Claude bolted out of the house with immense speed, barreling through the demons, like a wild dog. Astrid moved behind him quickly, glad that they were all on the same page. Quickly, her brother laid Marishka in the back seat of his truck, though he didn't get there unscathed. A deep growl escaped his lips at the claws of the demons that dug into his back. Astrid spit a spell, blasting the demons with a golden flare and ultimately helping her brother. She climbed into the front passenger seat, just as Claude shut the door for the passed out girl, and climbed in himself. To his disdain, Astrid held open the door for the cat. 

Akhenaten moved to the back of the car, his head moving this and that way to watch the demons crawling around the truck. He growled in the back of his throat,the sound sounding less and less like a cat as time ticked by.

Claude sped off, not waiting for more demons to appear and stick to his vehicle.

 “Um...sis?” It was a silent request for her to do something about the persistent demons. 

Astrid sighed, shutting her eyes, and opening her palms wide. She braced herself for the pain that the energy-draining spell, will cause, as she bit her lip. 

“Eluceat omnibus lux ,” Astrid muttered, her eyes grew luminescent, her whole body lighting ablaze. The magic began to spill from her fingertips as she was absorbed in a bright golden glow. The demons that were reluctant to release the vehicle, were consumed by the light and banished with an angry hiss. The Hexer clenched her teeth in pain, as though she felt the pain of each demon. 

Akhenaten watched the display with amazement, his black pupils receding back to their normal size. The foul things disappeared one by one, and it seemed that with every demon gone her light grew dimmer. His feline face turned up in a scowl, ears flattening against his head. There were persistent demons who backed away from the light, trailing the sides of the car from a distance.  Deciding it was his time to help, he moved to the struggling woman and placed an assistive paw on her arm. A warmth pooled through the woman and her light grew brighter as a wave of gold came dancing under her skin and trailed to her temples.

Claude’s eyes flicked over to the cat, seething as he watched the being make contact with his sister. His anger was demolished, though, when he noticed another pulse of light emit from Astrid. With a whisper she adjusted the spell, so the whole car was encased in light, causing the demons to fall back and disappear altogether.  Despite the burst of energy, she was still exhausted. She hadn’t gotten much sleep at Marishka’s house and she had been living off of green tea for quite some time, so her stomach was empty and her body was spent; so it was no surprise when she passed out.

“f**k,” Claude growled.   

Akhenated had moved under her just in time, making sure Astrid's head didn't hit the glass. Once she went limp the cat moved, letting her slump against the window. His jade eyes moved between the road and the woman as he listend for any signs of the pests, only to relax when it seemed they had all vanished for good. The animal moved his attention to Astrid and  Claude grit his teeth at the way Akhenaten looked at his sister. 

The options flashed in the man's head, like a multiple choice question as he sneered in disgust at the cat:

Grab the animal by the throat and kill him

Grab the animal by the throat and toss him out of the window

Suck it up and give the little beast a warning, cause it belongs to a woman who made every part of him throb

He went with C

Akhenaten’s trance was broken by a growl from Claude. No loner was he thinking about how Astrid’s thick lashes perfectly shadowed her high cheekbones, instead he contemplated how to silence the man. Claude however spoke up first. 

“Get your paws off of my sister, Mongrel, beastiality is illegal in the states,” he snarled menacingly, his voice far from human.  

Akhenaten stiffened like a deer caught in headlights, before turning and returning the snarl ten fold.  He hissed, resembling a viper as he bounded to the back seat and onto Marishka’s lap. 

“Are you really one to throw out the word “mongrel’,” he commented with an air of indifference, holding his head high as he snuggled to her warmth, “after all, it’s much more fitting for a man of your… habits.” The cat sneered as best he could, before turning his head in a dramatic display of distaste. 

“After all, it’s much more fitting to a man of your….habits,” he sneered, turning his head in dramatic distaste.

Claude glared at the feline as he watched him from the rearview mirror. His teeth grit in annoyance, as his foot pressed harder on the accelerator. 

“Yeah well, act like an animal of your habits, and shut the hell up.”

-------

 The rest of the trip was quiet. Marishka was still sound asleep in the back and Astrid softly snore at Claude’s side. After turning off the highway he had taken a long dirt road, sided by trees you could only find in upstate New York. They eventually pulled up to a double car garage, which was opened by a click of a button. 

With an exhausted sigh, Claude climbed out of the vehicle. He checked his wounds, which had already healed, but managed to leave blood behind on his clothes. Pushing his thick curly hair back, he looked over the slumped women in his car. 

“Do me a favor and bring o-” A pained look grew on Claude’s face as his eyes scanned the cat, “oh wait… you’re a cat.” 

 Akhenaten rolled his eyes, jumping out from the driver’s door. His limbs rippled as they extended and grew from the size of a Maine Coon to a panther. The green of his eyes were swallowed by an obsidian black and his muzzle grew threatening fangs. Any possibility of him being a simple house cat, completely thrown out of the window. 

“Open the door,” He commanded, nodding towards Astrid’s door. His voice had become even raspier, sounding closer to a beast than human. Claude blindly obeyed, still in shock from the transformation, not expecting the change. Akhenaten snorted, feeling smug at the other male’s shock, stirring Claude out of his stupor. 

Carefully the cat tugged on Astrid’s collar, making it easier to slide her onto his back, “Where am I putting her?”

Claude clenched his jaw and glared, as he scooped up the still passed out, Marishka. 

“Her room is filled with plants,” Claude replied stiffly as he moved to open the door to his house. It was yellow on the outside and a soft blue on the inside. The home itself, while large, was very much like a cottage. 

As soon as you entered from the garage door, which was the side entrance, you were greeted by the washer and dryer.The laundry room led to a kitchen, through rounded french doors. The kitchen continued the french cottage theme. White marbled counters, with rustic cabinets to match. Detailed handles and beautifully crafted crown molding brought character to the space. The appliances were freshly updated and the deep barnyard sink sat before a four paned window. It was a fairly open concept, a small step the only thing separating the space from the living room. The living room was framed by french doors, leading out to a courtyard. There was a hall on the other end of the living room that led to the bedrooms and eventually the front door.

The hallway was long, which gave the rooms plenty of space between one another. There were four doors: a guest bathroom, office, and two bedroom suites. Astrid’s room sat on the right, while Claude’s sat adjacent to hers. Akhenaten walked through the house behind Claude, admiring the decor and its spacious layout. He gave a huff of appreciation when the man opened the door for him. 

Akhenaten sniffed at her bed and eyed the plants suspiciously, before shrugging a shoulder to slide Astrid onto the mattress.  As soon as her head hit the pillow he sighed, leaning on his hunches to gather himself. He left the room to find Claude lying Marishka in his bed. The man glared at the oversized cat, shushing him and shooing the animal out of the room. He received a glare and gave a soft growl as he ignored the man and climbed onto the bed. 

Claude’s objection was stopped by the site of Akhenaten shrinking to his more domesticated size. Had Marishka not been sleeping, he would’ve ripped the animal a new one, but instead he conceded. With a sigh Claude peeked into his sister’s room, just to make sure the feline managed the job. His brows raised, impressed by the achievement of what would typically be a difficult feat for an animal.

“I can’t wait to be as old as Astrid, that way nothing will surprise me anymore,” he grumbled to himself, looking at his sleeping sister. With a sigh, he decided to follow suit and found a place to rest on the living room sofa.