Deadly Creatures

Chapter 20

"Did you find Sasha or the lycans?" I ask Clive, holding my phone to my ear with one hand while my other holds my fresh cup of coffee. I sit down on the end of Caius's bed. "My friend lost the lycans. I found Sasha, but she's not the one who took your mom. In fact, she has started her own search for her." "It could be a cover-up. It's not like she's dumb enough to just say, 'Yes. I did it.' She could be-" "I know. I thought the same thing, but she didn't tell me she started her own search. Of course, she didn't actually tell me much at all, considering she sniffed out my dark magic right away. "I had to do some deep digging. She apparently doesn't want anyone, especially your mother, knowing she's trying to help. Remind me to never get involved with two light witches, by the way." "Why's that?" He feigns a shivering breath, mocking a dramatic sense of fear. "Because you girls are absolutely vicious. Did you know your mother turned her into a fox for three weeks - until the spell ran dry?" "Yes," I grumble. "She lifted the spell though. Mom's spells run longer than the average witch's. She just didn't want anyone to know she felt guilty, so she waited until the usual time the spell ran dry." "So are you still at your human's house?" "Yeah, he's outside right now. His roommates just left, and he's on the phone, talking business. So you really think Sasha is innocent? It would have been foolish for her to do this too soon, but now she has waited long enough to douse suspicion." "I really don’t think it's her. She shoveled out a hunk of cash to hire some trackers in an effort to find your mother. These guys are the best in the business, and I know for a fact they don't work cheap. She also paid them to keep their mouths shut and told them if they found her, to bring her home and never tell her it was she who hired their services." "So how did you find out?" "I'm dark magic," he says casually. "We don't play by your rules. I can make almost anyone talk." "If you're talking about casting a truth spell, those are dangerous and unpredictable. Not to mention, that magic is hard to master, even for the oldest of magic wielders." "Are you trying to get me to hint at my age?" he teases. I smile involuntarily, and then I flop down on the bed. "No, but now that you mention it-" "Not a chance, light girl." I laugh softly while shaking my head, and then I stand to walk back to the sliding glass door. A foolish grin spreads over my face when I see Caius standing by the lake, his soft, dark hair whipping in the wind as he chats on his phone. "How'd you sleep?" Clive asks, making it sound as though he actually gives a damn. I turn away, sighing deeply. "Like s**t. I stayed awake most of the night because I was worried to damn death about those vampires finding us. I'm going to convince him to stay at my place the rest of the day… and tonight." "The day won't be as bad. Vampires are fools if they choose to attack under the sun when a witch is stronger. Keep your ass at home tonight though." The door shuts, letting me know Caius is back inside. "I will. Call me if you have anything." "Of course." I put the phone down just as Caius joins me in the room, and his arms slide around my waist as his sweet, perfect smile forms. "You feel like a movie and dinner here tonight?" Smiling like a fool, I murmur, "Not here. Let's go back to my place." His smile falls, and then he moves a piece of hair from my face. "You don't feel comfortable here?" Shrugging, I say, "Elli is here, but she's not at my place." His head falls back as a sigh of exasperation falls between his lips. "Baby, she's nothing to me. How many times do I have to tell you that?" You can't say it enough. "It's not about that. I just feel like I have to hide out in your room when she's here, and it's… tensing. I'm tired, exhausted actually. I kept worrying I was going to wake up and find her hovering over me with a butcher knife." He starts laughing, showing his amusement, and then his lips lightly stroke mine. "Sorry. I don't want you feeling uncomfortable in my home. My other roommates find you pretty fantastic." Sure they do. As long as they think I'm a temporary play toy… which… unfortunately, that's what I have to be. With that sobering thought of reality, I back away, fighting back my tears as I turn to head into the bathroom. "What's wrong?" "Nothing. I just need to head home and get some stuff done. I also need to shower, change… that sort of thing. I'll catch up with you later." I start pulling on my shoes, and his arms wrap around me from behind. His lips press against the back of my head, and a tear slips free. I let it slide down my face so he doesn't see me wiping it away. "I'm coming with you. We'll stay at your place until you're comfortable here, but I really don't like you being in that house alone." My house is much safer than this one. "Why? Is it haunted?" I tease, trying not to reveal the emotion truly choking me. "Something like that." The way he says it is almost chilling, as if he really believes there's a dark entity lurking in the shadows of my home. "You're scaring me a little." His eyes tilt up, and he forces a smile. "Don't be scared. I can swear to you no harm would ever come to you. Not as long as I'm around." I wish I was completely human - not destined to walk an immortal life among the real darkness lurking within the heavy shadows he only thinks he fears. It would be so easy to feel safe in his arms. Though I do feel safety within his warmth, I know he could never save me from the real monsters that walk the streets in search of my blood, my power, my... life. "It's just... I knew the people who lived there before you, and the woman who lived there before them. That house has a bad rep. I'd prefer it if you stayed with me more and there less," he continues. His aura is buzzing with fear and anxiety right now. I usually can't feel or see a human's rattling aura because my power is so dormant, but I can see his right now. It's dark - scary dark. It's as though he's tormented by something he fears. "Want to talk about it?" I pry while sitting down on his bed. "They were just-" He pauses, uncertainty flashing through his normally gloriously untainted eyes, and then he sits next to me. "A while back - a long, long while back - a woman lived there who did less than savory things in that home. After she left, the ones who moved in suffered in ways I never want to see you suffer. It's a... it's just not a safe place." I've been there for a while now, and I've never felt any darkness in the walls. Justin is an expert on such things, and he never noticed anything either. I know my mother would have sensed it immediately and shooed me out before we unpacked the first box. Maybe Caius is a victim of urban legends and dark gossip. "Well, I can assure you no jaded spirits are there. They would have been run out by the numerous fits I've thrown while living there." My attempt at humor is met with solemn silence. It's apparent he's holding back, and this really does have him scared. "What sort of unsavory acts?" I prod, looking for insight to his adamant stance on my home. "Dark stuff. Weird stuff. I'd sound like a complete i***t if I tried to explain it. You'd run out of here thinking I'm crazy." He forces a smile again, but his eyes betray him. They tell me he's not at all comfortable, and the truth of his fear remains embedded in the undertones. "Like witchcraft?" I ask, trying not to smile. So, so many young humans toy with things they can never even attempt to understand. Some skilled users tap into a tiny fraction of our power, but never enough to turn the heads of the council. If he's scared of witches, then this poor guy picked the wrong girl to stalk. He lets out a touch of laughter finally, and then he shakes his head. "No, not witchcraft. Look, let's drop this. Stay with me and let me make you feel better. I want you to distance yourself from that place until I know for sure she's not coming back." "She?" He turns to me, his lips tightening as though he just slipped up. "The woman who originally owned it. I need to know that she's not going to return." He's definitely creeping me out right now. His nervous, fearful energy is spilling out of him and eating at me. It's been a while since I felt my inner witch responding so strongly to something. I usually keep a lid on all my powers, but I'm emotionally drained right now. "Don't worry. I'm tougher than I look." I can handle a human witch toying with powers she can never fully understand. "Stay with me?" His eyes are heartbreaking, soft, and so very sincere. After a long pause, I murmur, "I'll stay."