As reluctantly as I wanted, Blake and Lance had managed to get me to try and get some sleep. Blake had already crashed on a large crate big enough to hold a small car while Lance sat on another smaller one on the other side of the building. Zyten was no where to be seen.
The small blanket and pillow I had been given smelled like dirt, which didn’t bother me too much. I was grateful to even have either thing. In a place like this I hadn’t expected to find any decent stuff. Zyten had been the one to offer it to me, and I wondered if it was the ones he used.
No matter how much I tried, my racing thoughts kept me from sleep. After about an hour or so of laying there, just staring up at the darkness, I sat up. Lance’s eyes looked over to meet me as I rose and I could tell something was bothering him. “What is it?” I asked quietly as I sat down beside him.
He was silent for a minute, which made me that much more worried. “I was just thinking. How can we even begin to survive all this? It’s the whole Underworld against us, a half-breed, a guardian and a warrior who can’t even start to use her powers. We don’t stand a chance.”
My eyes fell to the ground again. It was all my fault. No matter what anyone said, I would always think that. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean tot drag anyone into this. Maybe it’d be best if I just went on my own or…”
“No. That would only cause worse things to happen. It’s not your fault any of this happened, and you didn’t drag anyone into it. None of us would be here if we didn’t want to be. Blake cares about you and wants to make sure you’re safe. I can’t just leave knowing a pretty girl in in trouble,” he replied, which made me smile a little.
“What about Xavier? Do you know where he is, or how he’s doing?” I asked.
Lance shook his head. “I don’t. I can only imagine he held them off for as long as he could, until he finally fell. Don’t worry, though, he won’t be killed. He’s the devil’s son, and even after all this his father won’t allow him to be killed. To be honest, he’ll probably try and use him as bait to lure you out.”
I ran the thought over a few times in my head and gave a small nod. It made sense, and I knew if it happened I’d fall for it. There was no way I could just abandon Xavier, even if it meant sacrificing my life. My hands clenched into fists as I stared across the empty building, watching as Blake rolled over in his sleep. “I guess we don’t have much of a choice, do we?” I stated.
Lance looked over at me with a look of curiosity. “And what exactly does that me? You can’t seriously be thinking about taking on the entire Underworld.”
“That’s exactly what I intend to do. What other choice do we have? I’m not going to keep running for the rest of my life. It’s the only choice that makes sense.”
“Makes sense? Charging into battle knowing you’re going to get killed makes sense to you? I’m not sure what world you’ve grown up in, but that’s not exactly going to accomplish much.”
“I don’t intend to get anyone killed, including myself. I’ll learn to control my powers so I can actually be of some help,” I commented, and paused for a second. “What about Heaven? I mean, won’t they be happy to help with all this or something?”
Lance let out a small sigh and leaned back. “Doing that would cause a war. And the last war wiped out half the Earth’s population. Demons, ghouls, gremlins, you name it, they surfaced and killed anyone and anything in their path. Unlike us the creatures of the Underworld don’t care about human lives, or the lives of anything but themselves. A ghoul would kill another ghoul if it benefited it, or even if it just felt like it. For once the movies and tales of evil creatures are right, just at a more moderate level,” he explained and my hopes fell.
“I see.”
It was silent again. That is until Zyten ran through the door shouting something. It took me a minute to understand him, but once I did my heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest. They had found us, but how? “We have to get out of here. Now. If they catch us we’re dead,” said Lance, standing up and looking around.
Blake sat up, instantly alert and not looking as if he was in the greatest moods. All eyes feel on Zyten, then the door he had just busted through. “I know were we can go. It’s a place downtown. An old friend runs the place. Not too fond of angels and all that, but hates the devil even more,” stated Zyten.
A minute later we were running down the streets in the fading light. Even thought I couldn’t see anything I knew something was there, following us. With every couple steps I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. My breath was becoming more labored and uneven, and I knew I was reaching my limit. All the running around I had done with little to eat, drink or rest was taking its toll on me. Then my foot caught on the sidewalk and I let out a small yelp as I fell to my hands and knees.
The hard cement scraped the skin on my palms, and even managed to find its way through one of the rips in my jeans to my knees. Already I could feel blood seeping out of the new injury, but didn’t have time to worry about it as a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. “C’mon, let’s go,” said Blake, starting to pull me along.
We hadn’t made it three steps before a figure appeared in front of us, it’s amber eyes staring right at me and a grin on his face. An face that was unmistakable. When he spoke the voice confirmed what I already knew. Even in pitch blackness I would know who it was in an instant.
Blake glared at the guy moving an arm in front of me as a protective gesture. Lance and Zyten had stopped and were watching us, none too happy about the turn of events. “You know, you’re really starting to become a pain. If I didn’t need you you’d already be dead. Though, I can’t say you’re friends here will fair quite as well as you. That goes for my annoying brother as well.”
My eyes got a little wider. Xavier. “Wha… What did you do to him?” I managed to say, fear clenching my chest.
Jake’s grin only widened. “Father doesn’t take betrayal lightly. He’s alive, but that’s about it. Though, he probably wishes he was dead. You know, if you just go ahead and come along with me without a fight, I’ll let your friends here live. And I’m sure I could manage to persuade Father not to kill Xavier,” he stated.
“Do you promise? Do you promise no one will hurt them and Xavier will be ok if I go?” I asked.
Blake just stared at me in disbelief. “Riley, don’t. You can’t trust him.”
“A promise I can break, much like your friend here had stated. But, if we make it a contract then it cannot be broken. It’s your choice. Come with me on your own and let your friends live, or put up a fight and watch everyone around you die. What will it be?”
Everyone was quite, their eyes on me. Blake didn’t try and talk me out of it, neither did Lance of Zyten. It was a hard choice to make, and yet I had no choice at all in the matter. Taking a deep breath, I looked Jake right in the eyes. “It’s a d…”
Before I could finish my sentence a black blur flew across my vision and Jake was gone. Looking around I found him pinned up against a tree about twenty feet away, a new figure standing in front of him, hand on Jake’s neck. He had chocolate brown hair that almost reached his shoulders. Shoulders that showed he was not someone to be taken lightly. The black tank top he wore was loose enough that it didn’t give anything away, but it didn’t have to. “You know, you really shouldn’t threaten my brother like that, Jake. It’s a bad idea, and something I take very personally,” said the guy, amusement clear in his voice.
