The Puppet Assassin [TTR sequel]

The Puppet Assassin - Ch 27 [faults]

He chuckled humourlessly. “Can you, um, not think?” he asked bitterly.

I pursed my lips. “Well, try not to, at least.” I turned to Kayli. “Yes, something has happened.”

“Ah, hmm.” Her forehead creased. “And you’re okay with it?”

I nodded. I tried desperately not to think about anything but this morning was hard to keep out of my thoughts. I blushed, imagining that Donovan was seeing the same thing as me.

“I can’t see the things you’re thinking,” he said softly. Then his expression turned irritated. “The brat is incoming,” he grunted.

The back door opened and closed and I turned to see a boy coming towards us, sneering at Donovan. He was very tall but he looked my age and he hadn’t yet filled out so he appeared lanky, his broad shoulders bony rather than muscled. His skin was a creamy coffee colour and his eyes a bright green, a similar colour to Kayli’s and Liam’s except while they seemed to have shutters to keep their emotion hidden, his eyes were very open and I felt like I could see the world in them. I noticed that when he stepped off the deck, Garth looked at him sharply and his brow furrowed.

“James!” Kayli attempted to sound angry but she grinned as he approached. “You let the bloody dog free and, of course, he came to attack me!”

The boy, James, changed his expression from a sneer to a smile and suddenly I warmed to him. He glanced at the dog and laughed. I had to stop myself from laughing along with him.

“He’s just a puppy, Kay.” He shrugged. “He smelt the kids, and you of course, and he just had to come out here.”

Kayli sighed and rolled her eyes at me. “This here is Liam’s younger brother, James.” She ruffled James’s hair. “James, this is Dizelde.”

"Oh, sure. You introduce him but not me," Donovan said drily.

James knocked Kayli's hand away and held his out to me. He smiled that magical smile again and I took his hand. My ease vanished when his smile did, and his hand squeezed mine. The colour of his face paled. A cold breeze wound its way through my thick clothing and I shivered. My feet felt cold. I looked down at them and my breath caught when I saw the cement floor of the basement underneath them. I flinched and tried to pull my hand away but his grip was too strong. I felt liquid trickle around my toes and watched as darkly coloured blood ran into the space between my toes.

My vision blurred a little as I felt my stomach turn and its contents rise. I was going to be sick. I faintly heard Kayli’s voice calling out the boy’s name but there were other sounds. I could hear the gurgling of a desperate breath, the slow, deep chuckle of something evil and then his voice. I squeezed my eyes shut but I couldn’t block my ears. Very good, Dizelde.

“Dizelde!”

I opened my eyes to see Garth shoving James back and then a warm body pulled me close and I was held tight in strong arms. I gasped into Larkin’s shirt and tried to keep my vomit down. The cold feeling was clinging to my skin, despite being wrapped up in a snug embrace.

“I need a shower,” I moaned, my voice slightly muffled against Larkin’s chest. “I need to wash my feet, please.” I pushed away from Larkin desperately and glanced around, panic so close to the surface. The kids had stopped playing and were looking at me with concern and a small amount of fear.

“Dizelde.” Larkin’s voice was low. He took my chin gently with calloused fingers and lifted it so that I looked into his eyes. “You’re okay.”

A sob caught in my throat. I shifted my feet. I could still feel the blood. “Please, Larkin,” I whispered. His hand shifted and he ran gentle fingers through my hair. His other hand rubbed up and down my shoulder. I couldn’t feel the comfort he wanted to give me though, my heart was hammering still and I could barely think past the need to get clean.

“Get the hell off me!”

I gasped as I saw Garth be flung to the ground with a flash of green light. James was breathing deeply as his head jerked up and he glared at me. The look made me feel like I was drowning. I couldn’t find air.

Kayli stepped in front of my eyesight, facing James. “Listen to me, for the gods’ sakes!” she growled. “Whatever you’ve seen, it’s not who she is.”

“She’s a murderer,” James spat the words out. His voice tore at my ears. Murderer.

I shoved Larkin back and heaved, coughing and choking, before throwing up. I felt his hand on my hair again, holding it back, his other on my neck.

“Look at her!” Kayli exclaimed. “You’ve just scared the shit out of her! For crying out loud, James! She’s the daughter of a serial killer, she lived in a basement where her father left bodies to decay!”

“Her brain repressed most of it, kid.” Garth’s voice sounded gruffer than usual. “She was forced to hurt some of his victims, sometimes even had to finish them off. If you’d waited a bit longer, you would’ve found out how much of a fucking psycho her father actually was.”

“What do you know?” James said harshly, although his tone was more subdued.

“Oh, come on, can’t you feel it?” Garth chuckled and then hissed in pain. “I’ve got some seer in me. Obviously not as epic as you, but I still managed to see more in her than you did.”

I jerked upright but I couldn’t go over to where they were talking. Larkin tucked me into his chest as he crouched behind me and pulled my legs up so they were tucked between his. I shivered and his hands started to rub circles, one on my back and the other on the outside of my leg. Slowly, warmth returned but I could still see the blood.

“I’m sorry,” James’s voice was quiet. “I just saw that… horrible scene and I…” There was a long pause. “It scared me,” he said softly. “I can help her.”

I shrank back into Larkin’s grasp. Despite all I had heard, I didn’t want him near me. I hadn’t been so frightened for years.

“Dizelde, right?”

I looked up and winced when I saw his face. His body seemed to loom in front of me. He smiled, gently, but it didn’t warm me this time. He must be a good actor, to hide behind that smile.

Larkin tightened his grip. “I don’t care if you’re Liam’s brother or the fucking king of the world,” he growled up at James. “If you traumatise her again, I’ll tear you a new one.”

He looked contrite and hurt. “I’m sorry.” He sounded upset. “I can make you feel better.”

He held out a hand. I stared at it.

“You can trust him,” I heard Kayli say.

The hand had long fingers and looked clean and smooth.

“If I were you, I’d take his hand.” I glanced over at Garth. He was wiping dirt off the side of his shirt and rubbing a spot on his stomach tentatively. His dark blue eyes locked on mine and he nodded. For some reason, I trusted him. First Luke, now Garth. I should be more careful, I shouldn’t trust anyone. But I couldn’t help it.

I reached up and took James’s hand. I yelped as he yanked it upwards, pulling me up onto my feet. Larkin snarled but before he could stand, James wrapped his arms around me. Then I felt something, a sensation I couldn’t explain even if it were a life or death situation. All I could say is that it felt somewhat like there was some kind of light flooding through me. It wiped those flashes of vision that kept popping up and I felt internally warm again. He held me a moment longer and then whispered in my ear.

“I’m really sorry.”

Then he let me go, spun around and took a big leap away. He then threw up, not far away from where I had been sick. He coughed and hacked before wiping his hand over his mouth and looking back to me, his eyes very bright.

“Dude, disgusting.” Donovan’s cool voice broke the silence and I looked around to see that not only the kids, but the people on the deck were all looking our way. I reached out and Larkin took my hand. I felt even better.

“Get her home, Lark,” Garth said stiffly.

“Wait.” James raised his hand. He took a step over to me but stopped in front of Larkin. He placed a hand on his shoulder and said softly, “She’ll still have nightmares.” James looked at me and I saw pity in his eyes. “She’ll need you in the mornings.”