The Grave Shadows

50. Useless

The prying sunlight warmed Everett's cheeks when the noisy forest nettled his ears. For a moment, Everett thought of the dean's coffee and the midnight Ford. He had better be hurried. I'm going to tell them today, Everett thought, staring at the oddity of his ceiling. The stone was lumber. The cherubs were missing. Nevertheless, Everett would tell the other Watts boys that he and Cyan were dating.

The ceiling, however, wasn't the only wrongness this morning. The smell, the brassy glare, the stiffness under Everett's back, the guilt inside his chest, the anger in his throat, the disappointment everywhere—the new reality. Cyan was gone, David came back, Hector had gone crazy, and the Watts Clan killed someone they absolutely loved.

Everett rolled out of the mattress and kicked another source of nuisance next to him. Shutting his eyes again, he held his breath. Luke's snoring was worse than the giggling in the stone wall. Everett slid along the crooked panel to the murky window from where the whacks of wood riving came. He nudged Luke with his toes, and the snore languished, turning into a rough moan. The nearly opaque pane blurred three figures outside. Simon's voice, Will's swearing, and David's chuckle staggered the gradual wood splitting.

Ignoring his kid brother, Everett tripped out of the pitiful room. From the blazing outdoors, Simon and Will strutted back inside the cabin. They looked vain—their organic and innate expressions—so they had to be superbly rested.

Will caught Everett's shoulder and said, "You hit that lunatic in the face, and... whatever you want."

The morning squabble was a sign of energy replenishment. The offer was tempting, and it could have worked before. Unfortunately, Will, like the other Watts boys, had nothing to offer anyone presently. And what Everett wanted might be the same thing Will inappropriately fancied.

Simon, a self-possessed and unruffled creature, on the other hand, looked as though he still had everything. Obsessed with being steps ahead of everyone, he seemed older than Will most of the time. But since Simon proceeded inside the cabin without the usual awe-inspiring pout at Everett, David certainly had frustrated him as well.

In the front yard with Will and Simon's whine as a soundtrack, David glistened in sweat. His smirk rippled down to his naked chest and abdominal muscles. The lunatic had spent much time working out in Hollywood.

"Where's your girlfriend?" asked Everett as he scanned the surroundings.

"Back there." David pointed the ax at a trail between the Prius and the Mercedes. "She's casting a spell to cloak us." He chopped another piece of wood.

The old David was prohibited from going anywhere near sharp objects. The new David was an expert on every damn thing.

"Spell?" Everett narrowed his eyes. "What is she also a witch now? I hardly grasp the concept of huldrekes, Van Gogh. Are there other species we have to deal with, too? Boogeyman, vampires, monsters, hmm?"

"Just huldrekes." David chuckled and split another wood. "Huldrekes are like humans, Everett. They are unique among themselves as you boys have different qualities. Will is kind, Simon is beautiful, Luke is smart, and you..." David contemplated. "You're lucky."

Everett scoffed. David had been away for too long to assess his brothers right.

"Angelica is highly skilled because she's been through a lot." David gleamed. "She's good at spells and fights like a warrior. You should see her lash out electric whips." He raised a brow.

"What about you?" Everett eyed David's hands around the haft that seemed more dangerous than Hector's rifles. "Other than destroying craps, what else can you do?"