Feeling warm sheets against her skin had Emma sighing, content to remain lying exactly where she was. Wait. Where am I? she wondered through the haze of sleep that swam around her mind like a heavy rain cloud, refusing to leave after a storm.
"Do not move."
Her whole body suddenly felt like ice water was being pumped through her veins, freezing her limbs in place. The voice was somewhat familiar and very close. From what she could tell, its owner was somewhere above her. On the ceiling... Brax? Her heart stuttered, trying to get itself back into a normal rhythm from the sudden shock of him possibly being there.
"I know why you are all here. I heard your friends, but I could not control my actions the way I was."
It is Brax. Dad.
Emma wanted to talk with him, to look at him, but she knew that she had to take his warning seriously. She didn't dare make a single movement besides taking air into her lungs and slowly letting it out.
"I struggle, even now, to keep my mind away from the constant barrage of unbearable instincts telling me to kill you and the others when they return from feeding and fetching you food."
Emma didn't try to correct him. Legs and Goliath had returned to the group of pholcikin the Congregation had sent after they'd cleaned themselves up from the fight in the alley. They were probably going to try to find out what the lycokin's plan was. Hopefully, the two groups were together and openly discussing, or at least willing to share the information.
"But, I will help however I am able to at the time of the attack."
Of course he knew about the plan. Or at least part of it.
"I can't, however, be an ally. If I fight, you and your friends must stay as far away from me as you can. Because when I am an arakin, I will kill anything without hesitation."
Hearing the anguish in his words twisted her heart. Even though his voice and appearance had changed, as he spoke to her right then, she could still hear her father loud and clear through whatever kin he currently was.
When he remained silent for several long moments, Emma licked her lips nervously and spoke in a soft, careful tone. "Will it ever be safe to be near you again?"
She felt that she knew the answer already, but she needed to hear it from him. Needed to know that she and Salem had indeed lost their father the night of the accident which had claimed their mother, even if he hadn't really died.
"No. I have been slowly going insane over the past several years. Each time I disappeared from our home I was struggling to control what was going through my mind," Brax answered after a minute.
Emma wanted so badly to open her eyes but forced herself to remain completely still except for her breathing and the slight movement from her lips as she spoke again. "Then the accident... did you?" It hurt her to think that it was possible, but she had no idea how her father viewed the world.
A deep rumble vibrated the bed after Emma felt something drop onto the covers beside her, depressing the space to her left as if someone were crouching there. She waited as Brax tried to regain control, his internal fight easily audible as his growls grew in volume, then lowered, then rose again. When he finally quieted completely, Emma could hear him panting from the stress of getting his arakin back under control.
"I would never have hurt her! She thought that when I left, that I was cheating. I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't tell her what I was or that I was going insane. Losing myself. Having thoughts about killing anyone I came in contact with." He stopped speaking for a moment, his breathing speeding up as she felt him shift on the bed slightly. "We were arguing and she kept looking over at me as she drove. I was normally so alert, especially after letting myself be free as an arakin so recently. But that one time, I focused completely on her instead of splitting my attention between her and the road. I was so hurt. I wanted to fix everything that was falling apart because of what I was. But I couldn't."
The bed shifted again as he fell silent and Emma felt something warm press against her arm and shoulder. She focused on the contact and figured out that Brax was leaning his forehead against her shoulder since his hair tickled her skin there. That left his arm as the most likely thing to be brushing against hers.
"The deer came out of nowhere. I am incredibly fast... but right then, I wasn't fast enough."
Emma moved her arm, slowly allowing it to cross over her chest and very gently settle on top of Brax's mussed hair. She heard his sharp intake of breath and the easily distinguishable feeling of spiders as they began to swarm from the dirty strands onto her hand. That didn't stop her from beginning to move her thumb soothingly along the edge of his hairline.
"I love you, Dad," she finally said into the silence.
She felt him move again, but when he didn't say anything, her eyes hesitantly opened. Her head had already been tilted slightly in his direction, allowing her to see her father curled up near her side, his head ducked against her arm like a child silently begging for forgiveness.
"I'm sorry I can't be who you need anymore, Emma. But please know that I love you and Salem, and I always will. Even when my mind is completely gone."
He slowly sat up and began to turn to face her, making her hurry to close her eyes. She felt the bed dip a little more, close to her shoulder, then bit back a gasp when warm lips pressed against her forehead in a brief kiss.
"I need to leave now. Please remember what I have told you. From here on, I am not to be trusted. I will try my best to help, but keep your distance."
Able to hear that he was beginning to have trouble controlling himself again, Emma refrained from answering as she felt his weight disappear from the spot beside her. It hurt to know that their one simple conversation was going to be the last one she would ever have with her father, but she now knew how hard it was to keep himself sane. He had forced the arakin back just long enough to speak with her one last time.
The door to the hotel room opened, then closed, only to open again a minute later. The sound of footsteps echoed into the room, making her hurry to open her eyes and sit up, her attention lifting to the ceiling above her as she gripped her side with one hand, wincing. There was an array of webbing that shimmered when the light hit it just right, as well as a few remaining spiders, but one in particular caught her eye as it began to descend on a thin silk line. He's the one from the window at the Congregation. Holding her hand out, she felt Widow, Legs, and Goliath all watching her but remained completely focused on the medium-sized spider that landed on her palm a moment later.
"I've never seen that kind of spider before," Legs said as he walked over and leaned down to get a better look at the gray, red, and light brown arachnid.
The spider had a fuzzy body, like Catch. Somewhat long legs, like Stilts. And a blood red symbol on its back like Fuzz. Curious, Emma brought it closer to her and smiled. "Hello there. I suppose Dad left you with me for safe keeping?"
It spun in a circle and tapped her palm a few times, then leaned over the edge and pointed down with its two front legs. Emma looked down, seeing a crumpled up piece of paper that she hadn't noticed before. Moving her hand up to her shoulder, she allowed the spider to crawl to its new perch before reaching down and opening the wrinkled paper.
Dear Emma,
I am writing this because I am not sure if I will be able to speak to you without being a danger, though I will try my best today. Sadly, I doubt that afterward I will ever be safe to be around again. I am sure that you have been told exactly what I am and why I can't be trusted. Listen to them in regards to me, but for everything else, listen to your heart.
The real world is truly a scary place that I had hoped to shelter you two from, but I know that you and Salem will be able to make it without me now. Please, for your own safety, never seek me out again. I love you, and I will do everything in my power to keep you and your brother safe, but my mind is not my own and each day I lose myself a little more. With the events that are sure to take place very soon, and considering your unfortunate involvement in them, please take my aranid, Faux, with you. I hope that he will be of some help to you, and if nothing else, I hope that he reminds you that I am with you, even if I physically cannot be.
Love, Dad
P.S. I know nearly everything that goes on in this town involving kin. That hunter of yours better behave himself until you are ready to go further, if you intend to do so with him at all. Please let him know that I am quite a bit more venomous than him and it tends to burn for a long time as it slowly dissolves one's insides... and I don't give second chances easily, so he best not waste this one.
While the note was written in jagged scribbles, as if he'd had to force himself to focus too hard on making each letter legible, it warmed her heart to know that even when he was having so much trouble with himself, he still did his best to make sure that she knew that he still cared.
Love you too, Dad.
Sliding from the bed, she hissed as her ribs ached but forced herself to ignore them as she took the clothing Widow offered her and went to change in the bathroom. When she'd finished getting dressed, she slid the note from her father into her back pocket, then stepped out of the small room and looked down at the aranid as it climbed down from her hair back to her shoulder, having stayed there to be out of the way while she'd changed.
"Hello, Faux. It seems that your friend wants me to look after you for awhile. I hope you don't mind," she greeted.
The spider tapped its fuzzy feet on her shoulder and Emma smiled before turning her attention to the three kin in the room. Widow was sitting on the second bed holding a dozing Salem in his arms whom he'd taken to get food, while Foster leaned against his side. Legs and Goliath watched the aranid on her shoulder warily while standing near the dresser.
"Brax just left before you guys came back," she finally said since no one else spoke up. "He came to warn me about him, but also to say that he would try to help as best he could manage."
Legs's brow furrowed and he glanced at an equally confused-looking Goliath.
"So he is on our side?" Legs asked.
Emma quickly shook her head. "No, he said that if you see him again, stay as far away from him as you can. He will kill anyone that's close when he's an arakin. He also said not to try to find him again, either."
Goliath shook his head and set a bag on the bed that Emma hadn't noticed before.
"Widow picked up some food for you guys. The attack will begin around midnight, when the least light is available. It's not much of a plan, considering the glow worms and the fact that the caverns are mainly underground, but that's what the other kin have decided so it's harder for the guards to spot them, at least until the burrowers start the flooding that will come from the nearby lake."
Emma nodded as she began to fill her stomach with chicken, rice, and egg rolls. Salem soon awoke enough to join her, focusing his attention mainly on the chicken, as it was his favorite.
"The light situation is actually where I want you to come in, Emma," Legs said.
Looking up, Emma swallowed her bite of food. "You want me to make the spiders block out the glow worms?" she asked, having already figured out what he might want her to do, considering her abilities.
Legs nodded, like she expected. "Yes. Goliath, myself, and Widow are all very familiar with the layout of the caverns. You won't need to actually see to give commands to the spiders, so that means that you can stay somewhere generally safe while still being extremely helpful."
While she wasn't happy about being left out of the fighting, she knew that she would only be a hindrance if she tried to take on a kin. Her best bet was to use her control over the spiders in the cavern. Hopefully they wouldn't get hurt this time, because she was actually starting to feel like the little arachnids were nicer than most people she'd met.
"I can do that," she said, nodding as she took another bite.
"I wanna come with Emmie!" Salem said suddenly, surprising all of them a bit.
Widow leaned over and rustled Salem's hair. "It's too dangerous, Salem. We need you to stay here where it's safe."
Salem was clearly upset about having to stay at the hotel, but Emma couldn't agree more. Even if her brother was a half-kin like her, it would be too dangerous to bring him. "He's right, Salem. Stay here for me, okay? We won't be gone long, then we can go get ice cream," she said, watching her brother's pout turn into a small smile.
"Okay..." he mumbled quietly before continuing to nibble at his chicken.
"Once you're done eating, meet us outside and be ready to go. There is a kin I trust outside to keep an eye on the room so that no one comes in and the boys don't leave. We won't have time to waste once we start moving, Madam and the kin from the Congregation will all know. As soon as we get to Widow's shop, you'll need to give the spiders there the command to cover the worms, then Widow, Goliath, and I will move in."
Emma nodded, watching as Legs and Goliath both stepped outside. Her attention turned to Widow after a moment. He had gotten up from the bed, setting Salem aside next to Foster so that the boys could eat. Stepping forward, he gently placed a hand on the back of her neck and guided her forward as he leaned in. Their lips pressed together gently and Emma sighed, leaning into Widow as she felt his free arm wrap around her waist.
When the burning sensation from his venom flared, she realized that his fang caps must have been taken off. She hesitantly broke the kiss, pursing her lips as the pain began to recede. Widow's dark chocolate eyes met hers as he moved his face forward a bit more to nuzzle against her cheek.
I'm going to have to get used to the venom now.
She would never ask him to cap his fangs just so that she could be a little more comfortable kissing him. Besides, the remnants of venom from their previous kisses hadn't even upset her stomach, so she hoped that after a while, it would just be something she could get used to since she was half kin.
Just no deep kisses for a while.
"Please be safe," Widow whispered by her ear as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.
"I will, Widow. Please be careful, too. I want you to come back to me and Salem."
She heard him give a low hum of appreciation before he leaned back with a smile on his face.
"Are you going to be okay with your instincts?" she asked, suddenly remembering how badly he'd been controlled by them before when he was underground.
Widow's smile widened before he gave a small nod. "Yeah. I can feel them, but after being free of Madam's pheromones for a while I can handle them much better."
When Emma returned his smile with a hopeful one and nodded, Widow turned to leave. He gave Salem and Foster a gentle pat on their heads, then walked out of the room, leaving Emma to finish eating quickly while at the same time trying not to throw up from nerves.