The Nephilim boy stood beside my desk for the entire day. No matter what classroom I was in, he was there next to me.
"Aren't you bored?"
"I do not understand the concept of boredom."
Closing my locker, I lifted my bag over my shoulder. A shiver went up my spine, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
"We are not alone," the boy whispered.
"Demon or vampire?" I murmured.
"Demon."
I rolled my eyes and pulled the other strap onto my arm.
"This is getting ridiculous. Now I've got three creatures that want me dead."
"Oh, the demon doesn't want you dead,"
The Nephilim smiled at me.
"He does, however, wish to utilize your services and harness your ability. You should move away before he materializes."
Taking my hand, the Nephilim led me out of the corridor.
"I don't have any ability."
"Wrong," the Nephilim cooed. "You are the offspring of a powerful witch. The demon senses that and knows that you are young and easily corrupted. He would offer you a deal that would seem quite enticing to you but be warned that it will benefit him more than you. Best that you keep your affection for the boy out of his sight. The demon will remove all obstacles."
His grip tightened, and the cold permeated through my skin.
"Aside from my kind, that he has no control over. Your vampire enemies, though, he could certainly deal with them if you were to strike the right bargain. I would not recommend it, though."
"Selling my soul?"
"Demons are not the devil, Evelyn. They do not have such powers. What he would take, though, would leave you thinking that you had, in fact, sold your soul. I suppose that your lack of knowledge regarding the subject is understandable. Fear not. I will be here by your side until my kin arrives, so you will be safe from the demon."
"What's my father like?"
The bright purple eyes looked at me, wide and perhaps stunned.
"I do not know. I was assigned to you and have no information or thoughts on your father. What I know about him is what I have found within you. The power that flows through your veins is strong, which is indicative of a powerful lineage. There were a few witches that could be your father. However, they are all dead. What we face is an unknown entity, and he will sense that you have come of age. That can be dangerous."
We'd reached Kannon's classroom, I stopped, and thankfully he let go of my hand.
"How so?"
"Witches are unpredictable, that is why I said, can be dangerous. I have no idea what would happen, but something tells me that he will not willingly emerge from whatever hole he's hiding in. Once he figures out that he impregnated a vampire, the witch will know what is coming for him. Make no mistake Evelyn, your father will pick his own life over yours. He will leave you to deal with the Nephilim on your own."
"Aren't you just a ray of sunshine?"
The boy paused, looking up to the ceiling as if he had seen someone or something. His smile was malicious but full of amusement.
"However, in recent moments, I have been advised that perhaps those thoughts may be wrong. The future is now unsettled, and there is no direct path ahead. Only time will tell what will happen now."
"Well, that's just great," I mumbled.
He said nothing in response, which was just as well. Kannon's class emerged. The once quiet corridor was now buzzing with life, and I didn't want to be trying to have a discrete conversation with a being that only I could see.
Kannon sauntered out, giving me a peck on the cheek.
"Still got company?"
"Yeah," I groaned. "It's the least of my problems now. Come on, we need privacy."
Kannon took my hand as we wandered to his locker. I was ignoring the Nephilim, who was trying to get my attention to ensure that I knew his kind was my biggest problem.
"Brad said you can give me another lesson this afternoon."
"Once we're away from this place?"
I nodded with a smile until I remembered that the annoyance was still here and always would be. There would be no misbehavior at the lake or anywhere in between.
"Have you heard from your father?"
"Yes, all fixed."
"You know why I ask that, right?"
Kannon grimly nodded as he held open the passenger door.
"It's only been a short while since you shot him. I would not have expected Drakkus to be out at this hour or at all, to be honest."
"He knows."
"No, he probably expected Andross to return at a certain time and has come here to find him. Now, what did we need privacy for?"
Kannon pressed me to the car, kissing over my jaw. It was hard to enjoy it when the Nephilim stared at us.
"Would you go away?" I hissed.
Kannon's head lifted, looking at where my eyes were directed. The Nephilim remained quiet. Just a plain face that offered nothing.
"He won't leave me now because of this morning."
"Sounds like absolute fun."
"Yeah. The privacy thing," I whispered. "The principal is a demon."
Kannon shifted a step back, putting a small gap between us.
"Seriously?"
"If you believe the Nephilim, yes."
"Oh, I would believe them. They don't know how to lie."
"We do not understand the concept of it and the purpose that it serves." the teen interjected.
"Great, thanks for the info."
When I was seated, Kannon shut the door. For the few seconds that I was alone, I looked across the road to the café where I'd seen Andross watching us. Now, we had a replacement observer, and he was ready to unleash a whole new kind of war on me. It was like he knew that I'd killed his partner.
Even though Brad said that I could have a driving lesson today, we decided against it. I didn't want to be out having fun when there was a rather large issue that had to be dealt with. Well, my life was nothing but issues, but Andross was at the top of the pile.
Brad was stunned when we told him. Seated at the table with coffee in front of him, I'd suggested putting a little kicker in it because he'd want it once I'd told him about my morning adventure. He didn't get angry, not that I thought he would. The worst I'd seen out of Brad was grumpiness.
Part of his subdued mood was because we were not alone. Not just Kannon but his family and a few whom I was yet to be introduced to. They were sitting in the lounge room while we discussed the issue.
"Did you know that I turned eighteen three days ago?"
Brad stared for a moment, then nodded. I was stunned into silence as I stared at Brad. He opened his mouth and then huffed.
"I don't know why she told me a different date, but when the cops cleared the apartment and I collected your things, I found a note for me. She told me your real birth date and that I had to keep it a secret, and that we should never stop moving. I had to keep you a secret."
"The caseworker?"
"Just another mindless human that knew nothing. She was more interested in getting you off her books than your welfare. I'm sorry, Evie. I didn't want to keep this from you, but the letter sounded like your mother was scared of something coming to get you. She said that I had to keep it a secret, even from you. Your mother wanted you to enjoy your childhood as much as you could."
"That makes no sense. Why did she hit me? Why was I the one she blamed for all her problems?"
Brad had a blank expression on his face as he looked at me. Sadness soon gripped him. He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out, just a wordless shaking of his head.
The Nephilim was standing behind Brad, giving me a dark smile. Yeah, I knew what he was thinking. I was a problem. I was the reason she was living a life on the run, taking whatever work she could find which clearly was something that she didn't like doing.
"What about your job?"
"I had to quit, not long after you moved in. Do you remember when I said that I'd just got the okay to work from home?"
I nodded warily.
"They said that there was no opportunity to do anything other than the job that I had. I had to do my job or quit. I accepted it because I thought that you'd be alright. You'd lived an independent life with your mother, so I figured you were used to looking after yourself. Getting to school had never been a problem in the past. I thought that your mother was just being well, you know, the drugs."
Pressing my lips tight with a grim smile, I nodded again. Yeah, mom and her drugs.
"When I came home that afternoon, I was all set to tell you that life was going to be just like what you were used to, just in a different setting. I'd just walked in the main gate, and I was standing at the entrance looking through the mail when one of the other residents was complaining about some creepy guy hanging around the building asking if there were any new tenants."
Brad looked at me directly. The heaviness of his mood was a little startling.
"New as in young girls. She was going to call the cops. She was adamant that this guy was a pervert looking to abduct someone and it hit me like a wrecking ball. You were new to the building, and you were young and female. He was looking for you. Your mother's letter and this guy, it put a lot of fear in me. So, I formed a quick plan that had us leaving the next day. I didn't pick anywhere. I didn't tell a soul. Once I had you and our stuff in the car, I sent an email to work telling them that I had to quit, giving them the caseworker lie."
"But all your stuff."
"It was still there until a month ago. The building manager has sold it all and wired the money to my account. We've been living off the inheritance. Between what my parents left your mother and me, it's kept us going and doing exactly as she wanted. She was very specific about the money. It was to be used to move us and to keep you from being found. Never stop, always move, be vigilant."
"What did she know?" I hissed at the Nephilim.
Eddios, who was sitting next to Brad, turned and looked at the empty space, then curiously looked back at me.
"Clearly more than she let on. Having never met your mother, I cannot say what she knew. I also lack the ability to see into the past. You can let your anger consume you if that is what you desire, but your emotions are pointless. Your uncle did what was asked of him. Bear him no ill will, Evelyn."
"The boy?" Brad asked.
"Yes, the Nephilim boy is here permanently because of this morning."
With a heavy sigh, I settled back into the seat.
"I'd like to talk about this later if you don't mind."
Brad nodded silently. It was better that we were alone.
"Will Drakkus believe me if I say it was an accident, that I acted unknowingly and in self-defense?"
"Nope," Eddios said curtly. "Once he figures it out, he's going to start preparations. The only thing that is going for you at the moment is this,"
His index finger tapped on the document from the Heritage Trust. The paperwork had been submitted and accepted. We were the official, legal owners of this house and land.
"In their confirmation that you are legitimate descendants of Niko, Drakkus has to accept that you are the legal leader of the vampires in this town."
"But don't expect him to hand it over," Jess said.
"No, he won't do that. Not in a million years. What you do next will define you as a leader and will set the tone for the future. He will expect that you will be full of bravado, and he will anticipate a confrontation."
"I would expect that, too," I said. "But you sound as if you think I should consider an alternative."
"All I know is that he has seen how you fight, how you stand your ground. He might have only had a few days to learn about you, but I promise that he has had every single one of his followers watching you. His thirst to know the enemy will never be quenched. This is how a leader will win the war. They learn their enemy, so they understand them. They search for their weaknesses, their strengths, and anything that they can use to their advantage. I would suggest that you do the same. Also, you will need to learn how to rule. The vampires that I have brought with us, they will give you useful information. Listen to them, Evelyn. They are here to assist you. They want you as their leader."
"They don't know me."
Eddios smiled.
"My dear, you are a Corbin by blood. They already knew you long before you were born."