started it all? Someone close to you died or almost died?"
With a groan, Ethan pushed off the wall and returned to his seat on the beer crates. "Yeah, me."
Abigail raised her eyebrows.
"There was this guy, a guy I liked. I thought he was like me, gay, you know? But he wasn’t. And worse, he was pissed when he found out I thought he was." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyway, I guess he thought it would make him seem less gay if he beat the crap out of me. He did, you know, beat me to a pulp. Until something inside me snapped, and boom he was on his ass. I wasn’t sure I’d done it at first. The next morning though, I woke up at home, bloody and sore, and thirsty, really thirsty." He swallowed hard. "There was a cup of juice on the counter, probably my sister's. It slid right into my hand."
"And the rest is history," Abigail said, slightly bored. She needed to move this along. He wasn't safe here out in the open.
"Yeah. It took another two years before I could control it."
"Ethan, I think you should come with me now. I can take you where there are people like you that can teach you more about your gift. But we need to hurry. There are Watchers coming for you."
"Watchers?"
"Demons. Fallen angels. Baddies that go bump in the night. If they find you, they’ll kill you."
"Kill me? Why"
"To have one less Soulkeeper in the way when they invade our world." She paced the alley in front of him. "Oh, and because they’re hungry. They’re flesh eaters. If they find you, they’ll eat you." She smiled, allowing her teeth to transform into razor sharp fangs.
He hugged himself. "Do I have time to think about this?"
"Sure. But I don’t recommend we go back inside. It’s too easy to lose you in the crowd and my gut tells me we’re on borrowed time."
"They'll fire me. I’ll lose my apartment. There’s no way I can just leave."
"We have ways of helping with the practicalities." She waved her hand and a pool of vomit appeared at his feet. "You’ve become violently ill and need to go to the hospital." She handed him her phone.
He eyed the gadget in her hand and shook his head. "It will be better if I use my own." Pulling his phone from his pocket, he relayed the message, adding something about suspect shrimp dip in the backroom before ending the call.
"Interesting addendum about the shrimp dip."
"The key to telling a great lie is in the details."
She cocked her head to the side. "I have a feeling you and I are going to get along well."
Ethan nodded. "I need to stop at my apartment to pack."
"After you." Abigail motioned toward the end of the alley. She followed Ethan to his apartment, then ushered him into his new life.
Chapter 14
Mara and Henry
Mara pushed Necromancer forward, hoping that Henry would join her soon. She understood he had responsibilities. Even though he could be in more than one place at a time, sometimes he needed to stop to concentrate. He’d go into a trance-like state and that meant Mara needed to keep herself busy. But the In Between was a strange place to be alone.
Henry’s castle was a construct of his consciousness. She’d learned it was a replica of an actual castle he’d known of when he grew up in England. As she'd moved beyond the hills surrounding the castle, she'd left Henry’s head and that's when things got strange.
She’d shared in Gideon’s vision. It was odd to leave a British countryside and end up on an American main street in a matter of steps. Now, she crossed the plush green yard of an Italian villa. This was someone else’s construct and by the looks of it, someone powerful. Considering she wasn’t supposed to be here, she decided not to stop to say hello. She’d taken enough of a risk visiting Gideon.
Beyond the last rolling green hill, the grass turned to sand and the light from above put off an intense heat to match the desert landscape. Necromancer slowed, her hooves sinking uncomfortably in the sand. Mara tried to change the environment, to
With a groan, Ethan pushed off the wall and returned to his seat on the beer crates. "Yeah, me."
Abigail raised her eyebrows.
"There was this guy, a guy I liked. I thought he was like me, gay, you know? But he wasn’t. And worse, he was pissed when he found out I thought he was." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyway, I guess he thought it would make him seem less gay if he beat the crap out of me. He did, you know, beat me to a pulp. Until something inside me snapped, and boom he was on his ass. I wasn’t sure I’d done it at first. The next morning though, I woke up at home, bloody and sore, and thirsty, really thirsty." He swallowed hard. "There was a cup of juice on the counter, probably my sister's. It slid right into my hand."
"And the rest is history," Abigail said, slightly bored. She needed to move this along. He wasn't safe here out in the open.
"Yeah. It took another two years before I could control it."
"Ethan, I think you should come with me now. I can take you where there are people like you that can teach you more about your gift. But we need to hurry. There are Watchers coming for you."
"Watchers?"
"Demons. Fallen angels. Baddies that go bump in the night. If they find you, they’ll kill you."
"Kill me? Why"
"To have one less Soulkeeper in the way when they invade our world." She paced the alley in front of him. "Oh, and because they’re hungry. They’re flesh eaters. If they find you, they’ll eat you." She smiled, allowing her teeth to transform into razor sharp fangs.
He hugged himself. "Do I have time to think about this?"
"Sure. But I don’t recommend we go back inside. It’s too easy to lose you in the crowd and my gut tells me we’re on borrowed time."
"They'll fire me. I’ll lose my apartment. There’s no way I can just leave."
"We have ways of helping with the practicalities." She waved her hand and a pool of vomit appeared at his feet. "You’ve become violently ill and need to go to the hospital." She handed him her phone.
He eyed the gadget in her hand and shook his head. "It will be better if I use my own." Pulling his phone from his pocket, he relayed the message, adding something about suspect shrimp dip in the backroom before ending the call.
"Interesting addendum about the shrimp dip."
"The key to telling a great lie is in the details."
She cocked her head to the side. "I have a feeling you and I are going to get along well."
Ethan nodded. "I need to stop at my apartment to pack."
"After you." Abigail motioned toward the end of the alley. She followed Ethan to his apartment, then ushered him into his new life.
Chapter 14
Mara and Henry
Mara pushed Necromancer forward, hoping that Henry would join her soon. She understood he had responsibilities. Even though he could be in more than one place at a time, sometimes he needed to stop to concentrate. He’d go into a trance-like state and that meant Mara needed to keep herself busy. But the In Between was a strange place to be alone.
Henry’s castle was a construct of his consciousness. She’d learned it was a replica of an actual castle he’d known of when he grew up in England. As she'd moved beyond the hills surrounding the castle, she'd left Henry’s head and that's when things got strange.
She’d shared in Gideon’s vision. It was odd to leave a British countryside and end up on an American main street in a matter of steps. Now, she crossed the plush green yard of an Italian villa. This was someone else’s construct and by the looks of it, someone powerful. Considering she wasn’t supposed to be here, she decided not to stop to say hello. She’d taken enough of a risk visiting Gideon.
Beyond the last rolling green hill, the grass turned to sand and the light from above put off an intense heat to match the desert landscape. Necromancer slowed, her hooves sinking uncomfortably in the sand. Mara tried to change the environment, to
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