Blood Is Thicker Than Water-- Ch. 9

The night was foggy, not something that usually happened in L.A. I could feel something not right about tonight. Something was going to happen. And something told me to check back up on Deacon. I got into my car, flicking my cigarette as I did, and turned the ignition. Deamus jumped through the passenger side window, joining me for my night ride.1

“Hey, boy.” I said, scratching his head. I backed the car out of the driveway and headed into town. The ride was cooling, calming my suspicions of Deacon for this night. The passing of guardrails, the rhythmic pulsation of the while lines, relaxing my nerves. Just as I thought everything was calm, I sensed them. Deacons followers. Those ugly, 6 foot purple demons, scurrying up along a building on the other side of town.2

I kicked my car into high gear and slammed on the gas. I followed their shrieks that only demons and other non-humans could hear. They had about 15 souls already gathered from what I could see when I reached the other side of town. They were taking the souls to an old abandoned warehouse. I parked outside the fence and cut the engine. 3

“What do you think, Deamus?” I asked my trusted dragon. He just looked at me and sighed a puff of smoke.4

“Burn their asses.....good thinking.” I said as I opened the door and started to approach the building, Deamus following close behind. Their building was old, a warehouse of some sort, maybe gardening. Dirt road rustled under my feet as I reached the front door. I peered inside, and there was Deacon, standing in front of a chair, obviously someone sitting in it.5

Then I pushed open the door, letting my presence be known. Deacon turned around, long blonde hair flowing. He was in his Demon form, the form I hated more then anything, and then, when he noticed it was me, he stepped out of the way of the person in the chair. 6

“Ivy, I’d like you to meet your only living family, Eve. Don’t know her? Tisk, tisk. You are her fourth great grandmothers cousin. She’s your only family, of course, other then your father. But where is daddy dearest? That, unfortunately, I do not know. Sorry.” He spoke very slowly, rubbing in that I was alone in this world. How did he know that Eve was related to me? I didn’t even know I had living family other then my father.7

“Let her go Deacon.” I said, as I looked at Eve. She was young, 15, 16 years old maybe, tied to the chair and gagged. Curly red hair, a trademark among my family. She was related to me, I could see it in her eyes. She was pleading for me to help her. Deacon knew I would come tonight. That’s why he got her, he knew I had been searching for any family I had for a long time. And he found her first. He was trying to hurt my pride, unable to hurt me physically. He wouldn’t just let me take her, no, too easy. Plus he had his gang of demons round up a nice bunch of souls. No, Deacon wanted mine, he’d do anything to get me on his side. This was going to be a difficult fight.8

***9

I leapt from my position, fangs reveled, headed straight for Deacon. Before I reached him, however, he extended his massive bat-like wings as I was falling towards him. With a single flap, Deacons wing sent me soaring, crashing into a wall and falling through a box, crushing it.10

The pain that rushed through my head was almost unbearable. Pulsing through my veins, down my body, my legs, and back up, circulating through my blood. I could feel it, the fury was building up inside, and I was unable to calm it down. 11

I stood then, began approaching Deacon, ignoring the pain, feeding off the fury. I became a different being then. I was no longer the normal Ivy that I was everyday. I became the vicious killer inside. The part of me I inherited from my father. I was my true blood. Just then I let out a low scream, screeching, startling Deacon. I grabbed my daggers, both beautifully crafted blood handled daggers. I threw them at Eve, one cutting her hands free, the other, slicing her gag. She stood, grabbed my daggers and ran out of the building right by me, handing them back.12

Deacon spun around then, facing his rival yet again. The anger in his expression letting me know that I had done exactly what he did not want done. Just because I did something I was not supposed to, this fight was going to be a long one. He came after me again, striking me. But all the blow did was turn my head. I lunged on the barely 7 foot beast, knocking him to the ground. He stared up into my eyes, down into my soul, he was trying to see inside me. I tried to blink but my eyes wouldn’t respond. 13

‘Can’t do it can you, Ivy. You can’t shut me out. Look into my eyes, Ivy, see into my soul.’ He said inside my head. I couldn’t look away, I wanted to see inside him, I wanted to know all about him. I couldn’t figure out why. But something inside me wanted to know, needed to know all about him. ‘Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.’ I thought to myself. I could feel Deacons arms wrap around me, still laying on top of him. Though I didn’t flinch at the pain of his claws digging into my flesh. He simply wanted me close. 14

“Ivy!” The call of my name snapped me out of his trance. It came from Eve. She came back to help me. 15

“Another time, Deacon.” I said and stood up off him. I grabbed my daggers, and looked back at him. “I don’t know what it is about you Deacon, but I’ll find out, I promise you that.” And with that I left, that easy. It was always that way with Deacon. He kept the souls, feasting on them with his followers. I couldn’t save them, not without losing Eve. I made my way to the car parked outside, Eve standing next to it.16

“Hey, I’m Eve Envy.” She said with such confidence and reached out for my hand. 17

“Ivy, Envy.” I said, taking her hand. 18

“No, sh*t.” She exclaimed, surprised to find out we were related. I proceeded to get into my car as Eve did the same. The night was cool now, the fog had lifted, and now I felt that everything was ok. For now. I was more focused on getting to know Eve when we got back to my house, and I’m sure she felt the same about me.19