Caged by Damnation (Caged #2)(21)

I sighed and looked away, pushing back the anger that had begun to creep upon me. "Okay, I get that." I pulled my knees upwards into my chest in a halfhearted attempt at self comfort. "What am I supposed to do here? I don't know how any of this works."

Before I could complete my speech, Kali walked through the force field into Bay's domain. "Have you been helping her play catch up?"

"I barely started. Haven't you ever heard of asking permission before you enter someone else's room?"

Kali rolled her eyes in an overly dramatic display before taking her place on the mat. "Get a door and I'll knock. So, what have you told her?"

"She hasn't told me much." The gaze of both Hellhounds pierced my own. "Well, you haven't."

Kali allowed a hint of a smile to break through before taking on a more serious persona. "Hmmm ... I'm not really surprised."

Bay flashed a warning gaze at Kali. "As I was saying before Kali arrived, you are the descendent of a Hellhound, which means that your blood is diluted. You have the chemistry to be a true Hellhound, but it's as though parts of your DNA have been silent. We are going to need to activate those chromosomes to bring out your inner Hellhound."

"What? How...?" I raised my hands in surrender and astonishment. How did they think they were going to alter my DNA. I took Biology; I knew that it was possible to carry a genetic trait without actually demonstrating that trait. It made sense that if the Hellhound chromosome were recessive, it would have remained stagnant, but I still couldn't understand how they expected to flip a switch that would turn me into one of them.

They moved closer and Kali proceeded with the explanation. "I know this must feel insane, but you grew up with magic and have to know that some things aren't clear-cut, right?"

They stared at me and I could feel their need for me to agree. "I guess, but how exactly is that supposed to happen? You can say I have some kind of genetic mutation that allows me to be like you, but wouldn't I have to born with the chromosome already activated? You can't just switch out genes after someone has been born."

They exchanged glances and Bay spoke. "Not exactly. You see, Hellhounds are usually made." She sighed. "When I volunteered to explain all of this, I thought it would be easier."

Kali laughed, but covered her mouth quickly when Bay shot a serious glance her way, then spoke through her fingers. "Hellhounds aren't like other species." She then pretended to zip her mouth shut and allowed Bay to continue.

"In the beginning of time, Life and Death coexisted, they were somewhat like twins. Life became the creator and Death the destroyer. However, neither could exist without the other. Life is like a woman with a need to nurture or create. She fueled her essence into the creation of the world and the creatures that inhabit it. Everything that thrives has a piece of her within them, but she stretched herself too thin. She was being torn apart. That was when Death stepped in. He had to remove essence from her creations and restore those pieces to her. In doing so, Earth became a place of chaos. Without physical form, the souls of the dead wreaked havoc on the living."

Bay's explanation sounded more like a cryptic children's story, told to give meaning to the unexplainable. "So, you're saying that Death, the manipulating jerk that forced me to come here, was trying to save Life?"

"If you want to put it that way, yes."

Aria and the other Hellhounds were joining us.

"If you're all just going to show up and take over, what was the point of my volunteering to mentor her? If we are going to explain this together, shouldn't we have done it last night? Or at least bothered to tell me that I wouldn't be doing it alone? Why the sudden change of heart?" The irritation that laced Bay's voice was ineffective when combined with her siren-like tone.

"No idea, I was practically dragged here." Ivy's sneer was an efficient deterrent, halting Bay's tirade.

Releasing an exhausted sigh, Bay said, "I'm sorry."

"No problem." I avoided looking at the other Hellhounds since it seemed important to Bay that she be the one to have control. The truth was that having all of them together made me more nervous. I was anxious for Bay to finish her story. Once I knew the past, they would tell me what would happen to me, and I desperately needed that information.

"All right then, if everyone is finished interrupting...?" Bay glanced at each Hellhound before focusing on me. "Yes, Death saved Life. I know it's ironic, but that is how it happened. Once chaos rained on Earth, Death tried to establish a reign, but he had limited resources. Death gathered the foulest souls that tainted the world and used their darkness to create our species."

"I thought that Death couldn't give life...?"

"Hellhounds are not exactly alive." Her grimace did nothing to distill the fluttering in my stomach. "We're sort of part of Death ... you know, how Life used her essence to create living species? Death used his to create the immortals. We are neither alive nor dead, and before you ask, no we are not the undead. We simply don't have our own souls."

I thought of Death's visit to my room and remembered him saying something about being their taker. I also remembered his mention about me being different, since I had a soul. If he was going to make me a Hellhound, did that mean I would lose my soul? The thought terrified me. How could he steal my soul? Was I going to end up like the dead whose essence is given back to Life?