Caged in Darkness (Caged #1)(28)

LIAM





“How did it go?”

I turned to find Kali sitting on the couch in my living room. She wasn’t dressed to tempt, but only a saint wouldn’t want to devour her. Her flaming red hair hung to her shoulders and her bright green eyes held power and wisdom. She had a knowing look, as if she were mocking me, which she likely was.

“I’m assuming you’re asking about my mothers’ scheme? It went fine.”

“Oh, really? What’s with the shiner then?” She walked to me and gently pushed the puffiness around my eye.

“That is a present from her foster brother. I think he likes me.” I smiled, and wrapped my arm around her waist to pull her in closer, but she spun out of reach.

“I don’t think so.” She smiled coyly. “I just came to see if you need some advice, since the Cross girl is a different sort of breed than you’re used to.”

“I don’t need advice when it comes to females.” I crooked my smile at her. “You should know that.”

“Ha! You don’t have issues when it comes to women with no morals or in my case, women who don’t have time to search for someone better.” She crossed her arms and looked at me lazily.

“I was just teasing. I don’t think of you in the same group as all those other women. You know that.” I moved closer and tipped her chin up to look her in the eyes. “We’re friends. You know that, right?” Her expression changed to a fleeting look I had never seen before and then switched back to her usual self.

“That isn’t the point. I just wanted to make sure you know to take it slowly with the girl. She has been surrounded by darkness her entire life, but she still has some innocence.”

“You’re worried that I might corrupt her? Why do you even care?” This was a side of Kali I had never seen. She didn’t normally concern herself with others and was even less likely to, when she didn’t know the person.

She made an exasperated noise and shoved my chest hard enough to slam me into the opposing wall. “I do care about other people you know. Is it that difficult to believe I might have a heart?” When I stay silent with a dumbfounded expression, she continued. “Just because I was created instead of born, does not mean I don’t have feelings! What I do is a job; it doesn’t mean I enjoy it! Besides, I do know the Cross girl. Her parents were one of my assignments.”

“Her parents were an assignment? You mean the Hellhounds went on a wild hunt to catch them? I thought the coven killed them.”

Kali shook her head. “In their case, we went on the hunt to consume them. They were powerful witches and had a spell in place. Their bodies died, but their spirits continued to avoid death. My sisters and I hunted them down and consumed their souls. It was one of the few assignments I enjoyed.” She smiled, and let loose a deafening howl. The furniture began to seizure as the wall behind Kali, appeared to crack down the center. The crack spread and the wall began to ripple. A riptide tore through the wall and swirled in a clockwise pattern. The hypnotic nature of the vortex picked up momentum, until a black hole emerged in the center. “Catch you later.” Kali smiled back at me, and disappeared into the portal. There was a loud pop and the portal imploded on itself and disappeared.

I watched as her back disappeared into the portal. She must have been really bothered by our conversation, because she normally refrained from opening a portal unless it was at place of divine power. It took more energy to create a portal anywhere else.

I thought back to the implications of our conversation. It sounded as if she cared for Savannah, which was strange for a Hellhound. When one of the sisters was given an assignment it was serious business, but the sisters only went on a wild hunt for the worst cases. As one of the few mortals who knew a hellhound on a personal level, I knew what they went through.

To track down prey, the sister had to know the scent of their victim. However, a hellhound did not smell the scent of perfume or skin. They smelled the soul of their prey. To do that, the hellhound would need to immerse themselves in the memories of their prey.

When the pack went on a wild hunt, they had to immerse themselves in the entire being of that person. It is somewhat like bathing in their soul. The hellhounds would relive every action their prey took, they would feel the pain the victims felt, and the scars left behind. Kali would have taken the place of each sacrifice, she would have been immersed in the soul that offered those sacrifices, and would have endured every scar the Cross family inflicted on Savannah. I did not envy her.





8: angels and Demons





SAVANNAH





It was Sunday evening and rather than finishing my homework, I was intoxicated by my mothers’ journal. It was interesting to see how her writing changed as she became older. Before her ascension, she had been a normal witchling. After her ascension, she became addicted to her power.

It was strange to read about my birth and the years after. She was a completely different woman from the one I knew. She almost seemed loving, when she wrote about my birth and the first time I walked.

It was late and I could barely keep my eyes open. The words kept blurring together. I was beginning to fall asleep with the journal propped on my pillow, when my eyes caught sight of the word demon. As I read, I learned that my parents had researched the journals from our lineage and read about us being descended from Nephilim. They focused on how our line way unique after drinking the blood of a demon. It didn’t take long for them to develop a theory about how Demonic blood mixed with Angel blood was a key ingredient to gaining power.