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  I move a little faster, and when we get as close as we can without entering the light, rage consumes me. I see Trent standing in the center of the circle, dagger held in hand, as if they’re blessing it. But it’s what’s beside him that almost brings me to my knees. Hanging from a pole that stands high above their heads is Emersyn. She’s blindfolded and gagged with her long, gorgeous hair dangling from her head as she spins slowly from where she’s bound at the ankles. I can barely make out her muffled cries above the droning chant that fills the night air around us.

  I already feel defeated. If we fuck this up, I’ll lose her.

  Cyrus, don’t you dare give up! We have the upper hand. They don’t think we’d come here, that we’d think it suicide, but their dead fucking wrong. Emersyn and the world need us, so get your shit together. We got this.

  Joey is practically screaming in my head, but it’s just what I need.

  Just then, the chanting gets louder and the ground trembles. Whipping my head around, I watch in horror as Trent raises his dagger and crouches low to the ground, placing the sharp edge of the blade against Emersyn’s throat.

  I don’t even stop to think. Letting out a mighty scream, I charge through the circle of demons and tackle Trent to the ground. I hear fighting going on all around me and know that my sister has the rest handled with the help of Father Martin and Merrick, so I keep my attention focused on Trent. His eyes glow a bright yellow as he narrows them at me. Like a mirror image of each other, we both slowly get to our feet, each summoning a long sword.

  “Idiot!” he yells. “Do you have any idea what you’re fucking with, Cyrus? Any idea at all?” His body shakes with anger as he takes a poorly aimed swing at my torso. I say nothing as I step out of the way, focused on the perfect moment to take his head, and I will have his head, there is no doubt in my mind about that.

  “I had hopes for you, boy, and your sister too. But it seems you’re a pussy-whipped fool, just like your father.” I straighten with shock, listening to his words.

  “That’s right, boy. Your daddy and me were old friends. At least we were, until he fucked that angel bitch and became a traitor to those of us that looked up to him.”

  I swing out at him with my fist, surprising him. “My father was a better man than you’ll ever be.”

  “He wasn’t a man! He was a demon who commanded armies!” He swings at me again, but misses. “Most of all, he was a traitorous fuck that couldn’t keep his dick in his pants, and it will be my pleasure to take your head, just like I took his.”

  I rush him, aiming the tip of my sword at his heart. He moves aside, fast as lightening from the power of Le Vieux, and swings out his own, catching me in the shoulder. The blade goes deep. He pulls back, laughing as I gasp in pain, clutching my shoulder.

  “Didn’t like that did you, boy?”

  I straighten, summoning a smaller dagger. I’m going to saw this fuckers head from his body and he’s going to feel every second of it. Without a word, I rush him again, only to be thrown to the ground as the alley around us starts to shake.

  Trent’s laughter echoes through the night. “It worked. It worked!” Smiling at me, he continues. “Last chance, Cyrus. The Old One is coming. I’ve completed the ritual and he is coming now.” The ground rumbles and groans. “Stand with me, Cyrus. We will rule this world at his side!”

  I look around me, at the bodies littering the ground, then at my sister, Father Martin, and Merrick. The three of them are still fighting off the last of the demons. Lastly, I look at Emersyn. Her back is to me, but she hangs motionless and she doesn’t make a sound. Trent had completed the ritual, which means Emersyn is dead.

  Grief, anger, and broken love, boil inside of me as I stare at Trent. He beckons me forward, like a father beckoning his child. “Come, Cyrus. Join me.”

  I take a deep breath and step forward.

  “Cyrus, NO!” I hear Joey’s desperate cry as I approach Trent, but I don’t turn back. Emersyn is dead because I couldn’t save her.

  Standing in front of him, I stare into his eyes as he places his hands on my shoulders. “Do you feel that, Cyrus? That power? We are going to rule the entire world, you and me. With your angel blood, we can infiltrate the heavens and rule every realm!”

  Maintaining eye contact, I focus on all the hate and anger I feel towards him, then thrust my blade deep into his neck. Shock and pain glow in his eyes, but he doesn’t even get a chance to cry out as I yank with all my might, ripping the blade right through his neck until his head is hanging by skin. Grabbing onto it, I look into his terrified eyes and whisper, “Never.”

  With a final yank, I pull his head clean from his body and toss it off to the side. Turning, I stare at the back of Emersyn, dread filling my soul. I know I barely knew her, but I can’t help but feel that she was the one. The one I was made to love and protect. The very reason for my sorry existence.

  “Jesus Christ, Cyrus! I thought you were joining him. You scared the hell out of me.”

  I ignore Joey as I take slow, heavy steps towards Emersyn. Rounding the front of her, I blink the sweat from my eyes, ready for one final look at her face before Le Vieux comes and wipes me and the entire human race out of existence. When her face comes into view, I instantly look at her neck, prepared for the gaping slash that I’ll see there.

  But it’s not there. There’s a single, shallow cut, and a small trickle of blood flowing down her face and into her hair. When I reach her eyes, I fall back on my ass in shock when they stare back at me, filled with terror and tears.

  Jumping to my feet, I scream out for the others, “She’s alive! Help me get her down.”

  Merrick appears at my side, and together we saw the rope to cut her down and lower her gently to the ground. When her mouth is unbound and the rope at her wrists is cut, she throws her arms around me and cries into my neck. I know that the others are watching, but I don’t give a fuck. My girl is alive, and I need to hold her as tightly as I can and feel the warmth of her body as she sobs.

  The ground continues to groan and shake, and bricks from the building beside us start to crumble and fall, narrowly missing us.

  Joey bends down and says, “Cy, we don’t have time. We need to get the fuck out of here!” Her words are muffled by the sound of the shaking earth and groaning buildings, and off to our right, a split in the grass appears. The split rips down the alley, widening as it goes, and more bricks start to fall.

  I scoop Emersyn up into my arms and stand on unsteady feet as the ground continues to shake. Le Vieux is coming...no, he’s already here.

  Clutching my girl tightly to my chest, I take off at top speed, the others close on my heels, as we get the fuck out of here.

  -

  Joey

  -

  Jumping in the truck, we tear out of there like a bat outta hell, which is actually fitting since we’re running from something even worse than Hell itself.

  Turning around in my seat, I check on Emersyn who is sitting on Cy’s lap. “How’s she doing?” I ask, instantly feeling stupid. How do I think she’s doing? I mean, she was just strung up like a pig and her throat almost cut open to drain her of her blood. Thankfully, they didn’t nick an artery, but she does have a small cut on her neck. We were wrong when we thought it would take a full sacrifice to bring him back because it only took a drop.

  “I think she’s in shock,” Cy replies, but he doesn’t look away from her.

  I glance at Father Martin, who’s staring at Cyrus and Emersyn with concern. Turning back around to face the front, I look over at Merrick, who’s driving the truck. Briefly taking his eyes off the road, he gives me a small smile and reaches out to take my hand, squeezing it gently.

  Suddenly, it feels like we hit a boulder in the road and the truck starts to swerve.

  “What the fuck?” Merrick yells.

  Emersyn starts screaming and I can hear Cyrus trying to calm her down. Merrick gets the truck under control and looks over to me in confusion. Looking behind
us, I see that the road has started to crack and break away, and it’s gaining on us fast.

  “Merrick, you need to step on it,” I say calmly, but he can hear the urgency in my voice.

  What’s happening? Cyrus’s voice echoes through my head.

  The road is breaking apart and coming at us fast.

  From the looks of it, the road is no longer cracking, but we still need to get as far away from this place as possible. I don’t want to be anywhere close to the Old One when he rises. I have no idea how long it takes for him to become whole, but I have no doubt it’ll be soon.

  “I think we’re in the clear, but we need to come up with a plan, and fast,” Merrick says, speaking low enough for only me to hear.

  Looking at him, I nod. “I have no idea how to kill him. The only information I was able to come across was the stories about him and his past reign on the worlds. It didn’t even give specifics on how God and the Devil were able to trap him in the earth. How are we going to stop him?”

  “If anyone can find a way to fight him and win, it’s you, babe,” he whispers, glancing at me with a look of pure trust and confidence. I just wish I was as confident as he is.

  Minutes later, we’re pulling into our driveway. I’m happy to see that the destruction from campus hasn’t reached here yet, though who knows how long that will take.

  Jumping out of the truck, we all rush inside, careful to keep our eyes open for any demons waiting to ambush us, but there’s nothing.

  Once inside, I run towards the kitchen table. With a sweep of my arm, I brush all the contents that lay on top of it onto the floor, making room for Cyrus to lay Emersyn down.

  “Here, lay her here. Merrick, run upstairs into the bathroom and grab the first aid kit.” I direct both Cyrus and Merrick, taking control of the situation. Cyrus is too emotional right now to treat her wound, and Father Martin rushed off to who knows where as soon as we got inside, so that leaves me and Merrick.

  “It’s going to be okay, baby. I’ve got you. Nothing is going to happen to you, I won’t let it. You’re okay,” Cyrus says quietly to Emersyn as he lays her down on the table, but keeps hold of her hand so she knows he’s here. I don’t know if she fell asleep or if she passed out, but her eyes are closed now, which is probably a good thing.

  Cy keeps talking to her in hushed tones, reassuring her that he’s there and won’t let anything happen to her. It makes me feel pride and fear for my brother. Seeing him take on Trent like he did when he thought Emersyn was dead was scary as shit. I would’ve fought that fight for him if I could have, but I think he needed to do it himself. I’m just thankful it turned out the way it did, and that Emersyn wasn’t dead, just in shock.

  Merrick comes barreling down the stairs with three first aid kits in tow. “I wasn’t sure what you needed, so I just grabbed everything I could see.”

  Even though we’re dealing with what could be the end of the world, and patching up a girl that was almost sacrificed, I have to smile a little at the sight of Merrick juggling three boxes full of bandages and other first aid supplies. He looks like he’s completely out of his element. If this were any other situation, I’m sure I’d be dying of laughter.

  “Just put them all on the table. I’m sure I’ll use something from each. Thank you,” I say as I get ready to clean Emersyn of the dry blood surrounding the wound. It’s not even that big, but I need to keep busy, and I hate that she’s hurt at all. She lays on the table, eyes closed, her breaths coming fast and shallow. I’m worried about her going into shock.

  On the first touch of her wound, Emersyn jackknifes up on the table, swinging her arms with a look of terror on her face. “No! Don’t touch me!”

  Cyrus wraps his arms around hers, keeping her from hurting anyone, including herself. “Emersyn, babe. It’s me, Cyrus. No one is going to hurt you. We just need to clean your neck.” He tries to soothe her, but it takes a little bit for her to realize she’s safe here with us now, in our house, and not back on campus with the demons who took her.

  Once she sees us all around her, looking on with concern, she relaxes into Cyrus and starts to cry. “I was so scared, Cyrus. I tried to fight them off, but they were just too strong. They tied me up and hung me upside down. I felt so helpless. I thought that was it, that I was going to die!” she cries as Cy rubs her back, trying everything he can think of to comfort her.

  “I know, baby, I know. I was scared too, thinking I had lost you. But you’re safe now, I promise. We just need to look at your neck to make sure you’re okay. Will you let us do that, Em?”

  Wiping her eyes, she looks at Cyrus and nods her head. Taking that as my cue, I get back to work cleaning her up. When I’m done getting all the blood off, I see that the cut to her neck isn’t as bad as I thought. Honestly, I’m surprised that it bled as much as it did. It doesn’t look that deep, but I bandage it up anyway, hoping if it’s covered and she can’t see it. It’ll be easier on her.

  “All done,” I say. I start to pick up my supplies, and just as I do, Father Martin comes into the room.

  “We need to talk. I have some information that may help us defeat Le Vieux,” he states, holding the Ancient Scroll of Lazarus. I hope he has the rest of the words translated so we know what we’re dealing with.

  Cyrus stands and lifts Emersyn into his arms. “I’m taking her upstairs.”

  He starts to walk away, but Father Martin stops him with a hand on his shoulder.

  “Cyrus, I understand that she’s been through hell, but we need to do this now. Le Vieux has been awakened, and he’s probably gaining strength as we speak. We have to stop him, or this world is doomed,” he says with urgency in his tone, but Cyrus shrugs his hand off his shoulder.

  “Father, with all due respect, Le Vieux can go fuck himself. Emersyn was almost killed. She needs to rest, and I need to be with her. We can deal with everything in the morning.” He doesn’t even wait for Father Martin to say anything more, he just carries Emersyn up the stairs, and a few seconds later, we hear the door to his bedroom close.

  Shaking his head, Father Martin starts to follow, but I’m the one stopping him this time. “Father, I know this is important, but what Cyrus needs is important too. We can go over everything tonight and pray that we’ll have time to catch him up tomorrow. They could still attack tonight, but Cyrus is smart and strong. If they do, we can handle it. Plus, I’ll be able to talk to him through his mind if needed.”

  “We are talking about the end of the world, Joey. I raised you both to be better than this, to put the greater good before all else. We need him in this one hundred percent. He cannot be distracted,” he argues, and I must say, seeing Father Martin angry is a sight I’m glad I haven’t seen much. It’s not pretty, but this is something I will stand my ground on.

  “Let him be. If he doesn’t get this time to reassure himself that Emersyn is okay, then he’ll be of no help to us.” I try to be stern, hoping I’m doing the right thing. I love my brother and know he needs this time alone with Em. I just hope it doesn’t cost us.

  Huffing out a long breath, he sits down heavily on a chair. Following his cue, I sit down and grab Merrick’s hand, pulling him down onto the chair beside me as well.

  Scrubbing his hands down his face, Father Martin is quiet for a moment before finally meeting my eyes. “I was able to get the rest of the scroll translated, but I’m afraid there’s not much to go by,” he starts, unravelling the scroll and skimming it with his eyes. “We already know the blood of a pure soul is what will bring him back, but how to defeat him is fuzzy. It says, ‘In order to defeat Le Vieux, you must destroy the key to which he came,’ but it doesn’t say what the key is.”

  Scrunching my eyes in confusion, I think on his words. Is this key an actual key, or is it something else? I try to think back to what I read, but there was no mention of a key.

  “Would the key be Emersyn? I know we don’t want to think that, but she was the sacrifice that brought him back,” Merrick asks.

 
Shaking my head, I look to Father Martin. “No, she can’t be the key,” I say with conviction, but the look on his face has mine falling. “Can she?”

  “I don’t know, Joey. At this point, the key could be anything or anyone. But I think we need to look at all our options right now.”

  “Okay. I’ll hit the books and see what I can find,” I say as I stand.

  Father Martin stands as well. “I’ll do the same. With Cyrus out and not having enough information, it’s best that we learn as much as we can.” He looks at me and I watch as his expression softens. “Try to get some sleep, and we’ll pick this up in the morning. We need to be of strong mind and body to fight this.”

  Not liking it, but knowing he’s right, I nod and lean in to give him a hug. “I’ve missed you, Father,” I whisper.

  “And I you,” he replies.

  Pulling away from him, I start towards the stairs with Merrick behind me, when Father Martin calls out, “And let’s not let Cyrus know about the possibility it could be Emersyn. At least, not until we know more.”

  I don’t want to keep things from my brother, but in this case, I know it’s the right thing to do. If he found out we were considering her as a possibility, he would freak.

  I agree, then look at Merrick to see the same look in his eyes that I feel in my own—desperation.

  Chapter Twelve

  Cyrus

  -

  Standing just inside my room, I move to put Em on the bed when her voice breaks me from my angry thoughts. “Put me down, Cyrus.”

  “But I just want to p—”

  She places her hand on my cheek and looks at me. “I know, but I need you to put me down.” Not liking this one bit, I do as she asks and take a step back. When I see her knees wobble, I rush forward to catch her once more, but she straightens herself and looks up at me.

  “Thank you. I just...I hate this! I hate all of this. And most of all, I hate being the weak, scared little girl that you have to baby and take care of.” I open my mouth, ready to tell her that I’ll take care of her always, but she keeps going. “No more, Cyrus. No more. I need you to teach me how to fight.”