Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

W. H. Auden wrote, 'Evil is unspectacular, and always human, and shares our bed and eats at our table.’

Ronnie

As we approached my front door, I noticed that Ace was becomining more and more tense by the second.  His eyes froze on the ring of salt that went around the house, and then turned to look at me with a confused expression.  I just grinned when he came to a stop, waiting for some clarification.  The circle wasn’t the easiest thing to see, especially in the grass, so the fact that he caught sight of it was impressive.

“My, uh…my dad is a little on the cautionary side…he wants to make sure that people that come to the house are humans…all slayers are like that though, I guess.” I shrugged casually and gestured for him to follow me.  He hesitated but stepped over the salt and came inside with me.

“Hi honey,” my mom greeted.  A warm smile was on her face as I stepped through the door.  That is, until she saw Ace, which was when she just looked confused. “Why, hello…”

My dad looked up from the fridge and at us, his eyes narrowing at the sight of Ace.  It’s not the fact that I came home with a human that made him a little upset; it’s the fact that I came home with a boy.  A strange boy at that. “Who’s your friend, Veronica?”

I glanced at Ace and saw that he was looking around the house, seemingly lost in thought.  However, when I opened my mouth to introduce him, his attention snapped back just in time to beat me to it.  He didn’t change his stance to stand up straighter, but he did try to appear calmer and slightly more stern when looking at my dad, who was now standing a little more than an arms length away from him.

“Ace.” He casually slid his hand from my back �" which I never realized was there until now �" and extended it out to my dad. “Ace Liber.”

“Ace, huh?” My dad took his in a firm grip, one Ace seemed to match, if not top, based on the look on my dad’s face. “It’s nice to meet you.” He didn’t sound too pleased about it, but it’s not like that’s new for him.  It wouldn’t have hurt him to look a little…friendlier, though. “What brings you here?” The question was directed at me, for me to answer.  I think Ace realized that too, seeing as he didn’t say anything.

“An innocent man is a dead man.” That was all I needed to say.  It may have put me in a little trouble with them, but at least they wouldn’t be upset with him. “I had to tell him, so he knows pretty much our family basics, too.” My hesitance on telling them that was noticeable, but it had to be brought to their attention.  Again, that’s all I needed to say to get my parents’ reaction towards him to change.

“So you’ll be here for a bit yet; come and have a seat.” My mom gestured to the couch with a smile, keeping her voice calm and sweet.  Once he leaves it won’t be like that.  She’ll be scolding me.

“Veronica, could you come with me?” Dad.  S**t.  Maybe he’ll be the one scolding me today.  He put his drink back in the fridge and started walking towards the back room.

“Uh, you can leave your shoes on and…go sit by my mom.  She won’t bite…just talk.  I’ll be right back.” I rested my hand on his arm and smiled as I stepped around him and followed my dad.  We stepped out onto our back deck, where there was a bar with a large grill behind the counter, a table that only fit four people, a firepit, and several chairs, all on the lower section.  On the upper section, which was just three or four feet off the ground, was out pool and a couple more seats where my sister and I enjoyed laying out in the sun on.  But now, the sun was trying to peek through a few small clouds.

“I thought you weren’t going to fight today,” he growled.  I turned from the glass door after sliding it closed, and saw that my dad was leaning against the wood railing by the steps.  He didn’t look extremely upset, but he didn’t look very thrilled either.

“I wasn’t planning on it.  I just walked past an alley and heard something; a demon was eating someone and I was the only one around to stop it.  No, I couldn’t have done anything for the person, but I thought I could do something about the demon.”

“And did you?”

“No…but I had nothing but my necklace to attempt to kill the thing.  I didn’t have any time to look for anything.”

“You had to use it I’m guessing?”

“Yeah.  Ace was spotted by him and I had to use the cross to distract him.  Now it’s probably forever sticking out of the thing’s chest.”

“I see…” My dad sounded a little disappointed at the fact that I failed to kill a demon, but I know he understood my situation.  It was tempting to tell him that it was Accursius, but then I’d get in even more trouble.

“Besides, in a way, Ace saved my life.  I mean, when the demon saw him, it took its attention off of me, giving me just enough time to think.  So, when you talk to him inside, or even look at him or think about how much you hate him, keep in mind I might be dead if it wasn’t for him.” I gave him a look that he took as the end of our conversation, and led him back inside.

On the couch, I saw that mom was still sitting in her spot on one end and Ace was sitting on the opposite end, as close to the arm as possible.  Even though he was clearly trying to keep space, at least he was keeping conversation with my mom.  I smiled and walked over by them and sat next to Ace, favoring the end of the cushion closest to him.  My dad sat on the arm of the couch by my mom and leaned against her a little bit, keeping his eyes on Ace.  I could see him taking in the details of Ace’s appearance as his blue eyes filled with a pale, flat silver: speculating.

“That’s an interesting necklace, considering the rest of your ‘skulls and studs’ accessories.” First thing out of my dad’s mouth.  Not even an apology for taking me away?

“Dad!” I glared at him but the quiet sound of Ace chuckling made me look back.  He didn’t look remotely surprised or uncomfortable about the random question.

“I know, but my dad gave it to me and I just can’t seem to go anywhere without it.” He shrugged as he casually pulled on the back of my shirt, making me fall against the side of his chest.

“May we see it?” My mom, ever so polite to guests, didn’t even frown a bit when she noticed me lean against him more.  Even I knew that Ace would feel a little uncomfortable handing it over to strangers, his hesitance confirming it.

“Of course.” His hand left my waist and grabbed hold of the cross, pulling it over his head and handing it to my mom.  It wasn’t until she and my dad were examining it that I thought about the inverted pentagram on the back.  If they saw it, they’d probably freak, and that’s why I tensed against Ace.

“Perfectly proportioned…where did your father get this?  And how do you keep it in perfect condition?” My mom turned it over in her hands and stared at it.  I stared too because the engraved pentagram was gone and it looked as if it were never there.  I sat forward to get a closer look.

“He had it custom made for me and said he wouldn’t settle for anything less than perfect.  As for keeping it looking like that…I don’t really do anything.” Ace put his arm back around my waist and his other hand lightly over mine when I was handed the necklace.  I could feel him looking at it over my shoulder, which made me smile a little bit.  His thumb reached around and rubbed the middle of the pendant once, revealing the engraving I saw last time.  I tilted my head back to look at him and he just winked at me with a small, knowing grin.  Leaning closer, he bowed his head as I shifted to put it back around his neck before he sat up, allowing me to lean against him again.

“So, how did you two meet, exactly?”

“Remember when Corin and I went to the club about a week or two ago to hunt?” It wasn’t too broad of a question because Corin and I don’t hunt together a whole lot.  Our parents prefer us to hang out in other ways. “He tried guilting me into dancing with him.” Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Andie joining us, sitting on the loveseat by the window that faces the back.  She didn’t interrupt, which was a surprise.  She seemed interested in the conversation, and even more so about mine and Ace’s position on the couch.

“Hey, it worked, didn’t it?” His tone was both teasing and serious as I felt him give a very slight nod, meaning he must have been silently greeting my sister. “Well, maybe not my guilt trip but, uh, according to Ronnie, it was my pathetic attempt at it.  She came over just to tell me that.”

“And then we wound up talking, drinking, and then dancing,” I finished.  Yes, I’m nineteen, but no, my parents don’t care if I drink as long as I don’t drive and as long as I’m ready to accept whatever consequences and as long as I deal with them on my own.

“Why, hello.” Ace’s voice was smooth and calm, filled with mischief. “Fancy seeing you here.” Sarcasm.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Trick stopped at the end of the hall, glaring at Ace worse than earlier today.  It sent a chill down my spine and, yes, I did feel pretty intimidated.

“Trick, be nice,” Andie hissed.  She turned to look at Ace and smiled warmly. “I thought you’d be coming here.  Don’t worry, you’ll be able to leave safely shortly.  In the mean time, would you like anything to drink?”

“Don’t offer him anything; he’ll be leaving soon.”

“I don’t know how you’d like to live your life,” Ace grunted as he slid out from under me, stepping up to Trick, “but I’d like to be safe when I live mine.” His back was to me and my parents, but it was clear that they were sizing each other up again, even within the small space between them.

“Stop shittin’ eveeryone.  You can protect yourself without a problem.  Get outta here.”

“Oh, are you sure?  I mean, last time we fought…who won that?” There was something in his tone that I couldn’t place my finger on, but whatever it was, it got to Trick and he started taunting Ace, giving him little pushes in the chest. “Oh, real mature.”

“Trick, cut it out.” I stood up and took a step towards Ace, but my dad moved and grabbed my wrist.  His way of telling me not to get in the middle of it.

“Not until he makes me stop; this b*****d has a short fuse.” Trick threw a punch, a very quick one that most slayers would even have a hard time dodging, but Ace side-stepped it and caught Trick’s arm under his, holding it tightly at an angle that looked pretty uncomfortable.  Trick grunted and winced before muttering something to Ace that we couldn’t hear.  Whatever it was, it got him to let go.

“Where’s…uh…where’s the bathroom?” His voice was low and gruff, and he clearly sounded stressed.

“Down the hall and to the left,” Andie answered, somewhat confused.  She glanced at me but I just shrugged as Ace walked down the hall, keeping his head slightly bowed.  No one said anything until the bathroom door clicked shut.

“What did you say to him?” I stood up and crossed my arms, giving Trick a scolding glare.

“Nothin’.  How long is he gonna be here?”

“Leave the boy alone, Trick,” my mom sighed. “He’s Veronica’s guest, and there for, he can stay for as long as he’d like.”

“Just not over night,” my dad quickly added.  Trick plopped down next to Andie and put his arm over the back as Andie leaned into him.

“Trust me, he’s not the kind of guy to spend the night at a girl’s place.  He’s more of a hotel guy so he can get up and leave in the morning before his…date wakes up.  Kinda how Ronnie would’ve become if we didn’t crack down on her.” The last comment was sarcastic, seeing as how every guy that made a move on me would almost always wind up in physical pain.  Andie has been working on me and my boundaries.  Now I’ll actually let a guy hold me.

“Trick!” I couldn’t help but grin a bit as I grabbed a pillow and chucked it at him, getting him in the face. “If it’s not your life, don’t share it; you don’t know what’s true and what’s not.”

“Thank you,” Ace chimed as he came back into the livingroom. “It’s nice to have someone standing up for me.” He sat down next to me and when he pulled me down, I instantly sank back into him, unintentionally.  Mostly. “Nice throw by the way.”

“Thanks,” I laughed.  My head was tilted back just enough for me to see him.  He took in a small breath and opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted before he even got a sound out.

“You do know she’s arranged to be married, right?” Again, Trick was quick to try discouraging Ace.  He had a smug look on his face, probably hoping he’d made things awkward.  I even opened my mouth to argue but it was my turn to be cut off.  Ace spoke up, of course, and what he said made heat rush to my face.

“No disrespect,” he quickly said to my parents before turning to Trick, “but my guess is that it’s not…official, and until then, in my opinion, it doesn’t mean a whole lot.” His gaze was strong as he looked down at me. “Again, this is my opinion, Ronnie and I could still spend time together for fun…with your permission of course.” His attention fell back on my parents with a polite grin.  To my surprise, my parents didn’t look that uncertain about what he said.  I felt happy that he wanted to hang out with me enough to tell my parents that the arranged marriage didn’t mean anything yet.  And he just met them.

“I don’t suppose it’d be that bad,” my mom thought aloud. “You could use a friend other than Andie…”

“Thanks mom.” Sarcasm laced my voice and Ace seemed to find something about it amusing because he let out a chuckle.

“Actually, I’m surprised she’s letting you hold her like that…” Speaking of my ‘only’ friend, Andie spoke up.  I shot her a stern look, but she only shrugged it off.  She did have a point though.  I don’t even let Trick or Chett jokingly hold me on, or almost on, their lap.  To be honest, I almost forgot about how confused or surprised my family would be by how I let Ace hold me.  I even forgot about being the first time I let someone get physically close for longer than a quick dance or something.  But now that I thought about it, I didn’t mind it.  Or maybe I just enjoyed the feeling of his arms hold me around the waist.  His skin was still hot, but it wasn’t uncomfortable, despite the heat in the air.  His chest was vibrating chently, and once I got a chance to just barely hear it, it reminded me of a low, quiet purr.  It was actually pretty comforting.  I found myself relaxing completely against him, and when I did, his hand slid under the back of my thigh, remaining out of sight.  The gentle touch made me feel like my heart flipped and like I was almost breathless, but I managed to keep it undetectable.  My thought was that it was going to stay there, but instead, he made me bend my knee so he could move it down to my sore ankle.  The one with the scar.

 

Ace

Let me say this: before we got inside the salt circle, I had to do the fastest thinking on my feet I’ve ever had to do in the longest time.  I had to figure out how to break it within a few seconds.  Only a few thoughts went through my mind; pushing a pine cone or twig into it to push the salt away was the most tempting, but it also would’ve been obvious to any slayer.  I wound up using just the slightest bit of my power to gently ‘sweep’ some of the salt away from the circle to leave a small open slit in it, which was the least obvious thing I could do.  But then I almost blew my cover without knowing it, and if it wasn’t for Trick, I would have.  Lose the eyes.  That’s what he whispered to me, and in the bathroom I figured out why he told me that: my eyes went completely black, except for a gold iris.  I guess they could be called my ‘true eyes’.  Them turning means that I was too wound up and tense inside, and using my power to get in the house didn’t help.  Being the only demon in a house filled with five slayers does that, no matter how strong the demon is.  My main question, however, is why did Trick warn me I was losing it?

I tried to keep those thoughts out of my head so I could pay attention to everyone.  Trick was antagonizing me with his eyes while Andie was looking between me and Ronnie, waiting for someone to say something to her comment, their parents waiting as well.  Ronnie was leaning against me and she seemed pretty content on staying there.  S**t, I didn’t mind her there either; I was comfortable too.  My hand was lightly rubbing her ankle, and when she didn’t move it, it surprised me.  I wonder what caused it and why she tried hiding it.  I didn’t see any reaason to be ashamed of a scar.  A little sign of imperfection was…well…perfect to me.  Hell, I’m full of imperfections myself; eating people being one of ‘em.

“I don’t know what to say to that,” Ronnie said slowly.  She slipped her fingers under my hand in attempt to block it from the healed injury, but I only went around them, insistant on touching it.  Earlier, after Accursius left the alley, I noticed a slight limp in her step, one she probably didn’t even notice, and she was favoring her ankle.  I knew the heat of my skin would relax the muscles below the surface, although I don’t know why I wanted to help her feel better.

“Alright,” her dad sighed, getting to his feet, “you two may continue to hang out with each other, but I’d like to see you around here more, Ace.”

“Are you kidding me?” Trick jumped to his feet, his face already flushed red with anger. “You can’t-!”

“I’d like to figure out what kind of new friend my daughter is hanging around.  Next weekend we’re holding a cook out and I expect to see you there.  Now, if you’d excuse me, I need to go.” He gave his wife a quick kiss and walked out the door as the girls said ‘love you’ simultaneously.

As if a switch was flipped, Ronnie’s mom got up and walked down the hall, disappearing into a different room, and her sister pulled Trick sommewhere else against his will, leaving me and Ronnie alone.  She didn’t move, which I thought she would have, but instead, she just tilted her head back to look at me.  Yellow-green mixed into her eyes: uneasy.  This time, she brushed my hand away from her ankle and covered it with her hands.

“Please don’t touch my scar...I don’t like people noticing it…” She sounded insecure about it, and when she looked down, she kept it covered so even she couldn’t see it.  I’ll admit, it’s an impressive scar, but if she can’t even stand to look at it, then she must have and interesting story behind it or something.

“How’d you get it?” My voice surprsied me.  I sounded gentle and…caring.  Like I actually cared.  What the Hell?

Don’t over analyze it, Ace, I told myself. You’re just laying your act on thick.

“I…don’t really like to talk abou it…” She sat up and put her feet on the ground.  I tried not to linger on the disappointment I felt when her cool skin left me. “Um…I’m sorry about Trick, again.  I don’t know what his deal is.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it.  Like I said; he and I don’t really see eye to eye.” I just shrugged and grinned at her, glad to see that it got her to give a small smile. “And, just so you know, a little imperfection never hurt anyone.  Some guys might find it…hot, for a lack of better words.  Especially if it’s a battle scar…?” For all I knew, she could have gotten it from falling in the woods or out of a tree instead of a fight, so I had to make sure I understood how she got it.  Maybe it could work to my advantage.  My answer was a small nod and her turning to face me a little more.  She sat on one leg while resting the one with the scar on my lap.

“I guess I might as well tell you,” she sighed, leaning forward to get a better look at what she was hiding from me.  Now that I got a better look, the scar didn’t just sit on her ankle, it went a few inches up her shin and seemed to start wrapping around one side, but ended about halfway the way around.  It was more prominent up close than at a distance; I hardly saw the whole thing, although when I first saw it, I only saw the part around her ankle.

“I can’t say I’m not intruiged.” I was tempted to brush my fingers against it, but I stopped when I noticed her hand was now lightly touching it.  She was shaking; not enough for her to tell, but enough for my eyes to catch it.

“It was last year when it happened.  A few of us ambushed a group of demons in the woods by the fairgrounds late at night and Trick was the only one from the house that was with, seeing as everyone else was on a different ambush.  After I killed my third one, a Hellhound tackled me to the ground and before I could get up, it grabbed me.” She pointed to what I guessed was the beginning of the scar.  There was a single line of what looked like an upper set of teeth, ones that I recognized the pattern to.  They belonged to the more common hounds Hell has, but of course, not the strongest.  It’s what she fought on the most recent ambush.  She showed me where the lower jaw clamped down, leaving a similar pattern, although the canines, that are also on the lower jaw, were a little smaller.  Along the edges, I could see where the other smaller teeth cut in. “It started to drag me away, but I grabbed onto a tree, the first thing I could, and tried to pull my foot from its mouth, but I only felt it’s fangs digging deeper.  Then Trick showed up, and somehow, with my pulling, he managed to get an angle and kill it at the same time that he pulled it off of me.  My struggling made it deeper, but Trick’s pulling is what caused the teeth to drag on my skin, making it look like it’s wrapping around.  When Trick got me back here, I already lost a lot of blood and nobody knew knows how I didn’t die from that alone.”

“It’s amazing how you still have your foot.” That was an honest comment.  That hound should have actually bit completely through her leg; especially if she was struggling.  And if that wasn’t the case, then she should’ve needed an amputation at the very least.  I’ve never met a slayer who hasn’t lost a limb from one of them, even if it was just a normal bite. “And it’s a surprise you’re even walking already.” Again, honest.  She should still be in a cast and on crutches.

“Well, there’s an advantage to being the sister of the best medic in slayer history.” She winked at me as she got to her feet and walked into the kitchen.  I got up and followed her, shaking my head with a small grin when she offered me a popsicle.

“Andie is the slayer medic?  I thought she was the premonition girl.” Best medic in slayer history?  That could be interesting.  Best medic that gets premonitions?  That could be a problem.  If she gets premonitions on how someone gets hurt, she could better prepare herself and the equipment, which would decrease the fatality rate of the slayers.

“She does, but she’s showed incredible talent and interest in medicinal healing.  When it came to my injury, it seemed as though what she knew and could do, increased.  Kind of how adrenaline could temporarily alter your body’s ability and pain tolerance.” She stepped up to me and tapped my left breast where my tattoo sat. “Why did you get an upside-down cross as a tattoo?”

S**t.  I was not expecting her to ask me that.  It’s not like I haven’t been asked it before, but I’d need to use a different answer other than ‘it goes with the stuff I’m into’.  That might get me into some trouble.  I’d have to come up with a better reason that humans tend to use a lot.

“I was drunk with my friends and we went for tattoos and we dared each other to get certain ones.”

“And you were dared to get that one?” She sounded a little doubtful, and I quickly realized why.  Out of all the tattoos to pick from, why an upside-down cross?

“Rye was with me, and, like I said, he was rebelling against his religious family and thought that if I had it, it’d help piss ‘em off off.  Well, that’s what he told me when I asked him the next day because I had no recolection of what happened that night.” If I were able to get drunk, I would be chuckling, finding it extremely humorous.  But since I can’t, it was more of a ‘matter of fact’ way of me saying it.

“That would have been interesting to see.  Think I’ll ever get to witness you drunk?” She was teasing me.  The color in her eyes swirled to purple, showing the teasing mischievous feelings in her.

“You’d get drunk long before me.” I teased back.  Again, she seemed doubtful, but didn’t say anything more about it.  I could tell she wanted to, but she didn’t.  Instead, she changed the subject.  Again.

“What’s that sound you do?  It almost sounds like…a purr.  How do you do it?” That question deseves something other than ‘s**t’.  How about…f**k.  I’ve been doing it again.  My demon self, or me, tends to do that when it’s, or I’m, comfortable or…I don’t know what the feeling is, I’ve never felt it before.  But it almost made me want to smile and feel prideful.

“We, uh, had a few cats when I was younger and it fascinated me how it was able to purr.  I spent…years trying to learn how to do it and eventually I managed to get it and I’ve been getting better at it.” Again, another time I had to think quick on my feet.  Maybe I’ll have to be more careful around her than I thought.  She doesn’t seem to miss much or anything at all.  Maybe her family is like that too…so maybe I have to be careful around all of them.  Well damn.  That might mean this won’t be quite as fun as I’d thought it’d be.  And, again, she didn’t seem entirely convinced.

“Oh, well that’s cool.” She eyed me as she took a bite off the tip of her popsicle, sparking my interest a little bit.  I cocked a brow at her and grinned as I reached out and pulled her hand towards me, taking a small bite it. “I thought you said you didn’t want one.”

“I don’t.  But one little bite wouldn’t hurt.” I stood up and stared down at her, seeing her smiling up at me with a warm expression.  No one’s ever looked at me like that, and for some reason, it made me feel different, making my grin falter.  Then, before I knew it, my body started to tingle and my hands started to shake a little bit at the same time that I started to feel light headed.  The spot where my heart’s supposed to be burned and throbbed, vibrating in my chest.  S**t.  Now?  Of all times to be called down it had to be now?  If I get dragged down their unwillingly, my cover will be blown and it will kill me.  Casually, I looked up at the clock and then outside. “I don’t mean to sound rude or anything, but, do you know how much longer I’ll have to be here?  I have somewhere I need to be soon.”

“Um…you should be able to leave now, actually.  I’ll walk you out.” She stepped away from me and took another bite of her popsicle as I turned around and led her outside, walking to my truck.

The circle was still broken, allowing me to easily step over the salt without a problem.  Thankfully, she didn’t notice that it was yet, so I knew that the stress of that was over while the next thing to worry about was how long I could ignore the call from Accursius.  And let me just say, never have I been able to resist it for too long.  I can’t even ignore it.  No matter how hard I try.  I mean, I guess I haven’t really tried that hard, or at all, but now I was, and it wasn’t working very well.  Holding it off now made the call warnings stronger, and my skin actually started to burn, and that’s saying something coming from me.  My head was pounding and my chest was aching.  I needed to get out of there and park my truck out of sight so I could go down there and end it.

“Thanks for uh, saving me…I guess is what I should say.” My voice was gruff as I climbed in my truck and closed the door, leaning out the window.  I didn’t want to stay there any longer than I had to, but it was kind of hard to leave with her standing on the step up of my truck.

“You’re welcome,” she laughed. “Thank you for listening to me about everything I told you…and for not freaking out or anything.” She looked back at the house, twirling the popsicle in her hand before looking back at me, biting her lower lip.

“I’ll see you later, and if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll let you know when I get to my place.”

“That would make me feel much better.” She sighed this time and jumped down from my truck, letting me back out of her driveway.  Ronnie just stood there and watched me with her arms crossed over her chest and a nervous frown making itself comfortable on her face.  Seeing her nervous, I wanted nothing more than to just stay there until she wasn’t feeling that way.  I didn’t want her to frown.

Once I was around the corner and hidden behind the trees from her house, I cut the engine and leaned back in the seat with a loud sigh.  It just occurred to me how much restraint I was using at her house, seeing as now, I was mentally exhausted.  Trying to hold off the call I was getting from Accursius was tiring enough, but to my surprise, it was nothing compared to the urge I had to kiss Ronnie today.  Actually, stalling the call was easier than it should have been and kissing her was a stronger need than I should have had to deal with.  Now that I was away from her, my call was stronger than I recalled, and I couldn’t hold it off anymore.  The tingling that the summoning call caused became twice as strong and the burning and throbbing sensation in my empty chest consumed me just as I was forcibly shimmered out of my truck and down into Hell.  This time, I wasn’t placed in the entry point for the Damned, or even by Succorbenoth.  Instead, I was brought straight to the Court, standing before Accursius once again.  A direct placing in front of the King was usually a bad sign, and I guess he had a right to be a little pissed.  I was ignoring him.  I’ve never fought against his call before, and doing so now may have given him a bad impression.

“My King.” Even I didn’t miss the nervous hesitance in my voice and my shaky, uneven breath.  There was every reason for me to be nervous at the moment.  He didn’t look extremely thrilled with me, but maybe he was having a good day today…oh who am I kidding?  He let a slayer catch him off guard.  There’s no way he’d be in a good mood.  I opened my mouth to give him my apologies, but he beat me to saying anything more.

“The stalling that you’ve provided when I called you better have been a fluke on your part.” Accursius was wearing black pants and a black shirt that remained unbuttoned, allowing me to see where Ronnie had stabbed him with her cross.  The area looked irritated and burned, explaining why he seemed a little tired.  It takes a lot of energy for us, no matter how strong, to heal a wound caused by a cross piercing us.

“Sir, I was inside their house when you called me.  There was no way I could have just let you pull me down here without getting my cover blown.  I had to resist for that short period of time.  Please-”

“You’ve been allowed inside their house already?  You sure are getting on that slayer’s good side quickly.” He muttered that last part thoughtfully as he turned his back to me and started pacing back and forth.  I was just starting to relax a little bit when Accursius stopped pacing and turned to look at me.  In a flash he was standing face to face with me, his expression urgent. “You must tell me everything that’s happened today.  Everything you’ve learned.” His curiosity made me remember the few questions I had of my own about him.  Squaring my shoulders, I met his strong gaze and took an unnecessary breath.  My next…demand was more of a gamble.  If he’s truly pissed, he’ll attack me for this but if he’s just mildly upset, then he’ll just override my demand.

“Tell me about what happened earlier today first,” I challenged.  It was my first time challenging him and it caught him off guard.  Before he could get a word out against me, I asked him my other question. “Who’s Katerina?” Accursius’s face flushed red with anger almost immediately and his onyx eyes started to shift crimson red.  It was a wonder he didn’t grab me by the neck and throw me against one of the walls.  By the looks of it, he wanted to, but something was holding him back.  Maybe he was still sore from the cross incident.  But even that didn’t make his authority falter in front of me.

“I don’t think so.  Either you’re going to tell me everything you know on your own, or I’m going to have to dig around in your mind myself.” He stepped up closer to me, removing his hands from his pockets.  Never has he once needed to pick through my head, considering the fact that I’ve always done as told without question and without challenging him.  That is, until now.  I’ve always been nervous of him threatening to invade my memories, but if he can do it, maybe I can invade his while he’s focusing on mine.  My eagerness to test that theory out was enough to keep me silent. “So be it.” He reached out and clutched my hair on the back of my head and rested his forehead against mine, keeping his eyes open.  I did the same to him, and in the reflection of his red-irised eyes, I saw that mine were returning to gold.  He invades my mind, I’ll invade his.