Shadows within Secrets

A Chapter by jmmartinez

Jese tucked in his oldest daughter and gave her a kiss good night. She pulled out her blue V-Tech computer and started to play with it while she had Team Umi Zoomi playing in her portable DVD player that sat on her princess table. He walked out the room checking on his newborn making sure she was okay getting ready to go to bed himself. His youngest was sleeping on the ground. She laid on her stomach on top of her big pink fluffy blanket in the living room. He went to go in the kitchen to smoke one last cigarette. His wife was at work so he was left in charge of the kids for the night. He looked at his phone before going off to the kitchen to see what time it was.

Damn it’s almost midnight I need to get to sleep I got to work in seven hours and Kara is not going to stay asleep.

Jese grabbed his cigarettes and lighter walking off to the kitchen. Something made a large growl outside and he paused. He looked out the back double doors. He saw what looked like two red eyes glowing in the dark.

This can’t be happening. Noel get here now, I have a wolf for you to eat.

I’m on my way human.

Jese threw his cigarettes to the floor as he heard the growling stop. He went to grab the door and open it but as he did the red eyes disappeared. A crash echoed as the werewolf jumped the through the door mostly made of glass slamming into Jese throwing him back into the wall behind him. The wolf gave Jese no chance to react as he jumped again, teeth revealed ready to tear his throat out.

Jese threw his hand up holding the wolf in place through a mystic force. Jese smirked lowering his hand. The wolf remained in the air trying desperately to break free, snarling and snapping. He walked up to the wolf and placed his hand on the wolf’s chest. The wolf stopped moving, lying in the air, limp.

Jese turned his attention to his daughters hearing them screaming and crying. He put his finger to his mouth as he shushed them they instantly stopped crying and feel back asleep.

“So they are coming to your home now. Means we are close.” Noel said as he appeared behind Jese. The demon had deep black skin that let off red when light was shown on it. Dressed as a gladiator would in the Roman era, a single shoulder pad went across his right side with a wide strap stretching around his body going over and under his left arm, going back around to the shoulder pad. A giant sword was sheathed to the left side of Noel’s waist. A leather kilt mixed with red metal covered his lower half and boots that matched, covering his feet. His wings were not wrapped around his body as they usually were. Jese had always thought that he was the oddest sort of demon having the body of a demon and the wings of an angel, at least what most imagine an angel’s wings to appear as.

“They are attacking me at home now? My daughters could have gotten hurt!” Jese said looking at Kara as she lay on the floor motionless as slept.

“The children would not be harmed. I will not allow it. Osiris would have to come himself if he wished so.” Another voice spoke as the speaker uncloaked itself as it was knelt over Kara, swords drawn.

“Karr has a point.” Noel said as he inspected the wolf smiling and licking his lips.

Jese thought of the doors and wall once were and came to reality seconds later. He turned his attention back onto the wolf, looking for a brand of some kind. “Who sent this one? I don’t see a brand anywhere. Osiris could not have convinced the Hyathe Pack to join him. Graws mate was killed by Tiamat.”

“It is amazing how quickly you have mastered your powers. A few months ago you had a hard time teleporting, now you are altering time and space with a thought. Only restoring a door and wall but still, impressive, even for you.” Noel said grabbing the wolf and throwing it over his shoulder.

“Careful Noel-tre the wolf might wake and presume to bite you.” Karr said standing up and his sword vanishing as he lifted his arms to cross them. The shared hatred between Karr and Noel was no secret to Jese.

“Then I shall bite back.” Noel smiled reveal his rather large sharp teeth. “Thank you for your concern……babysitter.” Karr disappear as Noel made the remark.

“I think the two of you should get married Noel. You could be the wife.” Jese smiled watching Noel’s face turn from amused to blood hungry.

“There was a time I could have killed you human remember that. You are still alive because of me.”

“Yes that may have been true but compared to the amount of times I’ve saved you since then I think that debt has been paid in full.”

“I did not need your help, and that mess with the Dragon-God did not count. We more or less saved one another.”

“I don’t remember it like that.” Jese picked up his cigarettes off the floor and went to the kitchen grabbing his bottle or Captain Morgan spiced rum. “Take him to Crete. I need to have a word with him. I’m already waiting for you there.”

“It is weird to see you in more than one place at single time. You could just act like your meeting me there or something. It’s bad enough there is one of you but more?”

“There is only one of me. I can just make replicate. And you know how hard it was to gain this power.”

“Ah, yes I do remember. Though I would not like to. That is a memory worth forgetting.”

Jese’s phone began to go off with Superhuman by Chris Brown indicating that his wife was calling. “You wife is calling you.” Jese looked back at him waiting for him to leave so he could answer the phone.

“Hey babe”

“Tyron failed. He was captured by Dalshaleath and the demon Noel. They took him to Crete to question him. I know the habits of the demon; Tyron will soon be feasted on. Shall we retrieve him?” Tiamat asked kneeling before Osiris as he sat on a throne made of blood and fire.

Osiris had taken the form a human mixed with demonic attributes. Completely black eyes giving off a red glow playing off his skin, peach meshed with black and red. A black robe laced in yellow along the seams of the shoulder and collar covered what was not hidden from the darkness of the room. Short black hair spiked up in the front covered his head.

“Leave him. He knows nothing and has no further use. This was nothing different than what I expected”

“Then may I ask, why did we order Tyron to attack Dalshaleath?” Tiamat raised his head. His eyes were completely purple, no pupil was to be seen nor whites of the eyes.

“To send a message; there is no place that is safe. He is distracted, focusing his attention around him and less on my dealings. Has Luncil reported back yet?”

“No. He has not yet reached out to me. I expect him to do so soon.”

“He should do so soon if he wishes to keep his life. Though I would enjoy a nice slaughter, I may do so regardless for having me wait.”

“I shall come to you as soon as I have word Osiris.” Osiris disappeared as if he were never there.

“He is an arrogant b*****d isn’t he?” A female voice said from somewhere in the darkness around the throne. The white marble floor, the throne, that belonged to Tiamat, two torches of purple flame were erected on either side of the throne were the only things visible in the room.

“You are one ruthless b***h. You rummaged the galaxy to bring him back and now you wish him dead? Remind me never to trust you.” Isis walked out the darkness behind the throne running her hand along the top of it, down to the arm rest. She walked down to Tiamat then walking around him running her hand across his arms and back till she stopped in front of him.

Tiamat watched her try to toy with him. He knew better than to trust anything that this temptress did no matter how small the action was. He was using her as she was using him. He looked down at Isis’ brown skin that was not covered by what little clothing she wore. His eyes wandered up to her plush pink lips. She lifted herself just high enough off the ground to kiss the dragon-kin. The purple flames flared up and then died out, taking all the light from the room with it.

“Well that was….entertaining. Good thing we didn’t waste any time here. It’s not like we have any other pressing matters to attend to.” Noel walked out the room wiping his mouth off with his forearm.

“I know Osiris’ game here. He is up to something and we need to find out what it is. He is just trying to keep me distracted. He knows that the end is almost here.”

“You’re getting smarter human. Thank you for the meal, it was rather delicious. You are correct he is up to something. He knows about the spear and is trying to find it. I would place my bets there. That was really good. We should find more of them; you hold them still and I’ll feast. It would be a day to remember.” Noel licked his lips as he thought of the meal that could be.

“Why don’t you do it yourself? And how could Osiris know? Everyone thinks that it really is a spear.”

“He is so desperate to find Isis and release her. I would pity him if I had not wanted to taste his flesh so bad.”

“Is there anything you think about beside what you can eat or want to eat?”

Laughing Noel went to a chest along the edge of the room and opened it. He pulled out a horn that was colored black and yellow. Noel began to bite off the tip while smiling at Jese. “Why would you ask that human?”

“There is something else going on here. Something that we aren’t seeing.” Jese sat up from lying on the couch. He got up looking out the window across the water that lay before them and the city Heraklion.

“That would not be a huge surprise. It is not like Marduk informs us on much other than what he wants to. I think that there are several different monumental schemes going on. However, no one listens to me.” Noel was finishing up his horn, got up walking over to the same window Jese was looking out of. “So what are we looking at?”

“Nothing Noel.”

“Then why are we looking out the window?”

“I am just thinking. It’s something humans do when they are trying to figure out something.” Jese walked away from the window looking at the swords, shields, spears, and guns that hung on the wall. Thinking of which one he would like to use to remove the demons voice box out with.

“So let me get this straight, you have to look out a window to think? And you are trying to figure something out that you already know you can’t understand but you are trying to anyway knowing your chances of success are set in the negatives.” Noel appeared to raise his left eyebrow as if were a human possessing one. He really did not understand humans or their senseless actions. Understanding humans was the most difficult thing that he faced, mentally.

“Noel just shut up. I have someone I need you to check on in Brazil. Her name is Jenaveve.”

“Santos’ older sister? How do you know her?”

“We’ve…..had an encounter.” Jese walked over to the fire poking the logs with the fire poker.

I really wish that he would leave some things alone and just do what he is told. I really don’t need this right now. For once can he just do what he told to do? Jese poked the logs harder with frustration.

“Where is she?”

Did he really not question me about that? If only he did it more often. “In Brazil.”

“Where precisely in Brazil would she be located?”

“If I knew that I wouldn’t be sending you. And I can’t go there myself. Just find her and let me know when you do. It’s a pretty simple task, even for you.”

“Shouldn’t take long. Let you know you what I find. And if you try to control me to obey you then I’ll eat you. Since you won’t answer what questions I would ask I won’t ask you.”

Jese smirked knowing that Noel couldn’t hurt him even if tried his damnedest to. “Good, see you soon…demon.”

“I’ll just ask her.” Noel smiled and then disappeared.

I’d love to see when you try.

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