Bound by Shadows (Kissed by Shadows Series, Book 2) Read online

  Regal launches himself at Kane again as he says the last part.

  Kane isn’t as ready this time, and he goes down with Regal on top of him. Fists fly, and I know it’s only a matter of time until fists become powers and someone ends up seriously hurt or worse.

  I feel sick at the thought of either of them going further than they can ever take back. I have to stop this before it gets out of hand.

  The rest of the team watches in shock. It’s like everything has paused again, and no one makes any moves to stop the fight.

  Remy shouts encouragement to Regal, and I give her a look that stops her dead in her tracks.

  “Anyone for popcorn while we watch the show?” Perry asks.

  My head whips around; the look on my face shoots daggers. His comment broke the spell that hung over the team and now they’re all calling for the fight to stop.

  “Enough,” I command, walking over to where Kane and Regal tussle.

  They ignore me and continue their fight.

  Regal manages to land a hard punch on Kane’s nose, and blood spurts out all over both of them, running down Kane’s lip.

  I see the murderous look in Kane’s eyes and for a second I pause, afraid of what he might do if I get in his way.

  I remind myself that Regal started this, and I know deep down Kane would never hurt me. Even as the Keysu.

  I reach out and grab a handful of Regal’s shirt, dragging him to his feet. Kane jumps to his feet too. I stand between them.

  “Enough,” I repeat, quieter this time, but full of authority.

  “You think what he’s done is okay?” Regal snaps, the anger still written all over his face.

  He glowers at me, his face flushed, his hands trembling. I can’t tell if it’s the emotion of the situation or the exertion of the fight causing it.

  “I’m sorry about your parents, Regal. Truly I am. But Kane didn’t kill them,” I say, trying to make him see reason.

  It doesn’t work.

  “No, but he reveled in their death,” Regal fires back.

  “You don’t know that,” I counter.

  “Oh but I do. He’s a demon, Atlas, it’s what they do,” he says with cold certainty.

  He’s still talking the talk, but the fire has gone out of him for the moment, and I turn my attention to Kane, who has managed to stop the blood flowing from his nose. The bottom of his face and the front of his shirt is damp with blood.

  He goes to take a step forward, and I place my hands on his chest firmly.

  “Leave it, Kane,” I say.

  “The little shit broke my nose,” he says.

  “He did,” I agree. “And you can either waste time fighting with him, or you can focus on what’s important here.”

  He seems to listen when I tell him he’s just wasting time. It’s exactly what he’s been telling me for hours. He relaxes and backs off.

  “Whatever,” he says, holding his hands up.

  The look he gives Regal tells me this isn’t over, but for now he sets it aside because I asked him to, and I have more important things to worry about now than us fighting amongst ourselves.

  I turn to Remy.

  “I’m sorry about your parents. May I ask what happened?” I say gently.

  “Talon happened,” she says.

  “Our parents had been visiting some friends and were walking home one night. It was late, and no one was around. There was no battle, no reason for them to be killed except Talon’s need for bringing destruction to everyone he crosses paths with.”

  Remy’s voice falters a bit and Langston reaches out and squeezes her hand reassuringly.

  “When they found their bodies, they weren’t just dead, they were mutilated. There were bite marks all over their bodies, and one of my father’s arms had been ripped off. My mother’s eyes had been removed.”

  She falters again, but she gets herself under control and continues.

  “We thought we would never find out who was responsible for the murders, but Talon made sure we found out. He wanted credit for his work and he bragged about what he had done. He and the other demons even took pleasure from it.”

  I can feel tears prickling behind my eyes as I watch the emotions play across her face.

  “I… I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry, it must have been awful,” I say.

  Remy nods.

  Her expression changes, hardens, her face set in a determined line.

  “It was awful. It still is. I feel their loss every day,” she agrees.

  “And that’s why we would sooner die than help Talon. I hope you understand,” Regal spits bitterly.

  “I do understand, but Remy, we’re not doing this to help Talon. We’re doing it to help Kane. To stop him from having to go back to being evil. I’m begging you to reconsider. For us.”

  Remy doesn’t get a chance to respond before Regal jumps in again.

  He snorts a sinister laugh, a harsh sound in the silence that’s fallen on the rest of the team as they too relive Remy’s pain.

  Even Perry is quiet, not supplying any of his usual wisecracks.

  “Bullshit,” Regal snaps.

  “Kane never stopped being evil, Atlas, he just sugarcoated it to make you think he was good. He’s a demon, and that means he’s the same as Talon—rotten to the core and evil until the day he dies.”

  “That’s not true,” I start.

  Before I can say more, Quinn speaks up.

  “Here’s how I see it. You say we’re not doing this to help Talon, we’re doing it to help Kane, right?”

  I nod.

  “And I could get on board with that I guess, but however you spin this, we’re still helping Talon, even if that’s not really our end goal. Before you ask us to join you on that mission, I want you to see something,” Quinn says sincerely.

  She waves her hand in the air in front of her, and a golden light appears floating in front of us. It flattens out and expands until it is a rectangular cloud.

  “Let’s take a look at Talon’s resume, shall we?” Quinn says.

  She waves her hand again and the gold rectangle flickers then displays a moving image. The image is blurry, and I frown, wondering what I’m seeing, and then the image focuses.

  Talon stands in what looks like someone’s living room.

  The image pans out and I see a man and a woman, tied to chairs, gagged. They look terrified, and it’s easy to see why.

  Talon torments them, slashing at them, cutting them. He hits at them, rocking them in their chairs and leaving angry red marks on their skin. Blood runs from the man’s nose and the woman’s lip.

  Talon walks around them slowly, pouring gasoline on the floor in a circle. He finishes up by splashing the last of the gasoline on the two people, and then he strikes a match and drops it in the gasoline.

  I want to look away, to scream at Quinn to stop this, but I can’t tear my eyes away from the screen.

  The agony on the people’s faces is clear to see as the flames spread and begin to lick up their bodies. Their mouths are open in silent screams as the fire consumes them.

  I am thankful that there is no sound. I don’t think I could have coped with hearing their cries of searing agony. I think my mind would have broken.

  The screen flickers again, and now Talon is in the center of a shopping mall. He walks through the open square, where the shoppers weave around each other.

  He reaches out and touches any shopper who gets too close to him. I’m confused, waiting to see what he’ll do, then I spot a gash opening up in his latest victim. He isn’t touching the shoppers; he’s slashing them with a wicked blade.

  More images flash before us. Shorter, faster bursts of his actions. They are no less harrowing for their shorter length, and the speed at which they run together makes me feel dizzy and disoriented.

  I see Talon killing, maiming, and torturing people. Fire, destruction, and death, all caused by him. His face, laughing, mocking his victims in their final moments as they pl
ead for their lives.

  The screen flickers again and slows back down. I’m relieved the strobe-like flashes are over.

  Talon stands in front of a kindergarten school. He holds something in his hands. Another can of gasoline. He begins to sprinkle it around the doors to the building.

  My relief turns to dread when I see what’s about to happen.

  “Turn it off,” I say.

  I’ve seen enough. I’m not about to stand here and watch him burn children to death. A shudder goes through me at the thought of what I’m about to see, and I swallow hard, forcing down the wave of nausea that’s running through me.

  Quinn waves her hand again and the screen disappears.

  “I’m sorry that had to be so graphic, but you need to understand what you’re asking of us,” Quinn says.

  “Look, we get that you’re in love. And if it was with anyone but him, I’d be the first one in line to help you,” Regal says. “But this is bigger than your crush or whatever this is. This is about protecting not one, but two evil demons that deserve their fates and worse. I’m out,” he says with finality.

  I can see I’m losing them as the rest of the team nod and mutter their agreement. I think about whether or not now is the time to spill EVERYTHING I know. If they knew the truth about Kane and who he really is, would they change their opinions or have they made their minds up?

  I have to do something, say something to make them see that Kane isn’t who they think he is. I wish I could tell them the truth about Kane’s destiny, but I know I can’t drop that on him in front of everyone.

  “You know, Kane is a demon,” I start. “But that’s not something he can change. He can change himself though. He can follow the lighter path, the path to good instead of the path to darkness. Now we can either help him, or we can turn our backs on him when he needs us the most.”

  “You just don’t get it, do you?” Remy throws in.

  She turns to Quinn. “Show her,” she says.

  “Show me what?” I say, although the feeling of dread in my stomach tells me I already know what she means.

  “Kane’s resume,” Remy says, confirming my dread was real. “I’m sure that one will be fun for all of us.”

  Quinn shrugs and raises her hand again. The golden ball of light appears.

  “No,” Kane shouts beside me.

  The golden ball of light extinguishes as quickly as it came as Quinn is lifted from her feet and flies through the air. She lands with a loud crash and sits there against the wall she hit for a moment, dazed. Remy and Saudia run to her side.

  “Kane, what the fuck?” I shout, turning to face him.

  I can see he’s on edge, desperate to make sure I don’t see his misdeeds. I feel myself soften a little.

  I want to tell him it doesn’t matter. I know who he was, and I know who he is. More importantly, I know who he can be. His history doesn’t matter to me. But I can feel the eyes of the team on me.

  If I want to have any chance of getting them on my side on this one, I have to get control of the situation.

  How can I convince the team Kane isn’t evil when he does something like this?

  “I’m sorry,” Kane says, but his tone sounds anything but sorry. “But I’ve done some things that I’m not proud of, and I never want you to see.”

  He throws Quinn a threatening look.

  “Not now and not ever,” he adds, his eyes fixed on Quinn.

  “I get that,” I say, angry now that he’s threatening Quinn.

  “But what gives you the right to think it’s okay to strike her? How dare you do that to a member of my team?”

  “How dare he?” Regal laughs, mocking me.

  I frown in his direction, but he’s not done.

  “Wake up, Atlas. Your boyfriend isn’t a doll you can play dress up with and change his personality to suit your mood. He’s a fucking demon. All this talk about him being good? It’s wishful thinking. Surely you can see that now.”

  “Things got a little heated there, I can see that,” I interrupt.

  Regal doesn’t let me get any further.

  “Heated? He attacked Quinn. And when the time comes, don’t think he won’t do exactly the same thing to you. He’ll gut you like a goddamn fish if that’s what he needs to do to win. You need to wake up before you get us all killed.”

  He pauses, his face red with anger. I want to jump in and say something, anything, to defend Kane, but I come up blank.

  Regal’s mouth twists in contempt as he spits out the next part.

  “I’m pretty sure I speak for us all when I say this, Atlas. There is no mission to save Talon or Kane. They both deserve what’s coming to them. You want to save them, then you are on your own.”

  The tension in the room is palpable. Without having to say it, it’s easy to tell that the team agrees with Regal. I am on my own. When he storms out, they follow close behind. Part of me wants to run after them and beg them to stay. Beg them to help us, but I know it’s useless. They won’t help. Any chance we had was gone the moment Kane attacked Quinn.

  Just when I’m starting to think none of them are going to speak, or even look back at me as they leave, Perry, the last to leave, turns back to me as he reaches the door.

  “I’m sorry, Atlas, but even I can’t make light of this one. Come with us. Walk away from Kane before he does something to hurt you,” Perry pleads with me.

  “He won’t hurt me,” I say.

  Perry opens his mouth to speak, but instead, he just shakes his head sadly and leaves the store, closing the door gently behind him.

  “Well, it’s reassuring to know that your team has your back,” Kane says sarcastically, breaking the silence.

  I turn on him.

  “Are you kidding me? What did you expect them to do once you attacked Quinn? What were you thinking, Kane? Why would you hurt a member of my team?”

  “Hurt one of your team? It wasn’t that long ago you asked me to kill her,” Kane reminds me.

  “Yeah, well things change, Kane. We need her,” I snap.

  “We?” Kane says.

  “Yes. We. You know? You and me. Together. That’s what we means,” I say.

  “Disney, there is no we. Not for much longer,” Kane says gently.

  “Is that why you made it so hard for any of the team to get on our side? Because you’ve given up already?” I ask.

  Kane shrugs.

  “Disney, we don’t have a side. That’s what I’m trying to make you see. I’m the villain, you’re the hero. That’s just the way it is, and no matter how hard you fight it, you can’t change that. You’re making it harder on yourself by refusing to see what’s right in front of you,” he says.

  “I didn’t say it would be easy,” I point out. “But I refuse to believe that we have to just sit back and accept these roles that we’re ordered to play. There has to be a way around it.”

  Kane’s face twists into a grimace of frustration. He’s getting angry, and I can feel my own anger bubbling below the surface to match his.

  Why isn’t he willing to fight for us?

  “There isn’t. You’re fooling yourself if you think there’s a way to change any of this, and you’re crazy if you think there’s anything in me worth saving,” Kane snaps.

  “Maybe you’re ready to give up on us, but I’m not. I have a lot of faults, but being a quitter isn’t one of them,” I retort.

  “Maybe not, but this time, it’s useless,” he shouts.

  “If you think saving us is useless, then maybe you don’t care as much as you think you did,” I say.

  “I thought we both went into this knowing it could never work. Not really. I’ve accepted that, and now you need to accept it too. I knew it would come to this, but I played along, telling myself at least we could have this last bit of time together. But no, you had to go off on some pointless crusade, and now we’ve only got four hours until sunset and your team won’t even help us,” Kane rants.

  I sigh.

&nb
sp; “You can think whatever you want to think, Kane. I’m not giving up. And my team will have my back when I need them. Because that’s what we do. We might argue and fight amongst ourselves, but when it comes to it, we don’t give up on each other. And I’m not ready to give up on you.”

  I sit back down at the table and begin leafing through the book I found Sadie’s notes about the Typhlock potion in.

  “Really?” Kane says, nodding towards the book.

  “Really,” I confirm. “Look, I get why the team doesn’t want to help Talon. Hell, after seeing what he did, I don’t really want to help him either, but if it means there’s a chance of saving you, then I’m willing to try.”

  “What are you saying?” Kane asks.

  I look up from the book for a moment and catch Kane’s eye.

  “I’m saying we’ll find the Alacore ourselves.”

  I look back down at the book before I can see his face change back to anger—I know it will.

  I can hear him pacing the floor behind me. I ignore him and try to focus on making out the tiny writing in the book.

  “Disney, you have got to let this go,” Kane says.

  I’m surprised to hear that rather than angry, he sounds hurt. I look up from the book again and try to read his expression, but he’s turned away from me.

  “You need to stop trying to find a way to save me and start trying to find a way to hate me. It’s the only way you’ll stand a chance against me once I’m the Keysu again.”

  “No, that’s what the Keysu would say and you’re not him,” I remark.

  He turns to face me, all the anger gone, replaced by a stubborn determination.

  “But I am him, Disney. I may not have the mark yet, but everything the Keysu is supposed to believe in, I believe in. I hate humanity. Aside from you and Talon, and maybe Pest, I don’t give a shit about who lives and who dies. I am good with the world being swallowed whole by fire and rage. And me loving you isn’t going to change that. So just stop trying to fix this, to fix me, and learn to hate me.”