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clairecolemanoriginals · 3 years

Text

Chapter 5

As instructed the twins pulled the car around to the front of the building. She held the backseat door open for Caellum as he ducked into the car. Her eyes scanned the streets, a few people gave her looks but she ignored them as she closed the door and walked around to the driver's side of the car. Killian was there, holding her side of the car open for her. He gave her an apologetic look as she approached. Of the twins, he was the kindhearted one. His brother had a mean streak in comparison. She laid her hand over his for a moment to let him know that she forgave him and got into the car after her patron. She slid into the tan leather seat with ease, forgoing the seatbelt. Once Killian was in the car, she gave the seat a tap and he took off.

She kept her gaze fixed on the streets that flew by, choosing to ignore Caellum. Usually, he included her in his plans, seeing as she was his link to the hunter world. Though now that it had been four years, he had acquired his own contacts. He was a man of many trades and in the field of hunters, he provided weapons. Typically, hunters would seek him out for weapon repairs or something new to spice up their collection. Not once had she seen him with Anthony. Not once had she had any inclination that the two knew each other. But as he put it, it was 'none of her business'.

Beside the hunter, Caellum was gazing at her curiously. For everything he knew about her she was still an enigma to him. She was the most determined woman he had ever met. And yet when it came down to it, she would lay down her life for anyone in need, and heaven forbid anyone touch someone she cared about. That passion that shone in her eyes was one of the many reasons he admired the woman beside him. Four years ago, he had seen a struggling young hunter who seemed completely out of place at the masquerade. And now she was healthy and stronger than she had ever been.

The weapons warehouse that Caellum owned was huge. The largest in the industrial district in fact and he was proud of that. Her employer had always had a knack for the ostentatious. And his warehouse didn't fall short of that. To the unsuspecting eye, it looked like a very large single-story office building. What the onlooker didn't know was that the real warehouse was underground and more secure than the King's Castle in Inverelin. The first four stories were dedicated to research and development for the weapons that were produced, while the remaining three floors below were for manufacturing and storing the weapons. Her favorite part of her job was the exclusive right to test all the weapons before anyone else. The testing floor, the last and 8th floor to the building was her happy place. Filled with gym equipment and racks upon rack filled with knives, swords, guns, bows, staffs, and so much more. Anything she could ever want to use was in that room for her to play with whenever she pleased.

She wouldn't get the chance to visit that floor for this visit though. It was strictly business and they would only be going to Caellum's office on the ground floor. Through the front doors, the main lobby was a vast white room with marble walls and floors. The only accent in the room was the large oak doors at the end of the hall that led into the waiting room outside of Caellum's office. As they made their way past the receptionist desk, the young woman greeted them with a smile and handed Caellum a packet of papers.

"Mister Byrnes is here to see you, sir. He's waiting in your office as requested." The brunette told him without looking away from her computer.

"Thank you." That was all he said as he walked past the desk, guards in tow. She hung back a little, knowing that no amount of arguing was going to get her into the meeting. She watched as Caellum strode forward to the doors and pause. He turned back to look at them. "Stay outside this door until the meeting is over. If anyone comes asking for me, I am busy for the entire day."

"Understood." The twins said in unison and she rolled her eyes. She walked forward to stand before her boss.

"I don't like this. I should be in there." She told him in a hushed voice.

"Not this time. This is...a private matter." He told her, shaking his head, he started to turn from her, and she gently grabbed him by the wrist to stop him.

"Private matter? Caellum, what is going on?" She asked, letting go of his arm.

"Nothing that concerns you Dessera. Stand guard and do your job. No one enters this room. Understood?" He asked her sternly, getting closer than he needed to. She could see that he was searching for her eyes under the mask, his blue irises flicking back and forth.

"Understood." She bit out. He turned around and opened the door to the office. Inside she could see Anthony's back as he sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. He turned for a moment to look at Caellum and his eyes landed on her. His eyes found hers under the mask and he gave her a knowing look. She stepped forward closer to the door, only to have Caellum turn back around and slam the door in her face. She stumbled back, surprised by his actions.

With a sigh she leaned against the wall beside the door, closing her eyes to try and listen in to what was going on in the room. She reached out with her mind to test the waters of Anthony's mind but was slammed into a wall.

"Screw this." With a huff, she kicked off the wall and started walking towards the entrance of the building.

"Hey! Aysima! Where are you going?" Kieran yelled after her.

"I'm not sticking around for this bullshit. I'll be at the coffee shop a few blocks away."

Her feet carried her swiftly across the marble floor, her boots leaving heavy sounds through the lobby. She could hear the boys calling after her, but she didn't care. If he wasn't going to include her in his plans then she wasn't going to stick around and stand guard. She wasn't his bitch. Anthony was much more advanced as a hunter than she was and if something were to attack the building, he was in better hands with that man than he would be with her. She was not leaving him unguarded. He would undoubtedly berate her for it later, but she didn't care. She wasn't about to wait around on him. As she reached the front doors, she pushed them open and took a deep breath of the fresh air. She smiled under her mask and reached up to pull the metal and fabric off of her face. The cool breeze kissed her face and she was grateful that no one was around to see her face.

Down the street was her favorite coffee shop in the area. They had the best lattes and pastries and considering she had barely slept she could use the extra caffeine to get her through the day. The best part about the inside of the coffee shop was the fact that it was full of couches to relax on with a cup of coffee.

As she reached the coffee shop she smiled. This was a slice of heaven for her. It was a small coffee shop, preserved from before the first war with Abraxas. The foundation itself was about 500 years old but the building and the storefront had been rebuilt many times. It always resembled the original look though. Green vines crept up the side of the building, creating shade from the sun. Flowers sprouted here and there on the vines giving the storefront an otherworldly look compared to the industrial buildings it was surrounded by. It was a piece of history. Something that she loved.

The history of two worlds colliding fascinated her to this day. The world was once plagued with portals to another realm where magic existed in place of science. Beings of immense power and a lust for life like no other. There was peace at first when the original Kings had met with the leaders from the other side of the portals, but it didn't last long. A King was killed, a war took place. A very short war. Lasting only six months, the other side took over the human world and they were enslaved, used for currency and workers. Taking pity on the humans, some of the higher beings from the other world came to the humans with a way to revolt, and thus the first hunters were born. The magic from the other side came from within and the environment. The beings taught the hunters just enough to be able to fight back. The Third Eye was gifted to the hunters and after 200 years of enslavement, they fought back and won, pushing the creatures back across the portals.

Three hundred years have passed since the end of the Second War. Anyone who was trapped across the portals or who have gone across and come back have all since died or lost their memories in the crossing. Hunters have continued their mission to rid the world of the mystics and protect the Kings. Any remaining mystics who have chosen to be non-violent reside in the Kizir mountains, where hunters patrol to keep them from leaving their homes to disturb civilization.

This history had always piqued her interest and while she had dug for more information it was a secret the Kings held tight to the capital. Only those in the royal court have any idea what really happened 500 years ago. The closest to history that she could get was the vague books in the library, old wives' tales, and the coffee shop that once housed a portal to the other realm. The magic still lingered, the vines sprouting flowers all year round, not bothered by the harsh environment that occurred twice a year. It was this place that she felt a connection to. Of all the places that she had ever been, this was the one she longed to come back to.

Inside the small space smelled of coffee, chocolate, and sugar. A smell that she welcomed. Reaching up she pulled the mask from her face as she entered, hooking it to her belt. She pulled the cloth off her nose to hang around her neck and took a deep breath of the smells swimming around her. It was busy as usual, not a seat open and a long line of customers. The only spots open were outside and there was plenty of seating out there. As she waited in line, she looked around the shop taking in every detail. From the art on the walls, one of them her own in fact, to the sweet couple in the corner nestled on a couch watching something on their phone. Many students congregated at the coffee shop for dates or schoolwork; the environment was warm and welcoming.

"Sera! Long time no see! Where have you been?" The barista at the counter hollered and she turned to see Chris waving at her. She smiled and walked up to the counter, coat swishing behind her.

"Hey, Chris. I've been working a lot." She replied. It was the same conversation every time. She only came every now and then when she was in the area with Caellum, but Chris always remembered her usual. A sweet latte with cinnamon sprinkled on the top.

"Do you have any openings in your schedule to tattoo me this week?" Chris asked her as he put in what she usually got and bagged up the sweet pastry that she wanted.

"Not yet. I'm not doing too much tattooing at the moment. My other work is keeping me plenty busy." She told him, handing over the money for the coffee. He sighed and that seemed to be the end of their conversation. She shook her head slightly and wished him a good day as he handed her the change and her order.

She felt bad, their conversation always ended with him disappointed. She did tattoos on the side on the weeks when Caellum didn't need her as much. The owner of the shop had all but saved her when she had first escaped her family. She'd been living on the streets, and he had given her a place to stay. Once he saw that she could draw he had taken her under his wing as an apprentice. And then she started school and Caellum found her. And lately, he had been all but demanding more of her time. In fact, she had stopped drawing altogether in the last few months, not being able to find the time for it with all the hunting that she had been doing. There was some sort of unrest going on in the city, and she had been tasked with figuring out what it was. So far, she hadn't come up with anything.

Venturing back outside she found herself a table and sat down to enjoy her hot coffee and pastry. She placed the mask back over her face but left the bottom of her face uncovered so she could enjoy her latte. The skies were overcast, which fit her mood perfectly. She was still upset with Caellum. He had always been so open with her about nearly everything. That was one topic that he never talked about; his past and the fact that he had a groove in his left-hand ring finger. She knew that a wedding band once sat there but she only knew that because she had seen many divorcees come through her tattoo parlor with the same groove. She had brought it up only once. Once. And she had learned her lesson. He hadn't talked to her for three days. So, she wondered if maybe the meeting with Anthony had to do with that. But she knew too little to make assumptions.

"Is this seat taken?" She hit pause on her thoughts and looked up to see a familiar face. Dark hair, blue eyes, full lips. Her dance partner from the other night. Her breath caught in her throat seeing his face. He was utterly handsome. His eyes were the shape of almonds, and his eyelashes naturally curling towards his eyebrows. The kindness in his eyes was matched by a smile that made her heart race. It was only the slight upturn of his mouth, but it was enough.

"It can be. For a price." She stated, sipping her coffee, and urging her racing heart to calm down.

"Name it." He gave her a full smile this time and she had to look away. This time she took a longer sip off her coffee.

"Your name."

"Do I get to see the beauty under the mask, again?" He asked her as he sat down across from her. He had his own coffee which meant that he had walked by her, and she hadn't noticed.

"Perhaps. But I do believe you owe me a name sir." She said, avoiding giving him a straight answer. Though he had seen her face at the masquerade, she wasn't sure she wanted to remove the mask she was wearing. He couldn't see her expressions save for her lip, or the fact that she was avoiding starring at him.

"Arius. My name is Arius Blackthorn."

"Dessera Ainsley. Nice to officially meet you." She chuckled, picking off a piece of her pastry and popping it into her mouth.

"Can you see through that mask?" He asked her, as he crossed his legs, and took a drink out of his cup. She wasn't at all sure how to answer him. She wasn't usually forthcoming with her status as a hunter, especially with people she had only met once. So instead, she opted to take it off instead.

"Yes and no." She set the mask down on the table and looked up at him. Though they had met before, and he had seen the scars on her face, it had been a dark room and now in the light, he could see her clearly. She made eye contact with him, and he smiled at her, his eyes genuine. Smiled. He didn't grimace or look away. He smiled at her and for some reason that made her more uncomfortable than the other reactions. People usually avoided her eyes when they saw her face, or they would shy away. She knew how to handle those reactions. But this was something she wasn't familiar with. So, she just asked instead. "You see my face, yet you say nothing."

"It's not my job to ask a woman how she got her scars. Only to wait until she is comfortable to share them on her own." It was her turn to smile at him. The amount of respect she felt for a stranger at that moment was more than she had for herself. She was so used to the disgusting responses and the assumptions that she had given up thinking that there would be a person that would look her in the eyes and not care about her scars.

The moment was cut short though as Caellum's car pulled onto the street. She quickly placed the mask back over her face and pulled the black fabric over her nose. She stood and straightened out her coat. Had Caellum seen that she had taken her mask off he wouldn't have been pleased. But she didn't care. She only intended to keep her face a secret from the twins still.

"It seems my employer is done with his meeting. It was a pleasure to see you again, Arius." She told him as the car pulled up to the curb beside them. Her feet carried her away from the table. Caellum got out of the back seat to let her in the car, though she could have gotten in on the other side. He gave her a stern look as she moved towards him.

"Who is that?" He asked her as she ducked into the car. She stayed silent for a moment as she pulled the seat belt over her chest. He slid in next to her, the door closing behind him. Though she was a little peeved with him still she wasn't mad. That didn't stop the petty comment from leaving her mouth though.

"None of your business."

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clairecolemanoriginals · 3 years

Text

Chapter 4

Keys clattered in the bowl as she closed the front door to her apartment. Dessera sighed and leaned against the door, letting her head rest against the wood. She was absolutely exhausted and wanted to sleep but she had an hour of dressing down to do. The dress would take at least five minutes to get out of and then there was the matter of her hair and the makeup on her body. Gem had done more than hide her face. She had covered any and every scar that had come above the top of the dress.

As she made her way to her bedroom to strip down, she thought back on her night. The man she had danced with had stayed on her mind the rest of the night but after their one dance, she hadn't caught sight of him again. He had been very kind and traditional which had surprised her. All of the men that had ever shown interest in her had only ever been interested in sleeping with her. They would take their night of fun and then leave her the next morning. Or she would leave after they were done, not caring to stick around to hear their questions about her scars. Being a hunter was a dangerous game and after a year of being on her own and trying a relationship, she had learned the hard way that it was better to be single.

In the bedroom she stumbled around, trying to figure out how Gem had fastened the dress. She felt like a dog chasing its tail as she spun in a circle to get the corset ties undone. As the ties were loosened, she was able to slip the dress down her body and step out of the material. Standing there in her underwear she looked down at the dress. It was beautiful and part of her was sad that she wouldn't be allowed to keep it. Gen would add it to her collection and mark it as the dress that got her recruited.

Gathering it up in her arms, she made her way to the bathroom so she could put the dress back in its hanging bag and start the shower. She turned to face the mirror and started to pull the pins that were holding her curls away from her face. Pulling the pins out felt as good as peeling away a scab that wasn't quite ready. The sensation of her scalp relaxing and then the sudden urge to itch her head to get rid of the tingling, sent a shiver down her spine. Instead of giving into the urge with her fingers she used her brush to comb out the curls. Satisfied that her hair was no longer a tangled mess, she stepped into the shower to begin scrubbing away the makeup on her face and shoulders.

As she scrubbed, the scars on her shoulders began to surface and she grimaced at the greyish pink marks. Healing from the demon's attack on her shoulders had taken her months, and even now her shoulders didn't react the way they used to. They were stiff and slow to react, but she had done her best to get them back to normal. The scars on her back hadn't caused any more damage than a surface wound but they had still left scars running diagonally across her back. She had kissed backless dresses and shirts goodbye that day.

Once she was done in the shower, she grabbed her towel and made her way to her room where she collapsed on the bed, not caring if the bed got wet. On her nightstand was her phone, exactly where she left it. The only reason she had it was to communicate with Caellum about work, otherwise she ignored the pesky device. In fact, as she unlocked it a message from her patron popped up and she opened it.

My office tomorrow, 10am. Was all it read, and she rolled her eyes. Ever the bossy one. She sighed and rolled over onto her stomach and hugged her pillow, closing her eyes. It wasn't long until her nightmares pulled her in for the night.

She was kneeled in a decimated throne room. Cobwebs clung to the walls, the windows cracked and broken. The wind whipped through the room, ruffling her loose hair. Moonlight cascaded down from the sky and into the hall. Whispers clung to the wind and a chill ran down her spine. At the end of the hall a demon sat on the cracked throne. From where she was, she could see a large set of horns curling around the demon's head before they stuck straight into the air. Red eyes looked down on her and she felt the fear begin to rise in her chest.

She tried to stand but chains held her to the ground, her hands behind her back. She looked down at her body only to find that she wore only breast bindings and a cloth big enough to cover where it was important. Otherwise she was completely bound in chains and immobile.

"Let me go!" she yelled up at the demon, struggling against her bonds.

"I do not have the power to release you. Only you possess the power to do that." The demon told her with a sad look on her face. The demon stood and made her way down the steps to kneel in front of her. Up close she could see that while the woman looked young, her eyes were aged as if she had seen a thousand years of war. White hair was intricately pinned back around her horns and she could see a diadem was poised at the center of her head.

"You're the one who has me trapped here. Unchain me." She growled, leaning in close to the demon, anger taking the place of her fear.

"I cannot, you will be stuck here until you release yourself. Which means I cannot help you against the dangers of this place. Good luck." The demon reached up and put her hand on her cheek. She held her breath, not sure what the demon was up to, but the hand only lingered for a moment before it dropped. In that brief moment of contact she felt a strange pull in her gut, telling her she knew who this demon was, albeit impossible. She had never been to the other side and every demon she had ever faced in her world had died by her blade. The demon stood and walked away. She tried to crane her neck over her shoulder to stare at the demon as it disappeared through the archway, but she lost sight before she even reached the door.

"DON'T JUST LEAVE ME HERE! LET ME GO! PLEASE!" She screamed up at the ceiling, terrified of what lurked in the shadows. The only response she got was from the wind. Her eyes flicked around the room, trying to figure a way out of her bonds but there was no way, there wasn't even a lock on her chains, just an endless coil pinning her to the ground.

A howl pierced the silence and she shied away from the sound. It faded into a low growl and all she could do was sit there in defeat with her eyes closed and listen as it got closer and closer. It wasn't until she felt a hot breath on the back of her neck that she started to feel something within her stir. At the base of her spine, it was as if a fire was trying to ignite. Large teeth brushed against her collar and the fear returned to her, nausea twisting in her gut. She didn't dare move. Though it wouldn't make a difference.

The creature howled again from behind her and she flinched, a scream ripping from her throat. She couldn't help it, she was terrified. A large force landed on the center of her back and threw her forward on to the stone. Her face smashed into the floor, her cheekbone and nose cracking. She cried out in pain, tears prickling at her eyelids. What felt like a paw pushed her further into the ground, her cheek grinding away on the rough surface. Blood was gushing out of her nose and down her throat, but she couldn't cough to clear it. All of the air was being pushed from her lungs and she could hardly suck in a small breath.

'Help me.... someone...please...' she screamed into the void of her mind as the sound of jaws sinking into soft flesh echoed in her mind. The last thing she heard before death took her was the tearing of flesh and the creature licking its lips.

Dessera bolted into a sitting position a wicked scream tearing through her throat. Her breaths were quick and pained as a hand rested where the creature had torn her throat out. Sweat coated her face and shoulders from the fear that had coursed through her body. The dream had seemed so real, just like it had every night for the past few months. Her dreams had tormented her three months. It was the same dream every night with very little variation. The only thing that ever differed was the crown that the demon wore. Every night her face was broken on concrete and her throat ripped out with no way to escape.

She swung her feet over the edge of the bed and put her head in her hands. She desperately wanted the dreams to stop, to get a good night's rest but no matter what she did before bed it didn't change anything. Though there was a subtle difference in the nightmare this time. The fire at the base of her spine; it was the first time she had felt anything stir within her. It had been there only a moment, but the tingling sensation she had felt had left her curious.

It had felt similar to the tingling she had felt when she had started to learn to use her Third Eye. As a hunter she was trained to sense the energy in her body and redirect it. It was a skill that Anthony Byrnes had brought back with him from the other world, a gift that had given the hunters an edge during the war before the portals were sealed off for good by the Ethereals. The Third Eye was the only energy point that humans could use, and even then, not many humans could actually wield the full extent of the gift. Most hunters could only see past glamour and communicate telepathically. There were rumors though that Anthony had learned more that he hadn't shared, that he could melt into the shadows, become the shadows.

They were all just rumors and speculation, but after her dream she wondered if it was true. If there was more to their gifts than they had been told.

Then there was the demon. She had been a terrifying sight. Was she real or just someone my mind made up? She thought to herself as she stood from the bed. Glancing over at the clock on her night stand she realized that the dream had taken longer this time. Usually she would wake up around three or four in three or four in the morning and just go for a run. This time the clock read six in the morning and she half smiled, hoping that was a sign that they were going to start leaving her alone.

A few hours later she found herself dismounting her motorcycle. As she swung her leg over the back of the bike, she pulled the black helmet off and set it on the back seat. Her hair was a frizzy mess from being in the confined space and she ran her hands through it to calm it down. Once it was lying flat, she pulled the neck mask up over her nose. This was the fun part of her job. Caellum was the only one who had ever seen her face. As a way to continue her training Caellum had insisted she wear a full-face mask. The lower mask was simply to cover her mouth and nose, but the upper mask covered her eyes completely. It was an exercise for her Third Eye. As per her contract with her patron she was to only use her Third Eye when on duty. At first, she had stumbled around blindly through the world. She had been young and while she could use her gift to see all of her surroundings when she really focused, she hadn't been able to do it day in and day out. Now it was like second nature. As she slipped the decorative mask over her eyes, purple flickered behind her eyes and she could easily find her way to the elevator.

Usually she would wait until she reached Caellum's office to place the second mask over her face, but today she didn't feel like looking at him. He had overstepped and annoyed her beyond belief the night before and as punishment she would hide her face. The upper mask was made of a worn golden metal, intricate patterns welded together to create a beautiful, yet terrifying mask to stare at. A red stone was encrusted in the forehead of the headpiece and small chains hung off the bottom, each with a red teardrop at the end.

She quite enjoyed wearing the mask over her face, despite the sweat that broke out. She was able to make expressions without people knowing. Though Caellum had gotten quite good at reading her body language to determine her mood.

As she entered the main office, she noticed that Caellum was sitting at his desk, feet up on the edge, reclined in his chair. He was on the phone and had the butt of a pencil between his lips, chewing pensively on the eraser. Rolling her eyes, she let her Third Eye relax and she navigated over to the couch by memory. She laid down on her back and closed her eyes, letting her ears guard her. In the past four years she had honed her sense of hearing. She could navigate as if she actually was blind and when she wasn't using her gift, her ears had compensated for the loss of a sense.

"What are you doing?" She heard Caellum ask. The soft sound of his feet shuffling on the carpet told her he was walking over to her.

"Resting my eyes." She told him quietly. The couch cushions beside her hip dipped down and she could feel the heat radiating off of him.

"I realize that. Why are you wearing your mask already?" He inquired. If he could have seen her, he would have glared at her. She had a wicked grin on her face. The pout that was on his face was evident in his voice.

"Punishment for last night." She replied, sitting up so she could 'look' him in the eye. Using her gift, she could clearly see that he was searching her mask for any hint of the face that hid underneath. "Staring at me won't make the mask disappear."

The door to the office suddenly swung open with a crash. She jumped up from the couch, pushing Caellum behind her and further on to the couch. She had her gun out in an instant, aiming at the two fools who stood frozen in the doorway. She sighed and lowered her gun, placing it back in the holster.

"Aren't you supposed to knock?" She growled, annoyed with the twins.

Identical twins; Killian and Kieran, both stood much taller than her with mops of strawberry blonde hair. Killian was a Mechanical Engineering student while his brother had attended the Computer Science program. Their focus, firearms and coding. They had been recruited two years back as extra security and they had been nothing but a pain in her ass since. They were more for tech than security but Caellum had insisted she train them in hand to hand combat, just in case. They spent most of their hours in the lower levels of the building creating new weapons for her to carry around. In fact, they had been the ones to design the weapons chest that sat at the end of her bed.

"Afraid we are going to interrupt something Aysima?" Killian teased and she put her hand back on her gun.

"How many times do I have to tell you buffoons, not to call me that?" She hissed, very tempted to shoot both of them.

"I still think she is secretly in love with us." Kieran told his brother and she threw her arms up, exasperated. It was too early to deal with them. She walked back over to the couch and plopped down beside Caellum. A hand rested on her knee and she could feel Caellum's smiling gaze. At least someone was amused by the pair.

"Nah, man. Boss man called dibs remember?" Killian snickered and her head whipped in their direction, the small gems on her mask clinking.

"That's enough." She growled, standing from her seat once again. She marched over to them, she grabbed them both by the collar and brought them in close to her face. Killian gulped, while Kieran starred defiantly at her. They may not have been able to see her, but they could feel the annoyance rolling off of her. "Don't you two have anything better to do than stand there and act like idiots?"

"Nope, boss asked us here for extra security on his meeting today." Kieran told her. Her hold on his collar slacked as she turned back around to face Caellum.

"What meeting?"

"Anthony Byrnes, requested a meeting last night." Caellum told her, standing from his seat and straightening out his suit. He fiddled with the sleeves of his dress shirt, straightening the cufflinks. He looked up at her with a sassy grin on his face.

"And you didn't think telling me was a good idea?"

"You go with the flow so easily." Caellum teased and she was getting ready to growl when he put his hand up. His face took on a look of all seriousness. "We're leaving in five. Boys go get the car."

The twins left, leaving her standing there with Caellum.

"Dibs?" She questioned, putting her hand on her hip, unamused.

"You were there for that conversation, Sera." Caellum approached her, paying no mind to her personal space. He leaned down so his lips were by her covered ear. "You broke my heart that day."

'Drama queen.'

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clairecolemanoriginals · 3 years

Text

Chapter 3

"Unless you're over here to apologize, I suggest you walk in the other direction Caellum." She muttered to the man as he fell in step beside her. As soon as the night had truly begun, she had melted into the shadows to do her job, weaving in and out of the crowd to keep an eye on things. She was mortified by what had happened with him, and afraid of what Anthony had caught a glimpse of in her mind.

"Dessera..." Caellum lightly grabbed her arm and stopped her movement. People moved around them as they stopped in the walkway to talk. She looked up at him, a fire in her eyes telling him not to piss her off any further. "I apologize, I let my need to keep up a reputation get the best of me. We agreed not to bring you into it, and I went against that agreement."

"Damn right you did." She breathed, letting the fire in her eyes go out at the apology. She watched him physically relax and she smirked. He was still afraid of her anger. Good, she thought. "You're going to regret that later; I hope you know that."

"Are you going to punish me?" Caellum asked, suddenly all seriousness was gone from his voice and he was wiggling his eyebrows at her. Her arm moved before she could even think, shoving him backward lightly. He stumbled back, laughing at her.

She walked away from him, a small smile on her face.

Invercast had been her escape five years ago. It was after a devastating hunt. She had nearly died fighting off five Mystics that had snuck past their borders, headed for Inverelin and the King's Court. Without knowing anything about the creatures they had sent her and her younger sister to keep them from crossing the mountains. They hadn't caught up in time to catch them before the mountain pass and in the snow, they had been caught outnumbered.

"Sera, I don't like this. There isn't any cover here." Nora whispered to her as they entered the snow-covered clearing. They had been chasing the mystics for three days. They were both tired and unprepared for what was waiting for them.

"I don't either. But we don't have a choice." She whispered to the young girl. The fifteen-year-old next to her was clutching her short sword in one hand and her handgun in the other. She could see the slight shake in her little sisters' hands and the fear deep in her eyes. They were both too young to be out on their own, but their older siblings were on a mission for the Kings and they were the only hunters who were available to eliminate the threat, so they had been told. Nora she was supposed to be at the academy, not out in the clod in a jacket that drooped past her wrist, her gun half-hidden. She placed icy fingers on her sister's leather and metal clad shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. Nora gave her a nod and they focused back on the clearing.

There was a campfire that had recently been snuffed out and they needed to check it out to see which direction their prey had gone in. Walking into an open clearing though left them vulnerable. But they didn't have any other option.

"How is your Third Eye?" She asked her little sister.

"Not very great. I haven't had much practice." Nora told her. Her heart sank. If Nora couldn't hone her Third Eye, then she was about to be completely on her own.

"Well, you're about to get some. Climb this tree and keep an eye out. If you see something whistle; two short calls to alert me, and one for each Mystic you see." She instructed, putting her hand on the trunk of the tree that they were under. Nora gave her a wide-eyed look and went to argue with her, but she shook her head. "For once, please do as I ask you. If I get overwhelmed, you are to run like hell."

"But...." Nora started to argue, but she put a hand over her mouth to silence her.

"Get. In. The. Fucking. Tree. Nora! That's an order." Her eyes hardened as she pulled rank on her sister. They glared at each other for a moment longer before Nora relented and nodded. She dropped her hand.

"If we make it out of this alive, I get your favorite dagger," Nora grumbled, as she helped her into the lowest hanging branch.

"Deal. Now stay quiet." Dessera took a deep breath and pulled her sword from her back. With her gun in her left hand and her sword in her right, she slowly started to make her way into the clearing.

Every crunch of snow under her feet made her heart pound harder and louder in her ears. Her eyes stayed on the edge of the clearing, hoping and praying that nothing would emerge. That was a fool's hope and she knew it. She was anxious, they were in the trees. She could feel it. Multiple pairs of eyes on her, more than she knew she could handle. She couldn't tell exactly how many there were, but it was enough to make the hair on her arms stand on end in anticipation. She flicked the safety off on the pistol and held it up close to her face. She didn't even bother checking the campfire as she reached it. Instead, she started to circle it, waiting for them to show their faces.

She paused in her pacing and closed her eyes. Purple flashed behind her eyelids. Taking a deep breath, she extended her arm toward the forest. Turning slowly in a circle, she let her Third Eye lead her to her targets. There at the edge of the clearing, she could see a figure outlined in the shadows. It was leaned up against a tree, watching her silently a smirk plastered on its face. Her gun was pointed in the opposite direction, leaving it unaware that she could see it. What scared her though was the horns. Two sets of large black horns protruded from its skull wrapping around and over the top of its head. It was a demon, a powerful one. The larger the horns the more advanced.

Two short whistles echoed over the wind. Nora could see them. She smiled, only for a second, proud of her little sister. Then she listened to the wind.

One, two, three....four.......... five.

The wind went silent.

"Fuck." She breathed. She whipped around to the one demon she had caught sight of and fired her gun. Opening her eyes, she didn't have time to watch the bullet fly into the trees. She whipped around, gun raised, as a loud cry echoed from behind her. She barely had enough time to twist out of the way as another demon came running at her with its blade. What she hadn't heard was the sickening crack as her bullet went through the creature's skull.

She kept her eye on the female, but in her peripheral, she could see two coming from her left and the fourth coming at her from the right.

"Any chance I could convince you guys to just go back home?" She called as they approached her. The female who had already attacked her snarled. A demon with white hair and scraggly black horns charged at her from her left and their blades met. It growled at her and advanced again harder this time and she nearly dropped her sword. She pulled her gun up and fired off a shot in its direction, but it was too fast.

"You killed one of us." The female growled at her, pulling a dagger from the back of her waistband to join the blade she already had. Two blades against a gun and a short sword.

"Well, he was taunting me." She panted, placing her gun in it holster on her hip.

"Giving up so easily human?" A male demon laughed from her left. She didn't break eye contact with the duel wielding female in front of her as she reached to her back and pulled the second blade from between her shoulder blades.

"Nah. I just thought I would level the playing field." She taunted, sending a subtle wink over at the male demon. He snarled at her. The guttural sound sent panic flying through her body. He was a shifter-demon, lower level but still dangerous. Her eyes flicked over to him, eyeing him up and down. He smirked at her, larger pointed teeth coming through his gums, warning her that he was about to shift. 'Nora, you stay in that tree. If you have a clear shot, take it.' She sent her sister's way, hoping she had heard her. The mental conversation had never been her strong suit.

"Let's get this over with." She growled, bending her knees and preparing herself for the fight. As she expected the male pounced at her, shifting mid-air into a large cat, his horns twisting around his ears. She lunged out of the way and slashed at his side, earning a loud howl. She spun to face it, dropping into a crouch to look it in the eyes. Golden red eyes met hers and she smirked. It lunged at her again and she rolled out of the way. As she came back up into a standing position, she barely had time to defend herself against the female.

The female had charged at her in her moment of focus, and she cursed as their blades met. The impact jarred her arms and she had to quickly regrip her blades. 'Shit,' she groaned at the strength behind the swing. Like the first demon that she had shot, the female demon had two large sets of horns, wrapping around her head. The female got in close to her and hissed.

"That demon was my husband." She sneered. The demon's eyes flicked over her shoulder, smirking. Before she could even blink searing pain ripped through her back as two sets of blades tore into her skin. Crying out she pushed back on the female demon and stumbled back away from her. Her head whipped between the demons and her eyes narrowed as they laughed at her. These two had smaller horns, telling her they were more on her level.

Bending her knees again, she brought her swords in front of her and closed her eyes as they closed in on her. Her Third Eye flickered in and she could see them coming at her with their blades above their heads, though the image wasn't clear, her head foggy from the pain. She smirked, hoping that her plan would work. Waiting until the last second, she brought her arms close to her body. As soon as they were upon her, she whipped her blades out to the sides and slashed both demons through the middle. She felt the blade glide through their skin, opening their abdomens to the harsh environment. The white-haired one instantly dropped his sword and brought his hands down to keep his intestines from spilling into the snow. Not that it would do any good. They would be dead in a few moments. The purple-eyed one to her right though caught her by surprise, and she cursed herself for not moving faster. His blade came down in a shallow arch and connected with her face, just barely as she tried to getaway. The tip of the blade sliced through the thin skin beside her eye and down her cheekbone. She screamed in pain and stood straight, bringing her other blade back up in a wide arch to separate the demons head from its shoulders.

Her breath was ragged from the pain in her face and she had to blink rapidly to rid herself of the blood pooled in her lower lid. Her vision had already been swimming with black spots, but now she was practically blind in one eye. In her distraction, she didn't notice the horned panther pouncing at her, and she landed on her back in the snow with its claws digging into the muscles of her shoulders. She opened her eyes, staring up at the demon, at her murderer. The panther growled in her face, baring its yellowing teeth. The stench of dead animals hung on its breath and she cringed as a thick glob of yellow saliva hit her cheek. She looked up into the golden eyes and saw nothing but hatred. She shook off her shock and she quickly pulled her gun from her hip and placed it under the shifter-demons jaw.

"Nice try." She growled and pulled the trigger. The bullet flew out of the back of its head, spraying blood into the snow. Under her, the snow was slowly turning red from her mangled muscles'. The demon shifted back to its human form as it died, and she shoved the naked body off of her in disgust.

She stood slowly, gun in hand, her blades were forgotten on the ground. Looking up she saw that the female demon was glaring at her. By some miracle, she had managed to take out four of the demons without dying but she was losing blood fast and her vision was already starting to swim. Her back and shoulders were on fire and the pain in the side of her face was making it hard to see out of her left eye. She lifted her arm to point the gun at the female. At least she tried. Between the two slashes in her back and the torn muscles in her shoulders, she found herself unable to lift the gun above her hip. She let off a shot in frustration, the bullet landing between the demon's legs. She looked down at her arm in defeat and let the gun slip from her blood coated fingers, the weight of it only making the ache in her shoulders worse. She now stood before a powerful demon, defenseless and close to blacking out.

"I'm impressed." The female taunted, as she sauntered forward, blade extended toward her. Her body was swaying on her feet and she couldn't help but stumble a little to keep her body up. A gunshot rang out through the clearing as the demon got closer to her. The bullet when flying by the demon's face, before falling into the snow's embrace. The demon laughed. "She's not a very good shot either, is she? Although, she is better than you."

"It's been a bad day, okay? Though your husband was great target practice."

The female was in her space now and the blade was pressed against her abdomen. Before she could even react, the demon had its hand around her throat holding her upright. Another gunshot rang out and it went flying behind Dessera's head this time and she winced. If Nora couldn't make the shot, they would both die. There was no way Nora could outrun a demon this powerful. She needed to get away from the demon so Nora would have a clean shot. The woman pulled her closer and inhaled near her cheek, before running her tongue up the cut on her face. She hissed in pain and disgust.

"Mmmm...maybe I should just abandon my mission and take you home with me. Would you like to keep your life human?" The demon whispered in her ear and she tried to struggle against the hand on her throat. The demon pulled back and laughed at her. "All it would take is one kiss and I could torture you endlessly in Abraxus. Abreron deserves that much." The demon pulled her in closer, their lips almost touching.

"Is that supposed to sound appealing?" She choked out as she ever so slowly reached behind her to the base of her sheath. Her blood coated hand wrapped around the small handle of her hidden dagger.

"You don't have a choice, you're dead either way." The demon chuckled, moving in to place a life-stealing kiss on her lips.

"Go...fuck...yourself." She choked out as she slammed the dagger between the demon's ribs. The demon's angry roar caused a painful ringing in her ears. The hand on her throat tightened before the was tossed across the clearing, like a ragdoll. Her body tumbled through the snow, one of her shoulders popping painfully before she landed on her side. She whimpered as the cuts in her back hit the snow, the ice doing hardly anything to quench the fire. The demon started stalking toward her once again.

She laid there watching the demon stalk towards her, a malicious grin on her face. She knew that Nora was hesitating to take a proper shot. Her sister was afraid to hit her, and in her daze, she had managed to separate herself from the demon so that Nora could take the shot and end her torture. She just hoped that Nora could make the shot.

"I'll teach..." the demon started to snarl but was cut off by a third and final gunshot. Blood splattered out the side of the demon's head and her eyes widened. The shock stuck to her face as she collapsed into the snow, dead.

"Nice shot, sis." She whispered before the darkness pulled her in.

Dessera shook the old memory from her mind and focused back into where she was at. In her haze, she had brought herself to a corner and was leaning against the wall. She blinked a few times to clear the dazed feeling in her eyes. She hadn't thought of that memory in a long time and unconsciously she reached to her thigh where her favorite dagger was strapped. She had left Styrzan with no warning and hadn't left the dagger for her sister, though she had thought about it.

Her eyes glided over the room, taking in her surroundings to see what had changed since she had zoned out. The chattering had quieted to a low hum and the music had slowed down significantly. Most of her peers had taken to occupying tables to eat food, drink, and converse with patrons. She could see Caleb and Gem talking to one of the female patrons with a wide grin on her face, and her mask removed. She had been recruited. She smiled, happy for her friend, even though she had fought dirty.

What caught her eye was the heated conversation that Caellum and Anthony Byrnes seemed to be having in the opposite corner from her. She quirked her eyebrow and slowly started to make her way over there, hoping to listen in to the conversation. Her eyes were trained on Caellum who was speaking quickly and low to the man. Anthony scowled at him and responded in a low town, clearly furious with whatever her patron had just said to him. As she got close enough to hear, Anthony sensed her and stopped talking. He glanced over his shoulder at her and his eyes softened slightly. She could see his shoulders sag as he sighed. He turned back to Caellum and whispered something before walking off away from him, away from her.

"What the hell was that?" She asked approaching him.

"Nothing," Caellum told her, his eyes still fixed on Anthony's back.

"What do you..." She started but he looked over at her a stern look on his face.

"It is none of your concern, Dessera. Not this time." He told her in a low voice, and she resisted the urge to take a step back from him. Caellum never lost his temper with her. She'd seen it with other people, who crossed him but because of the nature of their relationship, she was able to push him. Not once had he ever snapped at her in that way. Until tonight. He looked down at her and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I am sorry, things with Anthony are complicated and I cannot get into the details here."

"Ok." She whispered, looking down. "Um...I came over here to give you this. Gem got recruited finally, so I don't need to wear this anymore." She reached up and pulled the red metal mask from her face, revealing her scars. When she looked up, his eyes were glued to her face, staring at is like he had never seen it before. His hand reached up and hovered near her cheek where the scar marred her skin. She took a step back, not wanting him to touch her.

"Now I'll have two. I'll put this with the one from your first-year mask." He told her, taking the mask from her, their fingers brushing. He leaned down and brushed his lips across her cheek before muttering that he was leaving. He turned on his heel and disappeared into the crowd.

Her eyes followed her back until she couldn't see him anymore and then her head tipped back to release a heavy sigh. Why does he have to be that way? She thought to herself as she brought her head back to the center. As she opened her eyes blue met blue.

Across the dance floor, she found a man gazing at her. He had a mask over the top half of his face, but his eyes stood out against the black material. Unlike Caellum, he wore black from head to toe. From what she could tell he was handsome. Dark hair and a strong jawline. She could see that there was a tattoo sticking out of the collar of his dress shirt, creeping up his neck. Out of curiosity, her eyes flashed purple and she was satisfied to see that he wasn't from Abraxus. Though a moment later she was questioning that. One moment he was there and then in the next he vanished in the crowd. Her head whipped around to look for him but there was no sign of him.

Shrugging her shoulders, she decided to ignore the instinct in her mind telling her to find him. Instead, she opted to get herself a glass of champagne. The night was starting to really drain her energy and she was debating leaving early, forgoing her duties as security. She was supposed to stay until the end of the night but so far, she hadn't seen any threats from Abraxus and she was prepared to declare that to faculty to she could leave. In the meantime, though she would drink a couple of flutes of champagne to loosen herself up. Between Caellum's complicated actions tonight and Anthony Byrnes giving her odd looks, she was starting to wonder what else the universe had in store for her tonight.

"Excuse me." A male voice sounded from behind her and she jumped faintly, not having noticed him come up behind her. She turned slowly to find the man from before standing there. He looked oddly nervous as he stood there, hands in his pockets. Now that he was up close, she could see the slight stubble on his jaw and a faint scar running through his lips, though it didn't ruin their shape. "Would you like to dance?"

"Um...sure." She replied, setting her glass down on the table, knowing it would disappear as soon as she turned her back. He held his hand out for her and she placed her fingers on his palm. He led her out onto the dance floor as a new, slower song started to play. She took a step closer to him and his hand landed on her waist. Her breath caught in her throat at the feeling of his hand on her lower back, expecting it to make her anxious. But it wasn't. I was just warm, the heat soaking through her dress and into her skin, soothing her nerves.

The music started and they began to move around the dance floor, with him expertly leading her through the moves. Her hand rested on his shoulder while her other one rested in his hand. Up close she was eye to eye with his Adam's apple and she could see that the tattoo on his neck was in fact a snake's head. It sunk below the collar of his shirt and seemed to slither towards his spine. She wondered what the rest of the tattoo looked like.

"I hope my asking you to dance won't upset your partner." He said her to. She looked up at him and laughed a little.

"Not at all. He is my patron, not my partner, though sometimes he likes to think it's both." She replied, looking back over her shoulder where she caught Gem looking at her. Her eyes were wide and her mouth slightly slacked. As soon as they made eye contact, Gem smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Dessera rolled her eyes.

"Yet you were wearing a mask earlier." He commented, sounding a little confused. She took the lead for a moment and spun them around so he could see Gem giving them a thumbs up.

"The girl in the black ball gown over there is the stylist to the dress and was insistent I wore a mask, even though I was recruited four years ago." She explained and he chuckled.

"I see. What is it that you do for this patron?" He asked her, looking down at her with a small smile on his face.

"I work private security for him." She replied as they spun past another couple. The music intensified for a moment and he became silent to bring her around the dance floor. She could see out of the corner of her eye that people were moving out of their way and giving them the entire space to move about. "What is it that you do? Are you a student here?"

"I am actually here on behalf of a patron, looking to recruit someone." He told her and she nodded at his vague answer. It wasn't her place to ask though. What a patron does was meant to stay between them and their emissaries. The more important patrons rarely actually came in person and often sent emissaries with masks to survey and report back. More often than not the recruiting process would happen after the Masquerade.

"Well, I hope you find who you're looking for." She gave him a smile and they lapsed into silence as the song continued.

As the song went on, she found herself stepping closer to him, until they were chest to chest and her head could have rested on his shoulder. The side of their heads was touching, and she found herself able to close her eyes to follow his lead. The music was hypnotic and before she knew it the song was over, and he was pulling away from her to bow. She stood there frozen, unsure of where the song had disappeared to. She gathered herself quickly though and curtsied. A little old fashioned, she thought to herself.

"Thank you for the dance." She said as they walked off the dance floor and a new song began. They stopped at the edge and she looked up at him with a smile on her face.

"My pleasure. Would you save me one more dance?" He asked her, his hands finding his pockets again.

"I would like that." She replied. He returned her smile and before he could say anything further Gem was by her side bouncing up and down about how she had been recruited. Her attention was brought away from the man and in that moment of distraction, he disappeared into the crowd like a shadow.

I didn't get his name.

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clairecolemanoriginals · 3 years

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Chapter 2

The College of Invercast sat the heart of the city. A central hub for the entire populace of Invercast. Most of the population lived within the city walls, while the rest were either hunters, outcasts, or the Royals who hid in their palace in Inverelin. The college itself consisted of twenty buildings, most of which had a specific craft assigned to it. Students from the outlying towns would move to the heart of the city where they would dedicate an average of five years of their life to their trade. Various events were held throughout the year to showcase their skills to recruiters. The biggest events were The Masquerade for the art students; The Race for mechanical engineers; The Expo for computer science majors; The Harvest for the students in agriculture; The Charity for the budding business students; The Debates for the ambitious politicians; and The Day of Asylum for the psychology majors brave enough to step foot into Witnau Asylum. The hardest path was for the students who chose the medical field. They never got a specific event, instead, they were watched year-round and only the best made it.

It had been the perfect place for her to get away from her past as an Elite Hunter. She came from a family of near royal hunters who almost got her killed on multiple occasions. Her parents had served on the Royal Guard in their younger years and had spent the rest of their time grooming their children to follow in their footsteps. She had quickly figured out that becoming part of the Royal Guard was not a goal of hers, though that hadn't been her reason for leaving. She had loved her family dearly but her relationship with them was complicated and strained. She had left on bad terms and rarely heard from the one sibling who would still take her calls.

Her first year at the college, without so much as a product to showcase, a patron had approached her and offered her a job as his personal head of security. She still had no idea how he knew she was a hunter; she hadn't been marked at the time. But it was because of him that she was working security at the masquerade instead of struggling on the streets in the outer circle. She wondered if he would be there tonight or if he had decided to sit this one out.

Driving to the college took longer than normal, due to the heavy traffic. The entire way there, Gemma was gushing about how excited she was to see what people thought of her dress. While they had been putting her dress on Gemma had shown her that it was actually a two-piece. The large ball gown skirt was removable and underneath was a pair of loose pants. She thought the idea was rather ingenious, and she couldn't wait for the moment she could remove the large ball gown.

Upon entering the ballroom, she smiled. Like the years before the room had been decorated in the golds, blues, and whites of the royals. Tables bordered the dance floor and a table filled with food on the opposite wall. The room was already buzzing with music and chatter. She gazed around the room and caught sight of the patrons still gathered in their corner of the room, maskless. She smirked seeing a familiar face in the large group. There her patron stood at the center of the group, a glass of champagne in hand and a cheeky grin on his face. He was in an all-gold suit, his tie a blood red. She looked down at her dress and chuckled, they matched. 'Did he know?' She wondered. He had a knack for knowing everything that was going on in her life. At first, she had thought it creepy but over the years she had come to learn that was just the role of a politician. Nosey without a care of the consequences.

He took a sip from his flute and over the edge of the glass his dark eyes met hers. She gave him a coy smile and she smirked, looking her up and down. He motioned for her to spin for him. Rolling her eyes, she did as she was asked and as she turned back around, he had his hand on his chest, feigning a swoon.

"I'll be right back." She whispered to her friends, as he curled his finger at her. It was against protocol for the night to approach the patrons before the event began but she didn't care. Heads turned as she walked across the empty dance floor to her patron. He skirts swayed back and forth with her hips and she made a point to eye some of the other patrons. She was doing her friend a favor. Her patron met her at the edge of the dance floor and looked her up and down a wicked grin on his face.

"You look delicious." He hummed, and in one stride he was in her space, standing chest to chest with her. He looked down at her and she could see his eyes fixed on her breasts. "Mind if I take a bite?" His empty hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her in for a hard kiss. She chuckled into his mouth and gently pushed him away, his teeth scraping at her bottom lip as her arm extended.

"Caellum..." She trailed off glancing down at his lips. It wasn't the first time they had kissed but each time it left her a little speechless.

"Yes, darling?" He looked down at her and smirked, seeing the flush in her chest.

"You're a demon." She growled, desperately keeping her eyes on his instead of his lips.

"No darling, I'm human. Where did you get that dress? And why are you wearing a mask?" He asked her, letting go of her waist and stepping back. He brought the champagne glass back to his lips and did a quick survey of the room, reminding her that everyone had seen that. She took a deep breath and held in her annoyance. She would deal with him later, in private.

"Gemma and she insisted on the mask." She told him. At The Masquerade, the masks indicated the students who had already been recruited by patrons. Another rule that she was breaking tonight. Oh well. "It completes the look."

"It sure does. But you're already taken." He told her in a low voice, and she looked up at him eyebrow raised.

"Well, I think you have established that with your display a moment ago." She quipped, placing a hand on her hip.

"Indeed, I did." He stooped down to look her in the eyes and she glared at him, not missing his joke about her height. Even in heels, he was still taller than her. "Shall I do it again?"

"Your antics aren't going to work on me Caellum."

"Oh, I know, but boy is it fun to tease you. You get worked up so easily." He smirked at her, and she held his eyes with squinted eyes. Before he could think to stand up, she was reaching towards his face where she gave his nose a solid flick. His eyes widened at the innocent display of dominance. Spinning on her heel she did her best not to run back across the floor to her friends. The whispers echoing in the hall did not go unnoticed nor did the looks that everyone was giving her as she stopped next to her friends.

"That could not have been more perfect," Gemma said with a satisfied smirk on her face. She looked at her friend and studied her face. Upon seeing the devious look, her friend was giving her patron over her shoulder she was able to piece things together.

"You are horrible. You could get disqualified for that." She bit out, anger bubbling in her chest. Her friend had planned that entire scene and she didn't know whether to be impressed or furious.

"As far as the other patrons are concerned you did that of your own volition, without prompting from me. Technically it doesn't count as a violation. Plus, I just did you a huge favor." Gemma explained. She couldn't help her jaw from dropping a little at the statement.

"A favor? How was that a favor? You made it look like we are together?" She quietly yelled at her friend, taking a step closer. Gemma looked up at her with a defiant look on her face.

"Men want what they can't have," Gemma told her with a smirk, and it took everything in her not to slap the woman. Gemma had a very opinion on how to get a man's attention and it wasn't the only occasion where she felt like punching the shorter woman.

She was getting ready to explode on her friends when microphone feedback cut her off and Gem retreated, seeing the look on her face. Caleb was placed between them and he looked between them awkwardly. She fixed him with an equally venomous glare, annoyed that he hadn't given her some sort of warning. Not only had she made a scene in front of her peers, but she felt she had been a made a fool of. Gemma had used her to make herself stand out and she would undoubtedly get recruited because of it. It was normal behavior from Caellum, so she hadn't suspected foul play. What frustrated her most was that Gemma had taken advantage of the relationship she had with him. They were close, and it was something they mostly kept between them. The last thing she wanted was for that to be in the open.

"Welcome students and patrons! Tonight marks the 250th Masquerade of Invercast! In celebration of 250 years, we have a special guest with us tonight. Give a huge round of applause for one of the main sponsors of the College, Anthony Byrnes!" An elderly woman stood at the center of the dance floor, a microphone in hand. She had announced the commencement of the Masquerade for the past four years and she wondered just how long she had been saying the same speech every year. This year however was different. This year a man she thought she would never lay eyes on joined her on the stage.

Anthony Byrnes, leader of the Hunters. The man was a legend, the only hunter to ever cross the veil under contract to a demon and come back with his memories intact. Not only had he returned with his memories, but he had brought back knowledge that he had passed down to other hunters. The ability to see past a glamour, to see the true face of a Mystic. The knowledge had given the hunters an edge to protecting the seams between the two worlds. His story was told to her as a child, the man was her idol. Despite her father being his second in command she had never met the man. Her family had sent her away on a hunt anytime he was supposed to visit.

He was about the same height as Caellum, golden hair, and dark eyes. His entire figure screamed authority as he surveyed the room. Being a hunter, she was probably the only one to notice the flash of purple that slid over his eyes as he scanned the room for threats. Her eyes had done the same on her entrance. It was an ability hunter referred to as the Third Eye, after the chakra that rested between the eyes. Fully realized hunters had the Third Eye chakra tattooed on the back of their neck. She was one of those, though she never went through the graduation ceremony.

Anthony's eyes landed on her and she froze. Dark met blue and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. The purple flashed again, darker this time. He was trying to break a glamour. But she was human. She tipped her head to the side slightly, giving him a confused look. His eyes widened for a moment and only just. A dull ache itched at the edge of her mind and she narrowed her eyes at him in return. Her own eyes flashed a dark shade of violet as she pushed him out of her mind. She barely saw him take a small step back in surprise.

He hadn't even realized I was a hunter.

Their encounter lasted no more than fifteen seconds, but it was enough for the crowd to start murmuring and looking around to see who he was starring at. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he cleared his throat, finally looking away from her.

What did you see? She wondered; her eyes still locked on to him.

"It is an honor to be here this evening! I see so many splendid projects around the room and I look forward to recruiting a few students for a commission tonight! Good luck to all of you, let the Masquerade of 2033 begin!"

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clairecolemanoriginals · 3 years

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Chapter 1

2 Years Later

Steam filled the small bathroom. The heat clinging to her body as she stepped out of the shower. Soft music was playing from a speaker on the counter and it soothed her inner thoughts to a low boil, the day having already ground her last gears. She swiped a hand across the mirror to clear the water that had gathered. Her action did nothing to really clear the image of herself, but she knew what was there. Sad blue eyes and scars. She had never really been pleased with how she looked. She always had this sense that there was something wrong, something off with her features. The thought never settled in her mind. It was as if she had a glamour over her features, never seeing who she really was. It was unsettling.

"SERA!" A pounding on the bathroom door and the loud call from her friend's voice startled her and she quickly opened the door. The cool air sucked the steam out the room and snaked past her legs, causing goosebumps to rise and she resisted the urge to shiver. Standing there in the hallway was her best friend of eight years, Genevieve. The woman before her was ready to topple over from the load of dresses and makeup that she was holding. Dessera quickly reached forward and took the two large dress bags from her and she watched her friend's shoulders sag in relief.

"God I've been calling your name for like ten minutes. I had to let myself in." Gemma huffed as she turned the music down.

"Sorry. I couldn't hear it." She apologized, hanging the dresses on the curtain rod.

"Clearly," Gemma said as she rolled her eyes, "It's fine. I am late anyway. Traffic was a bitch." Dessera could only imagine the amount of cursing the woman had done on her way over here. She had quite a short temper. "Can I set up in the living room?"

"Yea, go for it." She nodded at her friend, as she switched her towel to a robe. She followed her friend after a moment and went to make herself a cup of tea. As she grabbed a cup from the cabinet a small voice in the back of her mind quietly reminded her that she had forgotten something. As she tried to recall the task she had neglected, a loud metallic thunk rang in her ears. She cringed, knowing exactly what it was. She had been hunting the night prior and passed out on the couch, forgetting to put her gun away. She hadn't even given a second thought about the weapon being on the table, seeing as she rarely invited people over. She heard Gemma clear her throat and she slowly turned to face the woman. Gemma was standing there, the gun pinched between two fingers as she held it away from her body in disgust.

"You couldn't have put this away before I came over?"

"I forgot." She was by her friend's side in four long strides, taking the gun from her. "Sorry, I'll be right back."

She checked it over as she walked down the hall, running her slim fingers over the cool metal. At the back of the apartment sat her bedroom. The most notable thing in the room was the large chest that sat at the end of her bed. It was fingerprint locked and with a quick swipe of her middle finger, the lid popped open and bared its contents to her. Inside was a multitude of weapons, most of which Gemma had never seen. Her friends did not approve of her secondary life. Especially Gem. It was a topic best left avoided with her two friends.

She held the gun in her hands sighed. The night prior she'd had a run-in with a nasty mystic. It had been one of her more difficult hunts and she had the bruising to prove it.

"Dessera Ainsley! You better not be avoiding my makeup brush!" She heard Gemma yell from the living room. She chuckled and shook her head. Quickly placing the pistol into its place, she closed the lid and made her way back out to the living room.

Tonight, was the Annual Masquerade Ball at the College of Invercast. Every year the college held a masquerade ball for the students to showcase what they had learned as an opportunity to be recruited. Though she was an art student, she wasn't going to showcasing her work. She had already been recruited in her first year, for reasons still unknown to her, seeing as her patron still hadn't told her. 'I'll tell you once you've graduated.' He had told her. Four years later he still refused to tell her, but her graduation was coming up and she was eager to know.

Instead, tonight she was modeling for Gemma, much to her chagrin. As a fashion student, Gemma took full advantage of her lean figure. And she had hated every moment of the creation process. She had been stuck with the pins too many times to count. She had already tried the dress on once, right after it had been finished, but Gemma had gone home that night to add a final flare to it.

While Gem was doing everything she could to be noticed by any fashion patron, she was going to be working security. The campus itself was fairly secure but she had been approached by the dean to aid in undercover security, given her background with hunting. She was permitted one weapon for the event, and before they left she planned to place a small pistol on her ankle.

"Alright, hurry up! We need to do your hair first, then your makeup, so we can get dressed." Gemma argued her as she finished making her tea in the kitchen. She turned around and for the first time her friend stepped into the apartment she realized that Gen's hair and makeup were already done. She sighed.

"Let's get this over with." She grumbled.

Three hours of pure torture went by and she found herself in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom. She hardly recognized herself. The floor-length gown both swallowed her body and accentuated her figure. Gemma had made the dress with a corset back and as she had fastened the ties she had, had to hold the material to her chest so it didn't fall. The slim pieces of fabrics swooping down her upper arms did nothing to help the dress stay in place, merely decorative. The deep plunge that revealed most of her cleavage was what left her speechless.

At first, she had felt self-conscious, stepping into the dress nearly naked. Scars littered her entire body and she was very grateful Gem had said nothing as they had pulled the dress up. Once the dress was up over her breasts though the scars were hidden and she had willed the red in her cheeks to subside.

"Alright. Finishing touches." Gemma held up the mask and a rose hairpiece. Gemma had done a wonderful job covering up the scars on her face and the mask only added to the coverup. The mask itself was a custom red metal, that had been molded to her face, and slipped on like a pair of glasses hooking on her ears. Golden curls cascaded just below her shoulders and covered her ears and the edges of the mask. She couldn't help but smile at the woman standing in the mirror. She hardly recognized herself.

"This is amazing Gem." She complimented her friend and Gemma smiled.

"Thank you. If this doesn't find you a man tonight, I don't know what will." Gemma retorted, half-joking with her. Dessera shook her head at her friend and lightly elbowed her for the comment. It was true though. She had never dated. Being a hunter, she had never had time for it, and when she wasn't hunting, she was focused on work and school. Gemma on the other hand had been with the same man for four years now. There were days she felt lonely and longed for the companionship. She just didn't have the time or patience. Most men took one look at the scars on her face and ran in the opposite direction. She could only guess that the scars were a huge turn-off, or she was just intimidating, or both. They never stuck around long enough to tell her. Over the years she had learned to wear her lifestyle on her sleeve, and it had earned her a reputation.

A knock at the door signaled that their ride was there. Gemma went buzzing by her, heels clicking on the wood floor. On the other side of the door was Caleb. Six feet tall, chiseled, and handsome. She took one last look in the mirror and made her way out into the living room where she wasn't surprised to see her friends caught in a lip lock. Caleb broke away though as soon as he heard her. He was in an all-black suit and she laughed. They had dressed to match.

"Girl the plunge on this dress is a crime. Am I meant to stand out?" She asked Gemma pointedly.

"Yes. I need that dress to stand out tonight. This is the third year in a row I haven't been recruited. It's my last chance. Plus if it gets you a suitor then I will consider it an accomplishment, recruitment or not." Gemma told her, wrapping her arms around Caleb's middle section.

"If you don't get recruited tonight I will personally hunt down every patron and threaten them." She argued, collecting her clutch and phone from the table. "But seriously this dress is amazing."

"Shall we get going?" Caleb gestured for her to leave first and she rolled her eyes. She walked out into the hallway and heaved a loud sigh. She didn't feel ready for the world to see her in this way. The mask made it easier for her, but she knew the entire night was going to be weird.

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clairecolemanoriginals · 3 years

Text

Prologue

Rain pelted hard against the windowpane, melding with the sound of gunfire. A battle raged on the doorsteps of the small town. The women were forced to stay behind, as usual, to tend to the children while their sons, husbands, and fathers fought for their homes. Screams of the wounded could be heard on the wind haunted the worried. For days, the women sat in their homes with the crying children waiting for silence to come. All she could do was stand there and look out the window at the chaos that insured. Even as she waited for silence, she dreaded it. There was no way to tell which side was winning, to her, all dying men sound the same.

A loud crack echoed in the winds of the storm startling the dreamer awake.

Yellow streetlights shone through the translucent curtains. The pale lighting proved enough light to see around the room. Clothes, video games, and junk food packages littered the floor. On the bed, two figures could be seen. The first a young man, dead asleep the sheets pooled around his narrow hips. The other was a young woman who eyed the room wide-eyed, the sheets clutched tightly to her chest. A thin layer of sweat glistened on her skin in the mood light and her heavy breathes broke the silence.

She sighed heavily; another night went to waste with the consumption of alcohol.

Dessera barely remembered where she was or who she was with for that matter, but the pounding in her head suggested that she wasn't at her apartment like she had hoped. Swinging her feet off the side of the bed and glanced around the room. What she saw disgusted her. At the center of the room was a gaming chair with open packages of all types of food. A soda bottle lay on its side, its contents having been spilled on the floor and never taken care of. The urge to puke washed over her at the sight and she took a deep breath as she looked for her clothes. She quickly found her discarded clothing next to the bed where the man had tossed them, and she pulled them over her body. The tight dress was a nuisance as she danced around trying to get the zipper up her back. As she stumbled around, she stepped on an empty package of chips and she froze at the sound. She glanced over her shoulder at the man on the bed, scared she had brought him out of his sleep but to her relief he simply shifted around in his sleep to hug his pillow.

"Typical." She muttered as she searched around his room for her clutch. She found it slightly tucked under the bed next to her thigh holster. Her eyes widened, remembering that she had been carrying. A cloudy memory crossed her mind of the man seeing the gun on her inner thing and calling her a badass. He had been way too drunk to even care about the fact that she'd had a rather small 9mm strapped to her throughout the night. She strapped the gun back to her leg, this time with the weapon on the outside and her dress over the top of it, not caring if it was covered or not.

She left the house as silently as she could, being careful to lock the bottom handle before she left to be courteous. Just like her dream, the weather seemed to be unforgiving in its downpour on her. Not that she minded. She loved the rain, preferred it to the hot days of summer. She did not like to be too warm and it was easier to layer up than cool down. Before she stepped off the porch, she checked her phone for the time and saw that it was three in the morning. And that she had 18 missed calls, 30 unread text messages, 3 voicemails. Panic bubbled in her chest as she brought the phone to her ear to listen to the message.

'Serra! I need help. I just got done with a hunt but I'm severely injured. Your place is the closest. I am headed there now, hopefully, I don't bleed out before you get this. Hurry! Please!' The answering box beeped and asked her what she wanted to do with the message, and she starred at the phone. The message had come through over thirty minutes ago and it was quite possible she was too late.

"Fuck!" She exclaimed. A chill ran through her body and she desperately wished she had a coat, but she couldn't think of that. Her little sister was very possibly bleeding out on her porch, and she needed to get to her as soon as possible. Luckily, there wouldn't be anyone on the roads at this time of the day and no one to question why she was running through the street.

As she ran, her heels dangling from her fingertips, she thought about where she was. Looking at all the signs she passed her foggy brain was able to tell her she was not too far from her apartment and her sister whom she hoped was still alive. She smelled like the guy she had woken up next to and it was suffocating her. Her friends had convinced her to go to the club last night and she had gotten very drunk on scotch. She danced the night away, and some of the mornings, the rest was a blur in her mind. She knew exactly what had happened after her fourth round. Her flirtation skills must have come out because she vaguely remembered catching the eye of some other highly intoxicated guy in glasses. He had been attractive, so she went for it. Next thing she knew she was waking up in a dark room from an extremely weird dream. Just a typical Sunday morning for her.

A loud honk brought her out of her thoughts, and she looked up to see a very expensive looking car inches from her legs. She looked around and realized she had run into the middle of an intersection in her haze. Stumbling out of the way, she yelled her apology and continued on her way. The pounding in her head still had not ceased and it was beginning to make her nauseous. "Fuck this hangover." She grumbled to herself shielding her eyes as the car she had almost run into pulled up in front of her.

"Miss?" A car door slammed, followed by the opening of an umbrella, and she stopped her feet where they were. "Miss? Are you alright?"

"Stop. Stop right there." Before the man could get any closer to her, she brandished her heels at him threateningly. All her running had tossed everything in her stomach and while she had been ignoring nausea for the last 5 minutes, she couldn't hold it in any longer. Without hesitation, she leaned over and, let the contents of her stomach hit the pavement. The man stopped where he was and held up his empty hand to show her, he meant no harm. She stood straight, eyes squinting as she wiped her mouth with her free hand and eyed him up and down looking for any signs of a supernatural being.

"Um... are you ok?" He asked her, tentatively taking a step closer. She lowered her 'weapon' after a moment, satisfied that he wasn't anything dangerous, and nodded. She met him in the middle and dropped her hand to her side, letting her heels dangle again.

"I apologize. I'm a hunter and not feeling the best. Can't be too careful." She stated in a rush and looked up at the man.

"That's alright, but is it normal for you to hold someone at heel point at 3 in the morning? Especially since you have a gun on your hip?" He inquired amused. She took a moment to really take a look at him and she realized that he was in a suit and tie. His features were hard to see in the low-lit street but assumed he had a mischievous look on his face from his tone of voice. She could see that he had dirty blonde hair, high cheekbones, and piercing blue eyes.

"What can I say, strangers bring out the best in me and I wouldn't need my gun to take you down" She finally answered.

Surprised by her blunt response he asked "Well, are you ok? Would you like a ride?"

"No, I'm alright. My home is close to here, I can walk just fine. Thank you for your concern." She gave him a small smile and made to go around him. A gentle hand shot out and caught her by the arm, stopping her. She looked up at him with wide eyes, a small flicker of fear started to grow in the pit of her stomach. Just because he was in a suit and showed no supernatural signs didn't mean he wasn't a threat. However, he knew she had a gun and that she was a hunter. He would be stupid to try anything. She let her fear simmer back down and turned it into a cautious awareness.

"Are you sure? You seem upset. I promise I mean well and you clearly can handle yourself." He was trying to look her in the eyes, but something told her he could see right through her attempts to hide her miserable state of mind. She was annoyed with herself for getting into the situation that had led to this. She knew better. On top of which her so-called "friends" had left her there.

"I live a ten-minute walk from here. I'll be alright." Her reply seemed to be lost in the pouring rain, but his ears seemed to pick up on her words.

"It's pouring and you're soaked. Allow me to get you to some heat before you get sick." His grip on her arm tightened for a second before falling to his side. She looked him dead in the eyes. There was no lie in his eyes, and she could tell by the tone of his voice that he held no ill will towards her.

"Alright. But if you pull any funny business, I will use my gun." She threatened, pointing at him with one hand and patting her gun with the other.

"I believe you." The man chuckled, seemingly unfazed but her threat. With a nod, she allowed him to help her into the car. He turned the heater up the moment he got in and she eagerly placed her hands against the vent. She was still on her guard but with her gun on her thigh, she figured she would probably be alright with this man.

"Thank you."

"My pleasure. Do you mind me asking why you seem so upset that you run into the street?" He asked her as he set off in the direction she pointed to. She glanced over at him, wondering how the man didn't question why she was barely dressed and out so early this morning. He glanced at her, a look of pure innocence on his face and she raised an eyebrow at him in suspicion. Does this man live under a rock? She thought to herself before she responded.

"I...went home with a man earlier this evening and decided not to stay the night." She told him as she stared out the window, completely missing the knowing smile on his face. This was all the information she was comfortable sharing with him. They lapsed into silence aside from the directions she gave him.

In reality, the car ride was only maybe three minutes long, but it felt like an eternity. She had her hand on her weapon the entire time as a precaution, but he made no move towards her. As they pulled into the apartment complex, she directed him in the opposite direction of her apartment. There was no way she was going to let him see which apartment she was in, especially since her sister was there injured. He pulled into a vacant spot and she turned taking the seatbelt off. He put the car in park and looked over at her.

"Thank you for the ride." She said as she put her hand on the door handle.

"Of course. I assume you would like me to leave the parking lot before you go to your apartment." He stated and she laughed. That is exactly what she had planned on asking him.

"How did you know?" She chuckled, shaking her head.

"Lucky guess. Here," He reached behind him into the backseat and grabbed the umbrella he had placed on the floor. "take this. No need to get any more soaked than you already are."

"...thank you." This time she was shocked by his genuine kindness and took the umbrella from him. She smiled and opened the door. As she stepped out of the car, she opened the umbrella and held it over her head. Before the man could say anything more to her or ask her name, she gently closed the door and made her way over to the walkway. He gave her a small nod and a smile before he turned around and pulled out of the spot. As he turned back around to face her again, she saw a flash of dark hair and horns and a chill ran down her spine. The moment she registered what she had seen though it was gone, and the handsome young man's face was back smiling at her. He waved goodbye at her and she stiffly waved back.

Was she just seeing things or had that man been a demon?

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