Darkness Descends (The Silver Legacy Book 1) (11 page)

Denny folded her arms across her chest, the mirror image of her lover. “Show me.”

“Not until you hear me out.”

“Don’t fuck around with me, Rush. I am in no mood.” Denny barely recognized her own voice.

Rush hovered higher. “I wouldn’t dream of it, but you’re about to be a bull in a china shop and I need you to be much calmer. So sit your stubborn ass down and listen to me or I’m not giving you shit.”

Reluctantly, Denny sat down.

Rush stood in front of her. “Now listen to me without judgment and without emotion. It is a moot point whether or not Gwen talked to me. I’m a ghost. I know all sorts of shit I shouldn’t be privy to. Your mother did
not
want this life for you or any of her kids, but if one of you had to have it, she was willing to hand the mantel over to Quick because he was so aimless...so misguided. She was trying to find a way to get your family out of the legacy altogether when she was nearly killed.”

“Get us out?”

Rush shrugged. “I don’t know how she was going to manage that, but it was what she was working on night and day before the wreck.”

“She was obviously unsuccessful.”

Rush studied Denny a moment. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe she just never got the chance to finish the job?” Rush rose, hovered, and then and sat on top of the roll-top desk clutching her legs. “I just know what she said, love, and she wanted to find a way to be free of the legacy...to be free of the killing and the danger. She wanted you to be free most of all.”

“And she told
you
all this?”

“Heavens, no. Most of the time I eavesdropped, silly. She and your father often had conversations about it, usually whenever she came out of the lair.” She shook her head. “He never came in here, and he was always tense and irritable when she came out.” Rush held her hand up. “And yes, he knew what she was when he married her. He just didn’t want the legacy to fall on one of you, though I totally get why they were willing to give it to Quick. He was just that kind of guy that would never light. At least demon hunting would have given him some direction in life.”

Denny stared hard at her. “I can’t believe you know so much about all of this and never told me. How could you keep this from me? We’re
lovers
for Christ’s sake.”

“Because it wasn’t time. Your mother liked me. She trusted me. She asked me to let her be the one to explain all this to you. Then came the accident. That did not change the fact that I made a promise.”

“What
else
haven’t you told me?”

“A lot. Tons. Don’t be mad at me for keeping your mother’s secret all these years. Like I said, it wasn’t my story to tell so don’t get all butt hurt on me. I’m not the bad guy here.”

“Butt hurt? You’ve been keeping this gigantic secret from me for a long time, Rush. I
get
to have my feelings about this.”

“This isn’t about feelings, lover, it’s about your
life
. I don’t want to see you on my side for a very long time. Not many ghosts would say the same thing.”

“Where’s the letter?”

Rush pointed to the top drawer of the hutch. “Fine. You
feel your feelings
after you read your mom’s letter, but don’t take out your frustration on me. I’ve spent over a decade trying to protect you from all of this, but if you have your heart set on a life that will never be your own, that will put people you love in harm’s way, that will transform you into something you don’t recognize, then go for it. Just know that I warned you. ” Rush vanished.

Denny reached into the drawer and found a letter addressed to her and Pure.

~~~

M
y Dear Girls,

If you are reading this, it can only mean I was unsuccessful in securing your freedom from a legacy that has been passed down through our family since the fourteenth century. It is not a legacy anyone would want, but it is one our ancestors have been incredibly good at. Being good at a thing does not necessarily mean one enjoys doing it. Remember that. While hunting is an obligation, a duty we accepted centuries ago, it is a dangerous one.

It is also a duty I want you to step away from. Far, far away from.

Our last name is my family name, not your father’s, but he loved me enough to take my name and allow you to take it as well. It is part of the agreement that was made hundreds of years ago between our ancestors and those who are our allies.

Evil is evil, and our family has been fighting it forever. We have made villages, towns, and cities safer by destroying evil wherever we find it, but that duty, that responsibility comes at quite a price.

Demon hunting will bring the darkest, most vile creatures to your doorstep. It will endanger the ones you love, create tension and chaos in your world, and force you to make some of the hardest decisions of your life––most of which I would not wish on either of you.

The mantel falls upon the Silver who is not only chosen, but who picks up the weapons and the path they lead to. If I cannot dissuade you from choosing one of life’s harshest, rockiest roads, then you’ll need to arm yourself with much demonology and dark knowledge so you can protect yourselves as well as the innocents.

Because protecting the innocents is what a demon hunter does.

Look around you.

This is my lair.

You might want to start with my journals and then read the Black Book of Demons. That book is special. Do not try to remove it from the lair..

Remember that knowledge is what will save you. Knowledge and practice will keep you and those you love safer, but safer is not safe.

I implore you. Leave this house now. Today. Pack up, take each other’s hands, and run like the wind. Sterling will help you get where you need to go. Pack your bags right now and start a life free of the darkness I have lived with most of my adult life.

And never, ever forget how much I love you all. You mean the world to me and I’ve done everything I can to protect you from the evil walking this world.

Be strong.

Stay in the light.

Keep love and joy in your hearts.

I love you more than you could know––

Mom.

~~~

D
enny set the letter down on the desk and lay her cheek on it. She didn’t know how long she lay like that, but when she woke up, Rush was back in the lair with her.

“Come on, lover, it’s time for bed. You can come back here in the morning, but right now, you need a pillow.”

“But––”

“No buts, baby. Right now, I’m the boss of you, per your mama’s orders. Get a move on. We’ll discuss this more in the morning.”

Denny did and was asleep in less than ten seconds.

***

“C
an you give me a ride to school?” Pure asked as she bounded up the stairs. She wore barely-there jean shorts and a T-shirt that read. “There’s no Bull about the Bulldogs.”

Denny cut her eyes at the shorts. “After you change into something bigger than a band-aid. Where’s Kristine?”

“Dentist appointment. I could always wait and go later with her.”

Denny nodded before spitting her toothpaste out in the sink. “Uh-uh. Change and I’ll take you.  Be ready to go in fifteen.”

Pure looked over Denny’s shoulder at their reflection in the mirror. Their emerald green eyes betrayed their genetic connection. “You okay? You don’t look so hot.”

“A lot on my mind is all.”

“You shoulda never let yourself get sucked into Quick’s head games. Is that what it is? Is he trying to convince you he’s innocent?”

“Nothing that big.” Denny started out of the bathroom.

“You need to go out, Den. It’s not healthy hanging around here all the time. Rush would understand. She’s cool that way.”

“Has she been confiding in you? Because, to be honest, there’s very little Rush is
cool
about.”

“Not really.”

Denny stopped so fast that Pure ran into her. “I know what
not really
means. What did she say to you?”

“Not much. She just told me to keep an eye out on you. That’s all. She worries.”

“Well, you both need to stop worrying about me. I’m fine.”

Pushing past Pure, Denny headed downstairs where she grabbed her keys and made for the car. “Goddamn it, Rush, stay out of this. I mean it. This is
not
your call to make.”

She jumped into the Prius and waited for Rush to appear. She didn’t. “Coward,” she muttered just before Pure got in.

“No need to get all huffy just because people care about you.”

“I’m not huffy. I just don’t need Rush butting in where she isn’t wanted.”

“Ouch.”

They drove the rest of the way to the high school in silence.

Pure yanked her backpack off the floor and quickly flung the door open. “I’ll be home late. I’ve got Forensics.”

Denny grabbed Pure’s wrist. “Whoa. One second here. When did you join the Debate Team?”

“Last week. I thought it would be fun. I told you, but you weren’t really listening. You never really listen anymore.”

“Fun?” Denny shook her head. “I’m twenty-one, Pure, not eighty-one. I’m not stupid. There’s nothing fun about debate. What’s his name?”

A pink blush crept up Pure’s neck.

“Don’t try to hide it, kiddo. It’s all over your face. His
name
.”

Pure set her backpack on her lap. “His name is Mike.”

“Mike––”

“Cockerton. He’s from California. The Bay Area to be exact.”

“Where did you meet this Mike Cockerton?”

Looking out the passenger window, Pure waved to her group of friends. “We have two classes together.”

“Do you like him, or––”

“There he is. That’s him over there.” Pure pointed.

“Which one?”

“The one wearing the Cal Bears letterman jacket.”

Denny squinted at the short, block-shaped kid who appeared too old to be in high school. He wore muttonchops, had a unibrow, and seemed more like Wolverine from the X-Men than a teenager.

“Why does he wear that? Doesn’t the idiot know we’re in Dog Country?”

Pure put her leg out the door. “Dunno. It’s cool, though. I think he’s super cute, and the rest of the girls are all vying for his attention.”

“Doesn’t it sort of piss people off?” Denny watched as Mike Cockerton slowly peeled from the group and joined Pure’s friends.

“That’s why he’s so cool. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks. He’s a senior and is going to go back to California as soon as he graduates.”

Denny hadn’t taken her eyes off Mike Cockerton.

“God, Den, why not glare at him a little harder? I really like him and––”

Denny stopped hearing Pure because Mike Cockerton had turned so that he was staring at the car. In the split second their eyes met, Denny felt a wave of nausea flow through her.

“...so you don’t need to worry.”

As Pure got out, Denny grabbed her wrist again so quickly, it surprised them both.

“You have to trust me on this, Pure. That boy is trouble.”

Pure pulled away, but Denny did not let go.

“Fucking A, Golden, let go of me.”

Denny held on. “I mean it. You need to stay away from him. There’s something...not good about him. You don’t know shit about him.”

“And you know this how?” Pure pried Denny’s fingers from her wrist. “Never mind. He’s a nice guy and you haven’t met him. Don’t pre-judge. Leave that role for Sterling. She is way better at it than you.”

“Introduce me, then.”

Pure backed away from the car, her hand on the door. “Uh-uh. Not while you’re being so goddamned judgmental. For once, you’re going to have to trust me, Den.”

Pure slammed the door shut and ran to her group of friends.

Denny’s eyes never left Mike Cockerton. The boy hugged Pure, his eyes once again connecting with Denny’s, as if gloating...as if he’d won.

Then, Denny did something she’d only seen in the movies. She made a V with her fingers, pointed to her eyes, then pointed the V at him.

He surprised her when he gave her the okay sign.

Okay?

Denny shook her head as she watched the kids meander to class.

There was nothing
okay
about that kid. Nothing at all.

***

B
alic knew this act would change everything in regards to the way Americans felt about school security. This one went way over the line of bad and crossed deeply into the area of pure, unadulterated evil.

But whose fault was that?

Humans simply did not protect those who needed it most: the elderly and children. They shunted the former off to retirement homes and the latter were raised by nannies and overworked schoolteachers. So, how important could they really be?

The elder demon had entered a young man frail in mind and weak in spirit, and convinced him to perform a deed so heinous it would make Charles Manson look like a novice.

Manson.

He
had been possessed, and at one point had even admitted to it and yet, the humans did little to discover the veracity of that claim. The Christian-enshrouded Americans believed in holy angels, but not in true possession?

They were beyond stupid. Evil, it seemed, would be allowed to hide beyond their plebian reaches and settle in the shadows of their worst fears.

This young man had lived for so long in the shadows that even his cries for help went unheard until he finally and irrevocably acted. He just needed a gentle shove and Balic was more than willing to assist.

Balic presided over the dozen young demons who were watching his greatest glory from the recent past. They sat in awe of the panic and mayhem he spread that fateful day and how it radiated outward all across the country. They stood in silence as they observed the youth first shoot his mother in the face as simply and as easily as if he had planted a kiss on her cheek.

That, alone, would have been evil enough.

But evil, like taking an antibiotic for too long, is a force humans become immune to. No longer is a brutal murder even enough to get anyone’s attention. Dead soldiers are forgotten too quickly, and even when the demons capsized a boat, the news was not about the dead or those who risked their lives to save those who were drowning, but about the commander who had abandoned ship to escape. All those uplifting stories of heroism were drowned out in the human need of and desire for blame laying.