Destiny Disrupted (12 page)

His jaw clenched. “I
didn’t
run off. After I vanquished Shax, I thought I heard something in the cemetery, so I went to check it out.”

My heartbeat echoed in my throat. “H-how do you know his name was Shax?” My voice shook along with my knees. “And why did he bow to you?”

“Who knows?” He shrugged one shoulder. “And I don’t know him.”

I folded my arms. “That’s not how it looked to me.”

“You’ve always had a vivid imagination.”

“I know what I saw, Trent. And why would you side with Evans? I
can’t
stop hunting. You know how important it is to me.”

“Your life is more important. I’ve never wanted you hunting demons.”

“I’ve been studying magick and working my ass off for six months, Trent. I can’t quit patrolling. Others, including my family and friends, would still be in danger from evil, and if I can help people—I will.”

“And I’ve been training a lot longer than you have. Listen, I’m not trying to disregard all the good that you’ve done or you could still do. At the same time, I’m not gonna minimize the risks,” Trent said. “And it’s more than that. You’re young, beautiful, and smart. There are other things in life than constantly worrying about demons.”

“I can take care of myself. And it’s kinda
my
job to protect innocents.”

“What I’ve taught you will only get you so far. If you face the Triad alone, your training and magick won’t be enough to save you.”

“Whatever.” I narrowed my eyes. “Where were you tonight? And please don’t bother telling me that you were studying because you came home without any textbooks or notes.”

He scratched behind his ear. “I was at the library and left my books in the car.”

“Liar.”

Checking a text on his phone, he started for the front door. “I have things I need to do.”

“Like keeping secrets?” I blurted.

He stopped and turned around. “Real mature. You want to know where I was tonight?”

“Yeah.”

Trent pulled on my hand. “C’mon. I’ll show you.”

Trent dragged me behind him toward his Porsche, nearly ripping my arm out of the socket. He let go and unlocked the doors with a click of his remote, then opened the passenger-side door. I slammed it shut without getting in.

“Hold up. I need to hunt first.”

He roughly grabbed my arm, his eyes black with emotion. “Didn’t we settle that already? It’s too dangerous—”

“Don’t grab me like that! And I really don’t care what you or Evans think, I still have a duty.” I jerked free of his hold. “I eliminate evil, remember? I vowed to honor my dad’s memory by protecting people, and I still plan on doing that.”

“But demons like the Triad might be an unpredictable type of clientele.” His tone was low, almost angry.

I turned and stomped toward my Jeep. “It’s no excuse for neglecting my witchy duties.”

Trent easily caught up to me and matched my strides. “Shiloh, stop!” He blocked the driver’s side door. “You’re pissed at me.”

“No shit. I don’t like being bossed around.”

He chuckled. “So I gathered.”

“Then stop telling me what to do.”

“Fine,” he said. “Come with me, please. Put off patrolling just for tonight.”

My chest tightened. “Why?”

His eyes flickered from black to green, his jaw flitting under his skin. “Because I asked you to—
that’s
why.”

“What’s with the attitude? You’re doing that bossy thing again that I hate. So no.”

Trent leaned back into the door. “Please.” But he didn’t say it nicely. His voice sounded gruff and forceful, making me want to take a step or ten away from him. “I’ve never treated you with anything but respect, Shiloh, and it’s not being bossy, it’s being concerned for my girlfriend.”

“Concern?” My face heated as I crossed my arms. “You’re treating me like I’m your personal property. Now move.”

A dreadfully long silence grew between us. Unmoving, he crossed his ankles and stared at the cold and forbidding sky. I wanted to either shove him aside or say how sorry I was for lashing out at him—God knows none of us needed another enemy—but all I could do was stubbornly stand there and hope he’d understand that I was all tied up in knots.

He broke the stillness first, his expression softened. “I didn’t mean to be an ass, Shiloh. Sometimes I screw things up, but you have to forgive me. You
have
to.” His mouth twitched. “Please just come with me.”

“Okay.” My anger subsided, and my shoulders fell. “Where are we going? Do I need to change first?”

Trent scanned me over with a crooked smile, and my skin heated. I was wearing a deep-cut, black knit top, and low-rise skinny jeans with high-heeled ankle boots that made me look like I was about to go clubbing.

His stare lingered on my cleavage. “Nope. You look hot.” He took my hand and led me to the Porsche. “Get in.”

I slid onto the passenger seat and slipped on my seatbelt. He turned on the engine and peeled out, flying down the driveway. We didn’t speak on the drive.
Maroon 5
’s “Animals” played faintly through the speakers, and Trent hummed along with the tune.

He drove across town and only slowed when he veered onto a dirt road that led to a brick-red barn, with gold light spilling out the windows. Dozens of cars and trucks were parked haphazardly on the dry field surrounding the building.

Trent stopped alongside the barn, where it was dark and empty. He hurried to my side of the Porsche and opened the door. The cool air hit my skin and carried with it the sound of people booing and cheering loudly.

I glanced at the cars and the barn. “This is where you’ve been sneaking off to?”

Trent’s broad smile gleamed, even in the dim light. “Sometimes.”

My eyes narrowed. “A barn in the middle of nowhere? You’re joking.”

“Come on.” He grabbed my hand and tugged me around the building.

The front of the barn had two huge double-doors, and with one hand, Trent pushed them apart. The place was packed with both high school kids and college students all standing around what looked like a makeshift boxing ring. More people sat in the rafters, with their legs dangling over the circle below. I had entered an underground fight club. Well, a redneck version of one, anyway.

Some heavy-set guy seated in the loft spoke into a bullhorn. “Shut it, ladies and gents! Next fight in five minutes. Last chance to place your bets!”

Trent squeezed through the crowd, and I followed close behind. I was jostled and shoved, but held onto Trent’s arm. The boxing ring was concocted out of chicken wire and two twenty-something year old men stood within the ring at opposite sides.

The guy with the bullhorn lifted it up. “Get. Ready.”

Trent pointed at him, then pressed his lips against my ear. “That’s David. This is his property. He’s been running the fights for about three years.”

I leaned into his cheek. “So this is where you’ve been coming? To watch some barnyard fight club?”

An arm snaked around my waist and he pulled me into his side. “No. Not just watching. I’m a contender. You know how I have all this overpowering rage boiling inside me—except whenever I’m with you? Well, this is a great way to work off those darker urges.” He waggled his eyebrows at me. “And all that sexual tension.”

I smacked his arm. “Shut up.”

Even though I was kind of tough and somewhat desensitized to violence, this underground fight scene seemed more like a sadistic bloodsport to me.

The horn sounded and the boxers started dancing around each other and throwing punches. The bout lasted about twenty minutes and ended with one of the boys lying face down in the hay, his bloody nose bent at an odd angle. Everybody went crazy, shouting and cursing and high-fiving one another.

The room was thick with sweat, cigarette smoke, testosterone, and the stench of beer. The group watching the fights had thunderous auras, cut with flickers of red lightning that flowed from the crown of their heads, down to their feet.

I glanced at the rafters at same time that David spotted Trent in the crowd.

David raised the megaphone to his mouth and waved his other hand in the air. “How about one more match tonight?” The excited shouting only amplified at his question. “Is that a yes?” He put his hand to his ear and leaned down. Everyone clapped and cheered even louder. David held up the bullhorn again. “That’s what I like to hear. I have a special treat for you, bloodthirsty kiddies. Trent ‘Dark Horse’ Donovan is in the house!”

The crowd erupted into hoots and hollers. Some big guy slapped Trent on the back. This wasn’t my preppy, sophisticated Trent. The guy who played video games and liked air hockey. He’d laugh at people who did this kind of coldblooded thing. What had changed?

Oh, yeah. His growing lack of humanity.

I raised an eyebrow. “Dark Horse?”

He shrugged. “David came up with the nickname, not me.”

I yanked on Trent’s arm, and the warm and fuzzies faded into seriousness. “No fighting.”

Trent gazed down at me and smiled. “But it’s too much fun. Stay right here.” Trent kissed my cheek and ripped off his shirt, flinging it at my feet. I snatched it off the ground and hugged the shirt to my chest. The fabric held his scent, a hint of bar soap and Axe body spray.

He pushed his way to the chicken coop, the ‘boxing ring,’ and entered. My crazyass boyfriend nodded in my direction. Someone’s hand was on my shoulder, forcing me to the side. I was propelled to the left and bumped into a tall, skinny guy with glasses.

“Sorry,” I mumbled and stepped back into a chubby brunette in heels.

“Watch it!” she said, elbowing me in the ribs.

Standing on my tiptoes, I caught sight of Trent sauntering into the center of the circle. He rolled his shoulders, then laced his fingers together to crack his knuckles.

David bellowed into the megaphone, “Our next fighter doesn’t need any introduction, he’s Ryan ‘Bad Ass’ McCarthy! Undefeated champion of Marin County!”

The guy on the far side of the ring stood a head taller than Trent and resembled an NFL linebacker. Ryan’s aura sputtered like a flame, and sweat broke out on his pale forehead. His expression was homicidal while Trent appeared slightly bored.

David sounded the horn. Trent winked at me, then took a defensive stance. Ryan threw several quick punches that Trent effortlessly dodged and ducked. I shuffled upward, squeezing through the bellowing throng. Shoulders jolted my body, and elbows rammed into my sides, bouncing me back and forth like a hockey puck.

From within the blur of faces, I could’ve sworn I caught a glimpse of inhuman black eyes. My heartbeat tripled. College men, even a couple of girls, all sporting murky auras that flickered around their bodies like storm clouds. They glanced at me with vacant eyes and flat expressions. Possessed humans. Or demons using a glamour spell to hide their true form. Who knew how many there were in the world?

This was no place for a demon-hunting witch.

Hands grabbed me, hot flesh against the cool bare skin of my upper arms. I was hauled backward and stumbled into two guys sipping from a flask.

“Hey, there,” the shorter guy said, gripping my elbow to steady me. “I got you.”

The other one reeked of sour whiskey and dirty hair. “Want some?” He held the flask out to me.

“Um, no thanks.”

I elbowed my way back toward the front. Trent was pummeling the other guy into a corner, the wire bowing beneath his weight. The
Darkness
folded over Trent like an aura. His irises were all black, with tinges of green glowing where the pupils ought to be. If anyone noticed, no one cringed or recoiled. They were too busy cheering as Trent kicked the crap out of Ryan.

Trent struck a blow to Ryan’s nose and the boy’s head flung back. Trent followed it up with a hard right hook to his cheek. My hands covered my open mouth when Ryan landed a punch on Trent’s jaw. He lurched back a step and Ryan came out swinging again. Both boys were coated in sweat and blood. The noise level peaked when Trent went in for the kill.

After pounding Ryan into the wire fence, Trent finished him off with a lightning fast uppercut to his chin, which knocked the other boy off his feet. He flew across the ring and landed on his back. Trent moved closer, towering over his opponent’s body. His black gaze turned venomous, and the muscles in his jaws twitched under his skin. Ryan pleaded for mercy, even as Trent gripped his shirt and slammed his head repeatedly into the ground while shouting obscenities. His face was alight with a cocky grin, as if he was enjoying the brutal act of pummeling someone into the ground.

“Is that your boyfriend?” Some college guy nudged me. “He’s a badass.”

“Yeah, and he’s totally loving the violence,” I mumbled.

My heart thumped. Every inch of me shook at the sight of Trent beating the crap out of that guy. The Trent I knew and loved had vanished—and in his place was this vicious psycho.

Trent stopped ramming Ryan’s head into the dirt, raised his hands in the air, and turned in a slow circle, reveling in the power of his victory. The onlookers cheered and screamed. The non-humans in the bunch started chanting,
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
Others took up the chorus.

Trent lifted his head and…wickedly smiled.

Acerbic bile bubbled in my throat. I couldn’t control the spasmodic trembling within me. Holy Crayola. What the hell was happening to Trent? I had to get out of here. Now.

Sick to my stomach, I started forcing my way to the back of the room and kept my gaze pinned to the double-doors. Stepping outside and into the fresh air, I sucked in a breath. I hurried around the side of the building and the chill winds slipped beneath my clothes, stroking my warm skin like cold phantom fingers.

Trent has lost his humanity.

I couldn’t think clearly. Everything seemed surreal and unfocused. My mind was a whirling mass of jumbled thoughts and confused emotions, framed by the ever-present image of Trent’s black eyes. My brain kept repeating a single thought:
Trent has lost his humanity.
My world had been flipped upside down and turned inside out now that my boyfriend’s true colors were being waved like a blood soaked flag.

Tears sprinkled my vision. My legs wobbled and I leaned hard against the barn. If I hadn’t been so caught up in my own drama, then maybe I would’ve noticed the subtle changes in Trent sooner, the shadow of darkness that seemed to surround him, or how he had so much trouble controlling his temper. The guy I loved was turning into some kind of demon and I had no idea how to stop it. Squeezing my eyes shut, I had to halt my panic-stricken mind babble before I burst into sobs.

Ten minutes later, Trent found me still leaning against the building and gripped my arm. A surge of
Darkness
, like an electric shock, zapped my skin when he touched me.

“You scared the shit out of me!” he said, his voice sharp. His gaze was cloudy. Then the irises became engulfed in black. “Why’d you just leave like that? I had to punch my way out of that craziness just to get to you.”

My heart skipped at his dark tone. He was becoming über-dangerous and I had to handle him carefully.

“It’s okay.” I soothingly touched his forearm. “You need to relax, Trent. Control the
Darkness
.”

He nodded. “Yeah, yeah.” His face red, eyes squeezed tight. The
Darkness
flared over him in hues of vermilion and moonlight. My heart pounded. I watched, dumbstruck, as his cut flesh knitted closed and his bruises leached away, leaving only a small cut on his eyebrow. He opened his eyes and his green gaze bore into me. The shiny blackness gone.

David trudged over to us, took one look at me, then glared at Trent. “We should talk.”

Trent squeezed my shoulder. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back in a sec.”

They rounded the corner and vanished. David raised his voice and cursed, but I couldn’t hear what they were arguing about.

Trent returned, pushing a wad of Benjamins into his pocket and wearing a lopsided grin. “That was too much freakin’ fun.”

“Everything okay?”

“Oh, you mean with David?” He shrugged. “He doesn’t like it when I beat the shit outta the other guy too early. Bad for business.”