Firefight in Darkness (26 page)

“I read a little bit.” She stuffed some vegetables into her mouth to give herself time to think about how she could get out of this conversation. She wasn’t sure she was ready to explain what she had learned just yet. The gaping wound had barely healed.

But when he simply sat back and watched her patiently while eating his dinner, she found she couldn’t escape the explanation for long.

“So it’s like this.” She began, setting aside the curry chicken box. He handed her a bottle of soda and she gratefully chugged down a few gulps before speaking again. “She met this guy, an Enforcer, and they got married-“

“What was the Enforcer’s name?” Jax interrupted.

“Silas Ashburn.” Waving it away as though it weren’t important, she continued. “So they got married, and she gets pregnant with my dad. Then a few years later, some guy named Gerald, Silas’ partner, got killed by a demon, and I guess Silas blamed himself. So he subsequently became an alcoholic, beat up on my grandmother, and accused her of adultery and drugs. All the while she had to maintain some semblance of a normal life so that my father could grow up without the weight of his father’s madness on his shoulders.”

“And that was where you stopped?” Sipping on the soda, he watched her carefully.

“Yup.” Turning away from him, she focused back onto the TV. “I’ll read some more before bed, then pick it up again tomorrow. I just needed a break, you know?”

“Alright.” Knowing she was troubled by what she had read, he left it alone. And when she picked up the diary a couple hours later, he took a shower and went downstairs to call Rian and relay what they had learned, including what little he had found out from his contacts in downtown Chicago.

Blythe stared at the cover of the diary for one full, long minute before opening it, trying to mentally prepare herself. Sure, she was dying to know what happened next, that was just natural curiosity. But part of her dreaded it, because she knew that what she was reading was real, not just some plot in a mystery novel. No, this was her grandmother’s life, her words and her emotions put down onto paper. It meant something, whether she wanted to admit it or not, to have this opportunity to know the truth behind the mysterious woman who had supposedly been the root of everything that was wrong in her life.

And so she opened it slowly, turned systematically to the page she’d left off on, and dove in, head first.

To her surprise, the entry succeeding the last one she’d read took place six years later.

June 12th, 1976

It is amazing how fast time passes, how the years flash by like lightning, out of my grasp and out of my control. It hurts and it humbles to read this diary, to know how innocent I was, to remember how wonderful life had been at the tender age of eighteen. I am twenty eight years old now, and I feel no more youth in my bones. If it weren’t for Brock, I swear I’d wither away like an old maid, cowering in bed, waiting for death. But he gives me life, and he gives me purpose. He is nine now, and so clever and funny, he charms the socks off of everyone he meets. He’s best friends with everyone here, and such a sweet child. A bit too careless about breaking the rules, but I’m sure he’ll grow out of that with age.

Silas still drinks, but he’s become accustomed to it, almost as though the alcohol is what keeps him normal and in control. I only see him once a month when he comes to Euphora to visit us, and even then we rarely kiss or even make love as we used to. It astonishes me how the passion he once possessed has been so diminished now, like a flame extinguished by the wind. The man I fell in love with does not exist within Silas any longer, and I suppose I’ve come to terms with that. As long as he continues to be somewhat of a father for my son, then I will be content. Brock is my only priority right now.

I suppose I chose to return to writing in this diary because I am finally feeling at peace. The last six years have been the most difficult of my life, but I feel I have settled into a routine that can sustain me. With Brock getting older, I am finally able to teach him more about his powers, and instruct him so he will be able to take over for me when it is time. I thank God now that Brock looks nothing like Silas. I don’t think I could bear looking at him every day if that were the case.

In other news, our ten year wedding anniversary is almost here. I suppose when your marriage is in relative shambles, an anniversary doesn’t mean much, but Thea is insisting on throwing us a party. As far as she knows, we are still happily in love. If only I could tell her the truth, but I know that the truth would only destroy the life I have built so carefully for my son. He’s all I have.

July 21st, 1976

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, but that does not prevent me from being infuriated. Silas and I are through for good now, and there’s no turning back from this point. I’m done, flat out done, and I will never, ever fall for a man’s charms again.

What kind of man shows up to his tenth wedding anniversary party, only to sneak off with one of the Muses and screw around on his wife? Much more, what kind of man is it that when his wife discovers him buried inside said Muse, simply laughs and tries to shake it off, like it means nothing? Oh, and there’s no way this is the first time. No, he had cheated before, probably regularly, while I have been faithful to him from the beginning, despite our distant relationship. Well, he got what was coming to him, that was for sure. And hurling that fireball at his face, knowing it scorched his flesh and disfigured him gave me enough satisfaction for what has felt like a lifetime of living under his abuse. And hearing his screams of pain, seeing the girl run in fear, gave me back my sense of power that I thought had been lost all these years.

If it’s the last thing I do, the bastard will never see our son again.

My heart will never again feel the ache of love for a man.

Go, Grandma, Blythe thought with a swelling of pride, knowing she would have done the exact same thing to the cheating bastard. Closing the book gently, she set it aside and laid back to stare up at the ceiling, her eyes unseeing as she lost herself in thought.

So Silas Ashburn had gotten burned. Her lips curved slowly as she imagined just how shocked he must have been to see his wife’s fury, and to feel the wrath of a woman scorned. She didn’t know for sure yet, but she liked to imagine him slinking off somewhere to die a miserable death in a sewer. Grandfather or not, he had certainly been a rotten human being, definitely not someone she would have wanted to know.

Jax came back into the room then, stowing his cell phone away in his pocket. They met eyes, and he frowned when he saw her triumphant look.

“What is it?”

“Apparently Grandpa Silas cheated on Grandma, and Grandma wasn’t too happy about it and burned the shit out of his face.” Sounding probably way too cheery considering the context of the conversation, Blythe grinned.

He couldn’t help but laugh at the look on her face. “Sounds just like you, darlin’.” He crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at her.

“It does, doesn’t it?” With a sigh, she rubbed her hands over her face and groaned. “God, it does.”

“Give it a rest for tonight.” He started to head into the bathroom to wash up for the evening, when she called him back.

“Jax?” When he turned, she smiled as sweetly as she could muster. “Can I borrow your cell phone for awhile? I really want to talk to Liam.”

“Alright.” Lifting it out of his pocket, he tossed it to her and disappeared into the bathroom.

She studied the phone in her hands for a moment, realizing she hadn’t the slightest idea how to call home.

“How do I use this thing?” She called out, turning it on and hitting random buttons. By the time Jax came out of the bathroom and yanked the phone out of her hands, she had opened his calendar, the weather report for the day, his text messages, and had managed to make a call to the local pizza parlor back in El Paso.

“You couldn’t wait to mess with it until I came over, could you?” He scolded her, his face stern as he dialed in for Thea and handed the ringing phone back to her.

Blythe grinned up at him. “You know I’m impatient.”

Snorting out a sarcastic laugh, he spread out on the queen bed beside hers and picked up the murder mystery novel he’d brought along.

When the phone picked up, Blythe couldn’t help the smile that spread over her face. “Hi, Thea.”

“
Blythe. Is everything alright? Where’s Jax?”

“He’s right here, reading a book.” Blythe glanced over her shoulder at him, laughter in her eyes. “Say hi, cowboy.”

When he only scowled at her and continued reading, she laughed and laid back against the pillows of the bed. “Thea, I’m calling because I want to talk to Liam…is he there?”

“
I’ll send for him.”

There was a brief pause as Thea asked Sebastian to bring Liam.

“
He’s coming. Jax told us what happened yesterday morning with Dante. I am proud of you for fighting back, but you need to be careful. We could have lost you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Blythe shrugged, pushing aside any guilt she felt. She fought back, that’s what any rational person should have done. And if she’d let her temper get in the way and the rage take over, then so be it. If she’d just selected the right gun, Dante might not have gotten away.

“
Please promise me you will be more careful from now on.”

Blythe sighed and rolled her eyes. And even though Thea could not see her, the expression was evident in the tone of her voice. “Okay, I promise.”

“
Good. Here’s Liam. Good luck, Blythe.”

“Thank you, Thea.” She heard some shuffling on the other end, and then Liam’s voice came over the line.

“
Hey goofball, what’s the word?”

She grinned and closed her eyes, reveling in the sound of his voice. “Just reading my dead grandmother’s diary. You know, the usual.”

His laugh echoed over the line, calming her.
“Well, I hope it helps you more than hurts you. I can’t imagine it’s a cake walk.”

“When has my life ever been a cake walk, Liam? I do everything the hard way.”

“
How’s the bounty hunter treating you?”

She bit her lip, knowing he was more likely than not going to react negatively to the notion of her being madly in love with said bounty hunter. Not to mention Jax was still sitting nearby, probably listening in even though he was pretending to read. “Well he’s feeding me, so I guess it’s a start.”

“
And yesterday morning? Thea told us Dante attacked you. Where was Mr. Bounty Hunter then?”
The irritated sarcasm in his voice annoyed her.

“He’s not here to fight my battles for me, Liam. I took care of myself just fine.” She pouted even though she knew it was petty. “I handled it, okay?”

“
I know.”
She heard him exhale slowly, as though trying to calm himself.
“It’s just I worry about you, you know that. And he’s supposed to be protecting you even though your stubborn ass acts like you don’t need it.”

“Look, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference regardless if I was alone or not. Dante had possessed a maid and came into the room pretending to clean. It was just unexpected, and I did my best. Besides, I have a handgun now.”

“
You’re kidding me, right?”
His voice lightened as he laughed.
“God save us all now that you’re armed.”

“Hey, I happen to be a pretty good shot!” She snapped, though there was humor in her voice. “We’ll target shoot when I get home, and I’ll kick your ass.”

“
Hey I never said I knew how to shoot.”
Liam defended, chuckling again.

“So how are things back home?”

“
Not so good.”
He paused as he considered how to best explain everything.
“Your dad has been going on binge drinking and gambling trips to Vegas, but Thea has basically put a stop to that now. He says he needs to relieve the stress of having his only daughter out risking her life, but most of us think he’s just trying to distance himself from Nyxa. She’s been horrible lately, Blythe. Being humiliated like that by Brock switched on something crazy in her head. The few times I have seen her she’s been mumbling to herself, pulling at her hair, sobbing uncontrollably. No one knows what to do with her. Some days I don’t see her at all, so I think she’s been going somewhere. She barely eats, looks like she hasn’t slept, and refuses to speak to anyone, not even Brogan and Nova.”

“So all of that is the reason Brogan called Rian to go back to Euphora?”

“
Basically. Brogan doesn’t know what to do. I feel sorry for him, really, as he’s just trying to help her. She’s all he has left other than Nova.”

“But doesn’t he get that there are more important things going on than Nyxa’s antics?” Blythe spat as her temper flared. “We are, after all, trying to catch a deadly half demon here.”

“
Don’t ask me to explain why Rian decided to come home. Apparently he thought you guys were doing alright on your own without him, and figured Brogan needed him more.”

“Yeah, well until I finish this damn diary, we’re at a dead end.” Feeling frustrated, she took a deep breath and sighed, attempting to fight it back. Liam didn’t deserve to be lashed out at. “So they still haven’t figured out what’s wrong with her?”

“
No. Rhiannon’s been talking to Brogan, and filling me in some. She says that he’s blaming Brock for everything, that Nyxa is going through this mourning period over him and that until Brock either apologizes or leaves for good, she may not recover. But Rhiannon thinks something else is up.”

Huffing indignantly, Blythe sneered. “Not like I care what little Miss Princess thinks, but what did she say?”

“
She thinks Nyxa is involved with something that’s draining her both physically and emotionally. She thinks she might be planning something, maybe revenge or who knows. I think she’s right.”