~ CATHERINE ~
I entered the walkway, almost in a trance, not knowing why I was heading this way, other than feeling an overwhelming urge to do so. As I stepped out into a small cul-de-sac, my gaze landed on a black BMW parked across the street. Reprebus Rosario was sitting behind the wheel, grinning at me. He looked almost wicked, the total opposite of the pleading man I’d seen at Sister Cecile’s house the day before.
He beckoned me over. I shook my head and went to turn back, going still all of a sudden...
Like I had in my first dream.
I tried to rip my feet away from the concrete footpath, but couldn’t budge an inch. It was almost as though they were cemented in place.
Reprebus’ grin grew wider than the Joker’s smile, his expression almost obscene. He pushed his car door open, the red rosary around his neck unconcealed. Sparks were coming from it, the large jagged ruby above the cross glowing the brightest. He held his arms out, as though he wanted me to walk into his embrace, like a long-lost relative welcoming a loved one home, or a lover that had missed me dearly. But unlike his wide-open arms, his expression was far from welcoming, deadly closer to the mark.
Terrified, I yelled out, screaming for help. He swiped his hand in front of him, silencing me, my mouth now screaming soundlessly. He indicated for me to come closer. My feet started moving against their will, the man somehow pulling me towards him. I struggled against the pull, but no matter how hard I tried, I continued to walk towards his car with jerky, uncontrolled steps.
He opened the back door, reaching out for me as I drew closer. His smile faded as a young male voice hollered, “No!” For a second, the hold over my body disappeared. I turned to escape, seeing Christopher emerge from the walkway. Realising he’d set me up, I went to run from the both of them, but froze in place again, Reprebus regaining his hold over me.
Christopher shot across the road. “What the hell are you doing?” he yelled at his grandfather.
“Dispatching the Maris siren,” his grandfather replied.
“She’s not a Maris, she’s a Stella.”
His grandfather’s dark eyebrows quirked up. “So, that’s why you were asking about Stellas?”
“Sì, and she’s one.” Christopher indicated to my face. “Obviously, because she doesn’t have blue eyes like a Maris, so let her go!” he barked, seemingly unconcerned about pulling attention to us. And rightly so. The street felt like a ghost town, not even the distant sound of cars or the tweeting of birds reaching my ears. It was almost as though everyone but the three of us had vanished from the face of the planet.
“No, Chris, she’s coming with me,” his grandfather answered.
Reprebus indicated to his car, making me jerk towards it, causing me to fall forward. He lifted his hand, stopping me from landing on my face. My body wavered, leaving me staring at the road, knowing if he let go of the hold I would face-plant against the tarmac.
“You can’t do this!” Christopher yelled, his defence of me coming as a surprise. Maybe he hadn’t betrayed me.
“I can and I will, boy,” Reprebus growled. “So, either leave or help me.”
“No. She’s an angel, not a demon, one of the Pure.”
“You can’t know that for sure, and we can’t risk it, especially after the last time. You almost died.”
“She had plenty of opportunities to hurt me, yet hasn’t.”
“Like Levy had. That girl fooled you too, pretended to be your friend, while all the time leading you to the Maris demon. This girl’s likely doing the same, tricking you into believing she’s an ally while leading you into a trap.”
“I don’t think—”
“That’s the problem! You don’t think. Well, not with the right head.” Reprebus indicated towards Christopher’s groin. “You only think with that.” His hard eyes shifted to me. “And I can see why. She’s beautiful. But you have to remember, she’s just a carrot dangled in front of you, drawing you to whatever Maris demon is after you.”
“That’s not true,” Christopher said. “She’s not even wearing a rosary and wants nothing to do with me.”
Reprebus grimaced. “She’s playing hard to get, the type you fall over yourself to get at. You’re easy to read, boy, so leave. I’ll send this siren back to the depths of the sea—as fish food.”
The veins in Chris’ neck grew taut, his hands clenching. He stepped closer to his grandfather, looking like he wanted to hit him. “You’re. Not. Killing. Her,” he growled low, so low I almost didn’t hear him.
“You don’t get a say after you almost got us killed!”
Reprebus pushed Christopher aside and went to grab me. Christopher shot in front of him again, shoving his grandfather back. I screamed out as the hold on me disappeared, sending me falling towards the tarmac. But my descent stopped a few inches from the road. I looked up, seeing Christopher holding his hand out, his expression strained. He lowered me the rest of the way, gently placing me on the road, sweat beading his brow.
He’d saved me.
My eyes shot to his grandfather as he came up behind him with a raised hand.
I yelled, “Watch out!” the hold on my voice gone too.
Christopher spun around, yelping as his grandfather backhanded him across the face.
“How dare you!” his grandfather barked at him.
Christopher touched a hand to his face, his expression pained. His lip piercing was bleeding, while his cheek was bright red. “I’m not letting you kill her.”
Seeing my opportunity to escape, I pushed to my feet and went to run. But before I could take a step, Reprebus extended a hand towards me, locking me in place once more.
He threw a glare at his grandson. “Stay out of this, boy, or I’ll kill her right here instead of taking her home for questioning.” His left hand lit up, a fireball igniting in his palm.
“You’re going to kill her regardless.” Christopher raised his own hand, a fireball also forming in his palm. “So let her go!”
Reprebus’ gaze snapped to Christopher’s hand, surprise colouring his expression. “Or what? You’d attack your own grandfather over some girl you just met?” he said, closing his hand, dispelling the flames.
Christopher shook his head, his fire still burning brightly. “No, but I’ll set the surrounding houses alight, breaking the shielding spell. People will come out, will see me flaming up. You won’t be able to hide it or protect me.”
His grandfather looked shocked. “You’ll out yourself to humans? And for what?” He indicated to me. “A demon?”
“She’s not a demon.”
“It doesn’t matter whether she is or not, all Marises are our enemies, whether demon or angel. They take pleasure in killing us.”
“How many times do I have to tell you she’s not a Maris. She’s a Stella. And no angel Maris has ever harmed us.”
“Not true. A few have tried to harm me, and Stellas are extinct.”
“Then explain why her eyes aren’t blue.”
“Trickery. She needs to be dispatched. I won’t allow her to endanger your life.”
Reprebus went for me. Christopher flung his hand out, sending a fireball at a house behind his grandfather. It burst through a window, shattering the glass. Like a switch, the normal everyday sounds of cars, birds, even the breeze came back with a rush. As well as the sound of fire, which lit up the curtains in the house behind us.
Reprebus swore. He swept his hands out, lifting me off the ground and flinging me backwards.
Christopher screamed, “No!”
I landed on my back, my head bouncing against the tarmac, out before the count.