“Dom.” Vincent called my name but it was like someone shouting across a field during a storm. It was just a noise I could hear in the distance as I mentally and physically fell to the ground on my knees and roared up at the sky cursing the same Gods I had moments ago been praying to.
“Dominic!” Vincent tried again but I was too consumed by fury to rein my demon back in. It was as though for the first time he was getting a small taste of what it felt like to be in control and like those nights he used to take us back to Keira, now he was trying to do the same.
“Allow me.” This was all I heard before I felt just enough pain to bring me back with the shock of it. I shook my head and looked up dazed and when my focus finally did come back I found my sister was stood over me with a bronze statue of the Egyptian god Horus in her hand. I winced and put out a hand to brace myself as I got up.
“Now cut out the demon shit and focus, Vincent found a note.” She snapped and dropped the statue with a crack as it landed on the tiled floor.
“Well not a note as such, but a piece of parchment paper with nothing written on it.” Vincent said lifting it up for me to see. I stood up straight and patted my little sister on her head,
“Thank you.” To which she replied,
“Any time,” and smirked.
“Did you find anything?” I asked her as I walked over to Vincent to take the note he handed me.
“Uh…” I looked back at her and it didn’t take the fact that we were triplets to know there was something in their shared look they didn’t want to tell me. I growled when I saw Vincent nod at her but decided to let it go as there were more important matters at hand.
“Well I tracked her down to the kitchen and I can believe that due to the lack of essence of another that it must be this Nephilim we are looking for who was with her.”
“She couldn’t have gone down on her own?” I asked hoping that by some miracle we had it all wrong and she had in fact done something stupid instead and left in search of something she thought she needed.
“Well at first that’s what I thought, that was until…”
“Speak!” I demanded as she hesitated.
“Well the service door had been unlocked and was left open.”
“Well that could mean…” I started to say when the next words she interrupted me with were like being speared in the heart with an icy shard.
“Blood. What I found was some of her blood.”
“Where?” I asked shaking in an attempt not to let myself be taken by my demon again. I needed to be in control if I was to be any help to Keira. She needed me now and I was no good to her letting my demon make all the decisions. No, if anything I would have only succeeded in tearing down this old house and burying it beneath the water upon which it sat.
“It was on the counter, as if she had hit her head or was knocked out. There was also a broken chair, so my guess is that she tried to run before he took her.” As Sophia gave me all this information I examined the note but only after being sure I wouldn’t damage it in my attempt at cooling my temper. The level of restraint felt almost like my greatest test and this was one I knew I needed to pass for Keira’s sake.
“He obviously needs her alive and my guess is that he’s going to use her as bait.” Vincent said making me frown.
“Bait for what though?” Sophia asked before I could voice the same question.
“Well isn’t that just the right question?” Said a small voice I would have known anywhere that came through the door. And the reason I would know had to do with the fact that I had been searching for her for the last ten months!
“Pythia.” I hissed her name as one I had come to loathe considering all she now represented. There had once been a time when I had felt protective over her and the need to keep her safe wasn’t only for duty’s sake. But now when I took in her childlike appearance all I felt was anger for the unforgivable pain she had caused.
“Now, now, don’t take that tone with me.” She snapped with hands on her hips. I growled low feeling it building up and Vincent came to my aid by putting a restraining hand on my shoulder.
“Not now brother.” He told me quietly and I nodded in agreement.
“Much obliged to you Angel.” She replied smiling sweetly as if she wasn’t the cause of all that had happened.
“Why are you here?!” I barked and she rolled her eyes before responding.
“To read that…” She nodded to the parchment I held and then continued,
“…and to help your stubborn ass save your girl.” I felt my lip curl at the distrust I now felt but walked over to her all the same. I looked down at her tiny frame and handed her the paper saying,