Felix povThis guy is mental. And I wish I could say he’s just slightly crazy; no, he’s not even close to anything I could call slightly. As we walk deeper into the woods, he starts talking about some personal shit. First, he decides to share information about his hobbies and favourite colour, and now, for the last five minutes, he talks about his plans. Honestly, if I didn’t already know he’s mental, by now, I’d know there’s something seriously wrong with him. Instead of listening to his annoying voice, I keep a low profile and follow hot in his heels. He didn’t say anything about his ideas or the place we’re supposedly looking for, so all I can do is comply. That is if I want to survive. It’s clear that my life is in danger. Anyone’s life would be next to a train wreck like Lenox Vincent. No, sorry, he calls himself a beautiful mess. An unexpected chuckle leaves my lips, and a wave of panic instantly surges through me. This little slip-up might cost me my life. I lift my gaze
Fenton povOver the years I have spent on Earth, I gathered plenty of information about the Vincent family. First, it started with rumours about the parents. I won't lie, I found it quite odd to listen to people discuss a family with dynamics like theirs. One woman and four men didn't seem like the most natural and ordinary relationship someone might have, but I never bothered to acknowledge those talks. But now, I'm more than just barely interested in everything others might tell me. I love walking the streets and watching mindless people while they spill their secrets to each other. It's a thing of passion now, which helps me get ahead of everything. Thanks to the talks, I get to plan out the details for my course of action. I can imagine the chaos I'll cause. Mortals have no clue about the inevitable destruction I will bring upon them once my plan comes into action. But for now, I need to convince Luka Vincent that I'm a friend, not a threat. Honestly, luck shined upon me wi
Lazarus povI take a deep breath to ignore Than’s frantic state. I get it, sometimes even I’m scared of Sarah, let alone my mom, but we need to establish some rules in this household. There’s no way we can walk around and claim we are men of this house if we hide and cover away every time mom or Sarah get angry. “You deal with mom and I will deal with Sarah,” I mutter to Than. His eyes widen as he shakes his head, visibly at the end of his rope. I groan and roll my eyes at his state. “You’re a centuries old demon and you’re telling me that you can’t deal with a temper tantrum of a mother?” I raise an eyebrow, as if challenging him to tell me just that. Than gulps, seemingly things for a moment and starts vigorously nodding his head. Well, fuck me, this won’t work if we can’t figure out one course of action. “Again, you deal with mom and I’ll deal with Sarah. There’s no way any of us will get out of this mess if we can’t separate them. Mom and Sarah will keep on hyping each other
Sarah pov“But,” I stop and peek at him. Lazarus has his full attention on me which is equally as amazing as it is scary. I don’t feel comfortable under someone’s gaze, never have, so this is a little off-putting. And yet, I promised to come clean so I better do it before I change my mind. Maybe it’s the pregnancy hormones still stuck inside me or some weird after labour experience, or even the aftermath of that stupid thing attacking Lenox, but I’m all over the place. My emotions are all over the place and it seems impossible to pull myself together. No matter how hard I try to keep them in check or how many times I remind myself that I shouldn’t act like this, I can’t stop. It feels like I have a stupid new voice in my head that keeps screaming “be difficult, give them a run for their money” and all that crap. And while I know it’s unfair to my partners, I can’t stop. It’s now or never that I tell him how I truly feel. “So, as I said, you know, the ability to feel, right?” As
Lenox povOne of my all time favourite activities has always been walking through the forest. I can’t explain why, but there’s something special about the feeling I get. You never know what might happen, whom you might meet or kill. Awesome scenarios over and over again, no matter where you look. “So what’s the real plan now? I get that we have a few things we’re supposed to do next and it’s truly surprising that you haven’t killed me yet, which don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for, but still - what is the next step you’re taking?” Oddly enough, I’m starting to warm up to this guy. A while ago, I would have killed him without a second thought, but now, he’s kind of cool. A little too curious to my liking, but not the worst company I’ve ever had. “Well, although I really want to find my brother first, I have a feeling that chopping the trees will be the best choice as our first step,” I tell him as my eyes scan the forest. “Alright… But why?” He asks. “Oh, that’s simple,” I laug
Lenox pov“No, not discussing that. Especially with someone, who’s about to kill me as soon as I’m of no use,” he huffs and looks away. I gasp. “First of all, you’re already of no use,” the words leave me as if I’m surprised, but in reality, I’m just messing around. “Second of all, I might change my mind. Don’t act like I’m some monster or shit. I’m actually pretty nice if you get to know me. Besides, my dad claims I’m the best.” “Which dad?” He mutters. “Well, two dads. Luciano and Than absolutely love me.” I announce with a proud grin on my lips. “Than? I don’t remember hearing anything about him.”I huff. Right, it’s not like my family is big about spilling our secrets or letting everyone talk shit about us. To be honest, I love that. Private life is called private for a reason. It’s only our business what happens behind closed doors, no need to put up a show for every outsider to see. “Eh, a demon who’s head over heels with my mom, no biggie. Anyway, he’s the new additional d
Luka povSomething about this guy seems to be off. Very off. Although Fenton has his story perfectly making sense, it feels rehearsed. It’s making too much sense even when he tries to avoid my questions. It almost feels like every time that happens, he’s taking his time to go through the mental notes to find the correct answer. I wonder if I could throw him off by asking something completely out of the blue? Maybe that could work… But how? What do I ask? A wide grin spreads across my lips as I come up with possibly the best idea I’ve ever had. All I have to do is be like Lenox. Spit out everything that’s on my mind, especially if it doesn’t make sense. “If I wear women’s underwear, it doesn’t make me gay, does it? I mean, it isn’t gay for as long as you’re wearing socks, right?” Well, mental facepalm. What the actual fuck, Luka? Fenton spins around and gapes at me like I’m completely out of it. I might be since I do sound like my brother right now. Not sure if I should feel prou
Lazarus povI watch how Sarah’s eyes roll back in her head in horror. Her body goes completely lump before I or Than have time to react and catch her. She collapses on the floor and Than instantly tries to scoop her up, but I move past him and shove him aside. “What the fuck is going on? What is going to happen to my wife if she’s the host? Why is that thing inside her to begin with?” I spill out questions without thinking. My mind is racing faster than ever before. I can’t imagine what we might be facing with this newfound thing. Seriously, I can’t even follow the events of our life anymore at this point. Everything is going to shit. At this point, all one of us has to do is breathe and something will go wrong. “We need to hook her up with some systems. Right now, she’s too weak and the leech is feeding on her energy. Once it’s completely gone, it’ll try to feed on life sources. Perhaps it’s better to try and keep her unconscious for a while until I figure out what type of leech
Than povReturning home has never felt like this before. Not in a sense that I’ve been eagerly awaited, which obviously is the case here since everyone around me seems very pleased to see me. What I mean is the feeling that I don’t belong here anymore. It’s not about others, it’s about what has changed within me - it’s deep rooted, captivating, something that has gripped me so hard, I don’t think it will ever let me go. Seth. It has to be the change she has brought me - the sense of belongingness I have whenever I’m around her. With that woman, I feel at peace, wanted, respected and needed. With her I feel everything I don’t have here. Home, on the other hand, hasn’t changed much, if anything at all. The same dark, slimy cave walls, those same faces of the demonic creatures that surround me. I could say something has shifted, but I’m not sure if it’s more my problem than any other. “My Lord, we have been waiting for your next visit. It’s such an honor to be present when the Lord
Sarah povI feel weird. Something about me feels different, but I struggle to pin-point why and if anything has changed. A little obsessed with the need to figure out what has changed, I start by touching my arms and legs. Then, I count my fingers and toes - all intact. I can’t check if anything inside has changed without an x-ray, so I don’t focus on that possibility. A minute of me wondering passes, then three and then I don’t even know how long until I realize something. The voice in my head is gone, it has stopped haunting me, stopped screaming at me and demanding for something. “A-are you there?” I stutter as I whisper into the darkness, but there’s no answer, both from outside the cell and inside my head. “This isn’t funny. Stop messing with me and speak up,” I say, a little louder to appear like I’m challenging the thing, yet still nothing. The only thing that happens is some footsteps in the distance that I hear slowly approach me. Looks like I haven’t been as silent as
Lenox povThe little shit is persistent, that much credit I can give him. I’m not one to grant first chances, let alone second and he sure as fuck doesn’t deserve any, given he kidnapped Luka and all that. However, here I stand, becoming a better man than I ever was and changing my way. Except, the shit head isn’t taking the goddamn hint at all. Lord have mercy on my soul because I’m about to bash someone’s head in with my trusty spoon. Speaking of which, where did I put it? As I start patting down my pockets in search of my magic weapon, the damsel in distress clears his throat and starts nervously scanning the damn surroundings. “What?” I grumble, half-assedly paying attention to him. “Nothing, I’m just worried, you know,” he mutters and casts his gaze down. “Yeah, yeah,” I grunt and give up. “Where the fuck did my spoon go this time?” I shout, a little louder than intended. How am I supposed to make this sacrifice and kick the demonic asses of whatever is on the other side of
Felix pov“Go on, run. Shoo, shoo, little pet, you’re free now. Don’t make me shoot at the sky or some shit just to scare you away. That bullet will come back down and there ain’t no way in flippity flappity fuck hell I’m standing here to accidentally take myself out with it. Nope, ain’t happening.” Lenox mutters in a baby voice. First of all, this approach of his, acting as if I’m some kind of a kid is downright disrespectful. And mean. Yes, mean too. Sure, I didn’t want to follow him at the beginning, but the guy has grown on me now and I really don’t want to watch him head into danger alone. So, like any proper brainless moron, I shake my head and refuse to move for an inch. If this guy is about to die, I’m doing the same. Besides, it’s not like I have anything better to do with my life anyway - why not become an unlike hero, huh?“Come on, man,” Lenox grunts and rolls his eyes. “I’m allowing you to live and see the day your balls finally drop. Don’t take this experience from yo
Lazarus povBy the time Alister finally wakes up, I manage to do a quick trip to the car and back. I grabbed some food and blankets to cover him and in the meantime, I started a fire to warm up some food for us. Every once in a while, I glance at Ophelia and for most part, check her pulse. Babies aren’t supposed to be this calm and sleep this long - she has to eat, but instead, she’s just sleeping. When Alister stirs awake, his eyes instantly seek me out. Once our gazes meet, he flashes me a smile and something within me shatters. That is my son - the little boy who’s been forced to grow up too soon, all thanks to my inability to be the father he deserves. “Dad, why are you sad?” He asks, instantly picking up on the change in my mood. Like the selfish, scared fool I am, I just shake my head in denial. “I’m not sad, just thinking.” Wordlessy, he kicks off the blanket, gets back to his feet and walks closer to me just to plop down next to me. Again, he rests his head against my upp
Luka povLeaving Sarah in the cell has to be close to the hardest thing I have ever had to do. The pleading look on her face, the desperation and sadness in her eyes paired with her words will forever haunt me. As I move through the halls, my mind instantly kicks into the right gear. First and foremost, I need to figure out how to fix this mess and then, we can move along with whatever has to be done next. Rounding the corner, I manage to run into the man she begged me to seek for - Than. “Luka? What are you doing here?” He asks, looking like he has just been caught red-handed, doing drugs or some shit. I raise an eyebrow and remain silent, waiting for an explanation to come, but that doesn’t happen so I groan and shake my head. “I was looking for you, actually.” Than tilts his head, obviously intrigued, “why?” If I wouldn’t be in such a hurry, I would use this moment to fuck around a little, but since we don’t have time for foolish behavior, I get straight to the point. “I went
Lazarus povI have no idea how much time has passed and while I sit here, with a baby in my arms, I can’t help but feel completely fucking useless. My son is in a place I don’t trust. The baby I’m holding keeps sleeping as if she’s in a coma - no signs of life other than the obvious raising and falling of her tiny chest. My wife is locked away, parents do whatever the fuck they do and my brothers - I don’t even have any idea what is up with them both. How the fuck did we get stuck in this loop of madness? Another roar of thunder echoes around me, so I look up at the sky. Perhaps Alister is right - it really looks like the sky is raging because it demands something to be returned. Or, more precisely - someone. I pry my eyes off the sky and look back at the calmly sleeping baby. She’s a thing of beauty - perfection, no matter how long I look at her. Ophelia looks like a mix of Sarah and Lenox, in a way, as if mother nature gifted her the best parts from each parent. At one point, I
Lenox pov“You can’t be serious,” my sidekick gasps. “N-no, y-you just c-can’t,” he starts stuttering as his hand grabs my upper arm and he tries to pull me back. Too bad he doesn’t realise that his strength has nothing on me. No matter how much he tries to hold me back - he simply doesn’t have it in him to stop me. Ever. No army has stopped me before and I don’t plan on changing that. “I’ve made up my mind, my beautiful mutt. Come on, let’s go, we have no time to waste,” I flash him the weakest smile. Truth be told, I don’t want to do this. Really, I don’t. But, by putting my priorities where they really should be, I save them all. And then, the downside is that I’m willingly missing out on my daughter’s future. I won’t be there for her first word, first steps and first milestones. “Totally worth it for as long as we ensure she has a future.” Atlas grumbles. I can’t help but agree with him. “You crazy bastard!” My sidekick snarls. “How can you give up on everything you have? D
Felix povOkay, I might have underestimated how far those bloody shadow forests are. Seriously, it’s already getting dark and I feel like I have been walking for years. It doesn’t help that everything in this part of the forest is starting to merge into one, big mess. I can’t keep track of the times I already tripped on something and I keep doing the same nearly every two steps I take. “Lenox Vincent, where are you? Come here and grab your death tools, I’m tired,” I hiss under my breath but still push forward. If he is already there, doing whatever a crazy person does in the middle of a creepy forest, he needs me to get there as soon as possible. I’m not sure when I changed my opinion of him as someone I need to escape to someone I need to reach as fast as I can, but that doesn’t matter. What does is he can’t do without his tools, the same things I’m carrying around. After another time of nearly kissing the ground, I stop and lean against the tree to rest a little. The water is g