Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Tiara looked up at Craven having just finished telling him what she knew about her father… his brother. It was interesting to have a conversation with a full-blooded demon and find him soft spoken and polite to her. She guessed that just like humans, there were good and bad demons, it just depended on their mentality.

She felt herself drawn to Craven… not in a sexual way but more like an instant bond, the way she had been drawn to her mother. It was an odd feeling and would take some getting used to. However, because demons didn’t live by the same rules and restrictions as humans, she would have to remember to be careful with him.

“After my mother died, I stayed at the cabin for about a week before I got lonely and went to live with PIT.” Tiara finished.

“So that’s what happened?” Craven murmured as he moved away from the window where he’d been staring out while listening to her tale. “And what of the boy wearing my brother’s ring?”

Tiara hadn't told Craven that she could summon Deth with the ring and she had no intention of revealing that information. She didn’t even know him… uncle or not. She wouldn’t have said anything about it to begin with, but Craven told her he’d recognized the ring at the graveyard as Deth’s.

“The ring was a gift to me and whoever wears it is my protector in my father’s place.” Tiara explained. Yeah… that made sense and it helped that it was the truth. She didn’t know the extent of Craven’s power and wasn’t brave enough to tell him a lie.

“Do you want him here with you?” Craven asked.

Tiara shook her head. She really didn’t want the ring anywhere near Craven just in case he could summon Deth with it or remove it from Jason the same way she could. “No, I do not want him here.”

Craven tilted his head in curiosity, “He is your servant to use as you desire. He should be here with you as Deth had obviously planned it.”

“Jason is also my friend and he is safe where he’s at.” Tiara corrected him. She didn’t like the fact that Craven thought so little of Jason even though Jason had saved her life more than once.

“You feel for him… is Jason your lover?” Craven asked with the same curiosity.

“No,” Tiara whispered as Zachary’s image flashed in her mind.

“If you weaken with the hunger then he will be drawn to you… Deth has seen to that,” Craven pointed out.

“What do you mean?” Tiara felt panic start welling up in her chest.

“There are two reasons for the ring. One is for your protection and the other is for your hunger. When and if it rises, your servant is still alive to feed his life force to you. To my knowledge, you are Deth's only child. He would not want your mother’s weakness to cripple you. I would not have left you in the hands of another.” His thoughts darkened wondering why Deth had been so careless with his own child.

Tiara had to concentrate to keep from crinkling her nose at Craven. Right now she’d almost pay him to shut up. Was the way that demons perceived things always so cold and calculated? Was that the true personality of Deth? To them, it appeared to be only the blackest black or the whitest white, there was no in between.

She blinked remembering Craven mentioning that Jason would find her if the hunger struck. When she’d decided to leave PIT on her own, she hadn't planned on becoming the ward of a demon… so if she needed a reason to leave this was a really good one.

“Are you sure the ring will bring Jason here if I… need him?” Tiara asked quietly.

“Yes,” Craven answered.

“Then I can’t stay here.” Tiara said and stood up from the overstuffed chair she’d been sitting in beside the bed.

Craven’s eyes narrowed on her, “You are going back to them?”

“No,” she quickly shook her head seeing he didn’t like that idea any better than she did. “But if Jason can feel when I experience the hunger and can come to me… he will be followed. Every demon hunter in the city will be knocking at your front door if they don’t flat out blow it up.”

Seeing his eyes narrow, Tiara softened her voice, “I am your blood… I don’t want them to hurt you. I also have friends among them and I don’t want you to hurt them… understand? Besides, you said I wasn’t a prisoner here, so there shouldn’t be a problem with me leaving. It would be safer for everyone if I just went back to the cabin.”

Craven felt the trickle of anger and enjoyed the feeling… it wasn’t often that something could anger him. Deth had been a complete fool. He should have killed the mother as soon as the girl was born and taken her under his wing. The training she would have received would not only have made her an excellent addition to their family, it would have also helped to control the hunger.

However, Craven also knew how stubborn Deth could be… if he saw something he wanted… he stalked it until it was his.

“I have just found you and do not wish to be separated.” Craven held up a finger when Tiara opened her mouth to speak. “Instead, I purpose a compromise. You will continue to live here under my protection and while within my walls, you will not use your necromancy. If you do this then they will not be able to track you and they will remain safe from my army.”

Tiara nodded hearing the double-bladed words of safety and threat. He was kindly telling her that some of her friends would probably be killed by his army, therefore leaving casualties on both sides.

“I am curious about this cabin you speak of? Where is it located?” Craven asked.

Tiara tilted her head to the side, “It’s located on the edge of Los Angeles National Forest. It’s not far from here really… right near the animal sanctuary between the two hills that look like huge pyramids from a distance. The front of the cabin can be seen pretty easily if you’re looking for it. The back part of the cabin actually goes back into the side of a hill… underground.”

Craven frowned, “In the forest you say?”

“Yes, it was a gift from Deth to my mother and she left it to me when she died.” Tiara said.

“I believe I know the location of your home.” Craven said after a moment. “It was a cave that Deth used to frequent. The way you describe it… he may have built the house inside the cave to make it appear smaller on the outside than the inside.”

Tiara nodded, “Yes, exactly. Myra told me that it was actually built inside of a cave.”

“I am also from that forest.” Nighthawk said calmly knowing a part of him was still there… his soul.

“Really?” Tiara asked.

Nighthawk nodded, “Yes that part of the forest used to be sacred ground to the Tangva tribe… my people. It is protected by the Great Spirits… they smile in favor upon it.”

Craven looked at Tiara, “So if you left here that is where you would go.”

“That’s the only other real home I have.” Tiara stated.

“Now that our safety is no longer an issue, we will address your training.” An elegant eyebrow rose. “Am I correct in assuming you have had very little instruction on how to use your powers?”

“Only on the night you found me,” Tiara felt herself getting smaller by the minute. He was more like her mother than she would ever dare to tell him.

Nighthawk glanced at Craven feeling his anger spike and he took a step closer to Tiara out of pure protective instinct.

Craven ignored the Indian, though he actually approved of the movement. Nighthawk would make a good bodyguard for his precious child.

“At night, you will travel into the city to learn how to harness your power. If you cannot control the hunger, then you will feed it before coming back to this haven. Nighthawk and I both have the ability to keep you hidden from the demon hunters should the occasion rise. One of us will be with you at all times.”

Craven looked toward Nighthawk, “You will hide her from their sight when need be.”

“Yes,” Nighthawk answered letting the direct order stand this time. If it would protect Tiara, then he would do whatever was necessary without being ordered. “I will wrap the illusion around us both if we are approached by danger.

Craven turned his attention back to Tiara, reaching out and stroking her hair, “And you must agree to let me teach you more than simply laying the souls to rest.”

Tiara frowned up at him remembering her nightmare. “I don’t really want to raise the dead.” She told him truthfully and at the same time concentrated on his touch. It felt almost loving… maybe the way her father’s touch would have felt if she had gotten the chance to know him.

“You are innocent Tiara and have been raised by the demon hunters who would have let you and those you call friends die at the hands of a weakling such as Nile. I do not mind you taking the dead away from other demons and sending them to the afterlife… it is something I do all the time.”

“But,” Tiara whispered wondering why it was so hard to argue with him. She blinked knowing she’d always wanted a father figure and reminded herself to be careful even though instinct was screaming at her to obey Craven as she would her father.

“Think about it this way. If you are attacked by a stronger enemy, then an army of the dead will rise up and fight for you. You could have used this power on Nile and destroyed him on your own. Once your battle is won, you will have no need for an army because you have my protection. That gives you the freedom of transcending the souls back from where they came. You will learn to raise the souls and give them a path back before I can condone you being alone.”

Tiara’s eyes moved to Nighthawk. Was that what Nighthawk was trying to teach her the first time they met? How to protect herself? Sure, the souls had already been awakened by Craven but she had used them to turn on the shadow demons and he’d backed off.

‘Yes,’ Nighthawk answer whispered within her mind.

Tiara froze trying not to show any emotion but inside she nearly screamed, ‘Can Craven read my mind too?’

‘No,’ came the soothing reply and Tiara relaxed.

“Won’t it hurt the souls?” she asked returning her attention to Craven so that he wouldn’t think she was having a silent conversation with Nighthawk. “I mean… using them like that? Like a weapon?”

“You cannot kill a soul. Do you think they would rather become Spinnan for Nile or fight for you so that you can survive and return them to their heaven?”

Well he had a good point there. “Okay, it’s a…” she almost said ‘It’s a deal’ but quickly stopped herself. “I want you to teach me how to protect myself and anyone who is with me. I would really like that,” she smiled up at her new uncle.

That was one thing she’d been taught by studying all of PIT’s rules. One that was repeated over and over in her studies was to never, under any circumstances, make a deal with a demon. If that demon was strong enough… then the deal was binding, an iron clad contract that couldn’t be broken.

She swallowed nervously, remembering she’d made a deal with Zachary. She hadn't been thinking when she’d said it and was suddenly glad he wasn’t a demon. Instead, he was the one who had unknowingly made a deal with her… a half demon. It was a good thing she wasn’t planning to hold him to it. Besides, Zachary probably hated her now and the thought saddened her.

Craven cupped her chin knowing she was lost in her thoughts. “Deth would have shared you with me and knowing that puts you in my care.” He turned and left the room.

Tiara bit her bottom lip. Her mother hadn't been lying when she said that demons were selfish and controlling when it came to their possessions. That’s why Myra had never let Deth meet her. She was starting to wonder just how much Deth had controlled her mother… it was enough that her mother had given up this life completely and let Deth kill her.

She felt cold chills crawl across her shoulders as she thought harder about it knowing what she knew now. Her mother had made a deal with Deth for the sake of her child… that deal was binding.

For the first time, she put herself in her mother’s place. Would you tell your child that you were committing suicide to save her from her demon father… or would you say it was because you loved him and wanted to be with him? Had her mother stretched the truth or had she lied to her in order to keep her safe?

She sat back down in the chair bringing her legs up with her. Wrapping her arms around her legs she laid her chin on her knees recalling what Nile had accused her father of. Her mother said he had changed once they’d met and fallen in love… but was that also part of the deal?

Nighthawk listened to Tiara’s thoughts and wondered how he was going to train such an innocent to protect herself. She barely understood demon logic and it appeared that she didn’t really have a desire to do so.

Tiara glanced across the room at the huge mirror not recognizing her reflection any more. She missed Jason and Guy… Zachary. She closed her eyes praying Carley would keep her secret. What would she do if she was in a graveyard and one of them was to show up? How would she stop herself from possibly breaking down and going back with them?

“Come here,” Nighthawk requested and pushed away from the wall. “I will show you what will happen if you choose to hide yourself.”

Tiara nodded and slid from the bed.

Nighthawk indicated for her to stand in front of the mirror. “Look into the mirror and imagine yourself seeing someone you need to hide from.”

Tiara nodded, instantly seeing Zachary as he had been the last time she’d seen him through Nighthawk’s vision… angry and coming toward her.

“Now whisper my name with your mind,” Nighthawk instructed.

‘Nighthawk,’ Tiara mentally whispered and he was instantly behind her, pulling her flush against his body while she continued staring into the mirror. She could now see the bed behind her… the whole room. What she couldn’t see was their reflection in the mirror… not even a shimmer of their outline was visible.

‘Nothing can see us when we are wrapped in illusion, nor can they hear us if we use our link to talk to each other. As long as I am with you, you have nothing to fear. I can hide you from anything… including Craven.’

Tiara leaned back against Nighthawk, feeling him even though she couldn’t see him. ‘And when Craven hides me?’ she asked curiously.

‘When you are with him, you will still cast a shadow on the ground, so make sure you are in a dark place,’ Nighthawk warned. ‘And Craven cannot talk to your mind as I do. If a time comes when Craven has you and you do not want to be with him… then just whisper my name and I will find you.’

‘You are offering to save me from Craven?’ Tiara asked curiously.

‘He will not hurt you… you are of his blood. But he will try to rule you if you allow it. I am only giving you your freedom of choice. If you decide to go back where you belong, then I will go with you.’

‘Back where I belong? I’m not sure where that is anymore.’ When Nighthawk remained quiet she asked, ‘Why would you leave Craven, such a powerful demon, to come with me?’

‘Because it is I who choose,’ Nighthawk answered.

Tiara felt the link with Nighthawk from somewhere deep inside her very soul and had from the first moment she’d seen him standing on that hill.

‘I know what you are but at the same time you are not what you seem,’ she mused.

Tiara’s reflection suddenly reappeared in the mirror but this time Nighthawk had vanished.

*****

Zachary listened to Storm fill in Guy and Carley on what they knew of the situation so far. He was just thankful Storm was keeping the deal part of the story under wraps. He hadn't cared that Storm had gotten mad about him making a deal with Tiara… but Angelica still glaring at him from across the room was unnerving.

He breathed a sigh of relief when Storm told Angelica about a nasty little demon downtown that needed her attention. That should keep her busy for a while.

Carley looked across the room at Zachary noticing he was strangely quiet during the meeting while Storm laid out all the facts. Most of the information revolved around Myra and the fact that it had recently come to light that Deth was Tiara’s father. The interesting part that caught her attention was when Storm repeated some of the things Myra probably told Tiara in order for Tiara to keep the secret of her parentage.

No wonder Tiara had run away. Carley chewed on her bottom lip now that she had both sides of the story.

“Bottom line is we want Tiara back with us but first we need to find her and convince her that being a half demon is not a death sentence,” Jason pointed out.

Storm looked toward Guy not seeing Carley, “Do you think you can find some kind of locator spell and use it on Tiara?”

Guy turned his head and looked directly into Carley’s eyes, “I’m sure between me and Carley, we can come up with something.”

Carley almost made a face at Guy but stopped when she noticed Zachary’s eyes on her. She turned to stare at him and had never seen such misery in his eyes before. She quickly looked away from the pain, feeling bad when she just shrugged at Guy indicating that she was clueless about a locator spell.

It was a good thing she was already dead because Guy was giving her the death glare. She frowned gazing at all the people in the room who were worried about Tiara. What a mess this was turning out to be. If Tiara had only known, she might not have gone with Craven. But then… from both points of view, it sounded like the best thing Tiara could have done at the time to beat Nile.

Zachary pushed away from the wall feeling his frustration starting to rise. “I’m going back to the graveyard to look for clues.”

“I’m coming with you,” Jason followed him out the door.

Zachary didn’t say anything in response to that but left the door open for Jason to follow. As he stepped outside, he drew his jacket a little closer around his neck and stalked to his car. He wished he could resurrect Myra and thrash her for putting such bullshit ideas into Tiara’s head. But wishing and getting were two different things.

Guy shook his head at his teammate’s departure. “He burnt the place past ash… where does he think he’s going to find a clue?” he asked then glanced at Carley, “Let’s go hit the spell books.”

The walk to Guy’s room was completely silent except for the sound of Guy’s boots on the floor. When they were inside with the door securely shut, Guy sat down on the edge of his bed and watched Carley pace back and forth in a fluid motion across the middle of the room.

Carley had crossed her arms across her chest as she drifted back and forth. She knew it would be a good idea for Tiara to at least talk to the team… but how could she arrange it without telling them where Tiara was hiding? However, the flip side to that would be simply telling them where Tiara had decided to stay so PIT could go in and at least check up on her.

She made a face discarding that last idea. It wasn’t like they could walk up to Craven’s door and knock on it without causing a full-blown battle right there in the yard.

Telling Tiara to come back was definitely out of the question, too. For one, Tiara would not believe her if she said everything was fine. And two, where would that leave Nighthawk. Oh, and let’s not forget three, Craven.

Carley didn’t know it, but her mind was somewhere in the same vicinity as Zachary’s when it came to Myra. What kind of mother put you in someone’s protection then told you they would kill you if they found out your secret? This was PIT for crying out loud, Paranormal Investigation Team, secret and unknown division of the United States government with connections all over the world from the Vatican to the freakin’ Illuminati.

Guy watched Carley’s lips move rapidly while her hands were doing motions like they always did when she was having an argument with herself. He tried to patiently wait on her to come to the conclusion that it was time to let big brother in on the damn secret. He didn’t know what he was going to have to do to get it out of her but it would come to him.

Finally, Carley held her hands out palms up and mentally weighed her options. What she needed was to get Tiara away from that haunted house and place her right in the path of her team. Tiara needed to see that she was still part of the PIT family and that they loved her… especially Zachary. She saw that much in his eyes.

She suddenly turned to Guy and pointed toward her old bed. “You stay right here and look through the spell books like Storm told you to do… I’ll be back.” Carley said and vanished.

“Carley, could you please be more vague?” Guy hissed in a whispered yell. “You had better be doing what I think you’re doing!”

He made a face at the air in front of him before turning to gaze at her bed. Why had she pointed to it? He cocked an eyebrow and looked over the bed then spotted the edge of a book sticking out from underneath the mattress on the floor beneath it.

“Bingo!” he whispered with a grin and set to work.

*****

A police car pulled up into the driveway of a large home.

“They’re still not answering their phone,” the officer in the passenger seat said quietly while looking at the report flashing across the mobile console mounted on the dashboard.

“Come on Jack,” the second officer said. “We get three or four calls a week like this. It’s probably just a smash and grab type break-in.”

Jack shrugged, “I know Randy, but if you take into account some of the weird calls we’ve been getting lately, I’m not leaving anything to chance. Hell, the whole force has a case of the heebie-jeebies.”

“All right, let’s get this over with.” Randy shrugged and stepped out of the car.

The two officers walked up to the door and knocked heavily. Much to their surprise, it swung inward without them even turning the knob. They’d been able to hear the alarm from outside but now that they were in the house, the sound was almost deafening.

“Whose house is this again?” Jack asked over the noise of the alarm.

“Some hotshot lawyer from downtown,” Randy answered. “The receptionist at his office said he came home to have lunch with his wife. He hadn’t been gone an hour when the home security company registered a break in. On top of that, the owner isn’t answering any of his pages from the security company or his office.”

“When are they gonna turn the alarm off?” Jack asked cringing at the ear piercing noise.

Randy brought the radio from his shoulder closer to his mouth. “Dispatch, officers on scene at 117 Grande Lane requesting shut off of the alarm.”

Within a few moments the alarm shut off, even their radios had fallen silent.

“Okay,” Jack said pulling his weapon from the holster. “Now it’s creepy in here.”

Randy smirked at him, “It’s the middle of the day. How can it be creepy?”

Jack walked ahead a few steps toward the kitchen and froze in the doorway. “That’s how,” Jack whispered nervously.

Randy walked up behind him and nearly dropped his weapon, “Holy shit!”

The man and woman were sitting upright at the kitchen table with their uneaten food still sitting fresh in front of them. However, the couple wasn’t just dead… they looked like they’d been dead for years. Their bodies looked like they’d been mummified… dried out and looked ready to crumble to dust.

“Dispatch, we need a coroner here right away. Subjects are DOA, I repeat DOA.” Randy announced into his radio then removed his thumb so they wouldn’t hear him add, “DOA is kind of an understatement.”

“I seriously don’t think this guy was at work an hour ago.” Jack said with his gun trembling in his hands. “Maybe it’s a prank. It wouldn’t hurt to call the local museum and see if they are missing two of its mummies.”

Randy approached the couple and very carefully reached into the man’s brand new suit jacket. With as much care as he could muster, he removed the man’s wallet and flipped it open. Looking at the picture on the driver’s license and back at the mummified man Randy sighed heavily.

“It’s him Jack, no doubt about it,” Randy informed him quietly and placed the wallet on the table before retreating a couple steps.

“This is Agent Sexton,” Chad said through the radio. “What’s your status, Officer Harris?”

Randy touched his radio again, “These people are beyond dead, Chad. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s like stepping into a History Channel Episode on Egyptian Mummies.”

“The coroner is on the way,” Chad announced knowing Randy was spooked if he’d reverted to a first name basis. The best thing to do was to get them away from the bodies. “For now, I want you and Jack to wait for the coroner outside the residence.”

Jack suddenly jerked to the side with his gun raised. “What the hell was that?”

“Just a moment, Chad,” Randy said turning in the same direction. “Jack just saw something.”

“Disregard,” Chad ordered. “Get the hell out of there.”

“WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?”

Chad stared in horror at the digital readout on the computer screen when gunshots were fired.

“GET OUT OF THERE, JACK!” Randy yelled.

More gunshots rang out over the headset followed by pain-filled screams. Chad tossed off the device and ran for the door.

“Put out an APB,” Chad yelled, “All available units to 117 Grande Lane.”

Running outside, Chad slid into the police cruiser and instantly flipped on the sirens and lights. He shot out into traffic and broke the speed limit, reaching a breakneck speed of ninety miles an hour within a few seconds, not caring about the cars he’d just cut off.