Maddie's face melted into a mask of horror, and she and Ayesha let out a combined "What?!""Yes." Paul replied, his face resolute. "I should have done this all those weeks ago immediately I started noticing signs of Aosoth again in this city. The dead bodies, the scary news..." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. When he opened them again, the resolution had been replaced by a sad look. "I'm sorry, Maddie.""But running away won't solve anything!" Maddie protested. "We have always been on the run for as long as I can remember. It won't change anything now, same as it didn't every single time. Aosoth will find us, no matter how far we go. We have to stay, and fight." "Well, we didn't run far enough." Paul replied. "And fighting won't suddenly make...her go away. She's a Greater Demon. She cannot be killed easily, I'm sure you've noticed that. Hell, if she could, we wouldn't be having this conversation. It would take Heaven and Hell to send her back.""
Maddie had packed her bags silently, not sparing her father another word or so much as a glance. She knew he could feel the obvious contempt from her, knew that he wanted to make it up to her in some way, but she didn't need his fake sympathy.She wanted to stay behind and fight her battle, not run away from it.For the rest of that day, she'd walked around the house in a silent bubble, totally ignoring her father. Over breakfast, he'd told her they'll start their journey to New Orleans in the evening. She'd stared at the piece of cold scrambled eggs before her, hating the sound of her father's voice as he'd said those words. She'd felt relieved when he finally finished his breakfast and left the kitchen.Ayesha had never come back with the Ravenwoods as she'd promised, and Maddie had felt a growing sense of betrayal fill her up. In the end she'd thrown her Celestial Blade against the opposite wall in anger, feeling a momentary satisfaction as the blade had buried itself in the wall.
Maddie was frozen to the spot in fear for a while, and then she turned back to her father."Dad!" She yelled and shook him frantically, but he didn't move. "Dad! Wake the fuck up!" Then Maddie stopped the shaking as an idea came alive in her head. An idea that she should have thought about first before anything.She was a Hunter, was she not? She could easily fend off these demons with her weapon. She dug her hand into the pocket of her Jeans—And came up empty. Nothing was in there except a bundle of bills.Realization slowly dawned on her. She hadn't taken her Celestial Blade along: it was still stuck in the wall of her kitchen.Maddie let out a gasping breath as the thought of how much danger she was in sank in. These demons could plant their tentacles on herself and her father and suck out their souls before she could even raise a hand to fend them off. They were that much more powerful: the sting on Maddie's cheek where the previous Octopid had merely scratched her was a good-en
Maddie slipped in and out of darkness as she was pulled up the stairs by frantic hands. She couldn't feel both legs anymore, and her breathing was growing slower by the second. She could feel her grip on consciousness slipping.She was going to die."Fucking fetch the Sword Sisters!" She heard a voice yell. It sounded like Jason, though she couldn't tell who was who anymore. She struggled to keep her eyes open. She knew if she finally closed it, there was no coming back. She would go forever, amd no Sword Sister would be able to bring her back.Behind her blurry vision, the starry night sky changed from bluish black to a pulsating, bright orange-red that reminded her of the fireplace in the Ravenwood's manor.She giggled like a deranged woman. "I'm in hell."There was more whispering, more indistinct voices, and then she was thrown rather unceremoniously on something soft and fluffy. Maddie giggled again and tried to turn to her side, but strong hands held her down."Are there clouds
Maddie woke to a black swirling against her closed eyelids—the after effects of the poison that had been coursing through her veins hours ago. Slowly it dissipated as she became more aware of her surroundings, and she opened her eyes.She'd expected to wake up somewhere entirely foreign, but instead she was lying on a handful of pillows and patchwork quilts on the ground. To her right was the wall of fire she'd seen before: a fireplace. She looked up and above the fireplace were several framed pictures, the light of the fire illuminating the framed faces.Celia, Robert, Cassiopeia, Jason and Ethan Ravenwood. She was in the Ravenwood mansion.The soft crackle of the fire and the glowing light made her feel drowsy and she was about to return to sleep, but then she heard a familiar voice at her feet and raised her head again. "Don't go to sleep, or you'll never wake up again." Jason said in a low murmur.Lauren sat up, leaning against the nearby couch. "You're joking, right?"He was sit
"What the hell did they mean by that? My father cannot heal himself. He's going to die!" Maddie sobbed."I believe...the Sword Sisters know best." Jason said tentatively, then reached forward to pull Maddie closer. A soft gasp escaped her lips as her chest hit Jason's. The pull was unintentional, Maddie knew, but she felt a small satisfaction at seeing his eyes darken behind his dark lashes, at knowing that he'd felt what she'd felt."Pity I can't read your mind, but I can see enough from your eyes," Jason murmured, his breath warming her face."What can you see?" Maddie asked, her heart thundering with an emotion she couldn't name.He opened his mouth to say something, then seemed to caution himself. "Best leave your father to rest." He mumbled, but didn't move. His hand was splayed against her back, and she could feel the warmth of his skin through the fighting gear."Yes. We should...go—" Maddie whispered, eyelids fluttering as his scent hit her nostrils. Incense, she thought, the p
The hallways of the Ravenwood manor echoed loudly as Maddie walked towards the drawing room. The curtains had been drawn, and the lamps dimmed, casting oblong shadows on the wall. Maddie shuddered slightly as she crossed the corridor and reached the drawing room.The door was locked, but she could hear hushed whispers coming from behind it. She stood with her ear to the door, trying to decipher their words. Were they talking about herself and her father? Had Celia Ravenwood grown tired of Maddie endangering her children and finally called the Caucus to intervene?Suddenly the hushed whispers stopped. Maddie held her breath, eyes bulging slightly. "It seems," a dreamy voice murmured inside the room. "Madeleine Shay has arrived."Maddie straightened, then wrapped her fingers around the doorknob. She turned it and opened the door slowly, then stepped inside the room.The drawing room was as large as Maddie imagined. Several plush leather chairs were arranged in a circle in its middle. A
Maddie walked out of the drawing room silently, as the rest of the Caucus filed out. Her first instinct was to turn right and walk straight to the front door, open it and walk out as though nothing had happened. She wanted to leave her father behind and walk the streets of New York as though everything was fine with her world.She wasn't sure if what she felt was rage or sadness, or both. Everyone reminded her how powerful and special and unusual she was, and yet in situations like this, she felt ordinary. Usable.The Sword Sisters had decided her fate without even giving her a chance to decide it herself.She turned left morosely and continued walking down the halls of the manor, with no destination in mind. She hadn't wanted the Ravenwoods to kick her out of their house, and she'd gotten what she wanted. And yet, the look in Robert's eyes when he'd tolr her to stay away from his children was nothing short of murderous. He wanted her out of his house, and every minute she spent here m
Jason didn't follow her out the door, Maddie noticed. It was almost as though he was relieved to see her go. She felt a dull ache in her chest as she walked out; his words had hurt more than she was willing to admit.She quickly crossed to the corridor beyond the drawing room, feeling her tears rise to the surface. She'd never truly fallen for any boy the way she had fallen for Jason. It was as if her former teenage crushes paled in comparison to the Ravenwood boy.She was almost certain he liked her too, though she could never be sure with Jason. He had always been elusive.If he did like her back, why did he have to act this way around her? Why did they all have to? These days, Jason and Cassie seemed to tiptoe anytime she was around them, sharing as little information as possible when she was within hearing range, as though she was a time bomb waiting to go off.Finally, as the dull pain threatened to overtake her senses, Maddie stopped walking and leaned against the wall, taking s
"Wait!" Jason spoke up immediately. "Does my parents know about this?""Yes they do, Jason Ravenwood." One of the Sword Sisters replied. "They did not, however, give Morgana Hawke the permission to train Madeleine Shay in this manor."Maddie pulled her eyes from her trainer's steely blue gaze and turned to the Sword Sisters. "Where will I train, then?""We have made a reservation with Ayesha Hadid's father." One of the Sword Sisters informed them. "Get yourself prepared, Madeleine Shay. You start your training tomorrow.""That's fine." Ayesha noted, then reached for Maddie's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "It'll be better in my house, Maddie."Maddie nodded and tried to put on a brave smile. However, deep down she was terrified shitless. Having to stay in the hostile Ravenwood Manor was one thing, but having to change locations so quickly was another. The prospect was daunting."We will now take our leave." The Sword Sisters announced together, their eerie, joint voices raisin
"Why?" Jason groaned as they both walked towards the door. Cassie vaguely registered Ayesha giving a response, but she couldn't make out what the girl had said. Her mind was elsewhere, with her grandmother and the elderly Ravenwoods. Her mind had taken her minutes behind, before the warm fireplace and Jason's oddly warmer arms."The Sword Sisters could have picked any other time in the world to show up," Jason continued, face twisted in a frown. "And they chose now.""Why?" Ayesha asked. Then her eyes darted to Maddie and back. "What were you guys doing there anyway?""Nothing." Maddie snapped and pushed forward, leaving them behind. For some odd reason, Ayesha's question had pissed her off. What she didn't want to admit was that deep down, she had no idea what she was doing with Jason either.Obviously they had kissed right before Ayesha had walked in, but was she really certain about her feelings for the Ravenwood boy? She wasn't one to push aside premonitions and warnings, and Cass
Maddie walked out of the drawing room silently, as the rest of the Caucus filed out. Her first instinct was to turn right and walk straight to the front door, open it and walk out as though nothing had happened. She wanted to leave her father behind and walk the streets of New York as though everything was fine with her world.She wasn't sure if what she felt was rage or sadness, or both. Everyone reminded her how powerful and special and unusual she was, and yet in situations like this, she felt ordinary. Usable.The Sword Sisters had decided her fate without even giving her a chance to decide it herself.She turned left morosely and continued walking down the halls of the manor, with no destination in mind. She hadn't wanted the Ravenwoods to kick her out of their house, and she'd gotten what she wanted. And yet, the look in Robert's eyes when he'd tolr her to stay away from his children was nothing short of murderous. He wanted her out of his house, and every minute she spent here m
The hallways of the Ravenwood manor echoed loudly as Maddie walked towards the drawing room. The curtains had been drawn, and the lamps dimmed, casting oblong shadows on the wall. Maddie shuddered slightly as she crossed the corridor and reached the drawing room.The door was locked, but she could hear hushed whispers coming from behind it. She stood with her ear to the door, trying to decipher their words. Were they talking about herself and her father? Had Celia Ravenwood grown tired of Maddie endangering her children and finally called the Caucus to intervene?Suddenly the hushed whispers stopped. Maddie held her breath, eyes bulging slightly. "It seems," a dreamy voice murmured inside the room. "Madeleine Shay has arrived."Maddie straightened, then wrapped her fingers around the doorknob. She turned it and opened the door slowly, then stepped inside the room.The drawing room was as large as Maddie imagined. Several plush leather chairs were arranged in a circle in its middle. A
"What the hell did they mean by that? My father cannot heal himself. He's going to die!" Maddie sobbed."I believe...the Sword Sisters know best." Jason said tentatively, then reached forward to pull Maddie closer. A soft gasp escaped her lips as her chest hit Jason's. The pull was unintentional, Maddie knew, but she felt a small satisfaction at seeing his eyes darken behind his dark lashes, at knowing that he'd felt what she'd felt."Pity I can't read your mind, but I can see enough from your eyes," Jason murmured, his breath warming her face."What can you see?" Maddie asked, her heart thundering with an emotion she couldn't name.He opened his mouth to say something, then seemed to caution himself. "Best leave your father to rest." He mumbled, but didn't move. His hand was splayed against her back, and she could feel the warmth of his skin through the fighting gear."Yes. We should...go—" Maddie whispered, eyelids fluttering as his scent hit her nostrils. Incense, she thought, the p
Maddie woke to a black swirling against her closed eyelids—the after effects of the poison that had been coursing through her veins hours ago. Slowly it dissipated as she became more aware of her surroundings, and she opened her eyes.She'd expected to wake up somewhere entirely foreign, but instead she was lying on a handful of pillows and patchwork quilts on the ground. To her right was the wall of fire she'd seen before: a fireplace. She looked up and above the fireplace were several framed pictures, the light of the fire illuminating the framed faces.Celia, Robert, Cassiopeia, Jason and Ethan Ravenwood. She was in the Ravenwood mansion.The soft crackle of the fire and the glowing light made her feel drowsy and she was about to return to sleep, but then she heard a familiar voice at her feet and raised her head again. "Don't go to sleep, or you'll never wake up again." Jason said in a low murmur.Lauren sat up, leaning against the nearby couch. "You're joking, right?"He was sit
Maddie slipped in and out of darkness as she was pulled up the stairs by frantic hands. She couldn't feel both legs anymore, and her breathing was growing slower by the second. She could feel her grip on consciousness slipping.She was going to die."Fucking fetch the Sword Sisters!" She heard a voice yell. It sounded like Jason, though she couldn't tell who was who anymore. She struggled to keep her eyes open. She knew if she finally closed it, there was no coming back. She would go forever, amd no Sword Sister would be able to bring her back.Behind her blurry vision, the starry night sky changed from bluish black to a pulsating, bright orange-red that reminded her of the fireplace in the Ravenwood's manor.She giggled like a deranged woman. "I'm in hell."There was more whispering, more indistinct voices, and then she was thrown rather unceremoniously on something soft and fluffy. Maddie giggled again and tried to turn to her side, but strong hands held her down."Are there clouds
Maddie was frozen to the spot in fear for a while, and then she turned back to her father."Dad!" She yelled and shook him frantically, but he didn't move. "Dad! Wake the fuck up!" Then Maddie stopped the shaking as an idea came alive in her head. An idea that she should have thought about first before anything.She was a Hunter, was she not? She could easily fend off these demons with her weapon. She dug her hand into the pocket of her Jeans—And came up empty. Nothing was in there except a bundle of bills.Realization slowly dawned on her. She hadn't taken her Celestial Blade along: it was still stuck in the wall of her kitchen.Maddie let out a gasping breath as the thought of how much danger she was in sank in. These demons could plant their tentacles on herself and her father and suck out their souls before she could even raise a hand to fend them off. They were that much more powerful: the sting on Maddie's cheek where the previous Octopid had merely scratched her was a good-en