Evil - Tijan Page 0,93
inside the shower, the water coating me as well, and I pressed against him. “It’s time to fight.”
His eyes darkened, and then his lips were on mine, and nothing else mattered. We became one that night.
“For the record,” Damien said two days later. “I think this is incredibly stupid.”
Kellan stood next to me, holding my hand, and grunted. “For the record, no one asked you.”
“Shut up.” I held tight to Kellan’s hand, speaking to both and right then, the ground began to quake. “He’s coming.”
Two nights ago, Damien came to the bedroom. He stood in the doorway, his hands folded in front of him, and we could both feel the confession coming. It came off him in waves. Shame. Guilt. Embarrassment. And then he started by saying, “I’ve been lying to you.”
I knew a whole lot of shit was about to be laid on our laps and I closed my eyes, just for a moment. I needed to prepare myself, and after a few more seconds, I nodded to Damien. “Tell us everything.”
He did, later standing across the table from Kellan and me. Aumae joined us as well. We kept the lights off except for one single lamp that was behind Damien from the living room. It seemed fitting, casting him in shadow and lighting up the rest of us. Damien coughed, looking away before starting. He drew in a breath, and held it there, grimacing. “I have to first explain that there’s a war going on in the heavens. I didn’t want to be a part of this. I wasn’t a part of this, but your father,” he looked at me, a wall shifting to the side to show new emotion, “and my father, Sachiel, is on one side.”
“Wait.”
Had I heard him right?
Kellan cursed. “Of course. That makes sense now.”
“You’re my brother?”
“Half-brother. We have the same father.”
My head was pounding. There’d been so many turns and twists when it came to siblings. I looked at one that I thought had been my brother to another that was my brother. I began laughing. There was nothing else I could do. Anything else I was feeling didn’t matter. I held up a hand, shaking my head. “This is just becoming ridiculous now.”
Damien kept going, an apology in his eyes to me, “I’m not as powerful as you because my mother was full human. I lived with my family until I was little. Nine years old. That’s when Sachiel found me. I was leaving the house with my grandpa and Sachiel—”
The vision came back to me. I remembered when I first experienced it. I’d been getting into my car. That felt so long ago now.
“Who are you?”
I held my breath and closed my eyes. The ticking from someone’s watch pounded loudly in my ear. When I opened my eyes, I saw an older man across the road. He walked beside his son, and they were headed into a house. The voice didn’t come from him, but it was connected to them. I just didn’t know how.
I said, “I thought that man was your father.”
Damien had been watching me. His eyes were knowing as he nodded. “We’ve been connected since I first started talking to you. I didn’t realize how powerful you were until you slipped into my memories. I had to block you after that. I’ve been blocking you since, well,” he regarded Kellan, “until last night.” He gestured beside me. “You and Kellan fully bonded, and that ended the connection you and I had.”
“What does that mean?”
“Wait. I have more to confess.” We could see the actual pain on his face. He paled, his eyes and mouth straining at the ends. “I’m the one who revealed your hiding spot to the demons. They attacked you because of me. I thought if the other side took you, I wouldn’t have to deal with Sachiel.”
It was because of him.
I leaned forward, saying softly, “We were protected there.”
“I know.” His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.
“We were safe there.”
“I know.” His eyes darted to Kellan’s, and his lips pressed together. Flinching. “And you guys defeated them.”
“You arrived the next day.” Kellan’s eyes were narrowed to slits.
“I was there before. I tracked where you were through my connection to Shay.”
I closed my eyes. I’d been betrayed through my own blood. I whispered, “They took Aumae.”
“Child.” She rested her hand over mine. “He’s confessing now. That’s all that matters.”
Kellan grunted. “I’m not that forgiving.”
Aumae insisted, “Let us hear the rest from him. He’s repenting and he’s