Evil - Tijan Page 0,94

trusting us now. He’s making himself vulnerable when he never had to. We must remember that.”

My own blood—I couldn’t get over that. A dagger was inside of me, cutting away around where my heart should be resting. It was becoming hollow, more and more, but Aumae was right. I could hear the forgiveness in her voice and I clung to it. I let it wash over me.

“I can’t track you anymore, if that makes you feel better.”

“It doesn’t.”

Damien’s head hung down, and he didn’t say anything more. I knew he had more to say, but for a moment, I needed him to shut up. For once, Kellan wasn’t the one ready to commit murder. Damien was my brother, and he had betrayed me. He hurt someone else who was good, who should have never been harmed. I glanced to Aumae and she was watching me back. Her eyes were so loving, so giving. She smiled at me. She was trying to convey the same peace to me, so that I would forgive him, but I couldn’t.

I sighed. “You can’t connect to me anymore because of Kellan, right?”

Kellan added, “You’re a part of my blood now. It’s like we’re married, Shay. You’re my family.”

My eyes went wide. Oh. “Okay.” I wasn’t surprised, not really. “That makes sense.” I guess…

Kellan grunted, hiding a smile. “I thought you knew.”

“I think I did.” I laid my hand over his. “I still would’ve done it, been with you, if I’d known the full ramifications. I’m okay with it. I am.”

He turned his hand upside down, lacing our fingers, and pulled our hands to his lap. They were hidden from the others. Damien had been waiting, he cleared his throat. “Like I was saying before, there’s a war going on above, and Sachiel is a big contender for one side.” He faltered, his head bowing slightly. “Uh…this is hard to say because this was what I was supposed to encourage. Shay, I told you before that you should bond with Kellan because then you’d be too powerful for your father to take on. That isn’t true.”

I knew where this was going.

He said further, “Sachiel wants you to bond with Kellan, because he intends to take your powers. Both of yours.”

I felt Kellan’s anger mounting and snuck a peek at him, but he wasn’t showing anything. His face was unreadable. His eyes gave nothing away, and he even held my hand in a gentle and loving way, but I felt his demon stirring away. My messenger side was awakening as well, and she wasn’t pleased.

“The truth is that neither of you is a match for Sachiel, and he knows that. I was supposed to get close to you, Shay, and get you to bond with Kellan. That was the first part of my job.”

A knot formed in my stomach. “And the second?”

“I’m supposed to deliver both of you to him.”

“You know how to call him?”

Damien nodded. “The messengers aren’t watching like they had been before. He was surprised at how you guys were able to fend him off, and how Shay killed the other messengers. He thought you guys had bonded and to be honest, so did I.”

“You told him where to watch for us?”

Damien glanced to Kellan. “Yeah. That was me. I came to get you guys and take you back there. That’s why I showed up when I did.”

I said, “And that’s why you didn’t want to help us rescue Vespar and Giuseppa?”

He lifted a shoulder, turning away for a moment. “I worried about what he would say, if it were reported to him that I helped save two demons. That was part of the reason. The other part was because they’re both demons.” He sneered, saying the last word. “It is beneath our kind to help them.”

The ground began rumbling.

Aumae and Damien both started, but I knew the cause. I was holding his hand. Both caught on when Kellan and I didn’t move.

“Oh.” Damien frowned. “I’m sorry for my part.”

“Why?”

“Why?” He echoed my question.

“Why did you do it? You were born to a human family. That means you have family still, Damien, and I’m not talking about me or our father.”

He glanced away, his jaw clenching.

“Oh dear.” Aumae spoke for the first time, her quiet words splicing through the tense room. She shifted in her seat. The corner of her mouth turned down. “Are they still alive?”

Damien jerked his head up and down. “My mother is, and so are my little sister and brother.”

He