Читать книгу A Friend to the Darkness - Katherine Rathbone - Страница 9

I healed faster than I expected, and managed to hide how badly I’d been hurt from my mother. I was back to training in no time, and with a new determination. That wasn’t going to happen to me again. Things were looking up for me at school too. The guy that Carmen had scared off had decided that maybe I wasn’t so bad after all, had apologised, and started talking to me again. In fact, he invited me to a party with him. My first in a long time. With humans, anyway. The weekend before, I was nervous, and hanging out with my demon buddies.

“You’re unusually quiet, Katie.” Sera observed.

“What? Oh, yeah, I guess. Just thinking.” I replied distractedly.

“What about?” Sebastian asked with a cheeky grin.

“Me naked.” Seth asserted, smiling lazily. I threw a rock at him.

“Seriously, Katie. What’s on your mind, dear one?” Sebastian asked earnestly.

I sighed, and rubbed my face. Speaking shyly through my fingers, I replied, “A boy.”

“Yes! Our girl is going to get some!” Sera high fived Sebastian.

I glared at her. “I thought you’d be the sensible one.” I accused. She laughed at me and said,

“Tell us all about him. This is exciting! Are you dating? Just fucking? Or are you crushing and need our help?”

I looked at her in horror. “I do NOT need your help!”

She looked a bit offended. “What’s wrong with my help?!”

I shook my finger at her. “So far, all of your advice to me has had something to do with disembowelling people.” Lucifer snorted, and she looked at him a little guiltily.

“Tell us about him.” Sebastian commanded playfully.

“His name is Jonathon.” I spoke resignedly. “I told you about him, Seth. He’s that guy that Carmen scared off.”

Seth snorted. “He’s not good enough for you, if he’s that easily scared. And judgy.”

“Aw, he’s ok.” I defended him. “We’ve been talking again, and he asked me to a party next weekend.”

Seth tilted his head at me, his cobalt eyes serious. “Do you really like him?”

I nodded, embarrassed. He smiled gently at me.

“That’s easy, then!” Sebastian cried. “Go to the party, feed him a few drinks, sneak him off somewhere secluded… He’ll be all yours!”

I avoided eye contact, and took a big drink.

“I’m talking sex, by the way.” Sebastian added. I choked on my drink. Everyone except Lucifer looked at me quizzically, confused. Lucifer smirked to himself and sipped his drink.

“Do you think he won’t want to?” Sera asked. “We’ve seen you in bathers. He’ll want to.” I think she was trying to reassure me.

“Holy shit you guys are creeps!” I wailed. “I… I don’t think I’m ready for that.” I admitted, fervently wishing that I could teleport away from this awkward conversation, wishing I’d kept my mouth shut.

The three siblings blinked in confusion. Lucifer’s smirk was now a full blown grin that he was struggling to hide.

“What’s to be ready for?” Sebastian sounded confused. Realisation dawned on his face. “Woah, no way!” He cried. I refused to meet his eyes, blushing hard. “Holy shit, Katie, are you a virgin ?”

I switched to wishing the ground would swallow me whole, and nodded yes. My friends all made disbelieving noises, except Lucifer, who looked at me with sympathy. And a smirk. I refused to meet anyone’s eyes.

“Why?” Seth asked incredulously.

I glared at him. “The fuck you mean, why?!”

“No, seriously, I don’t understand.” He tried to sound reasonable. I realised they weren’t going to drop this topic anytime soon.

“I dunno. Lack of opportunity, I guess.” I mumbled, profoundly embarrassed.

Seth snorted. “I am RIGHT here, Katie.” With a grin. I threw another rock at him. “Oh, hang on!” He exclaimed. “Is it the slut thing?”

“What slut thing?” Sera asked.

“Apparently humans don’t like when people fuck lots of other people.” Seth said, as if he was an expert on the topic. I switched from wishing the ground would swallow me, to wishing I would drop dead. But then I realised these fuckers would probably continue the conversation in Hell. I switched back to wishing I could teleport.

“Well that makes no sense.” Sebastian declared. “Practice makes perfect!”

“No, it’s not the slut thing. I don’t give a shit about that. It’s just that… well… you all know you’re my only friends. Like I said, lack of opportunity. It’s only since Seth possessed Carmen that anyone at school will even talk to me, let alone…” I trailed off.

Sebastian tilted his head quizzically at me. “You know you don’t have to talk to fuck, right?”

“Oh. My. God.” How could they be so insightful about some things, and so clueless about this?!

Lucifer chuckled. “He won’t help you.” His tone was amused.

Sera spoke up, as if she’d just discovered that water was wet. “She’s worried, because she doesn’t know how!” She exclaimed. I hid my face in my hands.

“Really?” Sebastian asked me. I pretended he didn’t exist. Maybe if I ignored them long enough, they’d leave me alone. “Oh, that’s easy fixed. I can show you how.” He didn’t even sound sleazy, as if he were offering to show me how to tie a knot.

“I’m a better lay than you, I can show her.” Seth sounded a little sleazy.

“Pfft. As if.” Sebastian replied. “Quality, not quantity, brother.”

“You literally said just before that practice makes perfect, brother dear.” Seth retorted. They sounded like they were arguing about who could bake a better cake or something. I didn’t think I could get more embarrassed, until Sera spoke up.

“I’ll do it. I’m better than both of you put together.”

I looked to Lucifer, hoping for a voice of reason, I guess. He smiled indulgently at me, and asked loudly, over the sound of my friends bickering, “Would you like me to take you home, dear one?”

“YES!” I scrambled to my feet.

Sera laughed delightedly. “She’s been holding out for the King! Our Lord and our girl are going to get some!”

“Yes!” Sebastian and Seth both yelled.

“Nooooo!” I yelled back. But they ignored me, and the three of them started chanting.

“Katie and Lucifer, sitting in a tree, F-U-C-K-I-N-G!!”

Lucifer laughed at them. “Well, that would be remarkably awkward.” They continued to chant. I glared at them, and grabbed his hand.

“Take me home.” I demanded.

He smiled, and whispered to me, “Watch this first.” And with a wave of his hand, he flung my three friends into the middle of the river. He took my outstretched hand, and we were in my room. I could hear mum gently snoring from her room.

“Thanks.” I whispered nervously.

“That’s ok.” He whispered back, then tilted his head. “Have fun next weekend. Whether you decide to sleep with him or not.” And with a smile, he was gone.

The night of the party rolled around, and I told mum I was staying at Sera’s, so I didn’t have to worry about a curfew. I figured I’d sleep down by the river somewhere. Honestly, I didn’t think it all the way through. I met up with Jonathon, and we laughed, and danced, and drank, and kissed. Everyone was nice to me for once, and I was having fun. I chatted with people I’d never spoken to before, and started to think that maybe humans weren’t all that bad.

It was pretty early in the night, around eleven, when I started to feel woozy. Confusedly, I thought about how much I’d had to drink. Not all that much, but nonetheless, the room started to tilt.

“Hey!” Jonathon caught me with an arm around my waist. “You ok there?” He laughed.

“I… I don’t… I don’t feel so good. I think I need to go home.” I mumbled.

He gave me a gentle kiss, and said, “Sure thing. I’ll walk you.”

I closed my eyes and leaned on him, my head spinning harder and harder.

When I opened them again, I was on my back on a bed in a strange room. I struggled to sit up, and realised that Jonathon was on top of me, my dress was torn and pushed up around my hips, and his hand was between my legs. Fury clarified my mind for a moment, and I tried to shove him off. But he was much bigger and stronger than I was, and I struggled in vain. He was too close to me for me to build any momentum to hit him, and fear started to bloom in my mind. I tried to call out, but I couldn’t make my mouth work. How did I pray again? I couldn’t remember.

My friends heard me anyway. Jonathon flew across the room, and Seth climbed onto the bed, scooping me up into his arms. I looked over my shoulder, and saw my other friends gathered around my attacker. But they looked different. Terrifying. Their mouths had rows and rows of sharp teeth, so many that their lips wouldn’t close properly. They had tails, with sharp, arrowhead tips. And their eyes were blood red and filled with fury. They filled the room, and advanced on Jonathon, their movements predatory.

I blinked, and we were in the cabin in the woods, where Seth had taken me after the demon attack. He set me gently on the bed, then took in my ruined dress. Without saying a word, he peeled off his shirt and handed it to me, keeping his eyes averted. When I took it from him, he turned his back to me. I struggled out of my dress with difficulty, given that my head wouldn’t stop spinning, and pulled Seth’s shirt on. It was way too big for me, and was actually longer than the dress I had been wearing. It was warm from his always hot skin, and smelled comforting.

“You decent?” He asked after a while, his tone neutral.

I struggled to clear my head enough to speak. “No, but I am dressed.” I slurred.

He rolled his eyes at me, and sat beside me. The others appeared, back to their normal selves. Maybe I had imagined the way they looked before. Seth gently took my hand.

“Dear one?” He asked, seeking my attention. I nodded, but didn’t look anyone in the eye. “Dear one, how much did you drink?” He asked gently.

“I don’t…. I don’t know.” Words were hard. Everyone looked at me with grave expressions. “Two or three?” I added. “I think…. He must have… he roofied me.” I started to cry. Seth squeezed my hand, before letting go and standing.

Sebastian took his place, and gently but insistently pulled me into an embrace. I clutched at him, and cried harder into his chest. “Dear one.” His voice was gentle, and lacked its usual mirth. “Dear one, did he… Did he…” Sebastian couldn’t finish the sentence. Sera did it for him.

“Did he fuck you?” Her voice was cold with rage, and I understood that it wasn’t for me. I flinched nevertheless, drew my knees up into a ball, and squirmed closer to Sebastian’s comforting figure.

“Fuck.” I cried. “Does it matter?!” I heard Sera shift as if she was about to say something, and someone hushed her. Sebastian held me tight, stroking my hair.

I felt the bed shift, and smelled cinnamon and rain. I reached a hand behind me, and Lucifer took it. He spoke quietly. “It matters, dear one. If the answer is yes, we need to take you to a hospital.” I shuddered with revulsion at the idea of admitting to anyone else that I was stupid enough to get drugged by a boy who pretended to like me. Lucifer continued. “There… there are things that we can’t heal, that we can’t… fix.”

“No. I… I don’t think he did.” I mumbled into Sebastian’s chest. Lucifer sighed, and I felt him rest his head on my back.

“Dear one, I’m going to ask you something very personal.” I tensed. Seth growled. “Do… are you… does your…”

Sera cut him off. “He had his pants on, Lucifer.” Lucifer sighed again, with relief this time, I thought. He wrapped his arms around both me and Sebastian, so that between the two of them I was almost completely enclosed. I cried and cried. I was vaguely aware of Lucifer telling Sera to go fetch me some clothes. Eventually I straightened, and they let me go, remaining seated beside me. I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath.

“Did you kill him?” My words were still slurred, but my head was starting to clear a little.

“What do you want us to have done to him?” Lucifer asked.

“Torn him to pieces.” I snarled.

Seth barked a laugh. “You vicious little bitch.” His tone was appreciative, and I gave him a savage grin.

Lucifer sighed. “No, my bloodthirsty Familiar, we didn’t kill him. But we absolutely messed him up and put the fear of… Hell into him.” He smiled at me.

I shrugged. “I guess that will do.” Lucifer rolled his eyes at me, and the others giggled a little.

I took a hold of Sebastian and Lucifer’s hands, and looked around at everyone. “Thank you, guys.” I whispered. The guys holding my hands squeezed them, and Sera said with a smile,

“This is why we made you a Familiar. So we could protect you. But if anything like this happens again, how about you call us as soon as you think something is going pear shaped. Don’t wait.” I nodded.

“What time is your mum expecting you?” Seth asked, his tone business-like. “Let’s not make a shit night any more traumatic than it already is.”

I laughed. “Why, are you scared of my mother, Third Lord of Hell?”

Seth shivered theatrically. “Damn straight I am.” He winked at me.

I smiled back and said, “She’s not. I told her I was staying at Sera’s.”

Seth snorted. “Huh. Turns out that’s almost even true. Stay here the night, we’ll take you home tomorrow.”

“I’ll stay with you, Katie. If you’d like.” Lucifer said quietly. I nodded gratefully. ”Come on, everyone. Let’s leave her to get changed, then Seth can have his shirt back, you can go home, and I’ll get her to bed.” He stood, and Sebastian followed his lead. I clutched involuntarily at Seth’s shirt, and glanced at him. He smiled at me and said,

“Keep it, dear one. You know how I love to get naked. Let’s go, dear siblings.” And he was gone before I could find anything to throw at him. Sebastian gave me a quick hug and he was gone too. Sera waved at me, and then she was gone too, leaving me alone with Lucifer.

He stood, pulled me to my feet, and pulled the covers back, gesturing for me to climb into bed. I did gratefully. He pulled a chair over, and went to take a seat.

“Ah, Lucifer?” I asked timidly. He raised his eyebrows at me. “Could… would you mind… Could you stay next to me?” I hated how vulnerable my voice sounded.

He smiled at me, and wordlessly climbed in beside me, gathering me into his arms. I drifted off to sleep snuggled up to him, the scent of hot cinnamon doughnuts and rain after a hot day filling my nostrils.