Marcus/Rocco
The conversation outside Seraphina's apartment lasted
longer than I expected. Mostly because Noah refused to let things go.
Which, unfortunately, was one of his defining
character traits.
"I'm just saying," he said for what felt like the
hundredth time, "answering a text isn't that difficult."
"I was busy."
"You always say that."
"Because I usually am."
Noah looked personally offended. Riley rolled her eyes
at both of us. Callie looked entertained.
I was beginning to regret staying.
"You know," Riley said, "most people don't disappear
for two days after a fight. We had to get a location from Callie."
"We didn't fight."
Noah immediately pointed at me. "See?"
"See what?"
"That."
"That's not a thing."
"It is absolutely a thing."
I looked toward Riley. "Help me out here."
"No." traitor.
Eventually the conversation settled. The tension from
graduation wasn't completely gone. But it wasn't sitting between us anymore
either. That was enough.
Then a thought occurred to me. I glanced around. "No
Ella?"
The group quieted slightly. Riley answered first.
"She's with Noah's family."
"Oh." That made sense. Noah shrugged.
"Mom practically adopted her."
Riley smiled slightly. "I think she just wanted
something normal."
The smile faded. "At least for a little while."
I nodded. I understood that. More than I wanted to.
The last few months had been chaos. Demons. Memories. And now realm tears.
Not everyone wanted to spend every waking moment
dealing with impossible things. And honestly? They shouldn't have to.
"I'm glad she's okay." Riley smiled.
"So are we."
"What about Darren and Livia?" the question slipped
out before I thought about it.
Noah exchanged a glance with Riley.
Uh oh. That was never a good sign.
"What?"
"They've actually been looking for you."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"They came by yesterday."
Callie immediately looked up. Noah nodded.
"And the day before."
"Looking for both of you."
It was Callie and I's turn to exchange a glance.
That was… surprising.
"Did they say why?" she asked.
"Nope." Riley shrugged. "They mostly wanted to know
where you guys disappeared to."
Noah smirked. "Which is ironic." I rolled my eyes at
him.
The next morning started the same way the previous one
had. With Seraphina handing us a list of locations.
No good morning greetings. Just work.
"We have seven confirmed tears."
"Seven?"
"We had nine, yesterday."
I blinked. "True." Callie snorted.
By noon, we'd already visited three locations.
The first tear was small. Barely stable. I closed it
within minutes.
The second took longer. The third came with company.
Three lesser demons emerged from the fracture before we reached it.
Callie reacted first. Her whip cracked through the
air. The sound echoed through the empty alley.
One demon stumbled. The second lunged. I moved before
it reached me. The rhythm felt completely familiar now. Natural.
A sidestep. A strike. An axe kick. The creature
crashed into a dumpster.
Before it could recover, Noah was already there. His
tonfas slammed into it with enough force to send it sprawling.
The third demon tried to flee. Riley intercepted it.
The metal baton flashed.
Quick. Precise. The fight ended seconds later. Silence
returned. Everyone looked toward the tear.
My turn. I stepped forward. The bracelet pulsed. Blue
light spread through the fracture. The tear shuddered. Then collapsed inward.
Gone. Just like that.
Callie stared. "That one was faster."
I looked toward Seraphina. She was already writing
something down. Again.
"What?"
"Nothing." That meant it wasn't nothing.
The hours passed. Location after location. Tear after
tear.
The routine settled surprisingly quickly. Find. Fight.
Close. Move. Repeat.
By sunset we'd closed six. By the same sunset three
more had appeared.
Nobody like those numbers.
The final location of the day sat near an abandoned
parking structure on the edge of the city. The place looked deserted.
Which usually meant trouble. The tear was already
active when we arrived. Red energy twisted through the air. The fracture
stretched nearly ten feet high. Larger than the others.
Callie swore. Noah grabbed his tonfas. Riley tightened
her grip on her baton. And from the look on Seraphina's face…
She wasn't thrilled either.
"Be careful."
"Comforting," Noah muttered.
The first lasted longer than expected. Five lesser
demons emerged. Then seven. Then more. Not strong. Just relentless.
The parking structure echoed with movement. Whips
cracked. Metal collided. Demons screamed.
For a brief moment it felt like the entire city had
narrowed down to this one fight. One objective. One tear. One chance.
Eventually the final demon fell. The silence that
followed felt deafening. I stepped toward the tear. The bracelet reacted. The
familiar energy surged through my arm. The tear trembled. The edges began
folding inward. Slowly.
Then faster, till it was gone. The night fell silent.
The battle was over. For now.
I exhaled. Noah dropped onto a concrete barrier. Riley
looked exhausted. Callie stretched her shoulders. Seraphina was already making
notes.
Of course she was.
Then a voice echoed through the structure.
"What the fuck was that?"
Every single person froze. My stomach dropped. I knew
that voice.
Slowly. Very slowly. We turned around.
Two figures stood near the entrance of the parking
structure.
One looked completely stunned. The other looked
horrified.
Darren. And beside him-
Livia.
Neither moved or spoke. For several beats they simply stared
at us.
At the battlefield. At the weapons, the fading traces
of the tear, at everything.
Callie went completely still.
Livia's eyes found her. Shock flashed across both
their faces.
Then Darren looked toward me. Then toward the space
where the tear had been. Then back at me again.
His expression was somewhere between confusion and
disbelief. Like his brain was actively refusing to process what he'd just
witnessed.
Finally, he pointed toward the empty space. Opened his
mouth. Closed it. Then tried again.
"Someone," he said slowly, "want to explain what the
fuck just happened?"
Nobody answered.
Because?
I had absolutely no idea where to start.