The Dark Divine
Page 66
Daniel stumbled back. He wrapped his arms around the steeple. A deep rumbling echoed from his body, making him quake. He looked up at the moon and then to Jude. My brother held the moonstone, looking momentarily stunned.
"Put it on," Daniel said to Jude. "Put it on now ... before ..." He grunted and licked his lips.
"Daniel." I crawled toward him. "Daniel, you need it..." Daniel shook his head. "I need to do this," he said through gritted teeth. He looked at Jude. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I did this to you." His face twisted with pain. The rumbling behind his voice got deeper.
"Take it, Jude. You need it more than I do."
Jude startled. He clutched the leather strap tighter in his fist and pulled the necklace closer to him. "Is it important to you?"
Daniel panted. "Yes."
"Good." Jude wrenched his hand back and pitched the necklace as far as he could--to somewhere in the void beyond the parish roof.
"No!" I shrieked.
Daniel howled.
Jude grabbed him by the throat. He raised the knife and plunged it at Daniel's heart. But then he screamed and dropped the knife like it seared his hand. It slipped down the roof and stopped in front of me. Jude lurched back. He fell onto all fours. His body shook and rumbled. He howled with pain.
Daniel picked up the knife and pulled me into his arms. He ran to the edge of the roof and jumped. We landed on the fire escape a few feet below. Daniel rammed the door with his shoulder and pushed me inside the balcony of the sanctuary. He followed and slammed the door closed behind him. He slumped down against it, sat on the floor, and dropped the knife. His hand was red and Mistered like he'd held a hot iron in his fist.
"Are you okay?"
He grimaced, closing his eyes, concentrating. He looked down at his wound. It was only slightly less red and just as blistered. "That knife must be very old." He nodded to the blade that sat at his side. "It's much purer silver than what I've come across before."
"There's a first-aid kit in my dad's office." It felt like a lame thing to offer, but I didn't know what else to do.
"Go," he said. "Lock yourself in the office. Call the police, whoever."
"I won't leave you."
"Please." He slowly stood, still panting. "This isn't over." His eyes reflected everything he feared. I turned to go.
"I'll love you always," he said. "I lo--"
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Daniel jut forward. The door behind him burst open, pushing him out of the way. A massive silver-gray wolf filled the doorway. It growled and snapped and lunged at me.
"No!" Daniel tried to grab its hindquarters.
He missed, and the wolf sank its teeth into my arm, piercing my skin. I fell, knocked my head on the side of a pew, and bit my tongue. The wolf stood over me, snapping and growling like the alpha in that movie. My blood dripped from its teeth. It reared back, about to lunge for my throat. Then it squealed, and another wolf was on top of it. It was black and sleek, with a diamond patch of white fur across its sternum. Daniel. The black wolf snapped and nipped at the other--almost like it was trying not to truly hurt it.
The gray wolf bucked the black one off. Its eyes looked positively feral as it sprang at the black one, biting and tearing. It ripped at its legs, its sides. The black wolf rolled away, yelping and whining. Its white patch of fur was slashed with red. The gray wolf licked its teeth. Black fur fell from its mouth.
I could taste my own blood. It slipped down my dry throat. The wound in my arm pulsed and flamed. It took everything I had to choke back my screams. The gray wolf slinked toward me, its teeth bared, its eyes hungry.
The knife was just out of reach, next to what looked like scraps of Daniel's clothes on the floor near the door. I scrambled for the dagger, but the gray wolf chomped down on my foot, wrenching off my shoe. The wolf shook it in its massive jaws until the shoe snapped and fell to the floor. The wolf snarled and bore down on me.
The black wolf pushed itself up. It growled, its lips pulled back from its long sharp fangs and jagged teeth, and crept toward me. I stretched for the knife and wrapped my fingers around the hilt. The two wolves circled around me. Their eyes locked on each other like they were partners in some horrible dance--and I was caught in the middle. Spit rained on my skin as they snapped and snarled. The heat of their collective breath made it impossible for me to think. Their claws scraped my legs. They danced, weaving back and forth, anticipating each other's attacks. Then the gray one feigned to the left, and when the black one countered, the gray wolf lunged over me. It ensnared the black one by the throat and knocked it to the ground. The two rolled across the floor. They slammed into the balcony's railing, which overlooked the rest of the chapel. The old wood creaked with the impact. The black wolf lay on its back under the gray one's feet. It whimpered. The sound was pained. Desperate. Afraid.
It knew it was going to lose.
The hilt of the knife slipped in my sweaty hand. I'd told Daniel I would be there when he needed me. I'd be there to save him before he died. I'd free his soul. But I'd thought that would be years away. Not today.
Not now.
Pain seared from the gash in my arm--like fire spreading through my entire body--engulfing me. This was no ordinary wound. It was the bite of a werewolf, the bite of my brother. I was infected. I carried the wolf curse now.
The same curse that dictated that if I ever tried to kill someone--if I killed Daniel now--the wolf would take me over, too.
I would lose myself.
The choice is yours to make, my father had told me.
But he had no idea what an impossible choice it would be. I could save Daniel's soul or preserve my own. I could be his angel and become a demon.
The black wolf's chest sank. It lay so limp. The gray wolf hacked up across the balcony, readying itself to deal the ultimate killing blow.
I could not break this promise.
I am grace.
I flew at the black wolf, raised the knife, and plunged it into the diamond patch of fur on his chest. I will be the monster for yon.
The gray wolf came barreling right behind me. It rammed its head at the black wolf's body, and the two crashed through the balcony railing. A gruesome smacking noise echoed through the empty sanctuary below.
"No!" I ran down the ancient stairs and tripped at the bottom. My knees slammed into the stone tile of the chapel floor. I scrambled on hands and knees to the prostrate body of the black wolf--to Daniel. I laid his furry head in my lap, and stroked behind his ears. They felt too cold. The knife was still stuck in his chest. Blood spattered the floor all around us. Where's Jude?
"Put it on," Daniel said to Jude. "Put it on now ... before ..." He grunted and licked his lips.
"Daniel." I crawled toward him. "Daniel, you need it..." Daniel shook his head. "I need to do this," he said through gritted teeth. He looked at Jude. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I did this to you." His face twisted with pain. The rumbling behind his voice got deeper.
"Take it, Jude. You need it more than I do."
Jude startled. He clutched the leather strap tighter in his fist and pulled the necklace closer to him. "Is it important to you?"
Daniel panted. "Yes."
"Good." Jude wrenched his hand back and pitched the necklace as far as he could--to somewhere in the void beyond the parish roof.
"No!" I shrieked.
Daniel howled.
Jude grabbed him by the throat. He raised the knife and plunged it at Daniel's heart. But then he screamed and dropped the knife like it seared his hand. It slipped down the roof and stopped in front of me. Jude lurched back. He fell onto all fours. His body shook and rumbled. He howled with pain.
Daniel picked up the knife and pulled me into his arms. He ran to the edge of the roof and jumped. We landed on the fire escape a few feet below. Daniel rammed the door with his shoulder and pushed me inside the balcony of the sanctuary. He followed and slammed the door closed behind him. He slumped down against it, sat on the floor, and dropped the knife. His hand was red and Mistered like he'd held a hot iron in his fist.
"Are you okay?"
He grimaced, closing his eyes, concentrating. He looked down at his wound. It was only slightly less red and just as blistered. "That knife must be very old." He nodded to the blade that sat at his side. "It's much purer silver than what I've come across before."
"There's a first-aid kit in my dad's office." It felt like a lame thing to offer, but I didn't know what else to do.
"Go," he said. "Lock yourself in the office. Call the police, whoever."
"I won't leave you."
"Please." He slowly stood, still panting. "This isn't over." His eyes reflected everything he feared. I turned to go.
"I'll love you always," he said. "I lo--"
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Daniel jut forward. The door behind him burst open, pushing him out of the way. A massive silver-gray wolf filled the doorway. It growled and snapped and lunged at me.
"No!" Daniel tried to grab its hindquarters.
He missed, and the wolf sank its teeth into my arm, piercing my skin. I fell, knocked my head on the side of a pew, and bit my tongue. The wolf stood over me, snapping and growling like the alpha in that movie. My blood dripped from its teeth. It reared back, about to lunge for my throat. Then it squealed, and another wolf was on top of it. It was black and sleek, with a diamond patch of white fur across its sternum. Daniel. The black wolf snapped and nipped at the other--almost like it was trying not to truly hurt it.
The gray wolf bucked the black one off. Its eyes looked positively feral as it sprang at the black one, biting and tearing. It ripped at its legs, its sides. The black wolf rolled away, yelping and whining. Its white patch of fur was slashed with red. The gray wolf licked its teeth. Black fur fell from its mouth.
I could taste my own blood. It slipped down my dry throat. The wound in my arm pulsed and flamed. It took everything I had to choke back my screams. The gray wolf slinked toward me, its teeth bared, its eyes hungry.
The knife was just out of reach, next to what looked like scraps of Daniel's clothes on the floor near the door. I scrambled for the dagger, but the gray wolf chomped down on my foot, wrenching off my shoe. The wolf shook it in its massive jaws until the shoe snapped and fell to the floor. The wolf snarled and bore down on me.
The black wolf pushed itself up. It growled, its lips pulled back from its long sharp fangs and jagged teeth, and crept toward me. I stretched for the knife and wrapped my fingers around the hilt. The two wolves circled around me. Their eyes locked on each other like they were partners in some horrible dance--and I was caught in the middle. Spit rained on my skin as they snapped and snarled. The heat of their collective breath made it impossible for me to think. Their claws scraped my legs. They danced, weaving back and forth, anticipating each other's attacks. Then the gray one feigned to the left, and when the black one countered, the gray wolf lunged over me. It ensnared the black one by the throat and knocked it to the ground. The two rolled across the floor. They slammed into the balcony's railing, which overlooked the rest of the chapel. The old wood creaked with the impact. The black wolf lay on its back under the gray one's feet. It whimpered. The sound was pained. Desperate. Afraid.
It knew it was going to lose.
The hilt of the knife slipped in my sweaty hand. I'd told Daniel I would be there when he needed me. I'd be there to save him before he died. I'd free his soul. But I'd thought that would be years away. Not today.
Not now.
Pain seared from the gash in my arm--like fire spreading through my entire body--engulfing me. This was no ordinary wound. It was the bite of a werewolf, the bite of my brother. I was infected. I carried the wolf curse now.
The same curse that dictated that if I ever tried to kill someone--if I killed Daniel now--the wolf would take me over, too.
I would lose myself.
The choice is yours to make, my father had told me.
But he had no idea what an impossible choice it would be. I could save Daniel's soul or preserve my own. I could be his angel and become a demon.
The black wolf's chest sank. It lay so limp. The gray wolf hacked up across the balcony, readying itself to deal the ultimate killing blow.
I could not break this promise.
I am grace.
I flew at the black wolf, raised the knife, and plunged it into the diamond patch of fur on his chest. I will be the monster for yon.
The gray wolf came barreling right behind me. It rammed its head at the black wolf's body, and the two crashed through the balcony railing. A gruesome smacking noise echoed through the empty sanctuary below.
"No!" I ran down the ancient stairs and tripped at the bottom. My knees slammed into the stone tile of the chapel floor. I scrambled on hands and knees to the prostrate body of the black wolf--to Daniel. I laid his furry head in my lap, and stroked behind his ears. They felt too cold. The knife was still stuck in his chest. Blood spattered the floor all around us. Where's Jude?
