Quickly I change my clothes, pulling on a high neck, long, black dress and grab a deep red velvet cloak from the wardrobe. I whirl it through the air and drape it over my shoulders, tying the satin ribbon at my neck and flipping the large hood up so that it shadows my face. I pull the cloak around me and blow the candle out within my room. It is night, and with the walls I have up inside of me, I'm sure that Kane no longer can tell where I am. I step out into the hallway and into the shadows that have become my solace. It's dangerous for me to go in search of a Nephilim, I know this. They want a taste of my soul more than anything in the world, but they are the only ones who will be willing to get close enough to Kane to figure out what is going on. I wonder if they can't in fact remove an invasive soul and free Kane from this nightmare that he's in. If they can pull my soul free, they should be able to pull any soul free. Then again, that means that I cannot lose my life to a Nephilim in the process.
I have learned a lot about these creatures, they are cunning, but when they get a taste, they turn mad almost drugged, and make big mistakes. They plot and they scheme, and they give little care to Kane's rules or regulations placed on the Nephilim. Some fear him, but not all of them. Some of them just look for the opportunity to take what they want without getting caught.
I move through the city quietly, avoiding any places that are crowded. I know that the Nephilim will not be in those crowded places anyway. There is no one in the Underworld city to feed on, and they are of pariah status with Kane. I search and search, quickening my pace, wanting to be finished by the time the sky lightens. But I'm struggling to find any trace of a Nephilim in the city. I don't blame them, not after what happened here, not after the Nephilim that attacked both me and Kane. They fear for their life and their safety and for good reason.
After those trying days, Kane lost all taste for mercy with the Nephilim. With the way that he is now, it wouldn't surprise me if he lined them all up and destroyed their souls one by one. But then again, this new Kane, I don't know what he wants. For all I know he will befriend the Nephilim and return them to their previous stature. Before that can happen though, I need to figure out what is going on, who's inside of him, and if they can free him from this curse.
Above me the deep purple sky is beginning to lighten. It's a slow process but if I don't hurry, I may not be able to save the mortals stashed away with Drogaem's body. Kane has never been a patient person, but even less so now. I cannot trust that he hasn't killed them already. It is my responsibility to help them, to do everything I can even if I fail.
My pace is nearing a jog as I find myself at the end of another street and nearing closer to the end of my own rope. I curse under my breath as I turn around and begin heading back down to search more of the city. It seems like an impossible task. The place is so enormous there's no way that I can get through it all in one night. I'm beginning to feel as if it was a mistake even trying. I'm putting myself in danger not only from those souls that lurk within the city, but from Kane himself if he discovers where I have gone.
My pace slows as I reach the sidewalks, small amounts of souls beginning their days and moving about the city. I feel the hopelessness in my chest, a question of whether I'll ever be able to be the woman that Kane deserves. The one that saves him from wherever he is. As the urge to quit fills me, I glance down an alleyway as I walk past. I stop, and backup, narrowing my eyes into the darkened place. Tucked within the shadows, there is a small red door with an open sign on the outside. I cannot tell what type of shop it is, but something pulls me toward it.
The feeling is familiar, the same that I felt from the Nephilim before when it was chasing me down. Only the danger does not lurk here like it did there. I walk up to the door and hesitate, unsure of what I'll find on the other side. Whatever it is, whoever it is, they are my last hope to save my beloved King.
Chapter 12
Briar
With the bravery I wasn't aware I had hidden away, I open the door and step inside. I keep my hood up, shielding my face from those that would wish to do me harm. I know full well that if this is the home of the Nephilim, there is no cloak that will save me. They can smell the mortality in me, and they crave it like a vampire craves blood. But this is my only choice and I can sense the Nephilim close.
The store is interesting, shelves of odds and ends of strange trinkets and magical potions… at least that's what I tell myself
