Hunted

Chapter 9

 Chapter 9

The rest of the battles with Trevor were like they always were. He'd make the demons fall down and Penelope and I would shoot them. And with that little routine going on, we finished off every last one of the demons. On our last day of fighting, we went to tel Penelope's mother that her husband had a heart attack. At least that’s what we were saying. Only Penelope and I knew what had actually happened and we decided to keep it a secret.

 Things had also grown awkward between us. My money was on the fact that she knew I knew why she couldn't be with me. I was okay with it though. Hopefully, when this all ended, she'd pick me instead of Trevor.

 Now, we were going to Maribel's place for a mandatory meeting. It had been about a day from our last battle and the handcuffs had not come off. I was curious as to why and Penelope didn't seem to care. We walked into the apartment and all the papers and files were back to their original homes. Trevor was already seated and Maribel was pacing back and forth.

“Hey guys.” I said breaking the awkward silence. There was some tension and I was wondering if something bad had happened. Maribel jerked up and stopped. She gave me a weak smile.

“Glad to see you.” She said softly. Okay, this was weird. Normally she was all dictator-I'm-going-to-chop-your-balls-off-if-you-back-talk-to-me-again attitude but she seemed, well, worried.

“So what's this all about?” I asked holding up the handcuffs. Maribel looked at them and fear etched across her face. It seemed at times like this she was easier to read.

“You still have one last demon to fight.” she said nervously. My eyes almost popped out of my head.

“You said that the one yesterday was the last!” I yelled. I was confused. Beyond belief. She sighed and shook her head.

“I know, I know. I wasn't paying attention clearly. I thought it was but, it's not.” She then looked back at me and I sighed.

“Alright, where's this demon at? We'll fight it today.” I said casually. Maribel began shaking her head again.

“The demon is the one in you.” her voice was shaking.

“What?” I coughed. My breathing was getting uneven and I was beginning to sweat. I was having a panic attack.

“Kingsley listen to me.” Maribel said sternly.

“No, no. I can't do this. This can't be happening.” I shuddered and she grabbed my shoulders.

“You can't fight it today. We are fighting it tomorrow.” I looked at her.

“We?” I breathed uneasy. She nodded her head and looked at Trevor.

“You two are going back and getting as much rest as you can. If you don't you might die. I am going to cast the spell that is going to bring him out of you and then Trevor, Penelope and you are going to fight him.” Whoa whoa whoa. Wait a second.

Die?

Did she just say die?

“We aren’t doing it if Kingsley's life is put in danger.” Penelope said.

“My dear it is not of anyone's decision. By leaving and getting as much rest as you can now, it only lowers the chance of his life being taken. There is still a high chance he could die either way.” Maribel said calmly.

“No. I refuse to let this happ-”

“Penelope, it's okay. Whatever it takes to happen I'll do so. So don't worry.” She sighed and put her head down. I looked over at Maribel and smiled.

“We'll go ahead and leave now. Have Trevor come and get us tomorrow.” Maribel nodded and I grabbed Penelope's shoulders and led her to the door.

I sat down on the bed and Penelope wrapped her arms around my shoulders. She kissed my ear and I let out a sigh.

“Its going to be alright.” Penelope whispered. She placed her chin on my shoulder and I reached back to touch her hand.

“What if I don’t make it?” Penelope let go and turned me to face her.

“You'll make it Kingsley. You are strong, you can do it.” I smiled and put my forehead against hers. She sniffed and I opened my eyes to see she was crying.

“Hey, hey, whats wrong?” I said grabbing her face.

“I'm so confused.” She sobbed.

“About what?” I asked her. I kissed her forehead and her breath shuddered.

“Don't be. I'm going to be fine. Like you said, I'm strong. As long as I know you have faith in me, I'll be fine.” She started crying harder.

“I love you, but I love Trevor too. I hate myself because I know you need me right now.” She looked up and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Stop Penelope. I'm not asking you to torture yourself for me. If you chose Trevor in the end, I'd be fine.” she sniffed and wiped her eyes again.

“But, I'll hurt you if I choose him. You love me so much but I can't return your feelings all the way.” I grabbed her hand and kissed it.

“I'm fine Penelope. I've been through a lot and I've survived all those challenges.” She smiled and nodded. “Okay.” she whispered. I pulled my phone out and checked the time.

“Its almost eight.” I sighed putting it away. “Lets go to sleep.” Penelope smiled crawling on to the bed.

“Why? It's only eight.” I said following her. We laid down to where we were facing each other.

“This could be my last chance to cuddle with you while I sleep, and your last time holding me.” I smiled and kissed her nose.

“Goodnight.” She whispered. She held out her and hand and I took it. “Night.” I whispered back.