Everything happened so fast after that. Saxon twisted away so quickly that he was just a blonde blur. The bullet had caught him in the shoulder, and seemed to be burning through his skin. A bizarre hissing sound and tendrils of thin black smoke rose from the wound as Saxon looked down, narrowing his eyes.
“She was right, you are a traitor.” Saxon strode towards Danny, his hands clenched into fists. “Qeres coated bullets? You know that won’t kill me, Dante.”
Dante?
“It wasn’t intended to kill you.” Danny gave me a look. “Only to distract you.”
I ran upstairs as fast as my legs could take me. Luckily, I was no longer bound by the magic keeping my feet at bay, though tears still clouded my vision.
She’s dead. He killed her.
“Mum!” I shouted, checking every room and closet downstairs before running up to the second level. “Mum!”
After kicking all the doors open, I finally found my mother, bound and gagged, trembling in the corner of Saxon’s bedroom. We both shrieked as another gunshot sounded.
“Mum, I’ve come to save you.” I murmured reassuringly, slashing through the plastic ties that held her wrists and ankles together. She tugged the gag from her mouth when I was done.
“Who came with you? I could hear them talking.” My mother looked terrible; her curly blonde hair was frizzy and matted, her make up running, her grey eyes bright with fear. The heels on both of her shoes were broken, so she kicked them off.
“A new…friend.” The word soured on my tongue. Danny had been working with Saxon? For how long?
“A boy?” She still had the energy to look maternal. “I don’t know if I like where this is going.”
“We can worry about that later, Mum. Are you hurt?” I gave her a quick look over, she still had all her limbs and fingers, and there were no obvious injuries, other than where the plastic ties had dug into her wrists, rubbing the skin raw.
“I’m fine, are you?” She patted me down, and then noticed the puncture wound on my neck, where I’d almost slit my own throat. “What happened?!”
“It’s a long story.” I grabbed her hand and practically dragged her down the stairs. “But first we have to get out of here.” We raced through the front door, past the sounds of struggle in the basement. “Piper!” I gasped.
“What are you talking about? You brought Piper too?” My mother gazed anxiously back at the house.
“No, Shortstop got her. I…I think he’s killed her.” The final words turned into a sob. “H-he slit her throat, and hung her from the ceiling by her wrists.”
Suddenly, a ringing sound came from my mother’s pocket.
“He let you keep your phone?” I demanded.
“No, he’d just given it to me to call you again when you showed up at the door. He dropped it on the floor and went down after you, so I picked it up.” The caller ID showed our home number.
I gasped. “There’s someone in our house.”
Mum fumbled with the phone, not knowing what to do, so I snatched it off her, pressing the answer button. “Who is this?” I snapped.
“Oh thank god you’re okay, babe. I’ve been worried sick these past two days; you never called.” When I didn’t respond, Piper gasped. “Is your mum okay?”
“Who is this?” My voice was raw with emotion. I’d just seen Piper in the basement, with words carved into her arm, and a slit throat.
YOU ARE READING
The Book of the Watchers
DragosteAnastasia has always known she was different. The other kids at school avoided her, and a string of unfortunate coincidences have had her moving across the country her whole life. However just as her life seems to be getting back on track, a mysteri...
