Beneath The Crescent Moon {TMT #3}

Chapter 11

Micaiah's face darkened, a dangerous golden gleam in his eyes. "You're making a big mistake."

Catching the threat in his gaze, I reached downwards and slowly felt for the drawer's familiar knob. The wolf-man beside me had already begun to gradually close the distance between us, inching sideways in an attempt to stand in front of my body, as though to block me from the two Witch Hunters.

This time, Lucifer didn't stop me from pulling a sharpened knife out.

"The only mistake I made was letting you in," I retorted, raising the weapon to point it at Micaiah. I couldn't bring myself to aim it in Cleo's direction, so I stuck with letting Mik have it.

I jerked the knife towards the kitchen's doorway. "Leave."

The Witch Hunter growled frustratingly at my dismissal. Yet surprisingly, his eyes didn't once flicker to the knife I held in both hands, as if he couldn't be bothered by it.

"You will hear us out-"

"I said leave!"

"Mik!" Cleo grabbed Micaiah's arm to hinder his brisk advancement towards where I stood. It seemed to me that despite Lucifer's imposing figure and the weapon I'd held out, he wasn't in the least bit intimidated.

"Calm down."

"Calm down?" Mik repeated, ripping his arm away. "She's kicking us out after repaying us with nothing, has a damn knife aimed at me and I should calm down? The hell is wrong with you?"

"This is my house!" I interrupted with a glare, my fingers not appearing so firm anymore. "And I want you to leave it. Now."

"Until you fulfil the end of the bargain, I'm not moving an inch," Mik challenged with a murderous look of his own. His monstrous change in appearance had me unwillingly backing away a step, but I managed to hold my ground after.

"How can I after you cheated me?"

"Listen here. You told us to tell you everything about Et Kar and we did," Micaiah snapped. "What else do you want us to do? We risked a lot to get here tonight and this is what we get? Nothing?"

"That's exactly what you get after leading me on. Just give me one good reason why I should help you, Micaiah," I said, holding the knife higher. "And don't give me that 'because you need us too' nonsense."

I darted my gaze to Cleo's for the first time since I'd brought out the blade. Staring into his deep blue eyes, I couldn't help the slight tremble of my bottom lip as I held my once friend's stare.

"I need a way out, Cleo. So unless you can guarantee that there's a chance that I'll be liberated forever from that bastard," I gripped the weapon tighter, "then count me out."

As expected, Cleo's expression remained impassive, but a shadow of emotion crossed over his eyes so briefly yet so clearly that I just couldn't ignore it.

"Xandar is the only thing I can offer you, Lena," he spoke with little remorse in his gruff tone. "We're Witch Hunters. Our main objective isn't just to put those witches to sleep for the fun of it. We do it purposefully to weaken Et Kar and cut all his sources of power so that he's liable to vincibility for us to finally end his reign. We just need your help this time around."

"Why? You've managed just fine without me."

Cleo frowned. "This is different."

I snorted, scepticism weaving its way into my voice. "How is this any different?"

"It's different because this particular Night Witch is somehow bound to Et Kar in ways that even we aren't sure about," Cleo explained. His voice held a displeasing edge as he proceeded, "The Night Witches we took care of in the past were powerful. But this particular one is slightly beyond what we are used to subduing."