When Stars Come Out (When Stars Come Out 1)

“Just that things were complicated back home and they were looking for a fresh start.”

The answer disappoints me, but I can’t really blame them for keeping their business to themselves. It just means I’m going to have to work harder to discover the information I want.

I pop the last bite of pizza pocket into my mouth and move to stand. I have patrol tonight but I need a shower first.

“Did you see your father at the Compound?”

I pause and turn to face my mom. “How many days has it been since you’ve seen him?”

Mom doesn’t respond, suddenly busy with the dishes. I know the answer; I just want to see if she will admit it.

“It’s three, Mom. He hasn’t been home for three days.”

Dad’s day job is as a petroleum engineer for Malachi Black’s Oil & Gas, and once that shift is over, he goes to the Compound where he carries out a variety of orders issued by Elite Cain. There are times when he's home at four in the morning, but at least I see him at breakfast—that hasn’t been the case the last few days.

“I’m sure he’s busy. You know this whole thing with Luminary Maximum has him stressed.”

It is stressful for all of us.

“That doesn’t mean he can ignore us.” Well, I’d prefer he ignore me. I might escape some of his scrutiny that way, but I know it hurts Mom, and that’s something I can’t stand.

“Shy—”

“I know...don’t talk about your father like that.” I mimic her voice poorly.

“No...just,” she pauses and takes a breath. “Give him the benefit of the doubt. You don’t know what he does for this family.”

She is right. I don’t.

But I’ll do anything for Mom. I sigh. “I’ll work on that,” I assure her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before hurrying upstairs.

After my shower, it’s close to midnight and time for patrol. I climb onto the roof beneath the starry sky, shifting into my hybrid form. They say the night through human eyes is beautiful, peaceful, even. But I am not human and when stars come out, so do the dead and those who hunt them.

I’m not complaining. Truth is, I enjoy the chaos after dark. The night is my playground. I just wish I got to experience more of it beyond the borders of Nacoma Knight Academy. I glance at my watch: I have fifteen minutes before I have to be at the school, and though I’m anxious to look for Vera, I’m not in a hurry to be back on campus, which only encourages me to stop by Anora’s house. Besides, the more I learn about her, the more I’ll understand my connection to her.

I spread my wings and take off into the night, telling myself it’s just a routine check. Often, when people move to the area, Knights keep a closer watch, as darklings find newer energies more enticing and easier to prey upon.

As I near Anora’s, I shift into my raven form and land in a tree outside her house. She has pushed her bike to the edge of her lawn, one leg swung over as if she’s ready to take off, but she’s not moving. Her fingers flex on the handlebars. She hasn’t changed out of her uniform, and still wears those space-themed tights.

I know exactly when the clock strikes midnight because the streetlights begin to flash and the wind picks up, lifting her hair. Her scent fills me: she’s sweet, like a rose. Finally, the streetlights go out completely, and I guess that’s enough to convince her not to take off because she unhooks her leg from over the bike and walks it back to the house. Then she scales the lattice and crawls into the middle window on the second floor. The light in her room remains illuminated a few moments longer before it goes out. That’s when a pair of bright red eyes ignite in the darkness around her house, followed by a growl.

What the…

A massive dog-like creature moves out of the shadow. Skin and matted fur cover parts of the dog, yet in places, bone and muscle peek through. The stench coming off the animal is horrific—decay.

The creature is a Hellhound, a creation of Charon’s once used to guard the gates into spirit, normally not a threat and yet, this hound growls at me, bowing low as if to pounce. It can probably sense how much I hate it. I don’t like dogs in any form.

I fly from the tree and away from Anora’s house. The hound follows, howling and slinging slobber as it chases me down the road. Once I’ve left the last house behind me and am surrounded by trees, I shift into my hybrid form and land on the ground, widening my stance. The hound halts before me. His back looks bent, and his hips are narrow, as if he’s been run over.

“You’re an ugly bastard.”

The hound howls, blowing sticky, rotting breath in my face. I choke on the stench and unsheathe the blades on my back. “That,” I jump into the air and come down on top of the hellhound. “Was rude.”

My blade sinks easily into the demonic dog, and the howl that escapes the creature’s mouth is more like the whistle of a freight train. He starts to move and shake his head vigorously, trying to throw me off and get the blades out. I pull my knives free and jump off, landing in the middle of the road. The hound tries to run, stumbles, and falls, finally halting some distance from me, dead.

I let out a breath, relieved the creature wasn’t harder to destroy, but then something inside it starts to move. A sick feeling settles in my stomach as the body of the hound explodes, and several smaller, but equally terrifying hounds emerge. There are five in total. They all turn and growl at me, baring razor teeth.

“Dammit.”