“But for now, the last thing I want to do is argue with you. I know you mean well and I know you’re only trying to look out for me, which is a good thing because it turns out I can’t do it alone. I’ve been working on a plan that involves all of you. So we better get started, and use what little time we have left.”
TWENTY-TWO
DACE
I shut the door on my shithole apartment, knowing it won’t be long before I shut it for good.
While Leandro offered me a room in the compound, I knew better than to accept.
Much like Leftfoot, everything with Leandro is a test. He may be inordinately proud of the darkness rising within me, but he doesn’t entirely trust me. All the years spent apart, combined with my uncensored threats, will take time to bridge.
Besides, having already staked a claim on my inheritance, it’s best not to appear too acquisitive right out of the gate. Little does he know, I have no plans to settle for half. Not when I can claim the whole pie.
I climb behind the wheel of my Mustang, now painted a slick cherry-red with an engine under the hood that purrs like a panther. A token from Leandro who said no self-respecting Richter should be seen driving such a wreck of a car.
Amazing what a bit of magick and a fat wad of bills can do for a ride.
I take the long way to the Rabbit Hole, surveying the land with the satisfaction of knowing it won’t look this run-down for much longer. There’s hope for the future of Enchantment. Even if I’m no longer a part of it, I plan to leave my mark.
My thoughts are interrupted by my cell phone chiming, though the second I see it’s my mom I set it on mute.
Ever since that day at the cave, the elders have made themselves scarce. Yet despite their warnings, Chepi refuses to fold. Insisting some part of the old me hangs on.
While she happens to be right, what she doesn’t realize is that it’s now so reduced I can’t risk talking to her, much less seeing her, even if it’s just to say one last goodbye.
The beast stirring within bears an insatiable hunger for the kill, and it doesn’t discriminate amongst victims. It’s a threat I take seriously, and if she knew what was good for her, she’d take it seriously too.
Daire once told me about the night she spied on Cade after merging her soul with a cockroach. Saw him snacking on the same dregs of unidentifiable bloody, raw carcass he fed to Coyote. Back then, I found the story disgusting.
But now, just thinking about it causes my belly to rumble—my taste buds to spark.
While I haven’t yet stooped to that level, the urge grows stronger with each passing day.
Funny how now that I’m turning, everything about my brother makes sense. His urge to slay, consume, and destroy are a perfect match of my own. Allowing for a sense of solidarity I never could’ve imagined before.
Though that’s not to say I won’t kill him.
&nbs
p; He’s at the top of my list.
Killing a relative is the only way to ensure the beast comes fully alive, which will allow me to take down the rest of them too.
I may lose myself, but I’ll save Daire in the process.
And that’s all that really matters.
I cruise past a seemingly never-ending stream of broken-down adobes. The lights dimming in the windows indicating a sleepy dump of a town settling in, while I’m just getting started.
Like Coyote, I do my best hunting at night.
I pull up to the back door, arriving at the same time as Leandro.
“How’s that for synchronicity?” He grins.
I manage half a grin in return and slip free of my car.
“A vast improvement.” He admires the custom paint, the shiny, new rims.