Slow acting, my ass, you fucking blue devil.“You will still have your powers.”How about NO powers, Murmur. This isn’t even close to unreliable; it’s like it’s not even here.
Next time I see Bez, I’m requesting a BLUE sheath for my next set of weapons, and I’m willing to help skin Murmur to get it.
That is, if I live that long.
CHAPTER 18
Sibling Rivalry
Rez
Loose gravel crunches underneath Cain’s weight as he approaches, and all thought leaves me as the light from the lone bulb slowly reveals a monster masquerading as a man.
What I saw in that shadowy realm must have been the vanilla version of what the demons run screaming from when the bogeyman crawls out from under their bed. Cain must be able to manipulate his image in his shadowy realm because what stands before me now is nothing like what I saw on our first night.
Tonight, he’s wearing an outfit that, if I didn’t know better, I would swear he was on his way to the meet-and-greet. His deep-red designer shirt is tight across his chest, the top buttons open, and the sleeves rolled up to reveal his exposed, not unattractive display of muscled skin as his black slacks hug his legs as if painted on. I know it’s just a facade, because one step inside that building and the whole function would shatter into chaos, and given the high-ranking and unstable individuals inside, it would jump-start the Apocalypse.
In this realm, he’s still a foot taller than me, but he’s wider in the shoulders than Knox, and there’s a darker aura pulsing from him. It’s as if he’s a black hole, and the lack of his moral compass or soul pulls at mine, leaving a deep chill within my bones.
I remembered his piercing gray eyes staring at me before, as if he was marking me as prey. Tonight, though, there’s the essence of crimson and onyx power swirling within those silver depths. What I thought was Cain smoking a cigarette is actually his mark glowing with power. No matter how he looks or what he wears, you can’t help but stare at his namesake: the mark of Cain. I definitely didn’t get a good look at it before, but I can’t take my eyes off the blaring, intricate red glow of his forehead. His mark has labyrinthine swirls that make an upside-down pitchfork with four scythes that branch off the handle, and it looks imposing, but it’s the slight pulsing of power that really grabs my attention.
What power does it hold?
Cain’s lip pulls up slightly in a cruel smirk, drawing attention to a scar across his upper lip, and I wonder how he got that and why I didn’t notice it before in his shadow realm, and is that a slightly broken nose?Sheesh.
I bet he got that along with his broken nose when he was murdering his brother.
“Good guess, but no. I got that after I killed my first wife.”
“I said that out loud?” I struggle to swallow as I feel my saliva thicken in my throat.Shit,there goes my badassery persona.
“Believe me, your persona was never in question,” he scoffs.
Rude much?
His cocky expression only brings attention to his strong jaw with his 5 o’clock shadow, which makes me want to deck him.
Yeah, that’s the only thing he’s missing from his facade, a black eye or a bruise on his jaw.
“There’s no facade. What you see is what you get,” Cain corrects me, and I’m starting to get frustrated.
“Am I just talking out loud, or are you really hearing my fucking thoughts?” I decide to ask since he’s so willing to offer up words of random shit. “And while we’re at it, what the hell do you want with me, and where is my dog?”
“Pfft. You call that a dog? He’s a fucking chew toy forrealHellhounds.” He chuckles as he pulls his arms behind his back and slowly begins to circle me like I’m prey.
It's a trick, it has to be, to leave himself open like this. It’s like he’s begging me to attack first. Then again, this is Cain we’re talking about, and everyone has heard about the Mark of Cain; his curse to live forever.
The first murderer.
The royal and first asshole.
Hell, it seems God himself marked where Cain’s ass was with a glow stick highlighter so everyone could see it. Well, to me it’s a damn bullseye, and I’m not letting him out of my sight as I rotate my stance to continue to face him.
“To answer your other questions, yes. I can pick up some of your thoughts, Rez, but don’t worry, our connection will only get stronger with time. And to answer the question, what do I want with you? I wanted to meet my little sister.” His lips pull back into a semblance of a smile, but it looks more like a sneer. “I’ve never had a little sister.”
I stumble back as his words hit me, but it doesn’t stop the filter on my mouth. “I bet you’re not the type to have had a fluffy bunny either. I have a feeling you feel more at home rolling around in a viper pit.” I flip my wrists, causing my long, sheer sleeves to reveal my glaives, and Cain clucks his tongue in disappointment.
“Aww, now come on, sis, is this really how you should treat your brother? With hostility when all I’ve done is try to get toknow you?” he mocks as I recoil with my jaw slightly agape, although he would make a good point if what he said was true.
