LAILAH
FOURTEEN
In the past year, I’ve been through a lot and waking up after being tased was not an experience I ever wanted to do again.
Of course, it could be that I was lying on a concrete floor in a cell, but the bone-deep body ache I knew had to come from being electrocuted.
Rolling onto my back, I stared up at the ceiling with bright florescent lights shining down on me, illuminating the jail cell that I was in, not that there was much to look at.
The bed that was bolted to the ground didn’t even have a cot on it, leaving the springs exposed.
Clearly, they didn’t give a shit about my comfort and didn’t expect me to stay in here for that long.
“Ah, you’re awake,” a voice I recognized called out, breaking the silence of the space. “If you had just simply gone with my men, we could have avoided all this. But you had to make it difficult.”
Slowly sitting up, I found Makoto standing in front of my cell in his typical yukata with his hands folded behind his back.
The last time I’d seen him was at Christmas and the past five months hadn’t done him any favors.
His hair was now silver and there were a few more wrinkles that hadn’t been there before.
Everything about him looked tired, as if the life had been sapped out of him—which could totally be a thing if demons were involved.
“I vowed never to make things easy for the Dark Lord,” I answered, giving him the same response I did the soldier.
Makoto grunted in response before pacing in front of my cell.
“The Dark Lord doesn’t like to make things easy for those who resist him either.
Something you should keep in mind. I’ve been tasked with keeping you out of his way while the final pieces are set in motion.
During this time, I fully plan to see what the great promised weapon of Synergy is capable of.
Everything has pointed to the fact that you should be able to defeat the Dark Lord, but I don’t see it.
You are nothing but a scared little girl who doesn’t know when to quit. ”
It’d been no secret that Makoto didn’t like me and thought very little of me.
In fact, he felt that way about all the Elementi Knights and tried to do his best to keep Jay away from us, until Jay put his foot down and told his father how things were going to be.
Now I was at Makoto’s mercy and I had no idea what to expect, other than he didn’t want to kill me.
“Where are the others?” I demanded. No sense in being nice when he clearly wasn’t going to think well of me.
“They’re sleeping off the drugs they were given. It was infused with demon venom to make sure they couldn’t use their powers and bring this whole building down around our heads like they did at Pride,” he answered.
Did Makoto truly think I would believe that the bombing was their fault?
“Why would you do this to Jay? I know you’ve had your issues with the Elementi but why force your son to go through this?”
Makoto paused in his movements and met my gaze.
“My son could have been so much more but you and the other knights held him back. The Dark Lord promised that if I could get him to turn his back on the Elementi and his role, then Jalen would have a place at my side when the demons rule. What I didn’t count on was the strong connection that you and my son would have. ”
“You know we’re bonded, right? That if anything happens to me or him, it could kill us both?”
“Yes, the Dark Lord informed me of this information,” Makoto spat, his face twisted into a sneer. “Know that you sealed my son’s fate to your own and that I hold you responsible for killing him.”
The venom in his words hit me as if I’d been slapped across the face. “You’re just going to let him die when the Dark Lord kills me?”
“My son chose you over me so there is nothing left to be done. I shouldn’t be surprised, his mother chose him over me as well, but Jalen believes it was all my fault because of the lies she said about me.”
This conversation was taking a left turn, and I didn’t know how to get it back. There was still information that I needed. “Is that why you didn’t even bother to look for her when she was taken?”
“Why would I look for her when I know right where she is?” Makoto challenged.
That simple statement confirmed everything I’d hoped wasn’t true. Jay’s father sold his own wife out to manipulate his son. “What do you plan on doing now that it didn’t work?”
“She will be injected with the serum and be useful for once,” Makoto stated. “If I could do that to all of your men I would, but the Dark Lord has other plans that he hasn’t shared with me yet.”
How could Makoto believe a word that the Dark Lord says? He was a Prince of Hell and lied to everyone about everything. There was no way that anyone was surviving to see the new world he was creating.
“Cami and the others at headquarters know we’re here. How do you plan to get around that?” I inquired. If he kept telling me things, then I would know for certain that Makoto might not be willing to listen to what the Dark Lord wanted and kill me sooner just to appease his anger.
Makoto gave me a tight smile but didn’t share, making me take a deep breath of relief. “I wouldn’t put your hopes on anyone finding you before things are set in motion and you can’t stop it.”
Well that answer gave me mixed feelings...
“So what now? You have me here, as well as the others, but it seems like you’re waiting on something,” I pressed, feeling like I didn’t have the full picture just yet.
What could have happened to make Makoto turn his back on the Elementi?
This was in the works before Jay was born, since Makoto had owned his military company for thirty years or so from what Jay had told me.
His mother had trouble getting pregnant with him, so it was a happy moment to have had a son, but Makoto never saw it that way.
“I told you, while I have you here, I intend to see what the angels decided to bless you with, even though you have no connection to the Elementi whatsoever. The honor of having Synergy born into the world should have come from one of the legacy families. We’ve been a part of this war for generations, leading back to the first Elementi Knights.
No matter how many times I asked Jalen what your powers were, he never told me.
He wouldn’t even tell me what your spirit weapons were. ”
My eyes widened at the fact that Jay would hold this information back when so many others at Ryevick knew all about what I could do. Did Jay really not trust his father to such a deep level?
“Maybe Jay knew you couldn’t be trusted but hoped he was wrong about you,” I mused. Makoto had shown he had a temper so maybe he would let something slip if I got him angry at me.
“Jalen is smarter than people ever give him credit for. He’s quiet so people say things around him, but they also assume it means he’s not very bright. Turns out it’s quite the opposite. He uses people’s perceptions against them.”
Okay, well that plan backfired.
“Enough of this. I know you’re trying to do your best to get information out of me, and while I admire the attempt, you’re not skilled at it,” Makoto pointed out as he signaled to a guard.
“You seem alert enough to put you through some evaluations. If you choose to fight this, my men won’t have any issues reminding you what a cattle prod can do. ”
The guard unlocked the cell and grabbed my arm, yanking me to my feet and dragging me after him as he headed down the hall.
We left the jail area, but I didn’t see anyone else in any of the other cells, telling me the guys were in another area.
I didn’t have much of a chance to take things in as I was muscled around and shoved into a room that reminded me of the warded training room back at Ryevick.
It was the only place we could fight and use our powers without worrying about destroying anything.
“It’s up to you if you live through these evaluations,” Makoto said before he closed the door, leaving me alone in the room.
My gut told me I was not going to like whatever happened next but I didn’t plan on dying anytime soon, so I would do what was needed.
Another door opened, and a woman was shoved through before the door was slammed shut.
She looked to be around my age. Her clothes looked ragged and dirty like she’d been locked up for quite some time.
Her body was thin enough you could see her bones and when she lifted her head to look at me, her eyes were completely black.
I gasped and involuntarily took a step back from her, feeling a wave of evil coming off her.
“What happened to you?” I whispered.
At my words, her face split into a smile that was all teeth, and those teeth were pointed like a shark, not human at all.
“I was freed from Hell only to be trapped in this useless human body. That’s what happened to me.
Why do you smell so delicious? They’ve sent lots of people for me to play with but none as sweet as you. What makes you different?”
“They’ve done this to others?” I gasped. “And you killed them?”
“A demon’s got to eat and the souls of those they leave with me are my favorite food,” she informed me with a chuckle. “Most of them were failed subjects of the serum but you, you are something else entirely.”
She advanced on me, her clawed hand reaching out to me as if she could just pluck my soul right out of my body.
Who knows, maybe she could since I couldn’t tell what type of demon she was.
Nothing I learned seemed to come close to what she is other than the higher demons like the one who tried to poison me back when I first came into my powers.
Stumbling back, I tripped over my own feet and fell to the floor, making the demon laugh.
“Oh, you are going to be so much fun to play with before I kill you and eat your soul for dinner. I can tell it’s a powerful one that will help me level up and give me a chance to get out of this fucking place,” she snarled.
“Wait, you’re trapped here?” I asked. “What if I helped you get out of here?”
“Now what fun would that be? No, I would much rather eat you, then take my chances with the old man,” she said, crouching down as if she was preparing to spring at me.
Since the events at the catacombs, the guys have been adamant about my training and felt it would also help me with my panic attacks.
Right now, I was so glad that they had beaten it into my muscles because when she launched herself at me, I reacted before my brain could catch up.
Rolling to the left, then popping up to my feet with my sai in my hands, I was ready to deflect the kick she sent my way.
Now, in no way was I at the level of the guys but I could hold my own, although no matter what, I was always better at defensive moves than attacking.
“Ho-ho! You’re an Elementi!” she announced excitedly. “That just made this all the more exciting! Now I know if I eat you, I’ll be able to free myself and eat all the souls I desire.”
This time when she attacked, it was faster and harder, forcing me to be on the defensive, not giving me a chance to make a move on her.
I’d been trying to keep what skills I had to myself but it seemed that Makoto wasn’t going to let that happen and purposefully put me with a powerful demon.
When a kick glanced off my cheek, I knew I needed to get some space between us so I could recenter myself.
Throwing up a shield, I shoved her back from me so hard, she slammed into the wall, leaving a dent.
“Would you look at that, the little girl has tricks,” the demon mumbled, getting to her feet. “Seems like I need to stop playing around.”
I gulped. If she’d just been toying with me, I knew defeating her was going to be impossible without using everything I had to my advantage.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled on my powers and wrapped them around me like a cloak.
I felt my sai shift into my short sword and shield, along with armor settling over my body, offering me protection.
Geared up, I settled into a low stance with my shield raised, ready for whatever this demon was going to throw at me.
“Now, if that isn’t a neat trick! I’m not sure all the armor in the world could save you from me,” she taunted as her claws extended, making me think of Wolverine.
She came flying at me, kicking out with both feet but I was able to deflect her and swing with my sword as she fumbled off balance.
The tip of my blade sliced into her side, making her scream out an ungodly sound that made my teeth hurt.
Infuriated, she rolled away only to use the wall to shove off of to slam into me.
My shield smashed into my chest, knocking the wind out of me.
I threw up a second shield, blocking her claws from slicing along my neck.
Getting a better grip on my shield, I tossed her off, sending her rolling and giving me a chance to get back to my feet.
I knew what needed to be done, but I hated it.
The only way that I could end this was to end her just as I had Ubel.
It would give me a fresh set of nightmares to live with.
Dropping my sword and shield to reclaim my sai, I ran full tilt at the demon, who grinned and charged right at me, meeting my attack.
This time, I ducked low and grabbed her around the stomach, taking her down to the ground.
Her claws sliced at my arms as she fought to get me off her but I ignored the pain, pushing through it.
Taking one of my sai, I drove it point first into her heart and flooded her with my power.
“I will set you free, just not the way you wanted,” I whispered into her ear. “Tell the Dark Lord that I’m coming for him and nothing will stop me from destroying him and removing him from existence. He won’t have a place on earth or in Hell. He will just cease to exist.”
“He won’t let you win, Synergy,” she choked out as my power consumed the demon infesting this woman’s body. “The time of the Elementi has come to an end.”
“On that we agree, but it will be because demons will be too scared to have us hunt them down by the time this is all over. They will know that humanity is protected by me and I won’t stand for anyone else fucking with them,” I growled as I shoved more power into her, shattering the demon who’d been possessing her.
As I watched the woman’s eyes return to normal, a pair of sad hazel eyes looked up at me. “Is it over?” she whispered as blood trickled out of her mouth.
“Yes, it’s over. You can rest now. You’ve been fighting for a long time. I’ll take it from here,” I answered, stroking hair out of her face as she gave me a smile of relief.
I knew she wouldn’t be the last person who lost their life in this battle but it didn’t have to happen like this. Makoto was the reason this woman was dead. He had forced me into killing her, which I would never forgive him for.