Insidious: (The Marked Mage Chronicles, Book 1) Read online

  “Who did this to me?”

  “That’s the million dollar question,” growled Russell, cutting a glare at Blackburn.

  “Don’t look at me,” said Reese. “If I was her Maker, I’d put everybody’s minds at ease and confess so I can get the hell out of here.” He continued fidgeting at the binds with no luck before looking to me again. “But back to my original point, Changelings have pretty much all the same skills and abilities as full-blooded Reapers, yet they’re still not heralded as equals to most Purebloods.”

  Mr. Reynolds’s face contorted, and I couldn’t tell if it was the comment or the truth behind it that upset him.

  “Why’s that?” I asked.

  “It’s not that Changelings are looked down upon; it’s just that they pose a risk to Reapers such as ourselves,” said Adam. “Hellhounds were created by the demon Ba‘al Berith, a chief prince in Hell. He tempts men and women alike to commit murder and destruction by way of a demonic virus. When an ordinary human is infected, it opens them up to possession. A malevolent earthbound spirit can take over the body of the host. Reapers are immune to the disease, as they were blessed by angelic blood. Changelings, however, still have human DNA, which makes them susceptible to the virus. If infected, the Changeling turns into a Hellhound.”

  The growing pit in my stomach deepened as I looked over at Reese. That’s why I was attacked in the alley. “How do you get infected?”

  “You have to be bitten,” said Adam. “Hellhounds generally go for the neck. Their fangs pierce the jugular vein, so the venom gets into the system faster.”

  “Wouldn’t you bleed out?” I asked.

  “You’d think, but it’s said that something in the venom causes the wound to immediately heal after the fangs are removed.”

  Well, that didn’t sound too pleasant. “What happens if you get turned?”

  “We can’t be turned, because we’re pureblood Reapers, from birth. If you get bitten,” clarified Russell, “then you become a member of Hell’s chief assassins. A shape-shifter with an uncontrollable blood lust.”

  “Hellhounds don’t have any feelings. No remorse, no sense of pain. They kill at will, and the only thing they care about is carrying out their mission. We’re the only ones strong enough to defeat them, so taking us out is a Hellhound’s top priority,” said Mr. Reynolds. “And since Changelings can be turned, they seek out the likes of you in the hope of increasing their numbers.”

  “What about all the Mages? If they’re really as powerful as you claim, then wouldn’t they have already taken over by now?” I asked, uneasy. “I mean, they’ve had hundreds of years.”

  “There hasn’t been a Mage for over two centuries,” said Mr. Reynolds. “You may have heard of what most would refer to as the ‘18th-Century Vampire Controversy.’ A Mage is said to have had the ability of telekinesis, along with resurrection, among many other talents. And they could just as easily infect a Changeling. Hysteria broke out all across Europe as people reported reanimated corpses terrorizing towns and cities. It wasn’t until a renowned physician by the name of Gerhard van Swieten investigated the claims that the epidemic finally ended. He concluded it was nothing more than fear and inane superstition that drove the hysteria. What the books leave out was the fact that he was a Reaper. Under the guise of night, he and his men led a crusade to eradicate all Mages stalking the whole of the continent. By the end of the 1700s, all existence of these so-called vampires had been wiped out.”

  “So, are any of you Changelings?” I asked.

  Everyone went rigid.

  Mr. Reynolds finally shook his head. “We don’t fight alongside Changelings. Don’t get me wrong, they’re just as capable as Purebloods when it comes to killing Hellhounds, but…”

  “You’re a liability no less,” finished another man. “The last thing we want is for a Changeling to be turned into a Hellhound with the knowledge of where to find all of us. They’ll bring Hell with them and slaughter us all.”

  “So, you can bring people back from the dead, but you don’t have any relationships with them? Not even a loved one?”

  “We prefer not to sustain close friendships with Changelings, for security sake. And Reapers know better than to mate with someone outside of their order,” said Russell. He stole a hardened glance over at Adam, and it stung. Had that been why Mr. Reynolds warned me about dating his son when I moved to town? Is that why Adam had pushed me away? Because I wasn’t a Reaper?

  “We’ve strayed off topic,” said Mr. Reynolds. “The point here is, we need to be more vigilant than ever. Demonic activity in these parts has increased greatly over the past few weeks, and we need to know why. Kat, do you remember who resurrected you?”

  I shook my head.

  “Shame.” Mr. Reynolds tucked Reese’s blade back into his jacket.

  “What difference would that make?”

  “Well, for all we know, there’s a rogue Reaper out there, making Changelings without our knowledge. Anyone who’s brought back is now a target for demonic infection. We could be overrun by a new army of Hellhounds and not even know it until it comes to our doorstep.” Mr. Reynolds ran his hands through his hair, ruffling up the thick mass. “We all have to be diligent from here on out. Any sign of a Hellhound, report it to me.”

  I opened my mouth, but Reese threw me a warning look. “What?” I mouthed.

  He shook his head ever so slightly.

  “How do you spot one of these things if it hasn’t gone full-on Wolfman on you?” I asked instead.

  “Unfortunately, they’re not easy to spot. Unlike demons inhabiting a human vessel, Hellhounds don’t have obvious telltale signs, like black eyes. If it’s someone you know, you’ll probably notice a change in their personality. They’re generally charming, to lure in their victims, but they’re incapable of displaying any real emotions other than rage. Crying is impossible.”

  “Charming, void of feeling, and murderous,” I pondered. “So basically Patrick Bateman meets Hannibal Lecter. Lovely.”

  “Folklore concerning both the Werewolf and Vampire are reasonably accurate depictions to that of a Hellhound. A member of the infected will bear bite marks from when he or she was attacked, most likely on the side of their neck, but it can be anywhere. They’ll also be branded with a pentagram on the back of their neck as a mark of their master,” confirmed Adam. “Crucifixes make Hellhounds agitated, but only holy water and silver hurts them. And you can only kill a Hellhound by either decapitating them or piercing their heart with a silver blade blessed by a member of the clergy. If you think you’re being followed, try taking shelter in a church. Neither Hellhounds nor demons can step foot on holy grounds.

  “Why don’t Hellhounds just go after regular human beings?” I asked. “They were once part-Reaper, so they’d have the same abilities. Wouldn’t it be easier to just kill a human, bring them back to life, and then bite them?”

  “Only Mages and pureblood Reapers were ever known to bring the dead back to life. It’s not a talent Changelings and Hellhounds possess.”

  That foreign feeling stirred beneath my skin, pulling at my insides, as if it could sense what I was thinking.

  The bird that hit the house.

  The bird that had been dead.

  The bird that I’d brought back to life.

  How?

  Chapter 10

  Seven Nation Army

  Adam offered to drop Reese back off at the mall once we were finished, promising to take me home afterward. I stole a look in the backseat, seeing Reese rubbing the back of his head tenderly. He obviously still hadn’t fully healed yet. Just as he brought his hand back down, the streetlights overhead highlighted the sliver of skin exposed between his sleeve and fingerless glove. I froze.

  Reese noticed where my eyes had settled, and he suddenly yanked the fabric of his shirt down.

  We pulled into the parking lot a few minutes later. Reese didn’t say another word, bolting from the Jeep.

  “You’re welcome,” mut
tered Adam under his breath.

  I opened my door as well.

  “Kat?”

  “I forgot, I need to pick up a delivery for my mom at the boutique,” I said, gesturing to the building. “Carly and Daniel are here. I’ll grab a ride with them.”

  “I can wait,” assured Adam.

  “No. I could use a little space, some time to process everything. I’ll be fine. Thank you.” I hurried off to the front entrance, hearing Adam’s Jeep drive off behind me. Confirming he was gone, I looked over my shoulder and bolted sideways through the parking lot. Finding my way back to the Cineplex, I spotted Reese hastily walking towards his truck parked in the far back of the lot.

  “Hey!” I called out, running up to meet him.

  He stiffened, but didn’t turn.

  “What is that?”

  “What’s what?” He tried to sound purely annoyed, but it was obvious he was flustered.

  “Don’t play dumb with me.” I snatched his wrist, pulling up his sleeve. “What is this?”

  Reese yanked his hand away, frantically shoving the material back down. His voice fell quiet as he nervously looked around the desolate parking lot. “Nothing. It’s just a tattoo. Let it go.”

  He started making his way back to his rusty old truck, but I cut him off. “Bullshit. Those symbols,” I said, pointing to his arm, “They mean something. What?”

  Reese rolled his eyes and scoffed, as per usual. “Why do you care? Everything you need to know, your boyfriend already told you. I’m sure you’ll find him to be far better company than me. Okay?”

  Heat started to singe the inside of my left hand, and I could feel blood rushing to my ears as he plowed past me again. “What the hell is your problem?”

  He stalled, but didn’t turn around to face me.

  “All I ever tried to do is be nice to you, and you treat me like shit! Why?”

  “Get in the truck.” The words were barely audible, and I wasn’t sure if I heard him right. But he nodded over to the vehicle just the same, unlocking both the doors.

  “No,” I snapped. “Not till you tell me what’s going on.”

  “I am. Get in the truck,” Reese growled through clenched teeth. “Please.”

  I reluctantly rounded the old beater and climbed into the passenger seat, slamming the door a bit more forcefully than I had intended. Reese got behind the wheel, but didn’t say anything.

  “Well?”

  “I can’t risk being near you,” he finally grounded out, his breathing ragged and sharp.

  “…because?” I urged, seeing him fall silent once more. When he didn’t answer, I kicked the passenger door open. “Unbelievable.”

  “I’m not trying to be an asshole,” Reese muttered.

  “And yet you’ve achieved it admirably,” I quipped, climbing out.

  “I’m not a Reaper. Or a Changeling.”

  I froze again, my foot failing to connect with the pavement.

  “And I’m not a Hellhound,” he quickly added, clearly spotting the evident look of fear in my eyes. There was something on Reese’s own face I’d never seen before, except for the night at the gas station. He looked…scared.

  My hand slid off the door handle, and I apprehensively settled back into the seat.

  Reese already seemed to be regretting what little he had already said, but he nevertheless pulled up the sleeve to his tattooed arm. Just like me, his entire forearm was covered in patterned metallic ink. “They’re runes. When a Mage comes of age, he or she receives their own distinct set. Each rune represents a unique ability. The more powerful the Mage, the more powerful their runes will be.”

  “Mage? I thought-”

  “We were eradicated centuries ago? Not quite.” He huffed. “What your good friends failed to tell you was that when those benevolent angels fell from Heaven to change them into Reapers, those same angels weren’t allowed to go back to Heaven. Once you leave, you’re earthbound. Their bodies became mortal, and they had to wait to die for their souls to return to Heaven.

  “While they were here, they, too, bred with human women, but their offspring was virtuous. Just as there are good and bad people in the world, there are dark Mages and light Mages. While a dark Mage summons their powers through demonic energy, a light Mage draws their energy from the elements. We’re not evil. Or vampiric.

  “But that didn’t stop Swieten in his holy quest; he and his men killed all Mages, including Light. They believed any Mage could use his or her powers for evil, so it became decree amongst Reapers to execute every last one. No one suspects them to still be around, and the last few of our kind wish to keep it that way,” said Reese.

  “So if Reynolds found out about you, you’d…”

  “Be sent to a Texas cakewalk?” he finished. “Yeah. Dead as a doornail.”

  A new wave of nausea hit, and it wasn’t from being hungry.

  “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about this. About me.”

  I nodded, but he glowered at me. “I promise. I won’t say anything.”

  “Not even to Adam. I mean, you can’t even mention the possibility of Mages, at all. If he so much as thinks about the chance that we still exist—”

  “I said I promise.”

  “It’s easier said than done.” To say Reese was disquieted by the confession would be putting it mildly. He kept fidgeting about, and if he pulled any harder on his hair, I was pretty sure he’d end up with a bald spot.

  “Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure it’s in both our best interests that I keep my distance from Adam,” I clarified.

  “And why’s that?” he grumbled, hardly convinced.

  I pulled up the sleeve of my shirt, showing him my new, dazzling—and completely unwarranted—artwork that I’d been so diligently hiding.

  His face went pale.

  Not the reaction I was hoping for.

  He grabbed my arm, turning it every which way to examine the markings. “When the hell did you get these?”

  “About two and a half hours ago.”

  Reese’s eyes practically bulged from his head. “All at once?”

  “Yeah, and it hurt like a MoFo.” I told him all about what happened on my way to Slippery Pete’s, and the color never returned to his cheeks. Something was up. “What is it?”

  “I’ve never seen these runes before.” He continued to ogle at the markings with equal parts fear and fascination. “My father’s journals cataloged every rune he himself collected and had ever come across, so I can double-check it, but none of them are ringing a bell.”

  “I thought your father was a Reaper…”

  “I never said that.” A mischievous grin pulled at his lips. “Part of the upside to dealing with people who think they know everything: they make assumptions. If Adam and his father want to believe that, I have no objections.”

  “Why didn’t you want me to tell them what happened, with the Hellhound in the alley?”

  His amusement vanished at the mention. “You heard what they said back there. As a Changeling, you’re a liability to them, even more so now that you know the identities to half a dozen members of their charter. If they learn you’ve been directly targeted by Hellhounds, you’re more than a liability. You’ve become a threat. And I can guarantee you, they’re not the types of people that leave loose ends.”

  “You seriously think Adam or Mr. Reynolds would actually do something to me?”

  “Them? No. But I wouldn’t put it past one of Reynolds’s cronies.” He motioned to my arm. “And that only makes things more complicated. They’d kill a Mage, no questions asked. But a Mage that could potentially be bitten, who will use their magic for demonic warfare? You’d be dead before you hit the ground.”

  “Gee, thanks, Debby Downer. Any other words of encouragement you’d like to share?”

  “Be on your guard. Considering your newly acquired runes, it’s safe to say that whoever resurrected you is a Mage as well. We don’t know who they are or what they want, so you’re gonna
have to be vigilant.”

  “Wow, you’re officially a human depressant. You know that?”

  “Hey.” He returned my arm to my side. “We’ll figure it out. Okay?”

  “We?”

  ***

  Yeah, the thought of counting on Reese for help sounded about as pleasant as a kick to the teeth. I had hoped that the idea would look better in the light of day, but oh boy, was I wrong. All I came to find was that I was truly out of options. Confiding in the only real father figure I’ve had in recent memory was off the table, and I was now officially afraid of Adam.

  What I’d give to be invisible.

  It seemed like everyone wanted to talk to me the moment I got to school the following morning. I’d literally flung myself into the janitor’s closet to avoid running into Adam when I saw him coming down the hall. The weather even seemed to agree with my misery. Though it was well after sunrise, it barely looked like dawn had arrived. Low rumbles teased of impending storms in the distance, but none had reached town…yet. Relieved to get into class without any further incidents, I exhaustedly plopped down into my desk and put some music on to drown out the chaos. Between my racing thoughts and the fear of levitation-inducing nightmares, I secured yet another sleepless night under my belt.

  A few minutes later, I could see Carly slide into the seat beside me out of my peripherals, but I kept my eyes focused on my textbook, listening to Jack White sing about the hounds of Hell.

  Seriously?

  Music was usually my favorite form of escapism. But the more I listened to my playlists, the more and more I noticed how biblically rife so many songs were. Everything somehow referenced demons, angels, devils, and Satan himself. I couldn’t escape it.

  “Hey.” Carly outright pried the bud from my ear. “What happened to you last night?”

  “What?”

  “Daniel said you were at the mall. Why didn’t you say hello? I really could have used your advice on this sweater I found.”

  “I’m sure it was cute,” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes tiredly.

  “Well, it better be. I’m wearing it,” she jabbed.