Page 69 of Dead End

Cal glared at her, confusing me for a second before it clicked. The picture in the library, the love-struck look her mom was throwing at the mayor as he stared at my mom. Icahbod had a thing for my mom! And now Payton seemed to be up my ass about wanting to take shit from her? I wanted nothing to do with it or her creepy Elite. In fact, I didn’t even know what I was still doing here. We were standing around arguing like little children. And there I’d been, shaking in my boots over a bit of chanting and hooded robes...

“Well, it’s been a pleasure, and I’m sure it would have been fun, but I’m going to bounce and call it a day. I deny entry into the Society.” I saluted them all and stepped back into the arched entrance, but I froze when Cal and Payton both glanced my way.

“You don’t want to know anything about the Society? Your parents were in it after all.” Cal pointed it out, his expression confused, as I continued backing up. “They practically ran the Elites.”

“From what I was told, it sounds like a group of friends who were like family until they weren’t. I don’t need to join this little club to connect with my parents. I have a feeling this isn’t a family but a cult.” I waved my hand around, gesturing to the silent members, who were watching our little standoff. They were still sort of humming under their breaths.

“You stupid mortal,” Payton hissed. “You’ll join and follow my leadership. I’ll take my rightful place, and you’ll be the one submitting to me. It’s my destiny, not yours.” She then whipped out a small knife from her cloak pocket and grabbed my forearm in a tight grip. “‘I pledge my loyalty, my life, and my so-called legacy to the Society. I will concede under your rule.’ Repeat it!”

Payton tried to slice and dice my arm like a psychopath, but I punched her in the boob with my other fist. She released me with an astonished glare. I suddenly knew her tatas had to be fake, because that should have hurt like a son of a bitch. Cal was standing next to her, watching warily as he rubbed the back of his neck, not looking me in the eye. He didn’t even try to stop her.

“Fine, bitch! You're just a pathetic mortal anyway. You don’t deserve to be elite. I don’t care if your parents were the leaders back in the day or that Cal thinks it’s your rightful place. He’s wrong. I don’t even know why I allowed you to come. I’ve earned this, not you!” Payton was spitting nonsense as she screamed in my face, snapping her fingers at one of the other members. “But you don’t get to walk away like you’re better than us.”

Her smile was suddenly sinister. I needed to get out of this crazy town because this chick was off her rocker. I didn’t even want to be here, and I didn’t give a shit about any legacy anymore. It wasn’t going to give me any of the answers I was looking for, apparently.

“Listen, I don’t want to join. It’s yours, Payton. My parents were happily married, and my mom loved my dad, not Ichabod. Your mother can totally go after him if she wants; I’m sure they would make a lovely couple.” I was rambling, backing away, and ignoring Cal’s grimace at the thought of them becoming siblings.

I felt that, I really did. A hooded member stepped forward, her yellow skin peeking out through her cloak as she handed something small to Payton. The crazy bitch turned back to me with a creepy smile edging around her lips. She opened her palms for me to see what was inside.

My breath caught in my throat, and my heart dropped to my stomach. Tucked in a small ball in the center of Payton’s palm was my familiar, her eight little beady eyes half-lidded as she stared up at me, trying in vain to get up, but her legs collapsed under her.

“Did you drug Jessica?” I cried out, stepping forward to grab her, but Payton held her out of reach.

“Why, yes, I did. It’s been a trip watching her for the past few days and listening to her cry out for you. Necromancer’s love dead things, right?” She grinned as she held the small knife over Jessica’s body. Her little legs were trembling as she reached for me helplessly.

“October…” Jessica whispered softly, her voice weak from the drugs or whatever potion she’d been given. I couldn’t help but whimper because I felt her fear as if it were my own. I was about to lose my familiar. She was part of me, and I didn’t think I could handle losing her too.

“Payton, what the fuck are you doing?! You can’t harm a familiar; it goes against our laws! Give her back to October right now!” Cal ordered, his hands fisted at his side until, at the last moment, he reached forward to grab Jessica.

He was too late. I was too late.

“Maybe Jessica can say hi to your parents.” With an unhinged chuckle, Payton brought her knife down, piercing through Jessica’s fur and exoskeleton and straight to the heart.

“No!” My legs buckled as agony rippled through my body, endless pain that I felt the moment the blade sank in.

“That’s what you get when you try to take what’s rightfully mine,” Payton sneered down at me, but I was hardly listening as she dropped Jessica in my lap.

I frantically cradled her close as blood coated my fingers, and I didn’t even realize someone was trying to get me to stand by pulling on my elbow until I looked up through my tears to see Cal’s worried face.

“We need to get out of here. Let’s get her to the manor!” He helped me to my feet as I frantically checked on Jessica, finding a weak pulse under her neck.

“It’s going to be okay... I’ll fix you. You’re m-mine, damnit. I’m going to take care of you.” I kept muttering to her gently, praying I had time.

By some miracle, we made it back to the broom closet with the sound of Payton laughing behind us. But nobody seemed to be laughing with her. I had a feeling she’d crossed a line, even for the Society. Maddie gasped the moment she saw us, dropping the broom she had between her legs.

“Oh god! What happened? Cal, what are you doing here?” Her gaze swung back and forth between us before landing on Jessica in my palm. “Oh no!” Maddie rushed over, pushing a pacing Cal away to hover over Jessica as tears gathered in her eyes, too.

“I’m going to get a message to my father and have this handled. Maddie, fly her back, and I’ll meet you there.” Cal shot off, not seeing the hurt look Maddie threw his way or the betrayal deep in her eyes.

Maddie wrapped an arm over my shoulder and led me to the broom she was playing with seconds ago. We heard a muttering voice and looked behind us to see Cal talking down at something in the shadowed corner.

“Tell my father that a sacred law was broken tonight, and tell him the whole story. Make it quick.” I watched in shock as the dummy in the trench coat stepped out of the dark with his little porcelain hands shoved in the deep pockets of his coat. He looked at me with genuine pity.

“I hope that spider gal will make a quick recovery. I quite like her.” I watched his lips move, the small square of his mouth coming unhinged as he turned just his head in our direction before running away with his porcelain heels clicking on the ground at a fast pace up the stairs.

“Oh my god, he’s real. Jessica kept trying to tell us, but we didn’t listen. Maddie said sadly, her voice laced with guilt, and narrowed her eyes at Cal before scooting forward on the broom so I could climb on back.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know she had her,” Cal said with a look of genuine remorse in his amber eyes.

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