Page 19 of Song of Tenebrae

“When did he get out?” I ask and storm towards Hail’s room.

“About three hours ago.” Squall states, “about when I got off the phone with you. I should’ve called you back, but I honestly thought we’d have him by now.”

Wow, it took me three hours to get back home and I couldn’t even tell you what I was doing as I wandered the streets. I was in a state of confusion as I tried to decide what I would do to get Tempest to come with me, but it all ended up in me eventually having to take her by force. Now, I’ll have to grab her sooner than later. Kenny will get a hold of the elders and they will go after Tempest to spite me.

“Hail’s not here.” Torrent says as I knock on his door.

“Where the fuck is he?!” I thunder into the hall and they both wince at the noise.

“He went in search of Kenny, he says he knows where he was headed.”

“Fuck,” I hiss and run for the door. “He’s at the club.”

“Go protect your bitch.” Torrent sneers behind me but I don’t have time to argue with him about it now. “Should’ve killed the both of them when we had the chance.”

The dark part of me agrees with him, telling me that all of this would be so much easier without the added worry for her, and I almost want to give in. But when have I ever done anything the easy way?

I revel in the sound of my heart pounding as I hop in my car and tear up the driveway as I race down it. I usually walk since the club is not too far from here but I don’t have time right now. This is the most I’ve felt alive in ages and it’s not from fear, it’s excitement. Finally, I can let loose the man I’ve kept caged as I tried to change and I can put him to use, for good instead of evil. I roll my eyes at my own thoughts, evil is the wrong word. Evil is used so casually to describe just about anything and I shouldn’t use it either. I was once evil, I would take another’s life without much thought, and rejoice as their blood coated my skin.

That’s not me anymore, I’ve come to terms with my indiscretions, and now everything has a reason. I don’t take lives unnecessarily and I’ve tried to live by a moral code. I say tried because there have been times when the need was so overbearing and I had to release, like the three men outside of Tempest’s club. I could have let them be and maybe knocked them around a bit, but I needed to feel their blood and watch them die. Even so, I justified it with her safety being the reason.

I pull into the club’s parking lot just as the sun begins to rise. The sunlight has yet to touch the exterior lights and I know without a doubt the power was cut. I pull into the back and spot Hail off to the side, covered by the treeline. I get out and rush over to him. He’s wearing all black, his hoodie down over his face, and his knife out, spinning in his hands.

“I think he was here, but I missed him.” He says without taking his eyes off the second floor. “The power was out when I got here.”

“We need to take them.”

“Yeah, only they have a third now and this fucking situation continues to get more complicated by the day. Maybe Torrent is right, maybe we should get rid of them and send the proof to the elders.” No emotion in his tone as he speaks of killing the one woman that moved him the most.

“I can’t kill her.” I speak for Tempest, “she’s the one thing that makes me feel alive.”

“She hates you.”

“She cares, too.” I retort and he doesn’t dispute it.

“How do you want to do this?” he sounds tired, like he hasn’t slept in weeks. Maybe he hasn’t.

“We will take them tonight.” I grab his shoulder, “just you and me. I’ll tell Squall to ready the plane.”

“We’re taking them back there?”

“Yes, you know as well as I do, it’s the only place we can keep them safe.” I explain.

He doesn’t say anything because he knows I’m right and now that Kenny is most likely on his way to the elders, we need to move quickly.

“They won’t come easily.”

“I know,” I nod, “there will have to be force.”

“She’ll hate me even more.” He says quietly.

“I don’t think that’s possible.”

He throws me a dark glare and I shrug my shoulders. “Where’s your car?”

“I ran here.” He says.

“How’s the headache?” I can see pain clearly on his face.

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