Death's Mantle: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Revelations Book 1) Read online

  No, it was because he was relatively sure the two hadn’t spoken since their breakup a few weeks ago. Since then, Mal had alternated between a sort of detached reality and blind hatred. It made reconciliation seem impossible, especially now that Kim had started dating their other friend, Caden. It was frustrating because even though part of him wanted to write Caden off, not just for being stupid enough to date Kim, but for helping her shatter their tiny group. Unfortunately, he couldn’t because Caden was the captain of Ian’s swim team and his actions weren’t exactly un-Caden-like.

  Caden was best summed up by a story he often told. He had been making salsa one day, cutting up peppers and mixing them together in a bowl. Well, later that day he met a thin-waisted, big-breasted girl, whose waist seemed to become thinner in the same way her breasts became larger with each retelling. One thing had led to another when the girl suddenly screamed, “it burns!” and ran off to the bathroom. The moral of the story, he had said, was to always wash your hands, especially after making salsa.

  Ian still remembered when the six of them had been all but inseparable. Sometimes they built a fire in one of the fire pits on the beach or swung on the swings. Occasionally, Jesse would break out his guitar and start singing. Ian remembered how, one night, several kids from another high school had come to the beach after their formal and listened to Jesse play his guitar for several songs before their limo driver called them back to the car.

  It had been incredibly chilly that night, and most of his friends huddled around the fire. The cold never really seemed to bother Ian. He liked the temperature downright frosty, almost relished it, in fact. This particular time, he had been sitting on the swings when Amy came over to swing next to him, and though he wasn’t sure why she had come to join him, her presence there in the darkness with him had been comforting. Unknowingly, they began to swing together in unison.

  “Uh oh, looks like we’ll be together forever,” Amy said in between sudden bursts of laughter.

  “Why’s that?” Ian called back his voice nearly catching in his throat as his heart beat excitedly in his chest. Sure, Amy was dating his childhood friend, and he wouldn’t have known her if Jesse hadn’t introduced them, but ever since they’d met he had felt drawn to her. Did she feel the same? What if she did? Could they do anything about it while she was dating his friend?

  “Don’t you know the rule? If you swing at the same time as someone else, you’re destined to be together forever.” Amy smiled at him, her flawless auburn hair flashing around her in the firelight cast by the fire pit several yards away. “That’s why little girls always struggle to swing at the same pace as the boys they like.”

  Was she admitting she liked him too? Ian almost asked. Hell, he almost leapt from his swing and took her in his arms. But he didn’t. She was dating Jesse after all. That would be wrong of him to do, no matter how he felt. Besides, he didn’t want to make her like Kim, always cheating on Malcom at every opportunity like she was the wind trying to sow her seeds across the land.

  Ian swallowed and looked away, shoving down the feelings swelling inside him. Part of him knew Amy was just flirting harmlessly with him, but another part sort of wished she would just ignore him completely. That would make things easier.

  Soon after, they both retired to the comfort of the fire where the rest of their group sat making s’mores, and Amy fell into Jesse’s embrace. The sight made him strangely jealous, though he wasn’t quite sure why. Except that wasn’t entirely true… Even though Caden was there too, Ian still always felt like he should be in Jesse’s place at these gatherings. He was never quite sure why Caden didn’t feel like a fifth wheel either since he didn’t have a girlfriend, but then again, the guy was so busy he didn’t always come to these gatherings. Maybe his busyness was an excuse?

  “Oh yeah! I almost forgot to tell you guys. Ian and I are going to be together forever!” Amy squealed as the fire popped and snapped in front of her, making her excited brown eyes shimmer.

  “You guys swing at the same time?” Kim asked a strange sort of giddiness in her voice as she looked in his direction and winked. Amy nodded in affirmation. “Well, it’s fact then. You can’t argue with swings.” The two girls laughed, and Ian felt his heart sink into his toes.

  Of course, it was just a joke, but still… sometimes he wished it wasn’t. As the fire burned in front of him, illuminating Amy’s perfect mouth in the dance of firelight, he wondered what it would feel like pressed to his own. He mentally smacked himself and forced himself to look away. Thankfully, it was dark enough that no one seemed to notice his cheeks burning.

  Jesse glanced up at Ian, shadows shrouding his face as he hugged Amy close. The look on his face was very clear. It said, “You’re going to have to pry her out of my cold, dead hands first.”

  And there was the rub. Even if he somehow were to date Amy, it would likely destroy his friendship with Jesse, and while the two weren’t as close as they had been during childhood, even looking at Amy sort of felt like a betrayal. No… no, it would be better for him to push his feelings down where no one could see them and be happy for his friend… right?

  The rest of the night passed without incident, but soon after both Malcom and Kim came to school no longer a couple. Neither would say what happened and even though it tore the group apart, neither would hang out with the other person after that. Ian had tried to talk to Malcom about it, tried to get them to remain friends, which admittedly was crazy because Kim had cheated on him so many times it was mind boggling as to why he would want them to stay together. Especially since, Malcom had already accepted so much…

  Then again, when they were together, the rightness of it was almost like a gravitational force. It was only when they were apart that they became truly destructive. It was like whatever bond they shared only made them sane when they were in close proximity to one another and without that closeness, all bets were off.

  Unfortunately, this time it really seemed like their relationship was over because Caden and Kim had gotten together a few days ago. Now he couldn’t do anything but watch his group of friends shatter into tiny, isolated groups.

  At first he tried not to let it bother him, tried to convince himself everyone would get over it, and they’d all go back to hanging out together. Yesterday though, Malcom had snapped. He’d walked into the bookstore where Caden worked, and screaming about betrayal, slugged him as hard as he could.

  Caden hit the ground, and Malcom continued to wail on him. Moments later, Malcom was smothered by a blanket of humanity while Caden escaped outside minus the piercing on his eyebrow. That same eyebrow ring was now on a thin piece of black wire around Malcom’s neck. It was sort of macabre, and when Ian tried to persuade Mal to get rid of it, well, it didn’t exactly go well.

  Despite all that, Ian had just witnessed Malcom kiss Kim, and if he had seen it, chances were good others had as well. Ian shook his head in disgust and walked away, trying to ignore it because sometimes it seemed like that pair had little choice when it came to each other. Watching them just now had been sort of like watching a train wreck in slow motion, and unfortunately, he’d seen this wreck a few too many times.

  Still, guilt crept up the back of his neck as he made his way toward biology. Maybe they would get back together and they could all go back to hanging out like normal. Stranger things had happened, right?

  Jesse stood outside biology class looking a bit more morose than usual in his long-sleeved forest green shirt and jeans. While mopey behavior was usual for Jesse, it still made Ian uncomfortable to see it in action. He wasn’t quite sure why, but emotion of any kind made him uneasy.

  Ian shook his head and sighed. Better to just come out and ask him about Amy or drop it, and as much as he wanted to just drop the whole thing, he knew he couldn’t. He couldn’t explain why, but he had to know, had to have information to dismiss the nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him something was wrong. Then again, maybe he was crazy. Perhaps he would call his shrink
after all… his dad would like that.

  “Hey buddy, why the long face?” Ian called, waving his hand at Jesse.

  “No reason.” Jesse slumped his head even lower, burying it in the crook of his arms as he stared out at the yellowed baseball field below so all Ian could see of his head was his mop of black hair.

  “No reason or some reason?” Ian asked, poking his friend in the side with one slender finger.

  Jesse turned his head so one brown eye was staring up at Ian. “I said no reason.”

  “Jesse, we both know you’re upset because Amy didn’t come to school today. Care to tell me why?” Ian slapped his hand on Jesse’s back in some sort of attempt at a friendly gesture. Honestly, he wasn’t quite sure what the appropriate physical contact would be in this situation.

  “Not really…” Jesse turned back toward the baseball field. “We had a fight after school, yesterday. I’m worried that’s why she didn’t come to school today.”

  “Um… why? What did you guys fight about?” Ian asked, glancing behind him toward the open door. He wasn’t exactly sure how much longer he had in the passing period, but it couldn’t be much longer. If he didn’t get inside soon, he’d be late.

  “I honestly don’t even really remember. It seemed silly at the time.” Jesse exhaled so hard it could have blown down all of the three little pigs’ houses. “Still, you’d think she would have called me if she was going to ditch, especially since she normally drives me here. I was almost late waiting for her. I wound up running all the way to school.”

  Ian was instantly concerned, though he wasn’t quite sure why. He had hoped there would be a simple explanation for Amy’s sudden absence, like she was touring a college campus somewhere. Evidently, that wasn’t the case. The urge to go over to her house and check on her was so overwhelming, he almost didn’t hear Jesse’s next words.

  “I tried calling her, but she didn’t answer. Now I’m all twisted up. I can’t concentrate, and it just sucks.” Jesse turned and stared at Ian. The look of anguish on his face made Ian’s heart twist into a knot. “Do you think she’s going to break up with me?” As he said the words, Ian felt guilt crawl up the back of his neck like a sticky-fingered insect. If that was why she ditched, well that would mean she was single… Ian swallowed, pushing the thought away. Now wasn’t the time for that line of thinking. Besides, Jesse was his friend, right?

  “I doubt that.” Ian looked away, staring out into the parking lot. It was hard for him to admit it, but he hadn’t considered the possibility that the two of them might break up. If they did, could he date Amy? No, no, that would make him like Caden with Kim. He had been friends with Jesse since they were five. He couldn’t do that to him. No, Amy was off limits.

  Ian steeled himself and turned back to stare at his friend. “I guess we’ll just have to go to her house and check on her then. We’ll chalk it up to a senior ditch day.”

  “But we have class.” Jesse glanced toward the stairs leading down to the parking lot.

  “We have biology. We’re learning about cells and ribosomes. Everyone knows about that stuff.” Ian waved his hand dismissively as he moved toward the stairs.

  “But…”

  Ian looked back over his shoulder as he pulled out his keys and dangled them in the air. “This is a onetime offer. Either you come with me right now, or you drop it for the rest of the day. What’s it going to be?”

  “Fine,” Jesse replied, stomping toward him as the tardy bell rang.

  Ian 01:02

  “Don’t say I never did anything for you,” Ian said as they pulled into Amy’s driveway. He was about to say something additional when he was struck completely dumb by the sight of a large grey llama chained to a decorative wooden post in the front yard. It was a little weird because other than the llama, the yard seemed rather normal. Nothing but a freshly mowed green expanse that stretched up toward a small, flowerbed filled with a green hedge trimmed into the shape of a heart.

  The llama looked up at them, watching them carefully with large doleful eyes as they got out of the car. Jesse glanced at the llama, but said nothing of it. Ian swallowed. He didn’t remember Amy having a llama, but then again, he’d never been to her house before.

  Ian sidled up next to Jesse as they made their way up the cement walkway cutting through the manicured lawn. He waited as far away from the llama as possible while Jesse knocked on the door. Ian peered at it, mouthing the words, “I can see you!”

  It whined in the way only a llama could and walked toward him. With each step it took, Ian grew more horrified. His breathing quickened and his palms began to sweat. The chain snapped taut, and the llama jerked to a stop. It stood there, staring at him for what felt like ever before pawing at the ground with one foot, narrowing its eyes at him as its lips curled back to reveal huge white teeth.

  The door swung open, and Amy stood there, looking at them. Shock and rage rippled across her face in equal measure as she cinched her pink bathrobe tighter around her body. Despite the robe, Ian could make out what looked like fresh cuts running up across her chest and neck like someone had tried to carve geometric symbols into her flesh.

  The urge to reach out and take her into his arms was so overpowering, he very nearly did it. Instead, he bit his lip and glanced at Jesse who stood there open-mouthed before shaking himself like a huge dog and swallowing hard. Why wasn’t he doing something?

  “Hey Ames, is everything okay?” Jesse asked, reaching out toward her with one hand. Evidently, he had decided not to ask her about the cuts, but why? “I’m worried about you. I mean, you didn’t come to school, and well, you never miss classes…” he trailed off, his eyes roaming over the wounds lining his girlfriend’s body.

  “I’m okay. Thanks for your concern,” she replied, tears welling in the corners of her eyes as she stepped back into the house, her hand still gripping the door like she might slam it shut at any second. “I just needed a break.”

  “Amy, what’s wrong?” Jesse asked, his voice strangely hard and angry. “Why won’t you tell me what happened?”

  “I can’t really remember. I must have blacked out. My mom made me a doctor’s appointment for tomorrow.” She paused and rubbed her wrists. They were stained an ugly purplish blue. “Truth be told, it could have just been a bad dream.”

  “Bad dreams don’t leave marks like that,” Jesse replied, pointing at her wrist. “Did someone hurt you?”

  Instead of replying, she moved to shut the door, and Jesse stepped into the doorway, blocking it with his body. “How could you not remember what happened?” He gestured at her. “You’re all sliced up.”

  Amy narrowed her eyes, and Ian could have sworn the temperature around them rose a couple degrees. “I said I don’t want to talk about it with you. Can’t you just drop it?”

  Anger blazed across Jesse’s face, and just as his friend’s lips started to move, Ian stepped up next to him. “Uh…” Ian wiped his palms on his pants. “Nice llama.” He turned his body, blocking Jesse from view as he pointed at the creature struggling to pull itself free from the chain.

  “Thanks, I raised him myself,” Amy said, an edge of happiness tingeing the current of her words. “His name is Charles, and my dad bought him for me when he was just a cria. A cria is a baby llama, if you didn’t know.” She smiled at him and it was like watching the sunrise.

  “Charles the llama?” Ian asked, one eyebrow snaking up his forehead. “That’s an interesting name.”

  Amy nodded. “Well, Dolly was taken.”

  “Uh… huh.” Ian smirked in spite of himself. “I didn’t know people could have llamas here.”

  “We had to get a special permit.” Amy looked away from the llama, her eyes settling on Jesse. Her lips tightened into a thin line. “I think I’m going to go lay back down.”

  “Can we come in?” Ian interjected. “Maybe we can just keep you company for a while?”

  “Um… I don’t think so… I’m not supposed to have boys in the house when mom
isn’t here,” Amy responded quietly, her hands hidden once again beneath the sleeves of her robe. The words seemed to force her cheeks to blush and her head to hang.

  The look she received from Ian immediately upon completing that statement was the same look commonly received by people who suddenly have another head spring up. Ian was astonished. One of his eyes opened a bit more than the other, and his lips quivered like a dying fish. He took several deep breaths and allowed the words to rattle around inside his head for a moment.. “Let me get this straight… You don’t let boys in your house?”

  “Pretty much.” Amy stared at the floor, her cheeks coloring. “At least not when my parents aren’t home.”

  “Um… why? Are you crazy? Give it to me straight. I can take it.” He held his arms up as though ready to defend himself from an avalanche.

  “My mom just doesn’t allow me to have boys in the house when she isn’t here. It’s not like I made the rule—”

  Ian walked past her into the living room. He glanced around, not sure where to go and decided on a random hallway. “Don’t worry, I’ll try to contain my sexy,” he added with a dismissive wave though it didn’t matter because Jesse and Amy were already ignoring him, speaking in low, hushed voices.

  All the pictures of Amy with her mom and dad jumped out at him from the walls. He stopped for a second and looked at them. Everyone seemed so happy. They all smiled back at him. He touched one carefully, his finger smoothing away the dust. Ian pulled his hand back quickly as though a snake had attacked him.

  A sigh escaped him, even when his mom had been alive, they’d never taken family photos like that. More than a little depressed, he turned the corner and saw the llama coming toward him, broken chain clanking roughly against the wooden floor. He tried to back away, but the llama was too fast. It plowed past him, knocking him down in its haste to get through the hallway. He fell backward and smashed his head into the floor, everything instantly exploding into inky darkness.