Chapter Six
As I walked inside, Xirena was waiting for me. She was going to take me up to Xedrix office and I was grateful that I wouldn't have to convince Security that it was ok. The club was packed with gothic clubbers partying alongside Charonte demons in demon form and the sight made my stomach tighten. I remembered being on that dance floor with Jerald before he betrayed me and it reminded me to stick to my motto: Keep everyone at arm's length. Let no one in because they will betray you.
It was something I'd abandoned when Jerald came into my life, but now it would be the new standard. She led me into a back room, passed a hulking demon with the word security on his shirt, up a flight of stairs, and into a dimly lit hallway. She gestured toward the second door on the left-hand side before turning to me.
"That is his office. Have fun," She blandly stated before vanishing. She didn't enjoy being her brother's servant and I didn't blame her. I wouldn't want to be indebted to him either, but this was something I'd asked him for and was just coming to collect. I was hoping he didn't ask for anything I couldn't offer him. I took a deep breath before I knocked five times letting him know it was me and I tensed as I waited for an answer.
"Come in AiKaterina," I cringed at the way he said my full name. I opened the door to find him sitting on the front of his desk looking through the one-sided glass, that looked out over the club. He motioned for me to join him and I obeyed without a word. I walked over to stand at the corner of his desk and he didn't turn to me or acknowledge my presence at first.
"Your tense AiKaterina. I'm only having this meeting here at my club because it's a secure room and no one should interrupt us," he informed me eyes still on the window. I followed his line of sight and to my surprise, some of my old crew were at the bar. My breath caught in my chest. They were all older now and had more scars than when I last saw them. A pang started in my gut because if I had protected them then they wouldn't have gotten those scars.
"They can't see you and they didn't even recognize you, AiKaterina. Everything you requested is on this," he stated holding up a thumb drive. I held out my hand for it, knowing better than to take anything from a demon's grip. He set the small memory stick in my palm and only then did he look into my eyes. His eyes were light green today and I fought not to look away.
"Thank you, Xedrix. We never discussed payment," I reminded him as my own eyes swirled. He stood up and looked down at me frowning. He took a stray strand of my white blonde hair in his fingers and lifted it up.
"You've tried dying it and changing it with your power, I assume?" he asked and I realized why he didn't look at me before. I looked like my mother Apollymi and he hated her. I nodded as my hair slide through his fingers and I decided not to mention it.
"I've tried everything. Artemis made it so I can't," I confessed and he turned back to the window. His expression changed to anger and I turned back to the window. Jerald was near the bar looking up at the mirrored glass. The man that I fell in love with was gone from his eyes and all I saw in them was a newer version of Stryker.
"I don't want anything in return, Kate. I'd like to see him dead just as much as the next demon he's crossed," Xedrix growled and he looked at my eyes. His green eyes darkened to almost black and I waited for more information. "Go kill him, Katrina. Make him suffer," he ordered voice deep almost growling as his eyes changed to red. I slipped the drive into my pocket before walking out intent on my target. I turned to the stairs in time to see Jerald walking up them and I flashed to the top stair blocking his path. He smiled up at me as if he were happy to see me and I crossed my arms over my chest.
"Katerina, you look amazing," he complimented before stopping on the first step down. I smelled cigarette smoke on him and a hint of his old cologne, but it didn't deter me. That scent had tainted my worst nightmares and now I wanted nothing more than to gut him where he stood.
"You look worse. What did you do, Swim in a vat of toxic waste?" I expertly insulted him. He smiled taking another step to stand right in front of me and looking down at me. His eyes were shining and I barely kept myself from wiping that smug grin off his face.
"Come on, Kat. You don't mean that." He smoothed over leaning down and kiss me, but I pushed him away from me. He tumbled down the stairs into the back hall because he'd been unprepared for it. He didn't realize I knew about his betrayal and that was my advantage. I strutted down the steps and kicked him away from the stairs before walking over him.
"No, Jerald, let's take this outside. I have a fate to deal to you and not even Strykerius can stop me," I retorted pulling him to his feet. I teleported into the back alley and tossed him to the ground. He chuckled and cracked his neck as he stood up.
"You always did like it rough," he stated as I raised my eyebrows. He noted the look and color of my eyes before his aura flickered with fear. "So you're here to take your revenge. Can you actually take it?" He smirked down at me and I sucker punched him as hard as I could. He spewed blood on my face and turned back to me wiping the access from his cheek with the back of his hand. "One punch, Babe. Is that…" he began to taunt me, but I didn't let him finish. I kicked him in the groin and when he doubled over I slammed my knee up into his gut, before grabbing a hand full of his hair and smashing his head into my knee. I stepped back and waited for him to make a move. He didn't move for a few minutes and I wasn't going to take it.
"Come on Jerald, fight back," I taunted as he laughed while holding himself. He turned his face to me and I grinned at his broken nose. The blood down onto his lips and he licked it trying to tempt me. I growled now fully ready to kill him.
"Where is all this hostility coming from?" he asked slowly standing up. He watched me as he stood straight and I flicked my braid over my shoulder. He flashed behind me and wrapped his arms around me. He set one hand cupping my breast and moved the other under my shirt caressing my stomach. "I thought you loved me," He implied as his breath caressed my neck. I pushed away from him and spun around to look at his face.
"It wasn't enough to kill me, you made them think I betrayed them," I reminded him. He snapped his nose back into place as if it didn't faze him and he grinned back at me.
"Why not? You being out of the picture made it so convenient," he confessed before rushing me. I stepped to the right and stuck my arm out straight clotheslining him. He landed flat on his back with the breath knocked out of him and I stood over him with my hands on my knees.
"I know all your tricks, Jerry. I wasn't just watching your ass," I insulted him again. He grabbed my braid pulling me to my knees. When my head was directly over his I pulled out the knife I kept in my boot and put it to his throat.
"You still love me Katerina and I'm going to use that to my advantage," he stated and I cut the end of my braid off so I could get free. I stood up and he grabbed my ankle trying to pull me down again, but I used his grip to my advantage. I came down expertly executing a pile driver on his gut and he coughed letting go. I teleported to the opposite side of the alley and my hair slowly fell down to the small of my back.
"That's where you're wrong Jerald. You betrayed all of us just so you could become this?" I asked moving my hand up and down gesturing to all of him. "A powerful demon, but you can't even hit me. It's all so sad," I faked a frown. His eyes turned red and he teleported directly in front of me. He pushed me to the wall and his rage burned hot, which was my plan all along.
"I could kill you if I wanted to Rina. Don't fool yourself," he countered and I shoved my knife into his navel. I set my face next to his ear and licked his neck while he panted. He'd enjoyed it rough more than I had and this turned him on, but sickened me.
"You sure about that Melbourne?" I asked before I shoved the knife up to his ribcage and his guts spilled out onto my chest as his legs buckled. I shuttered as I pulled my knife from him chest so he wouldn't hang on it and he slid down to the ground at my feet
"Bitch," he swore before blood poured from his mouth and the gash I'd created. It poured all over my shoes and I cursed at that fact. I dropped the knife and his body disintegrated. I felt something wet on my cheeks, I moved a shaking hand up to touch it, and when I pulled my hand away again there was a tear on my finger. My legs begin to shake then they gave out, but before I hit the ground two strong arms pulled me up.
"Katrina," a deep somewhat familiar voice said my name. I braced myself against his arms before looking up into Remi's face. He was concerned and worried, which didn't help me clear my head of all the memories of Jerald that rushed through my mind.
"Are you hurt?" He asked, but he sounded as if he were talking to me through a long tunnel and I couldn't get my mouth to open so I could tell him. He pulled me away from the blood setting me down on the opposite side of the alley and he pulled out his cellphone. He dialed a number then hit the pound key and pushed my hair away from my face. I heard an irritated voice on the other end of the phone and it was familiar too, but my mind wouldn't tell me who it was.
"Aimee where is Carson?" Remi asked and I fought to hear his voice because the memories were overpowering my senses. Memories of me teaching Jerald how to fight, the first time we fought, our first kiss when we made up, his betrayal, and now when I killed him.
''Yes, I'm in the back alley by Club Charonte... Don't ask. Yes, hurry she's unresponsive and hyperventilating," He told them before he shut the phone. He put a hand on my neck and I looked up his arm at his face until my purple eyes met his blue ones.
"AiKaterina, you're going to be okay. Carson's coming," he reassured me. I grabbed onto his shirt pulling myself to him so his scent would override my memories. He stiffened for a moment before he wrapped his arms around me and my breathing started to even out again.