Chapter 5

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"Dani, I need to talk you." Josh answered back with urgency in his tone.

"What's wrong?" Danielle asked feeling some fear creeping up in her guts.

"It's not something I can tell you on the phone, I need to see you."

"Okay, uh…where are you?" Danielle asked him sensing that something was terribly wrong.

"I'm back at the campus. Let's just meet at our usual spot." He retorted.

"Okay, I'll be…" Josh hung up before she could even finish her sentence.

Danielle left the Dal without a word to anyone, worried nonetheless. She was wondering what was so important that Josh couldn't tell her on the phone. She feared that he had somehow put himself in some sort of dangerous situation. Or maybe…maybe…she was overthinking this, that's what she thought. It was probably nothing; he might just want to see her.

So, she went to the campus, to their usual spot. When they were dating and even before then, they had this habit to meet up in front of the library and from there, they would go for a walk, or for a cup of coffee. It was their rendez vous point and once they broke up, they both avoided this place as much as they could. So, the fact Josh wanted to meet her there meant that something was seriously wrong.

It was a dark and fresh night. Some students were hurrying back to their dorms; others were dressed to go out. A group of Kappa girls walked past her with their pink outfits, giggling about some jokes. But Danielle ignored them as she kept walking to the library. Josh was waiting for her under the lamppost. She waved at him and quickened her pace to join him. But Josh froze in his movements and so did Danielle. Josh looked down to his chest and she saw something shined.

Time seemed to have stop as Josh dropped on the ground on his knees, revealing a woman standing behind him. The scream has ripped through Danielle's throat before she knew it. The Woman's sword was stuck in Josh's chest. Without a look to Danielle, she withdrew her sword from her victim's chest, sheathed it back. She glanced at Danielle before disappearing.

Danielle rushed to Josh and caught him before he hit the ground. People gathered around them. Danielle urged the people around her to call 911 as she held his hand tightly.

"Danielle…" Josh tried to speak.

"Shh…Hold on." Danielle told him her voice trembling slightly. "It's gonna be okay. The ambulance is gonna be here soon. You're gonna be okay."

"Danielle…" He tried again. "She…came…back. She's…looking…for…you."

"Who?" Danielle asked him but his eyes closed. "Josh, stay with me. Josh. Josh. Josh!" She screamed trying to wake him up. But his eyes remained close.

She stared at the table in front of her while the officer was talking to her. Her shirt, her hands were covered in blood. And this officer who kept asking her questions. "Who are you? What happened? How long have you known the victim? Did you see the person who did this? Did you do it?" She didn't really answer to any of those questions. Trying to come to terms with Josh's death, trying to understand his last words. Asking herself her own questions. Why did this happen? Why would anyone would want to kill him?

She could feel the beginning of a headache. She closed her eyes, tears brimming in them. She felt tired, dirty and confused. Sitting here in the interrogation room, throw her thirteen years back in the past. She was lying in a hospital bed when they announced her the bad news. Her chest was bandaged and burning and her heart broke at hearing that her father has passed away. Tonight the same thing happened, another man that she has loved was dead and she wasn't able to stop it. She watched it happen and didn't stop it.

"Lil' Red." She looked up to see Hale entered the room. He rested a hand on the officer's shoulder before the latter left the room. Danielle teared up again. She somehow felt relief at seeing a familiar face, even though, she didn't show him any kind of appreciation before. Hale sat down and took her in his arms.

"Oh, Hale, it all happened so fast. I don't know what happened." The words just came out of her mouth before she could even think about it. "They think I did it but I didn't."

"I know. I know. What about I get you home?" She nodded against his shoulder.

On the drive back to the clubhouse, she remained quiet. Hale has called Kenzi as Danielle got in his car. He warned her about what happened that night. So, it was no surprise that Danielle shed a few more tears at the sight of Kenzi. The latter pulled her in bone crushing hug and after that everything has been a blur for Danielle. Kenzi helped her out of her clothes and after Danielle have had a shower, tucked her in bed.

Danielle's night was plagued with nightmare, she was first in the car with her dad and suddenly thrown in front of the library where Josh was killed. Her own scream echoing in her ears. Her eyes snapped opened and she was met with the sight of Josh lying in her bed.

"Josh?" She breathed out his name shocked to see him here.

"Hey, beautiful!" Josh flashed her with a dazzling smile. "Why are your eyes as red as your hair?"

"You're dead." She said sitting up.

"You shouldn't cry for me." Josh told her copying her movements. "You should be looking for Her before She finds you."

"Who?" Danielle asked him. "Who is She?—Josh!...Who is She?...Josh!"

For the second time that night her eyes snapped open. This time her eyes opened on the ceiling above her. She turned her head to the side, where Josh was lying just a few minutes ago but there was no one. She was alone in her bed. Before she could stop it, tears sprang up in her eyes, she brought her hand to her eyes and just cried.

The day after, she woke up with her eyes puffy and red. She has no will or desire to get out of bed but still she did. Her tweed jacket remained in the chair, instead she put a large sweatshirt on and let her hair down. She walked into the kitchen with her bag slid across her shoulders.

"Where do you think you are going?" Bo asked her dressed in her kimono, a smoking cup of coffee in her hands.

"I'm going to the precinct. I need to…I need to talk to Dyson and Hale." Danielle replied. "I need to find out who the hell is that woman and why she did this to Josh, okay?"

"Dani, wait." Bo set down her cup and grabbed her elbow. She pulled the girl to a seat. "I understand that you want to know what happened but it's still fresh." Bo continued. "Just take some time and think about it."

"I don't need time and I don't need to think about it, Bo." Danielle snapped. "It happened right before my eyes and I didn't do anything. I did nothing to stop it."

"You couldn't have done anything, no matter how hard you wanted to." Bo retorted.

"You might be right but I need to do something, Bo." Danielle said. "At least, let me do this."

Bo sighed. "Alright but I'm coming with you."

"I need to see his belongings." Danielle asked as soon as she saw Dyson and Hale. Bo and Kenzi had accompanied her there.

"Why?" Dyson asked her.

"Because this way I would know what happened last night." She replied.

"We're just starting the investigation and we have no clues about that woman you saw." Dyson pointed out. "Unless you know something we don't…?"

"Just trust me on this okay? Just give me access to his stuffs." Danielle insisted.

Dyson and Hale gestured the three girls to follow them. They stepped in the elevator. "Why do you wanna see his stuffs?"

"Before he died he said something about someone looking for me." Danielle answered.

"Maybe it was the girl that killed him?" Hale questioned.

Danielle shook her head in the negative. "Not her, another one. I just don't know who."

The morgue was the one place that Danielle didn't want to be in. She took a hesitant step inside. Death was literally running through her veins and she did her best to ignore it. She must ignore the dead around her, she must ignore this feeling. The strange feeling that she was standing in a graveyard. Any place was better than this room but she needed to know the truth. She couldn't do anything to save Josh, to save her dad. But she could have this. She could have revenge and that's what she really wanted. Avenge Josh's death was her goal.

Josh's belongings were resting on a cold steel table in front of her. Every single items kept in plastic bags. She grabbed the one that contained his wallets. She wanted to take it out of the bag but Dyson stopped her. She put it back down, it wasn't important whether it was out or in the plastic bag.

Danielle took a deep breath, closed her eyes and swoop her hand over the items. "What are you doing?" Kenzi whispered in her ears.

"Listening." Danielle answered.

"Is this some sort of psychic thing?" Kenzi asked again.

"It's a Banshee thing. Now keep quiet!" Danielle glared at her.

Her hands stopped over the set of keys that Josh had on him. She grabbed the bag and held it tight in her hands. And then it hit her, like a train.

Hundreds of voices emerged in her mind and through the whispers, she could hear him. Fainted echoes of Josh's voice but not just his. She focused on Josh's voice and only on his.

"…, last night."

"Well, get rid of her." It was a female voice. "She might get in the way."

"It's not that easy. Danielle has taken a liking into the girl."

"And so what? She's merely a pet. Unless…"

"Unless what?" Josh asked the woman.

"You fell in love with her?"

"Don't be ridiculous. She's a mission, nothing more."

"Keep that in mind for the day She'll come and claim her prey."

Her eyes snapped open and she dropped the keys on the table. "It was all lies." She breathed out. "Just lies."

"Dani, what happened? What did you see?" Bo asked her.

"I can't stay. I can't stay in here." Danielle rushed out of the morgue and ignored her friends calling her.

She didn't know what to think. Should she keep mourning him now she knows that he didn't love her. That he has never loved her. How was she supposed to live with that thoughts? She wanted to make justice for his death and now, she is wondering if it's even worth it.

"Girl, you can run!" Kenzi said joining her.

"Dani, are you okay?" Bo questioned her resting her hand on Danielle's shoulder.

"I was his mission." Danielle snapped. "Did he work for the Ash? Was he a fae?" She directly spoke to Dyson who was standing behind Bo.

"He wasn't fae. He was human." Dyson assured her.

"Well, it doesn't mean anything. Lauren is human and working for the Ash." She countered.

"And she's the only one the Ash was willing to take in."

"Hang on! What do you mean you were his mission? What exactly did you see?"

"Nothing but I heard him and a woman." Danielle replied. "He was talking to her about me and Kenzi, I think. He said that he didn't love me that I was just a mission. And the woman answered that he should remember that for when She'll come."

"Well, we need to find out who the hell is that bitch? Cause no one is going to take DeeDee from us." Kenzi said determined.

"Banshees in the Aibell Clan are the most powerful Banshees in the Fae world. They have a variety of powers." Trick explained to the small group of five.

"Such as?" Bo asked him.

"The Aibell don't really love to share their secrets. The only thing I knew so far is about their voices. Not only they use it to announce death but they can also provoke it. They call it the Death Song. And Danielle seemed to be able to use it to fight." Trick was stirring a green liquid in a large cup.

"What about the voices she heard?" Kenzi questioned him.

"Even though, the Aibell fought a long time to keep their secrets. There were legends about them being able to recover the forgotten memories." Trick gave Danielle the green draught. "Drink this."

"What is it?" Danielle asked Trick looking at it with disgust.

"A sleeping draught." Trick answered her. "It will help you to dive deeper into his memories."

Dyson gave her Josh's keys. "I thought it might help."

"Thanks."

"Now, Danielle, everything you will see is in the past and done. Do not let yourself drown in them." Trick told her. "Keep that in mind and you'll be safe."

She dawned the drink and slowly she was overcome by sleep. Josh's keys were in her hands, her grip on them loosened but she didn't let them go. As soon as her eyes closed and she was deep in slumber, the voices came back but there was something new. She could see shadows around her. They were motionless and she immediately felt fear.

Once again she heard Josh's voice and just like at the morgue, she focused on it. Lost in the sea of shadows, she finally caught a glimpse of him. He was talking to a brunette. The same brunette that have killed Josh. Danielle frowned at that, confused about the fact that Josh knew her and that she killed him.

"Are you forgetting that we are working for Her and not for your little girlfriend?" She asked Josh.

"No, I'm not forgetting." Josh replied. "But maybe we should…"

"What? Warn the girl?" Josh looked up at her. "Don't look so surprise. She knows what you are about to do. That's why I'm here actually." The girl looked Danielle or at least she had the impression that the brunette could see her.

"I have to warn her. She deserves a chance."

"Last, I checked you weren't working for Ginger girl." She unsheathed her sword.

"Josh! Watch out!" Danielle screamed before she could stop herself.

"And by the way our boss has a little message for you." She thrust her sword in his back as Danielle saw herself facing Josh. "Don't mess up with her plans."

The images faded as if they were driven away by the wind. But the memories were replaced by another one.

"Hello, Miss Ball, I finally met Danielle today." Josh said on the phone. "She was exactly where you said she would be. She's pretty too." He frowned up. "Don't worry, I know what to do. I keep an eye on her until you come in town."

Another souvenirs popped up. "My name is Darcy." The same brunette that killed him introduced herself. "I'm a mercenary and just like you, I'm working for Miss Ball."

"Why would she need a mercenary?"

"Well, she judged that you were getting too attached to the target. Plus, you failed in keeping her away from the faes."

"Too attached? Are you serious?" Josh scoffed. "I obeyed to Miss Ball and she broke up with me. There's no way that I could possibly keep her away from the faes."

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you create a big mess." The swordswoman said. "The unaligned Banshee and Succubus who chose to side with humans. It's all what the faes are talking about."

The environment around her suddenly shook as if she was in an earthquake. Darkness swept away everything around her. The room that was filled with shadows disappeared and she found herself on the road. She looked around her, blinking at the familiarity of the place. It was night time and the road was dark, except maybe for the car that was crashed in the tree.

She made a beeline to the white car and looked through the driver seat. When she saw the injured driver, she knew why it was so familiar. It was her dad and next to him was a younger version of herself. Both of them were unconscious. Before she could stop herself, Danielle reached out to her father, about to rest a shaking hand to his cheek. But his eyes snapped open and his eyes immediately drifted to the younger version of herself.

"Dani?!" He rasped out. "Danielle, wake up!" But the young girl in the car remained unconscious. He touched her cheek, looking for a pulse. "No, no, no!" Her father said panicking. "You're not dead. You can't be dead. I won't let you."

First, Danielle was shocked to hear that the accident had killed her and second, she slowly realized that her father was slowly healing already. Smoke could be seen on his body but it was only on his healing wounds. And then her dad's hand burst into flame as he rested it on her dead body.

"Ná bheith feargach . Tá tú beidh do seo do cinniúint mar go bhfuil sé mianach a chosaint ar an Banshees . Beo , ingen mianach agus tá a fhios go bhfuil grá agam duit ." Was her father's last words to her before her body was engulfed in the flames. But her body didn't burn, it seemed to heal while her father's wounds just reopened. And with the fire, her father died.

Kenzi sprang up from the chair as Danielle woke up with a start. "How long?" The Banshee asked immediately.

"Hours." Kenzi replied as Danielle got up. Her legs felt like jelly and Kenzi had to steady her. "So, did you see her?"

"The one that killed Josh." She replied. Bo and Dyson came into the room. "Her name's Darcy. That's all I got. She's a mercenary."

"I look into it right now. You should get some rest."

"Dyson, she's not Fae. She's human." Danielle warned him before she left with her two friends.

Kenzi put her to bedrest for the remaining of the day. All Danielle could think about was the night her father died. She didn't understand what he said before dying but what he did, she knew what it was. It was the ultimate sacrifice a hellhound could do to revive a banshee and furthermore their child. He healed her and protected her. And she didn't feel less guilty about it, if anything, she felt guiltier than before. She was dead and her father exchanged his life against hers.

She felt really alone. Sure, she had Kenzi and Bo but still, she never felt so alone. She didn't know why anyone would be looking for her. It seemed that this person wanted her but for what she won't know exactly. They went as far as killing Josh, so she would never be able to find out the truth. And yet, she uncovered part of the truth. She just didn't know what to do with it.

And she didn't really care about knowing either. No, she was more interested in finding out what her dad told her before he died. And she knew just the person who might know the answer to her questions.

She woke up in the middle of the night and left the clubhouse. She took Bo's car and drove to the outskirts of the city. Away from everything, a small house stood alone. White but grey under the dark sky. She let out a deep breath and walked up onto the porch. All the lights were off but as soon as she pounded on the door with her fist, it lit up. She waited for ten long minutes before the door opened and a brunette woman appeared in front of her.

"Danielle?" The woman's eyes widened slightly upon seeing her.

"Gail, I need your help." Danielle replied.

"Come in." The woman stepped aside as Danielle walked in.

"Do you know who killed him?" Gail asked as she poured another cup of coffee for Danielle.

"No, I don't." Danielle shook her head. "It just happened so fast. And the visions…I saw more than I wanted to."

"What do you mean?" Gail sat back down across Danielle.

"I saw the accident again. I saw how Dad really died."

"Dani, you should not live in the past." Gail said softly patting her hand.

"I know and I tried not to think about. But sometime I have nightmares about it." Danielle exhaled. "But I don't want to talk about this. In fact, in this dream or vision, he said something in Gaelic, I think it was."

"Ná bheith feargach . Tá tú beidh do seo do cinniúint mar go bhfuil sé mianach a chosaint ar an Banshees . Beo , ingen mianach agus tá a fhios go bhfuil grá agam duit." Gail recited.

"That was it. Or it sounded like this." Danielle frowned up. "What does it mean?"

"Do not be angry. For this is your fate as it is mine to protect the Banshees. Live, daughter of mine and know that I love you." Gail told her. "This is the greatest and the ultimate sacrifice that a Hellhound can do."

"But I was already dead. He should have lived."

"And what? Blame himself the rest of his life, for failing his daughter and his duty?" Gail smiled tenderly. "That's what hellhounds do. They protect Banshees and as a father, he protected you. When a Banshee under their protection comes to die, they are faced with two choices. Either let them die or sacrifice their lives and allow the banshee to live on. Most of them choose the second choice."

"And those who choose to let them die?"

"They're no longer chosen as protectors but as guardians of the gates of the afterworld." Gail. "It doesn't seem as a bad fate."

"It is when you know they'll never know redemption. And never is a long time when you're eternal."

"Aunt Gail, why did you raised me away from the Faes?" Danielle asked suddenly.

"Never once in your life you asked me this questions, why now?" Abigail Jennings asked her niece surprised at this question.

"Because, the woman that's looking for me also wanted me away from the faes." Danielle answered.

"To protect you." Gail replied. "When your mother left, your father came to find me. He was the only one who considered me family still. Anyway, he told me that your mother left because she couldn't bear to feel you so strong. She was jealous of her own daughter." Gail told her. "Now, you already know that the Aibell Banshees are different from others. Different by their strength and abilities. But they have some similarities with our clan."

"All newborn boys are Cerberus and the girls are powerless faes." Danielle nodded.

"Well, not really powerless but it's our secret." Gail smirked. "All newborn girls are banshees in the Aibell clan and the boys are powerless or almost. When an Aibell banshee gives birth half of her power is passed down to her daughter. And if she wants to regain her powers she would have to kill her child. Never had they done that because the High Matriarch of the clan discovered that the daughters or her daughters had become stronger than their mothers. They were more powerful, stronger and faster. It was an advantage for their clan and it was forbidden to arm a banshee within the clan. It was a cruel act to take a sacred life." Gail explained. "Your case is different. Both clans knew that if you were to be a boy you would be a Hellhound. And since you're a girl you were born to be a banshee. What was most surprising is that you inherited some of the Hellhound abilities. Banshees can only predict death; Hellhounds find the bodies. You can do both."

"I never found a body." Danielle shook her head.

"When you were sixteen and we lived in Boston; you got up in the middle of the night, got out of your bed and went to neighbor's flat across the hall. You opened his door by burning up his lock and found him dead in his bedroom." Gail revealed to her.

"I don't remember that."

"You were asleep through the whole thing." Gail shrugged. "It wasn't the first time and it won't be the last."

"Is that why you wanted me away from the Faes? You were afraid that the Aibell clan would find me?"

"The Aibell and Barghest clans trusted me with your protection and safety." Gail told her. "We all wanted you to be protected from your mother. She was convinced that if she killed you, she would have assimilated your powers, all of them."

"Why?"

"She wants to build her own Clan."

"You think it could be her?" Danielle asked her aunt. "The woman who is looking for me? The woman who kept an eye on me? It could be her?"

"It would surprise me if it wasn't." Gail answered. "From now on, you will have to be careful, more than ever. I know you have your friend, the Succubus by your side but I want you to have this." Gail took a purple gem ring off of her finger.

"What is it?"

"The High Matriarch gave it to me. Should anything happen to you? Should your safety be jeopardized? All I have to do was to touch the ring and call for her." Gail explained. "If you're in danger don't hesitate. She'll send an army and so will the Barghest."

Next chapter might be much shorter than this one because it will be the conclusion of this chapter. So don't be mad if it is the case. Hope you liked this chapter.