Broken by H.R. Davison (ebook reader color screen TXT) 📕

an update from dad.” Cody says. “Good news! We know where they are!” He says cheerily.

 

It has been weeks since Armaros took Kat. Since then the Thirteen have been suspiciously quiet. There has been nothing but silence from them or any of the factions working with them. We have tried numerous times to get in contact with DJ but he has been unreachable. His house is empty. He is not answering his phone and no one from either realm has seen him or his family.

 

Most of the fallen are working with the Thirteen, but quite a few are fractioned against them. My dad has spies in their ranks, reporting back to him. None are high enough to be in the inner circle so as of yet we haven’t been able to locate them. Now that they have their wings back it is only a matter of time before they launch an attack.

 

My family is doing everything we can to help, well everyone but me and Cody. I am too busy trying to find Kat. I try to reach her, to get a feel for her whereabouts. I subconsciously rub the birthmark on my hand. I have been tracking her location via our connection. I am getting closer, I can feel it. “I’m going to take a quick shower, be ready to head out in an hour.” I tell Cody, gathering my things I walk into the small bathroom.

 

The white tiles in the small room are beaded with moisture. Everything here seems to be wet. The island is supposed to be a Caribbean paradise for the wealthy travelers out on the beach soaking up the sun’s rays. For me it is the opposite of paradise. I am uncomfortable and sticky. Our tiny enclosed room is sweltering. The hotel said the air conditioner is broken, more like missing. The constant perspiration dripping into my eyes is tiresome.

 

My shirt clings to my sticky skin as I peel it off and throw it on the floor at my feet. Opening the zippered pack sitting on the back of the toilet, I pull out the clippers inside. Staring in the mirror at my reflection I run my hands through my thick hair for one last time. I can’t help but think what Kat will think of me without it.

 

When I am done I rub my hand over the short bristled hairs on my head. I look so different, more like Cody and less like myself. Being an identical twin can be challenging, it is easy to lose your sense of individuality. That is why I grew my hair out to begin with.

 

Leaving my sandals on I squirm out of my shorts. I stand under the cold water of the shower for a full five minutes without moving. Just enjoying the cool refreshing stream carry away the heat. I clean up quickly making sure to wash away any loose strands of hair clinging to my neck. I dry off the best I canin this humid room and throw on a loose fitting cargo shorts and Hawaiian shirt.

 

My feet squelch in wet sandals walking back into the small bedroom. Cody is tapping away at his laptop, completely oblivious to his surroundings. “Ehhh?” I ask, spinning around the room showing off my lack of hair.

 

“Andrew Gabriel Dominic, you look sexy as Hell!” Cody exclaims with a clap, “And by that I mean, you look like me!”

 

I chuckle lightly under my breath. My brother has always been the light hearted one, charming, charismatic, and comical. I have always been the serious one, brainy, stoic, and quiet. “We should ge…” I start to say, but a stabbing pain in my gut cuts off my words, causing me to double over in agony. Bent over at the waist I press my hands to my stomach. I feel like my insides are being cut up.

 

Cody is there, putting his arms around my shoulders and leading me to the bed. I sit down carefully. With trepidation I remove one hand from my stomach, with as much suffering as I am in I expect to see blood but there is nothing. Another stab causes me to cry out. Desperate, I close my eyes and think of Kat. I try to get a pinpoint on her location, but the anguish is making it difficult to concentrate. “Close…” I mumble, “She is close.” Suddenly the pain is gone and I can open my eyes.

 

Cody is on his knees in front of me. His hands are on my shoulders. “Andy, what happened?” He asks his voice absent of its usual good humor. His eyes are shining with worry and sweat trickles down his face.

 

“We are so close Cody.” I tell him. “Come on.” Standing up from the bed I wince, expecting more pain, when there is none, I grab the keys from the table. Even though the physical pain is gone, the misery is still there, the anxiety, the loneliness, the utter terror that death is near. I need to save her. I need her to save myself. “Let’s go find Kat.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DJ

I rap lightly on the hotel room door of the penthouse suite, only the best for Armaros. An instant later Lilli throws it wide open, a huge grin plastered to his face. “DJ!” She squeals with delight. “Come in. Daddy is waiting for you.”

 

I wipe my sweaty palms on my slacks. I feel like I have been wasting my time the past couple of weeks. We left the very night Armaros took Kat. I have attempted to speak with him several times since then, yet he continues to avoid me. Kat’s absence has left a hole in my heart. The fact that she is a Nephilim is not lost on me. I know when I am with her my love feels real. I hold onto that feeling and focus my energy on confronting Armaros.

 

“DJ.” He says walking in to the living room of the suite. His long blonde hair hangs in loose waves down his back. Sunlight gleams through the windows making his skin and hair shine with ethereal light. He smiles at me showing his perfectly white teeth behind pink lips. “Would you like a drink?” He asks with a chuckle.

 

“No thank you.” I tell him. With a pang of guilt I remember what happened last time I accepted a drink from him. I glance around the room for Lilli. She is nowhere to be seen. This surprises me, since for the past couple of weeks she has rarely been out of my sight. She keeps trying to rekindle our relationship. So far I have managed to avoid her, but I can feel my resolve weakening. Armaros gestures at the overstuffed sofa for me to sit. I relax back into the suede and try to get comfortable but my nerves are too much on edge. I clear my throat and try to compose myself. I remind myself to not lose my cool. Keep it together, for Kat.

 

“Thank you for meeting me.” Armaros says to me. He sits down in the chair across from me, crossing his legs. He absently picks at imaginary lint on his slacks, waiting for me to reply.

 

I take a deep breath before answering. “You’re welcome sir, and thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to see me.” Although I try to keep it at bay the anger seeps into the voice, snapping out the words in a condescending tone.

 

He raises one eyebrow at me in a knowing way before responding. “Please DJ, tell me why you are so angry?”

 

“What?” I stutter. How could he not know why I am angry? He ripped my life apart. He stole Kat from me. He opened my eyes to my own parent’s deception and betrayal. “Because of everything you have done. That’s why!”

 

Armaros uncrosses his legs and leans forward in the chair. His azure eyes turn dark with anger. “Everything I have done?” He questions. “You mean opening your eyes to the fact that your little girlfriend is actually a Nephilim? That she was using you and betrayed you? You should be thanking me for my honesty!”

 

“Kat was not using me.” I mumble under my breath.

 

“You want her back, even now?” Armaros asks. “After learning the truth? After knowing you two were not meant to be together? It is not love you feel DJ, it is magic.”

 

“I don’t care.” I state flatly. I tremble with rage. Trying to keep my anger in control I clench my fists. I feel my nails digging into my soft palms. I know there will be four crescent shaped wounds on the inside of my hand when I leave.

 

He flips his hand in the air gesturing away from his body. “Let this be a conversation for another time. I need your help with something.”

 

I nod my head in acceptance. He knows he can control me. He will hold the lives of my family over me until I have exhausted every ounce of strength I have to his cause.

 

“Great!” Armaros says clapping his hands together delighted. He grins at me, showcasing perfect white teeth that look just a tad too large for his mouth. “I need you to lead a group to find something for me.”

 

“Find what?” I ask leaning forward. I am interested to know what it is that Armaros wants me to find that he cannot locate himself.

 

“A special sword…” Armaros sighs heavily. “DJ I am concerned about how much trust I should place in you. I wonder where your loyalties lie. Not with myself, I am sure.”

 

“You can trust me Armaros.” I tell him. “I have never broken a deal, and I plan to follow through with whatever is needed, as long as you assure me that Kat is safe. Can you do that? Can I see her?”

 

“Yes, I can show you.” He waves his hand over the glass coffee table between us.

 

The clear pane turns milky before showing an image across the top. It is like I am looking at a movie. I see Kat. She is lying on a white bed. Her eyes are closed and her hair is spread around her head. Her hands are clasped on her abdomen. She appears to be sleeping. “Kat…” I whisper. I reach to touch the table. I yearn to touch her cheek, to feel her smooth skin under my hand, and to feel her heartbeat against my chest. I can feel the unwanted tears slip down my cheeks. I rub them away quickly, running my hands across the stubble on my face to distract against my moment of weakness. I clear my throat before I speak. “What do I need to do?”

 

Armaros smiles at me wickedly. “I need you to retrieve a sword. It is deep beneath the soil of a terebinth tree in the Valley if Elah.”

 

“Why?” I ask. What could be so special about this sword? Why does he need it? And why can’t he get it himself?

 

“Do not concern yourself with why DJ. Please just do as I ask.” He tells me with a stern expression on his face. “I would like to trust you, and for you trust me. You can go far, if you will learn to not doubt me, or question me.”

 

“Okay…” I say.