Chapter 15

The death of my lover shook me. This was the second time it had happened and the cause was the same. Not only that, but she has my student, my ace, and my nephew.

“Cai,” I said quietly standing up and looked straight up at the ceiling. Its dome seemed higher than it had before but then again I hadn’t felt so small before. He stood up as well and stared at me confused.

“Jule lee, what are you thinking?” his voice sounded almost warningly and I glanced over at him. Taking a step back, he tried to hold in his trembling but he did a poor job of it. Unlike my brother, I had rarely used my power and even though I was in a different body, I was able to tap into all that I had left. Something that even Shelia wouldn’t be able to stand against.

“Hell hath no fury Cain. You may have screwed up but I’m about to fix this mess once and for all,” I grinned at him. I tingling sensation started in my right arm and I glanced down at the silver flower embedded in it. Biting back another outburst of tears, I fed it in my anger.

“I need you to go back to Lucy. Take over the Cards for me. Lucy will control your actions so there’s nothing to worry about there,” I ordered him and he grabbed my arm.

“What are you saying, Julia? We’re going to defeat Shelia together! I created her so she’s my responsibility!” He argued angrily. I pulled away from him roughly.

“And she killed not one but two of my lovers. I have the right for revenge. You don’t have enough power to kill a cat and Nil needs you, Cai. You’re his father and you need to own up to that,” I retorted.

“I need to go with you! I can’t just sit here and do nothing!” He rebuked taking hold of my wrist.

“Let go, Cai,” I said quietly. I raised my eyes to meet his and he almost let go, almost. Instead, he firmed his grip and stared me down. In response, I frowned. Raising my free hand, I slapped him hard and quick across the face. Staggering back, he let lose a few curses before he glared at me.

“What the hell Julia? You’ve never killed anyone before! How can you be so sure you can kill her?” He yelled wiping the blood from his mouth. I stared at him.

“The only reason I stopped last time was for you. I’m not stopping this time,” I replied easily and reached out to touch his shoulder. “I won’t have you getting hurt again. Good bye Cai.” With that, I sent him back to headquarters where Lucy smiled at him happily.

“Lucy, take care of Cai and make sure he doesn’t get in trouble,” I ordered her linking our minds.

“I’ll do my best Julia. Take care little sister…Thanks for taking care of Dad for me,” she added gently and I severed the link.

As I searched the church, I found myself walking through various sacrificial chambers with bodies of priests and church members scattered throughout the building. Ignoring the stench of decaying flesh, I stepped over the hundredth dead person to get to a door on the other side of the room. I was about to open the door when it hit me. Nil had already found his father so then why was he questioning his father’s existence?

“Cai, did you masquerade as Phillip when went to kill Shelia before?” I linked our thoughts quickly.

“Not that I recall…I was still playing Kyle. Plus, I am Phillip remember?” he answered and I gasped as the realization hit me. Shelia was playing us the entire time. She knew who Phillip was. She also knew who and what Nil was. Destroying the link, I ran through room after room. Finally reaching the one I was looking for, I burst inside to see Shelia playing chess with Nil.

Nil had a distant gaze that wasn’t settled on anything in particular. His face was pale with little life in it as he moved his chess pieces over the board to counterattack his “father’s” moves.

“Nil,” I breathed relieved but he didn’t look up.

“Isn’t my step son just adorable?” Shelia asked appearing next to Nil and grabbing his face in her hands. She stroked his cheek lovingly as he moved to another place.

“And he’s so smart! He has yet to do anything wrong for his defense! I’ve tied with him over thirty times already. He’s so amazing! Just the son that I thought my Cain would have,” she gushed happily letting him go. “You on the other hand are nothing but trouble. I just knew you would take Cain away, you little bitch. He always cared more for you than he did for me.” She turned on me glaring and her power slammed me against the wall holding me there as she advanced on me.

“I will take your power and then both of us will be perfectly happy,” she grinned taking a knife out of her pocket and she cleaned it slowly watching how I stared at it.

“Nil! Phillip isn’t your father!” I shouted at the glassy eyed figure playing chess in front of me and Shelia laughed.

“He can’t hear you,” she grinned reaching forward and sliced lightly on my arm. Blood trickled down and the smell of it hit me like a truck. Disgusted by her antics, I snarled at her but she only rolled her eyes.

“Please, you’re nothing more than a cheap whore. You can use all your pretty tricks but I know that you can’t do anything in the end. You weren’t able to kill me last time, what’s stopping you now?” She smiled and started slashing my arms more deeply over and over again. I didn’t see through the illusion until I was about to pass out. The room took on a hazy look and I blinked to see through the sweat running into my eyes. Nil wasn’t playing chess with his father as I had originally thought but hung loosely on chains bound around his throat, ankles, and wrists. His body was covered in cuts and bruises but it didn’t affect him and I could see that. Reaching out to his mind I felt the only thing I never wanted to feel, emptiness.

My grief took on a whole new level as I gazed at his body in complete defeat until my anger blazed up brightly. I had survived by killing my father but that hadn’t led me to Nil in time to save him.

“You killed him,” I whispered letting the reality take hold of my emotions and power.

“Of course! My Cain cheated on me with another woman. What else was I supposed to do?” She smiled up at me truthfully happy. First Jack, then Castor, and finally my nephew, Nil, Shelia beat them down and used them until there was nothing left of any of them. Meeting her eyes, she suddenly stopping cutting me. Glancing down at my skinned hand, I forced it from her power trap and set it on her head. Shocked at my sudden forcefulness, she tried to get away.

“You killed them,” I murmured completely lost before I burned so much power into her that she could’ve never handled it. It burned her body and her soul so completely that there was no trace left of her and I was let go from her hold. Standing up shakily, I slowly made my way over to Nil’s body and carefully let him down.

“I’m…so sorry, Nil. I’m so sorry,” I managed to say before I passed out.