A Friend to the Darkness. Katherine Rathbone

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СКАЧАТЬ have to worry about a curfew. I figured I’d sleep down by the river somewhere. Honestly, I didn’t think it all the way through. I met up with Jonathon, and we laughed, and danced, and drank, and kissed. Everyone was nice to me for once, and I was having fun. I chatted with people I’d never spoken to before, and started to think that maybe humans weren’t all that bad.

      It was pretty early in the night, around eleven, when I started to feel woozy. Confusedly, I thought about how much I’d had to drink. Not all that much, but nonetheless, the room started to tilt.

      “Hey!” Jonathon caught me with an arm around my waist. “You ok there?” He laughed.

      “I… I don’t… I don’t feel so good. I think I need to go home.” I mumbled.

      He gave me a gentle kiss, and said, “Sure thing. I’ll walk you.”

      I closed my eyes and leaned on him, my head spinning harder and harder.

      When I opened them again, I was on my back on a bed in a strange room. I struggled to sit up, and realised that Jonathon was on top of me, my dress was torn and pushed up around my hips, and his hand was between my legs. Fury clarified my mind for a moment, and I tried to shove him off. But he was much bigger and stronger than I was, and I struggled in vain. He was too close to me for me to build any momentum to hit him, and fear started to bloom in my mind. I tried to call out, but I couldn’t make my mouth work. How did I pray again? I couldn’t remember.

      My friends heard me anyway. Jonathon flew across the room, and Seth climbed onto the bed, scooping me up into his arms. I looked over my shoulder, and saw my other friends gathered around my attacker. But they looked different. Terrifying. Their mouths had rows and rows of sharp teeth, so many that their lips wouldn’t close properly. They had tails, with sharp, arrowhead tips. And their eyes were blood red and filled with fury. They filled the room, and advanced on Jonathon, their movements predatory.

      I blinked, and we were in the cabin in the woods, where Seth had taken me after the demon attack. He set me gently on the bed, then took in my ruined dress. Without saying a word, he peeled off his shirt and handed it to me, keeping his eyes averted. When I took it from him, he turned his back to me. I struggled out of my dress with difficulty, given that my head wouldn’t stop spinning, and pulled Seth’s shirt on. It was way too big for me, and was actually longer than the dress I had been wearing. It was warm from his always hot skin, and smelled comforting.

      “You decent?” He asked after a while, his tone neutral.

      I struggled to clear my head enough to speak. “No, but I am dressed.” I slurred.

      He rolled his eyes at me, and sat beside me. The others appeared, back to their normal selves. Maybe I had imagined the way they looked before. Seth gently took my hand.

      “Dear one?” He asked, seeking my attention. I nodded, but didn’t look anyone in the eye. “Dear one, how much did you drink?” He asked gently.

      “I don’t…. I don’t know.” Words were hard. Everyone looked at me with grave expressions. “Two or three?” I added. “I think…. He must have… he roofied me.” I started to cry. Seth squeezed my hand, before letting go and standing.

      Sebastian took his place, and gently but insistently pulled me into an embrace. I clutched at him, and cried harder into his chest. “Dear one.” His voice was gentle, and lacked its usual mirth. “Dear one, did he… Did he…” Sebastian couldn’t finish the sentence. Sera did it for him.

      “Did he fuck you?” Her voice was cold with rage, and I understood that it wasn’t for me. I flinched nevertheless, drew my knees up into a ball, and squirmed closer to Sebastian’s comforting figure.

      “Fuck.” I cried. “Does it matter?!” I heard Sera shift as if she was about to say something, and someone hushed her. Sebastian held me tight, stroking my hair.

      I felt the bed shift, and smelled cinnamon and rain. I reached a hand behind me, and Lucifer took it. He spoke quietly. “It matters, dear one. If the answer is yes, we need to take you to a hospital.” I shuddered with revulsion at the idea of admitting to anyone else that I was stupid enough to get drugged by a boy who pretended to like me. Lucifer continued. “There… there are things that we can’t heal, that we can’t… fix.”

      “No. I… I don’t think he did.” I mumbled into Sebastian’s chest. Lucifer sighed, and I felt him rest his head on my back.

      “Dear one, I’m going to ask you something very personal.” I tensed. Seth growled. “Do… are you… does your…”

      Sera cut him off. “He had his pants on, Lucifer.” Lucifer sighed again, with relief this time, I thought. He wrapped his arms around both me and Sebastian, so that between the two of them I was almost completely enclosed. I cried and cried. I was vaguely aware of Lucifer telling Sera to go fetch me some clothes. Eventually I straightened, and they let me go, remaining seated beside me. I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath.

      “Did you kill him?” My words were still slurred, but my head was starting to clear a little.

      “What do you want us to have done to him?” Lucifer asked.

      “Torn him to pieces.” I snarled.

      Seth barked a laugh. “You vicious little bitch.” His tone was appreciative, and I gave him a savage grin.

      Lucifer sighed. “No, my bloodthirsty Familiar, we didn’t kill him. But we absolutely messed him up and put the fear of… Hell into him.” He smiled at me.

      I shrugged. “I guess that will do.” Lucifer rolled his eyes at me, and the others giggled a little.

      I took a hold of Sebastian and Lucifer’s hands, and looked around at everyone. “Thank you, guys.” I whispered. The guys holding my hands squeezed them, and Sera said with a smile,

      “This is why we made you a Familiar. So we could protect you. But if anything like this happens again, how about you call us as soon as you think something is going pear shaped. Don’t wait.” I nodded.

      “What time is your mum expecting you?” Seth asked, his tone business-like. “Let’s not make a shit night any more traumatic than it already is.”

      I laughed. “Why, are you scared of my mother, Third Lord of Hell?”

      Seth shivered theatrically. “Damn straight I am.” He winked at me.

      I smiled back and said, “She’s not. I told her I was staying at Sera’s.”

      Seth snorted. “Huh. Turns out that’s almost even true. Stay here the night, we’ll take you home tomorrow.”

      “I’ll stay with you, Katie. If you’d like.” Lucifer said quietly. I nodded gratefully. ”Come on, everyone. Let’s leave her to get changed, then Seth can have his shirt back, you can go home, and I’ll get her to bed.” He stood, and Sebastian followed his lead. I clutched involuntarily at Seth’s shirt, and glanced at him. He smiled at me and said,

      “Keep it, dear one. You know how I love to get naked. Let’s go, dear siblings.” And he was gone before I could find anything to throw at him. Sebastian gave me a quick hug and he was gone too. Sera waved at me, and then she was gone too, leaving me alone with Lucifer.

      He stood, pulled СКАЧАТЬ