Chapter 21 (Clare)

Clare looked at him as if he was insane as she considered the possibility, he was too young to be her father and looked nothing like her, she already had an image of her father in her head, even if it was made up, and he wasn't it, “I don’t know what world you’re from dude, but in this world, you don’t just save someone and inherit a kid!” Shrugging she added, “You gotta do things the old fashion way, OR ADOPT, Carl or wait! - what’s your name again?.”

He gave her a small smile, jumping out of the car. She didn't expect him to answer, people tended to mistake her bluntness for rudeness, her mother always did, she flinched at the thought and buried it deep down where no one would know the truth.

Pulling open her door, she was relieved and surprised when he held out his hand, “Caidrian, though I would prefer father at best. You used to call me dad.” He paused, as she shook his offered hand, then added, “Supporting you for the first ten years of your life, and paying for that expensive fancy school you go to should count for something, besides there’s a resemblance, see.” he pointed to the small mirror on the outside of the car.

Pouting her lips, which was a force of habit, she frowned at the car's mirror, and her reflection, “Liar, we look nothing alike.”

He laughed, as she stared again at her reflection, swollen lips and puffy eyes, with smudged mascara. Bad was understating how she really looked and felt with all the dirt on her skin, and torn blouse now painted in dried blood stuck to her body.

Touching her tongue to her pellet the taste of iron from her blood still lingered in her mouth.

Thinking of how she could fix this, a small grin tugged on her lips when she looked at the car they’d arrived in. Not wasting a minute Clare went to the boot, which was filled with clothes her mom and her bought today. Unperturbed by Caidrians presence, whose name, she had remembered perfectly well the first time, but would never admit it, she stripped down to her bra and panties, taking some bottled water, and washed herself up.

Replacing her tattered bra with a black lacy one, she rummaged through the packet until she found a pair of skinny jeans and a black shirt.

Noticing Caidrians stiff back, she suppressed the urge to poke at him as she pulled up her jeans, asking instead, “What’s the difference between a demon and a Tempter, Alonso explained it to me but..”

Back seeming to relax a slight bit, he replied, “Tempters are the fallen Angels, Barbatos, Lucifer, Azazel, Amon, Abaddon and a whole lot more, there are 200 or more fallen, but the demons, are the beast that the Tempters create, like an Aggrammon demon, or Ravenor, Drugbard, Dragonfiely they’re normally horrible looking things, sometimes the stronger demons could take the shape of fog, or even deceptors.”

She tossed the destroyed clothes in the 4x4, threw her hair forward, finger combing it, “So is the Tempter completely dead?, I’m Done.”

“Well, not quite.” He walked toward the forest as she tied her hair in a knot, “He’s as dead as he can be, Kalbreal just cut his soul into pieces, scattering them all over the planet, so give or take maybe a hundred or so years, Barbatos will be himself.” He shrugged, “Can’t really kill that which was never alive you know.”

She walked closer toward him, meeting him there, “What are we doing here in the middle of nowhere, it’s creepy, and where’s Nathan?” Arms folded across her chest, expectant mask on her face, she waited for an answer, he sighed, “We have to go to the realms, inform the Garde and bury your mother, we don’t have much time, if they’re killing and hunting us we need to be at our stations.” He paused, “Tempters have managed to get past the seals before, you should prepare yourself, girl, you need training as soon as possible.”

She flinched, “Why? I don't need training!” When he ignored her and started toward the car with what looked like gasoline, Clare got the bags from the back of the car. There was no reason to leave it, and she’d need the clothes wherever it was they were headed. Putting the bags on the ground a good distance away from the car, Clare watched him pour the liquid on the vehicle.

When he turn toward her she sighed, “It’s like we speak two different languages, how about tryna explain in English.”

Caidrian took her arm in a firm grip, gently shoving her in front of him, “We got to move I’d portal us but it’s too risky since you’ve never done it before, let’s go, I’ll explain it all to you, just not right now.”