Crazy is the Name of My Game

(29) His Only Weakness

Erica Santos

“Don’t look.”

Adams’ arms felt incredibly warm as he wrapped them around me, pulling me away from the sickening reality of the redheaded girl on the asphalt floor. Fighting the nausea, I buried my face in the crook of his neck and allowed a few tears to escape my eyes.

We were too late. She’s dead. Jensenn was gone, just like that. I wasn’t able to say goodbye or thank you.

Only a while ago, I had been so angry with her that I couldn’t even hold her gaze without wanting to slap her. Getting a glimpse of her on the floor… she might have been a lying witch, but once upon a time she was my friend. She didn’t deserve to be denied the right to live.

I wish I had reconciled with Jen. She had been an ally, if not a friend. I ought to give her some credit. Too bad it’s impossible now.

“Jen,” I heard Jason say, his voice trembling with loneliness and anger and something else that I couldn’t place. I heard his footsteps. Too loud. My heartbeats. Too strong. The stench in the air. Horrible.

I wanted to run away.

“I’m so sorry that you had to see this,” Adams whispered, rubbing my back gently, trying to comfort me. I shook my head, biting my lower lip.

“Oh, shut up,” I said stubbornly, my voice thankfully flat. “I wanted to come.”

It was true. He and Jason insisted that I should be left in the mansion, but I held my ground. Arc was on my side, and I wasn’t in the mood to be argued with. And because I'm amazing like that, they had no choice but to have me join them. I thought we had a chance to prevent this from happening.

My prayer was not answered. Not that it surprised me. Fate stored a lot of shit for me. I was that special.

“Why would they do this? I don’t understand.” Was he asking me? Or was that supposed to be rhetorical?

“Jensenn is a threat to them,” Arc answered almost immediately. “Her power lies in nullification of spells. With her on our side, they are bound to lose. They want you Len and by doing this, you’ll be lured to their trap.”

“So it’s me again, huh?”

“Bullshit!” Jason yelled. “Those motherfu– “

Len covered my ears.

I held onto him tighter. He was solid like rock, something I needed at the moment to pull some strength from. I had never felt so afraid in my whole life, and that was saying something. I wasn’t numbed with fear and pain like that time with my family. No, this was different. The grief I felt now came at me in torrents, drowning me, making me sweat despite the cold. If it wasn’t for him, I would have collapsed on the floor.

I was afraid. Undeniably and wholly terrified.

Arc’s warning came true. One of us died, and one would follow soon. What if in two weeks this man holding me was lost too, just as Arc said? What would I do? Could I still hate him knowing that his life was marked? Could I blame Leonn Adams for lying to me? Could I still hold the Cat responsible for the massacre of my family? Or was it time for me to realize that the blood was not on him, but on these people who craved for power, these so-called Hunters?

“I’ll call the police,” Arc said resignedly from somewhere behind me, “better we let the authorities handle her body.”

“F*ck! F*ck this! How could they –? Why would they –?” Jason started cursing the spirits, the world, everyone and everything in it. I could hear the pain from his voice. They were real. All along, he cared for Jen. I knew they had a past, and perhaps instances separated them, but he liked Jen. I was sure of it.