A Promise of Death

  Staring at her twin Harper offered him a shaky smile. "Liam, what a surprise."

  He flashed her a boyish grin, lifting the bag in his hand he gave the contents a gentle shake. "I brought breakfast."

  Despite her unease she stepped aside and motioned for him to enter. Closing the door behind him Harper wrung her fingers together as she followed him. Of all the days her brother could have came over he chose today, the day after Kiev and she agreed to causally fück. He chose today of all days when she only recently received a lavender spray that could -or couldn't conceal the scent of Kiev all over her.

"I stopped by the bakery downtown and got you're favorite." Rolling the top of the bag open he pulled out a familiar sugar dusted pastry. "Cinnamon and sugar encrusted pretzel twists."

"No way." Harper laughed already reaching for the braided pastry her concerns momentarily sliding to the back burner. Taking a large bite she moaned her delight. "How did you manage to snag a bag of these, they sell out in minutes." She asked through a mouth full.

Shrugging carelessly he pulled a twist out for himself. "It's no big deal, really. All I did was wake up before the sun and wait on line for the bakery to open."

Pausing mid bite Harper stared unblinkingly at her twin who had to be insane to wake up before dawn to retrieve her all time favorite treat. The selfless actions of her twin caused her heart to swell with love for her other half. Wrapping an arm around his neck she gave him a quick squeeze and mumbled a heartfelt thank you.

"I felt terrible about the way we parted yesterday." He began to apologize but Harper dismissed his apology with a wave of her hand.

  She couldn't blame Liam for remaining silent in front of the elders. He might be her brother but he was also a Hunter. That meant his duty was towards the organization and his loyalty. Although she didn't like to admit it she knew her brothers priority was with the Hunters before her, they were raised to put the future of their people before their own personal needs. She might have walked away from that life but her twin didn't and it wouldn't be fair of her to force him to leave the only life he new.

"It's cool, I know they're your commanders and duty requires blah, blah, blah..."

Liam shook his head at her teasing response, the tension leaving his shoulders as soon as she forgave him.

"Coffee would go great with these." Harper said before taking another bite. Walking towards the coffee maker she pulled out two mugs and filled them. Recalling her brother preferred no sugar she proceeded to cream his mug while dumping too many spoons of sugar into her own. As she placed the mugs down before her brother she noticed his attention was elsewhere. Turning her gaze to the floor where he nudged a shard of porcelain aside Harper nearly fainted.

  Her heart skipped a beat as Liam squatted down and lifted what little remained of her original breakfast. She had completely forgotten all about the mess, distracted by Kiev's very talented mouth but if she remembered clearly Kiev was the one to push the plate and mug aside. His scent was all over the shattered mess, which Harper had failed to douse in the lavender spray. Fear gripped her heart, squeezing the already pounding organ as she watched her twin examine the shard.

Stepping forward Harper pushed the shard out of his hand just as he had been lifting it closer to his face where he'd definitely catch a whiff of a demon scent.

"I meant to clean that up." She said with an unease smile before she squatted down to pick up the larger pieces.

"Was someone here?"

She squeezed her eyes shut at the question, pausing her efforts of clearing the mess while trying to find a way out of this predicament.

"Is that why you took so long to answer?"

He was right on the nose but she wasn't about to confirm anything. Groaning inwardly Harper reluctantly reopened her eyes and turned to meet her brothers quizzical expression. A million scenarios played out in her mind as she attempted to predict her twin's reaction at discovering she was sleeping with an incubus, not that she was going to admit it. There was a very slim chance he might remain calm, like very, very slim. Who was she kidding Liam would freak out. The question was would he be taking it upon himself to give her the punishment for her crime or would he drag her to their father to do it.

  Without a word Harper stood up and retrieved the broom and dustpan. She swept up the mess and dumped the chunks of porcelain and waffles into the garbage. She felt her brother's gaze boring into her back even as she wiped the coffee and whipped cream off the floor. She felt the heat of his questions even if he hadn't spoken them out loud. Yet she continued to ignore his presence while she cleaned up the mess and no sooner had she started she was finished. Dreading the next few minutes Harper dropped the soiled towel on the counter. There was no avoiding this conversation. Gripping the edge of the counter for support she steeled her features, straightened her back and prepared herself for whatever consequences were to come. Sure she hadn't expected any consequences the morning after fücking Kiev but she knew there would be.

Remain calm, remain strong, she chided to herself.

Liam shook his head, his dark brows pulling together. "I can't believe you."

Harper stiffened despite his gentle tone, awaiting more when Liam stood off the stool he was currently occupying. When they were younger Harper had never really noticed the difference between Liam and she. As children they were nearly identical, both sporting shoulder length brown hair, soft caramel eyes and the same toothless smile but as they transcended into adolescents they had turned into polar opposites. Liam had grown to a staggering six foot two while Harper had barely reached five foot five. Her brother hadn't only grown in height but in strength, hours of gruesome training had her brother in top physical shape. Every inch of his body toned and sculpted to the idea shape without an ounce of fat to be seen. Harper on the other hand had despised training and avoided it at all costs resulting in her curvaceous and tender body. Compared to Liam she was a cup of pudding. But despite his height and strength Harper had never felt afraid of her twin, until now.

  Mustering up all the courage she had Harper lifted her chin and turned to face her brother. Despite the disappointed look in his eyes she kept the impassive expression on her face. She wouldn't collapse so easily.

"After all these years, after all the lessons you're doing this?" He asked with a somber expression. "Did you do it to piss dad off? Because it's not worth it Harper, this game you play with him isn't worth it."

  Her heart slammed against her rib cages, her mind whirling with the accusations he spewed. Her thoughts racing with fear and stubborn pride but amongst the hazy cloud of 'what if's' she realized he hadn't came out with the official accusation, yet.

"I don't have to explain myself to you." She retorted with a defiant tilt of her chin.

  Shaking his head Liam took a step back, running a hand through his shirt brown hair. "Haven't you learned anything? These flings don't work out for you. All they do is create more tension between you and dad. Especially since you smelled like a dead animal yesterday."

  Harper's brows pulled together in confusion. Tension? Didn't he mean death? For a moment Harper allowed herself to lower her defenses and properly assess the conversation from a different perspective. Recalling Liam's words and his disappointment not anger and sadness. Was he talking about Kiev? Or had she just gotten a huge break and her brother misinterpreted the situation?

"These flings?" She questioned, hoping his answer would shed some light on the subject at hand.

  Dropping his hand back to his side her twin set her with a dark glower. "Don't deny it Harp. What is he another werewolf? A warlock, a gremlin, a vampire?"

  Her jaw slacked at his last accusation, her mind attempting to make sense of the moment. Was this real? Had her brother actually misread the signs? Did she actually dodge a bullet? Relieved by the sudden turn in events Harper released a soft chuckle and pressed two fingers to her temple. Her body physically relaxed as her thoughts settled down, all the bad scenarios she had entertained just moments ago now long gone.

"Why are you laughing?" Liam asked before his brows shot upwards and his eyes widened. "Don't tell me he's a dragon shifter!"

This can't be real?! Reeling in her wayward emotions Harper met her brother's horrified gaze and shook her head. "He's not a dragon." She confirmed, knowing the history between Hunters and dragon shape shifters were almost as dark and messy as the one between demons.

"Then what is he?" He asked.

Pushing away from the counter Harper returned to her stool and grabbed a pretzel twist. "He's a beast in the sheets." She grinned mischievously before taking a bite of the sugary treat.

A look of disgust crossed her twin's face as he followed her back to his own seat. "That's too much information." He cringed as he grabbed his coffee. "How did he leave? The window?" He asked.

Nodding, she swallowed the dough in her mouth she gave him a careless shrug. The comment about sex would keep her brother off the topic of her love life for now but she had to steer the attention away from herself. "Speaking of flings, how's your romantic life going? You haven't mentioned a girl in months."

Staring at the liquid in his mug Liam gave her a small smile. "It's hard to find a girl who would stand by you while you hop from one city to the next."

A pang of empathy for her twin had her smile wiped clean off. Her brother hadn't had a stable relationship since he became an official Hunter solider. "Maybe you could try making a connection with one of the Huntresses?" She offered. Her brother was a fairly decent looking guy and a hero amongst their people, not to mention a great person.

"I tried." He sighed, swirling the caramel liquid in his mug around. "They either feel intimidated by me or they want to be the wife of the next northern leader."

"Those empty headed cows!" Harper exclaimed, infuriated by the shallow and cowardly woman she grew up beside. Her brother was not a prize to be won. He is a human being who only wanted a companion, someone to give him comfort after a battle. To stand beside him during hardships, a friend who loved him for the gentle soul he is.

"It's fine, really. I've been too busy lately to have time to try anyway."

"The ambush?" Harper asked and received a confirming nod.

Lifting his cup he took a long swallow of coffee before continuing. "No matter how many times I go over the evidence I can't find any clue as to how they discovered where the base is located."

"I thought there was a mole?"

"So did the elders. That's why they asked me to return. I'm officially on the case to find out just how they figured out where we were. But after going through the videos uncovered from the base and others around the world I've found nothing. I spent days combing through different statements but it all leads to nothing."

"How is that possible?" Harper asked with a shake of her head. "Only a few dozen people know that place exists."

He lifted his gaze up to hers. "Exactly what I said but I'm coming up with empty."

Lowering the pretzel twist back into the bag Harper leaned on the counter as her mind tried to figure out how the demons discovered the training base.

"Some of the elders thought that they scoped different locations in the hopes of finding our secret facilities."

"But you don't think so."

"No." He answered stiffly before taking another gulp of his coffee. "The attack was too precise, too perfectly executed to be a coincidence. He knew where to go, what areas to bring down, where the commanders resided."

"He? There was only one demon?" Harper asked in disbelief that her brother and the others were taken out by a single demon.

He nodded. "The worst of them all, Kiev." He spat out the name in disgust and took another long gulp of the steaming coffee.

Her heart tripped over itself as Kiev's name passed her brother's lips, something she wouldn't have ever expected in a million years. Lowering his mug Liam shook his head, his gaze on the marble counter seeming far from this moment and Harper was grateful her twin was preoccupied. Threading her fingers together to keep them from trembling. She felt lightheaded as she watched her brother's expression turn stone cold.

"I was able to see his entire attack on the recovered tapes. He was merciless as he wiped out half of the recruits upon entry. He tore through the commanding officers rooms, went through the generals like they were rag dolls. Room by room, body by body he killed them all." Liam spoke in a tone void of any emotion, his one good brown eye glazed over with unshed tears. "I was conducting a final report on the training program when he found me, blood dripping from his fingers, my people's blood. I could still smell their life's essence on him."

Bile rose in her throat as his words formed an all too vivid imagine of Kiev drenched in blood standing before her twin. She felt her guilt intensify over her relations with him after he had killed her people, almost killed her brother.

Oblivious to her internal turmoil Liam continued to retell the horror of the attack in the same emotionless tone. "I don't know how long we fought, blow after blow, block after block it seemed we were evenly matched and then he gave me a knowing smirk and everything changed. I don't know how by I ended up lying on my back with the devil standing before me. With a single stomp of his foot he crushed my knee as a darkness engulfed me. I couldn't see anything, could barely breathe when I felt him near me."

  Harper hadn't realized she had leaned forward until he paused to take a deep breath, his fingers touching the crimson fabric currently over his left eye. "I felt him nearing me but as I turned to face him in the dark mist I felt a sharp jolt in my eye as a figure appeared before." He swallowed hard, his gaze hardening. "I never forget what he said as I crumpled to the ground withering with the searing pain in my skull or his laughter."

"W-what did he say?" She mumbled, her breathing uneven.

Lowering his hand Liam lifted his gaze up to meet hers and the burning hatred in her twin's gaze spoke volumes. "The Grant bloodline will end, the Hunters will be no more than a tale of horror."

  Hot tears streamed down her face and she quickly went to swipe away the fat tears. Her heart constricted painfully at the pain her brother had suffered through both during the attack and afterwards. She knew how much he loved his people, how he respected each Hunter who stood beside in a battle and to lose such a significant amount. To watch in video as they are taken out one by one. It must have destroyed Liam to go through statements, to rewind the videos and see it be done over and over. To watch Kiev kill his comrades.

Kiev. The same Kiev who had attacked her nearly a week ago. The same Kiev who had healed her after an attack. The very same fücking Kiev who had kissed her so tenderly last night, who laid beside her through out the night. The same asshole who kindly gave her a concoction to conceal his scent the same fücker who only minutes ago had given her one of the best orgasms in her entire life. That was who killed the Hunters, who nearly killed Liam. Did he know Liam was her brother?

"I don't know why he didn't kill me in that moment but I wish he had."

"Don't say that." Harper hissed darkly. "If anything were to happen to you Liam I don't know what I'd do."

  He remained silent as he stared at her unblinkingly, his one good eye sweeping across her tear streaked face. "If anything ever does happen to me Harper I want you to promise me something."

  A part of her wanted to make the promise right then and there but her tongue suddenly felt as heavy as a brick. Opting for a simple nod she felt a sense of unease fill her as her twin reached across the counter and cover her trembling hand with his.

"I want you to promise me that if Kiev succeeds by wiping out the Hunters that you'll avenge us. Avenge me."

   Her lips parted as more tears clouded her vision, a rawness burning her throat and preventing her from uttering a word. Liam's fingers tightened around her hand. "I know you left our world behind years ago but if he manages to do as he says our people will need you to rid the world of the last full breed demon. We need you to end their future the way they wiped ours out."

"Liam, I.." Her voice cracked with an unexpected sob.

"Please Harper, I'm asking you as your brother to do our people this last favor. Kill the very creature who has slaughtered our people for decades. The very spawn of the man who murdered our mother. Rid the world of the last threat to our history."

  Kill Kiev. Her shoulders shook with the unexpected sobs that racked her body. Pulling her hand away from Liam she covered her quivering lip as images of her brother's corpse flashed in her mind. A jolt of sadness had her squeezing her eyes shut as she thought of Liam's words, to avenge him. To kill the man she had unwillingly began to develop feelings for.

"I've never killed anyone." She muttered behind her hand, unsure if Liam had even heard her.

  Killing was one of the reasons she had decided to leave the Hunters. She didn't want to kill people just because of what they were born to be without a legitimate reason. The more she asked herself why she should kill demons the more she realized she didn't have to, she didn't have to remain a huntress. To become a killer and here she was being asked to become the thing she had never wanted to be. To take a life and not just any stranger's life but the life of a man she knew. A man she had once loathed, a man who tricked her into a deal, a man she had woken up to just this morning. To say she was conflicted was an understatement. She liked for Kiev but not enough to side with him after he had made an attempt at Liam's life. But not too little to take his life.

"He is the last full breed demon and the actual heir to the throne. He has the power to wipe us out Harper. I don't know what he has planned but I know he is the only creature who can kill us all, I watched him give us a taste of that power."

"But to kill him?" Harper replied in a soft uncertain tone.

  A exasperated sigh sounded in the empty apartment causing her to lift her tear filled gaze up to her twin. Her other half. Liam ran a hand through his hair before continuing.

"You left the Hunters before you could properly learn about him but he has been terrorizing us for years. He was even present the day his father was killed, when the witches came to punish him for killing our mother. Do you remember?"

  Shaking her head Harper allowed her mind to take her back to that faithful day. Back to when she stood trembling in a pool of her mother's blood. Back to the broken little girl who watched the three claimed witches standing before the monster who had so mercilessly slaughtered her mother. The same monster who after killing her had dropped to his knees before her and handed her a small dagger and begged her to end his life. He had begged her mother to do the same but she had refused. The details were fuzzy but Harper recalled her father attempting to pull her to his side when the witches spoke the King's crimes out loud.

  The Hunters council had appeared along with the Demon council. Each group of leaders remained on either side of the room, the stench of blood filling the air between them. There were so many faces that day, some stared at her with empathy, some with pity and others with disgust. Closing her eyes she shuffled through the different faces of the Hunters council, over her father's concerned expression, over the somber faces of the Demon council. She had just about given up as her memories played the moment the Demon King parted his arms and awaited his execution when she noticed a figure standing beside the tightly huddled Demon council. Engulfed in the shadows of the room or perhaps the shadows he brought about him was Kiev, his soulless eyes burning with hatred and shimmering with tears as the punishment proceeded. When the Demon King's lifeless body thuds to the ground his gaze darts up and scans the crowd of Hunters, taking in every face before pausing on her terror struck expression.

  Harper felt her heart pounding in her chest as she realized she had never realized who the man who had stared at her with such murderous rage was even as they first met. She recalled the witches allowing her father to take her into his arms with Elena ushering them out of the room. She remembered holding onto her father's neck as she sobbed, her eyes glued to the two bodies surround in a pool of crimson. She even recalled the way Kiev had watched beneath hooded eyes as her father took her away from the scene but the hatred had never registered in her mind nor the face. All she could think of that day was how much blood had filled the floor, how many times the Demon King had begged her to end his suffering. All she could hear was her mother telling her not to kill him even as he drained her of life.

"You remember him." Liam stated rather than asked.

  Slowly she nodded, her eyes slowly fluttering open as she saw that horrid day in a new light. Kiev was there, he was at the trail when his father had begged the witches for death. Swallowing past the lump in her throats Harper had more questions about that day than ever, about why her mother was killed, why the king wanted to die and why Kiev had never mentioned they had met before.

"He is determined to avenge his father Harper. He blames us for his father's execution but you saw it for yourself. He killed our mother in cold blood and got just what he deserves. We are the victims. Everyone knows you left the organization years ago, some even think you died."

  Staring at the marble counter Harper could hardly hear her brother past the pounding of blood in her ears, her mind whirled with the many questions she had. Her father had always told her to forget that day when she asked about it and the council dismissed her as a young fool. They were the only ones who knew the truth, or so she thought. Kiev knows what happened that day, he knows.

  Harper was abruptly pulled from her thoughts as Liam grabbed her hand in his, her eyes darted up to met his pleading one. "Promise me Harper, promise that you'll protect our legacy."

  Blinking back tears Harper hadn't realized she had nodded until her brother sighed in relief, his shoulders slumping as a tender smile spread across his face.

"I knew I could count on you."

  What have I done?!  Although she hadn't said the words out loud Harper knew her brother had taken her reluctant nod as confirmation that she would do as he asked but Harper had no intent on following through. Not yet anyway. First she needed to speak with a certain demon and discover just what truly happened the day her mother was killed. So many mysteries surrounded that day and everyone seemed to want to keep it that way but she wasn't having it anymore. She was going to find out the truth one way or another. If the story proves her mother's death as a causality of a war between two races who loathed each other then she would do as Liam asked of her, no matter her feelings for Kiev.

  What if  there's more to it, a small voice whispered the sole reason she had left the Hunters in the first place.

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  Alrighty my lovely readers lay your comments on me, shower me with theories and hilarious commentary as you always do because I just have to hear your thoughts after this chapter. You know since the figurative sh!t is about to hit the fan :) as always thank you all for hanging around with this story xoxoxo....