7.1 Cat and Canary

My freshman year of college I took a crash course in mythology. Who could forget the origin of the mighty sea kraken? A symbol of strength and tranquility, the kraken was mostly known for terrorizing sailors off the coast of Norway. Now it was terrorizing us.

As everyone else around me panicked, running past the windows to get inside, yelling about giant squids, all I could do was grip the rail, staring aimlessly down into the jaws of the beast. Its vast, circular mouth yawned wide, revealing endless spirals of sharp, jagged teeth. Countless eyes peered back at me from the water, as dark and empty as as the voids of space. Dark Dorian had summoned a monster as cold and empty as him.

Tentacles slithered up and over the ledge, causing the boat to tilt dangerously to the right. One girl fell out of the doors, sliding down the deck. She would have fallen into the sea if Dorian hadn't reached out and caught her.

"We have to push it back!" he yelled.

"How?" I yelled back, on my knees, gripping the rail with both hands.

"Me!" Opal removed the swords at her back with an expert flourish, her balance impeccable as she charged across the deck, hacking at the kraken's limbs. The beast roared. Its broken parts wriggled like worms, injured limbs spilling ink-like blood as they withdrew into the sea. The waters finally calmed.

Someone poked their head through a porthole shaped window, turning green when they saw the bloody limbs still writhing on the deck. "I-is it safe?"

As if in answer, water leaped in huge sprays, drenching us with the lake as the kraken thrashed in response. Injured and angry, it rocked against the yacht, knocking Opal off-balance. She hit the deck and didn't get back up.

Hope was stripped away as I realized Pearl Lake would never be safe with Dark Dorian's monster roaming the waters. I glanced at Dorian, stunned to see him removing his shirt and shoes. He picked up the sword, testing the blade's edge.

"Dorian... what are you doing?"

"The only thing I can."

Dorian held me steady as the kraken thrashed against the side of the yacht. We only had minutes before the beast sentenced us all to a watery grave.

"No!" I tried to tug the sword from his hand. "Dorian, you can't! You might not come back from this!"

"And if I don't try, I'll be lost forever." He brushed wet strands of hair from my face and kissed me. "I'd jump a thousand times to save you, Amelia Thorne. What good is a life if you have nothing to die for?"

Dorian jumped on the railing, steadying himself with the sword.

"Dorian, don't you dare!"

With a final, longing glance over his shoulder, he dived flawlessly into the water.

I ran to the rail, watching the kraken retreat below the water, chasing its prey. I squeezed the bar until my hands went numb, waiting for Dorian resurface. His last words rooted me to the spot, ringing inside my head.

What good is life if you have nothing to die for?

"What good is a life without you?" I whispered.

Because of Dorian's sacrifice, everyone made it safely back to shore. Everyone, except for him.

I was in a daze. Someone had to pry me from the rails, leading me from the boat and back to the beach, where a half a dozen cop cars had their lights flashing. I sat in the back of an ambulance, cold and dazed as an attendant shined a light in my eyes, asking if I knew what happened.

"Giant squid," I replied, wrapping the blanket tighter around me.

"Squids don't live in freshwater. Ma'am, is there someone I can call for you--any friends or next of kin?"

"There's no one. Just me." Head down, I tried hard not to cry. I was losing everyone to Dark Dorian. Who was next? When would I lose me?"

Someone cleared their throat. Vanida stood before me, wrapped in a blanket, still dripping lake-water.

"She's my friend," she said aloud. "I'm taking her home."

The attendant nodded and stepped out of the way.

"You saved us," Vanida signed.

"Not me," I signed back, then burst into tears.

Vanida didn't say a word. She just held me, letting me cry on her shoulder, pouring out every emotion I had left.

The next morning, I lay in bed with the covers over my head,still too paralyzed to do anything but listen to the silence, which was loud, but not as deafening as the voice in my head warning me not to be stupid. A simple phone call to the gallery would confirm whether Dorian was dead or alive simply by asking for Mr. Darkwater. But I wasn't ready to hear the truth, much less do anything about it.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Go away," I called, turning the other direction.

They knocked again.

"No one's home!" I threw my pillow at the door and ducked beneath the sheets.

"Since when was hiding from your problems ever an option?"

I sat up, bewildered by the sight of Dorian standing in the middle of my apartment. Never mind the door was locked and that I didn't have any paintings for him to pass through. He was alive.

Without a second thought, I jumped out of bed and threw myself in his arms. He kissed me back, softly at first, his loose grip tightening as he drove me backwards. But Dorian pulled away before we reached the bed, his smile sending my heart in a frenzy as his thumbs smoothed across my lips.

"You are captivating," he said, and kissed me again, harder than he ever had. So hard I pulled back with a gasp and touched my mouth, shocked by the blood on my fingers... and the blood on his lips. "And gullible." He smirked.

I lunged, beating his chest with my fists as he laughed in scorn.

"I'd rather be gullible than a murderous prick! I'd rather be dead than be anything like you!"

Dark Dorian grabbed my arms, pinning them to my chest as he leered in my face. "Thought he was a goner, did you? Relieved, are we?" He shoved me away.

Heart racing from anger and adrenaline, my breath came in quick little gasps as I wiped the blood away. "I got rid of my paintings. How the hell did you get in here?" Whenever we traveled to other worlds, Dorian brought his own paintings and took them with him when he left. I couldn't stand the idea of Dark Dorian using them to spy as I slept.

"Any old picture will do." Dark Dorian strolled to my nightstand, retrieving a brochure for a trip to New York. He waved the pamphlet with a grin so sickening I ripped it from his hand and tore it to shreds.

"The kraken could have killed people! What were you thinking?"

"Of me. I'm always thinking of me, the same way he always thinks of you." His lip curled in bitter amusement. "Curses."

"He sacrificed himself to save everyone. You could've died too."

The grin slipped from his face; he held his arms wide. "Nothing of this world can destroy me. You're the one with the death wish. Did you really think I wouldn't find out?"

"Find. Out. What."

"The poisoned champagne. At first I was sure you sent it--until I realized you would never hurt him, even if it meant hurting me. And then a little birdy showed me a little video and everything clicked." Dorian smiled with all his teeth. "Imagine. My. Surprise."

"Jane." My hands balled into fists at the thought of her betrayal. Oh, that stupid bitch...

"Well, she did what you asked--she destroyed the tape--after she showed me first. Not as vapid as she seems. At least she knows the meaning of loyalty. Can't say the same for your friend. If you had drunk the champagne, you'd be dead. He nearly killed me and you--he's a traitor."

Leo's voice rang in my head.

This new danger remains hidden. Close to you, but unseen by the naked eye... Well, my eyes were wide open now. Danny wasn't just in danger--he was dangerous. Still, Vanida loved him and I loved her. I had no choice but to save him from Dark Dorian's wrath.

"Dorian, you cannot hurt Danny. He was upset--you poisoned his girlfriend!"

"Ah, yes. An eye for an eye--I'm quite familiar, actually." He strolled to the kitchen counter. Plucking an apple from the fruit bowl, he cleaned it on his jacket and bit into the fruit. "The question is... what to do about it. So many bloody possibilities." He tossed the apple from hand to hand as he chuckled.

I swallowed. There was only one card left in my deck - the one decision I swore I would never make.

"Okay, I'll give you what you want--I'll paint for you."

"I'm sorry." Dark Dorian leaned forward, one hand cupping his ear. "What was that?"

"I said I'll paint for you. Just promise you won't kill Danny."

With a feigned look of innocence, Dorian took a large bite from his apple.

"Dorian... promise me."

He sighed. "You know, there are ways to destroy a person without killing them. Why do you think my lesser half still breathes? It'd be foolish to kill him--after all, I'd only be killing, well, me."

"Is there a point to this?"

"Don't you even want to know why I do it? Why I'm willing to risk so many lives trying to end his?"

"You said it yourself--nothing of this world can kill you. Not even that giant ego."

"Not the only giant thing about me." He smirked. "Seriously though..." Dorian tossed the apple and caught it. "Every time he sacrifices himself to save you, I. Get. A little bit. Stronger."

I frowned. "Why?"

"He's self-serving. He only throws himself into the jaws of danger because he gets something out of it. It's like I said--there's a thin line between the brave and the selfish--and he'll cross it every time." He bopped my nose with his finger. "For you."

My heart sank. If fighting Dark Dorian kept innocent people alive, but made Dark Dorian stronger, then how would we ever stop him?

The stakes are high and the odds are against you. You are ambitious; you seek victory but must be prepared for defeat...

Well if I was going down, I was taking him with me.

"I'll do whatever it takes." I lifted my chin. "I'll paint whatever you want."

Dark Dorian smiled - and let it wither. "This doesn't make us even. Not even close. If you thought the kraken was bad, you have no idea what's coming." He took another crafty bite from his apple, waggling his brows as he left the apartment.

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