Hallows: The Golden Viper

Am I Dead?

Bayside- Blame It On Bad Luck

Jimenez

The Aston Martin drives off. I keep my hold on her as Espinosa places the bag on the top of his car. He lets out a heavy sigh and proceeds to make a call.

"We need to talk," he says. "I can barely hear you over the music, Carson. This is important. Yeah, I'll meet you-"

"B," I scramble to grab a hold of her as she jumps out of our hiding spot and removes the mask she had on when I caught up to her.

"B.B.?" Espinosa turns around to face us. "No, she's right here with me," he holds out the phone for her. "Carson,"

She walks up to him and snatches it out of his hand. He looks in my direction and I step out from the tree line. He looks at me and very briefly glances behind me. B.B. doesn't miss that, but right now, I'm willing to bet she feels the heaviness of the conversation he just had with the woman that's here to try and take her. This isn't good. They seem determined. Just another problem to add to our list.

"Yes," she finally says. "Yeah, Ro is here with me. Okay, I'll let him know,"

She tosses the phone back at him over the car. He barely manages to catch it as he fumbles around for it. He doesn't say anything as she reaches for the bag he received. She pulls out four metal bricks and a small box. I approach her as she opens the box to find two silver kunai.

"How much of that did you hear?" he asks.

"All of it. I already knew," she shrugs and puts everything back inside the bag, and zips it up. "My dad told me. What was she talking about when she said she gave you the sight? How is she a reaper? She's not like us. I can smell her disgusting human B.O.,"

"She's not," he sighs scratching the back of his head. "Not really. She had a reaper bound to her when she was twenty-one. She's part of the Fringe Black Ops unit. A double agent," he glances back to where the snakes are again. "Are they both yours?"

"No, just the black one. Her name is Eve," B.B. opens the passenger seat. "Love, Carson wants us to take him to the spot. He said you'd know what that meant,"

"Get in the back, David," I tell him. She's been trying on nicknames and I kind of like that one. Carson's is Sweetie and Lucien has Baby. I can work with Love for now.

"This is my car," he groans. I help B.B. into the car and hand her the duffle bag.

"Now, David," I growl.

He doesn't argue and reluctantly gets into the back seat. I get into the driver's seat and turn the car around to head toward the Whitmore Estate. B.B. is very upset. I feel the coldness of it in my bones. Her silence is loud and demanding. Her expression is blank. The only other times I've seen her look at someone like that is when her parents are being assholes. Or when Carson is going through something and refuses to tell anyone about it. Someone is going to pay for it and my money is on David. I'm here for it. It's about f*****g time.

"Hey," I poke her cheek to try and get her out of her head. "You good?"

"Mostly," she answers honestly.

She rolls down the window and holds out her left arm. Her tattoo comes to life when she pulls the black snake back in. It used to be a small little thing on her forearm. It didn't even cover all of it but now it covers all over her arm like a sleeve. Even the pink lilies have multiplied. It looks amazing but the others find it alarming. I haven't been part of this world long enough to know if it is or isn't. To me, she seems to be handling herself well.

"Where are we going?" Espinosa demands.

She turns around to face him and waves him forward. I watch the i***t lean in between the seats. She pulls forward and then swings her elbow back connecting with his face. His body whips back into the seat. I look back to see him sound asleep.

"Nice shot, my love," I compliment her. I love it when she loses her temper.

She looks over at me and gives me a little smirk but it doesn't reach her eyes. She's really good at hiding her pain now. After what happened with the kid in her lab. She's refused to open up to us again. In all honesty, I think she deserves that privacy. To let it harden those extra soft spots she has because I know being what she is isn't going to be easy for her. It already isn't and she's barely tapping into her abilities much like I am.

It doesn't surprise her when we pull into the Whitmore Estate. Stacy, Natalie, Marcos, and Dylan are already waiting for us. She gets out and starts to make her way into the building without saying a word.

"Aww man and she was in a great mood like an hour ago," Stacy sighs.

"Help me with Espinosa. She knocked him out," I tell Dylan.

He comes over to me and picks him up. He takes him inside while I get the bag her bratty self left on the passenger seat. The others arrive shortly after. Lucien walks past us to get to her with urgency. I don't get him. He doesn't know what boundaries are. Carson and Victor come over to me as B.B.'s Jeep approaches. Her mom and dad get out of it. That's surprising because B.B. doesn't let anyone touch her cars. I've tried. We all have. Stupid Stacy is the only one that had access.

"What's going on?" Dante demands.

"It's Espinosa," Carson answers him. Ashley lets out a heavy sigh when Dante growls and storms past us. Carson sighs and looks up at me. "How bad is it?"

"On a scale from one to ten. Ten being the two of them ripping him apart. It's a solid ten," I inform him.

"What happened?" Ashley asks.

"Uh, I'm not sure. Betrayal?" I shrug. Vic and Carson laugh.

We all walk into the run-down estate where B.B. has tied Espinosa to a chair. Dante is talking to her but she doesn't seem to be listening as she knots the rope around his legs.

"Dad," she growls when she's done. He steps back not out of self-preservation but to give her room. The last thing anyone wants is for the two of them to clash. "Shut up,"

"B.B.," Delilah warns her without actually looking back at her.

Del has a smile on her face like she doesn't mean it. She's pouring rubbing alcohol onto a bandana. She tosses it at B.B. who snatches it out of the air and grips Espinosa's hair to pull his head back. B slams the bandana over his mouth hard enough for the slap to echo in the high ceilings. Dante laughs but is dismissed when Ashley growls at the three of them. She goes over to B.B. and snatches the bandana out of B.B.'s hand. I love this family. They never disappoint.

"Assholes," she mumbles under her breath. She waves her hand in front of his face and his eyes flutter open. "David?" she snaps her fingers a couple of times. He shakes his head blinking as he tries to focus on her. "You with me?"

"B.B. I'd never," he groans. "I'd never use it on you,"

"David," Ashley stands up straight.

He finally focuses on her. He panics and looks around the room until his eyes land on Dante. His entire demeanor changes. He is now scared out of his mind. I mean I would be too if dead people surrounded me like this all of a sudden.

"Am I dead?" he asks. The blood completely drains from his face. His reaction has made my day a little brighter.

"You wish," B.B. scoffs.

"You hit me," he looks up at her.

"I did. I want to do it again," she retorts.

"We all want to f**k you up, David," Lucien adds. He pulls on his restraints but is barely able to move. He gives it a couple of tests before he sighs and gives up.

"Is this really necessary?" he asks.

"No, but it's funny," Delilah says. Even Ashley smiles at that.

"Who wants to question him first?" Carson asks.

He places a chair in front of Espinosa and B.B. jumps right on it. He grins at her enthusiasm. I've seen her fall in line with the others but I've yet to see how she negotiates. The guys make it sound hot ass hell. I also love when she monologues. It's adorable and some of the s**t she says is dark as hell.

"Hi, Espinosa," she sighs. He smiles at her probably thinking what the rest of us are. She's f*****g cute.

"Are you the good cop or the bad cop?" he asks her. Dante scoffs. The others all laugh. Based on the first time we sat across from one another, she's not good or bad. She's somewhere in between. Equally giving and taking with every word that slipped out of her perfect mouth. I was more nervous by her presence than Carson's. I know he's an asshole. She's unpredictable.

"That all depends on you," she shrugs. Her tone changes. I feel a chill go down my spine. "Lucien and I have been practicing something I'd like to try on you. It's kind of painful but in a good way. At least for him. Answer my questions truthfully and you won't have to find out. Yeah?"

"Sure," he nods as if he were humoring her.

He doesn't find her threatening in the slightest. That's a common mistake we all make. She's just too cute to be threatening. It's her greatest asset. Even if she were doing something f****d up in front of me, I find it hard to believe she'd hurt a fly. Kind of like the kids in the cornfields. Carson made us all watch those.

"I say you hit him with it for using that tone," Lucien suggests.

"It's okay. Espinosa and I have a complicated relationship," she waves him off. "So, you're a Hallow hunter,"

"I'm a hunter," he clarifies. "My expertise isn't centered on just Hallows, but it is where I thrive,"

"Really?" she nods. "What else is there?"

"What do you mean?"

"What else is there? What other things do you hunt?" she asks genuinely curious.

B.B. doesn't ever focus on one thing but the objective is always the same one. I've noticed it's something she uses to get into everyone's head. She shows genuine interest. It's why no one ever denies telling her anything. She learns from her victims the more they keep talking. She takes in all their movements. I can't even think when she's in the same room as me. When she's looking at me. It's just her. I imagine it's a lot worse for humans.

"Uh, vampires, werewolves, banshees, wendigos, gorgons, there's a bunch of weird s**t out there," he answers. She holds up a kunai from his bag. He lets his head fall forward and lets out a heavy sigh.

"You killed Mr. and Mrs. Daniels," she says quietly. "You killed my grandparents. You tried to kill me while my mother was pregnant with me. I mean you're a legit killer, Espinosa. You looked me dead in the f*****g eyes and told me you cared about me. I trusted you. My dad trusted you. I thought I was f****d up. But I have reason to be. What's yours?"

"I was raised this way," he answers meeting her eyes. "My real name is David Helsing. My bloodline goes back to the early Blackstone generations. I was assigned to this region as the heir of the Helsing tribe,"

"To kill us?"

"To neutralize any threat to humanity,"

"Why does Demitria want you to take me to your headquarters?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Carson asks.

She puts her hand up threateningly. The air in the house gets a little cooler and he holds back. It's the first time I see that happen. He's not dealing with our sweet B.B. This is the reaper. I've seen the way Damian works but never her and it's a little endearing as well as terrifying. That cuteness, it's turned sinister.

"Answer me, Espinosa," she demands. Her voice shifts an octave. It sound's almost demonic.

"Your awakening has complicated things here in Hellbourne," he doesn't meet her gaze. She stands up and moves the chair away. I take it and push it behind me.

"I want to know everything you know right now because I can't wrap my mind around all of this. Start with what happened with Delilah," she says flexing her hands until her fingers pop.

"I don't-" he groans when she reaches out without touching him. He meets her challenge as she struggles to close her fist. They both gasped for air when she releases him. "f**k," he chokes out. B.B. growls trying to shake whatever just happened. "You're not supposed to do that to humans,"

"I don't see any f*****g humans here," she growls. "Lie to me again and I'll pull harder,"

She doesn't step closer to him but I see it in his eyes now. He's threatened by whatever she just did to him. It hurt him.

"I don't know what they did to her. When you told me she was alive, it was the first I heard of it. Alexie was tasked with gathering the surrounding stones. He had everything lined up until you got involved. You ruined twenty years of undercover work in f*****g days," he shakes his head.

"What do the hunters want with the stones?" Delilah asks.

"Every stone everywhere else is accounted for. They're looking for grimoires. One in particular. Tobias Blackstone's. Delilah was the last person to have it,"

"They want to swap the familiars," B.B. nods. He looks her over.

"How do you know about that?"

"I know a lot of things. How did they make Demitria? She's human, right? Why is she using a reaper?"

"What?" Carson and Dante exchange a look.

"The spell doesn't just work on your kind. A human can be genetically altered to house a familiar," he answers. B.B. paces around him. Her arms cross over her chest as she processes what he just said.

"Really? Can a former Hallow be granted another familiar?" she asks. His eyebrows knit together.

"What?"

"Can a former Hallow become a Hallow again even after they've passed on the familiar to their heir?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Hallows are vessels for divinity. You can put just about anything in them once they're empty even human souls,"

"Keep talking," she continues to pace.

"Headquarters wants to remove your familiars or at least one of them. They don't want another one of you running around,"

"What do you mean another one of me?"

"The first was him," he glances at Dante. "He killed over eighty-thousand people in his lifetime. Your body count isn't as embarrassing as he was at your age. You haven't snapped like he did,"

"I'm not what he is," she shakes her head.

"You are,"

"I'm not," she growls stopping in front of him. "He's Black Death. I'm Merciful Death. You do know that he is what he is because of what you did to him, right?"

"What?" he shakes his head.

"You made him fall in love with you, you piece of s**t. After you killed his family and started killing his friends. You made him what he is. Heartless and f*****g empty. The same way Ashley turned me into what I am. Those eighty-thousand deaths fall on your f*****g hands,"

"Is that what he told you?" he scoffs. Dante turns away from them. He looks up at the ceiling like he can't believe they're having this conversation as if he weren't standing right there.

"No, he didn't tell me anything, David," she says his name with contempt. "I hacked every computer in your apartment. I've seen all of your video logs from ninety-nine to oh seven when you stabbed my mom. Here's a suggestion, delete the evidence if you don't want anyone else to see it. i***t,"

"How did you get into my apartment? It's warded," he glares at her.

"Against all familiars except black mambas," she nods. "Remy keeps watch. Not that I needed it. You've been sleeping over at Vanessa's for a while,"

Both her parents tense up at the information. They both look at one another the same way Delilah and B.B. look at each other when they don't like something. Having the four of them together like this is insane. The amount of power they all have. The way they address one another. They have serious issues. A lot more than my family and they've already tried to kill me once.

I still can't believe how much she looks like her mother. She's a taller pale clone of her. She gets her eyes and length from her dad but that's about it. Delilah is the one that looks more like him. There's a painting of his mother in his study. I thought it was a portrait of Delilah the first time I saw it.

"There hasn't been a black mamba in any stone since your father died," he says.

"I want to kill you, David," she crouches down in front of him. "But I don't think it's my place,"

"You probably should," he averts his gaze. "Even if I wanted to help you. I can't. If I fail then they'll send in a quarantine team to get all mortals out and eliminate any and all supernatural life here. I'm the only thing standing between them and you,"

"If our bloodlines are eliminated, you'll be unleashing hell on earth," Dante finally speaks up. "The Hell Stone isn't just isolated by the others because we're the strongest. We're the only keys keeping the gates of hell closed. They want us unhinged and broken to ensure we do as we're intended,"

"Did Toby tell you that?" David scoffs.

"No, Metatron did," Dante holds his hand up to show him the mark on his right hand. "The angel of Anarchy. Every Blackstone in existence is bound to his grace. He's the strongest Archangel left. The rest of them are either dead or are allegiant to hell,"

"I thought Megatron was a Decepticon," Delilah looks over at Lucien. We laugh at her. At least, I'm laughing at her. I doubt she can tell the difference. Her talents are a lot different from B.B.'s.

"Is he the one that brought you two back?" David asks looking from Dante to Ashley. The three of them choose to ignore her.

"No, we're not back, David," Ashley laughs. "How can he see us?"

"These aren't his eyes," B.B. says grabbing his face. "They belong to the reaper that Demetria is bound to, don't they?"

"You're way too clever for your own good," Espinosa shakes his head. She is but it was f*****g obvious. "If they get their hands on you, they're never going to let you go, kid. If one of you is going to kill me tonight. Do it. Please, f*****g kill me because once they give me an order, I will not stop until it's done,"

He arches back and rocks forward. The chair creaks and then falls apart. The rope that was holding him down slide down his body. B.B. laughs looking down at the rope around his feet. When her eyes meet him again she spins the kunai in her hand until she's holding the sharp end in her hand.

"B.B.," Carson tries to stop her from offering it to him but Dante blocks him.

"Want to see something cool?" she asks him when he takes it from her.

"You mean other than you interrogating me?" he smirks.

"Show it to me," she says. He looks around the room confused. "The mark, David. The spell used to compel you to follow orders," she looks at her dad. "Really? This dork?"

"You dated a Halestorm," he shoots back.

"Yeah, he's going to be an NFL superstar. This dude is a cop," she points at him like he's nothing.

"I'm standing right here," David shakes his head. "If you're going to try to remove it, you can't," he tugs at his button-up and begins to unbutton it. He takes it off and then removes the v-neck he's wearing under it. His entire torso is covered in ink. His arms, his chest, his stomach, and his back. "It's complete,"

"How good are you with pain?" she asks looking him over.

"B.B.," he shakes his head.

"I'm not giving you a choice here. I didn't put you in the chair to keep you from fighting back," she laughs. "I think we're all going to enjoy watching you cry out all over the floor,"

"How did you know he was spelled?" Dante asks.

"Rose and her mom were talking about it a couple of nights ago," Delilah answers.

"You bugged the hospital?" David asks.

"Nope. Delilah tagged Rose when she killed Alexie," B.B. picks up the rope on the floor. "I'm going to need to bind your arms,"

"Why?"

"So you don't rip chunks of your skin off. I need you alive," she smiles. "Hold them out in front of you,"

He does as she asks. She expertly ties the rope around his forearms and then ties his arms to his sides. He tries to tug on them and then glares at her.

"Who taught you that?" Delilah asks tugging at the rope. She looks back at Ahsan who just smirks. "Sickos,"

"Are you ready?" B.B. asks Espinosa.

"f**k. No, I'm not," he sighs. She kicks the back of his leg. He falls to his knees.

"Want to know something f****d up?" she asks him.

"What?" he humors her.

"This is my first time doing this," she laughs. "So if you die, you die,"

"This one is definitely yours, Danny," he shakes his head. "Delilah doesn't know how to hide it. This one kind of just sneaks up on you,"

"She does, doesn't she?" Dante smirks. "It's always the quiet ones,"