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“I am grieved to hear the horrific abuse you were forced to endure,” Kit said. “But it explains much around that vengeful spirit. I believe it is Justin trying to harm you once more. There was such a high level of hate it was almost tangible. He is gone for now, but I do not doubt he will return. Which leaves you in grave danger because, against a Human Killer, there is not much defence.”
“So Justin’s going to kill me and win?” Stephanie asked with a mildly hysterical laugh.
“No, not at all! Behind these walls, you are protected to a degree, and Human Killers can’t appear during the day. But at night, Justin will be at his strongest, and that’s when you’re most in danger, Stephanie,” Kit answered.
“But you don’t want me here,” Stephanie said shrewdly.
“No. But it’s not a case of want; it’s a necessity,” Kit replied, and Stephanie watched as he steeled himself to tell his story.
Chapter Three.
Kit
“The inn has been kept empty. It is non-negotiable. A great evil attached itself here and was killing villagers. I answered a call for help and rode to assist; in defeating the monster, I died myself,” Kit said simply.
If he had any hope that Stephanie would accept that, he was wrong. Her brows frowned, and he saw the multitude of questions on her lips.
“Why was it your responsibility?” she demanded.
Kit sighed. He’d have to explain to her, and studiously, he recognised that Stephanie’s brain was very detail-orientated.
“The Nortons began around five hundred BC. Our bloodline wasn’t what it is now, back then, but we were leaders in our community. My family home, Wollscombe, is built upon a cave system that can only be accessed by a secret door in our cellar. That heads into a set of caves with our ancestors’ names, dates of birth and death, and their kills. And Stephanie, every Norton from a young age, has a kill count, whether by choice or not.
“In five hundred BC, the world was beyond wild. Supernatural creatures were easily able to fit in and hide, and nobody couldstop them. There were no hunters then. My predecessors were leaders of a tiny village which was raided and destroyed by a demon. Rupert Norton and two sons survived the attack while his wife and three daughters were torn apart. His boys were called Silas and Ajax. They hunted down the vampire that devastated their family and town.
“An Angel discovered them after their kill and offered them a bargain. They would become God’s Scourge and rid the world of evil. In return, Rupert, Silas, and Ajax would be given skills to aid their endeavours.
“They accepted. In time, Silas and Ajax married and had children of their own. In those times, women weren’t considered warriors, but Rupert realised his granddaughters were precisely that. God’s gifts did not differentiate between sex. The girls were as fast, strong, and clever as their brothers and were often underestimated because of their stature.
“Nortons continued being blessed by God as we mastered new techniques and unlocked skills. Each Norton, from about three hundred BC, grew an ability to sense when evil was near. In one hundred and fifty BC, we began to see an aura around creatures. Because not all monsters were bad. We learned to understand the aura colours and stopped innocent individuals from being destroyed.”
Kit took a pause to check Stephanie was still with him.
She nodded encouragingly at him to continue.
“In thirteen hundred and ten, a witch, Margery Cross, was born. Thirty years later, she started a war that wiped half of the Norton line out. She was one of the most powerful witches to walk the earth, and she gathered allies of the darkness, like fleas to a dog. Then Margery struck a deal with the devil. In exchange for longevity, she sold her soul.
“In thirteen-forty-seven, the Black Death swept Europe. It wasn’t a disease. It was the Dark Army that Margery had built.They were feeding indiscriminately across Europe but avoided England at first.
“Between them, they butchered sixty per cent of the European population. Yes, there was a plague; it was to be expected after supernatural diseases spread amongst humans. But the disease itself only killed ten per cent. The Norton lines that remained rose and fought as hard as possible, but we weren’t strong enough in Europe after being hunted.
“Margery sailed to England in the June of thirteen-forty-eight. There, she made inroads into the cities and populations until we met her army. To say we were outnumbered a thousand to one was an understatement. Lord Terence Norton, the commander, had a single goal. To reach Margery and stop her. During the battle, his blade wounded and stopped her, and Margery fled. Without Margery, the Dark Mass fell into disarray and was slaughtered. His sword was passed from the eldest son to eldest son, a weapon against Margery.”
“Margery continued attacks throughout the decades. The Great Fire of London, and the wars with Nelson and Drake, all fights against evil. They were all battles where Margery tried to overcome the Nortons and get her own way.
“And she consistently failed.” Stephanie murmured but Kit continued with his story.
“I was born in sixteen-ninety-eight, and I passed in seventeen-sixteen. I was eighteen years old at the time of my death and have countless deaths under my belt. Our mother passed in sixteen-ninety-eight, from a vampire attack, when I was a babe alongside my twin Cecilia. Papa died when Lucian was eighteen, and he took over his title and estate. A vampire tried to take Lucian from us, but Papa stopped him and saved Lucian. Lucian raised us younger siblings and ensured our training was beyond adequate.
“Margery’s plans continued. The witch wished to open a portal to hell and free the demon population and the dark souls we’d sent there. To achieve this, Margery needed ley lines, and on those, she required buildings to contain the power. Margery discovered the Cotswolds had exactly what she wanted. The Nortons unknowingly owned inns on the ley lines in the shape of a pentagram. The Jekyll and Hyde, Lucian’s inn was in the centre.
“We received word that the local villages were under attack, and all five of my siblings and I left London to fight it. We parted ways, and… I never saw them again.
“I have no idea if any survived, but I doubt it because they would have come for me. All I can assume is that night, all six of us died but stopped the evil plaguing the villagers. And that is what I keep locked up here, something so dangerous you can’t imagine, Stephanie.”
Stephanie hung onto his every word, and she’d kept quiet during the entire story for the most part. But Kit could see her mind awhirl with questions even while she looked stunned.
“So my presence might release the creature you imprisoned,” was the first thing she said.
