by K L Rymer
She hides her face now, and I know she blames herself, and it makes me feel like shit. Sure, only one person was to blame here, yet I feel my own guilt wracking me up from the inside, and I pull her into my arms.
Crystal sniffles against my shoulder now, and I pat her back as if she’s my child. Since when did I get so good at comforting people anyway?
Whispers echo throughout the room, and I peer up, curious. Everyone stares at us dumbstruck, and it’s like they’ve all just seen an alien spaceship.
Maybe they’re just in shock. Who knew a demon piece of shit could show such compassion towards an angel of all things?
Crystal pulls away at last and meets Lydia’s eyes, and the tears have finally stopped. Good. I hate seeing her cry.
“Lydia... please believe me... Eli is not who you think he is. He is good and loves me more than anything. And I love him too. He would never hurt me. My father lied to you. He’s the bad guy here, and he only wants to cause harm and devastation to the rest of the world, but you all have nothing to fear. I promise. Eli and I will do all we can to stop him. So long as we have each other, I know we stand a better chance.”
I turn her way, and I’m filled with warmth when she gives me that tender smile.
I really don’t deserve her, yet an angel still sent her my way (it was my mother who dreamed up that we should be together after all).
“Look... there it is again...”
I tear my eyes away from Crystal’s and look around. Once again, they watch us like blind men seeing the sun for the first time.
“What are you talking about?” Crystal asks.
Leila rolls her eyes. “You’re both so gullible. Look at your hands.”
We both look at our hands, and produce a simultaneous gasp. So theatrical. To be honest, I didn’t even realise I was still holding on to her.
Our polarising energy merges. My darkness entwines around her pure white glow, and we stare in awe.
Well, this is new...
Crystal meets my eyes, and we both give a knowing smile. This was just the result of our multiple, sexual unions after all, and now our powers have produced a symbiosis of some kind.
We really did work in harmony, a perfect display of light and dark, and I truly believe we can beat her father at that moment.
Crystal gazes upon the room again, and all eyes are on us. They even watch me with the same wide-eyed awe, and it looks as if I may have finally got my wish.
I’m loved. For the first time in my life.
“Follow us, and we promise we will bring peace and harmony back to the world,” Crystal says. “The world needs darkness as much as it needs light, so that’s why I’ve brought these grey robes here tonight. You don’t have to choose which of us to follow anymore. Instead, no more black or white, but grey. A sign of our combined union.”
They’re hesitant at first, giving me wary looks. After all, I am still evil by birth. It can’t be helped, so I don’t blame them for being cautious.
Lydia fixes her eyes on me, and she’s less hostile now. Even impressed a little.
“He did anonymously donate money to that sick little boy. He had nothing to gain but the knowledge he was saving a child.”
Something strange happens to me next. My body turns hot, and then my cheeks burn as if they’re on fire.
I... think I’m blushing.
See, this was why I wanted to remain anonymous. I don’t want to be the centre of attention. I’m no hero.
Crystal looks my way again, and I see that love and pride in her eyes.
Okay, maybe it was worth it to just get Crystal to look at me like that.
“He really did,” she says, leaning forward to peck my cheek, and I melt.
Lydia releases a pent-up sigh, then leans across, grabbing a grey robe. Then she takes the pile and passes it down the table, and I can’t believe my eyes.
We actually got through to them.
Before long they all wear their new grey robes, and now there’s an even number of grey-robed people on both sides of the table. A balance.
Our first attack on White: steal his cult.
Suddenly, a sharp pain runs through my skull, and I fall back onto the cold floor, shaking.
“Eli!” Crystal screams, dropping beside me.
Misaki’s voice fills my head.
“Eli... I need you...”
She’s hurt, and then the pain rips through my body and I pass out.
Then everything turns black.
22. Crystal
Eli lies on my bed semi-conscious, shaking and covered in sweat.
He woke just an hour ago, and all I can do for him now is stay by his side until he feels better.
Eli had just suddenly taken ill, passing out right in front of the whole council, and for a moment I’d thought the gods had decided to take him from me again.
I’d never felt so terrified.
But we checked his pulse, and my fears melted away. I got to keep my prince for another day.
That was when we took him upstairs to rest. Leticia and Leila have been great help, and even the council members have popped in to check on Eli several times. Lydia especially.
The TV host had even taken the wet flannel from my hand and mopped the sweat off his forehead.
My poor demon prince... he looks so poorly. His skin is whiter than usual, and a thin film of sweat covers his face. I’ve never seen him in such a state. Even in death, he didn’t look this bad. He’d looked peaceful, as if he were sleeping.
His fever won’t go away. So I’ve taken off his robes and removed the sheets, but he won’t stop trembling, and I’m helpless to do anything.
Even my healing won’t work, and I sigh, leaning forward to wipe his face again.
“Please get better, Eli. It hurts seeing you like this. You’re my strong demon after all. Indestructible and dangerous. You never get sick.”
“Crystal...” he croaks, and my heart hammers.
“Eli? Are you all right? Speak to me.”
Eli stirs at last, and I finally see those lovely greys. They open just a sliver, and I smile, reaching down to smooth back a strand of hair.
He swallows, trying to find his voice again. His lips look dry, so I lean across to grab the glass of water I’d poured earlier, and press it to his mouth.
Eli sips, and then he opens his eyes fuller, and I’ve never seen a more hopeless creature.
“It’s... it’s Misaki,” he breathes, and a tear drips down his cheek.
My hand freezes as I go to mop away more sweat. A cold dread spreads through my veins, reaching my heart with an icy grasp. “M-Misaki?”
He squeezes his eyes, and more tears gush. “She’s... she’s hurt. White got to her. But... she’s alive.”
I blink at him. “How... how do you know?”
His face turns grave, and for a moment it looks as if he’s going to be sick. I grab the bowl just in case.
“Black telepathy,” he says. “Misaki and I have always been able to read each other’s mind. Pick up on each other’s thoughts and emotions. I heard her call out for me just before I passed out.”
The hair rises up on the back of my neck. “Do you know where we can find her?”
Misaki had gone down to London with my father and Ashley. So we had to make a move. We still have twelve hours until my father starts the first wave of The Cleanse.
He shakes his head. “No. But I could use my extra sharp spidey senses to track her down.”
I snort. He must be getting better if he’s cracking jokes already, but I worry he’s still too sick to move.
Eli props up onto his elbows but I push him back, and he looks up irritated. “Crystal, what are you doing?”
“You’re still sick, Eli. You shouldn’t move just—”
“I’m sick because my cousin’s sick. When I’m better, that means she’s dead. We have to act now. I’ll arrange a helicopter to pick us up. We will be in London in several hours.”
Eli sits up ag
ain and staggers across the room, and I see he’s still uncomfortable. He won’t stop sweating.
“Where’s my robe?” he says, and I grab it off the back of a chair, passing it to him.
It’s the last thing his body needs right now, to go running off to the rescue, but I see the determination in his eyes. He wants to save Misaki.
There’s just got to be a quicker way we can get to her. We have wings after all, we could always fly. I’m pretty sure that’s how my father got to the estate, right before he saved me from Randall.
“Maybe we should fly?”
Eli snaps his head around, looking at me incredulously. “Do you even know how to properly fly yet, Crystal?”
My heart sinks. No, I don’t. I hadn’t had much chance to practice. The only time I’d used them was when Eli escaped my father’s prison and I went after him, and I’d crashed several times, but it would be foolish and stupid to attempt it again.
After all, Eli has had eight years of experience. My dad at least forty.
I bury my face, feeling so hopeless.
“Crystal, hurry up. There’s no time to dwell. We need to get ready. I’m going to call a helicopter.”
That could still take more hours. They have to get here first after all.
But I still have a plan. It’s a longshot, and it may not even work, but we may as well try.
We’re not completely human after all. And I don’t know about Eli, but since I awoke again, I’ve felt more powerful, stronger, and I may have gained a new power in the process.
I walk up to Eli. He stares down at me, confused. “Crystal, what are you...?”
I press my ear to his chest, wrapping my arms around him, and he struggles in my grip.
“Crystal, we don’t have time...”
He thinks I’m trying to be affectionate, and I won’t lie, it feels great to hear the sound of his heart, but I hold on tighter, peering up to meet his irritated eyes.
I forget how much taller he is to me at times. At six foot, he towers over me, a little thing at four foot eleven (I lied about my height; I’m not actually five foot).
“I want you to focus on nothing but Misaki, Eli. Picture her in your mind.”
Eli glares down at me, his face still shining with sweat. “Crystal... we don’t have time for this bullshit. Let go.”
“No. Just focus, Eli. Envision Misaki. It will only take a moment.”
I’m close enough to hear the angry grind of his teeth, but I still hold on. I won’t give up. I have a good feeling about this.
Finally, he sighs, blowing my bangs off my face. “Fine.”
He closes his eyes, zoning in on Misaki’s location, and I squeeze his chest tighter.
A bright light bursts through the room, and I pinch my eyes shut, never letting go of Eli.
And then we teleport, faster than lightning, and when we stop, a gulp of sharp, petrol-fuelled air seizes my lungs, and the sound of distant car horns beeps in the street.
We’re no longer in the Highlands now, the fresh country air long gone.
Eli staggers back, looking at me horror-struck. Then he peers around, and I follow his gaze.
We stand atop a building, London stretching far and wide.
“Crystal... what did you do? How did you get us here?”
I shrug. “It was a longshot, but I figured if you thought about Misaki hard enough, I’d be able to lead us right to her. You said you were connected somehow.”
Eli still looks aghast, but I can see he’s a little impressed too and... jealous? Nonsense. Eli Black doesn’t get jealous.
But it’s true. I can teleport. Just another one of my new, strange abilities.
I don’t even think my father can teleport.
We hear a small groan, whipping our heads around to see that slumped figure by a vent. It cradles another figure in its arms, and my heart pounds when I finally recognise them.
It’s Misaki... and lying in her arms is Ashley Fawn.
Eli and I rush across the roof, our feet grinding against the gravel as we skid to a halt.
Misaki’s barely conscious, sweating and shaking, but poor Ashley... he’s injured. There’s a large wound on his shoulder, and I reach my hand across to his neck, feeling a small pulse.
He’s alive but barely, so I start to heal his wound, and the lines leave his handsome baby face as the pain subsides.
I recognise the wound. Popping and blistering with pus, and my stomach boils. It could have only been left by my father.
That’s the last innocent life he tries to take. Ashley had been nothing but loyal to him, and this was how he repays him?
“Misaki?” Eli says, leaning closer so she can hear him.
She peers up, and her eyes are bright molten gold. A growl leaves her lips, and then the hair rises up on my neck when a pair of black wings unfurls from her back.
Eli pushes me away, standing in front of me, and all I can do is watch as my beautiful friend turns into a monster.
Poor Misaki. Her demon form must have been the only think keeping her alive.
A brilliant, gleaming pair of fangs protrudes from her mouth. I’ve never seen a more beautiful, yet lethal-looking creature. Her jet black wings are even blacker than Eli’s, and the texture’s as rich as fine leather.
She obviously keeps them in good shape, just like the thousands of pairs of leather shoes in her spacious closet.
How long have they been up here? Eli had passed out five hours ago, and a chill goes down my spine. If we had left them any longer, they may not have made it.
Misaki stops growling when she finally recognises Eli, and then her wings disappear, and my beautiful friend returns, tears slipping down her makeup free cheeks.
“Eli... you’re... you’re alive... unless... I’m dead...”
Eli chuckles, leaning over to wipe a tear from her cheek. “No, Misaki. You’re alive. We both are.”
Her face contorts, and then she splutters, throwing her arms around Eli’s neck. He hugs her back, and I see the bond between them then. They always had what you would call a rocky relationship, but there was no denying the familial love between them now.
The way it should be.
I lean down next to them, and Misaki throws her arm around my neck too, taking me entirely by surprise. She cries softly against my shoulder, and I pat her back like she’s five-years-old.
We haven’t seen each other since the battle at the Black Estate, and I hold her closer, crying tears of my own.
“I... I thought I lost you both forever,” she sobs, and all three of us stay that way for a while.
It’s in that moment when I finally realise I have my true family, these beautiful demons who I once thought were leagues ahead of me. But we’re all just the same, and I squeeze them tighter, never wanting to let go again.
“I... I love you both so much...” Misaki continues.
“We love you too, Misaki,” I reply, letting go of her at last to finish up Ashley’s wound.
Eli holds on a bit longer, and I let the Blacks have their little family reunion.
Ashley groans, opening those big brown eyes at last, and his whole face lights up when he sees me.
“It’s... it’s an angel...” he cries, reaching a shaking hand to my face, and my dorky, twelve-year-old self squeals for joy.
Ashely Fawn just called me an angel.
“So... so beautiful...” he sighs, tears streaking his cheeks.
“Right, that’s the most of Ashley Fawn I can handle,” Eli says, letting go of Misaki. He gives the heartthrob an irritated scowl.
I hope he wasn’t jealous because Ashley called me beautiful. So silly.
When I finally heal Ashley, I tend to Misaki’s wounds, and soon they’re both healed.
They’re still pretty banged-up though. They can barely walk for one.
Eli chews his cheeks, deciding who’s best to carry. Ashley can walk a bit better than Misaki, but I can see he doesn’t want to leave Ashley with me, and again I
sense that hostility.
What did he think would happen? That Ashley would steal me away from him in the two seconds it took me to teleport back to his home? It’s where we are best going until sunrise.
Ashely and Misaki need time to heal and recuperate. With still only twelve hours to go, we should have more than enough time. Hopefully.
Eli gives in at last and lets me handle Ashley. I pull his arm around my shoulder, holding him upright. He’s not a very large guy, thank god, but at five nine he’s still a giant compared to me.
Eli lifts Misaki in his arms, and then he steps closer to take his hand in mine.
Then he thinks of his new house’s address, and off we go, teleporting into a bright light once again.
23. Eli
Crystal teleports us to the mansion, and I release a sigh the moment we land inside the clean white foyer.
Home sweet home.
Ashley buckles beneath Crystal and falls on his arse, and now I can die happy. I still haven’t forgiven the fucker for siding with White.
As far as I was aware, he shouldn’t be trusted. But he still didn’t deserve to die, and I’m glad Crystal and I reached him on time. Any longer, and he would have been a goner, a very sad day for the world indeed.
Misaki’s like a child in my arms, shivering and holding me close, and I vow to make White pay for laying a hand on her.
The last time she held me like this, she was eight years old, and her mother had just left her.
We’re not unlike in that regard. We both learnt at eight that the world can be a cruel place, and closed off our hearts forever.
Misaki may be a bitch, but she’s still my baby cousin. It’s my job to protect her from the monsters of the world, just like I promised when I was a kid of twelve.
Giles walks into the foyer, looking positively surprised to see his master home at last. He doesn’t even question my strange attire or party. Instead, he asks as calm and professionally as ever, “Should I make tea, sir?”
“No, coffee. Extra strong.”
He bows graciously and walks towards the kitchens. Then Olga barges inside the room after, her hands on her hips.
Crystal and I fall completely silent, and I wonder then what the two of them have been up to in my absence. They better not have thrown any parties.