by Con Template
Although I said nothing, I saw in his expression that he knew he got me there. I may not want to become a Demon, but I was still human. Much like the fate of Adam and Eve, the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge that Eclipse was offering me—the ability to figure out the meaning of my existence—was too tempting to reject. The chance to defy fate and destiny by finally choosing my own road in life was too enticing to resist . . .
I measured him, uncertain of the validity of his offer.
“There are no loopholes in this deal, Teacup,” he assured with a favorable smile. “Your soul is still your own. The only concession for me is that no other entities in existence can take your soul away from me. The decision of what to do with that soul of yours will be yours until the end. So with all of that said, give me your answer now, Gracie. Would you like to die when you are fated to die or would you like to defy fate by allowing me to save you?”
His hopeful and persuading eyes gazed into my contemplative ones.
“Yes . . . or no?”
. . . Every human is said to be born with the ability to make choices.
We are born with the ability to analytically assess the given roads in our lives and make the best decision we can in terms of where each road leads. This ability is called freewill. Freewill can be employed daily, yes, but when you are going to war against an already written destiny, there are only several moments in life where you can use this freewill to change the course of your life forever.
These windows of opportunity are low in numbers, rare in existence, and almost damn near impossible to detect when faced with the chaos that is your life. Your only hope is that you are knowledgeable enough with your instincts to make the right decision when that elusive and opportune time comes . . .
No matter how elusive though, those times do come, and for the ancient Greeks, they have a word for it: Kairos—the right, the opportune, the supreme, and the defining moment. It signifies an opening in time where something extraordinary happens and it signifies one of the few moments in time where one could truly make a decision that will change the course of their life forever. These moments are fleeting and must be seized with conviction because such an opening in time will never arise again.
Yes, in life, freewill is the most difficult and complex gift to use, but when accepted and used correctly—especially with a powerful Demon by your side, promising to stand by you until the end—that decision would be monumental and life-changing. And in my case, it would not only be the most defining moment of my life, but for the rest of creation, it would be absolutely biblical.
“Yes,” I said slowly, never knowing then how much I would intertwine our fates together with that simple consent. A red traffic light below us turned green as I spoke. “No one else can have my soul. If I choose to give it away, then you and only you will get it.”
A satisfied smile illumed on his decadent lips just as a streak of lightning resonated in the dark skies, as if sealing the unbreakable bond between us.
“Good,” Eclipse said approvingly, gazing at me with exhilarated eyes. “Let’s find the missing part of your soul now, shall we?”
"There is nowhere to hide for when he comes . . ."
32: The Maze
“You find out that you’re a Source of Evil and that you’re wanted by every powerful entity on earth, yet you spend your last remaining days studying. Wow, you are such a goody two-shoes.”
Sitting together in the blue family van we rented for Sanctuary, I was unfazed by Eclipse’s subtle dig. Cooped up in my favorite white cashmere turtleneck, black jeans, and the black Christian Louboutin heels Eclipse had gifted me, I was productively reviewing my finance book with a calculator and a pink pen in hand.
“I didn’t suffer for three and a half years for fun,” I responded absentmindedly. I pressed away on my calculator as we drove over the bumpy road leading up to the shelter. “My goal in life is to graduate from college with honors, get a good job, get married, have a family, and live a long, fulfilling life.” I made it a point to eye him sharply before continuing. “It doesn’t matter if a piece of my soul is missing, it doesn’t matter if I have a Demon by my side, and it doesn’t matter if danger will come to me because I’m a ‘Source of Evil.’ I enjoy learning and as long as I’m in school, I will continue to educate myself regardless of the unfavorable circumstances in my life.”
“Like I said,” Eclipse stated, appraising me with endearment, “you are such a goody two-shoes.”
I imparted him with a death glare at his insistence. As a response, Eclipse simply bequeathed me with a charismatic wink before returning his gaze to the desolate road ahead.
“We could be going out to Serenity, looking for the missing piece of your soul, but you just have to fulfill the responsibilities of your volunteer work, don’t you, Gracie?”
“I promised the kids I’d take them to the corn maze today,” I answered defensively. “They’ve been looking forward to this for weeks. I can’t stomach breaking their little hearts by canceling on them. We can spare a day.”
Although Eclipse appeared to be in favor of spoiling the kids, his lips quirked into a scheming smile nonetheless. “But wouldn’t you enjoy their company more if the baby midgets were sad and miserable?” he suggested coyly, taking pleasure in being an ass by attempting to coax out my sadistic side.
I frowned at the enticing, but equally awful, suggestion. I was tempted, but not tempted enough to screw over the kids.
“Yes,” I said stiffly, my face taut with bitterness, “but then I would be annoyed if they were sad. I may be sadistic, but I do have some attachment towards them. It can also be extremely irritating to be around those kids if they’re all collectively depressed—I really don’t want to deal with that.” I expelled a weary breath and added, “Plus, the veil doesn’t lift until my birthday, right? That’s a while from now. We can spare a day to entertain the kids.”
“The 27th,” he corrected offhandedly, making a right turn at the intersection. We merged onto a two-lane road where cars sped past us in the opposite direction. “You are given a grace period. The veil will begin to lift on your birthday, but it won’t be fully lifted until the 27th.”
“See?” I voiced, feeling marginally thankful that I was given an extra day of peace. It was frightening to think about all the things that were coming after me. Any extra grace period I could get from this type of catastrophe was one that I would gladly accept. “That’s a while from now.”
“Time will fly,” he replied, emphasizing a point that I was already aware of. October was nearly over, and I knew that November and December were going to come and go like the wind. Time would most certainly fly by.
“I suppose I can look at this limbo period as a good thing,” he said moments later, his expression lighting up. Even in the face of this dark dilemma, Eclipse managed to see the silver lining. “I will have more time to convince you that you should give me your soul.”
I regarded him with hardened eyes, once again feeling territorial over the ownership of my soul. Even though I kept my face passive and polite, my voice was unyielding and business-like. “I agreed to the deal that if I should give up my soul, it could only go to you. But just to be fair to you, if and when we find the rest of my soul, I’m still planning on keeping it. Whatever your plan to convince me to be a Demon is, you should just let it rest. You’re not going to change my mind.”
“You’re a human with an incomplete soul,” Eclipse dismissed loftily, not even taking leverage in what I was expressing to him. “Your current needs and wants offer no value to the wager at hand. Only an individual with their entire soul intact can make the decision of whether or not they want to keep their soul.”
“You are so stubborn,” I commented, blinking in disbelief. “You can’t take rejection, can you?”
An amused smile outlined his lips as he made another right turn at the end of the road.
“You’re special, Teacup,” he went on pleasantly. “Even if I myself am not
sure how meaningful your existence can be, I know that there are great things planned for you. As your Guardian Demon, I look forward to helping you unearth everything there is to know about yourself. You may be set in your ways now, but I have a good feeling that once the cards are set on the table, you will undoubtedly accept my offer.”
I raised a skeptical brow. “You’re that confident that I’ll give you my soul?”
“Trust me, Gracie.” Certainty threaded his assuring voice. “When it all comes full circle, you will want to become a Demon for me. Remember that.”
I rolled my eyes at his absurd words. He really could not handle rejection. Instead of further treading on the subject, I steered the conversation to something more important.
“I still can’t wrap my mind around what happened last night,” I shared, tensely playing with my fingers. I was engrossed with my schoolwork, but nothing would ever be powerful enough to overshadow the crazy and surreal events that occurred. How could one forget something as horrifying as nearly being stabbed to death—or finding out that you’re a Source of Evil? “To be honest, I’m still a little shaken by it.” I shifted uncomfortably before amending my statement. “A lot shaken by it, actually.”
“You wouldn’t be human if you aren’t terrified of what you experienced.” Eclipse turned to me, his warm brown eyes gentle and assuring. “What can I help you with, Teacup? What can’t you wrap your head around?”
I paused briefly to sort out my thoughts. “I know that a Source is a separate entity from Demons,” I began. “From what you told me, I’m still human—it’s just the blood within me that makes me a Source, right?”
“You’re absolutely human,” he confirmed. “You were born like any other human, you will live like any other human, and you will die like any other human. It’s the blood pumping within you that makes you a Source, and it’s the blood within you that gives you the option of becoming more than human.”
“But last night,” I forged on, “when my blood boiled and came streaming back to me . . . that’s not human. I mean, after someone has been stabbed like I was, they would die. Normal people would die, but I didn’t. I may still be human, but does this at least mean that I’m a human being with powers? Does that mean I can’t die or something? Will my blood always stream back to me and protect me like that?”
Eclipse shook his head. The minivan continued to crackle over the gravel on the road while he spoke. “What occurred last night was merely a birthright moment for you. The distinction that should be made is that this type of protection only occurs at that one moment in your life—when your existence is announced to the rest of the world. After that moment is over, it’s over. If you should get stabbed or hurt like that again, then you will die like any other human being. Your blood streaming back and doing what it did last night will not occur again, not until you feed it the catalyst it needs.”
“Which is to become a Demon,” I breathed out, saddened that my only option for survival was to become something I dreaded. Frustration reigned over me. It would be a lie to say that I wasn’t upset that I didn’t have any cool powers. If I was stuck being a Source, then the one consolation I thought I would get was powers to protect myself. So much for that dream . . .
With childlike disappointment, I pathetically asked, “So I have absolutely no powers?”
“Not until you become a Demon,” Eclipse corrected carefully, taking inventory of the disappointment that streaked across my face. His sneaky eyes met mine. He didn’t waste time with maneuvering the conversation to benefit his own self-interest. “If you’re that disappointed about not having any powers, we can quickly remedy that when we find your missing soul, Gracie.”
“Let’s say if I were to meet an Angel or a Demon,” I persevered, not even bothering to respond to his shameless plug, “will they know right away that I’m a Source?”
“No,” he replied in a wistful tone, getting back on topic as well. “The first thing you have going for you is that you’re the famous six-year-old murderer. Most, if not all, should be distracted by that fact alone. The second thing you have going for you is that your ‘Source’ attribute is your blood. As long as you’re able to keep blood from free-flowing away from your body, you should, in theory, be able to hide your true identity as a Source.”
I nodded absentmindedly as the scenery melted into a distorted blur around us, matching identically to the frenzied blur within me. I understood the general concept of what being a Source entailed, but understanding it didn’t make life any simpler. One would think that after having a night to digest all of this, I would have a better grasp on the whole development. On the contrary, it felt like the polar opposite. If anything, my mind felt more perplexed with all these unending questions.
“I have to say,” Eclipse remarked in a surprised voice, tugging me out of my reverie, “you’re handling all of this pretty well.”
I averted my eyes to him, my face baffled with his careless observation. I wasn’t “handling this well”—I was simply traumatized. How could he mistake pure stupefaction for mental strength?
I blinked at him critically. “I’m in shock.”
“As I’ve mentioned,” he said as the car started going downhill, “you wouldn’t be human if you weren’t freaked out by all of this. But to give you credit where it is due, you’re dealing with all of this a lot better than I imagined you would.” He gave a small shrug. “To be honest, I thought I was going to spend the majority of my time convincing you to stop hiding under the bed in fear of all that’s coming for you. It goes without saying that I am pleasantly surprised with how well you’re doing right now.”
Blood boiled on my cheeks. Leave it to Eclipse to embarrass me in my time of confusion. “I’m so flattered that you think I’m such a chicken.”
“That came out wrong,” he appeased with a laugh. “I only meant to say that I thought you were more . . . fragile. You’ve definitely proven me wrong.” Another doting smile played on his lips when he fixed his gaze on me. “You’re a lot tougher than you look, Teacup.”
I gave him a distrustful look.
Eclipse cocked his head and feigned offense. “You think I’m lying?”
I stared wide-eyed. I was surprised that he had to ask me this.
“Of course I think you’re lying,” I stated as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.
His playful “offended” look switched into an authentic one. He was genuinely stunned. “Of course you think I’m lying?” A disbelieving expression cloaked his face. “What? You don’t trust me at all?”
“I don’t even trust the people I call my ‘friends,’” I breathed without hesitation. “What would make you think that I’d trust you before I trust them?”
The affronted expression on his face changed. His lips curved into a half-smile. He was unaffected by the doubt in my voice and my low opinion of our relationship. To him, I had just asked the most important question that had the simplest answer of all.
“We’re soul mates now, Teacup,” he coolly explained. There was an underlying inflection in his voice that bordered between assurance and promise. “That means that you are part of me and that you are an extension of me. Whether you trust me or not, at the end of the day, you know that I’m a selfish being. Since you’re my other half and since I literally can’t live without you, the only thing you have to trust is that I will keep my soul mate safe—I will protect you until the end. If anyone hurts you, then they hurt me. If they hurt me, then they will pay dearly for it. That’s the only bottom line that should matter to you. Plain, simple, and end of story.”
“So you wanting to sleep with me also has no part in why you’d like to keep me safe and healthy?”
I said those words without thinking, and when they escaped from my mouth, I instantly regretted it. Oh no. What was wrong with me? Why was I opening Pandora’s Box when Eclipse had been relatively tame for the past few hours? I was already stressed out by the fact that Angels and Demons were looking t
o kill me; I shouldn’t utter thoughts that could cause Eclipse to revert back to his flirtatious ways.
I thought I could fix the mistake, but it was too late. The Pandora’s Box had been opened and the Demon of Lust was out.
At the reminder of one of the intimate “extracurricular activities” he wanted to do with me, Eclipse finally freed himself from the cage he was in.
“You know, I’ve tried to be a good boy today by giving you time to mull over your new quandary, but now that you brought it up, it seems only right that I be myself again.” He favorably eyed my high heels before returning his focus back to my face. His gaze was so sexually charged that it was hot enough to melt steel. “Have I told you that you look absolutely breathtaking today, Gracie?”
My cheeks flamed in reaction to his enticing words.
With his voice as rich as whiskey, he imparted me with mental images that were way too hot to envision on a Sunday morning. “I especially love that you’re wearing the shoes I gave you. It gives me a sense of pride to see that you’re enjoying one of the many gifts I will give you in life. It is such a big turn on that it makes me want to rip everything off of you but those heels. I want to toss you onto the nearest bed, throw your legs over my shoulders, and—”
“Holy eff, okay!” I shrieked out, desperate for him to stop tempting me. I could feel the beginnings of a nosebleed appear at all the suggestive images he embedded in my mind. Just the way he was looking at me was causing white-hot heat to surge throughout my body. In a panic, I immediately tried to keep my mind free of a naked Eclipse appreciating me and my heels in bed. “Okay. Okay. I-I don’t need to hear anymore. I’m . . .”
I struggled to find words in my disoriented state. All I managed to do was draw a blank.
The Demon chuckled at the scarlet flush that overtook my entire face. For a skilled predator like Eclipse, nothing was more rewarding than seeing his prey—the object of his affection—so flustered because of him.