Demon's Destiny
Page 14
When Daisy was back behind the curtain, Ella looked at Lukas who was biting his lip, amusement in his eyes. Neither were able to hold back. The two of them fell into a fit of giggles.
“Well, I’m glad you two find it so funny,” came Daisy’s voice from the living area. “That image is branded into my retinas.”
“Sorry,” Ella called back to her.
“I think she saw a little more than she bargained for,” he said.
“Just a bit.” She smiled. “At least we were finished.”
“I haven’t had enough of you yet.”
“No?”
His smile was wicked, eyes full of mischief. She flushed a deep shade of red. She didn’t think she’d get over just how much he desired her.
“Never.”
He kissed her gently. Her hands wove themselves into his hair.
“Ella.” He rested his forehead against hers. “You are ever the temptress.”
“Excuse me?”
He chuckled.
“We should probably stop neglecting your friend.”
“You’re right.”
He kissed her again. She pulled away from him with some reluctance, scooting off the bed and hurrying over to her dresser. She pulled out some clothes before scurrying into the bathroom. By the time she came out, Lukas had gotten dressed and was sitting with Daisy on the sofa.
She approached them with caution. She didn’t really know how Daisy was going to react to her now she knew the truth. Her friend looked up at her with an unreadable expression. She faltered, but Daisy jumped up and came around the coffee table, throwing her arms around Ella in a bear hug.
“I’m so glad you’re okay, babe.”
“You’re not mad?”
“Ella.” Daisy pulled away to look at her. “You’re my bestie. It doesn’t matter to me what you are.”
Tears welled in her eyes.
“I should’ve told you the truth. My whole world had been turned upside down. It didn’t seem fair to drag you into it.”
“You have always relied on yourself too much. It’s okay to lean on other people, on me.”
“I know. I wish I’d done things differently.”
“Hey, don’t. You had good reason for caution.”
Daisy gave her a reassuring smile.
“You’re the strongest person I know, Ella.”
“Seriously, Dais, I’m going to cry in a minute. Quit bigging me up.”
Daisy enveloped her again. Her best friend was still here despite everything.
“I’m sorry about… you know.”
Ella indicated her head towards the curtain and her bed beyond it.
“It’s all right.” Daisy lowered her voice. “But wow! You don’t have any other super-hot guys you could introduce me to, do you? And what’s up with that glowing shit?”
She stifled a laugh, knowing full well the demon behind them could hear every word.
“No… Trust me, you don’t want to get involved with this world.”
“Already am, bitch. Can’t get rid of me that easily.”
“And the glowing thing is something I can’t really explain.”
She flushed. How could she tell Daisy that having sex with Lukas brought it out?
“Oh, I think I have some idea.”
Her friend glanced back at Lukas with a raised eyebrow. Ella bit her lip, trying not to smile.
They finally released each other and moved back towards the sofa. Lukas’ arm shot out and tugged Ella into his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiled at him, feeling content in his embrace.
“What now?” she asked him.
“Valehal is in the wind. Finn isn’t very happy.”
“He’s not punishing you or anything, is he?”
He eyed Daisy for a moment.
“No… but he knows about you.”
“About what I am?”
“Not exactly. I didn’t tell him about your soul.”
“Someone in Hell still wants me.”
The cogs in Ella’s head were turning. She gripped his arm.
“You don’t think I’m who Beleth wants, do you?”
“Okay, hold up you two,” Daisy interjected. “Who is Beleth? And why is Hell looking for Ella?”
He was frowning. Neither of them paid Daisy any mind.
“Why would he have left you alone after those demons found you?”
“Because he knows what I am, Lukas. They said I was waking up. They must’ve meant my powers.”
“I can’t understand why Beleth would want you. Why would he care about a human with half a demon soul?”
“Perhaps it’s because of what the other half is.”
“We don’t know that. We don’t know that it’s Beleth.”
“Who the fuck is Beleth?”
Lukas and Ella jumped, startled by Daisy’s sudden outburst.
“He’s a Duke of Hell,” he replied.
“Did you two stop to think about how Ella came to possess half a demon soul whilst still being human? No?”
He shook his head.
“I’m guessing a Duke of Hell is pretty powerful. Don’t you think he might have something to do with it?”
They looked at each other. Daisy had made a very good point.
“Why would he wait all this time to find me? What changed?”
Even as she asked the question, an answer formulated in her mind. A huge shift had happened inside her. She knew deep down who had caused it.
She turned to Lukas who was eying her with trepidation. Had he come to the same conclusion?
“You.”
“Me.”
“Am I missing something?” Daisy asked, confusion marring her features.
Ella turned to Daisy with a tentative smile.
“My powers grew at an alarming rate when he came along.” She glanced at Lukas. “It all started when you touched me for the first time. It didn’t really register until now, but when you shifted in front of me, it’s the first time an aura was crystal clear to me. Before it was a haze.”
“But what does that mean?”
“I don’t know.”
But she did know or at least had some idea. She couldn’t bring herself to say it. Lukas made her feel complete in a way she couldn’t comprehend. It was as if their souls were bound together. Raquel had said Lukas only had half a soul. She felt like when they joined, his half soul fused with hers for those moments.
She couldn’t explain it to Daisy and she certainly wasn’t about to voice it to Lukas. Would he even believe her? She didn’t want him to laugh in her face at the ridiculous notion. But if she was so affected by it, surely, he was too?
“If he’s looking for you, shouldn’t you just go straight to the source? Don’t you want to know how you were made?” Daisy asked.
“I do.”
She looked at Lukas. His eyes were dark. She knew that expression. He wasn’t happy.
“Ella, Beleth is dangerous,” he said.
“He is the only one who has the answers. I can’t hide from him. He knows who I am and where I am.”
She didn’t want to meet the formidable Duke of Hell, but she also didn’t want to be a pawn in whatever game was being played here. Someone had given her half a demon soul and hidden her away on Earth. She needed to know why.
“I think I should probably leave you two alone to talk. I only came to check on you,” Daisy said.
She smiled before she got up.
“I’ll see you soon. Just, you know, answer me when I text you.”
Ella grinned and nodded. She wasn’t going to ignore her best friend again.
When Daisy was gone, she rested her head on Lukas’ chest, listening to his heart beating. His arms tightened around her. She didn’t really want to have an argument about whether she should see Beleth or not.
He kissed the top of her head.
“We don’t have to talk about it right now. You’ve been through enough.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t do that. I can’t think properly when you bite your lip.”
“What?”
“You have no idea how distracting you are.”
“I have some idea.”
She smiled before she rested her head back on his chest, her hand over his heart. His heart. There was something she needed to know.
“Is what Raquel said about you having half a soul true?”
She’d wanted to ask him about it before, but there never seemed to be a right time. He was silent for several long minutes.
“I don’t know who told her, but yes, it’s true.” He let out a long sigh. “I told you I was human once. I don’t remember much of what happened, but when they took half of my soul, it changed me. I became what I am now, a demon who has a semblance of humanity left. I’m not like most of my kind, but I am still a slave to my inner demon. I’ve been surrounded by darkness for so long. I thought I’d lost myself.”
He ran a hand through his hair. He seemed agitated by the topic. She immediately felt guilty for bringing it up.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No, it’s okay, sweetheart.” His fingers traced the line of her spine. “I don’t want to hide what I am from you. I don’t want there to be secrets between us.”
She was about to ask him why when there was a sharp rap at her front door.
Frowning, she untangled herself from Lukas and went over to the door. She opened it, expecting to see someone there but the corridor was empty. She looked around before she noticed whoever it was had left a note and a small box on her doormat. She picked it up cautiously and unfolded the note. It was handwritten.
My dearest Eleanor,
I must congratulate you on your forthcoming ascension. Soon, my dearest child, you will become what you were created for. I have watched you from the shadows your entire life. Please accept this gift as a small token of my affection for you. I do hope you will consider meeting me at your earliest convenience. Your companion will know how to reach me.
Yours sincerely,
Your doting father
The signature on the bottom of the page after the word father chilled her to the bone. She opened the box and almost dropped it in shock.
Nestled in velvet was a necklace. The metal was black and it had a pendant. A flaming sword. It was beautiful and terrifying.
She snapped the box shut and took a step back into her flat. The door slammed shut. She felt like she was in a bubble. Unable to hear anything else but the whooshing sound that echoed around her skull. Being half demon was nothing compared to this revelation.
She forced herself to cross the room and handed Lukas what she had found. She sunk down onto the sofa next to him as the reality of what she had just discovered crashed down on her. How was this even possible? Her parents were dead. How could he be her father?
She barely even registered Lukas placing the necklace and the note on the coffee table. He turned to her. He took one of her hands, curling his own around it tightly. She looked down at it before raising her eyes to his face. The abject horror she felt was reflected back at her. His eyes were so dark, they were practically black.
“Beleth is… my father.”
Chapter Nineteen
“My parents are dead. He can’t be. This doesn’t make sense. Why would he write this? Why would he send me that? How does he know I summoned the sword?”
She couldn’t breathe. The news made her feel like she was suffocating. How could a Duke of Hell be her father?
“Breathe, Ella.”
Lukas’ hand was on her back, kneading softly with his knuckles as he kissed her forehead.
“Sweetheart, breathe.”
She gasped, taking in far too much oxygen at once. It made her feel a little giddy. But it was nothing in comparison to the deep-seated pain she felt in her gut. It twisted like a knife. Her entire life had been a lie.
She wasn’t just Eleanor Ward. She was the spawn of Beleth. A Duke of Hell.
She choked on hot tears as they split down her face. He wrapped her in his arms, cradling her to his chest. Wracking sobs echoed around the room as she trembled. She’d accepted everything they’d thrown at her, but this was something else entirely.
“It’s not true. Tell me it’s not,” she whispered.
“Sweetheart.”
His voice broke on the word as if it was physically painful for him to see her in this state. Broken. She was utterly broken.
“It’s not possible.”
“I’m sorry.” He kissed her hair. “I’m sorry.”
He wasn’t denying it. It made her heart ache with an intensity she’d never experienced before.
“How?”
“He could’ve possessed your human father. Powerful demons are capable of many things.”
“Then it’s true.”
“I can’t say for sure.”
She took a shuddering breath, pulling away to look up into his eyes.
“If my father is a demon, then what was my mother? This isn’t the full picture, it can’t be.”
He shook his head.
“I have to see him.”
“I know.”
He stroked her hair, looking at her like she was the most precious thing in the world to him. She thought he might say something, but when he did, it wasn’t what she expected.
“I’m going to make you something to eat.”
She was about to ask why, but then she remembered she’d been asleep for two days. It was no wonder she felt so overwhelmed, but she didn’t want to leave the safety of his arms.
“Can we order pizza or something?”
He gave her a half smile and nodded.
“If that’s what you want.”
“What I want is to stay here like this with you.”
The words were out before she could stop them. She could feel the blush creeping up her neck as he looked at her with surprise.
“Is that so?”
“Um, yeah,” she mumbled as she tried to bury her face in his chest to avoid his eyes.
She didn’t know why she was so embarrassed. It wasn’t as if he was unaware of her affection for him. She had offered to give up her soul so she could be with him and told him earlier she didn’t want him to leave. If that didn’t scream ‘I really like you’, then she didn’t know what would. She just had a hard time expressing her feelings.
His fingers found their way under her chin, tipping her face up towards him. He kissed her, his other hand pressing her against him. She didn’t think she’d ever get over the sensations he elicited whenever he touched her.
Her stomach growled. She pulled away, rubbing it idly. He pulled his phone out and set about ordering them dinner. There was still so much to discuss, but food wouldn’t go amiss.
§
Her eyes flew open, a scream emitting from her throat as she sat up. She was sticky with sweat. Her heart pounded erratically in her chest, fists clenching the covers.
“Ella?”
The bed dipped beside her as Lukas sat down. She looked at him, eyes wide with alarm. She had been dreaming. It was just a dream. He gently uncurled her fingers from the covers and held her hand.
When his skin met hers, she felt the connection between them flaring up inside her. It slammed against her chest, battering her heart with an intensity far beyond the capabilities of her understanding. She needed him. He was her anchor.
“Nightmare…. So much darkness, destruction, chaos. I keep hearing wings beating and the clash of steel. In the centre of it all is you and me.” She frowned. “When I was asleep for two days, that’s all I can remember from it. It feels real, like a vision, not a dream.”
It had been like this for a week. When she fell asleep, she was assaulted by these images and woke up sweating.
“This i
s what you’ve been seeing every night? Why you keep waking up screaming?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before?”
She wanted to look away, regret filling her heart, but she couldn’t.
“I didn’t know how to make sense of it. I still don’t.”
“Come here.”
He let go of her hand, opening his arms out for her. She immediately sunk into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his back. She pressed her face into his neck.
“I still haven’t heard from Tom. The sooner we meet with Beleth, the better.”
“For someone who wanted to meet me as soon as possible, he sure is elusive.”
He kissed the top of her head.
It had taken a couple of days for the reality of everything that had happened to sink in. She’d spent them seeking solace in Lukas. Whilst he hadn’t complained, she knew he worried about her.
His phone rang. He shifted so he could fish it off the bedside table. He didn’t let go of her when he answered it.
“Tom.”
She stiffened.
“You owe me for this shit. Tonight. You know the place.”
“I owe you?”
“Be there at 10. Don’t ask me to contact him again. Fucking hate dealing with Dukes.”
“Any leads on the fox?”
“No. He’s gone to ground. Don’t worry, Finn’s too busy dealing with another cock up to care right now.”
“The fun never stops. Well, thanks for the information.”
“Don’t do anything stupid like getting yourself killed. Would hate to have to find another bounty hunter.”
“Aw, Tom, didn’t know you cared.”
“Fuck off, Lukas.”
The line went dead. He dropped his phone on the bed.
“I take it you heard most of that.”
She nodded, unable to speak. Tonight, she would meet her demon father. She would get the answers she was longing for.
“I’ll be with you, sweetheart. I’d never let you face him alone.”
She nuzzled his neck, savouring the warmth of his skin. She didn’t know if she was ready or if she’d ever be, but she did have Lukas.
“What did I do to deserve you?” she murmured.
“I should ask the same of you.”
She kept forgetting his senses were heightened compared to a human’s. She hated it sometimes. She had to keep thoughts like that from slipping out otherwise he’d hear her.