by Holly Grace
At the thought of Jane and Joan, I heard a commotion and shrieks coming from the general direction of the door. I tried to break my gaze from the enticing view of the ring but it still gripped me.
Suddenly, I was tackled from behind, with the ring just halfway on my finger.
And everything went black.
Chapter 23 SIN
The ring senses her. Accepted her. It knows that she is my mate; it would now recognize no one but her. It would be able to extend its protection whenever someone wishes her harm, keep her complaisant to my wishes or deters any other male who would dare touch her.
And it will let me know.
Originally it belonged to my mother, but once father let her go so did the power of the ring vanished. And now it awaits its new mistress.
As I wait for her to finally wear the thing that would bind her to me forever, I noticed she hadn’t taken a bite out of the pomegranate yet.
She has to eat it, or she wouldn’t be able to live in my home. She would die and wither there. And I wouldn’t want that. But first things first, I had to make her wear the ring.
For some, those who knew mythology the pomegranate was the fruit Hades gave to his Persephone, to make her irrevocably his.
To us who had fallen, this was not a bedtime story. This was real.
Persephone was the first accounted mate of a fallen and Demeter, her mother was an ancient queen, who waged war on my kind and hired mystics to imprison us; that was how the NKisi statues came to be. She laid waste to the land, exhausting all her resources just to take back her daughter from my ancestor, but to no avail, she did not succeed. Over the years humans twisted and romanticized the story and as it passed from generation to generation, until demons like us began abducting human females became just an old wives’ tale.
But they never knew that evil does lurk in the corner, hiding behind carefully controlled masks. The proverbial sheep in wolf’s clothing. Just waiting.
Waiting to spread despair, create chaos, orchestrate war, breed tyrants, fuel lust and greed and vanity.
And to corrupt pure souls into becoming the vessel for the next generation of evil, for evil cannot exist without the good, and good cannot exist without evil.
I never took my eyes off of Kat, her mesmerized ocean blue eyes. Once a mate took a look on the ring she would not be able to resist it. If she does her mate dies. I’ll die if she rejects it.
What can you say; I am literally offering my heart on a plate.
Every ring given to a mate is unique; it has our heart embedded in it. Tonight it renders me mortal, I am vulnerable. That is why Kat has my life in the palm of her hands. After she has accepted it, then my heart is restored on my body.
I am immortal again.
She now had worn it on her ring finger, barely past her first knuckle; feeling the coils burrowing it’s essence in her core it was as though we feel it as one. Of course we do, for I own her, body and soul.
Not long now.
Soon our hearts will beat as one.
Then I felt a sudden disturbance from the perimeter outside the house. Someone just broke inside my carefully set-up wards against intruders and other demons.
When others knew that I have found my mate, knew that I intend to claim her tonight, others will see this as an opportunity to slay me once and for all. Just to gain my father’s throne.
We were not called demons if all we did was sunshine and rainbows; and a chance to murder me tonight is what I have expected from them, from my brothers. In fact I already met one tonight, cozying up my mate, poaching on my territory.
The door was slammed open.
The intruders was not whom I had expected.
Chapter 24 JANE
I can sense him here.
The same demon that bled me, fed on me, almost granted me my innermost desire.
To be like Kat and make her go away.
How I sincerely regret it. And even in my guilt, it only served to make him more powerful.
I should not have brought Kat into this. Everything bad that happened with us started with me. I was so foolish, so stupid.
I can only rectify the act that caused this demon to wreck havoc into our lives.
By my sacrifice, I hope Kat, Veronica and Joan can find it in their heart to forgive me.
I look at my companion, the woman who owned the statue, the woman who was entrusted to keep the imprisoned demon from getting away.
She just turned up tonight at home without even a warning, said that she’d been following us. She said Veronica was recently attacked and was in the hospital fighting for her life. Joan was currently missing and the lady surmised she was already dead. While Kat was being seduced by the said demon, she said that from the time she met Kat she already knew that she was NKisi’s chosen mate.
I knew it! Even demons love the innocent.
She said as a guardian of the statue it was her duty to imprison the demon back to it should belong, where it won’t hurt anyone again and save Kat from an enslaved life. It was my responsibility as her friend to prevent such event from happening, she said.
I readily went with her, it’s the least I can do.
When we arrived at an expansive house in Joan’s neighborhood, the old lady stopped me with her gnarled hand. “Stay back, if I know NKisi he had set up protective wards so he wouldn’t be disturbed from seducing your friend.
She then proceeded to chant various unintelligible words while dancing like a one legged flamingo. In my anesthetized state, it had barely scratched the surface of my humor, but if I wasn’t I could have been rolling on the floor dying while laughing.
Ha! Death by laughter, who knew? For a girl who couldn’t feel anything that’s ironic.
She seems to be stopping; now she signals me to quietly enter the mansion. Demon’s loaded huh! The evil life must pay.
“Remember girl, there’s hope for your friend yet and for your soul to be cleansed again. Just sacrifice yourself for others and by that one selfless act, you gain your soul back.” she explained conspiratorially, as if these walls could hear.
“Easy for you to say,” when she started to get agitated, I quickly shushed her unless the lord of the Manor might hear us. “Gosh lady, untwist your Grammy panties! He might hear you; of course I would do that for Kat. I’d rather die than live like this, I mean I’m already dead, I feel dead. So don’t lecture me!” I whisper yelled at her.
Luckily she backed off. We are now definitely inside the demon’s swanky bachelor pad and the old lady kept going, it was as if she had been here before.
We heard some gentle conversation, the voice of a boy coaxing a girl to try and wear a ring.
THAT WAS KAT!
I have to save her!
“Girlie, wait!”The old lady yelled, as I forced open the door.
Chapter 25 Mr. and Mrs. Johnson
“Dear, what time is it” I asked my husband as he parked the car into the garage.
“It’s already midnight.”
“Do you know if Kat is already home, somehow I have this niggling worry at the back of my head?”
“What is it?”
“I can’t stop thinking that something has gone terribly wrong.”
“I’ll try and call her phone, if you’re still anxious we’ll get her home okay.”
“Okay. It’s just I have been having these uneasy feeling the whole day, it’s like a foreboding that Kat will be taken from us.” I said as I saw my husband dial her number. He tried a few times but his expression clearly shows the alarm at what I had said. I rarely get these feelings so when I get it and tell him, he listens right way.
“I can’t reach her? You up for a little ride Hon? We’ll get her ourselves, I know you’re dead tired being on duty for over twenty-four hours but I know you won’t rest until we see her.” My husband suggested.
“Aright, what are you waiting for? Let’s go?”
“There’s only one tiny problem, gas is almost empty on the Lincoln, we ba
rely even made it home. It’s nice to know cars also run on prayers.” I laughed as he disclosed, my husband ever the joker, even feeling dead tired he never fails to make me laugh.
“So, we’ll take her car. It’s already here.” I quickly uncovered our daughters’ car and am shocked at the state she left it in because she would not do this to her baby.
“What the-! What did she do to her car?” my husband reacted as he reverently patted one unsightly gash as if it would repair the scratches.
“We’ll just interrogate her after we get her safely home okay. First, we’ll have to find her. Did she say where Sin would take her?” crises averted.
“Yes, apparently Sin has invited our daughter to a dinner date at his house, you know that sounds weird.” He said as we went in.
“Why is it weird and where is Sin’s house located?” I watched as he started the car and we are again on the road, not even long before we arrived at home and is supposed to be resting for another day at the hospital tomorrow.
“It’s on the South Pacific Golf and Country Estate, you know, where one of her friends live.”
“Oh, that was Joan dear, the one with lawyers as parents. Hmm, Sin’s family must have been well off if he lives there.”
“Yes, he must be. You okay? Not too sleepy?” my husband asked barely containing to suppress his yawn.
“Still awake if that’s what you’re asking. How about you? We’ve pulled more hours in the hospital than this.”
“Yup but it was when we’re still in our thirties, now that were’ near the last legs of our prime, I don’t think we can do this again. The bed is calling me much earlier now.” he joked.
“Well honey, how about let’s talk about lessening our load? If we give some of our patients to colleagues and have enough hours at home, we might see more of Kat. It’ll only be for two years anyway until she sets up for college. I don’t want to miss any more time with her; I don’t want to wake up one day not knowing our own daughter.”
“Have faith in your daughter, she’s a good girl, the best daughter any parent could have.” I smiled at my husband, seeing the pride in his eyes. I know we made the most beautiful and
compassionate daughter we could hope for.
Halfway through our journey, I noticed my husband’s worried expression.
“What is it dear? Still worried about Kat?”
“No. I think there is something wrong with her car; I keep on stepping on the breaks but nothing happens, instead we seem to be accelerating. Are you wearing your seatbelt hon?”
“What! We just had this car checked a few weeks ago. It should never have acted like this. Maybe if you put a little more force on it.”
“I did, we’re going about three hundred miles an hour. There’s a fork on the road, there. Maybe if we can swerve this car on that slight hill there, we might make it.”
I felt the car fishtail as the back tires gave up, a two hundred foot ravine waits on us dead center.
Chapter 26 KAT
I heard someone growl and grabbed me from behind, I fell from the impact which knocked me out for a minute. When I came to, shouts were heard in the general direction to my left. The ringing in my ears must have resulted in me banging my head on one of the tables’ wooden leg.
I recognized the woman from the shop and Jane battling it out with Sin. They’ve only stopped when Sin heard me groan, he quickly went to my side and helped me up. I felt his heart beating so quickly, his hot skin singeing me through his shirt as I reached out to calm it.
His eyes anxious as he searched my features for any hidden pain. When assured that I was okay, he let out a relieved breath.
“You’re okay.” It was a statement not a question. At my nod, his scorching breath was my only warning as his lips seeked mine.
“Enough!” the shopkeeper roared. She looked like mad woman just right there. Stomping her small feet, while flapping her arms up and down. “You don’t get to keep this one! This one won’t be taken like the others demon! She is too much like my Persephone. This one shall stay exactly where she is!” she screeched.
Sin refused to heed my questioning glance; his jaw tensed and his muscles taut – coiled and ready to spring, his body shielding mine from whatever danger the old lady would deliver.
“You’re too late she already belongs to Me.” was Sin’s quiet reply.
I heard Jane gasp in the corner, and muttering no’s over and over again. I want to go to her, comfort her. As if Sin sensed my decision, he clamped his hand on my arm like a vice.
“Sin,” I gave him an imploring look. “just let me go to Jane, she’s distressed, look. I don’t want her to land in the hospital again; it’s already bad that Veronica is in there. I refuse to let another one of my friends be sick.”
“And I refuse to get you hurt! Did you forget? She almost clubbed you, she’s volatile.
“I was not aiming for her you jerk! It was meant for you!” Jane yelled.
“Jane?” I pointed a questioning look towards her.
“Didn’t you get it Kat? He’s the demon; he’s been the one who was causing all of this. I bet you he did something to Joan and Veronica too!” Jane accused.
“What does she mean Sin?” I cannot edge away from him; his hand gripping my arm traps me to his side.
“You should heed what your friend said dear, he is one malevolent, vindictive demon.” The shopkeeper said as she edged around the corner, with Jane hemming us from the door and her driving us towards the center of the room, it was as if they were caging us.
It almost looked ridiculous to see a frail old woman and a slip of a girl wanting to tackle Sin.
“Grandmother you shouldn’t say things like that about your grandson, what would my girlfriend think.” Sin taunted.
“Grandmother?” I asked, puzzled.
“Oh, the correct term is really great-grandmother but who cares? Don’t you know? My own grandmother, so humiliated of his own grandson that she rejects the idea of me being associated to her by blood, she even tried to kill the son of her daughter, my father, once. Nearly succeeded too.”
“Shut up you abomination! Your kind should not be allowed to walk on this earth, and take whoever you want. You should stay in the fiery pit of hell where you belong!” she snarled.
“Now, now grandma, think of your health. Such rage could bring on a heart attack, you might be immortal but every time you do die, it doesn’t get any less painful plus you come back a tad bit crazier than the last. Just accept the fact that you can’t defeat us however hard you try.”
“What are you talking about Sin? And immortal? What’s going on?”
“Are you familiar with Hades and Persephone’s story?” his attention on his grandmother lifted and turned to me, at my nod he continued. “Meet Persephone’s mom, Demeter.” He said as he pointed to the shopkeeper. “The queen who killed a civilization just to get her precious daughter Persephone back, ancients romanticized the story turning it into a myth. When it was real all along. Back then she was revered as a goddess of harvest for in her rule food was in abundance, there was never a hungry mouth nor an empty belly in sight. When my grandfather took her beloved daughter, she emptied her kingdom’s coffers to fund her ludicrous campaign, hence the story of how the land was barren.”
As he continued to tell the story and saw the conviction in his eyes that he indeed believe in what he was saying, I cannot help but grasp the fact that I’m surrounded by crazy people.
“Then, she did everything she can. Hire oracles, mystics and wizards. She almost got away with it when she found a means to communicate with her daughter through a demon possession and begged Persephone to come back. My Grandmother did, but just to show Demeter here her newly born son, my father, whom she nearly killed that day as newborns were still vulnerable. To make the long short, my grandmother cursed Demeter to live an immortal bitter life to remind her of the things she’d lost.”
“Shut up Demon! I don’t have a daughter! Not anymore! When sh
e chose to fornicate with that abomination, I washed my hands off of her. But that doesn’t mean I cannot prevent another girl from being seduced by you! Especially this one, she looks a lot like her. Same eyes, same hair, same build, same innocence which I know will soon be corrupted the second she stepped in your world’s threshold. You cannot own her!”