by Bailey, G.
"Thank you for this," Connor says, kissing me once, and I happen to catch a glimpse of my necklace as he pulls away. The red glow is down to half now...and it seems like it keeps on dropping more quickly these days.
"The sex?" I ask, trying to focus on Connor instead, even though my heart pounds loudly in my chest, and I can hear it in my ears like there is no other sound. I've never been scared of much, but this terrifies me more than I'd care to admit.
"No. Well, I did love that, but I meant being here for me tonight. I needed you," he explains.
"I knew you did," I say, wishing I could say I will always be there for him. Instead, I wrap my arms tightly around his shoulders, placing my head in his neck and breathing in him. If we don't find a clue about black magic soon, it's going to be too late.
Chapter 16
I jog down the stairs to see my father’s white wings and the top of his white head of hair as he looks out the window of my home, and I glance at myself in the mirror by the stairs, seeing my black leggings and dark blue top look decent enough, even if the top is pretty low cut. I really would love some of my own clothes right around now. Azi is awkwardly stood by the door with Trex; both of them look like they are ready to run out or kill my father. It makes me chuckle, which catches the attention of them all. Nix is just simply sat on the sofa next to Hali, both of them are eating a pizza, and Star is drooling as she watches them. They clearly don't care about whatever my father has said to freak Azi and Trex out. My father turns around, his arms crossed against his chest as he glares at me.
“I am confused as to why you did not call for me earlier? Finding out my daughter is the new queen and her city is destroyed is not something I wanted to find out from another angel who heard the gossip,” he says, his annoyance clear not only in his words but in his voice. Wow, no wonder Azi was pissed. Daddy dearest sounds ready to stab me. "It has taken me a while to find you, and I'm not overly impressed by that. Why didn't you call for me?"
“Hello, father. It's nice to see you as well. Do you like my new home?" I say, waving a hand around. “It is much nicer than that posh place I had before.”
"Seth said you can't keep it, by the way," Azi adds in. “He was firm on that.”
"You can tell Seth to shove his opinion where the sun doesn't—"
"Excuse me,” my father interrupts, “but can I talk to my daughter with some peace and quiet?" he asks, though it sounds like a scary ass demand.
"We were just leaving anyway. Want to come, Hali? Nix? Connor?" Trex asks, nodding his head at the door. “Azi?” They all basically agree and hustle themselves out of the door, leaving Azi with my father and me.
"I'm not leaving," Azi tells Trex, closing the door behind him. At least one of my people isn’t scared of my father.
"I gathered," my father drily replies and comes over to sit on the sofa, watching Star as she sniffs the closed pizza box.
"No pizza for you, girl. It isn't good for your hips," I say, pushing the box to the side and sitting on the sofa. Star huffs at me before lying on the floor, resting her head on my foot to make it clear I'm not moving for a little while.
"Can I get either of you a drink?" Azi asks us.
"I'd love a cup of tea," I reply, knowing it’s rare for Azi to offer, and he makes good tea.
"I would prefer a coffee. I have found lattes are favourable," my father replies, and Azi nods, smirking at me before going to the kitchen. We don’t have a coffee machine, and there is no way Azi is going to make him a decent coffee anything like a latte.
"Explain to me what happened," my father insists. "I found the city in ruins, with a few strange, emotionless yellow demons running around. I disposed of them while I was there."
"I'm thankful you did," I reply to him. "I want to return to the city after the war is done."
"War?" he asks. "I want you to explain all of this. Now."
"I took half the black magic hidden in the Protectors' city into me when Cex tried to take it all. Only problem? He forced me to make him my knight, and the moment this loses its glow, I'm out of time, and he can find me," I explain, pulling my necklace out of my top so he can see it clearly.
"That necklace is keeping you alive, isn't it?" he quietly asks, and if I didn’t know better, I would think there was pain in his voice.
"What?" Azi interjects, not looking impressed as he hands my father a mug of coffee and me a cup of tea before sitting down.
"No, well, it's keeping the power from hurting me, not killing me," I lie, and my father pauses, clearly knowing I am, but he doesn't say anything on it. "I can learn to control it. It's only half after all."
"Your mother had a knight, and she said the power shared between each other goes both ways. You should be able to control Cex's powers. Maybe even make him powerless long enough to kill him," he tells me. “I don’t know if you are aware of that. It might not work for a demon, but it could.”
"Thanks for the tip," I say, knowing it’s something to try, but I doubt it is as easy as he makes it sound. I bet it takes a good bond between a knight and queen, and what I have with Cex could never be described as that. "But I wondered if you knew anything about black magic?"
"I know it is an ancient power, one given to the original creations. The first demon, the first Protector and so on. I also know it was designed to die with the owner," he tells me, and it’s not what I want to hear.
"The black magic was held in a tree which was destroyed when we took it," I explain to him. He sips on his coffee, clearly thinking before replying to me.
"The tree was likely made from the ashes of the owner of the magic. Perhaps it is how the magic is meant to die," he says. "I don't know more, but I will ask every living angel for information. I doubt they will know more though. They spent too much time in Hell and not on Earth." The room drops into an uncomfortable silence, all of us knowing this isn’t good news and another avenue is gone.
"I want to ask something else," I say. "Well, I don't want to ask, but I am going to swallow my pride because I can't let my people die just because I didn't ask."
"I will fight with you," he says, answering me before I even get a chance to ask. "You are my daughter, and I owe you a lifetime of being a good father. I will fight with honour at your side, and so will my people, your people as you are half of us."
"Thank you. I mean that," I reply, shocked that he is so willing to fight for me. I guess he is my father after all, even if he has been heartless towards me in the past. This is a difficult situation for us all, but I respect him a whole deal more for wanting to fight with me.
"Was that Hali, the charge of yours I've heard you care deeply about?" he asks, filling in the silence.
"Yes, it was," I answer, smiling.
"She is very stubborn and brave, and she reminded me of someone else in the little time I spoke to her," he says, and I grin.
"Hali might not be my daughter by blood, but in every other way, she is," I reply.
"Azi, thank you for the coffee, though it is a little bitter for my liking. You can fix this in the future," my father says, and I can't help but chuckle as he slides the empty cup onto the coffee table. I place mine next to his. "May I have a private word with Evelina before I return to my people?"
"I will be upstairs," Azi replies, tensely smiling at me before going up the stairs. My father gets up and comes over to sit next to me on the sofa before holding his hand out. I frown before placing my hand in his, and he holds it tightly as he softly speaks to me.
"You wear the marks of a true queen, and I am proud of you for winning the test against your half-sister. I have thought long and hard about us, about what kind of father I want to be, and I've decided the only option is to make Eella proud. One day, we will be together in Heaven, where I'm sure she waits for us both," he tells me. “I want to tell her many stories of you and how brilliant you are. I do not want to live my life in the past, lost in the pain of losing her any longer.”
"You really miss her, don't you?" I
whisper.
"Every single day. There is nothing worse than being torn apart from the one you love," he tells me. "And I loved her more than I thought it was possible to love. Then I saw you, and I feel a similar love and protectiveness for you. You are all I have left on this Earth, and I want to save you."
"Save me?" I ask. “We both know deep down that it isn’t possible.”
"The magic is going to kill you. I know it, and I'm sure you do as well," he confirms what we both know, but I’m too much of a coward to say it out loud.
"I'm going to find a way to save myself. There has to be a cure or a way to destroy the magic," I explain to him. “I have time yet.”
"I know an angel who can pull power from one angel to another. I'm sure it would work on you," he tells me.
"Then you would die, and I can't let that happen," I reply, shaking my head. “You just said you want to live a life, a real life with no shadow of grief.”
"It would be a chance, Evelina, and do you think my life would not be filled with grief if you died?" he asks, letting my hand go and placing his hand on my face. I would usually pull away from the affection, but for some reason, I know it means so much to him. "If it doesn't work, then I will find a way to kill Cex and take the other half of the magic. All magic needs to be together, so it should be easy to pull the magic from you."
"Black magic kills and fights angel blood to win. I think the only reason it hasn't killed me yet is that I'm a half," I tell him. “It would destroy you.”
"I do not care about death, I have little to live for. If you die, I’ll have nothing, as my family will all be in death waiting for me," he explains to me.
"Enough talk of death, we have time to fix this," I try to use humour to shake off the deep sadness that makes me feel like it's going to suffocate me. My father lets his hand drop and stands up off the sofa. I stand with him and walk to the door, pulling it open.
"Call me when this is close to running out," he says, and I know that it’s a lie when I nod my head to agree. If I call him, he will bring that angel and take this power then die with no chance to save himself. I might as well shoot him in the head by doing that, and I know I couldn't live with myself if I kill the last living family member I have. I want to be selfish and keep him around, and that is what I'm going to do. He is wrong about being alone.
"Goodbye, daughter," he says.
"See you soon, father," I reply, watching him step out of the house, spreading his white wings out before flying off into the sky. I mentally call for my wings, feeling them appear behind me as I step outside into the cold night. It's been a long time since I've been flying.
"Vi, we need to talk, don't you think? Especially as your father thinks you are going to die, and you didn’t argue the point with him." I turn to see Azi leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed and his red eyes burning with anger. Flying is going to have to wait. Angry demon overlord is not something to be ignored.
Chapter 17
"Where are we going then?" I ask Azi as he continues to glare at me as I make my wings disappear, and he holds his hand out for me. His glare turns into a look of pure frustration, and I wonder how much of my father's and my conversation he overheard. I want to tell him everything at this moment, knowing he would help me find a way to save myself or die trying. That's the point though, I couldn't see him die for me. Or at all. Azi is a demon like no other, a demon with parts of his soul that are good and pure. Whatever becomes of me, it's important he lives. Crap, now I really sound like one of those girls out of movies who will happily die for the better good or some shit. How did I get myself in this mess? Oh, I know, it started as a damn fairy tale where I fell in love and then did something stupid. Unfortunately, this fairy tale doesn't look like it has a good ending. If it were a movie, I'd pass on seeing the end...except this is my story, and there is no door to walk out of because I don't like it.
"Seth has a cocktail bar that also does food. Why don't we go there to talk? It is private and quiet," he suggests. I glance down at my clothes, the leggings and top aren’t all too bad to wear out. I know there isn’t anything nicer among my clothes in the house anyway.
"Sounds nice," I reply and take his hand he offers me. I rest my head on his shoulder as we walk through the demon underground, passing many people and seeing the difference since my speech. Everyone is working together, by the looks of it, and there is a peaceful feeling in the air. I don't sense any anger or pain like I expect to find in places like this. Usually, demon undergrounds are full of the emotions no one wants, much like the people here themselves. Unwanted by the world of humans.
"Why are you so mad?" I quietly ask him as we head through a dark alley into another street. This one is lit up more than the others, and there is a large warehouse in front of us with a big queue of people outside. Luckily, they are all dressed casually; clearly everyone doesn’t care about dress codes for the time being.
"If it were the other way around, would you be happy?" he asks me. I don't have an answer for him as he looks down at me for a second, and he knows it. No, I wouldn't be happy. I'd do anything, kill anyone, to make sure Azi lives. We walk up to the door, where the bouncer opens it straight away when he sees us. I walk into the big warehouse which is transformed into an awesome cocktail bar inside. Big fancy glass lights hang from the ceiling, showcasing the multi levels of what looks like red glass floors. The tables are full of people, and waiters are running between them. This place does well even in a war, it seems.
"Brother, what brings you to my home," Seth says, coming out from a hidden door which swings shut behind him. He is all dressed up in a suit similar to the one Azi is currently wearing, only Azi wears it better. Seth also has glitter on his black coat and red lipstick on his white collar. "And Evie darling, I've heard you like my spare home very much. Too much perhaps."
"You mean my home," I counter, crossing my arms as I let go of Azi’s hand. Azi just sighs and looks at me, knowing I’m not going to let this one go.
"I never gave it to you," Seth replies. “I won’t give it to you.”
"I didn't ask for it. It's mine, plain and simple. You can try to get it back if you want," I say, grinning. “I have a dagger waiting to slam into your balls if you come over.”
"Your girlfriend is a crazy psychopath, brother," Seth says, stepping back and looking concerned. He really should be.
"Yes, she is," Azi says, sounding proud as I smile up at him.
"Whatever. You can keep the house, Evie darling, but I want my box of weapons back," he counters, and I just laugh. That isn’t happening either. I love a few of the daggers in there, and Trex is smitten with the axe.
"Nope, they are mine, too," I reply. “Where do you think I’d get the dagger for your balls from?”
"I wouldn't try to argue with her. It will get you nowhere. Trust me, brother," Azi suggests as Seth narrows his eyes at me like I'm the devil.
"Why are you here?" he asks with a sigh, crossing his arms. "I have company tonight, and I am not taking guests."
"Funny enough, we are not here to see you. We want a drink and some good food," Azi explains.
"You're at the best place then," Seth replies, waving a hand around the room. "Have a good night."
"Wait," Azi says as Seth goes to turn around, and he pauses to look back. "Did you find anything useful?"
"Nothing that will save her or be of any use," he gently tells us, sounding very much not like Seth. If he feels sorry for me, then I really am screwed. "I will not stop looking. No one will."
"Thank you, Seth," I honestly reply to him when Azi doesn't say a word. Seth bows his head in a respectful manner, which is unusual for him, before he turns to walk away. Seth stops a waiter who walks past him, whispering something and pointing at us before leaving through the door he came in.
"This way, please," the waiter says, nodding his head in the direction he wants us to follow. I go to step away when I notice Azi doesn't move, his eyes fixated on the floor. I st
ep closer and place my hand on the side of his head, lifting his glowing eyes to me.
"We can enjoy tonight and worry about the future tomorrow. Don't leave me, Azi. Don't let your demon take over right now," I plead with him, knowing he is out of control simply by looking in his eyes. "Be strong for me. I need you, Azi," I honestly say, because everything is swirling out of control, and nothing I do seems to be able to stop it. I'm losing everything, heading for death, and I can't stop it. Nothing seems to be stopping it. The keepers, angels, reapers and now the demons have no answers for a way to save myself. I'll be damned if I let Azi lose himself, too.
"I won't be able to save you from this, will I?" he asks, his voice sounding like a ghost.
"I don't know. That is the truth," I reply, my voice cracking.
"Death couldn't part us. It has tried once, and I got you back, Vi. I'm too selfish to let it take you from me. To let anything part us," he angrily tells me, and I deeply wish I could tell him he is right.
"And I will fight to the bitter end to save myself and us. It's not over, not yet," I whisper to him. He slowly lowers his lips to mine, pressing a hauntingly sweet kiss on my lips, leaving me wanting more as he lifts his head away.
"Why does it feel like our time is close to an end?" he asks.
"Azi," I quietly whisper his name, and he nods, straightening up. "I don't get you alone much these days, I'm going to make the most of it." He looks over to the waiter who is stood a small distance away, looking awkward. I don't blame him. The waiter quickly turns and starts walking us to our seats. We head through the red glass tables and the nice red chairs that are tucked into them until we get to the back of the warehouse. The waiter leads us into a lift that takes us up two floors until the doors open up to the top level. This level only has one table and two chairs, with a long, large glass window that shows off the views of the demon underground and a city in the far distance.