Good luck, but I still say you don’t have anything to worry about, Aiden said, knowing exactly what Ian meant.
Yeah, yeah.
Aiden just laughed, and Victor looked up from putting the towels in the washer. “Where’s Ian?”
“Nehela.”
That was all he needed to say, and Victor burst out laughing. “Why doesn’t that surprise me? How’s it going?”
“Now, Victor! I would never eavesdrop on such a private conversation!” Aiden said, but Victor just raised an eyebrow, and he laughed. “Okay, so maybe I might, just a little. Basically, enough to know you and I were right. Nehela does like him, and like he said earlier, he’s liked her for a long time.” Aiden just shook his head. “I tried to tell him years ago, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“Maybe he will now.”
Aiden grinned. “He doesn’t have a choice. Nehela isn’t letting him go anywhere.”
“Is Mickala all right?”
“Yeah. She’s asleep. I’m surprised she was up as long as she was, really.”
They went into the living room and sat down. “I don’t guess she’s had much rest lately.”
Aiden sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Just when she could get it, and you’re right. It wasn’t much. From the time she first saw EJ to the time he came for her, I think she slept maybe two or three hours.”
“I still can’t believe EJ’s a demon,” Victor said, propping his feet up. “I’m just glad it wasn’t him that did it, if you know what I mean.”
“I do.” Aiden hesitated, then closed his eyes. “I wasn’t completely honest with you yesterday, Victor, but we don’t really know how to tell Mickala this.” The human waited patiently. “I found out who controlled EJ.”
“Who?”
“His brother, Trey.”
***
The news blindsided Victor. His eyes went wide, and he put his feet back on the floor as he sat up. “But, he’s Mickala’s best friend.”
Aiden shook his head. “He’s acting like her best friend. The more I got inside EJ’s mind, the more it became obvious, and EJ realized it as well. Trey was even behind him cheating on Mickala. Of course, Trey, being her ‘friend’ and all, immediately told her. EJ had been trying to explain, but Trey wouldn’t let him. He kept having blackouts when Trey took his mind over, and that’s when you had the restraining order put on him.”
“While I wish I could say I’m surprised, I can’t. I expected nothing like this from EJ. Trey, on the other hand, there was just something about him I couldn’t bring myself to trust. I also can’t really blame you for not telling Mickala. She probably wouldn’t have believed you. She’s slow to trust, but when she does, it’s hard to break.”
“Normally, that would be a good thing, but not right now. We just got rid of Valez, and now, it seems as if this Trey has some agenda against her, and might have had it for a while.” Aiden dropped his head into his hands. “God. The girl maybe the most powerful demon I’ve ever met, but she’s not the damn Energizer Bunny. She can’t just keep going and going.”
Victor’s eyes widened. “Is she really that strong?”
Aiden nodded. “Ian did a little investigating when we first met. There aren’t but a few demons in either realm who haven’t heard of her or Michelle. Most of them think of her as a traitor, but only a few dared to try anything. Apparently, Valez was the only one of those who had any luck.”
“Did you ever hear of her? Before you met her, I mean.”
“Oh, of course. We traitors tend to know who the other traitors are. It’s a survival thing. Michelle knew of me and Ian,” he said with a shrug. “I’d heard of her, Michelle, and her father, Kristopher. They left the demon realm long before I was even born, and they seeme to have avoided it since, but when you’re that powerful, it doesn’t matter. Your name gets around.”
“But, you didn’t figure it out when you first met?”
Aiden looked slightly embarrassed. “Believe it or not, no. She hides herself well. Ian was the one who convinced her to tell me what she was. He already knew. You know we can shield our energy, right?” Victor nodded. “Well, she was keeping herself shielded from anyone nearby, but Ian was in the demon realm, and he felt her. He knew the truth from day one.”
“She wasn’t going to tell you, was she?”
“Not unless she had to, and it took two weeks before she finally did. Like I said, I thought she was human, and I realized I loved her.” Aiden shrugged, but it was self-conscious. “I may be a demon, but I do have a few morals. I don’t date humans because it’s unfair to them. So, I tried ignoring her, hoping she would tell me to go to hell or something, but she never did. I knew, even then, I wasn’t strong enough to leave on my own.
“Apparently, Ian asked her what was wrong one night, and she told him what I’d been doing. Ian knew what I didn’t, and he told her why I was acting the way I was. It was enough to get her to tell me the truth.” He sighed, a small smile on his face. “One of the best things that little pyro has ever done.”
***
There was a sarcastic laugh from behind them. “Hilarious, foxy,” Ian said. “It was mainly for my peace of mind. Two lovesick demons determined to make themselves miserable because they’re both too damn stubborn for their own good.”
Aiden raised an eyebrow. “That sounds like someone I know. Speaking of, how did your talk with Nehela go?” he asked, still grinning.
Ian smirked as he sat down. “Like you don’t already know, eavesdropper.”
Aiden laughed. “I gave you a lot of privacy, thank you very much, short shit. I was afraid of what I might overhear.” He faked a shudder, and as hard as Ian tried to remain stone faced, a grin formed and he threw a small pillow at his friend.
“Actually, we didn’t really talk that much. Just enough to get the major points across, and she fell asleep.” He chuckled, but there seemed to be gentleness to his eyes that hadn’t been there before.”
“Aww, Ian’s in love!” Aiden said, and Ian jumped for him. There was a brief scuffle on the floor, but among the snarls and growls, they were laughing, and even Victor had to laugh.
Once they settled back down, he was still laughing. “You two are funny. It’s nice to hear voices in here besides Mickala’s and mine.” He looked at Ian. “So, what now?”
“I guess we’re just going to play it out and see what happens,” he replied with a shrug. “I just don’t know why she never said anything before now.”
Aiden sighed, rolling his eyes. “Because of who you are.” Ian looked confused, and he shook his head with a laugh. “Ian, you have the reputation you do for a reason. She’s waiting to see if you could let down the walls yourself. She knows, if you can let down the walls enough to admit you at least care for her, then you can let them down enough to love her the way she loves you.”
Ian was thoughtful. “I’ve never really looked at it that way before.”
“So, do you love her?” Aiden almost demanded.
“Yes.” His admission was a low whisper.
“Good. There’s hope for you yet, dragon boy.”
All three of them grew quiet, and Victor was the one to break the silence. “What about Trey?”
Aiden gave an evil grin, and Victor fought back a shiver at the malice in his eyes. “Oh, don’t worry. As soon as I get near him, he’ll show himself. I’m good at getting people to show their real emotions.”
“You can say that again,” Ian said, sitting back down.
“Good.” There wasn’t much more to say after that, and they all went to bed before long. Mickala curled up against Aiden’s side without even waking up.
Twelve
Genetics and Musicology
The next few days were as peaceful as anyone could have hoped for, and Mickala began getting herself back up to full strength. Ian kept his word, and before more than a week had passed, he and Nehela were as close as Aiden and Mickala. Not long after everyone had gotten settled, they all really felt l
ike they were family.
After dinner one night, they were all in the living room, and Victor laughed suddenly. “It’s so nice having people in the house. It’s been too quiet with just us two. You all feel like my adopted kids, even if I am technically the youngest.”
Nehela bowed her head. “Thank you for opening up your home. God knows you didn’t have to.”
Victor waved her away. “So, just one more day of band camp, huh?” Their band camp had started two weeks ago. Nehela and Aiden had already registered for school, and Aiden was a snare drummer in the band, while Nehela was on the dance team, which Mickala was the captain of. She’d been spending most of her free-time fine tuning their choreography for the football game’s half-time show. “What about you, Ian?” he asked. “Are you sure you don’t want to go with them?”
The dragon demon looked at Victor skeptically. “Aiden did tell you I used to hunt humans, right?” He nodded with a grin. “And you really want to stick me in a building full of cocky, hormonal, adolescent ones who think they know everything?” Ian shook his head. “Thanks, but no. Aiden’s worked miracles with me over the past two hundred years, but my control isn’t that good.”
They all laughed, and Nehela took his hand. “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Ian.”
“Maybe not, but I’d rather not push my luck,” he said. They laughed again before going to bed early.
The next morning, Nehela came into Mickala’s room, and Ian was behind her. He sighed, rolling his eyes. “Okay, so I changed my mind. I’m not too late, am I?”
“Not at all,” Mickala laughed. “Give me a quick second.” She closed her eyes in concentration, and sweat beaded up on her forehead. She looked at him a few minutes later. “Okay, it’s done. You’ve always been there as Ian Storm. You’ll be playing the drums with Aiden, and you’re in the same classes as the rest of us.”
They began packing their band bags, since they had to take pictures for the program and yearbook. Aiden, and now Ian’s uniforms were in the band room already. Mickala sighed, wiping her forehead. “I’m so glad we’re in the band room tomorrow.” The past two weeks, it had been ninety-five or higher every day. During the worst of it, they’d held practices later in the evenings, but even then, it would still be in the upper eighties. Mickala’s skin had tanned to a deep brown, and her hair had turned almost gold. Even Nehela’s fair skin had a healthy color to it, and the silver in her hair seemed to take over.
***
Once they got to the school, the two girls changed into their dance uniforms for the pictures. They were a pale blue and white two-piece with one full sleeve, but the other arm and shoulder were bare, and there was fringe dangling from the leg cutouts on the bottoms, and they had tall white boots with a small heel. They all had their hair down for the pictures, but it would be up in high ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ ponytails for the games.
Aiden and Ian were both speechless when the girls came out of the band room, their mouths hanging open, and Mickala and Nehela laughed. “Demon or not, put a pretty girl in front of them, and just like humans, they lose their ability to communicate,” the elf giggled.
“What’s so damn funny?” Ian said, shaking his head, and they collapsed against each other laughing.
After their pictures, they all changed into cooler clothes for practice. About halfway through their second run through the program, Mickala suddenly felt light-headed. She shook her head to clear it and kept dancing. The others noticed when it happened the second time. Are you okay? Ian asked, marching beside Aiden. He had picked up the music quickly, and by now, he was looking as if he’d been there the whole time.
Yes. I’m just feeling a little dizzy, she replied.
It was just a few seconds later when her legs gave out from under her. Whistles blew out across the field, and their band director, Mr. Thomas, came running over, his eyes worried. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she replied.
“You’re an awful liar,” he said. “You’re sweating like a stuck pig, and you’re as white as your shirt.” He tried to help her to her feet, but as soon as he let her hands go, her knees buckled again. Nehela was at her side and helped her to the bench alongside the fence, where there were tents set up for shade. Nehela gave her a bottle of water from the cooler, then dipped a small towel in the melted ice and draped it across the back of her neck.
“Sit for a few minutes,” Nehela said. “You might just need to rest.”
Mickala didn’t argue, which told Nehela more than any words could have about how she really felt. Mr. Thomas started their practice back up, and Mickala closed her eyes. She didn’t remember anything else as she slowly toppled from the bench to the ground. Everyone came running over, and Nehela quickly checked her pulse. It was flying, and she called an ambulance from Universal Hospital, knowing she was on the verge of a heat stroke.
Nehela took her hand, doing almost the same thing Mickala had done for Aiden. She’s very weak. She hasn’t fully recovered from what she did this morning. While she made it look easy, tampering with that many memories at once is no small task.
It was my fault? Ian asked, his mental voice horrified.
Not really. She’s gotten some rest, but she’s still weak, and this heat along with what she did this morning was the final straw, Nehela explained.
***
They all heard the sirens coming, and as soon as the EMTs reached Mickala, her eyes fluttered open. “I’m okay.” They could all tell it was an automated response, and her words were slurring as they came out.
“Bull,” the head EMT said, getting her into the back of the ambulance. “You’re been unconscious for almost fifteen minutes, and your heart is trying to fly out of your chest.” He handed her a bottle of water, which she killed, and he handed her another one.
She noticed the four-cornered star on his lapel. “Thanks,” she said in Solarian.
He smiled, bowing his head. “You’re welcome, Princess.” A couple of minutes later, he took her pulse again. “It’s better, but it’s still high. How’s your head?”
“Good. Everything’s staying in one place,” she said.
“That’s always a good thing,” he replied, and they both laughed.
A few minutes later, he gave her the all clear, but Mr. Thomas shook his head. “You’re going home and getting some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You’re not going to change your mind?” she asked.
He shook his head firmly. “That’s an order, Miss. Clarkson.”
She laughed. “Yes, sir.” She made to grab her bag, but Ian got it first. She rolled her eyes. “It’s not even ten pounds, Ian.”
“So? And give Aiden the keys. He’s driving.” She met his steady gaze, and finally, it was her eyes that dropped first.
“All right, okay. Fine.”
“That’s what I thought.” His voice was smug as she dropped the keyring into Aiden’s waiting hand.
“Don’t get carried away, Ian,” she said, and he heard the warning. “I’m not going to be down for long.” She laughed suddenly as his eyes widened, and she shook her head. “I know you’re just looking out for me.”
They went to her 2021 Lexus LX 570, and she climbed in on the passenger side, and her eyes were closed the entire way home. As soon as they got to the house, she took a cool shower, and she was asleep as soon as she stretched out across the bed. Aiden kissed her gently, then headed downstairs. Ian asked how she was. “She’s out like a light,” he replied.
“Did you see the blue stars on the EMTs?” Nehela asked. They both nodded. “That means they’re Solarian or Elagonian. Most EMTs and police are one or the other. They seem to be more level-headed than humans. The hospital I called, Universal Hospital, is ran specifically for transplants.”
“Right, because they have different blood types, right?”
“Yeah,” she replied, and they all saw Victor come in through the kitchen. He saw them talking, and he loosened his tie before leaning against the d
oorframe, listening. “It’s why Daniel and Selene first began the hospitals, then when Mickala’s grandmother, Angel, turned back time, she made sure Michelle knew how to reinstate them. There are hospitals all across the world for transplants, even though humans can, and are, seen there. Lately, demons are going and working there as more and more of them come to the human world.”
“Why would you say the human to nonhuman ratio is, Nehela?” Victor asked.
“I’d probably say sixty percent nonhuman to forty percent human. Humans are with transplants, or descendants of transplants, or demons like Aiden or Ian, and don’t even realize it. They have children who are half and half, or are half and half themselves. Despite their blood not being the same, somehow, it comes together to allow perfectly normal pregnancies and children to the born.”
***
“What about when they grow older? Don’t you all age slower than humans, so wouldn’t it be easy to see something wasn’t right?” he asked. “And I know Mickala and Aiden at least look totally different in their halfway forms.”
“Again, yes, but either the human just thinks they age well, or the demon or transplant will make it look like they’re aging with them. I think Mickala and Aiden explained that bit to you. As for their form changes, again, all births are at the special hospitals, and every nurse and doctor can handle form changes until the child’s old enough. Besides, Solarians and Elagonians are loving races, so it’s hard to separate from them once you’ve known them.”
Aiden laughed quietly, casting his eyes toward the ceiling, and Victor grinned. “Yeah, I think Victor and I can vouch for that.”
Nehela smiled. “Don’t get complacent, though. They’re loving races, but they’re also warrior races, fierce and cold when it’s needed.”
Aiden nodded, having seen Michelle in action. “I can believe that, too.”
“So, I know the Dellings are like the symbols to Solaris, but what about Elagon?” Ian asked.
“It’s actually interesting you asked that,” Nehela said with a laugh. “Their symbol is a dragon. Their legends state how Sathe’s, Mickala’s grandfather, ancestors once saved a powerful dragon, and in return, the dragon gifted him and his generations to come with powers. They can manipulate fire with ease, and they’re immune to most poisons and venoms. It also extended their lifespans for that reason. It’s one reason they paired so well with Solarians. I mean, people from the two planets had married each other before Sathe and Angel, but it was their marriage which truly merged their people. Their lives run about the same length.”
Releasing the Demons: Solarian Chronicles II Page 11