Silas glanced at Cyn. “I was granted protection by your mother Sorscha if I successfully connected you and Helena.”
“So Cyn wasn’t the demon I was supposed to have summoned?”
“Lucky for you, no,” Silas confessed and slumped his shoulders. “You have Sorscha to thank for that.”
“How does she play a role in this?” Helena asked.
“If I know my mother, this isn’t good,” Cyn volunteered. “She has ulterior motives.”
“You think?” Helena sneered.
Silas sighed. “Unfortunately, I’m sure I don’t know all her reasons behind this. She appeared to me, offered an opportunity, and I took it.”
“Of course you would,” Helena interjected. “You’d hook up with any demon that can offer you whatever it is you want.”
“Runs in the family, doesn’t it?” Silas laughed.
Helena narrowed her eyes. “No thanks to you!”
“All right, all right!” Cyn snapped. “You both are giving me a headache!” He pointed at Helena. “You! Stop feeding into his shit! You!” He cast a finger at Silas. “Spill your guts. Now! What did you get out of helping my mother?”
“Don’t know for sure, but maybe a second chance.” Silas smiled. “Sorscha and I…well we think alike. Barius is of no concern to me anymore. After tonight, he won’t be the most powerful demon in all the realms.”
“What do you mean?” Cyn snapped. “What does Helena have to do with anything?”
“I can go back and change everything. I can reverse what I’ve done. Sorscha can turn back time,” Silas announced.
“That’s just utter stupidity,” Helena said. “No one should ever tamper with the fabric of time. Even I know that!”
“And it’s definitely possible.”
Silas grinned as a transparent figure suddenly appeared, then solidified. The tall, blonde demon turned to smile at him.
“What are you doing here?” Cyn sneered.
“Is that any way to greet the woman who has paired you up with your soul mate?” Sorscha asked as she studied her son’s manor. She stopped only to glance at Helena. “Barius will be furious when he arrives. I suggest you put the pendant on to entrap him. You’ll never be able to destroy him without the pendant.”
“What’s in it for you?” Cyn demanded as he approached his mother. “What aren’t you telling us?”
“My dear boy, I’m deeply offended,” Sorscha said innocently. “I’ve had to wait centuries for all the stars and the planets to align,” she sang as she continued the exploration of her son’s home. “I’ve patiently awaited for this moment. You know, Silas, I owe it all to you.”
Cyn looked around, prepared to fight. “You’ve taken down my barriers! Mother, what the hell are you up to!”
Barius appeared, towering above them all. “Helena!” Bearing the resemblance of a great dragon, the demon shifted, and returned to his human form. Now he looked to be a simple man with black shoulder length hair, slicked back, drawing attention to his receding hairline. His face was an evil mask of fury, with fine time lines that would make one believe him to be somewhere in his fifties. His jet black eyes were filled with anger and his thin lips pulled back to reveal a row of razor sharp teeth.
Cyn and Barius immediately came to blows as Helena backed away. The ruby on the gold chain she wore began to vibrate against her skin, and the desire to contain Barius became strong within her.
“You can all be free now,” Sorscha chirped. “You just have to trap him!” She pointed to Barius as he struggled with Cyn.
“You can’t trust her!” Cyn bit out sharply before Barius’s clawed hand raked across his face, nearly tearing his eye out. He shifted into his full demon form and pounced onto Barius.
“Here!” Helena yelled as she pointed the ruby in their direction.
“What? You’re kidding me, right?” Cyn said with a snarl as he dodged a blow from Barius.
“Cyn, now!”
Immediately, Cyn turned and hurled Barius in front of the ruby. As the demon kicked and gnashed its teeth, Helena stood strong. A surge of energy swept through her body, and for the first time in her life she felt she’d made a difference.
“You can’t do this to me!” Barius roared, his face twisted into an eerie mask of fury. “You can’t destroy me!” His body contorted, becoming smaller as the ruby claimed him. “This is only temporary. I’ll be back for you. I’ll return for you all!”
Puzzled, Helena held the ruby up close to her face. “Tell me that did not just happen.”
Cyn growled as he returned to his human form. “Mother! Explain!” he snapped.
Sorscha shrugged. “Nothing to explain, really.” She turned to Silas. “Come, Silas. You are free of Barius.”
“But enslaved to you now, right?” Cyn glowered as he approached the she-demon. “What do you have planned?”
“Why do you even care?” Silas asked.
“I don’t. I just know whatever she’s up to, no good will come of it.”
“Only bad things will come from a demon’s touch.” Mimi walked over to Helena, hugging her. She glared at Sorscha and Silas. “You have no idea what you’re about to do, Silas.”
“Aunt Mimi, look at you!” Helena exclaimed. “You can walk and you’re talking!”
“Yes, but what did we have to sacrifice?”
“Aw, no. I’ve contained Barius. He no longer has control over you,” Helena said with a smile. “He…” She paused as she looked over at Silas and Sorscha grinning from ear to ear.
“Yes, child.” Mimi spoke softly. “I know what you are, and tonight, that part of you was used against you,” she admitted. “I’ve known for a very long time what would come to pass.”
Cyn stepped toward her. “Is this the secret you were keeping from me?” he asked with concern. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It wouldn’t have changed anything,” Mimi muttered.
“We’ll be taking our leave now,” Sorscha said as she placed a hand on Silas’s shoulder.
“Wait!” Helena demanded. “What did you do?”
“I’ve simply given you a gift,” Sorscha stated. “Traded for Silas’s freedom.”
Mimi shook her head. “Surely no good can come of this so-called gift of yours.” She looked at Silas. “And you! You ought to be ashamed of yourself!”
“Don’t you dare chastise me, woman!” Silas snapped. “You never told the child what she truly was! Don’t point the blame at me! I know where I went wrong.”
“You knew and never spoke up.” Helena’s gaze snapped back to Mimi. “Why?”
“Although you are half demon, I never stopped loving you. You have a kind heart. But you were forged to bring about great evil. Breaking the curse…wasn’t a good thing, because it means destruction to life as we know it.”
“What?” Cyn and Helena said simultaneously. “What the hell. Aunt Mimi!”
“You should have warned me!” Cyn snarled. “You never told me this. How…?”
“It shouldn’t matter to you, Cyn. You’ve got a wife out of the bargain. This plan was set into motion long ago, when you were off sowing your wild oats with any and every demoness who would give you the time of day,” Sorscha reminded him.
“Mother! Tell me you…”
“I had to point you in the right direction, Cyn. She’s a powerful witch, especially now since the family curse has been lifted. One day, we’ll need to tap into that magic.” Sorscha laughed and glanced at Helena. “I had to pair you up with my son! He has power like you wouldn’t believe. Oh, and combined with the Pearsall powers now that the curse has been lifted, you have given me a grandchild that will break down the fabric of time and space! Demons shall walk the earth as they please, thanks to this unholy union. I’m pleased.”
“Silas!” Mimi sneered. “You just keep digging your grave deeper and deeper. You screwed up, cursed your own family, and now you’ve managed to threaten the entire world with this demonic alliance.” She shook her head
and frowned.
“Don’t fret, Mimi. I’ve freed your line. We will be around, but first we need to do a little preparation for my reign.” Sorscha turned back to Helena. “As we speak, the child grows in your womb,” she said with a smirk before she and Silas disappeared.
Helena placed a hand on her stomach and gasped. “That’s why we were paired?” Bile formed in her throat, and she feared she’d puke. “Cyn, you had to have known what your mother was up to.”
“Even if she had revealed her plan to me, I wouldn’t have went along with it. You must believe me,” Cyn snapped, then bared his teeth. “Apparently, that’s how Silas got past my barriers. Mother’s magic!”
“Oh, this isn’t good!” Mimi fretted. “Cyn, what are we going to do?”
“Sorscha is more powerful than I. She has left me no other choice,” Cyn stated calmly as he looked at his new bride-to-be.
“How are we going to fight dark magic with our magic?” Helena asked sharply.
“We’ll fight with even darker magic,” Cyn assured her. His eyes danced a brilliant gold before turning to flames.
“I don’t think that’s wise,” Mimi chirped.
“What other choice were we given?” Cyn growled. “This is not my fault. I’ll find a way to protect us and our child.” He placed a hand on Helena’s stomach and looked her in the eye. “This is not what I had intended for us. This calls for me completely embracing my demon magic and calling upon forces I’ve never utilized. Are you with me?” He reached out his hand for hers.
Helena swallowed hard and nodded. Cyn had never been a threat to her in the past. Not even when she first summoned him. As she peered into his fiery gaze, something told her they’d be in for one hell of a fight. She placed her hand within his, and the heat from his body emanated against hers.
“Yes, Cyn. I’m with you.”
The End
www.charismaknight.com
Evernight Publishing ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Helena's Demon Page 5