by K. D. Peters
I don’t think I would’ve ever imagined seeing him look this unsure of himself. In fact, he was even starting to struggle a little with what he wanted to say. This was a far cry from the arrogant, strong man I’d come to know in the last month or so. But at the same time, it made me smile. Chris actually did get insecure.
He was closer to human then I'd taken him for.
“You know, I guess I could get that. But you can’t protect me from everything either. And it’s not like I’ve ever blamed you for what happened with Norma.” I said, holding his hands.
“I know. But I still feel it anyways.” Chris replied.
I stood there and studied him for a moment longer. It was funny, but I think I knew then just how much this boy had gotten to me. Maybe he was a lot older than me, but he was still just a boy too. And honestly, there was something just irresistible about him. Could it have been that Saffron and Jade were right about our fates being entwined from the very beginning? I don’t think that I’ll ever know for sure. But all I really knew then was that no matter what, I always seemed to find myself wanting Chris, and only Chris, in my life. He would always be the one I loved the most.
Still, far be it for me to tell him that out loud yet. After all, I wasn’t one to concede to fights either. “You know, I’m not really blaming you for that fight now. But you did just take off on me. How was I supposed to know what was going on with you?” I told him as I let him go of his hands and crossed my arms.
“I couldn’t just stick around when I didn’t know what to say after doing something stupid like that. But I never went that far. It’s not like I could just leave you completely, even if I wanted to. I’ve never had anyone in my life that affects me like you do.” Chris replied, pulling me close against him.
I felt my heart beat a little bit harder, but managed to keep my head straight somehow. Obviously, he had no fear of my father or his being in the same house while we were doing this. These actions definitely told me so. In spite of myself, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “So, if you really don’t fear my father, and you keep worrying so much about protecting me, does that mean that you really do love me that much?” I asked him.
Chris smiled back at me. It was a very gentle smile that almost made me feel like my heart would melt. “I never said that I didn’t during that fight, did I? I told you before that I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you. Of all of the Shadow Wings I’ve ever known, you’re the only one I’ve ever really felt anything with. You’re probably the only person I’ve ever felt comfortable enough with to do just about anything with. It’s been a little strange for me to realize that, but I don’t think I mind anymore either. It doesn’t matter to me if you’re his daughter. You’ll always just be Ariana to me.” He said, kissing me softly.
I had to admit that I had missed his kisses. I felt it deep inside as he kissed me again. I think I knew then just how deeply in love I was with Chris. Maybe, in fact, I'd been known all along and just hadn't yet realized it. But that moment was a defining one for me. No matter what we were, no matter where we came from, Chris and I were meant for each other. Even with our strange heritage and possibly terrible fates.
“You know, I don’t really care what happens anymore. I just want to be with you always and forever. So please don’t ever leave me again, okay?” I said as I pulled back and looked up at him.
“All right. I promise I won’t do that anymore.” He said, leaning his forehead against my own. “Don’t worry about anything that’s happening here either. As long as I’m alive, I won’t ever let anything happen to you.”
I smiled up at him. “I know. I trust you on that.” I agreed.
Chris smiled back at me, glancing around us. “So, what do you say to lying down beside me tonight? It’s been a while now since we’ve done that.” He said, chuckling a little.
“Well, I guess I could, as long as you can promise to tickle me with those beautiful black feathers of yours and make up for just leaving me like you did before.” I teased. I didn’t know where this sudden confidence came from, but I’ll admit that I did kind of like it.
“All right.” Chris agreed with a slight laugh. “I think I’m capable of that and a whole lot more.”
I glanced back at the nearby stairs. "You think we'll be able to get away with it while they're here?" I asked quietly.
"Don't worry about it. We'll make sure they don't interrupt." Chris promised. And with that, we quickly headed back to his room.
Looking back at his words from that night, I think I knew in my heart that he would keep his promises to me until the end. But at the same time, the one would also become a promise that I didn’t want to even begin thinking about. I never wanted to see anything happen to Chris. And, unfortunately for us, with the traitor that was lurking in our mists and the angels that were going on the hunt, the clock had already begun ticking on what may have been our doomsday.
I just hoped it wasn’t coming sooner than we thought.
Twelve
The night actually passed fairly quietly after all.
I’ll admit now that Chris and I both ended up surprised by that one. We’d at least expected to hear Jade and Saffron fighting here and there during the night. But remarkably, both remained very quiet. Coming downstairs the next morning, I found that the house was as normal looking as it always was. There wasn’t even any sign of the events from the night before when I peeked outside. The ground wasn't even damaged anymore. Obviously, Saffron and Jade had covered our tracks well. Walking into the kitchen, I found Zane putting away some dishes he’d just washed up. “Well, you’re up early this morning.” He commented, giving me the same friendly smile he always did.
“I wasn’t that tired, and actually got a decent night’s sleep. Chris is still sleeping though.” I told him.
“So he did come back. That’s not too surprising though, considering everything that’s been happening. Although he certainly takes his time to sleep in anymore. The world could be ending, and Christoff would probably sleep right through it.” Zane admitted, shaking his head slightly as he spoke.
I had to laugh a little myself at his words, although I wasn’t about to tell him anything about the night before between the two of us. He didn’t need to know anything about that. So instead, I just agreed. “That’s probably true. But don’t tell him I said so.” I said as I took a seat at the bar and watched him.
Zane nodded, laughing a little. “Not at all.” He agreed. He finished what he was doing, then took a seat across from me. “So, I saw that Saffron showed up again last night. Looks like they’ve finally set him free.”
“Yeah. It seems like he had some pretty good timing too. Will was hurt pretty bad.” I replied.
“Indeed. He had a nasty wound on him from those angels. Honestly, I’m rather surprised that they didn’t take off his arm clean off with that one. But Will’s always been good at avoiding substantial damage like that. It’s a talent he has in fighting anymore.” Zane agreed.
“So, is he doing better this morning?” I asked him.
“Don’t worry. He’s doing much better now. I’m sure it’s already started healing too. He just needs to make sure he gets some rest today. But I must say that I was surprised too. Christoff certainly didn’t hesitate on taking on those three angels, even though they outnumbered him. That’s a fool’s fight for a Shadow Wing in the end.” Zane said.
I knew he had a point there, but decided it better not to say much to it. After all, Chris would’ve just done it anyways, considering it involved me. I had the feeling now that he would’ve faced down just about anything to protect me. Possibly even Hell itself. But as I thought of this, I realized something too. “Hey, speaking of last night, where were you? I didn’t see you anywhere around the house.” I said.
“I wasn’t here. I actually had gone out for an event with some of my artwork and ran late getting back. But I wasn’t quite expecting to come back to all of what I did. Especially to find that two of the Fall
en had decided they were crashing at my home. At least they agreed to clean up the mess that was left in my yard. Although it was probably only because they wanted this home to remain safe and hidden.” Zane replied.
“Oh, are they still here?” I asked, looking around again. I didn’t feel Jade or Saffron anywhere, but that didn’t mean anything. I was learning now that the ones like them were good at hiding.
“No. They’ve decided to disappear again. No doubt they’re up to something or another. The ones like them aren’t the types to just sit idle, especially when the angels are active.” Zane told me.
“I see.” I said, glancing at the nearby windows. Outside, the sun was shining brightly, and I could hear the birds singing. It looked like the start to a perfect day.
“By the way, there was something I’ve been meaning to ask you as well.” Zane suddenly added.
“Oh, what is it?” I asked, snapping back to attention. I’d almost let myself get lost in my thoughts again. And those thoughts were anywhere but with the Shadow Wing in front of me. Instead, they were lying with the one currently sleeping upstairs. It had taken me quite a while to pull myself away from him and get out of that bed….
Zane smiled at me, apparently not noticing my drifting. That, or he simply chose to ignore it. “I know you’ve had a lot on your mind recently, but I thought perhaps I could give you a bit of distraction now. Last night, I just happened to get some exclusive tickets to a private art showing for artifacts from the Japanese Meiji period. I wondered if perhaps you'd like to come with me tonight.” He said, holding up a pair of tickets that he’d pulled from out of his pants' pocket.
“Wow, that sounds neat. But I’m not too sure that Chris is going to be up for me going anywhere without him for a while. He’s gotten a little bit funny about that with everything that’s been going on.” I admitted. Really, the invitation was quite nice, and I knew that I probably would’ve enjoyed it. But the memory of the last time I went out with Zane stayed fresh in my mind too. I really didn’t want to chance another run in with his monstrous father.
“Don’t worry. I have two more tickets, considering that I was planning on inviting him and Will to come as well. I don’t see where it would hurt us to get out and enjoy a nice evening together. There’s nothing that says we can’t all be friends and actually act like it.” Zane reasoned.
“Well, I guess. But do you really think they’d want to go to something like that?” I asked him.
“I wouldn't see why not. Chris is pretty artistic himself, although he doesn’t like admitting it. And Will just likes to see what people can do. That’s the biggest reason they like staying here with me. They like seeing what I can come up with.” Zane explained.
Now he had my attention. “You mean Chris is an artist too?” I asked him.
“Yes, he is.” Zane said. “He’s actually a very good one. You should ask him one time to draw a picture for you. I’m sure you’d like it.”
Now this was interesting. I never would’ve imagined Chris to be an artist. I really needed to find a way to try and get him to talk to me more about things like that. “Maybe. And I guess I could go with you. That is, if they're coming. It does sound fun.” I said.
“Wonderful. Then we’ll make the plans to do it then.” Zane said, getting back up.
But as I watched him, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was making the right choice in this. After all, Saffron and Jade did say that one of us was a traitor. But he was inviting Chris and Will too. If Zane was that kind person, why bring us all at once? Will and Chris were strong fighters, and now Saffron had shown back up with Jade. Setting a trap now like this would’ve been far too obvious.
However, my thoughts on this were interrupted by a familiar voice.
“So I guess you're making plans without even asking the rest of us?” Chris said as he came into the kitchen and took a seat beside me.
“Well, you obviously heard what I was saying. I couldn’t see you not agreeing to go when you knew Ariana would want to.” Zane told him.
“Not really. But it’s still imposing, and you know it.” Chris said.
“There’s nothing imposing about a nice evening out.” Zane countered.
Here we go again. It was odd, but I was beginning to notice here and there that Zane and Chris really didn’t get along that well. And especially when it came to me. It wasn’t just the whole thing with Zane’s father that had started it either. Those two seemed to have very conflicting personalities on a whole.
But I tried to push all of that to the back of my mind. Time to stop them from another long debate. And I knew just how to do it. Distraction. “By the way Chris, you never told me that you could draw too.” I said, looking back over at him.
Chris shrugged slightly, thankfully taking the bait. “It’s not something I do that often. But I could show you sometime if you like.” He said. Thankfully, he was choosing to ignore his bout with Zane now. I was the more important one to him. The thought almost made me blush again as I thought of all we’d been able to do together now.
However, I did notice Zane glancing at us from the corner of my eye though. At the time, I wouldn’t think that much of it. If anything, I just considered that perhaps he didn’t like Chris stealing his thunder. Perhaps he did have an ulterior motive in what he wanted to do here. But it couldn’t have been betrayal. Instead, I believed that perhaps he was trying to get a one up on Chris in vying for my attention. After what Saffron had said before, I believed that it may have been the case.
The morning would continue to pass quietly after all of this, although it still took some convincing for Chris and Will to completely agree to come with us. Will himself hadn’t really been that interested though.
“I don’t see where this whole thing’s such a big deal. It’s just a bunch of old pottery and what not.” He said as we sat together outside at the table and under a large umbrella. By then, it was midafternoon, and the day had indeed turned out gorgeous. We'd ended up spending a good deal of it out there by then. And I had to admit, it really was nice.
Across the table, Zane frowned at him. “Of course you’d look at it that way. It’s culture. And it certainly wouldn’t hurt you to take in some once in a while.” he told him.
“What? I never said that I wasn’t into the cultural things. I just don’t see where I need to go to some showing of old stuff like this. Besides, what haven't we already seen in the last three hundred years anyway?” Will defended.
“You’re going. If I’m going, then you’re going.” Chris told him. He didn’t even bother looking at him as he quietly stirred his mixed drink. By then, I’d been coming to notice that all of them seemed to enjoy drinking to an extent, although it usually was either wine or mixed drinks. As for me, I didn’t really like those things. I’d tried a few different things since coming to live with Zane, but I hadn’t liked any of them. I had thought that maybe it was a good thing, considering I’d never get myself drunk if I didn’t like it, but as it turned out, that couldn’t ever happen with us anyways. According the Zane, Shadow Wings could drink all they wanted and never get drunk. Why, they didn’t know. Maybe it was just that our bodies eliminated the alcohol quicker, or it just didn't affect the demon blood running through our veins. I myself didn't see the point in them drinking then, but I guessed to each their own.
Will made a face at him. “And why should I?” he challenged.
“Because if you don’t, you’ll be hurting Ariana’s feelings. And I know that that’s the last thing you want to do now.” Chris responded without missing a beat.
For a moment, the table was quiet. Zane himself was smiling now. Obviously, he knew that he was winning this one. Chris had already agreed, and now it looked like Will was about to as well. As for myself, I did feel a little bit bad about dragging them into this with me. But I still really wanted to go.
After another moment of silence, Will finally conceded. “Fine. I guess I’ll go then.” He said, almost begrudgingly.
/> “I knew you’d both see it our way.” Zane said.
“Nothing like forcing us.” Will commented. I watched as he quietly rubbed his arm.
“So how’s your arm doing now?” I asked him.
“It’s starting to get better now. It’s beginning to heal at least, but it still hurts some. Wounds from white lights typically do hurt longer.” Will admitted.
Zane nodded. “Indeed. They’re the polar opposites from what we come from, so they cause a worse reaction in wounds for us then most things.” He agreed.
“Speaking of, have you seen any sign of Jade or that other one around today?” Chris asked him.
Zane just shook his head. “Not at all. Honestly, I’m a bit surprised myself. I would’ve thought that Saffron would stick around more now that’s he’s free. He certainly was looking to see Ariana for a long time before this. It seems rather odd.” He replied.
“It doesn’t matter that much to me. Besides, if he’s anything like Jade, I guess he’ll just show up whenever he feels like it. Apparently, he always did when I was a kid. I can even remember some nights where I was going to sleep and he decided to appear from out of my closet. I’m not sure why I didn’t put two and two together then.” I admitted.
Chris shrugged slightly. “Usually we don’t when we’re kids. And they don’t always tell us either, unless they absolutely have to. Jade didn’t tell me until my family was killed about exactly what he was. And even then, I didn’t understand it until I became a lot older.” He explained.
“Yes. You did know Jade before that terrible tragedy, didn’t you? I’d almost forgotten about that.” Zane said.
“Yeah. I didn't really know him that well, although he did come around enough for me to know that he was my father. The rest of my family never interfered with him either when he was there. He kind of made it so that he ruled the house when he showed up.” Chris said.