by Alice Ashes
Chapter 19: Rain Drowns the Flames
Morning came entirely too soon. Mason was a deep sleeper, but he didn't miss the sound of my phone chiming an alarm. As I jumped to smack it violently into quick submission, he groaned and rolled onto his side, one eye opening and an eyebrow raised in question.
"Shhhh," I said, feeling immensely guilty for the lie I was about to tell. "I have an online chat for a group project, go back to sleep."
Mason nodded and pulled me down into his arms for a sleepy kiss. He was sound asleep before our lips even broke apart. Gently, I disentangled his arms and slipped on a fur lined pair of black leggings, pulling a light pink sweater over my head. I tip toed over and grabbed my snow boots as well as fresh socks before sneaking out and closing the door behind me. Downstairs, the clock read 7:48. I hastily pulled my boots on and jogged to my SUV, sliding the key in and listening to the car turn over.
I drove on autopilot, replaying all the events that led me to this moment in time. Life had knocked me to my knees more times than I ever wanted to remember. I had been broken, bent, and left empty. My soul had been shredded, my autonomy violated. My very essence had been dismissed and declared worthless by those who took what they wanted from me. So many times, over and over, control was wrenched from me. Too many times I was made to feel powerless.
Not anymore. Today, I was going to make a decision on MY terms, how I chose. If death awaited me, I would embrace it. If pain was the price, I would pay it. Whatever was coming to me would come with my consent, my permission. I was not going to just lay down and take it again. With my resolve set, I put my car in park and exited to walk towards the Pink Lady Cafe.
On coming in, I spotted Raphael at a back table. He was wearing a white sweater that seemed to glitter slightly in the light and had a mug pressed firmly between his palms, taking delicate sips. He waved briefly and I nodded in return before stepping in line to place my order. 5 minutes later, I joined him at the table with a vanilla latte. I noticed a half empty mug at the seat next to mine, the smell of heated chocolate swirling into my senses.
"Did you get two drinks?" I asked, giving him a small grin.
"On no, that's..." he began, before smirking slightly and indicating behind me. I turned in my seat and gaped at the sight before me.
A man with a simple t-shirt and blue jeans was approaching our table, his lips pressed together and his eyes betraying his discomfort. He was lean and lithe, his hair black and tousled. His whiskey colored pupils rivaled even Daniel' in their warmth and depth. Around his neck, hanging from a gold colored collar, was a sweet flower. When I had met him, his ears had been pointed and he always had a spear.
When he reached the table, I gasped up at him. "Sae...?"
He quickly interrupted me, his gaze shifting uneasily to Raphael. "In this plane, please call me Charles."
"What, seriously? Like Princess Diana and Prince Charles?" I giggled while Saero looked confused. "What's funny?" he inquired.
I laughed out loud before promptly ignoring him. "Raphael, why is he here?"
Saero sank into the chair next to me and took a sip of his hot chocolate. Raphael smiled widely before reaching across the table to pat my hand.
"Oh Babygirl," he said, eyes shining. "I had the most splendid idea to our little issue. Charlie here tells me that you and the lovely Demon Queen go WAY back."
I shifted in my seat uneasily. "We've met a time or two."
Saero snorted, but looked properly chastised when I glared at him.
"ANYWAY..." Raphael said loudly, making us both turn our attention back to him, "The Demon Queen has graciously agreed to offer Mason his place as a noble at court. Oh! Charlie, if you'd be so kind?" Raphael motioned for Saero to explain before hastily jumping up to get in line after seeing the cook bring out freshly baked double chocolate cookies. I rolled my eyes and turned in my seat to face Saero.
His eyes lingered on my face for a moment, then he began to speak. "Mason can return as soon as he wishes. Eza...Diana has set aside a tract of land which houses a large manor for his use. He will be provided servants, gold, whatever he wishes. The Demon Queen feels strongly that she owes Mason and his brother's a debt of gratitude and she is actually quite happy to be able to repay it." Saero's face broke into a small smile before mumbling, "You could probably guess, but she detests owing anyone anything."
I felt tears well up in my eyes at the thought that Mason would soon leave me, but I tried to swallow them down. It was for the best. "Charles, did Raphael tell you how we're going to convince him to take the deal and leave?"
Saero opened his mouth to answer, but Raphael plopped down his chair and interrupted him around a mouthful of cookie. "You'll go with him, of course. Isn't it genius?!?!" Raphael looked very pleased with himself but I know I must have visibly paled because Saero's hand rested in my arm for a moment.
Turning to him with wide eyes, I murmured, "I can't go there, I'm a human! They'll eat me alive."
Saero smiled kindly at me, patting my hand. "Hold on, that's not the whole offer."
We both jumped when Raphael smacked his forehead and grimaced. "Right, I forgot to explain that bit properly." He swallowed, before leaning forward on the table. "Olivia, if you went with Mason, the first thing that would be done is you would become a succubus, a daughter of Lilith. Since Lilith was once human, you can be changed and you are very fortunate to have a direct decendant of Lilith there to ease your transition. The Queen has agreed to this IF you and Mason are married within a week's time. That way, you can be offered somewhat of a demon version of an engagement visa."
Saero turned to me, forcing me to meet his eye. "If you do this, you must understand it is permanent. You can't change back to a human, and you can't unbind your soul from Mason's after the wedding. You would be saying goodbye to this world and all the people in it. The other sons of the Demon World could of course visit on occasion, but none of your human friends or family would ever see you again."
I bit my lip, a million different thoughts running through my head all at once. I couldn't seem to get my mind to focus on one thing at a time. I must have been quiet a long time, because I heard Saero clear his throat and I jumped at the sound. Raphael glared at him a moment, before focusing his eyes on me.
"Babygirl," he said, his eyes betraying an emotion I couldn't quite place. "Maybe you should go talk this over with Mason. This is, of course, his decision, too."
"Oh...right," I said, absentmindedly. "Yes, I'll go...do that." I stood up with unfocused eyes and stumbled towards the exit.
"Uhhh, Olivia Sweetheart!" Raphael said loudly, panic in his voice. "Why don't you let me drive you home and you can come back for the car later, eh? You seem a little dazed."
I managed to squeak out an "Alright," before my thoughts became fuzzy once more. Settling into the backseat of his little sports car, I daydreamed and considered my options, how I got here, and what my future might hold.
Life had been so fucking weird lately. I needed a vacation. I furrowed my eyebrows in thought.'I wonder if the Abysmal Plains has beaches?'
Something was poking Mason in the shoulder. It was pointy and irritating and he wanted it to stop.
Mason smacked blindly at the poking thing and grumbled. "What...what's so god damn...STOP POKING ME!"
His eyes flew open and he was so startled to see who was there in the bedroom, that his feet got tangled as he tried to stand quickly. He lost his balance and ended up on his ass on the floor. He cursed, loudly. The nepahlum stifled a giggle.
Mason glared up at the man, moving to his feet and rubbing his back. "Whatdaya want, Raphael? Does Olivia know you're here?!?"
With a smirk, Raphael waved his hand dismissively. "Of course she does! She's just waiting downstairs for her exceptionally lazy prince charming to drag himself out of bed.
Mason made a crude gesture as he pushed past Raphael towards the bathroom. "Bite me, half-breed."
Raphael wrinkled his nose, sniffing distastefully. "No
, thank you for the generous offer but, I'll pass." He sighed. "Do hurry Mason, and maybe put on a shirt. Not everyone wants to see you half naked all the time."
The door slammed behind Mason and Raphael shook his head before heading back down to the sitting room.
5 minutes later, Mason emerged from bathroom, scratching at his chest and yawning. He paused at his and Olivia's bedroom and snickered before decidedly NOT putting on a shirt and heading downstairs.
When he walked into the sitting room, his eyes immediately fell on Olivia. She was chewing her lower lip, her feet tucked under her. Her eyes were unfocused and she looked to be deep in thought. Raphael was sprawled out of the couch as if it were in fact HIS couch. But the third person in the room made Mason stop walking and his jaw go slack. "What the fuck...Sae-?!?!"
Saero interrupted him, saying loudly, "Ahhh, um, no. On this plane, please call me Charles." Mason's eyebrow quirked and the corner of his mouth twitched. "What, like Princess Diana and Prince Charles?"
Saero sighed loudly. "Apparently."
"Well," began Raphael, siting up and clapping his hands. "Let's get down to business then, shall we?"
Olivia, who had jumped out of her skin when he clapped, sighed heavily and bit her lip again. "Okay," she agreed quietly.
Mason had been moving towards the couch, but after glancing at Olivia, he crossed the room to lift her up and sit her in his lap instead. She leaned into his neck and inhaled. Mason smiled softly before looking to Raphael. "I'm glad you're here. I actually made my decision."
Olivia stiffened in his arms before pulling back and furrowing her brow. "Well, about that..." she began, not meeting his eyes.
"How would you feel," said Raphael, pausing for effect, "about getting married and...-wait for it-...LEAVING THE HUMAN PLANE FOREVER?" Mason could swear Raphael had studied under some sort of car salesman at one point.
Mason rolled his eyes. "We told her no before, I'm still not marrying the succubus, and I'm definitely not leaving Olivia. Tell your boss she can have the incubus."
Saero glared at Mason and when he spoke, his voice dripped with venom. "Diana has no interest in marrying you, prodigal son."
Mason met his glare incredulously. "Dude, you were mad when he was going to marry her, you're mad that none of us wanted to marry her! Seriously. Pick one. I've got whiplash."
Saero's eyes burned and he looked ready to pounce at any moment. "I don't expect someone like YOU to understand the complexities of the situation, Brute. Do not speak-..."
"Marrying me, Mason!" Olivia yelled, her voice a least 2 octaves too high. "You'd be marrying me." Her face was as red as a tomato and her eyes roved the room, never landing on anyone's face.
Mason was not only confused, he was dumbstruck. "I...how would that...whaaaa?"
Raphael leaned forward conspiritorly and Mason found himself mirroring the gesture unconsciously, at least as much as he could with Olivia still perched on his knees. "Here's the deal." Raphael said. "You give up the human. We send you, Grumpy over there, and Olivia to the demon world." Saero let out a long suffering sigh, but Raphael ignored him and continued. "When you get there, the Queen will be waiting, ready to walk Olivia through the process of becoming a succubus. You two get married, Diana gifts you some land, some servants, what have you. And everyone lives happily ever after! Well, except Jacob, but no one seems particularly broken up about that."
Mason shifted his gaze to Olivia who was still determinedly not looking at anyone. "Olivia, you don't have to do that! I would never ask that of you."
Finally, Olivia looked at him. Her eyes were watery and she took a deep breath before responding. "I know you wouldn't. But I would never ask you to rip away a part of your very soul when we can both stay whole and be together."
Mason let out a frustrated grunt and squeezed her. "Olivia, come on. This isn't just a different place, okay? This is..."
"Irrevocable." She finished quietly.
"Yeah." He agreed. "And what about your friends, your family?"
Olivia turned on his lap until she could lay her forehead against his.
"I'm going to miss them." She said simply. "But I can handle that, I can live with that. I can't live with missing you. I won't, it's not worth it. And I need you to be whole and happy, not tortured and suffering for the rest of your days."
Mason began to interrupt her, but she stopped him, speaking calmly but firmly. "You stole my decision from me when you went in my place to find out the price. I know you did it in love, but that doesn't change the fact that you took away my choice. Not this time, Mason. You love me and I love you, so you are going to let me have this, because it's fair and right. And if you don't like it, well...I don't really give a fuck." She smiled softly and brushed her lips against his, and he couldn't help but smile back sadly.
Everything told him to fight her, to rescue her. His instinct was tie her to the bed until she came to her senses and realized he wasn't worth this. But she was right. If he loved her (and God damn did he love her,) he needed to treat her like an equal. She deserved it. It could either be her gift to him, or he could steal her will away from her. He chose to take the gift.
"Okay Olivia." He breathed the words out while his eyes danced through too many emotions to count.
The couple was brought back to the room at the sound of Raphael clapping loudly. "Just beautiful," he teased, wiping an imaginary tear. "Don't worry, I already know...OF COURSE I'll be the best man!"
Mason grimaced while Olivia laughed and smacked Mason's arm lightly.
Saero rolled his eyes before sighing loudly and slumping in his chair.
Chapter 20: Epilogue
5 Years Later
The boys were here for their bi-annual visit and Thebe hadn't stopped smiling. Coming to the demon world, marrying Thebe, was the best decision I ever made. Daniel had been kind enough to handle the memory altering charms for the friends and family I left behind. While I missed them, it was a huge comfort to know that they weren't missing me and hurting because of my decision. Looking around the table at the family I had chosen, I was filled with love, even if it was tempered with a fair bit of irritation.
Ethan threw his hands up, looking annoyed. "I told you I didn't want to play!"
Benjamin scowled at him. "We're all playing, I just didn't expect you to cheat."
Chuckling, Eric spoke in a hope to break the tension. "Brothers, this is getting out of ha-"
"I'm not cheating!" Ethan interrupted incredulously. "I can't help it that you think LOUDLY about your cards and do little victory dances in your head!"
Mason guffawed. "Wait, he does mental victory dances?" He shook his head, smiling. "Awesome."
Saero sighed loudly. "This is why I hate Poker."
Benjamin's cheeks tinted red. "I do not do that!"
"Oh come on," said Eric. "Can't we just play a simple card game?"
Ethan pressed his lips together, glaring at Benjamin. "You know you do the victory dance."
Daniel threw his cards on the table and rubbed his temples. "You are all a bunch of children, I swear..."
Benjamin pulled out a dagger and threw it, piercing one of Ethan's cards on the table. "I said, I DO NOT-"
"ENOUGH!!!" I shouted, slamming my palms to the table and standing up. "You see each other, all together, only twice a year! Why do you spend it bickering?"
The boys studied their feet, looking properly chastised, except Saero (who snickered.) I fixed him with eyes that could kill and he quieted, clearing his throat and staring at the table. I could feel Diana to my right, shaking with laughter she was trying very hard to not let out. I bit my lip.
"The lot of you, all of you men, go train." I sighed, feeling a headache coming on. "Go beat the shit out of each other and don't return until you can...behave."
I heard mutinous rumblings, but no one met my eye as they filed out of my living room and outside. As soon as the front door closed, Diana and I dissolved into giggles.
"Oh gods!" Diana la
ughed, her voice lyrical. "You were born to be royalty, I swear. 6 grown demons, some of the most powerful in the plains, and they all leave like puppies with their tails tucked."
I snorted. "I have no idea how I managed to keep a straight face!"
She wiped a stray tear from her eye, her laugh slowly quieting. "Me either!"
I met Diana's eyes and smiled. When we first arrived here, Diana had almost immediately gone through the ritual to make me a succubus. It had drained all of her and my own energy, but it had been a beautiful and overwhelming experience. As time went on, Diana and I spent more time together and I began to learn the reasons behind her actions. Diana could be mean and ruthless, but she took no pleasure in hurting others. She was simply prepared to do whatever she had to.
What started as a tentative acquaintanceship had since blossomed into an almost familial bond. Diana was my best friend and the sister I never had. Looking at her today, it was hard to believe I had ever thought her cold and cruel. She was one of the warmest people I knew.
She pulled out a sweet flower to share and gave me half with a smile. I thanked her and we sat in companionable silence for a few moments, enjoying the delicate taste.
I sighed in contentment. "Thebe is so happy when his brothers are here."
She nodded, lightly squeezing my hand. "He is. I know he misses when they were always here, together. But they really do seem happy in the human world, don't they?"
"Yeah, they really do." I answered.
Diana nibbled at the fruit. "Mason, though," she said. "I don't think he would ever be truly happy there. He really is a demon, through and through."
I smiled widely, nudging her with my shoulder. "I think so, too."
"And you, my beautiful sister, you were certainly born in the wrong realm." She threw her arm over my shoulder and squeezed. I nuzzled into her shoulder a little and grinned.
"I think you may be right, my Queen."