Chapter 123: Chapter Twenty-Nine

Timber

“Here.” I shoved a white handkerchief in her direction. Naturally, she didn’t take it, she was too busy staring at the blood on her fingertips and from the sound of it, in the beginning stages of hyperventilating.

With a curse, I wiped both her hands and then her cheeks.

My hands were quick, my movements precise, though my heart could hardly understand what I was looking at—what I was seeing before my very eyes.

I had seen her.

In my dreams.

I always saw her.

I yearned for her in ways that should be impossible for someone of my kind. I’d confessed to Sariel before his death that I was having visions.

And the angel had laughed at me.

It was the first time I’d ever seen an archangel laugh—especially one as morose and loathsome as Sariel.

~“Such a time as this.”~ He’d repeated the words that long ago had awoken my heart, causing it to beat again in a slow, warm rhythm.

Demons had hearts.

But the connection between our hearts and our spirits had been severed. That was why we were evil by nature. We had no conscience, no nagging feeling when we do something bad.

We had no sense of right and wrong.

Power.

Money.

Greed.

Survival.

But mine, mine was awoken, the connection established as if someone had sewn my shadow back to my feet.

Hell. I was the Peter Freaking Pan of my people.

“Here, boss,” Octavian said from the front seat.

He would die later.

For putting Hope in harm’s way by allowing Alex to get free.

Alex. His name left a bitter taste in my mouth— the man had no idea how powerful he was.

His power would destroy everything.

Better he die than risk the lives of all of the immortals—Hope included. He was capable of killing so many—and what was worse?

He wasn’t aware of how easily he could be used as a pawn… if someone got ahold of his power, his thoughts.

I shuddered and stepped outside the car.

Hope did not follow.

I didn’t expect her to.

She was scared.

And while I wished I had time to go slow—time was of the essence, so I walked around to her side of the car, opened the door, and held out my leather-gloved hand. “Come.”

“But—”

“Hope.” I snarled her name. “You don’t have to trust me, not yet, just know that I will protect you until my last breath—do you understand?”

“Why?”

“Humans,” I spat. “Always wanting to know the reason, as if the reason will make this any easier!”

“Elf,” she corrected in a small voice, her eyes finally lifting to meet mine. They were a glorious brown, the color of the very earth that had formed her so long ago. The first real human race, until it all went to Hell.

Literally.

“Sorry,” I whispered. “You’re correct.” I took a deep soothing breath. The air smelled like her, like dirt and sand, roses and trees, rain and forest mist. “Elf.”

With a gulp, she put her shaky warm hand in mine and stood to her full height, which hit me just below mid-chest.

“You’re tall.” She had to lean completely back to look me in the eyes.

“Yes, well,” I tilted my head. “We can’t all be short little elves.”

Her shoulders hunched. “Like the Nabisco Elves.”

I barked out a laugh. “You’re no cookie elf.”

“Thanks.”

I tugged her toward the house, ~my house~, the only safe place I could think to bring her.

Werewolves guarded the front gates.

And vampires guarded the doors.

A parting gift from Sariel… the morning after he was taken, I woke up to find my house littered with immortals.

And not the demonic kind I was used to.

When I told them to go to Hell, the vampires at the door told me they were guarding a demon — they were already there.

That’s how things had been ever since.

When I’d asked Cassius what the hell was going on, Cassius merely shrugged and said some bullshit about how he couldn’t read every mind—especially one as complex as Sariel’s had been.

Nice. Real nice.

Hope crossed her arms, casting her eyes to the ground as she leaned closer to me, passing both vampires with a weariness that I knew had been ingrained since birth.

Only a vampire could tell who she really was—by sucking her blood—but elves had always been taught to fear anything that could be their destruction.

Funny, how the “safe” immortal had been the one to destroy them all.

Disgusted, I snarled at the vampires and shoved her through the doorway.

Hope stumbled into the entryway and let me lead her toward the guest bedroom. I tried to imagine what my house looked like to a scared little elf.

It was dark.

I preferred it that way.

It was a reminder.

Of what I’d always been—until an elf touched me—saved me.

The lighting was dimmed; anything too bright hurt other demons’ eyes, and since they were my race and still didn’t know all there was to know about me, I kept things normal.

The décor wasn’t anything out of the ordinary—black leather couches, fur rugs, and as much alcohol as a being could have in one place without looking like they owned a bar.

We passed the gourmet kitchen I rarely cooked in, with its white marble countertops and red wing-backed chairs. Her footsteps echoed across the wood floor until we reached the end of the hall.

“You can stay here until…” Until what? The end of the world? Until forever? “Until Alex gets better.” I settled for a lie.

“He will get better, right?” she asked in a small voice that had my damned heart beating a bit more erratically than usual.

I casually opened the door to the small bedroom and took a step inside, gathering my thoughts before finally shrugging. “I’m sure all he needs is a little sex… based on the size of the bite—” Her face paled. “—what?”

“Sex.” She gulped. “But I’m his mate.”

My nostrils flared as I took in her scent, the scent of lust… not love. “You may be bonded sexually— but not emotionally. Therefore, he can find pleasure… elsewhere.”

“But he said—”

“Forget what he said.” I growled. “It no longer matters. All that matters is keeping you safe… even if it means, I’m saving you from yourself.”

“Myself?”

“You want him, even now, I can smell it in the air. But Alex is death to you… you must understand that. He has blood on his hands, has for many years.”

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Let’s not focus on the negative.” I changed the subject. “For now, let’s think about all of the people you’re going to save.”

Hope shook her head. “I’m no hero.”

“We’ve waited for you….” I kept the trembling out of my voice. “You are the only one who can restore them all.”

“Them?”

I smiled. “My race of course.”

“Restore?”

“Save,” I whispered. “Set free.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Once you have fallen… the only other option given to you is to either stay that way or… look up.” I held out my hand as blue fire danced across my fingertips. “Elf blood… the only substance that mimics its angelic counterpart… You are of the first, which means you have the DNA of life running through your veins. Elves were not protected because they were weak as you were told by your precious siren—they were protected because they have the power to build races, to mate with immortals, but most importantly, they have the power to bridge a gap—between heart and soul. Only if the person is willing of course.”

“That’s….” Hope collapsed onto the bed, shaking her head back and forth. “And I’m the last one?”

“So you see,” I knelt in front of her and pulled both of her hands into mine. “I will protect you.”

“Alex was protecting me.”

“Alex was feeding from you,” I snapped in outrage. “Big difference.” Her hands were warm, comforting. “Alex was addicted to you like any immortal would be once given a taste of your essence. But what you shared wasn’t real…”

“He kept me safe.” Why did she refuse to let it go? To let him go. “He…” She gulped. “In his own way, he cares. He does. I know it.”

“He cares?” I spat. Repeating her words left a bad taste. “You think you know your precious siren so well?” Abruptly I dropped her hands and stood. “You’ve been sleeping with the enemy.”

“But, Cassius—”

“Cassius cannot see every future!” I yelled. “And this one is pretty damning… I lived through the Great War, I saw what Alex was capable of then, and I know what he is capable of now. Cassius may have blind hope that Alex won’t unleash his power, but if he does, you are going to be the one caught in the crossfire. It will be your life, and all of this will have been for nothing!”

A tear slid down her cheek; it was red.

I caught it with my fingertip and let out a sigh. “Your heart weeps for the loss of your people. And yet, you were so fickle to give that very heart away — to the one who killed them.”