Horns and Halos, page 14
“I-I-I didn’t k-know,” it cried helplessly.
“Are you that stupid? Could you not smell me on her? Am I that weak that you couldn’t tell that I had been in close contact with her?”
It looked around, its eyes bulging. “N-no, sire. Never! I thought that you were done with it. H-honestly!”
Draki’s golden gaze drifted down to me, but not a muscle flinched as he continued holding the soldier by the neck in mid-air. “Are you okay?”
I nodded and sat up, but the pain in my back flared, reminding me that I had been slashed by the demon’s claws. I whimpered and tried to touch the wound. When my hand pulled back, I could see the wet glisten of red painting the tips of my fingers.
“N-no, I didn’t mean t—”
Whatever the soldier was going to say was cut off as Draki sneered and squeezed. I looked away. I didn’t want to see it. But I heard a thump land near my feet while my eyes were closed. I scooted away from whatever it was. Heat kissed my body. The familiar and unbearable warmth that always consumed me when Draki touched me enveloped my body. I felt weightless and knew that (once again) I was in his arms.
In the distance, I heard hoots, hollers, and more hungry cries of encroaching grunts. A new wave of fear gripped me, and I opened my eyes to be locked in place with the devil’s gaze. “You’re with me. They won’t touch you.”
“I came to get Elijah. I can’t leave him here.”
Draki snarled. “You’re injured, what good are you to that broken boy? Leave him and find someone else.”
I shoved him, and even though it hurt I twisted about in his arms trying to free myself from him. “I’m not you! I don’t abandon things when they become a problem or boring.”
“Have you ever tried it? It might be your new favorite thing.”
“I’m not leaving him, Draki!”
He forcefully slammed me down onto my own two feet, and I winced in pain. “My job was to protect you. Not him. He’s a burden now.”
“He’s with me on this journey, and you only have yourself to blame. You told the she-devil that you wanted him to go free.”
Suddenly, he was toe-to-toe with me. “Maybe I’m realizing I made a mistake, and I’m cutting my losses.”
I stood up on my tiptoes and snipped back with, “I’m going to go get him and you can’t stop me.” Falling back flat on my feet, I brushed by him.
He grabbed me by the wrist and jerked me back to face him. “You truly will not let him go?”
I shook my head no. Draki’s molten gaze inspected me, and he took a step closer. Dipping his mouth near my ear, he whispered, “Don’t expect me to help you with him ever again. Tonight, I make my first and only exception to our deal. He isn’t you. He means nothing to me.” I jerked out of his hold and held my wrist like he had burned me as he walked away toward the river. “Pick up your weapon and hurry up, Sia, before I change my mind.”
Quickly, I looked away from him to search the ground for my machete. Moonlight spilled over the metal, and I twisted to pick it up, drawing in a hissing breath as my back was attacked with the throbbing ache from the sudden movement. By the time I found it, he was already near the boulder by the river. I tried to get to him while latching the blade to my hip.
“How are we going to get him back without him noticing you?” I whisper-yelled.
Draki didn’t answer me, he just slipped out of my view, and I bolted to catch up with him. As I came around the rock, I stopped in my tracks. The river looked black under the darkened sky that sparkled with the light of the stars. Everything was washed in shadows that gave the world a breath of night, and the melody of the creatures that dwelled within the void swelled around us. The devil’s scent was carried in the breeze that was powerful enough to make my jacket flutter in its passing.
Draki looked like a pale ghost mourning some long-lost lover as he lingered by the riverside. His robes rippled in the wind, and his hair flowed like it was gently swaying to a slow song no one heard. He tilted his head to one side, and his vision was fixed on the body of Elijah beneath him.
I shook out of my daze and rushed over. As I picked up the pace I tried to hide the pain in my voice while saying, “I can carry him.”
He scoffed. “You can hardly carry yourself.”
I looked around me and mumbled, “I’ll let you heal me.”
That caught his attention. He glared at me from over his shoulder. “Oh?”
I didn’t know what to say, so I nodded in reply.
Turning suddenly, he took a step toward me and let his hand brush over my cheek right before he snatched a handful of braids in his grasp and jerked me closer. I made a small sound but clamped my mouth shut before it could fly out of my mouth. Once again, we were too close for comfort. “Even if all I can offer you is pain? Even if I can offer you no soothing mending, and you’ll only feel the sensation of flames kissing your wounds closed? Even if by healing you, I get to see you writhe in agony?”
I remembered how it felt when he healed me before. I knew that if I wanted to carry Elijah, if I wanted to survive and not have my fresh wounds get infected, I was going to have to have him heal me, even if I didn’t want him to. Slowly, I licked my lips and felt my mouth dry up as I said, “Yes.” But my voice sounded shaky.
He inched closer and drew in a deep breath like he was taking in the perfume of my body. “Hmm, we’ll discuss that later. For now, I will carry the boy. If I let you do it the grunts will get here, and I don’t feel like dealing with drooling, hairless dogs.” He let me go, and I almost stumbled back.
Rubbing the back of my head, I cut him a look and silently mocked him with an angry pout. When Draki got close to Elijah, he sighed and looked up to the sky.
“I’m doing this because I have something to gain, not because I care,” he pronounced. Almost like he was having a conversation with something I couldn’t see or hear.
His arms stretched out, and from his form red, curling smoke sparkled and expanded. Levitating in mid-air, the crimson haze swirled. I didn’t know that a cloud could look so pretty and yet so menacing, but it did. One moment, Draki looked calm and collected and the next his hands tensed and claws extended. Embers fluttered in the air as the suspended smoke darted down and slammed into Elijah. His body spasmed and then he thrashed about. His back bowed, and a sharp cry of anguish was ripped out of his throat. I watched the devil roll his shoulders forward as if he were putting physical strength behind the magic. Then—without warning—Draki twisted his wrists, his beast-like hands now palm up, and he lifted his arms. The smoke obeyed his silent beckoning, and it funneled out of Elijah. With a swipe of the devil’s hands, the clouds dissipated into nothingness, and the young man went limp in the sand.
“Is he ...?”
“I healed him,” Draki muttered. Kneeling down, he picked up Elijah and tossed him over his shoulder like he was a sack of potatoes. “He’ll sleep long enough for us to get him back to camp.”
“What do we tell him when he asks how he got back?” I asked, and raised a curious brow at the confident devil.
He smiled then, but it lacked warmth. “You’ll tell him you did. I’ll be healing you, remember?” And the dark promise that rested in those words made the walk back to the campsite a dreaded one.
After Elijah was laid down, I felt a sickness rush over me when Draki faced me with his usual cold expression. There was no attempt to hide that I was afraid of him getting near me. Not when my body responded the way that it did when he was close. Not when he was going to heal me, and the promises of pain were louder than the comforting fact that my wounds were going to be mended. Draki was like fire. Beautiful to look at, but it could consume you within minutes and there would only be ash left behind. If you were smart enough to pull back before you were engulfed in the fire, you’d forever have scars from the unforgiving burns.
I didn’t realize that I never stopped backing away from him and bumped into a nearby tree. Instantly, I felt the bark scrape over my injury, and I closed my eyes and parted my lips to wail out in pain, but a large hand covered my mouth. My eyelids snapped open. White hair, a pale face, and two glowing, golden orbs danced in my vision as his scent of smoky spice encased me. I figured that this was going to be the moment that it would happen. Even though my body wasn’t ready for the way that Draki healed, my mind accepted the fate that was going to befall me.
His hand lifted from my lips and drew a line across my skin until he reached my chin. Gently, he pushed against my jawline so that I looked away from him, and I screwed my eyes shut. But I didn’t feel pain. I felt the blazing touch of his thumb brushing over my swollen cheek. His voice was gruff and hardly a whisper when he said, “I’m sorry.”
My eyes opened, and I turned to look at him confused. “You are?” Was he sick?
Straightening up, Draki nodded once. “Yes.” He touched the welt on my face again with a look I couldn’t describe. “You got hurt because I didn’t uphold my end of the bargain. I should have stayed closer to you. I didn’t think that you would be in trouble,” he admitted.
I touched my cheek and my hand grazed over his. Quickly, I searched the shadowed abyss surrounding us. “I see,” I whispered.
“For my lack of upholding my word, I’ll grant you one wish.”
I cautiously inspected him through slits. “Anything?” I questioned.
He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, Sia. Anything,” he expressed with a touch of annoyance. Then his expression went dark, and he locked eyes with me as his voice dropped down to a grim tone. “Within reason, my dear. Don’t try to back out of our agreement. My mistake isn’t worth the loss of what we’ve agreed upon.”
That idea was dashed before it could ever truly live as a hope in my heart. I had to stop and think a little harder about what I would want from him. The only thing that came to mind wasn’t something that would be a good choice for now. The idea itself was great, but the timing wasn’t quite right.
Hesitantly, I looked to Draki and searched his eyes as I asked, “Can you set my village free from their contract with their devil without killing them? Not now, but later on when I’m in a better position to find a way to help them?”
“And here I thought that you were going to ask me to make the healing process gentle,” he said with a grin.
“Can you?” I pressed heatedly.
His smile faded. “There is little that I can’t do. However, breaking their contract should be simple enough.”
I didn’t care how it could be done or what process he had to go through. As long as no one was hurt or killed, I was happy. I needed to stress that to the devil in front of me. “And no one will be harmed or killed?”
Shaking his head he said, “You were very clear on what you wanted. I can do it. Though, I don’t know how safe they would all be once their devil is gone. When did you wish this to be carried out?”
I thought about it. Even though I knew the answer, I still went through the motions of weighing out my options. “The day before you collect what I owe you,” I said finally.
“Very well, then.” He let his gaze drift to my cheek, and then his vision flicked back to my eyes. “Shall we proceed with healing you, then?”
Everything in me wanted to say no, but I couldn’t risk the injury becoming more. I couldn’t risk the scent of blood calling various other demons that would put Elijah in harm’s way. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make to ensure he would be safe. He didn’t need to know what I did for him. I just needed to see him go through as little trouble as possible along our way. He already lost too much. He didn’t need to endure anymore. Not because of me or the company that I kept.
“I’m ready,” I lied. There was no way I would ever be ready.
He chuckled darkly and took a single step closer. I was pinned by him against the tree, and I gasped as I felt bark dig into the claw marks on my back. His hands clamped down on my shoulders as he said, “You’re mine, Sia. Don’t forget that.”
I burned those words into my memory. I engraved them on my soul. I let them echo in me until they became part of the song to my beating heart. I couldn’t escape him, so I would embrace him. I didn’t close my eyes. I didn’t want to hide from this. I had made the choice to let him heal me. I did this. He slipped his hands behind me and slid them down my spine. The pain that assaulted me made my legs buckle, but the force of his body pinning me against the tree along with his embrace made it so I didn’t go very far. My mouth opened up to scream, but I willed every part of my being to remain as quiet as possible. I didn’t want to wake up Elijah. I had to suffer through this on my own. Tears streamed down my face, and Draki pressed his lips against the wound on my cheek. It felt like I was being burned alive. All I could feel coursing through my body was white-hot pain. My vision practically went black, my head felt dizzy, and my whole body was racked with my silent cries.
Pulling his fiery lips away from my skin, he then pressed the side of his face against my own and whispered to me. “Every nerve in you is singing with your suffering.” He laughed softly. “How delicious.”
Abruptly, he let me go, and I fell into a crumpled, weeping heap at the base of the tree. Every part of me was still resonating with the blazing fire that made up how Draki healed. It felt like I was being torn apart and sewn back together. No matter how much I tried to convince myself to stop crying, the tears still kept falling. I sniffled and attempted to rise to my feet.
“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” Draki advised.
Determined to defy his words of caution, I found the energy to push myself to stand. I swayed only once and caught myself on the tree. “I’m fine.”
“Do you always have to act so tough?”
“Fake it until you make it,” I stated with a tired grin and pushed off the tree. I wobbled a bit, and when Draki reached for me to offer help, I slapped his hands away. “You’ve done enough for one day,” I growled in a hushed tone.
He narrowed his eyes at me, but I didn’t care. Walking over to the bags, I begged my body to keep up with me as I tried to pull out the blankets to get Elijah and myself situated. I gave up on the idea of separate beds. I was in too much pain, too tired, and too cold to attempt the long-winded process of making two pallets. I had to roll Elijah onto the bed, and he thankfully slept through it. I couldn’t bring myself to say much of anything to him about what happened or otherwise. My mind needed a break from everything. But first ... I needed to make a fire. The previous one had become nothing more than cooling embers.
Groaning, I rose up and started for the pile of wood when Draki stood in my path. “I’m trying to get firewood, Draki,” I stated, annoyed at his presence.
“I know what you’re trying to do. Rest. I’ll handle the fire.”
“I can do it.”
“I said rest, Sia.”
I glowered at him. “Are you enjoying this?”
“Do you really want the answer to that? Or do you want to listen to me, lie down, and get some rest before the morning comes and your little man over there starts questioning you?”
Looking over to the male in question, I felt the pride in me dissipate. I didn’t want Draki to be right, but he was. I relented on any further objections and sluggishly walked over to Elijah, pulled down the covers, slid in behind him, and cuddled up for the night. He was warm, and his soothing scent brought an unexpected calm over me. Without meaning to, I smiled slightly and snuggled in closer. A soft moan left him when I pressed against him, and his body melted into mine. The warmth of our bodies radiated under the covers and fought off the growing chill of the night. Closing my eyes, I saw one last vision of Draki separated from us by a growing flame as the fire was tended to. It was the last thing I saw before I drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 13:
Unkept Secrets
In the morning, I woke up in bed by myself and saw Elijah poking around by the fire. The pops of fresh firewood filled the early morning air, and the scent of smoke mingled with the cooking food. My stomach grumbled, and I yawned with a healthy stretch.
“You’re finally awake?” Elijah asked.
I nodded like he could see me. “Yeah.”
His back was still turned to me when he asked, “How did we get back last night?”
I went still and fought with the idea of lying to him. I didn’t want to, but I wound up giving up on the idea of telling him the truth. “I made the soldier chase me and killed it when it came around the boulder. I carried you back after that.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm,” he said, sounding unbelieving of my tale. “Leaving anything out?”
I felt the first threatening heartbeat choke the air out of me. Holding in my fear, I played it cool and shook my head. “No, I don’t think so.”
Elijah dropped the spoon into the pot and stood up rapidly, looking down at me as he motioned to his body. “So you’re a healer now too?”
I opened my mouth, but the words dried up. Sitting straight up, I could only stare back at him in horror. Why hadn’t I thought of that? Why hadn’t I thought of a good excuse? Why did I let Draki fully heal ... wait. Why had he fully healed him? Suddenly, I was scared and mad at the same time. “I-I ...” I didn’t have a good answer.
Elijah shook his head at me. “You have a deal with a devil, don’t you?”
Anything that I was thinking about saying was swept away with that one question. It all came tumbling down around me, and I sighed while curling my legs up to my chest. I was tired of pretending. Trying to keep up with a mountain of lies becomes tiresome after so long. To top it all off, I never liked to lie to begin with.
“Yes,” I admitted. The minute the confession left me, I felt a weight lift from me. It felt so freeing, but it didn’t wash away any of my fear or guilt.
“Since when?” he asked.
“Since the day after I left my village. Long before I came to you and your village.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want you to find out.”
