10. Diablos
Chapter ten
Diablos
The numbness was good, and I was grateful for it.
It washed over me like cold water pouring down my skin.
It erased everything else, and I surrendered in the nothingness.
I’d been here before. I knew how to observe without feeling.
It was the perfect state to be in when your emotions were otherwise tearing you apart from the inside.
My head hurt. Again.
My life was being ripped apart. Again.
Was I going to lose my family… again?
After King declared we’d talk later, he left. I retreated to my room, lay on the bed, and stared at the ceiling, trying to gather my thoughts.
Why was life so damn hard? Why is it that just when you think everything might be okay, the ground shifts beneath you? Why do I feel this way again... like no matter what I do, I’ll fail and lose everyone?
Why...
I was spiraling, my mind replaying the worst moments of my life, when I heard a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
“You need to come downstairs. We’re all gathering in the living room.” It was Wilder, a very stoic, unreadable Wilder.
“Everything okay?” I asked, getting up.
“Yeah, perfect.”
“Wilder?”
He shook his head, “Let’s just go, please. Luc pushed King until he agreed to explain everything and not wait.”
I followed Wild downstairs. When we entered the room, I saw Dagon leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, with murderous look on his face. Everyone else was seated at the table, with King at the head.
“Let’s begin.”
King didn’t even wait for us to sit. It was obvious he couldn’t wait to get this over with. You and me both, Dad.
“The stolen object belongs to you.” His gaze locked with mine. “I believe it’s in the possession of someone very dangerous, and you need to bring it back.”
“Me?” I yelped. What in the ever-loving hell? “What do you mean it belongs to me? And, how do you expect me to find it!?”
I was ready to unleash a full storm of curses, but the words died at the tip of my tongue when I saw the hardness in King’s eyes.
“You are the one meant to protect this object. And you’re the only one who can use it. You must find it.”
What. The. Fuck.
Had our father completely lost his mind? Because it sure as hell sounded like it.
None of this made sense. And he was acting like a total bastard – barking orders, giving no real answers.
Dagon let out a sharp laugh. All eyes snapped to him. He looked like he was seconds away from losing it.
“Must? Must!?” he repeated the word like it was a joke. “Why the fuck should any of us agree to do this? You say it as a command, but we’re not your servants, angel.”
King’s nostrils flared, and he snapped, “I had no other choice!”
“Oh, so that’s why you're taking our choice away?” In the blink of an eye, Dagon was in front of our father.
King stepped right into his space too. And for the first time... I was afraid of King. Wilder and Andras jumped to their feet, ready to step between them. Whose side they’d take was another matter entirely.
Even though Dagon had the strongest reaction to what was happening, I didn’t think he’d ever actually hit our father.
Even with everything – King lying to us our whole lives, forcing us into something we didn’t understand, demanding obedience without answers – he was still our father.
And I clung to the fragile, crumbling hope that nothing could change that.
“You’re all my sons,” King said, “and I’m sorry I got you involved in this. But there’s no turning back now.”
“Like hell I’ll have any part of your games,” Dagon shouted, but Andras pulled him back.
My heart was pounding, like it had entered some twisted competition called: "how fast can I jump out of your chest?"
“Why?” The word left my mouth before I could stop it.
All eyes turned to me.
“Why don’t we have a choice? There’s something you’re not telling us.”
Even as I tried to look calm, I failed. Even these words were hard to utter.
“You’re bound to these objects,” King said.
“What?” We all said it in perfect, horrified unison.
“You’re bound to these objects. You’re their protectors. Their wielders, if it comes to it. Only you can use them. But if they remain in the wrong hands long enough, the bond may be overridden. Someone else might figure out how to use them.”
“Wrong hands, as in?” Dagon was the first to ask.
“Demons.”
My father’s eyes swept over the rest of us, but mine landed on Dagon. His jaw clenched so tightly I thought it might crack. He was barely holding back. It was like watching a caged beast being poked deliberately.
Bren spoke up, asking, “Demons? Oh, is Lucifer real? What about vampires, werewolves, dragons, and unicorns? I always wanted to bang a demon. Bet it would be a wild ride.”
Bren chuckled, shaking his head like he’d just made the best joke of his life. But his eyes? They were cold and calculating.
I felt like I’d fallen into an alternative universe where no one was who I thought they were.
“None of these are real,” King said calmly. “Only demons and angels.”
“Explain, please,” Bren said, still smiling.
“Demons were born when Lucifer fell. Hell was created with his fall. As for me, my realm isn’t a place I can return to.
I won’t get into the reasons now, but I am still an angel.
And it’s my duty to protect. When the five of us came to Earth, we brought the objects with us.
Our task was to guard them, from demons, and from humans. ”
“Angels and demons? Sounds like a great book,” I muttered.
Everyone gave me a what the fuck look. I sank into my seat, wishing I could disappear.
“In the wrong hands,” King continued, “these objects could be catastrophic. Some time ago, the objects’ protection began to weaken. We weren’t enough anymore. I had to act. And now, I suspect the stolen object is in the worst possible hands.”
“Who?” Dagon asked, no longer shouting. Just deathly quietly.
“The Starborns.”
“The what?” I blurted.
“They’re a demon clan,” he said. “There are five clans. The Starborns are the most violent, brutal, inhuman, unfeeling, deranged chaos-bringers and destroyers.”
"Going to throw in a few more adjectives?" Dagon said.
“You need to be careful with them. Never engage, no matter what.”
“How will we know if we meet one?”
King hesitated before he said, “You… won’t. No human can feel the presence of a demon.”
Before I could ask if he was joking, Bren beat me to it. “What about the other four clans? Any cool ones from them, Dad?”
Clans. Demons. This was the first I was hearing any of it. Then again, up until today, I didn’t even know demons were real.
“There are five.” King said. “Starborns, Nightborns, Fireborns, Soulborns, and Nightwalkers.”
“Original names.” I muttered. Everyone shot me another look. I just raised my hands. “What? It’s like I’m listening to an audiobook. I can’t help myself.”
There were a few groans around the room, but no one said anything. Our father looked briefly amused, but then slipped back into his angel composure.
“As I said, the most dangerous are the Starborns. No one goes against them, not even other demons. Nightborn and Fireborn are next in power. They despise each other. Each clan has different abilities. Soulborns and Nightwalkers rank lowest in strength.”
"This is too much information for a world you just revealed to us," Andras said.
“And what happens if these objects fall into the wrong hands?” Luc asked.
I already had a feeling about the answer. End of the world, Lucifer controlling everything, humans dying – the standard catastrophe. I'd read too many books not to see this plot twist coming.
“That’s the thing,” King said, “I’m not sure.”
“You’re not sure?” I asked.
"No. I won't lie. That's what frightens me the most. Every object is unique, with powers that are unpredictable. If they serve a demon's purpose… these things could destroy more than any of us can fathom."
I scanned his face and studied every flicker of movement – his eyes, every twitch, every flash of emotion. I needed to read between the lines and beyond his words. But no matter how I looked at it, I didn’t have a choice. So I asked the only question that mattered now. “What do I need to do?”
It hit me again, like it had earlier, the man at the head of the table was no longer acting like our father.
He was an angel on a mission. And somewhere during all of this, I’d accepted that.
Not because it was easy. But because I had lived that moment before, where survival demands acceptance, and there’s no turning back.
Besides, if I ran, I’d lose my family. And that was the one thing I refused to lose.
“You will go after the object. You will locate it and then inform me of the location. I’ll handle the retrieval.”
It sounded simple, yet I knew it would be the furthest thing from simple.
“Why don’t you go and find it yourself?” Bren cut in, eyebrow cocked.
“I can’t. Only Diablos can track it. And I need to stay here and protect the remaining objects.”
“How will I find it?” I asked.
“Give me your hand,” King commanded.
I hesitated. Why did he need my hand? But I gave it anyway and placed my palm in his. Why? Because I trusted my father despite everything that he revealed today.
Everything after I placed my palm in his hand was a blur.
There was a rapid flash of something bright.
Searing heat exploded across my hand, racing through my body like wildfire, consuming everything in its path.
The pain was too much. It was all I could feel, all I could focus on.
It stole my breath. A scream tore through my mind.
Was it mine? I fell from my chair, crashing to the floor, but the impact barely registered.
I couldn't stop the next scream that ripped from me as the pain only intensified.
It felt like hours before the pain began to fade, and then, in a matter of seconds, it was simply gone. Snuffed out, as if it had never been there. Despite that, I could still feel the echo of it – in my blood, my bones, and every cell in me.