34. Dagon
Chapter thirty-four
Dagon
Yesterday was perfect.
Not perfect in the way humans used the word – clean, untouched, easy.
Perfect in the way I meant it. Perfect because Di had folded the towel six times and then looked at me, terrified, and I had looked back at him without flinching, proving that I didn't see him as deranged or a monster.
Perfect because he had explained the compulsions and I had listened, and neither of us had pretended the conversation was easy.
Perfect because we had wrestled on the couch and read a book and he had cockblocked me with a Kindle, and at no point in the entire day had he had to be someone he wasn't.
That's what perfect meant, in our world. Di getting to be Di – towel-folding, ring-twisting, intrusive-thought-having, bookworm-obsessed, smart-mouthed, kind, generous, gorgeous, deeply loving Di – and being met for it. Not in spite of it. For it.
That's why I was even more anxious about bringing Diablos with us today.
Setting my emotions aside, there was something different about Di today. I kept stealing glances at him as we drove to the location Adam mentioned yesterday.
Di seemed way more relaxed and focused than usual and more than I expected. No, that didn’t sound right. It wasn’t that I minded him being calm. I just didn't expect it. I expected nerves, fear, restlessness. But he was composed. Too composed. And my gut told me there was something I didn't know.
He looked like a different person.
I hoped I was just overthinking. I was also not my usual self after all. I was gearing up for a fight, and I couldn’t afford to let my emotions take the wheel.
We rode in silence. Finally, after what felt like a few hours later, we arrived at a bare, enormous field.
On the right stood an abandoned barn. A déjà vu of that abandoned town from a few days ago hit me hard.
Dense woods lined the left side. There were no birds singing, no wind, no signs of life at all.
It was unnatural.
Too quiet.
The moment I stepped out of the car, I sensed demons, a lot of them. I couldn’t see them, but I knew they were here. At least twenty Fireborns. The question still remained, why would Fireborns be after a celestial object? It didn’t make sense.
Di, Adam, Talon, Cain, and I stepped deeper into the clearing. A female and a male Fireborn emerged from the barn and strode toward us.
What was their plan? Facing so many of us? They didn’t stand a chance, and they knew it. Unless they had a hidden advantage, we didn’t know about. The sudden urge to get Di out of here was overwhelming. My instinct screamed to protect him.
“I see you brought friends. There was no need for that,” the woman spoke, her eyes locked on Di.
I stepped closer to him, my body coiled, ready to unleash all Hell just because she talked to him. Her voice grated on my nerves. I wanted to wipe out her cunning, disgusting smile.
“You have friends too, don’t you,” I answered instead of Di.
“You can never be too prepared.”
“I could say the same.”
“All we need is the one whose hand you’re holding,” she said, eyes never leaving Di. He stiffened beside me. “We just need you to unlock something. That’s all. No one will be harmed.”
“Talk to me. Not him,” I growled.
“Huh, don’t you have other things to do, Starborn? Is playing the protector your kink? If it is, you’ll fail, dear. Besides, it doesn’t suit you.” The venom in her voice when she said Starborn made it clear, she loathed us. “Give us what we want, and you may stay alive.”
Yes, I believed that as much as I believed in Santa Claus. No way in all of Hell would they let us go. Besides, I wouldn’t let them walk away from here, either. They were a threat to Diablos. And anything that was a threat to him should be eliminated.
It was as simple as that.
My demon lurked so close to my skin. It wanted out. It wanted to tear everyone to shreds.
“I don’t think so,” I answered calmly.
She nodded at the man beside her, who slipped back into the barn. Then she turned back to us, smiling.
“Let’s begin the party.”
Her grin might've chilled me if I wasn't too focused on what was coming.
Dozens of Fireborns and Soulborns rushed onto the field.
Worse, I sensed a Starborn among them, hidden from sight.
I scanned the demons frantically, but I couldn't locate him. I wasn’t scared of the others, but the Starborn could be a problem.
“Take Di as far as possible,” I instructed Adam.
I needed Diablos away from here. Something wasn’t right.
“But-” Di started to protest.
I turned, silencing him with a deep kiss, pouring all my love and desperation into it. I needed him safe. I couldn’t think straight when he was this close to danger.
When I pulled away, he nodded, trembling.
He wrapped his hand around my wrist and said, “Please, don’t get injured. Come back to me.”
“I promise you,” I vowed, kissing him briefly again.
My heart tore in two as I released him.
Adam turned to Cain and said, “Cain, take Diablos away from here. I’ll fight alongside Dagon.”
Cain nodded, guiding Di away. The others from Adam’s group emerged.
I didn’t waste time. The sooner this was over, the sooner I would return to Di. Summoning Blue, I relished the shock and fear that flickered across their faces. Blue soared, circling above, awaiting my command.
The air crackled with energy. Powers unleashed on both sides. We were out for blood, but so were the Fireborns. Fire danced in their eyes, mingling with a twisted hatred I'd never witnessed.
The scent of charred embers filled the air, tainted by something rotten and twisted. Fireborns always had this unique scent of fire and embers, but it wasn’t the same as I used to remember. Adam's grim expression confirmed my suspicion.
I prepared to let Blue unleash destruction but froze when I saw the woman's triumphant smirk. My heart stopped as I spotted Diablos amid the Fireborns, beside Cain and that vile woman.
"Son of a bitch," I swore, lunging forward only to be halted by Adam.
"Wait," he warned.
I wasn’t waiting. Di was in danger.
How could I let this happen? My knees buckled. The woman held a knife to Di’s throat, and another Fireborn was playing with his fire close to Di’s face.
My insides churned. I wanted to fucking obliterate them. I needed to kill them slowly, agonizingly painfully, to show them what happened when they threatened my world.
They will pay for this. They fucking will.
I focused on Diablos.
He was standing still, his hands balled into fists. His eyes were trained on me. He smiled gently, even if it was a forced one.
“Now, now. Look how fast that fight ended,” the bitch gloated.
“Cain, why?” Adam’s voice was full of anger.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you, Adam.”
That traitorous bastard was dead.
“Let’s not waste time. Bring it,” the woman gave the command. She was their leader, and she was the first who would fall when I got to them.
Another demon emerged, carrying the bow and arrow we sought. Impressive yet meaningless compared to Di's safety.
“I don’t care about this stupid object. Give them what they want!” I shouted, desperate.
I wasn’t going to lose him for the world.
Di's expression shifted strangely. The smile on his face, his relaxed body, and the way his eyes got glassy were enough to send me into a spiral of worry.
Don't do anything foolish, I silently begged.
Like he could hear the silent plead, he shook his head. Panic surged through me. Please, please don’t do anything stupid. Please. I begged silently with my eyes. I fucking prayed he would listen.
“Remove the barrier around the object.” The woman smiled at Diablos. “Any tricks, and your lover dies. Of course, you'll get to watch in the first row.”
Di’s gaze swept to me in horror.
“You can’t kill me, and you know that.”
“I can't, but someone else does,” she smirked.
“Think carefully before doing something stupid, boy,” Cain said whispering in Di's ear. The bastard touched Di’s face. “The price you’ll pay if you do something stupid will be far worse than you can imagine.”
My everything was in the enemy’s hands, and I couldn’t fucking do anything. I felt powerless. Flashes of the moment I lost my brother came rushing, and the air left my lungs. Not again.
I wouldn't lose Diablos. No!
The woman handed the object to Di. He stared at it for a second too long before taking it in his hands. Even with all this distance, I could feel the object’s powers.
Di looked at me and smiled.
He fucking smiled!
Words I couldn’t understand flowed out of his mouth. What the fuck was he doing?
Time slowed to a crawl. Every eye was on him. The bow started shining in his hands, gradually followed by the arrow. He kept whispering undecipherable things. He raised his head, smiled once at me, and uttered the final words.
Suddenly, everything around us went crimson red.
It was Hell on earth.