Chapter 8 Ruin
Have you ever heard the mortal saying, ‘I’d go to hell for you?’
I have, and while I understand that mortals seem to think it's a grand act of sacrifice, I don’t think they can really grasp it.
Unfortunately for me, I know exactly what it could mean, and while I’ve never been to Hell, there isn’t anywhere I wouldn’t go for her. This is her only chance. If there were another way, I’d gladly take it, but there isn’t.
I’d rather rip my wings from my flesh than leave her to Rome. Nobody deserves that, and while I’m not sure what this pull I have to her is, I know in the eons I’ve existed, I’ve never felt anything like it… If that’s not worth everything, I don’t know what is.
All I want is to find her, but just like the last time, she’s lost to me.
Rome shouldn’t be able to do this, to hide her away from me. My job is to keep tabs on her and help her navigate life, staying on the path of the Divine and keeping her safe.
That’s what a guardian angel does, or is supposed to do.
I’ve done nothing but fuck up with Aeri from the moment Rome set his sights on her.
Asta said it was best if I continued about my life, but it’s hard, knowing they’re out there and I’m just here doing dumb shit, hoping they find her.
On the bright side, her car is fixed. I did a lot more than what she paid for, but the idea of her driving around in it as it was gave me anxiety.
It’s a miracle that thing was even moving, but it was far from safe.
My phone vibrates, and I drop the wrench I was using, quickly digging it out of my pocket.
In my haste, I end up smearing grease across the screen, rendering it unreadable and no longer able to register my touch.
“Fucking hell,” I curse, moving to the sink to wash my hands and wipe my phone down.
It’s not perfect, but I manage to get it good enough to see a message from Kai.
I found her.
I’m at the apartment before I can really think it through. Thankfully, it had only been me at the shop today. I can’t imagine trying to explain my disappearing act to anyone else, though that means I left the door unlocked.
“You know, just because you can appear here doesn’t mean you should. The door still works just fine,” Kai says when I materialize behind him. He doesn’t seem the least bit fazed by my sudden appearance, and I have to guess he would assume I’d head here when I got his message.
“Where is she?”
As if my question triggers his appearance, Asta appears in the living room, his hand wrapped around Talian’s arm to bring him along for the ride, but it’s Talian who steals my attention.
Or rather, who’s in his arms.
My breath catches seeing her like that, and I know she’s alive, but heaven above, does she look dead.
“What happened?” Bast demands, storming out of the kitchen and into the living room with them.
I know I should stay in the kitchen, wait for them to fill me in, but I can’t.
It’s as if I have no control of my body as I follow Bast, my gaze moving over her, needing to see the rise and fall of her chest in order to believe she’s truly okay.
“She’s fine, just passed out. Whatever that bastard did is no joke,” Talian grumbles before he looks down at her, and his face softens.
Huh, when did that happen?
Talian enjoys all kinds of company, but only for just that. The closest people to him are in this room, and while demons might consider them close, they aren’t known to be friendly.
I’m pretty sure the only reason Kai tolerates me is because we were friends before their fall, and nobody else can stand him now that he’s more of an asshole than ever.
Bast doesn’t look happy with Talian’s answer, and I’m not the only one who seems to notice.
“It’s for the best. She has no idea who we are or what's going on, so for now she needs to remain out. At least until we’ve had a chance to discuss our next move.” Asta gives Kai a pointed look, and I don’t need to be a genius to know what he’s asking him to do.
He moves into the living room without complaint, but I can see the annoyance written on his face. I’m not sure what it is about Sunshine, but she really gets under his skin, and that only seems to upset him more.
A low growl sounds as he steps closer to her, and it takes me a moment to realize the sound is coming from Bast.
Kai stops, turning to Bast. “Or I could let her come to, full of panic, when she finds herself in an unknown place full of men she has no memory of. Either works for me,” he says with a scoff, which only makes Bast angrier.
His horns begin to grow from his head, his eyes flashing pink.
I can’t remember Bast ever losing control before.
“Enough,” Asta barks in a deep, primordial, demonic growl that makes goosebumps break out on my skin. “We don’t have long. Who knows how long it will take Rome to realize she’s missing.”
“How are we going to keep her from him?” I ask, and every eye turns to me.
“We?” Kai asks, cocking his brow at me, and I roll my eyes.
Of course, he would do this now.
I ignore him in favor of following Asta and Talian, and by extension Aerilyn, to the other end of the living room to sit on the couch.
Not so long ago, we’d been here together when we explained to her what we are. I’d thought things were bad then, but they seem peachy compared to what we're dealing with now.
“Let me see her.” Bast holds out his arms, ready to take her even before Talian has time to respond, and I see his hesitation.
It doesn’t last long, only a moment before he hands her over, but it was there, and as Bast moves across the living room to sit next to Asta, I see his gaze follow as if he’s unable to look away.
I know the feeling. I feel like she’s a magnet that draws me in, even unconsciously.
“There won’t be an us,” Asta says once we’ve all taken our seats, making me whip my head toward him.
We’ve had our differences over the years, one of which was that they fell and I didn’t, but we’d been close for so long before that, I guess I’d stupidly believed we could stay that way.
We’re told that demons are evil, terrible creatures who are spiteful and merciless, and while some of that is true, these men are still the same men I’ve known since the dawn of time.
If anything, they might even be better like this, freer and themselves. Without the weight of the shackles that I feel almost daily.
Envy is a sin, so I can’t imagine envying a demon is very angelic.
“Aerilyn is my charge.” The words feel like they stick to my tongue, making it hard to get them out, but I manage. It doesn’t make sense. She is my charge; it’s not a lie.
But it’s also not all she is, even if I can’t yet explain what that means. Regardless, it’s not a problem for now.
“Yes, because that’s been keeping her so fucking safe until now,” Talian says, rolling his eyes, and I can’t help but bristle at his words. I keep my mouth closed because he’s right, but right or not, he knows that this wasn’t any more my fault than their losing her this time was.
Fighting will get us nowhere, though.
“It’s not about that. We're taking her somewhere you literally cannot go. It’s the only thing that I could think of for now,” Asta says, running his hand through his long hair.
It’s not something I see often. Usually, Asta is well and truly in control; he knows what to do and how to handle things.
But everything about Aerilyn has thrown him off, from the moment she wandered in off the street.
“We who?” I look at Talian and then Bast, neither of which seems to know what he’s talking about.
“Lucifer.”
“What?” Bast growls, gripping the arm of the couch hard enough that I hear the wood inside creak and snap. It takes everything in me not to reach for Aerilyn; the urge to protect her is so strong it’s as if I’m not in control.
He would never hurt her. I remind myself, but I also know that I’d only piss him off further if I attempted to grab her.
“You can’t bring a mortal to Hell,” Talian says, his tone implying the “duh” he didn’t say. He doesn’t need to, though; everyone knows that.
Mortals can’t enter Heaven or Hell, only in death, and should you attempt to take one alive… Well, I’ve never tried, but I’ve heard it breaks them.
There isn’t enough of their minds left to have an afterlife.
“Lucifer can,” Asta says with a sigh, as if Bast and Talian are overreacting.
I’d almost dare say they are under-reacting, especially Bast, who believes Aerilyn is his mate.
“How do you know that? I’ve never heard of a mortal successfully being brought to Hell by Lucifer,” Bast says, sounding a little calmer now that he’s discussing facts.
His eyes are still glowing pink, and his horns are still present, so he can’t be too calm, only holding it together to get the facts.
“I’ve seen him do it once before, a long time ago.
But it’s the only hope we have to keep Rome from finding her until we can figure out how to unravel her from his control and save her from the deal…
” He trails off, and we all hear the words he doesn’t say.
His silent if feels as though it carries more weight than the words he did say.
“And if we can’t?” Bast’s voice is quiet, hardly more than a whisper, but it’s impossible to miss the pain that bleeds into his words.
I can’t imagine how he must feel if she really is his mate…