Chapter Fifteen
Bellamy
“ S top staring at me,” Anastasia slurred. How she knew I was staring was beyond me. For someone who said she was here to save our world, she sure did look like she lacked initiative. Her small form was slumped across my bed, which she had eagerly commandeered after announcing she was going to throw up.
“You appeared in my home, suggested you were going to help me save Alemthian, and then puked on my sheets. What, exactly, should I do?” My sarcasm did not seem to inflame her like it did most. In fact, it was as if she did not feel much at all.
That was not my only reason for staring though. I knew her, I could have sworn I did. As she rolled over, her glowing pink hair fell forward over her face. It hit me then, where I had seen her before.
“You!” I shouted, causing her to wince in pain. “You were there on the battlefield when I awoke. You did something to Asher and I!”
“Stop yelling you fucking moron!” The words were practically a hiss, like a vexed cat.
That made me think of Wrath. Of how, as I burned his body and buried him in Haven last week, I had realized that Pino very briefly showed me the evil little vermin when we were at Reader River.
Aching for even another moment with all those we had lost, I sighed and sat in the chair at my desk. My legs straddled the back of the wooden seat, my chest leaning forward and arms hanging off the top. Anastasia opened a single pink eye, her oddly pointed ears sticking outwards instead of up. Her skin was a deep tan, but I wondered if below, her blood flowed black.
Was she another servant of the God of Death and Creation? She had called herself the holder of sin and virtue, that sounded oddly similar to the goddess.
“You’re very handsome, you know,” she whispered. A frown tilted my lips down as I furrowed my brow at her. She did not seem like the type to willingly give compliments. “Too bad you’ll probably die soon.”
Lovely.
“Do you have anything of value to say or offer? For someone who has deemed themself a savior, you sure are being useless.”
“How rude.” This was getting very old, very fast.
“Listen, I think you need to leave before I make you—”
“ Make me? Hah! You’re funny. Anyways, I need Asher. She and I are going on a little treasure hunt.” With that, the pink-haired psychopath crawled up my bed and tucked herself beneath my blankets. Gaping at her, I did not register exactly what she said for a few seconds. When I did, I could do nothing but simmer in the anger and fear that had consumed me up until the moment she had arrived.
Adbeel had broken down in tears when I explained. Watching him sob had been heartbreaking. Listening to him rage at me for keeping her from him for the last year had torn me to shreds. What could I say to that? “Sorry that I selfishly delayed our arrival and then allowed her to hyperfixate on finding allies instead of meeting you?”
I knew what Asher was doing. That she refused to spend even a second of time doing something that she felt was self-serving because she thought she had not yet earned it. Could I have properly explained the importance of meeting him to her? Of course. Had I chosen not to because I refused to push her towards finding out truths that I thought might tear us apart? Definitely.
Adbeel’s fury was more than deserved. He had not spoken to me since yesterday afternoon when I told him. Soon, he would come to me. I knew that. Looking for Asher had been the only reason he had taken me all those decades ago. When he realized I was not, in fact, his grandchild that he had only been briefly informed of through a secret letter, he had assumed the youngling had been murdered after all.
Now the granddaughter he had never known was once more gone.
“Hello, I told you to go get your little princess. Fetch like a good dog.”
That was it.
I stormed over to her, grabbed her infuriating pink hair, and promptly yanked her out of my puke-stained bed. The horrible female shouted as she fell, and then she proceeded to bite my leg.
Furious shouted curses left my lips as I shoved my knee into her face. The beast then took out my knees with her tiny body. She was stronger than any demon or fae I had ever met, so strong it was concerning. Air whooshed from my lungs when my back made contact with the wooden floors.
“You pulled my hair! What kind of a male does that? I should kill you for your crimes!” Anastasia swayed as she stood, her nose bleeding not black, but a deep blue.
“What are you?” I asked with a wheeze. Something was very wrong.
“I told you, idiot! I am the holder of Sin and Virtue—a high demon. Your kind call us gods. Which is ridiculous by the way, there is no such thing.” Scoffing, she slowly lowered herself to the ground near my feet. Three deep breaths later, I too sat up, facing her with more than a few questions.
“So, the god that abducted Asher, was he actually a high demon?” My mind was racing, unable to comprehend so much information, let alone acknowledge the fact that she was freely offering it all.
“Padon? Yes, he is unfortunately the emperor of Shamay, our world. Which is why I need Asher’s help. He’s currently planning to take not only her, but your entire world. Whatever she is doing, he cannot sense her magic, but as soon as he does, he will come for her. The moment she is in his grasp, he will destroy Alemthian. The demons are desperate, and he thinks Asher is the answer.”
“Why does he think she can help? Why does he want to destroy our world?”
“According to him, she has the potential to become a high demon. If he ascends her, then she can possibly solve an issue we are experiencing. It is a long story. All I need is for Asher to help me find someone. Stella. She can fix everything.”
“You know Stella?” I inquired with narrowed eyes. Anastasia would not be deterred. She glared my way, crossing her arms and scowling. “Asher is gone.”
The words stung, admitting them like accepting defeat. But she would not be gone forever. Henry and Lian were taking care of her while I took care of Pike—of Eoforhild. That had to be enough.
“Fuck. That’s going to be a problem. Is she dead or did she just dump you?” The nonchalance of such a question practically left steam coming out of my ears. Blood lust seemed to fill me, like a pot left to simmer. I wanted to explode—to kill her and anyone else who stood in my way of Asher.
Instead, I took my shoe and chucked it at her. Glee stretched my lips into a smile as it connected with her face, sending her head careening backwards. I did not know why, but I felt closer to Asher in that moment, like she had rubbed off on me in some way. It was something she would do, after all.
“You son of a—ow! Eternity above, sorry I hit a nerve you big baby!” She grabbed her forehead, massaging the spot where the toe of my boot had smacked into her. Her nose had stopped bleeding, a blue streak running down her cheek where it had dried into flakes. She healed quickly, similar to demons and fae. Not a god, but a high demon. Had all gods of the faith been high demons all along?
Perhaps she could help me with all of that magic.
“Asher was taken by the fae king and queen. If you help me get her—” The words sent a spark of pain into my temples, Asher’s voice echoing across my consciousness.
“What is wrong? Why are you scrunching your face like that? You look ugly,” she said, indifferent. She was so odd. And gods was she rude.
“Asher has used her magic to stop me from helping her. It is why I had to send others to do it. Why I am here when she is there.” Broken. My voice could only be described as broken.
Anastasia cocked her head to the side, contemplating something in that wicked mind of hers. Probably nothing good.
“I can do a siphon spell with some runes. It won’t take long, but it will hurt.” Shrugging, she stood and walked past me towards my desk, opening up every drawer until she found a pot of ink stashed in the bottom one. I tried not to growl in frustration at the way she left each of them open. With that, she snatched my old glass of water, drank it in one long gulp, and then threw it in the trash. The sound of it smashing really did pull the sound of irritation out of me then. “Down dog, it was an ugly glass anyways. Remind me to teach you taste if we all survive this. Now, lay back, take off your shirt, and prepare yourself. This is only going to be entertaining for one of us, and it isn’t you.”
Laying back, I watched as she dipped her finger into the ink. With a final glare, I unbuttoned the black tunic I was wearing but left it on my arms. That must have been enough skin, because she only whistled and smirked before bringing her finger to my stomach. Which runes she was drawing across my skin, I did not know. I only knew a few from what I had learned of the gods, which must have been what she was using. I stayed silent as she worked, slowly covering my body in the ink.
“This won’t take the magic from your veins, by the way. In case you were worried about losing that little bit of Stella’s essence,” she whispered, moving to make a mark on my forehead. I blinked up at her, surprised by the words.
“Why would that worry me? I would be lucky to be rid of it. All it serves is to bring me that much closer to death.” If what I said surprised her, she did not show it. She just stared at her finger while she worked and furrowed her brow.
“You’re lucky to be gifted something as eternal as Moon magic. Stella came from a long line of conquerors. Her magic was made for a throne. Even if you were clearly not given it the right way, it’s still a gift.” As her finger ran across my cheek, a soft sigh left her mouth. “Regardless, there’s only one way to get it out of your system now that you have been given it, and that’s death.”
“Old news,” I whispered. She paused for a second, as if she somehow could see my death too. Just as promptly as she had stopped, she started once more, painting me in magic that made my hairs rise and bumps spread across my bare skin.
“So, lover boy, tell me, how did Asher get taken on your watch again? You’re oh for two right now.” Lover boy? What was wrong with this female?
I was the ocean. I was unmovable, unforgiving, a tempest.
Breathe.
She was no more than a ship at my mercy. Her words meant nothing.
The rage disagreed as it rolled within me like a hurricane, disrupting the ocean of tranquility that I claimed myself to be.
“What did you do to get cast away? Did you upset your leader? Did you throw a tantrum? You seem so very levelheaded with your drunken idiocy and your inability to shut the fuck up,” I hissed. With eerie speed, Anastasia reached up and snapped my nose, the crunch so loud it seemed to echo in my ears.
I cried out, rolling away from her and grabbing at my face. Blood poured freely from my nose and coated my hands. It was so much sexier when Ash did it.
With a deep breath, I released my nose and flashed her my middle finger, hoping it translated to whatever underworld forsaken hole she crawled out of.
“You’re nothing but a little bitch who can’t see past his own wants and needs. Now tell me what exactly happened to Asher while I fix your nose,” she hissed.I rolled back towards her, ignoring her quip in favor of lifting my nose towards her. A flash of bright pink smoke appeared around my face, and then the pain was gone. It did not hurt like Ranbir’s power. Instead, it was an instantaneous burst of magic that came and went like a whisper in the wind. Before I could answer her, she mumbled, “Mortals as stupid as you shouldn’t be so attractive.”
“That was the worst compliment I have ever received,” I grumbled, wiping the blood off my nose with my sleeve. She merely offered me a look of disinterest before once more dipping her finger into the ink and painting my skin. “As I was trying to say, Asher was taken by the fae king and queen. They raised her, and they were determined to get her back. She… sacrificed herself for me.”
“Well that’s unfortunate.” With that she swiped her finger across my collar bone, then pressed down. “Brace yourself.”
The pain was excruciating. It felt like my very soul was being cleaved from within me. As if the high demon were digging it out with her pink claws. A scream slipped from between my lips, and I wondered how long the agony would last. Just as I thought it, the pain dissipated.
“Gods, that hurt,” I groaned, pushing myself up to a sitting position. “Did it work?”
“How would I know? You’re the one with magic attacking your concerningly nice body,” she retorted.
“Even if I did not have Asher, I still would not want you anywhere near my obviously amazing body. Also, it is my head that her magic affects,” I added with a wave of my hand. With that in mind, I decided there was no time like the horrifying present to test out the success of the runes.
Asher. Perhaps I could portal there, storm the palace made of gold and heartbreak. I could get her. Save her. Bring her home.
“I feel…nothing. There is no pain,” I whispered, the disbelief—the joy —bringing tears to my eyes. “Anastasia, I—I do not know how to thank you. You might be annoying and rude, but you just changed my life.”
I could go get her. I could kill them all. I could—
“Don’t thank me yet, pretty boy. You owe me some labor before you go off and whisk your princess away.” My head whipped towards her, watching as she smirked and wiped her hand on my red quilt, staining it with the black ink. “You can call me Stassi, by the way. It seems like we are about to become reluctant allies.”