41. Chapter 41
W ith the stained cloth in hand, Eden wiped the same knife for about five minutes while she was lost in thought. She had gone to spend the night in Kappa after she decided it would be her last chance to have a good night with Wyatt before everything eventually exploded in her face. He had been his usual self when she arrived and turned on his favorite songs to show her on his record player. With each song she had felt the weight of her lies and became lost inside her mind in wishful thinking. Eventually he had pulled her out of it as he pulled her into his arms where Eden wished she didn’t have to leave.
“Earth to Eden,” Bastien waved his hand in front of her face.
She jumped and dropped the weapon to the floor. She quickly scooped it up before she spoke. “What Bas?”
“Are you sure you still want to do this? You know once he finds out-”
“I will worry about Wyatt once you and Corvus are safe from our family. Even if he is mad, maybe one day he’d understand. We’ve both done some pretty fucked up things.”
“If you do this, Eden, I don't know if you’ll ever get the chance to walk away again.”
She stayed quiet as his words took root, if Wyatt walked away from her as he said he would, she wouldn’t leave. She would remain with The Salvamari and marry Holden or Chase. Her eyes drifted away from him and to the two Demon Daggers on the table as she took one final chance to deliberate. It would be helpful if you’d weigh in, Xemos. She waited for his voice to enter her mind through the chain-like connection in her mind.
When nothing came, she sighed defeated and scooped them back up. Quickly, she settled them into their homes inside her belt she looked at Aron who was half awake, his eyes on the floor beneath him. Her eyes scanned over the various ways Chase and Holden had tried to get him to talk. Each wound sent a new and heavier pang of guilt into her stomach as each had sealed her decision to protect Bastien.
“It’s too late, we have the dagger and his best friend. Lennox will join him soon and I’m the very pawn he told me not to become… Once again.”
Her mother had somehow won again, she had convinced her to follow along in her missions and had even enlisted Holden to help keep her there. It had worked, Eloise had let her keep Wyatt even if it was only for a short period of time while Holden did what he did best. Observed her weaknesses and trapped her with her own soft heart. Anger and radical acceptance filled her chest as she knew her choice had been made for her and she had already sealed her fate. The realization sent something dark and clouded over her mind as red filled the edges of her vision. The bracelet Wyatt had given her now sent light pulses of electricity which felt like flutters that she decided to ignore, however, it swiftly grounded her back to the moment.
She hated Eloise at this moment as much as she hated Lennox. Now a new decision had to be made- Who to take revenge on first? Before she could decide, someone seemed to have made it for her and it was time to push forward. If I’m a pawn, I’ll show them what a pawn can do. The door above them opened and shut followed by slow, deliberate footsteps that didn’t match any of the Miller’s. There was no question about who it was since everyone else hadn’t left the house since Aron’s arrival.
“Someone came to play hero, just like I thought.” She took a few steps toward the chained demon and bent down slightly with a smirk across her face. “Hey, good news for you two. We don't need that summoning anymore, she came to save you.”
Aron’s eyes shot up to meet Eden’s showing his hatred for her, an angry growl escaped his chest as she stood. “You better hope you don’t miss when you try to kill me.”
“Oh, I promise I won’t.”
Eden went up the stairs and followed silently behind Lennox whose bright pink hair made it easy to see from a good distance. She climbed the stairs decorated with fake pine branches and lights to the second floor and peered around the doors and seemed lost on where to go next. Eden pressed her back into the shadows of the stairs where she knew she wouldn’t be seen if the demon turned around grateful for the wreath of holly for extra cover.
It was a few minutes before she heard the demon’s footsteps recede down the hallway and continued to follow her. The house was so silent she could have heard a pin drop as she rounded the corner to see Lennox opening the door to Eloise’s office. The demon wore her true demonic form, large wings made of twisted vines which took up a good portion of the hall. Her eyes illuminated green and the silver chains on her arms glowed in the dimly lit hall while the buzz of magic filled the air. Seconds after Lennox crossed the threshold of the office she was pushed back out by the throat. Eloise appeared from her office as she forced the demon back out, easily since she stood a few inches taller than her.
“Now just where do you think you’re going?” Eloise hissed as she pressed the demon against the wall which almost knocked into a tall nutcracker standing in the hallway.
“I know your crazy family took Aron!”
Lennox snapped and gripped at the woman’s wrists. She was able to take hold of one and with a flash of light Eloise shook it off while she yelled in pain. When her hand moved it left behind angry bumps much like poison ivy. The slender woman used her strength and slammed Lennox by the throat into the wall harder than before. Her head bounced off the drywall which made the photos hanging above shift and threaten to fall on top of them.
“Actually, just my daughter. She knew you’d play the good guy so don’t worry, she has a spot for you right next to your little friend.” The disgust in her eyes as she stared at Lennox was so clear Eden could see it from down the hall. “You’ve made it all so much easier for me by delivering yourself here. Once you two are gone, Mr. Steele will soon follow and I get to be the good guy to Eden once again.”
Lennox was holding her head and seemed too dizzy to fight back though she grabbed at Eloise once more, kicking a foot out. The hunter dodged her foot and moved her foot between the demon’s legs and forced it out to the side. As she turned her body, Eloise used the force of Lennox’s fall to shove her toward the ground. Her head bounced off the hardwood floor where she remained motionless, wings limply encased her form. From the doorframe of the office Holden appeared and stepped right on the edge of the ivy which caused it to retract back into her body the glow from her chains still dimly lit.
“So who’s this bubblegum bitch?” He asked as he followed the Matriarch’s gaze, neither of them had noticed Eden.
Eden’s eyebrows met as she watched the two closely. It wasn’t uncommon for a suitor to have meetings with the Matriarch who selected them, however, she had seen them chatting at least once a day since Aron arrived. Holden’s threat of telling Eloise about Bastien and Corvus made her question if this had been their plan all along. We are just trying to get you back on the right path Eden, I love you and I only want what’s best. Eloise’s voice chimed in behind him from the other night as she had prepared to go to Kappa. In the moment she thought she had been referring to the other Miller family members, had she meant Holden and her? There was no time for questions, they had both demons now and the timer was ticking on when Wyatt and the school would realize both are now missing.
“Unfortunately, the one who gave birth to me.” Eden had already made her way to them and acted as if she had just walked up to the scene.
Both hunters turned to face her, Eloise looking at her in surprise before she wiped it from her face with a proud smile. “Eden, you were right, and in two days.”
“I knew she wouldn’t be able to resist saving him. He told Chase that she had the dagger hidden and he didn’t even tell Lennox he was taking it back. It was only a matter of time.”
She shoved her anger at the two aside as she moved to take Lennox downstairs herself. Holden stepped forward and lifted their victim from the floor and put her over his shoulder. Eden frowned but didn’t say anything to oppose him. He turned away from them as they started to make her way down the hall with Holden close behind her. Has Eloise really turned me into this again? She looked to Holden. Or is it because of him?
When the two entered the basement Bastien was already stationed by the table with a pair of cuffs like the ones they had on Aron. He stepped forward as Holden went to the hook on the floor five feet from Aron, quickly secured the chains to her wrists and hooked it to the bolt. Beside them the Head of House pulled against his own theaters in an attempt to get closer.
“Len?! What did you do to her?” He demanded but was ignored by the two men. His eyes shot to Eden who crossed her arms over her chest.
Aron raised his eyebrows at her and scanned her face for what she didn’t know. “I did nothing, it was more of an Eloise thing.”
“You’ve done all this, don’t act innocent.” The deeper voice of Armaros growled. “You say you’re here to protect Humanity, say you don’t like demons, probably not Angels either for that matter. You put yourself at such a superior level to all of us immortal beings, yet here you stand the only one destroying lives for the hell of it.”
Eden felt the knot in her throat pull even tighter as only last week she would have never made a move against the two. The Fallen Angel’s words tugged at the side of her Wyatt had created. She kept her eyes on Holden as they finished with the chains and stepped beside her. Something snapped within her as anger seeped into the edges of her vision again. Here it was, her revenge was staring her in the face, yet it was bittered by the distaste for Eloise and Holden and the impending downfall of the best thing she ever had.
“Don’t worry, you two will be the last lives I take.”
From the corner of her eye she saw Bastien give her a small smile and nod. Eden stepped toward the still sleeping demon and turned her head slightly to keep Aron in her sight. He pulled at his chains in attempts to stop her and his veins started to glow orange as the heat beneath tried to escape. He was held to his spot only able to use strong short bursts of powers due to the chains which made her feel slightly less weary of being so close.
“Hey, time to wake up.” She kicked Lennox’s foot and frowned. She bent down to her level and patted her with an open hand a bit rougher than needed. “Come on now, it’s time to have some fun and maybe a chat before you die- Mother.”
When the demon still didn’t move she pulled out one of the enchanted daggers from her belt. Eden turned it in her palm and rose it above her shoulder before she plunged it right into Lennox’s left thigh. When it made contact the silver blade started turning orange and a blood curdling scream was released from her victim. A smirk followed as she looked over to an angry Aron who still pulled at his restraints with a clenched jaw as his own grunts echoed behind her screams.
Lennox leaned forward and tried to grab for the burning metal in her leg as she let out shorter screams and groans of pain. Between the screams she took in her surroundings and froze when her eyes fell on Aron beside her. Eden watched her eyes widen in satisfying fear as dots seemed to connect in her mind. Quickly, Eden pushed her back into the wall, grabbed her face and forced her to look directly at her. Her heart raced as she stared into the purple eyes she and Lennox shared.
“I’ve been waiting to use that one, your lover boy here wouldn’t find it effective so I saved it for you. You know, fire doesn’t really hurt fire.” She told her barely heard over the woman’s pain.
With her left hand she retrieved it, stood and moved out of range once more as Lennox caught her breath before she spoke. “You seem to like to save the best for last.”
“You’ve put that together, already? I mean they told me you were smart but it took a bit longer than I thought it would. I thought you’d put it together on the day wings here saved you and hunt me down yourself.”
“That’s definitely still on the table,” Aron interjected.
“The girls are talking now, you’ve had two days to make your threats, and honestly Mister Hyde is a bit more threatening than a frat boy.” Eden snapped before she returned her attention to Lennox.
“I knew they weren’t really your targets.” She glared through gritted teeth.
“Felix was actually, Rue well- She was for fun. Revenge.”
Anger flared up within the demon and quickly faded into frustration as her eyes went a dull green and faded back to purple. “Let him go and you can do whatever you want to me, Aron isn’t part of the reason you’re angry.”
Eden let out a laugh before shaking her head, “It’s funny how you think you’re the one in the position to make any more deals with anyone. That’s what put you here in the first place.”
She turned to Bastien who quietly watched behind her and nodded for him to leave. He gave her a concerned look which Eden ignored and tilted her head and motioned with her eyes to the door. Without a question he turned and went up the stairs.
“I was doing what I had to- What I thought would keep you safe.” Lennox’s voice wafted over to Eden making her turn back to them.
“You don’t have to explain yourself to her, she’s not going to see it for what it was.” Aron spoke up.
“Like how you don’t have to explain what that dagger meant?” Eden snapped back. “You know she’s just going to figure it out whether you want her to or not. That you two are now bo-”
“That is none of your business, Child.” Armaros’s deep voice replaced Aron’s followed by black eyes.
“It’s something I’d like to know too.” Lennox interjected as the chains rattled when she turned to face the demon. “Preferably before I die.”
The black eyes faded back to green and Aron looked apologetically at her. “He seems to think now isn’t the right time.”
“There may be no other time,” Lennox rolled her eyes.
“Do you two ever not bicker? I mean, hell I’m the one with the daggers.” Eden put her hands on her hips, already tired of the two. “If you don’t find a way to keep yourself contained, I will.”
“Do it,” He challenged.
Her gaze fell on the two sided demon and decided now was the time to test the extent of her magic. Her eyes shifted back to blue as she stalked forward and got within an inch of his reach. The orange in his veins slowly faded as in the space between his chest and her hand formed an orb of clear liquid formed as she drained the water from his muscles. She kept her gaze on him close; he seemed to weaken just enough to make him non lethal until his body found a way to cope with the loss.
“Since we were so rudely interrupted, I’d like to know how you thought a deal with a Crossroads Demon was going to keep your child safe?” She turned her attention back to Lennox who watched with fear plain in her eyes.
Lennox let out a shutter as Eden stepped over to her. “When your father died… I thought Wyatt’s curse had come back. Xemos told me it was a coincidence- People die- I didn’t believe him and I had to make sure it would never come for you.”
“You devoted yourself to him and he told me himself he doesn’t lie to his devotees. So I ask again, why?”
“I couldn’t believe him because it had taken so much already. I couldn’t let you take on the curse too. It wasn’t your burden to bear.”
Eden paused as she listened, and considered Lennox’s words, however she had only known Eloise as a mother figure. No matter how hard Eden had fought against the family values at first Eloise had never abandoned her. Never dropped her at a doorstep as someone else’s problem.
“You didn’t have to leave your child. Family is a bond, a promise and you broke it.”
With the orb of water still floating between the chained up demons, she guided over the metal chains where it formed into thick ice around the chains attached to Lennox completely immobilizing her. Once again she pulled out the fire dagger and held it over the same spot she had cut Aron. She sent a smirk over to the man before pressing the blade deeply into her skin. The two locked eyes as Lennox screamed louder when she dragged the smoking metal across her skin.
Eden turned her attention back to Lennox as she pulled the knife away. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw a black feathered wing shoot in front of her victim. It suddenly went forward and caught Eden roughly in the stomach knocking the wind out of her as she was forced a few feet away. Her eyes darted to Aron whose eyes had returned to black and smiled as fire lit up inside them. Under her anger she felt the instinctual human fear
As she slid on the floor she grabbed at the wing and pulled his dagger from her belt. He seemed to have spotted this and retracted away from her once more and used it to shield Lennox. Armaros let out a low deep laugh.
“You're afraid... Pulling out your sure weapon right away- Look how easily you want to kill me! It's so weak.” His eyes darkened as he forced himself forward in an effort to get closer. “From all the time spent torturing in hell I can practically taste the fear in someone’s actions, and the fear in you is strong and sweet. You don’t deserve someone like Mister Steele, whore.”
The red returned to Eden’s vision and her grip tightened on the hilt of the weapon still in her hand. She stalked forward, and raised the dagger with the full intent of burying it in his chest every thought in her mind dissipated. The only thing in her line of vision was the demon’s wide smirk and she could have sworn he still welcomed the attack. Until a set of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back a few steps.
“It’s what he wants, don’t give in just yet, Little Bird- Savor it.”
“Let me go, Holden!” She snapped and pushed at his hands in attempts to get him to do what she demanded. “You and Eloise wanted this! Just let me finish it!”
“Not yet, not when you can use her against him. We need to know what he’s not telling us.” Holden’s voice dipped low beside her ear as she continued to fight him.
She stopped as he squeezed her side hard enough to make her grimace. He didn’t even deny her accusations. “I knew it.”
“You knew what?” He roughly turned her to face him.
“I knew you and Eloise were working together to make it so I’d have no choice but to come back!”
“Of course we were, Eden. Eloise would never allow you to destroy yourself. We knew you would protect Bastien.”
His voice was irritatingly calm as he looked down on her. “I was happy! I’ve told you, I don’t belong in this family.”
“I think you do,” Armaros’s deep chuckle drifted over. “Because if you cared about Wyatt, you wouldn’t have brought us down here.”
“Eden, you still have that chance. You can still destroy the daggers and we will defend you to Wyatt.” Lennox spoke quickly and met Eden’s eyes.
Silence filled the room as she looked between two of Wyatt’s best friends and Holden who still held her in place. Air caught in her lungs as she forced the man’s hands off of her finally. I can’t do this… There can’t still be a chance. Eden settled the dagger back into her belt and let her feet carry her towards the stairs as the feeling of being trapped flooded and sent her heart racing.
“Little Bird-”
She heard footsteps behind her. “Stop me and you’ll be the next one with a dagger in their body.”
Among the darkness inside of her there was a small beacon of light that begged for her to follow it out the door only twenty feet from her. She could go to Wyatt and explain everything, help Aron and Lennox escape. However, it was then that more questions burdened her of their future. Where would they be in five years? Ten years? Twenty? Where would they be, she still human and him immortal? No, she would die and he would continue, unless she became like him. The thought sent her skin crawling as she moved toward her room. Is love worth the sacrifice of my humanity?