47. Mother-in-Law from Hell #3
“You’re a vile excuse for a person let alone a parent.
Now if you want to leave in one piece, be gone!
Rinn is not your shield or your pawn. You can leave that bastard husband of yours or suffer under his boot.
But don’t think for one moment that you can take advantage of Rinn.
You should have been proud of him, protected him.
You failed as a mother at every turn. And that ends now!
” There’s iron in her voice and I finally lift my head to catch Mother stepping back, looking scared.
Aleiraah's demonic rings are also encircling me, and strangely I find them soothing. Almost like I’m linked to her. A faint smile curves my lips even as blood seeps into my eyes.
Mother’s gaze bounces between the two of us, fear and hopelessness warring in her expression.
Fighting against the dizziness and pain, I state hoarsely, “Aleiraah is my only family. From this day onward you are no one to me. If my brothers come after me you will regret it. Warn them and Father. I won’t hesitate to kill him or his sons to keep my mate safe. I’ll not show mercy next time.”
Her face crumples as she sobs, but it fails to elicit any compassion for her. She stopped being my mother centuries ago. Now she’s just Father’s puppet.
Giving me one last sorrowful look, she turns and vanishes into a hidden portal.
“Oh, Rinn! What did you do? Your beautiful horns.” Aleiraah chokes out, eyes brimming with tears, while holding my face carefully in her soft hands.
“I needed to...break free. Should’ve long ago. Sorry, Flame. Now t-they can’t summon me like I’m their lapdog.” I groan, as a fresh wave of agony assails me. Aleiraah guides my head to her lap and I close my eyes.
“D-don’t worry, my Flame. I’ll k-kill them all, if they come after y-you.” My teeth begin to chatter and I suddenly feel impossibly cold. “I w-won’t let them harm you,” I try to focus on her face, but darkness creeps into my vision.
“Shh…Azael is on his way. He’ll heal you right away. Just hold on for me.” She sounds pained, threading her fingers through my hair gently, and a sense of peace washes over me.
A water drop followed by another hits my face and I realize she's crying.
“D-don’t cry, baby. I’m not worth your tears.” I try to smile but I’m sure it turns into a grimace.
She sniffles, trying hard to stem her tears. “Do I look less h-handsome?” I tease weakly, to distract her a little.
But instead of smiling her expression falls, and a tortured sound escapes her. No matter what I do, I only seem to cause her pain.
“You’ll always be the most handsome demon, Rinn. With or without horns. I just don’t like seeing you hurt like this.” She touches my jaw with infinite care.
“It needed to be d-done. Always belittled me. Spoke badly of you. Finally cut t-them off.”
“I know, Rinn.” She weeps, rocking me slowly. “I hope you don’t regret it, giving up a part of yourself, your ability to portal home.” She adds with a quiet sadness that I almost miss her words.
“You’re m-my home, Flame. You make me happy. Don’t need anything else.” I bite my cheek hard, as the pain in my head intensifies. My body’s turning numb.
She remains quiet, so I continue, “I’ll d-deal with them once my head’s not splitting in two.”
“You’ll do no such thing, Ifrinn Darkwhim!” Her voice is mixed with shock and outrage, as she wipes the blood running down my face with the edge of her shirt. “Once you recover we shall have words. I’m married to reckless, self-destructive baboons!” She mutters.
Feeling delirious, I grin. Things are turning hazy fast. My body’s finally shutting down from the shock.
“Your rings feel warm, Flame. Like…like I’m not alone.
” My words come out in a slur. Aleiraah grows increasingly alarmed, calling out my name.
I try to reassure her, but my lips refuse to move.
I think I hear Azael’s voice but everything fades away.
Aleiraah
“Sorry Azizam, I was a bit far out when you mind-linked me. He’s in shock.
His body needs time to heal.” Azael examines Rinn while channelling his manna into his unmoving form.
At least he’s no longer bleeding from his temples.
“What was he thinking, breaking off his horns?” Azael mutters under his breath and I recount the events concerning Rinn’s mother showing up unannounced.
His face grows thunderous, jaw hewn from stone by the time I’m done.
“Good,” Azael says darkly. I look up from Rinn’s unconscious face, surprised by his rare, strong reaction. His eyes turn gentle at my bewildered look. “I've learned a lot about the others lately. Despite everything, Ifrinn didn’t deserve how his family treated him. Here, I’ll carry him inside.”
He lifts Rinn onto his shoulder and my rings encircling us until now, dissolve. Azael noticed them earlier with an unreadable expression but didn't say anything.
Just then a loud commotion disrupts the quiet. It's coming from the direction of the front lawns. Azael and I both head in that direction.
Upon arriving, I find two huge dragons, an ivory and a red one taking flight and immediately colliding midair.
Baz and his mother are fighting.