Chapter Four
Serenity
My heart was beating hard and fast for so long after I took off on Silas.
I had no idea where I was going but, the farther I went from him, the more my heart ached. It felt completely wrong to be running from him, and a part of me thinks he was telling the truth about us. I felt like I was leaving a part of me behind.
Maybe I was.
That’s a crazy thought though. I have only met the man a couple of times. There is no way I could have these feelings that he was mine; unless what he told me was true.
How could that be true? Lucifer isn’t real, right?
We have all heard of the seven deadly sins, but they can’t be actual beings. It’s not possible.
When I finally pull up to a motel I think is far enough away, I bring my suitcase and a bag of stuff to eat that I grabbed from the gas station. It won’t be as good as the burgers I asked Silas for, but it will sustain me for a little while.
It takes me forever to fall asleep. I kept thinking of the things Silas told me. A part of me believes him, but my mind is screaming that would be crazy. Stuff like that isn’t real.
That would be crazy to believe him.
“It’s not that crazy. Stranger things have happened,” a voice says.
I sit up with a gasp and look around the room.
“Who said that?”
“I’m sorry to startle you, my child. I thought this was the best way to contact you,” the voice says.
“You’re in my head,” I say with a shaky voice. I’m hearing voices now, great.
“I see you have run from my son. Running from him won’t help. The mark you carry will always help me, or him, find you,” the voice says.
“You can’t be real. There is no way you are… him,” I say and swallow hard.
I hear a chuckle. “It’s okay to say my name, dear, when we are family. You have nothing to fear.”
“Nothing to fear? Lucifer is talking in my head,” I say, trying not to sound hysterical.
“What my son told you was true. I chose you for him. I’ve been watching you for a long time,” the voice says.
“Why me?” I ask.
“Because you have been through struggles, you have no one in your corner, and I know you won’t automatically fall at my son’s feet. I love my boys, I really do, but they have got quite used to getting everything they want and not having to work for anything,” he says.
“So, you’ve decided to basically arrange marriages for your sons?” I ask, still pretty skeptical.
“I knew I was always going to give them brides. The time wasn’t right until now.
My son that is intended for you has the power of lust. Anyone who comes into contact with him, or close to him, cannot resist him.
He could literally have anyone he wanted, and I saw the sadness in his eyes because none of the interactions were genuine.
He knew he couldn’t trust what anyone felt was real until I found his bride and made her immune to his energy. ”
That thought makes me sad. Never being able to trust what anyone felt for you was real would be lonely.
I don’t know what that feels like since I have never let myself get close to anyone enough to even have to question our relationship.
Yes, I know. I had kept my virginity until six months ago when the person who beat and raped me stole it. After my family was killed, I was focused on survival more than trying to get intimate with anyone.
Right now, the thought of anyone touching me, even someone like Silas, brings fear and panic inside of me.
I don’t know how I would get to that place. He’s the sin of lust. There is no way he could live without touching me. There is no way I would be good enough for him. What I have to offer isn’t enough.
“Everything will make sense in time,” the voice says. I jump, forgetting that I have him in my head.
“How long are you going to lurk in my head like a creeper?” I ask dryly.
“I need to check on my daughters from time to time. Don’t worry; I only do it when I feel you need family,” he says.
“What do you mean feel?” I ask curiously.
“I can sense when my sons and daughters need me. That’s part of the connection with the mark I had given all of you. It’s there for more than decoration. It’s something to keep my children connected to me so I can always be there for them, and I will know if anyone will try to harm them,” he says.
“Harm? I already have someone wanting to harm me; I don’t need any hell beings coming after me,” I say, starting to panic.
“I know, Serenity. I haven’t been able to figure out who attacked you.
Once I find out who, they will pay for what they did.
As I was saying before, there come times when people will want my spot in Hell.
The best way to do that is to go after my children.
I have to keep an eye on that. No one threatens my children,” he says in a tone that should scare me, but I don’t feel like he wants to harm me in any way.
Is it weird to feel the safety in his voice? Somehow, I know he means it when he says he wants to protect me.
Silas
Waiting around for my bride to settle has me pacing my room for a long time.
I don’t want to leave her side; I want to keep her with me always.
Is it weird to be obsessed with someone this fast? Probably. I don’t care though. I know she’s mine, and I want her here in my home where I know she’s safe.
She doesn’t know what kind of danger lurks around. She only knows of the human possible threats; she has never had to face any of the malicious beings of Hell before.
Not everyone likes that my family is in power, but no one is strong enough to take us on.
Demons try every now and then to challenge us, but it never works in their favour.
There have been a few escapees to the mortal world, but there are so many beings here that it’s hard to keep track of them all.
The urge to be with my bride is strong, so I decide to follow her. I need to know she’s safe.
I feel for our bond and, once I feel the connection, I make a portal so I can be close to her.
It brings me outside a motel. I can feel her presence in there, but I won’t scare her just yet by letting her know I can find her no matter where she goes.
I don’t want any mortals to call the cops on me for watching the door all night, so I camouflage myself. No mortals can see me but, if there are demons or any supernatural beings present, they will be able to.
My brothers would laugh if they saw me now. This woman already has me wrapped around her finger, and she doesn’t even know it.
“You are already that far gone?”
I jump at the voice and look over to see my brother Gareth.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, annoyed by his presence.
“I was curious about you and your bride. This will definitely bring some entertainment to our lives,” he says with a shrug.
“She ran away from me. I can’t say it’s going well right now, but I don’t want to let her out of my sight,” I tell him.
“I get it. There’s already something lurking around here,” he says, looking around.
The moment he says that, I feel the presence. I was so focused on my bride that I didn’t feel or see anything around. Maybe it is a good thing my brother came here.
“What do you think they want?” I ask, trying to find whatever it is.
That’s when I see it. A dark figure, almost shadow like, so I know it’s not mortal. There’s a dark edge to them slowly approaching her room door.
“It looks lower level but, the feeling I’m getting from it is anything but lower,” Gareth whispers.
The being doesn’t look this way, or it would know that we were here.
Every step closer to the door that the being takes increases my desire to tear the being apart.
“I can’t just let it get to her,” I whisper as Gareth has a hand on my shoulder to stop me.
“How are we going to know what it wants if we kill it before we find out?” he whispers back.
The being must hear us because its head turns but is covered, so we can’t see who it is.
It makes some sort of gesture and, the next thing we know, we see a lot of shadows coming out of the darkness.
“Fuck,” Gareth says, looking around.
“We need to get her back to the palace,” I hiss.
“How are we going to get through all of that?” Gareth asks.
I get a bit worried too because if it was only a few beings, we could handle them no problem; but there looks to be about a hundred of them coming out. There is no way I can keep her safe and kill them at the same time. I have a feeling that’s the intention; to keep me distracted.
“Looks like we got here just in time,” a new voice says, and I turn to see the rest of my brothers walk in from a portal.
“How did you guys know we needed you?” Gareth asks them in surprise.
“Pops told us all with that freaky telepath shit he does,” Lorenzo says, looking around in excitement.
I swear the only time you see him excited is when there is a battle ready to happen. He loves taking down anyone who threatens our family.
“Let’s get this over with and save your bride,” Jasper says with a yawn.
I don’t wait for anyone else to say anything before starting to take out the beings that arrived.
These ones are lower level, and it won’t take much to beat them.
I grab the blades that I always have on hand and take the beings out one by one as I try to make my way to the door. I glance at the door and see the main being has now opened it. Fuck.
I’m coming, baby. Just hold on.
I hear a scream as I get closer to the door and, when I finally make it there, I see my bride on the floor unconscious with blood pooling around her. My father stands in front of her, protecting her. There is an anger in his eyes that I have never see before.
“Leave my daughter alone,” he growls out.
“If you think getting rid of me will make this stop, it won’t. I’m not the only one ready to take care of your precious daughter, and the others when we find them,” the voice rumbles.
My dad looks shocked for a moment when he mentions all of his daughters, and that gives the being enough time to escape.
I rush over to my bride and see blood coming from her stomach.
“Fuck. Don’t die on me now,” I cry out.
“She’s going to be okay, son,” my dad says, kneeling on the other side of her.
“She has got a huge gash through her stomach. How is she going to be okay? I can see her insides. There is no way she can survive this,” I snap out.
“She’s already healing,” he says, looking down at her in awe.
That’s when I look down to see her body knitting back together.
“How? Are you doing that?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “No, I think that’s her.”
“She’s mortal, she doesn’t have any power,” I state.
“She is mortal, but the bond is already starting to develop. Once it starts, their powers will slowly develop. I think this attack is making them form faster. Your life forces are joining together,” he says in awe.
“She has the power to heal herself?” I ask as I watch her slowly heal.
“It won’t just be herself. She will have the power to heal, period,” my dad says.
“Let’s take her back to the palace; she’s not safe up top right now,” I say while picking her up.
My brothers walk in.
“The threat is gone for now,” Leopold says.
“Let’s get our sister home,” Fredrick says.
My dad creates a portal back to the palace, and I carry my bride to our home where she will be much safer as we can protect her better there.
I don’t care if she has the power to heal. That’s not something I want to see again. I thought I had really lost her.
It’s fucked up to think that I don’t know how I could live without her already when I barely know her.
I guess that’s the power of a bond.