Chapter 33
ARIANNA
Walking into the bathroom, I close the door quietly behind me and sink to the floor before bursting into tears.
The last time I felt fear was when my grandfather was murdered.
This time, I didn’t have anyone to help me—to stop them from touching me.
I tremble remembering their hands on my body and the way they grabbed me.
I’ve never been hit in the face before, and they seemed to know the right places to hit to cause the most damage.
Wincing, I gently walk over to stand in front of the mirror and stare at my reflection. Bruises color my ribs and stomach, both my eyes are black, and my lip is cut. My cheekbone has a bloody slit along it from where the daemon’s fist connected with it, and my nose is at a funny angle.
I just stare, unable to tear my eyes away from my reflection.
As each second passes, a tear rolls down my cheek until I am hugging my body and uncontrollably sobbing.
My hands scrub at my sore skin, trying to clean the blood and sand off.
It hurts, but I don’t want any reminder that they touched me, that they almost got a part of me that belongs only to Gaelan.
Seeing a shower in the corner of the bathroom, my feet drag me over to it, each step feeling heavier in my pain.
I turn the hot water on and step in. As soon as it hits my skin, I whimper and then lower myself to the ground, hugging my legs.
The water is burning my flesh, but the sting feels good.
I need it to help wash away those daemons.
The cuffs are still clamped tightly around my wrists. I can’t clean myself with them still on, so I use my fingers to try and get them off, but they won’t budge.
“So close.”
“The book, my darling.”
“We make them pay.”
“Light in darkness.”
The voices in my head echo around me, like they’re trying to comfort me somehow. Those daemons used my own magic against me. They were going to take me to Macy; I would have been dead. She would have gotten her way again.
I lower my head and continue to cry, my body shivering with fear. A fear that I’m not strong enough for this—that no matter what I do, I’m going to lose. For someone who is meant to be all-powerful, I feel helpless.
I hear a light tap on the door, but I don’t want to see whoever is out there.
He resembles Gaelan but is different. His face shape is the same, but much bigger.
They have the same eye color, shape, and dimpled grin.
Trelor’s neck is made of pure muscle, just like the rest of his body. His skin is blue.
“Ari?” Gaelan’s voice is soft as he walks in. I look up, tears streaming down my cheeks. His eyes soften as soon as he sees me. He doesn’t say anything as he steps into the shower, moving to sit next to me and pulling me into his arms, cradling me against his chest.
“I’ve got you,” he says as he rocks me, his touch bringing me the comfort and safety I desperately crave—the only touch I want.
“Where did he go?” I whisper, wondering if Trelor is still here somewhere. Gaelan reaches for one of my hands and places it on his heart.
“He’s here, inside of me.” He kisses the top of my head and holds me when I start to cry again.
I don’t know how long we stayed on the shower floor.
I remember Gaelan lifting me at some point; he dried my body, his touch careful of the cuts and bruises that mar my skin, he dressed me in some sort of nightgown, and now we’re lying on a pile of leaves, feathers, and sticks.
I have to shift a few times to stop them from digging into my skin.
If I didn’t know any better, I would say it feels like we’re in some kind of nest.
Gaelan couldn’t remove the cuffs; they looked like they required a key or for me to find my book.
I’m going to have to wear them for now, which also means that my guides will not be able to help me.
I can still feel them, hear their light whispers, but it’s like they are far away, sitting at the back of the room, and it’s challenging to listen to what they’re saying.
The symbol on the cuffs and the way they feel tell me that they have some kind of binding magic on them.
The worry and fear that I had before is now bigger; being put in the cage and having those daemons try and take me has hit me with a reality stick. Before, it was just about finding the book; now I need to see it.
I look up at Gaelan; he hasn't said anything since the shower. But he hasn’t stopped touching me, like I’m going to fade away any second now.
Like if he isn’t touching me, then I’ll slip through his hands.
His eyes burn into me; I don’t want to talk about it, but I can see him wanting to know what happened.
“Who is Trelor?” I ask him, hoping this will turn the conversation away from my ordeal. Gaelan reaches up and brushes his fingers down my cheeks, lightly tracing the cut. It stings, yet it gives me comfort at the same time.
“He’s me, well, a part of me.”
I frown at him. “What do you mean?”
“Lords of Hell are born a little different,” he explains. “We have daemons inside of us to help us balance out everything down here.”
“Balance out?” I ask him, What kind of balance can Hell have.
“Just like topside, we have an order of things—how the underworld should be. If the Lords in their true form ran it, there would be no balance. The evil down here would leak topside, and it would be Hell on earth, so we are paired with a daemon lord at birth to rule with, to make sure heaven and Hell have the right balance. You can never have good without evil.”
I pull in a breath and close my eyes. Everything in the world is about balance; the yin and yang, so that makes more sense now.
“And yours is blue?” I question.
Gaelan chuckles. “Yes, Trelor is blue. He’s a part of me, but also different. We share thoughts and feelings, but we also have our own thoughts; he’s the bad to my not-so-bad. He fights, he kills, he protects.”
“Is that why he came for me?”
Gaelan nods. “He came for you because you’re also his mate, his soul is bound to yours just like I am. But I also let him because I didn’t know what we were walking into. If it were more than a couple of daemons, it would be better for him to deal with it since he’s stronger than I am.”
“He ripped the heart out of a daemons chest,” I say, horrified.
Gaelan grins, and I can see a hint of Trelor now when he smiles. “Trelor was gentle with him; he could have done so much worse.”
I rest my head on his chest. “Why didn’t you tell me about him before?”
“You were going through so much… Trelor and I knew you needed time, plus, we didn’t want to scare you. Trelor isn’t human; he’s a pure daemon, made in Hell, I was only born into it.”
I frown at his words. “What do you mean ‘pure daemon’?”
Gaelan moves us slightly so he can look down at me. “His first thought will always be to protect you, after that… he’s something else. He will kill without a second thought; he does not have a conscience and knows no other feeling but destruction, pain, and death.”
“Is he dangerous?” I ask, causing Gaelan’s eyes to search mine as he searches for the right words to say. “The truth,” I say, wanting to know everything. I need to know everything.
“He can be, I have some control over him… he is me after all.” He grins. “But he’s never been topside before. If he was… then yes, he would be dangerous.”
“Can I meet him properly?” I ask, but Gaelan starts to shake his head.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea… not after everything that happened.”
“What happened, Gaelan?” I then roll out of the rest and stand up, annoyed that with everything that’s happened, he still wants to coddle me.
“I was safe in your arms, fast asleep in your castle—that has wards, Hell-horses and hounds, might I add. We were surrounded by a lake that can kill anyone who crosses it, and I still managed to get out.” Tears fall from my eyes again in frustration.
I know I shouldn’t be taking this out on him.
“I was a shimmer away from being in Macy’s palace.
” I pull in a shaky breath. “They attacked me, Gaelan. I tried to fight so hard… I tried and it didn’t work.
And now I have these on my wrists”—I hold up the hands showing him the cuffs again— “If I fall asleep tonight and end up sleepwalking or if someone comes for me, I’m even more helpless than I was before.
I can’t use any of my spells.” I hug my arms around my waist. “I’m scared to go to sleep, Gaelan, and I’m so tired.
” Gaelan climbs off the nest and comes to stand in front of me.
“Will Trelor make you feel safer?” I can see how much it hurts him to ask that question.
I shake my head and reach up to touch his cheek. “You make me feel safe. I just want something to take my mind off… all these thoughts. Let me meet the other you.”
Gaelan leans into my hand, then turns slightly to kiss the palm, his eyes flashing bright blue, as he steps back from me, his eyes never leaving mine.
Bones crack as he shifts his head to the side.
I watch in amazement as he grows in height.
Gaelan is tall, but Trelor must be over seven feet in height.
His skin shifts into a light blue with black, almost tribal markings all over.
His muscles grow larger and more defined.
His face changes shape slightly; he loses that handsome look, turning into something more devastating, something out of this world.
His chest is bare, and his lower half has Gaelan’s now-ripped sweatpants on.
He turns ever so slightly, and I see that he has a tail, with a fluffy black tip and enormous black wings attached to his back.
Stepping back, I lift my eyes to his face to find him staring at me, his eyes studying me like he’s ready to pounce, his chest heaving with his breath.
“Trelor?” My voice is gentle.
He licks his lips slowly and steps closer to me, his tail lifting into the air, moving quickly to wrap around my waist, pulling me tightly into him. He lowers his head and breathes across my neck, inhaling me. He growls as he says, “Mine!”
I go to take a step back; his tail tightens around me, holding me in place and making me gasp. Looking up into his eyes, I smile softly.
“Ari-Rose, like nest? I built for you.” He questions me, then flicks his eyes over to the nest that Gaelan and I were lying on. I nod my head a little. He seems so proud of what he’s done. “Ari-Rose does not like?”
“I love it, Trelor. I’ve just never slept in a nest before.” I admit.
He grins, then releases his hold on me and walks over to the nest, sniffing the air. He growls, the sound sending a shiver over my body. Both in fear and excitement. “Tiny daemon was here. Gaelan was in a nest?”
“We both were.”
His head jerks toward me, his face the perfect mix of danger and lust. “I don’t share nest with tiny daemon, just Trelor and Ari-Rose.” With that, he moves over to the window and jumps out.
“Trelor?” I scream as I rush over, but he’s gone before I can see which way he went.
Folding my arms around myself, I finally take in the room.
The walls are painted black, the floor is made of stone, and there is no carpet or rug on the ground.
To the left is the massive pile of leaves, feathers, and sticks that Trelor called a nest. There’s no TV, but there’s a bookshelf and weapons on the right side.
I walk over to the shelf and notice a photo of Trelor with a woman wrapped in his tail; she has amber colored eyes.
“That Lauren-Rose.” I jump at hearing Trelor’s voice and turn to see him holding a pile of leaves and some kind of blanket.
He walks over to the nest and starts ripping out the side where Gaelan was, replacing it with new leaves, and then adds a new blanket.
“I forgot, mate gets cold.” He turns to me, his eyes flickering between me and the nest and then back again.
“It looks comfortable.” I smile and walk over to him.
“Ari-Rose does not like?”
He goes to leave again, but I place my hand on his chest to stop him. “I love it.” I walk over and climb in—it’s a lot more comfortable than I thought it would be. Trelor just stares at me, his jaw ticking.
“Trelor? Is everything okay?”
“Ari-Rose does not fear me. I do not hurt you. Never.” His eyes soften for a moment, letting me see a side to him that I’m betting no one else does.
I get the same feelings I do with Gaelan, the one that settles over my heart, making me fall for this daemon even though I don’t know him, just like with Gaelan.
I reach my hand out. “Will you lie with me?”
His chest heaves up and down with each breath, his eyes traveling over my body and making me shiver with lust. He inhales, and a growl leaves his lips as his eyes come to settle on mine. He climbs into the nest and wraps his tail around me, pulling me closer to him.
“Ari-Rose sleeps. Trelor keeps watch better than a tiny daemon.” His eyes flash darker as he wraps his arms around me and lowers his head to breathe me in again. “Ari-Rose smells so good.”
I smile, and I can feel my body relaxing against his. “What do I smell like?”
He growls. “Roses. Need.”
“Need?”
He pulls me tighter to him. “Trelor can smell Ari-Rose wants Trelor. No tonight.”
I snuggle closer. I close my eyes and hope sleep comes to me.
“Sleep, Ari-Rose. You do not worry.”
I feel my body drifting off, and I hope for no nightmares.