DARKNESS
"Uh...you're not my lunch."
"And you are not my little soul."
The Emie look-alike did a double-take and still couldn't turn down the frown when she didn't recognize me. But then again how could she? When she was out in the world, I was locked in a ready-made hell. Thankfully, Zed brushed past me and took a front so that she could see both of us.
"Lana." He politely uttered, offering her a smile and the girl's eyes sparked up to recognization.
So, Zed did know her personally.
"Zedkiel." Her curious eyes searched Zed's. "No offense, but we thought you went back to your clan weeks ago?"
He nodded respectfully. "Ah yes, I did. But work called again and here I am."
"It's so good to see you again." Her smile spread before her gaze found mine again. As if Zed now remembered that I never introduced myself, he tipped his head at me.
"And this is my...friend, Alexei."
Her eyes widened a little. "I swear I heard this name somewhere..."
I cut her off with a stiff smile of my own. "I can assure you madam that you haven't heard it from anyone."
"Oh shit, I didn't even invite you in. Come on, both of you. I'm sorry but Mikhail isn't home. He's out handling a case with Aaron. Before you say anything, it wasn't me." She giggled with a weird twinkle in her eyes, guiding both of us to enter her small cozy house. The whole house was a typical modern style nowadays people used. It made me miss my old one but I shrugged it off.
"Hey, it's fine. I am not here for Vermon, I am actually here for Zach. Is he here?" Zed asked to which she nodded. Inside the house, I looked for anything that could trigger my shadows to detect danger, however, I didn't find anything. Not until Emie's sister, Lana opened her mouth.
"Zach! Zedkiel's here!" She yelled out. "Oh no! I'm a terrible host! Sit and wait here, I'll give you something to drink. What would you two like?"
"Nothing," I answered without bothering to look at her. Zed gave me a warning look before smiling politely at Lana. "Tea will be fine."
"Got it!" With that, she left.
I was just about to ask where the person who sent the file was when he shushed me with a strange look. To not my surprise, I too caught the sound Zed was indicating to. After waiting for a few minutes, the stair squeaked as a blue-eyed man came running from upstairs. The moment he was near, my nose flinched in acknowledgment.
Hell.
He smelled like Hell.
Without warning, my shadows left my body to circle the unknown man in anger. Even my voice wasn't mine when the words were screamed into the room. "What are you doing here, hell creature!"
The man in question squeaked out a reply. "Fuck! Who is this, Zedkiel!"
Zed immediately jumped from the sofa, his hands raised to stop me from going for this Zach's throat. "Alexei, leave him, for devil's sake!"
I raised my eyebrows in fake concern. "Oh, but why, master? He is a hell-creature. I thought we don't let them stay on earth or have the rules been changed since I was gone?"
"AL-Lexei?" Zach choked out. "As in the King of shadows?"
Right at that moment, Lana walked in with a tray but not before her eyes took into what was happening, to see my hands on Zach's throat and Zed trying to calm me down. It didn't take her seconds to throw a glare at me.
"Let him go."
The words were delivered with a slow and precise coldness that matched her mother. And I hated that it reminded me of little soul again. So, I let out a mocking smile.
"You are letting a hell-creature stay with you illegally. The clans, the Coven will kill you for that, you know that?"
"I said-" She walked closer to leave the tray on the table. "Let him go."
Zed tugged my arms again. "Let him go, Lex. I'm warning you for your own good."
"Why?" I scoffed. "All of them should die anyway. They hid her, they are spreading lies-"
"He is the one who sent the file." Zed finally whispered, making me step back in shock. This man was the one who told the lies, he saw her first. More of all-
He was the key to her...
***
Silence.
Only silence welcomed me when none of them had a word to say. I was this close to losing control, Zed was staring at me, Zach was curling and uncurling his fists and Lana was staring at the ceiling while fidgeting in her seat.
"And why should I believe you?" I broke the cruel silence that was making things much worse than it already was. Soul mates just didn't forget about their other halves.
It's impossible.
Zach shook his head wildly. "You have to believe me, man! It's not wise to go there but I was desperate. I kept trying to trespass for a pass from the Demon King. That's when I heard it with my own ears. The palace guards were too busy to keep Emeline, their future Queen safely in a place in Hell where commoners can't go. They said they'll suck my souls if I try again."
Souls?
"I'm sorry, I'm missing something here. Why do you have souls more than one?" I knew some things about being a Reaper as little soul stayed the last few weeks with me when she was one but none of these things Zach said was making much sense.
"Zach was born human. Until my sister took his soul and they both went to Hell. He returned but he wasn't the same person anymore." Lana spoke for the first time after Zed burst out the truth. Seeing her was like seeing a ghost of Emie and if I started to wonder about that now...no, I had to keep track of my thoughts.
"Still not helping." I breathed out as politely I could.
"Lex, you don't need to know everything. We came here for help and we'll get it without bothering them." Zed warned in a low hiss.
I didn't like the way Lana looked at me then. "No, it's Ok. If we are not minding each other's business then maybe he should answer some of my questions too? Like why he led my sister on, giving her hope that he was on her side, lying to her from the very beginning?"
I must have reacted because there was a smile on her face now. "Oh, I heard the stories. The prophesy that you knew about but never told her until her end."
If only you didn't lie...My eyes closed in raw pain. No, I refused to remember those last words. That night couldn't be the end of us.
"And I will apologize about that once I actually have my sight on her." I gritted out, refusing to give in to the urge to rip her sins out. "Now ask your beloved to tell me how he knows about her."
Zach's eyes narrowed in warning. "Not her beloved. You want to know about her? Fine. Just never say that fucking word, ok?"
I had never seen anyone pressed about a single word but for her...yes, I could behave.
"I promise."
That must be good enough for him cause he nodded with a sigh. "One minute I was on earth and the next I was in Hell. I tried to escape numerous times but of course, I failed. Until I met some hellhounds who were trying to return to earth. That's where I first heard about the demon's pass."
He paused, frowning. "There were words going around that if the demon King gave me a pass, after I served him, I would be free. But I ended up learning a few things instead. Like Emeline has amnesia and her brain isn't stable. The demon King kept her in there but when the gate opened, for some reason, he let her go."
I stayed silent, trying to process what I just learned. I didn't want to believe it but it was true.
Shit.
"I tried to find Emie, you know?" Lana spoke up. "When I got to know about her. I even ended up meeting Hannah."
"You know Hannah?" I was truly surprised though I didn't miss the way Lana's fists clenched hearing the name.
"Knew her. Before a hellhound named Sage killed her in cold blood. He was trying to open the gate by killing the last remaining Reapers. She got into the crossfire."
I felt remorse only a few times in my life. But now, now I was closing to feel that. If I didn't kick her out of New Orleans, would she still be alive? What if my actions were the only thing that was ruining those lives?
Lana opened her mouth to say something but suddenly stopped. Almost as if what she had to say would make me not like it. "I also know you loath Keisha but she didn't do anything by her own choice."
"How do you know that!?"That cursed name... "You didn't know her back then."
"I don't need to. We all did something we are not proud of. But the only important thing is to own up to those mistakes. Tell me, Alexei, don't you feel remorse for what you did to my sister?"
"Did she?" I snarled, waiting for her silence.
But she laughed, staring at me with a haunted look. "She paid it with her blood, with her magic. I killed her, I didn't want to. I wanted to know her, understand her but the choice was taken away from me."
"Still not the same-"
"You think I don't know that? Mikhail and Zach both were threatened, I almost lost them. I know what you mean but it doesn't hurt to have a little decency."
Zach smiled at whatever she meant, forcing me to feel that strange pain in my heart again. What was that feeling? Was it...longing? I used to look at her the same way. Like I couldn't breathe any longer if she ever left me. And now Demos was standing between me and my little soul.
But not for long.
***
Oh, Lex's pissed. Let me know what y'all still think! Vote, comment and & Enjoy.