Caged in Darkness

by J. D. Stroube

  “I gave her the dagger.” Izzy spoke quickly. “Well, come on. We can’t let her face this on her own!”

  Her words pushed us into action. Izzy blinked out of sight, while the three of us raced in the direction Savannah had gone in. She went off the trail we originally set out and it slowed us down, because we had to track her.

  17: Choices

  SAVANNAH

  I stood poised for Asmodeus’s attack, waiting for him to barrel through the woods and attack me head on. He walked through the trees and leaned casually against a tree. His neck, ankle, and wing had completely healed. Our efforts hadn’t even put a dent in his armor. It was insulting.

  “That’s a pretty little blade you have there, but it won’t help you.”

  “We’ll just see about that.”

  Asmodeus shrugged nonchalantly. “As you wish, you can’t surprise me though. I’ve been watching you all along. I know all of your little secrets. It’s what I do. I have always believed in the need to know your enemy.”

  “Oh really? You think you know all my secrets? Why? Because you slip in my dreams and stalk my friends?”

  I made my move. I lunged with my dagger, but he danced aside. His moves were smooth and graceful. It looked effortless. I had never been a fighter, but I knew the basics. I threw a punch with my free hand, but he caught my fist. Throwing my weight into my movement, I attempted to stab him in the gut and deliver a kick to the groin, but he spun around and caught me in a choke hold.

  “You think I stalk your friends and haunt your dreams? You think that is the only way I’ve been able to watch you?” He laughed hysterically and tightened the choke hold. “How about we play a game of trivia? What is one of the first things people learn about demons?”

  “I’m not going to play your stupid game!” I felt dizzy from lack of oxygen.

  “Play or I will fly to your friends faster than your little panther can run. I’ll kill them all and then I will continue on to take each coven.”

  “I don’t know. What is it?” I barely managed to choke the words out. He let go and walked a few paces away to sit on a large boulder.

  “Think about it.”

  I struggled to answer the question, racking my brain for all of the stereotypes. “Ah, crosses and holy water hurt them?” He nodded. “They work for the devil and live in hell.” Again, he nodded. “A priest exorcizes them.”

  “Bingo. Now, why does a priest exorcize them?”

  I was beginning to feel like a child and I didn’t like it. I sighed, “They exorcize demons because the demon possesses someone.” Asmodeus smiled. It was an eerie smile that left spiders crawling up my spine. “You… you possessed someone I know?” In shock, I thought about all of the people in my life. “Who? Isis? Griffin?” My throat tightened. “Willow?”

  “Your lover boys. You see, it really wasn’t that difficult. Whenever you were with them, I slipped in to take over. They didn’t even realize they had become my puppets.”

  I felt ill. Thinking over the past few weeks and how fickle I had been, the sudden surge in hormones I had never experienced before. How I sometimes felt a magnetism pushing me towards Liam or Ash, while other times I didn’t… I loved both of them. I was in love with Ash; Ash who I had never viewed as anything other than a brother… until recently.

  “I used my power to lure you to me and played on your desires.”

  Tears fell before I could stop them. My vision swam when I looked Asmodeus in the eyes. His wings were open and his inscriptions had faded to a poor example of their true worth. I could feel it; the way I felt when I was alone with Ash or Liam. The overwhelming wave of energy that pulled me towards them, I felt it with Asmodeus.

  “No! It can’t be.” I shook my head and backed away with my hands held out in front of me, as if barring the truth from touching me. “It wasn’t you! I… Oh God. Why? Why did you do this? Couldn’t you have just killed me?” I covered my mouth with my hand in disbelief. “If you just wanted my power, why play with me like this?”

  “I needed to keep an eye on you. After all, I needed time to gain enough energy to keep my physical form. Besides, it kept me amused. Still want to kill me?”

  My hand holding the dagger dropped to my side in defeat. I was in love with an Archdemon, who not only wanted to kill me, but everyone I loved. He was a murder, who ruled in hell alongside Lucifer. I thought back to each time I saw Asmodeus in person or my dreams. Then I thought about the moments I experienced with Ash and Liam, but those moments were with him. How could I kill someone I was in love with?

  Asmodeus pushed off his rock to walk over to me. He looked me in the eyes, reached out, and pulled me to him. In his arms, I felt the pressure build. His eyes softened to a downy blue and he leaned downward to press me into a savage kiss. It was intense and I couldn’t stop my body from betraying my mind. I responded to him with all the hunger I could.

  Asmodeus pushed me into the rocky structure behind me and wrapped us in his wings. He tore at my dress, snapped the remaining strap, and nibbled on my earlobe.

  “Oh God, I want you.” His teeth broke the flesh of my neck and he fed from me. I wanted more. I wanted to taste every piece of him. I was betraying everything I stood for. He would kill us all and I was going to let him, because my silly heart wouldn’t listen to my brain.

  I heard my friends shouting in the distance. They were looking for me. Asmodeus lifted his head in the direction of their voices. “I’ll be back.” He moved to go after them, but I plunged the dagger deep into his chest. His head swung back in surprise, while blood spurted between his lips and he looked down.

  I cried, even while I knew he was evil, I couldn’t help but love him. “I’m sorry. I can’t let you hurt anyone else.”

  Asmodeus stumbled backwards, pulled the dagger from his chest and let it fall to the ground. His body began to shimmer like a dying fairy. He was corporeal one moment and the next, he wasn’t. He walked forward to place my hand over his wound. His eyes looked ordinary now and the inscriptions had faded from his chest. He looked like a man, a dying man. He wiped my tears away with his fingertips and when I closed my eyes, he kissed my eyelids. Uncontrollable sobs overtook me, and I started to hyperventilate.

  Asmodeus placed his index finger over my lips, but it was insubstantial and passed right through me. He leaned forward, until his lips were next to my ear and whispered. “Thank you. It would have been a shame to kill you. Be safe, my little Anakim.” Before he could move back enough to look me in the eyes, he disappeared.

  I fell to the ground, screaming at the sky. Every cherished moment I spent loving Liam and Ash, I had really loved a monster. My entire childhood had been one huge nightmare, but it had been my parents’ way of protecting me. Izzy and Ash were dead. I was a virus; I destroyed everything I touched. I brought this evil to this place and into the lives of everyone I loved. Why did everyone else die, while I lived?

  The shouting in the distance had grown louder, they were getting closer. I started to panic until my eyes fell on the dagger, abandoned on the ground. It was still fresh with Asmodeus’ blood. Gripping it in my hand, I angled the blade towards me. The horrors that had been visited on me throughout my life, were too much to take any longer. I couldn’t continue to watch this world die a slow, painful death that I brought with me.

  My tears froze and for the first time I felt in control. I could decide; this was my choice. I moved the dagger far from my body and plunged it inward. The anger, pain, betrayal was all gone. My world was clear and I was free. This was what a choice was. Fate did not command me, my parents’ choices had not forsaken me, I was just me. This was my world, those were my friends, and the darkness couldn’t touch me unless I gave it permission. I looked down at the dagger sticking out of my torn dress. What was one more hole?

  Willow walked into the clearing, while everyone else trailed behind her. She saw my hand covered in blood gripping the dagger, and screamed. Running forward, she grabbed my hands to pull them away from
the wound.

  “It’s not mine.”

  Her eyes search mine in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

  “The blood is Asmodeus’s. I made a choice; to live. The dagger is stuck in my dress, but only next to my skin. It’s not in my skin.” I smile awkwardly, while my friends looked at me in horror. “I needed to take back control. I had to want to live or I never would.”

  I stood and walked to Ash. I cupped his cheek, but didn’t feel anything. My emotions were as they should be and the same was true for Liam. “I’m glad everyone is okay.” My voice sounded strange. I was no longer weighted down. When I smiled at my friends, my family… it was the first true smile of my life.

  About the author

  J.D. Stroube is a debut author, who will be releasing several novels in the near future. She attends a University as a Psychology major and intends to open her own practice one day. She lives in Naperville with her husband and is extremely close to her family.

  Visit her website: http://jdstroube.weebly.com/