by Tarisa Marie
“I’m not going to hit you. That was just…not expected,” I admit. “I thought I’d handle it better, and I didn’t think it’d be so…”
“Revolting? Disgusting? Sickening? Demonic? Devilish?”
I cut him off. “Overwhelming and yes, disturbing and all those things you said.”
“I’m sorry for using compulsion on you, I just couldn’t risk what might come out of your mouth, because the way a mentor deals with such words from someone like you is not something you would enjoy.”
I know this. A mentor has the authority and responsibility of instilling pain or even death on the one they mentor if he or she misbehaves. Luckily, Aiden isn’t any mentor, and I’m so very thankful for that.
“Do you see what I mean now when I explain to you time and time again how disgusting and terrible the pure bloods are? They spend far more time in hell than the any of the changelings around here or me, and they’re darker by nature. My siblings are correct in their thinking that demons need to be killed and their population moderated. The hunters need to exist. I know that. I just wish that my siblings would also understand that not all demons are the way they perceive them. Many of the changelings are no different than the humans beside the fact that they have to adhere to whatever their master tell them.”
I do see what he’s warned me about time and time again. Not all pure bloods are like Aiden. I get that, I’ve always gotten that, but this is the first time I’ve really seen it firsthand. It’s the first time I’ve really seen Aiden act how everyone in his world sees him and expects him to act.
“What did you just do to that woman?” I ask him, changing the subject.
“I sucked out her entire soul, then I put it back before my body could use any of it,” he tells me.
“You can do that?”
“It takes a vast amount of self-control, but yes. I’ve been mastering my self-control for centuries, so I can. It’s like putting a strawberry in your mouth, pretending to chew it, and then spitting it back out. If I swallow it, it’s gone.”
I’ve never read about such a thing so this surprises me. Then again, I know that Aiden doesn’t just ingest an entire soul at once. He takes it little by little, making it last over a whole month. From what I’ve read, this too takes vast self-control, because most demons can’t stop taking in a soul, they must finish it, and taking only one soul in over a month is unheard of.
“I hate that you had to see me like that.” He sighs and fixes his hair. “I have to call that lady a cab.” Then he’s gone from the room. Aiden doesn’t usually move very quickly around me. For the most part, he pretends to be human in that way. I think he thinks it’ll scare me. The fact that he’s moved so quickly out of the room just now, makes me wonder if he is embarrassed by his behavior.
I catch one of the servants on his way to take Crispen, Aria, and Mason breakfast and stop him. “Excuse me, sir. I’ll take that down,” I offer. I don’t know why. Why would I want to go down there and deal with them three?
The servant doesn’t argue but does look at me questioningly.
“When Aiden gets off the phone, please tell him I’ve gone downstairs,” I instruct him. He nods and disappears.
I descend the stares and peak around the corner carefully, hoping that none of them are holding a chunk of cement in their hands and readying to mash my skull in with it. I look down at the food I hold and am thankful it was put on Styrofoam plates and not glass. Can they murder me with bacon, eggs, plastic forks, or foam plates? Doubtful.
I enter the room and set the tray of food onto the cement floor.
“You brought food,” Aria says gratefully. “I’m starving.”
“You’re not going to eat it,” Mason growls.
“Like hell I’m not!” she spits.
“You’d eat something prepared by a demon?” Crispen asks taken aback.
Aria shrugs. “Food is food. I’m starved.”
I take each of the four plates off of the tray and kick them gently so they become close enough for the four to grab. The fourth hunter seems to be awake now. He stares at me in wonder.
“I honestly wasn’t expecting to get fed,” the fourth hunter says. “I’m with Aria on this once. I’m fricken eating. I’m starved.”
“You two have no will power,” either Crispen or Mason says, I’m not sure which, because I’m not paying attention.
I ask the man what his name is, and it’s confirmed that he is in fact Jayden. Aria and Jayden dig into their plates while Crispen and Mason refuse to touch theirs like children. I roll my eyes at them when they’re both looking.
“Please tell me this is all some kind of joke or ploy, and you’re down here to sneak us out,” Mason begs.
I shake my head. “Sorry.”
“How long are we going to be stuck down here?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I’m not the boss.”
“What’s he done to you, brainwashed you?” Crispen snarls.
I again shake my head.
“A demon once told me he could brainwash,” Mason butts in.
“Yeah, wouldn’t surprise me. It’d only be one more of his many talents,” Crispen answers, closing his eyes. He seems bored with my presence. A demon who is deeper into royalty tends to be stronger and possess more talents than pure bloods who are just pure and not considered royal. The more royal a pure, the stronger.
“What is a demon as strong and powerful as him doing here and not in hell anyway? It’s kind of weird don’t you think? Shouldn’t he be part of the council or whatever? Isn’t that what all the important demons do?” Jayden asks the boys in the cell next to his. A demon with strong royalty tends to stay in hell. They make big decisions and live in luxury there where servants tend to their every need, and they don’t have to worry about hunters. Not that Aiden doesn’t live in luxury here, because he definitely does.
I wonder what Crispen means by Aiden’s many talents. What other talents does he have besides compulsion? It’s the only one I’ve seen.
Crispen clears his throat and tosses a small pebble at Mason. “Yeah, I don’t know why he chooses to stay here. Probably to provoke us.”
“He’s here because hell makes you evil,” I interject. “And the council is corrupt and crazy.”
They all stare at me.
“They’re all evil, corrupt, and crazy, Megan,” Crispen says furiously through clenched teeth. Great, I’m getting him all roweled up again.
I roll my eyes and turn for the stairs.
“Do you think demons that can use compulsion can use it on hunters?” Jayden asks as I go up the stairs.
“No, they can’t,” Aria squeaks. “It’s one of the only talents they can possess that doesn’t affect us. I don’t know why. You really don’t know much, do you, Jayden? Do you actually hunt or do you just hang out? Don’t think that I didn’t see how fast those guards subdued you yesterday.”
I leave them alone to bicker. When I get to the top of the stairs, Aiden is waiting expectantly.
“You shouldn’t go down there alone. I don’t trust them.”
He’s right, it wasn’t my smartest move. I agree not to go down there alone again.
“Megan, I need to talk to you about something. I have to go to the head office for a meeting this afternoon. I just got the call. I can’t get out of this one. I have to go. I hate leaving you here alone, but I have to. All of my guards will be staying here, and your biggest threat is locked up downstairs, and they’re not getting out. I’ll be back by morning, by the time you wake up,” he informs me, a frown tugging at the both sides of his lips.
Why is he telling me this? Couldn’t he just go, it’s not like I’d know the difference. He leaves all the time for work. Maybe he just thinks I’m shaken up from his sibling’s attack, and then the visitor we just had.
He says, “Like I said, I won’t be there long, but when I return, I may not be the same guy I was when I left. Not for a few days anyway. I’m sorry that I have to do this, and alth
ough I know it doesn’t make anything better or make it right, I’m apologizing for my future behavior upon my return.”
At first, I don’t get what he’s trying to tell me, but then I recall that when demons go to hell, it seems to mess with their heads and make them slightly more…well, evil I guess is the best way to put it. I wonder just how much being in hell for only a few hours will affect Aiden.
We stare into each other’s eyes for a minute, before I nod. It’s not like there’s anything we can do about it. It’s not like he can help what is going to happen. Surely a few hours in hell won’t do too much damage, right?
“You’re going for a meeting?” I ask, confused. I thought he wasn’t part of the council.
“Yes, someone very important requests my presence concerning some future business,” Aiden responds. He looks nervous and this makes me wonder if he’s worried about the meeting, the trip to hell, or leaving me here without his protection.
I nod. “Okay, well safe travels,” I say awkwardly, not sure what to say.
He chuckles and his frown fades into a small smile. “It’s not like I’m going to be driving there.”
How does one get to hell?
“Terry will be exorcising me. It’s a short ritual that sends a demon straight to hell. It’s the fastest way to get there.”
Exorcising? I’ve watched enough horror movies in my lifetime to know that exorcising doesn’t sound fun. A part of me wants to ask if I can watch this go down, but another part of me says that I probably shouldn’t. I don’t think I’m ready to watch an exorcism.
“So when are you leaving?” I ask.
“As soon as Terry is done setting up in the living room,”
“Does is hurt?” I wonder, referring to the exorcism. Any of them that I saw on TV have seemed to be painful.
“No, not if it’s done right. Terry is quite practiced. Before he belonged to me, he worked for my father who travels back and forth between places often,” Aiden reassures me, running his hand through his hair slowly.
I’m kind of surprised to hear him mention his biological father. He doesn’t talk about him much. All I know about him is that he’s nothing like Aiden. Terry told me once that Aiden’s father is powerful and terrifying. I didn’t ask questions after that.
“What are you thinking?” Aiden wonders, his eyebrows merging. “You look deep in thought.”
“Nothing. Sorry, day dreaming I guess.”
He smiles. “Alright, well goodbye, Megan, stay safe. You should go to your room and read or something. I’d like you to stay inside the house while I’m gone just as a precaution, and you can call off your training today. Take a break. Try to refrain from going downstairs.”
A day off of training? Right on! I feel myself grin, and I wrap him in a hug.
He laughs. “Don’t act so excited to see me leave.”
I shrug. “I was thinking about not having to train today.”
“Ah.” Aiden laughs again and then walks towards the living room.
The afternoon goes by slowly. I dunk myself into a book I haven’t yet touched before. I find it on one of Aiden’s shelves. One of the shelves that I’m not supposed to read books from. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
I flip through the first few pages which bore me. They’re about things I already know. I find that all the books I’ve read lately are really a bore because they just repeat things I already know. I need something beyond introductory information about demons. After the first few pages, I come across a chapter on hierarchy and browse through it quickly. All I know about the demon hierarchy is that at the top is some sort of leader named Lucian who is never spoken about. Below him, there are twenty four sons and daughters, all of which are dead of which are dead except one—a son. The sons and daughters who are dead, have a lot of living family, and the son who is alive, has no living family. I know that my father as well as Aiden belong in here somewhere, because they are royal pure bloods, and all pure bloods are descendants of this leader. If you are really far down this line like most people, then you are plainly a pure, a distant relative of the royals, if you’re close enough of a descendant of Lucian, then you are considered a royal. I’m not sure how close of a relative one has to be. Next in the hierarchy, there are the halflings like me, then there are the changelings who are turned not born like Terry and the other guards and servants. Of course then there are the demidemons which are the spawn of changelings and humans and are even rarer than halflings. Lastly, the humans. I read the section on the hierarchy and find myself learning nothing new, unfortunately.
Still hopeful, I flip to the next chapter which is on procreation. I already know about this as well. It’s simple. Pure bloods can procreate with other pure bloods, as well as humans. Changelings can procreate with one another and humans, but if they mate with a human, the spawn must stay in hell as a servant and not be exposed to the humans here. Their mixed spawn have more demon traits than halflings do.
Changelings and pure bloods are basically two different species of demon.
I sigh and flip to the center of the book. It’s a section dedicated to the background of the leader Lucian and his immediate family. I don’t care much about biographies, so I skip this too.
Finally, I find a section on something I care to read. It’s a list of common gifts that pure blood demons can possess. I recall what the hunters in the basement said earlier about Aiden. They’d been talking about talents and had implied that Aiden had many of them. The only one that I’m aware of is that he can compel people.
I skim down the list and find things ranging from telepathy to invisibility. The list is endless, it goes on for pages and pages. They are ranked by popularity. Aiden told me that the gift of compulsion is rare, and yet I know at least three demons who can compel. What a coincidence. Sure enough, when I find compulsion on the list, it is classified as a rare ability. I recall that the more powerful a demon, the more talents they possess. Could this explain why I know so many demons with the compulsion talent?
I don’t know what comes over me, but suddenly I’m taking this book with me downstairs.
“Well, hello again,” Mason says in a sing-song voice while tapping his foot. “Don’t suppose you’re here to let us out, are you?”
I shake my head. I look down and see that Crispen’s plate of breakfast is now gone. He ate it. I knew he would.
“Then what do you want?” Crispen asks rudely, standing up and coming as close to the ruby touched bars as he dares. His intense, cold stare makes me uneasy.
“You guys were talking about Aiden’s special abilities. Crispen, you implied that you knew he had quite a few. I’m just here to ask what you know. What abilities does he have?” Of course it probably would’ve been smartest to wait until Aiden’s return and ask him myself, but here’s to being rash.
“What do I get out of this?” Crispen snarls.
I think about it. “I don’t know, something to pass the time. Maybe I’ll set up a TV down here,” I suggest jokingly.
Aria and Jayden both lift their heads as if they’re interested in this deal.
“How about I tell you, and you let us out?” Crispen tries, a grim smile on his lips.
“Uh…no.” I lick my lips and try to think of something else we could trade.
Aria speaks up. “How about you show us a picture of our niece?”
Mason’s expression remains blank, but Jayden and Crispen both seem to be angered by this idea.
“You could get something far more valuable from the girl,” Jayden mutters. “Like information.”
Crispen debates this suggestion. “Yeah, okay, information. An answer for an answer.”
“Don’t you know everything?” I ask him, stalling while I debate this. If I feel like I shouldn’t give out an answer to something, I’ll just pretend I don’t know the answer.
Crispen scoffs. “Deal or what?”
“Deal.”
“What we know about Aiden is from what others hav
e told us and what we’ve witnessed. We’ve heard that he can disappear, like go invisible. We’ve also heard he can hear a mortal’s thoughts, and he can compel people. We’ve witnessed him move faster than any other demon we’ve come across, he seems to be able to hear far better as well, and he’s stronger. We’ve seen him create fire in the palm of his hand and throw it at someone. We’ve also seen him resist the effects of salt.” Crispen supplies and then looks around the room at the other three. “Anything you guys want to add?”
Aria shrugs, “I heard he has some sort of lure to human women. They’re drawn to him like he’s some sort of sex magnet, but this could just be the power of his compulsion too.”
Mason groans and stands up, coming to stand beside Crispen. “I’ve seen that guy do some pretty wonky shit. He’s stealthy as hell and fast, good god is he fast. Something isn’t right about him, Megan, be careful. He’s like a super demon or something.”
I laugh at Mason’s words, because I’m sure Aiden’s just stronger than a lot of demons because he’s a stronger pure, a more royal one than they’ve come across. The fact that they seem to think he’s a super demon makes me wonder just how high up in the royal line Aiden really is.
“What’s funny?” Mason asks calmly, far more calmly than Crispen who looks like he’s about to blow smoke out of his ears. What a spazz.
“Nothing. Ask me your question now.”
Mason and Crispen exchange a quick look and then Crispen asks, “What is holding you here? What made you change sides? Why stand with him?”
I gather my response. “I’m not on anyone’s side. You guys want to kill him and all demons without giving them a chance. I think that’s wrong, but I also think many demons are in the wrong. I’m not on anyone’s side. I am what I am, and if I don’t stay here with Aiden and have him train me, then as per the law, the demons can kill me for not cooperating. Aiden isn’t a bad guy. He’s shown me more respect lately than you have, and he’s all I have now that you’ve decided to put me on your hit list.”
Crispen rages. “So he’s forcing you here? Maybe even compelling you to stay?”
