The Demon's Pa

After a lengthy discussion we decided that we couldn’t just leave the bottle of demon blood standing there in the cell no matter how badly we wanted to.

No one wanted to touch it -who knew what Alexander had done to it- so we’d drawn straws and poor Zaiden had drawn the shortest straw. He he’d been tasked with the burden of removing the bottle of demon blood from the cell and getting rid of it completely.

Norabo had very helpfully suggested trying to set it on fire and tossing it down a cliff. That had led us to discussing whether or not demon blood was flammable.

When Zaiden returned a few hours later he reported that it wasn’t.

Zaiden and I continued with my training as always and after a few days it was hard to remember that Alexander had escaped and that one of my nobles had betrayed me against her own will. It was hard to remember that we were preparing for war, for fighting. It was hard to think that some of us were going to die.

Lucy and Tabitha had started training with me after another week when Zaiden had approvingly said that I ‘have a shot at whooping demon ass’.

I was very impressed with myself if I was being completely honest. I could take Zaiden down in twelve seconds flat, five seconds if he didn’t see me coming. I had even bested Oberon in battle once, he however won the other forty three matches. I had hope that I would beat him again one day.

Norabo had bluntly refused to fight me because he was afraid of hurting me and my only response had been pulling up his arm behind his back in a painful manner. He happily obliged fighting me after that and I’d wiped the floor with him ten times. He won the other twenty two matches.

We were practicing my hand-eye co-ordination when we received word that we were needed back home. We had quite a ways to walk since Zaiden had been taking me outside the city and very far from Viktor’s house to see if we could better my speed. That’s what he told me at least, but I had a feeling he just wanted me far from Viktor’s house

Zaiden had been acting very strange around Viktor since Alexander had spoken to him and even as Zaiden watched the vampire messenger that had come from Viktor leave, he frowned at the ground calculatingly. It was all a very suspicious situation that I didn’t completely trust. I put my hand on his shoulder comfortingly and he turned his head to look at me, a small smile forming around the corners of his mouth. I offered him a gentle look, “Everything alright?”

Zaiden seemed surprised by my question, “Yes, of course.” He paused, “Why do you ask?”

Zaiden broke out into a light sprint and I followed easily, “You seem… off. Is it something Alexander said to you?”

Zaiden clenched his jaw and gave me a stiff nod.

I pursed my lips, “I wish you could tell me.”

Zaiden watched horizon as we ran and after a moment of silence he said, “So do I.”

I made a thoughtful sound, so Alexander had told him something important. The only question was whether it was going to be our salvation or doom. I had little hope that it wasn’t the latter.

When we reached Viktor’s mansion I was surprised to see that all of Viktor’s vampires were gathered in the courtyard. Zaiden and I strolled through the vampires and those who knew who I was made way for me to pass. It was a strange feeling to have them treat me like royalty while I knew that some of them had drunk my blood back when I was human.

Oh what a funny thing this thing called life was, nothing ever stays the same. It all changes for the better or for the worse and you have no control over it.

When Viktor saw us in the crowd he waved me closer and I headed for him where he was standing on the porch.

I nodded in greeting and stuffed my hands into my pants pockets, “What’s going on?”

“It’s time.” Viktor said quietly, “We’re leaving the moment the sun sets.”

My eyes widened, “We’re going to Spain?”

He nodded, “We can’t wait any longer, I received word this afternoon that all the others are already gathered with their Promise angels, all but Jagger and his Promise angel I mean.”

“I see.”

Zaiden shifted behind me uncomfortably and cleared his throat, “Oberon as well?”

Viktor hesitated with a little frown, “Of course.” He then turned to the crowd of vampires and called for their attention.

I gave Zaiden a sidelong glance and whispered to him with a raised brow, “What was that about?”

He merely shrugged and listened to what Viktor was telling his vampires.

“This is it, we’re leaving the moment darkness falls and heading to the battlefield. You will all be-” That was the only part of Viktor’s speech I heard before my attention wandered far away.

I knew I had to say goodbye to my family and I was sure that that wasn’t going to go very smoothly. They hadn’t mentioned joining the fighting again, but I knew that they were still strong opposing the idea of my going to Spain and fighting without them. I still wasn’t even considering taking them along, it just wasn’t an option to me. I had enough people to worry about without them being there as well.

“- and I want you all to be strong when we face the demons. You are my vampires and I’ve known all of you for hundreds of years, we will not die in this fight! We will show the vampires from the other continents that we are the best! We will-“

I still had to send word to Africa for my vampires to go to Spain as well. Brittany had been the prefect messenger but I highly doubted that she would still go to Africa to deliver my message since she was with Alexander and under his control. I bared my teeth; my noble was with Alexander, that just didn’t sit right with me. I was supposed to be with him. Why didn’t he order me to listen to him if he knew that he could control all that he created? He still had to kill me didn’t he?

Somehow that would have been a better option for me than having him with Brittany. He wouldn’t try something with her, would he?

“-I have faith in your loyalty-“

I didn’t have faith in Alexander’s loyalty to me as my mate. He was a crazy demon killer who didn’t know who he was.

“-I trust that you all are strong and that you will fight with everything you have. We are fighting to save the world, we can’t afford to-“

I would fight with everything that I had till the moment Alexander killed me. We were going to kill Clades before Alexander killed me and if Clades was dead it wouldn’t matter if Alexander killed me.

“That is all, I will see you all again in a few hours, be ready to leave, we wait for no one.” Viktor finished his motivational speech and the crowd disbanded slowly as the vampires murmured amongst themselves.

Lucy wrapped her arms around Viktor’s right arm and he smiled a little when she spoke, “That was a great speech.”

“Thanks, Lu.”

Tabitha who had been leaning against the wall with her arms crossed also came closer, “I have to agree, even I’m feeling a little fired up to survive this crap.”

I looked at Zaiden, “Call Samael, I need to send him to gather our troops and rile them up a little as well.”

Zaiden gave one nod before he disappeared.

“You’re the one who should be doing the riling part.” Norabo said with a grin and I groaned loudly.

“I don’t like talking to people.”

“You are rather good at it though.”

I didn’t say anything in reply but went to throw my things in a bag. Only when I reached my room did I realise that I didn’t have anything I wanted to take with. I had been borrowing Janessa’a clothing and I couldn’t take that with me.

I briefly wondered if the vampires would be wearing armour or something when fighting the demons. Fighting without any protection seemed foolish, but then again it was possible that no material existed that could protect the vampires from the demons strength. It wasn’t like they could wear the mors est in sancto as clothing… Maybe if we had metal from the origin of the water, but that was about all I could think of that would offer us any kind of protection against those foul creatures.

When I had made up the bed for the umpteenth time and was finally satisfied with my extremely neat effort I ran a hand through my air as I looked around the room.

I was never coming back here. I would never see this place again.

I turned and shut the door behind me without leaving room for my mind to wander on that fact. The fact that I wasn’t just going to war, but that I was going to my death.

I went looking for my family so I could say goodbye to them.

My heart was heavy as I wandered through Viktor’s house looking for them. I wouldn’t be seeing them again either, not if Alexander killed me. I was almost like I was heading to go commit suicide.

I found them in the second living room -Viktor’s house seemed to have plenty of living rooms and to confusion he numbered them- all doing nothing in particular but seeming to just be hanging around.

I cleared my throat when I came to a stop in the doorway and they all looked up from what they were doing.

“Oh hey Ash,” Janessa said as she got up and she frowned when she saw my expression, “Is something the matter?”

I opened my mouth to say something but closed it again.

“Ash?” Paul asked with worried eyes.

Luckily that was the moment Samael also came into the room and I was spared from saying goodbye for a little while more. “Ash.” He said quietly I a serious voice, “Zaiden said that you wanted to see me.”

“Oh yes,” I said, “I want you to go gather my vampires and tell them to head to Spain, it is time for the battle to start.” I continued to tell him what I wanted him to do in detail without daring to spare a glance in Janessa and Paul’s direction. I knew it would be terrifying to see their expressions.

When I was finished talking Samael bowed slightly, “Then goodbye Ash, I will you in Spain?”

I nodded, “Zaiden and I are heading there directly.”

Samael nodded again before he disappeared, “Be safe and take care.”

I stared at the spot where he had stood for quite for quite some time before I swallowed. Hard. And turned to face those in the room with me.

“Youre leaving?” Paul asked softy and I nodded, “When?”

“Sunset.”

Paul slowly made his way over to me and hugged me tightly to him, “I still don’t think you should go alone.”

Hesitantly I put my arms around him, taking care not to crush him to death, “I know.”

“And I think you’re being really stupid about this.”

“I know.”

He was silent for a moment, “You better come back.”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” I said with a bitter laugh, “Besides, dying at Alexander’s hand is the best way I can go.”

“Don’t say that.” He said as he pushed my head into his shoulder.

I turned my head away from him and closed my eyes. “Okay, Paul.”

Celeb gave me a gentle hug and told me not to die while watching me with critical eyes. I didn’t even want to know what he was really thinking.

Janessa walked out of the room before I could hug her or say anything to her and it hurt my dead heart a lot more than it should have. I didn’t bother going after her, if she didn’t want to say goodbye I couldn’t force her.

I had wanted to say goodbye to her one last time before going to my death.

At sunset we gathered in the courtyard again and after Viktor had checked to see if most of his vampires were there he waved Lucy closer and told her to get into his arms for transport. She happily tossed a shawl over her head and back –to protect her from the sun because apparently she’d gotten sunburnt very badly when they came from Africa- and looped her bag around Viktor’s arm before letting him pick her up. The bag contained what I was fairly sure to be bottles of water and snacks for the trip.

Tabitha didn’t say anything as she allowed Norabo to pick her but grumbled something about doing what was necessary to save the world when she saw me watching them with a raised eyebrow.

“Ready?” Zaiden asked when he came to stand next to me.

I nodded wordlessly.

When Viktor had checked to see if everyone was set, he set off at quite a fast pace with Lucy squealing for the first five hundred meters.

By the time Zaiden and I caught up with them she was silent with her cheeks aflame and Viktor was laughing at her.

I smiled as I looked at the two of them and looked behind me. Hundreds of vampires were running behind us. I was going to fight alongside these vampires. This was Viktor’s army and we were heading to war.

The fields of Spain; that was where Alexander was going to kill me.

And that was where I was heading.

Running over the ocean was just as boring as it had been the first time and running in such a steady rhythm had lulled me in a kind of trance. I was awake and I knew I was awake, but my mind was empty. I wasn’t thinking of anything.

That’s when the vision hit me like a sledgehammer over the head and I was sent spiralling into and endless abyss of darkness.

Faces.

There were faces everywhere. Faces of some vampires I knew and faces of others I had never seen before. Vampires and demons were clawing at each other, trying to kill each other like the wild creatures they were.

I was in the middle of a battlefield and there was blood smeared over my clothing. Black leather clothing that fit tightly.

I whirled around when someone called my name and I saw that it was Cherise.

“It’s time,” she said. “Come on, we have to go, they’re waiting for us.”

She took my hand and dragged me with her. We were heading to where the darkness was the thickest and to where I could see Tabitha stalking towards a demon that neared her with feline grace.

A vampire, Tabitha was a vampire.

And there he was, in the middle of that intense sick darkness stood Clades.

My reflexes kicked in when I saw a demon jump at me from my right side and I send him flying with one swipe of my hand. I didn’t even flinch at my strength that was more than usual.

When Cherise and I reached Tabitha the demon who had attacked her was dead and her face bloody.

I looked to my left when I hear a vampire snarl.

Lucy.

Cherise took my left hand and a vampire female I’d never seen before took my right. Lucy in turn too that vampire’s hand and Rain joined hands with Lucy. Tabitha linked hands with Rain and another vampire I’d never seen before took Tabitha’s right hand. Cherice took that female’s right hand.

We were standing in a circle.

Seven of us.

Seven Promise angels.

Seven vampires.

We looked at one another and turned our faces to the sky.

And we combusted into flames.