Chapter 7
“The gaul.”
I'd learned not to flinch at the illicit sound of metal hitting metal, the tinker of blade hitting blade. In a quick motion I raise my dagger and block the sharp point coming towards me. She brings her blade down, I mirror her moments.
Look, they are sparing ! OTP
She takes a step forward.
I take one back.
The tries to strike me higher, I follow to deflect.
I forget she has two hands
This should be like a little poem that described their relationship
Muse : You are acting like such a fangirl
Lils ; Well, I was secretly fangirling over them the whole time
She has two blades.
The sharp white gold blade in her other hand tears right through the left sleeve of my shirt, grazing my shoulder. The dagger in my hand clatters to the roof as a tiny stream of black blood trails down my arm.
. . . because that’s what girls do to guys they like ?
In my moment of distraction the Angel’s other blade comes just a half an inch from my eye and skims my lash line.
I stopped, my eyes growing wide. He’s went dark.
I violently shoved the Angel away from me, and bite my tongue at calling her an unsavory name.
See, he held back on being mean to her !
“Human.”, she called over to Isobel.
Isobel stood up from where she had been watching me spare with the Angel. Isobel still wore all black, even down to her sneakers.
The Angel shook off her slim white suit jacket and extended a gold dagger to Isobel. Isobel put on a brave face as the Angel flipped the blade in her hand and handed it to Isobel by the handle.
Seraphina’s two word comment “the gaul” was all she expressed when we finished telling her of how we came across Demon blood in a human boy’s dormitory items.
The Angel stood behind Isobel and adjusted Isobel’s grip on the dagger. She pointed and gave her a few more instructions.The Angel then stepped backwards and beckoned for Isobel to charge at her. Isobel did so with great enthusiasm.
Muse : Yeah, I’m pretty sure this exact scene is in Bellum
Isobel turned ready to charge at the Angel again. I came up behind the Angel and threw my arm around her neck and pulled her back. Leaving plenty of cold vulnerable skin open.
Muse : Lils
Lils : I know I know. . . Paris shorter than Sera
“Aim for her freezing heart”, I told Isobel.
“No”,The Angel corrected, “Aim for the shoulder or palms. Wound me so I can’t come pick up arms against you.”
The Angel shifted her weight and before I could adjust she had thrown me over her shoulder. Her nude high heeled shoe pressed hard on my chest. I grabbed the white gold stiletto heel, fearing she would impale me.
Ahem, so in Bellum Paris and Sera get it on a lot while Sera is mostly wearing high heels. Paris is kind of in to the being dominated thing.
“I would not take advice from this soft son of a bitch, if I were you human. It could get you killed.”, she admonished me
“Don’t call him that, Sera.”, Isobel said, “It’s kind of mean.”
“His mother was a bitch”, The Angel looked down to me, “Good for breeding and all.”
I bit my lip as she threw my words back at me.
“. . . I meant soft”, Isobel said meekly.
Murder, arson jaywalking ?
The Angel would have been amused had she not been made of ice and stone. She pressed harder on my chest, the white gold stiletto heel threatening to break through my shirt and skin.
He’s totally into this, I swear
“Do not think the Demon’s meekness and virginity as endearing, human. He’s is only celibate because he is an insufferable purist. Inbreeding with humans is against his principals--”
“Enough”, I said sternly to the Angel. Was she so wild to forget I was the only one who could give her deliverance from her life as an Angel.
She took her foot off of my chest and calmly began collecting her blades.
Isobel’s comment a few days ago about me not being able to catch Caden Kellers without the Angel had irked me. So much so that I demand the Angel assist me in learning what she knew about defending herself. If there were more like Caden Kellers, who knew what they were capable of.
Oh, Paris
“Where did a little Angel learn such things ?”, I asked her.
“The Demon Father has taught me for over 100 years.”, she said dryly, “Whenever he came to Queen Anne’s to meet with Mother. I was an eager student. Am.”
Cause Hmjeu ain’t dead yet
“Father. . . was a warrior in Homeland ?”
She took her hair out of the conservative french twist Isobel had tied for her then struggled to fit the jacket over her muscular arms.
“Foolish Demon. You did not know why Father was the only adult to survive the war ? He was a coward. He ran away in the midst of battle and hid in the mountains. Trying to find a way here. A way out.”
Father being a coward during the war had long since been the suspected of us Brothers. Knowing that the Angels knew it was worse.
I sat on the edge of the abandon Red Hook shipping factory and watched the ferries come in and out of the dock across the Hudson River.The sky was a hazy purple blue and pink. It was a beautiful sunset, a beautiful background for an ugly quest.
Aww, they are watching the sunset together
Isobel took a place next to me. Somehow her tiny insignificant human life had gotten tied up in this.
Stay in your lane, Isoboel.
“Do you think . . . Vampirism is they key to creating more Demons ?”, I asked the Angel.
“Perhaps we should test it”, The Angel suggested looking over to Isobel.
FORESHADOWING
“Also, whomever transformed Caden Kellers will need another errand boy. Keep watch on the Angel Sanctuary and if you find someone. . . try not to kill them.”
“Look, you’re missing the sunset”, Isobel said
“Right”, I mused, “ How can I concentrate on sunsets when the future of my Princehood lies with the help of a human girl and a cruel angel?”
At that comment the Angel dropped off the roof, she just stepped off elegantly almost as if she could have flown. She dropped 9 stories and landed neatly on her feet.
Perhaps I was becoming uglier than my
smile.
Paris : She’s not that bad. . .
“We should go to Down River Academy . I bet Caden’s friends know more about him than his mom does.”, Isobel suggest.
“Good idea”, I said. That should have been my idea.
Isobel kept her eyes on the Angel untill she disappeared down the street.
“Hey, Paris”
“Yes”
“You said your . . . horns were removed ?”
“Yes”, I said quietly
“Well, If Sera is an Angel. Where are her wings ?”
+2+
There was a small vigil set up to Hannah Lauren in front of Isobel’s apartment building. Hannah had been pretty for a human with bright blonde hair and calm blue eyes.
“I'd like t to come up”, I said partially seriously , “Meet this other roommate of yours.”
“Oh, Eric is kind of a jerk.”
SHOUT OUT
“Perhaps there is something in Hannah’s room that can help us find out what happened.”
“I looked”, she said, "There was nothing out of the ordinary. Her mom took everything last week."
“Perhaps.”, I decided taking the lighter route, “I just want to learn more about Isobel Charter.”
She swung her keys around her finger and looked towards the building.
“I . .. I would Paris. . .but I don’t want to have to come up with some lie for Eric. What would I tell people ? We're friends ? We're dating ? I can’t lie to him right now. Not after Hannah. Lying is not--
“Don’t lie,”
“What ? I--”
I saw a flicker of understanding in her eyes and step closer. I look down into her eyes, she seems . . . conflicted. Slowly she stands on her toes and my lips barely touched hers.
“Don’t lie.” I whisper against her lips
I press her mouth to mine, closing the space between us. Her hands are deep in my hair pulling me closer.
“Don’t lie”, I ask again, “About me. Date. . .me.”
“I . . . ”, her words were lost in another kiss.
Nothing could have ruined that moment.
Except for that scream.
Isobel and I instantly parted and watched a crowd of late night ravers and stumbling drunks crowded around the next corner.
By the time we reached where the commotion everyone was looking down. A young woman was violently seizing on the ground, her pale blonde head banging against the dirty concrete. Her hair was twirled up in two buns on the top of her head. . . like it was covering something. . .covering tiny horns.
Beneath her red lipstick and dark eye makeup her face was sallow like Caden Kellers.
Isobel nudged me and I followed her gaze to the Lux Aeterna stamped on the dead girl’s hand. On her other hand was a 5 stamped in a circle. The same stamp as Caden Kellers and Hannah Lauren.
CLUES
Isobel ran away from the crowd and I was torn between following her and staying. I ran after Isobel where she was struggling to put in the code to get inside her building.
“Isobel”, I said carefully, “What’s--”
Isobel kicked the door and slumped down on the front steps.
“No, That girl she looked just like Hannah when I found her.”, hot tears ran down her face. I could barely make out her words, “Her skin and eyes I-I-can’t--”
“Isobel, you don't have to do this anymore . You don’t have to help me any longer.”
“Why is this happening, Paris ?”, she shouted this and silence followed, “Why ?”
+++
The Demons play soccer and tease Paris. There was supposed to be a scene in NA where they play soccer, they get rained out and Sera/Paris get super affectionate and PDA like. No one cares except Theo who thinks Sera is being controlled.
but I took it out and put in the botch rescue instead. Sera and Paris get supper affectionate in a bar (. . . and the parking lot) and later when they sneak away
+++
So Paris and his (Second) Girl Friday go to a diner where the DRA boys meet up and find out that Caden Kellers has been going to a club called the Tenth Circle
+++
Chapter 8
Her bare legs were smooth and just slightly parted. Carefully I lifted her skirt to just above her knees and slowly bent down, letting out a warm breath over her slightly tanned skin.
Brown chicken brown cow
“Your hands”, she said
“Yes, sorry”
Aw, sookie sookie now !
I reached into my pockets and pulled out a pair of thin heat resistance gloves. Then I removed a pin from my sleeve and secured the front of the Angel’s dress. Quickly, I went around the sides and back carefully pinning the extra white fabric.
False Alarm
Unlike the other Angels, Seraphina didn’t watch my work in the mirror. Instead she kept her eyes on the ground.
She’s self conscious too ! These two are like an Avril Laviegne song
I’m just a girl you’re just a guy. Could it be anymore obvious ?
The Angel Mother , strolled around the main floor of her mansion, watching the Demon Brothers carefully with our pins and scissors so close to her delicate Angels.
The Demon Brothers did not make eye contact with Mother. Instead they kept their eyes on the fabric, pins and hems of the Angel’s dress. This was careful tedious work and not the simple mending Mother had me do previously.
“Remember, boys”, The Angel Mother said, “We want classic. . . but perhaps modern.”
So, in one incarnation of Lux where it was a oneshot short story. In my head
this scene was when one of the Demons fell for one of the Angels.
I blinked as a drop of sweat fell into my eyes. I quickly wiped my brow, wishing The Angel Mother would at least open a window. Many of us Brother’s were down to our undershirts in the sweltering heat of the Queen Anne’s.
I tried to make tailoring smexy again
I could hear the hum of the heaters and the pulsing humidity, the Angels were not one bit affected. I think they turned the heat up on purpose to rile us.
“Did you find anything”, I whispered to The Angel. My voice competing with the airy music Mother had playing over the speakers.
“Perhaps”, she said trying not to move her lips.
Talking would look suspicious. For Angel’s and Demons talking was simply not done unless absolutely necessary.
“Tell me, what you’ve found.”
“Not here”, she said
“This evening. The Sweet Lane Bakery then?”
“It is not so easy for me to disappear, Mother forbids Sisters to leave you know.”
Seraphina’s eyes were now on the mirror, but instead of looking at her reflection she watched the bottle-blonde Angel whom was staring daggers at Bane who had forgotten his gloves.
“Prince ?”, The Angel Mother approached me, “Whatever are you doing here ? Surely you have better things to do than assist us Angels with our fittings ?.”
I bowed to her on one knee.
“I do not want others to think I am above my trade, Mother.”, I replied, “It’s shows a good example to the others. A man of the people”
Oh, Paris. . . a Noble
King
NAAU won’t get out of my head.
Mother smiled down at me then moved on to chastise Bane.
“What is her name”, I asked Seraphina quietly, “The blonde Angel you keep watching”
“Quiet, Demon.”
“Why so secretive.”
“I said quiet”, she whispered.
“Do you love her ?”
Cause if not we could. . .
The Angel opened her mouth to speak then forced it back into it’s usual scowl.
“Formal, girls”, The Angel Mother shouted clapping her hands.
The Angels slipped out of the white summer dresses and the brothers pretended to look for pins or scissors, anything instead of watching Angels change dresses.
The Angel Mother generally requested Brothers whom were not prone to gossip or idle chatter to tailor for the Angels. Generally it was two times a year and where every rumor we had about Angels came from.
You know. . . the ones she thinks are gay
I had persuaded Brother Able to let me take his place, it wasn’t difficult considering the clients.
Muse : Did you just name two Demons Bane and Able ?
The Angels had changed into long layers of soft chiffon dresses. The Angel Mother often let them attend one opera or theater event a year.
“I can’t keep sneaking around my Brothers either. They’ve noticed too much already. Tell me now or never.”, I said.
“I have an idea”, The Angel said.
I bent down on my knees again and pulled a pin out of my sleeve. When I reached for the hem of Seraphina’s gown she jerked her leg and jabbed her pointed heel into my shoulder.
I went off balance and as I fell I heard the awful rip of chiffon. My shoulder darkened and bruised instantly from her heel.
Damn, Sera
“Bastard”, Seraphina shouted, “Look what you’ve done. Useless disgusting Demon. You’ve ruined my dress”
She kicked me back down again.
I was ready to reprimand her for insulting me in public, when I saw a flicker of challenge in her lifeless blue eyes.
Oh.
Well, then.
Do you guys feel the chemistry ?
“Sister, I am sorry. My apologizes.”, I said through gritted teeth.
“Clumsy idiot”, she shouted, holding up the ripped end of her dress.
Everyone in the room was now watching. The Angels probably surprised to see Seraphina care about clothes and the Demons amused at seeing their future Prince get reamed out by a hellish Angel.
I think Paris kind of likes getting reamed out
“I shall fix it, My Sister”, I was on my knees, “Please.”
“No, it’s too late”, she stormed off down the hall in a flurry of chiffon “You ruined it. Now my dress won’t match my Sisters.”
I picked up my kit and machine and quickly ran after her.
“Please I can fix it.”
“Stay away from me.”, she shouted.
I gave The Angel Mother a pleading look and I continued to flee after Seraphina. We shouted obscenities at one another, I could hear a tense laughter from down the hall.
Ahead of me Seraphina picked up her dress and ran down the hall towards two double doors. I followed checking behind me to make sure we weren’t being followed.
They are running down the hall together after having sucessfully worked well together. OTP
On the other side of the doors was an expansive library. I shut and locked the doors behind me. The Angel was already pushing a cart filled with old books and glass encased scrolls over to me.
“I can’t believe you lot still have these.”, I regarded the written text from Homeland.
“They are translations. We hand wrote them from scrolls during the Dark Ages.”
“If you would have waited a few more years the printing press would have been faster.”
She didn’t find my joke amusing and instead opened the books. It took me a while to adjust to reading my native language. It was a book on origin stories, the closest thing we had to history.
A. Paris that is not a joke
B. So, Paris actually uses his native language once in NA when he is sleeping with Sera.
“There are many histories about how our species are connected. One which says Demons are nothing more than Fallen Angels.”
“How convenient”, I said. knowing parts of the mythos flowed over in the human world.
“That you Demons were created when a deceitful set of Angels lead by Lucifer The First betrayed their king and celebrated by drinking his blood. Upon consumption of the blood they became.. . Demons. Fallen Angels.”
Lucifer The First being an Angel is an ol’ wives tale. I knew this much.
The Angel stood in the middle of the expansive library, below her feet was an intricate mural of Homeland. It was pastoral (as I thought) and the center of the mural had a large blooming tree, with white oblong shaped fruit on it.
“Is this the Angelfruit that the Snowfires are made of ?”
Okay, the snowfire apples are making a comeback in NAAU
“Yes”, she stepped off the mural, “Life, consist of two essential things. Blood and water. The snowfire apple orchid is nurtured with Holy Water containing the Angel princess’s tears”
“So, it’s not just the blood. It’s the Holy water in the snowfire’s orchard mixed with Demon blood that’s causing the transformation ? How ?”
Basically blood + magicwater = Vampire. I created a mythology but tried way to hard to sell it.
“Why would someone be so desperate to create Demons from humans ?”, The Angel asked.
“Hopefully we will find answers at The 5th Circle.”, I had told her of the information from Matthew Conners earlier.
Pretty sure that was tenth circle in the previous chapter
I reached into my work kit and pulled out a pair of sharp scissors.
“I can’t fix your dress but. . .”
“I don’t care about the dress.”, she seethed at me.
“You don’t . . . but when your anger rose that blonde Angel could not take her eyes off you.”
“Her name is Hippolyta”, The Angel said putting the books and scrolls away, something like a faint blush on her skin.
I realized she was talking about the blonde angel.
“Hippolyta must think you are gorgeous", I said.
Paris : cause I sure do
Normally the Angel would never entertain such a comment, but this time she did.
“Why is that, Demon.”
“Because you have an awful to non-existent personality.”
She shifted on her heels, her face broke for nearly half a second. Then her lips tightened again
. . . OMG. PARIS MADE HER ALMOST CRY
Oh.
I realized I had mispoken. Hippolyta did think Seraphina was gorgeous. . . that was all she thought about her.
“What of you and the human Isobel ? Is she distracting you from your destiny ?”,
“She’s just helping. Nothing more.”
Don’t lie
“Do not act like you haven’t seen this happen
time and time again over the years.”, The Angel said.
I bowed my head knowing she was right. Casual dating was never a problem ; sex and affairs they were nothing.To fall in love ? To leave the Brotherhood was to be banished.
“I’m not in love with her or anything. We’ve just met”, I said.
Don’t lie.
So, Paris is in love with a girl who might not be right for him. Sera’s with a girl who doesn’t notice her. I mean KISS already
The Angel bent over at the waist and lifted up her chiffon skirts. Startled I moved back. She ran her hands under thigh and tossed one of her daggers at me.
Okay, she wears her knives a lot like this because she is always wearing dresses in LA
I surprised myself by catching it.
“You will need this to protect her. Fate is on you side Demon.”, she chose her words carefully, “Angels have a sense when it comes to true love. It is unshakeable”
“Truly ?”, I asked.
"Do you not see it, Prince ? Do you not feel it when you are with her ? Why she keeps showing up . She is fated to be your true love. You can not escape fate."
So, Paris is telling himself earlier “don’t lie” and Sera is straight up lying here. Ahem, Sera probably got the idea from Twilight.
I stilled at her words thinking about the kiss I'd first shared with Isobel. It certainly wasn't tolerable, it wasn't like any kiss I'd ever had with a human. It was different. . .
"A Demon Prince. . .fated to fall in love with a human ? Madness truly."
She shakes her head.
"How long have you sensed this ?", I asked her.
"Since the moment she touched your arm outside the gates. She knew you."
"Know one knows me", I said reflexively
"Father always told me you were destined to change things.Perhaps your fate with the Isobel Charter will save us all."
Such a statement.
It concerned me how close and cavalier Father had been with this Angel.
“I suppose cupid was an Angel.”, I said
“The myths must come from somewhere.”
“Now”, I put my gloved hands on the bodice of the dress and ripped away the torn chiffon, “Let me do my job.”
*fangirl flail*
\
+2+
The Fifth Circle was off the grid
Literally
It was off the NYC street grid and occupied the docks overlooking the East River. Outside it smelled like garbage and mud. The back of the club led out to the old docks chained off by city ordinance.
Isobel had her arm looped around mine, I hadn’t been able to take my eyes off of her since she came out of her apartment in just a pair of white shorts and shimmery gold top. She teetered in her heels and had a small gold bag with her slim camera slung over her shoulder.
I wanted to think I was happy to see her out of black.
“Looks packed”, she said watching the club, “How are we going to find anything useful ?”
“Divide and conquer”, I said looking at my watch.
“I don’t know how far I can get in my heels.”, she said clinging to me for support.
Isobel and her shoes
“Oh, no. I’m not letting you out of my sight dressed like that. We are sticking together.”
“Shut up”, she said trying not to laugh and kissed me.
Don’t lie
You know you love, Sera
I kissed her back, glad for one moment not be thinking about half human-demons, dead roommates and the fact that this shouldn't feel so right.
Feeling a bit better I let my arm settle around her waist and watched as the line continued to grow.
“Finally”, I said
Isobel looked up at me then turned around to see the Angel approaching. She was wearing the Angel’s standard white sheath dress and feathered cloak.
“This is the Fifth circle .” The Angel said taking in the club
“Expecting something from Dante ?”, I remarked, “You may want to lose your cloak, Sister.”
She jerked away when I reached to unclasp the collar pin holding the cloak around her neck and shoved her knee into my stomach.
Why so mean Sera ?
“Sera”, Isobel still shocked out how violent she could be.
“How dare you touch me, filthy Demon”, she said as I recovered.
I decided to ignore her violent outburst. I didn’t know what we would find and I needed the vicious Angel on my side
VCOUS ANGL needs to be Seraphina’s license plate number
The promoters at the front entrance scanned the crowd and gestured for the Angel to come to the front.The Angel hesitated and Isobel took the Angel’s cold hand and followed her over to the promoter.
“We’re together”, Isobel explained leaning her head next to the Angel’s shoulder.
The Angel nervously brushed her hair back when the man looked her up and down. Not so good with a man she couldn’t stab.
Or men in General. Sera hasn’t dated a man since like the 1840’s
The promoter smiled and pressed a cold dark stamp to our hands. It was a 5 with a circle on it.
.
Inside the Fifth Circle was a hypnotic blur of bodies and music. Themix of vice and excitement that was almost palatable.
Isobel was shaking out her hand.
“Oh my God”, she said, “Sera you are. . . so cold. my hand feels numb.”
The Angel rolled her shoulders as if trying to shake off the nickname.
Sera : IDK, I kind of like it.
Lile’s typing hand : Me too
“I’ll warm it up for you”, I took Isobel’s cold hand into mine.”Seraphina look around. Isobel and I are going to try getting into the VIP lounge.”
I gave the Angel my watch and set a place to meet up in an hour. In a matter of seconds she disappeared into the crowd.
Wow, so I just realized in an earlier scene Paris says Angels are so backwards they don’t have watches but here he gives her his watch.
Even though I knew this was about the snowfires apples and the murderers I still stopped to buy Isobel a drink. Something sweet and bubbly much like her personality.
Take notes, fellas
“There”, Isobel pointed to the second floor clutching her drink.
A handful of smaller salons sat on the upper floor. Each with their own security. The one Isobel had pointed to featured the Lux Aeterna projected on the door.
It was easy to see why this room was so selective.Everyone had clearly been hand selected for their startling youth and beauty. Every dancing and huddled body was tall and elegant. Long hair, cut jaws and pronounced cheekbones.
Then there was the apples
Snowfire apples.
Piles of white apples decorated the lounge. Stacked in tall clear vases, arranged into neat pyramids and spilling out of solid white gold baskets. The bar overflowed with snowfire Martini’s and Mojitos.
“Where did they all come from ? I thought they weren’t being distributed.”, Isobel picked one up.
“The Angel Mother stopped distributing them weeks ago. These must be what Caden Kellers was stealing from Queen Anne’s.”
“Holy crap”, Isobel turned to face the door
“What ?”
She took a quick look behind her and tried to look unfazed.
“They are doing drugs in here. I mean like hardcore. I could get into trouble if the school found out. We could go to jail.”
“Calm down”, I said she was being sensible, “No one--”
“Never tell a woman to calm down”, she said, “let’s mingle for a bit and then get out of here.”
Paris : well, I do like them bossy
We broke apart and Isobel stood near the bar. I wondered as far as I could, while still keeping an eye on her. Something wasn’t right about this place
I started inspecting a snowfire apple for authenticity when a woman bumped into me.
“Your eyes”, was the first thing she said, “Are so. . . dark”
“Well, they want to match my heart”, I recalled how many times I’d heard Ashe say such a thing. Back when he had eyes that is.
So much dark humor in this
+3+
Two sickly looking, pale and bleary eyed servers had appeared in the middle of the room, carrying silver trays filled with tiny shot glasses. Each one had a serving of something dark, black and liquid.
Demon blood.
The party goers rushed the sickly looking servers, suddenly the civilized elegant people became a mob as they reached for and poured down the liquid.
They were drinking Demon’s blood, they were addicted to it.
VAMPIRES
It stained their teeth and lips and they smiled and delighted in the high it created when mixed with the aphrodisiac effect of the snowfire apples.
The servers tucked the empty trays under their arms and surveyed the crowd. They whispered to one of the taller more gallant men in the room. They seemed to promise him something. . . perhaps a bigger high ? What ever it was the gallant man followed them out to the club.
Wait, so you go to an exculsive club. . . where people have tatttos, drink and dance. At said club someone picks out certain people who they think will be interested in a more exclusive opportunity.
SHV, does this sound familiar ?
Isobel and I trailed behind them as they went back out into the main dance floor. They
We waited a few moments before slipping out the back. The smell of the Dumpsters and the murky East River was strong. We watched as the strange servers walked the gallant man over to the dock and offered him more Demon’s blood. He took it greedily
“Our benefactors for tonight would like to extend an ultimate high.”, The servers said in unison.
Isobel had pulled out her camera and began taping the exchange.
“I’m game”, a gallant man answered.
So, they turn this guy into a daemon. Basically eating fruit (made with magic water) + Drinking Demon Blood – life (they kill you) = reborn as Vampire who craves demon blood = Daemon + (super addication to demon blood now. Side effect)
“I’m here to offer you the greatest high of your life, Brother. A place among the Order of The Morning Star. Rise Brother and accept my gracious offer or true death awaits you.”
That voice. I knew that voice.
The gallant man studied the suited man. The gallant man looked at the fatal wound he had been given and up at the suited man again.
“Yes.”
The suited man laughed and stepped into the light. His face hit me like a knife to my back.
Isobel tried to stop me as I stood and charged on shaky legs towards the scene playing out in front of me.
“B-brother”, I said. suddenly feeling more entitled and righteous that I ever had., “What is this blasphemy ?”
The suited man was no longer the suited man. He was the Demon I’d grown up with.
The suited man was Brother Isaiah.
Isaiah turned towards his sick and twisted new creature and gave him one command.
“Kill the prince.”
Chapter 9
So here is LiLe’s first attempt at writing an “action” scene
I jumped as two shots rang out from behind me. Isobel was crouched down holding on to the gun I’d taken from the Angel. She had been aiming for Isaiah and missed dreadfully.
I braced myself as Isaiah’s newly born daemon hurled toward me.
My hand found the white gold dagger the Angel had given me and when the daemon was close enough I slashed at his shoulder. It only grazed him but he was strong and determined to please. He bared his teeth.
He wanted my blood.
“Face me like a man, Brother”, I shouted to Isaiah as I dodged his creation, “Don’t send your creatures to do it for you.”
The daemon threw me to the ground his teeth snapping at my neck. I could only make out one word on his lips.
Blood.
I twisted my neck as the daemon’s teeth scarped me. I threw the daemon off of me and staggered away as it reared to charge again.
“You would have never understood, Prince”, Isaiah said, “All you’ve ever wanted to do was follow in Father’s footsteps. I bet the sweet soft prince won’t even kill my daemon here.”
He was right.
A shrill ring cut through the eerie silence, the backdoor swung door open and hundreds of people spilled out of the club and onto the dock. Isobel was caught in the current and navigated back to my side.
The newly created and uncoordinated daemon was swept up in the stamped
“I set a fire”, Isobel explained.
I looked to where the crowd was trampling over the daemon, it tried to rise but was crushed.
When the crowd disappeared I could make out the daemon on the floor. Isaiah was still watching from a distance.
“Mercy”, I offered the injured daemon.
I reached down to help the daemon up. I studied the tear in his shirt from where Isaiah had stabbed him when he had been human.
“I can help you, Brother. ”
I reached out to make peace, the dameon took his hands to my neck and Isobel tore into the daemon’s arms trying to pry him off me.
My vision started to go and all I could hear was Isobel screaming my name.The daemon bit into my hot skin. I opened my mouth unable to scream from shock.
Then a tart spray of reddish-black blood splattered on my face and lips. The daemon’s grasp loosened and he fell to the ground. A dark ring around his neck where his throat had been cut.
Seraphina’s icy blue eyes harshly judged me.
Weak
Soft
Pathetic
Not a drop of blood hand landed on her white attire.
“Shot at me and die, human”, she warned.
With that she slowly walked over to where Isaiah stood. Too gold daggers hanging on her fingertips. Isaiah watched her the way all Demons watched Angels. . . with repugnant disgust and morbid fascination.
“Stealing snowfires from the Angels, poisoning humans with your foul blood, creating these abominations. You will die for your crimes, Demon.”
Brother Isaiah put his hands in his pockets and shrugged.
“Come after me you pathetic little bitch”
So she did.
Here, Sera takes on the protector role for Paris. The question at this point is why ? She doesn’t like Paris he’s mean to her yet she protects him
Isaiah anticipated the Angel and ducked out of her way. He grabbed one of the server’s trays and blocked her strikes. She was fast and cut thin line along his jaw. He touched his face and when he saw and opening in her stance he slammed the tray roughly into her stomach.
The Angel fell grasping her side, he had hit the spot Isobel had stabbed her all those weeks ago.
Isaiah kicked the Angel on to her back, with her blade still in her hand she jammed one into Isiah’s shoe. With a pained expression he removed it with a low grunt.
He grabbed the Angel roughly by her hair and dragged her to the edge of the dock and slammed her face down. He picked up one of her gold daggers and in a quick motion sheared her cloak in half.
Him shearing her cloak is supposed to be equivalent to him cutting her wings
“Brother, leave her”, I ordered, “This is not Angel business.”
“Don’t call me Brother, Prince”
“Why are you doing this ?”
He let go of her hair and with his foot pushed the Angel into the East River.
She dead
“Because this is the future.. How many times must you announce that this is not our world when it should be. This will be our world for the taking. If we don’t take it they will.”
“This is madness.”
“A few party goers still lingered and as I took them in one by one, they all had a vacant look about them. Ashen skin and tired eyes. They looked like Caden Kellers the night he had died. They were all daemons.
“Kill Paris Prince”, Isaiah ordered to his daemons, “You can have his sweet blood,”
Isobel started shooting at the advancing daemons. Isaiah was so enthralled in this scene of chaos he didn’t notice the Angel pulling herself out of the river. Her dagger clenched in her mouth.
Lol, nope.
“Run, Isobel”, I shouted before considering what to do.
“No”, she shouted back, “They don’t want me-”
A daemon threw itself at me and I was knocked to the ground. It barred it’s teeth at me. While fighting the daemon I could see The Angel behind Isiah
. . . she was hesitating.
She looked between Isaiah and the daemon’s advancing around me and Isobel. I shook my head, a small gesture demanding her to kill the insubordinate Demon. She closed her eyes as another daemons made a leap towards my throat.
The Angel slipped past Isaiah and before I could blink she slit the throats of the dameons devouring me. As their blood shed the other daemons backed away in fear.
“What are you doing ?”, I asked her.
“Protecting the Prince”, she said with a air of disdain.
Seraphina makes the choice to go help Paris then take down Isaiah. Unrealted. I feel like Isaiah should have (at some point) had his creations turn on him and eat him.
“Forget me. Go after Isaiah ”
She ignored my order and circled me while the daemons waited, trying to find the best way to get to me. I stood trying to find composure.
The Angel dropped her daggers and and twisted the gun out of Isobel’s hand
“Hide, Isobel”, she ordered to the human, “Prince. Run when you have the chance.”
The Angel raised the gun and shot at the legs of the impending daemons. Isaiah who was enjoying this display smiled at how his daemon’s fought for their addiction.
“Filthy Demon”, she admonished him, “You have no right to create such abominations. You will die”
She saved the last bullet for him, but he dodged it as if it were nothing.
When the clip was empty she removed a short blade from the bottom of her shoe and threw it at Isaiah’s eyes. He turned to the side in time for it to skid into the East River.
Her breathing was heavy and she was running out of energy and ideas, she fell
to her knees grasping her side. Isaiah turned his head to the side as if
noticing the Angel for the first time. She stood and the daemons recoiled in
the shadows.
“I think”, he said, “I want the Angel.”
Isaiah is impressed with Seraphina and wants to experiment on her.
There was a flash of silver and the Angel fell suddenly, a silver tray landed just a few feet away. I looked to see the other server no longer had its tray.
The daemons creeped out of the shadows.I could hear them salivating, wanting, waiting. They pounced on me. I defended myself as best as I could, my only saving grace that they were fighting one another for a taste of me.
It’s like I wrote Walking Dead Fanfiction.
Isaiah stood infront of the Angel and inspected her. He reached down to touch the bruise on her face from where the tray had hit her. Her eyes shot open and she sunk her teeth into his hand. In one motion her foot swept out to knocked him off his feet.
She pinned him down and reached out realizing she didn’t have a weapon near her. Instead she pulled a metal flask from Isaiah's belt.
“Run, Demon”, she said.
The daemons on to of me stopped and turned in her direction. The flask contained Demon’s blood. The contents which were now spilled on The Angel's hands.
She spills the blood here to attracts the demon/vampire/zombies. In retrospect she should have spilled it on Isaiah then she could have escaped to. But I needed Seraphina to get captured so Paris could save her.
Isaiah threw her off of him.
Before she hit the pavement two daemons slammed into her, fighting one another for a taste of blood she’d spilt on her hands.The rest of daemons join the crowd desperate for a taste.
“Sera”, Isobel shouted.
Isaiah smiled as the demons prayed on The Angel, he picked up the discarded weapons and stopped to admire the gun.
“Lucian ammunition. Haven’t seen one of these in years”, he said and pocketed it.
The daemons moved away from her prone figure, her skin now stained black from Demon's blood.
“It’s not their world anymore, Brother”, Isaiah kicked the Angel with each word, “It’s ours”
Face down on the dock she moved her fingers just barely... Isaiah grabbed her by her hair again and threw her to the two server’s waiting arms.
Her eyes were red and mouth swollen and bruised. She was trying to say something.
Run.
“Now, that this little cherub is out of the way”, Isaiah regarded his creations, “Kill the prince.”
“Run, Paris. Please.”, Isobel called back
+2+
Paris and Isobel escape to Isobe’s apartment for some ill-timed fluff. Once there he realizes that Isobel had taken Seraphina’s torn cloak. This comes back later
There is a pile of white material on Isobel’s bed. I pick it up and realize in the midst of the attack Isobel had picked up the Angel’s torn cloak.
We both sit up and Isobel takes the torn cloak from me and runs her hands over the soft downy feathers.
“I thought it might be important to her. I want to give it back to her when we go back for her--”
“She choose to fight a battle that wasn’t hers”, I said, “There is no going back.”
Now Isobel looks at me as if I am a monster.
“You are going to save her aren’t you ?”, Isobel asked, “She protected you--”
“That was her choice.”
“Paris”, she stood up and I missed her touch instantly, “You’re not that kind of man.”
“I’m not any kind of man”, I reminded her, “I’m a Demon.”
“You showed mercy to a creature who wanted to drink your blood but you won’t go back for---”
“An Angel. No I won’t”, I finished, “I’m sorry Isobel but it’s simply not done. My Brother’s are my priority. There is a legion of vicious daemons who will kill for our blood . . .that is my priority.”
He’s pushing hard against his feelings for her
I watched her lose a bit of faith in me, in my humanity. I thought for a moment about what the Angel said about having a good sense for love. I hoped in my heart that after this was over Isobel Charter could still fall in love with me.
Paris tells the Brotherhood what Isaiah is up to and they agree to work with the Angels to stop him
End SCENE