An Eternity of Eclipse

  Eclipse looked at me critically, offended by what I said.

  “The veil over you wouldn’t lift unless I made the deal,” he countered, reminding me why he had to put his life on the line in the first place. His tone was dry, completely bitter.

  I shrugged because I didn’t want to argue with him. There was no point in fighting when the seconds of my life were nearing its end. I remained quiet for a long time, chewing on my bottom lip and allowing the tense silence to percolate around us.

  Unable to help myself, I voiced a question I had been thinking about since last night. I hoped that he would accommodate my query.

  “Do I still get wishes?” I uttered faintly, my voice barely above a whisper.

  Eclipse’s brows bunched together. He looked stumped. He wasn’t certain if he had just heard me ask the most ridiculous question in the world. “What?”

  I cleared my throat to speak clearer. “Do I still get wishes?”

  Eclipse’s stare was rife with judgment. He was not amused. “Do I look like a neighborhood genie to you?”

  “Will you really deny a dying girl’s last wish?”

  “At this point, I couldn’t care less because as far as I’m concerned, I’m dying too.”

  I blinked at him, trying to appear innocent in order to soften his resentment. I really wanted my wishes.

  “I thought you said you’d do anything for me and give me anything I wanted?” I reminded him. I recalled all those nice things he promised me on the bus. It meant nothing to me before, but now it meant everything. I wanted to claim all of it before I passed from the world.

  A dry laugh issued from his lips. “I was trying to charm my way into your pants, Teacup. There aren’t a lot of things I say that can be taken at face value. I would’ve told you I’d kick a flying pig for you if it meant I’d be one step closer to getting you into bed.”

  I felt my face burn red at his reply.

  As I became redder than a tomato, he gazed at me curiously and asked, “What would you wish for anyway?”

  “World peace . . .”

  He chuckled again, this time with complete amusement. “I think you will have to take that generic wish to the grave with you because I don’t have the power to enact that. Even if I did have that much power, I wouldn’t waste it on that.”

  “Why would it be a waste?” I challenged.

  I was aware that it was a generic wish. To be blunt, I didn’t care too much about world peace because, well, I lacked some of the basic human emotions to care about others. Nevertheless, because I had this immature bullet point on my bucket list that said, “change the world,” I figured nothing would be more epic than wishing for world peace and having it come to fruition. It would be cool to be the source behind world peace before I died. Regrettably, Eclipse seemed adamant on keeping my greedy self from getting a hold of such a glorious wish.

  Eclipse expelled a sigh just as the elevator started moving upwards again. Perhaps feeling bad that he had to deny me my wish, he started to explain his reasoning to me.

  “You humans have a tendency to taint any good things that are given to you,” he began as smoke moved pensively around him. “Even if there were world peace, one day, perhaps decades or centuries later, someone will be greedy enough to take advantage of it. Wars will start out again, and before you know it, everything will be worse than before. This is why divine and demonic interventions are usually kept out, and this is why no powerful entity bothers with wasting their time with frivolous things like world peace. It is better to let the little fishes learn from their mistakes than to fix anything for them.” He turned to me, his eyes colored with judgment for me and my race. “These are your lives and your world. You have two legs, two hands, two opposable thumbs, and a pretty sizeable brain—stop complaining, stop bitching, and stop wishing. Just fix it yourself.”

  I sighed, crestfallen that I couldn’t die with a wish coming true. In the process, the Demon was reprimanding me again about the apparent shortcomings of my species.

  Taking notice of the quiet contemplation I had drifted into (and probably sensing my sadness that my wish was denied), Eclipse sighed again before making something appear on the tip of his finger.

  My eyes blossomed with awe.

  Within the blink of an eye, there was now a red Hermes Birkin bag hanging from the tip of his finger. And dancing within the pouch of the bag by the grip of its heels was a new pair of black Christian Louboutin high heels.

  “What . . . what is that for?” I asked in wonder, my eyes glowing as I stared at the breathtaking beauties before me.

  “Something you’d actually wish for,” he replied, handing them to me with a small smile. It elated him to see how happy I became.

  I reached for them, cheerfully accepting his gifts because these were items I had been lusting after for quite some time. I had resorted to admiring them from afar as opposed to whipping out my credit cards and purchasing them as I normally would because I had no more money. Suffice it to say, it made my night to have them in my possession.

  I beamed up at him, feeling grateful that he had given me these beautiful gifts. It was funny how Eclipse could make me so angry one minute, so miserable the next, and then so happy right after with his simple actions. In moments like these, I couldn’t bring myself to believe that he was as cold as he made himself out to be.

  “Do you really think humans are lower life forms?” I couldn’t help but ask. For whatever reason, I truly didn’t believe he loathed humans as much as he said he did. “Do you really hate all of us that much?”

  Eclipse took a second to regard me with an indiscernible look in his eyes. A sardonic smirk played on his lips while he inhaled another puff of his cigarette. “I had preconceived notions that were popular amongst my species.” Another stream of smoke escaped him. “But after coming here and having some interaction with you and the people at Sanctuary, my beliefs have become a bit more flexible.” The muscles in his jaw tightened when he saw me smile knowingly at his answer. In an attempt to save face, he quickly amended, “Don’t mistake this one-time concession as me declaring my love for your race. I can admit when a shitty race isn’t as shitty as I thought they’d be, but that doesn’t mean I still don’t look down on your world.”

  No matter how abrasive his words were, I had come to find that with a Demon like Eclipse, even a one-time concession was a leap for the moon. I imagined it would be hard to change the mind of an immortal being who had seen everything the world had to offer. From this, I could only conclude that he must have taken a strong liking to a certain demographic of my race to have such a “flexible” opinion on us as a whole.

  “You really liked those little baby midgets, didn’t you?” I prompted with a poorly hidden smile.

  “I didn’t waste my time setting up Wii consoles for the little brats and putting up with having those little munchkins hug me while watching scary movies for fun,” he finally admitted, biting back a smile when he was reminded of them.

  “So why’d you lie and say you didn’t?”

  “I’m trying to make you hate the idea of being human,” Eclipse admitted miserably, turning to face me fully. “Admitting that I like the little baby midgets doesn’t exactly help my cause, now does it?”

  Something about his answer warmed my heart. It wasn’t exactly a Hallmark answer, but coming from a Demon like Eclipse, it was better than anything a Hallmark card could dish out.

  Satisfied, I nodded favorably and peered up the elevator gauge. I realized that my floor was coming up, and when it did, it would end whatever we had going on because my decision was set in stone now.

  “Well, I guess this ends our little relationship, huh?” I asked quietly, staring at him once the light for the eleventh floor hit twelve, nearly coming to the thirteenth floor.

  He studied me with disappointed frustration. “You’d really rather die than become a Demon?”

  I bounced my head, giving him the same thing he had given me within this box
of steel: an honest answer.

  “I’m already less than human. I don’t want to lose anymore of my humanity. If my soul is the only thing left that makes me human, then I’m going to keep it. I can’t help that I’m the way I am, that I have sadistic tendencies. But since I have the choice right now to keep my humanity, I’m going to hold onto it. I trust that I’m making the right choice.”

  “Right choice for who?’ he countered once the elevator doors slid open. “It’s definitely not the right choice for you.”

  I smiled weakly at him, stepping out with my new presents. The sight of Eclipse in such misery was hard to swallow, but I wasn’t going to be persuaded to alter my decision.

  “Goodbye, Eclipse,” I said to him, trying to act as civil and polite as possible. If this was my last interaction with him, then I wanted it to end on a nice note. “I can’t say that it’s been a pleasure, but I can definitely say that it’s been entertaining. Good luck with the ‘I’m-going-to-be-human’ thing. I’m sure someone as smart as you can figure out how to charm your way out of the deal. Take care and don’t make anymore foolish deals.”

  Eclipse made a rude noise at my words. I had no doubt that he hated me. The elevator doors then slid shut, leaving me with the last image of Eclipse shaking his head. He did not utter a single word of goodbye. He simply stared at me with a mixture of disbelief and resentment before the doors closed entirely.

  To be honest, I was a bit put off by his cold demeanor. This resentment was fleeting when I placed myself in his shoes. There was a chance that he would die because of my choices. Anyone in his right mind would be bitter about this. I rationalized that perhaps it was better for him to not say anything. Perhaps it was best to leave on a quiet note because knowing Eclipse, if he actually opened his mouth, he’d probably blurt out something completely offensive and ruin the mood.

  Leaving all of that behind once I reasoned that he was officially out of my life, I treaded silently down the hall and headed straight towards my apartment. Once I walked in, I was instantly greeted by an eager OinkOink. He came bouncing towards me, barking and wagging his white tail in glee.

  I smiled, genuinely smiled at the puppy that had fast become an acquired taste for me. I bent down, placed the heels and handbag on the carpet, scooped him up in my arms, and hugged him.

  “I guess you’re my family now, right, OinkOink?” I murmured, kissing him on the head. I stared down at him with sad eyes. “Will you miss me when I die?”

  He responded by snuggling closer to me. He licked my chin affectionately and whimpered in sadness. It was as though he was telling me that he didn’t want me to die.

  My heart warmed at this gesture.

  “I didn’t like you when I first met you because you’re furry and cute, and I hate cute animals,” I admitted to him, staring down at his innocent face. “But now I’m happy that Eclipse gave you to me because I really like you—flaws and all.”

  I gave him another kiss on the head before setting him on the ground and going through the motions of my nighttime beauty regime.

  Time to move on with my life . . .

  I changed into my pink nightgown, washed my face, and brushed my teeth before I went into my bedroom to prepare for bed. I was in a relaxed mood when I noticed OinkOink running into my room, barking relentlessly.

  “Arf! Arf! Arf!”

  He stopped beside me, hopping on my heels. His tail was wagging profusely, indicating that he was delighted about something.

  “Arf! Arf! Arf!”

  “OinkOink, shush!” I warned him, lightly nudging him with my foot so that he would get the point and shut up. Unfortunately, he did not heed my request. The barking continued.

  “Arf! Arf! Arf!”

  I was going crazy with all of OinkOink’s annoying high-pitched barking. I was close to putting a muzzle over him and sticking him in a shoebox when another sound thundered over OinkOink’s incessant barking.

  “OinkOink. Be quiet.”

  I froze after I heard the familiar voice, and just like me, OinkOink grew quiet as well.

  With excitement pulsing in the puppy’s eyes, he ran towards the direction of the voice. My reluctant eyes followed the little fur ball as he skidded around my bed and stopped at someone’s bare feet, pawing at them for attention.

  My eyes rose up. Air hilted in my chest when I saw him—Eclipse—standing there, bare-chested and wearing nothing but black drawstring pants. He looked good with a shirt on but damn, he was on fire without it.

  I was stunned, completely speechless until I saw Eclipse step closer to my bed and wrap his hand around my comforter, pulling it aside to make room for himself.

  I instantly snapped out of my stupefied state.

  “Wait, wait, wait! What are you doing?” I shrieked, staring wide-eyed at him. There could only be one reason why he was here: he was ready to release his sexual frustration and finish me off. My heart raced a mile a minute at the possibility. Fear raised the pitch in my voice. “Are . . . are you planning on killing me right now?”

  Though the idea of two people having sex before they left the world was tempting, I still had a list of all the cool things I wanted to do before I died. I couldn’t have sex with him until I completed all those tasks!

  Eclipse laughed, gazing at me while he tossed the comforter aside. “No. You may be dead-set—no pun intended—on dying, but I’m not going to let you. I’m not giving up on you, Teacup. I’ve risked far too much to be here; I’ve given up far too much to let it all go down like this.”

  I was flabbergasted. If he didn’t want to have sex with me then—

  “. . . Why are you standing near my bed with your shirt off?”

  He smirked at me while OinkOink continued to pant in glee. “I’m going to be a permanent fixture around here now.”

  Oh no.

  My eyes broadened further when I digested the meaning behind this. Eclipse popping in and out was already driving me crazy. Now he was planning on staying with me permanently? Shit! Oh shit, this couldn’t be happening. I had kicked him to the curb when we were in the elevator. Why was he back?!

  “B-but what about your responsibilities,” I stuttered, recalling him telling me how busy he was as a Royal Demon.

  “It can wait,’ he dismissed at once.

  “But—”

  “You don’t get it, Gracie,” he interrupted firmly. He grabbed a pillow and an extra blanket from my bed and made his way over to the little sofa I had in my room. He turned to me after dumping the pillow and blanket on the sofa. He straightened to his full impressive height and gazed at me with conviction. “My entire existence is dependent upon yours. You may be foolish enough to accept your fate, but I’m hell-bent on making sure you fulfill your destiny.”

  He sat his gorgeous butt down, stuck his long legs over the length of the sofa, placed the pillow behind him, and covered himself with the blanket, permanently making himself comfortable in my bedroom, and as it would appear, in my life.

  Eclipse flashed me a wicked smile that took my breath away. His eyes glowed with a fusion of determination and raw carnality that would have given me a nosebleed if I weren’t so frozen with shock.

  “As far as I’m concerned, until I successfully turn you into a Demon, you are never getting rid of me.”

  "Why do you have to be better than the one I’m waiting for?"

  19: Immovable Fixture

  Everywhere I went, Eclipse was right there alongside me.

  He was there with me in lecture halls, for my shopping errands, for my workouts, and of course, he was there with me when I volunteered at Sanctuary. The worst part was that he also got the kids to call me “Gracie” and “Teacup.” I would cringe every time they called me those nicknames. It was akin to having little mini Eclipses running around, torturing me and teasing me with cuteness. My only consolation was that they began to call him “Ashtray” as well. However amusing that was, it did not make up for my frustration with Eclipse. It was one thing to be hounded by
a Demon, but it was another to be hounded by a Demon that I was very attracted to. Since I was trying to resist his charms, I did not appreciate him hanging on me like white on rice.

  “You have to leave me alone,” I told him after we left Sanctuary and returned to my apartment.

  We had finished our evening workout, arrived home, and put OinkOink to sleep. I had been holding in this plea for a while, thinking that if I let Eclipse be, then he would get the point and leave me alone himself. Nevertheless, as a girl who was about to die, suddenly having a ridiculously good-looking Sex Demon follow me around was the equivalent of someone constantly waving a candy bar in a fat kid’s face. Since I had chosen death, the prospect of dying from having sex with him wasn’t as terrifying as it should have been. And this new line of thought was a problem because the last thing I should endeavor to do was expedite my death sentence.

  “I don’t think so, Gracie,” Eclipse replied. He smiled as he drank from his water bottle. He was shirtless, sporting only dark blue basketball shorts and blue running shoes. There were tints of sweat shimmering on his body after the tough workout we had at the gym. While I was on the stairmaster, he was showing off his endurance on the treadmill. It took all my willpower not to look directly at his smoking-hot body and to keep my perverted eyes solely focused on his face.

  “You don’t feel as if you’re an inconvenience to me?”

  He appraised me up and down. Mild amusement cloaked his eyes as he took in the sight of me with a black workout tank top and black shorts. “Well, you’re an inconvenience to me considering that you’ve essentially sentenced me to death. I’m just returning the favor, Teacup.” He smirked devilishly and added, “By the way, if you think I’m going to have sex with you as your last ‘dying wish,’ you’re in for a rude awakening. As enticing as you are, I don’t put out unless I get something in return. In this case, my price is your soul. If you want even a remote chance of molesting me, you know what you need to do.”