“Thank you for your help tonight, Elder,” said Eclipse as the luminescent fire began to curl around him like an anaconda would its owner. He laughed before quipping final words that would eventually cause the entire room to quake with fury. “I promise that if I should ever attempt to overthrow the monarchy again, I won’t put you in a cage and feed you cow dung as I originally planned.”
While Sloth stifled a laugh at Eclipse’s fucked up joke, for there was nothing more ironic than feeding the Demon of Gluttony the furthest thing from “extravagance,” Tony didn’t find the same humor in it. In fact, he looked downright consternated.
“Cow . . . cow dung?” he repeated, his face abhorred by such atrocity. “You planned on feeding me cow dung?!” His face twisted in rage before the entire room caught on fire. “You piece of sh—!”
Tony never got to finish his enraged sentence.
At that second, a big flash of red light engulfed us before we were pulled from the restaurant and taken far away from Sloth and Gluttony.
“I feel my own knees grow weak.”
16: Forty-Nine Seconds
When the outrageously bright light cleared, Sloth, Gluttony, and the restaurant were gone, and we were back in the air-conditioned hospital room.
It was just Phix, Coco, Eclipse, and I.
My stupefied eyes charted the room, staggered by the rapid change in setting. My heart was still beating frenetically against my ribcage. Holy shit. I still couldn’t get used to switching from one reality to another so quickly. One second, I was in a ballroom infused with snake-like fire and the next, I was back in the hospital room, returned to a world where my fellow humans had no idea such madness existed.
I placed a calming hand over my erratic heart and averted my eyes back to the “star” of tonight’s craziness.
“Glad to be able to get away from those Elders of mine . . .”
Eclipse continued to sit on his bed with his eyes closed. He took in a deep inhalation. The residual glow from the snake-like fire entered his body and disappeared within him like it never existed. The once ashen color on his face illumed with life.
“Are you okay now?” I inquired, staring at him from across the room.
At the sound of my voice, Eclipse opened his eyes. Once his gaze raked over me, a wolfish smile lifted over those alluring lips. As his response, he motioned for me to come to him with his index finger. At his beck and call, gravity abandoned me and I was lifted off my feet. I flew towards him with the speed of a bullet.
“Ahhh!”
Demonstrating an extraordinary show of dexterity, he caught me right before I landed on the bed. He unabashedly hugged me from behind, pressing his hard chest against my back and giving no care to the fact that there were two baby Demons in the room, staring awkwardly at us.
“Sorry for scaring you, Gracie,” he whispered, his mouth near my ear.
Unable to control it, I found myself smiling.
I looked over my shoulder to face him. The typical prude within me would’ve jumped off the bed and chided him for greeting me in such an intimate way. Alas, I was too distracted with the fact that he was okay again (and secretly too satisfied with being in his arms).
“You’re really okay this time?” I asked, recalling how he lied and said he was fine and then went into a coma moments later.
He bobbed his head, affectionately tracing his finger over my jaw. The look in his eyes was warm and assuring. “I need to rest for a couple of days to fully adjust to the powers Tony gave me, but yeah, I’m okay.”
I wrinkled my nose. “You still need to rest?”
After tonight, I didn’t want him sleeping ever again.
“To recharge,” he explained, continuing to trace lazy lines on my jaw. The more he touched me, the more I could feel his renewed powers pulse beneath the delicacy of his caress. “Tony gifted me with a portion of his powers to recharge the ones I used up. Once I fully consolidate my powers, I will be back to my extravagant Dimmed Demon self. In the meantime”—he shifted his attention to Phix and Coco—“starting tomorrow, you two will watch her. If you screw up like you screwed up at the inn, I’ll feed both of you to my hellhounds.” The baby Demons gasped in horror at the threat. Disregarding this, Eclipse finished up by sternly saying, “When you leave this hospital, do not use any more powers. We don’t need you two to leave traces behind. Having said all that, leave now, don’t fuck up, and we’ll see you in Seoul.”
Phix and Coco nodded vigorously at his commands, resolved to doing everything he ordered.
Before they left, Phix hesitantly asked, “Your Dark Majesty, what do you want me to do with that crappy car?”
“Drive it into the Han River.”
“What?!” I cried, horrorstruck by the casualness of his command. I disentangled myself from Eclipse’s embrace, jumped off the bed, and pointed a threatening finger at Phix. “Don’t you dare drive it into the Han River. Just find a spot in the parking garage of my apartment and leave it there.”
Phix nervously looked to Eclipse to sign off on my command. Eclipse merely blinked in confirmation. He didn’t look happy, but he allowed my alternative order regardless.
“Anything else before we leave you for the night?” Phix inquired politely.
“Yeah,” Eclipse answered before proceeding to flip Phix off. “This is for screwing up and resulting in me ending up like this. I hate you—remember that.”
Phix’s face crumpled. As they ran out the door, it was evident on his crestfallen expression that he knew he was screwed. How could he expect to have a positive working environment when his boss expressed such contempt for him?
It was only when Coco and Phix were out of sight that I saw Eclipse crack a smile. From that alone, I suspected that he wasn’t entirely serious about flipping Phix off. He only wanted to give the baby Demon a hard time for screwing up in the first place.
I freed a long breath, feeling weird now that it was only the two of us. I wondered if he knew how hysterical I was when he was unconscious. Judging by how lackadaisical he appeared, I doubted he was aware of anything in his hibernation state.
“Do you realize what a big inconvenience you turned out to be?” I critiqued as he got off the hospital bed.
We began to pack up to leave.
“I didn’t think casting that last incantation to protect Father Baek would pull so much power out of me.” His jaw clenched in bitterness. “This is what I get for going against my nature and protecting a priest of all people.” A dry smile formed as he spoke. He assessed the room as we grabbed our backpacks and hoisted them over our shoulders. “And the hospital? Really, Gracie?”
“I was having a heart attack and everyone on the bus was panicking with me,” I defended. “We got here before I could come to my senses and stop them.”
A ghost of a grin played on his lips. He shook his head knowingly. “Were they lost as hell when they tried to diagnose me?”
Quiet laughter permeated from me. I didn’t find humor in it when it was happening, but now that it was over, I saw nothing but humor in it. “Yeah.”
Eclipse chuckled, taking one last inventory of the room before we started to head out. “This is what happens when you humans meet a highly evolved creature.”
“What happens?”
We passed through the door, and his smile turned suggestive and challenging. “You can’t handle us.”
After he said this, he stopped in his tracks and placed a hand on the doorway. A burst of light glowed from beneath his palm before it dimmed completely into the structure of the doorway.
“What are you doing?” I asked in a half-whisper, discreetly looking around the hall to make sure no one was watching.
“Saving them one big headache,” he answered, bringing his hand down. “Fortunately for us, we were only here for a short time. I could still erase their memories.”
“They won’t remember us at all?”
He nodded.
Though I was thrilled by this assurance,
I was also unnerved by it. I glanced up at him once we stepped out of the room. “Won’t that take a big chunk of your powers?”
“Luckily I’m getting my rest soon then,” he said jokingly, doing well to placate my fears as we glided through the busy hall.
“What did Tony do for you?” I went on to ask. The image of the inferno had yet to leave my mind. “You know, with that thread of fire that looked like an overgrown anaconda.”
Eclipse stifled a laugh at my juvenile description of his brother’s powers.
“That thread of fire is a small portion of Tony's powers. Because mine are dormant, it acts as a catalyst to awaken my own powers. The ribbon of fire moves like a snake because it’s supposed to slither inside me and keep me from going into hibernation.” A grin split on his face. “It’s basically supposed to be the fuel that keeps me energized. With this fire pumping in my veins, it will only be a matter of time before my powers are renewed and I'm back to my Dimmed Demon self.”
I blew out a reassured breath. I was relieved that Tony’s gift would keep Eclipse from going back into hibernation.
“I’m glad this is all over,” I announced after we stepped out into the cold night. Ice nipped at my skin as we walked away from the bright lights of the hospital. I was never a fan of hospitals to begin with, and the short time I spent with Eclipse in there was enough to last me a lifetime.
The corners of Eclipse’s mouth twisted upwards shrewdly. He appraised me with teasing eyes. “Were you worried about me, Teacup?”
“No,” I answered quickly to save face. I didn’t want it known that I had grown attached to this Demon. Displaying such weakness was dangerous with powerful beings like Eclipse. “I – I was just worried because we still have unfinished business with my soul.”
He smirked disbelievingly, his crafty smile knowing. He leaned in closer as our footsteps padded over the asphalt, his soft lips moving against my ear. “You’re saying you didn’t miss me?”
“No.”
A beautiful chuckle escaped him. “Liar.”
“I didn’t want to clean up after you.”
“Hmm-mmhm,” he murmured lazily, easing himself away and standing up straight. He didn’t bother to hide that he didn’t believe me.
Desperate to exonerate myself from whatever opinion he had formed of me, I hastily added, “I still need help with finding the missing part of my soul.”
“Oh yes,” he mocked lightly. “So saving me was based purely off selfish reasons?”
“Yes.”
He laughed again, paying no more tribute to our cat and mouse conversation. There was something else that was more pressing in his mind. “You know what’s unfortunate?”
“What?”
A seductive glint materialized in his gaze, making me hot with need. “We should’ve made out to our hearts’ content when I was 99% human. My powers wouldn’t have killed you in the slightest if we were intimate in that state.”
“The last thing on my mind was being intimate while I was fighting for my life,” I lied.
In actuality, the thought did cross my mind when I was sleeping in the shed with him. I had woken in the middle of the night from the roaring thunder and simply stared up at him. For the longest time, I found myself unable to pull my gaze from his tempting lips. My last thought that night was that since he was 99% human, it would’ve been okay for us to be intimate—to at least make out. However, in the face of the life and death situation we were in, it felt inappropriate to think of such things. And now that Eclipse was back to having his powers, there was no more need for this thought. We had missed our chance.
“Really? It was all I thought about when I became 99% human,” he provided, causing me to give him a surprised look. A killer smile too spectacular to be human replaced the typical charming grin he wore. “If we weren’t fighting for our lives, I would’ve given you the kiss to end all kisses.” He proceeded to cast a furtive glance at the hospital, never giving me a chance to fully mull over his words. Changing the subject, he quietly said, “Lyna was at the hospital with us.”
I gaped at him in awe. “You could tell?”
He nodded. “Yes. She left me a message in the room.”
“What’d she say?”
“‘Good job fucking up. Welcome back and try not to fuck up again.’”
I folded my arms in amusement. I should have known. Lyna wasn’t exactly known for her warm personality. I suspected that was one of the more endearing messages she could give.
“She helped me find your Elders,” I shared.
A small gust of wind rustled the tree leaves above us, momentarily disrupting the quiet street. In the close distance, I spied a bus stop, and I knew it was going to be our ticket home.
“Out of the kindness of her heart?” His voice sounded skeptical. He knew she didn’t make it easy on me.
I shook my head. “I had to make a deal with her.”
His eyebrows drew down. “A deal? With Lyna?”
I nodded after we stopped at the bus bench. From afar, I could see the headlights of the bus approaching. It came right on time to take us home.
Eclipsed gawked at me like it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. He looked perturbed, confused even. “What deal could she possibly make with you?”
“She told me not to fall in love with you.”
He gaped at me incredulously, the concern on his face subsiding at my answer. “That was the deal?”
The bus came to a slow stop in front of us as I laughed in confirmation.
Eclipse laughed at the oddity of that arrangement. “What a waste of a deal. A human falling for a Demon? Talk about eating the forbidden fruit of all forbidden fruits. We both know you’re not gullible enough to fall in love with me.”
“Tell me about it,” I agreed, though a part of me felt offended that he’d say something like that. I ignored that peculiar feeling as we stepped onto the bus and moved to the back.
Once we settled into our seats, Eclipse urged me to update him on everything that happened after he went into hibernation. I acquiesced and told him about how the paramedics had to rush him into the hospital because he wouldn’t wake up, about Lyna appearing, about the baby Demons taking me to Luxuria, and finally, the interactions with his brothers thereafter.
I could see the anger immerse his eyes when I told him what Tony did to me—that he was close to ripping my head off. Eclipse only tempered his fury when I told him that the wounds from the talons healed immediately.
For a fraction of a second, I was certain that if Tony hadn’t just helped him, Eclipse would have gone back to kill his own brother for laying his hands on me. I didn’t catalog that as him having any romantic feelings towards me though. Eclipse was a business-minded Demon. He did not sacrifice a portion of his powers to save me only to have someone else lay their hands on me. As he said, we were “soul mates.” I was literally an extension of him. Someone hurting me would equate to someone hurting him. And no one ever said that Eclipse was good at taking beatings without fighting back with quadruple the strength.
When I concluded my narration, a twitch of a smile tugged at his lips. His disdain for his Elder’s behavior may have bothered him immensely, but Eclipse was a composed Demon and an easily entertained one at that.
Exhibiting extreme amusement, he randomly said, “I can’t believe you pulled a pocketknife out on Lyna.” His melodic laughter bounced throughout the empty bus. It was just the female bus driver and us. From her profile, I could tell she enjoyed listening to Eclipse’s laughter as well. “I’m so pissed I missed that.”
“I can’t control my sadism when I’m mad.” It wasn’t a behavior I was proud of. I was lucky Lyna didn’t lose control and kill me for my idiocy.
“I’ve noticed.” He laughed again. In that moment, I was relieved that I withheld the story about bitch-slapping Phix. Hurting people, even Demons, wasn’t something I was proud of.
“How are you holding up from our trip?” he asked after
his laughter died down.
“Scared,” I admitted, thankful that we were finally able to talk about this.
I had been so busy with everything else that I hadn’t even had time to properly mull over what we discovered on our trip.
“I mean, my mother was pregnant with me six months before she had a miscarriage. Then, thirteen weeks later she was pregnant again, and then thirteen days after that, she gave birth to me? How do you make sense of something like this?”
“It is baffling,” he agreed quietly.
“That frozen blood we found under my family’s estate,” I prompted, my memories catapulting back to what we discovered when we dug up the earth. “Do you think it’s all over the land?”
“Yes.” His expression rippled with certainty. “That’s why, even after fifteen years of neglect, the world around your home is frozen in its beauty and perfection. It is because there is immortal blood frozen beneath it, giving it eternal life.”
My convoluted thoughts journeyed back to the narration by Father Baek. I hadn’t forgotten the look on Eclipse’s face. He appeared unnerved and taken aback when the tale of my birth was told.
“Why was your face pale when Father Baek spoke about the storm and my birth?”
Eclipse took a moment to categorize his thoughts. The world sped by quietly as he spoke. “When Sources are born, there are always storms taking place the night of their birth. This is why ‘Heaven cried the night of your birth,’ because they sense an evil that is being introduced into the world. As far as I know, the Heavens are aware when a Source is born, but they are not privy to where a Source resides. As for Demons, we are aware of neither because storms take place all over the world and it does not always relate to a Source.”
A muscle worked in his jaw when he thought back to Father Baek’s tale.
“When Father Baek said that as soon as you were born, the storms stopped, something clicked within me.”