“I don't understand,” I sobbed. “I said I was sorry.”
“I swore to myself, not long after it happened to me, that I’d never give my heart to anyone. That way they could never hurt me. I’ve never hidden myself from anyone, and so nobody had ever shown any sort of affection towards me. I can’t say I blame them either. But then I met you. I knew that, if I turned up looking natural, you wouldn’t have given me the time of day. So I hid from you. I cast a spell on myself so you would never see what I really look like when I’m around you. But it was the wrong thing to do. You befriended me, and got close to me, and I did the one thing I never wanted to do.”
“After what happened to you? What thing?” I asked confused.
“I let myself…fall in love with you.”
My stomach did a somersault, my heart started racing, my legs felt as though they were about to turn to jelly. He was in love with me. That was the one thing I’d hoped and prayed I would someday hear him say to me.
“…And now it doesn’t matter how hard I fight it, I can’t stop,” he continued sadly.
“Good,” I almost cried. “I don't want you to stop.”
“You will.”
“Show me the real you.”
“No, just leave me alone.”
“Never!”
“Keira…”
“SHOW ME!” I shouted as I started to walk towards him.
“Fine.”
He turned his head quickly and stared straight at me. My mouth fell open slightly and I stopped dead in my tracks. His beautiful face had changed down one side. He had a thick silver-colored scar running down his left-hand side. It started on his forehead, just over his left eyebrow, then it ran down over his left temple branching off slightly into the corner of his eye. The main scar carried on down over his cheek, and about an inch away from his lips, again with little branches coming of it, then down and under his jaw. The shape of it reminded me of fork lightning. It had affected his left eye too; instead of it being the beautiful sapphire blue, it was now almost white. The same color as a blind person’s eyes.
“Happy now?” he asked, walking past me and out of the room.
I stood there for a moment, still in shock I think. I couldn’t believe he thought he had to hide himself from me. I thought he knew me! Just because he was scarred, that wouldn’t have changed how I saw him, and I would have still wanted to get close to him.
I turned around quickly and ran out of the room into the hallway looking for him. I called his name but he didn’t answer me. After checking a few of the rooms leading off the hall, I found him in his dining room. He was slumped against the large table, again with his back to me.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” I said, walking slowly into the room. “I can’t believe you thought you had to hide it from me.”
“I wanted to see if you could…” he started to say sadly. “Forget it! Go and ask Lilith to get someone to take you home.”
“I don't want to go home.”
“Well, at least leave me alone.”
I walked over to him slowly and stood between his legs. He turned his head away from me quickly, so I could only see the unmarked side of his face.
“Eligos look at me,” I pleaded. “Please!”
He slowly turned to face me before looking into my eyes. I ran my fingers lightly down the side of his face, tracing the scar with my fingertips. I couldn’t work out the look he was giving me.
“Just because a rose starts to wither slightly, it doesn’t make it any less beautiful,” I told him. “Don't ever think you need to hide yourself from me. I wouldn’t care if you grew a second head, three more arms and two more legs. I would still want you; it doesn’t change who you are.”
“How can you say that? Look at me.”
“I am looking.”
“Don't pity me, Keira. I don't want pity from anyone, I never have.”
“I’m not,” I told him.
“Then leave.”
“I can’t leave you.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because I love you.”
He glared at me as I moved closer to him, wrapped my arms around the back of his neck and kissed him. I was surprised when he didn’t push me away. Instead he kissed me back and after a few seconds he wrapped his arms around my waist. He kissed me so passionately and held me so close to him. I never thought kissing anyone could feel so amazing.
When the kiss ended I kept my arms around him and my face close to his.
“This doesn’t bother you?” he said quietly.
“Not in the slightest.”
“I can’t believe it.”
“Well, you better start to. Now is there anything else I need to know about you?”
“No, this was the only thing I kept from you.”
“Good,” I smiled. “So does this mean you’re going to stop running away from me?”
“Is that what you want?”
“I want to know what you want; now I know what you look like, and now that you know I don't care.”
“Simple, I want you!” he said, staring into my eyes.
“Well, you’ve got me, for as long as you want me.”
“What if I want you forever?”
“Then I’m going to start looking forward to forever,” I smiled again.
This time he kissed me.
When the kiss ended he held me close to him for a few minutes before leading me into another living room. He sat me down on the sofa and poured us both a glass of wine.
“I suppose you want to know how I got this?” he said, sitting next to me.
“If you don't mind telling me, then yes.”
“It happened in my first fight. I’d been in Hell for just over nine months and I was doing well in my training. One of the Dukes came to me and told me a demon was planning to attack the Palace. He wanted me to go after him.”
“Just an average demon?” I asked.
“No, he was a Lord and extremely powerful. On top of that he was one of the best fighters in Hell. Anyway, I did what was asked of me and I went looking for him.”
“Why did they ask you?”
“I was a damn good fighter. The only problem was I had been so busy learning all the fighting styles that I hadn't learned how to use my power very much. When I found the demon, I could fight him physically, no problem, but when he saw I could beat him he resorted to his power. He pinned me against a wall and attacked me with his sword. I hit the floor unconscious and he must have thought I had been defeated, that my soul had been extinguished, so he left. He was wrong, of course, but his blade scarred me for life. No magic can cure it; it’s not like being cut by a normal blade.”
“Did you ever find him again?”
“No, nobody knows where he went or what happened to him. We haven’t heard from him in over four thousand years. Everyone just assumes he’s dead, in demon terms, that is.”
“What if he isn’t?”
“Then one day our paths will cross,” he said as his jaw tightened. “And I’ll kill him.”
“What if he is stronger than you? What if he kills you?” I asked worriedly.
“He won’t, don't worry!”
“You don't know that.”
“Yes I do. I wouldn’t give him a chance to fight back. That bastard should have checked to make sure I was dead. Instead he left me looking like this.”
“I’m glad he did walk away,” I said, taking his hand in mine. “I couldn’t imagine not knowing you.”
“If I’d have mastered my power as well as my fighting, you might be looking at a nice face now, instead of this.”
“You still have a nice face as far as I’m concerned. Plus, if he hadn't scarred you then some other demon would have snapped you up and I would have had to kill her.”
“I doubt it,” he laughed. “Don't forget, I wasn’t interested in anyone until I met you. I could have hidden myself from everyone; nobody has to see this,” he said, pointing to his scar. “Bu
t there’s only ever been you that’s gotten my attention. I’ve only ever wanted one person and that's you.”
“Good, keep it that way!” I said before kissing him again.
“I’m not showing your friends yet,” he told me. “I don't know them well enough, and I don't want Lily to get scared or anything. Also I think Tyler may use it as an excuse to try and come between us.”
“You shouldn’t have to hide from them. Lily would be OK after a minute or two.”
“And what about Tyler?”
“I just wouldn’t listen to him; it’s about time you started being natural.”
“That would be nice. The spell I cast doesn’t last that long, so I have to keep recasting it to make sure I stay covered up.”
“So be yourself then.”
“OK, the next time we’re all together I’ll show them,” he told me.
“Good, Jake and Danny won’t be any different with you, I can guarantee that. Lucian, I’m not sure about. Tyler is Tyler, so we’ll have to wait and see. As for Lily, she thinks a lot of you, so I seriously doubt it will bother her.”
“Are you going to tell them we’re together?”
“I’d like to, unless you don't want me to.”
“Oh I want you to,” he said seriously. “Mainly because if Tyler ever grabbed you and kissed you again, I’d rip his lips off. He’s lucky I didn’t do it last time.”
“He won’t do it again.”
“I know he won’t,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Anyone would think you were jealous,” I smirked.
“I was. I’m not afraid to admit it. I had to watch a guy I don't particularly like grab the only woman I’ve ever loved and kiss her. You have no idea what that felt like; I wanted to kill him.”
“Don't be jealous! I’m with you, no one else, and that's how I want it to stay. That's how I’ve wanted it to be since I met you. If you’d have been honest with me, we would have been together a long time ago.”
“I didn’t know that though, did I? I just saw a beautiful woman, surrounded by guys with normal faces. I didn’t think for one minute you would have chosen me over one of them.”
“Well, it just goes to show you don't know everything, doesn’t it?” I smiled.
After an hour or so of cuddling each other we returned to my house. Due to the time difference we were home before Lily and Jake finished work. Both of us had wanted to stay at his place for a while longer but we knew we had to come back; it wasn’t safe there for any of the guys at the moment. We knew if they were attacked they wouldn’t be able to defend themselves without our help. They weren’t powerful enough to take on the higher-ranking demons. Possessed bodies they may be able to handle, but only if there were a few of them. Anything more than that and they would be seriously hurt. As for Lily, how would she be able to stop them?
We got a beer each and had a game of pool while we waited for everyone to come round. The game took a lot longer than normal, since every time we passed each other we would stop for a kissing session. Hey, I didn’t mind; I could do that all day every day. He didn’t hide himself from me now either, which I was really happy about, but when we heard Lily and Jake come in he cast his spell and hid the scar. We made our way downstairs hand in hand and went into the kitchen to greet them.
“Hey,” I said to them both.
“Hi,” they said, turning to face us.
“Oh my God!” Lily said, getting all excited when she saw us holding hands. “Are you two together now?”
“Yes we are!” Eligos told her as he put his arm around my shoulders.
“About bloody time,” Jake said, smiling. “You make a good couple.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Listen, you two, we need to talk to you all later, and Eligos has something he wants to show you.”
“What is it?” Lily asked “Can’t you show us now.”
“What do you think?” Eligos asked me.
“It’s up to you, darlin’.”
“Pleeaaassee” Lily said, smiling sweetly.
“It’s nothing good or nice,” Eligos told her.
“I don't care, come on.”
“Do you remember when I told you he said “what you see isn’t what you get?”?” I asked her.
“Yes I do.”
“Well, this is what he meant.”
I turned to look at Eligos just as his face turned natural. Bless him, he looked really worried.
“Wow!” Lily said, walking closer to him. “Does it hurt?”
“No,” Eligos told her, smiling a little.
“How did you get that?” Jake asked.
He told them about the fight with the demon Lord.
“Do you hide it from everyone?” Lily asked him.
“No, I’ve never hidden it before.”
“Well, stop hiding it now; it doesn’t change who you are,” Jake told him. “You’re a good guy – what’s it matter if you have a scar or not?”
“You know, even if you’d have come here like this originally, Keira would have still fallen for you,” Lily told him.
“It doesn’t bother you then?” Eligos asked her.
“Not at all, but I bet you thought it would, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, a little.”
“Are you going to show the others?”
“Yeah, I’m sick of casting spells on myself; it would be nice to be able to walk around natural again.”
“Well, be warned. Tyler will probably make some stupid or mean remark,” Jake told him. “Just ignore him; he’ll just be jealous that you have Keira and he doesn’t. Oh and I bet Danny will think it’s cool.”
“Probably!” Lily agreed.
“I don't give a shit what Tyler thinks,” Eligos told them both.
“Can you see properly?” Lily asked him, looking at his left eye.
“Yeah, I’m not blind in it.”
We heard the front door open and Tyler, Lucian and Danny walked in.
“Hey, guys,” Danny said, walking over to us.
Eligos tightened his grip on me and I wrapped my arm around his waist.
“What’s going on here?” Danny asked, standing in front of us. “Wow!” he said when he looked at Eligos. “What happened to you?”
“What’s happened to who?” Tyler asked as him and Lucian came over too.
“Wow!” they gasped.
“OK, OK!” I snapped. “Enough staring.”
“Sorry, mate,” Danny said. “What happened?”
Once again Eligos told them the story. Danny and Lucian looked intrigued but I couldn’t work out what Tyler was thinking. He seemed to smirk every now and again, then eventually went and sat down.
“Jesus, you’re lucky you didn’t lose your eye completely,” Lucian said.
“I can’t wait to see what happens if you ever find that Lord,” Danny smirked. “I want to book ringside seats now, please. Whatever the cost, I’ll pay it.”
Eligos started laughing but promised him, if he could, he would let him watch. I think he was also relieved that nobody seemed to be bothered by it at all.
“So, mate, is that why you’re single then?” Tyler asked, smirking at him. “I mean, it’s not very attractive, is it?”
“For your information, pal,” Eligos replied sarcastically. “I’ve never been interested in anyone, well until now. And this may come as a shock to you, but, even though I’m scarred, she loves me. Don't you, Keira?” he said, turning to look at me.
“Yes I do,” I smiled. “More than anything.”
I turned to look at Tyler; he had a look of sheer horror on his face.
“So, Tyler, the next time you insult him, I’m going to be insulted too. If I were you I would be very careful what I said from now on,” I told him.
“What, are you two together?” Danny asked.
“Yes!” We both smiled.
“Congratulations! I knew it would happen one day.”
“You better look after her,” Lucian told him.
“I will, don't worry about that.”
Chapter Seventeen
Proposition
Once everyone had gotten their heads around things, Eligos and I walked into the living room. I turned the TV on before sitting on the sofa and cuddling up to him. I decided to watch the news channels to see if it mentioned anything about the missing families. It was the main topic of discussion. Thirteen families had now been reported missing, and up to now only one family had been different to the others. The anchor man said:
“The Winters’ are the only family up to now to leave a member behind, their nine-year-old son, Matthew. His mother Jill, father Simon and sixteen-year-old sister Joanna have all disappeared. A neighbour called the police when young Matthew told her he couldn’t find his family and that they had been missing for three days. Investigators say there was no sign of a struggle at their home in Pelham, New Hampshire, or any sign of a robbery. This is now the thirteenth family to go missing in just over a week, police are asking anyone with any information to come forward to try and help solve these mysterious disappearances.”
“Whatever it is that’s doing this is upping its game,” Eligos said to me.
“No one’s going to be safe soon.”
“We need to get these guys here sorted out. They need to learn to fight properly and they need more power.”
“I know, I think we should call them all in.”
“Whenever you’re ready,” he said, kissing my forehead.
I walked into the kitchen and told everyone we needed to talk to them properly. They all saw by the serious look on my face that this was going to be something to do with what was going on. So they followed me back into the living room and sat down in silence.
“Alright, guys, I’ve just watched the news and now there’s thirteen missing families!” I told them.
“What!!!” Lily and Lucian gasped.
“It’s getting worse, and whoever is doing this is moving quickly,” Eligos told them. “Who knows how many more will be missing come tomorrow!”
“We know some of the families have had power, but not all of them,” I explained.
“Why take people without power though? It doesn’t make sense,” Tyler said.