“Keira, what is it?” Danny asked, walking in behind me.
“Not long after the incident with Crystal I was in the library at the Palace. I found spells and a picture of the demon’s trap.”
“Yeah I know, I remember looking at everything.”
“It’s missing!” I said, glaring at him.
“OK.”
“Tyler isn’t answering his phone, won’t text me back…nothing.”
“I don't think even he would be that stupid,” Danny frowned. “Would he?”
I ran into the kitchen and grabbed my car keys, then flew outside, almost knocking into Lily. She asked Danny what was going on and I heard him start to explain everything to her. I jumped in the car and sped off. Just as I got out of the driveway, Lucian’s car came into view and we both had to swerve to miss each other. When he saw the speed I was going, he spun the car round and chased after me.
When I pulled up in Tyler’s drive I noticed his car hadn't moved. I knocked on the door frantically, but there was no answer.
“What’s going on?” Lucian asked as he pulled up in front of the house.
“I think Tyler’s summoned Eligos. I think he has him trapped,” I shouted, banging my fists against the door.
“How the hell would he trap him? Eligos would kill him.”
“Demon’s trap,” I said, stepping away from the door slightly.
“Keira!” I heard Danny say, “Lucifer can’t sense him.”
I turned around to see a furious-looking Danny and Hecate. Lucian got out of his car and walked over to us. Even he looked livid.
“He’s dead,” I seethed, as my eyes turned white.
I threw my hand out towards the door and it went flying off its hinges. It landed halfway down the hall. I grabbed Hecate and dragged her into the house. Tyler’s parents had cast a spell on the house a while ago to stop any demon entering. The spell had now obviously been broken since we were able to go inside. That confirmed everything. He had Eligos in here somewhere.
“Tell me where he is,” I commanded.
“Keira, I can’t sense him, not if he’s under one of those things. I’m so sorry.”
“Start looking!”
“Wait!” Danny called to me. “He has a basement. You get into it through the trapdoor in the drawing room.”
“Stay here!” I said between gritted teeth.
I ran down the hallway and into the drawing room. As I was opening the trapdoor I remembered Marley telling me about a vision she’d had. About two males, one of them on the floor, the other about to stab him. Could this be what she saw? I ran down the stone steps and down a little corridor. There were boxes stacked up against the walls. It was obvious that they used the space for storage. When I got to the end there was a white door. I blasted it with an energy ball and walked in to a large rectangular-shaped room. My heart sank. Every inch of me felt sick. Tyler was standing with a dagger in his hands, eyes black as midnight, now glaring at me. The dagger was one of the weapons Eligos had brought them, one that could kill a demon’s soul. Eligos was lying on his back in the middle of a demon’s trap. He was cut to shreds, bleeding, battered and unconscious. Tyler had painted the trap on the floor and covered it with a large sheet of plastic. It was ripped close to where Eligos was lying. He must have realized what had happened and torn through it to confirm his suspicions.
I moved my hand quickly and Tyler went crashing against the wall, and then hit the floor hard.
“You coward!” I shouted to him, before walking over to Eligos, being careful not to get too close in case I too got trapped. “You have to trap him, make him powerless to be able to get the better of him. You’re pathetic.”
I threw an energy ball at the floor, just at the edge of the trap and far enough away from Eligos so I didn’t end up hurting him. The floor cracked, ruining part of the drawing and breaking the spell. Tyler jumped to his feet, with the dagger still in his hand and started to walk towards us quickly. I stood in front of Eligos, blocking Tyler from getting to him. The ground started shaking violently. It shook so hard that it started to affect the whole house. We could hear things falling and breaking upstairs. Tyler found it hard to walk without falling over.
“Back off or I will bring this house down around you!” I warned him.
“What the hell?” Danny said as he ran in the room with Hecate and Lucian.
They all looked at Eligos, then Tyler, and finally me.
“Keira, you will destroy the house. You need to stop,” Hecate said, leaning against one of the walls to steady herself.
“Get Eligos out of here… Now!” I ordered as I turned to look at Danny.
“I can’t leave you alone in here with Tyler,” he said seriously.
“Would you dare defy a Royal?” I almost shouted.
“Danny, if you want to keep your soul, do as she says,” Hecate told him.
That was the first time I’d used my status to my advantage, but I wanted my time with Tyler. I knew the only way to get them to leave us was to threaten them.
They both went over to Eligos, still battling to keep their balance. Tyler went to throw himself at Eligos, still with the dagger in is hand, in one last attempt to kill him. I attacked him with energy balls and sent him flying to the other side of the room. I saw Danny and Hecate hold on to Eligos’s arm out of the corner of my eye.
“Take him to the Palace. I don’t know what Tyler has done to him,” I told them both. Seconds later, the three of them had gone. “Lucian, leave us!” I said, looking him straight in the eyes.
He looked at Tyler in disgust then walked out of the room. I had expected him to argue with me, but he never said a word.
Tyler was on his feet again and staring at me. I turned to face him, and at the same time my eyes turned from white to red and the vines appeared on my skin.
“Now you’ll fight me,” I told him.
His eyes went wide and he dropped the dagger; it fell to the floor beside him. I fired red energy at him; he dropped to his knees in agony as the energy entered his body. I walked closer to him, still firing the energy. When I was just in front of him I stopped. I made him rise from the ground a few inches, unable to move a muscle.
“Next time think before you attack someone I love,” I said before hitting him with the back of my arm and sending him into the wall again. “What has he ever done to you? Well?”
He leaned back against the wall and said nothing. He just spat blood from his lip on the floor in front of him.
“He helps all of us, fights with us, gets all your powers increased, teaches you all how to fight,” I almost screamed, firing another energy ball at him. “And this, this is how you repay him.”
“I won’t fight you, Keira, never…You can kill me if you wish, but I won’t fight you.”
“Oh I’m not going to kill you Tyler. However, when Eligos comes around, I don’t know what he will do with you, but I promise you this, I won’t defend you, and I don’t think anyone else will when they find out about this.”
“Why did you have to show up? He could have been gone.”
“I don’t want him gone. I love him, Tyler, more than anything in this world; I want to spend eternity with him. Don’t you understand that?”
“I doubt you will when you see what he looks like now. I remember him saying that if you’re cut by a soul-destroying weapon, you’re scarred for life. You might want to tell him to keep his shirt on from now on,” he said with a twisted grin on his face.
I lost my temper and bombarded him with energy balls and static electricity. He screamed out in pain, but that only made me want to hurt him more. I knew how upset Eligos would be when he saw more scars on himself. It wouldn’t upset him when he looked in the mirror, he’d be upset because he’d think I wouldn’t love him.
I stopped firing at Tyler and looked at him curled up on the floor, gasping for air.
“I hate you!” I told him. “More than I have ever hated anyone or anything in my whole life.”
br />
I reached out in front of me and the dagger that he was going to use on Eligos flew into my hand.
“I hope your power will be enough to protect you from what’s to come, because you will never be given another weapon. I’ll make sure that no matter how hard you call for them, they will not come.”
“You can’t do that,” he said in a broken voice.
“Oh I can and I will.”
I turned my back on him and walked out of the room. I walked up the steps and into the drawing room. Lucian was standing there watching me.
“Your eyes are still red,” he said plainly.
“That’s because I’m still pissed. If it wasn’t for the fact that I love all you guys, and his parents. I’d kill him.”
“I’m glad you didn’t. I know he’s a jerk, and completely out of order, but he’s still one of us.”
“If he ever tries anything like this again, I’m sorry, but I will kill him. I won’t think twice about it.”
I walked out of the room and heard Lucian walking down the steps to the basement. I knew he would go down there. He’d known Tyler since he was born. I knew that no matter what he had done, Lucian would have to help him. I walked outside and saw Lily, Jake, Marley and Beth standing near Jake’s car. I turned to face the house and fixed the front door; it wasn’t his parents fault, and I didn’t want them to panic if they came home to this. I knew Tyler wouldn’t tell them anything, and neither would I. They were worried enough about things at the moment; I didn’t want to add to their fear. I sat on the steps of the porch saying Danny’s and Hecate’s name over and over, hoping one of them would hear me. But neither of them came. I didn’t know how to summon them yet, and I had no blood connection to them. I didn’t know what to do.
A few minutes later Tyler came hobbling out with Lucian supporting him.
“Keira can you heal him, please,” Lucian asked me.
“No.”
“Please.”
“You know my answer.”
“He’s really hurt.”
“Oh really,” I said, standing up and facing them both. “The man I love is scarred for life now because of this cowardly bastard! Do you think I give a shit what state that little jerk is in?”
I turned away from them just as Danny reappeared. I ran over to him quickly.
“How is he?” I asked, my eyes returning to normal.
“Lucifer said it will take him a few days to recover fully. And you…” he said, looking at Tyler, “you’re lucky you’re still breathing. Lucifer and Lilith want you dead.”
Tyler went white, fear filled him and he started to shake.
“They said to tell you that when your time comes, because of what you have done, you will go to Hell. Then you will pay for what you did,” Danny continued.
“I want to see him! I can’t go there on my own. The life in me stops me. You need to take me,” I told him.
“I can’t Keira.”
“Excuse me?”
“He told me not to take you to him,” he told me sadly.
“I’m a Royal. I outrank him, and I’m telling you to take me to him,” I told him seriously.
“Keira, I can’t. Lucifer told me I had to respect his wishes.”
“Is…is he dying?” I asked as my eyes filled with tears.
“No, but he’s in a bad way. He’s terribly scarred. Lilith and Hecate have healed him the best they can, but, because of the blade, he will always have the scars.”
“Why doesn’t he want me to go?”
“He thinks you’ll take one look at him and be disgusted, that you won’t be attracted to him anymore. He said he’s damaged enough. He hasn’t got the strength to cope with his heart being broken too.”
“I don't believe this.”
“He doesn’t want you staying with him out of pity,” he told me.
“No, no, you take me to him right now,” I demanded.
“Keira, I’m so sorry, but I can’t, I can’t defy Lucifer.”
“Keira,” Tyler said. “Don't you see? You can be free of him now.”
“What!” I snapped, turning to face him again. “Are you completely out of you mind.”
“You can be with a normal guy, one who isn’t scarred, who would love you just as much.”
“Shut up, shut up now, before I send you straight to Hell.”
“Keira, I know it’s what you want, just admit it.”
“What I want!” I said, glaring at him. “What I want! I’ll tell you all what I want.”
I stepped back from them all, looking at each of them in turn.
“I’ll tell you what I want,” I said as my eyes turned red once again. “I WANT TO DIE!” I screamed.
I saw a figure start to appear in front of me, but before I could make out who it was, it threw a beam of orange light at me. I felt like something warm was being ripped out of every pore in my body. I wanted to scream, not in pain, because it wasn’t a painful feeling I was experiencing, but through fear. I couldn’t move. I didn't know what was happening to me. I could hear the girls screaming; they must have been frightened to death. The experience only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like it was going on for hours. Then the beam of light faded and I dropped to my knees. I expected my heart to be racing, but I couldn’t feel it beating. I put my hand against my chest quickly. I had no heartbeat. I looked up to see Lilith standing about twelve feet away from me.
“Go to him!” she smiled warmly.
“Keira, no, please,” Tyler begged.
Lilith turned to look at him, her eyes as red as rubies.
“No!” I shouted to her. “He isn’t worth it. He’ll get what's coming to him.”
Eventually she turned away from him and looked at me.
“Go now!” she told me before fading away.
I stood up and looked at everyone. The girls were crying. Tyler was frightened. Lucian and Jake just nodded to me and Danny was smiling.
“Where is he?” I asked.
“He’s at his place. I left him in the living room with Hecate,” Danny told me.
I nodded and then watched everything around me vanish.
Chapter Fifty
A Love That Will Last for Eternity
I arrived in Eligos’s master living room. To say he and Hecate were surprised to see me, especially on my own, would most definitely be an understatement. He was lying on the sofa in his dark-blue jeans and black shirt. He had been cleaned up and brought around. Hecate was sitting on a chair next to him with a glass of water in her hands.
“Hecate, would you leave us, please?” I asked, walking over to them.
“Of course.”
“No!” Eligos said to her.
“Eligos, I have to, you know I do,” she said, putting the glass of water on the table. “I haven’t got the guts to defy her,” she told him before disappearing.
I walked just in front of him and looked down at him. He wouldn't look at me.
“Eligos, please don't be like this,” I said, sitting next to him on the edge of the sofa.
“I take it you called out to Lilith again,” he said, still looking away from me. “She brought you here, did she?”
“No actually I…”
“I told her I didn't want to see you.”
“Why?” I asked sadly.
“Look at me.”
“I am.”
“I accepted that you could love me with the scar on my face. But this…all these…Keira…How could you be close to me, physically, passionately, and actually be attracted to me? You have no idea what I look like under this shirt.”
“Tyler said you would be scarred. Danny said you were…badly scarred, and I didn't care. Well, I cared obviously, someone had hurt you, I was pissed. But a few scars aren’t going to stop me loving you…Nothing…”
“A few?” he said, finally turning to look at me. “You think I have a few…”He ripped his shirt open to show me exactly how many he had. He was covered in them; he must have had at least fif
teen to twenty over his chest and stomach. But none of them more than two inches long. ‘How can you call that a few?”
“Eligos, everyone has marks and scars, spots, stretch marks. Who cares? I don't! I’m not perfect, but do you care?”
“In my eyes you are perfect.”
“And in mine you are!” I told him. “When I look at you, I don't look at your scars, I look at you. I see you for who you are. I wouldn't change anything about you.”
“Keira…”
“No!” I almost shouted, “You might not be comfortable in the skin you’re in, but that doesn’t mean I…”
“I don't care what I look like. I care that you care. That one day you will be repulsed by me. I don't care what anyone else thinks, or says, or anything. Just you!” he said sincerely.
“I don't care about your scars. I wouldn't care if you lost your arms and legs, or if your whole body was one big scar. I love you, I always have and I always will, forever. I’ll never, ever love anyone else. I just want you.”
“How? How can you?”
“If I got hurt bad, lost my arm, an eye, anything, would you still want me?”
“I’ll always want you.”
“But why?” I asked.
“Because I love you, more than anything.”
“So why is it so hard for you to believe that I love you, scars and all?”
He couldn’t answer me; he just looked away from me again. I went to put my hand on his chest, but he pushed me away before I touched him.
“Don't!” he said, still looking away from me.
“You know what,” I said standing up and raising my voice, “I just beat the crap out of one of my friends for what he did to you. I nearly brought his house down around him. When Danny told me he wouldn't bring me here, that he couldn’t, and that you had told him you didn't want to see me, it broke my heart. I thought you knew me, Eligos, that you didn't think I was so shallow. But you obviously don't. If you truly believed me when I said I loved you, you would know that this, the scars, no matter how many you had, they would never bother me.”
“Keira…” he went to say.
“I stood there in front of everyone and screamed at the top of my voice that I wanted to die. I had the life ripped out of me in front of them all, not knowing until afterwards what was happening to me. And why did I do that? Because I didn't care what you looked like, I just wanted to be with you…I had to get to you,” I cried. “What's the point of being with someone when they don't believe you truly love them,” I said, walking over to his window.