Torment (40 page)

“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 fifteen 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.

A few minutes later he was standing behind me. It had taken him all that time to get the strength to walk a few feet. He turned me around so I was looking at him, and he looked me deep in my eyes.

“I’m just so scared of losing you,” he told me.

“But you never will!” I said as a tear ran down my cheek. “Never!”

“Keira, you understand all the rules of Hell, yes?”

“Yes, so?”

“All of them?”

“Yes,” I said again, “Why?”

“So you’ll understand why you will need to think carefully about your answer to what I’m about to ask you. I’ve been around more than four and a half
thousand
years; you haven’t even seen a quarter of a century yet. I know how long forever can be, and I’ve still got forever to live. You’ll also understand why this is such a scary thing to ask you.”

“Eligos, you’re confusing me…Now what is it?”

“Are you sure you really love me, Keira, as much as you think you do?”

“I don't
think
I love you, I
do
love you, I
more
than love you.”

“Then…” he said, taking a deep breath and wrapping his arms around my waist.

“What is it?”

“Will you marry me?”

He looked me deep in my eyes when he asked me, and my stomach tied itself in knots. If my heart was still beating it would have just skipped a dozen beats.

“Yes,” I said without hesitation.

“Keira that means that even a million years from now, you would still have to be with me, are you sure you…?”

I silenced him by kissing him. I wrapped my arms around his waist and squeezed him tightly. I felt him tense up and I let go of him quickly. I’d forgotten he was still in pain.

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry,” I said between kisses. “I will…I will marry you,” I said, kissing him again.

He held me as tightly as he could manage to. We stopped kissing each other but kept our faces close together.

“I was so scared of asking you,” he whispered.

“Why?”

“Like Lucian said a few months ago, ‘Can you imagine what it would feel like if the person you wanted to spend eternity with, said no?’”

“You should have known I would say yes,” I smiled.

“I was scared, just in case; there’s always a chance of someone saying no.”

“Are you sure
you
can handle being with
me
for all eternity?”

“I can think of nothing better,” he said before kissing me again.

This time when the kiss ended, I opened my eyes and realized we were in his bedroom.

“Before you think I’ve brought you here to get you in bed, I haven’t. I honestly wouldn't have the strength or energy to go through with it. As much as I may want to,” he smiled.

He let go of me and slowly made his way to a large chest of drawers. He opened the top drawer and pulled out a small shiny black box, before making his way over to me again.

“I’ve had this a long time; in fact I think we’d been together about a week when I bought it. I knew from the start that I wanted to marry you, and have you to myself forever,” he told me. “If I thought I’d be able to get back up, I’d get down on my knee with this.”

I couldn’t help but smile at him, and told him I didn't care whether he was on his knees or not. When he was in front of me again he passed me the box. When I opened it I couldn’t believe my eyes. The ring was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. It was gold with a huge solitaire diamond.

“That’s a two-carat diamond. I’d have gotten you a bigger one if I could have found one,” he told me.

“Eligos…it’s beautiful,” I said, taking it out of the box.

“Not as beautiful as the woman who’ll be wearing it.”

I smiled at him and went to put it on my wedding finger.

“Ah-ah, oh no, that's my job,” he said, taking it off me.

He took my hand and slowly put it on my finger.

“I love you!” he breathed, once it was on.

“I love you!”

I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him again.

When the kiss ended we lay on the bed next to each other. We held each other and kissed each other for hours. I put my hand on his chest and he tensed a little.