I was in half a mind to journey back to Hell and prompt another round from my father, or at least take on one of his many legions. But then I heard her in the distance crying out. She was down the hall after I had ruthlessly forced her from the room with my harsh demands. I didn’t want to but I had no choice. It was that or let her see the extent of what my rage reduces me to. I couldn’t let her see me this way…this broken shell of a man whose only useful emotion was the rage and bitterness that kept me moving my body every damn day. Any other emotion that I allowed to seep in would render me useless for days, even weeks on end.
No, right now I needed this anger to help me to act because the reality of my situation had being staring at me across the room when the bastard had kissed her. I had never wanted another being dead right there and then more in my entire life. I wanted to walk calmly up to him and take his head in my hand to crush his skull until his brain matter covered my arm as the only evidence that he could no longer touch her.
I heard another cry and any thoughts of death swiftly left me. I stumbled to the door ready to go to her. Ready to take her body in my arms where it belonged and comfort her. I couldn’t stand hearing her pain, hearing what I myself had inflicted. But what was worse, hearing her sadness at my cruel dismissal or seeing the fear in her eyes again. That was my personal Hell right there in that one look. That one flinch and step back she took as if I had struck her…when in reality she had struck me with the sight of her fear. I knew then I had to get her to leave me because tears I could deal with. Her fear of me I could not.
My hand touched the handle and noted the great crack I had created in the door just to get her to finally leave. I knew she was there, right behind the door listening to my outburst of rage but before I could really let go I needed her to get away from me and with more than just a flimsy piece of oak between us. If not I would have let my Demon take over, ripping the wood like paper only to haul her back into my arms and never letting her go again.
But instead of my arms I could now hear it was my brother’s arms which had come to her aid. I opened up my senses further and listened to what was being said whilst holding my forehead against the broken door. I held my fists at the same height as if waiting for another knife she unknowingly would be plunging in my heart. And then it came soon enough…
“I still love him, Vincent.” By the Gods! There were no sweeter words spoken and no harder words heard in all my years taking breath!
This was when my knees hit the floor, cracking the stone with the pent up power that was just begging for an even greater release. I closed my eyes as I’d done in front of her just to try and calm the flames I knew consumed my irises.
“As do I my love…as do I, my Keira.” I said letting my head hang and the burning tears form under my lids that I refused to let fall.
I don’t know how long I continued like this, knelt by the door but it was a while after that I heard Keira’s plea to be taken from this place. And hearing my brother take my heart into his arms and carry her off, was like trying to swallow a bitter pill the size of my fist. I wanted to take back what was mine, and demand he hand her to me to care for but I knew this was not what she needed or more importantly, what she even wanted. So, as I don’t know how many times before…
I let her go.
At the distant sound of Vincent’s Dyna wide glide Harley Davidson purring down the road, I rose from the floor and launched myself up and twisted my wings to curl round me as I flew through the arches in the balcony and out into the desolate night. I let gravity take me as I free fell before then spreading my wings out to catch the air that pushed against each feather, taking me upwards. I tilted to one side to turn before using my strength to take me further up the building Keira had ran from.
I pushed myself to rise higher. Beating my wings was definitely easier than beating back my anger. I quickly reached my intended perch at the highest point of Afterlife and landed not caring for the cracks I created with the force. With one knee to the floor I looked up in time to see the light of Vincent’s bike manoeuvring along the winding road with Keira gripping onto his body like she feared she would fall off with every turn.
I stood up to my full height on the small stone platform and watched until they went out of sight, torturing myself. I was tempted to follow them but then I knew it would only serve as yet another mistake in a very long list of ones already committed. No, my time was best served deciding what my next move was in getting rid of one Alex Cain. In the very little time I knew of him I hadn’t been able to find anything about him, other than his human life. He was off the grid in my world and this was what worried me the most.