“Easy to say…”
“And easy to do… Let Kain and Alexi help you. It’s not their knowledge that will show you the way, but their love and support.”
“Love?” It was weird to hear this word in a world and system where lust seemed to be the key to discovering and using one’s powers.
“Yes. What you three have is much more than physical attraction. It might have started that way, but things changed in time, haven’t they?”
“How do you know that?”
Raphael smiled. “It’s obvious from the way you talk about them. You’re avoiding them because you’re afraid you might hurt them. That’s love, Sophie. Pure, unconditional love.”
Sophie’s heart grew and she tried to hide the smile that was threa
tening to reach her ears. It was a bit strange and uncomfortable to talk about love with her father, even thought she had just met him. They spent almost two hours in Lilith’s office, talking about anything and everything, and when they finally parted, Sophie felt like a whole new person. A better one.
CHAPTER FOUR
Knowing that Kain was waiting for him around the corner, Alexi stepped into the demon’s cell. He would have rather had the blond by his side, but Kain had insisted that it was better for him and Gremory to have some privacy. The moment the door clicked behind Alexi, the demon lifted his eyes to look at his visitor.
“You… I was wondering when you’d come.”
Duke Gremory’s voice was low and tired. He was sitting on the small bed, his arms lip on his knees. It was clear he was drained of energy and didn’t even have the strength to stand up. The Spprigans were doing their job well, and Mikal had actually helped them in the past week. There were simply too many demons in Oriens for the little creatures to handle all of them, so Mikal was finally taking his job seriously.
Alexi studied the demon for a few minutes. He looked exactly as he remembered him, except for the lack of spark in his dark eyes. Sharp, noble features, full lips, long, black hair… His shoulders were slumped and his once bulky chest was rather skinny, but that was because he hadn’t fed since he had been brought there.
“I don’t remember much of what happened at the mansion, in the forest… Were you there?” Gremory kept talking as if their meeting was normal. “Those damn creatures surrounded me… It baffles me how such small, ugly beings can be so powerful and drain a demon of his energy in a matter of seconds.”
“Maybe it’s nature’s way of saying ‘fuck you!’ to your disgusting species.”
The demon smiled.
“Yes, I was there. In fact, I was working the case with two other Lure cambions. It took all my self-control to keep my disguise and not slit your throat the moment you arrived at the mansion.”
“A fine job you did… Congratulations! I knew you’d become a great soldier!”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Alexi stepped closer to the demon, rage flickering in his dark green eyes. The casual, laid-back way in which Gremory spoke to him was starting to get on his nerves. “What kind of game are you playing?”
The demon lifted his chin to catch Alexi’s intense gaze and fought to keep his head up. “I’m not playing any games, Alexander. Would you believe me if I told you I missed you?”
The mark on Alexi’s back started burning again, and the cambion winced but kept himself in check. He didn’t want Gremory to see he was having an effect on him.
“I didn’t feel your aura in Ukraine, but when I woke up at Lure Academy, I knew you must be here. After all, where else would you be? I’m surprised you didn’t come to see me earlier, as I’m sure you have many questions… Then I thought you must be waiting for the right time, when the incubus is not around, so you could sneak in and kill me.”
Alexi huffed. “Mikal wouldn’t be able to stand in my way if I wanted to kill you.” He wasn’t sure he could actually defeat an incubus if he ever were to fight one, but he wasn’t about to admit that to Gremory. “The thing is… I used to have questions, but right now the answers don’t mean that much to be anymore. I’m over you. I don’t care enough about you to still want to kill you.”
The demon closed his eyes for a second, then opened them slowly. He raised a hand and pointed his index finger at Alexi. “See there… you’re lying. My mark on your back tells me as much.”
Alexi clenched his jaw.
“After I left, I checked on you a couple of times. That was before Lure took you in. Once you got to the Academy, I couldn’t watch over you anymore.”
“Watch over me?” He couldn’t believe what Gremory was saying. He was trying to decide if the demon wanted to deceive him again, or if he was simply delusional.
“Yes, Alexander. I watched over you for three years before that white-haired succubus came to take you to Lure. I know it’s hard for you to believe me, but I never wanted to hurt you. I cared about you. Maybe it wasn’t exactly love…” The demon cocked his head in deep thought. “I mean… what do demons know about love? We can barely conceptualize it. But I cared about you, and that’s why I had to leave.”
Alexi ran his hands through his hair, pulling at it until it hurt. The pain distracted him enough to calm himself down. He rubbed his temples, then eventually folded his arms over his chest. “You don’t say…”
“Yes. I knew what you were. I knew why no one wanted to be around you. Your powers were pretty strong and your sigil was very close to the surface. For a time, I was able to block you without harming you, but as you became stronger, I was forced to start defending myself, otherwise you would drain my energy without being aware of what you were doing. I eventually had to accept that what we had wasn’t going to work unless I told you who I was and explained to you who you were and what kind of power was hiding right under your skin, waiting to break free. But that would’ve ruined everything… It would’ve raised even more questions… And I knew the Pantheon would come for you when they thought you were ready, and then we’d become enemies. So I took the easy way out: I left.”