45. Unforgiving

Spoiler alert: there was nothing fun to do.

"A little bit more left."

"Why am I the one in charge of your home designing!? I'm notoriously bad at getting things to be straight!" It hadn't originally been a sexuality joke, but it turned out that way. Oliver laughed at the unintentional joke, but I was beginning to get tired of holding this painting.

"There isn't anything to do at night if you aren't on the streets having a good time or soul hunting."

Suddenly, alarms shrilled through the whole castle, and I dropped the painting to hold my ringing ears. "What the hell is that!?"

"Something to do! It means than an outsider is penetrating the entrance; I'm sorry to leave you here, but I need to help."

"Bring me with you."

"Fine." His reluctance was obvious, but he was soon dragging me out of the castle. Everyone was flocking towards a tunnel, and I allowed Oliver to pull me into the danger.

"Stay slightly out of view just in case it's my father. He wouldn't be happy if I had a living being in my care; he might take your soul before your time is up. Even worse, he might take you."

I hid in about the second row slightly crouched down for my tall height, but I could still see. Jack burst through the tunnel, and he began to shout angrily at Oliver. "I know you have him! I don't know what sick things you're doing, but give him back!"

"I'm going to need you to calm down, please. No one is being harmed–" Jack grabbed one of the women from the front line and held her by the hair. The lady was clearly pregnant, but that didn't stop him when he held her close to his magic.

"Just like I'm not harming anyone here, right? Right?" He's frantic, but that doesn't give him the right to hurt someone who isn't threatening. Especially to end a child's life before it could ever see the world. The woman's husband was trying to rush forward, but he was being held back.

"Listen, I can tell you that he's fine; we haven't hurt him at all. Please put the woman down, and we can talk about this."

"We're going to talk right here and now, or the woman dies!"

I remained crouched down, but I looked through the hoard of demons. My eyes linked with Maggie's, and she mouthed, "you know him?"

I nodded my head, and she made gestures that looked like we were going to talk about it later. Oliver, always the mediator, was still trying to talk it out. "Listen, kid, just come to my castle, and we can work this out."

"Like I'm going to come farther in; do you think I'm stupid?" His magic flared with his anger, and the woman cried out from the slight singe to her hair.

"I'm not trying to trick you, I just want to avoid conflict!"

"Then give him to me."

"I can't give him away if he doesn't want to be given. If there's one thing I've learned in the last 24 hours, he's an actual human being, not a prop to be bought and sold."

"Now, or the girl gets it!"

Oliver had grown visibly nervous, and I was about to crawl out when Jack lost control. His power came out in a burst, and suddenly there was a dead demon on the floor. That... That was a perfectly good life– 2 of them, actually. "What the fuck!" The curse that came from Oliver's mouth made me shiver at the connotation. "What have we done to you?"

"Stole my adoptive brother, what do you think?"

"Okay, so maybe we did that, but see it from my view. If someone were to be threatening to hurt the people you care about, would you not attempt to stop them?"

The dead woman's soulmate crawled forward, and he narrowly missed a shot of blue electricity. All he wants is his wife! When Jack's power charged up to hit him again, I felt the anger tear through my veins. My own abilities flowed from my fingertips, and I stole his energy. "Okay, now I know you're here! Come out!"

He's crazy. Like literally insane. I pushed myself farther back into the crowd which was moving forward towards the demagiced warlock. "Don't hurt him," Oliver instructed, and the group stopped moving forward. I could see the soulmate of the dead woman crying over her body, and it made my own chest hurt. I can't justify these people getting hurt more, so I made my way back towards the front. I revealed myself, and Jack was about to jump on me when I held up a hand.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I'm trying to save you."

"By killing an innocent woman?"

"By killing one of the demons that took you!"

"Jack... This isn't right! Go back up."

"Not without you."

"You can't make me leave, but I can make you. Get the hell out."

"I was just–"

"Ruining a life before it started. Go!"

Jack backed up a few steps before sprinting back up the tunnel. The crowd of demons dissipated, but I stayed with the crying man. I crouched down, and I looked to Oliver for a translator. He nodded, so I began to speak. "I'm sorry, this is my fault."

"J'n tpssz, uijt jt nz gbvmu." The man looked at me, and I could see the gloss in his eyes.

"Ju't opu zpvs epjoh." The man looked sad, but he seemed a bit better with my acknowledgement of his pain.

"It's not your doing."

"He was acting in my name, so it was. I didn't want anyone hurt, you all are good people."

"If xbt bdujoh Jo nz obnf, tp ju zbt. J ejeo'u xbou bozpof ivsu, zpv bmm bsf hppe qfpqmf."

The man smiled at me, and I was glad to be building relationships with these people. "Uibol zpv gps zpvs dpoepmfotft."

"Thank you for your condolences."

I gently rubbed his shoulder before leaving with Oliver. Our uneventful night had taken a turn for the worse, and I wanted to talk about it with him. "I just can't believe he would do something that sick."

"Keep in mind that he wasn't trying to kill the woman, he lost control."

"Still, holding a pregnant woman at magic gunpoint? I know I'm cute, but it isn't worth it."

"I think it's worth it. You're an amazing boy, Devon, and it isn't just your looks."

"I think... I think I've made a choice."

"About what, exactly?"

I turned towards him, and I allowed my body to lean in. His eyes widened, and he breathed, "Are you sure?" He was extremely close to me now, and I wasn't feeling the panic I had felt with Jack. It just felt... I don't know... Right?

"Never more sure in my life." As soon as I whispered the words, his lips crashed into mine. The touch sent fireworks up in my head, and I leaned farther against his body to kiss back. It was gentle yet passionate, and I was soaking up every second of it. Finally, Oliver pulled away, and my only words were a quiet, "woah."

"Hopefully a good woah."

"Definitely."

"I'm glad."

"Great... I want cuddles."

"Granted."