10

Another month would pass after the events with Norma, and things returned to being peaceful. Once more I was able to start settling into my new life. Living there with Chris, Zane and Will really wasn't that bad. They were fairly easy going and seemed respectful of my needs. Even though I was still feeling haunted by that strange vision I'd had, I was able to push it to the back of my mind when I was with them.

As for Saffron, I still spoke to him a lot through my stone, and visited him in my dreams, and though he seemed confident that he was getting out of the Abyss soon, it still had yet to happen. I couldn't say that I was that disappointed. It was already complicated enough thinking that Jade could show up whenever he wanted to. I was worried about what might happen if Saffron was there when he did. After the things I'd seen in my visions, I'd concluded that those two were like oil and water. I hated thinking that they'd destroy Zane's house in a petty fight.

However, there was also another pressing reason that I wasn't looking forward to Saffron's return. It was because of his words about Will. I wasn't stupid about all of this, especially given what Chris had told me after I'd had that strange vision. Saffron would show a definite interest in Will because of something very particular about him, and while Chris wouldn't say what that something was, I was beginning to suspect that it had something to do with his father.

Will wasn't like Chris and Zane in some ways. There was something hidden about him, something very powerful and dangerous. I could sense it every time I looked into his violet eyes. Wilhelm Marcos wasn't just another Shadow Wing. He was hiding a deep, dark secret within him, and I had the distinct feeling that I was seeing at least a piece of it whenever I would catch a glimpse of those red specks in his eyes.

But I worked hard to push all of this to the back of my mind as I continued my relationship with Chris. Not much had changed between us since the encounter with Norma. We still acted the same towards each other, although I will say that Chris had lightened up a lot more. I was becoming comfortable with kissing and cuddling with him in private too. I didn't do it in front of those other two because of Saffron's words about them.

I did my best not to think about all of that this afternoon though. Zane had invited me to an exhibit that was opening downtown, and I'd more than happily agreed to go. If anything, I wanted to feel normal again.

Chris, however, had refused to come with us. He'd told Zane that it was boring. I honestly didn't understand what could've been boring about this. All of the glass artwork on the sides of the buildings depicting murals of everyday life was absolutely breathtaking.

But thinking back to that morning, I had to shake my head. Chris had made sure to tell Zane that he expected me to be taken care of.

"If anything at all happens to her, then you'll be dealing with me personally." he'd warned him as we stood in the den room.

Zane just smiled at him, "You worry too much. I'd never let anything happen to our princess here. You should come with us if this bothers you so much." he responded.

"I told you I'm not the mood to be around that many people today. You just make sure to keep her safe and out of trouble." Chris reiterated.

Safe and out of trouble.

Those words seemed like they were literally made for me when he said them. Chris even teased me here and there about attracting way too much trouble. I kept telling him that it was his fault. If he'd done more with me outside of the house, then maybe these things wouldn't happen so often.

Zane was looking at the crowds as he stood near me.

"It seems like a lot of people decided to come out today, although it certainly isn't as hot as it has been. I'm glad of that." he commented.

"No kidding. I don't know if I could've done this in that kind of heat." I agreed.

I took a good long look around us. There were a lot of people out and about now. Music was playing and everyone looked like they were having a good time. It was kind of encouraging for me. There wouldn't be any immediate trouble there. After the event with Norma, I had become a lot more cautious about things. You could say I'd learned a valuable lesson.

Zane seemed to catch onto my thoughts, "Don't worry so much. Nothing's going to happen to you here. Besides, I'm here too." he assured me as he put an arm around me.

"Thanks." I responded. I admit that I didn't feel completely comfortable with this gesture, but I was willing to take it. Zane had always been very friendly towards me.

I glanced at the nearby street clock and saw that it was nearly six thirty. The evening was beginning to set in, and the shadows were getting longer.

"So, what do you want to do now?" I asked him.

I was kind of hoping that he'd want to head home. I'd had a lot of bad experiences at night, and I wasn't looking to add another to the list if I could help it.

Zane didn't seem to be thinking along the same lines. He just smiled at me. I felt a little taken back by that smile. The smiles he gave me weren't flirtatious at all. They reminded me of what an older brother would give his baby sister.

"Why don't we get some dinner while we're out here? It is moving on in the evening, and it would take longer to make it at home." he suggested.

"I guess." I reluctantly agreed as we began walking, "I still wish Chris would've come with us."

"Unfortunately, Christoff isn't the type who likes doing things like this. I keep telling him that he needs to expand his horizons more, but I don't think he'll ever listen to me. It's been that way for a long time now. I practically have to wager him something to get him to do anything like this." Zane admitted.

"You mean like when you bet him the Corvette just to pass a semester of college at Harvard?" I asked.

"He told you about that? Oh well. I lost that bet fair and square." Zane responded.

"He said that you took three years to pay up." I pointed out.

Zane laughed, "What can I say? I don't like to lose to him with anything. It's in my blood I suppose." He cleared his throat a little as he said those last words.

By then we'd made it to one of the nearby restaurants. The hostess set us at one of the open tables near the window, then hurried off to the next people coming in. The place was busy but didn't feel too terribly crowded. A few people glanced up at us, but that was nothing unusual. A lot of the people around there tended to look at us. I blamed it on what we were. It seemed like all the Shadow Wings tended to have beautiful looks, and there didn't seem to be an exception to the rule from what Zane had told me before. It was something that many of us apparently used to our advantage.

Our table was in one of the more secluded corners. Neither of us liked our conversations being overheard, and aside from that, sitting there made it easier to keep people from staring at us. I looked at the menu, thinking about having a nice salad. I wasn't too hungry at that moment.

"Go ahead and order whatever you'd like. It's my treat." Zane told me.

"Thanks." I replied, giving him a quick smile. But as I looked at the menu, I thought about his earlier comment. Going head-to-head with Chris was in his blood, "Hey Zane, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead." he allowed.

"Who is your father? Can you tell me now?"

Zane was quiet for a moment. I wondered if I shouldn't have asked. Maybe he didn't feel comfortable talking about him. That seemed confirmed when he finally answered,

"Why do you ask?"

"Well... I was curious about it. I know about Chris's, and you all know about mine, and it seems like Will never wants to talk about his. So, I thought I'd try to ask you about yours." I explained.

By then our waiter was coming over. He was a young guy, kind of on the skinny side with dark hair. I didn't miss that extra-long look he gave me.

"What can I get you two today?" he asked us after a moment of apparently composing himself.

"Um, I'll have a Caesar Salad and a Coke please." I requested.

"A Pomegranate Martini and a Chef Salad for me." Zane added.

The waiter nodded and hurried off. I didn't miss how nervous he still looked.

Zane watched him walk away, then turned his attention back to me, "Don't get me wrong. I don't mind talking with you about these things, but I have to say that I am surprised. I didn't think that you would be interested in my past."

"Why not? You're like me, right?" I responded.

"I suppose you do have a point when you put it that way." Zane relented. He glanced around, then sat back slightly in his chair, "I'm not too sure you'll want to hear about it once I start telling you. It's a rather morbid story."

"Trust me, I've heard and seen a lot now. You also know what happened with Faith Kent when she had me, so I'm not that worried after seeing that." I reminded him.

Zane nodded solemnly, "Very well. I suppose I can't argue with that one." he relented. He thought about where to start before continuing, "I suppose I should start with my bloodline. My father, like yours and Christoff's, is a very powerful Fallen as well. I will not say his name because that can invite him, and I have no desire for his troubles in my life right now. Unfortunately, he's always caused it for me. I call myself a bloodline because I've had half siblings before and after me. I am the only survivor of them all at this point in time."

"Really? Were they all hunted down?" I asked.

"Not at all. He killed them himself."

"Wait a minute. Are you saying that your own father killed your brothers and sisters?" I said in disbelief.

"Indeed." Zane confirmed, slightly nodding, "He killed them because they weren't strong enough. That's how it is with the ones like me. When we're born from one like him, we're expected to be strong, and when we reached a certain age and we have our wings for a while, he comes to us and tests us. Either was fight back and pass, or we die."

I stared at him, hardly believing what I was hearing. Their own father hunted them down and killed them?

"But that doesn't make sense. If you weren't taught to fight, then how did you even stand a chance?" I wondered out loud.

I'll admit that all of this bothered me on a much deeper level than even the thought of those angels hunting us. Yet I also knew what Chris kept telling me. It wasn't just those angels we had to keep watching out for. We also had to be cautious of our own fathers, because they could turn on us whenever they felt like it.

"There are always ways to learn how to fight. I began learning at a young age from my mother's older brother. You see, I am just about as old as Christoff when you get into age. He has me beat by maybe eight or nine years, but that's close enough; and like his mother's family, mine also figured out fairly quickly that I was not to be a normal child." Zane explained.

He paused for a moment, reflecting on his own words before continuing, "My mother was a young girl of fourteen years of age from what I know. My uncle told me the story before I awoke as a Shadow Wing. It all started when she began telling her mother that something was coming into her room at night and raping her in her bed. She was so insistent about this that her parents tried to keep an eye on her during the night and ended up witnessing one of the attacks. When she turned up pregnant with me about five months after that started, her mother and father figured out the awful truth to my origins rather easily; but they also knew that there was nothing they could do about it, for there were no such things as abortions back then. At least, not without killing their daughter in the process.

"When the girl died right after I was born, her father was ready to kill me because of all of this, but he was stopped by the Fallen who created me. Quite violently I might add. He ended up killing him and my grandmother, then issued his demands to my uncle about my becoming strong enough to face him, saying that he'd return and destroy the rest of the family as well if I didn't. Needless to say, my uncle took heed of his words and taught me how to fight in hopes of achieving revenge against the creature and saving what was left of the family. I can honestly say that he was the biggest reason I survived that first initial fight with my father. I managed to stand up to my father and actually survive, and my prize was being able to live for a while longer."

The story was horrifying, not to mention the visions I was getting with it. Chris had taught me how to close that channel in my mind, but I'd reopened it to see what Zane was talking about, and everything he'd said was very true.

In the visions, there was a young teenage girl in a manor house that looked like it may have been from sixteenth century England. She was very beautiful, with dark green eyes and long, curly hair that was as black as a raven's wings. She was also very troubled by what had begun happening to her. Night after night, she was being visited by a dark figure who would appear by her bed and proceed to rape her. She couldn't move or even scream when this happened. All she could do was lie there and cry as he had his way with her. Even her parents were powerless to stop the attacks, although they began calling on their priest and church, begging for help. But nothing stopped the dark predator, and the pattern continued for several months.

That was, until one dreary fall day. That was the day that the girl came to her mother and showed her that her belly was growing.

She was pregnant.

Within a few months, she would give birth to a baby boy, then die of hemorrhaging right afterwards. I saw her mother screaming as her father pushed her aside and held a knife over the newborn, but he was suddenly and violently stopped by the dark shadow, which had appeared out of nowhere. There was so much violence in that room after that. Blood covered the floors and walls as they were torn apart by the shadows themselves.

It was right after this happened that I saw a dark-haired young man of maybe sixteen or seventeen come rushing into the room. He stared in horror at the scene, then ran over and grabbed the crying baby from the bed to take him out.

But as he did, the shadow reappeared in front of him and turned into a more humanlike form. The Fallen it became looked incredibly menacing. He was very tall and wore dark clothes, with piercing red eyes and long black hair that was tied back. He told the boy to make sure that he took care of his son, and that he'd better make him strong, or else he'd return and kill both of them.

Precisely twenty years later, that's exactly what he did. He came back and nearly killed Zane that first time they fought, and when Zane managed to win, he laughed in his face as he told him that he'd let him live. In the decades that followed, he'd come back several more times to continue this pattern.

Zane seemed to realize what I'd seen.

"As you can see, that's how life is for the ones like me. Unfortunately, there aren't many choices but for us to be strong. Of course, it also gives me a bit of an edge against Christoff too. I never underestimate anything out of sheer force of habit, though I do admit that I tend to be lazy anymore when I train with him and Will. It's just a bad habit I've developed in the last fifty years or so years." he explained.

I debated on what to say, thinking of Chris's words before. Even though he considered Will and Zane to be close friends, he also would never put it past them to turn on us for purposes of power.

"But you wouldn't turn on us, right?" I dared ask.

"Not at all." Zane assured me, his expression turning a bit lighter, "I would never do anything to hurt those I consider my friends, even if he doesn't like it. Power plays are one thing, but finding allies is a complete other; and on top of that, I happen to enjoy the position I'm in now in my life. It's quite comfortable for me."

By then, our waiter was coming back with our drinks, but he looked a bit odd. His eyes seemed darker, and he wasn't acting half as nervous as he'd been when we'd first sat down.

"I'm sorry, but it'll be a few more minutes on the salads." he told us in a low voice.

Zane seemed to study him, then he smiled at him like nothing was wrong, "That's okay. We don't mind."

The waiter nodded, then walked back. I looked over at Zane.

"What was that?" I asked quietly.

"Don't worry. It's nothing that could hurt us and definitely not angelic. I suppose even talking about him stirs things up anymore." Zane answered.

I didn't miss how his eyes narrowed slightly as he said that. He obviously didn't like what had just happened, but he was going to downplay it on my behalf. All three of them were good at doing that when it suited them.

Our dinner went by smoothly, but I still felt uneasy. That waiter seemed to be watching us very closely. I noticed Zane glanced over towards him and nod a few times. It was almost like they were talking through telepathy. I wanted to ask him about it but couldn't bring myself to. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what was going on yet.

So, I tried to act like nothing was wrong and held onto my pendant. I felt it get warm a few times in my hand; a sign that Saffron was keeping an eye on things. He must have been aware that something wasn't right. I wondered if he'd speak to me about it in private later when he had the chance.

As the waiter brought us back the change from the bill, Zane suddenly grabbed him by his wrist.

"By the way, why hijack this one? Does he need to speak to me about something?" he asked him.

The waiter stared at him; his darkened eyes almost smoldering, "Bring the girl and go out to the alleyway leading to Jefferson Street. He will speak with you there." he ordered.

He pulled his hand back and walked away. I looked back at Zane, "Will he be okay?"

"He'll be fine. I look for the one inside of him to leave in the next few minutes, considering he was only being used to deliver a message." Zane answered. He let out an exhausted sigh, "I apologize Ariana, but I'm going to need you to accompany me out of here for this meeting. I don't think I need to tell you that not doing so could be dangerous."

I agreed, although I couldn't deny how nervous I was. What was calling us out there? I had the bad feeling that it had something to do with Zane's father and what I saw. I had no doubt that he was extremely dangerous, possibly even more so than Jade. I was kind of cursing my luck now. Why did all of this dangerous stuff always seem to show up when all I wanted to do was go out and enjoy my life some?

"Don't worry darling. He won't hurt you, and if this one lets him, I'll personally rip his head from his neck once I get out of here." I heard Saffron say. I could feel the pendant's warmth as he spoke, but it didn't glow this time. He was being incognito for now.

"I get it, and I'll watch what happens with her. I know better than to not take your threats of harm seriously." Zane agreed, making sure he kept his voice quiet.

"You'd better." Saffron warned him.

Zane let out another exhausted breath, standing and helping me up, "Come, let's get going. I don't wish this to run into total nightfall, and it's already starting to get dark."

The two of us walked out of that restaurant quickly. I followed Zane closely, trying to discreetly watch the faces around us; but everyone looked the same. I was extremely nervous about what was about to happen. Had Zane's father really called on us? He seemed like the most likely candidate.

The place that the man had been talking about wasn't very far from the restaurant, or even our home for the matter. The alleyway was long and lined by buildings with no visible windows on either side of it. Even the doors that opened into it weren't really used anymore because many of the businesses there had vacated decades before. Only the occasional dim light and signs lit the shadows.

Our footsteps echoed like we were walking into a cave. I shivered a little as I moved closer to Zane. It felt colder there, and I didn't think it was from the darkness.

Zane stopped and looked around us.

"Alright. We came. Now show yourself. Hiding is an annoying habit you've picked up as of late." he called.

The shadows began shifting and melting into the shape of a man. Dressed in all black, his piercing red eyes glowed in the semi darkness. I felt my breath catch in my throat. It was him.

It was Zane's father.

"You've gotten rather cocky as of late. You've even allied yourself with that one's son again. Did you truly think that I wouldn't call on you if you did such a thing?" he asked Zane.

"Not at all." Zane responded, "I knew it was coming sooner or later. You never let me go that long. But this is very soon even for you. You typically give me a good thirty or forty years after you come after me. That's always been your pattern before. Why suddenly change it?"

"I think you know why."

The demon looked at me. I felt frozen to the spot as I stared into those red eyes. It felt like my very soul was chilled, and for the first time I felt like Jade wasn't that scary to me. This one felt far more menacing.

"Ah, I see. It seems that you knew about her, or you must have at least heard recently." Zane noted.

"Indeed. The rumors of another being born and being the child of one who has apparently made a name for himself in the Abyss was enough for me to decide that it warranted a closer look."

Something coiling up around my legs as he spoke. I looked down and realized that it was the shadows. They'd come to life and were wrapping around my lower legs. It kept me held to the spot.

Zane glared at the demon, "You realize you're playing with fire. I won't let you get close to her." he warned him. He reached down and picked up a nearby pipe. It melted then formed into a long flaming black spear in his hand.

"Is that so? Let us see about that." the Fallen responded coldly.

In a flash the demon was gone. I jerked my head around, feeling a bit of panic rising inside of me. I couldn't move from where I was, which made it almost impossible for me to defend myself. I was a sitting duck!

Zane moved in a flash, blocking a hand with black claws that was coming down towards his head.

"Same old dirty tricks! You've always used the shadows to your advantage!" he yelled as he threw him back.

"There is no shame in using whatever you please. However, it seems that you're not quite on top of things either, or has it just been that you've become distracted again?" the demon said, looking over at me.

Zane hesitated as he heard that. It looked like those words had caught him completely off guard. Like they were revealing something that he was hiding.

Unfortunately, this made a perfect opening for this demon. He moved swiftly, pinning Zane to a nearby wall by his throat. I stared in horror, holding my pendant tightly. I wished Saffron was there now. He could've stopped this.

"Looks like I was right. You've gone soft on me again. You should count yourself lucky that I don't cut you down here and now. I can make many more just like you." the demon went on.

"Let the boy go Astaroth."

The demon immediately stopped, turning his head back to me as he heard Saffron speak. The pendant glowed brightly around my neck in the dim light.

"You gave her a Heretic Stone. How clever of you." he commented.

"You'd expect any less? I thought you knew me quite well. I've done a lot for you in the last three thousand years, so you know that my threats are not to be taken lightly. I will say this only once: Let the boy go and release my daughter, or I'll see to it that you are never able to create another perfect abomination." Saffron ordered.

Astaroth stared at me, not bothering to move, though he did slowly release his grip on Zane, allowing him to fall to the ground. I tensed up as he came over and stood in front of me. The air around him was bitterly cold. The stone continued to glow, but Saffron remained silent.

Before Astaroth could touch me, there was a bright red flash. My legs were free again as the shadows around them were shredded. I stepped back and looked towards where the flash had come from. Another familiar figure was there.

Jade.

Astaroth didn't move as he regarded him, "It seems that you've decided to intervene. How fitting given your history with that one." he commented.

"I'm not doing it for him. I have nothing more here than a hatred towards you, and given that, I decided it was best to step in where he could not. I get rather sick of seeing you continue to attack those you've created as well. You know that it is not in Hell's benefit with what's coming if you destroy that boy." Jade responded.

"No. Perhaps not." Astaroth reluctantly agreed. He looked back at Zane, who was slowly lifting himself up with his spear. He was bleeding a little from his head, no doubt the result of being violently knocked into that wall. I could even see cracks in it where he'd hit. Yet Astaroth had no care for it, "Get yourself up. Stop acting weaker than you are."

"Not at all. You know I'm not." Zane breathed, raising himself up the rest of the way and shaking it off. He seemed to have healed quickly.

"You have a strong boy Astaroth. He's very useful too. You should stop trying so hard to eliminate your seeds if you deem that they've displeased you." Saffron spoke up. He seemed rather pleased now. He'd probably been anticipating that Jade would show up there.

"That is for me to decide. However, I am very interested now in what your plans are with this girl. You chose what she'd be, and you've manipulated things to where she would meet that boy that this one sired. You must have more in mind than a mere showdown with angels." Astaroth surmised, walking in front of me again.

I stared up at him, feeling mesmerized all at once. I couldn't explain it, but something about those red eyes had suddenly drawn me in.

Jade watched, though he didn't bother moving. I saw him cross his arms from out of the corner of my eye.

"Of course. But all of us make our own plans with what we bring into the world. You may want to reconsider some of yours too. You've taught your boy far too well." he spoke up.

It was only then that I realized Zane had pointed the spear at the back of Astaroth's neck. He'd moved so quickly that I hadn't even seen him do it.

"And you call me a fool! What's the number one lesson you've always taught me in all of this?! Never let your guard down!" he declared, ramming it through his neck.

I screamed and stepped back as the black blood splashed from his neck onto me. Astaroth stumbled a little to the side as he choked a few times, but he didn't fall. Instead, he slowly stood up straight with a smile crossing his face. It was a very sadistic looking smile, with dark blood dripping down from the side of his mouth. I could make out that much as I tried to regain my composure.

"Quite unexpected boy. Bravo."

Astaroth yanked the spear out of his neck and tossed it aside. It melted into a black puddle where it landed. The wound in his neck closed quickly, not even leaving a scar.

"Leave us now. I won this round." Zane ordered.

"Very well. I will take my leave for now. But mark my words, this will not be the last you'll see of me." Astaroth assured us. He then melted back into the shadows. The cold feeling dissipated, and he was completely gone.

Zane took a deep breath, rubbing his shoulder as he walked over to me, "Are you okay?" he asked, looking concerned.

"I think so." I managed. I was still staring at the blood on me.

"I'm really sorry. I should've reacted quicker than that." Zane apologized. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the blood from my face.

"Then stop letting your guard down, you hopeless little fool. You all need to learn that one, especially if you want me to consider you worthy of my child. I'll let it be this time, but next time I expect much better from you." Saffron chided him. The stone then turned back to normal as he left us again.

"Threat well taken Saffron." Zane muttered.

Jade clapped a few times, "Nicely done boy. I'm rather surprised. You've gotten much better since the last time I saw you fight with him. You must be training more on your own." he noted.

"You wouldn't be wrong." Zane confirmed, "I've allowed myself some training on my own for quite a while now; but why did you decided to show up like this? I wouldn't have thought you had that much of a grudge against Astaroth as to interfere only because you wanted to."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. I have my reason for all I do. You're well aware of that." Jade shrugged.

I was finally starting to get myself back together. Yes, I was horrified by what had just happened, but at the same time, I was telling myself that I shouldn't have expected any different. I knew exactly what we came from, and apparently our parents could be even bigger enemies then the angels that hunted us or the things that decided to hate us. Zane's father had made that perfectly clear to me. I just hoped that Saffron wouldn't turn on me like that one day. With what Chris had told me, it seemed very possible.

"Please tell me he's gone now." I finally spoke up.

"Yes. He's gone. It's all over for now. I'm sorry for dragging you into that though. It's been a long-standing fight." Zane admitted.

"I'm okay, but please don't do that to me again." I requested.

I couldn't find it in me to be mad at him. It wasn't like he'd had a choice in all of it. Astaroth's threats were made very clear.

"I warned you before that you need to keep your guard up more child. Perhaps now you'll start heeding my words." Jade told me.

I looked over at him. I still couldn't believe that he was there, "So why help me? I thought you hated me."

Jade shrugged, a slight smile crossing his face, "Like I said, I have my reasons. But be sure to heed what I said. Keep your guard up more and don't be so intimidated by the ones who would threaten you. You're much stronger than you realize, and you can thank him for that."

With that, he was gone, melting back into the darkness that was all around us. I shook my head. I didn't get Jade at all. First, he threatens me, then he saves me. What in the world did he think he wanted with me?

The sound of Zane's voice brought me back to reality.

"All right then." he said, putting an arm around my shoulders, "Let's get home. We'll take the back way so that no one sees you like this."

I was grateful for the fact that we were so close to home now. I really didn't want anyone to see me like this. Not to mention that I really wanted a good shower. This felt disgusting.

I took one last glance back as we walked. I was kind of hoping to catch a glimpse of Jade again, but it seemed that he was completely gone.

Of course, there was one thing I forgot about with all of this too, and as soon as we came back into the house, he would come back to me in full force.

"What the hell happened to you?!" Chris demanded as he came down the stairs and saw us.

"It wasn't anything terrible like you're thinking. Just a little run in with my father. No harm done." Zane assured him.

It was obvious he was going to try to downplay all of this. Maybe it was the best thing he could've done too. We both knew that Chris was very protective of me.

"No harm done? Look at her! She's covered in demon blood!" Chris argued.

"And no harm was done. I wouldn't have allowed him to hurt her. Besides, Saffron would've made sure I was dead by now if he had." Zane countered.

"And I can make sure of that too..." Chris started.

I knew I had to step in. This was going to end up way out of hand if I didn't.

"Stop it! Both of you! Chris, Zane protected me out there the best he could, and I'm not hurt, so stop arguing. I'm fine!" I protested as I got between them.

"The best he could isn't enough. If Saffron hadn't stepped in, then you most definitely would've been ripped apart out there. You don't tangle with Astaroth. That's the problem with keeping him around." Chris responded.

"You think I don't know that about me Christoff?! I am well aware of the mark on my head from both sides. But you are the one who chose this alliance with me and brought her here!" Zane reminded him.

"Then we can leave! You're not going to put her in anymore danger because of who you are! It's bad enough that we have to deal with the other one!" Chris shot back.

"We're not leaving Chris! This wasn't Zane's fault!" I argued.

"In case you've forgotten, I'm the one who's supposed to be protecting you here, and if I say something's too dangerous, then you need to start listening! You haven't figured that out yet?!" Chris fumed.

But before I could respond, another familiar voice cut in.

"Stop it, Chris. You know this isn't her fault, and it's not Zane's either. We all know what happens with Astaroth from time to time, and it's not something she can exactly avoid. Just be glad it didn't turn out badly and Zane was able to fight him off again. You know that Saffron wouldn't have allowed anymore to happen either." Will stated as he came down the stairs to join us.

"It doesn't matter about Saffron right now, does it? He's still trapped down there, and there's not a lot he can do because of it, so it falls on me every time she invites more trouble, which she's doing a very good job of." Chris complained.

His words pissed me off. He was not blaming everything on me. I didn't care how mad he was.

"And whose fault is that?" I challenged, "In case you've forgotten, you're the one who brought me here! You're the one who came looking for me in the first place!"

The two of us stood there staring each other down. I wondered what he was thinking. Chris was always good at never letting onto his thoughts, but I'd never gone against him before either.

Will and Zane stood back, keeping quiet. Obviously, they weren't about to get into the middle of this argument.

Chris finally broke the silence, "Fine. I get it, but it is what it is. You need to stop taking so many chances." He then brushed past me and went back upstairs.

"Hey, hold on! This isn't over yet!" I called as I followed him. He wasn't going to just walk away from this. He'd picked this fight, and we were going to finish it.

Chris stopped in the hallway, turning to face me, "You really think there's any more to say to this? You seem to be forgetting that whenever you attract trouble, it all ends up falling on my shoulders to make sure it doesn't get you killed. I can't keep protecting you from everything. I'm strong, but I'm not that strong, and if any of those angels show up here, then it might be all over; so, start listening for once or just go with your father when he comes back!" he snapped.

I stood very still as he walked away from me again. I was stunned now. This was the first time that he'd said something like that to me. But I also understood that a lot of it was the truth. He was the one jumping in to protect me the most. He very well could've ended up badly hurt because of me in any of the things that had happened to us.

I looked down, realizing how foolish I'd been. Maybe this wasn't really a matter of love for Chris. Maybe he'd confused love with his perception of duty.

"And there he goes. Honestly, he's so harsh at times." Zane commented as he walked behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders in a comforting hug.

"Is it really just because he thinks he has to protect me?" I whispered.

"No, I wouldn't say that, but don't worry too much about it. He'll get over it. For now, why don't you get cleaned up? It's better to give him time to work things out." Will suggested. He was looking down the hallway rather sternly, almost like he was debating on whether or not he should say something to Chris.

I didn't bother saying anymore more to it. There really was no point. Besides, it felt much more inviting to just be with Zane and him for now. I liked being around the two of them. I wasn't sure of exactly why I'd always felt so much more comfortable with them. Maybe it was because of how open they were compared to Chris.

For now, all I knew was that I needed the comfort of friends who could understand how I felt at that moment, so I agreed with Will and decided to stay with the two of them for the rest of the evening. Hopefully by morning all of this would blow over and things would go back to normal.