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I looked down on the filthy demon that has been dragged in and interrupted my meal. He looked like a male human but I could see the slither of magic that circled him to hide his true identity. Destiny twisted his arm behind and forced him to drop to his knees in front of me. I sat at the end of my long wooden table lazily with numerous plates before me. I snapped my fingers and a few of the candles that floated in the air instantly lit, illuminating parts of the darkness I enjoyed to dwell in.
Destiny raised her eyes over Alexa who sat at the other end of the table. Her jealousy didn’t go unnoticed. She always went feral when other women were so close. I considered it to be a primitive part to one of her demons and was not something I tolerated. I flicked my finger and a trickle of the darkness that always seeped from me slashed her cheek in reprimand. She only looked to the demon in front of her then as it oozed with black blood.
Her fellow guardians hadn’t seen Alexa for little over a week now. They probably already thought that she was dead. Dark circles ringed her eyes and the sharpness of her gaunt face shadowed the bright skin she once had. She once was a beauty. Her black curly hair was tattered and thinned in patches. Her state disgusted me. This had only happened in a matter of weeks.
I took a sip from my goblet eyeing Destiny as she prompted her prisoner to speak. My stare reminder her I didn’t like my time being wasted. She growled and broke his arm behind him. His howling scream encircled the room.
“I didn’t do it!” He finally wept. Tears began to hit the floor. Not from the pain of a broken arm, no, to most demons that was child’s play. He was shitting himself about what I would do to him.
“Didn’t do what?” Destiny growled before twisting his bones further.
“I didn’t kill the angel. I’m not that stupid!” He cried. Destiny had healing marks on her body where they would’ve fought when he detained him. Dry blood remained on her sleeveless shirt and her hair golden blonde was teased by chunks of dirt.
I growled at the magic that continued to swirl around him. It clung to him in protection. A witch’s spell that many wouldn’t have noticed but was offensive to my eyes. No witch or her magic was more powerful than me. I knew the moment he had crept into my city hoping to have gone unnoticed. Instead of killing him for his imprudence I waited until a time just like now.
Even with a high witch’s spell to change his form I sensed it as soon as soon as he entered. I had created Shabeah for that exact purpose. Any demons or angels to come into my city were never unnoticed. His breed of demon was one I had been wary of for a while since his Queen went silent when I demanded her to bring me soldiers.
I stretched out my hand watching my darkness that always encompassed me to strike at him. I knew it would hurt him to so forcefully rip the magic off his body. I looked forward to his screams. I could feel every edge of my darkness worm under his skin like needles. It pulled apart the cloak of magic like skin being torn from muscle.
He screamed in agony as my talons hooked deep into his skin and pulled out the witch’s transformation spell. He dropped to the ground as Destiny let him go. He would be too weak to stand let alone try and run now. Blood seeped onto the floor as it oozed from his nose and mouth. It wouldn’t kill him but it certainly could be considered as close.
Destiny couldn’t remove the magic but she had a keen eye and nose for investigation. Especially when it was something I wanted in a matter of time. She had caught the exact demon I was searching for.
“My best Guardian has been taken to Aztec because of you,” I growled. I disregarded Destiny’s hurt expression. She meant nothing to me. She was only my property and it was sickening to see her expression which should’ve always been stone.
His back was spiny and the small spikes in his back had snapped from previous fights. More than likely from territorial fights within his own kind. He hissed at me, his snake like tongue spitting out as he continued to weep. His form was like a human water snake. One that was highly venomous. Most Demon Snakes found themselves imprisoned in my own personal Underworld.
They were uncontrollable at most times which is why I had current issues with his Queen.
Despite being notorious for their solidarity and personal space, they did answer and follow their royal heritage.
“Was it your Queen that asked you for the blood of an angel?” I asked. “You were witnessed walking from the dead body. Poison, drowning, even his wings being torn from his body. Did your Queen ask you to do that?”
“No!” he sobbed into the ground crying and hissing. He disgusted me. His kind were strong and would at least dare to fight me. Then again, that is why I had Destiny hunt him instead. Scorch marks fringed his scales from the conflict. “How could I possibly take on an Angel, my Lord? I wouldn’t stand a chance,” he begged. All lies. An Angel would always have the upper hand in strength and because of their training and tolerance to poison. But if taken off guard, it could be believable.
I looked at Destiny annoyed. I didn’t have time to talk to this disgusting creature. She grabbed his neck and jarred his scaly face to look at me. His green slit eyes tried to focus on me as tears of blood dripped out. Maybe I did almost kill him.
“You,” I said pointing to him. “Will admit to everything that you have done. You were the one that killed the Angel. And you will pay for your crime,” I said. He begged and sobbed at me. I threw my silken napkin at him in disgust hoping that it would magically clean up his disgusting display of weakness. I looked at Destiny. “Make sure it happens.”
“Yes, my Lord,” is all she said as she grabbed him by the tail and dragged him out. She eyed Alexa warily. The jealous expression was unanswered by Alexa who now hardly spoke.
I would make sure that enough evidence and his confession would free Vi and that’s all I cared about. I knew who had killed Luke but they would never take the fall for it. I had to start the game and Vi was right in the center of it all.
“I need you to manufacture some fake evidence of his whereabouts with a surveillance video. Liaise with Destiny to make sure the evidence matches the statement,” I said cutting through a piece of bleeding meat and eating it. Alexa’s form of technology demon had brought me years of luck. She could manipulate or create any evidence I needed her to. It had benefited me for many years until looking at the disgrace she was now. She only nodded in response.
Tellith had tried her hardest to rehabilitate as much as she could even through old magic of her tribe. This shell was all that was left. Once she achieved what I needed from her I would dispose of her. She has been compromised.
“Did you interrogate the human police force?” I asked taking another bite of meat. Tellith said that her rehabilitation might depend on conversation with me, her master. I didn’t care for such things, I would just create a new Guardian. All of them were disposable. All but one.
She nodded. She looked down and typed a few things into her watch. A file shortly beeped on my own. I opened it and the blue screen widened in front of me. I didn’t like this technological era but very few demons could communicate like the old days. They were all so weak now.
I briefly read over the profile of the man who had been spying within my human law force. I was certain he was Gabe’s. I had been suspicious on small intel that would leak out. Alexa could back track even confidential and deleted files. Her demon was an asset to me.
“Don’t kill him yet,” I said taking another swig of my wine. “We might find use for him.” I closed the file and watched on as she nodded. I tapped my finger on the wooden table. I wanted her silent presence gone. I ate with very few and she hasn’t eaten anything from her plate. My enemies had been close to capturing her. This was how all my Guardians acted the moment they were compromised. Some were consumed instantly. Others like Alexa fought until the very end, until they had no strength left and were taken.
“What did they say to you?” I asked. Despite her communication with them, even her Shadow Mind journals couldn’t isolate or pinpoint to their whereabouts. I was done with searching for them. I have been out in the open for so long now, practically inviting them to fight me head on. Leaving their kind to gain strength would be problematic for my rein. I had to kill them while they were weak. The years since the last war had passed quickly, I wondered how much strength they had already gained.
“This is a request Alexa. I am asking you a question,” I said in my tone that owned her.
Alexa opened her mouth. She then remoistened her dry lips to speak. After moments of attempting her voice was shaky and barely audible. “They haven’t forgotten what you have done,” she said. The voice hadn’t even sounded like her own. “They are coming for you, Haymen.”
I raged at the threat and threw my goblet across the room. They were taunting me still with these games!
