Chapter

Chapter 3

Dean stared down at the street below watching as Kane exited the building with the beautiful Skye and Aurora in tow. If Aurora wasn’t already mated to Michael, he’d swear the two Fallen belonged together. The way they loved each other so unconditionally reminded him of things he had long forgotten and it left him with a slight case of melancholy.

Had he ever been like them or had he been born as cold and hard as he felt right now? Dean sighed not wanting to search his own soul in fear of the answer. He’d made up his mind a long time ago to become what he was now in order to protect those with softer hearts and he refused to regret that sacrifice.

He remained still when Skye turned and looked up at him as if sensing he was being watched. It was good that the boy’s instincts were so sharp… he would need them to protect himself and the ones he loved in the coming days. He wished he had the time it would take to make sure Kriss and Skye became closer but his time was running out.

He felt a twinge of guilt and jealousy as he imagined Skye looking at Kriss the same way he looked at Aurora. He closed his eyes trying to stop the intrusive visual of them making love long after he was gone.

Hearing soft footsteps, Dean opened his eyes seeing Kriss in the reflection of the window as he approached from the kitchen and quickly hid his inner turmoil. Kriss hadn't said a word when the two younger Fallen had announced they were going with Kane to visit Michael but he could see the worry in his lover’s eyes. He had always been able to read Kriss so well and was glad Kriss did not have the same ability.

“It’s a good thing Kane is chaperoning them tonight,” Kriss mused coming up behind Dean. “Do you think he can handle Michael if he begins to lose control?”

Dean cocked an eyebrow, not really sure what the answer to that question was. “Tell me, do you remember when we went head to head with Kane before Syn intervened and tossed us off the roof of that building like rag dolls?” He watched as Kriss’s lips thinned at the memory.

“Yes,” Kriss slid his arms around Dean and placed his chin on Dean’s shoulder. “I am aware that Syn probably saved us from a serious hurting that night.”

Dean hardened his voice so Kriss would be sure to listen. “Then you will agree with me when I tell you that we need to stay out of Michael’s way for now. I trust Kane to know what to do and if he needs back up, he can always call on their father.” Dean leaned back into Kriss’ embrace enjoying the moment of peace it gave him.

“Hey Kriss,” Tabatha called from the kitchen where she was empting the dishwasher. “Your kitchen is like an immaculate maze. Where do you keep your salad spoons?”

Kriss pressed his lips against the most sensitive part of Dean’s neck just under his earlobe and tightened his arms as a thank you for letting Tabatha visit for a while. He lifted his eyes back to their refection catching sight of the shiver his lips had caused and took a step back.

“Coming,” he called out over his shoulder and forced himself to turn and head toward the kitchen.

Dean watched him go with a soft smile on his face but the expression faded as soon as Kriss was out of sight. Gritting his teeth, he looked down at his throbbing arm. It was getting harder and harder to fight the pain but in truth, he was surprised he’d lasted this long without giving himself away.

Pushing the sleeve up, Dean frowned at the blackness that had formed there and hissed as the opening stretched and ripped open another inch of his flesh as if wanting him to see what was forming inside him before the edge of the wound narrowed.

If it had been a normal wound, it would have started out as an angry red gash that would probably be showing the final stages of healing by now. But this was no ordinary wound and there was a long black rip where the Demon Blade had penetrated him… going in one side of his forearm and out the other.

As he stared down at the ugly wound, he noted that the blackness within was beginning to move around and grow stronger. He was losing the battle and he knew it. The black soul thriving inside him wanted to live… but then, so did Dean.

He remembered the way Kriss had screamed at him, yelling about him taking on the Demon Blade and nearly getting himself killed. Kriss was still under the impression that if you were struck by the blade that you would go down in overwhelming pain immediately and he was right… but only if the victim was human or at least tainted with human blood.

He’d lied to Kriss… assured him that he was immune to the Demon Blade and since he was still standing, Kriss had believed him because he wanted it to be true. It calmed Dean’s soul just knowing that Kriss could no longer hide the love he had for him. His anger and worry had been a dead giveaway. Now it would all come to a quiet end. It would make Kriss stronger in the long run.

Dean was glad that Kriss had never been exposed to the real dangers of a Demon Blade during the demon wars since he hadn't arrived until the war was practically over. Because of that, Kriss didn’t know what happened to a Fallen that had been struck by one… he only knew what happened to the human victims.

Many Fallen had died from such an attack during the demon wars and Samuel had thrown the weapon intending for the blade to give Aurora a slow and painful death… his final gift to the female Fallen that had betrayed him. The innocent Skye hadn't known the consequences of his actions when he tried to protect Aurora by swinging her around and presenting his own back to the deadly blade.

The boy would have paid the ultimate price and there would have been no coming back from it. He wouldn’t regret saving Skye… he wouldn’t regret any of it.

Dean closed his eyes and jerked the cloth back down his arm to hide the evidence of the demon growing inside him. He’d been one of the few of their kind to survive the wound of a Demon Blade… but it was only because of his strength, both physical and mental. He was captain of the royal guard and therefore had been trained to have the strength to withstand anything… even the pain and influence of sharing his body with the soul of a demon.

The problem that concerned Dean the most was that the demons ‘born’ from a Demon Blade were not newborns… the weapon actually created tiny dimensional rifts inside the ones the blade was used against. In short, the Demon Blade allowed the souls of ancient demons to cross back over and be reborn into the human realm through the body of its victim.

The survival of a Demon Blade attack depended on whose soul was the strongest… the victim or the resurrected demon. His soul had won the last time and the demon had died inside him tainting his own blood with the acidity of it but because of that he’d became that much stronger.

Samuel had been one of the originals, among the first demons to take a breath of Earth’s air. These were powerful demons as they were spawned by the most powerful Fallen… mostly royalty as it was the scientists of the royal bloodline that had created the rift between dimensions. Because of this, there was a very good chance the soul growing inside him was also an original.

Another pain shot up his arm and Dean grimaced when he felt his skin around the wound move in a sickening manner. It wouldn’t be long now and he knew he needed to leave in order to save Kriss the horror of what was about to happen. As it stood now, his chances of surviving this were dwindling by the hour.

With a heavy sigh, Dean walked toward the kitchen and leaned against the doorway just watching Kriss and Tabatha pretend to sword fight with long wooden cooking spoons. The expression didn’t show on his face but at the moment he was content. Kriss was stronger now than he’d ever seen him and that was what mattered.

Kriss glanced up seeing Dean watching them from the doorway. He winked at Dean and gave him a bright smile before playfully whining, “Will you please tell Tabatha to stop teasing me?”

“Not a chance,” Dean said and approached the other Fallen. “I’ve got something I need to take care of… so you and Tabatha have fun.”

Locking eyes with Kriss, Dean slowly leaned forward and took possession of his lips in a searing, yet gentle kiss that lasted several seconds. Backing away, he took in Kriss’ dazed expression and etched it into his memory before nodding at Tabatha and leaving the apartment.

The two of them stood there staring at the place Dean had just been. His actions had startled Kriss to the point that he was speechless and Tabatha had a frown on her face.

“What in the world was that?” Tabatha asked softly having never seen Dean give such a soft display of affection. She hadn't known he was capable of it.

Kriss shook his head still in shock. “I have no idea.” He rubbed his arms where cold chills had just appeared like a bad omen and his chest constricted painfully. He started to go after Dean but Tabatha's voice gave him pause.

“That was the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen him do,” Tabatha giggled then sighed. “If I didn’t know any better… I’d say you were making Dean a very happy boy.” She elbowed him playfully.

Kriss blushed, feeling a little better when the strange sensation vanished. He hoped she was right. Feeling her watching him, he smiled and shrugged, “Either that or Dean just didn’t want to stick around for the vampire chick flick that’s lying on top of the DVD player.”

***** “It’s huge,” Aurora breathed when Kane stopped in front of a large beautiful house directly across the street from an enormous gothic looking church. “Michael lives alone in there? It’s so big… too big for just one person. Isn’t he lonely?”

She slid a sideways glance at Skye wondering if he was remembering the small huts and tents they used to live in before their world had fallen apart. There had been no concept of a home in the demon world and she knew from Skye’s memories that he’d only known the cold darkness of a cave. Michael’s house may be intimidating in size but she could already feel the warmth radiating from it.

Kane couldn’t help but smile at the wonder that lit up Aurora’s eyes. He tilted his head and looked at the Victorian house as if he’d never seen it before and decided that she was right… it was kind of awesome looking.

“Yes, Michael lives alone, but I lived with him up until a couple weeks ago. So did our brother Damon and a female werecougar named Alicia. Trust me, that house was far from lonely or quiet,” he remarked but silently reminded himself that Michael had been living alone for the last forty years so maybe Aurora was on to something there.

Aurora made a slight face hearing Damon’s name mentioned. She still didn’t trust the one named Damon after hearing him say something about having to kill Michael. It didn’t matter if he could come back from the dead or not… you just didn’t talk about killing Michael around her. She found herself silently wishing it had been Damon she’d tossed down the stairs instead of Kane.

Kane smirked hearing Aurora’s thoughts as clearly as if she had spoken them out loud. If she really knew Damon, she would probably rethink the idea of attacking him. Damon didn’t care what gender his opponent was and all hell would have broken lose if he’d thought Alicia was in danger. Nope… Damon would not have been as gentle with her as he had.

“Who’s Alicia and why did everyone move out?” Skye asked trying to keep his own curiosity hidden behind the question.

Kane’s smirk widened knowing he was about to make Aurora’s day with the little story he was about to spin… well, the Damon part of it anyway.

“Alicia recently became Damon’s mate and she’s one of the only people I know that can keep him in line. Actually, he’s too busy watching after her to start trouble of his own. It’s a funny story really. They just met a couple weeks ago and the first thing Alicia did was stab Damon in the heart with a stake and leave him for dead.” Kane shrugged then tried not to laugh when Aurora turned wide eyes on him.

“And now they’re mates,” Aurora repeated questionably then bit her lower lip knowing when she’d first met Michael she’d made love to him then pushed him away from her and ran. But… at least she hadn't tried to kill him.

“Yes, love at first sight,” Kane nodded with a sly smile. “They moved into the building you so sweetly refer to as Sanctuary.” He skipped the story behind him and Tabatha's meeting since it wasn’t much better than Damon and Alicia’s story. “With Tabatha and I being newly mated and Damon being somewhat of a loose cannon, we thought it best that we roommate with them so we could help Alicia keep an eye on him.”

Aurora’s expression became softer, “You look after your brothers… don’t you?”

Kane actually felt a little embarrassed knowing the roles had been switched from time to time… recently. “Damon and Michael haven’t had the best history together with their sibling rivalry and all and I still fight the darkness myself. But I am the eldest so yeah… I do try to look after them when they’re not busy looking after me.”

He fleetingly thought about filling her in on the fact that Syn also watched after all of them but refrained. If Aurora held a grudge against Damon for his role in calming Michael down, then she would probably frown on daddy dearest recently killing him for almost leveling the subway.

As they moved toward the Victorian house, Kane narrowed his eyes wondering just how much trouble Michael was going to cause with his new infatuation with demon blood. He inhaled deeply and squared his shoulders deciding there was no time like the present to find out.

Reaching the front door, Kane knocked on the heavy wood and quickly shoved his hands into his pockets letting himself rock back and forth on his heels. This was going to be fun.

Aurora took a step forward then felt Skye’s hand on her shoulder and looked up at him. Seeing that look of caution in his eyes, her lips parted remembering his warning about her not jumping Michael's bones the second she saw him. She made a face at Skye and took a step back, quickly rewarded when he removed the restraining hand and grinned.

Michael was standing in the library going through his collection of books. He’d started out only meaning to choose a couple of his favorites for Aurora’s enjoyment but when he heard a knock on the front door it snapped him out of the daze he’d been in and he blinked realizing he’d wound up in front of the shelves that housed the books on demons. He pushed the black leather book back in place and looked down.

“Are you expecting someone?” he asked the small dog at his feet and smiled when Scrappy, who had stopped by for a visit, barked and took off running for the front door.

Michael followed the little canine and couldn’t help but chuckle softly when he saw the dog jumping up and down in front of the door excitedly. His expression softened when he felt the warmth that only Aurora’s nearness could cause and his blood heated as he thought of a way to distract himself from his momentary demon obsession.

He opened the door hoping for the urgent seduction that normally sidetracked them before they could even greet each other but his eyes widened when he saw Kane standing there with Aurora and Skye. Kane suddenly smirked and threw his arms out wide making Michael take a step back.

“HONEY, I’M HOME!” Kane shouted just before jumping through the door and wrapping himself around Michael like a slinky.

“Kane,” Michael complained and tried to disengage himself from his brother’s death grip. This wasn’t exactly the contact he had in mind not to mention the wrong person had their legs wrapped around him.

“I just missed you sooooooo much,” Kane said with a fake sob. “You never call or write.”

All expression left Michael’s face while Skye and Aurora looked on with amused smirks. “It’s barely been twenty-four hours.”

Kane buried his face in Michael’s neck, “I know… too long… right?”

Michael sighed and motioned the Fallen inside, “Welcome to my home, please make yourselves comfortable while I manage a new growth that’s sprung up.” He pushed at Kane trying to dislodge him but was again unsuccessful.

Aurora frowned not getting the joke, “A new growth?”

Skye shook his head and steered Aurora inside, “Pay them no mind. Some siblings are just that way. They tease one another just to be lovingly annoying.”

“Oh,” Aurora’s expression brightened and she wiggled her eyebrows. “Just like I used to beg you for piggy-back rides whenever you decided to flirt with a woman?”

“Yes,” Skye said with a grin and poked her forehead, “Like I said… siblings.”

Aurora looked down when she heard a bark and her eyes began to glitter when she saw a small puppy dancing around her feet. “Oh how sweet. Is this your puppy Michael?”

Kane quickly lifted his head from Michael’s neck, “Scrappy, so this is where you’ve been hiding out.”

Scrappy gave a half growl as if to say ‘where else would I be’ and started to hop around Aurora’s legs again. Giving in, Aurora stooped down to pick up the loveable puppy. Scrappy immediately began to wiggle around trying to lick Aurora’s face while sneaking quick peeks at Skye.

Skye reached out and ran his hand down the puppy’s back admiring the softness of its fur. “I think he likes you,” he winked.

“He’s adorable,” Aurora cooed. “You said his name is Scrappy?”

Kane pouted at Michael when he finally lost the hug fight they had been having. He nodded at Aurora, “Yeah, Scrappy has been with me for a while now but for some reason he’s felt the need to stay with Michael as of late. Probably because this house is so big that Michael would get lost in it without him.” He made the joke due to Aurora’s thoughts on Michael’s loneliness.

“I would not,” Michael said with an outraged tone in his voice. Hanging around Kane when his brother was in a goofy mood sometimes annoyingly rubbed off on him. “I’ll have you know that I have more hidey-holes in this place than you would ever find. And yes, unlike your inability to remember women’s names… I do remember where they all are.”

“What about the time you got lost on your way to the bathroom and opened the closet?” Kane asked with a smirk.

“I was drunk,” Michael answered glowering at him.

Kane looked over at Scrappy accusingly, “You seriously need to stop cheating on me with such a moody grouch.” He reached out to lift the puppy from Aurora’s arms but paused almost swearing he was being glared at by his normally adoring pet.

Scrappy looked at Kane and growled to show he disagreed with the suggestion of staying away from Michael and his master’s intent of taking him from the pretty girl’s well rounded bosom.

Skye stopped petting Scrappy and jerked his hand away when he saw the puppy’s eyes turn blood red. He quickly stepped back from the Yorkie with a startled expression.

“Is he a demon?” Skye asked in confusion.

Kane smiled fondly, “No, I happened to have found him during a very dark period in my life and… changed him accidentally. As far as I can tell, Scrappy will never grow old and never die… though he does seem quite happy with the arrangement.”

“So he’s a Sun God’s familiar?” Aurora asked curiously having seen demons take on animals in much the same way.

Kane and Michael looked at each other with thoughtful expressions.

“It would make sense,” Kane said with a shrug of his shoulders. “He’s just always been Scrappy… I’ve never thought of it that way.”

“Would either of you care for something to drink?” Michael asked but his eyes were on Aurora.

Kane raised his hand and wiggled his fingers, “I’ll take some of the best alcohol in the house.” He grabbed his ribs where Michael elbowed him and wheezed, “Never mind… I can wait.”

Aurora shook her head at their playfulness. “Not right now… but I’d really like to see your library.”

Michael smiled at the obvious glint in her eyes and gave her a slight bow, “Right this way my dear.”

When Aurora took Michael’s offered hand Kane leaned in close to him from the other side.

“Laying it on a little heavy aren’t we?” Kane asked in a stage whisper.

“You are just jealous because you didn’t think to try kindness as a way to woo Tabatha,” Michael shot back with a wicked grin.

“That was different,” Kane whined chasing after Michael and Aurora with Skye bringing up with rear laughing quietly at him.

“How was it different?” Michael asked with playful curiosity.

“Tabatha is my boss.” Kane stated with authority. “I had no choice but to fall for her charms and stalk her to the ends of the earth.” He paused for a moment and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “Then again… she is my soul mate so I guess an eternity of servitude to the loveliest sexiest woman in the world is worth it.”

“Touché,” Michael muttered deciding Kane’s nonsense sometimes made perfect sense.

Aurora’s eyes widened again when Michael escorted her into the huge library. The room was circular with high windows all around and there were bookshelves filled from floor to ceiling with nothing but books of all shapes and sizes. Comfortable overstuffed chairs and loveseats were placed around the room accompanied by small elegantly carved tables.

“Oh wow,” Skye whispered and wandered over to one of the shelves. He ran his fingers over the bindings as he skimmed the titles. All of the ones in this section seemed to pertain to the laws of physics with everything from Plato to Albert Einstein and even more recent works from Nassim Haramein.

“Is something wrong?” Michael asked when he saw the overwhelmed expression on Aurora’s face.

Aurora let her gaze drift around the room trying not to feel intimidated. “Where… where would I even start?” she said and suddenly smiled remembering that Skye had said the more she read the less childish her reactions to things would be. She’d argued that she wasn’t a child but secretly, she knew Skye was right. She lifted her chin not wanting Michael to think she was childish.

“I actually picked out some of the fairytales for Skye to start you out with since that’s what most human’s read when they first learn how,” Michael said and leaned closer as if sharing a secret, “it’s the magic of fairytales that make most people fall in love with reading. I’m not sure what his teaching method is, but if he was able to learn how to read in such a short span of time then I’m guessing it will work the same way with you.”

“Skye,” Aurora called him over hoping Michael was right about how quickly she could learn to do this. “Can we start with these?”

Skye moved away from the shelf he was looking at and approached the stacks of books Aurora indicated. “These are good ones to start out with,” Skye agreed seeing some he had really enjoyed and a couple he had yet to read.

“Oh goody,” Kane said and rubbed his palms together. “I get to play with Michael while Aurora has her reading lessons.” He grabbed Michael by the arm and dragged him out of the library leaving the door open in case Aurora or Skye needed them.

He smirked at the slowness of Michael’s steps and the way he cast a longing glance back down the hall. “Come on lover-boy, you will only distract her from her studies. You want her to make straight A’s don’t you?”

Michael turned his head and gave Kane a mock glare, “I know how to behave.”

“So says the man that has sex in subway tunnels,” Kane shot back with a grin having read Michael’s wishful thoughts of bare skin before he’d even opened the door.

Back in the library, Skye shook his head when Aurora started flipping through the pages of one of the books, her eyes bright with curiosity. He sat down on the floor beside the stack of books Michael had set out and pointed at the spot in front of him, “Right here bright eyes… and bring the book.”

Aurora giggled at Skye’s choice of words and sat down facing him to where their knees were touching. She held the book out to Skye anxious to get started and wondering how he was going to teach her. However, instead of taking it from her, he gently pushed her hands down until the book was lying on the floor in the little circle between them.

“The first thing I want you to do is touch the book with your fingertips,” Skye instructed and smiled at her when she instantly obeyed. “Now, remember what we used to do when I’d go hunting or exploring with the boys from the tribe and you had to stay behind with the girls?”

“Yeah,” Aurora said with a conspiratorial nod. She leaned toward him and lowered her voice as if it were still their little secret. “You used to show me your memories when you got back. The memories were so vivid that I always felt like I’d been with you… sometimes I could even feel the rain on my face or smell the flowers.”

Skye nodded, “That’s right, and that’s exactly how I’m going to teach you to read. I’m going to give you my memories of learning how. Clear your mind and come into me.”

He smiled when he saw that she’d already closed her eyes. Reaching out, Skye laid his hands over hers and let his mind drift back into the past… more specifically to when he’d first found the storage room under the library. He felt Aurora’s hands flinch when she felt his loneliness but he couldn't hide it from her.

He was lying on the old dusty sofa that had been stored in the basement of the building and out of boredom started flipping through pages of one of the many books that had pictures in it. His eyes snapped up when he heard the door above him slam followed by footsteps. Skye had promptly hid in the darkness on top of one of the high bookshelves as an elderly man came downstairs with a stack of books.

He listened as the old man muttered to himself, complaining about the wonderful classics being hidden away like something obscene and set his load of books down on one of the many boxes, coughing when a small cloud of dust rose from the impact. The man stood there a moment before lifting the top book from the pile and reading some of it out loud.

Skye was mesmerized by the spoken words enough to let his aura stretch out and touch the man’s mind while he read. Hearing the words and learning to navigate the letters using the intellect of the old man, Skye realized he’d opened a whole new world of vast information and contentment.

After the old man left the large storage area, Skye approached the stack of books and began to look through them more closely this time. It was no longer the pictures he was interested in. He’d spent the following days teaching himself to merely understand the contents of the books word for word just by letting his aura reach for the books the same way he’d reached for the man’s mind.

The words flew through his mind like a breeze of knowledge. The more he did it the faster he became until he could read an encyclopedia within the span of a few minutes and then topped it off with a work of fiction to stimulate his imagination.

“Oh wow,” Aurora breathed as she absorbed Skye’s knowledge through their link.

Skye left the past behind him and opened his eyes, “Now I want you to try it.”

He smiled again when Aurora tilted her head to the side and turned her attention to the book under her fingers. He quickly came into her mind and shared the experience as the first words she’d ever read began to drift through her mind and into his.