Chereads / A Gentle Touch / Chapter 9 - IX - Solway Firth

Chapter 9 - IX - Solway Firth

Libra's POV

Today, up on this hill, I'm counting all the killers. 

Serren shifts into his demon form. Usually, most would cower in the presence of such an atrocity, but not me. He might be bigger than me, but I'm faster.

They sway as they swarm.

Ditto slowly crawls away from the monster that has it's back to him. My heart sinks when I see the scars on my little one's sides. I let out a growl, this mother fucker is going down.

A look of gluttons in their eyes, they mutter as the body loses warmth.

My lip curls as I get into my fighting stance. Despite the rage flowing through my body, my breathing is calm and even. With a hooked finger, I motion him towards me.

They pick your bones like locks inside a tomb, and take great care to not take care of you.

Serren roars and lunges at me. I side step and deliver a sharp kick to his side. He swipes at me with his claws, tearing the fabric of my shirt.

"It's not like you to hold back." Serren says circling me. He punches the ground, sending a row of black spikes shooting from the ground towards me. I jump back in time, looking over at Ditto who lays in the corner.

"Stop holding back and kill me!" Serren roars.

My breathing changes and I growl, fuck it. I shift into my demon form and lock eyes with Serren. I crouch low, then spring forward.

My body slams into his, knocking him through his throne. He gets back up, snarling with fury. He lunges at me again. I grab his wrists, turn and slam him back down. Jumping onto his chest, I straddle him then pummel his head into the floor. A roar escapes the mouth on his stomach. I reach in and tear out it's long tongue, the one that touched my little one. Serren is forced to shift back into his human form. Blood pours from the gaping wound in his stomach. I grab his throat and drag him towards his broken throne. He summons a sword with what little strength he has. I break his hand, earning a pained yell as he drops the blade.

"You..." He struggles to speak, "You could...be my next...right hand..."

I narrow my eyes and shake my head, letting out a demonic chuckle. With a spin, I throw Serren through the stained glass window above where his throne once was. The glass shatters as his body bursts through it, allowing him a graceful fall. I shift out of my demon form and sigh. I turn my back and start walking. The monster that is Serren's demon form bursts through what's left of the broken window. I dash to the blade, pick it up and decapitate him.

His head rolls, stopping near my boot. I sheath the blade into his skull, pinning it to the floor. I make my way over to Ditto. His small body shivering from the cold air that fills the throne room.

I drop to my knees in front of him and pick him up, holding him in my arms. His eyes are cloudy with tears as he looks at me.

"M-Mommy, you came." He says, smiling weakly.

Tears roll down my cheeks, falling onto his face.

"I'm so sorry, little one." I say

He reaches up and touches my cheek, wiping my tears. I can hear his breathing becoming slower by the second. For the first time in what feels like years, my body shakes with fear.

"I-It's ok, M-Mommy." He reaches back with all the strength he can muster and plays with my hair, "I'll always be with you.."

His breathing becomes so faint that I can barely hear it as his eyes close, but his heart is still beating. I waste no time and run to the castle's doctor. She screams as I slam open the door.

"Save him." I command, trying my damnedest to stay calm.

"Wh-What?" She asks, both confused and terrified as I lay Ditto down on an empty bed.

"I spared you, didn't I?" I look at the doctor and scream, "FUCKING SAVE HIM, DAMN IT!"

Panicking, she quickly gets to work. I sit near the door, watching as she puts Ditto on an iV Drip. I cross my arms, looking at the floor as my anger begins to consume me.

"If you don't save him..." I growl, "I'll fucking kill you."

I listen to her breathing as she works. She's under a lot of stress as it is and yelling at her most likely didn't help. I don't care, Ditto's life is more important. It takes her half an hour for her to fully heal him. When she's finished, she tucks him in the bed and makes sure the iV is still flowing.

"H-He's going to be fine." she says, trying to calm herself down, "He just needs to rest now."

"Go get one of the guards I didn't slaughter." I bark.

She jumps and quickly leaves the room. I take a deep breath, slowly calming down as I listen to Ditto breathe. Slow and even, how it should be. About five minutes later, the doctor comes back into the room with a guard. He stiffens as I look up at him. I smirk at the fact that he knows I could easily kill him if he tries anything, but he won't.

"I know Sagittarius kept him in one of the guest rooms." I say, "Go to the room and don't come back without the toys Sagittarius gave him."

The guard nods, leaving the room without a word. The doctor just stands there awkwardly.

"Go with him." I snap.

"R-Right!." She quickly leaves the room.

I smile to myself. As different as Serren and I are, there's one thing we can both agree on. From time to time, it's fun to mess with humans. Anger slowly leaves my body as hours pass by. The guard and doctor come back with Ditto's toys and set them on the table. I sit by the bed as my little one sleeps. Every now and then, the doctor comes and checks in on us. We don't say much to each other, but I do let her know that what she's done is greatly appreciated. After she leaves for the fifth time, I lean forward and lay my head by Ditto's hand. I then slowly drift off.

Small fingers play with my hair. I tiredly raise my head and see his smile.

"Good morning, Mommy." Ditto says sweetly.

I pull him into a hug and kiss the side of his head. We hold each other for a few minutes. The doctor comes in to check on us and stops. She steps back out of the room, letting us have our moment.

"How do you feel, little one?" I ask.

"I feel a lot better." He says, "How do you feel, mommy?"

"Better now that you're in my arms." I say.

"Mommy."

"Yes, little one?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, little one."

The doctor comes back into the room and takes Ditto off of the iV. After a hot meal from the chef, I gather Ditto's toys and we leave the castle. When we reach the cottage, Ditto eagerly races me inside. I smile at his excitement. I sit on the couch, watching him play with his toys.

To those who say that demons can't love, those people are wrong. Demons are capable of love. All creatures are. Love isn't always a romantic or sexual thing. Love can also mean taking care of someone and just being there for them. Take it from me, there are creatures in this world that are worthy of being loved. Sometimes, it just takes a while to find them.