"Punishment for what?" I said exasperatedly. I had been four!
"Punishment for being created. For having power none of them anticipated. They wanted you out of the way because of their fear of what you would become. You were a threat to Metatron." He explained.
"But you didn't bring me to them." I stated, eyes widening. His lips quirked up at the corner and he shook his head.
"I had a choice to face. Samael had put you in my charge, which was a binding oath I had given. Or I could follow my sense of duty. I agonized over the decision, but when I held you, saw your innocent smile as you looked up at me, I couldn't do it. I couldn't damn an innocent girl just for being born." He sighed and dragged his hand through his unruly black locks.
"When I refused to hand you over, I was brought in for questioning. When I didn't reveal any information, I was stripped of my rank and thrown from Eden." I tensed at the mention of "questioning", I'm sure it was more like torture.
"You've been with me ever since?" I asked, shocked at how long it had been. He smiled softly and shrugged.
"More or less. With you and searching for information." He sat back as he'd finished his story and looked at me tentatively. I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest. I really did owe him my life, I didn't know what to say to someone who had given up so much for me. Does thank you suffice in this situation?
"Thank you, Rhys. You gave me a chance at a life. It was peaceful, for a time." I smiled and squeezed his hand. He flipped my hand over and looked at the lines of my palm, running his own finger over my life-lines.
"Now I wonder if there was something more there. If I knew what you would be to me, or if Samael knew." His fingers shook. I bristled under the intensity of his feelings, suddenly I felt like I was drowning and I didn't know where to swim to get up. I let go of his hand and took a deep breath.
"Rhys, what's happening here, it's all so fast. I've never had a relationship before, let alone a mate. I don't know how to be that person for you. I don't know if I'm capable of being what you need." I rambled out. He frowned and placed his hand under my chin and tilted my face up to look into his deep piercing eyes.
"Kali, let me be the judge of what I need. Just be yourself. I forget that I've known you a lot longer, and the intensity of the mating call can be overwhelming. We'll take this one step at a time, we'll muddle through together." He feathered a kiss on my cheek, and I realized there was a tear there. I rested my head against his shoulder and leaned into the warmth of his body. I breathed deeply and sighed into his embrace. I pulled back slightly to gaze up into his eyes.
"Is there a way to break the mating bond?" I asked.
I felt Rhys stiffen, and hurt flashed across his features. His face fell for a moment then arranged itself into a composed mask.
"Not that I've ever encountered. Once you are bonded completely, it's forever." His arms were stiff around me. I looked up and placed my hand on his cheek.
"It's not that I regret this. It's just – I don't want you to be stuck forever if we decide this isn't working out." I explained. Rhys laughed, shook his head and tucked my hair behind my ear.
"That's not how relationships work for demons, Kali. We mate forever, there is no deciding it's not working out. Our souls are literally bound." I blushed. I had been living amongst the humans for too long now. I stood and brushed myself off, deciding to revisit this later.
"So, what are our next steps? Tate has been waiting in the other room for a while, I'm supposed to be packing a bag." I asked Rhys and began throwing belongings and precious items into a duffel bag from under my bed. Rhys helped me throw necessities into the bag: jeans, underwear, toothbrush, a photo of my adopted parents, food, shirts. I went to my closet and pulled the key from my pocket. Rhys looked over curiously.
"What's in there?" He asked. I smirked and placed the key into the lock and turned, pulling the door open wide. I heard his sharp intake of breath, a hairbrush he'd been holding fell to the floor.
"My arsenal." I gestured to the expansive closet. The walls were racked with knives of various types from bowie to serrated to dagger. A few pistols lined the walls, and long silver sword. As a girl constantly on the hunt, I needed to be prepared.
"Holy shit! Tate get in here!" Rhys called and ran his hand lovingly over a few of the knives on the centre rack. I started pulling knives from their resting places and placing them in my bag. I placed one on my thigh strap, two on my arms, and a pistol in my boot. Tate came in and whistled. They fawned over the shiny daggers, their earlier fight forgotten, and I laughed.
"To answer your earlier question, we're going to the Demon Court." He said. Tate grunted and nodded. Clearly not pleased with the situation. I stopped and stared at them.
"If the demons are the ones targeting me, why are we going to their court? Doesn't that seem a little... unwise?" I started arranging the items in my bag, and zipping it shut. I didn't have too many personal memories I needed to take with me.
"The demon court is the only place we are going to find someone who is able to train you. If we are discreet, no one knows who your father is. Also, being a daughter of Naamah you can claim sanctuary rights." Tate jumped in, his hands in his pockets. He looked a little contrite after his earlier outburst. Sanctuary rights in the demon court were where a member of the royal family could claim sanctuary within palace grounds, where violence is only permitted by the royal guard.
"The royal guard could still kill me. On Lilith's orders." I stated.
"Lilith wouldn't risk violating sanctuary. It would undermine her authority and position to allow harm to come to someone under her protection. As a matter of pride, she would enjoy keeping you away from Naamah, the sisters never have gotten along." Rhys chimed in. I nodded, seeing their logic.
"So, it will be crucial while we are there that no one discovers what I am." I spoke aloud to myself. Both boys nodded vigorously. I turned to my bookshelf and grabbed a few books on demon lore I'd kept around from university and threw them in the bag. Being armed with information never hurt anyone. I zipped up the bag a final time and placed it cross wise across my shoulder. The boys were outfitting themselves with weapons.
"Tate, how did you get wrapped up in all of this?" I asked. His shoulders stiffened and he began polishing one of the daggers.
"I owe Samael. He saved my life and my pack a long time ago. And I never trusted this one." He nods to Rhys. Rhys snorted and shrugged. "Once I learned you were alive, I began following your career and became a student of yours. I knew the time would come eventually that all shit would hit the fan."
"Why don't you trust Rhys?" I asked. Rhys let out a low growl in his throat, a warning to Tate. Tate smirked and waved the dagger as he was about to talk, then he sighed, stopped and put the dagger down.
"I think it was cruel of Samael, to send Rhys after you." Tate shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "He knew what he was doing." Tate finished.
"He knew what he was doing. Who better to guard her?" Rhys stated. I frowned, thinking about what Tate had said. Who better to guard me than the one who would be fated to mate with me? Making him look after me from such a young age, and him keeping his distance for all those years. I wonder when he was given the demon. Likely in the time he was "questioned" about me.
"Anyway," Tate continued, ignoring Rhys. "It's not just him in there. I never trust the possessed." Rhys let out a low growl and his eyes flashed red.
"I would never harm her! Mate." His voice was layered, an indicator that the demon was speaking. I walked over and placed my hand on his arm, his muscles relaxed instantly. As we finished packing up weapons, I turned to the boys.
"So how do we get to the demon court?" I asked. Tate checked something on his cell phone.
"We have to drive into the woods, then summon a portal." Tate responded.
"And by we, he means you have to summon a portal." Rhys clarified. I stopped and froze. Portal summoning? I hadn't jumped between the dimensions in decades. But I supposed as a fallen angel and a wolf, they may not have access to the demon realms.
"If I use my powers to open a portal, the energy will be identifiable. They'll know immediately who we are." Rhys stated, rubbing a small circle on the small of my back, noticing my tension. I straightened my back and placed my hand on the doorknob.
"Well boys, here we go, into hell."