Once she made sure Aden was inside the cabin with Adrian, Rose snuck quietly up to the limp body of Tommie. She felt his wrist to find a faint pulse in his vein. Allie helped her pull him from the cabin's view before reviving him with her power. She let out a breath of relief to him open his eyes and took a deep breath in. "Oh, thank God." She murmured.
Tommie looked at her with disbelief. "Rose? How?" He looked around his surroundings. His last memory was of Adrian digging his claws into his neck before everything went dark. He had thought he was dead yet here he is lying on the forest floor with two women hovering over him with a mix of worry and joy on their faces. "Allie?" He asked the second women. "Is it really you? I'm not dead? Dreaming?"
Tears of relief streamed down Allie's face. She shook her head at him. "No, you're dead or dreaming. The phoenix saved you."
He turned his head to Rose. "So, you finally realized who and what you are, my savior." He pushed himself to a seated position and bowed his head to her. "Forgive me, Mistress for my betrayals of the past. I was ignorant to the truth. I surrender to you now. I will accept whatever punishments you deem necessary."
"And if I were to ask for your loyalty?"
"You have it in full."
"Then I will seek no punishment for you. Looks like Adrian took care of it for me anyway," she snickered.
Allie slapped him on the shoulder. "Yeah! What were you thinking by coming here? You know you can't stand up against a demon, you idiot!"
"Can you blame me? Really? I was trying to warn him to leave Rose alone. He doesn't believe she's the phoenix we've all been waiting for." Tommie stood and faced the direction of the cabin. "I couldn't just let him get himself killed without at least trying to reason with him."
The sadness in his eyes didn't escape Rose's notice but Allie was still angry with him for risking his life. "Why bother with the likes of him. He and his kind are the reason freaks like us exist. It's their fault we were born damned."
Rose placed her hand upon his shoulder for support. "Don't worry, Tommie. I'll talk to him first." She smiled into his misted eyes. "I'll give him a chance."
"Not like he ever gave any of us a chance." Allie snapped. "If he knew we were out here, he wouldn't think twice about killing all of us."
"Except for the fact that he actually CAN'T kill Rose," Tommie grinned. He gently caressed Allie's cheek with the back of his hand. "I missed you, Beautiful."
She pushed his hand away. "Whatever. You knew where I was."
"I know. I wish I could've joined you there, but I had to…"
"I know, I know. You had a 'mission' that was more important than me." She pouted.
"Well, isn't she?" He asked playfully looking at Rose while wrapping his arm around Allie's shoulder.
She finally smiled. "Yes, she is. So, what about Adrian? Don't you think he'd hurt Aden?" she asked Rose.
Rose took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "He won't hurt him." She explained. "But he would hurt you two. Allie, please take Tommie to the valley and wait for me there. I'll will deal Adrian today and return to you as soon as I can."
"No! You can't!" Allie argued. "How can be the savior of the half breeds when you're dead?!"
"You forget that she can't be killed?" Tommie reminded her.
"Bullshisk! She can too." She growled. "True, she doesn't stay dead for very long, but she can still be killed."
"So be it." Rose stated with determination. "I have been running in fear from Adrian my whole life. I only just recently realized just how often I have died because of him. But look at me. Do I look dead? Am I a decomposing corpse? A ghost?" She hugged her new friend Allie. "I will be fine, take your husband and go. I will not run from him again. No matter what happens, my fight with Adrian will end today. Once and for all."
*
Inside the cabin Adrian led Aden to the kitchen and offered him a can of lemonade which the latter declined. "What brings you to me, dead man? Don't you work for my brother?"
"And he works for you." Aden stated indifferently. "I thought to cut out the middleman this time around."
"I see. Why are you not dead?" Adrian asked with a raised eyebrow. "Last word I got from Nickolas was that he had you killed after you botched the whole deal with the witch."
"I didn't botch anything," Aden argued. "I fulfilled my end of the bargain. If I hadn't, you wouldn't have been able to send your lackey in time."
"Hmmm…" Adrian hummed as he walked to his recliner. "My understanding was that you were not supposed to fall in love with her."
"Whatever my feelings are or may have been for her doesn't change the fact that I did was I supposed to. Your failure to carry out your plan to kill her has nothing to do with me."
"I DID NOT FAIL!!" Adrian roared as he flew to Aden, grabbing him by his collar. "She was waiting for me to show up! You warned her!"
"I did no such thing!"
Adrian threw Aden across the room into the wall. "Lies!! You fell in love with that witch and ruined the plan!!"
Brushing himself off, Aden stood and glared at the demon in front of him. "I was supposed to seduce her. Befriend her. Get close enough to earn her trust. I did that. The more I got to know her, the more I realized that you guys are wrong about her. She's not what you think she is. So, yes, I fell in love with her!" He admitted through gritted teeth. "But I told her nothing."
Adrian let out a belly laugh. "And what is it you think I think she is?" He displayed an evil grin as his eyes flared with flames. After not receiving an answer, his smile fell into a frown. "She's a freak of nature, son. An abomination just like all of the other half-breeds and I have been charged to eradicate them from the face of the Earth."
"She is not a half-breed. She carries no demon blood."
"Nor is she human." He spat.
Aden couldn't argue that point because Adrian was right, Rose isn't human. But then again… "Neither are you. Does not being human automatically come with a death sentence? If so, then you should put yourself on that list."
"I was put on that list the moment I left Heaven." Adrian picked Aden up by his neck and raised him off the ground. "Do you want your name of that list? IS that why you're here today? Huh, Jaden?"
Aden held Adrian's hands trying to release them from his neck. Unable to speak through the pressure of Adrian's hold he raised his feet to kick him away without success. He fought against the demon with all his strength but was unable to move his opponent in the slightest. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, he heard the door slam open and a wave of heat rush through the room. Adrian let him fall to the ground gasping for air to turn ana face the new intruder.
"Well, well, well; it's about time!" He said with light chuckle. His eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
"I brought you a present," Aden wheezed. "To prove my…"
"Yeah, yeah." Adrian cut him off. "I get it. Get out while you still can!"
Adrian scramble to his feet while rubbing his neck. He stumbled past the intruder with an apologetic gaze while she glared at him. He placed his hand on her shoulder and muttered "I'm sorry." Before leaving the cabin behind.