Jules and Cains sat on the rug, facing each other. The lamias had moved to another room to talk in private, and the teenagers were thus left alone. However, they didn't utter a word, even after a few minutes had passed. The silence stretched until Cains sighed. He eyed Jules before tentatively asking, "What was that?"
"What was what?"
"Don't play dumb! Something is up with your body. Whatever you are, it shocked the lamias into forgetting me, a witch! What? You know damn well they were playing mind games earlier. They only asked who was the witch to toy with us," Cains snorted. "But well, their little game seems to have backfired. Dunno whether I should cry or laugh at that, though."
Jules leaned his back against the sofa, letting his head fall backward. He stared at the shadows dancing on the ceiling, the fire still crackling in the hearth. Seconds went by, then he said, "I can't tell you."
"Come on! You made me drink lamia blood and ruined my life as a witch! No, as a human altogether! Don't you think I deserve to know?!"
"I'm sorry for the lamia blood," Jules bit his lips. "I just… wasn't strong enough to watch them devour you, I guess."
"Whether they devour me asleep or awake, the outcome will be the same. In about thirty minutes, I'll be so infatuated with them that I'll be on my knees, begging to be eaten. I'd have at least been myself in my sleep and not a mindless puppet!"
To this, Jules could say nothing, so he said nothing. This side effect was the scariest. Lamia blood made the people who drank it obsessed with its owner. They would lose sight of themselves and do everything to please the lamia, just like a bewitched lover. They couldn't disobey the lamia's orders and would be at their beck and call. It was one of the main reasons hunters usually tried to avoid lamias, and people only drank lamia blood to cure poison from lamias known to be dead or caged. Thankfully, the infatuation would only begin after they met the owner in person, and until then, the blood would lay in wait and wouldn't act up. But it was like carrying a bomb within oneself, and no one liked that feeling.
"But I guess you're in the same boat, aren't you?" Cains laughed wryly. "You wouldn't be awake if you hadn't drunk their blood, after all."
The words made the guilt tug at Jule's conscience. He hadn't drunk the blood to wake.
"I didn't need to, actually," Jules admitted. "I woke up by myself. It should have rung a bell that I'm not a simple human, but I guess the lamias were overconfident and didn't think about it more deeply. Or maybe because I couldn't break free from the chains, they didn't see me as a treat. I don't really know what went through their heads."
"Wait a minute. You woke by yourself?! That's impossible! These twins are obviously old bastards, and their venoms should be potent enough to knock out high-ranked demons. Heck, no species is entirely immune to their venom! That's what makes lamias so damn scary. So—?"
"Cains, there is a species that can resist, if not repel, most demonic powers, including lamia venom."
Cains pulled a puzzled face. It drew a chuckle from Jules. Angels were so rarely seen that even with this hint, Cains couldn't think of it. He knew he shouldn't tell him about his lineage, but as the teenager had said, he owed him an explanation. At any rate, the lamias would figure out soon enough what he was, and Jules had a hunch they'd gloat about it—he could already imagine their shit-eating grins. So there was no point in hiding it. "Well, I guess since we're both doomed, it doesn't matter if I tell you. A bastard son of Heaven, that's what I am. Can you believe it?"
The words took time to sink, and when they finally did, Cains was shocked into dismay. He stared at Jules in disbelief, seemingly wondering if his ears weren't playing tricks on him. Or was he dreaming awake? What he had just heard shattered his worldview, and he momentarily forgot how to speak.
"You should see your face."
"Considering the bomb you just dropped, be happy my eyes didn't pop out of my eye sockets! A bastard son of Heaven, that's—"
"Impossible? Apparently, my mother couldn't believe it either when she learned she was pregnant. She told me she was in denial until she gave birth to me and held me in her arms. My father was quite taken aback, too, and even called my birth a miracle. The last time people of his rank had any offspring was some hundreds of years ago."
Silence settled for an instant. Jules gave his friend enough time to swallow the truth before laughing softly, "That being said, don't worry too much. Now that one of the twins has taken a bite, they will be as infatuated with my flesh as you will be with them. So, I should be able to talk them out of devouring you. I only hope you won't beat me for it."
"I'll probably try to," Cains let out a wry chuckle. "I've got a pretty bad temper, and knowing myself, I'm gonna be pissed at you for not letting them eat me when that's what I want. I've always been a spoiled brat."
They exchanged glances, and tired but complicit smiles stretched their lips. Silence fell once more, but it wasn't as oppressive as before. It even felt comforting.
.
.
Time ticked. How long before he lost himself? Cains couldn't help but wonder. Only, he had no clock to ascertain how much time had passed since the lamias went to another room, and he hadn't counted the seconds going by. Still, he could tell he didn't have long left. Fifteen minutes, ten minutes? Maybe even less. But one thing was sure: the next time the lamias slithered into the room, he'd be kneeling at their feet.
"Cains, I—"
"If I hear you say "sorry" again, I'm gonna kick your ass," the witch scoffed, bringing his legs to his chest to encircle them with his arms and prop his chin on his knees. "I've been thinking, and it was unfair of me to accuse you as I did. I'd probably have done the same if I had been in your shoes. So, yeah, stop it with the guilt-ridden face. It's kinda starting to get on my nerves."
Jules opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, a loud noise resounded and the whole room shook. Cracks spread on the wall; dust whirled in the air. Chaos descended upon the place in seconds, and distant shrieks traveled to the teenagers' ears, soon followed by rushed footsteps. Sounds of blades colliding entered the room when the door was slammed open, the sturdy wood almost splinting in half as it hit the wall.
"There you are!" Greg sighed in relief. "You kids scared me witless—"
The witch stopped talking mid-sentence when his gaze fell upon Jules's wounded wrist. The gaping hole had stopped oozing blood a while back and showed signs of closing off, but there was no mistaking the bite mark.
"They took a bite?!" Greg gritted his teeth as he dashed to the teenagers, eying the chains. "No wonder Reyes is having a hard time."
"It doesn't matter."
"Doesn't matter?! You—"
"Cains ingested lamia blood! And he doesn't have much time left." The words struck Greg like a lightning bolt, and Jules continued in a smaller voice, "You mustn't let him meet with the lamias."
"REYES!" Greg shouted at the top of his lungs, whitish blue sparks flying from his fingers to wrap the chains and reduce them to ashes. The metal crackled as if crying in agony. "COME OVER HERE, REYES!"
The hunter appeared at the doorway a second later. He was holding two bloody daggers, their dark shine glinting ominously under the firelight. Greg looked at his friend and said in an almost pleading tone, "Cains consumed lamia blood…."
"Great, just great," Reyes grunted, brushing past Greg. "I'll handle it, go and chase after the lamias. They're injured and shouldn't have gone far."
"Thank you."
"Thank you? I'm expecting you to return the favor later. You'll owe me big time for this."
"I know," the words had barely left his mouth when Greg bolted out of the room. They had no time to waste. Even if he was worried about his foster son, he couldn't stay.
Reyes glanced at Jules before walking to Cains, wiping off the blood from the daggers on his pants as he did. He knelt on one knee before Cains and then, with no hesitation, slashed his wrist open in one swift movement. He disregarded the witch's shocked gaze and pressed his wounded wrist against his mouth; the warm blood smeared the teenager's lips and chin, dripping onto his shirt.
"Drink it," the hunter ordered. However, Cains instinctively struggled, trying to crawl backward. "Get a hold of yourself! If you ever want to wield witchcraft again and not live a life of servitude, then drink it. You'll feel like crap for a few days, but that's a small price to pay."
Cains stiffened. He hesitated, but what choice did he have? It couldn't be any worse than now, anyway. All he could do was believe in Reyes, part his lips, and allow the blood inside. The sweet taste invaded his mouth soon afterward, bewildering the teenager. Before he could understand what he was doing, he was already holding the man's wrist, sucking and licking. And when the blood flow slowed, he sank his teeth into his skin and tore open the wound again. He was like a famished beast, his dilated pupils blackening his irises until no color was left.
.
.
"They escaped," Greg announced as he entered the room. "They ran to the basement and used a teleporting array that destroyed itself afterward. They're goddamn good at erasing all traces of their whereabouts; I couldn't find a single clue of where they've fled to."
Reyes lifted his eyes to look at his friend before nodding. The hunter was sitting on the rug, Cains curled up on his lap. The teenager was gripping his shirt tightly, snuggling his face against his chest in his sleep. Greg hadn't reacted to the sight, as if he had been expecting it. Meanwhile, Jules stood beside the hearth, unsure what to do. He knew his flesh had strengthened the lamias and helped them slip away. The twins were old and strong but were still no match against Greg. He also had many questions about Reyes and what he did to Cains; however, he didn't feel he had the right to ask. So, he didn't ask and only said: "What now?"
"What now? We're going home," Greg sighed. "And if we pray hard enough, maybe my wife and your mother won't kill me."
"Pray?" Reyes snorted. "You better write your will in the car."
"…."
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Edited by Clozed!! ♥
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