Journee's POV:
A loud wailing came from the floor above. "NO!!!! NO!!! IT CAN'T BE!"
That is granny's voice!
Rushing up the stairs, the sobs grew louder, and the muffled voices grew louder as I approached.
"What can't be done, brother? Get the best surgeon! We have the money." It sounded like Humphrey, though his voice cracked and hoarse instead of oily and over-oozing with charm.
Surgeon? Is someone hurt? Who are they talking about?
"No, there is no point in spending any more than necessary. The boy is in a coma. We have gotten 3 separate opinions and they all say there is nothing we can do for now." my father-in-law spoke is a toneless, quiet voice.
Is this about Montgomery?
Simple and unadorned, I stood at the wooden door on the 3rd floor, taking a deep breath before knocking on the door.
"Knock Knock" I rapped the wood with my knuckles.
There was no answer.
So, I knocked again. This time, the door creaked ajar, and I saw granny. Her lips and hands trembling with the corners of her mouth turned into a slight frown.
Humphrey is pacing from one end-to-another of the room.
I look to the left and my father-in-law continues speaking, his chin tucked in as he spoke. "You know what this means."
I saw Humphrey's jaw clench as he paused to stare at Montgomery Sr. "I am a rake and I like her, but I don't think this will end well."
"That…that…that is true." Granny's bloodshot eyes and puffy eyes lower to the ground. "He could wake up. It's not a year yet."
"That's true brother. Let's postpone this." Humphrey blinked multiple times as he spoke.
I raised my hand to push the door open, but Mr. Lewis Senior's words stopped me on my tracks. "No! You will impregnant her before the week is out."
WHAT?!
"Brother…be reasonable. The contract states that she has 12 months after marriage to beget the next heir." Humphrey's posture is ridged.
"I know what the contract states! I wrote it myself!" Montgomery Sr. slammed his fist on the table, agitation clearly rippling through his body as it shook. At the moment, I can't tell if it's from anger or sadness.
"Come on…I need time to woe her."
"You have bedded many women, Humphrey. This will be no different, other than the fact you will be helping the family for once in your life."
This time, Humphrey was the one who was clearly angry. Gathering his mother in his arms, he faced down Montgomery Senior. "I may be a rake, but I do not take women against their will. I never have, and it's not going to start just because you ordered me to! So, to hell with your commands and demands! If you want me to have sex with Journee, so be it. She is pleasing enough, and I am capable. But don't think for a moment that I will do this your way!"
"You dare defy me?! I don't care if you need to have sex with her very second of the day. She will be pregnant by month end, or you will lose your pocket money and her father will return me every dime he borrowed within 36 hours."
"FINE! That's why you put it as a fine print anyway. So, he wouldn't catch on to what he is doing. Selling his daughter off to this family."
"My son may never wake up. We need an heir, and we need one fast to secure our family's future. I don't care if the child is my grandchild or your child. Get the deed done!" Montgomery Senior's shout was loud and clear.
The realisation of it all shocks me to the core. My chest feels heavy as numbness overtakes my body. I want to scream, to tell them that I will not do this. How can they do this? I am married to Montgomery Lewis. As much as I don't want to be his wife, I am. That is a fact and so I will offer my body when the time comes to do so. But to make me sleep with his uncle just because Montgomery is in a coma? No…I cannot…no.
My breathing increased rapidly as it propelled my legs carried me down the stairs. Tripping over my feet, I caught the railing and looked up. No one has noticed me yet, so I think. Thank goodness for carpets. Dashing towards my room, I looked back again, making sure that none of the Montgomery family are behind me.
"Bump." I slammed into something firm and warm.
"Ouch…" I looked up at the owner of the husky voice. He is the same attractive man who was in my garden yesterday morning. "We seem to meet this way."
"I'm…" I barely breathed out; words choked in the back of my throat. Tears welled up in my eyes as I stared into the abyss of darkness within him. In them, I found a source of comfort.
"Are you alright?" His voice is a sweet balm to my tattered heart.
Instead of answering, I took a step forward and collapsed into his arms.
***
Ma'oz 's POV
It had been a quite day for the most part, giving me time to practice Mindfulness.
There is until that human's voice came blaring into time and space. It was all erratic and…well plain chaos.
I will surely go mad if this continues. "Damon!"
"My Lord?"
"How is the search? Anything yet?"
"Well…There is something." Damon's voice shook with uncertainty. "Genies who are bound to humans must grant them 3 wishes before they are released."
"G…How dare you compare me with a mere Genie?! Those slobbering fools have less than half my power."
"I'm sorry my Lord but this is all I could fine. It's worth a shot. How many wishes have you given her?"
I thought about it for a moment. The first wish happened when she first got on the plane.
I wish for...a way out. To spread my wings and fly away. Perhaps even to return home...
Alas... alas...alas...if wishes can come true and I can't get out of this, then I wish Montgomery would stay detached and out of my space like he is now most of the time.
"My Lord?"
"Two. I have granted two wishes. All I need is to get her to make a third?" I wasn't sure this would work but its worth a shot.
"Yes, my Lord. What harm could it do? At most you will still be bound."
"This is not the time to jest, Damon."
"I'm not jesting. It's the truth. Tell me how it goes, my Lord." Damon ended the call. We have been friends for so many centuries. Too many in fact, that he often forgets to whom he speaks to.
No! NO! This can't be! HELP… I need…. I felt her mind frantically clawing for some sort of divine aid. It came rushed and I felt her panic. Like sledgehammers pounding her chest, I can hear her screams, her anguish.
"This seems serious. This might be easier than I thought. If I can get her to make her 3rd wish today, I'll be home free."
Rushing through the mansion with my superspeed, I sought her scent. That same intoxicating scent that drew me to her that first day at the waterfall.
I hear her footsteps coming down the stairs, even when she trips over her own feet. "Such clumsy humans."
I slow my speed that of a human's pace as I see her approaching me, looking back at the stairs as if she were chased by the devil himself.
"Bump." She slammed into me. A wharf of sweet air burst into the air. Like dew on grass after the morning rain. Shining like rainbows, I can see their colours so clearly that it dazzles my century-old eyes. The air tasted of honey and peaches.
"Ouch…" I muttered under my breath. It wasn't from pain for she is as light as a feather. A demon of my strength can even take on a human atomic bomb and survive. It would only feel like an arrow plunging through our flesh then bouncing back.
The pain I feel is one of a deeper level. It is an emotional and mental hurt that gnaws at my soul. This attraction I feel towards her yet the growing agitation I have towards the human race's silliness are tearing me apart. That is the pain I feel.
"We seem to meet this way." I stated the obvious. Ever since she wore my father's ring, also known as Solomon's ring, we have met twice. Both times, she bumped into me while having her thoughts in the clouds.
"I'm…" I can hear that she is barely breathing. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared into my eyes. Like Swanhilda taking her first steps in the guide of Coppelia the doll, this human walked woodenly towards me, her eyes glazing over.
"Are you alright?"
Instead of answering, she took one more clumsy step forward and collapsed into my arms.
"Hey! Wake up! You need to make your third wish!" She was as lifeless as Coppelia when Dr. Coppelius found that his doll never came to life. I was enamoured by that absurdity and genius of the story. It was 3rd January 1200 BC when my father and I had come to the human realm for a holiday. This was a story a farmer had told us. Something that happened in his village when he was a boy.
This time however, it is no joke. I really need this human to wake up…and just be human! The red string tied to my heart has yet to disappear. "Would that mean I will be bonded to her even in her after life, if she doesn't make her 3rd wish? FUCK!"
Carrying her into her room, I laid her down on the bed. My powers wouldn't work, no matter how many times I tried to use to it to rouse her from this inconvenient slumber.
***
Journee's POV
The last thing I remember was the comfort of that man's dark eyes. Now, I don't know where I am.
There is darkness everywhere. I hear moans of pain and suffering in every direction. They call out, crying for help. Asking for forgiveness. I try to see who they are and how I can end their misery, but it is pitch black.
"Who is there? Who are you?" I called out.
They did not respond to me but continued to cry in agony. "Help…have mercy. Have mercy."
I continued to walk forward, hoping to see a light at the end of the tunnel, or something, in a manner of speaking.
A sharp pain rippled through my back. I don't know what happened. All I know is the pain is excruciating. I have never felt anything like this.
I felt my life force draining quickly, my vision blurring. A creeping cold taking over my bones as consciousness is slowly leaving me. I must have been stabbed. These are the signs of blood loss. But why did someone stab me? Did they mistake me for the assailant causing them harm? Or did the murderer catch me?
I heard myself speak in a melodious voice, "Go…and live on." A bright light exited my mouth along with my last breath and flew into the distance. Where it went or to whom it went to, I would never know.
***
Ma'oz 's POV
The human's breath has finally returned to normal. I watched as her eyes flickered open and she breathed in deeply.
"Excuse me…who are you?" Her voice barely above a whisper.
"We haven't been introduced. I am Ma'oz, the…"
"Ah! I'm so sorry to have inconvenienced you. Are you a family friend of the Lewis?" She interrupted my introduction.
"No, I'm not."
"Do you work for the family? I'm so sorry. I haven't met all the staff yet. Please, call me Journee." She sat up and extended her hand.
I try introducing myself properly again, but tears fall, glistening her cheeks. I watch as her lips quiver, her arms crossed against her chest as she rubbed her arms over, and over again.
"Don't cry." I say as gently as I can, wiping her tears away with my thumb.
"I've… I've had the most horrible day!" Every word heavy and breathy. "I always dreamed of meeting my future husband in a most romantic way. Perhaps getting lost in a maze when I bump into him. Our eyes would meet and cause my stomach to feel like its housing thousands of butterflies. To be swept away in perfect, hopelessly sincere love…"
She stopped and took a breath, as if to pace herself. "I wanted the fairy tale wedding… the beautiful raptures of first love as my husband and I experience our life together. The hardships and challenges we might face but love…our bond, our devotion to each other would always pull us true."
Taking my hand in hers, she rubbed little circles around the back of my hand.
"Instead, all I got was a sham of a wedding. My father made some bad choices. He was cheated by the very friends he trusted the most. How anyone could be so cruel as to forget 20 years of friendship, I would never know. And…as fate would have it, I suppose, my father had no choice but to marry me into this family, the Lewis to escape a fate he feels is worst than death. He thought…" She breathed out this time, trying her best to hold back her tears, but it only made them flow even more freely.
"I had high hopes that Montgomery might be at least half the man I wished to marry. BUT YOU GUESS WHAT?!" She raised her voice and it felt like thunder had run through my eardrums. "He is rude, obnoxious and totally self-absorbed. I understand he is busy with work and can't always find the time to get to know me. But he could at least be polite. That is all I ask. A compromise. Some civility to treat each other like human beings. Is that so hard? Ma'oz, is it?"
I blinked. What kind of answer does she expect from me? I have never interacted with the female humans before. Should I just answer her the way demonesses expect? "You're right. You deserve so much more. All of them should have taken your feelings into consideration."
"True…but that's not the worst part. I was willing to live my life as it is. Until I accidentally overheard their conversation." She had started getting hiccups at this point. A very nonsensical reaction to extreme emotion, if you ask me. I got her a glass of water and patted her on her back the way my mother used to when I was upset.
"They want Humphrey, my uncle-in-law to have sex with me! Just because Montgomery is in coma. I am only 19. Montgomery is only 30. Surely, he will heal, and we can start a family at a later date? Would waiting another 5 – 10 years be that bad? This is a total violation of the sacraments of marriage! Why must I be pregnant by December? What is the rush?"
After a long while, she laughed. It was hysterical. One that made her eyes blood-shot as she slummed onto her bed again, holding on to her middle body as she laughed and cried at the same time.
At this time, an idea struck me. "Would you not wish to lead a better life? How about wishing away your problems?"
***
Journee's POV
Making a wish? As if that would solve everything. I have wished for so many things, but they never once came true. Wishing is for children who still believe in magic and fairy tales. Of love and happy endings.
"I am serious. It would make you feel better." His husky voice drew me out of my laughing fit this time.
It suddenly dawned upon me. OMG! I don't really know who he is. He could be a spy, an informant of the Lewis family and I have just spilled my every emotion and every thought.
Horrified, I drew away from Ma'oz and pressed myself against the windows at the other end of the bed. "Who exactly are you? What are you doing in my room?"
"I am Ma'oz, the Demon King."
"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny. Seriously. Who are you?" Ma'oz did not respond. He just looked at me seriously. "You actually believe it?" Crap! This is worse. I am with a mad man. Looking around in panic, I wondered how I could run.