Edwin did not like this silence. The sudden reality that the only person willing to talk to him of his traveling companions was Orion made him grit his teeth.
So, as they settled for the night, and Damon went to speak with Seraphin, Edwin knew that things could not continue so.
Orion's theory, that Edwin was the Devil reborn, had set his lips in a permanent frown.
Damon would not want him if that were the truth. No, Damon wanted an angel. And if he did not get one, Edwin was pretty sure that he was going to spread his legs for Seraphin or Orion, or, heck, even for Len.
"He will be insulted that you think that he is just a second choice, my lady," Edwin turned towards Orion, who was drinking from a cocktail glass. With narrowed eyes, Edwin tried to ignore him.
He did not know Len. For all that was worth, Len was just a demon who smiled a lot.
"And who can read minds," Orion said, matter-of-factly. The fact that Len got up and moved to sit by Damon and Seraphin proved that Orion had spoken the truth.
"Whatever," Edwin was ready to swear off love. It was too hard, trying to keep Damon by his side. It was impossible to please Orion. Seraphin was Seraphin.
And Len was now pouting at him as well. Oh, why was he even trying? Had he not lived just fine for an entire year?
"No, it is not whatever, dearest. When a soulmate dies, you die. If you die, I die," Orion placed a hand over Edwin's head, and gave him a couple of pats. "So soft. What sort of shampoo do you use?"
"Does it matter?" Edwin snapped, as he glared. "You don't want me, Damon…"
Orion raised an elegant eyebrow, before smirking. Edwin just knew that the gray-eyed man was going to tell him something that he did not like, but he simply did not want to take his eyes off him.
Orion knew him. Well enough that he knew that Edwin was going to latch at the last opportunity he had for happiness.
Edwin was not ready to do that. At least, not now. No, he was going to be spiteful. Spiteful and prideful.
Wearing his pain and disappointment like a mantle when the fire turned to ashes.
"Edwin, I killed you. My orders were to buy your soul, but I killed you. I was punished with a vacation afterward, but you know that, right?"
Edwin nodded. Punished with vacation? What a strange man Orion was shaping up to be.
"We have to find her," Edwin said. He did not want to be here. He did not want for Damon to stare at him so, as if he was not worthy of him.
"And what will you do afterward? And… you do know that now you can approve your own runes, right?" Orion asked, as he leaned in. "Go on, scribble something. Heck, make pigs fly!"
"You are horrible," Edwin said, as he took out a sheet of paper, and started to doodle.
What to do? What could he possibly do?
Force Damon to love him? Make Seraphin…
Wait, what was he thinking?
"I am just like you," Edwin realized with mounting horror. "No better. Not even a little bit."
"Oh, yes, well, that is why I killed you, dearest," Orion leaned in, pressing his lips against Edwin's earlobe. "Take the throne, rule. Do you honestly need to get back to the human realm?"
It was tempting. Edwin did want to finally get some control of his life. He wanted, more than anything else in the world, to just be free.
Orion had killed him. Would kill him again, given half the chance.
But did he have to let Orion play with him?
"If you like it, put a ring on it, eh, Orion?" Edwin asked, a soft smile on his lips. He scribbled a rune, assured that Orion was not lying, and then started to think.
What should he think up as a ring? Something made of silver, to go with the snowstorm eyes? Something with a black gem, to go along Orion's soul?
"Hey, my soul is not completely black," Orion said, as he narrowed his eyes.
"Hush, you," Edwin retorted, as he started to think about the protective barriers he could place on the ring.
Orion was an ice demon. Fire and brimstone were the bread and butter between the different dimensions in Hell.
But if he made it so, that Orion could never again be set on fire, what was going to protect him from the man?
"Orion?" Blue eyes met gray, as the demon was staring right into his soul. "If I take the throne, are you going to try to take it from me?"
Orion's smile was all teeth.
"Right, stupid question," Edwin shook his head, and then changed the rune. No, Orion would never accept a ring from him. He needed a throne, a crown, and an arm candy.
In that order.
As Edwin took over the barriers around hell and forced the throne to acknowledge Orion as the new King of Hell, he felt cold.
His mother was moving away from her spot, he knew. Flying to him. What would she say, when she saw him lying a crown, his crown, upon Orion's head?
"Edwin, dearest," Orion all but purred, as he scooted closer. "You do know that not even that will be enough, do you?"
Edwin nodded. No, he supposed not.
"What do you want?" He asked, as the crown, a black thing with diamonds glistening in the soft light of the setting sun, materialized in his hands.
Orion chuckled, so, as if he were drunk. He leaned in, took the crown, and then broke it in half. Edwin blinked.
Wait… what?
"Nice of you to offer," Orion whispered, as he placed his lips near Edwin's neck. His teeth grazed the silky skin. "But there is only one thing I want from you."
Edwin felt the cold set in his bones. He called out to his mother, hoping beyond hope that she was going to reach him in time.
"You," Orion spoke, as his nails extended and buried themselves in Edwin's skin. He could feel the pain of the gashes, how his blood trickled out of the wounds. "Dead."
Edwin felt teeth sinking into his skin, then as they ripped out something from him.
The first time he had died because he had been strangled. His lungs had burned, and he had trashed in Orion's arms.
This time, he fell, dead in seconds.
As he looked upon his corpse, as a dragon came into view, he knew that this was to be his end.
For Orion just raised his hands, and the dragon was split into two. Edwin watched, as Damon, Len and Seraphin bowed their heads.
Were they not his soulmates? Why were they still alive?
"Because, my lady," Orion said, a crown upon his brow. A gnarly bone thing, with the only gem being the sapphire from Edwin's earring. "I demanded it of your father. And he, the coward that he is, agreed."
Edwin felt himself fading. He wanted to scream, to rage, to curse.
He was falling, the stench of rot all around him. Making him sick to his core.