(BLAINE)
Present day.
Water crashes against the rocky shore as I stand on the beach. The smell of rain lingers in the air, as though the dark grey clouds above me will release a downpour any minute now. I close my eyes and take it in. Breathe it in. The air feels electric, somewhat charged.
Storms have a way of calming the chaos in my head.
"Careful there." A smooth voice says behind me. "If you get struck by lightning, Kaiser might mistake you for a charred kabob. I'm sure he will slather you in barbecue sauce too."
I turn to see Kian. His pale blond hair looks almost silver under the overcast sky, and his icy blue eyes remind me of glacier just before they break into the cold sea. He is the holder of pride and unmatched arrogance.
Deep down however, I notice his sadness. The sadness that we all possess.
"Kaiser would eat a mountain if it wouldn't break his teeth." I say, returning my attention to the stormy waters.
Kaiser is the avatar of gluttony. He overindulged in all manner of food and drink. Not that there is anything to show for it. He is nothing but power and raw muscle.
"Cassius and Thereon disposed a group of demons while they were out." Kian says, joining me by the edge of the water. "There is something that is drawing them in this area. This is the third group that we have encountered in the last one week."
"Maybe a human summoned them?"
This wouldn't be the first time. Humans often involve themselves with things that they barely understand. Curiosity with Ouija boards, ancient summoning rituals that some dumbest posted online that mortals tried thinking it wouldn't work, over the years. We have been cleaning up their mess endlessly.
"No." Kian shakes his head. "This feels different."
"Did Cyrus say anything?" The angel oversaw us. He gives us orders, and we follow them without questioning a thing.
"He will come to me when he sees it necessary." Kian says.
Lightning flashes in the sky, and a roaring thunder follows. The rain starts to fall and we walk towards the house.
Me and my six brothers share a home. It is a three storey mansion that has many bedrooms. There is a game room, a home theatre, a gym, a big kitchen and every other thing that we might need. There is a magical veil that prevents anyone from finding our mansion by the sea. There are also protective runes that shield us from the demons.
It should be a haven, but it feels like a prison on most days.
The aroma of cooking spices and meat reaches my nose as I enter the kitchen. Kaiser is standing over the stove, his wide muscled chest in display as he stirs whatever is cooking in the skillet.
"Hungry?" he asks, a grin forming at the edges of his lips. He always smiles whenever he is around food. His black hair is cropped, military style and his long dark lashes surround his blue grey eyes. He is six foot seven, the second tallest of us, being an inch shorter than me.
"Italian again? No, thanks."
"You're such a grump." Valerian says as he enters the kitchen. "You should get laid."
Valerian might just be the most beautiful of us, with hazel brown eyes that shift colour depending on who is holding him, wavy golden hair and an aura that screams sex. Well, he is the avatar of lust, after all.
"Getting laid is your thing. Not mine."
"Sex is universal." Valerian smirks. "Just have some rough sex and release some tension. You will feel better."
"How about I just punch you instead? That will make me feel a lot better."
"Try me."
"Enough." Says Kian, silencing us in an instant.
His father was Damien, Zenith's closest companion during the fall. We believe that was the reason why he was given pride, what many refer to as the first deadly sin. All the other sins derive from it, thus, it is ingrained in us to follow every one of his commands, just like a pack of wolves would do their alpha.
"How about we sit down and eat?" Kaiser says as he grabs plates from the cabinet. "Nothing lifts spirits like carbs."
I leave the kitchen, biting back the snippy retort. Yes, I love my brothers, but I tend to lose my temper whenever I am around them when I'm not careful. That is just one of the perks of being the avatar of wrath. Any petty thing sets me off real quick.
I head towards the gym at the end of the long hallway. Once inside, I tug off my shirt and bump up on the speed of the treadmill. Cardio helps me to loosen up too, sometimes. I focus my pent up aggression on the punching bag, the one specifically designed to withstand my powerful blows.
All my life, I have witnessed civilizations rise and fall. I have seen war, famine and the evils of men. I have seen other things too. Kindness, love and patience. I understand why the Supreme Being loves his mortal creations so greatly. They are flawed, yet not without redemption. It is our duty to protect them.
Cyrus had snatched us from our mother's arms when we were young, and raised us to be fierce warriors, so that someday we'd be strong enough to defeat Zenith and his army, and we did.
The night that we defeated Zenith still lives fresh in my mind. We weren't able to kill him because he was too strong. But we had managed to lock him away, deep within the confines of earth so that he wouldn't ever see the light of day ever again. The ritual needed the blood of eight of my brothers. The blood of the cursed.
We are the warriors of the earth, and the heroes of the old. Our sole purpose is to protect humanity by crushing the demons and threats whenever they arise.
After a long workout, I jump into the shower to wash my sweat off, tilting my head back as the water crashes down on my skin. Then I remember Valerian's suggestion for me to find somebody to duck, something that makes my cock twitch.
It's been long since I sank into a warm and inviting body. Since I last let someone touch me.
I try to keep my interactions with humans to the bare minimum. But there are moments when the temptation is too great. The times when the need to ram into someone hard overwhelms me. That is when I often head to clubs and pick the first male that I come across. No names, nothing except for hard sex that gets my rocks off, and his too because even though I am an angry bastard, I'm not selfish. And then I return home.
That's pretty much my life. Fight demons and try to not kill my brothers when they piss me off. Repeat.
I step out of the shower, throw a pair of sweatpants on and head into the game room. Thereon, the holder of greed is always buying things. Huge flats screen TVs, every game console to ever exist and arcade games. We also have a billiard table where Thereon likes to gamble with us, in which he barely loses.
Just as I head to sit on the couch, the cushion moves. I jump to my feet, and flip around to see Loki.
"You almost sat on me." He says, stretching his arms above his head and yawning. He usually has bursts of energy before he falls asleep. He is basically a living, breathing couch potato. He is also the youngest of us. Standing at five foot nine with a small frame, and big innocent doe eyes.
"Sorry." I say, sitting beside him.
"I forgive you." He says then cuddles up to my side, then he closes his eyes and begins to snore softly seconds later.
I run my fingers through his hair, then switch on the TV. Even though the seven of us are just about the same age, we are extremely protective over Loki. He looks no older than twenty, and his habit of falling asleep everywhere makes him vulnerable to enemy attack. Of all my brothers, he is the only one who barely triggers my anger.
The rain pelts against the floor to ceiling windows, and instead of watching TV, I find myself watching the storm.
Lightning flashes, thunder rumbles, and my soul breathes a little easier.