(BLAINE)
"Thereon, I swear to God, I will chop off your hands off if you even think about stealing it." I say, seeing him creep towards the boxout of the corner of my eye.
"You said there was a ring inside?"
"That is what the human said."
"I want to try and open the lid again."
"No."
After leaving the hop, thereon and I lead the shades towards the harbour where we meet up with Kaiser and Valerian. The four of us kill the demon scout g around the shop just to make sure that no more show up. Once I'm sure that the human male is safe, we return home.
But we can't open the box.
Along with the anti-demon warning, there are symbols that block angels too. If I had noticed them earlier, I wouldn't have closed the goddamn box in the first place.
We stare at the box in total silence in the kitchen. Each of us feels the power that it contains inside. Though dulled with the lids closed, we can still feel the power.
"I tried to contact Cyrus, but he still hasn't answered me yet." Kian says, displeased.
But that is nothing new. Sometimes, days go by before Cyrus finally decides to respond to one of us. The communication that happens between us is very much on his terms. And it's not like we can travel through the celestial realms to see him. Because of our fathers' betrayals, we are prohibited from setting foot in heavens.
"Why is there warding against angels?" I ask. "I understand if it is demons, but angels?"
Kian stares at the box. "The bigger question to me is how someone even knew the warding to block us. That's very old magic."
Loki shuffles in the room, wearing a light blue hoodie with cat ears and pink shirt underneath that reads Naps R Fun. He is also in silky boxers and knee high blue socks. He grabs a can of Pepsi from the fridge then comes over to curl beside me on the barstool.
"I have a bad feeling about that box being here." He says then pops open the can to sip the drink.
"None of us do." Thereon then flicks the cat ears on Loki's hoodie. But it is better for it to be here than out among the mortals.
"And what happened to the human who owns the shop?' Kian asks me.
"We owe him five grand."
"Why?" Thereon grumbles.
He has no trouble spending money on himself, but he hates it when we spend any. It doesn't matter that we have pretty much unlimited balance.
"For the box, he walked in on me taking it then he attacked me with a baseball bat. That is why it took me that long, but I took care of it." I add, catching Klan about to bitch at me.
"Did you hurt him?"
"Of course not." He growls. "He is innocent of all this"
Then I remember the feel of his hand on my chest and the frightened look on his face. The soft curve of his plush lips.
"I'll have Cassius transfer the money to him as soon as possible." Kian says. Being around for a thousand years, Cassius has become one hell of a hacker. I know for a fact that he can easily find the store owner's information and wire the money into his account.
Kian pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes. He looks tired. The kind that burrows deep into someone's soul. He straightens up and walks towards the patio doors. "I'll step out for a bit. Don't do anything stupid."
"He looks like shit." Kaiser rumbles with a mouthful of chips.
I see Kian through the glass door as he stares up at the stars expressionless. I feel his pain. We all do.
"He spent nearly every night of the past month in hospital." I say. "His human won't wait for much longer."
What follows is a long sombre silence. Falling in love with a human meant losing them inevitably. It is something that all of us have experienced at least once. I had worn love off a long time ago. For a while, at least. Kian had too, for a while. Until he met Danny.
Kian unbuttons his shirt then slides it off his shoulders before tucking it against his arm. He unfurls his wings, the six foot wingspan casting a large shadow behind him on the grass. He flaps them once before shooting into the night sky.
"I'll follow him." I say, moving Loki gently to the side. He latches on to Thereon, who is standing right beside him. Loki is so much like the animal named after his sin. A little sloth who clings to anyone who is close enough.
Once outside, I remove my T-shirt then I spread my wings. Sometimes I forget to take off my clothes first. Especially when I'm in a hurry. I have ruined so many of my shirts over the years because of that. I take off into the air, keeping a slightly short distance between us. I'm certain that he senses me, but he doesn't say anything.
Minutes later, he drops down in the grass at the edge of the hospital, and then tugs his shirt back on.
"Why did you come?" Kian asks, staring at the entrance where a middle aged woman stands outside the door, talking on her phone. She laughs about something. "I can't do this alone."
"I know you can." I place a hand on his shoulder. His hard exterior cracks a little beneath my touch, and he trembles. He is barely holding himself together. "But you don't have to."
He nods and steps from the shadows towards the door.
The woman blubbering on her phone gawks at us. With me being six foot eight and Kian six five, we tend to turn heads when we are among humans.
Kian and I take the elevator to the hospice floor. We stare ahead, his blue eyes unfocused then he steps out when the door opens. The nurse smiles at him, recognising him from the many visits. He says he saw Danny's grandson in order to get in and see him so much. Fibbing any necessary paperwork is easy too.
"Perfect timing." She says. "He just woke up. Go in."
"Thank you."
I follow Kian down the hall, seeing the tension build higher in his body. Danny has weeks to live. Maybe a month or two if he is lucky. The cancer has spread throughout his body. Dementia also caught a hold of him. Some days, he knew who we were. Other days… not so much.
Kian stops outside the door then takes a deep breath.
"I can save him, Blaine." He whispers, his hand on the closed door. "I will save him."
We both know he can't, but his pride won't let him. To me or to himself.
The sound of machine beeping finds my ears and we step into the spacious room. Kian paid for everything, making sure that Danny has the best room, with the most beautiful view. The large window allows him to watch as many sunsets as he wants.
Danny lies on the hospital bed, his once red hair now snow white. There is an IV on one of his arms, and he is hooked up on the monitors. At seventy two, he has lived a good life. But short, just like any other mortal.
Seeing Kian, he holds out a hand, reaching for him.
"I'm here." Kian says, taking his hand and sitting beside his bed.
I stay near the wall, giving them the space they need.
"Blond hair so pale it looks white." Danny says, brushing his fingers across Kian's bangs. "I fell in love once when I was your age. He had hair, just like yours. He was an angel, you know." Danny looks towards the window. "He had the most beautiful wings. Like a raven's feathers."
Kian softly smiles and kisses Danny's knuckles.
A single tear rolls down his cheek.