Kasadya Hellhound Twisted (18 page)

“A training session? It looks more like a fight, are you okay?” Max continued on. I nodded and gave Chax a small smile. Chax’s eyes were fixed on me, and then his gaze dropped to Max. I looked at Max who was now giving Chax the look of death. Oh boy, this is going to be rough.

“Don, we have something to share with everyone. Would you be able to fetch Astin and the Archangels? We would need their assistance if we are going to take this to the council,” Chax explained, his eyes returning to me as he finished. Silence followed and all eyes now turned to me. I just dropped my head to the floor. I was drained for the day and I’d rather not explain it twice. I heard Don exit the room, and looked up to find Kali fidgeting with her necklace, the death charm.

Concerned, I walked over to her, placing my hand on hers. “Are you okay?” I asked her. She looked around at the others who were back to the blood samples.

“Yes, don’t worry, Kas. It’s just that I can feel it,” she explained.

From turning demons into humans back to saving Kali, hell of a life. Don came walking back in with the Archangels and Draco, who was looking really bad. He looked up at me and I was expecting him to attack me again, but he surprised me and went to sit down in the corner like a good boy. “Chax, you have some news?” Michael asked when Astin and Annabelle shifted in and settled down. Chax looked at everyone and his eyes came to rest on Caim.

“When we started to serve, I found our brother Shian in the woods; he was injured and begging for me to slay him. But as I reached him he called out to our Sire and asked for forgiveness. I could not destroy him, I was too weak,” Chax started. I watched as Caim’s face played out with the words. First the hatred at the mention of his brother, and ending in sorrow for Chax. It must be very difficult to slay your own brother, but for someone like Chax I knew it was almost unbelievable he didn’t do it. The others looked at each other, trying not to make the situation even more epic.

“I returned a few weeks later, determined to correct my mistake. When I approached him, he showed me a flower. Gabriel had delivered a message from our Sire. The flower was a daffodil, just like today. I chose then to save my brother, but placed him in the ice lands to ensure he could do no harm. In my travels I have found more demons, carrying the daffodil message from Gabriel and ensured that they all stayed together. I kept an eye on them from afar, and have never seen one of these demons commit a sin. I believe they have been chosen by our Sire for something else. A last redemption,” Chax explained. Ending on that note, they all looked at me. Caim’s eyes stayed on Chax, but they were filled with sadness. He had the same eyes when I met him in Hell.

All right, I freaking get the message, we are destined blah blah. “I think they have been waiting all this time for Kasadya, to be redeemed to human form,” Chax finally finished. Max was up and moving fast, he walked over to me and turned around, facing Chax.

“No, I will not permit it. If Kas has a gift it will not be used for evil, and I will not allow you to drain her for that purpose,” Max threw back at Chax and my jaw was hanging open again. What the hell? Chax walked to square off with him.

“And you think that I would?” Chax challenged him. Max smiled at him and leaned in.

“Yes, I do. I have seen no compassion from you since we met. How you treat her sometimes also gives me a fine idea of what you are capable of,” Max sneered at him. Oh no, here we go. Chax’s face immediately changed back to the old Chax. Crap, and he was doing so good today.

“So you think because I don’t entertain her decisions and give into her choices, that I am cruel to her and that I would only use her for my own goal?” Chax continued on, his face showing no emotion whatsoever, but I knew he was totally freaking pissed.

“Indeed,” Max replied, stepping forward to get up into his face. Now they were face to face.

“Gentlemen, this is not the time for your argument, if what Chax says is true we need to discuss this,” Astin said stepping in between the two to split them up.

Max and Chax still looked at each other, even with Astin’s head blocking the view. “Damn,” Nanini said next to me, so I looked at her and scowled. She just shrugged and gave me a devil smile.

“Chax, what do you propose?” Astin asked, looking at him and then at Max, who was still ready for a fight.

A few seconds went by while Chax and Max concluded their stand off and then Chax replied, “We would need to test this, in a safe and controlled way. Amon and his facility would also be able to track all the changes that take’s place, like with the demon here,” Chax continued.

“Are you all mad, you want to take the outcasts and turn them? The princes will declare war and you will start the apocalypse,” Draco pitched in. We looked at him, smiles starting to form on all our faces. “You are mad, the lot of you. But you are the worst,” he finished pointing at me.

“Now, Draco, seeing that you just became our lab rat, I won’t speak up that much. It could get very ugly,” I teased him, his eyes going big as he looked at the rest.

“You are not cruel by nature,” he remarked. Nanini and Kali both burst out in laughter. I suppressed mine and kept a serious face.

“Demon, you have no idea what you just walked into, do you?” Lotan asked, playing with his dagger by throwing it up in the air and grabbing it again.

Draco followed the motion and I could see his complexion going white. “Now that the demon is quiet, how can we assist?” Amon asked, looking back at Chax.

“We would need to explain this to the council, my friend, and that won’t be an easy task,” Chax replied, looking back at me.

“The council? They will not agree to it,” Astin pitched in, Annabelle nodding to agree with him.

“Yes, you have a better chance of catching a demon prince,” Don continued.

“True, but we never had two Archangels to stand with us,” Chax said, looking at Raphael and Michael who nodded at him.

“I don’t think that will work, Chax. Perhaps we could try another route,” Lada spoke up. We turned and looked at her.

“What do you propose, Lada?” Chax asked.

She looked at all of us. “I would gather my proof first, what you have at the moment isn’t really reliable. This is not Exsilium, so I would use recording and so forth, take this demon and test everything. Once we have enough evidence
of what is really happening, then you bring the council here and present it to them,” she explained.

“I agree, we don’t have enough to win them over, we need more solid proof,” Amon replied, embracing Melissa who was smiling at him.

“Indeed, we must ensure that we have the weapons against their attacks, and you know how they can go on,” Astin agreed.

Chax looked at them then at the Archangels. “Perhaps we can do more than one demon, in that we would have sufficient evidence that it is just not with this one,” he finished.

And so the plans were laid out, with Max and a few more objections all the demons would be placed in a secure and charmed cell here at the compound. I must admit that made me feel better too. Having demons running around the place wasn’t a good idea. Melissa, Amon, and Don would set up everything to ensure we got our proof, and that they were monitored correctly. The fallen staying here would be in charge of keeping an eye on all of them.

“That settles it, we need to get back and try to get some sleep in,” Chax finally said. We greeted the others and shifted back to Chax’s house, but Chax shifted out immediately, leaving us to do as we pleased. Maybe he’s going to see the other demons or something? All the others started to disappear and I decided to go take a bath. Walking up the stairs, Max joined me.

“Kas, tell me what happened today?” he suddenly asked. I stopped and looked at him, confused as to why he would still be on that subject.

“I already explained,” I replied.

Scowling, he looked at me. “A training session doesn’t leave a trail of blood down your back, and a blue mark covering your entire left shoulder,” he finished, folding his arms over his chest and blocking my way.

“It just got a little rough, that’s all,” I replied, trying to pass him.

“You have never lied to me before, why are you now?” he asked.

That had me speechless.
Wow, he is right, I have never lied to him. Well I just never had a reason to. Do I have a reason now? A quality of Max I adore and hate sometimes is his protective nature, but seeing him and Chax together I don’t think it would be a good thing. “Max, it’s like I explained, just a training session,” I stated and regretted it. I saw in his eyes how much damage I had just done.

“I see,” he replied. Turning around, he stormed off. Crap, crap, and double crap! Furious with him and myself, I also turned around and stormed to our room. Reaching it I found Kali and Caim in the hall, holding her luggage.

“What’s up?” I asked as I reached them.

“Caim is taking me to my own room,” Kali explained with a smile.

“Oh,” I replied. I should have thought about that. We have gotten so used to each other that privacy wasn’t really an option anymore.

“Don’t stress, Kas, it’s time you have some space. And I am just like down the hall,” Kali encouraged before she and Caim walked away.

“Yeah,” I whispered as she left. I walked into my room and closed the door, bracing myself against it. My back was killing me, but it was Max’s eyes that were really doing the damage. Crap, I think I just messed up my relationship before it even really started. I hit the door and stormed off to the shower, pissed at myself. I opened up the water and got undressed. Stepping inside the streams of warm water, I grabbed the wall and let my head fall. I freaking messed up again, why in hell can’t I do something right?

I finished up, got dressed in a tank top and yoga pants, and planted my butt on the bed. I sat there contemplating my options to fix my mistake. Should I tell him the truth and watch as he first hit disappointment, and then anger. I know what he would think if he heard Chax had to break my wing, he made it clear that he doesn’t like Chax at all. They would have a huge freaking fight, and although Max is a great warrior not even I could beat Chax today. He is just too old and too good. He will have his ass handed to him, and then be even madder at me. Nope, the truth is not an option.

I looked in the mirror. Hell, Kas, you are so over your head with this. My first fight with a guy and I am kicking myself over it. Damn stupid emotions, they always get the best of me. I jumped up, stormed out of my room, and hit the hallway. I stopped at the first door and knocked.

“Yes?” Ben answered.

“Sorry, wrong door. Where can I find Max?” I asked through the door.

It opened up and an almost asleep Ben stood there. “Three doors down on your right,” he answered with a puzzled look.

“Thanks,” I muttered and stormed down the hall way. One … two … three on the right here we go, I stopped and was greeted with a soft melody playing on the other side. Leaning my head on the door I tried to figure out why it sounded so familiar. “All these fears deep inside,” the voice sang, so beautiful and then it snapped in … Enya. I stood back and looked at the door. Wow, Max listens to Enya, who would have seen that one coming. Shaking it off, I knocked. The music was cut off immediately and a furious Max ripped open the door, ready to kick butt. When he registered who was standing there, he first hesitated, and then turned around and walked back in.

Oh no you don’t! Before the door could slam shut in my face, I grabbed it and pushed it open, shoving Max back inside and closing it behind us. “I am not in the mood for this, Kas,” he growled and tried to open the door to shove me out again. I pushed him against the wall and pinned him, which was a little awkward since I was a head shorter, but it worked. “What are you—” He was cut off from saying anything more because my mouth was covering his.

First there was no reaction, and I almost started to panic. Finally my forced kiss was returned by a very furious one. I released my hold on him and wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling his arms closing around my torso. Panic turned into excitement and I pushed the kiss even harder. I grabbed his hair to get a better angle. I was rewarded with the same intense kiss from him, and then wham we were full steam kissing the hell out of each other.