His obsidian eyes bear down on me as if he can see into my soul, and as the bond between us pulses, I know that he can. Gently, he sits up and pulls me with him to the edge of the bed, “Come, little one.” He makes to stand and instantly I feel the chill of the breeze and my flesh pebbles as he takes the warmth of his embrace with him. He steps into a pair of well worn black leather pants, and urges, “Well? Put some clothes on. We’re going out.”
“Out?” I ask as I look around finding a pair of form-fitting black leather pants and a matching sleeveless vest.
“Yes, by way of the balcony.” He says with a smirk, his teeth are a bit pointed and if I didn’t know him, the look would be lethal.
I have yet to look outside of this room and step through the white drapes to see that this side of the residence appears to be a part of the mountain. The balcony juts out over the broad expanse of the empty space below us. Demon is suddenly behind me and he wraps his strong arms around me and lifts me off my feet. Before I can utter a word, he leaps forward off the balcony and we are free falling. I stifle a scream as my demon angles us head down and we speed downward like a bullet at a dizzying speed. Holding my breath, I shriek as Demon’s wings snap out carrying us up away from the ground on a wind draft. Demon pumps his wings slow and strong carrying us upward while using the current to increase our speed as we race over the bleak terrain of this realm. Everything is bathed in the everpresent scarlet of these unnatural skies. His arms tighten around me, holding close as he nuzzles the crook of my neck. I have never felt so much for another. These two have managed to get under my skin, so fast that my head is still spinning, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Sighing, I utter, “This is amazing. I want to do this every day.”
“Then it will be so. Daxell agrees, we will take time every day to fly with you,” his voice is but a low rumble that has butterflies taking flight in my belly.
Needing a distraction, I ask, “Tell me about this place. What are all these landmarks?”
Demon begins, “Our parents made their home in the mountains of the Great Divide. See?” He angles us to the right and for as far as I can see there is a mountain range that looks like a barrier. One that my parents and Pip made mention of, and I nod. He continues, “Our home faces Luc’s domain which is tame compared to the other side of the divide where the Fields of Punishment can be found.” A shudder runs through me at the thought.
“See in the distance? There is a fortress, black as tar. That’s Luc’s abode. That’s where we will head once we find that damned whip. I can shadow-walk us there, keeping us off the radar. Not many can follow us taking that mode of transportation.”
“Shadow-walking? What’s that?”
“You don’t remember. Once Poppy woke you from the dark spell those wicked little sprights cast on you. We shadow-walked back to our parents House. You were in and out of consciousness and in a bad way. I wanted to end every last one of those foul little creatures for what they did to you.” He growls and we stall in mid-air. His wings beating slowly and rhythmically. He flips me around so that we are chest to chest, “I’ve never felt such rage before, little one. Not just at what they had done to you … but that I didn’t get there sooner. We had failed you in a moment that you needed us most.”
Reaching up, I cup his strangely handsome face and admire his impressive horns before saying, “No. Neither of you failed me. You were right on time. I’m here for a reason. There are things that I need to experience. Things that I need to understand. Without that, I can’t become what I’m destined to become.”
“What is that, little one?” His dark orbs bore into me.
“I think that I’ve known for a while now, but I’ve been reluctant to take on the mantle. I’m a keeper of souls in my mother’s order. I was born into that station. It is something that I know in my heart I will always be a part of, but for me to ascend to my destined station, I must accept that I’m destined to become the goddess of retribution.” Sighing, I look down and whisper, “I am Retribution.” As I utter those words something inside me begins to fracture. It’s as if my inner soul and reason for being are clawing their way out of my chest. I suck in a sharp breath as a metamorphosis begins to take hold. Like the shell of a boiled egg, it begins to crack and fall away, revealing what has been there all along. Revealing my inner goddess.
I feel our connection permanently take hold as the two of us ascend together. Completing our complicated bond to one another. Keeper and Guardian. Goddess and God of Retribution. The air around us seems to crackle and our hair stands on end as electricity dances around us. In one blinding moment, everything slams into me all at once. Memories of a distant past, a promise of my destiny, eons in the making. Every choice I made. All the wrongs that I was responsible for. Every single thing that put me on this path. The mate in front of me, the yin to my yang that was sworn to me so long ago. Then, something foreign begins to
