Kassy places a hand on her heart like she's been shot, and new tears fill her eyes. "That is horrible, El."
I just nod, not knowing what else to say. I watch as Gram applies a thick layer of the Cole Cream to my leg and swollen ankle. The pain subsides, and I release a long slow breath.
"She climbed down the side of a two-story brick wall and ran for an entire night on this busted ankle," Gavin says next to me.
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I look up into his glowing eyes and nod. "Well, I told you, I knew you were out there somewhere, and I wasn’t giving up."
Gavin shakes his head at me like he thinks I'm crazy and then leans in to place an agonizingly sweet kiss on my surprised lips. I kiss him back slowly, forgetting about the rest of the world for a moment, until I hear someone clear their throat.
I pull away from Gavin and blush immediately when I see all of the amused eyes watching us. Kassy and Alexa look positively giddy, which brings a happy smile to my goop-covered face. Gavin chuckles next to me and rubs soothing circles along my back while I get the Gram treatment.
With everything that has been going on in my life lately, I shouldn't feel peaceful, but at this moment, I do.
***
"Aella Ganis. You are quite lovely to look at. That little ferret was correct with his description." Something about this voice is familiar but I can't place my finger on it. I want to open my eyes and see the man talking to me, but I can't.
"Who are you?" I ask him.
I hear a low chuckle as if it rumbles in the deepest well. The sound is seductive while also terrifying. "I am the one who has been looking for you. I never even knew you were alive until a few weeks ago. You are so much smaller than your parents."
I struggle harder to open my eyes, needing to see the demon in front of me. "Why can't I open my eyes, and how do you know my parents?" I sound desperate even to myself.
I hear footsteps coming closer and panic, feeling blind and unable to defend myself. A large hand rests briefly on my shoulder and my eyes slowly begin to open.
"There, that should help you see."
I look around and notice that I am in the Cole's guest room where I fell asleep hours ago.
The sun is starting to peek through the curtains and Gavin is asleep next to me in the bed on top of the covers, per his mother’s request. He looks so peaceful. I try to touch him but my hand swipes right through him like he is some sort of mirage.
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I look at the area where the deep voice was coming from but only see a fuzzy shape of a man with no distinct features. "I still can't see you. Are you really here or am I dreaming?"
The blurry shape sits in a chair in the corner of the room. "A small bit of both, I suppose.
I am here in your dream. It is one of my talents as a high-level demon; a perk of the job if you will. You see, I come to you as a vision while you sleep but because you have not finished your transformation, it seems as though you cannot fully absorb the situation before you."
The way he talks, I am assuming he must be incredibly old which chills me to the bone.
Nobody has been able to stop him yet.
I turn back to watch Gavin as I ponder what he is saying. "So, he can't hear us right now?" I ask.
"He hasn’t the slightest idea that I came to visit you."
I look back at the blob. "Why did you come here, anyways? Who are you to me?"
He shifts in his seat as if leaning in to tell me some secret. "I suppose I must start by introducing myself. My name is Barron, and I am here to meet the one that got away. You see, not one being has escaped me before and you accomplished it at such a young age."
"When did I escape you? I don't even know you."
Barron stands and takes a step closer to me, making my palms sweat. "I guess it was a long time ago for you, so it is understandable that you have forgotten. I knew Selene had a daughter, but I was told that you did not survive your birth, or I would have introduced myself long ago."
I feel cold as he mentions my mother's name. "How did you know my mother?" I ask him, desperation filling my voice again.
"We go quite a way back. I actually knew your great, great-grandfather, Emory Ganis. He took away someone of great importance to me, so I made a promise to him." He sounds angry and I fear what he will say next.
"What did you promise him?"
"As I stood over his dying body, I vowed to let each of his children grow to have children of their own until they were fulfilled and comfortable as I once was before he entered my life.
Then, I would find them and strike them down and send them to their graves, leaving their children to suffer the exact same fate, one after the other."
I step away from him, fearing for my life now. "You… killed my parents?"
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He makes a move that I can only assume is a shrug. "I did. And I plan to allow you to join them as well," he states with too much calm.
I shiver at his cold tone. "I thought you said you were going to let me have children first.
Why would you kill me now?" I ask, wanting him to rethink my impending murder.
He steps closer again, landing only a foot from me. His presence is radiating cold. "I thought Emory's bloodline was
