Retribution

Unya

I leapt down from our pedestal and rounded on Malachi’s lifeless form, I knew I couldn’t confront Adiran but there was no doubt in my mind he was the one who was ridding Malachi of his life.

I gripped hold of his chest and felt the icy tendrils of Adiran’s form, I sent my own shadows into the lifeless form before me and Adiran was soon forced to vacate.

His look was murderous, but one flick of my wrist sent a blazing ball of fire over our heads and the light soon wiped him from our vicinity.

I didn’t know how I managed to summon the fire in that moment, but I was relieved that it worked.

I felt other beings closing in around us and a chilling growl shook itself free from my throat, no one dared to come any closer until Hades’ ominous presence descended upon us.

“It seems neither of the challengers were worthy of your hand. It is a shame but there are plenty more creatures for us to choose from my dear,” he said, as he placed his palm upon my shoulder and yanked me away from Malachi.

I stood up, glowering at my lord, and the arena went silent. No one would dare look upon our lord the way I had, but it did not concern me in that moment.

“He still has life left within him, your healers can restore him,” I replied, my tone leaving no room for arguments.

“That is neither here nor there, I will allow them to return him to his quarters and will give him a week to return to us unaided by anything but his own will. But should he fail to awaken, you will marry whoever I put before you. Your wedding will go ahead Unya.”

“If he doesn’t make it, I will do no such thing, you have no power over me,” I yelled, sending a ball of flame straight for him.

The gasps that filled the air were loud, but my flame did not meet its intended target. Instead his loyal servant Semias appeared in front of Hades and took the full force of my blaze. It barely even grazed him, but his audible exhale showed he had at least felt the strength of my power.

He looked upon me with no hint of any emotion, appearing to be nothing more than a walking statue. Hades walked around his servant and closed the distance before us.

His hand went around my neck, and my feet were left dangling at least a foot above the ground.

“You will do as I command child, do not presume to be safe from my wrath. I may have allowed you certain luxuries in my realm, but I am still your lord and your life will forfeit to me. I can kill you in the blink of an eye, it would be wise for you to not continue to test my patience.”

With that said, he sent me flying, I crashed into the wall and found myself impaled on a spike I hadn’t noticed before.

Black blood oozed from my mouth, but no one dared to help me, not with Hades as angry as he was. He soon left the area, trailed loyally by his two dogs, Semias and Yana. Although Yana did steal a glance at me before she left.

A few hours must have passed by the time I was freed, but I wouldn’t utter a single word of thanks when my eyes fell upon my rescuer, Yana.

“Hades sent you, I presume.”

“No, he wished to keep you here until the night before your wedding, I didn’t agree,” she explained, smiling cheekily.

“Yana no, he’ll kill you when he finds out,” I hissed, anger surging to the forefront of my mind.

“I’ve been around for hundreds of years Unya, I look twelve yet every daemon here quakes in fear. Do you think Hades would get rid of me now? He’ll be peeved for a while, but he’ll get over it, I’ll just put it down to my usual recklessness.”

I laughed at that. “What you call reckless, I call psychotic, but I love it about you.”

“Malachi won’t make it off his own steam, he needs you Unya. And then you need to get out of here, just for a week or two earth time. Hades needs to calm down and it would be better if you two weren’t down here while it happens.”

I was stumped, dumbfounded even. She gave me a way to make it to the earth, I could have used the shadows but Adiran had always dissuaded me from that course of action. Claiming it would be too dangerous when I didn’t know where I was going. Although in that moment Adiran could go to Tartarus for all I cared, he’d be sorry he ever hurt my Incubus.

Malachi was put in his room and Hades had left him to it. That Man would pay eventually, I just had to bide my time and wait for the opportune time to get my revenge, although I saw it more as retribution for everything, he had caused to happen to me.

I knelt beside the creature who although I hadn’t remembered, had become a huge part of my life.

Knowing I was crazy, possibly even as psycho as Yana herself, Didn’t mean I couldn’t still love and I did love him. I knew I went about it all wrong, forcing him to become the monster he hadn’t wanted, but why shouldn’t he be complete. He was keeping a vital part of himself suppressed, he wasn’t living if he was only half existing.

No matter what the others in his life thought, to me he was perfect, and I didn’t want or need him to change. I just needed him to survive and stay with me.

I placed my mouth over his, but nothing happened, it never occurred to me that he had been the catalyst between us sharing our life forces. How could I help if I couldn’t get him to take it from me?