Chapter Fifteen
CAM
Cam rocketed through the Angel Realm, heading directly toward the strange energy he felt emanating from Thea.
His heart pounded in an erratic rhythm as he kept tight control of the panic and anxiety that swirled in him. Thea entering the Angel Realm was the worst possible scenario. The amount of damage that she could cause here was immeasurable and exactly what the demons would want.
Flying faster than he’d ever done, he was still too far away when he watched Thea drain and extinguish Asteroth. A cold shock shuddered through his body. She killed him. Killed Asteroth. She hadn't even touched him.
He could barely breathe. Thea killed an angel; he grappled with the thought. His Thea, somewhere inside her own mind must be horrified. She liked Asteroth, well, she liked him more than the other Dominion League angels. Surely that act would take a toll on her.
He watched her move towards the center of the square. He’d been too gentle with her when he fought her earlier. He should have attacked her as though she were a demon, knocking her out so that she could be detained. Her energy had changed so much that when he first searched for her, he wasn’t sure where she was and if she had left the human world or if he just could no longer detect her. It was only a guess that she entered the Angel Realm, and it was now clear she had absorbed the energies of many powerful angels. If he had fought her fully, using all the gifts the Creator gave him, he probably could have stopped her from getting into the Angel Realm. Asteroth’s death was on him, not Thea.
Apprehension bubbled to the surface as he made his way to her. He had already attacked her and cut her before and couldn't bring himself to even think about attacking her again. But what was the alternative? He watched as the Powers surrounding her flew with her, staying in their circle formation and yet not sure how to engage her. He was the one who really knew her, the one that had trained her, and the only one who was capable of bringing her down.
As he moved along with her towards the Stream, he could feel the stolen energy from yards away, radiating off her like heat from the sun. She was already so powerful. How much more did this demon want?
Approaching the Stream, the Powers surrounding her seemed to realize that they let her get too far. They began to attack using the method normally reserved for fighting a singular Legion demon. Two Powers on opposing sides of the circle attacked then retreated, then another two did the same, and then another two. This kept Thea busy enough to not drain any of them and stopped her advancement towards the Stream.
However, she learned quickly. Cam watched as she kicked one Power in the face, hard enough for his head to snap back and send him spiraling down, while she drained the other attacking Power.
Cam created a number of energy balls and spikes, readying himself to attack. He moved to release a spike in her direction but hesitated. If he hurt her again, how would she ever get over it? How would he?
Cam saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see three large angels approaching. His breath left him when he realized that they were Thrones, and he knew then that they were coming to kill her. His heart sank. He turned towards Thea.
Flying at her, he launched a spike and an energy ball directly at her. Thea was draining two Powers when the energy hit and sent her spinning away from the Stream. She flapped her wings hard to stop her trajectory, righted herself and turned back towards him in a fury. Cam prepared himself to fight her. He had to. If he didn't, if he couldn't stop her, the Thrones would kill her without hesitation. Thea launched her own energy balls at him, and he billowed his shield out to create another one underneath.
They threw energy ball after energy ball at each other, each more powerful than the last until Thea pulled a dagger from her waist and threw it at him. He caught it, although it cut the middle of his hand. He glanced over at the Thrones. They were watching. He knew that if it looked like he was out of control, they would step in.
"Do you think you're going to make it out of here?” Cam yelled to the demon he knew was in her head. “If you don't stop now, your death will be painful."
"I don't fear death," Thea snarled. "And I have no intention of stopping—you’re not as powerful as you think you are."
"Do you think I’m going to let you get anywhere near the Stream?"
"You’ve already let me get this far. Your incompetence is astounding." Thea hit him again with another energy ball.
This time he did not respond, however he did fly backward as if it had propelled him backward. Each time she hit him he lured her back leading her away from the Stream and towards his building. Suddenly she stopped, glancing back at the Stream as if realizing what was happening. He charged at her, grabbing onto her before she had the chance to send another energy ball. They grappled in the air, Cam trying to restrain her while Thea tried to land punches and kicks on him. She was much stronger now, but he still knew some techniques that could restrain her, even if only for a short while.
He leaned to the side, flapping his wings, heading to the floating building that housed both of their quarters. As they turned in the air, Thea kicked him off of her and he fell, but not before grabbing hold of her and pulling her down with him.
They landed on the roof of their building and immediately continued their hand-to-hand combat, full throttle. They moved so fast, that it was almost a blur. They both used a combination of punches, kicks, and hits as well as energy combat. Cam blocked everything… and so did Thea. They continued to fight and it seemed as though neither could get a good blow on the other. It was as though they were in a fluid duet, choreographed to perfection to ensure neither of them outshone the other.
Cam thought back to how in sync they always were, how they always fit together naturally in their battles with demons as though they read each other's minds. Now that their strength was almost equal, it was unlikely that they would be able to do any true damage to each other, which gave Cam confidence that he would not hurt her.
Thea grew more frustrated as they fought, her face growing dark and tight with anger the longer they remained locked in a stalemate. Cam slowly moved backward, varying his pathways so she wouldn’t be able to tell that he was still leading her. As they got to the edge of the building he grabbed her and leaned over, dropping off the edge and down past the top floor and crashing onto his balcony.
He shielded her from the full weight of the fall, but she still hit hard. They both groaned, and he rolled away from her as quickly as he could, backing away into his quarters.
"Thea," he said, as she moaned and tried to get herself up. "Fight it. Talk to me."
She sat up, her eyes still alive with anger. "That's the second time you've tried to kill me," she said, staggering up to her feet. "There's nothing to talk about."
"I don't know who you are," Cam said, coldly. "But I'm not talking to you, so shut the fuck up. I'm talking to Thea. I know she's in there somewhere."
Her face twisted in surprise, and she glared at him but did not respond.
"Thea, you can fight this." He inched back into his quarters until he was in the middle of his social room. "You’re strong. You’re the strongest being I know. Don't let this destroy you. However this demon has got into your head, remember that nothing it’s saying to you is true."
"She can't hear you," Thea’s voice said, nonchalantly. "She hasn't been able to hear or see most things that have happened."
"I love you, Thea." Cam ignored her words. "Remember how it used to be between us. We lived here, you looked after me and I looked after you." Cam tried to gauge her reaction, confident he was getting through. She hadn't been under the influence of the demon long enough to completely lose her own mind. If he could get her to remember, to realize her true feelings for him, maybe she could fight it. He hadn't planned on what to say to her once he got her back to his quarters, but he knew he needed to say something, he had to try and stop her without hurting her. He slowly backed into the bedroom and she followed, cautiously. At least she wasn't attacking him. Cam took that as a good sign and hoped that it meant she was fighting, somewhere within herself. Maybe he was still able to reach some part of her.
"You loved me, Thea. Do you remember?"
She didn't say anything but stared at him intently. Cam dared to approach her, to stand close to her, but after a split second she backed away further into the room. Cam moved so that he was between Thea and the door.
"We used to spend nights here," Cam said. "Nestling, making love—"
"Fucking," she corrected in a dangerous voice.
"—talking, making plans," Cam continued, as though she hadn't even spoken.
"You destroyed my life. You never loved me, Cam!"
"I love everything about you," Cam said, in a dangerous voice of his own. "I love the way you laugh, I love the way you taste, I love the way you demand my cock in your pussy."
Thea suddenly looked apprehensive.
"I love the way you come, I love your smell, I love the way you chew your lip when you’re thinking. And most of all," he said slowly, slightly leaning toward her, "I love that you’re mine. And I will not let you go without a fight. So whoever you are, demon, you will have to kill me to get Thea out of here."
Thea paused, her face twitching. Her body seemed to be frozen on the spot. She opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it and for a long moment; they just stood there locked in a stare. Thea took a step closer to Cam, and her expression transformed into a determined glare. Her energy swirled and darted around within her, and a snarl graced her lips. And in that instant, Cam suddenly doubted himself—Thea was going to kill him.