Chapter 25
Something about my revelation inspired Nick to start teaching me that night. Luke promised he'd tie up all my loose ends and Sam swore he'd help move my things over in the morning, then both retired. Listening to their evening routine was oddly comfortable. For my entire life, I'd lived with people I barely knew, and I'd always felt out of place, but not here.
Luke had become someone I thought of as a friend, and Sam was the partner in crime type. They didn't look down on me for loving the arts. Nope, they said it was a sign of my abilities. They didn't care that I was poor, wore clothes that weren't exactly fashionable, and tended to say what was on my mind. They looked beyond those things and made me feel like I actually was a welcome part of their group. It made the idea of suddenly moving in with them easier to accept.
And then there was Nick. As I followed him across the house to his study, I remembered how perfect he'd seemed that first day. He was beautiful – insanely beautiful in a way that no human could ever match – but he was a bit overprotective. It was cute, in a frustrating sort of way. A part of me liked having someone care enough to stand up to me, but he always tried to pick the wrong fights. That, or I did. I wasn't exactly sure which, yet.
I think most of it came back to my new reality. Nick expected me to freak out. Hell, in some ways I wanted to, but what was the point? I'd always been more of a doer than a freaker. I think a lot of that was because I'd always had to take care of myself. Spending time bawling my eyes out only made things worse, so while all of this stuff might be crazy, it was also happening. I mean, I'd just seen "Heaven." It didn't get much more real than that, and if I wanted to make sure I didn't go back, then this had to become my new normal, and fast.
Grabbing coffee when we passed the kitchen, Nick pointed out the guest bathroom, his lip twitching to fight a smile when I thanked him. He listed off a few other rooms, making me aware of exactly how large the place was before stepping into his office. Again, my skin tingled when I crossed the doorway.
"Warded?" I asked.
He smiled. "Yeah. So if I blow something up, Luke's whole house isn't lost."
"Yeah, that would be a waste. This place is huge and has to be like a hundred years old. So it's Luke's?"
"Yep." He sank into a plush leather chair, carefully setting his cup on the desk, and gestured for me to take the couch. "Sam owns a castle in Europe. Romania or someplace."
"And you?"
He glanced away, but smiled. "I have a couple of places. Cute little cabin up in northern Ontario that we built in the 1800s, an apartment in Dubai, and the island."
"An island?"
He sipped at his coffee, those dark eyes smiling at me. "Just a little rock in the water. Nothing special. We've inherited or acquired a few safe spots over the years."
"Like a whole island?"
"Yeah. Claimed it in the fifteenth century when ocean travel was so dangerous, and I just keep transferring it to new identities. It's my sanctuary."
"Damn." I couldn't imagine owning a house, let alone an entire island.
"It's easy to accumulate things when you have a few thousand years to build it up." He shrugged. "It's a lot harder to keep track of it. We have specialists to handle most of our financial issues, though, making sure bank accounts stay topped up and passing things down when one alias is old enough to die. That's what I was doing the first week of classes. Making sure I had a verifiable identity."
"So other demons handle that? Do you know all of them?"
He nodded. "There aren't that many of us. I mean, we aren't all friends, but after a few million years, it's hard not to at least talk to everyone once."
"How many?"
He grinned. "Guess."
"I dunno, six hundred and sixty-six?"
Nick lifted his cup and took another sip. "Exactly. Same number of Angels."
"How many are sleeping?"
The enthusiasm drained from his face. "Three hundred and forty-two, I mean forty-one."
I sucked in a breath. "So more than half."
He nodded slowly. "Only about seventeen angels are unaccounted for, and those bodies are lost."
"Lost?"
"Yeah, we don't die, but in order to be refilled, we need to know where the body is. Sometimes they turn up on one plane or another. Or if they were in pieces, it takes a while for the molecules to reform. Longer on worlds with less aether."
"Wait." I made a circle with my hand, begging him to go back. "You mean, if y'all were chopped into bits and spread across the Earth, that still wouldn't kill you?"
"Nope." He shrugged. "Immortal, Sia. I mean, we're unconscious, but still alive. Eventually, the extra pieces degrade and the main one grows until there's an entire body."
"How do you know what part will be the main one?" I couldn't help it; I was completely fascinated.
He tapped his chest. "The seal. It lies over our heart, which is the center of our body."
"Not the mind?"
"Not the mind," he agreed.
Cradling my cup in my hands, I leaned back, mulling that over. "And humans have a seal too?"
"Yes."
"How do you know it?"
He tilted his chair back and kicked his feet up on the desk. "Your seal is your pattern."
I nodded, accepting that as nothing more than the truth. "So how do you key your wards to me?"
The smile returned. "Good. You're already thinking the right way." He turned his chair quickly and stood, pulling off his shirt as he walked across the room, tossing it back to his chair. "Every seal is different," Nick said, kneeling before my knees.
I couldn't take my eyes off him, but he didn't seem to mind. "Ok?"
"Well, in order for the veils to recognize us, we need them marked on our skin." He traced the outer ring on his broad, flat chest. "It's our resonant structure. Like DNA, but made of aether. It's our personal signature, and the seal makes it into a key."
"How's it decided? I mean, I've never seen marks like that before."
He raised an eyebrow. "You've also never seen Daemonic before."
"True. So how do you know mine?" I set my cup on the small table in the corner and leaned closer, looking at the strange brand on his skin.
Nick moved my hand to his chest, resting it across his seal. "Close your eyes, little dove."
I obeyed without thinking, feeling his heart beat against my palm. His skin was so warm and smooth, the raised edges of the seal tantalizing against my fingers. He laid his hand above mine, holding it to him, but said nothing. His thumb gently swept back and forth across my skin, a smooth, comfortable rhythm that my mind embraced.
"Could you draw it?" he finally asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.
I opened my eyes. "Yeah. I could."
"But you can't see it. You never looked long enough to know every line." His thumb moved again, soft and soothing. "How could you draw it?"
"Because I know what you feel like." Astonishment tinted my voice, but it was true. I knew Nick. Completely. It was like I could feel him in my bones when I tried to imagine who he was. That's why I wasn't scared of him.
He nodded, those dark eyes holding more than just the knowledge of aether. Something smoldered deep inside him, contained and harnessed, but begging to break free. "That's how I know your sign, Sia. That's how I keyed this room to you."
"And to your body."
His hand slid up my arm, releasing me without breaking the contact. "Exactly."
"So when do I get a seal?"
Reluctantly, he leaned back. "Before you try to cross the veils." Then he stood and grabbed his shirt, wadding it tightly and tossing it onto his desk before he dropped back into his chair. "It hurts."
"If I'm marked, can I still enter Angelis?"
"Yeah. They chose who to lock it to, and you weren't on the list back then."
"Damn." I grabbed my coffee again and took a long swallow, my brilliant idea a bust. "So the angels and demons set up your veil protections backwards? I mean, they're open to anyone but their enemy, and your world is closed to anyone but your friends."
"Right. Angels have to bring their slaves over, and our way would prevent that."
"So I can't go to Daemin?"
He flashed me a wicked smile. "You will. I'm one of the demons responsible for keying the veil to our friends."
"Like Luke?"
"Exactly." He shrugged. "You'd have to be marked so the veil protections can read it. The only problem is you have to be able to stand in the corridor – where angels can try to stop us."
"And I'm too weak right now."
"Unstable," he corrected. "Weakness isn't your problem, considering you just pulled enough aether to fill a demon from empty to almost half full."
"Is that a lot?"
He nodded, his eyes watching me intently. "That's like five humans. But in the corridor, the laws of physics are shifted. The aethereal winds between worlds push at us, and unless you know how to balance, you can be swept away."
"Oh. How much aether does it take to regain consciousness?"
"Between a quarter and a half. Everyone is different, but we all have a buffer level." He sipped at his cup again.
"Three hundred and forty-one," I said to myself. "That's three thousand, four hundred and ten people that need to die."
"Approximately. About a hundred thousand humans die every day." He sipped again, letting me work it out.
"So, if we could revive a demon each, every day, that's just over six months to wake them all."
"But we can't." He raised a hand, stopping me before I could disagree. "It's exhausting, and I cannot do that every day. I can only guess you can't, either."
"But you're the strongest aethersmith in Daemin, right?"
He shrugged, nodding slightly. "And dumping that much aether nearly knocked me off my feet but didn't even slow you down. I'm not a Muse."
"So I need to hold more." And needed a plan to make me feel in control again. Waking demons seemed like a win-win to me. "Like a balloon, I can stretch and learn to hold more."
"But there's more to aether than simply waking demons." He set his cup on the desk and stood, gesturing for me to move over. "It's the force of life. It's the building blocks of the world." He claimed the corner, kicking his shoes off before sprawling languidly against the well-padded armrest. "Come here."
He tugged me back against him, one arm wrapped lightly around my waist as we lay back. Nick's bare chest became my pillow. He held his hand before me, palm up, and reached around me to touch the tips of his other hand to it. Slowly, he pulled. Pale blue, frosty tendrils swirled between his hands.
"Aether makes us like gods." With a flick of his wrist, he broke the substance free, letting it float before my face. "It's life and beauty, and anything you desire." His hands played around it, guiding the fog without quite touching it. When it condensed into a tight ball, he closed both hands, shielding it from view, and took a deep breath. "It's complete power, and can corrupt you completely if you let it."
Opening his hands like a book, I saw a tiny butterfly grasping his finger. Black and blue wings flapped slowly, displaying an intricate design before it took flight, slowly flitting across the room.
"Complete power," Nick said again, snatching his hand in the direction of the butterfly. It vanished, and when he twisted his wrist and opened his fingers, the aether had returned, swirling just above his skin as if the butterfly had never existed.
"Wow."
His lips brushed against my ear. "How much do you want to learn?"
"Nick, I want to know everything." I turned to look at him. "I can do this."
"I know." He glanced away. "But how far are you willing to bend? How much are you willing to give up for people you didn't even know existed a month ago?"
I looked back at his hand, the aether still dancing on his open palm. Reaching up cautiously, I touched it, taking the time to finally feel the hot and powdery surface of concentrated life. Twining my finger through his essence, I felt his heart against my back, each beat heavier than the one before.
"If I'm going to make sure those bastards can't hurt any more of my friends, then I'm willing to bend exactly as far as I need to," I whispered, trying to mimic what he'd done.
Where my finger touched it, the aether solidified, tinting green and turning woody until a delicate red flower bloomed at the end, growing from the air just above his hand. Manipulating it was no different than the pencil that had started this whole thing.
"I am not going to just sit here and let everyone else worry about keeping me safe. You say I have a powerful talent? What I hear is that one day I'll be able to take care of myself, and that's all I ever really wanted."
I trailed my finger down the petals, touching the leaves and tracing the stem to the end, leaving nothing but wisps of blue behind my touch. Then I pressed my palm to his, driving the aether back into his skin, returning it to the home where it belonged.
Nick gasped, his fingers spreading beneath mine. "You don't play fair."
I giggled and shifted enough to see his face. "No, I don't."
With a devious grin, he grabbed my arm with one hand, flicking a glob of aether into his other. "Let's see what it's like for a Muse."
He pressed his hand to mine, a trickle of his essence caught between our skin. His eyes watched my face. The warmth met my skin first, like sun-baked powder, smooth and soft in my palm before it began to seep in. The sensation radiated from inside, down my wrists, to the core of my being, feeling like a feather against my skin: sensual and seductive but reassuring and comforting.
It was like an embrace after being apart. The kind that was so tight I never wanted to let go, so perfect I couldn't stop smiling. Like a teddy bear to protect me during the night, a friend to promise it would be ok, or that warm feeling that comes when someone loves their gift. It felt like love, and the sensation lingered after the substance was absorbed. From the smile on Nick's face, he knew I'd felt it.
"I think you like that." His eyes dropped to my lips.
"I think you're a tease."
He shifted, forcing me to face him. "I think you've learned more in one night than most demons learn in a week, and yes, I'll tease you a little if this is the result."
"Only a little?"
He leaned closer. "Define a little."
"An impossibly beautiful man with his arms around me, cuddling with me on a couch." I glanced down. "The lack of shirt is well outside that definition. I think it may constitute torture."
"Being held by a horribly scarred and single-minded monster?" His tone was light, but his eyes betrayed him.
I traced a symbol along his waist. "They aren't scars, and your wards are beautiful. Like works of art."
"And proof I'm not human," he reminded me. "You've only seen the good parts, Sia, not the demon."
"Then show me the demon, Nick. Give me a chance? Let me reap the dead, let me see your wings, let me visit the rest of these crazy worlds I keep hearing about."
"After you're sealed."
I pressed my hand to his chest. "Then get me a seal."
He nodded slowly. "When you're ready, and not before. It never comes off, little dove, not in any of your skins."
"Isn't it just a key?"
"Not always." His hands were sliding down my back, trying to distract me. "It's like a focus, but it works both ways. While being sealed will concentrate your abilities, it's also a beacon to those who know how to find it." His fingers slipped under the edge of my shirt, resting against the skin of my back. "It's how ancient witches used to summon us. If they get it right, we feel an annoying pull."
I heard what he didn't say. "But one you can ignore?"
"To a point." He grinned. "Usually we'd show up just to destroy the binding because it's irritating, like a fly that keeps landing on the end of your nose. Not harmful, but it sure gets old fast."
"Nick?"
His dark eyes flicked to mine, hearing something in my voice. "Too weird?" he asked.
"No," I assured him. "I just... I mean, are you really like all those myths? Is anything in the Bible true?"
"Yes." He flicked his gaze between my eyes. "Yes, dove, most of it is in one way or another. The problem is how it's portrayed. Like witches. They were just flirtatious girls who didn't shun our attention." He sighed. "And yes, we seduce you. Women are like a drug to most of us. You appeal to something we shouldn't have, and," he smiled, "we have a hard time resisting."
"And the sins?"
He groaned and tilted his head back. "That's complicated."
"I've got plenty of time," I reminded him.
He sighed. "Ok. So Luke makes deals. He loves to trade good fortune for someone's soul. That's the conglomeration of aether in your body. Your life, I guess. Anyway, the catch is that even if someone gives him the right to their soul, he has to be there to catch it, and all he does is what nature would do anyway. He releases it into the world so angels can't use the power against us. Granted, sometimes that's releasing it exactly where he wants, but still."
"And that whole thing about encouraging evil acts?"
"Like thinking outside the box?" He shrugged. "Yeah, um, did you know that when I taught the first man about complex math, it was assumed to be evil? Stop and look at those sins, Sia. Eating pork? Jealousy? Cosmetics? Angels wanted to keep humans primitive and ignorant. We want to encourage your evolution, to find an ally. I'm not ashamed that I introduced physics to Earth. I'm sure Sam isn't upset that he created the condom and invented the idea of family planning."
I paused to think that over and couldn't find anything nefarious about it. "What about the whole thing about enticing people to commit murder? Or starting wars, or all of that?"
"Angels." He caressed the side of my face, making me look at him. "War brings aether, and a whole lot of it. Look at how many were fought for religion – a concept angels found to be successful for domesticating your kind." His thumb brushed my cheek. "We're not perfect, Sia, but we're not a force of some all-powerful evil. We're just people who happen to disagree with what the angels are doing. Good and evil aren't tangible. They aren't inherent because of where we were born. They're just a matter of perspective which changes depending on whose story you listen to. From our point of view, we didn't do anything at all wrong."
"So why do you reap the dead?" I tilted my head and kissed his palm, assuring him I was merely curious.
He smiled, his eyes following my lips. "Most demons do it. It started as a way to release the aether before they could get it. If we pull it into the corridor, it flows so quickly that it's free. Eventually, it will leach through the veil, back to Earth."
"And now?"
"For me? Because, I can make it better. When I ease the release, it comforts them, and I like humans, Sia. I always have. I'm also part of the group responsible for maintaining the veils of Daemin. We need aether like you need oil. Our society depends on it to function."
"So, you're harvesting us, just like the angels are?"
"Yes and no. I'm harvesting only those of you who no longer need your souls. They're harvesting you as soon as the life has grown to full. Bombings, wars, and so many man-made tragedies cut lives short, and all too often it's just for the aether that will be released. They collect it in mass. We collect it inside ourselves, soul by soul, when the humans no longer need it."
"Ok, I think I like your way better," I conceded. "But Nick?"
He laughed. "You're insatiable, little dove."
"Maybe, but I need to do this. I need to learn everything so no one else I care about will get hurt. That means I need you to teach me. No matter how I feel about you – and I really do like you, Nick – I still need you to let me do this. Please don't try to protect me so much that you make me weak?"
His expression sobered and his dark eyes met mine. "I don't think I could, dove. Not even if I wanted to."