Love Comes In Many Dangerous Forms

(Shane’s P.O.V.)

It seemed like every minute was an eternity, the pain ebbed at all of us as the days passed by. Audrey and Vera struggled to return our lives back to normality with painting false smiles and words of encouragement to everyone. They were the ones who went down to the village to announce the deaths of the royal family. No one mourned the king, queen, and Hillary, but when Cassiel’s name was spoken on the list of the dead and uproar of protest and screams of denial washed over the kingdom. They mourned over their fallen princess, throwing flowers in the ocean and lighting candles around the village ‘to guide her spirit home’. They were unaware of the fact that her spirit was sentences to burn in damnation.

I hissed as the familiar sharp pain assaulted me once again as her image crept into my mind. I shook my head, trying to block out the memory of her as I picked Jimmy up from our bed. His blue eyes were filled with drowsiness as he awoke from his nap.

“Hey buddy,” I spoke quietly as he rested his head on my shoulder.

His only reply was an incoherent mumble.

I walked to the bathroom where Zane was being held and he was in the middle of protesting against Audrey. He had been wanting to go back into the Atlantic, but he was still injured severely and we knew he would go straight for his kingdom to slaughter those who ruled over him. And Audrey wasn’t going to allow another person die on us.

“Let me out of this god forsaken tub, Starr,” he bared his serrated teeth at her.

“Not gonna happen, Aurror,” she said blankly and she examined his wounds as she changed the bandages.

“Bitch,” he muttered, sulking.

“Douche,” she replied automatically unfazed by his slur.

“Shane will you please tell her to stop hold me hostage,” he looked over at me with pleading eyes.

“Hostage,” Audrey scoffed.

“I agree with her,” I spoke in a monotone voice.

“Jackass,” he glared at me for a moment before childishly crossing his arm and turned away from me.

“Where’s my sister?” I looked towards Audrey.

“In the village with your mother,” she answered, “Why?”

“I’m taking Jimmy down to the beach,” I told her as I adjusted Jimmy’s position on my hip.

“Be careful,” she cautioned as she kissed Jimmy’s forehead.

“We will,” I answered blandly and left without another word.

I made our way down the staircase and was careful not to disturb the half-sleeping boy in my arms. I walked through the French doors and saw Vera attempting to put Aiden’s saddle on his back.

“I heard that you were leaving,” she answered the unanswered question quietly.

I only nodded in return.

“He hasn’t been the same since she left,” she breathed shakily as she wiped the tears from her face. “I think he knows that she’s not coming back.”

The searing agony ripped through me once again and it rendered me speechless. I struggled to keep a steady footing as I hoisted me and the toddler onto Aiden’s back. I had to get out of here, to get away from the memory of her. I nudged my foot into the horse’s side, and felt Vera’s eyes burning into my back as we raced down to the shore.

I had managed to catch my breath, but was unable to stop the ache burning in my chest. I hopped off Aiden, tying him to a piece of driftwood and retrieved Jimmy from his back. The three year old was conscious now, struggling to remove himself from my arms.

I let him go and he wasted no time on getting into the seawater, and for the first time since that godforsaken night he smiled. Well at least he was able to escape the cruel fate that we were dealt with. I sat near the water’s edge, watching the giggling toddler in envy. How simple his life was with being shielded from the horrors around him. If only all of our lives could be that simplistic.

“Don’t go out too far, bud,” I cautioned, knowing that the immortals that resided in the water wouldn’t come in this far, but I have learned that you could never be too careful.

“Okay,” he smiled up at me, but when he looked over my shoulder it disappeared.

Confused by the action I turned to look and I felt my heart drop.

Troops. Hundreds, if not thousands of them were marching towards the kingdom. I had enough knowledge to know that they were not here for a pleasant visit. I had to get to the village to find my family and warn the villagers.

“Fuck,” I hissed, grabbing Jimmy out of the water and rushed towards Aiden.

Aiden took off immediately towards the small rundown village. People dressed in rags bustled through the streets carrying on with their lives. I desperately searched for my mother and sister through the crowd until I found them near the well.

Luckily my mother spotted me, and rushed over when she saw my unsettled expression.

“What is it?” she asked warily.

“Tell all of the villagers to get to the castle, and get to safety as soon as you can,” I rushed out, and left her to warn Cassiel’s people.

“Get to the castle!” I yelled out desperately, catching their attention. “You’re all in danger, get to the castle! It’s an ambush!”

Thankfully they seemed to listen as the small town erupted into chaos. People were running around frantically searching for their loved ones. But nevertheless the people inched their way towards refuge.

I stayed behind, making sure the living were safe and helped those who were struggling to keep up all the while keeping at steady hold on Jimmy. I could hear the steady beats of the soldiers’ footsteps, which only made me more anxious to get them and Jimmy inside the walls.

Why were they doing this? This wasn’t the work of just one race; it was all of them from what I could tell. What made Derik break his deal? He got what he wanted; Cassiel had fallen to a fate worse than death. If he attacked the human’s kingdom, he would let go of what he worked for all of her life. So why was he doing this?

I managed to get everyone in the courtyard and secured the iron gates, not that it would stop them, the best it would do was stall them. The immortal army set fire to the village as the people who resided there watched. I hopped off the midnight colored horse with Jimmy still in my arm and went to find Tristan.

I found him by the stables with a grave look on his face, his violet eyes were solemn.

“Do you know what is going on?” I asked him seriously.

He nodded, “Derik and the others decided having my baby sister dead wasn’t enough.”

“How are we going to keep them safe?” I asked in a hushed tone.

“I have no idea,” he confessed as he watched what was left of the kingdom burn.

***

(Cassiel’s P.O.V.)

Pain. That is what surrounded me for weeks that seemed like years, or maybe they were days. I didn’t know. All I could feel was that single emotion, but now it felt like it was evaporating off me. I opened my eyes and was instantly fearful. I could see.

Why the hell could I see? Derik had gouged out my eyes, how did I have my sight back?

When my eyes had adjusted to the new lighting, I was lost. I had never been in this room before. It reminded me of the infirmary I was forced to stay in back home. Everything was draped in pure silk that seemed to be whiter than the snow that coated the village only a few months ago. I incased in a plush duvet and satin sheets that felt amazing against my exposed skin.

I lifted the covers off of my body and almost screamed in fear. All of my wounds were gone; there wasn’t even a scar that signified that there were even any. I ran my hands frantically across my skin trying to find anything that could explain the torture I went through for two weeks.

Was it even two weeks yet?

And then I came to a reasonable conclusion, I was hallucinating. I had managed to escape the torture that Derik bestowed to me.

I smiled in content as my feet came in contact with the carpeted floor. I walked over to the windowed doors that were covered in cream colored curtains. I opened the drapes, letting the warm beams of light shine through the glass panels. I saw that the doors led to a balcony that looked over a cliff with water crashing against the jagged rocks below.

My eyes gazed across the colorless room. It was about half the size of my family’s ballroom, with numerous silver chandeliers hanging in assorted lengths and were rooted in the high ceiling above me. There was a large open armoire, next to the satin covered bed I had slept in, with luxurious dresses hidden inside. I walked over to the other side of the mattress where a neatly folded piece of paper lied on the pillow.

It read, “My sweet Cassiel, if you are reading this I have not yet returned. But don’t worry my dear, I’ll be back as soon as I can and we’ll be together again, there are just a few last minute arrangements I must follow up on. I love you and I can’t wait to see your beautiful face again.”

I frowned down at the piece of parchment as I tried to piece together who wrote the letter. But before I was able to succeed in doing so, I heard the bedroom door open.

A woman, maybe a few years old than I was, stepped through the threshold while carrying a basket of fresh linens. He had shoulder length dark brown hair; her eyes were pure white. I could tell she saw me because she dropped the woven basket and let out a quiet sound that was mixed with fear and surprise.

She immediately went down to her knees, careful not to look at me as she scrambled to retrieve the bed sheets, “F-forgive me for dis-disturbing you, my queen.”

I knelt down, helping her refold the smooth silk sheets. I noticed her wings that had been folded across her back, they weren’t like Gabriel or Raphael’s; hers were a darkened grey color with different shades coating each feather. Her skin which was porcelain in color was covered in both aged scars and new wounds that looked like they just stopped bleeding, and fresh bruises decorated her exposed skin. She wore a faded black uniform and looked like it rubbed her skin raw like mine did when I was younger.

“Call me Cassiel,” I told her gently, careful not to frighten her more than I did. “What’s your name?”

“Iofiel,” she answered shakily. “But you may call Elle.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Elle,” I smiled at the woman I knew did not actually exist, she was only a figment of my imagination.

Her only reply was a small, polite smile but then looked quickly back the woven basket, “We must get you ready before Master gets back.”

“Master? Is he the one that hurt you?” I asked her, helping her shakily stand up; she looked like she would collapse at any moment from exhaustion.

“No!” her head shot up with her unique eyes wide with terror, “Master would never do this, he is very kind.”

I knew that she was lying, but for her sake I didn’t call her out on the matter. “May I ask what I need getting ready for?”

“For Master’s return, he gave me specific instructions to make you look special for this joyous occasion,” she smiled at me weakly as she opened one of the doors in the room. “Follow me.”

I stared at her for a moment, but nonetheless, I followed her. It was similar to my bathroom back home; it had a drop in marble bathtub with a wall of glass that showed a view of the water crashing against the rocks and mirror took up most of the space on the right wall with a series of beauty supplies on the counter. But something in the mirror stopped me in my tracks; I stared at my reflection that was standing next to Elle.

That reflection in the mirror couldn’t be me. And other than Elle, who I could clearly see next to me, there was no one else here with us, so who else would it be, besides me? The creature in the mirror was wearing a short white slip that left most of its perfect olive toned skin exposed. Its hair was a contrast against its lightly tanned skin, it was so pale that it should be considered white and was chopped off by Derik’s dagger in uneven pieces, but it was steadily growing back. Around its next was something I thought I would never see again after I buried it between Blaine and Clara’s graves, their family necklace. The cross looked as if it had just been polished with the burgundy stone in the center glistening as the candle light shined off of it along with the clear crystal that dangled of the bottom of the cross. But that’s not what frightened me to my core; the creature in the mirror locked its blood red eyes with mine.

Those were my eyes.

I let out a terrified scream as I turned away from the godforsaken mirror. That couldn’t be me. I was the little ignorant human who had no purpose in life other than to die. But here I was

“Your majesty,” Elle rushed to steady me.

“W-what happened to me?” I searched her face frantically for an answer, my stomach churning in the process.

“Master will explain everything when he returns,” she consoled me.

“Am… Am I immortal?” I asked her, disregarding her answer.

She hesitated, “You are immortal in the sense that you are unable to die, but you are not bound to a specific race, my queen.”

I suddenly felt weak again, and Elle lead me over to the cushioned chair and helped me settle down. I let my thoughts wonder as she started to work on beautifying me, which wasn’t much with my new face.

What if my two weeks had been up, and Derik changed his mind and let this man known to Elle as ‘Master’ take me? What if I was actually cursed with being immortal? I wanted to die; I was ready to die when I signed my soul away. I didn’t want to spend an eternity away from my son and my friends in this prison. I knew I had no chance at being let go from here, not just because Derik would never allow it, but by the abuse that was set in Elle’s skin from the so called ‘Master’.

“Your majesty?” Elle asked meekly.

“Yes,” I barely spoke the word.

“Master would like it if you would wear this,” she replied, holding up a dress with elaborate stones sown into the onyx colored fabric around the sweetheart neckline. The stones were identical to the stone centered in the necklace I now wore. My only response was standing up and stepped into the dress. Elle laced up the corset back, and helped me into the high heel shoes that were set aside.

“You look gorgeous, my queen,” she complimented, adjusting the skirt of the dress slightly.

“Cassiel,” I corrected her gently, “and thank you.”

“I’m sorry that this has happened to you,” she apologized, tucking a few of the longer locks of my hair behind me ear.

Before I could reply, I heard a door slam shut somewhere on the other side of the castle. And by Elle’s frightened expression, this ‘Master’ had returned home. I took a deep breath, and mentally prepared myself to see this horrid man who laid his hands on the angel in front of me.

“We must go,” Elle rushed, and lead me out of the room and we made our way down to the foyer.

She steadied me, and righted my dress just as the double doors creaked open. As my eyes met the man’s, I felt my whole word cave in around me. I couldn’t move, like I wasn’t in control of my body anymore. I was unable to scream or run for that matter. I was rooted in place.

“Hello, my love,” he greeted kindly.

I remained silent as I stared at my tormenter in horror.

“You may leave us, Iofiel,” he barked out uncaringly and she hurried out the room.

“How are you?” Blake Locke asked me softly.

I did not dare to mutter a word, and then I felt my chest cavity start to cave in as he shifted my ribcage without even touching me. And I was forced to let out a small cry of agony.

“Fine,” I hissed, as my body hunched over itself.

“I don’t want to hurt you, my love,” he confessed, tucking on of the longer strands of hair behind my ear. “You must see that.”

I nodded, knowing that it was easier to agree with him that not to.

“I’m weary, my Cassiel. Would you like to join me to our chambers?” he spoke the words against my bare shoulder and snaked his arms around my waist.

He didn’t wait for a reply as he swept me off my feet as carried me like a child up the stone grand staircase. He walked casually down one of the corridors, and refused to remove his eyes from me. He pushed one of the double doors open and revealed a room full of contrast.

The walls were painted grey like the clouds before a spring rain. The canopy fabric surrounding the ebony colored bed was a sheer white and the bed sheets matched the walls. There were two black wardrobes on the opposite side of the room; one with elegant dresses and the other with what appeared to be men’s clothing. The wall next to the bed was nonexistent, with only a sheet of glass that exposed us to the breathtaking ocean. I noticed that my crown which must have been removed from my scalp was resting on the bedside table.

“Do you like it?” he questioned in a whisper, his lips brushing against my ear.

“It’s lovely,” I answered him, fear racing through me.

“I’m glad,” he breathed. “I’m sure you have questions.”

“Why am I here?” I asked in a surprisingly steady voice.

"Sit,” he guided me over towards the bed, and I felt my heart drop. “I am aware that Derik told you that he owes me. He wanted you, the one thing that stood in his way, gone and forgotten. He wanted you to spend an eternity burning in the lake, but he owed me you. So we conjured up a plan where you would sign your soul away, making you pathetic little family think that you were dead. He tortured you for two weeks and sent them the tapes of it and of your death for good measure. I brought you back, and you died here. This necklace is what is keeping you ‘alive’ one could say. Derik didn’t want you legacy to cause any further issues, so he sent out the immortal arm on your kingdom, catching them off guard. There were no survivors.”

I sat in silence, trying to make sense of what he was saying. My family was dead. Audrey, Zach, Athen, Carly, Elizabeth, Vera, Tristan, Zane and Shane were all dead along with my people.

Jimmy was dead.

No. It wasn’t true; it couldn’t be true.

There was no possible way my precious little angel was dead. But still my chest started to feel like it was caving in and sobs raked through me.

“No, no, no,” I cried out and Blake pulled me closer as I beat on chest. “You bastard!”

“My love,” he cautioned, his grip on me grew tighter but I didn’t care. He killed them, he killed all of them.

I fought him. He was going to die for this. He needed to die. I couldn’t go on living knowing that my baby and my family were dead, and he had to die too because it was his fault that they were dead. I screamed a thrashed against his hold, not knowing if I was going to live or die. I didn’t care; I just needed to rip his heart out like he did mine.

But then he did something I swore to myself would never happen to me again. The pain was excruciating, bringing back all the memories that I had locked away for six years finally broke through the surface. I was once again the scared twelve year old girl who had been stolen of her innocence. And the merciless act that I had fallen to once again could all be described in one four letter word.

Rape.