Dragon Kin

12

Alicja

"What in the nine hells did you do?" Ocean said, backing away from the mark.

He was not the composed and cultured person I had come to know. In fact he was near violence.

"Easy, Ocean," Victor said.

"Easy my ass," Ocean said, and began pacing. Then he stopped and looked at me. "With you?"

I lifted my wrist and showed him the mark, feeling oddly guilty for some reason.

"Sweet damnation. And you're Enedral, yes?" he asked.

"Yes," I admitted.

"You need to calm down, Ocean. She's had a rough few days, huh?" Victor said, his voice calm, but commanding.

Ocean stopped pacing and looked over at us, then ran his fingers through his hair. "Calm?" He sucked his breath through his teeth. "Sure, we can do calm. Been through more than this, haven't we?"

He went to the bar and poured a gin, "So, that just happened. Right out on the street, and they got the drop on you. Sure. I can see that. Must have been a bit disturbing."

Victor relaxed again, leaning into the back of the couch, "Not everyday you meet your soul-mate."

Ocean turned and snarled, "That is not your soul-mate."

"Ocean! What the fuck?" Victor said, coming off the couch.

"No," Ocean said, stepping forward. "I've been around for a long time, Link. Remember who you are talking to!" then to me, "I don't mean any disrespect. You understand? I'm a bit older than I look. I don't age like others do."

"You're not Dradam?" I asked.

This amused him, and he seemed to realize something, and that realization calmed him down, allowing him to regain control of himself. "No, no I'm not Dradam. I'm what you would call, a cambion. Do you know the term?"

I nodded, but felt a slight chill, "One of your parents was a..."

"It's alright," he said, "You can say it. A demon."

"Your father was...?"

"No, actually it's my mother. She is a succubus. At least I'm fairly sure she's still living," he said, looking into his own mind for a moment. "Anyway... I've been around for a while. I've learned things, and one of the things I've learned is that what you people think of soul-mates has been twisted by the same people who made the cherubim into little cute babies."

I nodded, "The cherub has two pairs of wings, and four faces: that of a lion, an ox, a human, and an eagle. Their legs are straight, the soles of their feet like the hooves of a bull, gleaming like polished brass. They are nine feet tall and they are engulfed in the flames of god."

Ocean lifted an eyebrow, "Um, yes. Well done."

"Thank you," I said. "You were saying? About soul-mates?"

"That you aren't. And grateful you should be."

"Why's that?"

"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants — well, what they believe they want. If you deserve hell, god might grant that prayer.

"But a true soul mate is a mirror, an embodied reflection, the person who shows you everything you resist — all of the things about yourself — everything you allow to hold you chained. They are the person who brings these things to your attention so you can change your life.