Magic Children

Chapter 28 Alvarado, Texas - Arthur

"You've been a very bad little girl, Eris," I say, feeling blood run into my mouth. But I'm not standing on that hot dusty porch anymore, watching the sun come up. Instead, I'm in the middle of a road, surrounded by glowing yellow fields of nothing. And Angel's little girl is in front of me, burning in rage.

"Go AWAY," she tries to wrench me from her mind. She's good. She'll probably be stronger than me someday. But I'm sure her daddy will have killed me by then.

"Not just yet. You were very wrong to mind control your sister. You won't be doing that anymore and I'll be making sure your mother and your father know how naughty you've been. Now let all of them go," she's been pulling people from---I don't know where, farms? Cars? I don't know but they're gathered around her. She's killing them in hopes that I stop loosing her hold on Brigit's mind. I'm not about to.

They won't believe you

"Actually they shall," I finish severing the tentacles she had around her twin's mind. There. Now Brigit is free. My work here is done. Let Aurora care for her demon child.

Eris collapses, bleeding and defeated I'm sure that hurt like hell. The thing is, I don't care.

I let go and am back, safe, on that faded porch.

"This is killing you," Vali whispers, wrapping his arms around me from behind.

"Yeah, I know," I say, leaning against him, "That's why I want you here." To die in his arms. That's all I want now, after all this time.

"Just tell me where he is."

"It doesn't matter anymore."

"I want to save you."

"I'm sorry," because he can't.

"Just come back to bed, huh?" he says, rubbing my shoulders. "You need rest."

"Okay," because I have to let him believe something will help. We both know I won't sleep. I turn around to go in but he hasn't moved. "Don't leave me again?"

"I won't," he says, kissing my forehead as he gently wipes blood from my face, "Are you gonna tell me what you were doing?"

"No," I say, smiling my innocent, shit-eating grin that I'm well aware will win him over.

"Let's go back to bed," he says, running a hand through my hair, "You need to sleep."

I do follow him back upstairs. I need to keep watch over Brigit, but the girl is very, very self-reliant. And her mother knows where she is that makes it no longer my problem to an extent, doesn't it? I think it should.

The girl's rooms are quiet. Good. I do want to go back to resting actually. Loss of blood, today and yesterday, and---everything. God, I'm dizzy.

"You're really not gonna tell me what you were doing?" he asks, as I curl back up in my spot which is sadly not still warm.

"Nope," I say, pressing my face into the pillow. Soft sheets, a thick pillow. Still a luxury even after all these years.

"Moron," Vali says, curling up next to me, his arm around me like I'll disappear from him in the night. His head on my back so that he can hear me breathing. Yes, this is how I'd like to go to sleep and never wake up. I know it probably won't happen like that. But even so.

"I sit here!" Baby catapults herself into the bed, and is very disturbed not to be eating cereal on Vali's pillow like she usually does every morning while I play head games with her in exchange for more lying here with my eyes closed.

"Wrong. I sleep here," Vali says, not overly perturbed. He likes them; he just has to pretend not to. They're fine. A few more not in cages. And these two mean no harm. A few antics, stealing the odd cake, they're no danger. Brigit either, she's a sweet child. Warps herself places like banshee, but she doesn't cause harm. She would never try to, oh I don't know, set off a nuclear warhead because she thought Russia was too cold for her sorry ass like her imbecilic sire thought he would. Just when I thought there was a limit to Angel's massive stupidity, destructiveness, and all around poor decision making.