Bloody Angel. Book 2

I'm not going anywhere

"And you don't remember what happened? How you got away?"

Annie huffs out a sigh and rubs at her forehead, drawing the hand down her face before turning to the broad ghoul fussing over her, swatting his hands away.

"No. I remember them tying us to the stake and lighting the pyre. The fear. Feeling so…helpless. I screamed and then everything went black. Next I know I'm waking up here with two fully ghoulish ghouls standing over me." She turns to the two leaning against the wall, watching with weary eyes. "I am sorry about that. It just caught me off guard."

"It's understandable," Sage says with a gentle smile. "Though my ears are still ringing."

"It's fine, Solros." Kali's voice is small as he pulls the blanket tighter around himself, turning away from her. "It's a normal reaction to creatures like us. It's why we glamour."

Annie frowns and shifts to sit up off her pillows, wincing lightly at the pulling she felt in her back. "Can you guys give us a minute? I'd like to talk to my brother alone. Please."

Aether looks over at Sage and they nod, Aether walking around the bed and out of the room after saying he was going to look for Copia since he’s been gone so long. Sage steps over and gently takes her hand, giving it a squeeze.

"I'm gonna head down to my room now that you're up. I'm glad you're okay, Annie. Thanks for saving us."

Annie nods at him, returning the gentle squeeze before watching him leave, the door closing behind him. Alone now she turns to Kali who has pulled the blanket even tighter around him, face still turned away.

"Kali..? Come sit. Please."

The ghoul peeks over at her from the corner of his eye before shaking his head. "I'm okay right here."

"Please," she asks again, her voice soft and eyes pleading.

He sighs, shoulders dropping as he pads over to the bed. "What's up?"

Annie tugs on the blanket and he sits next to her, turning his face away.
 

"Kaliko, what's going on? Is it because I screamed?"

He shakes his head, biting at his lip. "No, it's not just that."

"Then…what is it?"

"I…hate that I look like this. I always have. So not being able to glamour, I feel…exposed. Not myself. And…yeah. The fact you screamed twice about seeing us like this did little to help with that."

Annie looks him over, taking in his altered form. Horns protrude from behind his hairline, both tall with a shorter second point near the base so it looked like he had four horns total. His skin was darker than the normal light tan she normally saw, more of a golden bronze with mossy undertones like the beginning of rusty oxidization. His hazel eyes were now a deep amber and his red- brown hair now had an almost metallic shimmer to it. She reached over and gently tucked it behind his long pointed ear, giving a warm smile.

"You're very handsome, Kali. Dare I say even more than with your glamour."

"I'm a monster."

"No!" Annie shifts closer, hand sliding to cup his cheek. "You are not a monster! I have seen monsters, true monsters, and you are the farthest from it."

Her face softens and she pulls him closer until their foreheads can touch. She smiled at how warm he felt, a comforting heat, and when she felt him relax she gently pulled on the blanket until his grip loosened and it fell to the bed. His cheeks darken and he tries to pull away but she grabs hold of his hand.