Iscariot

You were the one, oh you gave it all to me

"Mika."

She woke to the sound of her name, slowly sitting up on the sofa from where she lay curled against Damien. He was still sound asleep, Matthew and Sam both sleeping in the chairs in the living room with them. They were all exhausted, all worn to the bone. But none of them wanted to be alone. Erik's loss had hit their family so hard. It was tough to speak, let alone think, until they could get some of their energy back.

"James?" Mika blinked up at the incubus standing in the middle of the room and he smiled down at her.

"No, Princess." He moved closer, coming into focus as she squinted in the afternoon sunlight. Crouching down in front of her, he rested a hand on her knee. "Not James."

"Erik?!" She stared in disbelief. But there he was, clear as day, smiling his rakish smile and tossing his hair back from his eye. Shouting his name again, she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly as she cried.

"Yes, Sweetheart. It's me." He hugged her back.

"But..." Mika swallowed, pulling away, trying to compose herself. Her heart was going a mile a minute. "You died."

"I did," he agreed. "And I didn't." Erik tilted his head to study her with a loving look. "The spell didn't go as planned. Or, well, not as I planned it to go, that is."

"I'm not a demon," Mika blurted it out. She didn't want to break the news to him but had to say it.

"You don't sound disappointed," he observed. "Relieved?"

"In a way," she admitted. Cautious, she reached out to touch his shoulder again. It was solid, warm, lithe muscle under his shirt and vest. "You're really real."

"Mmmmmm," he gave a small shake of his head. "Let's not worry about me, okay? How are you feeling? Aside from relieved that you're not a demon."

"I didn't lie to you. I wanted to become one." Mika's eyes welled up again. "Or, I thought I did at the time. And I didn't want to hurt you. Why didn't you tell me about the ritual? We could have found another way."

"This was for the best, Princess." Erik wiped away a tear as it rolled down her cheek.

"How can you say that? It wasn't for the best. You died!" Mika yelled, her temper flaring. She looked back around the room, noticing his brothers weren't waking. Leaning over, she shook Damien but he didn't respond.

"You can't wake them," Erik casually stood up and offered her his hand.

"Why not? Did you cast a sleep spell on them?" Mika accused, hurt by his blasé attitude. "Everyone was devastated! James... I don't think he's going to recover from this."

"I saw James." Erik took her hand and gently pulled her up onto her feet as if she weighed nothing. "He'll recover. He's amazingly resilient. It's a part of his stubbornness." Erik's lips quirked with amusement.

"How can you be so callous?" Mika stared at him, appalled by his humor. "He loves you! All of your brothers do!"

"You're not including yourself in that statement, Princess." Erik pointed out, lifting a brow.

"I-" Mika stammered, her face going red. She looked back at Damien, wishing he would wake, and she heard Erik's wry chuckle again.

"I care for you. It's just-" It was odd. She had been so wrapped up in her emotions the night before, her heart soaring for Erik, but now it was gone. Her head felt clearer without the attraction that had practically suffocated them. She couldn't feel their bond anymore and the bond she now had with Damien was so strong, so right.