Part 21: Home
"Do you think it's a happy coincidence or simply fate that you're from Georgia, babygirl?"
Grinning, Anya throws some clothes into her suitcase and looks at Kyun, who sits on the little chair in her bedroom and, as always, snacks on a peach.
"I thought the reason you appeared when I summoned a crossroad demon was because you were hanging on a peach plantation nearby. Is that not it?!"
Kyun throws his head back, laughing. "This sounds like something way too heavenly for hell to allow!"
She can't help but laugh as well.
"You will bring me peaches, right?" His eyes spark. "The juiciest you can find!"
"Can't you just jump there by yourself? You'd literally be there in a heartbeat!"
"Nah!" Kyun smacks. "It's not the same when you have to buy them yourself..."
Biting her lip to hide her grin, she nods. "I'll see what I can do!"
Christmas is around the corner. And Kyun convinced her to spend it with her family. For the past few Decembers, she's been too busy to do so. She must say, she's looking forward to this. Being home. Being a normal girl for once.
Though it will be weird going back to that very town in the outskirts of which she met Kyun for the first time. It's crazy, ten years ago she'd never thought the demon that terrified her to death on that crossroad would sit here with her snacking, watching her packing her suitcase while they're having random conversations.
It feels... good.
Too good.
To be honest, the only reason she said yes to Kyun's plan of spending Christmas at home is to get away from him for a while. It will be hard, she knows that. And she's almost one hundred percent sure he'll show up anyway. But she has to try at least. Has to try to talk to living people, be around them instead of demons and warlocks. She has to get her feelings under control.
"What are your plans for Christmas?" she asks now and Kyun tilts his head as she puts her panties into her suitcase with teasing slowness.
"Ah, you must know us heathens loooove Christmas!" He smirks, his eyes following her panties falling in the bag.
She chuckles. "Big family dinner down there?"
"Yeah," he says sarcastically. "With presents and food. We'll have a blast!"
For a moment they both chuckle and she has the urgent desire to ask him to come with her. To spend Christmas with her. But she knows this wouldn't be the best idea. And he definitely doesn't care anyway. Because he never cares about anything...
"I'll spend those days at suicide hotspots. You know, skyscrapers, bridges..." he explains and she lifts her head, her brows furrowed.
"Why? Doesn't suicide send humans to hell anyway?"
It's almost creepy how easy it is for her to talk with Kyun about death and all this. As if this wasn't a tragic thing. Smacking his lips, he shakes his head before throwing the peach pit into the trash can and getting up.
"That's a myth. But no soul is easier to get than the ones that are lost anyway!"
Her body tenses when he walks behind her and his deep voice caresses her senses. "It's never easier than when a person has nothing left. I'm giving them a new life," he whispers and tucks her hair over her shoulder. "A new perspective, a chance."
Frozen, she stares at her suitcase until she gathers the composure to turn her head to him. "Until you get their souls ten years later..."
"Right!" Kyun smirks and leans closer. "But these ten years will be worth it!"
Instinctively she tilts her head to the side, only waiting for his lips to stroke her. They skim down her neck without touching her. She feels his warm breath on her skin, and even though there's no actual connection between them, her knees become weak and she sighs lustfully, leans against his shoulder as his hand glides over her waist to her stomach.
This is almost unbearable, but still, she doesn't want him to stop...
"So you will be busy?" she asks in a low voice, so eager to keep up the conversation, to hide how much she wants him.
"Yeah." He lifts his head to look at her. "Why? Will you miss me?"
So much. She'll miss him so much but at the same time, she needs the distance. She needs to get away from his force, from his impact. She needs a clear mind...
"You wish!" she mumbles before she continues packing.
After her sister Taryn opened the door with the words, "Sorry we aren't taking in any homeless people this year, try the shelter down the street!" Anya knew that she had finally arrived at a place in which she isn't the Anya, the superstar. She's just... herself. The daughter, the sister, the grandchild. It's been so long since she's last seen them. Her elder brother Cole and his wife Maddi had a baby boy at the beginning of the year and she can't believe that this is actually the first time she's holding him. Taryn currently is in her masters program in anthropology and folklore. It's weird seeing the siblings she used to get in a lot of trouble with being contributing members of society.
"I'm so proud of you, honey," her mother gushes and her eyes sparkle after Anya told her family during dinner, that chances are good she might get nominated for a Grammy.
"'Dancing with the Devil' is indeed a masterpiece, so I'm not surprised!" Cole grins and raises his wineglass into her direction. Anya feels her cheeks burning. She's so used to people celebrating and praising her, but family is different, they're unfiltered, real. Their opinion means a lot to her.
"I was actually planning—"
Suddenly the door opens and Anya stops mid-sentence. Everyone is here, who else is—
"Merry Christmas!"
All their heads turn into the broad, tall man standing in the room and the artist's heart begins to race.
Oh shit!
It's Will...
That "close family friend" that gave her the instructions on how to sell her soul ten and a half years ago. The very man that gave her the knife that's able to kill Kyun.
Fuck.
Anya had no idea he would show up. Her dad told her he'd moved to Europe a few years ago after he made a shitload of money in...no idea.
Will had tried to reach out to her over the past months. But she ignored his messages, his calls. She did it for a reason though. Because she had no idea how to explain to him how she got out of the deal.
He freezes as his gaze falls on Anya and his eyes widen, shocked. It's only when her mother pulls him into a tight hug that his attention gets drawn away from the artist.
"Anya," Will finally says after he sits at the table across from her. "It's been a while..."
She can't deny that she holds somewhat a grudge against him. He's a demon hunter and was entirely new to the game back then. One day he found Anya miserable and heartbroken about the prospect of her beloved boyfriend dying and told her that he learned about making deals with hell. Anya assumes he was scared she might take her life after Henry's passing.
Back then he wasn't sure this kind of pact would work or if it's just another legend he'd heard. Anya was so desperate and determined to do anything to save Henry's life that she was barely phased by the fact that every horrible creature in the horror stories parents tell to scare their children are actually real. To this day it's a mystery to her how well she took all this. After Henry recovered and... well, disappeared, she was in such strong denial and just pretended none of this had happened. That worked out pretty well... until she started hearing the hellhounds.
What kind of person uses a sixteen-year-old as a guinea pig?
The huge tribal tattoos on his arms and the terrifying posture that reminds her a little of Alec's show her that Will is a real pro in the demon hunting game now. Maybe he even knows Magnus' husband.
"Yeah'" she says and takes a sip from her wine. "Ten years and seven months, right?"
Will eyes her carefully and he's just about to open his mouth, when her Dad chimes in. "Our Anya will probably get nominated for a Grammy!"
Almost immediately they pick up the conversation they had before Will showed up.
Even though he's trying hard to hide it, she can see in Will's face that he has many questions. And contrary to how she might have expected this interaction to go, she finds this quite amusing. Because no matter what he asks, she won't tell him the truth. It's her little secret. Just like Kyun.
After dessert, Will begins to gather the dirty dishes.
"Oh, you don't have to do that, Will!" Anya's mother says in but her friend immediately raises his hand.
"I insist. You cooked such a great meal, Jules. Let me do the rest! Anya, wanna help me?"
Ha! She saw that one coming.
"Sure!" With a sugar-sweet smirk, she piles up the rest of the dishes and follows Will into the kitchen. The moment she puts the dirty plates into the sink, he spins her around and...hugs her?
Okay, she didn't expect that.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" he whispers into her ear and pulls back to look at her. "But how are you alive?"
Giggling, she shakes her head and turns back to the sink to start soaking the plates. "Why wouldn't I be alive?"
She has no idea what's gotten into her that she can talk about this with such nonchalance.
"You know why!" he groans. "Anya! Jesus, I tried to call you so many times! For the past seven months, I thought every day might be the day I would get the news about your passing! I was worried sick, you have no idea! For ten years I thought I would be responsible for my best friend's daughter's death! This ate me up inside!"
"Yeah?" She huffs a laugh. "For someone that was eaten up by this, I haven't heard much from you during those ten years..."
Will grimaces. She can see in his face that he knows he fucked up. Maybe he was in denial for ten years. Like she was.
"How are you alive?" he whispers and she looks at him.
What is she supposed to tell him? She can't tell him the truth. No one can know about this deal. No one can know that she's sacrificing souls to get out of it.
"I didn't make the deal back then," she says in a steady voice. "It didn't work..."
"Ah!" he nods and she can see that he doesn't believe a word she says. "And how did Henry recover?"
"I don't know." She shrugs. "A miracle?"
Will groans. "Don't take me for a fool, Anya!"
Why the fuck is he getting so mad? Can't he just be happy that she's still alive?
"He didn't wanna make the deal with me..." she tries again. "He said I was too young to make rational decisions!" With a smirk, she looks up to him. This wasn't even a lie. "Turns out you have to be a legal adult to make a deal!"
"Anya!" Will says, and takes a deep breath. His tense body shows her that he's trying to stay calm. "Are you trying to fuck with me or...?"
"Why? That's the truth! He said—HEY!"
Before she can end her sentence, he grabs her arm roughly, rips open the back door, and shoves her out of it.
"I didn't—!" She stops as she turns and stares directly into the barrel of a gun.
Her blood freezes in her veins and her insides turn over.
"Will!" she breathes, her voice shaky as she slowly lifts her hands, taking a step back. Her body trembles as her eyes rotate between Will's face and the gun in his hand.
"How did you make it out of the deal!" he snarls in a low voice. "Answer!"
Every muscle in her body hurts from the sheer tension of holding herself so still. She's terrified of what he might do if she makes any sudden moves.
No matter what, she can't tell him the truth.
"Will, put the gun down!"
Her friend shakes his head and takes another step toward her. "Tell me how the fuck you did it!"
Anya can barely hear his words, they drown in her strong heartbeat and heavy breaths.
"I swear, I—" Will stops mid-sentence and his face, so hateful seconds ago, slackens. His eyes widen and suddenly he begins to choke. Gagging, he writhes his body and the gun slips out of his hand. Anya watches him wide-eyed, doesn't have the slightest idea what's going on.
"Will?" she asks, her voice still shaky. She takes a hesitant step toward him but he chokes louder, coughs. Struggling to breathe, he falls on his knees and blood spills out of his mouth with every cough. He lifts his head up to her, the sound of his effort filling the night.
"Tell him to stop!" he pleads, and her jaw drops.
"I'm not—!"
Before she can begin the sentence a low, dark chuckle interrupts her.
"We have such a clever one here!"
Will is still coughing, fighting for his life, as Anya spins around, and looks straight into Kyun's crimson eyes.
The demon smirks at her before looking over to Will, his hands and knees on the dirty ground. Every breath he takes seems to be overwhelmingly painful.
"Stop!" her friend repeats, and again Kyun chuckles.
"No!" he says nonchalantly and sucks his teeth. "Unfortunately, you touched my girl, and I'm a little possessive..."
Gulping, she watches Will's eyes fall on hers, an unreadable expression on his face.
"You teamed up with him?" Another time he gags and Anya shakes her head.
"It's not like that! Kyun! Please, stop!"
The demon turns his head to her, his brows furrowed, then he sighs. "Fine!"
Will immediately stops coughing and he sucks in a deep, shaky breath.
Kyun pulls her away from her friend and cups her cheeks. "Are you okay, babygirl?"
Too baffled by Will's behavior and Kyun's appearance to know how to react, she looks into his crimson eyes and nods. "Yeah... I'm good! I'm just—"
"You're playing with fire, Anya!" Will gasps and gets on his feet, groaning.
"Oh, she knows!" Kyun smirks and wraps his arm around her waist. "And she loves it, don't you, babygirl?"
Chewing her bottom lip, she looks at Will. Anya never wanted anyone to know about Kyun and this deal for a reason. She doesn't need to be judged, doesn't need anyone to remind her of how selfish she's being, how cruel. She barely has her own conscience under control in that matter.
"He's helping me to get out of this!" she whispers and lowers her gaze.
"I wanna know!" Will says and gets moving. "I wanna know!"
Fuck!
Anya yelps when Will raises his hand, his finger clutched around the trigger of the gun. She stumbles backwards, her insides turning another time as she attempts to hide behind Kyun. But the demon vanishes from her side in the blink of an eye and appears right between her and Will.
"One more move and I will snap your neck like a fucking twig." Kyun's voice has this lethal calmness again.
He puts his hand on the gun and it pulverizes between Will's fingers, becoming nothing more than a handful of metal sand that drizzles between his fingers to the ground. Kyun's groan, similar to that one when the vampire attacked Anya, shakes the night, and an invisible force hurls Will back. He slides over the wet lawn and lands on his stomach.
"Please, Anya!" Will pleads, still laying on the ground. "Just tell me how you did it..."
Kyun stops and lifts his head. "Wait a damn minute!" Slowly he walks up to Will. "Oh Will! What do my eyes see?"
He puts his foot under her friend's shoulder and flips him on his back, then kneels down to him.
"His soul doesn't belong to him anymore!" he cries with something like exuberance and Anya's eyes widen, shocked.
"What?"
Kyun chuckles and looks at Will. "You sold it to Alastair! My condolences! Four months left..." Kyun says and leans closer to him, grinning wickedly. "Can you already hear them? The hellhounds..."
"Help me!" Will pleads and she hears the desperation in his voice. This breaks her heart.
She's too shocked to tell Kyun to stop teasing him. Seven months ago, she was where Will is now. She knows how desperate he is. How scared...
"Will," she asks, her voice shaky, and walks closer. "Why did you...?"
"Yeah, Will!" Kyun mocks. "Do you wanna tell her or shall I?"
When her friend remains silent, face turned from her, the demon flashes her a grin. "Money!"
"What?" Again she gasps. "Will!"
This is how he got rich so suddenly. Out of all the reasons people sell their soul, money is the stupidest. Anya was stupid too, she knows that. But this?
"I had no idea it would really work!" he says, his voice breaking. "I was so weak! Please, Anya!"
What is she supposed to do now?
Tears fill her eyes as well when she realizes there's absolutely nothing she can do for him.
"I can't help you," she sobs. "I was lucky with my demon."
"And Alastair won't be as gracious as I am!" Kyun chimes in and gets up. "But you can try!"
"What am I supposed to do now?" Will cries and grabs her wrist when she walks up to him, kneeling on the floor.
Gulping, she rips her arm out of his grip. This isn't her deal. This isn't her problem. As much as she hates it, she's already struggling enough getting her own neck out of the noose. Plus she knows damn well she doesn't wanna get into more trouble by pissing off a demon like Alistair! She doesn't know much about him, but the few things Kyun told her about him are enough for her to know that she wants to stay away from him.
And even though she's close to making it out, she's still fucked, thanks to the feelings she has. She may have stopped Kyun from taking her soul, but he's dangerously close to taking her heart, and she's not sure that it's much better this way. Loving Henry cost her enough, and he was just a selfish human—how much more will it cost her to love a demon? She just can't focus on Will right now.
"I can't help you!" she whispers again and Will's eyes widen, shocked.
"What happened to you? Where's your human decency? Your compassion? Your mercy?"
While pressing her lips together, she tries to suppress her tears. How dare he judge her?
"You have no idea what I got myself into..." she replies in a low, shaky voice. Then she passes him and walks back into her family's house, shutting the door behind her.