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Storm's POV
I slapped him. Hard.
How dare he do this to me?! I love him, but I love my family, too. This is too much for me to handle right now!
"What do you mean I won't be able to see my family again?" He remained silent, not even flinching after my slap, as if he'd accepted I would react badly. Talk to me, dammit!
"Rico, please! I need you to talk to me, you're all I have! I need you to take me to see them, you can do that, right?"
Silence.
"Please, Rico!" I begged him desperately, trying to make him look at me. My anger had quickly changed to desperation. There had to be a way!
"Just shut up, Storm. You're mine. You don't need them, not when you have me" he snarled, causing me to draw back in shock. He's never acted like this, not since he took me! It- It hurts, being talked to like this again, after all we've been through... Like I'm a possession to be owned!
Usually, I like it when he says I'm his, it makes me feel like I belong. But now, when he's acting like this, I hate it!
I began murmuring the words to a familiar protective spell under my breath, hoping he wouldn't notice. He didn't appear to notice, or maybe he just didn't care, but either way, I couldn't feel the familiar pull of magical energy coursing through me. I felt...nothing at all... I felt empty...
Rico seemed to sense my distress, and instantly tried to comfort me. I was about to move away from him, until his touch sent shivers along my nerves, making me wonder why I was even angry in the first place.
"I'm sorry, Storm..." I heard him murmur as he brought me into a tight hug from behind.
Rico's POV
I didn't mean to snap at him, I just feel guilty for murdering my brother... I mean, I know what he did to Storm was something I'd never be able to forgive, but he was my brother, my own flesh and blood! And I tortured and killed him...
No. He deserved it for all he did, but my guilty conscience still weighs down heavily on me. His screams still ring in my ears...
"Why can't I feel my magic anymore?" Storm whispered, looking back at me through watery eyes.
I scooped him up into my arms, and he let out a small squeak in surprise. But I need him to be close to me before I tell him something to make him feel even worse.
"Because you're a demon now, baby. I'm so, so sorry..." I said very softly, afraid that the boy in my arms would break into pieces if I raised my voice any louder. "You'll get used to it soon, I promise"
But that wasn't a promise I could make, and certainly not one I could keep. What if he never got used to life without magic, life as a demon?
The frail boy in my arms remained silent.
"I'll take you to see some of The Beyond, if you like. It's not as bad as it seems once you're a demon. Oh, and we'll go flying together! I can teach you, it'll be fun! You don't have to leave, not now! And we..."
Storm cut off my frantic rambling and shuffling in my arms and pressing his lips to mine. It was only a brief kiss, but it was enough for me. It was his way of reassuring me that he wasn't mad at me, that he didn't plan to leave me. I knew it.
"Rico, it's okay. I understand. If the price of me being alive and with you is becoming a demon and losing my magic, then that's okay. It's a cost I'm prepared to pay, because spending time with you is worth more to me than you'll ever know. But if I recall what you said after I drunk your blood right, you said I could see my family, even if it was only for a little while. Is that right?"
The hope in his eyes was something I couldn't possibly take away from him. I know what I have to do, if it will make him happy. Even if I risk banishment from The Near yet again by doing so.
"Yes, that's right. I can take you, but for no more than five minutes, maybe not even that"
He kissed me again, then. Just on the cheek, as a thank you I guess. "Thank you, Rico. That means a lot to me. Are you sure you're okay with that?"
"How could I possibly deny you when you're looking at me with those adorable eyes of yours?" I said, chuckling a little. Storm beamed at me.
"I'll never forget all you've done for me. Let's go, Rico"