Chapter Nine
"You guys wanna hear some yo mama jokes? I have a lot of those that I can give out for free!"
Dania released another frustrated snarl and went to grab Castiel by the throat, but Anza caught her around the waist and hoisted her back.
"Let me at him! I'll devour his corpse like birthday cake to an orphan!" She shouted in frustration, kicking her legs. It was odd to see Anza, over six foot, picking Dania, who barely reached her chest. I shook my head at them, then turned back to Castiel. We had finally gotten him home without killing him and now had him strapped to a dining room chair placed against a wall. Yet, he seemed strangely suicidal with the way he anatagonized Dania.
"He's useless," Ambrosius decided, folding his arms over his chest and giving me an irritated glare, "We should just kill and him and find the rest of the wraiths on our own."
"I agree with him," Minerva chirped and Ambrosius gave her a grimace that she swiftly ignored, "This guy is totally obnoxious. I say we feed him to Dania after Constantine rips him a new one." Constantine smirked wickedly at that and cracked her knuckles for effect and Castiel squeaked, closing his legs and hunching his back as if to hide into himself.
"I was just playing around! Can't you guys take a joke? It was a joke! But the part where I'm not telling you where the others are isn't a joke. Cuz you're assholes and I don't do what assholes say." He added cheerfully, sitting back in his sit. Constantine made a grab for him, but this time Jericho and Dev had to come forward to pull her back. Anza still held Dania back, but now Dania was making mocking gestures at Constantine, completely ignoring the fact that Anza was cupping her breasts. I shot Anza a warning glare and Anza flashed me a wicked grin before letting go to hold her hands up in surrender. As soon as the pressure was gone, Dania was grabbing Castiel by the front of his shirt, jerking him forward and slamming her forehead into Castiel, making him cry out in pain.
"Ow! Oh my god! That's tender! Or did you totally ignore the witchy symbol on my forehead?!" Castiel protested, crossing his eyes in an attempt to look up at his forehead. Dania huffed and stomped on his foot, making Castiel curse in pain. I caught Dania by the arm and pulled her back, this time pushing her toward Ambrosius, who thankfully took her by the elbow to keep her back.
"Castiel," I began, voice calm, "I'm offering you a pretty good deal here. Your soul might get a second chance, if you tell me where the wraiths are." Castiel scowled.
"And I'm telling you it won't! I'm not Celtic or Christian or Greek, assclowns! Well, my mother was Catholic, but that's not the point! I'm Wiccan! I don't go to your afterlife realms! I go to the Summerland and wait to be reincarnated! But, considering I wasn't exactly your run-of-the-mill white Wiccan, and I mean that in the sense of being a good guy, not that you're a Caucasian Wiccan, but yeah, you know what I mean. I practiced black magic. My soul didn't reach the Summerland, so... yeah, here, I am. Reanimating this dead guy's body. There is no second chance. Or at least, not for me." He muttered sourly. I frowned at that. It didn't make too much the way he explained it, but I think I got the gist of what he was saying.
"Who cares," Dania demanded, waving Ambrosius's hands away from her before she folded her arms over her chest and glared at me, "We can't have him here. If what he says is true about the other wraiths not liking him, it'll just add more fuel to the fire for them to come get us. Not only do we have their punching bag, but we have a furnace of fear." Ambrosius glared at her.
"I am not scared of them."
"It's not them you're scared of," Jericho said grimly, letting go of Constantine so she faceplanted into Dev's back, "You're scared of something else. So much so that it's drawing them in."
"What about the rest of you," Ambrosius demanded, offended, "Why aren't they hunting you down?"
"Our fears aren't strong enough to feed them for weeks," Constantine told him scornfully, elbowing Jericho in the ribs and making him grunt, "Oh yeah, we're scared of stupid things. Like spiders and sharks and lions and tigers and bears, oh my. But you? You're scared of something epic. Something that effects your life choices."
"That's stupid," Ambrosius snapped impatiently, "I am not scared of anything."
"Yes, you are," I replied, making Ambrosius glare at me and I returned his glare full force, "You're so scared of what Hades will do to you if you don't live up to his expectations that you're letting it ruin your life. You're not actual this big of an ass. You're just mimicking Hades." Ambrosius fumed silently, glaring at me with enough hate to actually hurt me a little. The sins and Dania went quiet, shifting uncomfortably. Even Castiel shut his mouth to glance back and forth between us.
"Ohhhkay," Anza said after a while, moving in front of the others, "This is getting a little bit too awkward. Let's all go watch porn until these two have had it out." She went and grabbed the back of Castiel's chair, making him yelp as she dragged him out of the room by the back of his chair and the others reluctantly followed. Dania patted my shoulder and pulled me down to give me a kiss on the cheek.
"Good luck, Simba." She told me with a nod, then went after the others. We didn't speak until the door was pulled shut to the dining room and Ambrosius and I were officially alone. Ambrosius threw his hands up in the air in exasperation, then turned away from me to head for the door. I whipped around and threw my hand out, sending a blast of energy to catch Ambrosius from behind. He gasped, clasping his hands over his ass before whirling around to pin me with a merciless glare, cheeks tinged pink.
"How dare you!" He snapped angrily. I met his eyes levelly.
"No. We need to talk. Our personal differences are getting in the way of a serious situation and we need to get it out into the air before it effects our ability to fight the wraiths when they decide to show up and devour you." I explained in a hard voice. Ambrosius curled his lip at me and threw his fists down at his sides.
"There's nothing to talk about! Honestly, my life is none of your goddamn business. I'm only staying here for a month, maybe even less if my father would just come back here and get me! And you think for once second I'll let him make this deal with Lucifer?!" He demanded, almost like he was threatening me, but instead, I laughed out loud.
"Honestly? Yes! Hades can ask you anything in the world and you would do it for him. And you think I care if this deal goes through or not? Less work for me!" I responded. Ambrosius twitched before raking me with a disgusted sneer.
"You're so pathetic! And to think that I actually kind of liked you when I first got here."
"Not as much as I did." I returned honestly. Ambrosius's cheeks flushed and he pursed his lips tightly. I narrowed my eyes at him, folding my arms over my chest and leaning back against the table nearby to watch him.
"I meant what I said when we were in town. I do like you. A lot. I'm tired of trying to walk around eggshells around you. So there. Now it's out in the open. I really like you, Ambrosius." I stated. Ambrosius looked both confused and angry at the same time, clenching his fists so tight, I was sure he'd have bloody crescents imprinted into his palms.
"Then why are you trying to change me if you like me so much?" He demanded. I looked at him in indignant disbelief, pushing off the table and taking a step toward him.
"Change you? I'm trying to make you open up! I like the Ambrosius that was awed by the city, the dancers, the music. I like the Ambrosius that smiled. The one that danced like it was the greatest thing in the world. The real one. Not some fake copy Hades shat out." I seethed. Ambrosius's eyes flashed and he lunged for me. I caught him around the waist and swung him around, slamming him down on the table, grabbing him by the ankles and jerking him so he was pressed right up against me when he sat up.
He sucked his breath in sharply, staring at me. Our faces were just inches apart, breathing ragged and frustrated. His black hair was a touseled mess and blue eyes glowing like lightbulbs, cheeks flushed and sweat trailing down the side of his face. His jaw was tense, lips parted and eyelids fluttering for a moment, like he couldn't believe we were this close. I placed my hands on the table, still leaning in close to his face, his hands set back to prop him up.
"I can't be that." Ambrosius managed at last. I glared at him, holding his gaze. It was like he found it physically difficult to break it away, because he wasn't moving away and still stared into my eyes.
"Yes, you can," I urged, "You can be who you want to be. You don't have to be a god or a demigod to be who you want to be. That's your choice, Ambrosius. Not your father's. Not your mother's. And I can see right through that mask that your father made for you. You don't want to be a soldier. You don't like pretending to hate everyone. You want to be around people. You want to know your brothers, you want to have friends, you want... to have a lover." Ambrosius held his breath at that.
His eyes studied me, like he was trying to find excuses, but found none. His brows drew together and tilted upward in frustration, his lips closing tightly.
I lifted my hand and touched his cheek. His eyes fluttered again before falling shut. I savored the way his soft black hair brushed my fingers as I cupped his jaw, drawing my thumb across his cheek tenderly.
"You want to be happy." I whispered. Ambrosius's eyes flickered open again to look up at me. There was a sliver of hope in those deep vivid blue eyes. It swam like a silver fish for an instant. I leaned in and closed the space between us, unable to withstand the lure of his perfect, kissable lips.
And kissable so they were. Soft and plump, timid and inexperienced, but delicious all the same. I parted them gently and tasted him, a growl erupting deep in my throat as I moved closer, lifting one hand away from the table to slide up his back and press him closer to me.
And he moaned.
God, did he moan. It was a beautiful erotic sound that came from his chest and poured into my mouth through his lips. His tongue soft and moist, sliding carelessly against mine. He had no idea what he was doing, but I found it endearing and sweet. It sent a wave of possessiveness over me. I would kill anyone who tried to touch him like this. No one else could feel these gentle lips, the lave of an inexperienced tongue, and the rippling muscles of his back as he arched into me. He was so easily swept away by the pleasure of a new experience. He melted like putty in my hands.
I swept my hand down his back, over the soft material of his cropped shirt, along his smooth warm back, and cupped a firm round cheek that felt like it had been made just for my hand alone.
I finally broke our kiss apart and Ambrosius seemed dazed, breathing heavily. I studied his eyes.
"Ambrosius..." My voice trailed. I wasn't sure how to explain to him the depth of my feelings for him. It went far beyond a physical animalistic need. It went far beyond the word "like". It was a twisting warmth in my chest, a fluttering in my stomach, a hot passion that ripped through my veins, a desperate need for his mere presence. I opened my mouth to elaborate when there was a loud knock on the dining room door. I cursed under my breath and Ambrosius's eyes widened as if he suddenly realized what was happening. But instead of a cute blush and typical embarrassment, he paled in horror and covered his mouth.
It was the same horror I'd seen on his face when he got drunk and when he had gotten high.
"Who is it, and give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you." I called to whoever had interrupted us. I didn't take my eyes off Ambrosius, because I was both hurt and annoyed at the agony on his face. He closed his eyes slowly and the look on his face was the epitome of self-loathing as he kept his hand over his mouth, like he was trying to mentally push away the moment we just had.
"Raven is back," Minerva called ever so sweetly, "He brought Kasey and Valeria! The whole gang's here! Come out, come out!" I clenched my teeth and mentally beat her repeatedly before looking at Ambrosius.
"Ambrosius, I--"
"Don't," He managed, then turned his head away from me and pushed me back so he could slide off the table slowly, "Just don't." I don't think I'd ever felt like this before. His rejection stung like a slap across the face... No, that was an understatement. It was like someone had stabbed me in the chest. I could only remain silent as Ambrosius kept his back to me, his face buried in his hands. He wasn't crying, but I could practically see him kicking himself, cursing himself. I opened my mouth to say something, but Ambrosius slammed his hand down on the table angrily and moved away from me, unlocking the door and throwing it open.
"Ambrosius!" I tried again, but he walked right past Minerva, who was trying to give him a flirty smile, but he ignored her and teleported when he was halfway through the hallway. Minerva watched him go with a pout before giving me a droll stare.
"You're having about as much luck as me." She stated. I glared at her and she just held up her middle finger before sauntering off to join the others, who'd gone to the lobby to greet Raven, Valeria, and Kasey. I took a moment to try and calm down, but nothing could stop the way my heart felt like it was shattered. Was this what heartbreak was? I'd never felt like this before.
It hurt.
I tried to shake it off as I went to greet my brother, who looked incredibly exhausted and practically leaned on me when he hugged me, touching both his cheeks to mine in greeting, the way we usually did. Kasey and Valeria were pretty quiet on either side of him.
Kasey looked very young with dark wavy hair and dark eyes. He wasn't freakishly tall like the rest of his siblings either, just barely a few inches taller than Dania.
Valeria was also appeared rather young for her age with deep blue eyes and her hair dyed a vibrant shade of purple and tied up into a spikey ponytail, a silver nose ring pierced into one of her nostrils.
Both of them wore the same black uniform Raven did.
"I'm glad you're back." I told Raven. He studied me for a moment and I could tell he picked up on my sullen mood. He cocked his head and looked at me in sympathy before averting his gaze, clearing his throat and running a hand through his dark hair.
"So, Lucifer's still trying to get in contact with Hades. Apparently he isn't in the underworld where he should be." He muttered dryly. I frowned at that, confused.
"Where else would he be?"
"Olympus." Raven answered grimly. Everyone grimaced at that. Hades's being in Olympus only made it twice as hard to contact him. Olympus was their holy place, their paradise. If we were to step foot there, it'd be an act of war and they would launch an attack on us. And while our powers were eventually matched when it came to the Greeks, that was only if God joined us, and He wouldn't. He was as pacifistic as they came. It was only his archangels that enjoyed a good fist fight.
"So, we probably can't count on either of them showing up, can we?" Dania asked sourly. Raven shook his head. Dev cursed under his breath and wiped a hand across his mouth before thrusting a thumb behind him.
"Well, we have the next best thing." He offered and Raven gave him a curious look. Anza placed her hands on her hips, jerking her head in the direction Dev had indicated.
"Thorn and Ambrosius picked up a wraith in town, unfortunately, he's about as eager to tell us where the others are at as a gangster is to become a pastor." She snorted. Dania gave her a nod of approval at the analogy. Raven sighed.
"All right, show me where he is and we'll talk," He stated, "In the mean time, Kasey and Valeria can get something to eat. Dev, I want you and Anza to make rounds every hour, just to double check the outside of the building. Constantine, Minerva, you guys double check the inside of the house. Jericho, you'll be on guard to our little wraith friend." The sins nodded, most of them pretty solemn, obviously not in the mood for work, but they seemed to respect Raven's exhaustion and split off to do their given jobs.
"Where's Ambrosius?" Raven asked me as Jericho and Dania led us to where Castiel was. I clenchd my teeth for a moment, then just shook my head. Raven sighed.
"I'm sorry, Thorn. Maybe next time."
"I don't want there to be a next time," I told him honestly and he arched a brow at that, "There's something about him, Rav. I can't give up on him. Not now. Not when I've gotten this far, and I can't be cruel enough to let him live how is now. At this rate, he'll wish he was dead. What kind of person would I be to let him live like that any longer?" Raven stared at me for the longest time, then his expression softened.
"You're a good guy, Thorn. Really. Ambrosius is lucky. I would've given up on him the moment I met him. But you always were better than the rest of us."
"That's not true. You're working hard, Rav. I can see it."
"Yeah, corralling a bunch of psychopaths maybe." Raven deadpanned. I smirked at that and gave him a pat on the shoulder that made him practically beam from ear-to-era before we wiped the laidback expressions off our face as we came into the living room where Castiel was still tied up in the dining room chair and leaning back on the back two legs of the chair. As soon as he saw us, he brightened, much to my annoyed confusion.
"Hey," Castiel greeted brightly, then his smile faded as he looked around, "Where'd the other guy go? What'd you call him? Ambrosia? Ambro. Angus."
"Ambrosius." I deadpanned. Castiel nodded eagerly, inhaling deeply.
"I can still smell him. I like him, even though he's kind of a prick. He just smells so good. Can't I have a nibble? I'm starving here." He added with a pout. Raven narrowed his eyes in irritation, glancing at me sideways and I held my hands up in surrender.
"I never said he was sane." I pointed out. Dania nodded, folding her arms over her chest.
"Pretty sure his magic has driven him bonkers." She agreed. Raven looked at Jericho, who gave a shrug and nod as if he agreed with us. Castiel scoffed, sticking his chin out and nose up.
"I am not crazy! Not completely. Maybe. I dunno. It's been a while since I actually socialized with people. But they always want to kill me. Not really nice, guys. I think you should see some therapists. You and Ambrosius, after I take a bite out of him." He added cheerfully. Raven and I glared at him, making Castiel purse his lips and look down at the floor innocently. Dania sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Can we hurry up before I kill him myself?" She asked. Jericho nodded silently in agreement. Raven looked at Castiel with narrowed eyes. Castiel squeaked and locked his knees together.
"Jesus, with a look like that, you could scare Lucifer himself!"
"Lucifer's my father."
"Ah yeah? Cool! Never knew my father. Just knew that he was in prison for killing twelve people. Said they were evil creatures sent to destroy him. He was probably crazy. I get my magic from his side of the family, though. Mama was a hardcore Catholic. The moment she saw me with a pentacle, BOOM! Bashed me over the head with a cross. She called it a Jesus beating."
"Well, at least we know where he gets it from." Dania said dryly. Raven smirked. Castiel just smiled as if he didn't understand what we meant. I shook my head at them, then looked back at Castiel.
"We need to know where the other wraiths are, Castiel. We can't keep you alive either. You're too much of a risk. We can't have you feeding on one of us." I explained slowly, as if speaking to a child. Castiel wrinkled his nose.
"I won't feed off you," He drawled, then flashed us a charming smile, "I'll just feed off the Ambrosius guy. Come on, you can't tell me you don't smell the fear rolling off him in waves. It's intoxicating! No wonder all the wraiths are converging to get together and jump him."
"What?" We asked in sharp unison. Castiel paled.
"Ah, nothing... Nothing. I was just saying... that Taco Bell has that fourth meal thing goin' on. I haven't tried it before. Mama always told me Taco Bell was the devil's food... But considering she was racist as all get out, I never really believed her. Mexican food always smelled great." He tried. We glared at him before Dania looked at us.
"They're planning to jump Ambrosius? I didn't think he was that loaded." She muttered. Castiel barked out a laugh that made us look at him.
"Are you kidding? His entire life is based on it. He's like a nuclear power plant to us. He could probably feed all of us for months," He retorted, then cursed again, "I shouldn't have said that. Why did I even say that? Because I'm stupid. I know. My mama always told me that too."
"Crap," Dania snapped, looking at us again, "We need to find those wraiths before they get to Ambrosius. My guess is there's over a dozen of these guys and as strong as we are, we're not strong enough to fight off that many wraiths. If one of them could get the jump on Ambrosius, who's a full-blooded god, then a dozen of these fuckers could rip us all to shreds, fear or not. They'll do whatever they can to get to Ambrosius."
"She's right, you know." Castiel said, completely unaware of the threat this was to us. That or he simply didn't care. I clenched my teeth.
Shit. We were really fucked. Even worse, I had probably scared Ambrosius unintentionally when we argued earlier and I had kissed him. The guilt was going to eat him alive. He was going to live in fear that his father would find out what he did, and lock him in that senseless torture room. He was probably upstairs now imagining all the horrible things Hades would do to him for kissing a man, and even worse to Hades, a son of Lucifer.
"You guys crack him," I commanded, "I'm going to go upstairs and watch Ambrosius. We can't risk them getting near him." Raven, Dania, and Jericho nodded, then turned to Castiel, who whimpered pitifully. I would've felt sorry for him if he wasn't a wraith, a psychotic one at that.
I left my siblings and Jericho to do their job before I made my way through the lobby and upstairs. I headed to Ambrosius's bedroom, then slowed down to see Minerva standing outside it, rocking back and forth on her heels. She looked far too pleased with herself. I glared at her as I approached.
"What're you doing out here? Raven told you to make rounds inside the house." I said in a hard voice. Minerva gave me a quick once over, unimpressed as she looked away, reaching up to brush her fingertips over her lips.
"I was waiting for Ambrosius to come out of his room and give me another kiss." She replied smugly. My blood turned to ice in my veins.
"What?" I asked, unsure if I'd heard correctly. Minerva nodded, looking at me again with this mischevious grin that shredded my patience.
"You heard me. And mmm, he kisses nice," She purred huskily, starting to walk away before she paused by my side and touched my arm, "He's so cute because he has no idea what he's doing, but another kiss from me and he'll know what to do." With that, she sauntered off. I resisted the urge to spin around and strike her. My father had always warned me never to hit a woman. Not just because she was a woman, but because they could hit twice as hard if they were angry enough and I didn't want to kill Minerva for being stupid. Tempting though it may be.
I went to Ambrosius's room and, though respect told me to knock first, my anger and jealousy whipped around like a tornado inside me and I just barged right in. Ambrosius had been changing across the room and hissed at me the moment I entered. I pulled up short, staring at his naked torso and admiring the way his muscles bunched and flexed all the way down to his pants that were ready to slide off his hips until I had entered. He jerked them up onto his hips again and shot me a glower.
"Get out!" He commanded.
"No," I returned fiercely, slamming the door shut and locking it behind me, moving forward, causing Ambrosius to move away from me, "Minerva said you kissed her." Ambrosius didn't answer. But that was enough to say that Minerva hadn't been lying. It felt like a blade of ice shooting through me.
"Why?" I asked. Ambrosius tightened his jaw and spoke through clenched teeth.
"She's a woman. You kiss women."
"You can kiss whoever you want," I snapped, "And Minerva just wants to sleep with you. That's all she cares about." Ambrosius shot me a withering glare as he moved to grab his shirt from the nightstand, but he kept his eyes on me cautiously.
"Oh yeah, and you totally care about me as a person."
"Of course, I do," I shouted, feeling my patience snap like a rope, "Why do you think I'm so persistent?! You think I'd do all this just to get you in bed?!"
"I don't care what you're doing it for," Ambrosius snarled, throwing his shirt down on the bed and coming around to get near me, like he was trying to size me up, "Just stop it! You've already done enough damage! I don't need your pathetic pity! I'm just fine on my own!"
"No, you're not! You're pretending to be because you're scared of your father and that's the whole reason we're in this wraith situation in the first place, because they want to feed on the amount of fear you live in and you're too fucking proud to admit it!"
"I am not scared of my father!"
"Then why do you live in fear?!"
"I don't!"
"Yes, you do, otherwise, the wraiths wouldn't give two shits about you! They wouldn't be planning to jump you!" I barked. Ambrosius pulled back, looking at me with a screwed up expression of confusion.
"What the hell are you talking about?" He demanded. I glowered at him and took a step closer, making him back up until his back hit the bedpost and I was so close, I could feel the heat of his body.
"Because you're so jam-packed full of fear, the wraiths are planning to hunt you down and snatch you up and feed on you until you're so weak, you'll make a mortal look like the god! God, for all your beauty and intelligence, you're really fucking stupid." I snapped. Ambrosius blushed hard at that, reaching behind him to clench the bedpost in his hands, probably imagining that it was my throat.
"I'm... I'm not any of that." He seethed. I glared at him. I reached up, grabbed his face and tilted it towards me. He sucked his breath in sharply and squeezed his eyes shut, like he was expecting me to hit him. I wanted to kiss him, honestly. I wanted to capture those perfectly formed lips and make them mine, but I didn't want to see him react the way he did before, after we finished. I didn't want to see regret, pain, and humiliation. I wanted to see pleading, affection, and that dreamy stare.
"Ambrosius, please. There's nothing wrong with who you are."
"Yes, there is," Ambrosius managed, opening his eyes again to stare at me intently, "Please, just stop trying... I just want to go home." I clenched my teeth. His words stung, his sad expression felt like a blow to my stomach. I was both angry and hurt. And I hated myself for what I was about to do.
I jerked Ambrosius's face close and kissed him again. The kiss was rough and bruising. Ambrosius whined deep in his throat, reaching up to try and push me again, but I didn't budge. I held him against the bedpost and ground myself up against him, kissing him hungrily, taking over his mouth. I sank my teeth into his lip and pulled, dipped my hand down the back of his pants and savored the hot skin against my rough palm. Ambrosius whimpered and struggled to push me back.
I didn't want to let go. I didn't want him to leave my arms. I was being cruel and unfair, but I just wanted him to understand how much I cared. How angry it made me that he kissed Minerva, and so willingly. Why not me? What was wrong with me that made him not want me? I wanted to help him, but he kept pushing me away. He was always pushing me away.
"Stop," Ambrosius gasped at last when our lips broke apart for oxygen and he was panting, cheeks flushed and eyes glowing, "Stop! Get off me!"
"Stop pushing me away." I snapped. Ambrosius squeezed his eyes shut and turned his face away from me, which only frustrated me further. My whole body was hot for him and I wanted to push him down on the bed and take him, whether he wanted me to or not...
But I wasn't that sick.
And I hated myself for it.
I finally stepped back and Ambrosius sank down to the floor, pulling his knees up to his chest and ducking his head down, covering it like he was trying to hide in a little ball. It tore at my heartstrings and made me want to weep for him.
I had just made a mistake. A very big mistake. I had never let my temper get the best of me before, but when it came to Ambrosius, I couldn't think straight. I was just desperate to have him. Not just his body either. I wanted all of him, and I wanted it because he wanted it. I swallowed hard at the lump in my throat as I looked down at Ambrosius curled up on the floor. He wasn't crying.
He never cried.
I think he was just wishing me away. And because that was what he wanted most right now, I did what he wanted and left his room, my heart heavy and the guilt weighing so hard on my shoulders that it physically hurt. I felt Remi's ring on my finger burn with a sympathy he rarely felt for other people. I stroked the red stone on the ring, closing my eyes as I pressed my back to Ambrosius's door.
"Remi, I made such a horrible mistake..."