The demon landed next to the pond with the angel tightly in his grip. Milokan was shaking; he couldn't breathe to calm himself down. He was getting swamped with his stress. Kaiden stood for a moment. Now that they were alone, he didn't know what he was doing. His soulmate silently cried, trying to pull himself together. Milokan should not be going through it alone, but the demon didn't know how to comfort someone.
Kaiden walked over to a shaded area and sat down. Milokan put his head in his hands and tried to steady his breathing.
"Why are you breaking down?" the demon questioned, trying to keep his tone somewhat gentle.
"I-" Milokan lifted his head and tried wiping away the tears. "I am not good with death."
"Is that it?" Kaiden frowned. "The demon's death overwhelmed you?"
"It is not just that."
"Well..." The demon was a little out of his depth, "what is it?"
"I fail at most things," sniffed the angel. "I was holding you back and putting your mother in danger. They were always right about me. I will fail at life."
Kaiden's heart crippled when Milokan's head fell against his shoulder. He couldn't stop the tears; he just needed to let them flow.
"Who told you that?"
"My superior angel," he muffled against him. Even his voice quivered from misery.
"They're wrong." Kaiden watched as birds lined the trees and squirrels appeared in the open. Rabbits and mice poked their heads up and out of the long grass, all watching with concern. "You are brave, I've always thought that of you."
Milokan furrowed his eyebrows; he could feel that he was not lying.
"I don't see it."
Kaiden sighed and allowed his arms to wrap around him, no longer fighting against his feelings. His eyes glared at the animals, but right now, his soulmate was his main priority.
"When I first tried to capture you, you kicked me so hard that if Sally didn't capture us, you would have gotten away. It was after being abandoned by your superior, so I don't see what's not brave about that," Kaiden spoke softly. The angel's tears had soaked his t-shirt, and it surprised him that he didn't care. "You have a lack of experience on earth. Your entire life has changed, and you are putting all of your faith into me, which would overwhelm anyone. I suppose, feeling this way is only natural."
The angel's eyes leaked desolation. The overbearing feeling of forever being alone haunted his thoughts. His soulmate was right in front of him, and he still felt so isolated.
"I am used to rejection. I should have expected it from the one person who I thought would guarantee love and happiness. I do not know what I have done to deserve such a fate." Milokan looked the demon deep in the eyes, revealing his damaged spirit. "I did not realise how broken I was until I met you."
A surge of remorse sank Kaiden's heart. It took the truth of an angel to expose his deviant and monstrous personality. He could see his own faults when they were affecting someone in such a negative way. It opened his eyes, and he was able to look into his own soul. He could see only darkness and scars. It had to change. Milokan needed to light it up with his kindness, his love and his beauty. He could not overcome his demon traits without him and only now did he realise how much he had to get rid of them.
"I'll fix you," he blurted out, horrified that he has acted this way. "It's the least I can do. I-" his voice choked, and Milokan watched with troubled eyes. The effects that his sadness was having on the demon did shock him. He didn't think it would bring out his insecurities too.
"I can see you now," he whispered. "Through your defences, you know how to care and to feel empathy. That is who you really are and who you wish to be. Your demon traits are in your blood, but so is this." He looked around his face like he saw his aura. The angel could definitely feel it. "You are like two different people. The demon within you is who has dominated your mind for years. Who is this? The person you are showing to me now? I believe I am here to help you find yourself, your true temperament."
While the angel had said his thoughts, he subconsciously lifted his hands and rested them on the demons cheeks, feeling his stubble against his soft palms. Kaiden felt so composed; he couldn't move his gaze from the angel. Milokan then climbed to his knees, so his head was almost level with his soulmates. He continued to stare emotionally into his eyes, cherishing the beautiful honey-yellowed amber.
He moved a hand from his cheek and brought his face closer. The back of Kaiden's head rested against the bark as he watched in silence, paralysed by his captivating beauty when the sun shone perfectly through the canopy of the trees, lighting his brown locks and sparkling his green eyes.
Milokan's heart was beating with affection when he gently placed his lips on his skin, kissing the demon's cheek. Kaiden's eyelids drooped, and admiration was shared between them. He was so close, so gentle and so tender. The demon was introduced to an idyllic way of behaving.
When the angel pulled back, his cheeks were pink, and the demon didn't try to resist his urge as he lifted a cold hand. Milokan closed his eyes when the he stroked his thumb down it. Kaiden felt his warmth.
"I will no longer take you for granted," his brittle voice had been softened at the edges, "not after this."
A sweet smile brightened Milokan's face. His loving heart replaced the sorrow. His cheeks were now a dark red, but he didn't mind, Kaiden has quite clearly shown that he likes it. He opened his eyes and sank back down, sitting on the demon's knee once more. They settled into a comfortable silence, listening to the mild wind and the singing of birds.
The two supernatural beings sat, surrounded by the worlds natural wonders, no longer feeling lost, scared or distant. They had connected on a much more personal level, and they would never feel apart, not anymore.
* * * * *
Meloras used her steel-toe boots to break the demon's jaw. He screeched and fell to the ground. She kicked him repeatedly until it was clear he had died. After catching her breath, she turned to see the angel plunging his knife into the chest of the last surviving demon, killing him almost instantly. The man fell the ground, the life leaving him faster than when his face hit the grass.
Jeronah cleaned his blade and slid it back into the leather pouch sitting underneath his sleeve, attached by a gold thread. The angel looked up and caught the gaze of Meloras while she removed hair from her eyes and sighed with relief. A moment passed between them as their expressions changed. Their eyes filled with passion and Jeronah smiled like he was watching the most mesmerising thing he has ever seen.
"Meloras," saying her name allowed a spark to run through him, "I missed you." Her lip trembled, and she started running towards him. They held their arms out, and the angel stretched his wings with excitement. Falling into each other, they gripped tight like they were afraid they would get ripped apart.
The demon buried her head into his shoulder; her body was thirsty for his familiar scent. She craved his comforts, and he wanted hers.
"Jeronah," she breathed, "I can't believe you found us."
He ran a hand through her long hair and for the first time in many, many years, he stopped aching. He took a breath to calm himself and said, "I told you, I would never stop trying, no matter how long it took."
"Do you know how hard it has been?" The water in her eyes threatened to spill down her cheek. "I could barely even think of you without him knowing."
"It's okay," he soothed, "you are free now. We are free. Lucifer will never touch you again, I promise."
They rested their foreheads together, allowing their overstretched bond to grind back together. It would take many hours, but they could feel it once more.
The crashing of the waves felt like it was a million miles away. Their surroundings became a distant blur while their souls were thrown together. Meloras wanted to cry with happiness. Having to keep back her feelings when the angel crashed to earth was one of the hardest moments of her life.
"I knew we would find a moment to reconnect." Jeronah held her tight and watched her with all the love he could find. "I know you have been through so much, I can see it in your eyes."
The demon inhaled a big breath, trying to bring her mind back to the present.
"It has been hard keeping this a secret from Kaiden. he has been suspicious for a little while now."
"He has grown so much. I could barely believe it was him when he gave me that frown."
The supernatural beings chuckled, trying to keep the situation happy and not dwell on the past.
"He is a man now," she smiled with sad eyes. "I'm sorry Jeronah. I wasn't able to tell him about you; I was so scared that Lucifer would do something to hurt him. He always punished him and twisted his mind. It's because of the devil that he hates angels so much. It breaks my heart."
The angel hugged her once more, knowing there was so much for him to talk about, and a lot of explaining needed to be done. He wasn't sure where it would all start.
"Did he ever ask about his father?" he questioned.
"Yes, all the time when he was younger."
"Well, you seem to have raised him well. I wasn't sure what to expect from him, growing up in hell. I thought he would be very unpleasant and nasty."
"He can be," Meloras said and scoped his features with her eyes, "but he knows it's wrong and he tries not to show it. Milokan has gotten the worst of it."
Jeronah looked away with a thoughtful expression.
"It is going to be so hard to keep this from him, especially now that we are feeling our bond."
"I want Kaiden to get used to having a soulmate first. Then when he is comfortable and used to earth, I will tell him my secret. I will tell him that you are his father. He deserves to know."