I sighed and felt an odd sense of deja vu as I watched my mates pacing back and forth in front of me, quietly growling to each other and arguing.
I was sitting on the floor with my head propped on my hand, Vince was sitting next to me leaning back on his hands. Zetzu was settled in front of the front door next to Alexandria, Mitch was chasing my baby lizards around the large room. Fifi and Kneller were watching Mitch, and Crow was floating around the roof of the room dusting off the chandelier hanging over all our heads.
The humans sat in he middle of the room, the two girls sitting on top of the boy while he stared at me and made kissing noises.
We had tried to contact Mrs. Roxe when we found that none of us had any way to call her, and David and Benson couldn't mind-link with the pack. Said there was some kind of barrier blocking them, and they were now arguing over what to do with the humans.
My eyes slid from my mates to the girls sitting on Caleb, they both had their arms crossed and it became clear they were sisters. Fraternal twins obviously since they didn't really look identical, the shorter one had longer, dark brown hair with brown-red eyes. The taller one had short, shoulder length, light brown hair with the same eyes. Their skin was a mocha color that suited them perfectly, and was a major contrast to Caleb's pale white skin.
The taller girl noticed me staring and sent me a sneer "What are you looking bird-slut?" I blinked and chuckled at the name she called me. I ruffled my wings and wrinkled my nose "My name is Todd. Not bird-slut. I was looking at you and your sister."
She blinked and her sneer fell, her sister looked at me curiously "How did you know we were sisters?"
I smiled a bit at them "Its not hard to see. You look very much alike." My eyes flicked to David when he growled loudly at Benson before they went back to quietly arguing. I frowned and looked back at the girls, they were watching my mates with worried faces before turning back to me "Well, Todd. My name is Kathrine, and this is my sister Lilyan." The shorter one spoke pointing to herself then her sister.
Caleb groaned loudly and he struggled under the two girls "Let me up! I have to at least try to make him like me!" He whined and I snorted and rolled my eyes.
He looked at me as I stood up and pulled my shirt off, he smiled until I pointed to the two scars marking both my shoulders "See these?" He nodded at me "I know a cream that can help reduce those scars if you-" I cut him off with a hiss.
Rolling my shoulders back I looked down at him "I'm bonded to those two. Werewolves mate for life, if I even thought about breaking the bond it would hurt all of us. If any of us tried to actually break the bond it would kill all of us." He flinched at my harsh words, I let my face soften and turned to look at the brothers "Besides. I love them."
They stopped talking to each other and looked at me, I stared at them when my eye sight flashed to black for a moment. I blinked and frowned when I saw a faint shadow standing behind them, I squinted when the black figure's eyes snapped open. Its wide smile stretching over its face, my mouth opened and my eyes locked with its eyes. The dull grey color making my breath catch in my throat, its tongue slid from its mouth and it hissed lowly at me.
The familiar taunting laugh filled my ears, I watched in horror as fire poured from it's mouth and water leaked from the roof. Unable to move I stood there, paralyzed and eyes locked on my shadowy daemon.
He was out. He was right there, he could easily hurt everyone here. I could hear the laugh so easily, it didn't fade from my ears like it had before.
My mouth went dry, I felt plants creeping up my legs, water freezing my skin, fire swirling around me getting closer with each second but my eyes remained locked on that sadistic grinning face. The smile stretching wider when the air in my lungs was sucked out, I wanted to scream. I wanted to yell at him to stop torturing me like this. Constantly showing up like this, paralyzing me and sucking the very life from me.
A wet tail suddenly wrapped around my head, my vision being cut off by the familiar scaly skin. I gasped and my legs gave out when my body became mobile again.
I landed on my knees and breathing heavy I reached forward "N-Nyx!" Her head pushed into my hands and she clicked her teeth nuzzling my jaw. I instantly felt better, her tail clamped over my eyes and her soft rumbling filling my ringing ears.
Safe.
Her voice filled my head and I hugged her carefully and shook my head, "He was there..." I jumped and screamed when a hand grabbed my shoulder. Nyx's tail slid from my face to wrap around my arm as I looked back at who had touched me finding no one there. My heart stumbled over its rapid beat as I started to breath heavier. My eyes picking up the subtle movements in the shadows, followed by faint scuffling sounds, and that taunting laughter.
My eyes burned with tears that quickly wet my face while I looked around trying to pinpoint where the daemon was, where the noises were coming from. They always seemed to be just at the corner of my vision, making sure I could catch a glimpse but never see it.
"Todd..." I could heard the warning in its twisted voice, the gurgled roughness that just sounded evil no matter how you listen to it.
I let out a panicked whine realizing I couldn't see anyone, the large room was empty to my eyes but I could feel Nyx still holding my arm. I looked down to make sure it was her but a scream left my mouth when what I thought to have been her tail was actually a clawed hand. My own face pulling out of the floor between my knees and getting close enough for me to clearly see myself in it's eyes.
The smile pulled its cheeks back showing the slightly deformed mouth, every tooth could be seen with sickening clarity.
"Todd snap out of it!" David's voice rang in the air around me, the daemon's smile fading slightly "Todd! Come back to us!" I blinked and everything stopped, just like before I felt the blood in my body freeze. My heart beat pause mid thump, and everything else just stop. I sat there staring at my reflection in the shining grey eyes of the monster in front of me, our noses mere inches apart.
That was when I realized it. That none of this was real, this was inside my head, all of it was in my mind. I was doing this to myself, my daemon wasn't really there it was a manifestation of my own fear.
Fear of what I'll turn into if I let myself turn bad.
The image of my daemon melted before my eyes bringing me back to my body, I took in the frozen scene in front of me.
I was sitting on my knees leaning back, my wings pushed out behind me with my feathers piling on the floor under them. Nyx lay on the ground in front of me, her eyes wide and her face pinched up in a snarl, her tail gripped in my hand tightly. Zetzu had my brother pinned to the front door with his back to me, protecting Vince from the rings of fire and water that had been spinning around me. Kneller was hugging Fifi tightly, she looked scared, her legs wrapped in plants that creeped into the floor boards. The ground all through the room was lifting as roots and plants rose up under it.
My eyes traveled to the three humans huddled together staring at me with wide, horror filled eyes, Zetzu's tail starting to drag them away from me. Mitch, Alexandria, and Crow no where to be seen but I could feel them. Inside the elements that I had twisting around the room, I felt their fear even in their suspended state.
Finally my eyes landed on David and Benson, only feet away from me with shadows wrapping around their legs pulling them away. Both their faces set in determination, Benson's body was mid shift. His claws dug into the wood causing it to splinter, his eyes shining brightly, lips pulled back to show sharp teeth.
I looked over the scene again before closing my eyes, this was what Mrs. Roxe was scared of. If I let my fear rule me like this it'll get worse and worse, the longer I stay trapped in my mind fighting a monster I created the more I'd destroy things.
My daemon side would take over my body because the better side of me was stuck in a loop inside my head. Letting my power run rampid outside of me, and with nothing to control it I would eventually just destroy everything and everyone. I felt my jaw clench and a shudder travel through my body unfreezing it.
I listened to time start moving again, water hitting the ground, fire fizzling out, plants withering, the sound of the humans screaming.
I dropped Nyx's tail and she stopped hissing at me, once again I felt my eyes burn with tears. Holding them back I flapped my wings and shot forward, heading for the window over the door "Todd?!" I shielded my head and broke through the window, not even flinching as the glass cut my arms.
I felt my skin healing itself as I pushed my wings to moved as fast as they would go, the faint boom of breaking the sound barrier reached me as I flew blindly toward no where, any where, just to get away from it. I couldn't let my fear control me, I refused to hurt anyone because I was scared. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, and pain shot through my shoulder when I slammed into a tree.
I folded my wings around me as I felt to the ground landing with a heavy thud and the wind got knocked out of my lungs.
I slumped on the dead leaves covering the forest floor and tried to catch my breath while staring up at the blue sky filtering through the dense green leaves. Silence rang around me until the birds started to chirp again, the leaves rustled, and small animals scurried around.
I felt the scraps on my shoulder healing and the throbbing slowly stop, my face twisted up and I let out a sob. Sitting on the ground I rolled onto my side and started crying, not knowing what to do, how to go back and face them, how to stop myself from hurting them again. My cries echoed in the trees around me, until my head throbbed but the tears didn't stop.
My eyes burning, and red from crying so much. My arms wrapped over my face, my knees tucked into my chest and wings splayed out carelessly around me.
"You're not alone." I stopped crying at the small voice, the slight chiming that came with it. The air around me dropped a few degrees and I slowly lifted my head and looked up at the small figure of a little girl with wild blond hair.
I sniffed and pushed myself up with my arms staring at the little girl, I whipped my cheek carefully "Melody?"
She smiled at me brightly showing her sharp fangs, her white dress shifted as she moved closer to me. No foot steps to be heard, her legs vanishing before they reached her feet. She knelt down in front of my and placed her chin on her hands and tilted her head at me.
Her brilliant eyes wide and caring "You're not alone Todd." I frowned at her and she reached forward and whipped my other cheek "You have friends who are willing to help you, you bonds are nearly as thick as blood. Family is what they are to you. Let them in, stop pushing them out."
I pushed her hand away and looked at the ground "I'm not pushing anyone out. What are you doing here anyway?" Her smile fell and she gave me a serious look, too serious for a girl her age.
"You called me here, without realizing it. Stop for a moment Todd, open your eyes and see where you are." I glanced at the trees around me, as far as the eye could see were trees, trees, and more trees. Melody's small, cold hand grabbed mine and she pointed in a direction to my left I followed her finger to see.... more trees.
"You don't have to fight your fear on your own. Go back to your family." I rubbed my nose with my free hand and shook my head "I hurt them, you should have seen the fear in their eyes. I did that to them. What if I do it again?"
I flinched when her arms wrapped around my neck, and she hugged me leaving every place she touched with a cold feeling "They don't care, you're in pain and they can see that. Let them help you and you'll get through it. Now go home and enjoy the rest of your vacation." I relaxed a bit and hugged her back, mumbling about it being some vacation. She eventually vanished leaving me alone in the middle of all those trees. I looked toward the direction she pointed and stood up, glancing at my black and white wings I flapped and slowly rose above the trees.
Rubbing my face I moved forward, my eyes squinted against the burn as I flew for a long distance until the house came into view again. The sun slowly setting in the sky when I managed to see the house clearly.
I hovered in front of the house and stared at it, sighing my mind flashed to Melody's small arms around me and I let my body drop. My feet hitting the ground with a soft thump and I rubbed my arm nervously. Taking a deep breath I reached for the door.