6.12.20
Devon's POV
I feel like shit. My entire body hurts, I don't know where I am, and I can hardly feel my face. "Mmmm," I mumbled while trying to move. The blistered skin on my back scrunched up from the movement, and I had to collapse back onto the bedding. Wait, bedding? I thought I was going to wake up either dead or stuck to metal.
I tried to crawl forward to reach the edge of the bed, but I was grabbed gently before I could get far. I was placed back onto something warm, and I automatically snuggled up to it. I must be in heaven; I don't think that the demon king would be this kind to me. I peeked open an eye, but all I could see was an arm outstretched. "Mmm, death is nice."
The person I was laying on chuckled at the comment, and I allowed myself to sink back into their strong chest. "You aren't dead, puppy." I realized that it was Oliver talking to me, and memories from the day before hit me like a ton of bricks. "I wanted to be here when you woke up, but I have business to handle."
"Take me with you."
"Puppy, you're already hurt."
"Don't care."
"It's bad."
"Don't care."
"Fine then, but you have to let me get the burn cream again."
"Deal. You touching me all over and I get to go with? That's a hell of a deal."
"You're positively evil, pup."
"That's true."
Even though his hands were gentle, I still winced whenever he touched my body. "I'm so sorry. I don't want to hurt you, but we can't let these get infected."
"It's fine, I can handle it." I flinched as soon as the words got out, and he just continued to whisper apologies every time I hurt.
"Alright, we're finally done. Come here."
I crawled towards him, and a loose shirt was pulled over my head. Once I had sweat pants to pool around my legs, Oliver shot us below the earth in a burst of light. When we landed, we weren't where I was expecting. I though we would end up in Oli's bedroom like normal, but we were in the entrance tunnel? It didn't take me too long to figure out why.
"What happened?"
"There was a fire. I don't know who started it or where it began, but it took out the whole city. I need to lead the expedition to dig through the rubble for... For victims."
"I'm so sorry, Oli. I know how much you loved this place."
I heard a sniffle beside me, and I realized that my demon was crying. It was something that I had never seen before, but I still grabbed onto him tightly. "So damn much. It was my home!"
"I know... You worked so hard. Just cry it out, my demon."
"Qsjodf Pmjwfs, xf'sf sfbez up npwf pvu." (Prince Oliver, we're ready to move out.)
"Pof npnfou." (One moment.)
Oli wiped his eyes before leading me over to the group, and the sad boy from two second ago was shoved down for a confident leader. We walked through the charred streets, and I helped as much as I could with digging for hopefully survivors. Although looking at the ashes, there would be none.
Suddenly, my hand brushed something cold and hard, and I pulled at whatever the mystery item is. Out of the ash came a dead body, and I crawled back into Oli from disgust and fear. When he looked at me, he soon realized why I was haunted, and he held me tenderly against my chest. "I know it's ugly, but we need to find them."
"I feel bad that their death was so brutal. Look at the grimace on his face." The man wore a permanent expression of pain on his formerly beautiful face, and it made my head pound.
Footsteps came from across the ruins, and I looked up to see Maggie. "Can I talk to you?"
I nodded my head before following the girl, and she lead me somewhere private. "Why did you never tell me you knew my brother?"
"I haven't seen you since I figured it out myself. I didn't know how to tell you."
"He called you his brother... Did my family replace me?"
"Not exactly. They miss you dearly, and your room is pretty much exactly how it was left. I'm sure that they all keep you in their memories and hearts."
"Promise?"
"Of course. You should ask them yourself."
"I don't know. How would they feel to know I abandoned them for a demon?"
"She was your soulmate, and I think they just want you back. Especially considering the current state of your home... You should give it a shot. It took a while for them to get used to Oli, but I believe they got used to it when they had to work together. I can't even begin to tell you how awful Jack was after you 'died'."
"Was it bad."
"It was. Your parents wouldn't listen to him, and he really needed someone to talk to."
"Did he ever fix that problem?"
"Yeah, but only recently."
"I have to admit, I really want to see him again."
"Come home with me."
"I... Okay, but Pana's coming. She knows a little bit of English."
"Great. I should probably get back before Oli worries."
"Devon?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for taking care of my family when I couldn't. It means a lot."
"Not a problem."
I left her behind to go back to Oli, and as expected he was nervous about my lengthy disappearance. "Sorry, I just don't want to lose you again. That was hell– literally."
"I understand."
When the work was done, I explained to Oli what was about to go down, and he nodded his head. I think that the world might blow up, but all's well that ends well. We found Maggie talking with Pana, and she turned to smile at me. "Are you ready?"
"I am. I'm kind of excited and nervous at the same time; is this normal?"
"Of course. You haven't seen them for 6 years at this point."
"Yeah."
Oliver extended his arm, and Maggie grabbed it delicately along with Pana. I nuzzled into his chest, and we were off. I was starting to get used to moving like this with my demon, so that's good. We landed in the room I had woken up in, and I could see the nerves on Maggie's face. "I'm having second thoughts."
"You've got this, girl! There's no way you can turn back this far in!"
Maggie hugged me, and I gladly hugged back. Hey, at least she doesn't hate me for basically replacing her in her own family. "Are you sure they'll like me?"
"Positive, princess."
I lead her out of the bedroom, and we went down towards the main living area together. I could hear people talking, and I knew that the family was in there. "You've got this!" I prompted before giving her a light push in the right direction.
"You're right, I've got this."
Maggie walked around the corner, and I heard a plate fall onto the floor and shatter. Hopefully this goes well.
I wrote and proofread this whole chapter in less than an hour holy garbage.