Coming to Terms

Coming to Terms
After dinner, Mikey let them all stay. He thinks it's best that we all sleep on what Niko did and come up with a plan in the morning using a fresh perspective. I think he's right, at least I hope so. I'm just laying in my bed staring at the ceiling when there's a slight knock at the door. “Come in.”

Trent says, “Eric recharged a few bracelets. He wanted me to bring them by in case you wanted some peace.”

“I might,” I reply.

“You know we can all feel your uneasiness,” he says.

“I know, I'm sorry.”

“No,” he says as he comes in the rest of the way and shuts the door. He puts the bracelets on my nightstand except for one. He brings it over and puts it on me. He sits and puts my feet on his lap and starts to massage them. “Now, we will talk like mostly normal adults.” I hold back a laugh.

“Just let it out.”

“But the bracelet… so it doesn't block you either?”

Trent shrugs. “I guess it doesn't. But I won't poke around in your head. Talk to me. Why are you so anxious right now?”

“Something you said.”

He giggles. “I say a lot of shit, love.” 

“True, but you said that you guys are here to help me learn control.”

Trent nods. “I did.”

“I think it goes beyond that.”

“How so?” he asks.

“I could reach Mikey even when he was enraged. I touched him. I touched Mal too. I kept him from killing Randall. It is similar when you guys just hold me. It grounds me. You kept me from going off on Niko before he could explain.”

Trent smiles. “I think you are right. We strengthen and support each other.”

“We need to act collectively not individually if we want to end Maximus,” I reply.

“You think he's why some of the counsel are missing or dead, don't you?” he asks.

“Yes. Ijust don't know why. Other than power.”

“Power might be just it. He can't be killed as many of the other beings can. SIA could but it would take us all,” he explains.

“Could I do it? Like with that soul-stealing thing I did to Camille?”

“Yes, but…” he pauses.

“But what?” I insist.

“It would unleash your darkness. The evil that helped make you a Siren would surface.

Love, we can't risk losing you,” Trent pleads.

“I think you guys could help keep it from taking over.”

Trent sighs. “It's a big risk.”

“But it might be our only hope.”

“You're going to do it anyway, aren't you?” he asks and I nod. “Love. If you absorb his darkness it could be too much. Don't you see? You could cease being you.”

“I don't see how.”

“We don't know fully what you are. For all we know this added darkness could transform you into a different person. A monster no different than Maximus. We can't risk it,” he pleads.

My door opens and closes. “Listen to him!

Yes, I heard everything,” Chase says.

“Things must balance, right? You guys ever think you are what balances me. I'm more of a whole person since I have found you guys. I slept last night for the first time since I can remember. I slept free of any memories or nightmares. It has to mean something,” I insist.

“You're still not going to him alone. We can't allow you to!” Chase growls.

I sigh. “Eric needs to make these bracelets stronger.” Trent laughs. “What?”

Trent laughs harder. “He can't.”

“Why?”

Trent smirks. “His story to tell.”

“Why all of the damn secrets?”

“Protection mostly,” Chase replies.

“So you all are scared of me?” Chase shook his head ‘no.’ “Then tell me the truth.”

“Charming, you know that you can't hide it forever. She already knows that I'm the strongest incubus around,” Trent says.

“Not the same,” Chase retorts.

Trent smirks. “Kinda is.”

“Then tell me!”

Chase says, “I can't die.” I asked him why and he said, “Because I'm not a normal griffin.”

“Is this why your blood smokes?” He nods. “Come here.” I move to Trent's lap and have

Chase sat beside us on my little blue sofa. 

“I was gifted my eternal life and now you have a part of it,” he says.

“The light?”

Chase nods, “Yes, but you already had some in you.”

“I feel sadness, why?”

Chase sighs. “Because with love comes sacrifice.”

“It doesn't have to.”

“In this case, it did. As my kind were being hunted my family made a decision. They sacrificed themselves for me,” he explains.

“Tell her why,” Trent urges.

He sighs and runs his hands through his soft hair. “My family was royalty because they were direct descendants of the first griffin. My royal blood mixed with their sacrifice made me eternal.”

“But your soul?”

“Emma, I gave you a part of it not all of it as they did for me.”

“But my soul-sucking?”

He takes my head in his hands. “You won't.”

“How can you be so sure?” I ask.

He kisses me. I feel that warmth and pulsing heat start to course through me from my head down to my toes.

Trent says, “You're both glowing.”

We pull away and look at each other. We are glowing like golden apparitions. Chase gasps, “It can't be?”

“Can't be what?”

Trent chuckles. “I assure you it is. Now, I know what made the mural at Ira's.”

“Someone tell me!”

Trent grins. “It's soulfire, love.”

I glare at him. “I need more than that.”

Trent chuckles. “It is rare. Only a being with a pure soul is capable of it. Your souls merged because of the light inside you and how it mixed with his.”

“That doesn't explain the mural.”

“It does in part.” I cock my head and stare at him. “You are the holy water as you have a pure soul within you that mixed with mine. Think of it this way, you are water, vinegar, and dish soap while I am baking soda. Separate we have purpose but aren't overly powerful. But when we combine, we are as explosive as a volcanic eruption. We make hellfire.”

“So if I share my soul with a demon, we create hellfire?”

“No, not just any demon,” Trent says almost bashfully.

Chase grins. “Tell her why.”

Trent sighs. “Salacious tales of incubi and succubi have been told for many centuries in traditional societies. Some traditions hold that repeated sexual activity with an incubus or succubus may result in the deterioration of health, an impaired mental state, or even death.

That is true. However, not completely. Usually, demons like me never find a mate who isn't a demon as we can't conceive a child otherwise. We can't turn a human to become our type of demon like other kinds of demons can.

Incubi and succubi can only be born not made. It is why many religions think we could switch our genders to allow us to impregnate humans

But that's not the case, although some of us are bisexual it's not to be able to create a child. It's because we enjoy both genders.”

“But l'm not a demon like you.”

Trent nods. “Correct. But you are my mate. Our souls converged and hellfire was made.”

“How though?” I ask because I am confused.

Trent smiles. “Like this.” He kissed me and hot electricity peppered my skin as he deepened the kiss I started to burn. He broke the kiss and bit my neck. I felt my senses explode. 

“Guys,” Chass said as he grabbed our hands and held them up. “Guys!”

I opened my eyes as Trent released my neck from his mouth. “Holy shit!” Our fingertips were glowing with a rainbow of light.

Trent nibbled my ear before he said, “So when we climaxed we released this light and made the mural.” Now, I'm almost afraid to see where this could go not just with both of them but the others too. What happens if we unleash something bad?

Chase shakes his head. “We won't.”

Trent smirks. “Let us show you.” Should I? I just don't know. I'm so out of my league here. This really is a leap of faith. Do I dare take the plunge?