*Sephie*
I asked that Stephen and Ivan stay behind while Viktor, Andrei, and Misha were gone Monday morning to make sure Chen was okay while he met with the mayor. No one suspected anything other than a contractor meeting with his client, but since Chen had been so instrumental in helping us, we all wanted to make sure he was okay. He was also delivering very sensitive information, so it was worth our while to make sure he was good and had backup, should it be needed.
“So, this must be important since I’m most responsible for Chen’s bravery when lying to people’s faces,” Stephen said once the others were gone.
I laughed. “Technically, he’s not lying to the mayor this time. I think he can live without you just this once,” I said, sliding my arm around his shoulders as he sat at the kitchen island.
“You know something more about Viktor, don’t you?” Ivan asked.
“I do. That’s why I wanted to talk to both of you while I was sure he wasn’t around. I think I have it figured out and also why he might be so resistant to it,” I said. I walked back to Adrik, who was leaning against the counter. He opened his arm for me, sliding it around my waist as I stepped closer to him.
“The acupuncturist helped you, didn’t she?” Stephen asked. I could tell he was putting as many pieces of the puzzle together as he could already.
“She did. We were starting to suspect what it might be, but she confirmed it. You realize that everyone complements each other somehow, right?” I asked Stephen.
He nodded his head. “It makes sense that Viktor would somehow be opposite of either me or Misha and it doesn’t make sense for him to be opposite of Misha. That’s just a normal person who can’t see the future or past. That’s not helpful in the least,” he said, grinning.
“You’re so smart, Yoden. Viktor, we think, is opposite of you. While I think your gift is fucking amazing and quite possibly the most badass thing that any of us can do, I can’t wrap my brain around you needing to do it very often. It doesn’t make sense that your life’s purpose is to just break half the world and leave them as a dribbling mess for someone else to care for. Much like your sniper skills, I feel like your gift is highly specialized and only meant for a select few,” I said.
“While you are capable of breaking a person, Viktor is capable of healing them,” Adrik said.
“After I break them? Because I can tell you right now, that’s going to make me go harder in the paint when it comes to breaking them. I can’t help it. I’m competitive,” Stephen said, his sly smile creeping across his face.
I laughed. “No, before you’re needed. There are going to be those that Viktor can’t do anything about. I’m sure there’s a point where his services are useless and yours are needed. His gift should prevent people from getting to the point where you’re needed as much.”
“Andrei can see auras. He can also see where there’s holes in the auras,” Adrik said.
Ivan put it together in his head. “I can see when they have demons trying to get in through those holes. Viktor can help ensure that doesn’t happen.”
“You’re needed, Stephen, when the demon has already gotten in and has taken over so completely that there is no other choice. You’re the last chance that soul has at surviving,” I said.
Ivan glanced at Stephen, who was looking down at the counter during this conversation. He nudged him, causing Stephen to look at him. Ivan pointed to me. “Her eyes,” was all he said.
Stephen glanced over at me, an immediate look of wonderment on his face. “I thought the black was difficult to get used to, but the purple might be even stranger. Can you do red next? I feel like that will make Vlad feel more comfortable once he makes it out of customs.” When I laughed, they changed to green. Stephen hadn’t seen them as they changed yet. “Whoa. I just saw that, but my brain is freaking out trying to convince me I didn’t just see that.”
Adrik turned me to face him, so he could see what color they were. “That’s not even the best transition. When they go from black to one of the other colors, it’s incredible.”
*“Speaking of, I think he needs to know about your eyes and Ivan’s eyes. His presence is going to bring out the violence in any demon we meet, which will also bring ours forward. It’s going to freak him out if he’s not prepared,”* I thought. I was trying to talk to both Adrik and Ivan at the same time.
I wasn’t sure it had worked, until I heard Ivan say to Stephen, “so, there’s something else you should know about, since your presence is going to really irritate all demons from here on out.”
I turned to look at Ivan, who had his eyes closed. I could feel his anger, just under the surface. When he opened his eyes, they were just as black as mine. I grinned as Stephen’s jaw hit the floor.
“It’s not just him, either,” I heard Adrik say. I turned to look at his eyes, now also just as black as mine.
“I’ve never regretted not wearing adult diapers so much in my entire life as this moment here,” Stephen said, completely shocked.
Both Adrik and Ivan closed their eyes, turning them back to normal. “Allow me to explain,” I said, walking to Stephen. I slid my arm across his shoulders, as he sat in the kitchen. He wrapped one arm around my waist like he was holding on for dear life. “Battista was correct when he said that my black eyes were a warning to other demons that I owned them, but he didn’t know the full specifics of it. He also didn’t know that Adrik and Ivan were the same as me in that respect. Remember when I told you the best way to defeat your demons was to make friends with them?” I asked, looking down at Stephen.
His eyes got wider. “You’re working with your demons.”
“Mostly correct. They work for us. It’s virtually unheard of, which is why Battista couldn’t fully explain it. When our eyes go black, it’s our demons stepping forward, but we’re still in complete control of them. While I can’t say for sure it’s happened to other, normal people, I’ve got memories of my uncle with black eyes when he would beat me. I just don’t know if it was real or not. Also, the guy that attacked me on the sidewalk when I was out with Misha. I’m guessing that once someone gives in completely to their demon, their eyes are also capable of going black. They’re just no longer in control. The demon is,” I said.
“You needed to know we could do this before you see it happen on someone else. I have a feeling that seeing someone else’s eyes turn black is going to bring our demons forward, whether we want them to or not. You need to know that we’re in control when it happens,” Adrik said.
“Not because we think you’ll try to break us. Just so we didn’t freak you out. We’ve been told that now that you know your gift, we’re going to see increased aggression from the demons that are controlling people,” Ivan said.
“They’re going to know what I can do?” Stephen asked.
“We think so, but we’re not sure yet. They’re going to be scared of you, but if they all act the way Armando did, they’re likely going to be aggressive,” I said.
Stephen was quiet for a moment. He sighed, then looked up at me, a very small grin on his face. “Is it wrong that I’m looking forward to them being scared of me?”
“Not at all, Yoden,” I said, laughing.
“It’s about time you felt it from the other side,” Ivan said.