Chapter 16

Semi deflated into his chair.

“How can you ask that of her? How can you allow her to make this sacrifice?”

His eyes were tortured.

His mother turned away.

Her voice was hard when she answered.

“The same way she left us down here to rot. The same way she was the cause of our death.”

Nina’s breath caught as she heard the bitterness in her aunt’s voice. She had never imagined her aunt felt this way. She actually sounded like she disliked her.

Semi remained silent. He sounded lost when he spoke next.

“Oh mom…” His voice broke.

The sound of it sliced into Nina’s heart.

Nina was hurt.

Bitterness rose to her throat, constricting her breathing. It took her a moment to get herself under control. Her aunt blamed her, just as much as she blamed herself. She didn’t know why this demon had taken a fancy to her. Nor why he had to try to take over her body.

“Yes, I know I am to blame. I’m sorry it took me this long. For years I ran away because I was so scared. But not any longer. I am no longer scared. Please forgive me.”

Her aunts back stiffened. Other than that, she gave no other indication she had heard. Nina wished she could see her face.

Semi was quick to answer. He stood. Stepping to her, he grabbed her into a hug.

“Doll, there is nothing to forgive.”

He loosened his arms, then turned his head, to glare at his mother’s back.

“Contrary to some people’s belief, I put the blame where it should lie.”

He looked back to her.

That devil needs to pay.”

“I totally agree.” Nina answered, as she glanced at her aunt.

She was thankful Semi didn’t hold a grudge. Nina wished her aunt felt the same. She kept hoping she’d turn around, and just like old times, say that she forgave her.

But her hope was in vain.

There was only a grunt from her.

“Well, you two better come up with a hell of a good plan, before he comes to collect her.”

She nodded her head at Nina, avoiding her eyes.

‘So, I am relegated to ‘her’ now.’

The ache in her heart intensified.

A sudden loud boom shook the building. The sonic blasts reverberated around the room. The glass windows shattered. As one, Semi and Nina dove to the floor. Loud screams and shouts came from somewhere nearby.

The room imploded.

Debris and dust flew around them, as they crawled under the table. It was what had had saved them from the blast.

Stunned, panting, wide-eyed, they stared at each other.

“What in the world…?” Semi started.

Another blast shook the building, drowning out the rest of his words. Dust flew up around them as dishes crashed to the floor. A fog condensed in the room.

“Who is doing this? Or what?”

Nina had been panicked, but now her mind was slowly starting to work.

“Where is my mother?”

Semi’s frantic voice sounded panicked.

“Oh God.” She remembered Aunt Seni had been standing where the walls had imploded.

She scrambled out from under the table running to where she had last seen her. Semi ran after her. Grabbing her arm, he dragged her to a stop.

“ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?” He yelled at her.

“AUNTY SENI…” She screamed, ignoring him.

Pulling her arm out of his grip, she continued searching through the darkening room. Dust was swirling as smoke from a raging fire obscured her vision.

“AUNTY SENI…” She screamed again.

Meanwhile, Semi, realizing he couldn’t talk sense into her, joined in.

MOM…” His deeper voice joined in the commotion.

Nina heard a muffled groan off to her left.

“Shush…” She ordered Semi.

She scrambled off to the side, then tripped over something. On hands and knees, she felt around. She was terrified at what she would find. She felt something that felt slushy.

“Eww…” She muttered.

“What?” Semi asked.

“Some shit I touched…”

She breathed shallowly through her mouth.

“Calm down…” She muttered to herself.

She heard Semi’s nervous chuckle.

They had the same way of dealing with fright or anxiety. Laughter always came to their rescue.

Taking a deep breath, she continued feeling around, encountering unnamed things and objects in her path.

The room was dense with smoke, but there was a slight breeze. The room had imploded, so it stood to reason outside was dense with this cloud of smoke. Hopefully, with the breeze blowing, it would clear.

She was unceremoniously plucked off her feet. The suddenness of it took her breath away.

“WHAT THE EFF…?” She screamed, breathless.

“NINA…”

Semi screamed after her.

His voice faded into the distance.

She was being kidnapped. Again.

“Oh God…”

She struggled against the steely arms that had shackled her against a hard body. She had caught a whiff of his scent even before he spoke. Her struggles intensified, as she fought to be free.

“Stop…” He growled.

He had come to get her, as he had threatened.

But they were going up.

This wasn’t the way to where his house was. They were going up to the earthly plain.

Pissed off, but more scared she’d fall, she subsided.

Resigned.

“NINA…”

‘Wait. Was that Brett?’

“Nina…”

She heard the call clearly now because she was listening out for it.

It was HIM!

She struggled.

The arms around her tightened.

“Stay still, or you’ll fall.” He grumbled, his voice terse.

Her fears were confirmed. Cagilaba was taking her away.

Away from Brett.

Away from her family.

“Let me go…” She struggled anew.

Her hand curled into a talon.

Aiming straight upwards to gouge his eyes out.

He was ready for her.

He let her fall.

She screamed as she free fell.

The wind rushed past her ears.

She had heard that your whole life flashed before your eyes, when you thought, you were going to die.

But Nina had no other thought, except to pray.

Arms clamped her to a hard body.

The breath whooshed from her lungs in mid scream.

“Now let’s try this again.”

Cagilaba’s smug voice sounded in her ear.

Nina was too petrified to muster up anger. Her courage had failed her. Especially when she thought her imminent death was looming.

“NINA…”

Brett sounded like something impeded his voice as he shouted out her name.

But his voice sounded closer than before. She didn’t have the will to shout out to him. Her fright had sapped her of all strength. She could only breathe out his name.

“Brett…” Her voice was weak, but he heard her.

“Nina…”

They shot out into the air, then came down to alight on the ground.

A bolt of lightning came at them.

It passed so close to her, she felt it’s burn.

The left side of her stomach felt hot. She automatically slapped at it as she heard a grunt. Turning she saw the streak of lightning had hit Cagilaba.

The t-shirt he wore went up in flames.

His magnificent upper body was exposed. It didn’t arouse any amorous feelings in Nina.

All she could see was that it hadn’t harmed him.

It just seemed to piss him off.

“Oh boy…” She muttered under her breath.

He grew taller as she watched.

Horrified, she watched his body grow out and up.

Until he stood as tall as a coconut tree.

Scrambling away, she sought refuge under anything that would hide her from his view.

Then she was plucked up.

She was plucked from the ground by strong arms. The grip around her waist tightened as a welcome, familiar voice growled in her ear.

“Stop struggling.”

She breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing into his body.

These arms were more than welcome.

She trusted that they would keep her safe.

Brett carried her a safe distance from the giant that Cagilaba had become. He looked frightening. Huge and menacing were the words that tumbled into her mind.

“There is a cave in that cleft.”

Brett pointed behind her.

She turned to look.

She jumped as a resounding crash reverberated around them before she could take a step. Rocks tumbled down towards them. Brett threw his body over hers, knocking the breath from her lungs. Before she could breathe in, dust and stones cascaded past her head, dust swirled in their wake. Brett’s heavy weight on top of her body was an added factor to constricting her breathing.

She gasped for air.

She heard Brett groan.

“Oh God.” She murmured. “Save him.”

Frantic with worry, she tried to push him off her.

He was too heavy to budge.

Then he levered himself up, rolling off her.

Pushing to his feet he reached down to pull her up.

The dust had settled.

Behind them, there was a great big, jagged hole in the hill.

Right on the spot where Brett pointed the cave out to her.

Cagilaba had torn the hillside apart.

Nina was beyond petrified.

“Oh God, I think I pissed myself.” She whispered to Brett.

He grinned, but it was a humorless one.

“He will pay for that, as well as for daring to kidnap you.”

He bit out through gritted teeth.

“We need to get Aunt Seni and Semi out of there.” Nina implored.

We will. Once I’m done with this demon.” Brett answered. “Stay put.”

His order was muttered, just before he shot up into the air. She wondered when she didn’t see any wings. It was an irrelevant observation, but it calmed her nerves.

She watched in terrified silence as Brett shot towards Cagilaba. The difference in their stature was overwhelmingly obvious from this distance. Like a dove pitched against an ostrich. Cagilaba towered over him. The ferocious expression on his handsome face was frightening.

Nina shivered.

‘God, please, let him be okay.’

The boom from the collision reverberated. A cyclonic wind manufactured from the collision of the demon, and an angel of God blew her off her feet. She was lifted into the air, then thrown back with such force, Nina heard something crack.

She knew no more.