72 A Different Kind Of Pain

After a few silent moments, I step back and awkwardly wipe my tears away as I ask "Why are you here?" He lifts his hand and says "I felt your pain... it was physical so I wanted to check on you." My head snaps up to look at him in surprise before looking back down at my hand.

"You can feel my pain through this?" I ask looking back at him. He nods with a shrug and smirks while saying "One of the many perks." He watches me for a moment before asking "So this was the night you went back?"

One of the many perks? I sigh and say "No, it was last night..." I awkwardly look at him before asking "Do you want some coffee?" He smirks at me and says "Sure" We head back in as I try to think of what to say or ask.

I give him a cup of coffee and watch as he pours a small mountain of sugar in it. When he sees my look, he gives me a sexy smirk and says "Demons like sweet things." I nod like that makes sense and ask "Are you.. are you okay? Can I ask what happened there?"

Something dark and dangerous passes through his eyes before he quickly looks away and takes a drink of his sugar with coffee. "Shouldn't you be asking me a different question, dollface? Like... why the demons are attacking you?"

I pull my chair out and sit down as I shake my head and say "Honestly, no. I want to know that you're... okay." He gives me a sarcastic smile as he asks "Why? So that you can feel better about what happened?"

His response surprises me and I find myself at a loss for words. His smile grows as he says "It was my choice, dollface. Not yours. You should be concerned about what is happening now, not what happened over a thousand years ago."

He takes another sip of his sugar with coffee as he says "To be honest, I had no idea you were the one they were all after. If I had... never mind. Someone higher up has been sending the orders and each time a demon fails, the bounty on your head grows."

My coffee goes down hard as I say "So you were the next in line to come after me?" He chuckles and says "Oh, no. I ripped that guy's head off so I could take his place. I was just trying to get out and if I had to kill a few to do that, then it wasn't a problem. I saw an opportunity and took it. Besides, a few more were sent before me when the last demon was killed."

I force my mouth to stay closed as I realize this is a little worse than I had originally expected. I clear my throat and ask "Why are they trying to kill me again?" He finishes his sugar coffee as he shrugs and says "Honestly, I don't know. Someone higher up or more powerful is wanting your head. Demons are just hired help but there are a few whispered rumors and now that I know that it's you... they may not just be rumors."

I down the rest of my coffee as I say "Of course... what are those rumors?" His dark red eyes lock onto my eyes as silence falls between us. "It's said that you have the ability to create a new, more powerful race while destroying the others. They say you're the ultimate weapon, easy for the picking. Some want you dead while others want you for other reasons..."

My eyebrow raises up a fraction as I say "Easy? I wouldn't use that word to describe me in any way." Kian snorts in agreement as he asks "So what's your plan, dollface?" I watch him lean against the table across from me and wonder if I can trust this Kian.

I could trust the Kian from the past but this Kian had been in hell for the last thousand years... "So what about you? Are you one of the ones who want me dead or do you want me for other reasons?" I ask with my heart in my throat.

His smile turns dark as he says "Obviously for other reasons. I have a feeling you don't trust me, dollface." I keep my eyes on him as I say "Can you blame me? You've been in hell all this time and... and... you haven't said anything about it."

His smile quickly fades as he levels me with a serious look. "What do you want to hear, Eris? That I've been killing since day one? That I've had to climb my way out of mounds of dead bodies, and fire pits to survive? Or should I tell you how the other demons like to entertain themselves down there? Or would you like to know everything I've done to survive and climb the ranks?"

The air around us stills as the house starts to shake, clearly warning me of the dangerous person I'm currently having coffee with. Kian's power was starting to seep from him as his control begins to slip. That's right, he's a top demon who even has his own body.

That's pretty high up on the power totem... "I see... I'm sorry..." I say not really knowing what to say. "You did all of that to survive, Kain. There's nothing wrong with that." His smile turns dark as the house's lights begin to dim.

He slowly stands up and leans over the table as he says "And if I enjoyed it? All the killing and torture? Is there still 'nothing wrong with that' dollface?" I look into his now black eyes with a straight face and bleeding heart.

Of course, he's changed... I'm an idiot.. how could anyone go to hell for that long and not change? To actually become a demon and have to survive as such. The anger he's currently showing must be because a part of him still hates it. Hates what he's become and hates that he did indeed enjoy some of it, if not all of it.

I slowly reach up and gently touch the side of his face as I say "You did good Kian. You survived and you came back. Thank you." The anger gets sucked out of the room so quickly, you can almost hear a snap. The house stops shaking as the two of us continue to stare at each other in the eyes in complete silence.

I can see so many different emotions running through his eyes but the most predominant one was pain. Pain and conflict. "I'm not the same person I was back then..." He says just above a whisper. His skin was just as smooth as I remembered it.

"I know and that's okay..." I say lowering my hand. His hand quickly grabs my hand as the two of us continue to stare at each other. "I'm not the stupid nice, sweet, and honest guy you once knew... I don't play by the rules and I sure as hell..."

Suddenly, there's a knock at the door. I turn my head to look at the door but Kian gently grabs my chin and turns my head back to look at him as he says "I'm not going to just step back and let some other male take what's mine. Not after all this..."

Suddenly the door is slammed open as Xander comes in with a growl "Take your demon fingers off her!"