All I want is to pound someone's face in. My demon screams at me, a savage beast. It wants to be freed. I find it harder and harder to restrain myself from attacking as anger, and probably alcohol, pumps through my veins. I'm so fucking ready.

I can see the smirk on Orion's lips. He leans back in his seat, folding his arms behind his head like he's at a theatre. His shirt lifts at the corner, exposing nothing but his open spine.

A strong hand grips Odessa's arm.

"Enough," Rowan's voice is nothing but pure command. His black eyes bore into his younger siblings head. A clear warning to proceed pretty freaking careful.

Odessa snarls at Rowan and he squeezes harder. So hard I think her arm might snap but her bones must be stronger than steel.

Something soft touches my wrist. Rosella looks at me with her milky white eyes.

"Scarlet, please sit," her voice pleads with me to act rationally.

Rosella turns her head to look at Odessa, glaring at her with deadly meaning but I know what she's done. Her horn presses into my upper arm. With a grip on my wrist and the point of her horn against my arm, if I were to lunge forward she will make sure her horn pierces my flesh.

"Sit. Now," Rowan demands. I can see him tighten his grip even further as fire leaks through the cracks on his skin.

Odessa stiffens like hardened metal, her bones creaking under the pressure of his hand. When Rowan says something, he expects it to be followed and we all know he's more than happy to deal out harsh punishments.

Wrath pumps its burning lava through my veins. I want to lunge at Odessa. Rosella's horn will tear my flesh but I'm sure I'll still be able to throw Odessa through the window behind us. Rowan will probably fry my brains out but it'll be worth it.

I tense to jump but Odessa surprises me. With a huff, she plonks her ass down. My eyes widen but I quickly mask my features. How disappointing. I didn't even get to bitch slap her. The crowd goes back to dancing and drinking, pretending as if nothing happened.

A tug on my wrist indicates for me to follow. I don't miss the angered glare Rosella shoots me. Her eyes narrow and lips pull into a line. As soon as I step out of this ballroom, I'm going to have to brace myself for the hour long lecture that's coming my way.

She slightly, but noticeably, shakes her head. I don't know why a pinch of guilt hits me but Rosella always seems to have that motherly effect.

Desperately trying to avoid Rosella's heated look, my eyes catch someone in the crowd.

Finally.

I excuse myself from the table. Nobody should mind especially since I'm giving Odessa space to cool down. On the outside, she currently looks calm and collected. On the inside, however, she has probably murdered me several times over in her head and I'm sure she has thought of some very creative ways. Her hatred knows no bounds.

I walk towards the left of the ballroom. Glass almost frames the entirety of the wall, letting moonlight glide through. On the other side is a huge, grand staircase that leads down into the palace's public gardens.

I catch Dem's eye and flick my head to the gardens. Getting the picture, he pushes his way passed nobility to follow. As soon as I open the glass doors and step through, I fill my lungs with fresh air. The breeze is warm but soothing like softly flowing water. The tension leaves my body and I relax letting the remaining bits of negativity leave.

"You seemed fired up. I must have missed some action," Demtorious says.

I smile, "Unlucky for you."

We walk down the staircase and into the magnificence that is the garden. The pathways stretch in different directions, all accompanied by the beautiful flowers and plants. Some of them glow like dim lights, illuminating the paths. It reminds me of a land out of a fantasy world. Each piece of vegetation has been oh-so-carefully placed and cared for. It would have taken decades, perhaps even centuries, to achieve something like this.

Every plant in this place is glamorous and otherworldly, found in no other realms but this one. Each stunningly beautiful, masking the deadliness that lies beneath. Like everything else in Hell, all plants found here are dangerous. Most are carnivorous, using pretty colours and patterns to catch unsuspecting prey or are deadly for defence. Only the strongest survive the harshness of this land.

I breath deeply through my nose, having the fragrance of roses infiltrate my sense of smell. I love roses. They're beautiful yet deadly. A delicate flower surrounded by vicious thorns. Beauty not easily obtained. They are my favourite flower, but then again, most people seem to favour them as well.

The roses, as black as midnight, thrive along the side of the walk way. Finger long thorns stick out from the stems as the harsh black of the petals are rimmed with a thin line of gold.

"So, what happened?"

I duck to avoid a branch loaded with small, delicate looking leaves. Only an idiot would think of it as a harmless tree. Those fragile, little leaves will slice your arm clean open if brushed up against.

Deceptive, evil leaves.

"Odessa and I had an argument," I simply state.

"So nothing new," Dem says side stepping to avoid a small plant with spiky leaves. I'm sure it's laced with some sort of deadly venom to give you a bad day if your dum enough to touch.

"Right after Barbatos threw a demon at us."

"Really?" disappointment laces his words, "I can't believe I missed that."

"Cracked the table as well."

He groans, "No fair."

A caw ricochets from above. My eyes trace the movements of the demon flying, each flap keeping it aloft. It disappears behind the wall of the palace.

"You are one feisty princess, picking fights with everyone," Dem comments.

"I'm not a princess."

"Yes you are. Your father is a king so, technically, you're a princess."

I hate how I can pick a fight with everything except logic.

He looks at me out the corner of his eye, a small smile on his lips. He leans over to whisper in my ear like a little kid, "If it makes you feel better, I would have placed my bets on you rather than Odessa."

"To win or lose?" I ask skeptically.

"Win, of course," Dem bumps my shoulder and fires me a goofy grin.

Rolling my eyes I say, "My hero. Always putting yourself on the line."

"As if I'm silly enough to get in the way," he retorts.

I'm about to respond when tingles travel up the back of my neck. I'm one hundred percent positive someone is watching me again and, by the feel of things, has been stalking me for a while. I know better than to ignore my gut. I spin on my heel, determined to catch this motherfucker. They should know better than to try and secretly follow me.

"Scarlet?" Dem questions but falls silent. He senses it too. Something doesn't feel right and it sets me on the edge. I scan the gardens. Nothing seems out of place. The breeze blows through the plants and the call of creatures sounds through the night in eerie howls. The three moons let their soft rays caress the land. I know I am not paranoid. Something is definitely amiss.

It is like the air has somehow thinned, no longer holding that dense warmth, an unfamiliar presence surrounding us. I balance the weight on the balls of my feet. Dem scans the landscape his goofiness gone with the wind.

I open my mouth, ready to say something only to have my words fall short. In my peripheral vision something glints. I flick my head to the source only to find myself too late. Something shoots past me, scratching the skin on my arm causing a trickle of blood to drip down to my elbow. A growl rumbles up my throat as my lips pull back from razored teeth. My talons are ready to shred some skin, teeth dying to sink into flesh. I think he has missed me until I hear the sickening thunk behind me.

If my heart had a beat, I'm sure it would have stopped.

It's like time freezes but my mind still can't catch up with the present. The air in my lungs clogs, stopping me from sucking any more down and it's as if I'm chocking. Drowning on nothing. The realisation hits me like a sledge hammer as I realise I was not the intended target.

Somehow I find the nerve to turn around.

Dem stands there, shocked beyond belief. An arrow straight through his heart.

He stares at me, a lost, little kid but I'm just as gone as him.

"Scarlet?" he whispers before his knees buckle. He falls but I wrap my arms around his muscled torso, slowly lowering him to the ground.

No! Anyone but him. Please not him.

I cradle his head in my lap, running my fingers through his silky black hair. Blood flows from the wound, the celestial weapon having done its job.

"Please, Demtorious, don't leave me," I shake him, panic beginning to take over. "Stay with me!" I beg.

He smiles at me. Nothing but a soft curve of his lips.

His head tilts back and the life from his green eyes fades like the setting sun. The only difference is, I'll never see the life in those eyes again like I will the sun.

My chest collapses. It squeezes until I can't breath as my world falls apart, each shattered piece cutting deeper than any knife.

It hurts. Oh Hell it hurts.

The pain is unbearable. Excruciating. Worse than any torture I could ever experience. It rips me apart, killing me from the inside. Then I do something I've never done before. Something as foreign to me as a far away land but I can't stop. It overpowers me like a tidal wave rendering me useless.

I cry.

Sobs wreck me. I stroke Dem's head as I cradle his body, rocking him close to my chest. He's gone.

It happened so fast...

I tilt my head back and scream. It's most broken sound I've ever made. Tears blur my vision as I scream until my throat is hoarse. I scream for my breaking heart. I scream for the only person I truly cared for. I scream for help that never comes.

He's gone.

I cry even harder.

I try to breath but the sobs keep pushing the air out of my lungs. My head drops, too heavy to hold.

Tears flow down my face like a stream. I'm drowning. I'm hurting and I hate it. A few tears fall onto Dems pale face leaving red trails in their wake.

Through the tears and the screaming and the agony, I lift my head only to find the spot where the killer was empty.

It left me to my own personal Hell.

***

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