Wingless

Chapter 18 [Lues POV]

If there was any confusion, the picture in the last chapter was of Raven :) The picture this chapter is of Malum? What should I do about Malum? Should he become good, just be unimportant, or be evil? Comment ideas! Also close to 50 votes so PLEASE PLEASE vote for every chapter! :)

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After being drilled by my parents and continuing to refuse to dump Celeste, I go for a walk. I remember Celeste telling me she has loved going by the stream since she was a little girl, so I decide to look for her there.

"She'll smash her head on the rocks and drown," I hear a voice say. It sounds cruel.

"What?" I ask, walking into the little clearing.

"Ooh, it's Lover Boy," someone yells. They laugh. Suddenly I spot a flash of golden hair beneath the water, kicking. 

Celeste. I sprint forward, but Malum lets her go first. I watch the water toss her like a feather into the rocks as she cracks her head on a rock. There's no time to think. I rip off my shirt and dive in. "Lues, are you crazy, man?" Malum yells. "You'll drown." Ignoring him, I grab Celeste's unconscious body and pull her up, gasping. Angels can't swim in water because their wings are made of feathers. Demons have leathery wings that are a lot stronger, so I transform. The current is fierce but I manage to carry her to land.

When I part her golden hair and see crimson blood blossoming through a gash in her head, I turn to Malum and punch him on the nose. Then I fly back to the Palace.

**

Celeste is conscious, the physician tells us, but sleeping. Her father paces angrily, pausing only to shoot daggers at Malum, Raven and the rest of them. I sit on the bed, and grip Celeste's slim hand: the one that isn't broken. It's something to do with Raven, I can tell. Everytime she looks at it there's a smirk on her face.

Then Celeste's eyelashes flutter. Her soft blue eyes flicker open. She tries to sit up, but falls back with a groan. 

"Don't sit up, sweetheart." says a pretty looking angel wearing a Nurse's uniform. "Your head is seriously injured. I've doubt you've seen something like it before."

Celeste doesn't reply. She pales slightly when she sees the demons there, but all she does is lay her head on my shoulder. "Thank you for saving me," she says into my neck. 

"How do you even remember? You were unconscious."

"I heard your voice," she says. "Plus, you owe me." She smirks. "I've saved you twice now."

"Point, actually." I close my eyes. "I never thought of that, but you did. Stupid woodcutter."

Everyone else in the room is staring at us like we've sprouted another leg. "What?" we ask in unison.

"You saved him?" her father snaps.

"You needed saving?" my father demands.

"And where does a woodcutter come into this?" asks Raven. "Or do you have some secret weirdo language?"

Celeste's mother holds up a hand. "I think we need to know everything that happened when they were together. From the start. It will help us understand better about the two of them and if they are enchanted-"

"Which we're not," I say angrily.

"If they are enchanted," she continues smoothly as if I hadn't interrupted, "we should be able to find out how."

My father nods curtly. "That seems an appropriate idea." He whirls on me. "Well, boy?" he growls. "Start from the beginning."

"Okay. I went to the forest, about ten-thirty, first day of initiation. I was mad because there was nothing to do and I thought initiation was a waste of time, so I set fire to a bush. A woodcutter-" I looked at Raven meaningfully - "saw me, yelled out, and loads of guys rushed in. I transformed, but he chucked a crucifix at me and it almost knocked me out."

"Wait, what? The humans know that holy relics weaken us?" my dad interrupts. 

I nod. "I've no idea how. He chucked his axe at my leg. They threw a Bible at me  and left me to die, which was nice of them." I say sarcastically. "I went into my humane form and blacked out. Celeste found me ..." Their faces become more and more disgusted as our tale goes on, and when I've finished, Celeste's father starts.

"Didn't we tell you?" he yells. "If you see a demon, fly away as fast as possible without drawing attention-"

"It wasn't like that!" she counters. 

"How was it not?" snarls Raven. "You act so innocent-"

"It was not," I interrupt, "because she had no idea I was a demon until we were alone in a bedroom with a locked door. She tried to run away at first but I'm a devil who's been taught to fight and she's an angel who's probably never even slapped someone before. I was holding her down."

"And then?" my father asks crisply.

"Then we ended up kissing," I say calmly. "And we fell in love. Now if you're quite satisfied, thanks to that lot -" I jerk my head over to the demons - "she's almost died and probably needs to sleep. So yeah."

"Are you ordering me away from my own daughter?" her dad begins incredulously.

"Yeah I am," I reply calmly. "What are you going to do about it?"

He opens his mouth to reply and then Celeste smashes her lips on mine. We kiss for about ten seconds and then Raven walks out with an exclamation of rage and disgust. Malum and the rest of them follow her. Then Celeste's parents, and mine, until we're entirely alone.

Celeste buries her head into my neck and presses her lips to my collarbone. "At last, they've gone."

"I knew there had to be a reason for you kissing me," I grin.

She holds me tight, wincing as she pressures her wrist. I look down at it and so does she. Suddenly pain floods into her eyes. I realize that the memories of yesterday are coming back and cradle her in my arms. She sobs into my chest until my t-shirt is damp, then finally she falls asleep. I'm shaking with anger. How could they hurt her? She's so innocent and sweet.

I lay her gently on the pillow. And go to find Malum.

**

The dormitories we sleep in aren't the best idea, considering that they mix demons and angels. Obviously not girls and boys. I don't even want to know what would happen if they did that. In the boy's dormitory, however, all the demons are gathered. They stop at once when they see me and glare at me.

"You're not welcome here," a girl says curtly.

"Caedis, he's under a spell," a boy says.

"No, I'm not." I say impatiently. "But I came to talk to Malum, so if you wouldn't mind-"

"You can talk to all of us," Malum smirks. I notice with satisfaction that his nose looks like it's been broken.

"Fine then," I snarl. "What you did to Celeste wasn't cool."

"Aww," Raven mocks. "So tell me... where is Celeste now?"

"Asleep, if you really want to know," I say coldly. "I don't really care what you do in your free time along as it doesn't affect me or Celeste. And if it does, then you'll get this."

"What?" asks Malum, crossing his arms, his amusement evident on his face. I swing my arm and punch him, hard. Malum is strong but I've always been stronger, and his face flips back. Blood spurts from his nose. I walk out.

If his nose wasn't broken before, then it definitely is now.