Change of Heart

Chapter 23

I instantly cried out. "Caden...Caden!" Staring down at his body, I shook my head. This isn't happening...not Caden...

"Surprised you didn't I? He was quite the fighter." Stepping over his body, he continued. "Why don't we wake him up? It'll be more fun that way."

"Please...please, let him go! He's got nothing to do with this!" Ignoring me, he stomped on Caden's stomach causing him to screech out. Caden started coughing as he gained consciousness.

Zander grabbed Caden by the throat lifting him into the air. He grabbed Zander's arm trying to breath out. I struggled trying to break free, but the demon's grip was too strong for me to break. He slammed Caden's body back into the ground resulting him to scream out in agony.

"Stop this!" I shouted again. Zander came up to me and held my head up. He said no words only offering a twisted smirk.

Caden began groaning as he pushed himself up. "Caden!" I called out to him catching his attention. He looked over at me, to beat up to move much more

"S-Ser...ine.." It killed me inside as he said my name. Grabbing his hair, Zander lifted him back up into the air, holding him straight in front of me.

I pleaded. "Please! I'm begging you!"

"Watch me as I take away your sanity!" Throwing Caden high into the air, Zander took a hold of his spear. Holding it up, he bent his legs about ready to push himself into the air. I instantly reacted, stomping on the demon's foot with the bottom of my heel, his grip loosed and I pulled away. Seconds before Zander leaped up, I grabbed a hold of his arm pulling it down. He threw his spear into the other hand and launched it up at Caden. The spear pierced straight through his body causing his blood to splash.

I screamed out so loud it rang in my ears as his body slammed into the ground. "NOOO!!" Falling to my knees, my heart shattered into millions of pieces. Zander pulled me up by the hair and threw me on Caden's body.

"Lose yourself as you soak in the blood of someone you love most."

Caden's blood stained my dress leaving a cold feeling. Pushing myself up to my knees, I wrapped my arms around his neck, sitting him up. "Caden...please, open your eyes..." I sobbed staring at his face, expressionless. He was no longer in this world. I embraced his body burying my face in his shoulder, screaming out until it hurt. Why? Why did Caden have to be dragged into all this? I should've been the one to go...it should've been me!

My hair was grabbed again and I was being dragged away from Caden's body. Zander lifted me to my feet, embracing me tightly from behind. "Let go-" Crying out, I couldn't take another second of this, I wanted to get away.

Holding my mouth shut, Zander rubbed his other hand across the blood stain in my dress. "I find red to be a dashing color on you, wouldn't you agree?" I shut my eyes tightly, groaning through his hand. No more...I can't take this! "How about I go get a third to stain the rest?" I did the only thing I could do and stomped on his foot like I did with the other one, but his grip just got tighter.

"Looks like you've still got some fight in you after all. Let's see if I can break you down some more." He held up his hand and flexed his fingers. Sharp nails shot out of them just like Alex's. Pulling my head back closer to his body, he rested the tips of his nails over the top of my right shoulder. My eyes widened shaking my head. I thrashed my body again and again, grabbing his arm with my hands.

Zander slid his hand from my mouth up to my eyes. "This time I'll spare you the sight for the sake of hearing you scream." The second his voice stopped, he dragged his nails into my skin pulling his hand down. I shouted out in agony as the cold blood seeped down my skin. He laughed mercilessly at my suffering and threw me down to the ground. When I hit the floor, I covered the scars with my hands to at least stall the bleeding.

I looked up at him with hate and fear in my eyes. This man...no, demon, is even worse than I could've ever imagined. He began reaching for me again. Desperately trying to get away, I kicked myself back digging my heels into the ground.

"We're just getting started!" He grinned as he took a step forward.

I knew it was pointless, but I shouted it out loud anyway. "Stay away!" Zander took another step, and in a flash he was launched to the side. But who...what...Looking up, Alek stood there watching Zander fly to the side. My heart skipped a beat when I turned my head. Alex was running toward me. Suddenly all the tension in my body disappeared when Alex wrapped his arms around me. Tears of joy began falling from my eyes. "Alex...it's really...you.."

"I'm so sorry I was late..." His grip got tighter around my body causing my chest to hurt, but at this point I didn't care. I threw my arms around him and cried on his shoulder. Alek set his hand on my shoulder reassuring me that he was there for me too.

A penetrating laugh sounded in the distance. Turning my head as I held onto Alex, Zander stood to his feet surrounded by a black light. "You shouldn't flirt in front of others, Alex. It's so unlike you." His eyes looked empty, as if they were gauged out from his sockets. "It's even worse when you flirt around with those who don't belong to you."

"She doesn't belong to you and she never will!" Alex shouted back in response. "I would be damned before I let that happen!"

"Is that anyway to speak to an old friend?" He joked. Wings were beginning to bloom from his back, and horns growing out of his head.

Alex dropped his arms. "As far as I'm concerned you were never my friend to begin with."

Zander let out another laugh. Alex clenched his fists setting off the red light engulfing his body. "You were just my pawn. Seeing as how it's all in the past, I'll tell you the truth. I always despised you. You were always better at everything than me, always had it all. In the end, we became equals." Stopping, he reverted his eyes to me, and I pushed my lips together. "In the end, you wound up having something I didn't, so I took that from you as well."

The light around Alex grew darker with each word Zander spoke. "Alek." He voice became rough, drenched in anger. "Watch over Serine."

"You're not seriously going to fight him alone are you?" Alek protested.

"This is my fight! Besides, if we both fight, he will take the advantage and send his demon's after her." Wings so magnificent and large spread from his back. "We can't both fight him and watch over her, so I'm asking you to do this...for me."

"Alex.." Whispering, Alek and I watched as he took flight. Alek picked me up, and we appeared next to the wall. He laid me down on the ground. He looked at the scratches on my chest and narrowed his eyes. I held my hand over the scars to hide their nasty look. Alek pulled out a scarf from his pocket. "Here, wrap this around your wound for now. It's not much but it's something." Nodding, he helped me wrap it around my chest tightly. I groaned from the pain, but at least I had something to cover this nasty wound.

A large roar sounded in the distance, and both of them had fully transformed, both floated in the air. Alex held out his hand, summoning a metal sword. It was so radiant and sharp. As for Zander, he raised his hand up in the air calling for his spear. The spear launched out of the ground and into his hand. He gave a shrewd smirk, proclaiming to Alex. "I've been looking forward to this."

Alex gave no response. Instinctively, I took a hold of Alek's hand gripping it tightly from the tension. He did the same in return.

The two of them held out their weapons, and simultaneously charged at each other.

A life and death battle had just begun.