Distorted Affliction

Chapter Twenty Five

As expected, Vanessa's reaction to Demidicus was less than thrilled, though she seemed less apprehensive than I had imagined she would be. When I explained his role, she had remained silent, the wheels in her mind spinning behind her eyes.

Our sleeping arrangements were less than ideal, at least I was trying to convince myself that I was upset. I couldn't ask Vanessa to share her bed with either Mouri, nor would I ask her to sleep elsewhere. Sin and Demidicus had conceded that renting another room wasn't necessary, an extra expense we didn't need to tag on to our already expensive trip. That meant I was left sandwiched between both of the men, though neither of them seemed to mind.

I was anxious to get Sin alone to talk to him, so when he slipped out for a cigarette, I followed him.

"Can we talk?" I asked, wrapping my coat around my shoulders as I leaned against the wall outside. He took a long drag of his cigarette before turning his gaze to me.

"Always," he answered, his voice still holding a tinge of the playfulness I had seen outside of the bar. "I have a feeling I know where this is going, though."

"How do you know Demidicus, exactly?" I questioned, trying to keep my tone light, but the curiosity was clear in my voice. It seemed like no matter how much I believed I knew Sin, he always held a mystery I was chasing the answers to. While I definitely liked that, sometimes it felt like I didn't know him at all. I had never even heard him talk about Demidicus, for as much as they swore they were close.

"We've known each other for a very long time," Sin said, his voice casual as he inhaled from his cigarette again. "Demidicus and I, well, we used to get into trouble a lot when we were around each other. It was a different time in my life, a much different time, and we did a lot of things I'm not proud of. When I met you, we kind of went separate ways for a while. He lives a very different lifestyle than I do, and I didn't think you would want someone that careless around, not with Silas, so I never saw a point in bringing him up."

I didn't need him to explain what he meant when he said they lived different lifestyles. Sin had learned to stop killing when he fed, but when we met, he had been ruthless. I didn't make him change his ways, but I couldn't stay with him if he couldn't maintain himself. Demidicus seemed to have control, but it also seemed as though he didn't have a care in the world. Being thousands of years old could have that effect on someone, I suppose. Did it make me a hypocrite if I didn't hold Demidicus to the same standards? Not that I was interested in building a relationship with him, I wasn't entirely sure I was capable of juggling another complication in my life, at least not yet, and especially not a complication whose brother was trying to murder my son to create an army to take down all of my kind.

Talk about a twisted romantic life.

"How does he know my family?" I asked after a moment of silence settled between us. "He has a Dagaz, which means one of my ancestors deemed him worthy of the mark, but it's not written in any of the family journals. If he's such a reckless creature, I don't understand why they would allow him to walk in sunlight. Wouldn't that make him more dangerous?"

"Demidicus has a lot of control over his urges," Sin explained. "I've always envied him for that ability, but a long time ago, one of your ancestors saw that as the great strength it is. He proved himself to her."

He let out a sigh, as if he was trying to gather the words to explain what he wanted to say. I imagined that the story was a complicated one, and he was trying to sift through the important details.

"There was a time in his life," Sin finally said, his eyebrows drawing together. "When he was much different than he is now, when he was eager to prove himself as a good person. He wanted to show he was capable of great compassion and considerable darkness in equal parts, and it's been a long time since I've seen Demidicus do something with the intention of helping someone other than himself."