By My Side - Sam/Aomaris Fanfiction

44) Trials

I entered the war room and immediately plastered myself against the wall to avoid the full-on brawl that was occurring in the centre of the room. Saero and a very pissed-off Sam were clashing spear to sword, and my incubus' face was so filled with rage I thought he might actually kill the demon in front of him. Saero, on the other hand, was completely void of emotion and was blocking Sam's attacks with ease.
"You're too slow. Faster!" Saero said.
"You want me to go faster?! FINE!!" The fight sped up to the point I could barely distinguish Sam's ruby sword from the blur of motion.
"What the hell is happening?" I asked Ronnie, who was standing beside me with the most disapproving face I'd ever seen on him.
"Sam was about to leave for the night, but then that dickhead Saero called him a weak coward. He did actually try to walk away, to be fair, but then Saero said the war was his fault, so that got this whole shitstorm started. They've been at it ever since."
"He did what?" My mouth fell open at the revelation of Saero's insolence. Despite their occasional fighting sessions with him, Sam's brothers were watching the fight with full confidence that he would win, but I knew Sam better. The more Sam pushed himself, the more he'd fail, and then he'd just push himself more and it was a vicious cycle until he ended up injuring himself and I had to force myself between him and whichever brother he was sparring with to get him to stop.

I turned to Diana with eyes full of accusation.
"Why haven't you stopped them?" She didn't answer. Her eyes were darting around, seemingly keeping track of the fight happening before her. I stared around incredulously. Did no one care about their safety?
"Are you that weak, incubus? You haven't landed a blow on me once!"
"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!!"
"LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON!" Sam roared out in fury but didn't stop attacking the demon before him. Blood-red energy began to surround my incubus, intermingling with his forest-green aura, and I froze. I knew exactly what that was. Sam had told me about it not long after we met. That was the brute demon side of him that he tried so hard to keep hidden for my sake. The sight of it was already bringing whispers and confused stares from his brothers. Enough was enough. Summoning my remaining energy, I let my wolf companion bound out of my chest. Diana eyed me curiously as everyone else stared at my wolf instead. I paid them no attention, as Saero and Sam hadn't even noticed its presence. I fixed my eyes on the fight in front of me. My wolf stared too, waiting for my command.
"Saero." I snapped quietly. The wolf instantly crouched, ready to pounce, watching the fight masterfully and I saw its eyes lock onto Saero.

The fight stopped quicker than I could believe. Saero stumbled at my wolf's attack and slid into the far wall. I stepped forward before either demon had a chance to continue their fight.
"ENOUGH!!" Sam let go of his tension as soon as my command left my mouth. He fell back against the wall furthest from Saero, taking deep, heavy breaths as he tried to recover his energy. His aura didn't diminish. My wolf acted before I could. It loped over to my incubus and sat in front of him. As Sam stared at it in open curiosity, I strode over to Saero, who was still regaining his own breath. I was furious at what he had put Sam through, and I wasn't about to let it slide.
"How fucking dare you?" I hissed. "What the hell made you think that goading Sam into a fight like that was okay? Yes, we need to train, and we all need to make sure we're ready. That does NOT mean you get to insult him and demean him! Sam is nothing like his father, and I'm fucking glad he's nothing like you, either. You're insensitive and cruel and downright rude. Take your holy ass out of this room right now before I attack you myself." Saero didn't move, but I didn't relent. "GO!" I heard Diana sigh.
"Come, Saero." The demon stepped away from me and followed Diana out of the room. I dashed over to Sam instantly and pulled him into a hug, stroking his hair calmingly. He was still panting from the fight and had dropped to the floor from sheer exhaustion. The red aura was still there.
"What the hell...?" I heard James mutter.
"What is that?" Matthew asked nobody in particular. I ignored them all and focused on my incubus. Following my lead, the wolf flopped beside us and laid its head in Sam's lap. Slowly but surely, the aura began to diminish and I was able to let out a subtle sigh of relief. An uneasy silence filled the room.