Fallen (Undergoing editing)

Chapter thirty-four

A few days had passed since Enrique had stumbled over the Fallen mansion, causing things to take a sour turn; oddly enough through the following days, I hadn't heard from Raven, Demetrius or anybody really. Once and a while I'd see Raven, but she'd avoid speaking in a long conversation or keep any eye contact with me and give me the 'I don't see you' treatment the rest of the time. Alice would always be willing and polite, but Lucien would just be slithering about the mansion like a guilty conscious, looking preoccupied, the dark shadows under his eyes darkening by the day. Nonetheless, he would cough up a loud chuckle whenever he passed me by and grant me an 'Angel lover, I hear?'

I tried to avoid him at all costs.

Today, though, I wasn't up for much conversation or anyone's company. I'd gotten up early since sleeping was kind of overrated for me lately and found a nice pair of shorts and a baggy grey tee and made my way to the workout rooms where I saw Raven on a treadmill, focused with headphones lodged tightly in the sides of her head. Even though there was no doubt she saw me, she kept her eyes on the wall and away from me as if I were a ghost.

I decided to leave her alone and head for the next room over where I surprisingly found Demetrius, busy with his back to me, facing a hanging punching bag.

A fuzzy feeling erupted in my chest, trying to suppress a smile that nearly tore my face apart as I watched Demetrius slam his fists against the punching bag, his hair falling wetly in his face. I watched him for five minutes as I stretched on a mat in the corner of the room, trying to look as nonchalant as I could. He still hadn't noticed me yet or was trying damn hard not to. I couldn't tell. Tired of pretending to stretch my muscles when I had been in the same position for five minutes, I pinched the inside of my cheek with my teeth and marched up the punching bag that hung next to him and starting wailing on it.

Neither of us talked for what felt like a gagging eternity. I felt like a fool standing next to him, tossing punching like a clumsy squirrel, trying my best to look like I wasn't there for chit chat and all the while, he didn't even sneak a glance my way.

"So, avoiding me much?" I said finally, unable to stand the silence any longer.

Demetrius said nothing; face sweaty and wrists pink and raw, he kept at it, a little harder now.

I cleared my throat and talked a little louder over our fists slapping against the bags. "I'm surprised you didn't kill him back there," I said hoping for a reaction, a flicker of amusement, anything.

Nothing, he just kept punching.

"Listen," I said. "I get if you're upset after what you saw—"

"Upset?"

His voice scared me. I stopped and turned to Demetrius who'd stopped assaulting his punching bag, glaring at me with unfamiliar eyes.

He laughed bitterly. "You could say that."

I kicked at the punching bag with little effort. "I didn't know he was going to show up, Demetrius, I didn't know what he was going to do. What happened between us—"

"Didn't matter, right? Is that what you were going to say? That it didn't matter and you didn't know what you were doing?" he said in a mocking voice as he returned to his bag, resuming his heavy rhythm.

I frowned, looking through the glass into the other room where I could've sworn Raven cast a shifty glance our way.

"If you're mad because I kissed him—"

"Do you love him?"

I narrowed my gaze on him. "What?"

Demetrius leaned against the bag, breathing hard, sweat glistening from his face. "Do you love him?" he said firmly.

I dropped my hands down by my side, gazing over my shoulder to Raven who didn't bother trying to hide the fact she was most definitely spying on us.

"No."

"No?"

"No!"

"Are you sure?"

I growled, crossing my arms and glaring at his prodding eyes. "No, I don't love him." I narrowed my gaze. "Why do you even care?"

His jaw stiffened as he turned away and began sending his fists flying into the bag again. "I don't."

I blinked and instantly thought about the conversation Alice and I had only a few nights ago. "I'm only saying that, since I sent Demetrius to infiltrate the angelic Guardianship, he's taken on a surreptitious liking to you that I don't doubt you've noticed"

"Then why are you asking about it?"

"Genuine curiosity, lets drop it please," he growled.

I sucked air sarcastically. "Oh, I think it's a bit late for that now. You brought it up, so you can't just stand here ignoring me all pissed off—"

Before I could even get halfway through blinking, Demetrius reared up and kicked the punching bag off the chain so it flew through the air and crashed through the glass, rolling into the next room. I winced, watching as the broken glass all clattered on to the floor in deadly shaped shards. Raven stopped running and gawked nervously to Demetrius, whose shoulders were all bunched up around his neck, breathing hard, looking over to me with a hostile glint.

"OH, C'MON! I overheard your little conversation with Alice. I heard everything!"

I looked speechlessly to Demetrius who stood fuming. I could feel my face brighten to a sickly red, "W-what?" I hiccupped.

"Yeah," he hissed. "I heard how you're leaving once you get what you want after the war. You don't care about anybody, but yourself do you?"

"Demetrius, you can't shun me for that—"

"Damn well I can't!" he threw back at me.

"That's not true!" I pleaded. "I care about you guys—"

"BULL!" he roared, eyes blackening over as he towered over me. "You're afraid of us—of me!"

I backed up right against the punching bag, watching as the faintest bit of purple illuminated around him like a dark aura.

"Am not!" Even as I said it, it sounded like a lie.

A roguish spark slithered across his gaze as he stepped inches from me, so close, I could feel the dark icy black tendrils flick out from his body, coiling around him. I couldn't help, but stare fearfully.

"I know you think I'm a monster." His hand snaked out and cupped my jaw into his palm. I winced at the chilling cold as I stared into his empty hollow eyes, feeling nothing. His smile only widened, "You haven't seen anything yet," he cooed.

I stood there, eyes capturing me with an icy grip. My birthmark tingled frantically, my arm developing a mass of goose bumps that unraveled wildly down my arm. Trapped in fear, there was also a hint of pleasure that raced like adrenaline through me.

"Demetrius!"

We both jumped out of our weird trance and turned to Raven who stood in the doorway, eyes bulging out of her eyes, glass crunching beneath her runners.

Demetrius blinked, the dark veil around him evaporating. He turned to me confused then to the window, paling as he'd just recognized it.

"Demetrius?" Raven said softly, crunching over to him, laying a hand on his shoulder.

He winced and jerked away from her like she'd hurt him.

"Deme—"

With his face scrunched up painfully like he was about to throw up on the floor, Demetrius shoved past us both, crunching through the broken glass and fast walked out of the room.

Raven and I both stood there, in the mess of broken glass and air crisp and cold as ice. Raven turned to me with a deep look of hatred across her face.

"Well," she said stiffly shooting a dagger-like glare at me. "That could've gone better."