An Angel's Wings.

Ch. 45 Sacrifice.

At the last second, Nix hit my blade, it burned his palm, but my sword went through his hip. He let out a guttural scream of pain before savagely jamming his fingers into my poisoned wound. The pain was blinding, and the strength left my hand. Letting go of my sword, I stumbled back, and fell to the ground. I knew I wouldn't be able to stand any time soon. Extending my hand, the sword ripped out of Nix, he screamed in pain, and it flew into my grasp.

"Bad...idea..." He gasped, snapping his fingers. Two of his demons walked out, carrying an unconscious Angel. Blood dripped from his temple, and I felt little relief when I realized he was still breathing. Nix grinned, blood dripping from his lips. "That's right dear, I'm one step ahead." Nix staggered towards Angel, and laced his fingers through his hair. Yanking his head up. Angel's eyes fluttered open, and then snapped open completely alert. He then used his razor sharp fangs to clamp down on Nix's arm, drawing blood. Nix hit Angel hard in his wounded temple, making Angel lose his grip.

Then Angel looked at me. "Twelve!" He called, struggling and cursing. For once I saw Angel cry. His eyes were wide, and the tears spilled, the silent sobs shaking his body. Nix was now bleeding from two wounds, but still stood. "Demons, we're sturdy." He stated. Angel growled, "A demon like you is about to die." Nix turned to Angel, and I weakly stumbled up. Leaning on my sword. Nix smiled at my futile attempt. "What are you going to do? Stare me to death?" Nix teased. He was right, with the amount of pain coursing through me, I could hardly move. "You'll let him go." I growled, Nix smiled. "No, I don't think I will." He said.

Taking a step forward, I nearly fell. The skin around my wound was turning a different color, and the blisters were grotesque. Lifting my sword, I pointed at Nix. Who stared back at me confidently, "You will be killed," the air started shifting around, rising, getting faster, my blood was pumping, my mark glowing, "by my hand. You will perish. Your mental and physical being will be executed," the air was spinning faster, my feet rising. "Nixaizhir, I sentence you to death!" My voice echoed through the room, carrying weight that made everything freeze for a few seconds.

After a moment of silence, Nix scoffed, pulling out a derringer gun, and shooting. The bullet pierced me under my chest, and I cried out. "No!" Angel screamed as I collapsed to the ground. Smearing my hands on my own blood that pooled around me. Nix handed the gun to his servant, that obediently held it to Angel's temple. Limping over, he lifted me by the hair, and tossed me to the side. "You know why I look how I do?" His voice was loud and cruel. "I change my looks to cater to the horniest person in the room!" Nix laughed, "Looks like you aren't satisfying your girl Angel." He continued, Angel growled, but couldn't move. Nix laughed, lifting me. Pressing me against the wall, he was inches away. "Oh, she wants me Angel, more than she wants you. How pathetic." Nix stroked the side of my face with a shaking hand. "Oh maybe I'll do more than get a kiss from her." He smiled, Angel struggled, but he was smacked with butt of a staff.

Maniacal laughter carried through the room as Nix held me against the wall by the throat. "You think you're powerful Twelve, but your weak and pathetic." He whispered against my ear, tightening his grip. I let out a gasp of pain, listening to the sound of Angel being beaten into the ground. "Don't stop, I'm not sure our little pawn here has learned her lesson." Nix brushed my hair out of my face with a deranged smile. "Bad will always be better." He taunted.

"So, even though I enjoy your boy toy's screams, I'll cut a deal with you." He looked at his hand, which was decorated with my blood, and flicked his tongue out. Licking his fingertip. "Delicious," he whispered. "Let's talk shall we?" He asked, tears filled my eyes as I heard Angel being beaten, he wasn't even screaming at this point, there were just thuds as they relentlessly kicked him. I nodded, and Nix smiled. "The boy lives and you kiss me, willingly." Nix stated.

"You never hurt Angel again, ever, not in your eternity, you don't hire people to hurt him, in no way will you cause him harm, and I'll kiss you." I managed. Nix smiled, "Sounds reasonable." He stated. It was odd that he was so willing, he snapped his fingers and the beating stopped. "A show of good faith," Nix offered his hand.

"Deal?"

"Deal."

We shook hands and odd power surged through both of us. I heard Angel scream in protest as I leaned in, Nix smiled, and just before I reached his lips I whispered, "Elluin."

He appeared just as Nix shoved his lips against mine. The world swirled and turned black. It felt like my soul left my body.

I was outside of me, watching Nix smile as my external body collapsed to the ground. Looking down I was in an odd white dress, and when I looked up I saw a woman in white. Her fingers looked to be stained with ink, and she gave me a small smile. Then she faded away. Looking down, I saw my fingers fading away. My soul was being taken, at a small rate, but I couldn't do anything. I couldn't move much.

Angel scrambled up, ignoring his pain, he quickly dealt with the two demons by him, and screamed in pain as his wings ripped out of his body. It wasn't a gift with those wings but a curse. With what little strength I had, I reached towards him, and whispered, "Your curse can be no more." My fingertips that were dissolving brushed against his wings. His wings started shifting to a porcelain white, and Angel turned in confusion. The power it took to do that made me start fading faster.

So I shifted my attention to Elluin, he screamed, shouting a spell in the language of Fey, Nix was trapped in a binding of the ancient sort. "She gave you a death sentence, consider me the executioner." But Elluin didn't simply stab him. He reached towards Nix, and grabbed his throat. With strength, his fingers bore through the demon's skin, demon blood spilling out, Elluin yanked, disgustingly ripping out the whole section of Nix's throat. The incubus fell to his knees, and Elluin stabbed his blade through Nix's head. Nix dissolved, and Elluin turned to Angel. Who fought with renewed power. His eyes glowing yellow, he turned to Elluin after finishing off the last demons. Then ran to my body. That was turning pale.

He lifted me, cradling me. I wanted to return, but I couldn't, and I felt myself fading away. Angel cried freely, "This is all my fault. This is my fault. All my fault. Forgive me, please. I love you. Oh please, come back." Angel cried over my bloodied body. My heart wrenched. He was wrong, it wasn't his fault.

Elluin was crying too, he rested his hand on Angel's shoulder. "It's up to her to come back Angel." Elluin's voice was steady, but I saw his sorrow. A father who spent his life sacrificing every opportunity to be happy so his daughter could live, was now watching her die. Then I felt something weird, my arm returned. I wasn't fading away. Suddenly the dress shifted into porcelain armor, and my blade appeared in my hand. Turning I saw Nix. His true form, incubus. Angel was wrong about desire demons. They do have a sex, incubus or succubus, but they can change how they look. But this was Nixaizihr's true form. He looked to be about 7 feet tall, his skin seemed to be swirling, it was an ashen color, he had the form of a guy but was the shape of a silhouette with no discernible features. His blade was obsidian, and jagged. His eyes red. The color of passion.

We faced each other.

A final battle.