Immortal Ties

Chapter Ten

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Chapter Ten

• Calder •

“Okay. This is not what I signed up for.” 

I turned to leave, the smell of hydrangeas potent in the small room leading to the garden. The doors, windows – they were closed, but somehow the smell filled the space like it wanted to suffocate me. I couldn’t be rid of the bloody scent. It was everywhere. 

Kim’s hand curled around my forearm, stopping me in my tracks. “It’s not exactly what I had in mind either, Cal. But…” She bit her lip, her eyes darting to the window where Keepers bustled to and fro, preparing for our wedding tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

It was all surreal. The days had come and gone, blurring together – becoming indistinguishable. Our constant need to be dispatched throughout the country had become tedious and a nuisance. No demons had attacked. In fact, there had been no reports of demonic activity in all of Italy. It was suspicious, but we had come to learn three days ago that the northern part of Canada and America were being terrorized by frequent demon attacks. It seemed like the demons populating Italy had shifted to the other side of the pond. 

Our Council had dispatched a hundred of our Keepers for reinforcements. It made a difference, turning the direction of the battles throughout the border in our favor. The threat was not over, however, but every day – more and more demons began to retreat. We were certain that we would divide and conquer. There was word that a group of Keepers had thwarted and captured a demon – a demonic human being. She was being held captive in the dungeons of the Quebec Council.

“C’mon,” Kim tugged on my hand, walking towards the door. “We need to see if everything is to our liking.” 

I grunted. “I’d rather be poisoned by a Fwltur, deeming me unfit to do such things.” 

She glared at me. “If I have to endure this torture, so do you.” 

I crossed the room and caressed her face in my hands. “We can still run, you know. Disappear tonight with only a note in our absence.” 

She smiled, turning her face ever so slightly, kissing my palm. “And disappoint everyone? You know we can’t, Cal.” 

I dropped my hands and leaned forward, resting my forehead on hers. She closed her eyes, a soft sigh escaping her lips. We stood there for a moment, relishing the warmth of the rays seeping through the sheer white curtains. The smell of violets and watermelon filled my nostrils; a scent I’d become familiar with since the moment I began to fall in love with her. 

My fingers weaved through her hair, remembering the first time I saw her – never thinking anything more of her than just another novice – to the time where she began to stir foreign emotions in my chest; a concept I never before considered until she became part of my life. I thought about all the years we’ve survived in this insufferable war, thinking and experiencing a handful of times what it would be like to lose her, to live in a world where she was gone, to not wake up in the morning and have her be the first thing I see. I knew she’s had to suffer the same thing. It’s what all of us have had to endure. Some have lost family, friends, innocents that we swore to protect – all at the price of one day finding the bastard who unleashed hell on earth and having him perish by our hand. 

“We should go.” She sighed, hooking her thumbs in the waistband of my jeans. “There are a million things to do before tomorrow.” 

I titled her chin and kissed her. “Alright. But just so you know I’d rather be fighting demons these next few hours rather than making final decisions on what table cloth color I want. For goodness sakes! It’s a damn table cloth.”