Be My Friend

Chapter 38: Smoke and Mirrors

I wake myself up from my sleep. My chest heaves with sobs as I try taking deep breaths to subside the pain. By the time I dry the final tear; there's no doubt in my mind that my eyes are red and puffy. My lips feel raw from biting them so much and my head pounds with a headache. Sweat covers my body in a sheer layer and I lay on my back, panting hard.

"I should've told you sooner." Damian, or Alexander, or whatever the fuck his name is, says from the corner of the room as he looks out the large window wearing a black tank top and a pair of boxers. A pit of irritation bubbles in my stomach.

"What?" I snap and tug a strand of hair back from out of my face. "That you completely made up an identity and lied to me? The whole bullshit vessel theory didn't exactly hold up, now, did it?" I sarcastically spit. I run my hand down my face to try and wipe the sleep from my eyes and get rid of the distorted feeling.

It's silent for a while and I guess it's for me to try and take some needed breaths. I pull back the covers and make my way over next to him. "Why?" I croak defeatedly and take a breath of much needed fresh air. His face twists into something unrecognizable.

"I..." He tried to look at me but visibly struggles to hold contact and looks away. "My mother was a warlock that moved to a place among the humans because she was shunned for using black, and light, powerful magic." He swallows hard. "Then she met my father, who was also a warlock, but only half. He was something else; something dark, and something powerful." He pauses and his face contorts into disgust. "Something demonic." He adds. "My mother gave birth to me... Many years ago. Half my demonic magic lay dormant for most of my childhood." He says with no emotion and stares blankly at the city down below. I cross my arms over my chest, trying to digest the information.

It was a lot, but I knew he was telling the truth this time. He could've been lying to me again, but I could see the mask on his face slip. I could see how tired he actually was, and how much he was hurting inside, how damaged he truly was. I felt it in the memory given to me, even then that was probably only a taste.

"Eugene was the love of my life. Yet he was stabbed to death because I was weak. I couldn't protect him. An angel of death appeared that day, and said I was the "chosen one", or some bullshit like that. Apparently I was destined for great." He paused for a minute of silence. "Don't ever trust an angel of death." He looks me in the eye for a moment before shifting his gaze somewhere else. "It said it was my time to rule, that my magic wouldn't lay dormant anymore, but after what happened to Eugene... I was wrathful. I..." He looks down to his hands with wide eyes and an emotion that nearly took the air out of my lungs. "I did so many things." He manages to get out. I touch his arm gently.

"That night, when you called out to me, I could've sent any one of my demons to you..." He says quietly and pushes some of my hair back. I lean into his touch.

"Your name is actually... Alexander?" I say tentatively while testing the name out on my tongue. He grimaces at the mention of his name. Calling him Damian would be wrong; it just wouldn't feel right anymore.

"I'm so sorry I lied to you. What a shitty way to find out about my past." He sniffs and goes to pull away but I wrap my arms around his waist instead. It takes a moment, but slowly he hugs me back.