The Struggles of Dating a Demon [Completed]

Aftermath

Mabel shifted just enough to see Aleron and the creature. The false Herman held Aleron by his shirt, their faces inches apart. A small trickle of blood flowed down Aleron's chin and a long gash shone above his brow, but other than that, he didn't appear severely injured.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, Aleron hissed, clutching his left arm against his chest. Mabel switched her gaze back to the poorly drawn words on ground, watching with amazement as they slowly diminished, as if soaked up by the floor.

Twisting back to see Aleron, she saw him look down at his arm and couldn't mistake the sudden relief on his face. He smirked, and evil-Herman paused.

"What?" it demanded. "You have no reason to be pleased, Brother."

Aleron's voice was almost smug when he replied. "Or do I? Never underestimate the will of humans, Blagdan."

Ah, Mabel thought with surprise as she stilled her fingers against the invisible wall separating them. So this is Aleron's "disgusting disgrace" of a brother. With the way she'd been treated, she couldn't say she disagreed with Aleron's assessment.

The other creature—Blagdan—released Aleron as though he'd been burned. "What are you speaking of? Your human is dead! You are weak now!"

"No," Aleron shook his head, turning until he was looking straight at her, "I am not weak, and neither is Mabel. But you," his eyes glinted dangerously, the fire burning brighter than ever as he returned his gaze to Balgdan, "You will be dead shortly."

The fighting was too fast for Mabel to keep up with in her dazed state. From what she could remember later, Aleron's shadows had collected around him once again, this time pulsing outward together and spearing through Blagdan's (Herman's?) chest. Blagdan had swiped one hand forward, flames dancing around his fist, but Aleron deflected it without much difficulty, landing his own volley of blows in return.

The invisible wall had flickered then, before dropping entirely. Aleron had looked over to her, eyes softening with her appearance, but hardening with her battered state. In the next instant he had closed the distance to Blagdan, saying only one sentence as he towered over the other creature.

"Close your eyes, Little One."

She had done so, blocking out the noises of fighting, and had only opened them when a familiar, calloused hand pressed against her shoulder.

"Aleron?" her voice was raspy and weak, but she couldn't stop the relief at knowing she could speak again.

"Yes, Little One," he murmured, kneeling beside her and pulling her forward into his arms, "I am here; I am sorry for being late."

"S'okay," Mabel slurred, eyes struggling to focus on the scene over his shoulder. Herman's body lay in one corner, crumpled and shed like skin. Feet away from him, the body of a monster similar to a gargoyle lay, drenched in shadows with Aleron's sword sticking out of its chest:  Blagdan's true form, she was guessing. "You killed him?"

"Of course," he said, shifting her slightly as he stood. "He harmed you. No one is allowed to harm you."

"If you guys are brothers . . ." she trailed off for a beat, struggling to stay conscious, "then, how come he doesn't look like you?"

"Because I was granted gifts that he was not." Aleron answered vaguely as he pushed his way out of the rundown castle, where Mabel noted that all the gargoyles were slain as well, strewn about the ground like creepy garden decorations. Mabel giggled drunkenly at the thought, wiping some blood from her mouth and returning her gaze to Aleron when she felt him tense.