The Bird & The Beast

Chapter 5

Damien sat up, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes.

Fire simmered in his chest, the heat crawling beneath his skin and making him restless.

He stumbled to his feet, grabbing his clothes and picking his way through the room.

Blood was splattered on the wall and a corpse was lying on the bed, a gaping hole in their chest.

It was made something genderless by mutilation, and Damien rubbed a hand stiff from dried blood down his face.

"Fuck," he muttered.

He needed to control his demon better.

Damien located the dead person's bathroom and took a quick shower.

He caught a glimpse of his reflection and he sighed.

Where was Ela when he needed her?

He couldn't very well walk the streets looking like what he was, but the gods damn it all, he really did despise looking like an immortal all the time.

It was why he didn't have her cast a longer lasting glamour over his appearance, which just altered his hair and eye color.

While demons couldn't exactly be considered a minority, they definitely weren't well-liked or accepted.

A glamour made his outside life so much easier.

"Ela, I need you," he mind-spoke.

There was a slight pause on her end, like she wasn't sure if she wanted to ignore him or not.

"Where are you?"

Damien ruffled his hair, walking over to the window and cautiously peering out into the street.

When he gave her his location, he wandered downstairs to the living room, where he reclined on the couch and waited for her.

"I stopped by your place this morning," Ela said, her tone clipped and businesslike. "I was almost beginning to hope you'd found my replacement."

"Keep dreaming, love." Damien stretched his arms lazily over his head. "I had a bit of an accident last night."

"Well, isn't that a surprise?" She clucked her tongue.

He wasn't as messy as he used to be, but at his age, he shouldn't still be losing control like that.

"On the bright side, I did a thorough job," he said. "Unfortunately, I just don't remember any of it."

"The gods help us all," she muttered.

He smiled.

Ela's sarcasm was a good way to start the day.

When she cast the glamour, she hurried out of the house, saying she had other clients to attend to.

Damien went out the back door, breathing in the crisp morning air.

With a spring in his step, he walked down the winding roads of Celeste until the golden streets faded into something darker.

He let himself get lost in the milling crowd, but his eyes were trained on his purpose for walking out so far.

Outside a small general store was a girl.

She was huddled against the building, her knees pulled up to her chest. She was frail and skeletal, her hair greasy and matted.

Her clothes were nothing more than tattered rags, and he could see her shivering.

From his years of observing her, he could also see that she had just recently woken up.

He only had to be patient. He needed to wait until things felt right before introducing himself.

"One day," he murmured. "One day."