Gods and Monsters

Ch. 33 Decisions

A harsh white light flashed and momentarily blinded everyone. Elias rubbed at his eyes until his vision cleared slightly and he could see that his two older brothers were gone along with that man.

Brandon or Raza, whatever his stupid name is, stood there with his jaw clenched tightly. There was a man beside him with dark brown hair that fell to his shoulders but what drew everyone's attention, was the huge pristine white feathered wings. Elias gaped at them, knowing they couldn't be fake.

Sam dropped his arm over Elias' shoulders, pulling him against his side and glaring at the man. Elias rolled his eyes but hugged Sam anyways which only replaced his glare with a smug smirk.

The front door opened and Sage entered, cutting his eyes at Raza. He'd left Maverick in the backyard to continue with his meal, mostly because he wouldn't have been able to take it away without a fight.

He nodded respectfully to the Baxter's who looked confused but stood protectively behind their pup.

Raza's friend hissed, his wings ruffling as he spun around. Mia stood there holding a white feather that quickly turned black. The male went to grab it from her but she snatched her hand back.

"Hello." Sage said, distracting him from the evil little girl long enough for her to run to the other side of the room. Sage looked the male over before offering a hand. "Who are you?"

Everyone but Raza was surprised when the male dropped to one knee and lowered his head. "I am Arkaelis, my Lord."

Raza huffed, wishing they could have saved this for when they returned home.

"Please, call me Sage." He laughed, ushering the male to stand and who quickly did. Sage looked around the crowded room, feeling a little uneasy. A lot was going on and he was trying to keep up while also absorbing all the new information that had been passed to him.

Rubbing at his forehead, he looked to his younger siblings who were all still in their pajamas.

"Um, make yourselves comfortable...or whatever." He said awkwardly while waving the kids upstairs along with Elias. He looked back at Razalious once and shook his head, upset that he'd fed Maverick like he had in front of his siblings. How he knew about David, Sage could only guess. He didn't think the man deserved to die either but who was he to question a God.

Right, his Mate. Just the thought made him smile a little.

"He had wings! Do you think he can fly?" Marlo asked excitedly, bouncing on his toes as they all filed into the boys room.

"He can." Sage shared, smiling down at the five year old. Marlo giggled, his sharp little canines visible.

Elias sat on his bed, watching his older brother calm the kids down enough so they'd sit beside him on the bottom bunk bed.

"Did Mavie eat that man like a zombie?" Aurora asked, pushing curls out of her face.

Sage chuckled, sitting on his bed across from them. "No, not like a zombie." He tried to think of a way to tell them their brother now lived off the blood of others. "You know vampires in movies, right?" He asked.

"Yeah!" Marlo said while the twins nodded. "They turn into bats and sleep all day in coffins."

"Maverick is kind of like that but he doesn't do all the cool stuff." He told them, watching their eyes grow big. Except for Mia, her face stayed neutral. "His kind are called Night Children and like vampires, they need blood to live."

"Does that mean he can only go out at night?" Aurora asked. Elias shook his head, their brother was outside now.

"No, he can be in the sun but he might not like it so much." Sage paused, seeming to think over something. "Night is a King, or he was until he became a Daemon. Night originally created his Children to protect him from Day's Wolves."

Elias perked up at the mention of Wolves. He'd been told some things about them from Sam but it was mostly just their instincts and ways of life. Not their histories. Sage seemed to know everything though.

"What about us?" Mia asked.

Sage smiled at her, glad to get to this. "We are as what Day and Night once were, we are Fae." They seemed confused, pondering this new information. "There are many different kinds of Faeries now but we're descendants of the first."

"Like Tinker Bell?" Aurora looked hopeful.

"No, that's a pixie."

She huffed, running her fingers over her pointed ear. Sage knew there wasn't a lot that he could tell them now without confusing them. It'll take years for them to learn everything they need to know about their kind.

"What about Raza?" Elias asked, expecting to hear about some kind of demon.

Sage smirked at his brother, knowing the younger teen didn't care much for his Mate. He wasn't worried though, he knew Elias was only trying to look out for him. "You'll have to ask him." He said, making Elias frown and the kids to jump up. "After you've all taken showers and dressed." He added, standing from his bed and looking them over. All of their curly hair was a mess atop their heads and clearly they were lost without him ordering them around. He didn't even want to know how long they've been in their pajamas.

Aurora was the first to run into the bathroom, demanding that Sage do her hair after. While they were taking turns in the bathroom and getting dressed, Sage checked on their mom who was thankfully sleeping. She was sweating but he didn't want to risk waking her by wiping it off.

He'd just shut the door as Marlo ran into his legs. He looked at the door curiously before making grabby hands for Sage to pick him up. He'd dressed himself in one of the twins purple Dora shirts and red shorts. Elias and him both no longer needed support to see clearly but Sage did miss seeing them wearing their glasses.

The rest of the kids had already gone downstairs and Aurora had found someone else to do her hair. Mrs. Baxter seemed to be enjoying the task too. Elias had returned to standing as close as he could to Sam while appearing to others as if it wasn't by choice. Maverick had returned too, looking less grumpy and a little drowsy.

Sage walked to Raza who stood off to the side talking lowly with his friend, Arkaelis. The male noticed him first and stood up straighter as Raza turned to him with a guilty pout. Sage put Marlo down who reached his hand out to touch the male's feathered wings. Sage grabbed his hand and smiled apologetically.

"I'll get out of your way, excuse me." Arkaelis bowed his head and Sage watched him walk off into the kitchen.

"He likes you more than me." Raza grumbled. Sage hummed, not caring for such a formal approach.

"Have you known him long?" He asked.

"My whole life." Raza chuckled, hesitantly grabbing Sage's hand and pulling the male closer. Raza knew he'd made the wrong choice quickly after everything was already done and over. He didn't regret giving the Human to the Childe though, he'd do that again. Along with any other male who overstepped and mistreated his Chosen in any way. His Sage wouldn't have that problem now though, Raza wasn't going anywhere.

Sage nodded, hoping to get to know more about Arkaelis, seeing as he's known his Mate for so long. He would probably be the best person to go to for the embarrassing and funny stories Razalious wouldn't be wiling to share.

"How's your mom?" Raza asked.

"Sleeping. I think this will be the worst of it, tomorrow will be better." He hoped. Even if she got better, he hoped she'd stay that way. Time waited for no one and they were running low on it.

"When she's able to move, we should leave." Raza could feel him, his presence was close. "Maybe we should send the others first, my father will be waiting to greet them."

Sage looked up and met Raza's amber eyes. He wasn't so sure about doing that. Although he trusted his Mate, he didn't know his father at all, definitely not enough to leave his siblings with him. Especially with it being so far away. It was also the safest decision though. Sage could feel something dark coming and if it worried Raza, it was something to be concerned about.

"Tomorrow then." He decided.