False Reality | Book Three

Chapter XI

I shiver as a particularly cold breeze fills my veins. I'm curled up on the floor of the woods, holding my face in my hands with my knees to my chest. I cannot get over the fact the black-eyed boy is, in fact, the God of Death. It feels impossible. But is anything really impossible?

The sky above me twinkles with stars and the moon is my only light source as I cry in the woods. I hope no coyote appears out of nowhere and takes a bite out of my scalp. Or anything else, in fact. My shoulders shake from cold shivers and silent sobs. I feel betrayed.

I am not betrayed by the black-eyed boy, but I'm betrayed with myself. Instead of feeling an unimaginable pit of fear in my heart, I feel heat and want. It cannot be normal, right?

I have no idea how long I have been out here, I just know I should probably go back soon. My fingers feel like they have frostbite and the excess mud in the ground comes up to soak my butt. Not to mention, Ruby is still passed out on my couch, probably snoring like a pig.

Just as I am about to go home, I hear a familiar caw. My head snaps up to see the raven perched on a branch a few feet away from my head. The moonlight slips perfectly off of his back. I stare up at him and he stares at me before he flutters down and delicately perches on my kneecap. I stare at him with tears in my eyes, biting my lip.

"Cassiopeia," he speaks gently. I should be shocked he is speaking or questioning my mental stability, but I'm not. I actually find myself urging him to speak more.

"Who are you?"

"Davion. I'm a demon," he lowers his head slightly. "I've been watching over you." He says nonchalantly.

I say, "Why?"

"Because, believe it or not, you're important," he stares at me with his black eyes. I just raise an eyebrow at him. He ruffles his feathers before blinking at me. "My master loves you," he tells me suddenly. Both my eyebrows now raise.

"Your master?" I ask shortly. Then it seems to click in my head like the last puzzle piece. "The God of Death." It's obvious the bird isn't surprised by my words, he just nods.

"And I'm here to tell you who he is and why he loves you." His words steal the last inches of oxygen from my lungs. By the time I get my breath back, I am speaking without realizing.

"A demon," I glance at him quickly, "told me that I had forgotten him for a reason. I don't want to remember him if--"

"You forgot him to save his life," Davion says quickly. He looks at me with respect shortly. "You saved my master, just as I have saved you countless times." I awkwardly shift against the ground. Saved me? "But I fear my master is slowly unraveling."

"What do you mean?" I peer at him questioningly.

"He loves you, I've said that," Davion tilts his bird head anxiously. "I wouldn't be telling you this if I didn't believe you could remember, but you loved him too. Now that you have forgotten him as well, he's going mad."

"I loved him?" It sounds like acid drips off of my tongue. Davion winces slightly. "How could I love the God of Death?"

"Don't let his title intimidate you," Davion quickly snaps. He flaps his wings shortly, showing how frustrated he is. "He showed you a different side of him. He's never felt the way he does right now and it's scaring him." I just nod for him to continue. Something in my head seems to inch open, almost as if a door is slowly opening. "And, besides, I've never seen my master so happy," Davion says slowly. "When he was with you, he smiled. He's never done that before. I wish for him to feel the happiness he feels when I am with my mate." I think about the other black raven. They truly were mates. "That's why I've been watching you. I wasn't supposed to be, but I didn't think he could bear with it if something were to happen to you." Davion glances at me shortly before his black eyes stare into my own. "While I've been watching you, I've noticed something."