Karin: The Demon Sleeping Within

Chapter 22: A Passionate Dance

After watching Prudence and Stella step back into the portal and vanishing through the air, back to their home together, we carried the frozen queen into the cave, far enough back to be unseen. No one would find her there. She was well hidden and in a cave no one ever visited.

That day, Gabriel made clear it would be his last, for he had to report back to God. I was sad to see him go. I didn't know when I'd see him again, but I knew I would eventually. Besides, he was an important angel. He couldn't be staying in one place for long.

The following day came in shock for all of us.

"I'm going to ask if Gabriel wants to-" Satania's eyes dampened as she looked at me, catching her lip in between her teeth. "Oh, right... he isn't here," I recollected my thoughts.

"It's okay. We'll see him again."

"I know. I just feel like I owe him. All of you. All of you cared about me enough to want to save me. I just wish I had more time with Gabriel. It stinks he had to go. Why did he have to be the favorite?" I whined.

We had spent the day without him, mostly using the day for resting. After the weeks we've had, we deserved it.

The next morning, I woke up to a half-robed woman beside me. She smiled at me, realizing I was now awake, before stroking my arm with a finger.

"Good morning, Sunshine," she beamed, her finger continuing its mapping of my arm.

"Good morning," I repeated, scooting closer to her to peck her lips. She hummed softly against them, making my lips tingle against hers.

Though I was getting used to waking up beside her, this time was different. We felt different. The battle against the queen was over. For the entire time we've been together, as much as we had wanted to, we couldn't completely invest and trust in our love for one another. The idea of one of us being torn away from the other was strong and it weighed us down, suffocating us.

But now, it felt as though I could breath again.

I was no longer drowning.

I was no longer distant.

The air felt different- thicker. I could feel her too. I could feel her shifting aura. She felt relieved- relieved that we made it out safely, together.

"I was thinking..." Satania whispered, breaking the silence. I arched a brow, waiting for her to continue her thought. "We should clear your name in the town. Convince them you are safe, by letting them know you were stripped of the queen's magic."

My mind ran. "There would be a lot to explain to them."

She nodded, reaching for my hand.

"It will take time for them to accept change and to accept you, but they will. After all, I can be quite convincing when I want to be." She wiggled her brows, giving me a cheeky smile. Her expression then became serious as she cradled my face in her hands. She looked into my forest-green orbs so admiringly. "You deserve justice." Her forehead creased as her brows connected. "You deserve to be freed of those chains you were so wrongfully made to wear."

Anger radiated off of her though I could only feel love through her touch. She cared for me and thought so highly of me that the idea of me being looked down upon pained her.

I smiled as I reached for her wandering hand, pressing her knuckles against my lips.

"Thank you."

Her eyes widened, in shock.

"Well, yes. Of course," she replied, baffled. She then cleared her throat, retrieving her hand in consequence as she sat up on the bed. "We will have to put some deliberation on what to say and when, but for now..." She skipped to the dresser, paying no mind to the fact she was prancing around in only her undergarments. Opening the bottom drawer, she revealed a beautiful green floral dress. She then approached my side of the bed, handing it to me. I blushed, trying to keep my eyes from focusing on her body and merely looking at the dress she was holding out in front of me. "I want you to wear this. I have somewhere special I want to take you."