The Apocalypse of the Damned

Chapter Four: Dead Man's Land

Malak didn't understand his mate. Specifically, his behavior towards the stranger, who still hadn't mentioned her name. His demon seemed tense and barely spoke to the strange being. Zion only spoke when she asked him something; even then, his responses were short and blunt. His behavior was similar to when they were talking to Father Thomas. He was still being strange. The angel had never seen his mate like this before.

The angel wasn't sure why his mate chose to trust the stranger if he so clearly didn't like her. Maybe his demon's strange behavior was caused by what happened. He knew that he had changed because of it; therefore, it wouldn't be outlandish to assume his mate changed as well. Still, Malak wanted to question his mate's behavior. But he couldn't yet. Not while there was an untrustworthy stranger.

The three beings walked in silence for a while all for different reasons. Malak was lost in thought, trying to figure out his mate and if he should trust the stranger. Ellette was afraid of the tall demon, who could easily kill her if he wanted. Zion, well Zion just hated socializing with anyone who wasn't his mate.

The silence was tense and uncomfortable for everyone except Malak since he was too lost in thought to notice. Eventually, a few miles away from the fae's home, Malak was snapped out of his thoughts by a certain question he wanted to ask. Though he didn't trust the stranger, his curiosity got the best of him as usual.

"What are you?" He inquired curiously.

The princess slightly turned her head to look at the angel. He hadn't spoken yet so hearing him was a shock. His question, though, was even more of a shock. Did the angel seriously not know what she was? Faes weren't the most social creatures outside of their own kind. However, her father mentioned that angels knew every creature including fae.

After getting over her slight shock, she replied, "I'm a fae. The last one in America now."

"I am sorry about that. It must be hard. But may I ask what a fae is? Or is that insensitive? I am sorry if it is," Malak softly said.

Zion's eyes shined with passion as he stared at his mate. The demon loved his angel's curiosity. Every time he thought about what his mate went through, anger filled his veins. Even though his bitch of a guardian was dead, Zion wished to bring her back so he could make her suffer for what she did. He wanted to torture her until she begged him to die. And just when she was close to death, he'd stop and let her heal, giving her hope. But then he'll come back and- okay maybe his demon side was showing just a tad bit too much. Honestly though, the bitch deserved it.

"What kind of angel doesn't know what a fae is?" She asked him. The princess was only curious about the angel, but her question sounded unintentionally rude.

The demon wasn't too fond of the way she spoke to his mate. "He's not like the other angels," he growled protectively.

Malak gently hugged his mate's tense body. His protectiveness over him was adorable to Malak. "You're cute," he muttered, heading his blushing face into his demon's back. His mate playfully scoffed and gently pulled Malak in front of him.

"I'm not cute. Sexy and hot, sure! But not cute," Zion replied.

His angel giggled, "You're cute too!" Malak snuggled closer to his demon, who decided to pick him up and carry him. The angel didn't mind. Zion was soft... and cute.

"I never thought a demon would act like that. You two are so adorable. It makes me wish I could find a mate," the stranger told them.

The demon blankly stared at her while his mate curiously inquired, "Do fae have mates?"

"Yes, we do. However, it is- was frowned upon for fae to mate outside of our species," she said.  Ellette hated that unspoken rule. The fae should've found her mate years ago but knew it wasn't another fae. None of the female faes made her feel the bond, even the ones she was attracted to. She knew she wouldn't be allowed to the outside world to find her mate. It was unrespectable for a fae to mate outside their species, even more so because she was royalty.

"That does not make sense. Mates are special and should be cherished no matter the species," Malak spoke quietly. He didn't know much about angels but he knew they had the same rule about mates. Angels thought they were too special to taint their bloodline with other species.

"I know," she replied. The fae looked at the familiar trees before her and sighed, remembering what had happened to her kingdom. She didn't want to face it. It was too much for the young fae; however, it was her duty. She stiffly informed the mates that they were here before opening the protective barrier surrounding her kingdom. It was created by combing both dark and light fae magic in order to keep intruders out and fae in. The only fae who knew how to open it was the royals. Though, Ellette's father never told her since he was too worried about her. She only found out when she snuck out and watched him do it. Luckily, she figured it out or she would've been trapped there forever with the lifeless bodies of her people.

All three beings carefully entered the kingdom of the fae. Immediately, Malak felt all the death that had taken place. The screams of those who died rang silently in his ears. His chest aches as the dead tried to reach out to him for peace and forgiveness. The poor angel never dealt with anything like it. The pain was too intense for him and a few stray tears slipped through his eyes.

Frowning, the demon wiped away his angel's tears and inquired what's wrong. "I- their pain. I can feel everyone who passed, and they want to speak to me. I have never felt anything like this before. It hurts," he responded. The angel's brows scrunched together as he looked around the land which was still covered in blood. The whole thing made the angel sick to his stomach. What could've caused this?

Zion wasn't sure how to help his mate. The dead were able to contact angels; however, usually the pure and trapped souls were the only ones strong enough to communicate with the angel. Nevertheless, an angel could reach out to any soul if they felt it pulling to them. The demon wasn't sure how an angel was supposed to reach out to the dead though. When he was an angel, most souls stayed away from him. Even as an angel, Zion wasn't very social, and the souls could tell.

"Could you try to reach out to one?" The princess inquired.

Before Malak could respond, his demon muttered, "He can but-"

"I do not know how. Do you, Zion?"

The demon solemnly shook his head, hating how he couldn't help his mate. Malak smiled softly and hugged his mate. "It is okay. I can try still and maybe I will learn something new," the angel said comfortingly.

Sighing, Malak tried focusing on what he felt. He made sure to block everything else out, including his mate since he was good at distracting the angel. The souls softly whispered around him, but he couldn't make out anything. They were all talking at once. He decided to close his eyes and try to feel what was happening around him since he couldn't decipher what they were saying.

The angel felt a gentle yet urgent tug on his shirt causing his eyes to snap open. In front of him was a young boy, who was trying to communicate with him. The boy was moving his mouth, trying to tell him something, but the other souls drowned him out. His small hand was continuing to tug on the angel's shirt. Was he trying to lead him somewhere?

Malak wasn't sure what to do, so he decided to trust his instincts. "Lead the way," he softly told the young boy, reaching his hand out for the soul to grab. The soul nodded, took the angel's hand, and started to drag him forward.

The other two beings weren't sure what was happening, but both silently agreed to follow the angel. Ellette focused her eyes on the angel while he led them somewhere. She couldn't handle looking at all the destruction done to her land and people. It was too heartbreaking for her. Unlike the fae, Zion's eyes studied everything. There was nothing but blood, bodies, and ruined buildings. Everything about the place made him feel tense. Whatever caused this was dangerous and could possibly still be here.

The soul of the young boy led to a house. Unlike the rest of the land, this house was untouched and right on the edge of the faes' land. It was a small cottage made for no more than two people. The quaint cottage looked peaceful and almost fairy-like. However, there was something off with the cottage. The angel could sense a darkness in it. A darkness similar to that of a demon.