Falling

Ch 7

I gaped at him in disbelief. "She...Thalia would never..."

He sighed heavily, giving me a sad look before gesturing towards the bed. "Here, let's sit and I'll explain."

I nodded and followed him to the edge of the bed, trying to calm the whirlwind of thoughts running through my mind. He sat down beside me, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees and clasp his hands in front of him. I took a moment to try and focus on him in an attempt to distract myself, which seemed to work; I was able to make out the hint of scales on his now-red skin, and I couldn't stop myself from wondering what they would look like on my own skin. The idea of my skin being red was actually a very good distraction, but hearing him sigh again brought me out of my thoughts and I looked up at him, turning myself ever so slightly to face him.

"Kiera, you are a special being," He started slowly, looking over at me. "Here in the demon realm, you are someone to be respected even without a title."

He paused again, looking away as he gathered his thoughts. "Unfortunately though, outside of the protection of the demon realm, beings like you are hunted down. There are angels specifically designated to locate and destroy beings like you, and to my knowledge they have rarely failed. They have been so successful thus far that you are the only one of your kind."

I watched him as he spoke, chills running down my arms. He looked back at me again, his dark eyes meeting mine as he quietly said, "The fact that you are still alive is not something to be taken lightly, my dear."

"I don't understand," I said, looking away. "What does Thalia have to do with who I am?"

"That woman that you were with..." He started with a sigh. "Who you know as Thalia...she was one of the angels sent to kill you. Why she hasn't, I don't know. But I will never forgive myself for letting you be put in that situation."

The pain in his voice was clear, but his words only made me more confused. I shook my head in denial as I explained, "Thalia's never done anything to hurt me. She's my best friend, and has been for years."

Asmodeus was quiet for a few moments, watching me thoughtfully. After a little while he asked, "How long ago did you meet her?"

I wasn't quite expecting that question from him but I answered, "About three years."

We sat in silence for a few moments as he groaned quietly, rubbing his face in frustration. I shifted my weight on the bed before quietly asking, "If she knows what I am, why hasn't she tried to kill me in the time that she's known me?"

"It's possible that she was thrown off by the fact that your demon was not active," Asmodeus said, more to himself than to me. His eyes met mine again and he asked, "Has she been acting strange recently since I found you?"

I looked away, my chest clenching slightly. "Yes; she noticed something was different the first time she saw me after I had met you."

"That's not good," He muttered, rubbing his hand over his face and letting out another long groan.

We sat there quietly for a few moments as I took in everything he said. I could have never imagined my life being in that much danger simply because I was a half-demon. Something didn't seem right about this, and I looked over at him in confusion.

"Why would someone be hunting me just because I am a half-demon?" I asked. "That seems a little excessive."

He let out a short chuckle as he reached for my hand, smiling at me. "My dear, it's not because you're a half-demon. It's because of the demon that you are descended from."

"And...which demon am I descended from?" I asked slowly.

"I'm still trying to confirm this for sure," He said, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "I have an idea, and while I am nearly completely certain that I am right, I don't want to say it just yet until I am absolutely sure."