The Tiffany Box- ONC 2021 Shortlister

25- Something Like An Angel

Eli stood with the paper bag still in his embrace. "He did what?" There was a fire in his eyes after Haven and Ash had told him about Judah and his rusty hammer.

"Let it be," Haven said walking to him and taking the bag out of his arms. "He got what he deserved when the snake bit him."

"I hope it was poisonous," Ash growled as she plopped herself on the sofa.

"Venomous," Haven corrected as he set the bag on the coffee table and took out two bottles of red wine.

Ash didn't roll her eyes like she would have had Clara Abernathy corrected her. "As long as he ends up spitting blood or losing a leg, that's good enough for me."

"Me too," Eli said softly as he moved to Haven's side and pulled him into a hug.

Curling up on the sofa, Ash watched them hug. The stone returned to the pit of her stomach. "The snake was sent to save you Haven. It was no coincidence."

Giving Eli a small squeeze, Haven slipped out of his arms and went to sit next to Ash. "As was the cop car?"

Cracking open the two bottles, Eli interjected. "It may be, Hayv."

Haven shrugged. "Bull-fucking-shit." He looked from Eli to Ash before leaning back and touching his head to the back of the sofa. "How about nothing bad ever happens again so I won't need any divine saving?"

"I'll drink to that," Ash said as she took a glass of wine from Eli.

None of them had any appetite, not with what happened, so when Eli brought the wine, they decided it may be a good idea to drink the day away. All of them admitted they weren't big drinkers. Ash looked into the crimson liquid and told them she'd never had anything other than champagne. And that was way back when she was a kid.

Handing a glass of red to Haven, Eli wormed his way between his lover and Ashlyn. The wine threatened to slosh out of his glass as he wriggled to make room.

"Comfy?" Holding her glass away from her, Ash raised a brow.

'Nearly."

"You have a big butt," Ash teased. "You don't fit."

"I do not!" Pretending to be hurt, Eli looked at Haven. "I have a great butt, right?"

Taking a sip of his wine, Haven shrugged.

"Seriously! You're on her side?" Eli cried.

Beside him, Ash cackled.

"Hayv, you like my butt, right?"

Haven giggled then tossed Ash a wink.

When Eli turned to Ash he saw she's already drunk half of her wine. "You really don't like my butt?"

Ash loved the way the wine felt as it trickled through her and made her feel like she was finally dreaming something of her very own. "It's not bad. You're kinda cute but it's not like you're Brad Pitt."

Eli turned and grunted into his drink. Still pretending to be upset, he said, "You think I'm sexy but you can't admit it."

Ash just shrugged and slammed her empty glass down. "I need a refill, barkeep."

The empty glass being set down hastily was matched by Haven's. "Me too, barkeep."

Looking from one to the other, Eli rolled his eyes. "Slow down."

As if they'd rehearsed it, both Haven and Ash chirped, "Speed up!" Then both of them began to laugh as Eli refilled their glasses and called them demons.

"He's not, you know," Ash commented all-knowingly as she reached for her glass then pointed to Haven. "He's an angel."

"I know that," Eli said. "Haven is something else."

"Shush up, both of you." Haven swirled his glass around looking uncomfortable at the new topic Ash had brought up.

"The marks on your back," Ash said.

Raising a brow, Eli knew what she was talking about. He'd seen those marks when Haven and he had first slept together. "The scars. I've seen them." His slid his hand to Haven's shoulder blades and lightly touched the wounds. "My gramma once gave me a book with the most beautiful pictures. There was a painting of an angel on it, bloody wings on the ground and two marks like yours on their back. Granny told me it was a Kedison."

"A Kadisin," Haven corrected in a whisper.

Cocking his head to the side, Eli slid his hand down Haven's back. "She told me they were real. Not myths. But they are all dead now."

Ash remained silent as Haven looked up briefly to her before turning his gaze to Eli. "All but one."

"What do you mean, Hayv?"

"I'm the last one, Eli. Ashlyn was right. There's something different about me. I'm not like you guys. I'm a Kadisin. I drink blood in order to remain strong...and alive. Because I hate doing it I become weak, that's why I wasn't able to fight off Sam, Roach, or Judah." His tone fell into a hush as he added, "I'm terrified to back go out on the streets to find someone to feed from but I know if those two assholes find me and I've not fed recently they will end up killing me." He looked up at the pair with tears in his eyes. "I don't know what to do."

Shocked by what he was hearing, Eli felt words fumble inside him. Yet his feelings for Haven did not change. It didn't matter what he was. As Haven had accepted him being a Seller, Eli was more than happy to accept Haven as a Kadisin. Reaching out to give him a squeeze, Eli's hand then slid towards Haven's where he twined their fingers together.

"I know what you need to do." Ash set her glass down. She slid out of the sofa to crawl to Haven. "Use me."

"Have you gone mad?" Haven asked Ash.

"Yah, a long time ago it seems, but I'm serious. I've got blood."

"I can't feed off you. I'd kill you."

"Do you really need that much?"

Haven nodded.

"Then use me, too," Eli said. "If you take from both of us, won't it be enough to keep you strong and keep us alive?"

Haven's mouth dropped at their selfless offer. "I..." he knew it was possible. Taking blood from two people would only mean he'd have to take less anyway since their blood would become more potent if it were mixed together.

"I think you're both mad," he uttered. A ghost of a smile graced his lips. He held tightly onto Eli's hand as he brought his lips to Ash's crown and said, "you are both beautifully insane and I thank you."

"Then it's a yes?" Ash asked as she looked up at Haven hovering inches from her.

Overwhelmed by their gift, Haven's smile grew knowing he would not be scared were he strong. "Yes," he said happily. 

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