Lilium

Twenty-One

Twenty-One

Held over his father by the back of his neck, Oliver didn't know what stung worse, the sheer disappointment that gleamed in Russle Johnson's eyes or the monstrous changes to his body. Russle's eyes gleamed liked two pools of blood. His teeth looked dagger-sharp.

Beside him, Rei kicked the air and snarled. Russle – no, Abraxas – looked between the two of them and smirked. "It seems the prodigal son and the blood whore have returned, eh?" he said. He shook Oliver first, then Rei, who sputtered. Bony, overtanned arms stretched out from beneath Russle's shoulderblades and arched over his head. Drool leaked from the corner of his mouth as he ran his tongue around.

"Ahh..." He closed his eyes, a sort of ecstasy on his face, before opening them back up and looking back and forth. "Which of you should I devour first?"

"Wha--" Oliver was cut off by a strong blast of wind to his gut. He flew back until he hit something hard – a wall? - and fell to the ground. From somewhere else, Rei screamed.

Russle's shiny loafers clicked on the sidewalk. Hands in his blazer pockets, he took slow, even strides towards Oliver's crumpled form.

"Tsk, tsk," he said before licking his lips again. "You thought you were enough to protect her? And your blood whore? How sad."

Oliver stared up at him from a ground, every cell in his body screaming. "She's not..." He shook his head, though it did nothing to still the angry buzzing in his brain. "She's not a--"

Bony fingers grabbed him by the throat and lifted him, kicking and gasping, back into the air. As hard as he tried to pry himself free, Abraxas's hold wouldn't loosen. The buzzing in his brain grew louder, like that of radio static. Russle's – Abraxas's! - face turned fuzzier and fuzzier the more Oliver hung there, kicking.

With what remained of his energy, Oliver focused on the palms of his hands. Warmth surged down his tingling arms. Smoke, then flames, erupted from the space between his hands and Abraxas's.

Abraxas dropped him with an inhuman shriek. Oliver fell knees-first, choking on the air that was suddenly refilling his lungs. With watery vision, he put one hand to his throat and the other to the cement and fixed Abraxas with as fierce of a stare as he could manage.

"Fuck." Abraxas shook one of his branch-like arms, the faintest hints of smoke permeating from its fingertips. With wide eyes, he said, "That hurt."

"It..." Oliver paused to cough. "It was supposed to."

As his vision began to clear, he noted a blur of black and red from behind Abraxas. Moments later Rei's arms were wrapped around Abraxas's neck and yanked his head back. Teeth bared, she dug her nails into his collarbones with a shriek and went for his neck.

Before her fangs could puncture Abraxas's skin, Abraxas grabbed her by the back her duster and threw her away from him.

"I've already had it with the prodigal son," Abraxas growled, dusting off his sleeves. "I don't need your insolence, too."

Rei's body hit the street and skid across the road. Oliver's vision turned blurred, bathing everything in various shades of red. With a pained grunt, he stretched his nails out to their full length, lashed his tail against the stone and grass, and clenched his jaw.

"Don't. Fucking. Touch her."

The air exploded with cinders. Oliver roared and lunged for Abraxas, weaving between the Scourge's twig-like appendages and planting his claws in Abraxas's chest. The two of them fell backwards. Abraxas's head bounced against the ground.