Glass Hearts

19

The last of Lena's things were moved into Jeremy's house and everyone goes into the living room to sit and relax for a bit. Leann allows them to relax for a bit before heading to the kitchen to retrieve the food she'd fixed for the humans and witches.

As they are eating Jeremy suddenly doubles over in pain. Lance looks at his aura and turns white. He calls Jim, "I need you at Jeremy's now!" and he hangs up the phone.

"What's wrong Lance?" Leann asks worried she's never seen a demon act like that.

"You remember how I said his powers were being held back by a dam? Well, his dam is starting to crack." Lance says going to Jeremy's side.

"Listen Jeremy, your powers aren't waiting any longer. It's going to be painful, but I'll be here and Leann will be here to help you okay? I called for Jim he should be here soon and he'll help as well. What do you want your slaves to do?"

"Stay until it's too dangerous. They calm me down," Jeremy manages to says through chattering teeth. His whole body is being wracked in turn by heat and cold. He could handle that but the pain, he holds the screams in.

"Jeremy," Lance calls and Jeremy desperately locks eyes onto the other demon. "Stay with me, I know it hurts. Jim's here now," indeed Jim walks into the room through the portal he'd just made and he brings Verruca with him.

"Jeremy, we need to straighten you out. If you can accept the pain instead of fighting it things will be better. Scream if it makes you feel better okay? Don't hold it in." Lance takes one shoulder, Lance takes the other and the two ladies manages to straighten his legs. Then Verruca sits on his legs so they don't curl up again.

Lance directs Zee and Lena to be where Jeremy can see and feel them. And immediately he calms down a bit, but still his body lifts off the floor from the pain. It's like he's having a seizure. His screams of agony go on for what seems like forever when finally they just stop. Jeremy lies exhausted on the floor. His body sweat soaked and his clothes clinging to him.

"Zee, go fix a bath for him. Lena, go turn down his bed." Leann directs the two scared slaves. They jump into action.

"That won't be enough, he'll need to eat, but he's in no shape to go hunting," Jim says grimly.

"I know," Lance isn't happy either.

Leann looks from one brother to the other. "What?"

"In the shape he's in, he'll kill them both just to stay alive himself."

"It will kill him if he does that. In the past it might not have affected him but it will at least with Zee it will. Not to mention how Terry will take to having a demon kill one of his wolves."

"We know Leann. But what do you want us to do? He's in no shape to go hunting and if we brought back dinner for him he'd kill it, he won't have self control for awhile yet."

"Take me hunting, later. Send Zee to his pack and keep Lena away from me, don't want to kill them." Jeremy manages to say.

"You aren't in any shape to feed, you'll kill your prey," Lance protests.

"I know. Need you to keep me from killing them, please Lance, I'm too much of a demon. I'm becoming like my family. Don't let me be like them Lance. Promise me you'll kill me first." Jeremy pleads with tears in his eyes.

Lance, Jim, Leann and Verruca all exchange looks. Lance sighs with tears in his own eyes, "I promise Jeremy. I won't let you be like your family, I'll kill you first. But it's not going to come to that, you'll master your new strength and the darkness in you. You won't let it control you, I won't let you fail in this Jeremy. Zee and Lena are depending on you so you have to become strong in your self control for them if not for yourself, okay?"

"Yes, I'm cold Lance, why am I cold?" Jeremy says with chattering teeth.

Lance smiles and strokes Jeremy's sweat soaked hair. "You went through something incredibly painful Jeremy and your body used sweat to cool you down. Now the sweat is cooling you down too much. Leann sent Zee off to get you a hot bath, are you ready for it?"

"Yes, but don't keep Zee there. I don't want to hurt him," Jeremy says again.

Lance and Jim help Jeremy to stand and they make their way to Jeremy's bathroom. Zee helps to undress his master then leaves as the other demons order.

Lance slips out, while Jim makes sure that Jeremy doesn't drown. "Zee, Jeremy wants you to go join your pack now. You'd better stay for a couple of days. He'll call you when it's safe for you to return.

"Is the master going to be okay Mr. Lance?" Zee asks with concern, which is mirrored by Lena.

"Yes, and it's just Lance. Your master did something very dangerous because his damn parents didn't teach him better. The worst part is over, but he has to regain his self control and that might take a few days. Lena, is there somewhere you can stay? I know that we just moved you in and everything, but he doesn't want to take the chance of hurting you."

Lena is shaken and white, "Yes, I can stay with Janey and her boyfriend. When I tell her why she won't have a problem."

"Janey will be fine, but unless the boyfriend is also Jeremy's slave you can't talk about Jeremy to him, understood?" Lance is firm on that.

"Yes, sir. Jeremy, I mean master has already told me what and to who I can talk about things with."

"Good. Go warm up the bed for Jeremy and then you'll need to leave. Make sure you stay out of arm's reach for the time being. And Lena, under no circumstance are you to trust him until he tells you to come home."

"Then how will I know to trust him when he tells me to come home?" Lena asks once more scared and afraid.

"I'll let you know that it's okay." Lance says running his hand through his hair.

Lena nods once and goes into the bed to warm the sheets up for Jeremy. 

Lance wonders if this day will ever end as he goes to get some clean clothes for Jeremy.