Devil's Angel ° {K.M}[Rewriting]

{048}

O Come, All Ye Faithful
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"Somebody once told me to love someone so I could change them. My mama told me to love someone just to love them."

—We Three {Somebody to Love}
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04/07/24 - any inconsistencies in the following chapters will soon be fixed. Currently going through and doing a lot of editing.

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"Luna! You're back!" The lump in her throat was hard to swallow as she was flooded by family the moment she stepped inside her home. The twins hugged her tight before Chris leaned into her side, Adrian bumping her shoulder with his. Paul brushed his hand along her shoulder before he gathered some of the bags she'd brought in, bringing everyone's attention to the gifts wrapped and hidden inside, ready to be put underneath the tree in the living room. Everyone was excited then, talking amongst themselves as they peeked inside the bags but the woman had spelled them not to give away a single clue to the contents.

Chris had her keys in seconds, racing out to the car with the twins following after to see what else they could snoop through. Paul and two other hybrids, Adrian and Tommy, brought the rest of the gifts into the living room. Only Merrick was left behind, the man watching her with a calculating frown before he pulled her into a secluded sitting room just down the hall. "You look like you're about to fall apart." America felt as if she was about to, feeling stripped raw after she'd patched herself up in the time she was gone. Two weeks had passed since the night in the barn and it had been a rough time since.

Though the woman had been itching to kill Kim for everything she'd done and intended to do, she'd been moments away from doing just that when an onslaught of visions had nearly torn her psyche apart. A property a few towns over that Klaus owned swiftly became a temporary home during the days she spent mourning those who weren't yet dead, wanting to resent the person responsible but unable to and hating herself for it. She spent another few coming to terms with it enough to plan accordingly for the inevitable fall-through of their lives.

On day ten, she had wiped the memories of the unsired hybrids of the night at the barn and on day eleven, America had determined Hayley's death would be slow and painful. Day thirteen—today—she was back home and content until everything about their usual way of living shattered in two days. "Honey—" Brushing away stray tears, she didn't even have a moment to revel in the man's endearment and soft expression of worry as excited, fast footsteps made their way to the room. America inhaled sharply, wiping away any sign she'd been crying just as Rosie slid into the open doorway, grinning. "El! You're home, you're home!"

Her heart swelled from the sudden surge of emotions at the sight of her. Every day she'd called to check in and talk to her awhile but it held no candle to being able to hold the girl in her arms. There was no restraining her tears then, the young woman burying her face in Rosie's shoulder with a shaky exhale. A teary laugh left her lips when the blonde rubbed her back and made soft shushing noises, "I missed you too. It's okay. I knew you'd come back." If possible, America hugged her tighter. It was another minute before she pulled back, sniffling as Rosie cradled her face. "Why are you still crying?"