Broken Butterflies (34 page)

“Sometimes even I feel insecure.”

She pulled back and looked into his eyes.

“What? I’m married to the most beautiful girl in the world. I can’t lose you, it would kill me.”

Her fingers traced along his face and Damon closed his eyes at the touch. His hands slid down her arms, back up her torso, and found her breasts. Ever so light his thumbs ran across them before moving around her back. Taking her by the waist he put her on her couch, while he got on his knees. He ran his tongue up the length of her leg, stopping between them. Damon smiled at the satisfaction he gave her.

Damon’s body inched up hers. “I’ve never needed you so badly.” A grunt came out as he entered her.

Damon moved slow and deliberately for as long as he could stand it. When Ilisha said, “now, Damon,” he was faster than human eyes could follow.

“Holy cow,” Ilisha said running her hand through her hair.

“Yeah,” Damon said still breathing hard.

“Shower?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said again making her laugh.

They walked up the stairs hand in hand.

Ilisha turned on the water and went to get in, but Damon stopped her. “You’re my whole world.” He closed his eyes for a second. “Please just tell me you won’t hesitate.”

“I know you’re talking about Bram. I promise you I won’t.”

That seemed to settle him down. They stepped in and speed showered.

“We need to transform,” Damon said as he toweled himself off.

“Yes, but don’t you think we need to talk to John and my mom?”

“I was hoping to leave him out of this.”

“You may not want him to fight, but he needs to know what’s coming.”

Damon grabbed his cell and called John. Ilisha waited patiently on the bed.

When he ended the call she waited to hear what was said.

“He protested, so I had to give him an order.”

“I noticed, and thanks for telling him to watch over my mom.”

Damon and Ilisha transformed and stayed that way for two days.

Caligula burst through the front door causing Ilisha to drop her coffee. “Holy shit,” she replied clutching her chest.

“You got that right,” Caligula said.

Damon jumped over the top railing of the stairs, landing between them. He threw on his shirt and buttoned his pants as he spoke. “What happened?”

“They’re coming, thousands of demons, led by Bram,” Caligula answered.

Ilisha stood stock still, eyes wide.

“I guess you don’t need to find him,” Damon said to Ilisha.

Her eyes were aimed straight ahead, she didn’t see anything around her.

“Ilisha,” Damon said giving her a little shake.

Her eyes blinked and she focused. “He’s leading them because he wants me to kill him.”

“How do you know?” Damon asked.

“That’s what he kept saying when he took me.” She shook her head. “I mean, he kept begging me to help him and I wasn’t sure what he meant.”

Damon looked deep into her eyes. “Are you up for this?”

“Ready, no, but let’s go.”

They reached the forest. Nothing but silence filled the air, with the exception of the trees swaying and creaking as a cold wind whipped around. No animals were seen and no insects flew. The sky was grey and cloudy. Ilisha stopped and scanned the dark tree line, knowing Bram was close.

In an instant the clouds descended from the sky and fog engulfed them. Ilisha’s heart began to pound. She couldn’t see anything or anyone around her. Bram was isolating her.

“Damon,” she said sweeping her hand through the mist.

She could still feel Bram near, so she trudged forward. With her hands held out in front of her to hit any objects before she did, Ilisha stepped easy. The fog swirled around her, moving to the side, creating a path. She knew this path would lead straight to Bram, but what she saw made her gasp. Bram stood straight ahead, his arms clutching Amy.

Ilisha’s best friend whimpered as her bottom lip trembled.

“Bram, why are you doing this?” Ilisha asked.

“To ensure that you do what I need of you,” Bram replied with a growl. His voice was no longer the same. He had succumbed to the evil. Black was the color of his skin, his eyes glowed red. With every breath he took, a rumble could be heard deep in his chest. There was no more kindness left.

“Bram, let her go. You could have had your life taken many times by Damon, but you ran. I don’t think you want this. Fight it.”

As he opened his mouth to respond screams and sounds of a fight echoed off in the distance. The war had begun.

The sounds caught Bram’s attention and his head snapped in that direction. Ilisha took the chance to pounce. She landed behind him. Bram whirled around, glaring. He took hold of Amy’s head, snapping her neck, then tossing her aside. Ilisha watched as her friends limp body hit the forest floor.

Trembling with anger, Ilisha charged him. Bram laughed, as though her effort was amusing and pathetic. He turned and climbed up the nearest tree in three strides. Ilisha knelt by Amy. Afraid to move her she laid her head on the ground so she could look into Amy’s eyes. Amy stared straight ahead, not blinking, not breathing. Ilisha’s hand curled in her hair as she pressed her forehead to Amy’s and cried.

With a burning resolve she stood up and steadied herself. “Bram!” Ilisha shouted with all her might.

He jumped from the tree line, landing in front of her smiling. “You’re a coward,” she sneered.

Bram circled around her slowly. She could feel his hand brush through her hair as he passed. When he was back in front of her his face was so close his nose touched hers. She didn’t flinch;she wouldn’t let herself.

“You didn’t need her, she had a family,” Ilisha cried.

“Maybe not, but it was fun killing her.” Bram smiled ear to ear.

Ilisha’s lip curled and her fist balled. She didn’t aim for his gut, she hit him full force in the groin. Bram doubled over and fell to his knees. When his head was down Ilisha kicked it, black blood sprayed across the leaf litter and twigs. Bram’s body flew back and hit a boulder. He let out a grunt and lay there for a few seconds. Ilisha braced herself for the second he got up. It didn’t take long, Bram scrambled to his feet.

They were in full hand-to-hand combat now. Bram hit her repeatedly, each new blow causing her to wince in pain. Ilisha turned her body to keep his fists from breaking her bones, but one made contact with her ribs. When it cracked she screamed in anger and pain. Bram backed away from her. She stood facing him, arm held to her side, breathing hard. He was taunting her. Bram curled his index finger back and forth, waiting for her to engage him again.

With motion limited on her right side Ilisha jumped up and hit him square in the chest with her feet. As she landed he jumped to the highest branches. Out of nowhere Damon was at her side. Ilisha stared up into the branches where Bram stood. Damon’s hands dug into the trunk and he shoved. The tree roots snapped and moaned as the tree fell sideways. Bram’s wings burst from his back and he balanced himself on the falling mass. As the whoosh rang in Ilisha’s ears a demon tackled Damon and another battle began.

Bram fought his way out of the entombing branches and Ilisha was there to meet him with a kick in the temple. He stumbled for a second, slipping on the black powder that coated the tree from his wings. As quick as Ilisha blinked he was invisible.

She turned in a circle as his voice whispered right into her ear. “Ilisha.” He repeated it over and over.

Sick of his game she went invisible also. Just as the last of her body disappeared a blow hit her head. She fell to the ground and Bram was on top of her. His hands grabbed around her neck and she gurgled and grasp. Her feet began to kick the ground in an attempt to throw him off her, but he was too strong. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head and it throbbed from the pressure.

The battle caused them to lose the camouflage and Ilisha forced herself to glance away from Bram just as Damon ripped the head off of a demon and tossed it to the ground like an pile of shit, then Damon’s eyes met hers. He took a step toward her. With everything she could muster she groaned “no.”

Ilisha’s left hand stretched out and her palm opened, as her lips went blue. She envisioned the dagger in her hand. It jiggled and leapt out of Damon’s belt. Flipping end over end a couple times before the hilt landed in her hand. Her fingers curled around it as tight as she could make them. She brought it up between her and Bram, just under his breastbone. Summoning all the strength she had left, she slammed it one handed into him.

Bram sucked in a huge breath, his hands loosened around her neck, and he whispered, “I love you. I only wanted to die at your hand.”

Bram’s skin turned pale peach, his eyes brilliant blue. One tear ran down his cheek as he slumped upon her. Ilisha began to weep as she clutched the dagger resting in the space between them. Damon rolled Bram off her by kicking him. He yanked the dagger from his chest and whipped the silver blood on a leaf, before shoving it back in his belt.

Ilisha rolled to her knees and tried to steady her shaking body. Damon knelt at her side. He closed his eyes and fought the tears running down his cheeks. “I thought you were going to let him kill you.” He stroked her hair and buried his face in her shoulder.

“Amy’s gone,” she cried.

“They took her husband too. The demons killed him.”

Her eyes pinched shut in agony. “Noooo,” Ilisha cried in anguish as her head fell to her chest. She sat there for several minutes weeping.

Ilisha stood up and walked to the angel that once held her heart. As she looked down at Bram she bit her lip to keep from crying over him. “I’ve known you all my life, yet I didn’t know you at all.” She bent down and closed his eyes.

Damon took her hand and led her back to the others. Caligula sat on the ground, her hair tattered and smeared with black blood and mud. Eric lay motionless beside her. Ilisha looked at her for confirmation. Caligula nodded and dropped her head.

The surrounding forest was pulverized. It looked as though a nuclear bomb had gone off. Every tree for miles was stripped and broken, the ground bare of any vegetation. Where therehad been shade the sun beamed down. Littered across the barren ground were hundreds of bodies, angels and demons alike. Everything was covered in black and white powder. Half the angel army still stood. With broken bodies they took flight and disappeared one by one into the clouds.

Damon summoned John and asked him to bring a shovel, while Caligula started a fire under each dead demon.

John arrived a few seconds later, shovel in hand. Damon dug a grave for Eric. It took all his strength to roll the large angel in. When he was covered Ilisha walked back to where Bram lay. She stared down at him for several seconds. “You don’t deserve a burial, let the animals have you.”

She stood there until she felt Damon behind her. “Ready?” he asked.

Ilisha didn’t turn to look at him she just nodded her head.

They didn’t go home. Ilisha burst into Amy’s front door. The baby stood in a crib in the middle of the living room crying. Ilisha picked her up and held her tight as tears streamed down her face. She could hear Damon upstairs opening and shutting doors. When he came down he had all the babies things packed.

Damon asked John to bring the baby’s furniture over and they set her up a little space in the bedroom.

Ilisha showered and Damon wrapped her ribs. She curled up with baby Brooklyn on her bed. “Do you know you’re named after the city where Amy always wanted to live?” she asked stroking her head.

Damon sat on the edge of the bed. He let out a sigh. “I know we planned to go back to the Heavens after this, but I think we have a baby to raise.”

Ilisha looked up at him. “Thank you.”

“I’d do anything to make you happy my love.” He kissed her forehead and curled up against her back.

John gathered Amy’s body and along with her husband they were buried. This was the third funeral service Ilisha had attended at the local cemetery in the past few months.

“Brooklyn hold still, you’re such a wiggle worm,” Ilisha said brushing her hair.

She pulled the one year olds hair into a white bow and tied it. Ilisha pulled a white dress with black embroidered flowers off a tiny hanger and slipped it on her, and fluffed the bottom of its skirt. She put black sandals on her tiny feet and kissed her head. “Today we see Grandma get married.”