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Chapter 39

“You killed them…" A soft voice echoes in the clearing.

Growling Dae looks down at the torn and blood stained shirt now covering our chest, “Damn, I liked this shirt. You did a good job on it Ebony."

Growling mentally I complain, “Well if you would be so kind as to let me back in charge of our body I would be happy to fix it."

He chuckles out loud, “In due time."

A shuffling sound causes Dae to shift our right ear as the voice speaks up again, “You… you killed them… so much blood…"

Turning till Michael is once again in view Dae smirks, “So you're still alive huh? Figured you would have died of fright by now."

The last remaining hunter lays on the ground where he fell still stinking of fear and… other things. Slowly Dae moves so we are standing directly above him before he squats down. Nearing the hunters level Dae studies him for a long moment before saying, “You were the only smart one here tonight and it lets you live another day."

Michael swallows hard while staring up into our eyes. Pure terror is etched in his pale, sweat covered face. For a long moment Dae just stares into the young mans eyes before finally breaking the silence, “How long have you had your visions?"

The question catches the hunter so off guard he forgets for a moment to be afraid, “What? How did you know?"

Dae scoffs, “The visions that told you what would happen tonight. You said earlier you had seen it before."

Slowly Michael nods, “I had yes… in a dream… no one believed me… they never do."

He looks down in shame as a tear falls down his cheek, “You're going to kill me now aren't you."

His voice is filled with such an empty certainty that I feel sorry for the guy even as Dae tilts our head to the side and asks, “Now why would I do that? Do they teach you young pups nothing about demons anymore?"

Michaels eyes lift back up to us as he asks, “But… that's what demons do… you kill everything… don't you?"

Dae snorts but is cut off by another voice, “Actually most demons I have met have proven themselves honest and mostly honorable, if ill tempered."

Turning our head Dae locks eyes on Chase before growling, “I told you to stay out of sight."

Chase crosses his arms before glaring back, “There is no danger left here and you know it, and I will not let you continue tormenting this man."

Michaels head looks like it is about to spin off his neck as he keeps turning it back and forth between the werewolf approaching him and the demon towering above him. Mentally I roll my eyes mumbling, “Chase your such a noble pain in the ass."

Letting out a low rumbling laugh Dae says, “If I were tormenting poor Michael here, his screams would be heard all the way back to his masters."

That causes Michael to let out a tiny yelp as he tries to inch away from us. Dae turns his full attention back to the hunter before continuing, “No, I have a much more important task I want this young hunter to perform. One that requires him to be very much alive to do."

Michael freezes for moment before asking, “You… you do?"

Dae nods, “Yes I do. I want you to take a message back to your elders. You will tell them this forest is off limits to all of your kind as long as I reside here. All those sheltered beneath the leaves here are under my protection. Should they have business here they are to send you as an envoy, alone. If you return here, you too shall have my protection as long as you remain. Also make sure and tell them they are to listen to your visions when you have them. It just might save some lives in the future."

Slowly moving to stand Dae makes to turn away from Michael when he asks in a quiet voice, “How… How will I find you… If I need to…"

Dae turns back to the young man before leaning back down and grabbing him none to softly by the front of his shirt and hauls him to his feet. Once he is standing Dae dips a claw into the still fresh black blood on the front of our shoulder and moves it towards Michaels head.

Instinctively the hunter shrinks back causing Dae to growl, “Hold still or you will get hurt."

As soon as he is standing as still as he can manage Dae traces three quick runes onto his forehead in our blood. When he is finished they flash bright red once then vanish from view. Leaning back with a snort Dae says, “That will protect you from other demons, will tell me when you are within my territory, and will allow you to find me again when you need to."

Michael stares up at me for a long moment before asking, “You… You will protect me? From other demons? How if your not around?"

Dae raises an eyebrow before answering, “Did my display here teach you nothing? My powers far surpass that of any normal demon you will encounter. My mark on you will tell them as much and they will instinctively know to stay far away from you or suffer my wrath. If for some reason your elders still do not believe you then tell them that only a demon lord will be able to challenge me here. They will know what that means even if you do not."

The look on the young hunters face exposes his confusion before Dae jerks our head to the side, “Now I suggest you gather your things and make your way home. If you feel you need to perform rites for your dead you may do so, but do not linger long."

Turning dismissively Dae takes long strides towards the edge of the clearing when a small voice asks, “What was your name?"

Dae pauses and turns one eye back to Michael, “You may tell your elders my name is… Ebony Daemonium Flamma Wolf."

My mind reels in shock as Dae chose to give the hunter both of our names. Within my mind there is a scoff as he says mentally to me, “He will need a name to call us by no matter which of us in control of our body at the time."

As Dae turns back to the forest he waves for Chase to follow before Michael calls out one last time in a sad defeated voice, “Thank you for sparing my life, worthless as it is."

A low inarticulate growl rumbles from deep within our chest but Dae doesn't slow down, even when I hear Chase stop and turn before he replies, “No life is worthless human. Every person: wolf, man, or demon, has value and potential. It is what you choose to do with that potential that determines your ultimate worth. You chose to try and save lives even when your compatriots did not. Their deaths are not on your head but will serve to teach you and others valuable lessons. Remember that."

After a moment of silence I hear Chase begin to follow again. For several long minutes we trudge through the forest in what I think is the general direction of home when all of a sudden I feel the world tip over as my view of the ground rapidly rotates as the dirt and snow rush up to our muzzle.

The smell of dirt and wet rotted foliage fills my senses as I feel Dae struggle to roll onto our side panting hard from the effort. In a moment Chase is beside us his vision filling ours as he asks, “Dae, what's wrong?"

Through panting breaths Dae says, “That… took more energy… than I thought…"

I feel the mental barriers holding me from taking back my body begin to break down around my mind as I slowly regain control. Huffing Dae continues, “I may be stronger magically than Ebony is, but he has the endurance I lack. I can perform great acts of power but loose energy much faster."

He lets out a labored laugh as I twitch my right claws, once again under my control, “Plus, I showed off quite a bit back there. Wanted to impress you a bit I guess Chase."

With that Dae closes our eyes sending my vision into darkness.

Within the void I can feel Dae and I switching places within our body. As we pass each other mentally there is a moment when I find myself standing before him. I look at him in the demonic form we share but with glowing red claws, horns, and eyes. I stand there studying him for a moment before saying, “Thank you Dae."

He tilts his head at me quizzically before saying, “That is the first time you have ever thanked me before. Why?"

I lower my gaze before scratching the back of my head with a claw, “For protecting Chase and for agreeing to spare the hunters if they took the offer. Despite what Chase said about us being part of the pack, that wasn't really what made you do it. We both know that."

Dae crosses his arms before looking at me with a superior smile, “Ebony, after all the centuries together you still know so little about me. I am you after all. You would have given them the same choice despite what they did, how could I do any different. I may have all the powers and abilities you have denied yourself. But I do still care the same as you. I just tend to enjoy the more… carnal… activities a bit more than you do."

Snorting I lock gazes with him again saying, “You more than enjoyed that last fight. Especially the part with the fire breath."

He shrugs, “So I took advantage to stretch my legs and try a few tricks out." Smirking he asks, “What did you think of the magma claws?"

I begrudgingly give him a smile, “I admit they were kinda cool, though driving them through the guys chest was a bit extreme."

He nods at me as I continue, “But how on earth did you manage to cast so many runes and spells on our body so fast? That amount of protective work should have taken weeks, if not months to prepare."

At that he gives a mischievous grin, “Years actually. I have been casting them on our body for decades now, layer upon layer upon layer of spells, runes, and more. They only have strength when I am free to power them though. You always have them placed upon you but no way to give them strength without me."

My eyes go wide at his words, “You have been able to cast spells from within your…"

He nods, “From within my prison yes. Have been for a long time. Can't power them from in there of course, but I can prepare them. How else did you think I was always able to wreck so much destruction every time you freed me? My power is not infinite and you are the physically more capable of the two of us. After all you spend more time in the drivers seat."

I run a claw over the back of my head before I say, “Look Dae, I am sorry for everything I have done to you over the centuries. You didn't deserve it, any of it really. I know I can't make up…"

He cuts me off by placing a claw on my lips saying, “Ebony, we both thought I was guilty for moms death. And we both know I have killed many more innocents since. So in a way I did still deserve a lot of that punishment."

An awkward silence stretches out before I say, “I will still try to do better going forward, maybe we can even work out a deal giving you more freedom perhaps."

Dae chuckles before answering, “Maybe, though I much prefer just working on my spell hobbies. You would be surprised how many break throughs you can make with unlimited free time after all. So how about we just keep things as they are for now and go from there."

With that I feel a tug as full awareness of the outside creeps into my senses. With a wave Dae slips back deep into my mind as I get pulled back to the front.

The smells and sounds of the world assault my senses as though a woolen blanket has been removed from around my head. My body and joints ache from where I impacted the ground when Dae fell. Groaning I move to try and push myself up pulling my face from the dirt when a pair of paws grabs hold of my shoulder and pulls me up into a sitting position.

“Dae I swear to all things holy and unholy if you have hurt Ebony with some stupid stunt I will…"

Opening my eyes I see Chase fussing over me looking for injuries. When his eyes lock with mine I see the worry begin to fade as he says, “Ebony! Your back in control!"

I nod briefly before replying, “Yeah I am. How did you know?"

Chase points at his eyes, “Your eyes are back to black. When Dae was running the show your eyes turned blood red and looked like they were on fire."

I raise an eyebrow, “They did? Never knew that happened when he was in charge."

Pushing myself to my feet I stretch out my arms a bit before looking around to get my bearing. Watching me look around Chase points off towards the south, “The house is back that way about an hour or two walk I think. We covered a lot of distance."

Sighing I stretch out my wings and give them a couple slow flaps making sure nothing is damaged, “It would go much faster if we flew back. Not like we have any reason not to."

Chase looks back in the direction of where the hunters camp was then asks, “Are you sure that is a good idea? There could be others out here."

Sighing deeply I close my eyes before shaking my head, “There are no others I'm sure of that. Hunter groups are always groups of four unless they are going after multiple or extremely powerful targets."

Chase steps up closer to me and I feel his paw reach up and press against the right side of my face. Reflexively I press into his touch as I feel a strong emotion press against my chest. In a quiet voice he says, “Ebony, I don't think you should be flying right now as upset as you are. You're to distracted about what just happened and need to talk about it."

I open my eyes to look at him and feel a tear slide from my eye towards his paw, “How did you know?"

Chase chuckles softly, “Ebony, I have seen you at your best and your worst these last few months. I know how much you care about life even if you won't admit it to others. You dislike killing, even though you have had to do it many times. If you didn't then Dae would not have given them the chance to leave in peace. I do not like what he did. But I am forced to admit there likely was no other way out of that situation for us."

I look at him through bleary eyes as he continues, “You heard what they said, they view all demons as evil needing to be exterminated. You have proven otherwise, to me at least. Like your grandmother said, you have a heart of gold."

I look down at my claws still covered in the drying blood of the hunters. Running a tongue over my lips I can even taste the metallic tinge of the seniors hunters blood and for a moment crave the feeling of his blood filling my mouth again. Swallowing hard I look at him with regret, “But its not just the fact that I killed them Chase… It's that I enjoyed doing it. I wanted so badly, deep down, to not just kill but to devour them…"

I feel his gaze bore deep into me as I continue to stare at my claws, “I have never felt that before… I have seen Dae kill with teeth and claw many times. But never until today have I… enjoyed it."

My body begins to shake as I feel my stomach begin to turn. I barely manage to turn away from Chase as my mouth opens and the remains of my last meal launches from deep in my gut. Over and over my abdomen contracts expelling more and more bile and stomach acid until there is nothing left.

As I lean against a tree panting hard, drool dripping from my mouth, I feel Chase place a paw on my back between a pair of spines. After a moment he says, “Ebony… I know how you feel. When I killed Braden I felt the same way. I was both disgusted by what I had done, and… I savored it as well."

Turning to look at him I see understanding in his eyes as he continues, “Every wolf who goes through such an event feels it sooner or later. Honestly I am kind of surprised you haven't gone through this before."

Standing back up I wipe my mouth on my sleeve before responding, “Every other time Dae has been in charge I was only vaguely aware of his actions. It usually wasn't until after I was back in control that I became conscious of everything he had done and usually it was days or weeks before the memories fully returned. This time however… the barriers which would normally have separated us were nearly gone. I felt every move he took, smelled every breath… tasted the blood, the flow of the hunters life into my mouth…"

Nausea and hunger builds in me again at the thought of the hot blood spilling over my tongue but I manage to keep from vomiting again by taking long deep breaths. Chase lets out a long slow sigh, “Ebony… I won't deny that what Dae did wasn't horrible. He could have easily made their deaths much less violent had he chosen. You and he both are capable of a great deal of destruction, more than I can imagine."

His words sting, causing shame to rise in my chest as he continues, “That said… I also think he showed a great deal of restraint and care tonight."

That causes my eyes to go wide. I open my mouth to say something but he places his paw over my muzzle cutting me off, “This is the first time I have dealt with Dae in person and while I recognize his power, I also saw in him how fiercely he cares about others and is willing to protect them. He may have been rude and abrasive, but he did listen to me when I asked him to spare them if they surrendered. Then during the fight I saw him purposefully block and redirect attacks away from the one hunter who did surrender, as well as a keeping the few stray shots that were fired from going in my direction. I could feel the heat from that fire all the way to the trees but it was angled in such away that only the target was burned."

I quickly run over the fight in my mind again and realize that Chase is right. Dae did move to block the first sword which was aimed at Michael, but he also moved so that his own attacks would not threaten the man. Letting out a sigh I say, “Dae and I are far more alike than I have ever wanted to admit. We are essentially the same person after all. But that doesn't change how his attack on the last hunter made me feel."

Chase shakes his head, “No it doesn't. But instead of enjoying it and taking pleasure in it you're revolted by it. Think back to all the other times Dae has been freed and killed. Has he ever once done more than kill when he used his teeth directly?"

I try to go through the centuries in my mind quickly, most have faded some with time but eventually I come to a conclusion. As my eyes widen slightly I answer slowly, “No… I mean he has killed with bites many times, but it has always been as one would use any other weapon. I don't believe he has ever taken pleasure or… swallowed… when he bit."

At that Chase smiles softly, “It would seem we had both misjudged him did we not? He may be willing to kill a lot easier than you or I would like, but he isn't doing it for the pleasure of it."

I give him a skeptical side glare causing him to cough slightly, “Well… ok he did get some pleasure from showing off I admit. But with the kind of power at his disposal that he has, I would likely do the same thing given the chance. It's a common trait among predators, and we are predators after all, to want to show off and toy with our prey from time to time."

Snorting a puff of smoke escapes my nostrils, “I guess it did feel good to be the one in charge of the fight like that."

Turning I look back in the direction of the house again, “Ready to head back? I'm starting to feel better now."

He steps up to me and wraps his arms around my neck, “Only if you promise to have a softer landing this time."

Grinning I wrap my arm around his waist holding him close, “What are you talking about? That was a perfectly soft landing."

Before he can reply I leap high into the air while beating my wings hard to shoot us into the sky.