DARE THE DEVIL

Anything other than me

HUMAN WORLD

Aziza strapped a belt to her waist and her thighs. She walked over to her wardrobe and brought out her guns and daggers and almost immediately, Maddie gasped.

“I didn’t know you had so many of those.”

“Why do you have those when you can use your supernatural ability?” Sloan entered, turning to her. She was dressed in her usual way. Black jacket, black pants, but the belts and guns were becoming more and more.

“And can you not have all those in my house? It might implicate me.”

“It wouldn’t and even if it does, I will just take you to a safe place,” Aziza answered dryly.

“You don’t even have a safe place of your own.” Maddie scoffed. The red hair paused and turned to her. Her gaze was piercing, threatening and cold. But the other was used to her threatening ways as it was.

“You really do not have to use the guns you know…” Sloan entered, falling butt flat on her bed. Aziza looked away from Maddie and stole a glance at Sloan who was ruining the bed she just made. Then she went back to what she was doing.

“You’ve seen this before.” Aziza simply rolled her eyes at them.

“Yes, but I don’t see the need to have this.”

“I have always had this. I stayed by Damon’s side for eight years and not once did the cops figure out that a supernatural being was in the world till the day of his gruesome court case. How did you think that it was possible that I remained hidden all this while?” she buckled up and wiped imaginary dust from her hands. The other women went into deep thought for a few seconds, then Sloan gasped.

“You’ve been making use of daggers and guns. Human’s use that, so even if you kill an entire nation, they would simply think some drug dealer did it or humans or mercenaries but it's all humans,” she jumped up from where she sat.

“Someone has brains…” Aziza smirked.

“Now that I am wanted by every being in the country, even Interpol is stepping in, I have to lay low.”

“We’ve been saying that for months now.” Maddie groaned and flashed her a glare. They had worried and had been worrying for her safety more than she ever worried for herself but no matter what they say, it all fell on deaf ears.

“Now, I am listening.” She grinned at her friend's annoyed look and turned to the door. Immediately, both women followed her.

“So, you have the guns to do what exactly?” Sloan grabbed her arm and intertwined hers with it.

“Just in case I have to fight. I don’t have to bite or claw anyone. I would simply make it seem like a human killed this time around.”

“That would cover your tracks. But do you have to kill?”

“Would they stop trying to kill me?” she retorted and it went quiet. The both women followed her like kids clinging onto the last bit of their mother before she left for work.

They arrived at the sitting room and just like that, they knew it was time to let go. With a reluctant sigh, Sloan let go of her hand and watched her turn to them.

“Stop sulking like kids, would you?” she crossed her hand over her chest. They truly looked like kids and though she knew they cared about her, it was still annoying.

“You are walking into a lion’s den and you expect us to joyfully send you to the Roxwell house like that?” Maddie snapped and crossed her hand over her chest as well. She was never in support of what Aziza had in mind. They all wanted Damon back, but if that meant that she had to meet the Roxwells. A very powerful family, an enemy to Aziza and people who clearly knew about their sons were about way before it happened, yet said nothing, then she was not going to show her support.

“It's not like you can stop me.” Aziza smiled feeling the sudden warmth in her heart at the concern in Maddie’s dry and scolding voice.

“That’s what makes me so pissed,” she retorted.

“I don’t think they plan well for you. You don’t have to go there.”

“I have to find Damon,” she sighed and dropped her hand from her chest. The sadness that overwhelmed her at the thought of her mate resurrected a pain like none other within her. Nisha let out a sorrowful whimper at the thought of the missing piece in their life. And just like the pain overwhelmed her, it touched Sloan and Maddie.

“We know…” Sloan walked over to her.

“We are going to get him…”

“But you don’t have to go to his parents for that?” Maddie came closer, maintaining her stand.

“I haven’t had a lead ever since he disappeared with that….”

“Demon…” Sloan completed. They all remembered the eyes of that man. It was just as black pitched as the eyes of Damon when he was about to kill someone. He was certainly a demon and not just a demon but a Valeryon. That much they knew.

“Going to that lion den might be the only way I can think of right now.” Aziza protested. Yet Maddie was not having it. She had been through so much and had thrown her life away for the woman before her. It would all be a waste if she suddenly put herself in danger like that. But she was simply human and when supernatural beings could not stop, a petty human like her couldn’t. Not to add that, Aziza was very stubborn.

“You will be safe right?” she couldn’t help but ask as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Are you getting worried about me, Miss I don’t give a f**k and you ruined my life?” Aziza smirked.

“Ewww…” Maddie pulled her hand away from Aziza’s shoulders and wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“Of course not.”

“You wish…” she dusted imaginary dust from her hand. It left a small smile at Aziza’s lips and for a moment, a very brief one, she felt fine.

Damon’s disappearance had completely shattered her, but Sloan and Maddie had been holding her up. They did almost nothing but she was used to getting back into that house all bloody and tired, she was used to Sloan’s scolding and Maddie’s little annoying remarks about how careful she should be. She was used to seeing them look at her with so much concern and care when they were the weak helpless ones. Days and nights she would spend, causing havoc and going about searching for Damon and days and nights she felt like crying. All it took was for her to return home. A home where two very strange human ladies waited for her like they always knew that she would come back.

That thought made her lips curve further into a wider smile and warmth caressed her heart.

“You know you can say thank you, right?” Chandra’s harsh and cold voice immediately slammed against her thoughts, ruining the sensitive moment she had. The smile on her lips disappeared immediately and the thought of killing her wolf was ever so present in her thoughts.

“You know I wish I could kill you right?” she retorted and Nisha chuckled.

“Of course, you can…” she remarked.

“But since we know you are too proud to say a thank you. Tell them that your pets are with you and we don’t like the Roxwells too. But nothing would happen to us, not till we get Damon.” Nyx entered and Aziza rolled her eyes. Her pets were busy bodies. That was clear.

“I’m leaving,” she said to her friends and turned to the door. With strong, determined, focused and confident steps, she made her way to the door. But stopped midway on a second thought and turned to the both women whose gaze caressed her skin.

“Chandra asked me to tell you that you don’t have to worry. They will keep me safe,” she smiled. Chandra let out a scoff and thought of how pathetic her sire was. She simply had to use her name.

********

Aziza stood at a tall building opposite that of the Roxwells and watched the house for a while. It was a familiar building and she had stood there time and time again to watch Damon. In that same building, she had a one-on-one talk with her very first friend, Daciana. It made her think about the werewolf and she wondered how she might have been doing without her memories. The last time, she had to take her memories and send her home to protect her, and ever since, it had been so chaotic. With a huge sigh, she pushed the thought of the wolf away and thought of Damon and the many times she had watched him and his family. It suddenly seemed like it all happened years ago when it was just three months since he disappeared. Every moment he shared with his family, she watched and they were truly happy. She remembered how dotting his mother was, how strict and cold his father and grandfather was and how stubborn he was towards them. She recalled how he turned into a teaser and a jovial and funny kid when he was with his mother and how he would rain all sorts of praises just to make her smile and how he would turn to a very cold and terrible person when he had to talk with his father and grandfather. They were so happy. Well, that was before she arrived.

Her heart caved in at the very thought of ruining his peaceful and happy life with her greed, selfishness and recklessness. She hadn’t just torn the family apart, but Damon had gone missing on the way because of what she had done. It was all fault and it simply reminded her of why she was that curse and abomination everyone talked about back then. She could easily sap people’s happiness and life.

A dark smirk appeared on her lips at the thought of her own family. She had even done that to her own family. It was a knowledge she hated, a few months ago, she thought it was simply outrageous, she thought the universe hated her. But now she was beginning to wonder if they actually saw the truth for what she was. She had ruined a lot of lives, maybe it was true that she was what she was. What the oracle had said that she was.

“That isn’t true…” Nisha peered into her thoughts just in time and realised what she was thinking.

“Oh yeah…” she laughed darkly at herself. Sorrow clutching her heart strongly.

“Aside from death, pain, and wickedness, what else have I done?”

“No, you…”

“I did that to my family, I did that to Damon’s family. I almost ruined Sloan and Maddie’s life and I took Daciana’s memories. I mean, look at this city and the deaths that are recorded every day…” she screamed into her mind, hating herself and what she was. Maybe it would have been nice to not have existed. Her pets whimpered and tried to ease her pain, but her pain was theirs and it killed them.

“I could have been anything else. I could have been a werewolf, a vampire, a demon or a witch alone. Damn, I could have been a human alone. But I didn’t…I wasn’t”

“I became this……” disgust filled her heart.

“This thing…and because of what I am, people I care about, my mate suffer.” She growled, feeling furious and emotional while she tightened her hand into a fist and tried to hold in the pain that was threatening to tear her apart. For over a decade, she carried nothing but hate and anger and rage for what she had been put through. But maybe, she deserved it. Maybe, just maybe, the gods were right when they asked her to not have so much hate and anger. Maybe, they had offered her a chance at happiness and she threw it away to become death instead. Now her mate was missing and so suddenly, nothing mattered anymore. Not even her revenge or the need to be with him. All she wanted was for him to be safe.