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  It wasn’t the prisons, however, where Shara was headed; it was the quarters just before them. Knocking lightly as she opened the door, she entered the room, shutting the door tightly behind her after double checking yet again that no one followed or saw her.

  Chapter 2

  Five years ago:

  Clarissa knocked on the door, before cracking it open to peer inside. Logan waved her in and she entered, shutting the door behind her.

  “Good morning, my handsome son.”

  He laughed and kissed her cheek. “You only say that ‘cause I am your only son.”

  “I say that because you have grown into a very handsome man who would turn any girl’s head. And when they get to know how intelligent and sweet you are, they will lose their hearts forever.” She reached over and cupped his cheek gently. “You have no idea how it has saddened me you have been trapped here and not out meeting the women of the world. It’s not fair to you. You should be able to date and find the love of your life.”

  Logan scooped her up in a big hug, twirling her slightly. “You are the love of my life and always will be.” He set her down and kissed her forehead. “However, I am sure you did not come into my room this morning for reaffirmation of a son’s adoration for his mother.”

  Clarissa grinned up at him. Twenty-four and he was going to break every woman’s heart. Logan had his father’s rugged good looks. Dark hair, a strong chin and a well-developed form, but his most outstanding feature was a combination of both her and his father: his eyes. Where Clarissa’s were a vibrant emerald green, Mel’s were a stormy, icy blue, which sometimes seemed to glow with an inner light. Of course, that was when Mel wasn’t so angry his demon threatened to come out. When that occurred, they would turn either yellow or red depending on the ferocity of his anger, something Logan had only seen once in his lifetime when he was four and very grateful for not having such a thing happen more often.

  Logan had been very worried for several nights after seeing his father’s demon rise up. Logan was very afraid a demon lived inside of him also, scared what it meant and when it might come out. Worse, he was afraid of what it might do if the demon inside were released, but both of his parents assured him he was demon free. The worst he could possibly be would be a wolf-shifter like his mother. After not sleeping for a couple of nights in fear of a demon emerging out of his young body, Azamel decided the young lad needed to know he was safe from having a creature hiding inside like his father.

  Tucking the child into the safety of his arms, Mel explained things.

  “Destruction, my demon’s name, was given to me as a punishment for a crime I didn’t commit,” Mel told his young son as he tucked him into bed.

  “Will you tell me what happened then?” Logan asked, his eyes wide with the anxious fear and curiosity of a youthful child.

  Azamel hesitated. He wasn’t quite sure this was something his son should know, but then again, he realized his son should understand the complexities of his own heritage. Mel sat down across from his son and began his story.

  “I had just turned sixteen. Although my brother was older by two years, I was the more responsible, better liked sibling. Which in and of itself was amazing considering who our parents are: the god of the dead, Chipiapoos, and the goddess of evil, Beloitah.

  “With parents like those, we weren’t the most favored of kids or usually given the benefit of the doubt. We still needed to be trained in our given tasks for adulthood in preparation for the duties we would assume, the place we would take within the cosmos. The choice would be up to Chipiapoos’ brother, Nanaboojoo, god of protecting humanity. He would be able to look into our souls and determine our place in the realm of the gods. This was usually done on our eighteenth birthday and my brother, your Uncle, Jes’Sakkid, was to undergo the ritual in a couple of days.”

  Mel continued telling the story of how he came to be the host body for the demon which was to reside within him. He had to find a way to let the story he had told only once before flow from his lips. He didn’t wish to scare Logan, but he did want his young and impressionable offspring to understand that he would never punish his son as he was punished. Never subject him to accusations without getting the entire story and there would never be a time when he would allow his son to be punished by carrying a demon inside. Azamel knew first-hand how difficult it was to adapt to another thinking being inside, and more so how it felt to be betrayed by those he cared for and trusted. He would never expose his son to such atrocities or perfidies as he, himself, endured all those centuries ago.

  Mel knew he had two years to go before it would be his turn to get his assignment from Nanaboojoo and he planned on making the most of his free time with Nokomis, who would later become the goddess of the crops. She was a beautiful maiden with long, black hair, which she always wore braided down to her hips, and flowers strewn about her head. She had large, doe-like eyes and skin as smooth and tan as the softest of calf skins. To Mel, she was pure perfection.

  Azamel had planned a quiet picnic along a babbling brook to spend some private time with her. He had the blanket spread on the green field by the water under a shade tree. A rabbit was being roasted on an open fire spit as he waited for her to arrive. He leaned leisurely against the tree when he heard a sound in the brush. Quickly, he stood and held out a bouquet of wildflowers he had picked for her.

  However, who came through the brush wasn’t Nokomis but his parents, Nanaboojoo, Jes, Coyote and several other gods and goddesses. Mel dropped the flowers on the ground and wondered what was going on, totally surprised by this turn of events.

  Nanaboojoo led the tribe, Mel’s parents and his brother trailed behind him. The rest of the crowd was even further back. Mel moved to meet Nanaboojoo, standing strong and firm despite his youthfulness and uncertainty.

  “Azamel, you have been accused of desecrating the sacred lands of your forefathers. What say you?”

  Mel thought about how astonished he must have looked as he heard the accusation. It was absurd. “I say you’re not correct. I have broken no laws, least of all being disrespectful to our ancestors.”

  Mel looked back at his parents, his brother. Surely they believed him? However, only accusing eyes from his own family greeted him in return and he felt worried for the first time in his life. He turned back to Nana, just as the elder materialized five dead deer, slaughtered and gutted. Nana then opened a satchel and unveiled a decorative ceremonial blade which Mel recognized immediately as having been given to him by his father on his tenth birthday. The metal was covered with dried blood. Deer’s blood. Mel felt his stomach sink as he realized what the implications were.

  “I didn’t do this. I swear I didn’t.”

  Coyote moved up to stand next to Jes and, with him, he had Nokomis by her hand. That alone tore Mel’s heart to shreds. Mel knew Coyote also vied for Nokomis’ attentions, but until that moment, Mel didn’t think he had anything to be concerned about. Now, as he looked into her beautiful brown eyes, he saw only hatred. He didn’t understand it. Why? What had he done to be accused thusly and not have anyone believe him?

  “Is this not your dagger?” Nana asked him quietly.

  “Yes. I did not kill those deer, though. I have not used the dagger for anything in the past week or so.”

  “Yet, it is covered in the blood of the sacred animals which roamed the holy lands. How do you explain this?”

  Mel again looked around at the others. He searched for just one who would stand by him.

  “When were they killed? Surely, the timeline will be my alibi.”

  Nana looked down at the carcasses and studied them for a moment silently before he raised his head to face Mel. “Twelve hours ago. Can you account for your whereabouts then?”

  Mel almost breathed a sigh of relief. “I was with Nokomis then. We had spent the evening watching the stars on a blanket and discussing our future.”

  Mel was sure she would step forward now. He glanced over at her and bestowed a soft smile as
he saw her move up to Nana. She would tell them the truth. She would vouch he did not do this dastardly deed. She leaned over and whispered into Nana’s ear before she turned back to Mel and gave him a look of pure disgust before turning her back on him. His heart broke into a million pieces. She betrayed him? Did she not tell them he was with her?

  Anger burned within him that she would be so cold. He loved her, did that not matter? He was innocent. Why did she lie? Why did she go off with Coyote? He was so astounded by the turn of events, he barely noticed Nana talking again as he watched Nokomis’ retreating back.

  ‘Wait! What?’ His attention snapped back to Nana who was sentencing him. He was to carry a demon within. It would either consume him or Mel would find enough power to control it most times. For the times he lost the eternal battle with the demon, the beast would tear him to shreds over and over again, causing the most excruciating pain possible.

  The others, his parents and brother included, circled around him and began chanting. A black mist from the earth swirled in answer to the call of the gods. Its wispy tentacles floated about, spinning as it rose up on Mel’s body.

  “No. I’m innocent. No. NO! NO! NO!” Mel screamed as the creature invaded his body, tearing and clawing its way into the sinews of muscles, down his spine and into Mel’s very soul. The pain tore through him as he felt every shred of decency, love, peace and good be torn into such small pieces it was beyond recognition.

  A part of him still remembered Coyote pulling Nokomis away and she willingly let him. How could she betray him like that? After everything they had shared, he thought she would stand by him, clear his name. What had she told Nana that sealed his fate for something he was innocent of? He died that day, or at least whatever humanity or soul he had perished.

  “I will never see you suffer such a fate, my son. You will never carry such a despicable beast within you. You will never have to fight the battles I have or suffer as I have done. This is my promise to you, Logan. Your parents, unlike mine, will fight to protect you from everything that would hurt you. You are safe from ever having a demon within,” Mel concluded before kissing his son on the forehead and shutting the door as he left.

  Now, Clarissa stared into her son’s eyes. She couldn’t believe twenty-four years had gone by since she gave birth to him. Even as a babe, Clarissa was astounded by the color of his orbs. Logan’s eyes mixed his parents’ eye color for a very unique turquoise blue, which shimmered like the Caribbean Sea. His powers from his parentage began to show up after puberty, although he did not seem to have his mother’s propensity to change into the form of a wolf. His father was a Native American god and Logan’s magical abilities reflected that part of his heritage.

  Unlike the demi-god status Logan now had, his mother was a werewolf, able to shift when needed or wanted. She rarely talked about her family, other than to state they all died by an attack from a neighboring pack of wolves. Whenever Clarissa did talk about her family, she always mentioned how grateful she had been to have had so many siblings. Her parents were loving and protective. As a result, she grew up with an open and loving heart. It was only after her family had been killed she became untrusting and suspicious of all around her.

  By the time she met Azamel, who was hunting an escaped demon named Xon, she had a huge chip on her shoulder and no trust in anything or anyone, least of all any male who seemed to know so much about her and what she guarded. It took a lot of time together, Mel training her in her new powers and how to better protect the Gem of Avarice, of which she was the guardian. The time they spent together enabled her to trust him and he to trust her. He couldn’t believe the kind, loving heart she seemed to have. And it took her time to believe Mel was actually there to help her and not take the gem for himself. Through many trials and tribulations, they ended up together with a love so deep it made up for the years of duplicity and deceptions they both endured throughout their lifetimes.

  Clarissa reached for Logan’s hands and held them as she pulled him to sit on the couch in his room. “You have not experienced much of the world, my son. Not the one I was raised in. Not the one of light and humans and a wonder which exists in that world. You have been trapped down here with us for pretty much all your life. I know there were exceptions to the rule. Your father taking you on trips to the Human Realm, showing you some things, but, it’s not the same as living there and meeting people, good and bad. There is always good and bad in everything.”

  Clarissa paused and looked down at their hands linked together. Since she has been with Mel, her aging has stopped and she looked only slightly older than her son did at that moment. “I want you to experience the world, but your father is rather against it. He fears you will not be able to handle the deceptiveness of humans or the web of lies they create so effortlessly. However, I believe we have taught you well enough for you to not put your trust in everyone. Trust must be earned, not given away readily.”

  “Are you telling me to go out into the world? To explore on my own? Dad agreed to this?”

  “He doesn’t know. I’ll break the news to him at a later date. But you need to live life and learn about the world and the others in it. You are old enough to handle anything which comes your way and I have taught you to control and use your powers, so if something out of the ordinary comes after you, I know you could handle it. Besides, if you find yourself in any real trouble, all you would have to do is call and your father would be there in an instant with reinforcements.”

  Logan thought about what this meant, what it would mean. He would be able to see Jasmine in the light of day. No more hiding. No more waiting for her to sneak away to visit him. He tried to steal away to meet her a couple of times, but it almost appeared as if they knew he was up to something as extra guards would arrive and man the portals. However, his mother was giving him permission to live on the surface and be with Jasmine, even though Clarissa was unaware of actually achieving such an objective for him. He tried to hide his excitement so she wouldn’t become overtly suspicious.

  Before he could respond in any way, there was another frantic knock on his door and, without waiting for permission, Shara entered. Her eyes were red with worry and concern. Without any preamble, she blurted out, “Trinity is gone. She was taken!”

  Clarissa stood up, her face drained of all color. “Are you sure she is not just hiding? How do you know?”

  “Zenthus. She wanted to go into the garden, so he and Jakome went with her, as per orders. They were waiting for her and jumped the guards. Jakome is dead and Zenthus is very badly hurt.”

  “Where is Zenthus?”

  “In the infirmary.”

  “And Mel?”

  Shara wrung her hands in consternation. “He had a meeting with Nana.”

  Clarissa frowned. A meeting with this particular god was rarely a good sign, but it was worse if Nana came to see Azamel instead of just calling for a conference.

  Chapter 3

  Nanaboojoo was the eldest Native American god, the protector of humanity and forests. When he called a session, none dared to refuse. If he came to them, it was usually worse. Whatever he had to discuss would be of utmost importance, usually time sensitive, and very rarely would it be something good. Whatever he decreed, regardless of other’s desires, was adhered to. Nana once told Azamel he could not be with Clarissa because Mel ruled the Nether Realm and Clarissa was a child of the human world and that was where she had to be. Mel was to train her and then send her back, away from him, forever. As much as Mel hated the idea, he obeyed Nana’s wishes.

  Once Clarissa was properly trained in using her powers and not letting her past get in the way of her fighting, he let her walk out of his realm and his life. It had been hard for both of them to adapt to a life without the other in it, but they managed. Azamel kept watch over Clarissa from afar, but didn’t truly interfere. Clarissa continued to battle the demon hordes, which seemed to be thrown at her in search of the stone. It was only later discovered that Mel’s brother was beh
ind the innumerable attacks on Clarissa in hopes of finding a weakness in the young woman in order to achieve access to the Gem of Avarice, her charge to protect. With the power it would bestow upon him, Jes wanted to use the stone to overthrow Nana and take over the Elders Council.

  It was only because of Clarissa’s ultimate sacrifice in protecting the stone in the midst of an all-out war between the gods that Nana revoked his earlier decree and allowed the two of them to be together.

  If Mel was with Nana, there was no way Clarissa or anyone would be able to get in touch with him until he returned. Normally, Clarissa would just let Shara deal with whatever the news was, but this was not just any tidbit of information; this was her daughter.

  Logan blanched as he listened to the two women speak. He knew this was his onus: the possible result of an omission with his younger sister, Trinity, might have contributed to her being taken. His thoughts went back to a conversation they had just a couple of weeks ago.

  He had just returned into the house and back up to his room, shutting the door after his visit with Jasmine. He took his shirt off just as Trinity entered his room, shutting the door behind her.

  The youthful girl was sixteen, but still childish in many ways as far as Logan was concerned, even if he did adore her most of the time.

  “Get out brat!”

  Instead, Trinity continued farther into the room, acting cocky as she strutted about, tossing her dark hair behind her. As she did so, her soft-green eyes, paler than her mother’s, shone brightly.

  “You know Dad won’t take me to Faefardom.”

  “That’s ‘cause you’re too young in the first place and they don’t like those of us related to Demonkin in their domain. Besides, why tell me this anyway?” Logan pulled on a fresh t-shirt as he watched his sibling saunter about, her nose arrogantly lifted in the air.