Ahkiilor [Place of duty]= Elders meeting place
Ivaebhin [Boy filled with brightness]= Lillyanna’s fiancé
Armathor [great defender]= head Elder
Dhaerow [face of shadow]= Armathor’s brother
Eryo [Mother]
Ivae – [‘Light’]= Lillyanna’s mother
Le melon [I love you]
Le hannon = thank you
Gwanno ereb nin! = Leave me alone
Law= no [denying facts]
Baw= no [denying intentions]
The portal buzzed as Lillyanna passed through to Adon. Her head was pounding as she thought back to the man she saw, he couldn't have been a demon. What would she tell the elders? Would they know that she had seen one? Would they know that she lied to them? Her legs kept walking towards Ahkiilor though her mind was elsewhere. Lost in her own world she continued forward toward the massive building, moving in a zombie like fashion, face vacant as she explored her thoughts, stunned her eyes flew wide as she tripped on the first step of the Ahkiilor‘s entrance gallery. A gasp broke from her throat as she fell toward the concrete, but a set of arms caught her around her waist before she hit.
"You should probably watch where you are going Lillyanna." She looked up into the eyes of Ivaebhin, the man to whom she had been promised. A rumble rang from her belly as it twisted and turned, making her nauseous. She hated being near him. The very sight of him made her want to vomit, she could practically taste the bile in her mouth already. There was no way in Hell she would allow herself to be given to him. She pulled out of his embrace and dusted herself off, deliberately patting the dust off upwind of him so that it blew into his face making him squint.
"You planning on thanking me for catching you? Or are you just going to walk away as if nothing happened?"
Her lips drew back in a snarl. "I am walking away."
She continued on her way to the Elders, never looking back at the annoyance that would soon belong to her. Belong in the same sense as their disease belongs to the Leper. As she crossed through the row of pillars that flanked the front door, she slammed her tiny fist into the white stone wall. A white hot pain shot through her bare knuckles and a wave of dizziness hit her. Her frame braced itself against the wall hoping it would pass as the cool stone kissed the bare skin of her back, her shoulder blades moulding themselves to the curving stone of the pillar. She closed her eyes tight and let it sink low into her stomach and fade away.
With a quick deep breath she flung the doors open and approached the five Elders. She felt so small standing before them, so naked and vulnerable, she felt goosebumps slowly run their wending trail up her spine and smiled nervously toward the assembled elves.
"Ah, Lillyanna! You made it back to us in one piece I see. That must mean good news?" Armathor smiled a twisted grin as he glided down the marble steps before them. His gangly arms spread wide, the light from the windows above him passing through his sleeves and almost seeming to burn through his skin making it glow beneath his clothing as he closed the distance between himself the frail little elf that stood halfway toward the Elders dais, stiff as a board and covered in a light coat of sweat. His wiry arms embraced her and she numbly wrapped her own around him, barely touching because for one, she didn't want to be close to him. And two, she felt he might break. There was hardly anything but skin and dust holding the Elders together.
"Yes. I did not see anything out of the ordinary. I searched but, there was nothing." It scared her a bit how easy it had become to lie to them. The Vultures, Their masks had slipped one too many times for her not to have seen them as they truly are. No one truly saw them for what they were they were content to ignore the monsters they were harbouring as long as those monsters didn’t turn on them. Maybe they didn't care because it didn't eat away at them the way it did to Lillyanna. Her heart ached as she thought back to her mother. Her tiny three year old arms clinging to her mother's cold, lifeless body. Fat little tears spilling from her eyes, staining her cheeks with sorrow. She quickly rid herself of the memory, needing to focus on the men in front of her.
"How is that possible?" Dhaerow asked as he eyed Lillyanna.
"I don't know. But as I told you, I did not see anything that posed a threat."
She wanted to spit venom at them, wanted to claw their eyes from their skulls and urinate in the sockets, cause them pain in the worst ways possible. They deserved it for what they had done. Fire flowed through her veins as redness flowered across her vision. What the hell was happening to her?! She had never felt this angry…this violent. It was almost beyond her ability to control it. She had to stare over Armothor’s silvery hair at the stylized motif’s etched into the walls just to keep from tearing his throat out with her teeth.
"My dear, are you alright?" Armathor asked softly while he placed his hand on her shoulder. "You are trembling, are you ill?"
The words sounded fuzzy, distorted and far away almost as though he was trying to talk to her while immersed in water, despite the fact that he was standing right next to her. "Yes..of course.. I am not feeling like myself. I am sorry Very sorry venerable Elder."
"Go rest. We will finish this discussion later." He wore his mask well… His concerned smile almost looked genuine.
She curtsied to the men and slowly walked out of the building, Having to internally order herself to walk instead of sprint down the halls fleeing back out the portal, never to return to this place that so haunted her mind. The image of her mother flashed back in her mind, nearly sending her sprawling on the floor.
"Eryo." She whispered. The pain hanging thick in her voice, her throat closing up around the word and making her choke as the seed of longing and pain sprouted into outright agony. The pain and memories that flooded through her mind was almost too much for her to handle. She felt herself running, the chilly wind tossing her hair in a river of red behind her. Tears blinded her and landed in a trail of diamonds in the grass behind her, glittering in the harsher light of her home dimension, gasping for breath she threw back her head and ran faster. She was running harder then she ever had, trying to escape the truth, the past, everything about this place that so caused her to want to die. The gate to the human world was bright, its outline flickering with dancing fires as she neared it. Not stopping, she flew through, colliding with what felt like a brick wall before the gateway went fluid around her and stole her away from her mind.
~
Octavian had been standing outside the gate the elf had slid through. He would have waited there all night if he had to; he needed to know if his kind was in danger again. His legs ached from crouching for so long so he stood to give them some relief. As he felt the muscles in his calves scream in protest of their long abuse, something slammed into him from behind, driving him toward the ground.
A growl sounded low in his chest and then exploded out of his throat into a low roar. Rolling to his feet into a battle stance he scanned his surroundings before lowering himself into a crouch once more, His body tense and yet loose all at once, He was ready for whatever came. A groan broke him from his battle rage. It was female…he had been assaulted by a female. He wasn't sure if he should laugh or be offended that the elves assumed a little girl could take on the demons alone. Eyes once hazel faded to blue as a slight frown creased his face, curiosity lighting in his eyes and shining bright in the oceans of sapphire.
Lillyanna slowly dragged herself to her feet, stumbling slightly and then weaving on her feet. Her entire left side throbbed, a wet warmth spilled from her hip and dripped down her leg. She dipped her fingers in the fluid puddling in the folds of her dress and brought them to her face.
"Great. Perfect end to this day." Hand shaking slightly she made a feeble attempt to fix her clothes before flicking a couple scraps away from her in defeat, they were torn beyond repair short of a needle and a couple days of work. Finally she realized that she wasn't alone…and it wasn't a wall she hit.
Octavian towered over her. Her breath caught in her throat and then just seemed to wheeze out of her as she realized that this was the man she saw earlier. His eyes danced over her, making her slightly uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry….This is Private property you will have to leave” Her voice was smaller then normal. And it took considerable control not to cringe into herself as she felt his eyes burning into her skin like knives.
He grinned. "I go where I choose and do what I wish. Are you going to throw me out of here? I think Not." He fingered the hilt of a knife he kept on his wrist at all times, never once taking his eyes from hers. He knew her face…he'd seen those magnificent eyes before. Who was she?
She shrugged her shoulders and pressed her back against the wall putting a bit more space between them. It's not that she was scared; he couldn't be a violent demon because if he was…he wouldn't be here. No, she backed up to get a better look at him. God's he was even more stunning up close. Once again she was hit with the desire to jump him. His chuckle broke her thoughts as she looked up at him again.
"What?"
He didn't answer. The little elf was aroused by him? How did that work? The pain was making itself known as the scent only grew stronger. At this point he didn't care that she was an elf…he needed her. His sharp canines bit into his tongue trying as hard as he could to kill the need. But the way she was looking up at him made it damned near impossible.
"Who are you anyway and why are you here?" The words came out harsher then he had intended. Her slight twitch would have gone unseen to most, but he caught it.
"I could ask you the same thing." She tore a page right from his book and he grinned. She shook her head slightly. "I'm Lillyanna and I'm here because I feel like being here."
There was something hidden in her words, something she wasn't going to tell the truth about. Her long fingers wrapped themselves around a locket hanging from her neck. Her eyes went darker; she was remembering the same as Callix had done earlier. There was pain and anger rolling off of her in strong waves.
His hand shot out and grabbed her necklace. She didn't have time to react before he popped it open. The locket slid from his hands and crashed to the ground. She was her daughter. The woman had given her life trying to save his kind and her daughter was trying to destroy them?! Rage hit him and he pushed her back up against the wall before she could pick up the necklace. Her eyes were huge when they met his, her fear filling the air around them like a cloud.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Her shout wasn't a strong as she had hoped. And when she tried to push past him she barely moved.
He growled, slamming her back against the hard stone again. A whimper slipping out of her lips unbidden made him smile. "Does it hurt little killer? It's only half of what Ivae went through."
She bit into her lip, the same anger as she felt today before the elders hit her once more. The fire took over and she kicked him in his gut as hard as she could, which compared to a demon wasn't very hard. It was enough, however, to make him drop her. Once her feet hit the ground she was on him again, little fists trying to make themselves known, nails slashing at anything they could touch. Her strong legs wrapped around him to hold herself up. Her attempts had done little more then annoy him rather then do any real damage.
He flung her off, sending her sliding across the street. When she slammed into the bricks behind her he grabbed her head and held her face to the photo inside the locket.
"Is this how you repay her? You just destroy everything your mother stood for? Everything she gave her life for?" His hand twisted in her hair making her gasp. Then with a slight tug he lifted her off the ground by her hair snarling in her face and barely repressing the urge to murder her where she stood.
"What are you talking about? How do you know my mother?"
"She was the only decent elf I've met. Seems it's still that way." He spit in her face and tossed her to the side.
Tears rolled down her cheeks, diamonds once again pooling around her. He was hitting her hard and low. She never dishonored her mother, or the things she had done. She had turned on her own kind because of what they did to her and the demons. She didn't know why he hated her so much without knowing anything. Lillyanna never hurt a demon, not even when they deserved it.
Octavian spotted the tears. "Oh you cry now little killer?" He snorted and then let go of her hair, letting her collapse into a ball on the dirty ground before glaring down at her.
Her hand wrapped around her locket as she gave up, laying on her side completely vulnerable to him. She didn't care anymore, she didn't have the energy. "Le melon Eryo."
The words she spoke hit him as truth. He flipped her over onto her back and searched. She wore no weapons. Her hand held the locket so tight she was shaking. God's he was an idiot. There was only one woman who tried to help them, who had done everything she could and had died for them, and he was harassing her child. The tears piled at his feet as he looked over the damage he had done.
"Little elf…I…" He groaned. Was he really about to apologize to an elf? The thought made his stomach ache. Bile rose as the words formed. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you Followed in your Mothers tracks, I thought you were like the others." She was silent but trembling so he knew she had heard him. Blood was still flowing from her back. His mind drifted off to Cassian. The doctor of the four. He would probably be able to fix this. Octavian reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone, quickly dialing the numbers to his brother.
"Yes?" The soft voice came through the other end.
"Cassian…I need help. I'm coming by. Are you alone?"
He sighed. "Yes, finally."
"Good." Octavian hung up and shoved the phone back into its place. Carefully he picked up the tiny woman curled up on the ground and began carrying her to his car. She was limp against him, her arms dangling down; if he hadn't felt her shaking he would have thought she was dead. He tucked her into the back seat and sped off to his brother.
There was no traffic tonight so he flew down the road not worrying about concealing his abilities. Cassian didn't live very far but he got there in record time nonetheless. He pulled Lillyanna back out and raced to the door. His foot collided with it nearly tearing it from the hinges. Cassian poked his head out and his eyes fell immediately on Lillyanna.
"Oh what did you do Tav?"
Octavian shot his youngest brother a glare and stormed in the house. He placed the girl on the couch and backed up. "Can you fix this?"
Cassian sighed and bent down beside her. His skillful hands poking at her, examining the damage. "She'll be fine."
Octavian raised his eyebrows. "And you know this how?"
"She's an elf. She's already healing." He looked his brother over. "She probably shouldn't be here when Callix gets home."
The oldest brother nodded and moved to her side. Before his hand rested on her, a scream shot out of her mouth making both men jump. Her eyes shot open, searching her surroundings. She sat up stiffly and scooted into the arm of the couch trying to keep her distance from both Octavian and Cassian.
The younger brother took a step forward making her wince. He reached out his hand slowly. "I'm Cassian. You're ok; I just have to look over your wounds."
She nervously eyed him, and then shifted her gaze to Octavian. He stood still, there was no way he was moving near her. He tossed the locket on the couch beside her. She grabbed it with a shaky hand and tied it back around her neck.
"Thank you." They weren't sure who she was speaking to but didn't have time to question it. The door slammed open and Callix stumbled in. They could smell the booze on him from where they stood.
"Tav! What are you doing here man?" He slapped his brothers back and slumped against him. His blue eyes landed on Lillyanna. "Damn Cass, you have good tas- " Her scent hit him. Realization hit him when he noticed her ears. He growled and crouched in his fighting stance. His lips drew back and he launched himself at her. She stood in front of him, ready to take the blow. He stopped before he hit her. "Ivae?"
Lillyanna's heart took the blow instead of her body. All of them knew her mother more then she did. She looked him over. God's they were all beautiful. His eyes hadn't left her.
"Who are you elf?!" Callix was shaking.
Octavian placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. "She is Ivae's daughter Callix. Her name is Lillyanna; she is the one I saw earlier."
Lillyanna felt the hurt rolling off of Callix. She was a healer like her mother so she as sensitive to the pain of others. She needed to fix it but the hole was too deep. She placed her hand on his face and he snarled, backing away from her. Her eyes softened at him and she stepped toward him again.
Her hand found his cheek again and she locked eyes with him. "I'm sorry." She saw his child and wife, what her kind had done to them. She watched from his eyes as they tortured him without touching him. She felt it as a part of his heart died. In that moment she knew his pain…she knew what a demon could do. The metallic taste of anger quenched some strange thirst she didn't even knew she had. She pulled her hand away from him and fell back on the couch. The brothers' all looked at each other, none knowing what to do.
Cassian stepped forward. Her shaking body was obvious to anyone who saw her. "She's lost a lot of blood; you two should stay here tonight. I'll call Lucian and have him come over tomorrow." He left the living room and vanished in the hallway for only a moment then returned with a long shirt in his hand and blankets in the other. "I have a guest room you can have for the night."
She was calm around Cassian; she even could go as far as to say she liked him. He wrapped his arm around her as he led her down the hall to a warm room. The king sized bed took up most of the space, but it looked so inviting she really didn't care about the rest of the room. She climbed up and flopped over, drifting off as he placed the covers over her.
Cassian stood and watched her for a moment. It wasn't everyday he had an elf in his bed, in fact he never had, he had never wanted one there so it didn't really matter. The fact that Octavian had attacked Ivae's daughter made his stomach roll. Ivae was an amazing woman, and he was sure her daughter would be much like her. But if she wasn't and she reported the attack to the Elders, it meant a world of trouble for the demons. He sighed as he left the room, shutting the door lightly behind him, and headed to the living room where he had left his brothers.
"She's asleep." He fell onto the couch and slumped over onto his side.
Callix remained silent, putting together what she had done to him. Octavian was pacing back and forth through the room, cursing under his breath about how foolish he had been.
"You are stupid, and hotheaded brother, But there was no way to know who she was." Cassian wasn't sure if he believed the words he was shooting at his older brother, but he wanted to comfort him.
Octavian scoffed. "I called Lucian and told him what happened, he's on his way." His gaze shifted to the hallway. "I'm going to go check on her."
Frowning Slightly Cassian started shaking his head "I don't think that's the best idea right now."
Octavian ignored his brother and made his way down the hall to the room where Lillyanna slept. Cracking the door slightly he looked into the darkened room, his demon eyes catching the slight light of the moon and making the room as bright as midday. She had kicked the covers off, exposing her long legs. Soft light from the night sky reflected beautifully off her pale skin. The ache he had felt earlier came back, much stronger this time, the longing flooding through his body and making his hands shake slightly. The blood had dried on her, tiny red flakes kissed her skin making him hate himself yet again. Silently he slipped over to the side of the bed and stared down at her. Her pretty mouth was moving as if she was trying to talk but no sound came out. The white pillow which held her head had been consumed by her red hair. He glanced down to her legs again. God's he wanted to touch them. His hand was already moving before he had time to think. Her skin rivalled velvet, the warm flesh under his touch made his breath catch. He slid it up to the start of her thigh and a small moan broke from her parted lips. His eyes shot to her face, but she was still sleeping. He needed to stop himself before it went any further but he couldn't…he needed this. His fingers traveled a bit higher before her hand wrapped around his.
"Lillyanna I-"
The look in her eyes cut him off. She was afraid of him, and with good reason. What he did to her would not go unpunished, and the look she had on right now was punishment enough. Her eyes were wide, tears on the brink of spilling out. Her body was ridged and her teeth were biting into her bottom lip. He realized she was waiting for him to hurt her again.
He bit his tongue until he tasted blood. He stepped back before he spoke. "I just came to check to make sure you were doing alright. Cassian has a shower in his bedroom if you feel like cleaning up." He eyed the blood on her leg.
Her gaze followed his and she nodded. "That would be nice." Her voice was barely a whisper.
As she stood her legs proved weaker then she thought. Octavian caught her swiftly before she hit the floor, and kept his arm around her so she wouldn't lose her balance again.
"Cassian, Lillyanna is going to use your shower."
Cassian smiled at the she-elf. "Absolutely. The towels are already in there."
"Le hannon Cassian."
Octavian left her in Cassian's room and walked back out. Lucian had already seated himself on the couch when he returned to the living room.
"What the hell were you thinking dipshit?" Lucian rushed into Octavian's face in a threatening manner.
"I wasn't thinking and if you don't back up, I may choose to not think again."
Octavian's words were true. Sure Lucian was his brother but he would still beat the shit out of him. He loved all of them deeply, but they still pissed him off.
"You know what this could do to us. She'll run back and cry and sell her sob story about how a demon raped and tried to kill her and the Elders will come and pull the same shit as last time. I hope you had fun."
"I didn't rape her." The word sent fire to his gut.
Lucian rolled his eyes. "Elves are not our friend's bro, I'm sure that she will say you did, and guess which side they'll take. Sure as hell won't be ours."
Octavian knew his brothers anger. He had every right to feel that way. He fucked up and deserved everything his brother spit at him. But this was Ivae's daughter. Would she really tell the Elders what happened? She wasn't threatening him, she just ran into him, even when she knew what he was she didn't attack until he provoked her.
Lucian continued his rampage, storming around the living room, cursing at his brother. The water in the shower stopped though none of them could hear over Lucian's big mouth. Lillyanna heard the shouting and listened at the wall. It was a new voice, one she hadn't heard yet. Her heat beat kicked up. Had the one she ran into called someone to help finish her off? The thought sent chills running wildly up her spine. She shrugged into the far too big shirt and peeked out the door. Cassian spotted her and gave her a gentle smile while rolling his eyes. She couldn't help herself and she giggled. Bad idea. The man who was shouting heard her and came flying down the hall. She shrieked and tried to close the door but he was faster.
He grabbed her and slammed her into the wall. She was so tired of the action; she kicked at him, catching him in the groin. He stumbled but didn't loosen his grip any. The three brothers ran after him, pulling at him trying to get him to let go.
"You going to run back home and cry wolf, slayer?" Lucian's words dripped acid.
"Gwanno ereb nin!" She continued to try and kick him, but it did nothing. He hated her kind and he was going to let her know.
Cassian stepped up to his brother. "Put her down Lucian."
"Fuck off! She deserves it."
Tears spilled down her cheeks once again, causing Lucian to grin at the gems near his feet.
"Not only do I get to destroy you, but you're making me rich."
Callix grabbed his brother's arm but was swung to the floor. Lucian was stronger, much stronger. His hand slipped up to Lillyanna's throat making her gasp and flail underneath him.
Octavian had enough. He slammed his fist into his brother's spine, the blow causing Lucian to fold at an unnatural angle, his stomach slamming into Lillyanna before his eyes rolled up in his head and he collapsed to the floor with a groan. Lillyanna crawled to Cassian where he was waiting for her. He picked her up and sat her on the couch while Octavian taught their temperamental brother a lesson. Lashing out and kicking Lucian in the face before sneering at his hotheaded little idiot of a brother.
"So only you get to have the fun?" Lucian snarled before he spit in Octavian's face.
"It was all well and good until I found out who she was you fucking prick!" Octavian grabbed Lucian by his shirt and then flung his brother across the room, watching him slam into the wall and curl into a ball whimpering after he slumped to the floor once more. Lucian only stayed down for a second then he was right back to his brother.
"Oh? And what makes her so special? She gets your rocks off does she?"
Octavian growled and stormed into the bedroom Lillyanna had been sleeping in. he yanked the locket off the dresser and popped it open while walking it back out to where Lucian was waiting glaring at the half naked elfgirl.
"Look you fucking Idiot!" Octavian practically threw the locket into his face while his hand grabbed the back of Lucian’s head and forced him to look at the picture stored into the little metal locket.
Lucian rolled his eyes and glanced at the picture, fighting against Octavian‘s hand while attempting not to look like he was. It took him a second to fully understand. He looked between the picture and Lillyanna a few times until he swatted the locket away, letting it drop to the floor.
"Aw fuck!" Sneering Octavian nodded and then let Lucian go with a shove
“Yeah…Aw fuck..Idiot…I swear to god you make me want to kill you sometimes.”
Muttering Lucian leaned against the wall and then slowly slid down to the floor, letting his head rest in his hands. "Could have told me you know? Would have been fucking nice of ya."
Lillyanna poked her head around Cassian, fear reflecting in here eyes as she looked between the two brothers. Octavian shook his head and walked over to her.
"Are you okay? He didn't do any damage did he?" He tried to make his voice as soft as he could.
"Law." She shook her head remembering they probably wouldn't know what she was saying. "No."
Cassian sighed. "Well this has been one hell of a night. I apologize for my brothers'; they aren't very good at their 'people' skills."
Lillyanna shrugged. "It's alright. I'm not really hurt. And for the record…" She couldn't remember the name of the man on the floor.
"Lucian." Cassian told her.
"Lucian. I will not report anything to anyone. Least of all the Elders."
He looked over at her. "How do I know that's the truth?"
"You don't. But I know that it is. I hate them for the things they do…they don't deserve the truth anymore. Not after all their lies…" Her voice trailed off as she visited the past. Cassian wrapped his arm tighter around her.
Octavian smiled slightly. "You're just like your mother."
Her emerald eyes brightened. "Really? Le hannon."
Callix laughed. "Yeah, just like her. We need to know Elvish around YOU too."
"I don't really even plan on going back. I need to find somewhere to stay."
Octavian looked her over. The need to touch her washed over him. He wasn't sure if it was a sexual urge…or something else. "I have a big place all to myself, you could stay with me."
She swallowed hard as she considered his offer. "I'll have to think about it." She shifted nervously next to Cassian. "But I appreciate it."
He watched he try to put on a friendly smile. His stomach turned knowing that what he did to her had altered her choice. She had changed him from Lover to monster in her mind, and that distressed him. Didn’t surprise him, but he really wished it was otherwise.
"Well the offer is always open."
Callix made a noise in his throat. "Come on Lucian…this is enough awkwardness for me. Let's go get some sleep."
Lucian and Callix disappeared down the hall for the night. Lillyanna yawned behind her hand.
"I should probably go to bed too." She stood and stretched. "Thank you for letting me stay here." And with that she left for her bedroom.
Octavian watched until she shut her door, and then slammed his head against the wall. After embracing the brief pain he fell onto the couch. "What the hell did I do?"
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