Just Checking Up! Part Thirty-Five: Rescuing What is Mine!

Silks:

Brewing a potion in the kitchen, Mary Allen nudging my shoulder alerted me to some sort of trouble. Maddy skidded in with sheer panic written all over her features. Knowing that she was currently in charge of a play date with Avery and Rory, my potion finishing up was a blessing. Covering up the pan, a shove to the side would have to suffice. Dade and Shal skidded into view, both of them offering to watch the twins. Tossing me Bookworth, pages fluttered open wildly. Snatching the bell sleeve of her simple baby blue shirt dress, words threw us onto a pile of discarded scales. Scraping noises pierced my ears, every cell of me hating the freaking scales near my ear drums. Mary Allen and Flamios hovered above me, both of them bearing more fright than I preferred to see.

“Can you two scout ahead?” I requested a bit too calmly, anger boiling under my skin as they floated away with vigor. “Maddy, count on me to get them back. None of this is your fault. Unfortunately, you need to be here in order for us to connect a hell of a lot better with Miss Rory. Shall we journey on?” Soaking in the vast sea of orange waves, my lips pressed into a thin line. Today’s mission would be to get in and get out, a glowing egg capturing my attention. Picking up on her energy, the immense healing spell would keep her tied to the base. However, her minions would be doing her dirty work for her. Perhaps another demon was in charge and kissing her ass. No matter who was in charge, the bastard who took my son and his friend's kid had a wave of serious pain crashing their way. Helping Maddy to her bare feet alongside me, the hem of my ankle length sweater dress tickled the top of my own naked feet. Staring at the rich burgundy tone, Bookworth staying behind would inform Rip where I disappeared too. Staring into the distance, a creepy library captured my attention. Maddy clung to my arm, her lips parting several times.

“I left to get a towel and then they were gone.” She stammered incoherently, my hand covering her quivering lips. Placing my finger to my lip, nothing was her fault. Dragging her into the shadows, scaly olive green monsters splashed past us. Motioning for us to dash along the edges of each crumbling building, her heels dug into a puddle of wet mud. Spinning on my heels, inky blood cascaded from her eyes.

“Stop worrying about it. If anything, this rests on my shoulders.” I comforted her in an equally anxious tone, both of us staring blankly at the library. “If I didn’t pick a fight with my mother, that monster wouldn’t have compelled her minions to kidnap our children. Nor would you be a demon right now. Sorry for that as well. I suck as a friend and a queen. Would you look at that?” Cocking our heads to the left at the same time, a strange bright green glow captured our attention. Tapping my foot a couple of times, orange fire lilies blossomed to life.

“Consider me a distraction. Get the kiddos and hide.” I pleaded in a hush, her fingers gripping my arm tighter. “See you in a minute.” Skidding into obvious view, a sharp whistle had thousands of eyes whipping in my direction. Waving with a sadistic grin, screeches sent chills up my spine. Gathering what little patience I had left, a cut on a sharp piece of wood summoned the usual stakes. Waking up my orange flames, dual orange flame scythes crackled to life.

“How about the main bastard make their stand!” I commanded boldly, an eerie silence coming over the dimension, Maddy sprinting towards the library. “Perhaps, fear bakes them into nice roasted chicken. Well, cooked by me of course. Taking my son and his friend, that is a new low blow to shoot for! Maybe we shouldn’t poke a very stressed out mother bear, lest you want to feel the claws.” A single snap of fingers dissolved her scaly minions, the library doors blowing open. A black and white lobster demon nearly made it hard not to laugh, his black dotted ivory outer shell throwing my composure off in a different manner. Clacking his front claws together, one look at the rising waters bemused me.

“No one insults me!” He snapped hotly, his beady eyes wiggling everywhere but me. “Go boil yourself in sea water.” Adjusting his pathetic scarlet business suit, the false metals jingled with every footfall towards me. Soaking in the life force of his borrowed army, a dingy tint began to mold his once pristine uniform. Stepping back far enough to distract him, Maddy ducked into the library.

“Should I serve you up with melted butter and a slice of lemon? Lord knows, I bring the heat.” I taunted him gleefully, his antennas twitching much like an angry mustache. Mary Allen knew from one look to find her brother, Flamios twirling back into my soul to maintain his true power. Pushing off a slick mud puddle, a tweak in my ankle narrowly cost me an essential dodge. A hard steel-like shell nicked my cheek, his six foot body doubling in size. Expanding his suit along with him, a steady stream of curse words flooded off of my tongue. Perhaps, this queen may have bitten off more than she could chew. No, Maddy was risking her life to get our kiddos. Time to buck up or die trying. Landing clumsily behind him, no weak point could be spotted. Popping off the closest pile of debris, a giant boiling lake had me grinning ear to ear. Noting its rich orange color, the damage would prove to be severe with one bad misstep. Flipping onto the closest roof, tiles cracked with every leap to the next one.

Preparing myself for a world of hurt, a sting pricked my exposed skin. Steam curled away, intense heat slapping my face. Building up an immense level of flames, something had to heat up the body of water to a rapid boil. Tossing the base of them into the center, a quiet fright simmered to life underneath my determined grin. Pirouetting off the final roof, a kick off of his thick ass outer skeleton granted the small amount of space I needed. Unfortunately that moment doomed me to nearly splash into the spot in the middle of her damn lake or whatever the hell this body of liquid was.

Time stopped, Maddy shivering behind a wall. Avery and Rory clung to her sides, both of them brightening up at the sight of me. Thanking her silently, tears of gratitude trickled off of my chin. Yanking myself onto a paused gust of wind, his body began to twitch back to life. Fighting through the sluggish movements, a hook of my scythes underneath his arms provided the leverage I required. Throwing him over my head, water splashed slowly. Slipping onto the shore, his screams broke the time spell. Time sped up to its current pace, his red shell floating to my feet. Something felt off, an eggshell cracking woke up my fear in God. Crunching over to Avery and Maddy, panicked protests words fell on deaf ears as I sent them home in a flurry of flaming lily petals. A clammy body knocked me to the sand, orange water searing the tender flesh of my cheek.

“How dare you encroach on my territory after ripping my life to shreds!” She roared furiously, her long sharp claws shifting into some sort of meat cleaver. “How about you go like the one who raised you?” Freezing with raw trauma, violent sobs wracked my body. Breathing grew choppier, her hand raising behind her head. Fighting another wave of bloody tears, time slowed as the cleaver came down. Rip appeared over her, his knee smashing into her gut. Snatching her by her hair, one flick to her forehead tumbled her into her own body of water. Scooping me up, flaming black vines ripped us back into some sort of orange marble castle. Sealing shut behind us, his strong arms buried me in a bear hug. Holding me until my breathing steadied, his thumbs wiped away the grief and trauma. Why must I be so pathetic!

“Sorry for being late. Bookworth took a second to get to me. How about we relax here until you are in a better spot?” He suggested lovingly, his thumb lifting up my chin. “I have been by your side through how many burned up apartments, stupid pointless firings, and the countless panic attacks. You can’t shake this knight off of your back, my dear queen. Oh wait, you are actually a damn queen. Would you look at that?” Kissing my lips tenderly, time slowed. Releasing me from his spell, our breaths became one. May this moment never end.

“Must you be the perfect one?” I choked between sniffles, our fingers interlocking. “How will I ever measure up to your level of zen? All I ever feel is an increasing level of anxiety day by day.” Pecking my forehead gently, a rare moment of serenity washed over me. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his real smile threatened to wake up my damn heart.

“Shit, Silks. I am the furthest thing from zen. Stress eats at me but coming home to everyone sure helps out. Seeing my love fall apart breaks me.” He confessed honestly, his smile falling into a concerned smirk. “Look, your level of stress would tear me to shreds. Seeing that she was about to do what you did to survive nearly broke me. Your panic attack makes sense. Drink up so you can heal.” Guiding my fangs to the base of his neck, a pop had him gasping gruffly. Gulping away, any searing pain reversed itself. Releasing my bite, a trace with my fingertips revealed a faint scar. When would this bullshit end, shame dimming my eyes. First my hands, now my damn face.

“Stop it!” He pleaded adorably, his thumbs getting ready to wipe away the incoming tears. “Jesus Christ! Your beauty knows no bounds, my dear queen. Together we can rule this kingdom. You have to know that you aren’t alone anymore.” Sensing my nerves were flying a mile a minute, his hand plopped onto the top of my head. The abruptness of the action shut it all down, my wet eyes meeting his affectionate twinkle.

“Turn off that hurricane for a minute and soak in what I built for us. Feeling up for a tour?” He bragged gleefully, his head cocking to the left with one of his trademark smirks. “From here, you can run those pesky meetings and such.” Placing me on his back, the way my legs fit perfectly around his waist felt like a warm blanket. Draping my arms around his neck, his lips brushed against the top of my hands. Soaking in the plain marble walls, the lack of decor unsettled the hell out of me. Kicking open two heavy black metal doors, a hop off of his back shocked him. Burning up the pieces of wood, magic would make this empty shell of ours a fine home.

“Blossom and grow! Make what is blank, a magical home!” I chanted softly, a run of my fingers along the floor waking up a sea of bright orange fire lilies. Kicking the blossoms up, the petals fizzled out to reveal two brimstone thrones. Empty picture frames waited for family portraits, Rip smiling softly to himself. Dancing up to me, the velvet burgundy carpet marked my favorite color to wear. Snaking his arm around my waist, humming sent us swaying around the vast room. Dipping me underneath him, any breath left my chest the second his fangs pierced the tender flesh around my neck. Zoning out while he drank his fill, dark thoughts crept in with a vengeance. How long would it be before she found this place? Sucking in a deep breath in my ear, a twirl had me back on my feet. Stumbling back awkwardly, flames flared in my quivering palms. Sinking to my knees, the image of her dangling that damn meat cleaver over my throat sickened me. Years of my abuse played out like a horror movie, the flames dancing higher and higher. Sinking further into despair, flames spun into a tornado. The floor shook wildly, a scream exploding from my lips.

“Mom!” Avery called out, the flames dwindling down. “Are you okay?” Drawing a long breath, a change of clothes hung off of his arm. Linz and Dade hung back. The twins cooed excitedly in Dade's arms, Shal letting himself in. Shutting down my anxiety, desperate wipes cleaned off any fear. Opening up my arms, his body smashing into mine warmed up my soul. Crouching down to his level, his gentle eyes met mine. Guilt ate at me, those fangs shimmering bold and strong. Dusting off his cute black and white skull sweater, a tuck of his hair revealed a pair of pointed ears.

“Don’t you know it’s my job to worry about you?” I pointed out in a motherly tone, his features brightening visibly. “When did you start changing into a demon? Remember when I said I would always love you? That will always be true.” Tugging on my sleeve, his darkening lips curled into that sincere grin of his.

“Do you mean it?” He asked between sniffles, Rip hugging him from behind. “Most people would think that I am a freak. All I am going to have is one fr-” Cupping his face, something told me that wouldn’t be the case. Wiping away his tears, his kind heart didn’t have to worry about any of that bullshit.

“Not the case, my darling. Your heart is made of gold and that freaking makes friends. Hell, I will find some down here. Rory is a good start.” I comforted him in a nurturing tone, his fingers twisting with mine. “Shadows will always haunt me but something bright keeps them at bay. Seeing your smile everyday makes all this struggle worth it. Try to be a kid for me. Well as much as you can be one.” Nodding his head, Rip shot me the sweetest half smirk. Glancing around the room, coming home to family had a way of centering the most mentally ill of us. Rising to my feet, a clap of my hands grew a car made of boiling hot scarlet flames. Tossing it into the pool, a gust of wind rolled it to Avery’s feet. Picking it up with a gasp, his features brightened even further. Thanking me enthusiastically, Dade offered to take him to the hall to play. Running out before him, a matching sad smile from father told me that he was enjoying himself. Shal and my spirit guides joined him, his laughter twinkling in the hall.

“How could you not see what a fabulous queen you are?” Rip teased playfully, his fist nudging my shoulder. “Do you think that he would be this happy without you? Hell, he wouldn’t be here without you. So many people would be blessed to have you in their life. If you ever feel those memories creeping on again, bury yourself into these big strong arms. I may not be able to squash out the shadows but I can be your lantern.” Ruffling my hair like he always did to comfort me back then, that sweet serenity returned for a flash. Donning a shadow of my real smile, his own illuminated his features.

“There we go. You don’t have to smile as bright as you think we need to see.” He continued huskily, his palm sliding down to my chin. “Can I admit that my life got better the moment you appeared in it? From that first look to this small memory that I shall treasure for an eternity, no way would this demon give it up.” Tripping into his arms, his dark gray sweater tickled my cheek.

“Choice isn’t yours, is it? The mating game is strong, you know?” I shot back shyly, all of my moxie disappearing. “Then again, you gave up the choice of a beating heart for me. Who would be foolish enough for that?” Spinning me around, his fingers danced down to the small of my waist. Swaying to his deep voice, scarlet flushed my cheeks. No answer needed to be said, that loving gaze sufficing. Getting lost in the song, all strife melted away. Swinging to a stop, a happy pause hung between us. Leaning down to kiss me, our lips pressed together ever so sweetly. Releasing each other, our breaths became one once more. No one would ever take this life away from me, scars could form over and over again. Sure things had a habit of developing into a worse problem but as long as our feet still twirled across the darkness, a light could be discovered. Suffering through horrible things taught me such hard lessons, a spark of hope keeping me going. Praying to whoever was listening, please grant me enough grace to survive this utter marathon of never ending chaos.