Just Checking Up! Part Fifty-One: The Scent of Escape!

Silks:

Rotten Earth swirled up my nose, the leather of my dress brushed against my legs. Musty winds roared around me, Rip’s scent tearing me out of my mental downward spiral. Whipping me back to the conversation, shadows failed to reach me. Grinning deviously, time needed to be bought. Time to play Rip's usual role.

“Pretty pathetic that you have to cage someone to get to know them.” I taunted him loudly, fear lacing my words. “Maybe take a demon out on a date first, Bud! Then again, you lack charm. What a bloody shame! In simple terms, bite me!” Slamming into the cage, his key ring clattered to my trembling fingers angrily as I kicked the bar to cover the noise. Rip popped up over his head, a giant ball of ice tipped dragon flames smashing Blabbadon’s head into the thickest bar. Cracks echoed in the air, angry burns spreading across his skin. Slamming another ball of dragon flames into his throat, intense heat had him collapsing into a smoking heap. Sliding the keys over to him, Cal took to his side in some sort of gray suit.

“Found yourself in a bit of a pickle, eh?” He joked blithely, his head cocking to the left with a goofy grin. “What went down, Captain?” Chuckling softly to myself, the door squealed open. Struggling to my feet, Rip’s fingers intertwined around mine. Tossing me over his shoulder, a nervous laugh slipped off of his tongue.

“Time to go before he wakes up.” He choked out awkwardly, his lips kissing mine passionately. Scarlet flushed my cheeks, Cal nudging his shoulder distracting him from my embarrassing smirk. Exiting through the closest door, a click announced him locking the door behind us after cursing under his breath.

“Why does this bastard need so many keys?” He complained audibly, Cal covering his mouth to hide his laugh. “Shut the fuck up, Cal. How do we get out of here ? No, you aren’t walking! You have to be dr-” Pecking his cheek, shock brightened his features to a bright ruby. Feeling a little less than my best, it really made sense to cave into his desires. Honestly, my wifely skills had been lacking as of late.

“Count on me to listen to your request, my king. Perhaps, I can serve you via my senses. We may be trapped in an elemental shithole but I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else.” I chirped brightly, confusion twisting his features. “Don’t look at me like that. There has to be a way out. You did get in, right?” Trauma haunted his features, his fingers lingering on my waist.

“We won’t lose anyone this time, ‘kay!” I assured him sweetly, his lips brushing against mine tenderly. Time slowed down, his blood smelling like Heaven to me. Cal cleared his throat, dark energy rumbling to life behind us. A loud fuck escaped my lips, something feeling off. Attempting to summon my fire lilies, every attempt had inky waterfalls staining Rip’s embroidered suit. Clenching the closest bunch of his jacket, frustration brewed in my eyes. No way in Hell was I going to be useless. Parting his lips to speak several times, an exit exploded itself into existence. Skidding through the lucky chance to get out, an eerie sea of skyscrapers towered over us. Crunching through shattered glass, a storm thundered to life in the distance.

“I am afraid that freaking monster isn’t shaken off quite yet.” Cal warned us with earned urgency. Shadows whistled by our heads, shards of glass raining down. Glittering in the orange moonlight, a gust of wind laced with dragon flames aimed them quite a distance behind us. Despising my role as a dead weight, a flip landed me clumsily in front of them. Shaking off a bit of stress, a couple of buildings were calling out to me.

“Follow me!” I shouted over another crash, both of them nodding. Sprinting into a hotel, black mold covered a heather gray silk wallpaper. Slinking behind a rotting black wooden front desk, a pile of keys tumbled onto our heads. An icy breeze nipped my palm, a dig at the carpet revealed an escape hatch. Extending my claws, the tips slipped into perfect circles. Metal shards shattered against the desk, a few movements had the hatch hissing open.

A jolt jerking my muscles paralyzed me, Rip scooping me up on the way down. Locking behind us, a thump announced something covering it back up. Dragon flames crackled to life, silver scale walls glittering in the light of the flames. Our shadows devoured an entire wall, an eerie silence ringing alarm bells. An odd look flashed in Rip’s eyes, his ears pinning back. What the hell was he hearing?

Sprinting around random corners, my hair floated up with every footfall. Cal kept up with ease, Rip skidding to a rough stop in front of two tall dark wooden doors. Tracing the ornate carved dragon, a pin pricked his finger. Cobblestone split open, a raw force of energy whisking Cal through our appearing closet door. Leaving it be just us, hot air aggravated my burns the second the floor gave away. Landing on a pile of gold coins, both of us rolled over to face a series of silver dragon statues.

“Let the trials begin!” A deep voice thundered ominously, a silver birdcage rising around me. “She is the prize. Get to her, king of Hell and you win a most wonderful prize. Off you go, your majesty.” Lowering through the pile of gold, the cage clacked into a silver garden. Apologizing silently, Rip waved as the hole sealed shut.

“Seems putting me in a damn cage is on trend today!” I barked hotly, silver dragon fountains trickling to life. “Fate must despise me to no end today.” Crawling onto the bench, a long sigh drew from my lips. One poke of the thickening bars did little to intrigue me, the jolt confirmed my worst suspicions. Why did I feel so ill randomly? Rolling my eyes, every part of me ached for Rip. Perhaps it was something else.

“Does your mind ever slow down?” That deep voice mused darkly, a cloaked figure sauntering up to the cage door. “I promise not to kill him. My name is Kawfton, Miss Silks!” Bowing centimeters from the door, a silver dragon head appeared to be attached to a muscular seven foot body. Ruby eyes met mine, his tone not quite selling what was escaping his lips. Silver horns contrasted a leather brown suit, the Victorian style bringing back a bit of charm. Fussing with his tattered cloak, his fingers curled around the nearest bars. Who the hell was he really?

“What’s your fucking deal?” I interrogated him, his steady breathing matching mine. “Can you even leave here?” Digging at the dirt on the ivory marble floor, his nice dress boots spoke of a stern characteristic. Sliding down his side of the cage, his kind eyes flickered over to mine. Dissolving a bit of my stress, reason had to lay in his actions. What a curious fellow?

“If he completes the tasks at hand, I get attached to him. Thus freedom is mine.” He concluded brokenly, hope glinting in his eyes. “How could I deny him the shot of bearing a weapon of his choice?” Cocking my brow, his knowing smirk spread into a big old grin. What trouble was this fellow up to? Please don’t be on the destructive side of things. Attempting to move once more, frustration brewed in my features upon failure.

Movement will always fail, my dear.” He continued while looking up at the swaying vines. “Your magic weighs you down here. Dragons used to run free in Hell but demons hunted them to near extinction.” Inky tears trickled onto his trembling hands, one big roll had cold metal meeting my cheek. Crawling over to him felt as if sludge riddled my path, pain dribbling off of my chin. Using the bars to yank myself into a sitting position, his scales brushed against the top of my hand. Ripping my hand back, a short gasp escaped his lips.

“Worry not, my dear friend.” I wheezed, my breath failing to catch itself. “If I know my king, he’ll pull through. Honor would befall us if you lived with us. No one deserves to be alone.” Smiling crookedly in my direction, a fuming Rip kicked open the metal gate. Where did the oxygen go? Lifting Kawfton off the ground, he slammed him into the silver dirt. Digging the heel of his boot into his chest, a low growl rumbled in his throat. Aiming a fireball for his face, my throat clearing whipped him out of his blind rage. Kawfton trembled with fear underneath him, anger mixing poorly with my swelling anxiety.

“Bonding with him will set him free.” I explained between coughing fits, globs of black painting my palm. “Or you can never get over whatever is eating at you. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your sorrow.” Disbelief haunted his eyes, horrible hurt lacing his body language. Parting his lips to speak several times, the fireball fizzled out.

“Like I can’t see yours, Silks!” He shot back bitterly, his heel crunching into the dirt. “All day and all night I have to pick up your fucking goddamn pieces! I love you but you keep burying those emotions deeper and deeper into God knows where! How do I help someone that doesn’t want help!” Shrinking back, truth had their place in his words. It wasn’t that I didn’t want help, opening up often led to bigger troubles. Pacing back and forth, another rant went in one ear and out the other. Struggling to focus on his words, every breath drew shorter. Bars tripled, the door squeaking open. Arguments ensued behind me, his garden beginning to rot away. Hot blood burned its way up my throat, pieces of organ tissue splattering onto my quaking hands. What the fuck! Was this dragon magic bullshit tearing me apart from the inside? Scooping me up, Rip clutched me close to his chest. Nipping at Kawfton’s heels, silver scales on Rip’s palms captured my attention. Please don't be burdened by them, the beauty of them leaving me to get lost in a bit of a daze. Remembering our argument, harsh words shouldn't be left to fester.

“Sorry for being a burden.” I apologized in a watery tone, his loving gaze meeting my shame filled frown. “Fixing issues before myself tends to be how I operate.” Brushing his lips against the top of my head, inky emotions splashed onto my forehead. Shaking his head, an apology escaped his lips.

“I tend to forget where you come from.” He sniffled adorably, affection shimmering in his eyes. “People like you open up when you are able to. Pushing you never worked before. If I have to pick up the pieces for an eternity, you can count on me. There is no way in Hell that you are a burden in my eyes.” Chewing on my bottom lips, crumbling walls flashed by my eyes as guilt ate me alive. Sighing long enough to wake the dead, his eager eyes refused to leave mine.

“Let me pick up my own messes from now on, okay.” I pleaded between coughing fits, the burning sensation in my body worsening. “Too bad this dragon magic is tearing me apart from the inside.” Snuggling into his chest, relief would only come the second we hit regular Hell. Clutching onto his jacket, a big breath in did little to relieve my stress.

“No, not going to work with me or anyone close to us for that matter.” He returned with his trademark smirk, a bit of color flushing my otherwise paling features. “Come now, the Sins are basically siblings and we can’t forget about your own spirit bodyguard team. What about our parents? Don’t they mean anything to you, my dear queen?” Everyone meant my life to me, the whole point of this strife bringing me to this damn point. Exhaustion weighed on my eyelids, a rough darkness swallowing me whole.

Rolling over, ashes snowed in the living room of an abandoned mansion. Sniffing the air, it appeared that our demonic butts were among the humans. Among humans, that held a different meaning. Sitting up between winces, peeling wallpaper threw me off. Hoisting myself to my feet, a dizzy spell had me collapsing into a heap. Rip skidded in, shame dimming my eyes.

“Jesus Christ! Relax for a minute. All that dragon magic poisoned the shit out of you.” He explained gently, the back of his hand pressing against my forehead. A fever raged, an angry mark on his vein leading to guilt in my features. Scrambling back clumsily, every breath ached violently. Coughing up more organ tissue, blood coated my palm. Mumbling something about Cal coming to pick us up, his body plopped down behind me. Tugging me onto his lap, his arm curled me into a ball onto his lap. Snuggling into his chest, a ghostly paleness haunted his features.

“Did you give me some of your blood?” I wheezed, the hot blood having seared my throat. “You really shouldn’t h-” Lifting up my chin with his thumb, his other thumb wiped away the rest of the blood. Settling into his tender touch, his real smile threatened to wake up my heart.

“Nah, I wouldn’t do anything else. Hell, my blood probably has already replenished itself.” He joked tiredly, his hands dropping to my waist. “Right at this very moment, my concern lies with you. Sorry for losing it on you.” Gripping his jacket desperately, another jolt of agony wracked my muscles. Shivering in his arms, his lips grazed the top of my head. Running my fingertips along his palms, pride glistened in his eyes.

“Thanks to you two, I can play in the game.” He bragged jovially, orange dragon flames crackling to life with ease in his open palm. Jealousy flashed in my eyes, his control annoying the crap out of me. Shaking it out of my mind, the lack of control in the emotion department seemed to be my downfall.

“Flames from an elemental are harder to control, Miss Silks.” Kawfton uttered calmly as he entered the room. “Much like nature, your flames tend to have a volatile base. Did you ever think to try learning a bit of ice magic? I am aware of how contradictory that sounds but it might work. Perhaps, I can make gloves out of my scales. Thanks to you, freedom found me once more. Let me help you out.” Leaning against the wall, his claws scratched at the back of his neck. Cocking his head back, the stars twinkled though the hole in the roof. Sucking in a deep breath, a free grin curled across his snout. Respond before he loses the small bit of joy he has, you idiot!

“Okay.”I gurgled meekly, his words providing a spot of relief. “Not burning my skin would be lovely. Nice to see you enjoying your freedom. Ice magic can’t be that hard, right?” Coughing into my palm, more organ tissues shone on my palm. Cursing under my breath, that magic wouldn’t help me out in my current situation. Laughing darkly to myself, anxiety and grief was going to be the death of me.

“I am h-” Cal began to announce, his big grin dropping upon my obvious decaying state. “Shit! Who do you need me to get? Maybe some phoenix tears? I have some in my pocket!” Digging around his worn leather jacket, a vial of phoenix tears rolled into his palms. Tossing it in Rip’s direction, glass clinked against his scales upon a graceful catch. Pouring it down my throat, organs began to weave itself together as the bleeding slowed to a stop. Thank fucking God!

“There we go!” Cal chirped brightly, his palms clasping together. “Let’s not leave anywhere alone again, Silks. Getting kidnapped is a whole ordeal for us, man. Sorry for bugging your bell but everyone seems to want you as of late.” Flashing him a bloody version of my real smile, his action wasn’t a bad one.

“You are going to take it out after all this bullshit is done, correct?” I requested politely, all parts of me being pleased to not have blood flying up my throat. Shooting me a thumbs up, danger found her way as per usual. Rip hopped to his feet, Kawfton keeping close to him. Coming out to the hearse, Rip climbed into the passenger’s seat. Cal jumped into the driver’s seat, the engine rumbling to life. A grogginess washed over my mind, the side effects of Phoenix tears begin to claim their stake. Cuddling into Rip’s chest, his words went in one ear and out the other. Exhaustion wore down on my eyelids, sweet slumber sweeping me away.