The morning air in the hidden residence smelled liked sulphur , metallic tang that would follow Malachi everywhere, it was a sign of Malachi's dormant power.
Malachi stepped into the room, his boots making no sound on the floor.
He stopped. His eyes falling on a particular corner in the room.
There, curled in the corner like a discarded silk ribbon, was Zaliyah. He looked glorious even in his grief. His face was deathly pale from the night's hysterics, a silver trail of dried tears staining his cheeks. His long eyelashes cast soft, shadows against his skin as he breathed in shallow, rhythmic hitches.
Malachi didn't call for the servants. He reached down, his powerful arms sliding beneath Zaliyah's weightless form, and lifted him.
As he placed him on the bed, Zaliyah's hair spilled across the dark velvet like a waterfall of light, making him look less like a boy and more like a fallen goddess.
Malachi stood over him, a dark, vigilant sentinel. His claws traced the line of Zaliyah's jaw before his thumb moved to press firmly against Zaliyah's plumb, unconscious lips.
His hand slid lower, his palm cupping the curve of Zaliyah's neck. A hunger unknown to mankind ignited in Malachi's crimson eyes, a primal, ancient need to ravage the beauty before him.
His jaw clenched. His eyes began to glow with a pulsing light, and the air around him hummed.
Suddenly, two dark, curved horns spurred from his forehead, tearing through the illusion of his human form.
"Zaliyah," he growled, the name like it was prayer. A rough hungry prayer.
The heat in his blood became too much. Before he could lose control and claim what was on the bed, Malachi tore himself away, stumbling out of the room to let the cold hallway air drown his fire.
The sun rose over the Ruo Han residence, but it brought no warmth. Riosuka and Riru stomped through the gates, their faces set in grim masks. Riosuka had been at her in-laws', but the rumors of the "Demon Scene" had reached her like a poison.
"Welcome back, Mistress! Welcome back, Lady Riru!" the maids greeted in a frantic, terrified chorus.
Riosuka didn't even blink. she rushed into the main chambers, her heart hammering.
She threw open the door to her husband's room and stopped dead. Her hands flew to her mouth. Lord Caius lay on the bed, his face wrapped so tightly in white linen he looked like an Egyptian mummy.
Her hands shook as she approached the bed, seeing the bloody, swollen skin peeking through the gaps.
"D ddddad..." Riru stammered, her voice small and broken. She walked closer, unable to believe this shattered man was her father.
Rica, the chief maid, entered with a tray of medicines. "The physician said his mind is in a state of shock," she whispered. "He is unconscious. His mind may heal in three days, but the injuries... those will take a week or more."
Riosuka turned, her eyes wide with horror.
"Did Karas... did Karas really do this?"
The maid remained deathly silent.
"It's a lie! All lies!" Riru shouted, her voice breaking. She was only fourteen, too naive to remember the Karas who had nearly killed Eros.
But Riosuka knew. She knew the beast she had tried to suppress with love.
How emotionally starved was he, she wondered, to find his only solace in Zaliyah?
"I'm so sorry, honey... I'm so sorry," Riosuka whispered, kissing her husband's bandaged hand before fleeing the room in tears.
She stood at the door of Zaliyah's room, watching Karas. He was curled on the bed, wrapped in Zaliyah's silks
a pitiful, broken sight. She sat beside him, caressing his hair.
Karas stirred, his hand catching hers in a desperate grip. "Zaliyah... I knew you would come back to me..."
Then, he smelled the sandalwood instead of the flowers. His eyes snapped open.
"Mother."
"Wake up, my boy," Riosuka said with a painful smile.
Karas sat up, his shoulders sagging.
"Mom... Mom, I'm sorry," he stammered, the weight of his violence finally crashing down on him.
"It's okay, my boy. Calm down."
Karas couldn't look her in the eye. He stared at the floor in shame.
"Do you love him that much?"
Karas didn't hesitate. "He's the reason I exist."
"He's your brother, Karas. This isn't love."
Karas looked at her then, his blue eyes piercing. "You cannot define my feelings for him."
Riosuka felt a chill. She had been blinded by her own instincts. "What is Zaliyah, exactly?"
"I don't know," Karas answered.
"The rumors were right... they were all right,"
Riosuka lamented, her voice falling into a mental trance. "He isn't human. Oh heavens, I was blinded! How could I let this happen?"
The door creaked. Aunt Mei walked in, her hands and face a mess of bandages. "Really, Riosuka? I thought you were flaunting how he isn't a demon? What happened?"
Riosuka turned, gasping at the sight of her sister-in-law. She looked back at Karas, her eyes filled with a new, sharp fear. She looked at him as if he were a monster.
"You... you did this," she whispered, pointing a trembling finger at her son.
Mei laughed, a dry, bitter sound. "You raised two demons."
Riosuka plopped onto the bed, biting her nails and shaking her head. "This can't be... this can't be..."
Riru rushed in, her face wet with tears. "Elder brother! Where's Brother Zi?are the rumours true ? Mom and I heard some unpleasant rumours on our way here. I'm so worried!"
Karas pulled her into a hug. "It's okay. I'll find him."
Riru pushed him away. "How sure are you? Brother Zi... where did he sleep? Did he eat?" She grabbed Zaliyah's handfan from the cupboard. "Look! He never leaves without his fan! Why is it here? Will he ever come back?"
She burst into fresh sobs. Riosuka rushed to her daughter, helpless. Karas didn't say another word. He left the room, his face a mask of stone. He let the maids wash the blood from his skin and changed into fresh robes.
He walked out into the sunrise, his shadow long and sharp. The hunt for Zaliyah had begun.