A Soul Collectors Love

The dam wall broke

The rest of the day Amanda spent her time either sleeping or watching Netflix. She preferred watching Netflix because her dreams were beginning to disturb her. She would dream of sensual touches and blue eyes and a dreamy smile but she couldn’t seem to picture the whole face no matter how hard she tried. Amanda had had many strange dreams growing up, mostly of heaven and hell, but sometimes she would dream of the beings within. Many nights she’d wake up screaming in terror of the demons that would torture her. Her parents would exchange worried looks and comfort her but she knew this was not normal. When she visited heaven she would encounter sweet exotic scents with kind beings that would smile at her and tell her stories about their great ruler but when she visited hell she would smell putrid fumes mixed with rotten eggs and have vile creatures describe despicable things and try polluting her mind. She always used to do what her mom told her and put her fingers in her ears and sing her favourite songs. The creatures could never actually do anything although they tried. She shivered remembering those times. Eventually she learned to control how long she stayed in a place although she could never control where she visited. She learned many things about mythology, false and true, and she learned to never tell anyone about her dreams. Her parents had her see a counselor and he thought she was delusional. Eventually she learned to say that the dreams went away although they never did. She thought it was always her imagination and she hasn’t thought about it much, so why was she thinking so much about it now? She looked up realizing she missed the three quarters of the episode of the big bang theory and threw her hands up in frustration. Why can’t she concentrate she huffed and stood up to go make something to eat. Her kitchen was small but had all the necessities. She walked around her granite island counter and looked in the freezer and fridge deciding on what to make for supper. She needed some cooking therapy, as she liked to call it, right about now. She decided on chicken a la king and turned on some music before she got to work. She began singing and dancing in her kitchen in no time while she was preparing the food. Many people said they got whiplash from her music but she loved a range and no one was here to complain about it. She threw all her energy into cooking and singing letting her brain take a break from all the mind wracking. As she swayed her hips, she smiled and just like that she saw his face flash through her mind. Although the flash was fleeting it was enough to make it stick. So he was the one who saved her and brought her home. It was a pity he didn’t accompany her, she had the fleeting dirty thought but sighed. He was nothing but a hello and a goodbye, while she was unconscious. She doesn’t even remember them speaking. Stupid! She scolded herself and carried on with cooking. She opened her fridge to search for more ingredients and her eyes caught on a half finished bottle of vodka and just with that simple sight the dam wall broke and she screamed from the pain exploding in her temples.

Ajax was pacing the length of his house moving from one room to the next while going over every detail with Amanda. He shouldn’t have left her. She could be in danger but he doesn’t care, he reminded himself. She was a one night stand and easy to talk to, that’s it. Miranda did look at Amanda like she was a piece of meat but she doesn’t go for girls although succubus aren’t generally picky. He knew firsthand what Miranda liked but she would still go after the girl just for spite. Although, Miranda wouldn’t if she thought he didn’t care. He raked his hand through his hair, realizing he was trying to find an excuse to see her again even if it would be useless because she wouldn’t remember him. Malachai appeared in front of him, “What?” Ajax spat. “What’s wrong brother? Scared I’m going to get the next kill before you?” his brother taunted. “Just like you got the first one? Oh wait, that was me”, Ajax grinned knowing he had said the right thing to knock the smirk off that assholes face. His face turned to disgust, “You blend easily in the human realm. You have an advantage some of us do not.” He snarled. “Always making excuses. A true hunter always finds a way”, Ajax stated simply while raking his eyes down his brothers body, taking in his hideous appearance. He had a smaller mane of centipede legs compared to his father and his eyes were pure black with no whites. His teeth were canine and he could not close his lips. A small smile played on my lips and he noticed, because of Ajax’s demon blood he enjoyed these small victories. “You won’t be so smug when I tell you that I already know the targets location and would’ve been there were it not for slight difficulties in appearance but that will be remedied soon.” He finished and vanished. “What? No hug kai?” Ajax taunted using his nickname knowing he would still be able to hear him. Ajax shrugged thinking about the next target. Ralph Smith was due to die by the end of the week in a police shootout. Although that would be fun to watch, he had a job to do but this one would be trickier because there was a lot more at stake. Halflings have been sent in to save the soul. He had to wait for the all clear before he was able to go ahead and he knew every other reaper was going to be lying in wait as well to see who could snatch up the prize first. So he had time to spare why not pop by Amanda’s house and see what she may be up to. This was just because he was bored and no other reasons what so ever. He materialized in the shadows across the street from the off-white house. He moved with a grace that proved his demon blood origin and entered her yard without being seen. Although it was broad daylight the sun cast enough shadows to blend into. Ajax thought of his unique ability to camouflage with the shadows and had humans believed in the supernatural they could easily spot him but they chose to remain ignorant and weak, he thought bitterness seeping into his thoughts as he remembered his mother. He remembered her calling him Jaxy and how her tinkling laugh could light up a room. She was beautiful with long dark hair and the same blue eyes he had. She would hold him at night until he fell asleep singing with the sweetest voice. When he was just three years old little Jaxy had been playing in the sand in the garden as he always used to but he felt something was wrong. He called for his mother and gone in search of her throughout the house. His little feet had splashed through the water in the passage as he knew that mommy must be playing in the bath. “Moooom!” He called out with a giggle at the end. Bath time was his favourite. He wandered up to the slightly ajar door and with a firm push he opened it fully. But the effort from the push kept its forward momentum and he ended up splashing on his hands and knees in the water. His face scrunched up as he remembered the water swirling with red and gold. His mother must have used too much of his favourite bubble bath. He looked up at the bath and saw his mother’s dark hair flowing over the side with the water. Her eyes stared straight ahead with an absent look, her usual glowing skin seeming too pale. “Mommy?” Ajax’s voice came out choked on a sob. Her wrists had looked injured. “MOMMY!” Ajax screamed not knowing what to do but sitting in the water crying because his mother was hurt. His father had appeared then and soothed his cries. Years later he knew that his mother had been too weak to deal with the idea of Ajax being supernatural. Once his father told his mother what he was she couldn’t live with the idea that she sired a demon. Ajax’s nails were digging into his palm as he fought to bury the memory and the feelings attached. He cannot feel or his weaknesses will be shown to the other demons that he fought so hard to gain respect from. He looked down at his palms feeling the blood beginning to well from the crescent shaped injuries. Soon enough the injuries were no more and he wiped the excess blood onto his suit pants knowing it was now ruined but he had many others to takes its place. He leaped with one confident motion of his lithe body over the back wall and took his place against an old tree with a huge canopy bringing enough shadow to conceal his presence. He glanced into the windows noting that the one with baby blue bedding must be the main room where Amanda slept. The room next to it appeared unused. The following window had a floor to ceiling view of the kitchen where he heard the faint sound of music with his supernatural hearing and had an excellent view of the dancing blonde inside. She was wearing tracksuit pants with an overly large T-shirt. Her hair was in a messy bun and her feet were covered in socks as she used the slippery surface of her tiles to enhance her moves. Ajax smiled in spite of the fact that he only went for women that cared about their appearance. He let out a content sigh, thinking he could watch her in this moment all day. Only because she represented something he could never have, which is a stable carefree life. Not because she was beautiful or that her smile reminded him of how his mother’s smile could light up a room. Her light blue almost gray eyes would sparkle with pleasure as he would kiss her neck. Damn it! He mentally yelled at himself. Get a grip man. Nothing can happen. His eyes flicked over the exterior of the house making him think it was quite a charming little place. The aroma from whatever she was cooking hit him and he closed his eyes breathing in deeply, “Damn” he muttered to himself. When he opened his eyes he found himself involuntarily walking towards it and abruptly stopped. What the hell is wrong with my self control today? He thought with a curse. Suddenly he was jolted from his thoughts by a piercing scream renting the air. He raced across the yard with his abnormal speed and burst through the back door leaving it hanging at an odd angle. He found Amanda sprawled on the floor clutching her head with tears streaming from her eyes. He was unsure of what to do but knelt down next to her small form and scooped her into his arms. He carried her over to the couch and used pillows to prop her head up. “Amanda?” He whispered in a soft voice, willing the pain to stop. He brushed her now lose hair away from her face and swiped at the tears with his thumbs. Her face began to smooth out and her hands slowly began their decent into her lap. At last she opened her eyes and with a slight tilt in her lips she said, “Ajax?” with enough recognition it hit him like a ton of bricks. He felt utterly paralyzed. How the hell does she remember him? This has never happened before and a foreign part of him that he refused to acknowledge felt a tinge of happiness and relief at her remembrance. “What the fuck...” was all that managed to escape his lips. “How do you remember me?” He asked with more force than necessary once he could form words. She flinched, he ignored the pang of guilt he felt over his outburst. “What do you mean? Was I supposed to pretend to forget the night we spent together? Is that the new one night stand rule?” She snarled back crossing her arms over her chest. Why does she have to be so stubborn and adorable at the same time? He mentally scolded himself and got back to the point. “You were supposed to forget.” Was all he managed to mutter, before pacing the length of the living room in long strides. She followed his movement but he could tell by the stiff fixture of her lips that she was angry at him and that was a good thing. “Just because you said I should forget, doesn’t mean I would magically, poof, forget!” She threw her hands up making gestures to emphasize her point. Then her eyes widened in realization. “You made me forget. I thought I had lost my mind...” she trailed off with a soft voice. s**t she was going to freak out. She stood up and walked behind the couch trying to put some hated distance between them. “Do you mess with everyone’s memory or just the girls you wam bam thank you ma’am?” she lashed out at him. It was his turn to cringe, how to say this carefully, “I had to make you forget or you would be put on the hit list because you know too much.” He shrugged realizing that was a bit blunt. “What the f**k! I screw a demon and suddenly I’m on supernaturals most wanted? Do you think you could have told me that before we screwed?” She started ranting. “Out of all the times I wish my dreams had come true this was not one of them. Now he is saying that he wants to kill me. I can only blame myself! Should’ve taken that stupid medication to make the dreams disappear but they ruined all my other senses as well! But it would’ve been worth it if I had known I was going to screw a demon!” He waited watching as she continued her rant, letting her purge all her emotions. “You have dreams of heaven and hell...” he trailed off not realizing she heard him. “Why weren’t you used as a tool against the other?” he pondered while rubbing his chin. “No one knows.” She explained as she held a rigid pose behind the couch. That pose wasn’t fooling either of them because she was ready to bolt but he would be able to catch her even if she did. “Back to the first question I asked you when you were hiding in my bathroom... will you tell anyone?” She shook her head, “Who would believe me?” “Good way of thinking but demons don’t like snitches.” He muttered. She began laughing uncontrollably, “Snitches get stitches?” He shook his head and smiled, “That did originate in hell yes.” The distinct scent of sulfur permeated his nose, his senses became heightened and he kept his deceptively calm pose as he sauntered around the couch. He brushed back Amanda’s hair and made as if he were to kiss her neck. She stood frozen in shock. “Act natural and follow me. I believe there is more of my kind near.” She glanced into his eyes as he pulled away and gave an imperceptible nod. “s**t the food will be burning my now!” she suddenly said and ran to the stove. She studied it before she turned around, “Did you switch it off?” “It would be a sin to spoil something so delicious and although I love to commit many sins, this is not one of them.” His ears began to twitch at the sound of slight scraping against the roof tiles. He did not like this at all... He laced their fingers together and pulled her toward the passage knowing that the windows would be the first to go in the event of an attack and although he could dematerialize at any moment he was curious to see what demon was snooping around here. He heard a loud thump as if someone had just jumped off the roof and landed on the grass. As the intruder drew nearer he could hear the clicking sound of nails against the tiled floor. “I need to protect my animals.” Amanda whispered in a hushed tone as she tried to manoeuvre to the bedroom. “Don’t move.” He whispered with finality. “Wait here.” He jumped the two steps down the passage landing on his knees sliding low to swipe at the intruder with his scimitar. She danced out of the way using her wings to balance her but not before she got a huge slice along her thigh. She hissed, “Ajax... not a nice way to greet a lover.” Ah, f**k was all he thought before two more furies walked in behind their raven haired sister. The fury on the left had burning red hair; the one on the right was a mocha skinned beauty. He flashed them one of his signature charming smiles, “How come I have never met this beauty?” he nodded towards the mocha skinned sister that had a head of curling hair reaching her shoulders. She frowned down at him showing her displeasure of him disrespecting her sister. The raven haired beauty let out a squeal of frustration. “You told me you loved me!” she ground out while her medium sized red wings arched over her shoulders to show her emotions. The gauzy white material that each of them wore barely covering the essentials was quite appealing to Ajax at one stage but now he seemed to dislike them. He frowned. Something was definitely wrong with him. He slowly rose to his feet backing toward the front door. He was too far away from Amanda to reach her but if he could signal her to climb through a window... he looked at the spot where she had previously been and it was empty. That damn woman doesn’t listen! He plastered another charming smile on his face, “Do you really want to fight ladies? We could do something much more fun.” The natural colours to their eyes began changing to a deep shade of red and the black tribal tattoos that decorated their faces became more pronounced. Fire began forming in their hands and that was the cue Ajax needed to barrel out the front door lest anything inside the house catch alight.