A Throne of Fire

Chapter 3

As soon as Xaylin set foot into the house, not even two seconds later did her older sister come flying down the stairs, all but screeching about how we managed to find the human. 

“Oh! Xay-Xay!! You have to let me touch him!!!! Look how cute he is!!! He looks like a little deer!!!!!! Oh let me dissect him!! I need to see if Humans are the same as us on the inside!!!” Mist continues shouting, jumping from her lil spot on the floor to try to get at Damon from where Narci is holding him. Right above his head. She really shouldn’t say that Mist is on the floor, she doesn’t ever touch the floor. Always gliding, her white lab coat following behind her. Though it seemed to be more of an aesthetic thing, as her normal clothes consisted of a purple dress that hit just above her knees. Purple, always purple with everything. Even her long curly hair. Which is currently tied back, only a few strands falling into her face to rest against her thin rimmed glasses. Dark violet eyes look as if they are going to pop out of their sockets as she watches Damon rest in Narci’s hands. 

“Come on, Narcissus! Let your good ol little sis have a nice little look at our new guest!” Mist’s voice dripped with honey and a hint of sadistic intent. 

“No.” Was all her older brother said. To which caused the witch to pout. 

“Fiiiiiiiiine.” She sighs and glides away into the kitchen, not before giving Xaylin a little pat on her head.

She enjoyed the scientist's energy to discover, though sometimes it was a little overwhelming. On more than one occasion has Mist destroyed something during her little experiments. Whether it be a being of life or not, it was never something that was pretty. 

Xaylin glances at Narci, who is still holding the boy above his head, arches her eyebrow and motions for him to set him down on the couch by the fireplace. Maybe she did overdo it just a bit, though if she just allowed him to go through Narcissus’s portal then it would possibly make him debate going with Nichole. She sighs heavily, her brother taking his place behind her. 

“Do you think that...you know, he will come here just to kill him?” The ravenette tried to keep her voice calm and non shaky, though she couldn’t help but feel just a little bit nervous. They have the only human left on this earth and Nero has gone just a bit over his rocker. If he finds out (if he doesn’t already know) that there is one more human left then there is going to be hell to pay for the rest of their family. He will go through anything to get to him. 

It was his mate’s last dying wish. Eradicate the humans. They were harming this world and they needed to be stopped. Of course she was just manipulating him, though he did so anyways, blinded by his love for his broken heart. It was sad really, Nero was one of her favorite relatives. Well, she really couldn’t say she was actually related to anyone in this house aside from Narcissus. No one in this house was related to one another aside from Karma (and his sons), Nero, and one other brother, the youngest, she had forgotten his name as he is never usually around. Everyone here was some form of a misfit adopted by The Demons. After their actual family was obliterated, Karma had found them and had taken them into his home. 

That was before she knew.  

“He can’t come here, you know that.” Narcissus reassured her, resting one of his hands on her shoulder, adding the extra comfort. “I won’t let him get near you.” He adds softly. 

Xaylin thinks of what he said, remembering his promise to her when they were little and the world first started to shatter. 

Screams filled the air, along with smoke and ash. She’s feeling her mother on the floor in front of her, her tendrils holding on tightly to her legs, supporting her while she fights off whatever hell broke into their home. Inhuman screeching came from the attacker, along with unbearable heat, so much heat. Xaylin began to feel her mother's skin boil, blisters appearing and popping no doubt all over her body. Her screams shatter the glass that’s left in the house, Xaylin can’t help the fear that rips through her body. She lets go of her mother, taking the chance to run and letting her crumble beneath the heat of the insanity before her. She distantly heard her screaming turn into a more guttural sound, as if her blood was boiling over and spilling out her mouth. 

It still echoed in her mind to this day. 

She knew who had killed her mother that day as well, who had killed her whole family in fact.

A man stood before her, dressed in old victorian style clothing, almost like hers. Long blonde hair tied back in a tight french braid, only a few strands that fell near his face. Emerald eyes, She remembers Narcissus describing every detail of every being in this house to her. 

They reminded him of how the Earth used to be, when they first arrived in this world. She thought that to be a safe haven, a man with eyes the color of the earth. She loved this planet, it broke her heart to see it destroying itself. 

She was small at the time, only a few centuries old, tears streaming her cheeks as this man approached the two. Narci immediately stands in front of her, dead set on keeping her safe.

The man had laughed, “Calm down little Terror. I am not here to harm either of you.” His voice was so smooth, almost like the richest of chocolates one could eat. “I am here to help you.” 

Her tendrils slither out shakily, she wanted to feel this man, to see if he was lying or not. They coil around his feet, he was barefoot, snaked up his ankles, finding a pulse of some sort. It was so slow. He felt like honesty. 

“Narci.” She hiccuped, “I want to leave.” 

Narcissus tensed, she could feel it, he didn’t trust this man. He told her he looked like the one who slaughtered mother. He didn’t want anything to do with this man. 

“My name is, Karma. I cannot do anything to you that you do not first do to me, child.” Truth. She hears him chuckle, “Best be wise, don’t act rash out of infuriation.”  

Her older brother is judging him, she knows, he’s calculating all of their chances. His choice will be all that matters in this moment. He knows what’s best for us. 

“Xaylin.” Her name rang on her brother's  tongue. She nods, moving towards Karma, The Demon himself. “Our chances alone are slim if we stay here.” Narci states, staying in step in front of her. “Although we do not know this man, and I will not trust him, it seems to be our only hope.” Dread ties a knot in her chest, though she nods again, gripping his hand with a sense of safety. 

“I will always keep you safe.” He whispers, just as Karma begins to lead us away from the chaos behind us. 

We leave the hellfire in a slow trail. 

We leave mother behind. 

“Xaylin….Hey, Xaylin!” A short shake draws her from her memories, it was Narcissus. 

“Yes?” 

“Are you alright?” His voice is hollow though she knows he is concerned. 

“Yes.” 

A long pause, then, “Don’t lie to me. Ever.” Now there’s the emotion. Just like how father used to be. 

“Narcissus?” 

He doesn’t say anything, though he acknowledges her with a soft hum. 

“Describe the boy to me again.” 

He hesitates, though begins to tell her how he’s tall, but not tall like him. Only about five eight. Brown hair sits upon his head like that of a hens nest, the kind we used to have back home. 

The thought makes her smile. 

He has honey brown eyes, like mother used to, though they aren’t as warm. No one’s ever would be. He wore old clothing, not like their old, only about a thousand years or so. Those blue….what are they called? Jeans? Some strange form of pants. Still it bewilders him. 

Xaylin laughs at her brothers confusion and frustration. 

He wears a brown coat, with a white shirt underneath. 

He reminds her of a little deer. Eyelashes are long, big brown doe eyes, and a brown coat to match. It was almost cute to think about. 

Her tendrils slip over the side of the couch, gently touching at his face, soft. Humans always had the most soft skin out of any species she had felt before. 

“He reminds me of mom.” Narcissus says softly. Xaylin can just barely make out the pain in his tone, only barely. 

“I know.” 

It doesn’t take too much dialog between the two to know what the other is feeling, or thinking. They have been together long enough to know anything and everything about the other. It’s how she liked it. To not have to worry about explaining herself anymore. 

“It’s around three in the morning. You two should really get to bed. You might be beings of the Night, though you still need to sleep, just like the rest of us. I am sure that the poor boy has been under a lot of stress these past few hours.” A voice that dripped of that smooth chocolate vibrated from behind them, they knew. 

It was the blonde man from so many years ago. 

“Yes, I am sure that Xaylin is more than a little tired after going off on her own.” Narcissus states, sounding just a little bit angry about it. Making her cringe only slightly, though he was right. She was quite tired. She hasn’t had to ever use her shadows to see as much as she did today, it takes a lot out of a blind girl to try to see literally everything in order to survive. Ironic. Ha, eye-ronic. God, she wants to kill herself just for thinking that.

“Well, from what I saw she handled herself quite well.” Pride swelled in her chest from receiving praise. At least someone noticed. 

Narcissus seemed only slightly disgruntled from Karma’s comment, though he didn’t argue. Which was certainly something to take note on. 

“Xaylin, go up to your room please.” Her brother commands, he seemed a little more tense than normal. Though let nothing else feel different. 

With a nod she makes her way towards the spiral staircase. 

The house they lived in was large, almost like a fortress. With three stories and a basement, the staircase swirling from top to bottom in the middle of the home.. Most of the walls were covered with books (that she can’t read unfortunately), it’s color scheme, from how Narci first described was like a warm welcome. 

Red’s, oranges, browns, things that just made you feel at home. 

Antique things here and there, that she may or may not have broken here or there, lined the corners and walls missing books. They were quite the collectors. Though she supposed there wasn’t much else to do when you’re alive for so long. 

Reaching her room at the end of the hallway on the second floor, she places her hand on the smooth wood, grabbing and turning the knob she pushes the door open. Finally collapsing and sinking in bed, drifting off almost immediately. 

Not before she felt the softest of touches at the end of her bed.