The Color of Jade

The Demon

  The black sky coughed out sheets of rain with each growl of thunder as the lightening lit up the dark street below. There were only two figures that dare to brave such a furious storm. The smaller of the two moved without a sound down the sidewalk. Her long black curls bound tightly to the nap of her neck under the dark hoody she wore. Tomb colored eyes scanned the streets as she listened intently to the heavy food steps of the demon that was not more then a hundred yards behind. As she moved down the street Jade could see her van setting in the dark lot where she had left it only a few hours before. Just a little further, Jade thought as she picked up the pace ever so slightly as to not let the demon who stalked her notice. All five and a half feet of muscle was bunch tightly with anticipation for what was to come. As she had hoped the demon was still behind her. With an evil grin, Jade swiftly stepped into the shadows. At once the demon halted in his steps and looked around in confusion. Unable to spot his target he slowly moved forward. Just a few more feet. One...Two... With soundless foot steps, Jade moved up behind the demon. The cold metal of the blade felt like that of an old friends hand in her own. Swiftly lifting the knife with one smooth motion she brought the silver silently across the demons throat. A black tar like substance slide down over Jade's hand as the blade pushed through the creatures fleshy neck. There was the foulest of odors coming from the goo. It dropped to the ground with a thud  as she looked around the rain filled night. Not that it really mattered, Jade thought to herself as she hefted the creature over her shoulder and headed to her van. This part of the inner city streets were homes to that of the city's worst kind of human. The simple low life's of the gutters. If they were not set to gain from it then they simply turned a blind eye. Jade opened the back door of the van and tossed the demon in. The slashed throat would not have killed him. At most she had a few hours before his life force would be restored. The only way to kill creatures of the dead was to crush the heart. After hooking iron chains around his hands and feet to be sure the creature is well secured, Jade closed the door and walked around to the diver side. Climbing behind the wheel she began the drive to the underground safe house just outside the city. Jade had acquired such safe locations around this country and a few others world wide. Tapping the button on her cell phone the hidden passageway to the underground parking opened without a sound. After she pulled through, it closed just as silently. Killing the motor Jade climbed out and walked around to the back door. The demon was still not breathing as she unhooked the iron chains and dragged him through the iron double doors of the safe house. After hooking him to the wall across the room from her living area she decide that now would be a good time to eat. Being as in once the demon was breathing she would not stop till she had answers. Walking to the little L-cove of a kitchen she grabbed a box of cold pizza and a beer from the little mini fridge. Setting everything on the table she began to eat. Now that she had the time to study the demon she did so. He was every inch of six feet and at least two hundred pounds she observed. The demons coal black hair dripped water over a wide forehead. The left eyebrow had a nasty looking jagged scar running through it. Slight olive skin tone as if he had spent some time in the sun. That was odd for a demon, Jade thought. Creatures such as this always stayed in the shadows as a rule. Being in the sun would slowly kill them. The center of his features held a fine straight nose and full pale lips. Lips that held a deep frown even in death, she observed. The demon had a strong jaw line that help a defined chin. Not bad looking for a monster indeed. Had he been human Jade would have thought him approachable. The road she traveled gets lonely at times and once in a while she would seek out the comforts of another. If only for a few hours it would be enough to hold off the darkness that would close in from time to time. Jade had been on her own from the young age of thirteen. Before that she had been passed from foster home to foster home. It had not been all that bad until the last one. That last set of "fake parents" had proved to Jade that there were more then the supernatural monsters in the world. Herself along with three other kid's had been stuffed into that little one bed apartment. That was were she had discovered the little voice in the back of her mind was more then her simply going crazy. That little apartment had been where she has discovered that the building anger inside was more then just your normal adolescents at work. Jade's foster dad had come home that night stinking drunk and high on whatever drug he had been able to score. The three younger children had hidden in the closet like they had done so many times before that night. The little boy, Cane, was just thirteen and stood like a guardian in front of the two little girls to protect them. Cane had been more of a man at the age of thirteen then most men are once they are grown, Jade thought. That night of her birthday, Jade had stepped in the way of that monster to protect those little ones. And that night she had learned of her powers. The mans wife had rushed into the living room upon hearing her husbands screams. And in doing so had also became the target for Jade's anger. At once the woman had dropped to her knees by her husband as both their skin started to melt. Looking back now Jade recalled thinking that they looked like the wicked witch from the fairy tail she would read to the two little girls at bed time. Shaking herself out of the past Jade rose from her chair to walk to the sink. Just as she was putting the dish down she could hear a faint moan come from across the room. Turning slowly as to not draw attention to herself while she watched as the demon began to come back to life. A few more moans and groans were fallowed by the rattle of iron as the creature looked up at the restraints. She could hear his breath become labored as the demon began to realize the predicament he was in. Jade's inner voice let out an evil laugh as she moved silently forward. The voice in her head was that of her other half. The black part of her soul as Jade liked to call it. Her voice of unreason she thought while the voice sounded another  inner laugh in her mind. At that moment the creature looked up with an expression on his face that made Jade think that he had heard the evil laugh. His eyes were so dark, they were almost black. Not that of a demons though. Almost that of a human she thought with confusion. She had never encountered such a thing as this. To her knowledgeable mind there was no such thing as a demon having anything near a normal eye color. At least not that she had encountered in her short twenty eight years of life. Moving with every caution Jade moved closer and spoke. "Why were you fallowing me demon?" she asked with all the nasty hatred she could muster. He just starred at her with a confused look on his face. She took a slow breath and slightly smiled. Thinking that this creature was gonna make things interesting. "I had no intentions of hurting you. I just wanted to see you safe." the demon spoke in a low raspy voice that made Jade think that he had not used his natural voice. You see demons did not have voices like that of humans. Their voices were more guttural like they had swallowed a cactus. "Do you really expect me to believe that??" Jade asked with a snarl.  She watched as the demon smirked. "If I had wanted to take you, I would have you little human." he said with a smirk. "Oh but wait, your not human are you Jade?" the demon said with a laugh. Jade was taken aback by these words. The simple fact that this creature would know such a thing was upsetting to say the least. She could not think of any possible way that he could know such a thing. Considering that she herself, had not been able to track even the smallest peace of information what so ever about not only who, but what she was. All Jade knew was that she possessed almost infinite power and that she had stopped aging years ago when she had turned roughly twenty but considering that not a single person on this earth knew exactly when she had been born was another mater all together. She had no birth date as others did. Deciding not to take the bait, Jade continued with her own question. "So tell me creature, why exactly were you fallowing me?" she asked instead. The demon laughed once more. It was a low laugh that sent chills down her spine. "Why do you think I was fallowing you Jade?" The way her name sounded coming out of his mouth was almost exotic. His voice alone was drawing her in. Almost without her being aware of it. "STOP IT!" Jade replied in a deadly low voice. Had the demon been human he would not of herd. There was something different about this one, she just could not put her finger on what exactly. "Okay scum, you want to play this game.? Lets try this." she said with an evil smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Jade walked across the room and opened the metal shelf that hung on the wall. Retrieving the vial of powdered iron from its place she turned to face the demon. "What do you think that is gonna do little one?" he asked with a smile. "You see this here is a special kind of ground iron that can be very deadly to your kind. But in a slow kind of way." Jade replied as if she were talking about some kind of kitchen herb. The demon continued to smile as she walked closer to him. "Are you sure about that?" the creature asked. "Are you really sure that I am, in fact, a demon? Just think if your wrong then all I need is for you to get just close enough."  There was an underlining truth in the tone, Jade mussed.  Deciding to not take any chances she looked the demon in the eye. "Okay, you vial thing, I'll take the bait. But lets start simple shall well?'' she said as she leaned on the wall about ten feet out of his reach. ''Whats your name? And why were you ''protecting me''?'' Jade asked. Studying his face carefully she could see very clearly that the demon was choosing his words wisely. Walking to the arm chair that set about ten feet from the concrete wall, Jade set down, then leaned forward. Waiting intently for his answer. The demons eyes shifted to her with a far away look. "My name for this century is Damon. I'm not so stupid as to tell you my given name. But just be aware little one, that I have been here on this earth for a very long time. And in that time, I have come to know you in many life's before this one. In the end I am all you have ever had."  His words rattled Jade more then she cared to admit. But she could not deny the fact that she had felt....something familiar about him from the moment that his eyes had opened and starred into her own. Jade just had not been able to put her finger on it as of yet. With narrowed eyes, she waited for Damon to continue. "You see, I have looked all over this world for you. I did not have any idea what you looked like or of your age. The only thing I had to go on was that crescent moon birthmark you have just behind your left ear." Damon explained. Jade's hand rose up of its own accord to brush the tips of her fingers over the mark behind her ear. Through all her travels and all the her research, Jade had not found a single word to indicate that the little crescent was anything more then a simple birthmark. Not one shred of evidence that had suggested other wise. Shaking her head Jade suddenly laughed. If this creature thought she was that naive then he had another thing coming. "Seriously? Despite my age, I am not as green as you mite think. So you will have to do better then that." Jade stated. The iron chains were of little restraint for him. But in order for Jade to feel as if she were in control, Damon stayed were she had hung him so to speak. " That mark you have comes from the The Keeper. It is passed once in each generation. That is the mark of The Protector.'' Damon stopped to let his words sink in. She has a hell of a poker face he thought as he studied her. The only sign he had notice that his words had affected her at all were the slight flash in her eyes while he spoke. Jade was strong  he mussed. But she would need to be stronger yet to face what was to come and live through it. In this life, this time around, he would do everything in his power to make sure she would still be alive when the smoke cleared. Even if it mint he would have to die to do so. "Do you think maybe we could do away with the iron? Set down like two civilized beings and have this conversation?" he asked as he shift again in an attempted at relieving the pressure of the cuffs. Jade's sudden laugh was dry with no humor at all. "Keep talking and I will think about it." she responded. Shaking his head, Damon could not help but let out a laugh himself. Jade was just as feisty in this life as she had been in the fist life. Perhaps that would be a way that they both kept their lives when this was all over, he hopped. "As you wish, little one." Damon bowed his head as best he could. "You are the strongest being to walk this earth. And at one point in time there were many of our kind. I'm not sure exactly how many or how long ago anymore. The century's seem to run together. But there was a time you were not always alone Jade." he paused once more to choose his words carefully.He hopped that she hadn't herd the 'our kind' slip. For the most part he would have to only tell her peaces of the story. If Damon told her the whole truth now, he had no doubt that she would kill him and be done with it. Taking a deep breath he continued. "The war started when you were just a little girl. Maybe two or three years old. Your father was a great warrior. You look a lot like him but you have your mothers eyes. The color of smoke as it just comes from the fire. You should know that they did everything in their power to protect you." Damon's last statement sent ice through Jade's blood stream. She had not allowed herself to think of who her parents' were in many years now. She considered herself an abomination and figured that they had known that too, so there for they hadn't wanted her. And now, if she believed the creature in front of her, they had loved her. Shaking the thought off she just laughed. "Tell me creature, what do you gain by these lies? Do you really think that I'll just believe you with not a single shred of proof?"Jade retorted with a stone expression. "Look, I was sent by the two of them as their last wish to protect you. And it does not mater to me if you like it or not, I will fulfill my oath." he stated mater of fact. "Not if I cut your heart out." she replied coldly. With a smile, Damon shook his head in amusement. "How about this; I'll hold still while you do so. Then when I rise from the ash, you have to take these chains off so we can have a real conversation." he stated mater of fact once again. "What do you mean 'rise from the ash'?" Jade waited. Little did she realize, the short tale had her on the edge of her set. "We are what today's world would call a Phoenix. Because when we die we turn to ash and are reborn. Our being has almost limitless power and the strength of twenty men when we are at our best. In other words we cant die. We age slower then humans once we are of a certain age as well. Some think that we are a combination of Fairy, Nephilim, Vampire and every other kind of supernatural out there. They believe that our Creator took a small peace from every species and combined them to make what we are. And once the dust settled from the war she chose two to protect what was left of the supernatural world. One to protect the race's and the other to protect the one." Damon bowed his head in respect to Jade as he finished. Doing his best to hide the pride he felt for her. Jade could see that he spoke the truth. For whatever reason that inner voice she had inside of her said that she should believe him. And the voice had never been wrong,Jade thought as she rose from her chair. Walking back to the shelf she retrieved the set of iron eyes that hung inside. "This does not mean that i trust you in the least. Just so I make myself very clear. But something tells me that at this moment your telling the truth. Just keep in mind," Jade spoke as she slowly walked to where he was chained to the wall. "that I will kill you without a second thought if you cross me." with those words Jade removed the chains. Damon rubbed each wrist were the skin was raw from how tight the cuffs had been. "I have a cream for that if you would like?" Jade asked as she dropped the cuffs to the floor. "It's already healing. There's no need for that. But something to drink would be nice." he said holding up his wrist to show the marks were starting to disappear. "Park yourself there on the sofa and I'll get something.'' she pointed to the couch then turned and walked to the tiny kitchen. Damon settled his aching bones into the softness of the cushion and waited. The place was protected he mussed as he looked around. He had searched these woods himself just a few weeks ago and had found nothing. Not even the hint of magic that protected the place. And a spell with such power should have set off the warning bells in him but he had felt nothing out of place. Some sort of very powerful protection spell for sure. The walls were made of stone with some sort of symbolism carved in each section through out the entire space of every wall.  She was smart for someone who had never been taught how to use the magic she welded. "So tell me more." Jade demanded she handed Damon two fingers of whiskey. Taking the glass from her hand he downed half in one swallow. Feeling the burn, Damon sighed as the warmth from the liquid spread through out him and warmed the coldness that the enchanted chains had caused. "As you have probably concluded you are the 'One' and I am your 'Protector'. There is a war coming and we have to be ready or it will mean the end of all supernaturals as a whole." Damon sounded as if he were speaking more to himself then to her. Jade thought. As if he were afraid that history would repeat itself. "You don't realize what you can really do, do you." his words were more of a statement then anything. The woman standing before him held the power to wipe the face of the earth clean of all supernaturals and start a new race but she did not even know it. "So your telling me that a forgotten runt such as me, is the key to saving the all the supernatural races?" Jade finished the question with a laugh. "You are so full of it, Damon! I was left by the woman who bore me with no knowledge of who or even what I am! Left alone in the human world at that! Do you have any idea what it was like for me?!?!" Jade stood and began to walk a small path in front of were Damon sat. He could see now just how vulnerable she was. The confusion he saw in her eyes was heart breaking. "When I was thirteen I lived in a trans house. That's a place they put kids that are unwanted, so to speak. One afternoon I was setting out in the garden feeling sorry for myself and all of a sudden there was this heat inside me. A heat that felt as if i were melting from the inside out. The care giver that looked after the girls came running up to me because I had doubled over from the pain. I could see her lips move as she spoke but I was deaf to her voice do to the ringing in my ears. As I screamed from the pain I could see her eyes go wide with shock just before she dropped dead in front of me." as she finished her story he could see the grief. The guilt she carried was a dull blackness in her eyes that carried all the way to her soul. "She was the closest thing I had ever had to a mother. Marry was the brightest, most happy and humble old woman. She had such life in her and passion for us kids that were there. And I snuffed out her life with a simple scream. What good is this thing in me, if I can take such a rare person from this world." The last part was more of a statement then a question. The defeat in her eyes broke Damon's heart. "That was how I learned that I was different. They said it was heart failure. But I knew better. I was sent to another type of girls home shortly after. And that's when this couple came and took me home with them. If a home is what you could even call it. It was a whole in the wall. There were three other kids there that were younger them me. The two girls were so close in features they could have been actual sister's. And the boy, his name was Cane, was just a year or so younger then me. When I arrived they were all hidden in the dark corners of the little apartment. The boy was setting as if he would spring in front of the girls to protect them at any moment. They were such innocent kids to be subjected to what those two poor excuses for humans were putting them through. I often think of them. I'm thankful that my witch side came out so I could save them." Jade said the last part with a sad smile. She wasn't in the habit of saving people but that had happened in the beginning when she didn't know what she was. "So you made up for taking one life by saving three others. Let me ask you something, if I may." Damon stood from the couch and placed himself in Jade's path. As they faced each other he could see the torment in her gray eyes. "Most at the age you were would have just saved themselves. Instead you chose to stay and fight for those that could not fight for themselves. You stayed and freed those kids from the hell they had been living in. Was that the demon that you believe is there inside of you? Or the avenging angel that you were mint to be?" Jade's breath calmed at his words. It was as if the dark pools of his eyes were swirling, she thought. Without thinking, she lifted her hand to trace a finger over the scar on Damon's face. They both felt the hum of electricity move through there skin at the contact. She let her hand rest softly on his cheek. It was as if she had looked into those eyes for years, she thought. As if they had known each other for century's. Jade shook her head from side to side to clear her brain as she dropped her hand. "You are a very special kind of good, that only ever comes into existence every thousand years." Taking a step back, Jade shook her head with a  humorless laugh.  ''Dare I repeat myself when I say you are full of it. Maybe you should have water. It appears that this small beverage has been a little to much." Jade stated as she picked up both there glasses and walked to counter to pour them both two more fingers of the dark liquid. lifting her own, she downed half the contents before she turned back around to find Damon standing a half a foot behind her. Jade hadn't even herd him move, let alone get that close to her without feeling him move through the room, she thought. ''Step back." she stated in a cold and quiet voice. As low as she had spoke, Damon could hear the threat in her voice. It held just as much power in a whisper as it did with a scream he mussed. "You don't have to be afraid of me Jade. I would never hurt you. As I said before, I live and breath to protect you. Even with my own life if need be." his voice was barely above a whisper as well. They were so close that she could feel the heat from his breath fan her face. And it felt so good to have someone of her own origin to be this close. To not have to pull her strength for fear of hurting the person she was touching. It would be so easy to just lean into him and take the comfort he was offering. "My soul has fallowed your's since the beginning of time. It has craved you for just as long." Damon leaned ever so slightly closer. Waiting for her to make a move. Jade slowly began to absorb the warmth from his closeness. "I am so tired of running." she whispered so low that if he hadn't had supernatural hearing, Damon wouldn't have herd her. "I'm here now angel. You don't have to shoulder this burden alone anymore." Damon whispered just as softly as her. Without warning, she leaned into him. He could feel the slight tremble as her body pressed into his. Moving as slowly as he could, Damon linked his arms gently around her waist. Jade's body stiffened for a half a second before she began to relax once more. "Why would you want to protect an abomination like me? Why not just walk away and live as you wish?"  she asked as she looked up. It was as if his dark eyes held all the answers she had been searching for. Jade stopped breathing as she waited for him to speak. Damon could hear the rapid beating of her heart as she waited for him to say something. There were so many emotions swirling in the depths of her eyes. "You are the only one that could ever bring me any kind of happiness. I live to protect you. If you did not exist I would have no reason to breath." her eyes began to darken even further as he spoke. Damon watched as that broken hope began to shine ever so slightly. Lifting his hand, Damon ran his thumb over her bottom lip as it trembled. Life chose that moment to yank them both back to reality as the red light began to flash, setting the silent alarm off. It was there to warn Jade of threats. Springing into action, she darted from Damon's warm arms and across the room. Tapping a button on the small panel that she had used to lock the iron doors they had entered through, Jade pressed s few more buttons and the wall panel slid away to reveal a dozen screens. Each one showed the forest above the compound from different views. When the fifth lit, there were six figures moving just above them.