His second chance at a happy life

Without glamour

I landed softly on the roof of my building and made my way down to the living room, where I could hear Grendel pacing back and forth along my hardwood floor.

"You are going to ruin my floor at that rate." I glanced at him as I passed to the kitchen. I put the kettle on and went back to the living room. "Have a seat, I will make you some tea. She really is alright, my friend. I saw her home, then put another barrier around her place and headed straight over." I rested my arms on the top of my love seat and motioned for him to sit down. He does it with a huff and processes to glare from the couch.

"How could anything have snuck up on you like that, Arzoran? You are never that distracted." I met his glare with my own,

"Watch your tongue, I was not distracted. He appeared out of thin air through a ripple, and he didn't come from a different world. There was nothing for me to sense. That didn't nearly catch me off guard as her stopping the time in this realm. I was able to pull him back into the tear. When I went through, we had entered death's realm, but it was mirroring our surroundings. Her powers had forced him to be weighed down. It helped me take him down as quickly as I did. The only reason he got away was because she fainted as she closed the ripple. I almost didn't make it back over, and I couldn't take the chance of her getting hurt." His demeanor softens as he looks at me.

"You are serious, aren't you?" He smiled at me. I could tell he was thinking of our first conversation about my romantic feelings towards Samanatha. I roll my eyes and go to the whistling kettle.

"What made you think I wasn't?" I asked in an even tone. I pour the hot water over the tea leaves and let them seep, "In fact, I made that clear today."

"Did you tell her you were a demon?" He followed my moves as I came back with our cups. Taking a seat, I say snarky,

"You know, I didn't feel like that was a cookie kind of conversation. I feel more like over dinner would be better."

"What kind of cookie did you try?" He wore a serious face as he took a sip of tea.

"Chocolate chip, it was much more delectable than I thought." I suppressed the urge to taste my lips and took a drink of my warm beverage. "I plan on scheduling a date with her to tell her as soon as I can. I have to. I will be meeting Silvia again and cannot hide my aura from her. I have been lucky to not have run into her for as long as I have. I haven't really figured out how that is going to end either." I sigh, leaning my head at the back of the couch. I closed my eyes briefly when my phone caught my attention. It vibrates across the coffee table twice. I pick it up and read the text from Samantha,

'I have a few questions you might be able to answer. Can I come over tomorrow?' I smile,

"It's as if she is reading my mind sometimes. I can tell her tomorrow she is coming over." I say sending a text back with a time and address.

"Would you like me to be here when you tell her?' He asked. I shook my head,

"No, I actually need you to go back to the Underworld. Sehket is a day late with her report. We also have to let her know what has happened." I place my phone and cup onto the table, crossing my legs over the other, leaning back in my chair.

"And what did happen? You said it was going to be a normal shopping trip."

"It was, we had gone to the mall. I was able to spend time with her more than just training, and as we left the large department store, one of the fae angle hybrids appeared out of a ripple. She must have seen something like that before because she was frozen to her spot when it looked at her. She was so scared that she projected the fear and everything around her, including me froze. It had taken me a moment to move again, and it had broken her concentration. I am not sure how, but she ended up doing it again a few more times and I had taken the opportunity to take him down. He was unconscious when I left it on the other side of the tear. I almost didn't notice her closing the ripple. I would have been stuck with death if I hadn't got back as fast as I did. When I got back, I saw her fainting." My anger flared. The creature was one of the most lucid ones I have encountered. I could have questioned him if I had captured him. I sighed, letting the anger go. There was no way around it. She had done the right thing. She couldn't have known what was going on at the moment.

"What do you think will happen to it over there?" He asked, finishing his cup and placing it on the table.

"Death will do what it does and take care of it." I answered, sitting upright and looking out my large window on the opposite side of the room. "I will need you back in two days, everyone should be caught up in most things so you might have to damage control with Silvia when she learns I have been the one teaching her granddaughter all these years." I rub my neck I was not scared of anything in this world or others, but I cannot mess this up. Once Samantha had been handed to Silvia, her whole life must have changed and, with all the conversations I have had with her during training, I know she is the most important person in Samantha's life, and I could not become a problem in that part of her life. I know that she will choose her every time, and I will understand, but I don't want to let her go. I groan internally at the realization of my own fear that has stopped me every time from telling her the truth. Earth's time passes so fast,

'I shouldn't have let so much time pass to be honest; I am such a coward.'

"Fino alla prossima volta, mio povero amico." He says goodbye and leaves.

The next morning came quickly; I had just finished cooking after spending all morning cleaning the apartment when I heard the knock at the door. I place my apron on the back of a chair and straighten my shirt as I head over to the metal frame. I open it to an awestruck Samantha looking around my entrance.

"You have a private elevator to your own floor! There was a security guard and everything." She gaped as she stepped inside, "My goodness." She muttered, looking at my mostly open floor apartment.

"Are you hungry?" I asked, ushering her to the island that separated my kitchen and living room. I had made a light lunch so we could focus on the talk set out on the marble top. She takes a seat, and I sit across from her.

"You must be a very successful writer." She smiles as she looks at the food and then behind me to the kitchen. I had all the latest stainless-steel appliances, not that I have ever used them until now. I shrug,

"I do alright."

"I think you are the most successful person I have ever met. Though Grendel lives like he has no spending limit." She picks up a chip and stares at me. Her gorgeous chocolate eyes lock onto mine as she ate. Samantha has always had the habit of looking everyone in the eyes, even me. I noticed when we started our training, she would give me her full attention. Sometimes it felt as if she was challenging me to look away first, not letting herself look away at times. It was exciting to see someone so determine and unyielding to my frightening large appearance that it was getting harder to hide due to her increase in power. I had started to do the same as time passed. It had become a silly game of who would blink first. I found myself being captivated by her in those moments, getting to really take in how she looked; her long curly hair was almost always pulled back in a high ponytail, allowing me to see each and every freckle on her smooth fair skin as it trailed along her body, her smiles when genuine was a sight I marvel at each time I could see it, if I could have that smile directed at me, it would make my whole day. She always thought that her cargo pants and plain T-shirt were, in her words, basic and out of style, but to me, she looks like a worrier ready for battle and the fabric hugged her well-toned body. "Trevor?" She says the name I gave, and I almost wince.

'I should have just told her who I was. I can't believe there would be a time when I actually wanted to hear that name out of someone's mouth.' She stares at me waiting for me to speak when I didn't. She smiled and asked, "Did you really cook?" We both looked down at the food I had made melted with chips, her favorite snack, along with a soup and cup of iced tea I brew myself this morning.

"I did." I smiled back, hers grew as she looked back at me talking a bite of the sandwich, "It's not much, but I can do this much for you at least." I watched as she covered her mouth as she chewed looking behind me. Her face goes red as she eats,

"You are staring too much." She manages to say after swallowing the bite.

"Oh, my apologizes." I say quickly and look at the food. "I know you would like to talk about the incident that happened yesterday." She nods,

"Where did you go?" She says, putting the food down, "I had stopped time, and no one was able to move, but when I looked for you, you had vanished?" I sit up straighter and say,

"I was affected by it the first time, and I wasn't able to move. However, I had been able to use enough of my magic to release me from your spell and I had gone to deal with the hybrid." She leans in,

"The what? You know what that thing was?"

"It is a fae, angel hybrid. It is something I have been dealing with for some time now. They are mindless beings that were test subjects."

"By whom? Who would create such a thing? What do you mean mindless?" She crossed her arms, anger clear on her face.

"I don't know the direct person involved, but my people have been looking into it for a while. Have you seen that thing before?" I ask her. Her body goes ridged but she nods in response,

"I have seen that exact one a few times in my life. The first time was when I just got here, I was in the after-school reform program. He appeared in the windows of the auditorium. I had become frozen in place for a while by the time Ellie pulled me free, we had to go home. It was not something I wanted to remember. He never seemed mindless to me; he was always just watching me. It was creepy." I hummed and leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms,

'Yesterday must not have been the first time she had influenced time.'

"Did time get affected every time you two encountered one another? Does he try to do anything?" I ask, tapping a finger on my bicep. She was watching my arms as we talked, and I followed her stares as she roamed my body, we made eye contact, and she flushed red. I grinned and waited for her to speak.

"In a way, yes, sometimes it would be just a few steps around me that slows down or comes to a complete stop like yesterday, though that had been only one other time and not for as long or for as many times. He has tried to talk to me before, but I couldn't hear what he was saying, and he never tried to get closer or tried anything really. Yesterday was the first time he tried to get near me. He had kept himself at a distance, so I tried to banish him, but my spells had little effect on him. At first, I thought it was just another thing like Grendel. He's a demon, so I thought what else could be out there? It's not as if I get to know much about where he comes from. How can there be so many rules for a demon to follow? He's a demon? Since I didn't know what or who he was, and he didn't really bother me often, I honestly just try to forget he exists whenever possible." She looks away, "Bad habit if you ask me." She mutters.

"I'm glad you were never hurt. Next time a strange looking creature appears in front of you, call me and I will come flying over to keep you safe." I hold my hand out, reaching slightly across the table, she glanced down and stares at my hand for a long moment before brushing her fingers with mine, slowly covering my hand with hers. Her contact was hesitant, so I did not move until she was grasping my hand. She was a strong person, but she had a difficult life. Others had shown she couldn't trust anyone, so she kept her family and friends to small numbers. I knew she struggled with making connections with other people, touching alone was still a big deal for her after all this time. If she had to move at a snail's pace, I would follow her lead. I had all the time to give her. Almost just as slowly, I wrap my hand around hers and just hold onto it. I let her temp match mine and hoped that she would be at ease with my presents.

'Her hand is so small in mine,' I think as I study her hand, enjoying the feel of her accepting me even if it is just holding my hand.

"So, where did you go? When did I stop the second time?" She broke the silence, speaking in a low tone that had felt loud in the quiet room.

"In order for you to understand where I went, I have to tell you something."

"What is it?" She begins to move her hand out of mine, but I don't let it go,

"I am, Samantha, I'm not a seer, I am a demon. A very powerful demon." She stops trying to remove her hand and laughs,

"Is that the big secret?" I looked at her with a stern look. She closes her mouth by biting her lip to stop the laughter.

"I'm serious Samantha. I'm not human, I am a demon." Again, she nods, holding in her laughter, I continue watching her strange expression as I recite the speech I have been rehearsing all morning: "I have been a demon for almost three centuries. It was decided by fate that I would atone for my wrong doings as a human. I am not evil. Just like humans, there are good and bad demons. Not all who were sent to hell are awful. Some were just mean ugly humans when they were alive and were sent for punishment. Others were terrible beings who were given a second chance to do something better." I looked down at my full glass. Flashes of small moments in my human life started to rise to the surface, but I pulled away from it, focusing on this moment. I did wrong, but I am here to be honest with her. This is not the time for meaningless memories. "I was sent to earth half a century ago to find people with your abilities to help," I pause again, looking for the right words. "However, there was a moment in time when, even as a demon, I was still just as bad as when I was a human and did some cruel things to others. I am not proud of myself, and I have been doing all I can to make up for my actions." My mind is buzzing with the dull hum radiating off Samantha as she starts to get unsettled. "I had thought that the best way to fix an annoying situation at the time was to kill a group of cultists. I know that it was a terrible decision even as I did it, and I am a terrible being who does not deserve you nor should I be given a chance to even be by your side. You have probably even heard about the terrible demon that had killed your great-grandmother and her people. Yet I selfishly ask that you give me the opportunity to give you a happy life and, should you ever wish, I will never step foot in front of you again. I have given your grandmother the option of having my help or having me never face her again. Understandably, she chose the ladder, and I have kept that promise. However, if you choose to let me be in your life, I will have to betray the promise I made to your grandmother. If I become an issue between you two, I will step away. I don't want to cause your life any extra stress."

"Is that all?" My brows arch at her lively reaction. I was certain she was going to be mad. She had very little respect for liars just like I do, and yet I had lied to her the whole time she had known me.

"My name isn't really Trevor." Strangely, she laughs again, her grip tightens slightly,

"Okay, so what is your name?" This time I laughed, feeling slightly awkward.

"Arzoran. I am also in a very high position in the Underworld." She arches her brow,

"What do you do?"

"I am Arzoran the Drago, emperor of the Underworlds territories."

"Excuse me?" She was dumbfounded and stared at me with her jaw hanging open.

"This was definitely a dinner conversation; lunchtime doesn't seem to quite cut it." I mutter as I rest my head on my free hand as she comes to terms with what I just said. She laughs.

"A dinner conversation?" She asked and looked me over with a look of amusement.

"A joke I made between Grendel and me earlier."

"Do you two talk about everything?" I nod. Her thumb started to stroke the back of my fingers slowly, she sent shivers down my body, and I grinned, watching her face change expression as she listened and how very curious about my relationship with her guardian.

"He is my second in command, but we're pretty loose on who is really running things at the moment, since it is mostly paperwork. Right now, Sehket, the next in charge after Grendel, is taking care of things. She is the woman you see every few days. She brings me reports on the kingdom and paperwork that only I can sign off on. Grendel has a portal from my office to his house because his place was where we were training, so I was able to balance both until recently. It would be strange if he didn't know everything. He has been the one running back and forth lately. Since she's busy with a few tasks, I asked her to take care of in the Underworld and I was hoping, with him busy, I could have some more of your time alone. He is someone I think of as a great friend and trust him completely; he has been helpful and an ear when I need one." She nods, only glancing away to pick up a chip before returning her attention to me. It was strange to have eyes on me for such a long time. Most would not look at me so directly.

"It's cool you guys have a bromance." She laughs,

"I have heard that term a few times, from Grendel. He must have learned it from you." I laugh and she grins with a wink.

"He has learned a lot of things, picked up the phone quickly, I get lots of memes." Her demeanor changes slightly as she gets back on topic, "I'll be honest, the emperor thing caught me off guard. I will be honest, I have known about the demon thing for a while now. Your aura screams it at first. I wasn't sure what I was seeing. However, you kind of shot yourself in the foot with one of your lessons. It had helped me understand what I was reading when I saw the wave of your aura. I had also noticed it was like Grendel's in how it moved and had got me closer to confirming my suspicion. I could go on about the different types of auras I have learned since your last lesson on it." I grin,

"I'll keep that in mind for our next session. "

"You should, you have a lot to learn." She matches my look and then says, "Not only were you a strong magic user, but Grendel has also been the one to recommend you, so I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt and give you a chance to show me whither you were a decent being, demon or not. Also, it would have been a waste not to soak up your knowledge. You seemed to have a stronger grasp on dark magic than anyone I know so, I had let you lying to me slide. I also figured there was a reason you didn't tell me, and I was right. I can see how it was a hard subject to bring up. Killing someone's great-grandmother isn't something you mention casually in passing."

"How long have you known?" My guilt was starting to be replaced with curiosity at what she was reading in my aura that was telling her my species. I was worried by her reaction at first and that worry has not gone away.

"We spent a lot of time together and you guys didn't really try to hide it. I would catch conversations when you talked to people during training. Some had really weak glamour and I could see right through them. That was when I had gotten enough pieces to confirm you were a demon," she shrugs. "Something is finally making sense honestly now knowing your occupation. If you want an actual time frame of a few years, roughly five give or take a few months. Not that I'm telling you to lie to me again, but next time you are trying to keep secrets, I wouldn't talk with Grendel in the same room as others, he is not a quiet talker." I laugh,

"Noted." She stops moving her finger that she was lazily stroking with and bites her lip,

"Do you look like Grendel with the horns and everything?"

"Would you like to see?" She hesitates but nods. I smiled as I stood, making sure not to let go of her hand. I moved us away from the island and stood between the rooms I had her facing me. She stood still, her hand holding onto mine tightly. Slowly, I pulled her in close, pressing her against me waiting for her to respond to our new position. She leans in, allowing me to hold her closer,

"I am larger and have a more intimidating looking Demon than Grendel is, but I promise you I will not harm you." I whispered into her ear.

"I'm not scared." She huffs, but I felt the grip on the front of my shirt tighten. I smile and let my wings out first. The pain in my skin has become more of a pinch as it grew from under my skin, it was no longer as painful as the first time. That was an excruciating experience. Within seconds, in all their glory, my black wings spread out wide so she could see them at their full length. I let her step back, and she gasps in awe as she sees them. She reaches up and brushes her fingertips along a wing. It is a feather kiss touch as she strokes them. I angle them closer, so she can touch them more and get a good look. She steps closer. I am not sure if she even noticed she had stepped back at first.

"Wow." She whispers. I smile down at her, she runs her hand along the top edge of the wing, a warm shiver hits me down my back, my throat closes slightly. It's been a long time since anyone has touched them. Heat was seeping deep down into my wings, my back, and made its way to my chest. "They are beautiful." She finally mutters after moments of her caressing them. I smile at her again, wrapping my arms around her. "T-Trevor." She stutters but doesn't move from my grasp.

"Sorry." I ease my grip on her, but she still doesn't move away. Instead, she rests her arms on my shoulder. I smiled at her slowly. I let the glamour fall starting at the horns, then let my size grow to its full length. By the time I stopped growing, her fingers were barely able to touch the top of my shoulders. Finally, I let the human face drop and allowed her to see what I truly looked like. She brushed a hand along my jaw and down my neck. My body was covered in a scattered pattern of blue obsidian metallic scales. She moves slightly, and I loosen my grip, making sure not to ruin the fabric with my claws. Her hand made its way into my shirt following the trail of scales,

"You're warmer than I thought you would be." She mutters.

"I may be a demon, but I am alive. Fate gave me another chance at life. I eat, sleep and breathe just like you." I grin and look down at her small frame. I unbuttoned my shirt so she could continue her exploration. She made her way down my ribs. The heat from her touch sent a wave of pleasure through my whole body and ended in my groin. I took a deep breath to calm it down, but it didn't seem to have the effect I was hoping for, it twitched slightly, brushing against her body. Her hand jumps and she halts her exploring by pulling her hand back,

"S..ss..sorry." She stuttered. I take hold of her hand and bring it to my lips to brush it lightly.

"No, it's my fault. I should have better control of myself. I'm sorry." I muttered against her hand, she blushed, and her eyes wandered downwards towards the large bulge. I clear my throat and ask, "Should we finish our food?" She nods, and I turn back to my human in hopes it would ease the tension in the air.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but why is your demon form so different from Grendel's?" She asked as she took a seat.

"As a demon, the stronger you are, the more your appearance changes. I was reborn with a large amount of dark magic, so I had looked like Grendel once, but my power grew, and it had made me look as I do now."

"Are there others that look like you?" I shrugged,

"I am not sure; I haven't seen anyone as far advance as me yet." She grins and looks at me,

"So, you are the all so powerful demon king of the Underworld?"

"Yes," I say slowly, and eat some food.