AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Had he lost his mind? Was he seriously going to attack Xaphan?
Xaphan snorted before shifting as well, showing no remorse in squaring off with Abaddon. I could stand on the sidelines and watch them rip each other to part. Not like this. Not in the heat of anger. Mustering up the courage needed, I ran forward getting in between the boys and holding my arms out to them, stopping them before they could pounce on each other.
"That's enough!" I shouted. "If you guys want to attack each other, you'll have to go past me first. And if you dare try to go around me, I'll barbeque your asses!"
This was either a good idea, or the dumbest thing I ever did, but they weren't moving so I considered it a good thing. We had bigger fish to fry in the form of Orpheus and whomever was spying on us for him. We didn't have time for petty squabbles.
Since fighting was out of the question, both men shifted back to their human skin. Xaphan grunted before turning and walking further into the woods. Abaddon wanted to go after him, but I motioned for him to wait.
"Let me do this," I said, then turned and went after Xaphan.
I managed to catch up to him easily but made sure to keep a reasonable distance. If hellhounds had keen senses, then Xaphan knew I was following him but didn't say anything. I took that as a good sign. We walked further along for what my guess to be five minutes before Xaphan finally stopped and huffed out a breath.
"You shouldn't have come here," he said, finally acknowledging me.
I rested my hands on my hips. "Well, we had to bring you back, so we didn't exactly have a choice in the matter."
"I don't mean now. I meant you shouldn't have come here, as in Hell. You don't belong here."
"You're right, I don't. But it's not as if I had a choice in the matter. I never asked for Deimos to bring me here."
"But you agreed to be with him. Deimos told you to be his, and you accepted!"
"Because I was about to die, Xaphan!" I loudly pointed out. "My husband set the cabin on fire and locked me in for being a witch. It was either let Deimos stake a claim on me, so he'd rescue me, or I'd likely end up here anyways but reincarnated as a different person!"
Xaphan kept quiet since he had no counter argument for that. I may have slowly been getting comfortable around Helios and the others, but I didn't willingly choose to be a prisoner here. I was scared shitless, thinking it was the end for me. It was a matter of life or death for me, and I chose the route that would keep me alive.
"Xaphan," I spoke softly, not wanting to shout anymore. "Look, I can tell you have feelings for Deimos."
Xaphan's back stiffened at my accusation but didn't say a word.
Licking my lips, I pressed on. "I know the guys constantly mention about you being Deimos' favorite, and Solara suspects that there are feelings involved. I have to assume that's why you hate me. Because Deimos claimed me, right? Well, I'm sorry, Xaphan. Truly, I am. But the last thing I want to do is steal him from you. I don't want to be the bad guy, here."
"I don't hate you," Xaphan got out. "While I may not be your biggest fan in comparison to my brothers, I don't hate you either. If anything... I'm jealous."
I blinked, stunned silence at his admission.
Xaphan walked to a nearby tree, turning to rest his back on it before sliding down and sitting on the dirt. His knees raised so he could rest his arms on them, and his gaze was too the ground. In that moment, I could see his vulnerability plain as day.
"Master Deimos was the only one who cared about me," he explained. "When I was reincarnated and was sent to the Court of Wrath, I had a tough time fitting in. You've seen what the others look like; tall, dark, handsome. And here I am, a pale, blond-haired hellhound that looked more like an angel than a demon. Everyone made me feel like an outsider. Like I didn't belong. They thought I was an angel that fell from Heaven and was brought here by mistake. The only time I got even an ounce of respect was in a fight. That was when I started showing my worth, but it wasn't enough."
"How did the affair with Deimos begin?" I asked, cautiously moving closer to Xaphan, then sat on the ground a foot away.
Xaphan looked up and ran a hand through his hair. "Um, Deimos had been watching me for some time. For a time, I thought it was because he was planning on kicking me out of his court. When he called me into the throne room, I thought that was it for me, you know? I was prepared to beg him to let me stay since I had no idea where else I could go. The Court of Wrath was the only home I'd known since being reincarnated. As much as I hated how others were treating me, I didn't know what else I could do.
"Deimos didn't kick me out. According to him, he found me fascinating. Unique. Beautiful. It was the first time I ever felt accepted. Wanted. Desired. When he asked me to bed, I didn't refuse. I fell in love with him. Then you came along."
Though I shouldn't feel like this, I felt guilty. All Xaphan wanted was to be loved, and when he found it in Deimos, I came into the picture and took Deimos' attention. If anything, Deimos was the one who should feel bad for leading Xaphan on if he had no desire to be with him.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm sorry for everything you've been through. You shouldn't have been made to feel like an outcast."
"It's whatever," Xaphan muttered, shrugging nonchalantly. "It doesn't change anything."
"I wouldn't say that. There are people back home who want to care about you if you let them."
Disbelieving, Xaphan raised a brow at me. "Oh yeah? Like who?"
"Helios and the guys, for one. Plus, I care about you too," I admitted.
