Runaway Devil
67

Kara

Issac's fire had burned low, his small body having been devoured by Alec's flame, in its entirety, in a matter of minutes. Despite the fire, my skin felt cold and clammy. I swallowed and took a deep breath, my stomach twisting as my breath left me. The world swam around me as I took a step back. I closed my eyes and steadied myself on someone's shoulder, it felt like Ben's.

"Karau," Alec said, holding my waist. I hadn't felt him approach. "Sit down," he guided me to the ground and I had no choice but to let him. His arm wrapped around me, his hand splayed out on my back. He assessed the damage, lifting my shirt and shifting my limbs.

"What do you expect to do, angel?" Jareth spit the word at him with a familiar sneer. Alec didn't spare him a glance and continued scanning my body with his fingertips. Jareth's anger was palpable as it permitted the air. He took a step towards us and Alec finally looked at him.

"I'm going to do what you couldn't, apparently. So back up and let me help her," Alec said, matching his energy. The connection I had with Jareth was strained, it was considerably weaker than it had once been. His ability to heal me through that connection had taken a hit. The blatant reminder of the distance between us didn't sit well. They both growled like animals and I rolled my eyes.

"What's going on?" Beth stepped in without hesitating. She scrutinized the men and crossed her arms, ready to mediate.

"Karau's hurt," Jareth said, not looking at her.

"Clearly," Bethany's voice dripped with agitation. "What are we doing about it?"

"Beth, careful," Jerry warned her as he looked between all of us. He grabbed her arm in an effort to hold her back. She wrenched away from him and marched right up to Jareth. They were chest to chest as she craned her head back to look him directly in the eye.

"I said, what are we doing about it? Just standing here growling? Is that it, big man?" Jareth's eyes blazed as he bared his fangs at her.

"If you touch her, I will personally remove your heart from your chest, Jareth. Tread carefully." My voice was thin and worn, my head still swimming. There had always been an understanding between Jareth and me. Violence was not only a solution but a preferred one. "Beth, I'm fine—"

"Cut the shit, Kara. I watched you fall from the fucking sky. You can't look at me and say that you're fine."

"You got me there," I chuckled, pulling a small groan from my throat. "I'm pretty banged up."

"Wrong again. You're half dead, Kara," She gave me a once over and paled. "I've never seen you this bad before." Balan sat next to her, in his true form he almost reached her shoulder. Without missing a beat, she rested her hand on his head, trying not to look at him directly.

"Well, you've never seen me fight for real before. This is pretty normal,"

"Not for you, it's not. Not for us," Jareth said. I didn't look at him and chose to remain silent. "Speaking of us, there's something you need to know before I take you home," The last part of his sentence rang in my ears, almost as loud as my blood.

"Take me—?" Before I finished my sentence, white-hot pain laced up my side. I grit my teeth and groaned, feeling the veins strain in my neck as I leaned my head back. Someone shouted something, but I couldn't hear past the rapid thump of my heart.

Just as fast as it had arrived, it was gone. My body went limp in Alec's arms and all I could do was breathe.

"That's right, breathe Karau. You're fine, everything's fine," Alec's voice cut through the fog in my mind. I opened my eyes and found his, looking expectantly at me. I looked down at my torso, there was a thick, angry scar where Azgaria had buried her dirk. "It was too severe for me to heal without a scar," Alec said.

I ran my fingertips over it, the skin still tender. I nodded and looked back up at him. "I think this is some of your best work so far," he grinned and helped me to my feet.

"So far," Jareth repeated. "How long have you been..." he paused, searching for the right word. He never found it.

"What's happening?" Ben joined us, watching with curious eyes.

"I think they're working out how long they've," Bethany gestured between me and Alec, "been together." She used a stage whisper as she stared at us; the only thing she was missing was a bag of popcorn.

"Hold on, you were telling me something," I said to Jareth, stepping towards him. His face was hard as he looked at me. His eyes were still drinking me in like he was memorizing my face. My attempt at changing the subject was, thankfully, successful.

"Tanodath... he—" he didn't finish the thought, nor did he need to. My lips parted and I stared at him wide-eyed.

"Who did it?" My voice was a rasp that only Jareth could hear.

"They're dead, Igoth saw to that." I nodded, silent. "He died in battle, fighting for us." I rested my hand on his chest and stared at it with dull eyes. My touch quieted him and he pulled me close, encasing me in his arms. I rested my head on his chest, careful not to bump his chin with my horns, a motion I had done thousands of times.

"How's Stella?" I asked after a few moments of silence.

"She's enjoying the extra space on the bed," He pulled a smile from me. Nostalgia hit me square in the chest as I thought of her. Balan missed her and so did I. Her primadonna attitude always made things interesting. And I missed Thalmol's arrogance and Igoth's sharp tongue. I missed my family. "They miss you too," Jareth sensed my thoughts and wrapped me in warmth. "It's time to come home."

A shaky breath escaped my lips at the thought. And a sudden certainty washed over me. I looked around me, at Bethany, Jerry, and Ben. They all stared at me with an understanding behind their eyes. Looking back at Jareth, with a small smile, I nodded. A tidal wave of relief washed over him, nearly overwhelming me. His mind exploded with a sudden joy that I had never seen in him.

Unable to control himself, he kissed me. Our lips violently collided, consuming each other in a desperate reunion. I pulled away, breathless and shaky. I took a step back and turned to Beth. I stood, looking down at her upturned face.

"Are you..." she swallowed. "leaving?" My silence was her answer. Her lips tightened into a line and she took a quivering breath. "But you just got back." I pulled her to me and held her tight. She grasped me like a child holding desperately to their mother. As I held her, I pulled my wings in, tucked away my horns, and put my human skin back on. I would allow them to say goodbye to the Kara they knew, it was the least I could do.

We were suddenly eye to eye and hers had tears in them. Once Bethany had let go, Ben was next. He looked at me with a smirk, scanning my body.

"I don't think I can look at you the same way," He hugged me with the same ferocity he always did. He smelled of blood and sweat, with smoke clinging to his skin. "You seem so small now." I smiled and laughed, kissing his cheek.

"You're sweet." Jerry looked like a lost puppy. His broad shoulders were slumped and his eyes were empty.

"So, you're going?" His voice was hoarse with grief. I gazed up at him with sad eyes.

"I have to." He nodded and pulled me close to him, squeezing me with everything he had. He had already said goodbye to so many friends today, and I made him do it again.

I stepped away from Jerry and looked at Alec. He stood, with his hands at his sides, bruised and bloody. My heart pounded in my chest as I approached him.

I was a demon of few words. And in that moment, all of them escaped me. He looked down at me and tried to hide his amusement. I raised a brow.

"I forgot how small you are," he rested his hand on my head, covering the entirety of it like it was a basketball. I let my true form back out, shaking my shoulders to loosen them. "There you are," his voice could not hide his smile as he slid his hand from the top of my head to the back of my neck. He sent pulses of warmth through his palm, making my eyes drift closed. All the tension left my body, starting at my neck and dripping downward.

"Alec—" He hushed me softly, intimately. My body was slowly losing feeling, becoming lost in a sea of warmth. I felt like I was evaporating, the air around me pulsing in tune with my heart. There was a brief moment of resistance, of panic, before I was consumed by the heat, losing consciousness completely.

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