14. Azazel

Chapter fourteen

Azazel

A Compromise is Made

I watched as Rai struggled to climb to his feet and didn't bother to lend him a hand. He claimed that he didn't need me and yet, I felt the desperation in his Call. I felt it in my soul and couldn't refuse it, no matter how much I tried to ignore him. I didn't like the fact that he had that much control over me. But at the same time, I was happy that he'd finally Called on me. Finally needed me, and I hated to see him in such a wounded state. However, I had to hold my stance... he needed to be the one to extend his hand completely this time. I kept a close eye on his wounds as they healed from his Guardian ring and the potion he'd just drank. Good, he was safe.

"I must say, I was surprised to receive your command," I said, then gave an offhanded gesture. "Considering earlier tonight and every encounter we've ever had, you told me that you didn't need me."

Was I being petty—yes—but I also felt it was justified.

Rai snarled, then rolled his pretty turquoise eyes.

"That crow must taste like pure salt on your tongue," I dug in deeper because it was so satisfying.

"Crow?" Rai asked, an eyebrow arched.

"The crow you have to eat along with your words," I mocked.

Rai scoffed. "Don't be petty."

I smirked. "Demon, it's in my nature. What's your excuse?"

Rai huffed. "Fine. You were right, everyone was right, is that what you want to hear me say?"

I tilted my head as I checked him out. He looked rough. Clothes shredded and bloodied. If not for his Guardian healing ring, no telling how many bruises and wounds he would have had. The fact of the matter was, he'd been about to die the moment I'd arrived on the scene. I'd only managed to freeze the elements in the nick of time.

"I was wrong, is that also what you wanted to hear?" he snapped.

"It's a start." I motioned to the demons. "Do you want me to take care of them? My power to hold them still won't last too much longer and I won't be able to freeze them again."

He nodded.

It was my time to shine, as they say. I needed to prove to this stubborn, beautiful man that he always needed me. I conjured up my sword, then used my demon teleportation to attack every demon, slicing their heads from their necks in a matter of seconds. Their bodies went up in smoke and ash, the particles floating in the air as they drifted to the floor.

"Jesus!" Rai gasped.

I smiled, because that was the reaction I wanted from him. I dissolved my sword, letting the power flow back into my body. Rai was looking at me now, a mixture of bewilderment and intrigue in his expression. I winked and he scoffed, then rolled his eyes.

"We need to get out of here," he said and I knew why. We could both hear the approaching sound of sirens. He walked over to the teenage girl lying on the floor who appeared to be knocking on death's door. He scooped her up into his arms.

"You won't be able to save that child," I said.

"I have a potion in my bike satchel," he said.

"She's been poisoned with demon blood."

"See if there's anyone here alive," he told me.

"Is that your command?"

"Yes," he snapped.

"Does that mean that you have accepted me as your Champion? I need to hear the words."

He threw his head back and huffed. "For fuck's sake. Yes. I didn't want to, but if I'm going to survive, I know now that I do need you. Happy now, you petty fuck?"

I barked out a laugh, because his personality was much livelier than other Guardians. "Yes," I said. "As for her parents, they are already dead. My power didn't affect them." I could sense all living beings that my power captured and her mother and father were long since dead. At that moment, I felt my freeze ability fade and that meant the girl would be in immediate danger. When frozen, even her heart and blood stopped as she was in a state of stasis. That was over now and there was no way that I could freeze her again, as she was now immune.

"Shit." He frowned, then sighed. "Come on, then," Rai said, then he opened one of the windows and jumped out of it, six stories to the parking lot below. I simply teleported beside him and he jerked. "Fuck! So, you can do that anywhere?"

I nodded. "I have quite the arsenal of abilities at my disposal." I bowed my head slightly at him. "And now at yours. Now that you've finally come to your senses and accepted me as your Champion, you'll see."

"Whatever. Here, hold her." He handed the girl over to me and I took her.

I looked at her little body struggling to breathe. Her veins were dark, protruding, and thicker than normal. A clear indicator of demonic poison. She looked to be twelve years old, probably why she wasn't dead yet from the poison. I wondered if his potion could save her. He reached into his black leather satchel and removed a brown vial, untwisting the cap. He put it to her lips and urged her to drink it. She swallowed, her eyes were half closed, her clothes were torn and had blood on them. You could tell she fought and I bet she was terrified the whole time.

She coughed on the potion but managed to drink the whole thing. And as I had predicted, it had very little effect.

"Shit," Rai cursed.

I pursed my lips as I thought about it. "They might need her for some spell, her dying by demon blood would link her life to that spell. Or it could just be that they injected her with demon blood to see if her body could accept it. There's a number of reasons."

Rai cursed. "I'm going to save her regardless. I just wanted to know if I can't, can you save her?"

I wasn't in the business of saving lives... not my natural instinct, although it was one of my abilities. I had over a century to come to grips with the fact that I would be using my powers for good. It was no surprise to me that Rai was asking. "Maybe, but we should get her out of here."

"My home."

"Take her."

We switched the girl from me to him and I took him into my arms and touched his motorcycle. I teleported all of us to his condo and when we landed, he staggered a little, but I caught him and the girl.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

Rai nodded. "That was weird," he said.

"Guardians can't teleport?"

He nodded. "Yes."

I smirked. "After they've merged with the Champions like every good little Guardian should, correct?" I taunted because I did enjoy getting a rise out of Rai.

"Whatever," Rai snapped, then placed the girl on the sofa. "Heal her."

I sighed, but Rai commanded me. So, I placed my hand over the girl's chest and allowed my demonic magic to flow into her. She began to go into convulsions and cough up blood. I yanked my hand away just as Rai gasped and came to her side to hold her down.

"What happened, why didn't it work?!" he asked in his frantic state.

I frowned. "My power... it only combined with the demon blood she was poisoned with. That means it was from a Knight." I looked up at Rai. "I won't be able to heal her."

"Which Knight and what do we do now?" Rai asked, a deep crease between his furrowed brow, a sheer indicator of the stress and worry he felt for the human girl.

"I don't know which Knight. However, there is one place that I know of that may have something to save her."

"Great, let's go," Rai said and when the girl ceased her shaking, he let her go and breathed a sigh of a little relief.

"Where we need to go, I can't just teleport there," I said.

He frowned then and I loved his strong, angular jawline. Damn. It wasn't fair that his holy warrior ass was this breathtaking.

"Where's it at?"

"Not on this plane," I said. "I'll need to draw the doorway with my blood on the floor and sprinkle some herbs on it. Do you mind?" I asked, one eyebrow arched.

He looked down at the beautiful marble floor. "Will it leave a stain?"

"Do you care if it does? Aren't you trying to save her life?"

He looked at the unconscious girl, her breaths shallow. "You're right. Do whatever it takes."

"You can just cover it with that Persian rug." I pointed to the one under his cocktail table. "Trust me, you'll want to keep this door."

"Fine, I believe you." He walked over to the cocktail table. "I'll move it and you draw it there."

I watched him move furniture out of the way for me. And checked out his firm ass and thighs... yeah, he was filling out those pants nicely.

He turned and caught me looking and gave me the middle finger. "Never gonna happen."

"I'm old enough to know that it's never wise to say ‘never.'" I smiled at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Just do the fucking door spell."

"Oh, I love that filthy mouth of yours," I flirted. He huffed and I got his message. "Very well. But I need to go home to get the herbs. I'll be right back."

I teleported without waiting for his reply. Quickly, I retrieved the herbs from my secret safe and then returned. My sudden appearance jarred Rai and got a curse word from him. I smirked, then cut my wrist and allowed the blood to flow. I moved my wrist to form a circle with my blood. I then dabbed my finger in my blood and drew sigils inside the circle.

"What is this place we're going to?" Rai asked.

"It's called the Magic Shop. It exists in its own dimension. It's nowhere and everywhere at the same time," I explained. "It's ancient, even I don't know how long it and its Owner have been around." I rose, then motioned for him to join me as I stood in the middle of the doorway. "Come."

"We can't leave her," Rai said, pointing to the girl.

"You must. she's not strong enough for this journey. We won't be long. Time works differently there, trust me." I held my hand out to him.

He ignored my offered hand and stepped into the circle. Well, at least he trusted me enough to do that. I closed my eyes and opened the door with the words that demons used to reach the Magic Shop. When I opened my eyes, we were standing outside at the front door.

"Holy shit," Rai gasped. He grabbed onto me, his legs wobbly. I held him up until he had control of his body. It didn't take him long to get himself together. He looked around to see that we were surrounded by darkness, nothing was in the space except for the Magic Shop. "My God," he gasped and his voice echoed into the abyss. "It's so small," he said, as he looked at the square-shaped, windowless building that looked to be no more than three-hundred square feet. "There's nothing else around here."

I nodded. "I did tell you."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Still. It's wild… creepy."

"Are you ready to enter?" I asked.

He looked up at the bright red words over the doorway. "The Magic Shop," he read out loud. "Not very creative for a place that exists in its own world."

"Doesn't need to be," I said. "Come on."

I opened the door and stepped inside and Rai followed me.

"What the fuck?" he gasped as he looked around at how huge the place was. Tall ceilings and walls with tons of books and ladders. Rows and rows of shelves with narrow aisles as well as a clothing section and other mystical paraphernalia.

"I know, it's bigger on the inside than outside," I said with a smirk. "Did the Guardians ever tell you about this place?"

"Yeah, but I had never been here before," he said as he continued to look around. "What the hell?" he asked and I turned to see what had shocked him.

It was a minotaur browsing the shelves. He was one of the largest ones I'd seen, with impressive horns and reddish-brown skin. He had a cross necklace around his neck, a ring in his nose, and tattoos on his right arm and chest. Also, his nipples were pierced. No doubt that he was a beast in the bedroom. I bet his member was impressive as well. I smirked, but turned from him to explain the shop's customers to Rai.

I chuckled. "All kinds of beings from other universes are welcome here," I told Rai, then put my arm around him to move him forward.

"I can't believe this place is actually real. I mean, I knew it was, but to be standing inside of it is another story," he said in a hushed voice filled with wonderment. He looked so adorable right then.

I didn't say anything, only allowed him to take it all in while I searched for The Owner. I found him in the Aromatherapy section speaking with a customer. I leaned over to Rai's ear. "That's The Owner."

"Oh, and what's his name?" Rai asked.

I winked. "The Owner."

He tossed me an annoyed look but didn't say anything else. The Owner was a tall man, six feet to be exact. Thin, short black hair, clean-shaven with a medium skin tone. For as long as I'd known him, he always wore a white shirt, black pants, bowtie, a top hat, vest, and coat with tails. And he always had a cane, but didn't need it to walk. A fanciful fellow if ever there was one.

I walked over to him and bowed my head and I caught Rai looking at me, his expression was one of curiosity. He probably didn't understand the level of esteem I gave this man, but he would. "We need your help," I said.

He smiled, acknowledging my show of respect. "All who enter here need my help. Give me just a minute," he said, then finished assisting the customer he'd been speaking to. His accent, like his features, was indistinguishable. I had no idea what race or ethnicity he truly was or if those even applied.

Rai leaned over. "Did he just check you?" he asked with a cocky smirk.

"Don't get used to it," I told him.

Two minutes later, we had his undivided attention. "Come with me," he said, and Rai and I followed. He took us over to the section of the shop where the potions were and took one off the shelf then turned to us. "Give her this. It will rid her body of the demon's blood."

Rai's mouth dropped open. "How did you know?"

"It's important for a Shop Owner to understand the needs of their customers," he said.

"Do you know what they want with her?" Rai asked.

The Owner gave us a sad smile and shook his head. "I only know what you need right now." He handed the potion to Rai, who took it.

"Thank you," Rai said. "So, once she drinks this, she'll be healed?"

The Owner nodded. "Make sure she drinks all of it."

"How much does it cost?" I asked, because nothing was free in this place, not even advice.

He looked at me with his black eyes. "The price is to be determined. First..." he turned back to Rai, "I would like to speak with you privately."

Rai blinked. "Privately?"

The Owner nodded.

Rai looked at me and I shrugged. He snarled, then returned his attention to The Owner. "Sure."

The Owner smiled and beckoned for Rai to follow. I decided to browse around. Maybe there was something here that could enhance the pleasures of sex.