"Is it possible for you to guard me here until the semester ends?" Nadia remained behind Euan as they walked into her apartment. Their drive from the manor was a short one, especially considering she'd fallen asleep before they left the grounds. She was afraid to ask him if that was magic or her own fatigue; Euan seemed to be a nice person and she had to trust someone. Upsetting him was not a smart idea. Having him stay to guard her for a few weeks seemed like a good plan. By the end of the semester, she would have a new location to hide and restart her life. A life where demons and demigods did not exist.
Euan turned to stare at her curious face ah she turned on the lights. There went the element of surprise if they weren't alone. "Nadia, did I ask you where you lived?"
"No."
"If I didn't need to ask, what makes you think that they need to?"
He had a point. Andrae was able to find her, so it would only be a matter of time before other demons did. "This is all my fault," she said on a sigh, "If I just left well enough alone, none of this would be happening."
"Don't think about that right now. Just go get your things." Euan watched as she nodded before he followed her to her bedroom. "Be quick."
"I will, I just need-" Nadia gasped when there was a loud crash behind her. She couldn't see due to the darkness in the room and desperately tried to think of a way to get to the front door. The thought was stolen from her, however, at the sound of his voice.
"I ask you to watch her and this is what you do?"
Andrae. There was no mistaking the deep even tone of his voice or the harsh breathing associated with his anger. Gingerly, Nadia moved to the bedside lamp and turned it on. Sure enough, Andrae stood with his back to her as he held his brother against the wall. Euan, thank God, looked no worse for wear. "Let him go, Andrae."
"I'll deal with you in a minute," he said as he stared into Euan's blank eyes. "Answer the question." It didn't take him long to check all of the safe houses. It also didn't take him long to realize that her scent was only present at the manor, which meant that his brother had taken her somewhere else. Sheer luck brought him back to her apartment, only to find her leading him into her bedroom, the same bedroom that still had the faintest smell of their lovemaking.
A hundred years ago, Andraemalek wouldn't have hesitated to kill first then ask questions later. It was interesting that he only held him pinned to the wall, Euan thought. Because he knew that his brother would not kill him, he did not get angry. "She wanted to gather some of her things. I couldn't let her go alone."
"You could have told her to wait." Andraemalek turned slowly when he felt the slight pound of a fist on his back. He wasn't surprised to find Nadia standing in front of him, her hand poised to strike again. What he hadn't expected was the soul shattering look of betrayal and hatred in her eyes. The emotions contorted her face, making her look almost as evil as Nyx. "I said I would-" He stopped when she hit him again, this time harder. The blow didn't hurt, but the emotion behind it did. She wanted to fight, to unleash her anger. Because of his lingering distress at trying to find her, he was more than happy to oblige. Andraemalek stepped away from his brother as he said, "This isn't over yet. Get out."
"Don't you dare leave," Nadia said to Euan. She stared at Andraemalek as she spoke, wanting to focus her anger where it belonged. If Euan left, there'd be no one around to ensure his brother didn't complete his mission. If it wasn't for the fact her life hung in the balance, Nadia would have laughed. But her life was at stake and she wanted to see her graduation. "Don't you leave me with him."
"Euan I swear on the old man's head that if you're still here in thirty seconds, feeling guilty about leaving her with me will be the least of your problems."
Euan had to hide his shock at how well his brother still knew him. He took a step to the side, closer to the door. He knew that Andraemalek wouldn't harm Nadia, but her feelings were hurt. There was nothing more unpredictable than a hurt and angry woman. "I can wait in the-"
"Get out, Euan. Back to the manor."
Nadia glanced up in time to watch him nod farewell to her and felt her temper ignite full tilt when he walked out of the room. She stared at the wall for a full minute and it wasn't until she heard Andraemalek take a deep breath that she looked at him.
Andraemalek felt a shiver run down his spine at the look she gave him but refused to back down. "I left you at the manor for a reason."
"And what reason is that? To protect me?" Nadia crossed her arms over her chest as she waited for him to answer. When he remained silent, she said, "If anything, I need protecting from you."
"Don't you dare start, little girl," he warned. He knew what he did and what he had to make up for it. He wasn't in the mood to feel guilty.
Nadia refused to listen. "You started this, Andrae. Or should I call you Andraemalek?" The warning look he gave her fueled her anger. Taking a step forward, Nadia continued, "You were sent to kill me. You were sent here by the very people who killed my parents. The people who killed my uncle. Tell me, where you the one who killed them?"
"No." The potent anger radiating off her was unlike anything he'd ever encountered. It both subdued and fueled his inner rage, creating a jumble of emotions he did not know how to process.
"Did you come back to tie up loose ends?"
"I told you, I wasn't sent here to kill your family."
"No, you were just sent to kill me." Unable to control herself any longer, Nadia took another step forward and used all of the force in her body to slap him. She was glad to see his head turn from the power of the blow, but he looked only mildly surprised. "Bastard! I trusted you. I trusted you!" she shouted as she shoved him. "All this time, I let you into my life. My heart! Why couldn't you just kill me and get it over with?" She stopped and shook her head in disgust. After noticing the hilt of a knife at his waist, she quickly reached for it and held it up. "I have every right to kill you."
The potency of her emotions hit him like a brick wall. The desperation behind her words, the look of betrayal in her eyes... Even the smell of her emotions was nearly to much too take. Andraemalek chose to not reach for the Blade of Abraxis, knowing the situation would get out of control if he did. "Give me back the knife, Nadia."
