Page 2 of Living Legend

He nodded so vigorously, blood flung from his hair to the floor. Elise toed it with her boot, smearing it onto the stones.

“You think you’ve had enough?” I questioned, letting my eyes drift over him from head to toe. I lifted my blade and drew small circles on his thigh with the point, letting it caress his flesh. I was careful not to press too hard, lest I make a premature slice. He flinched, trying to scramble back, but to no avail. The restraints on his wrists pulled tighter the more he resisted.

I stopped circling, his silence palpable. “I asked you a question.” I pulled my eyebrows together. “What’s your name?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. “Luke.”

I nodded, biting my lip. “I asked you a question, Luke. Do you think you’ve had enough?” I brought the blade to his throat, letting the tip push into that beautiful carotid artery, just enough to scare him without drawing blood. The demons around us growled impatiently, craving their fill of blood and anguish.

“I do. I promise, I’ve had enough.” His eyes were a shade of blue I’d never seen before, the kind of blue the sky would be -- if I remembered it correctly. I didn't remember much of life before. Those gorgeous eyes tried to plead his case.

They tried. Boy, did they try.

I shrugged my shoulders and took a step back. I could see him physically relax, thinking his prayers were answered, that I would be merciful. My eyes narrowed; I could feel the predatory nature rising inside of me at his assumption. I spoke slowly as I said, “I’m the one who says when you’ve had enough, Luke.” A large smile spread across my face as his eyes widened.

He was not winning this battle.

I took the blade by the hilt and held it over his thigh again, inches away from an area of untouched skin. I needed to do what I did best, what so many demons came to watch and marvel in. “Luckily for me, we are just beginning.” I slammed the blade into his thigh, watching as he screamed in agony. Before he could take another breath, I pulled it out swiftly. Blood sprayed in all directions, spouting out and pouring over his knee onto the floor.

The crowd roared.

Luke choked out a cry when I plunged the blade back into the same spot, this time moving it around on the inside, see-sawing it into the wound, making it bigger, breaking the skin so much, I could start to see muscle. Blood flooded out, but it wasn’t not enough. Heat filled my cheeks and neck, blood splattered onto my hand as I drove the sharp tip into his chest, not piercing his heart just yet. Trickles of blood dribbled from his chest, drop, drop, drop.

I leaned forward to his ear, licking his lobe, and asking, “have you had enough yet, Luke?” I pulled back, looking at his face, hoping to see more crying and sobbing, but all I saw was Luke looking past me. I didn’t hear the crowd anymore, and I glanced over at Elise, also looking behind me, intrigue masking her normal glare.

I let out a low growl at whatever had gotten in the way of my performance, holding my blade so tightly, I felt my hand cramp. My eyes were met with a light, not bright enough to blind me, but bright enough to know it didn’t belong. Purgatory was no place for that kind of illumination. I started to inch closer to it when Elise pushed me back a few steps. She shook her head, a sign to wait. The demons around us whispered in hushed tones but made no move closer.

A figure appeared, rimmed in light, the silhouette of man. The sound he made as he walked onto the stone was light, as if he were floating, only his toes meeting stone floor.

Average height. Shoulder length red hair. Not a bright, obnoxious red, but the color of red wine. I noticed his green eyes and chiseled jaw, but what I couldn’t pull my eyes from were his wings.

Angel wings. Large, commanding, angelic wings.

Delicate, intricate thin feathers sprouted through each wing. They were pulled in towards his back, not hard to miss. Each feather had a gold tint that sparkled in the light. I knew they didn't walk around with those things out all the time, so he was doing it just for show. It was laughable.

Most demons had wings; I possessed them and so did Elise. We really didn’t have much of a use for them, but they were there, all the same. They weren’t as beautiful and voluminous, but they had a rare beauty that stunned when we actually showed them off.

Elise seemed highly uninterested in any of it. “Fuck’s sake. For people with manners, you sure know how to make a fucking scene. Every heard of knocking, or are you just too good for that?” She rolled her eyes, stepping in front of me, before he could get any closer.

Two other angels walked out with the red head, their wings just as white, but the gold tint sparingly dim in comparison. They each had two swords strapped behind their backs, no smiles on their faces. They were sentries, if I had to guess, but the red headed man held up his hand for them to stop.

“We mean no harm,” he finally spoke in a deep, commanding voice

Elise scoffed. “I find that hard—”

I interrupted her thought, stepping in front of her. “Why are you here? The only time your kind comes here is to blame us for something.” I placed my hands on my hips, waiting for his excuse. He looked a bit stunned at my demand, but I couldn’t have cared less.

He raised an eyebrow. “Who here is the Soul Seether?” He looked around, seeming to make eye contact with each demon patron, like he were counting every being, weighing the numbers in his head.

I snorted. “Right in front of you. Who are you?”

He peered down at me as realization glazed over his eyes. He looked over his shoulder at the other men, but they just shook their heads and continued to stare into the distance.

“You’re the Soul Seether?” he asked in disbelief.

I sneered and rolled my eyes. “That’s what I said. I’m not really a fan of repeating myself.”

His eyes widened as he searched for an answer I could see he didn’t know the question to. “I’m sorry, I thought you would be a…” He pressed his lips together before blowing out a breath. “I thought you would be a man.”

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