Page 26 of Dead Air
Niall decided to see if his peeping Tom would fall for a bluff. “I can’t take this anymore!” he cried out, raising the knife and pressing the blade to his throat.
“Stop!” Chance yelled, jumping from the corner and snatching the knife from Niall.
Niall leaped back, crashing into the sink. “How did you do that?” He covered his mouth to hold back a laugh, a scream,maybe some vomit… “You weren’t there! And then you were! Holy…sugar!”
“Okay…” Chance slowly leaned and reached around Niall so he could return the knife to the drawer and closed it. He ever so gently eased Niall away from the sink and backed him into the chair before lowering to a knee in front of him. “Thank you,” he said, bowing his head gratefully.
“I think I’m in shock,” Niall mused distantly, frowning at the corner. “I was sure someone was there but I wasn’t expecting someone to actuallybethere.”
Chance gathered both of Niall’s hands, grimacing. “I’ve been here for a while, I just didn’t know how to explain without scaring the life out of you.”
“I see…” Niall said, even though his mind was utterly vacant, free of any thoughts or useful responses. “You’d better explain fast because I’m about to start screaming.”
“Alright… Let me just start by saying that you are safe with me, Niall. I don’t want to hurt you. I want to protect you,” Chance began, his soft green eyes clung to Niall’s until he nodded.
Niall didn’t understand anything and was beginning to question a lot more than his sanity but he didn’t sense that he was in any danger. If anything, the last hour had proven that he was safe with Chance. Even from himself.
“You’ll always be safe with me.”
“Are you a ghost?” Niall recalled the way Chance had appeared out of nowhere and the way his eyes had changed.
“No. I’m not a ghost but something…old and not a human.”
The “not a human” part had Niall reeling again. “Oh, my God.”
“Breathe. It’s alright…” Chance gave Niall’s cheek a gentle pat when he started seeing stars. “Take a deep breath in,” he commanded and waited as Niall filled his lungs. “Now, slowlylet it out. Good boy. Keep breathing,” he said softly and calmly, helping Niall’s anxiety settle as his head cleared.
“You’re not human…” Niall said and gestured for him to continue, earning a hesitant groan from Chance.
“Knowing might not make it easier or better,” he warned but Niall slapped his hand away and cut him a hard look.
“I’ve learned that I can survive just about anything, no matter how weird or terrible. And I can forgive a lot, Chance. Just don’t lie to me.”
“Hmm…” Chance’s cheeks puffed out and his eyes widened. “The thing is…lying is kind of unavoidable for me because?—”
“Then get out and never come back,” Niall said, his hand swinging toward the door as he pointed. “You’ve obviously been lying about a lot of things. I’ll give you one chance to come clean and start over but whatever comes out of your mouth from now on had better be the truth. No more strikes, you’re out if you lie to me ever again,” he said with as much confidence and clarity as he could deliver.
Chance was frozen for several moments, his eyes glittering as they shined up at Niall. “Okay.” He nodded quickly. “But first, I want to say that you are the most…beautiful and exceptional man I have ever known,” he whispered, his voice wavering.
“That’s a good start. Keep going.” Niall had managed a stern tone but it was a close call, he’d almost cried. “Why is lying unavoidable?” he prompted and Chance sighed as he rose.
“There are a lot of names for what I am but you wouldn’t be far off if you called me a…demon,” he finally managed.
“Holy sugar,” Niall mouthed, then flinched and looked at the ceiling. “Is there a…you know what and a you know who?” he asked and Chance shook his head.
“Not like you’re imagining. There are many deities but mortals who live a good life go on to rest in glory.”
Niall’s head pulled back and he laughed, surprised. “That’s very comforting, actually. Is there a Hell, then, if there are demons?”
“Hell can be anywhere mortals are made to suffer. We don’t get our own special realm for torturing evildoers.”
“Oh. Why, though?” Niall asked, making Chance’s brow jump.
“Why, what?”
“Why would you want to make mortals suffer? Why torture anyone?”
Chance smiled and hummed knowingly. “Why does there have to be evil? I have often wondered that myself, over the course of a millennia. And the best answer I’ve come up with is: balance. The universe is all about stasis and in order to have peace, you must have the threat of chaos and pain to ensure that everyonewantsto play by the same rules. In nature, you have a food chain and a cycle of life and death that repeats infinitely. Mankind disrupted that cycle and continues to disrupt its own stasis, constantly wrestling with the consequences of its break from nature.”
