Kingdom of @WattpadHornsandHalos

***

Dusk falls, bringing with it a darkness that spills across the sky like ink in water, but no angels. I stare down the mountain path, willing them to appear. Of course, they don't.

"They're not coming," I say.

In my arms, my son Makas mewls with the agitation my voice conceals. I croon softly. He quietens at the sound, seeking out my face with his little eyes. Although my nerves have frayed nearly to nothing from the upheaval of the past few months, I manage a smile for my baby.

Adbeel joins me at the window. His arm slides around my waist. He, like our son, isn't fooled by my act.

"Maybe they're late," he says.

I shake my head. "My parents are never late."

"Never say never, Erelah." Adbeel kisses the top of my head. "Quorin always said an angel and a demon could never love each other, and we proved them wrong."

I look at Adbeel, at the auburn hair that makes him look as though he was born from hellfire, at the eyes the yellow of brimstone, at the smile he gives to reassure me.

"You're right," I say. "Things don't always turn out how we expect them to."

I am Princess Erelah of Haven, betrothed to the wealthiest angel lord in my kingdom since my birth. I wasn't supposed to marry a demon, my people's oldest enemy.

Adbeel holds out his arms to take Makas from me. The tense lines on his face melt away as he gazes at our son. Adbeel offers Makas a finger to hold, and the baby coos. Watching them warms my heart.

I have heard that demons are evil, that they punish people and enjoy it. I never knew they could be loving husbands and fathers.

The day I met Prince Adbeel of Hell, I knew he was trouble, but I couldn't stop thinking about him. We soon married in secret.

Nobody knew about us until a few months ago when I could no longer hide that I was pregnant. We fled to the mountains that day, just us and our most trusted guards, and we've been here ever since.

I've never been so happy, but I've felt safer.

The demon rebels could tear down our door at any moment, screeching for our son's blood. An ancient prophecy speaks of a Nephalem warrior destined to unite Haven and Hell, the two kingdoms of which he was born. My son is the only such child. The demons believe the prophecy speaks of him, that he would destroy their way of life.

Adbeel told me not to worry. My guards and his are natural enemies, but they work together to keep us safe. All the same, I can't ignore the unease twisting inside me. Maybe it comes with motherhood.

I have never dreamed of hurting anyone, but if anyone touches my child, I will incinerate them.

I gaze down at Makas nestled in Adbeel's arms. His cheeks are fuller than they were when he was born. His thin sprinkling of hair has grown into a tuft. It's red like his father's. His little white and black speckled wings lie curled against his back.

I wonder what my parents would make of him, this baby with his angel glow dimmed by his demon darkness, leaving only a whisper of his divinity.

Despite me and Adbeel being in hiding, news of our son's birth spread across the land. The day after, my parents sent a message asking to visit us. I haven't spoken to them since I left Haven. I grabbed the offer of reconciliation. Maybe they would forgive me. 

I wonder what they would make of my husband. They have only ever heard of Prince Adbeel of Hell, how he tempted innocent people into sin, but they have never met him. They'll see soon enough that my demon isn't who they imagined him to be.

If they're still coming, that is.

The door opens, interrupting my thoughts. An angel guard gestures for my parents to enter the cabin.

It has been months since I saw them, but they look as young as I remember. Their regal white clothes are as magnificent as their feathery wings, glowing gold and pure.

Smiles light up their sun-browned faces. I want to hug them and ask if they forgive me, if we can go back to how we were before, but I stop myself.

My parents don't do hugs.

We meet in the middle of the room.

"Mother, Father," I say, returning their polite formality although it pains me.

We have been apart for so long. Shouldn't they be happier to see me?

"Erelah." My mother kisses my right cheek then my left.

I frown. She usually kisses the left one first. Then again, I haven't seen her in months. Maybe she does things differently now.

My father says nothing, only smiles.

"This is my husband, Adbeel."

Their eyes fall on the demon Prince beside me.

"We heard." My mother's mouth twists in an unfamiliar way.

As quickly as it happens, it disappears.

I must be imagining things.

"And our son, Makas." I take Makas from Adbeel's reluctant hands.

His body is tense, and his eyes stay fixed on my parents.

I offer the baby to my mother, and she takes him.

"What a fine child." She smiles down at him.

I beam.

Adbeel shifts on his feet. I know he distrusts my parents as I distrust demons, but they wouldn't hurt their grandson. I take his hand in mine, hoping to give him some comfort.

Perhaps it would've worked if Makas didn't let out a shrill wail.

I reach for him, but my mother jerks him away from me.

"I can handle this, Erelah," she says. "I have many children of my own."

"Of course, Mother." I lower my hands.

Mother raised me and my six siblings. I shouldn't disrespect her by questioning her ability to handle my newborn.

She rocks Makas roughly, and he howls. My heart constricts. I want to go to him, but I don't want to offend my mother.

"Erelah, take Makas," says Adbeel.

I pluck my son from my mother's arms before she can block me. As soon as I cradle Makas against me, his cries soften. I croon, soothing him as I do many times a day, and he falls silent.

Adbeel pushes me behind him. I look up to see him draw his dagger and hold it against my mother's throat.

The colour drains from her face. Her eyes widen in fear as she gazes into the blazing eyes of the demon I've married.

"Show yourself," says Adbeel.

"W-what do you mean?" stammers my mother.

"These are my parents!" I cry. "Stop it!"

"No, they aren't," says Adbeel, his voice as sharp and cold as his knife. "Show yourself."

Adbeel presses the blade into my mother's throat, drawing a thin line of blood.

The blood is black.

But angels bleed gold.

"Show yourself before I chop you to pieces and toss you back into the fiery pit you came from," says Adbeel.

The illusions of the King and Queen of Haven fall away.

Their tan skin fades to pale flesh. Their blond hair recedes into horns set on either side of their heads. The white of their wings dissolves like snow, revealing their true coal-black feathers.

Both demons' eyes meet mine, and they smile.

I shrink behind Adbeel, holding Makas close to me. Fear surges through me.

The demon rebels have finally come for my son.

Adbeel slices the demon's throat. He falls, clutching at it, and the other lunges at my husband.

"Guards!" I scream.

They flood into the room, angels and demons working separately and, at the same time, together. Two angels pull the demon intruder away from Adbeel.

My husband puts a protective arm around me. "Are you all right?"

I nod.

"Makas?"

"He's fine."

His mouth in a grim line, Adbeel slashes his dagger through the air in a vertical motion. A portal gapes in front of us.

I catch a glimpse of blue ocean and green forest, but there's no time to ask Adbeel where he's taking us. I must trust him.

Together, we step through. The portal closes, sealing us off from the fight.

We are in a new cabin, this time hidden within a forest.

Tears I didn't realise I cried have dried on my cheeks. Adbeel pulls me into his arms and kisses my head.

"We'll be fine, Erelah. Don't worry."

I sob against his chest. I want to believe him, but I can't. In my arms, Makas whimpers, sensing the tense emotions around him.

We escaped this time, but what about the next? Now that we have Makas, we can't stop running.

If our son is the Nephalem in the prophecy, he's the only one who can unite our kingdoms and save us from this.

If we can keep him alive long enough.