I stared at the creature, unable to move or process anything that I was seeing. He looked identical to Finn except for the lifeless eyes and the lack of wings. What the hell was I dealing with?

Then it all clicked together: he was a demon.

I'd remembered what Cybele had told me about demons: the three ranks and their different powers. This one couldn't be a Lucian because he actually looked like a person, which wasn't a trait of the lowest breed. He had to be more powerful than that, and I had an odd feeling that this creature must be in the highest caste.

But, why did he looked exactly like Finn? Even under the dark veins that protruded from his face, I could still point out so many of the guardian's features. They had nearly identical golden hair that was parted on the right side, fluffy with waves that dipped down across his forehead. They had the same distinct jawline with soft cheekbones, though this demon wasn't clean shaven with stubble along the sides of his face and chin.

From how hard he was gripping me, he had plenty of muscle in his chest and when I dug my fingers into his arm, it was rock hard just the same. Finn looked just as strong, but something told me that this demon had a greater supernatural strength underneath all those dark coils that had begun to protrude from his skin. The disgusting vines slithered around our wrists to lock us together.

They were slimy, making me shudder in disgust. This was revolting! The coils only began to make their way further and further up my arm.

The Finn look-alike spun me back to face the dove as his hand kept its lock over my mouth and his other arm was wrapped in a death grip around my neck, just hard enough to make me squirm but not enough to knock me out either. He wanted me conscious. Finn, Raphael, and Cybele were making their way still towards the door where as Nocen informed me a lifeless pilot would be. I was going to be sick.

The man whistled, making all three guardians freeze as they turned around to face us. Raphael's face hardened as Cybele's completely drained of all color while Finn stepped forward. "Nocen, let her go."

Finn knew who this demon was? Well, considering they shared the exact same body then it would make sense.

"She gave me away." He raised an eyebrow. "Little bloodhound sniffed me out as soon as she got close enough to the plane. I was hoping to have a little more fun and make that bird of yours crash, except sweet Kate wouldn't get on the dove." The demon, Nocen as I'd learned, bore his black eyes into the side of my head as I dug my fingernails into his wrist. This only made him chuckle as he looked up to Finn. "She thinks her soft, tiny fingers can hurt me. It only works the other way around unfortunately for you, Katie."

His fingers dug a little tighter into my face, making me flinch. Finn let out a hiss as he took a step closer with Raphael on his other side, each ready with weapons drawn. Couldn't they just all attack him? It was three against one.

"She seemed a little surprised to see me. I guess you didn't tell her about your big brother, Finn. My feelings are very much hurt."

This demon was Finn's brother? What the hell? He had to be a twin brother as well because there was no way other way for them to look so similar besides being identical. How could this demon be Finn's twin? A guardian and a demon? What backstory was behind this broken family?

"Why would I tell her about you?" He took a few steps down the ramp as Raphael followed, Cybele looking like a deer in headlights. What was wrong with her? "You aren't exactly the pride and joy of the family."

"What family? It's just you and I." Nocen replied with a hiss as he drug me backwards the same amount of steps that Finn had taken forward. "I can whisk her away in a heartbeat, so I'd watch yourself."

"Why are you really here? You would have already taken her if that was your goal." Raphael snapped, edging closer despite the demon's warning.

"I told you what I'd do, stupid Raphael." He chuckled darkly as a burst of broken glass and silver dust exploded around us like a tornado. I screamed against the demon's hand as I clamped my eyes shut, the pieces of glass flying towards us. We were encircled in a storm that pulsed and vibrated, heat rising on my skin.

Meraki. Nocen had a meraki.

Then, the dust vanished when I opened my eyes, and this time, we weren't standing in front of Finn and Raphael, but on top of the dove itself where the tips of my toes hung off the edge of the giant aircraft. He could teleport.

I gripped Nocen's arms tighter, trying to push him backwards as I pinched my eyes shut. Digging my toes as hard as I could into the dove, I struggled against Nocen's iron lock which he only found amusing.

He only laughed, calling down to the two guardians standing below. "Kate doesn't like heights, does she? The poor girls practically shaking!" Using his fingers, he brushed the hair off my neck, scanning it before doing the same with the other side. "Hm, nothing. Brand new."

"Why the hell are you here?" Finn snarled, making Nocen turn his head away from me so that his warm breath didn't slide along the skin of my neck any longer. "Kate, if he drops you, I will catch you."

"Always charming." Nocen said, the tone of his voice practically sounding like an eye roll. "I'm not going to just give her the boot off the side of this plane, you idiots. As much fun as it would be to put her into orbit, she's precious cargo, and Noxia wants her completely sound of mind and unharmed when she comes to collect Kate herself." He took a step closer to the edge of the dove, making terror rise up into my stomach as one of my feet slipped off the side and I tightened my hold on him. I continued to struggle against him, which only made Nocen chuckle as I felt the rumbling in his chest.

"Noxia isn't going to take Kate."

"Not today, but I'm here to deliver the message. You might want to open your eyes for this one, Katie." He spun me around, the back of my feet hanging off the edge of hovercraft as I opened my eyes to gaze into his pitch black orbs. "You don't have long, and she isn't taking you today because, well, you aren't fully developed in your meraki. She isn't a teacher and frankly, she'd probably end up killing you if you annoyed her just enough. We can't have a power source like you dead now can we? So, she's letting Secta give it a go at training you so that way he'll have you ready and she can reap the fruit."

My eyes widened as he gave me a smile, the fact that Finn's face was gazing into mine making the entire experience far worse. This was Finn, but at the same time, it wasn't. Nocen was harsh and cruel, sadistic and a soul eater. They were complete opposites.

"She'll claim you for the dark and then you can join all of us. Yippee! It's so much fun in the Hole, and you and I can be the best of friends, sucking souls left and right while crushing hearts between our fingers. Blood is the best of wines and it pairs nicely with a child's especially juicy and plump soul. So pure!" I squeezed my eyes shut, a disgusted nausea taking over my body. He was sick! How could he sit here and talk about being a cannibal, eating children! "You'll like the sound of it once you're like me. You'll eat as many kids as you want because you'll have the power to kill them yourself."

"She won't be like you, Nocen! Ever!" Finn barked, but the demon ignored him.

"Anyone can be dark, and Noxia has taken a special liking to you on account of all that power inside your veins. You might just be our Angel of Death arriving now to destroy the light and bring eternal darkness to the universe! How exciting would that be? What a party!" I shook my head, making his black eyes narrow. "It's cute you still believe in the light, but that hope will be crushed out of you, china doll. You are weak in your current state, very delicate. We will have an easy time breaking you."

He gave me a rough pat on the cheek before another silver sandstorm consumed us, shards of glass soaring through the air in utter chaos as the sands raked over my skin. He was insane.

There was a weightlessness now as I felt as though I were free falling, but the power and strength of Nocen's hand never let go of their grip around my face and throat. We appeared behind Raphael and Finn this time as the demon laughed, "boo! Catch me if you can, slowpokes!"

Before they could even turn around, more tornados of Nocen's chaos shot around the two of us, ripping around our bodies. We teleported to another place near the dove as Nocen laughed hysterically at the two guardians before taking us to different spot, and then another and another and another.

Then, we were back on the ground once again where we had started, Nocen's grip on me like a python coiled around my neck. I heard own his neck crack as he stretched out his shoulders, Finn and Raphael's eyes now digging into mine. "I'm getting bored of this."

"Then let her go."

He gave me a quick pat on the head with one of his dark coils, never letting go of his grip on me. I'd stopped fighting, trying to concentrate on my meraki now as I needed it more than ever. It was eluding me of course in the worst possible situation as I tried to dig deeper, calling out to it.

It had alerted me about Nocen, and now it had just gone into hiding? No, I needed it, so it better be ready to fight.

"I like her. Good pick. She seems rather feisty too, which I always admire. Kate, you have a certain fire inside, don't you?" I responded by giving him a glare. "She's a smart one too. She can't hurt me with just her fists, so she's saving her energy. That might just be your downfall, kid. You can be read like an open book."

But, he didn't know what power I had inside me. I could work this out, and I could get away from him. If only my meraki would just...

Another of Nocen's storms overtook us before he plopped us both down on top of the dove again, and I wondered if he did it just to make me squirm because now we were even closer to the edge, only the heels of my boots still resting on the roof.

"She's adorable when she's terrified!" He chuckled, leaning down to whisper in my ear. "Should I suck out my brother's soul while I'm here as well? Or how about the emo punk beside him?"

His words made an anger take over my body as I felt my fire swell, gripping even tighter into his arm.

"Yes, get angry! Get mad, Katie! Get mean!" He encouraged me. "Get bad. Or I'll kill one of them."

A burst of my meraki shot out of my palm, making Nocen roar like a creature possessed as his hands and tentacles released me. Then, I was weightless. I screamed as Nocen shoved me away, wailing at the pains in his arm as I fell backwards. The demon disappeared into a flurry of silver storm as I clawed at the air.

But, there was the sound of beating wings as a pair of arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me into a strong chest. I turned to grip the guardian who had caught me, holding myself as close to their body as I could while we sunk slowly to the ground.

A soft hand held the back of my head as our feet touched the ground, Finn's voice close to my ear. "I have you. You're safe now. You're with me."