Chapter Eleven

An eerie heartbroken wail woke me up in the middle of the night.

My eyes flew open, cold sweat prickling my skin. I blinked rapidly, laying in the darkness, unmoving as I listened. A second later, another wail ripped through the air. It sounded close. Terribly close. I glanced at Yiuwa, who was somehow still asleep, with his arms around a pillow, because he'd kept trying to scoot closer through the night. So it was either hug that pillow or I was sleeping in the living room.

He'd grudgingly chose the pillow.

I sat up slowly before I slid out of bed. I rose to my feet and grabbed a loose robe, slipping it on and padding out into the hallway. I listened, but could no longer hear the wailing. It appeared to have died down and was now nothing more than sobbing. A rough hoarse sound, and I immediately knew who it was.

I went down the stairs, maneuvering easily in the dark as I made my way to the sliding doors that opened up into the backyard where an elaborate beautiful garden was splayed out before touching the thick forest beyond. Sitting on the wooden deck just outside the door was Sin. Or at least, his body was.

As soon as the doors rattled open, Sin's head snapped around and his fangs were bared. His stormy grey eyes had become red as blood, his fangs elongated, his claws extended and scratching into the wooden panels. He was wearing only a loose red yukata that wasn't properly belted, but made sense given Sin was far too large for the small thing.

"Ssh," I whispered quietly, placing a finger to my lips and I watched Sin's beast cock his head curiously. Clearly it wasn't accustomed to being approached like this, so I made sure to tread carefully. Beasts were different, just like the rest of us. And while they all shared the same childish traits, they still maintained their own personalities. This one was the first one I'd ever seen weeping.

Unrestrained tears rolled down his cheeks and fell to the floor, even as he snarled at me, as if his pain far surpassed his rage and he had no control over it. Which made sense. Beasts did not control their emotions like we did. They couldn't. They were the most primal part of our emotions. It was just who they were.

"I heard you," I said softly, closing the door behind me. Sin's beast sniffled and backed away from me, clearly out of instinct. Tenjin had tortured him. In fact, Tenjin was probably the only other person the Beast had been exposed to. Or at least, the only one that was still around anyway.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I said, keeping my voice gentle and calm, and Sin's Beast curled its lip in repugnance, clearly not believing me for a second, and I found myself smiling at that, "I know, I know. You've probably heard that a lot... I have as well." The Beast gave pause at that. His lip lowered a little, his fangs retracted just a tad.

"Mind if I take a seat?" I asked. The Beast just stared.

Beasts couldn't speak like we could. They didn't use words. They used actions.

So when the Beast settled back down, I took that as an okay and came over and sat on the edge of the deck, a good few feet from him to give him space. I'd run into plenty of Beasts that hated being boxed in, and it would be no different with Sin, especially considering he was kept in a fucking cage for Source only knew how long.

The Beast turned to stare back out at the garden again. This time, his tears were silent as they continued to roll down his cheeks. He couldn't stop them anymore than we could. He was too honest about his feelings. All Beasts were.

I was reminded of the first time I'd seen Petros's Beast. I'd seen Beasts even before then, but Petros's was... special. He was unlike any Beast I'd seen before. His Beast, whom he refused to name and simply called Monster, was anything, but. At least, from what I'd seen. I'd watched Monster rip trees straight out of the ground just so he could shake the birds loose and watch them fly. I'd seen Monster attack large cats for food, or even rabbits. I'd seen him swim and hunt fish. It was rare, because Petros hated his Beast with a passion.

And his Beast knew it. So when Petros lost control, and Monster was free to roam, he took advantage of it-- and not to cause harm, not really. He would go on these adventures one thought pointless. He'd hike for as long as he could, hunt, swim. He was just like a wolf. But, when Petros was in a situation where he felt his wife and child were threatened, Monster became exactly what Petros had called him. He'd torn apart raiders in the village who started at their home. He'd nearly killed a god who dared step foot in his territory.

And in the end, I'd seen him burn up with Petros, both of them screaming. Petros at the agony of losing his family and Monster for losing the life he so truly enjoyed.

We sat there in silence, listening to the sounds of the forest around us. Cicadas chirped and chattered, the sound of water a soft rush over perfectly placed stones and under small bridges. Occasionally an owl called out, then faded and the sound of its wings beat the cool night air. It was strangely peaceful.

After a while, the Beast stopped crying and just hung its head. I glanced sideways at it, sensing its exhaustion, but its unwillingness to sleep.

"You'll get weak if you don't sleep," I said, and it snapped its head up, pinning me with those bright red eyes as if it were taking my words as a challenge, "Your host is already feeling the effects of you sucking his energy away to do this. This isn't helpful for either one of you. Crying is good, but not when it does this to you." The Beast growled low in its throat, clearly telling me to fuck off. I cocked my head at it, studying its facial expression as it turned its head away. There a glimmer of worry in those red eyes.

"You love Sin," I said, making the Beast growl again, and I just looked away calmly, "You don't want to hurt him. You're trying to protect him. It's why you lashed out at Yiuwa. You thought he would hurt him. You sensed his Beast and saw it as a threat." He may be created and not born, but he was still a Beast. He still acted just like a born Beast the way it growled and grunted in response, shaking its head in denial. I smiled, though, at the blush that spread across its face, the way its claws scraped at the wood.

"You're going to mess up Tsukuyomi's home," I pointed out. It was as if the Beast had touched fire as it yanked its hands away, then hugged himself tightly. He curled up into a little ball and hid his face in his knees.

"It's okay, it's not bad," I said, leaning over and brushing my hand over the wood. The Beast's eyes peered at me warily.

"Just fixing it," I responded, drawing my hand back to reveal the polished clean wood. The Beast gazed at the repair job with wonder, then reached out and brushed his fingertips over the smooth wood before he curled to look at me.

"Sin needs to rest," I said, making the Beast growl again in agitation, but this time, I shook my head at him, "I mean it. He can't learn to heal if he doesn't rest. No one is going to bring him harm here. If I cannot promise you that, then Yiuwa's Beast can. You know how strong your kind is. You know there is no lie among you. You cannot lie and neither can any other Beast. Yiuwa's Beast will protect you and Sin." The Beast growled and I smirked, sensing his denial at that.

"The only reason he attacked you was because you threatened me," I said, leaning back on my hands and peering up at the stars that twinkled and glowed in the velvety sky above, "As long as you behave, you'll be safe. That goes for just about anyone, not just you. Besides, we can help Sin. We can give him what he needs to survive, how to rebuild. Wouldn't you want Sin to be happy?" The Beast ceased its growl to grumble and I resisted the urge to laugh at that, which only made the Beast chuff, its way of telling me to cut it out.

I sat forward.

"You can do it. I've seen many Beasts before you learn the ways of the world. And you don't have to change who you are. You're a bit smarter than most of your kind, probably because you're created and not born," I explained, slowly getting to my feet and looking down at the Beast that now tilted his head back so he could stare up at me with red eyes, "Go to bed, Beast. Go to bed, Sin. It's about time you both get some rest." He stared at me for the longest time before his eyelids grew heavy, almost as if he were surrendering to the exhaustion. He yawned, baring his fangs before he slowly rose to his feet and toddled into the house. I watched him go, listened and waited until he reached his room and slid into a futon.

Convinced he'd stay down for the night, I went back inside and headed upstairs. I crept into the room and climbed back into back, turning on my side to put my back to Yiuwa.

"Don't talk to him," came Yiuwa's grumble in the darkness. I slid my eyes open, seeing the room as clearly as I would in daytime, though, there was a green tint to everything. I didn't turn to face him.

"Don't tell me what to do," I answered.

"He's dangerous."

"Why? Because he has a Beast? Like you?"

"His Beast is different."

"You're right... His is smarter than yours."

"Is not."

"Totally," I retorted. Yiuwa growled at that, like he couldn't believe I wasn't agreeing with him. I felt the corner of my lips twitch too, because I could sense the jealousy radiating off him in waves. But then I quickly bit down on my tongue to scold myself, because why the fuck was I so stoked he was jealous? He didn't have a right to be jealous. We weren't dating. I wasn't jealous of the way he touched Tsukuyomi or stood close to Theo or let females paw on him like the waitress at the--

Fuck me.

"Why won't you at least try this," Yiuwa asked after a moment, sounding frustrated and I sighed, "I mean it. What could it hurt to try? We are clearly compatible."

"Your dick fitting inside me just perfectly does not mean we're soulmates."

"I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about the fact that..." His voice trailed. I frowned at that. He wasn't finishing and for once, my curiosity drove me. I rolled over to face him slowly, meeting those yellow eyes. We stared at each other for the longest time before I spoke.

"What?" I asked, urging him to continue. I wanted to hear what he had to say about this. I wanted to hear what was making him so insistent on this. Why he wouldn't just give up. Why would he waste his time on me.

"I love the way you talk," Yiuwa murmured, making me blink in surprise and confusion, "Your voice. You're so calm, so gentle. Even when you're denying me, even when you're saying cruel things, your voice... it's like the sound of a summer night. So much is happening, yet it's still so calming. Something in me purrs." I didn't know what to say to that. I had no idea what he was talking about, but then I thought back to talking to Sin's Beast. To Petros's Beast. They had never attacked me. It was so rare. And Beasts based all of their knowledge on what they see and hear, on their most basic instincts, so if they felt they could trust someone... they did.

"So you like me just because of the way I talk?" I asked. Yiuwa's lips twitched, like he could smile at that.

"I like your fascination with everything. When Tsukuyomi showed us the town, when we went on our date back in Inferi, you look at everything like its a new adventure. You take the time to study the languages, to listen to the music and each individual instrument. You try new things."

"A lot of people do that."

"Not the way you do."

"You haven't gotten out much," I answered. Yiuwa sighed.

"Why can't you let me tell you how amazing you are?"

"Because you only know what I let you see," I said. I wasn't sure why I had said that. I should've kept my mouth shut, because now Yiuwa's eyes had become hooded and he was staring at me like he was hungry to know more.

"Then let me see more," he murmured, reaching up to brush his knuckles by my cheek. There was a dull ache inside me, an ache to lean into him, to press my face against the mark on his throat, to lick him there, to inhale his spicy masculine scent. It was a magnetic tug.

And I denied it immediately.

I backed up and Yiuwa dropped his hand to the pillow where my head had been. He looked hurt by my rejection and I cleared my throat, rolling back over to give him my back.

"You'll find someone else," I assured him, because I knew this to be fact, "Someone who's beautiful and smart, who will let you do whatever you want to them and enjoy it."

"I already did," Yiuwa muttered. I ignored him and shut my eyes.

It took forever to fall asleep and when I finally did, it felt like it was already time to wake up, judging from the sound of food being made downstairs and the sound of the shower turning on to indicate Yiuwa had woken up just before I had.

I rolled over and lay facing the place where Yiuwa had been laying, the indentation of his body all that remained of him, unless you counted the two long black hairs left behind on the pillow. I frowned, reaching out slowly and placing my hand on the pillow where his head had been.

This insane unwarranted fantasy of waking up to Yiuwa stroking my hair passed through my head and I slammed my eyes shut, yanking my hand back fast. I rolled over onto my back and stared up at the ceiling, feeling the ache in my chest grow.

It was more painful. It felt more like I was going to collapse and I couldn't.

For Yiuwa's sake, and for the sake of everyone around him.

With that thought in mind, I rose up out of bed and went to my pack, reaching in and grabbing out a brownie. I wolfed it down, plus another more before I changed and went downstairs. Tsukuyomi was finishing up breakfast in the kitchen and Sin was already seated at the table. He looked so much better than yesterday, and he was finally wearing a yukata that fit him properly, and he was seated at the table, looking at the chopsticks in curiosity.

"You look well rested," I commented as I walked over and took a seat across from him. He blinked and looked up, caught off guard by my comment before he nodded slowly.

"I... slept well for the first time in a very long time," he murmured, clearly not sure why. I just smiled lightly at that. Tsukuyomi came into the room to give us glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice before heading back for the food. I looked at Sin, who was eyeing the glass.

"You should name him," I said. Sin looked up.

"What?"

"Your Beast."

"Why?"

"Because he's a person too. You just share the same body," I replied. Sin looked skeptical. He looked down at his hands, then placed them on the table to study them. He looked up at me.

"But... Aren't they... Evil?" He asked hesitantly, like he was afraid saying so would anger his Beast. And judging from what I'd seen last night, it would more than likely just make his Beast cry again. I abruptly remembered the sound of that wail that woke me from a deep sleep, the raw heartbreak inside.

"No," I said softly, and Sin appeared surprised, "They are not evil. They're just different. Beasts are borne of our most primal and basic instincts and emotions. They are the raw untouched version of ourselves. They see things in a way that is similar to a child. They don't know lies or deception. They don't see a reason to hide themselves from others. They are honest and untouched."

"So why did my Beast attack your friend?" He asked.

"Because he felt threatened by him," I replied, "He sensed another powerful being and he felt like it was a threat to you. He'd do anything to protect you."

"Then why didn't he protect me from--" Sin cut himself off. He looked down at the table. He looked angry now, his hands balling up into fists. I frowned.

"Because he couldn't. And I think he blames himself for that. He's hurt because he couldn't protect you, but he wants to keep trying. He wants to do what he can for you now," I said, surprised at how defensive I felt. Sin shot me a dirty look.

"Then he should start by staying the fuck out of my life," he answered in a clipped tone. I didn't say anything. I couldn't really think of anything to say, because for some strange reason beyond my understanding, I took his words personally.

Tsukuyomi came into the room with breakfast and set the places just as Yiuwa was coming down the stairs and entering the room. Yiuwa glared at Sin, who glared back. I sighed, looking down at my plate and picking up the chopsticks. Sin tried a couple times, then gave up and ate with his fingers. And I was surprised when Tsukuyomi set his chopsticks down and ate with his hands too, almost like he was trying to make Sin feel like what he was doing was okay.

So I did the same thing, and Yiuwa just stubbornly ate with his chopsticks for a while longer before he, too, gave up on them and ate with his hands. Our meal was mostly silent, with Tsukuyomi only mentioning a few things about our next visit to Tenjin's place. Once breakfast was done, I went upstairs to change into something more suitable while Yiuwa stayed downstairs to help Tsukuyomi clean up, and Sin went outside for some air.

I came up to my room just in time to hear my phone going off in my bag. I frowned, walking over and snatching the thing up. I said nothing in greeting after a glance at the caller ID.

"Why can't you just say hello," Viviana's voice said over the speaker.

"What do you want, Viv?"

"Rude. Anyway, I called to check up on you. It's been a bit longer than I expected."

"You usually call me after a week, not a day."

"Can you blame me," Viviana said astonished, "Last time you left, you were captured and tortured, Rowan. If that were to happen again, I don't know what I'd do."

"Nothing," I deadpanned, resulting in her making some weird noise of indignation, "I'm serious. I've told you once and I will tell you again, if the Shifter captures me, you will do nothing. You can't risk swooping in there. Especially not with your siblings. It'll be dangerous if the Shifter captures any of you. If it captures me, the plus side will be that things may start to tip in your favor."

"Stop that," Viviana snapped, thoroughly frustrated, "The Shifter will not capture you. I will not allow it. Now, before you upset me further, give me a status report."

"We've found the tablets," I stated, reverting to business, "The god, Tenjin, has them. Unfortunately, he won't allow us to transfer them. We must decipher them here. Yiuwa is proving me to incredibly helpful in the process, however, so far, we've not come across anything useful."

"Is the chant just not written?"

"Pieces of it are mentioned, but the problem is that the chant itself is in a language we cannot speak."

"That's impossible."

"No. According to Yiuwa, the language written requires a far different vessel than we've been provided here in this plane of existence," I explained, "As in, Tristan may not be able to recite the chant because he physically won't be capable of it." There was a short pause, then a sigh of frustration.

"There must be another way."

"We'll keep looking. It should take another few days."

"A few days," Viviana echoed grimly, "Alright." I frowned, walking to the window to look outside where Sin was walking through the garden and admiring all the plants and frogs around the little ponds and creeks.

"You sound nervous," I commented. I didn't hear a response right away. It put me on edge. Viviana was rarely nervous. She was confident in all things she did, even things she had no clue about. It was just part of her manipulative ways. If she talked people into thinking she could do something, they believed her. Unfortunately, she tended to believe her own bullshit sometimes too.

"There was an attack in Hades today," Viviana said, making my brows slam down and I turned away from the window, sweeping my eyes around the room without actually seeing anything as alarm blinded me.

"An attack? What happened? Who?"

"The main palace," Viviana said, and I almost choked, because how the fuck could anyone break into Hades's place when the security was tighter than that of Gehenna, "A group of shadows broke into the main hall and flooded the halls, but were quickly dispatched by Hades and his sons. They were apparently trying to capture Hades."

Goddamnit. It made sense. Not necessarily from a logical point of view, but an emotional one. The Shifter hated Hades with a passion. Hades was always getting in its way one way or another, and now that it was so close to the end, it wasn't going to let him ruin things.

"How are they handling it now?" I asked.

"After a lot of arguing and colorful discussions, we decided Xiphrus and Michael will be staying with him for a while. I've also been keeping an eye on him as well. Lucifer insisted on staying, but he's needed in Hell due to an increase in shadow attacks there on the civilians."

"Were any of them captured in the attack?"

"No. All of the shadows died. Hades and his sons are doing fine, no one was seriously injured. Though, I cannot say all the shadows died painlessly. Theo is learning to wield his Beast quite well, and let's just say that he got most of the headshots."

"That's used to describe bullet wounds to the head."

"No, I was using it to describe the fact that he literally punched heads off their necks," Viviana sighed, "Don't get me wrong, I recognize the shadows have chosen their new leader, but it's a little disturbing to come walking in to see heads rolling around on the floor with twitching eyelids."

"Gross."

"See what I mean? Anyway, that's the update for now. It appears things are quiet once more, but I would not put it past the Shifter to try once more. Please watch yourself, Rowan. I know you think you are unimportant, but that is just not true. Be safe."

"Right. I'll call you if we find out anything useful," I said, ignoring her sentiments. There was a short pause before she released another frustrated sigh.

"Alright. Love you." I hung up and set the phone on the windowsill, sighing in frustration myself and pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Aw, how cute, she still loves you, even though you're the reason their lives all suck."

I froze at the ripple of power in the room, then spun around to see Uriel standing in the corner of the room with his arms folded over his chest, leaning back against the wall, looking like a punk teenager, and his coal black eyes stating his firm stance in the whole battle for the universe.

"Uriel," I stated in greeting. Uriel smiled.

"Hey, Ro. Long time no see... How about we chat for a little while?"