Chapter Thirty: Jealousy Breeds a Monster

Syphron:

Sprinting into the garden, a trembling Ivory and Renkin watched from a distance. Holding my hand in the air, it shook twice as fast as theirs. The warning signals were there when Draken kept pushing his luck, her foot meeting his face. As unrefined as her fighting was, every blow burst a different organ. Mouthing what is going on, they both shrugged their shoulders. Pumpkin had broken every rule in the nobles' etiquette, our girls cooing behind me. My old man had invited himself over now, the panic sinking its deep claws into my veins. Waving me over, a proud smile spread cheek to cheek.

"What the hell are you smiling about!" I whispered harshly, his smile never leaving his face. "She could have started a fucking war." Ruffling my head, wicked laughter rumbled in his throat. Motioning for me to sit on the nearest bench, my eyes took in his simple white dress shirt and dark jeans. Even this was under dressed for him, his fingers tickling their stomachs. Gywn and Luthy reached for me, their smiles melting my heart.

"You don't seem to remember that he is the demon that created war on Earth." He sighed while making a face at the girls. "She did the right thing. Look for yourself, they are chatting like old friends. Do you remember that her old man refused to lay his hand on him? He would have supported him if he fought with him. He loves to see how you guys show your authority. To be honest, I have never seen anyone put him in his place. Be proud of your wife." Waiting patiently, she walked out with her genuine smile plastered on her face.

"Today went well, I am going to go get changed to train." She sang with a pep in her step, spinning around. Cupping my face, her lips kissed mine passionately as she sat on my lap. All the breath left my body at her sudden affection, my hands falling to her waist. Popping off my lap, she danced down the hall. Renkin chased after her, my old man laughing away next to me.

"Quite the firecracker you have there, sport." He teased lightly, motioning for me to come. "Do you want to see what passion and adventure produces?" Following him to the cleared out ballroom, an eager Pumpkin sat against the wall. Tugging at her leggings and tight scarlet tank top, her fingers drummed against black and white pumpkin floor. Pulling her knees close to her chest, silent tears streamed down her cheeks. Renkin paused at us, his t-shirt and gym short combination showing his seriousness.

"Is she okay?" He asked in a soft whisper, leaning on my shoulder. "Did I do something wrong?" Biting my lip, something must have occurred between them. Shaking off his nerves, he waved as he entered. Glancing up at him, he plopped down next to him. Pulling his hair into a ponytail, her lips moved a mile a minute. Explaining one of her nightmares to him, a spark of jealousy glistened in my eyes. For weeks she had been waking up screaming, both of us lacking sleep at this point. My ears pinned back, low growls rumbled in my throat.

"Could you fucking chill?" My old man snapped hotly, punching me in my shoulder. "Did you ever think that she doesn't want to be a burden to you? Ask her tonight, dumb ass. Let her work it out." Renkin helped her to her feet, showing her how to stand. Unable to keep my rage in check, I stomped off with my old man in tow.

"Take a walk while I have my grandparent time." He urged bitterly, knowing that I needed to cool off. "You haven't been sleeping and doing non-stop work." Shoving me into the town square, I jammed my hands into my pockets. Wandering through the streets, this damn rage wouldn't subside. Leaping onto a branch, I laid back. Plucking the black maple leaves, I tore them into pieces. Time passed as my anger kept swelling, my mind wondering what she was hiding from me. The branch creaked, an apologetic Pumpkin laid on top of me. Seeing her gorgeous face melted all of the rage away, her fingers playing with my hair.

"You do realize that I have hearing as strong as yours. I don't talk about my nightmares because I am already keeping up at night." She remarked sweetly, my face flushing at cleavage taunting me. "Ask me anything." Sitting up, she helped me up. Staring at the faint scars on her face, so many questions rested on the tip of my tongue.

"Have any of your memories returned completely?" I questioned sternly, needing to know. "You should know that you can always come to me to talk." Taking my hands, her hands trembled violently. Tears stained her cheeks, her head shaking.

"They come in random images at any point of the day and my body wants to shut down each time." She wept quietly, the real agony showing in her eyes. "All I know is that he tortured me but my mind is blocking it. I see whips and chains snapping in my direction. Brief images of knives haunt my fucking brain. I don't know what happened but I am covered in scars that I had no idea how they fucking got there." Clutching her close to my chest, her emotions soaked my shoulder. No one deserved this much trauma, my hands rubbing her arms. Quaking in her spot, her teardrops soaked my face. Something felt off, my mind not letting go of the previous issue.

"Why did you tell him first?" I asked cautiously as fury boiled in my veins. "I don't understand. I have been around you forever and he has only been around for how long." Squirming out of her arms, a cloud of dirt obscured her shaky landing. Shooting a death glare in my direction, she flipped me off. My fury swelled, my ears pinning back.

"I already told you!" She argued vehemently, folding her arms across her chest. "If you were listening properly, it was the nightmare where my father almost shot me and you saved me. Fuck you for that. You can sleep in another bedroom tonight." Low growls rumbled in my throat, her boots crunching away. Pushing off from the branch, she stepped back in fear the moment I landed in front of her. Unable to control my temper, dread bubbled in my gut. Crouching closer to the street, onyx fur poked out of my skin. A single howl burst from my lips, my bones cracking into place. Cursing to herself, she ripped off her boots the moment she jumped over me. Losing control, dark instincts took over. Tearing every inch of her apart haunted my mind, the desire scaring me. Crashing deeper into the woods, she opened up her dimension of inky blackness. Charging at her, she bounced off the walls. Narrowly missing my swipe at her, my claw ripped open her stomach. Rolling to my paws, her quaking hands struggle to hold in her guts. Mouthing a healing spell, the wound sealed shut, a nasty scar waking me up a bit. Quivering at my paws, her own blood painted her face. Pure terror twisted her features, clammy sweat drenching her skin.

"I'm sorry!" She pleaded desperately, pressing her forehead to the floor. "I am sorry that pissed you off." Seeing her so messed up shattered my heart, her arms embracing my giant leg. Refusing to let go, my claws tore up her back. Leaning into her desperate embrace, her teeth gritted in response.

"I don't care how mad I am at you right now but you need to listen to me." She cried out through a wall of tears, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. "I love you with all of my heart, damn it!" Collapsing at my paws, blood pooled around her. Barely holding on, she struggled to her feet. Holding onto my leg like my life depended upon it, her next words broke my trance.

"Think about our little girls. They need their father." She wheezed, her blood soaking my fur. "I need you, Sy." Just as I was going to change back, another wave of aggravation slammed into me. Roaring in her face, her hair flew back. Not backing down, the desire to devour her tortured my mind. Smashing her into the wall, several bones snapped upon impact. Laying like a limp doll, her busted body twitched. Her dimension glitched, the light flickering in her eyes.

"I love you, Sy." She coughed, passing out. Sly slapped me on the back of my head. The damn fox cupped my face, his tail twitching with irritation. Low growls rumbled in his throat, his fangs sinking into my arm. Snapping back to reality, I shrank back down to normal. Her dimension faded away, a gravely injured Pumpkin lay at the base of a tree. Panic gripped my face, the dirt crunching as I ran over to my wife. Renkin tossed me a new outfit, his arms scooping up Pumpkin.

"Didn't our father tell you to calm the fuck down!" He roared thunderously, letting me tug on my navy dress pants and ivory wool blouse. "You almost fucking killed her. I suggest you get out of here for a m-" Raising my hand up, his lips parted in protest the moment I snatched her into my arms. Sprinting towards the castle, Renkin mentally ordered the doctor to get the hospital room ready.

"I am sorry that I lost my temper." I huffed as we got closer to the castle, his eyes rolling. A doctor grabbed her from my arms the moment we entered the castle. Renkin pinned me to the wall, his fist slamming into my face repeatedly. A fiery rage contorted his face, my old man peeling us apart. Holding us by our foreheads, my girls cooed in their slings. A snarl twitched on his lips, his punishment tone shutting us down. Stepping back, Renkin refused to look at me.

"You both behaving like fucking heathens. You are an ass for shifting on your wife and punching your brother was incredibly stupid!" He roared ferociously, knocking us to the ground. "She's potentially dying. Get your fucking act together! You are the king now. Act like one!" Rubbing the dawning bruises on my face, the swelling did a number on my face. Thankfully my new beard hid most of the damage.

"Come on, pops! He hurt her. This time it wasn't a little wound but huge gashes." He retorted hotly, my chest tightening. "We need to do something about it." Every breath grew shorter, a battered Pumpkin limping out with a nurse yelling at her to slow down. Getting down to my level, her bruised hands cupped mine. Humming our song, my breathing slowed down to normal. My old man and brother watched with wonder, her lips kissing mine gently. A tender blush rose to my cheeks, her forehead pressed against mine.

"I need you to take deep breaths. I will be fine. Everyone goes a little insane every now and then." She avowed lovingly, a deep guilt gnawing at me. "I don't care what you did to me. Not everyone has a demon spirit in them." The nurse tapped at her shoulders, my heart fluttering at her kind smile.

"Could you cut the shit! I need to comfort my husband first and foremost!" She snapped hotly, her voice softening at my face. "You are my king, also my one and only. If you want I will tell you every nightmare I have. I love you with all of my heart. Don't you ever forget it. Heal!" A bright light glowed on my skin, my bruises and swelling fading away. Popping to her feet, it was obvious her bones had already healed. Walking back in with the nurse, she apologized sincerely to the poor demon. Renkin stomped off, kicking the air on his way to Ivory. Turning back towards me, he snapped his fingers in my direction.

"I don't care that you are the king, you need to sort things out with your brother." He uttered in that tone, a stern look shutting down any protest. "Go now!" Struggling to my feet, he pushed me in the direction he stomped off. Peeking into the conference room, Renkin spun a golden coin around. Plopping down across from him, he threw the coin in my direction. Catching it in my palm, his eyes refused to meet mine. Clearing his throat, a lecture was about to head my way.

"You need to learn how to meditate so that shit show doesn't happen again." He grumbled under his breath, his lips pressed into a thin line. "I will have Ivory start working with you on that." Leaning back in my seat, he was correct as always. Laying my head on the table, he walked over to the chair next to me. Patting the top of my head, a strained oh left my lips. How could he go from angry to the greatest brother in the world in mere seconds?

"You don't think I don't know that. Why do you insist on patting my head like when we were younger?" I groaned tiredly, a sly grin spreading cheek to cheek. "I am the king, you know." Drumming his fingers on the table, he flipped another coin through his fingers. Leaning back in his chair, he placed his feet on the table. As hot headed as he could be, he always knew when to rein me in.

"You wouldn't be where you are today if Alice didn't take the risk in getting you to your crown." He pointed out simply, playing with the tips of my ears. "Alice is entertaining and improving Hell overall. The different territories are already thriving. She may not listen in the meetings but it seems that she hears the most important parts. If I am correct, she must be at a genius level of intellect. She amazes me. No one has ever beat me at the first meeting, alas I deserved it. How can I say it? The moment she kicked my ass is the moment I woke up. Something about her begs for you to follow her. Although, she certainly can be a burden. She didn't even hurt you when you were attacking her." Burying my face into the table, he didn't need to remind me. Lifting up my head for a second, a curious glint twinkled in his eyes. His tongue must have been made of silver, my respect growing for him. For years I fought his caring actions, being too young to appreciate them for what they were.

"Tell me how to make it up to her. Lately, all she does is zone out or cry." I admitted with a sigh, my wits at an end. "She flashes everyone a smile while I can see the emotional war on the inside. You should have seen the fear in her eyes. The scary part was that I couldn't stop myself." Sobbing into the table, the dam had officially burst. A soft knock interrupted my crying session, a bandaged up Pumpkin sat on the table. Laying back, her hair splayed out around her.

"I think I need help. I am emotionally at the end of my rope. Do you think Ivory could help me out?" She asked politely, resting her hands on her flat stomach. "I feel like I am doing everything wrong. I should be graduating high school and I am the queen of Hell. What worries me the most is how am I going to teach my kids to actually be kids? I have never been one. Hell, what is happiness? All of this time and I still don't get it. Ivory hides her sadness so well but I can see traces of trauma in the way she smiles." Renkin was rendered speechless, tears welling up in his eyes.

"I did experience enough trauma to kill a person." Ivory choked out awkwardly as she laid down on the table next to Pumpkin. "I shouldn't be shocked that you can see through my bright smiles. My mother and father were as cold as they come. They would beat me all the time if I made one small error. Imagine the joy with Renky over there bargained for me to be in his court. He rescued me in a way. May I rest my head on your shoulder?" Taking her into a warm embrace, my old man came in with the girls. Passing them to me, he slid into the chair next to me.

"How are you holding up, kiddo?" He fussed with a grimace on his face, Pumpkin shaking her head. "You don't have to lie." Laughing serenely to herself, her nose scrunched up in pain. Shifting her gaze to him, a quick thumbs up was all she could muster. Snores bounced off the walls, sweet slumber having stolen both Ivory and Pumpkin away. Happy to see her sleeping without a nightmare for now, an observation would be necessary. Thanking her in my mind for all that she did, I hoped for an eternity with her. Sliding over a list of the expenses for the ball, the numbers melted into one. Renkin broke everything down for me, explaining that it would be pennies to host this blasted event. His patience had improved upon meeting my wife, all of us doing a whole lot better.

"The tailor will pop by your room tomorrow to get your measurements. We need you two looking your best." He remarked calmly, the numbers still confusing the shit out of me. "I will handle the financial side of things. A menu tasting in order as well. She must approve of the menu after all. Thanks to her negotiations with the nobles, they will be distributing a fair amount of the ingredients. I am off to take my future wife to bed." The legs squeaked as he stood up, his arms scooping up Ivory. Exiting the room, my old man draped his arm over my shoulder.

"I am proud of you. I simply want you to know that. I can't believe my son is the king of Hell." He gushed with his crooked grin, playing with the girls. "Do me a favor. Try not to fox out again. The fear in her eyes was warranted. I still remember the first time you did that to me. Shit almost made its appearance that time. You cried after each time. The weeks that followed were the worst part. You tended to let guilt devour you whole until I snapped you out of it." Dismay dimmed my eyes, the shame mixing with the guilt. My old man had been my rock throughout my childhood as the rest of the nobles avoided me like the plague.

"What if I killed her? I don't understand her. She kept trying to get me out of it with her words and goddamn hugs. What did that get her? A whole bunch of bandages that make her a mummy is what." I whispered harshly, attempting not to wake her up. "Then she checks to make sure I am okay when she is in the worst shape. I am m-" Ruffling my hair, my ears pinned back.

"You are not a monster, simply emotionally immature at times. Hell, we all are at certain points." He returned in his warm tone, the tears welling up in my eyes. "Your mother had the fox spirit in her and boy was she as bad as you. We would get into fights and she would tear me up. No matter how bad she got, I kept trying to talk her down. Sometimes the attacks hurt more than the others. She would say the same thing to me too. Listen, your mother will always hold a special place in my heart. Freedom loving was the only way to describe her. I can't believe you are letting your ears and tail hang out. You must really love her. Cherish her. I have to go." Waving goodbye, a puff of smoke took him back home. What was I going to do? First thing first, I had to make it up to my wife. An idea popped into my mind, a wicked grin curling across my lips. Tomorrow was going to be fun after everything, a long sigh escaping my lips.