Bursting out of Cassie's apartment, Kevin rushed down the stairs, through the side door, and into the pouring rain, narrowly avoiding a trash can beside the door. Muttering under his breath, he shoved it aside and sprinted along the sidewalk, his boots slipping on the slick cobblestones as he splashed through puddles that reflected the streetlights in fractured patterns.
Lucifer had granted him only thirty minutes to find Charlie, and if she were indeed at the Gazebo in Woldenberg Park as he claimed, he would lose almost ten minutes just to get there.
So he ran!
Ran with his heart beating painfully against his chest.
Ran with eyes blinded by tears and falling rain.
Ran with the desperation to apologize for not standing up for her the way she'd stood up for him.
Ran with the impossible idea that he could steal her away and hide her somewhere away from both Heaven and Hell.
Eight minutes later, when he finally reached the bottom of the stairs leading to the Gazebo, he had to stop and lean against one of the yellow poles as he struggled to catch his breath. Although Charlie had physically healed him just over an hour ago, fatigue was starting to set in from everything he had endured. Sacrificing thirty seconds, he stole some deep breaths to fill his lungs, despising every moment lost.
When air filled his lungs again and he felt steady enough, Kevin clenched his teeth, pushed himself upright, and jogged up the stairs to the crest of the park, where he spotted the Gazebo thirty yards away. Despite the heavy downpour, the faint light from nearby lampposts illuminated the princess standing beneath the structure. She had her back to him and her arms wrapped tightly around herself, seeming to stare into the darkness beyond the river's edge.
He ran again.
Ran for her.
Knowing she'd hear him even as the tempest of the storm blew loud in his ears, he cupped his hands around his mouth. "Charlie!"
He observed her body move as she turned, but couldn't see her face from afar, though her posture showed the depth of her despair. He felt it himself. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally entered the Gazebo, escaping the heavy rain that drummed against the wooden roof above. He wiped his brow and slicked back his drenched hair as he slowly approached her.
She mirrored his approach but in reverse, retreating until she pressed against one of the pillars at the gazebo's edge. Lifting her chin, she squeezed her eyes shut, gasping out short sobs she tried to hold back as her fierce tears mixed with the stinging raindrops striking her face. But the moment Kevin reached her, wrapping her in his arms, what little control she had fought to hold onto broke.
Holding Charlie as tightly as possible, Kevin futilely tried to shield her from the impending magic that would soon take her. Burying his face in her hair, his warm breath fought against the chill in her bones.
"I'm so sorry! You were right; I should have stood up to your father. I failed you."
Between sobs, she disagreed. "No." She shook her head against his shoulder, "No, you're right. You and Dad. Deep down, I knew I couldn't stay." She swallowed, the back of her throat constricting with another sob, "I realized it the moment I got here, and I regretted running away." Her shoulders shook with each word as she continued, "Daddy's taking me home, and I wasted our time on a temper tantrum? I'm such an idiot!"
"Then why didn't you just come home?" His throat constricted around the question.
"Because I'm an idiot?" Her hoarse, pain-filled voice broke with a mirthless laugh. "And I was scared. I don't know if I can bear to see your face when you watch me fade. I don't want to hurt you anymore!"
He gripped her shoulders as his voice cut through her anguish. "Look at me!"
Obeying, she revealed red-tinged eyes—not blazing with demonic power, but bloodshot with the raw grief of a breaking heart.
"I'm making you a promise, Charlotte Morningstar. When I die, I'm coming for you!" Kevin swore the oath with no quarter to argue.
"How!?" Her voice cracked. "You're an angel, Kevin, and Heaven's where you'll go."
"Then I'll find a way to escape it," his jaw clenched. "I found my redemption because of you. I regained my faith. Because of you! If I'm worthy of Heaven? Worthy of reward? It's because of you! And the only reward I desire is to be at your side, even if it's in Hell!"
"You'd give up eternal peace for me?" Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks as the weight of his words settled over her.
"I'd sell my soul for you, Charlotte Morningstar!"
Charlie's face crinkled up, the ache overwhelming, but she managed a watery smile through her tears. "It's Charlie, remember?"
His response was physical. Crushing his mouth to hers, he roughly pushed her against the pillar. As they devoured each other amid the storm's fury, lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the lovers against a pitch-black backdrop.
Aggressively, she shoved him off of her, causing him to stumble in surprise. But, just as quickly as she'd pushed, her fingers curled around his arm, and her foot swept out, taking out his legs. A move she'd learned from her training with her sister, Cassie. Kevin fell with a grunt, but Charlie braced the impact to the wet floor of the structure with her demon strength, holding his head and upper back just millimeters off the ground.
Resting him gently down on the wet surface of the Gazebo, she was much less gentle in how she mounted him and leaned down to capture his lips with her teeth. She nibbled him with loving bites, then drove her tongue into his mouth to find his. There, they surrendered to the experience, oblivious to everything around them.
As they devoured each other, Kevin's hands slid beneath her T-shirt, grasping her smooth, wet skin, eliciting a gasp from her. In return, she bit his earlobe, chewing it softly as her tongue darted between parted teeth to taste him. They let a few minutes of silent love fill their souls until Kevin decided it was his turn.
Catching her off guard, he nudged her off him, twisted his body over her, and pinned his princess beneath him. Immediately, she felt the soaked ground against her back as his hot body pressed against her, and the contradicting sensations only heightened her arousal. She was pinned, a captive to her lover's hunger.
Spreading her legs, Charlie heard Kevin grunt as he fell upon her. She could feel the bulge in his pants press against her heat, and she throbbed with regret that she couldn't take him—right then and there—as they both needed. Instead, she drowned herself in the union of their kiss, the feel of his hands on her, and the friction of wet fabric rubbing together in simulated desire.
With his palms pressed against the wet concrete, Kevin pushed up and looked at Charlie with such desire and need that she almost repeated her trick from the other morning, just so she could feel him inside her one last time. But before she could consider it, he moved away, lifting off her and standing. Holding his hand out, she took it with regret at the lost opportunity, and with his help, she rose to her feet.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the photo he'd taken from the apartment. His voice was thick with desire and loss. "Do you think you can take this with you?"
Too afraid to speak, lest her voice break into a thousand shards, she nodded once instead. She traced his hand with her fingers as he slid his fist down her waist, the photo bending in his grip and dampening against her shirt, until he slipped the photo into the pocket of her ripped blue jeans.
The intimacy of his hand near her center caused her to flush, cheeks heating up again. Pulling him against her, she pressed her lips to his again, with a kiss that was much more tender and sweet than the fevered ones before. When they parted for air, she drew back from their embrace and held a finger to his lips to still him.
"I have something for you, too." Reaching behind her neck, she unclasped her amulet's chain and pulled it from her soaked black cotton T-shirt. She pressed it firmly into his wet hands, worry creasing her brow. "Keep this for me? To remember me?"
"Charlie." Kevin breathed.
He stared at the jewel, glistening from water that caught the reflection of the nearby street lamps. Chest tight, he gave her a brave smile and, with her help, clasped it around his neck. Neither of them could find any other words, not that they were any more important than the desperate desire to taste each other again. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she locked her mouth to his.
As their fevered embrace grew more intense, he felt the sting of her sharp teeth clip his bottom lip. Opening his eyes, he saw that her pupils had altered, become demonic. However, they didn't shine from anger, but lust. Lust and desire had called forth her power.
Realizing what she had done, Charlie quickly backed away, her face reflecting fright—reminiscent of the first night she had feared he would flee from her. His eyes, however, showed only intense desire, and he responded by crushing his mouth against hers again, allowing her teeth to graze him once more.
He felt her hands, with clawed fingers, pull at his back as if to swallow him whole. The sensation of her sharp nails sent a tingling thrill throughout his body, causing his arousal to press painfully inside his soaked jeans. He knew he would gladly be her sacrifice if it meant he could return to Hell with her.
When they parted to catch their breath, her eyes crinkled with apology at the sight of blood welling on his lips. He responded to her look with a predatory smile. Reaching up, he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back to him once more. The tug was rough, almost violent. It hurt, and she loved it.
Moaning, she felt his lips, slick with rainwater, tears, and blood, press against her neck, then yelped as he bit her, asserting his dominance over her. Her thick voice rumbled with demonic resonance, spilling out in pure lust. Reveling in the thrill of submitting to him, the rest of her hybrid form burst forth; horns bursting above her brows, and her tail sprouting from her rear.
Swallowed up by the passionate moment, he grabbed one of her horns, twisting her head to the side so he could ravage her throat. After leaving his mark on her, he trailed his lips downward. Knowing what he wanted, she grabbed the hem of her cotton shirt and, with demon strength, tore it open, exposing her breasts to him. Her gaze locked with his as he nipped at her tits, bringing forth a low rumble of ecstasy from her throat, and she wrapped her tail around his waist to keep him close.
It seemed they'd escaped to a place where they could forever be intertwined, where past, present, and future would be frozen, leaving them to drown in each other's love for eternity.
But such dreams wouldn't last. The moment was stolen from them when Charlie gasped, her eyes widening not in pleasure but in fear, and she pulled back so her lover's lips lost their grip on her nipple.
Rising up to study her trembling face, Kevin brushed his hand along her cheek, concern growing in his eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Cassie spoke the spell!" She shook her head vigorously in disbelief. "Not now!" She gripped him frantically. "Kevin!? I don't want to go!"
Pressing his forehead firmly against hers, he grasped her arms and pleaded, "Be strong, my Princess of Hell! I love you!"
As the invisible magics began to swell up from the ground and pull at her, she spat a cruel curse at them. She would not let them take her without saying goodbye. With a cacophony of emotions overwhelming her, she captured every wisp of power and strength she possessed, wrapped them into a ball of fury, and unfurled her wings one final time.
Encircling them both, she attempted to shield them from Hell's grasp and rain's bombardment as they fell together to their knees. With a brave smile and one last sniff, she lifted her face to his so she could lock his eyes to hers. "I love you, too, my Angel. Never forget me!"
Then, the magic won over her stubbornness, enveloping her; her body shimmering and glowing with an ethereal light. Her time had arrived. In a rush, she set her lips to his one last time, engraving the sensation and taste of her lips into his mind.
Eyes closed, Kevin felt the heat of her lips for a fleeting moment. Then he felt nothing. Opening his eyes, he saw the river swell before him, and nothing else.
Princess Charlie Morningstar was no more.
A single flash of lightning tore across the sky, illuminating Kevin's defeated silhouette, his still form plastered against the black cloth of summer's night.
The storm's fierce winds drove the heavy rain almost sideways, pelting the Gazebo and soaking him completely. But he didn't feel a thing. Staying on his knees, he rested one hand on the ground where the love of his life had been just moments earlier.
Throat ravaged from grief, he pleaded into the Earth, "Please, my Princess of Hell: Wait for me to come home."