The Demon’s Bride

Elise was very curious to know who might killed the ghost. After talking for a good two minutes, Ian came back toward her side with a solemn expression covering his charming face. Seeing his expression, Elise couldn't help but to frown slightly in seriousness, "What's wrong, did you find out who killed him?"

Ian stepped out of the darkness, hand around her waist, he brought her away from the forlorn hallway as not to meet anymore ghosts he spotted around the area, "You would be surprised," he said while meeting her eyes, silence hung and it made her eyes that were blue almost turn red as the candles placed on the walls hovered over her eyes. "It was two dark sorcerers. The ghost said he overheard them speaking of thing about sacrifice and experiments and one of the sorceress killed him for unluckily eavesdropping to their conversation. He barely heard things for us to get the details."

Elise's eyes flickered over hearing about sorcerers, she knew how her power would activate if she wasn't too careful of it and had tried to control her emotions, but upon hearing the dark sorcerers came again to kill, her anger inadvertently boiled in her heart. "What experiments do you think they spoke about? I remember my aunt spoke about bringing people from dead as experiments, do you think it was the same?"

Ian smiled at her quick guess which he also thought the same of. "That could be, dark sorcerers are mostly coward, unless they work together they wouldn't dare to kill a single human alone. That just prove how much they are cautious and don't want to die."

Despite not wanting to die, they had killed people heartlessly, thought Elise. "I can't never understand what they are thinking. They are almost not like a human."

"After seeing your aunt, perhaps they are not a human in literal sense. If not for your aunt, I wouldn't be aware corrupted angels could also turn as a dark sorcerers. I wonder what the angels are doing in Heaven that caused them not to know this," Ian responded, they had left the hallway and exited the building, walking down the long stairs toward the carriage. 

Elise had heard about angels before and it caused her to recollect Karen's words of how there was a man whose name was similar to the archangels the Church spoke of, Gabriel. Even though Ian was a demon, he knows much about Heaven and angels. Curiosity sparks on Elise's eyes, "What would the angels do if they knows about corrupted angels turning as dark sorcerers?"

Ian hummed, his red eyes moving away to look afar before meeting hers again, "Knowing how petty and careful Heaven is, I would guess they would send the archangels to execute the corrupted angels. Corrupted Angels have horns on their head, like Demons which your aunt had." 

Elise heard Ian's words carefully, nodding when she heard about this. "Are the horns sigh of punishment from Heaven?"

"Yes, Heaven loves punishment the most, they can't never leave the angels who had done wrong without forgetting to punish them," Ian replied and watched how Elise sunk to a brief contemplation. The dream she had when she fainted on her Aunt's house was still clear to her memory. She remembered how her eyes were bright golden and horns appearing on her head, similar to the ones Ian had in a different shape. She asked Ian whether it was possible that she was a corrupted angel but Ian denied. 

Ian continued to speak, "Corrupted angels do not have wings as Heaven sees them as an impure being that should not bear white wings, but instead horns and this horn acted also as a sign."

Elise tilted her head as she entered the carriage and sat near the window whereas Ian sat across her to keep more space for her who wore large puffy gown. "What kind of sign?" she asked him when the door clicked close.

"Judgement sign. Demons call them as a stigma, and these stigma help the angels to pin point the whereabouts of the creature they have punished," Ian looked away a little and Elise noticed how his red eyes turn deep as though his emotion boiled for a moment which disappeared within a blink, "Do you remember the name Caleb, I told you before?"

Elise nodded, "Wasn't that the name of the Demon who wished to bring back his beloved from death?" but it ended as a failure as Ian told her.

She watched how Ian tilted his head, the hair he kept comb this evening had turned loose and fell slack beside his ears, he didn't look at her yet and stared at the darkness from the window as though he was reminiscing thing which happened in the past. Ian said in a little daze, "Long ago he received this stigma too by the Angels. After learning that he tried to break the three realm's taboo of bringing a dead person back to life, the Heaven forcefully bring him from Hell, and bind the stigma to his eyes."

"I thought Demons can't enter Heaven," said Elise. She was told Heaven as a pure place where only Angels, Saints, and people who had lead their life according to Heaven's rule would be able to enter. 

Ian's lips tugged to a cold smile, "Caleb's situation was different. While it's true only pure beings child enter Heaven, the people in Heaven often bend the rules they made like this time to bring Caleb with the reason to punish him. Hell wasn't kind to him either and ripped his wings to remind him never to bring his dead lover to life."

Elise haven't met Caleb and had heard about the Demon only for the second time, but his story was filled with heartache, causing her to feel sympathy to the Demon. "It's a tragic story," she whispered, her eyes sinking when she imagine to be on Caleb's shoes. "He only wish to bring his lover back to life but had to go through that much of pain."

Ian pulled her hand, his eyes that settled on her flickered with a gentle fiery sparks, "If I was in his place, I would have done the same. Not everyone in this world could withstand the pain of separation. To be separated with one's friend, family, or lover, no one have ever gone through with it without feeling the empty sadness," Elise noted his long lashes, her eyes couldn't tear itself away from watching him. There was loneliness in his words as if he had spoken based on his own experience. "If I was in Caleb's position, even if I have to lose my wings, horns, or life to see you again, I would do anything for it."

She felt his lips pressed on her knuckles, and at the same time her heart felt full from his words that overwhelmed her, "If I was in his place too, I would also do the same for you." to chase him even if it was to hell, thought Elise to herself.

"You don't have to," Ian chuckled, he patted his lap as if to call her and with an unsteady step, she went to sit on his lap where her cheeks turn red from giddiness, "If I was the one to die you don't need to do anything but wait. I promise you I will come back no matter what means I have to take. I am famous for my persistence."

Her fingers touch his prominent cheekbones and a slight frown was on between her brows showing her unsatisfied respond over his words, "But I am not patient."

Ian chuckled, bringing his finger on her nose, Elise felt little pain as he pinched her nose that had turned red from coldness, "Being selfish are you now? Not that I am disliking it. It feels to me that you are casting away your shell and be more like yourself in front of me, this past few days, which I like very much." he put a little stress over the word like which added more pink to Elise's cheeks.

And Elise had to agree with his words. She had always been herself in front of Ian, but there was still some shyness in her heart that prevent her to act casually to him, but now she could feel herself opening more and show him more colors of herself.

"I decide to be more selfish," said Elise honestly, opening to what she thought during the past few days after seeing her aunt again, "I learn that there would be things that I would lose if I am not selfish."

Ian was curious what made her to change slowly, he asked with a voice full of interest, "How so?"

"I have been thinking of a few things after I took the relics life," she felt Ian's hand slightly tightened over her and found concern on his red eyes. They both know how foreign the thought of killing was to Elise. It wasn't something that she could ever get used to and she thought there would never be a day come where she would ever feel joy after killing someone— even if it was her enemy. "I do feel guilty of killing them, but I think it is an action I needed to take. If I don't I would get killed, and if I die, I wouldn't see you again," her words came from her lips unrushed, careful and gentle, "If there come a day where I have to choose between killing and saving people who are dear to me, I chose to be selfish and kill, even if it is wrong."

Elise had been an apple to Ian's eyes, but now seeing how she had become stronger with each passing day, a feeling if proudness sprout inside his heart, and a smile of satisfaction come on his face. 

The proudness he felt wasn't because Elise could kill people now as she had steeled her heart and brace for it, but it was her unchanging kind heart that made her more attractive to Ian. Although Elise decided to kill people, her reason was still pure— it was to protect the people she loves. Despite his influence which could be seen as bad and cruel, her pure heart remained the same instead become stronger which was very like her. 

"I love that look on you," Ian said, pulling her waist closer and his eyes flickered with a stroke of craving for more warmth which Elise know. 

Elise felt ticklish when his breaths brushed her neck like feather, "What look?"

"Your selfish and determined look," Ian chuckled lowly, his silvery voice brought tremor on her ears and heart, "You know with that one single fierce gaze you had earlier, all ghosts wouldn't be able to come close to you out of fear, but that gaze excites me."

Each of his words squeezed Elise's heart, the way he had spoken as though desire soaked in his breaths stirred something in her. He pulled her chin, as if not wanting her eyes to move even for a split second away from him, whispering very softly, "You could be more selfish, Elise. While looking at me, isn't there anything you would like to do?"

Elise blinked, closing her eyes and opening it again with desire that was affected by him, "What I would like to do?" she asked in whisper, her voice quivering.

"Yes," the one word that escaped from Ian's lips were like love potion, heightening the heat inside her that she couldn't bear it without closing her eyes, "I'm yours, right? You can do anything to me. What is there you would like to try?"

Elise had never been questioned by others of what she would like to do. Only Ian had asked her this, and she wasn't used to make request. Instead she said, "I don't know, what would you like to do?"

Not knowing that her words only break loose some of Ian's restrain, his lips curled higher, "There are many that I would like to try with you. But for now I want your warmth. It's cold tonight, won't you share me some of your warmth?"

The oil lantern inside the small carriage room flickered as the carriage shook when it plowed through the snowy ground. Elise watched the way orange color toned half of his face, "How do I do do that?" she asked in a slow whisper, her words had a seductive tone in it which she wasn't aware of it herself.

Ian pulled his hand from her palm, placing his gloved fingers in between her upper on lower lips. Elise saw the flame flicking on his scarlet eyes when he ordered her, "Bite it and help me take the glove off."

.

A/N: Update to my lovely roses readers, sorry for the late update, and happy belated Valentine. As for my condition, unfortunately I am very ill TT. It makes me feel very depressed how I am unable to write as much as I used to when there are my supporters and readers who wished to read more of Ian and Elise. But I cheered myself by writing more^^ Today I fell asleep for twenty four hours, almost a day and I was very shocked. Is this what Aurora felt when she was casted to sleep? Lol. Anyways, I finished the surgery (thankfully) but still recuperating I'll get better soon, thanks for the support <3