Page 32 of The Human Element (The Human Element Collection #1)
Lorelei’s voice rang out, anger laced with utter disbelief etched in her usually sultry tone, and instantly Daemon regretted this tactic—but they were running out of time, and he needed to get Samuel to find the power he had. But, he could use this to his advantage…
Are you ready for her to truly hate you? Because this one is going to hurt.
Daemon turned his attention to Lorelei and tried to let his eyes show differently from what his mouth was about to say; screaming an apology in his emerald irises in hopes she would understand this wasn’t real.
“Oh Lorelei, so naive! Look at him! You really think this scrawny thing could ever amount to anything other than an absolute nuisance to everyone he comes in contact with?"
Lorelei’s eyebrows furrowed, and he thought tears might come. But she kept her mouth shut.
She’d gotten his message he’d been trying to plead with his eyes—she understood what he was trying to do. She didn’t like it, but she went silent and nodded slightly.
“SHUT UP! I’m not nothing!”
Daemon turned on his heels to face the now half-sobbing, half-raging young demon behind him.
Samuel’s hands that were before gripping for dear life on his sweater sleeves for comfort, were now balled into fists.
Breathing heavily like he couldn’t get enough air, his body was visibly shaking from anger; Daemon nearly expected for him to combust entirely.
Just when Daemon was thinking all he would have to do is hurl one more remark to finish this, there was no need.
Above Samuel, the small drizzling rain clouds had begun spinning into thick, black and grey monstrosities; it looked to be the start of a tornado.
But just as Daemon readied his wings incase of needing to take off and get Lorelei to cover, instead of gusting winds and torrential rain, lightning is what came from the sky, cracking the air around them so loudly, even Daemon had to cover his ears.
Surrounding Samuel in a semi-circle of lightning bolts, they snapped and crackled like a barrier of electric warriors standing guard over their master. Daemon smiled knowingly and nodded at the boy, hoping he now understood why Daemon attempted to rile him up. Samuel did not return the smile.
Instead, his face was plastered in a warped, twisted snarl that Daemon didn’t think resembled Samuel at all.
It did however look familiar to someone Daemon had seen this way before: Lucifer.
For the first time since meeting, Samuel finally looked like his father.
Each lightning bolt struck the ground and made miniature craters in the earth beneath his feet.
The light barely illuminated his face as he finally spoke, not a yell this time, but a steady, seething tone of voice that sounded like it was coming from elsewhere. His eyes now pure, black pits.
“Try smiling at this, Daemon. ”
Samuel lifted a hand and caught one of the lightning bolts coming down beside him in his hand, and like a nuclear explosion in his palm, he held the crackling light a moment, eyeing it fondly.
Then when Daemon thought he might change his mind, Samuel stared at him directly and tossed his hand outward, sending the bolt directly at him.
“Shit. I think I pushed him too much.”
Daemon barely had time to spread his wings and push off from the ground, narrowly evading the lightning bolt; but he forgot who was behind him.
He heard her scream and Daemon tried as hard as he could to get his feet under him fast enough to turn back to block the bolt. Even if it meant taking the full force of the strike himself, he couldn’t let Lorelei be electrocuted!
Another scream came, but it was Samuel’s.
“Nooooooooo!!” Daemon sprung forward, twisting in a flip through the air like a torpedo, his wings encapsulating him in a cocoon with enough room to block Lorelei.
He felt the heat of the light closing the distance behind him and the zapping sting of its force.
Closing his eyes, he braced for the impact: suddenly there was silence.
All he felt was a huffing small frame buried against his chest, hands gripping his shirt tight.
Daemon sighed in relief, cupping the back of Lorelei’s head, his fingers locking in her hair, close to desperate as he stepped back to inspect her and make sure she was all in one piece.
Steadying her as she gave him a weak smile of reassurance that she was alright, Daemon turned to see what happened.
The ground near their feet was singed entirely; Samuel averted the bolt at the last moment.
Samuel was running towards them, the usual Samuel. His eyes were back to their normal red color, and as he reached them out of breath, wanting to go to Lorelei to hug her, he paused and stopped himself short in front of Daemon—waiting.
“Lorelei…Daemon. I am so sorry. I didn’t know I could do that, and it wasn’t until after I sent the lightning at Daemon that I realized what he was doing.
That it was all just to get me to find the power…
.but once I got so angry, I couldn’t stop myself!
It’s like I was clouded by this darkness, and what Daemon was saying brought up all the hurt and shame I have been made to feel my entire life…
I didn’t mean it." Samuel paused and looked directly at Lorelei.
“I understand if you never forgive me.”
Daemon hadn’t realized he was keeping a protective arm shielding Lorelei across her chest until she patted his arm to move, walking over to Samuel and bringing him in for a hug.
“You don’t need to apologize. Controlling negative emotions is hard. And you have endured a lot of heartbreak and neglect. I will always forgive you, Sam. It’s okay.”
Samuel hugged her back and his shoulders released their tension. As they stepped away from each other, they both looked at Daemon. Running his hand through his hair, he chuckled and smiled at them both.
“Well then, let’s keep going, shall we?”