What Consequences

Ren stared at Charlotte with a mixture of morbid intrigue and indifference. “You gonna be okay over there?” he asked, trying to decide whether or not he really cared.

He quickly realized he didn’t.

But he’d already gone this far.

There was no turning back now.

The blonde angel looked up dreamily from the plate she had barely touched at her place at the head of the table. “I’m wonderful.” The corners of her ruby lips lazily curved towards the haziness of her sky eyes. “Thank you for asking.”

“You don’t look wonderful.” The man snorted. “You look like shit.”

“Thank you. You’re too kind.” The fork in her hand made the long journey to the woman’s mouth, and she chewed the bite with extreme care.

Ren shook his head, amazed at Charlotte’s transformation over the last couple of days. He much preferred the quiet, vegetative Charlotte over the Charlotte who was constantly in everyone’s business, poking around in matters that didn’t concern her. Sure, that nosiness and attention to detail had been beneficial to him while in The Guard, but it was of no use to him anymore. All he wanted from her now was access to her home— a place with walls and a roof, food, and a warm bed to toss his woman onto at the end of the day. He didn’t need much. He really was just a man of simple pleasures.

Ivy reached out and brushed her fingers against the angel woman’s arm, gaining her attention. “Perhaps you’re tired? You worked so hard today. It might be a good idea for you to go to sleep early tonight. You do have to be at the castle early tomorrow to watch Cassiel again. You can leave your plate. We’ll take care of it.”

“Yes.” Charlotte obediently pushed her chair from the table and stood. “Good night.”

Ren watched her make her way across the dining room, his grin growing with each one of her steps, until she made her way into the hallway and out of sight. He turned to the fae, oozing with delight. “Please tell me she’s gonna be like this forever? Completely brain dead.”

A sense of dread suddenly overwhelmed the girl as the potential consequences to her actions were brought to light. “Oh no! I sure hope not. I didn’t really consider whether or not that was a possibility.” She looked to Zero, tears filling her eyes, lip trembling. “It isn’t, is it? What if it is? What if I broke her?”

Zero wasn’t sure about the ramifications that keeping a person in a constant fanciful state of mind could cause, but it was probably safe to assume that it wouldn’t be completely positive. How long could someone have their short term perception of reality altered before it began to impact them in the long term? In which ways would it affect them? Their personality? Their physical and mental well-being? The angel behaved as if she was living in a fantasy. Would she be able to remember it, and if so, what kind of potential push back could there be once that was taken away from her?

It was a lot of uncertainty that the devil didn’t have the answers to.

“It should be fine,” he decided, unwilling to put forth any more effort into considering a possible outcome that he had no real interest in. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Do you really think so?” Ivy asked, willing to put her complete trust in Zero.

However, the boy couldn’t lie to her. “Maybe. I don’t really know.”

Ivy turned desperately to Sakura for assurance, the woman already digging into Charlotte’s abandoned supper. “Sakura? Did I break her?”

The vixen took a bite and chewed the question over. “It’s possible. I’m sure you’re using the same magic that the fae use to seduce men, and it’s rumored that they always come back insane. But that’s after months of them being gone. I think as long as it doesn’t go on for more than a couple of weeks then she’ll be able to bounce back to normal relatively quickly.” Sakura didn’t know if what she said was even close to being true, but it seemed reasonable, and that was good enough for her.

The girl sighed, not knowing what to think. “How much longer are we going to be here?”

Ren scowled and slumped back into his chair. “Hopefully not much longer. Trust me, Little One, I’m not enjoying being here anymore than you are.” Sure, it had had its appeal for the first few days when his vivacious woman would sneak to the fifth floor and lure him away from his research. But it quickly became apparent that her seductions—though very much enjoyed and appreciated— were more of a hindrance than a help, and if he was ever going to get through the seemingly endless rows of convoluted records, then the fun times would need to be drastically cut back on, reluctantly so. Even though it was a good thing that angels kept such precise records, it was exhausting having to scour over them all in order to find the pertinent information he desired. The sooner he finished up, the better off they’d all be.

“Is it possible to let her go back to normal,” the vixen suggested, “then erase her memory when it’s time to leave?”

“No!” the man snapped, pointing at the fae with a nearly crazed expression. “Leave her be. She’s perfect just the way she is.”

Sakura stood as she finished the second plate and began gathering the others’ dishes. “That’s kind of harsh. We have no idea what the effects to Ivy’s magic could be. It could all be fine, or it could fuck her up for life. I know she’s an angel, and I’m not exactly fond of her either, but she still did help you get out of The Guard.”

The Fallen One didn’t see it the same way. “The only person she helped was herself. I was the best entertainment The Kingdom had to offer that sick, sadistic woman. Do you know how many times she gave me false information on a Rogue One? Telling me that it would be worthwhile only for it to take off not even an hour of my time?”

She didn’t, but she was sure he would let her know all about it. “How am I…”

“Eighteen,” he interrupted. “I chased, butchered, and brought back eighteen Rogue Ones for not even a day closer to freedom. You want to know how many actual one hour Ones I brought back?”

The woman sighed and made her way to the kitchen. “I don’t. Now quit your whining and come help with these dishes. They’re not going to clean themselves, and it’s not fair that Zero and Ivy keep getting stuck with them while you lollygag about.”

Ren obliged, pushing himself away from the table and walking past the pair, pointing at the girl once more. “Leave her. You’re doing great. I’m sure there will be no negative repercussions whatsoever. Don’t. Change. Anything.”

Ivy wasn’t so sure, and the man wasn’t helping to put her mind at ease. It was best if there were no traces of a fae and devil ever being in The Kingdom, but she didn’t want to cause harm in order to do so. She may have had a better grasp on handling her abilities to control others, but it had only led to a whole new host of problems.

She had finally stopped feeling so helpless, but now she had circled right back to where she had begun.

Zero looked at the girl, her despair written all over her lovely face. She was always so caring, so concerned for those around her. It didn’t matter whether or not they deserved it, she only ever had love and compassion to give. “You can’t concern yourself too much with it. It’s what needs to be done,” he told her. It wasn’t much of a comfort, but it was the truth.

Ivy nodded, focusing on her clasped hands on the table. “It is,” she agreed, but the regret and worry was thick. “But what if it causes Charlotte to be like all those human men that the fae take back? What if she goes insane?”

He thought on it, taking his time to choose the correct words. “I think it may different. The men that the fae take are gone for months, maybe years, and are used for breeding. I’m sure there are some that don’t mind, but what about the ones who do? The ones who have ones they truly love and families back home. It seems like it would be a form of torture. Either you’re being forced into it when you don’t want to, or you’re being forced out of it when it is what you want. Charlotte's being made to stand in front of a door for a few days and do some dishes. It’s not nearly the same thing.”

“That’s true, but she’s just been so nice,” she sighed. “Opening her home to us, and all I’m doing is taking advantage and manipulating her.”

Zero could argue that the woman had been doing the same, and her kindness only extended as far as what she could gather from them. She wanted to dip her fingers into everything, to have information that could further her own self interests. She hadn’t hesitated to attempt to manipulate the situation to her benefit by inviting them to stay, keeping them near in order to monitor them closely. It just so happened that the angel couldn’t compete with the fae, and the tables had turned on her. “Maybe, but nice or not, she’s still an angel. Her loyalty is with her god, and it always will be. It’s not to us. Sooner or later, when it suits her needs, she’ll talk about us, and it’ll put us in an even more difficult position than the one we’re in now.”

The girl looked up at the boy, his crimson eyes proof of his devil blood. Blood that angels wished to spill, and eyes that would serve as a trophy. They would never be able to take it from him, but they would try. And what would that mean for Ren and Sakura? Ren had knowingly taken and hidden the boy’s existence and Sakura was compliant in it. There was no way The Kingdom would just turn a blind eye to their part in harboring a devil.

It was risk she would never be willing to take.

She would do anything to keep them safe.

Even if she had to use others to ensure it.

Ivy stood, her hand running along Zero’s jaw, resolute in her decision. “I think the best thing may be to let Charlotte and everyone in The Kingdom sleep. I think that’ll be the kindest thing to do.” She leaned down and kissed him, smiling as she pulled away. “No one will remember you. Ever. I’ll see you once I’m done.”

He watched her leave the dining room; the girl’s change of heart and new sense of purpose reflected in the way she sauntered from the room.

She was beautiful.

Mesmerizing.

And a little frightening, as well.