As I plunged the knife towards my victim a hand reached out and caught my arms. Holding one arm behind my back the knife was wrestled from the other held above my head. My eyes blazed in fury as I stared at the man in front of me struggling through the mist in my head to recognize him.
"Don't." he whispered.
"Please" I pleaded tears streaming down my flushed cheeks. "Let me go. Don't touch me."
"I can't. You have enough of your Great Aunt Marian in you that the guilt you would feel after killing him would kill you."
"I can handle it. The bastard deserves it."
"Magdalene, look at me. I have been your best friend for seventeen years, I know you inside and out. This madness is not you. Don't let it control you. You aren't your father. And as your best friend I won't let you have this scar on your soul."
"…Julius…."
"Of course, my love."
At those words the mist cleared and I recognized the man who had me held in one arm with one foot on the chest of a man on the ground. His wings were wrapped around his body cradling me. As he let the man up he set me on my feet. I finally recognized him. It was my gardener holding a bouquet of poisoned black roses. I broke down and collapsed against Julius's shoulder, as he lowered me to the ground I heard him whispering,
"I'm here. I'm here. It's okay. It'll be okay."
As he whispered in my ear I noticed the gardener drop the roses and start running towards the town, probably to tell the villagers about the mad woman who had tried to kill him. I fell asleep with my head in Julius's lap as he stroked my blonde curls away from my sapphire eyes as they finally closed and my body relaxed. I felt him pick me up once I was sleeping deeply. Julius's spread his wings and sheltering me in his arms like a child he took off towards my home. As he landed he handed me off to my father who had been standing at the bottom of the stairs as my mother ran out the door.
"Thank you, Julius. We were so worried." Magdalene's mother said breathlessly.
"It's my duty, Jezebelle, Diablo. As her best friend and bodyguard, it is my duty to keep her mind, body and soul safe."
"Come in, won't you?" Diablo offered.
"I really shouldn't."
"Please, I want you here when Magdalene wakes up." Jezebelle says.
I watched as Diablo carried his daughter's small frame up the stairs. Jezebelle waved for me to follow them and disappeared down the hall. I watched as Diablo laid Maggie in her bed and brushed her hair away from her face.
"I love you daddy. I'm so sorry for running off like that."
"It's okay. I love you too my dizzy dreamer."
Smiling I turned and stepped away from the doorway. Diablo put a hand on my shoulder and made his way down the stairs to his wife. I stepped into the room and lay down on the bed beside Maggie. Running my hand through her hair I let it stop on her cheek. Her breath caught then returned to normal. I wrestled with the urge to kiss her then turned away. I stared at the ceiling and a thought came to me.
*Sabrina?* I sent out on a psychic thread towards Diablo's cousin.
*Yes?*
*Are you still an assassin?*
*Does Diablo rule hell?*
*Of course*
*What do you need?*
*An assassin.*
*Who, when, where, why?"
*Magdalene's gardener, now, on the road out of town, and he's a sick little bastard. He tried to kill her.*
*Done*
*Thank you.*
*My pleasure Julius.*
Drawing power from the Ebon-Gray Jewel around my neck I sent the knife I had taken from Maggie spinning into the wall opposite her bed. Pulling her into my arms I wrapped my wings around her and kissed her. She smiled in her sleep and a wave of peace swirled around the room.
I felt him pull me closer and wrap his dark wings around me. I waited for the kiss and it came I was expecting it. I smiled in my sleep and snuggled closer into his chest. I felt the wave of peace emanate from us and swirl around the room. I don't know how long we slept in each other's arms but it was the most peaceful sleep I had ever had. When we woke I looked up into his sleeping face and smiled. Kissing his lips softly I extracted myself from his embrace and retreated to the hallway. Taking the steps two at a time I ran to the parlor where my parents sat having their coffee. I bounded over to the couch where my father sat. I plopped onto the couch next to him and took his mug of coffee out of his hands. I looked over at my mother and noticed her toying with her Twilight's Dawn jewels. I sent her a questioning psychic probe on a matching Twilight's Dawn thread then the same question to my father on a Black spear.
*We were just wondering when the wedding was, darling.*
*He hasn't asked yet.*
*Ah.*
I was my parent's mirror, a Black Jeweled, Black Widow, and a Healer but I also carried my mother's jewel Twilight's Dawn. I had my father's hauntingly sensual looks but my mother's hair and eyes. I was the female version of the Sadist but I also had some of Witch's qualities. I crossed my long legs and leaned against my father breathing in his scent mingling with my mother's psychic scent. I must have fallen back asleep because my dad had to shake me awake when Julius came downstairs shirtless wearing a loose pair of Eyrien practice pants. I rose, straightening my rose colored dress and checking the ties of my black lace corset. As Julius stepped into the parlor my mother and father rose to greet him. Jezebelle kissed his cheek and offered him a cup of coffee as Diablo grasped his hand and thanked him again for returning his daughter back to sanity. I stood silently kicking the rug with my black satin slippers focused on remembering how to breathe.
Watching Maggie stand there looking like she was going to faint I went over and lifted her chin making her look in my eyes.
"Breathe."
Her sapphire eyes caught my gold ones and she let out the breath she had been holding and took a shuddering gasp before smiling at me.
"Sorry. I don't know what came over me."
"It's okay darling."
"You're just so damn beautiful."
"I get that a lot."
Kissing her I turn back to her parents, get down on one knee and look up at them.
"Mr. and Mrs. Angeline, I would like your blessing to marry your daughter. If she'll have me of course."
"Mom," she whispered, "Dad."
They just smiled and Jezebelle said, "It's about time. You two have been best friends for sixteen years. It was about time you asked Julius."
"Seventeen years mom. Since we were two." Maggie mutters.
"I apologize Maggie." she says inclining her head.
Moving on I look at Diablo, he just shook his head and smiled. "Go for it."
I turned to look at Maggie.
"Magdalene Azazel SaDiablo, will you marry me?"
"Of course I will, Julius Samuel Tenneson."
I swept her up in a hug and kissed her lips. Spinning her around, I looked up in her eyes. There was a cautious joy but it was pure. I set her down and knelt down reaching into my pocket. I pulled out a plain gold band set with seven uncut jewels in every color of the rainbow. As I placed it on her hand a tear fell from her eye. I looked up and wiped it away with my thumb gently as I could.
"I love you."
"Today, tomorrow and forever more."