Author's Notes

Just so you know this is before Nora met Patch and Rixon was imprisoned long before he tried to kill Nora. If you haven't read Crescendo I am sorry for the spoiler. In this chapter there is some sexual harassment and violence.

Nora's POV

The cell door rattled and I jumped out of my skin. I looked around and saw Rixon's guard smiling down at me, I shivered at the glare in his eyes. Last night he seemed judgmental but now he was down right creepy.

"Wakey wakey!" He sang, his eyes never left mine but I was conscious of the movement beside me. I looked over and saw Rixon jump out of bed and stretch. His chest was bare but I could see gruesome scars running down his well defined back. Deep lacerations crossed his skin but the most prominent ones were two scars that ran from his shoulders to his kidneys, in the shape of a V.

"How?" I asked aloud. Rixon turned sharply and caught me staring at his back, he gave me a cold glare that warned me not to ask. I looked away, shamefully and got out of bed.

Neither one of us said anything as we left the cell. Suddenly, Rixon was thrown against the wall, the guards arm pressing his forehead into the cement wall beside our cell. He secured Rixon's arms behind him but I was simply cuffed and pushed in front. As we walked I could hear Rixon's guard whisper taunts at him but I was surprised that Rixon kept his cool, he never said a word to him.

We were taken to a door and flung inside. It became clear, very quickly that we were here for something and in my gut, I was told it wasn't anything good. I was unchained as Rixon was taken deeper into the blackened room, something ran past me and the door was locked behind it.

I turned around as Rixon slammed me into the wall behind me. 100% anger filled his eyes and I didn't understand why, "R-Rixon?"

"915 years I've slept alone in my cell. Why you? Why now?" Rixon whispered, he didn't yell but his calmness was crippling.

I stared at him, unsure if I should speak to him or not. We ended up staring at each other in silence, I could see his soul in his eyes. My heart broke for him, his fear and loneliness was turning him mad and it didn't help matters that he was given a child when he needed a woman. He looked away first and collapsed to the ground. I sat beside him, unsure if I should hug him or not.

"What do you want?" I asked and he looked at me sideways.

"This." He whispered, he wrapped an arm around my back and pulled me against his side. I lay my legs on his lap and pressed my hand on his chest, right over his heart. He lay his hand over mine just as I could hear something from the other side of the door. Rixon heard it too.

"I have to hurt you!" He said, panicking.

"Why?" I asked but before I could do anything, his fist connected with my cheek. I felt myself and my body separate, the more he punched me the more I withdrew and the more I broke.

I felt one of his hands squeeze my neck as the other punched any place it could find. The snap of my ribs made me cry, the young girl inside me was screaming and crying, and surprisingly my demonic nature was trying to comfort her. The next blow was a knock out, it was braced right in front of my face, bloody knuckles that had dripping saliva, running down his fingers but it wasn't delivered. Rixon was restrained and I was carted away.

"Your okay." The voice made me whimper. Caal spoke to me the way my father did, sure and kind, but I must surely be delusional. I collapsed in his arms moments later.

#######

The light streamed in and I winced at the suddenness of it. I felt as if my body was ran over by 90 ton train going 215 miles per hour. My head wasn't as bad, I felt as if I had nothing but wool inside it. I blinked up at the ceiling and noticed the familiarity of it, I was back in my cell. A shadow crossed the room and I turned slowly just as a hand came into view, it was red and cut to pieces but the fingers brushed my hair behind my ear. I looked over and gasped, Rixon was unrecognisable. His eyes were swollen black. The blackness of his eyes were blood red, his nose was squashed to the left side of his face and his lips were angry red and cut to ribbons. I watched as his chest rose and fell irregularly.

"Looks like they did a number on you." I croaked and I could see the guilt in his eyes

"I-I had too." He muttered, "I would rather... have you beaten than... violated."

"What's the difference?" I demanded and he shook his head.

"You're so... innocent! Your more human than any... half-ling I have ever met!" He said, he said it with such emotion that again my heart broke for him. This was my human side! The demon inside me was raving with anger but the little girl could see what it did to Rixon and it instantly forgave him, this side of me was going to get me killed.

"You were protecting me?" I took his hand in mine

"Poorly." he said, his eyes fell down to the floor. I took a deep breath then slowly, moved over. I almost screamed at the slight movement of my ribs. That only mad his guilt worse.

"You broke my ribs?" I asked breathing heavily

"I tried to hold back..." I cut him off by grabbing his vest and yanking him onto the bed beside me, I looked up at him and said, "Just tell me why you thought beating me would have protected me?"

"My guard was checking you out, he told me all the things he was going to do to you. It made me sick and I knew if I didn't make you into a vegstable he would have done it to you." Rixon said and I shivered in fear and disgust.

"Thank you." I kissed his hand and wrapped my arms around his arm holding him close.

"You shouldn't thank me, you should hate me." he whispered and a part of my heart bounced at the sudden and unexpected zing of attraction.

"You were protecting me the best way you knew, the only way without making matters worse." I said and he reached over, groaning as he did and pulled our blankets over us, "What did they do to you?"

I watched his jaw clench then he snarled, "Tortured me. When Caal carried you away, they mutilated parts of my body. I won't tell you the gory details but they did a number on me."

"I think we should rest." I said after a while.

As I lay curled up in his arms, I felt strangely safe with him. I might be mad for saying this but he beat me up to protect me from something or someone worse. He did that, for me, which resulted in him getting tortured. It made me feel closer to him, as in I could trust him. I was still exhausted but as I fell asleep I dreamt about my dad.

"Oh my darling, Nora." This was a memory of my dad and I, before he left Blythe and I.

We were sitting on the floor of his office, his back against his desk with me sitting between his legs. I was showing him my powers, I was so proud of them, at that time I thought I only had the power to conjure spirit like animals and make them do whatever I wanted or that I could shoot sparky balls and turn things to dust. Right at that moment, I was making a doe trot around the office, letting it jump on to the sofa that sat across from his desk or making it disappear through the large, oval table at the left side of the room.

"Daddy's so proud of you." He kissed the top of my head as the door behind us creaked open. We looked up and my older cousin staggered in. At that time she was four and I was three. She rubbed her eyes and ran into the room, she sat beside me.

Dad smiled at me and held us both on his hip, he took us to the sofa making the doe disappear completely. He lay us on his chest with his arms around us, "Sweetheart, I know you can't understand but I need you to know that at some point, I won't be here and it'll be my two girls against the world. I need you to stay strong and protect one another."

"NOPE!" Little Jean scolded making dad laugh.

"I know, I know." He kissed her chubby cheek then the top of my head. My dad had a bond with Jean like had with me and we were so close for it. I don't know how long we were like this but I fell asleep. The next day dad left and everything fell apart.

Rixon's POV

She fell asleep with ease. I never. It sickened me to my core what Gadreel had said to me, We know that a prestigious man like you must have a gorgeous babe to see too and she was the youngest we could find. Consider her your present for the good services you did in Heaven. It took everything I had not to attack him right there and then. I might be an evil, torturing piece of work as everyone sees us but I refuse to hurt women and children, it is sickening and wrong. I know I am bring hypocritical when I say that but honestly, beating her up is something I had to do. If Gadreel could taunt me the way he did, he sure as hell wouldn't cast a second thought in advancing on her when I either wasn't there or I was restrained.

I looked down at her, the girl had her arm around my waist and her head on my shoulder. The girl was innocent, she more human than demon. I brushed a lock of her brown hair from her forehead, at that moment something righted itself inside me. I felt a trust that had been beaten and tortured out of me centuries ago. Funny thing was I don't know her name. I pulled the covers higher so they were over her shoulder, my hands clasped behind her back as I held her against my chest.

Then the cell filled with a chill. I was lucky in some respects, the chill could get so bad that you would wake up to blue arms or hands depending if you slept with your jacket on or not. Me, my entire chest became blue from the cold because I refuse to wear any top to bed, it was the only little control I had at the time and I would put up with the pain and cold if it meant I had some stability. Now I didn't need to worry because the body heat from the girl was enough to stop me shivering.

Author's Notes

I don't know when I'll post another chapter but I am definitely keeping this story going.