Chapter 21: Christine's Past
"Katerina!" Blackheart's call seemed to surprise the young fortune teller.
"Yes? And must you be so loud?!"
"Have you seen Christine? She was supposed to meet me in the marketplace two hours ago and I can't find her anywhere." He was extremely worried about Christine's safety.
"You must not know," she said, more to herself than to the frantic demon prince.
"Know what? Is she in danger?"
"No. She's safe. Umm… she's probably at home. You need to go to her."
When Christine awoke, a wave of familiar pain wracked through her chest. Oh God, it's today, isn't it? She thought, not getting up. Even though the pain was confined to her chest, she couldn't move at all.
"Christine?" Somehow, Christine was able to sit up and find Blackheart standing in the doorway. She tried to stand, knowing she couldn't. She fell, and somehow Blackheart caught her. "It's that day, isn't it?" She looked up at him and nodded.
There was one day a year when Christine seemed to be in a great deal of pain. He had no idea what caused it, but he knew she couldn't move without being in intense pain. She didn't need to be up.
"You should probably get back in bed, Christine. I know it hurts you to do almost anything." He picked her up, carefully holding her for a minute. "Why did you try to stand? You knew you couldn't." She gave him a somewhat sad look and nuzzled into him. He could feel her trembling. She looked back up at him and he rested his forehead against hers. "It's okay. You'll be safe. I won't let anything happen to you." He laid her back on the bed. "Just rest. I need to see someone, but I'll be here when you awaken. I promise." She nodded and he watched her drift asleep before vanishing in a rush of black smoke.
Katerina blew out the match she had used to light her many candles. Night had fallen but she wasn't closing up shop just yet. She turned around and was surprised to find Blackheart standing in front of her. She gasped and jumped. "What do you want?"
"Answers. I want to know why Christine is in so much pain once a year. And if there's anyway I can help her." Katerina looked at him for a while.
"It's not my place to tell you… but you have a right to know. There is nothing you can do for Christine but comfort her. She died eight years ago today, murdered by a lustful new husband our stepmother betrothed her to."
"But I thought…"
"A few angels still feel the pain of their deaths even a century afterwards." Blackheart sat down, surprised by this news and confused by why Christine had not trusted him with this.
"Why wouldn't she tell me this? And wouldn't she have a scar from her death?"
"She does. Why she hasn't told you I cannot say. But I doubted she could keep it from you." He didn't look convinced.
"She's had five years to tell me and hasn't." He looked up at her, confused. "Wait. How do you know about our kinds? You're only human."
"Christine and I have some…gifts, shall we say, that are not human. Christine as you know by now, can see the future. I, on the other hand, can see demons and angels for what they truly are. That's how I knew who you truly are." Blackheart nodded vaguely, deep in thought.
"Thank you. You've given me the answers I needed. I have to go now." He turned to leave but Katerina caught his arm.
"Be forewarned. Christine knows you'll be forced to Hell soon and refuses to listen to my warnings. She cannot step between you and the Rider. You have to convince her of that. I can only hope she'll listen to you." He nodded again and left.
Christine tossed and turned in her sleep. She watched her vision come to life in her nightmares. Only this time, she felt as though the fires were burning her, searing her skin from beneath. Then, she saw a familiar image. Blackheart pulled her closer to him as she kissed him. That was only a week ago, but she had seen that five years ago in her vision. Even in her sleep, it didn't take long to realize what it meant. Another image flew from the flames. The Rider stood on a rooftop overlooking a couple below.
"Christine!" A voice called her from afar and Christine felt something cold against her face. "Christine! Wake up!" She awoke with a start, looking up into worried sapphire eyes. She sat up and buried herself in Blackheart's chest. She wrapped her arms around him, tightening her grip. "Christine, are you okay?" She shook her head, keeping her face in his chest. "Christine?" She didn't move. "Christine, look at me." She did so reluctantly. Brown eyes met bright blue ones and Christine managed to say:
"Soon."
"What?" She had surprised him.
"He's coming. Soon."
"Do you mean the Rider?" She nodded. "I need to talk to you about…" Blackheart stopped mid-sentence. He stared at her. She soon realized what he was staring at. She pulled up her sleeve, but Blackheart had already seen what she tried to hide.
"Christine, let me." He reached towards her but hesitated. He reached tentatively for her again. He gently pulled down her collar to reveal a scar that had peeked out. She had been stabbed in the heart. His fingers followed the trail of scar that a dagger had left behind. He looked at her and she gave him a saddened look. "How?" Christine stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the busy city streets.
"My husband was a good man. But… when he was drunk he was a monster." She began to play with a gold cross she always wore. "One night, he came home so drunk I could smell him inside. His drinking had made him lustful. He… he tried to force me to sleep with him. But I refused." Her voice trailed off. Blackheart stood up and came up behind her. "He continued to demand but I continued to refuse. He even tried to force me. But I was able to resist him. That's when he pulled out the knife…" She cut off, a tear rolling down her cheek. He made her turn into his embrace, allowing her to rest against him.
"It's okay. It's all over now. I won't let anything happen to you." He pressed a kiss on her head, losing himself in the scent of roses. "Never again."