Music Recommendation: Sweet Brutal Suite by Jeff Russo
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Calhoun stared at the lone feather that was drenched in blood. He tried to tug it out from Madeline’s back, but it appeared as if the feather was stuck in her back, creating a slight resistance. Because of the bond that they shared, he could tell that she was still in pain by the way her hands continued to grip his back with her nails digging into his skin.
“I told you not to test your powers when I am not around you,” whispered Calhoun. One hand of his had touched the lone feather, and the other was placed on Madeline’s lower back to keep her in his arms. “You would have been in so much pain, and I would have felt guilty for not being beside you. To help you.”
“It hurts,” replied Madeline, her hands trembled. She felt as if the bones on her back were shifting and changing in their structure.
Calhoun gathered her more closer to him. “I know it’s painful. It will feel worse than anything you have ever experienced before. I felt it too when my wings were coming out. Only that, first came the markings on my body and then came the wings. Your wings are coming out, Maddie. Try healing yourself, darling,” he said next to her ear.
Amid the pain that she felt, Madeline pulled away from him with difficulty, and she looked into Calhoun’s eyes, “Wings?”
As he smiled, he controlled a cough that erupted from his throat that had her on alert. Her already furrowed eyebrows deepened, and she dropped her hand down from his shoulders, while her hands turned to fists.
“You’re hurting, the same way as I am,” she said, ready to pull herself away from his arms, but Calhoun didn’t let her go. Her heart broke seeing how he held her despite him being in pain because of her, “Let go,” she whispered, her eyes filling up with tears.
“Never,” answered Calhoun, “I promised to take care of you.”
“Not at the expense of you getting hurt,” said Madeline, noticing how he clenched his jaws. She was scared to touch him with her hands. Even though Paschar had given her the book that could help her with certain things, she realized to control her ability, it was something she would have to do it herself. “What happened to sharing things?” Her body started to relax, but her lips were set in a thin line. Calhoun noticed how her nose had turned slightly red.
One side of his lips pulled up and he said, “Isn’t that what we are doing?”
Madeline shook her head, “My presence is hurting you-“
“But not anymore,” Calhoun interrupted her, “I am fine.” But Madeline knew that he was good when it came to hiding certain things.
“I will try not to worry too much about it, so tell me when I am hurting you,” she flinched at the end of her words, feeling something coming out of her back. It felt nothing less to needles that were trying to push open themselves through her skin, and she felt her blood trickle down her back.
“Of course, my dear,” said Calhoun, trying to distract her. When her hands pressed against his shoulders, he felt pain strike in his chest. But he didn’t let it show on his face and his composure stayed the same, “By keeping you near, I might help in taking away the pain that you feel.”
Madeline couldn’t concentrate on what he was saying because she felt every prick and push on her skin as if it was trying to stretch the wound, “Is this how painful it’s going to be when we will have babies?”
Calhoun didn’t care about the pain he felt, not when he could hear what Madeline just said now. In her presence, everything else disappeared around him, and it was only Madeline that mattered.
“I think that’s how you might feel,” he brought his own hand away from her back to brush the back of his fingers against her cheek, “Giving life is not as easy as it is when you take it away. I cannot wait to have our children, Madeline. To have our own family,” he whispered to her, his forehead touching hers.
Madeline tried to breathe, huffing for air as she forgot to breathe because of the pain. When Calhoun pulled his head away from her, she went to place her forehead on his shoulder, letting it rest while leaning on him for support.
“What else did you think about?” questioned Madeline, trying to divert her mind, while waiting for the pain to pass away like the previous times.
“To love you from night to dawn, and from dawn to dusk. To go to nearby villages, and spend time together. There has been a mention about a gathering that was proposed before the night of the Hallow,” said Calhoun, tracing circles with his hand in the hopes to soothe her. “It was Javier’s idea. Saying people want to build something called a theatre that can be used for people’s entertainment. Music, dance, play. Also, we could have more time for ourselves with our children, teaching them things about the world.”
While Madeline was gasping for air, Calhoun caught sight of two more feathers that started to sprout from her back. Feathers started to emerge from both sides of her back, surfacing out which were drenched in blood, turning the white feathers red.
Madeline was born from the family of fallen angels, but in truth, her soul, her very essence came from the angel named Paschar who was still an angel and part of Heaven. She was called as the Dark Angel who was not supposed to exist, because of the powers which she held within her that was still growing. Calhoun could tell that there were people out there who were not only thirsty to have her soul, but at the same time they were equally scared of what she could do.
Her body flinched and clenched while he saw the feathers grow out of her back, and they continued until her wings were completely out. There were some feathers that were white, turning a combination of red and white. They were a beautiful pair of wings which were of decent size.
“You did well, Maddie,” Calhoun kissed her head.
Madeline pulled herself to turn and have a glimpse of the wings that had appeared. The pain in her body had disappeared. But before she could continue to look at it in awe, her wings caught fire and in less than two seconds, they burned in thin air as if they didn’t exist anymore. She felt the wounds on her back had started to heal itself and the pain had disappeared.
“Your wings must be remembering what happened when they were last burnt down,” explained Calhoun, “Some things have their own memories, and they relive by themselves. Give it a day so that they rest.”
Did that mean she had wings now like Calhoun?
“I thought only angels have wings,” whispered Madeline, her words holding a tone of confusion and excitement in it.
“Paschar’s lover, your mother, she concieved you when the angel was still a heavenly being and he hadn’t turned to a mortal. His powers passed to you, Maddie. Which means,” said Calhoun, “You are part of the Heaven too.”
