Blood Prize (Bloody Dance #1) (19 page)

TWENTY-NINE

Soji’s face twisted in pain. My eyes widen at the sight of the dagger in his chest. I inhaled deeply my heart squeezed. Soji’s eyes seemed to have locked with mine. His lips moved. ‘I love you.’ As he exhaled, he went skill.

Someone else died. Ban killed another person that was important to me. I could see Soji’s blood pooling from the table and onto the floor. There was a symbol that Ban had painted under the table. As soon as the first drop hit that symbol it started to glow.

I was supposed to protect him. I promised so many people that I would kill him safe. I failed. Yet again I failed. Soji was dead because I was weak. It was the same reason why Shu was dead. Why Amy was dead. My weakness was why Kaleb was gone from this world. More importantly it was why my family was no longer with me.

Rage boiled inside of me. As I looked at the still frame of Soji, I only felt rage. I wanted blood, I wanted Ban’s blood. This was the last time that I was going to let him take someone from me. This was the last time someone would suffer because of Ban.

The glow of the symbol was getting brighter by the moment. I didn’t care about that. I only cared about one thing. Killing Ban, getting back at the demon that takes everything at me. My eyes went back to Soji. It was awful seeing him so still.

Soji was so young, he was pure and good. Soji was a good person. He wasn’t like other people. He knew kindness. He found a way to love a demon. Few people could do that. Soji was special and person and Ban took him from the world.

Moving towards Soji I grabbed the dagger that was in his chest. Ripping it from his body I threw it at Ban. The Great Demon moved to the side slight as the dagger flew by him. He smiled at me, but his eyes shifted to the edge of the rooftop. He was watching something down below. He didn’t care that he just snuffed out one of the brightest lights in this world. Was that what it meant to be a true demon?

So much happened today. I felt . . . I didn’t feel anything. Everything was hollow inside of me. I should have felt something, but even the rage was leaking from me. My eyes shifted to Ban again. He felt things. Ban was a demon in every sense of the word, but even he felt things. He loved me, and for the first time I believed that he actually does love me.

“What have you done?” I asked him my voice was cold, it was hard. Not the tone that I normally take with Ban. He turned towards me. His black eyes looking at me. They held my gray eyes and smiled. He probably saw me as the human he killed two hundred years ago.

“I did what I told you I was going to do, Natsu. Don’t be so shocked.” I looked back at Soji. He was still bleeding out. Still feeding the symbol on the floor. “Come here, Natsu. Come see.” See what? What was it that he was looking at. I walked towards the edge. Looking over the side my eyes widen at the sight.

A portal to hell had opened under us. I could see thousands of demon rushing towards the surface. They all were moving as if swimming towards us. Then all at once they burst through. Hundreds of thousand of lesser and lower class demons were flooding the sky.

They covered the sky moving as if it was alive. It was unthinkable, it was fearsome. I backed away from the edge and frowned. I didn’t want this, it was worse than the gate that was opened when I was human. This was hell. All of hell was coming to earth. I couldn’t allow it, I didn’t know how I could stop it either.

“Don’t be scared Natsu, you asked me to take you to hell once. I’ve brought hell to you instead.” I shook my head. I was stupid and afraid when I asked Ban to take me to hell. I had thought to say that would let me keep my life. Ban still killed me.

Ban grabbed my hand before I could back away from the edge. “For the last two hundred years you’ve been wonder what the difference between humans and demons were. I’ll tell you the secret, Natsu.” Ban ran his hand up my shirt. I hated his touch, but I hated him as well. He was poison just like his blood.

He leaned in so that his lips were near my ear. “There isn’t any.” He whispered it so low that I couldn’t be sure that I heard him. He was wrong. He had to be wrong. If he was right then what did that mean? What did all of this mean?

“Humans know love,” I spoke and Ban motioned around himself.

“What do you think all of this is? I love you, Natsu.” I pushed him away from me. How many times have he said that name. How many times has he whispered that line? Yet it all was different now. Natsu, Natsu, Natsu. Hundreds of memories with that name flooded to my mind. Then one stayed. My father as he bled in front of me. He smiled softly when he looked into my eyes.

“I’m sorry, Natsu.” Not Zero, Zero was just a nickname. My name, my human name was Natsu. My hand reached up touching the ring around my neck. The collar was in place, but it did nothing but make me look like some weirdo. Natsu was me. This whole time Ban has been using my real name. He loved Natsu, he loved me.

“It doesn’t matter if you love me. You killed Soji. You killed so many people I care about. For that, you will die.” I swung at him with that. He blocked my punches with ease, but I went lower kicking his legs out from under him.

I had given Ban three hard, sharp kicks to the rib before he caught my leg flipping me over as he knocked me to the ground. Ban grabbed me by the hair as he slammed my head into the floor of the roof. I could see it dent in before he let me go. I stumbled to my feet seeing double.

“Ban . . .” Kenji called as I came at Ban again swinging and kicking using my full demon speed. Ban had no trouble keeping pace with me. “ . . . Ban . . .” Kenji called again, and I gave Ban a shift kick to the side of the head.

I punched him in the face, and his head snapped back. He growled when he tasted his own blood. Was that a first for the Great Demon? Ban grabbed me holding my neck in one hand, punching me in the face with the other. I kneed him in the groin and he let me go. “Ban!” Kenji yelled, and Ban turned to him growling.

“What!?” Ban yelled, and Kenji pointed to the portal that was below. Ban walked over smoothly and looked down from the rooftop. He growled and looked at me. “What did you do?” He hissed at me, and I just looked at him.

I rushed over to the edge and looked down. I could see the portal rippling as if it was a pool of water. I could hear the cries of the demons that were in the portal, it was closing on them. While they were traveling to get here, the portal was closing.

There was still demons that were flowing through, but the numbers were starting to slow. Still there was so many of them fighting to get out. The ones that had freed themselves were now moving away from this place.

“Ban,” Kenji said again. This time Ban turned walking towards the table that Soji was on. I growled at the Great Demon, I didn’t want him anywhere near Soji. My eyes shifted to Soji and his body was glowing a bright white.

He was brighter than I ever saw him before. The blood that had been spilled on the ground was now moving back towards him. Soji’s blood was moving back inside of him. I took a step forward, but Ban grabbed me. He held me back from Soji.

“Let me go,” I hissed at him but he was looking at Soji, not at me.

“There is only one thing with white magic that can bring itself back to life.” I looked at Ban. What was he talking about? How could Soji even have this power? I didn’t understand.

“What is he?” I asked Ban as the Great Demon backed away from him a bit more.

“Where is the fun of telling you that?” Rolling my eyes at him I looked back at Soji. His whole body was brighter than sun. He made it seemed like daytime in the middle of the night. I wanted to go to him, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew what touching his light did to demons. Even Ban was standing back.

Soji moved, I watched as he sat up. His legs swinging over the side of the table. He walked forward his body swaying as if he was unsure how to use his feet. How could I help him? There was probably nothing that I could do for him right now.

I took another glance at the portal to see it bubbling. I had no doubt that the whole thing was about to close in on itself. The demons that were inside seemed to be trapped. No more were coming out. Ban frowned when he noticed his portal was on its last leg. He failed, now even Ban knew what it felt like to fail.

“Kill him, I need that blood,” Ban spoke and Kenji went into his full demon form. Kenji hissed lunging at Soji. The white mage ignored him walking towards the portal as if he was drawn to it. I could hear Kenji hissing louder as he moved in Soji’s path. Kenji was going to die as he tried to prove his worth to Ban.

“You’re not getting past me, whore,” Kenji spoke and Soji stopped. He looked at Kenji as if he was just now seeing the demon.

“I call upon the great spirits, hear my prayers, and answer. Thanatos, Mania, and Keres hear my calls. Come!” Soji said holding out his hand as a symbol formed in the air in front of him. He closed his hand into a tight fist and the symbol spun around as it went to the ground.

The symbol glowed brightly, and when the light died down three tall glowing people were in front of us. Two were men and the last a woman. There was a blue, a green, and yellow light. They were dressed in armor and all held a sword in their hands.

I never heard of a white mage calling on spirits before. Then again, I never heard of a person coming back to life, and not becoming a demon. Soji was still pure, and that was unheard of, it seem impossible.

The spirits all turned around bowing to Soji. “Kill the snake,” Soji told them; his voice was harsh; and void of emotions as he spoke. He was Soji. I knew that I knew that he was in there. At the same time, he didn’t seem like himself. He didn’t feel like the Soji I knew.

The spirits turned around looking at Kenji and rushed forward. Kenji snapped, and whipped his tail out trying to take the spirits down. It all seem useless. As he tried to attack one, the other two was still around. He was so big and they were little. They could move around with easy while Kenji seem to fumble over himself.

In no time the three spirits overtook Kenji stabbing him again, and again with swords of light. Kenji tried to defend himself, but they were too fast for him. The Spirits darting around him. They looked like fireflies moving around the giant snake. If I didn’t hate him so much, I might have felt sorry for Kenji.

He didn’t stand a chance against them. He was fighting so hard and that made me laugh. I knew that this battle was over. Even though it wasn’t with my hands, I knew that Kenji was going to die. Shu would get his dream. At last the Blood Demon Kenji would die.

I turned to look at Soji, as he chanted something. It wasn’t the same prayer that he had used the last time I saw him use his powers. I could still feel the power in his words though I still couldn’t understand the meaning.

His three spirit lined up in a straight line forming a lance. Turning his back to Kenji, Soji walked over to them to picked up his lance. He seems to struggle under the weight of the weapon. Soji was a slight boy, but the lance was massive. I wasn’t sure Soji would be able to lift his weapon.

Looking over at Kenji I could see the doubt on his face as well. My eyes went to Ban, he was looking down at his portal as if the on goings of the battle in front of him meant nothing. Maybe Ban didn’t care if Kenji lived or died. I wondered if Soji could die now. He had come back once, if killed again would he revive from the dead again. It wasn’t something that I wanted to test out. I was fine with having him back. I was great with knowing that I could hold, and kiss him again.

Seeing this as a chance to attack, Kenji went for him slithering as fast as he could towards Soji. He was laughing as he came at Soji. So cocky he didn’t think that he could lose. He had no honor attacking Soji when his back was turned. Then again, there was no honor among demons. Turning around with ease on his feet Soji hurled the lance at Kenji.

His mouth was open as he went to bite Soji, and the lance went down his throat. I could see the light glowing inside of him. It took less than a minute for Kenji’s body to rip apart as the lance went through. Kenji was turning to ash as the lance traveled down the length of his body. When they made it to the end, the spirits disappeared as if they were never here.

The light that was around Soji faded as he went back to his normal self. I rushed towards him grabbing him before he collapsed. Laying him down on the ground I checked his pulse. He wasn’t dead. I could see the slight rise and falls of his chest. He passed out, but he wasn’t dead.

“Do you know how hard it is to train demons. I had Kenji just the way I liked him and your whore mage killed him. Ban sighed turning away from the edge of the roof. “Tonight just isn’t going my way.” He pushed his fingers through his hair. “Still got an hour before the sun is up. Guess I better kill the whore the right way this time. So annoying.”

“You’ll have to go through me if you want him,” I told Ban and he looked at me. His brows pulled together as he glared at me. Then he sighed pushing his fingers through his hair again.

“If I must, Natsu. I will make this a lesson you will never forget.” Ban said before charging towards me.

THIRTY

I came at Ban the same time he came towards me. My nails were at their demon length. I came down on Ban, but my attack was blocked. Spinning around I came at Ban again. Everything that I threw at him was blocked time and time again.

I did have him on the move, that was more than I could hope for. It was more than I had gotten in the past. That had to do with my new found powers. They coursed through my veins strengthening me and helping me in this fight. I could feel it, for the first time I would beat him.

Ban ducked out of the way. He rolled and flipped around as he avoided or blocked my attacks. I wasn’t giving him a chance to get any of hits in. Of course, Ban wasn’t on to be on the run. He came after me again throwing out punches of his own.

We both flipped around blocking as we matched each other hit for hit. I ducked out of his way my hand swinging as I cut Ban across the jaw. His black blood rolled down his face to stain the white collar shirt he was wearing.

Reaching up he touched his blood. This was the second time today that I made him bleed. I was breathing heavy taking this chance to get a second wind. I knew this was going to be the hardest fight of my life. I couldn’t lose though. I made him bleed. That was a confidence booster.

Ban backed away, but I came at him from the side and stabbed my nails into his shoulder. He looked at me as if he couldn’t even feel it. My nails have broken his flesh before. It has always been doing sex. This wasn’t sex, it wasn’t even foreplay this time. This was me killing Ban.

He had looked me in the eyes before he gave me his famous half grin. In a moment, he punched me in the gut. I backed away touching the place where he punched me. His fist felt like a ton of bricks crashing into my stomach. One punch wasn’t going to slow me down.

I wasn’t giving up, I went at Ban again. He was ready for me. This hand to hand fast pace fighting wasn’t likely to kill Ban. I knew he could dish out as much as I could take. This wasn’t about beating him though. I wanted to feel his blood on my hands.

I wanted to punch him for every life he took from me. This fight was personal, it was painful and not just the time that he hit me. My heart hurt as I fought him. It was heavy with the lives I carried inside of me. It was conflicted because I could still believe he loved me.

I wanted to kill Ban, I was going to kill Ban. Still I knew that I miss him after he was gone. That didn’t stop me from rushing towards Ban again. I kicked him in the stomach jumping out of the way of his neck attack. Ban held his hands together before slowly pulling them apart.

Ban’s energy was visible in the form of black lighting. It crackled in his hand as he pulled his hands further away from each other. I could feel a panic rising inside of me. I had fought Ban tons of times in the past, but I never saw an attack like that before.

He gave me another one of his smiles. It was as if he could see my fear, maybe he could. Maybe he could hear, smell, and taste the fear inside of me. I tried to still my mind. There was no need for me to fear him, there was nothing that needed fearing. Then he released it, it went out in the form of a ball of dark lightning and it was coming straight for me.

I gasped in pain when I was too slow to avoid the attack. It hit me in the shoulder. I could smell my own blood as I reached up touching wound. This wasn’t the time to give up. I couldn’t ever give up. I had to fight harder. I had to be better.

The door to the roof bust open. I saw Rai, Ayase, and Fang come onto the roof. I smiled happily to see that they all were okay. They survived their battle with the lesser demons. Of course, this battle was nothing like the others.Fang seemed to have taken a moment to get an assessment of what was going on. In another second the Hell Hound jumped over my head going towards Ban.

Ban backed up a little then jumped in the air. He kicking Fang in the ribs and I could hear the crunch. Fang made a whimpering noise like a kicked puppy. Hitting the ground, he rolled some going back into his human form.

Ayase rushed passed me. Her hand were lit with a blue flame as she rushed for Ban. Throwing punches at him, I could see that she was missing him by a hair’s breath. He grabbed one of her fists when she swung at him again. Her flames should have burned through his hand, but instead he put out the fire.

Ayase looked at her extinguished hand she seemed so shocked. Raising her foot to kick Ban, he grabbed her. Frowning she went for him with her other free hand, and he picked her off her feet slamming her into the ground. Where she hit dented the roof. Ayase let out a cry as Ban kicked her away from him.

“Die,” Rai yelled her veins coming out wrapping themselves around Ban.

“Stand down!” I yelled but when has Rai ever listened. She moved forward towards Ban senselessly. The veins around Ban grew thrones stabbing into him. He didn’t seem worried about Rai, she was the weakest of us here so there was no doubt that Ban could handle her attacks.

He grabbed a hold of her veins using them to pull her closer. When she reached him Ban fingers wrapped around her throat. He lifted her up off the ground. I watched as Ban’s left hand turned into a blade. It was silver, sharp, and I knew this attack. I had seen him use it once before. My eyes widen as I watched frozen to the floor. Ban thrusted the blade forward stabbing it through Rai’s gut.

My mother laid on the floor. Hunks of her flesh were missing from different places on her body. I had to sit in the chair that he re-tied me to. I had to watch as this monster ate my mother. One limb at a time he devoured her in front of us. My father was bleeding from the many wounds he received over the last few hours.

My sister was spared the pain and killed hours ago. Tears swelled and poured from my eyes. I didn’t want to die. I would give anything in order to live. I wanted to live more than anything else in this world. His touch I could endure, I even enjoyed it. I could enjoy it for as long as he wanted me to. If that meant, I got to live I would go to hell with him.

I heard the screams of the dying. I saw the fear and the pain that death brought. I didn’t want that for myself. I didn’t want to feel that kind of pain in my life. My heart started to race as Ban walked towards me. Leaning down Ban pressed his bloody mouth to mine.

Not for the first time tonight I could taste the blood of my family in my mouth. His tongue twisted with mines as my eyes closed. The pleasure that came from his touch. I didn’t want to want him. If wanting him kept me alive I would want him.

His hand moved down my body as he pushed my legs open. I knew what was coming. The pleasure of him touching me, of being inside of me. Ban moved his hand rubbing his bloody fingers against my hole. He pressed on me slightly and I moaned. His fingers entered me and I bit my lip. The way they felt as they moved in and out of me was pushing me higher.

“You’re so tight, Natsu,” Ban whispered in my ear. I moaned louder as his fingers quicken. Ban stood behind me giving my father a good view of what he was doing. I didn’t understand why he kept doing this in front of my family. Maybe it gave Ban pleasure to embarrass me.

My hips moved as best they could in the chair. I think I started caring that my family was watching hours ago. When he wasn’t touching me, I was scared of him. I was scared that all the awful things he was doing to my family he would do to me next. Above all else I didn’t want him to do those things to me.

“More, please, give me more,” I begged him for it. I wanted it. Ban grabbed a hold of me stroking my length. My moans deepen as he touched both places. His tongue flicked out touching my neck. A shiver went down my spine at the touch.

I could feel the build of my release. He seemed to enjoy making me climax. If this gave him pleasure, maybe he would keep me around longer. I swallowed another moan as he continued to touch me, to pleasure me. Why was this man so good at everything he does?

“Ban . . . Please, I can’t hold back.” My back arched as I exploded. Sinking back into the chair I panted as my father watched us. I wished that I could end his suffering. I wish there was a way for both of us to get out of this. I just didn’t see what that way would be.

“You’re such a dirty boy, Natsu.” Ban licked the blood and semen from me. I gave another moan when his tongue ran over my tip. He was good at this. I wondered if all demons were good at sex. Or maybe Ban just had a lot of practice. Looking up I could see the rage on my father’s face. I could see the anger and the shame he held. There was something else there as well. Something under it all that I couldn’t read.

“Get off of my son!” My father yelled and Ban looked at me and then at my father.

“I don’t hear him complaining,” Ban replied and I could see the rage flare inside of my father again. “Or maybe you’re just jealous that it’s Natsu getting all of my attention and not you.” Ban voice held a tease. I watched as he walked towards my father.

“Most fathers would look away. Emma and Amber couldn’t bare the sight of me touching Natsu. But you, you kept right on watching.” I shook my head I didn’t want to hear what Ban was saying. It was all nonsense anyway. “You can’t have him you know, Natsu is mine.”

Ban hand started to glow with a dark light. I watched as slowly a blade form. From his elbow down there was a long silver blade where his arm and hand once were. He walked behind my father’s chair as he held the blade to his throat. “You enjoyed my show.” Ban reached down yanking at my father’s pants. He was erected. I didn’t want to think about what that meant.

“Go to hell,” Father hissed at him. Ban sighed tapping the blade to his throat. What was it that he wanted my father to say? My father looked towards me. His eyes locking with mines. I could see the tears that slipped down his cheek. “I’m sorry, Natsu.” I shook my head. he didn’t have to say that to me.

“I love you, dad.” Ban swung his arm. It sliced through my father’s neck. I watched as his head came off in one clean motion. It rolled towards where my mother was. I was the only one left. My family was dead. All killed by Ban.

The air whooshed back into my lungs. Ban had dropped Rai and now she was bleeding on the floor. My whole body was glowing with the black flames that surrounded me. Blood tears fell from my eyes as I looked at Ban. He smiled as I went into my demon form.

This form changed since I got my newly found powers. Black letters crawled up my arms and neck twisting and moving as if they were alive under my skin. My eyes shifted to the others. They were all moaning in pain. Soji was still as he laid unconscious.

My eyes slide over to Rai. She was still moving, moaning in pain front the wound Ban caused. My left eye was red as the right was golden. The third eye opened on my forehead as I growled again. My wings flowed from my back, the left as black as night, the right as red as blood. I was ready. Ban laughed moving his hand as if to call me to him.

I moved towards him. My speed had increased yet again. I was across the roof in a matter of seconds. I kicked Ban and he went flying across the rooftop. I was behind him before he got there and punched him in the face. He slammed into the roof going through it.

I jumped down to follow. He was watched waiting for me. When I got down there, Ban punched me in the face. My head snapped back as my nose broke. I could hardly feel the pain of it as I reached out. My nails stabbed into his shoulder as he growled at me.

Ban sidestepped me getting behind me. He slammed my head into the floor making us break through to the next level. He was on top of me punching me again, and again until I was starting to black out. I grabbed his shirt trying to push him away. I felt him kick me in the head. Everything went black.

Don’t give up. Kill him.

Don’t give up. Kill Ban.

Don’t give up. Save us all.

Don’t give up, Natsu.

My eyes snapped opened again and I jumped up. My wings flapped as I rose back to the rooftop. I looked around for Ban until I spotted him. He was near Soji. He picked the white mage up by the hair tossing him back onto the table. My heart was racing as I thought about what Ban would do. Rushing across the roof I crashed into Ban moving him towards the edge.

“Why are you fighting me on this, Natsu?” He should have already known the answer to that since when have I not fought him. Ban was at the edge, I could see the portal below us. It was closing each second that passed. Soon it would be gone and this chance would be wasted.

Ban’s feet were planted firmly on the ground. I couldn’t move him over the edge even if I tried. Also, it was dangerous to try to fight him here. He would just toss me into hell and laugh. Gritting my teeth, I tried to think of what Ban would do if he were me. A demon never fights fair. That was what Ban would tell me.

His back was to the portal as I stood in front of him. He was smiling as he looked at me. Ban was so strong. I couldn’t beat him. I now understood that. He never shifted into his demon form and yet he always beat me. He wasn’t some S-Class demon. He was something in a class of his own.

Reverting back to my human form I looked him in the eyes. He was watching me as well. What did he see when he looked at me? I saw that he was beautiful. That I always thought so. I also see the blood that stained him. There was so much blood.

“I love you, Ban,” I spoke it softly, but I knew he heard me. Moving closer to him I could see his guard lessen. He never had much need to put his guard up around me. What could I actually do to Ban? My lips pressed against Ban’s as my fingers came up to his chest.

I could see them, all of the faces of those who I lost. I could see them flashing before my eyes. All of the people who Ban hurt I could see them feeding me their strength. Then I pushed, as hard I could I pushed Ban. He stumbled backward losing his footing so close to the edge.

My breath sucked into my lungs as I waited. It felt as if an eternity passed before Ban fell over the edge. Even as he fell, I could see him smiling at me. He looked . . . proud of my actions. Soon he was swallowed up by the portal and I exhaled the breath I was holding in.