CODEX Part 2: The Secret Child of the Devil

The date went amazingly well; no, it went suspiciously well. Nothing supernatural appeared and nothing annoying happened. Dan was a really nice guy and after he made her that parfait, he invited her to the grand opening on Monday.

Unfortunately, everyone came along.

“There are so many people in here,” Eneizar mumbled in disgust, even flinching when the crowd shifted around him, “I think I’m getting crowd-sick.”

Zoe glanced at him and quickly walked further into the crowd, hoping she might get lost.

“How come it is so popular?” Ezekiel asked curiously.

The store wasn’t big, it was medium-sized but there were so many girls and old ladies who came. It felt like they came especially for the employees.

“They’re looking for staff so they will have an interview with a few of them,” Chen answered that question in a serious tone.

Ezekiel turned and stared quizzically at his best friend.

“How do you know that?”

Chen pointed at a pretty big sign hanging on the window just outside the store. Ezekiel bit his lip and looked to the side in embarrassment.

“Oh, look!”

He pointed at something in the crowd and Chen turned towards that. Ezekiel ran away from there and from his own shame leaving Chen chuckling behind.

“Just because I go with it, it doesn’t mean I’m stupid~” The Asian guy sang, plunging his hands deep into his front pockets.

Chen glanced over his shoulder and saw someone trying to sneak into the kitchen, “Hey! Gakhas, that’s not allowed in here!”

The demon froze and hurried out of there.

“Zoe!” She heard Dan say her name and instantly tidied herself. There were many people and she didn’t want to look bad or make him look bad, “How is it?” he asked once he reached her.

“Crowded,” she mumbled, uncomfortable yet not as obvious about it as Eneizar, “But it seems everyone likes it. I saw you’re looking for staff, as well. How is that going? Do you have enough time?”

He chuckled and rubbed his neck.

“Not well. With the amount of people who came, I kind of lost my partner. He is in charge of the interviews,”

She knew how it felt to be alone and have everyone gather around you for this or that so she patted his back in comfort unconsciously. He was taken aback by that but once he noticed she wasn't aware of doing it, he decided to keep his mouth shut.

“I think we might have to postpone it for tomorrow,” he continued before he sighed and swayed nervously from one foot to the other.

“Do you want some help with the customers?” He didn’t want to be mean but she didn’t seem to be very good with customer service, “Oh, not me! I came with a few friends and I’m sure they will be more than happy to help.” Zoe explained.

"Well, it is worth the chance,"

“Have you seen the guy from the counter?”

“He’s so handsome! And stylish.”

“I know right?”

“I will certainly bring my daughter next time.”

Zoe smirked evilly while she was leaning against the back door. She was in the back, watching the girls ogling their eyes at Eneizar and Iaosur. Ezekiel and Chen were in front of the store, gathering more people from the street and showing off their charms while Gakhas was standing at a table near the window, doing nothing.

“I am amazed,” Actually, Daniel was really surprised, “You only have friends who are boys. If any man would like to get closer to you, that looks a bit difficult.”

She froze.

He froze.

“I mean-“

“It's not like that,” She said, not facing him, thankfully because she could feel her cheeks getting red, “They’re like younger and stupid brothers. They get me in trouble more than you’d imagine but they’re very loyal.”

The boy nodded and smiled. Zoe didn't notice but her eyes softened at the mention of her friends and her complexion relaxed.

“That’s good to know,” He muttered.

She smiled softly while watching the demons being suspiciously nice and smiley. Iaosur in particular seemed to enjoy being a clerk way too much.

“Zoe,”

Dan gathered his courage in that moment for the big question. She seemed nice and he would love to see her more so naturally, he wanted to ask her out. She turned and faced him, knowing exactly what he wanted.

“Would you-“

“Danny!”

The young man licked his lips and closed his mouth. His friend came over from the crowd and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“Do you know what’s going on now?” His friend asked with delight.

Dan glanced at Zoe and tried to tell her through his pleading eyes that he was sorry. She bit her lip in order not to laugh, imagining Ezekiel with Iaosur.

“You should start the interviews, Tom.”

He was uncomfortable. Tom interrupted his confession and Dan was pretty sure he wasn't going to have the opportunity again anytime soon.

“I think we already found our employees!” Tom pointed at the two demons.

Zoe raised an eyebrow and ran a hand through her hair. That wasn’t going to end well and she was already thinking of a reason why Eneizar and Iaosur weren’t good for the job although they were obviously very good at it.

“Actually, those are Zoe’s friends. I’m sure they have their own jobs.”

Tom glanced at the young woman and raised an eyebrow.

“So you’re Zoe, huh? I heard about you. A lot, actually.”

Zoe looked at the two men bemusedly. Boys were boys no matter the age or kind. Dan jumped in and came up with a lame excuse to get his friend out of there.

“You can tell them to stop. We will close in a few minutes and we’ll have our interviews.” He whispered over his shoulder before pushing Tom into the back room.

Zoe nodded and waved as they left through the staff door before she shook her head and walked next to Gakhas. The demon had his arms crossed in front of his chest and wasn’t happy at all.

“Why are you so cranky?” Zoe asked sitting across him.

“Why are you happy?” He asked.

She had no reason to except the older guy whom she met a few days ago and who was just so perfect.

“I think we both know the reason,” she responded fidgeting.

Gakhas stared at her with his small and judging eyes.

“There’s my answer.” She rolled her eyes and leaned back, “Don’t you feel bad?” The demon continued in that husky judgemental voice.

“Should I? I’m not doing anything.”

Gakhas glared at his commander.

“You know what I'm talking about, Zoe. You're not human. You can't meddle with humans, so don't get either his or your hopes up.”

She narrowed her eyes at him and leaned over the table, “Do I look like I care about your opinion? And for your information, I am human.”

He copied her actions and leaned over the table towards her, “We both know that at the end of the day, you will bring chaos into the world. You have a purpose, and it cannot be fulfilled if you mess around with humans.”

"I have a life too. I have the right to live too,"

"No, you don't. You're the commander. Besides, you mated with Mehrdir," he said glaring daggers at her. Zoe's eyes widened and she took a quick glance around, knowing how Gakhas' words sounded.

"Do you see Mehrdir around? No. He only appears when the situation is convenient for him," she whispered.

“You marked him as your mate, not the other way around,” Gakhas whispered, his eyes wide as if he just slapped her with the truth.

That was it. Her eyes changed and the sloth demon could swear she was going to jump on her feet and set him on fire. Her face was transitioning into the demon underneath, and her nails grew into little claws. Gakhas did not hide his amusement as he started to grin seeing Zoe prove his point that she was not human. However, his entertainment was short-lived when a sort of breeze rushed into the store and straight into Zoe's back. She calmed down to the point she fell unconscious.

Gakhas glanced at the front door and caught a glimpse of Mehrdir before someone passed by and the greed demon vanished.

“What have you done?” Ezekiel asked Gakhas when he noticed Zoe's sleeping form.

Zoe was peacefully sleeping on her bed when Ezekiel entered her room. She was having a slight fever and he brought medicine, just in case. He only turned for a second to close the door behind him, but when he turned towards the bed, Ezekiel jumped in surprise.

“Damn, Mehrdir, you scared me.”

Seeing ghosts and demons was Ezekiel's childhood dream and yet, now that he achieved it, it wasn’t exactly what he imagined. It wasn't easy getting used to distinguishing between demons and ghosts but Mehrdir looked the same whether he was visible to everyone or not.

Ezekiel sighed and placed the medicine on the desk.

“Place the towel over her eyes. They’re going to burn when she wakes up.” The demon ordered in a soft tone, moving a string of hair off her face.

Ezekiel did exactly as the demon instructed before he sat across him, on Zoe's other side.

“Wouldn’t it be easier if you’d just stay here, with her?”

The demon glanced up at the human and scoffed.

“Everyone would have a mate if it were that easy,” Mehrdir tried to explain as briefly as possible.

"But it is easy, isn't it? The marking wouldn't have worked if you didn't want it as well. You want to be with her. You love her,"

"Love is a human emotion. Demons don't feel love, they only feel passion, lust, obsession...I don't know what love is, what it feels like, or how to reciprocate it."

Ezekiel watched Mehrdir in silence before he chuckled, amused by his desire to avoid admitting his feelings.

"Weren't you human before? I'm pretty sure you must have fallen in love during that time." Ezekiel said trying his luck to find more about the greed demon.

But Mehrdir kept his mouth shut and eyes on Zoe. For a few silent minutes, Mehrdir didn't utter a word until he decided to reply.

"I lived a miserable life. I don't know how to give and receive love."

"Is that why you always run away when it gets hard? Are you a coward?" Ezekiel asked with a playful grin but Mehrdir looked straight into his eyes with a serious expression.

"Yes. I'm a coward,"

Ezekiel's grin only widened into a full Joker smile before he started to laugh. Zoe moved, making the two males calm down and be quieter but Ezekiel was still amused.

“Wow. Didn't even take that much to make you admit that. I have to say, I'm a bit angry. She's ready to risk her whole future for your bond and you're probably going to never be there for her,"

"You expect too much from a pitiful demon, Ezekiel." Mehrdir mumbled, grabbing Zoe's hand.

An hour later, Mehrdir was still next to her, holding her hand, sometimes caressing her face gently. The second person to visit Zoe was Mark.

“Oh. I didn’t expect someone to be here.”

Mehrdir felt the human but didn’t feel like hiding himself. Mark was not a threat.

However, Mehrdir’s dark eyes and attitude were poignant hints of who he was.

“You’re the asshole, aren’t you? The one who leaves when she needs a shoulder to cry on.” Mark said with such ease that it pissed the demon off.

“Is there a poster with my face on the front door?” Mehrdir whispered huskily, annoyed that everyone was aware of him and his issues.

Mark raised an eyebrow and approached Zoe, taking the spot Ezekiel occupied just an hour ago. He sat down next to her and brushed the hair out of her eyes.

“No, we're just very good at figuring things out. And I also like her, so I can see the way you look at her.” Mark started before he got an idea, "If you don't like her that much, then I guess it's alright if I ask her out,"

Mehrdir's reaction wasn't as easy to notice as Mark hoped but it was there, it was in the way he froze and the way the atmosphere tensed.

"Why would you do that?" Mehrdir asked keeping himself in check since Mark was a human.

"Because I like her. She's a good person, she cares about her friends and she's a lot of fun. She's also quite pretty, not gonna lie," Mark added with a chuckle seeing how Mehrdir's eyes seemed to darken. It wasn't even a figure of speech, Mark swore that Mehrdir's eyes were fully black, like a ghost in a horror movie. "You look angry. Was it something I said?"

“You aren't as holy as you pretend, are you?” Mehrdir asked, getting on his feet. The whole room seemed to grow as dark as Mehrdir's eyes, and it felt suffocating as if it was getting smaller.

Mark frowned when he felt like he couldn't breathe. He wanted to go and open the door but he couldn't see anything, it was all a blur. Luckily, someone from outside could sense hell rising.

“Prince Charming! What an honour!” The vanity demon exclaimed as soon as he barged in.

Mehrdir glared at Eneizar and rushed past him. The blond demon leaned against the door frame and couldn't help but enjoy the chaos.

“Hmm, interesting. I smell jealousy,” Eneizar taunted the greed demon who was still in the living room, trying to calm himself down.

Mehrdir scoffed loudly before he vanished.

“That guy who just left was Zoe’s first love, wasn’t he?” Mark asked walking towards Eneizar.

Eneizar took a very long look at Mark, from the top of his head to his toes. For a human who had never met Mehrdir before, he was reacting pretty well after seeing the black eyes of a greed demon.

“First love, last love, all of it combined. A curse and a gift that Zoe bestowed upon both of them,” Eneizar replied since he couldn't lie.

Mark was puzzled. What was that supposed to mean?

“It’s a doomed relationship,” Gakhas responded instead, appearing out of nowhere and scaring the human.

Eneizar shook his head, not approving of such a simplified explanation.

“A doomed relationship?” Mark asked turning his full attention to the newcomer. "But he seemed really jealous when I mentioned the possibility of someone else liking Zoe,"

Gakhas nodded excitedly, his eyes wide and filled with malice.

"I know, right? Nobody changes after they die," Gakhas commented, confusing Mark even more.

Mark left the apartment with a lot of new questions about Zoe and her love life. On the other side, Eneizar shook his head disappointingly at Gakhas' crazy interpretations.

“Chances for Zoe to end up with anyone else but the inheritor are slim. That’s what happened before and it will happen again, it's their way of protecting their souls. The connection between the commander and the inheritor is way too important for humans to understand,” Eneizar started.

“But Zoe doesn't want to protect her soul, does she? She wants to protect her human friends,” Iaosur interfered and walked past Gakhas, into the kitchen.

The sloth demon hummed to himself before he noticed something drip down Iaosur's fingers.

“Your wrist is bleeding,” The short demon pointed it out.

Iaosur rose his hand to his eyes and bit his lip. He looked like he was about to punch the wall but stopped himself.

“That stupid idiot is pissing me off!” Iaosur exclaimed, feeling his hand growing numb.

Iaosur knew what he was talking about because only demons with her mark could feel it. Mehrdir used the connection to calm her down but the process meant taking energy from them and transferring her pain to them.

She woke up two days later. Mehrdir was long gone and Ezekiel decided not to tell her about his discussion with Mehrdir, not that it would mattered anymore. Zoe already knew who she had fallen in love with.

Ezekiel was pacing around the room while Zoe was taking a shower. He fell on her chair and turned on the laptop, a little freaked out of her desktop because it was a drawing of an anime character from Shingeki no Kyojin but a little modified; it looked a lot like how people imagined demons to look like.

Ezekiel started to roll back and forth on the chair and actually enjoy his free time. The puppy human had Alice whom he hadn’t seen in almost a week yet he still preferred Zoe over any other woman. Thankfully, Alice understood that the relationship between them, although complex and intense, was not about romantic love.

While still thinking about the mark on his soul, he noticed something hanging out of her lowest drawer. He first checked the door but Zoe wasn’t even out of the bathroom yet. Ezekiel had enough time therefore, he pulled it out slowly so the paper wouldn’t break. He made a high-pitched noise that grabbed Eneizar’s attention from the living room but he didn't care enough to come and check out what caused the sound.

“Let’s see~”

His eyes widened and he was left speechless. The drawing was- he was- it was so shockingly amazing and odd.

By the time Zoe entered her room, Ezekiel already saw enough. She was drying her hair with a blue towel when she noticed Ezekiel standing in front of the window, staring out with a faraway look on his face. Zoe scanned the room, knowing that something happened. Ezekiel was the lousy type and was silent only when he had something to hide.

While she threw the towel on her chair, her eyes landed on her desk. There, in all its glory, was the drawing he found. She glanced at it before she grabbed it and walked towards her best friend.

“Who’s that?” Ezekiel asked.

“You.” Zoe answered honestly.

He hoped she was going to lie but she didn’t.

“Why did you draw me?” Ezekiel asked turning around to face her.

Zoe tilted her head to the side and clicked her tongue.

“Because you are the main character of my new story.”

Ezekiel closed his eyes and took a shaky breath.

“Why am I your new main character? I thought you’re working on the sequel of Fallen.”

“I am,” She grabbed his hand and placed the drawing in it. “I’m making the sequel after my connection to you.”

Ezekiel looked at the drawing, at how heroic the character looked compared to the real plain, skinny Ezekiel Addams.

“Dark times will come, Zek. They're closer than ever before. I have broken rules, I involved myself much more than any other commander before me. I need to know that whatever happens to me won't affect you and your soul.”

“What?” Ezekiel furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

Zoe chuckled and went to look for a cute and flowery dress. She wanted to go out and have a fun time; moreover, Suzy was in town with the old inheritor and his grandson and she wanted to meet them.

Ezekiel was still astonished.

“What?” He asked out loud for the second time. “How the heck are you going to protect my soul?”

The young commander rolled her eyes and started to search for her phone. It became regular for her to forget where she was putting it, or maybe it was Gakhas' fault.

“I won’t have children and I’m definitely not going to marry the inheritor so the only way I can make sure nothing would eve happen to you is to make you my legacy,”

Ezekiel blinked quickly and glared at her. He had so many thoughts running through his mind.

“But I’m not your child!”

“But you are the only person that I consider family. I’m sure I won’t have children, Zek. Just, accept it.”

Ezekiel gulped and suddenly, he felt pressure in his chest, he felt the anxiety and doom of hell.

“Why won’t you have children?” Ezekiel asked realizing what she said but Zoe walked in the living room, searching for her phone through the pillows on the couch, “Well? Why not?”

"Aha!" she exclaimed as soon as she found her phone.

“Zoe Lestrade!”

“We both know why. I’m not going to end up with a human. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m highly attracted to demons...one demon in particular," Zoe replied searching for her shoes. It seemed that someone took great joy in hiding her things.

“Is that your confession of love?” Ezekiel asked following her closely.

She scoffed and grabbed her jacket before she unlocked the front door.

“Take it as you want,” she said and smiled brightly before she walked out.

Ezekiel stomped his foot childishly, annoyed with the lack of details.

“That’s not an answer!”

The human put a hand on his waist and ran the other hand through his hair.

“Great. Now I have to ask one of the demons,” he mumbled, knowing that the perfect one to question was the one who couldn't lie.