It was kind of weird to just sit at my window seat while tugging on the pillow's strings and fiddling with Viola's soft ears. I stared out of the window towards the driveway and the surrounding forest.

According to my beloveds, I had been in the care of the "Evil Spider" for two months, even though it had only felt like maybe a couple weeks at most. The whole experience still feels surreal to me. Sometimes I wonder if what happened to me and all that I learned was an illusion created from my own magic. But I know it was real.

After Azazel's death, which was greatly celebrated by all nonhumans and especially my beloveds, I felt like a large hole had been cut out of me. I had gotten all of the information I wanted to know about myself and the "Emerged," yet I feel like his death could have been avoided if I had more strength to stop him—them, too.

Even if he was a murderer and enjoyed torturing other people, he could have changed. He wasn't addicted to it. He was being truthful when he said he wanted a family. Maybe I could have tried to find a way to break his curse? I never found out who cursed him or why, either. Did I have a right to know that?

"Anwyll," whispered Damon next to me.

I slowly looked over at him. He'd removed the gauges in his ears and had started the healing process thanks to Ian's magic. He was just wearing other kinds of earrings now. And his hair was no longer dyed crimson but a silvery gray color. It looked good on him because his roots and the hair at his temples were black as well. His ice-blue eyes glimmered with unshed tears the longer I stared at him without moving. His halo turned a grayish gold color and his bottom lip trembled along with his wings.

"Everyone is worried about you," he whispered, his jaw starting to tremble now as his ice-blue eyes reddened even more with a single tear slipping down his left cheek. "You haven't been the same for a month now. In fact, you feel hollow and we're scared we might lose you."

"How?" I murmured, my voice rough, dry, and crackly from a week of disuse.

Damon's face lit up with a bit of hope. "You're not eating much and you have been holed up in your room. Alexandre has tried to take you out of it, but you've imprisoned yourself."

I slowly nodded. "I deserve it."

Damon's eyebrows scrunched. "What?" he whispered, reaching out to touch me. But I didn't deserve to feel anyone's warmth, so my barrier blocked him. His eyes filled with tears again.

I'm scum. I can't let him touch me. I even made him cry. I don't deserve them.

Damon noticed that my mind had retreated and backed off, wiping his eyes as he left the room. I continued to stare out of the window as the door shut behind Damon.

I'm the worst. How could I do that to my beloved angel? He needs me. No, maybe he doesn't need me. He just needs Blaine. I'm the extra, useless, totally unnecessary person in their lives.

Whilst thinking about how much better my beloveds' lives could be without me, I sensed a familiar presence and jumped when I noticed ash-gray toes touching mine.

"Who—?"

"My little creation," whispered Azazel, "have you missed me?"

I leapt forward to hug him, but he wasn't there. Tears pushed at my eyes. Now I'm going crazy to top it off. Should I just end it now?

But his arms wrapped around me and he tugged me backwards, so my back rested against his chest. His knees trapped me on both sides, then his right hand pushed through my hair. Every time I tried to touch him, my fingers would go through his form. But he could touch me, and I guess that's good enough if I could have him with me again.

"Are you not going to ask how I am here after my death?"

"I'm just guessing you're a figment of my imagination made real by my magic."

Azazel chuckled and kissed my left ear. "Well, that is partly true."

"Partly?"

"This form has been created with your magic, but I am technically within your core. I had created you in such a way that you could contain my soul and all of my magic if I died. So I am always with you—just not always physically. But I was not expecting that you would recreate my body with your magic. Perhaps that third option is possible."

That hole in my heart began to close, so I let my tears of relief fall as Azazel continued to pet my head.

"Why can I not touch you, Zel?"

"It has always been that way. That was part of my curse. I could touch people, but I could not be touched in return. The curse is clearly bound to my soul since my spider body is now gone."

"Oh," I mumbled, now noticing his bare body. "Would you like to wear clothes?"

Azazel chuckled. "I suppose that would be preferable."

"So I can give you the clothes and they will stay on your body?"

"Well, the curse was not clothing-specific, so yes." he replied, pushing his fingers through my hair.

I breathed a sigh of relief and turned a bit in his arms. Azazel nosed my head as I used magic to wrap a thick, soft, and warm blanket around us for now. I just felt like I wasn't alone in my self-loathing with Azazel here.

"Anwyll," he whispered, resting one cheek on my head. "I told you before that none of this was your fault."

"The very idea of my existence before my creation caused horrible misfortunes on a lot of hybrids' paths of life, Zel. How is this not my fault?"

"You have no reason to feel guilt because of my selfishness, Anwyll. Every decision that was made was by my choice. I chose to force them onto paths of despair, hopelessness, pain, and all sorts of suffering. Those were my choices alone—not yours."

"But I feel guilt by association because my creation led to their deeply inset trauma and pain."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but that's not true."

I lifted my head and saw Blaine as he stalked inside with a scowl on his face. He stopped short and stiffened when he saw the face of the man he helped kill—Azazel the former Evil Spider.

"What is going on?" he growled, "Why are you with him again!"

I felt a bit flustered and speechless, mostly out of nervousness than shock. "B-Blaine, wait—!"

Blaine grabbed me and quickly backed away from Azazel. The blanket came with me, so my creator's bare form was presented to my incubus. Blaine growled a bit deeper and his demon traits emerged, and he hissed after Azazel chuckled.

I used my magic to copy some clothing belonging to Blaine, then formed an outfit for my creator. The pile of folded clothes landed in front of Azazel, so he quietly thanked me as he got up off the window-seat. Blaine clutched onto my form more tightly as he watched Azazel slip on some clothing to cover his nakedness.

"Anwyll," rumbled Blaine, his crimson stare now focused on my face. "You are to drop that fucking barrier and let me take you elsewhere. And that piece of shit better not try anything!"

"I cannot do anything in particular because Anwyll is in control."

Blaine straightened as I nodded, but he was still growling under his breath while I clutched onto his chest. I dropped the barrier and let Blaine take me out of my room, which I had not left in three weeks. I noticed all of my lovers in the hallways, then suddenly felt waves of relief, happiness, joy, and all sorts of emotions that weren't mine. But maybe they were?

Something rolled down my cheek and I felt my eyes sting. "Ah," I whispered, "I wanted to be with them again."

"You deserve it, Anwyll."

Azazel's statement had all of my lovers, excluding Blaine, on guard as he stepped out of my room. Daddy and Uncle Andros started to prepare a magic attack while Ambrose materialized his swords. Matteo and Gavin shifted into their animal forms, then Angel lowered his horn with Russet glaring at Azazel from behind him. Dian and Ian were furious, the latter also preparing for an offensive move while both had their dragon traits visible. Damon had his wings spread wide as if he was about to leap to my defense. Zaire's snake traits were visible and his fangs were down, which anyone could see when he opened his mouth. Waltz was standing in between Dian and Ian in a defensive fighting stance, which made me smile. Briar was ready to lash out if necessary, too.

But the most shocking one was Kyler. He had shifted into a mountain lion with scaled forelegs that looked like those of a mermaid and patches of scales on his hind end. His eyeteeth were like those of a sabertooth cat, which was a bit scary but also very cool. Kyler roared at Azazel, getting ready to pounce.

"Please," I uttered quietly, and all movements halted as my beloveds looked at me. "Let me—let us—explain everything. And then you can decide if you still want me."

All of my lovers stiffened. "What is that supposed to mean?" hissed Waltz, his glare snapping back towards Azazel. "You piece of shit! How dare you touch my Annie!"

I bounced a bit in Blaine's grip as I tried to wiggle my arms free, but my attempt was futile. He kept me pinned as Azazel was physically attacked, but all hits went right through him. Azazel sighed and disappeared, then reappeared next to Blaine and me. I breathed a soft sigh of relief and my creator chuckled. Blaine was furious, though, because he'd noticed that I had been frantic about trying to protect Azazel.

Uncle Andros stepped closer and ignored Azazel to get at me. He gently petted my head and kissed it, which made tears well up. As he rumbled my nickname and told me that he'd missed me so much, I let the dam burst. My silent tears slipped down my face and soaked Blaine's shirt. Azazel disappeared as my lovers crowded around Blaine and Uncle Andros to get at me. My jaw trembled and I bit my bottom lip to stop my teeth from clattering together. My head pounded with my heartbeat and from a headache creeping forward.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, feeling their fingers brush my limbs, head, torso, tail, and legs. Anything they could reach in their cramped spots. The warmth from their touch made me want to cry again. "I'm so sorry."

Russet nosed my right fist and kissed it. "Annie, what are you sorry for?"

"A lot," I whimpered, trying to hide my face but unable to with all the hands on me.

Matteo kissed the tip of my tail. "Master, please explain everything to us." he begged, so I slowly released a sigh. I lifted my head and gently rubbed my face, but I was stopped by Ambrose.

"Do not rub." he rumbled, kissing my fingers.

"Do you need to feed?" I asked softly, and his eyes flashed crimson. Daviel was hovering in the forefront.

"My hunger can wait until after you have said whatever it is that has been so troubling."

"Mm, okay." I replied.

Dian and Ian were staring at me with hardened expressions—the same kind as Waltz. "Did he touch you?" they asked in sync.

I shook my head. "No, not in a sexual manner. He hugged me a couple times and kissed my left ear, though."

They both pressed forward to place kisses on my head. I couldn't help my soft giggle. But afterwards, it seemed like all of my beloveds seemed much less tense. Blaine had relaxed his grip, and Waltz's scowl was gone.

And then Daddy decided to ask, "What did you mean earlier? That we can decide if we still want you?"

My heart pounded a painful drumbeat in my chest. Kyler and Briar calmed my racing mind with kisses to my cheeks, then Angel rubbed my back with Damon. I took a few deep breaths, each time releasing them slowly. After the final one, I brought us all to the living room. About half of my beloveds staggered from the sudden teleportation magic, but they flopped down onto the giant pillows I'd also made appear. Blaine knelt in the middle, but everyone else wanted a turn to hold me. Uncle Andros won the game of rock, paper, scissors—much to fourteen others' surprise.

I was plopped down in my uncle's lap with my back against his torso and my head on his chest. He petted my hair as he whispered "My pup" multiple times. My tail wiggled because, despite my great fear, nervousness, and sadness from what I would reveal, I was happy to be in Uncle Andros' arms again.

I looked around at my beloveds, who had formed a semicircle around Uncle Andros. Kyler and Briar were resting together with their backs against the couch, their fingers interlocked and Briar's head resting on Kyler's right shoulder. Next to Briar was Dian, then Ian, and Waltz was laying across their laps on his side. At Ian's right side, Blaine had plopped down and brought Damon into his lap, which had made our pretty angel snuggle into his embrace. Next to Damon sat Angel with Russet glued to his left side. Matteo took up space next to Kyler, then on his left was Gavin and Zaire. And, finally, Ambrose sat to Zaire's right and Uncle Andros' left while Daddy took up his brother's right side.

With all of them settled and waiting, I took another deep breath and then began to tell them everything.