Mabel shifted just enough to see Aleron and the creature. The false Herman held Aleron by his shirt, their faces inches apart. A small trickle of blood flowed down Aleron's chin and a long gash shone above his brow, but other than that, he didn't appear severely injured.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, Aleron hissed, clutching his left arm against his chest. Mabel switched her gaze back to the poorly drawn words on ground, watching with amazement as they slowly diminished, as if soaked up by the floor.

Twisting back to see Aleron, she saw him look down at his arm and couldn't mistake the sudden relief on his face. He smirked, and evil-Herman paused.

"What?" it demanded. "You have no reason to be pleased, Brother."

Aleron's voice was almost smug when he replied. "Or do I? Never underestimate the will of humans, Blagdan."

Ah, Mabel thought with surprise as she stilled her fingers against the invisible wall separating them. So this is Aleron's "disgusting disgrace" of a brother. With the way she'd been treated, she couldn't say she disagreed with Aleron's assessment.

The other creature—Blagdan—released Aleron as though he'd been burned. "What are you speaking of? Your human is dead! You are weak now!"

"No," Aleron shook his head, turning until he was looking straight at her, "I am not weak, and neither is Mabel. But you," his eyes glinted dangerously, the fire burning brighter than ever as he returned his gaze to Balgdan, "You will be dead shortly."

The fighting was too fast for Mabel to keep up with in her dazed state. From what she could remember later, Aleron's shadows had collected around him once again, this time pulsing outward together and spearing through Blagdan's (Herman's?) chest. Blagdan had swiped one hand forward, flames dancing around his fist, but Aleron deflected it without much difficulty, landing his own volley of blows in return.

The invisible wall had flickered then, before dropping entirely. Aleron had looked over to her, eyes softening with her appearance, but hardening with her battered state. In the next instant he had closed the distance to Blagdan, saying only one sentence as he towered over the other creature.

"Close your eyes, Little One."

She had done so, blocking out the noises of fighting, and had only opened them when a familiar, calloused hand pressed against her shoulder.

"Aleron?" her voice was raspy and weak, but she couldn't stop the relief at knowing she could speak again.

"Yes, Little One," he murmured, kneeling beside her and pulling her forward into his arms, "I am here; I am sorry for being late."

"S'okay," Mabel slurred, eyes struggling to focus on the scene over his shoulder. Herman's body lay in one corner, crumpled and shed like skin. Feet away from him, the body of a monster similar to a gargoyle lay, drenched in shadows with Aleron's sword sticking out of its chest: Blagdan's true form, she was guessing. "You killed him?"

"Of course," he said, shifting her slightly as he stood. "He harmed you. No one is allowed to harm you."

"If you guys are brothers . . ." she trailed off for a beat, struggling to stay conscious, "then, how come he doesn't look like you?"

"Because I was granted gifts that he was not." Aleron answered vaguely as he pushed his way out of the rundown castle, where Mabel noted that all the gargoyles were slain as well, strewn about the ground like creepy garden decorations. Mabel giggled drunkenly at the thought, wiping some blood from her mouth and returning her gaze to Aleron when she felt him tense.

He kept her clutched to his chest with one hand, using the other to dab at some blood still clinging to her lip. "For how long have you been bleeding?" There was an undertone of panic ringing in his voice.

Mabel blinked black spots out of her eyes, wondering absently why he sounded as though he were talking underwater. "Not sure: since I got here, maybe? I'm thirsty."

"Then I will get you water. Do not fall asleep, Mabel."

"Sure, sure," her voice was slower than it should have been, she couldn't help but notice.

Aleron must have realized it as well, if the almost frantic way his fingers danced across her skin was any indication. "Do not fall asleep," he demanded again, his steps growing quicker.

"Already said that," she scolded weakly, head dropping to her chest as the adrenaline left her veins, leaving her more exhausted than she'd ever been. She just wanted to fall asleep and stay that way for a week or so.

"Listen, and I will not have to tell you again." Aleron replied, stilling for just a moment as darkness shrouded them. It faded away, leaving them standing in her apartment living room.

Mabel hummed at the immediate comfort that seeped into her bones, head swaying from side to side as he carried her to the bathroom. She opened her mouth to thank him for coming to get her, but blood poured from her lips, and she gagged at the sudden, overwhelming taste.

"NO!" Aleron placed her down in her bathtub, stopping it up and turning on the cold water; Mabel started shaking at the chill. "No, Mabel!" he continued, voice almost scolding. "You are not allowed to do this! I forbid it!"

"Wha?" she gurgled, watching with fascination as the water turned red.

"Please," Aleron begged, and her eyes widened when she saw something glistening in the corner of his eyes.

Are those . . . tears?

She didn't have time to analyze further, as he placed her head back against the wall of the tub. "I will be back," he vanished, and Mabel let her eyes slip closed for a beat.

Her entire body had gone numb with the cold water, and she was grateful for the reprieve from the seemingly constant pain that had been plaguing her.

"Mabel!" she startled, opening her eyes but struggling to focus on Aleron's blurry shape. He held something in his hands, and a moment later a foreign object covered her mouth.

Breathing in, Mabel's muddled mind released a silent cheer at the clean air invading her senses. How nice it was, to breathe almost without trouble.

"Sleep now?" her voice came out muffled and small, but Aleron heard her nonetheless.

"No," he denied firmly. "You will not sleep until I tell you."

Mabel released a huff that morphed into a cough. "Tired though," she wheezed, black spots dancing under her half-closed eyelids. "So tired."

"Mabel, I told you . . ." Aleron's voice grew farther away, until Mabel could hear nothing but a soft ringing, her vision invaded entirely by the darkness till she knew no more.

***

"You are a foolish idiot, and I hate you," were the first words Mabel heard when she opened her eyes.

She managed a weak smile that probably looked more like a grimace. "You . . . don't mean that, Al."

Her grumpy guardian turned away from her swiftly, and her smile grew gentle when she saw him wipe something from his face. "Perhaps not," he grunted. "But I am still upset."

"I would be too, if I were you." She tried to lighten the mood, but Aleron didn't seem to notice. He sucked in a deep breath, his shoulders moving up and down with the movement. "Aleron?" Her voice turned gentle, "Thank you for coming to get me."

He stiffened at her words, fists clenching and unclenching by his sides. "What occurred was my fault, Mabel; I should not have let it happen. Nor should I have spoken to you the way I did."

Thinking back on the vicious, verbal showdown that had taken place saddened Mabel, and brought to memory exactly why things had gone downhill so quickly. "No," she agreed, "You shouldn't have. But it's in the past, now. Why were you so upset, anyway?"

He heaved a weary sigh, turning to face her finally. His eyes were heavy with guilt and concern, his words laced with regret. "I was not in my right mind, Mabel. Blagdan had been locked up in the deepest pits of Hell for centuries, but he escaped; that is what Death called me down to speak about.

"I was not sure where he had gone, and the amount of wicked souls in the city was expanding rapidly." He wiped a hand over his face, looking exhausted for the first time since Mabel had met him. "Blagdan was taunting me—corrupting as many souls as he could so I would be unable to find him. You were the recipient of my frustrations, and for that I am truly sorry."

The remorse on his face was almost heartbreaking, and Mabel managed to lift one arm. "Come here, Al."

He obeyed, crouching next to her and letting her place her hand on his cheek. "I'm alright," she soothed, stroking her fingers over his nose and chin. His eyes fluttered shut, and he bowed his head, leaning it against the side of the bed as her hand shifted to his hair. "I'm alright now, I promise."

"But you almost were not." His voice was barely a whisper.

"But I am." She continued, watching the rigid line of his shoulders and wishing she could wash the tension away with her words. "And he's gone now, so I'm safe."

"You will not be safe forever, Little One. And I have shown that I am not entirely capable of keeping you from harm."

Sensing that he was going to be stubborn about the subject, Mabel just hummed low in her throat, smiling when his shoulders relaxed at the noise. She continued, keeping to the tune of an old lullaby her mother had sung when she was alive and still had a sober mind. Aleron made no move, save for setting a hand against her thigh.

In that moment, near-death experience aside, they were blanketed in nothing but peace and comfort.

In the back of her mind, Mabel knew it wouldn't last, but she chose not to think about it. Life was all about living in the moment, after all, so that's what she would do.

For now, anyway.