Chapter 144: 21

The day after the entire city knew about their wedding shutting down all the gossip that circulated. Zamiel sent carriages and servants with gold and expensive fabrics to her home. Now people started to gossip about how lucky she was instead. 

"You didn't have to send all this." She told him. 

"I wanted to." He said. 

She smiled at him, this time looking into his eyes. There was no avoiding to look at each other now that they were getting married. She looked happy and so was he, except for the one thing that bothered him. He was a djinn, and she didn't know. She deserved to know, but he was afraid of losing her. 

"Gamila, would you love me no matter what?" He asked. 

"As long as you don't hurt me, I will love you for eternity." She said. 

"I need to tell you something." He began. "Whatever I tell you, I want you to know that it doesn't change who I am or how I feel about you." 

She nodded. "You can tell me anything." 

"I am a djinn." He said. 

She looked at him for a long moment. It felt like forever before she laughed. "You are funny." She said hitting him jokingly. 

"I am serious." He told her. 

"Alright." She said, but he could tell she didn't believe him. 

He would have to show her, so he vanished and then materialized back again. 

That night she ran away from him, locking herself inside her room. Even though it hurt him he knew these kinds of things could be difficult for humans to accept. She would need a few days to let sink in. 

But Gamila was quick, and the day after she came knocking on his door. "Zamiel, would you ever hurt me?" She asked. 

"May I never see the daylight again if I ever hurt you." 

"Don't say such a thing." She scolded. "May you have a long life." 

He smiled at her. "You are not afraid of me anymore?" 

"No. I can't be afraid of my future husband." She smiled back. 

And so they got married, and he gave her the love bite, strengthening their bond. But someone was not so happy about their marriage and it was none other than his witch friend, Razia. Despite the animosity between their races, they stayed friends for many years. 

Now she was angry with him. "How could you not tell me you got married?" 

"It happened suddenly." He explained. 

"Still." She crossed her arms over her chest. 

"Alright, I am sorry." 

"Who is here?" His wife came into the parlor. 

"Gamila, come here. This is my friend Razia." He introduced. "And this is my wife, Gamila." 

They greeted each other and before he knew they sat down and chatted happily until the sun went down. Razia come often to their home to spend time with Gamila and Zamiel was happy they became friends. His two-year-old daughter was also very fond of Razia. 

One night while lying in bed next to his wife, she asked him a surprising question. 

"Do you like Razia?" 

He took a moment to think. He didn't want to say anything to hurt his wife. "I like her as a friend." He said. 

"But a man and a woman can never be just friends." She said. 

"To me, she is just a friend." He assured her. 

"But to her, you are not just a friend."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, she likes you. As a man." 

"There must be a misunderstanding. I have known her for a very long time." He said. 

"Yes. But only a woman can know another woman very well." She explained. 

"You are worried? That I might like her back?" 

"I can't blame you if you did. She is very beautiful."

"Nothing compares to your beauty." He told her. 

She smiled widely at his compliment, but that night was the last time he saw her beautiful smile. The day after when he came home, he found his wife and daughter slaughtered, their lifeless bodies lying in a pool of blood. His wife was badly beaten, he could tell she fought for her life and for their daughter's life. 

Zamiel fell on his knees, his vision darkening, his head spinning. He had the urge to vomit from the way his insides twisted in pain. Crawling to their bodies, he gathered them in his arms and held them close while he cried, a silent stifled sound. 

When he could finally breath, he screamed, cursed, begged, but nothing changed the fact that they were gone. His wife had always prayed for him to live a long life. Why did he never do the same? Why?! 

Who had done this?! They would pay for it dearly. 

It had to be someone who didn't know about him, otherwise they would never dare. Maybe some humans who didn't know what they were dealing with, but he was wrong. These beings knew exactly what they were doing. 

When Razia come home to him she was horrified at what she found. 

"Zamiel." She hurried to his side but then stopped. Again he could see the horror on her face as she looked at the dead body of his daughter. She put a hand on her mouth. 

"Look!" He said, holding his daughter up. "She refuses to wake up. She refuses to talk to me."

"Zamiel, please. Come." She grabbed his arms and tried to get him away from the dead bodies. 

"No!" He pushed her away. "I am staying here."

"You can't stay there forever. We need to bury them." 

He shook his head violently. "I am not burying them before I bury those who killed them. Find them for me, Razia. Find them!"

It didn't take long for Razia to find out who they were, but he could see she was ashamed and terrified when she told him. It was her own people. What better way to hurt an ancient demon? They couldn't kill him, so they killed his family. 

He knew why. It was all his fault. His type were not supposed to procreate with humans. Demons had broken that rule many times before. It was one created by the witches, anyway, but his case was different. They probably felt threatened that an ancient demon was procreating. It would disrupt the balance of nature according to them. But how could they kill a child?

His vision become red with anger. Razia had every reason to be afraid. At that moment, he forgot their long years of friendship. All he could think of was that she was a witch, one of those who brutally murdered his family. He was close to killing her right there and then.

"Leave before I kill you." He told her. 

Tears fell down her cheeks. "You need someone by your side now. Please let me be there for you. " 

He needed to just give her a look to let her know that if she spoke one more word; he was not going to show mercy. 

Quietly, she turned and left. 

Zamiel buried his family. He had sworn to avenge them first, but now his plans would take much longer and he wanted them to find peace soon. His vengeance would be nothing short. He would teach everyone what it meant to anger an ancient djinn. 

The horror of his actions spread fast, and witches started to hide. He burned down and buried every witch village he knew until they themselves brought to him the one responsible for the death of his family. Only to end the terror. 

Zamiel thought of all the possible ways to torture them, but nothing seemed satisfying enough. So he handed them over to the demons. Those who hated witches the most. They could come up with gruesome ways to kill and torture. He never enjoyed watching suffering as much as he did that day. But then only emptiness followed. 

Once he executed his revenge, there was nothing else to do. Together with his family, he had buried a part of himself that day. Now only the pain remained. 

"Zamiel." His friend Razia returned to him. He thought she would never want to see him again after what he did. 

"What are you doing here?" 

"If you are done hating, I want to be with you." 

Be with him? His wife had told him that Razia liked him. It turned out to be true. 

"But I don't want to be with you. Every time I see you, I am reminded of them." 

He could tell his words cut deep. "It's not my fault I am a witch."

"I did a mistake by befriending you. Our people can never mix. Demons and witches, it will never happen." 

"You say you can never love me?" She asked, tears welling in her eyes. 

"Never!"