"NO!!" I could hear my voice shrieking as Nexo approached my grounded love. "NEXO DON'T HURT HIM! YOU KNOW HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! PLEASE! LEAVE HIM! IT'S ME YOU WANT! IT'S ALL MY FAULT" I couldn't even hear what he was saying to Braeden until I was wrapped in shadows with a Demon knife pressed to my neck. Then I opened my ears and listened blankly to what was being said.<br/><br/>"Now...if you really love her...your going to open a rift to hell...and take us there." Wha? He wanted to go to Hell? my mind swirled blankly. No. I may not like him. I may even hate him for what he was doing to Braed, but no one deserved to have to handle Lucifer when he was angry. I concentrated on stretching my mind out to connect with Braeden and we softly conversed inside our minds. '<span style="font-style: italic">Braed. Don't do it. I don't think Nexo will kill me and even if he does... He can't go down there like this. He would be slaughtered before he made it to the Throne Room.' </span>Before I had even finished my statement I could hear Braedens disagreement.<span style="font-style: italic">Well, then you figure something out.' 'Fine. I say that we allow him down there and watch him get taken down a peg.' 'No. He won't kill me. I swear, but Braed, he would kill you. And if you died I wouldn't care to live.</span>I felt his disagreement but he knew I was less likely to kill someone if things went my way.<span style="font-style: italic">'Fine. I'll go down there but I'll be watching you. Good-bye love'</span>I choked at the thought of never seeing Braed again.<span style="font-style: italic">'Good-bye'</span><br/><br/>"Fine. Nexo, you want a rift? Here's a rift." Braeden spread his arms apart and a fissure cracked open the cement but before Nexo could get to the crack Braeden stepped into it and pulled it closed. I knew that now would be the only time to act so I turned my gaze to Nexo's inky eyes that had once seemed almost innocent. I almost couldn't talk looking into those soulless orbs. It was my fault he was like that, enraged and evil. I had polluted him and it hurt me to know that.<br/><br/>"Don't be angry with him. Please. It was my fault that Lucifer sent him. I pissed you off and Lucy didn't think that I would be able to talk to you again so he sent a Demon to help and he only sent Braed because he didn't want me to try to botch the operation, and Braed knows how to handle me." I slowly attempted to wriggle away from the knife threatening my life. "I didn't mean to betray you. I kept forgetting that you weren't aware of how we lived but I just assumed that well. You know. That you liked me." I felt a deep red blush creep across my face. "Because.. W.well... I... I'm." I took a deep breath and pushed through the pride and embarrassment that was causing the stutter. "I'm often seen as beautiful and I just figured that you would want to be with me."<br/><br/>I quickly looked down at my last words and intently studied the pavement, waiting impatiently for both an answer and for the blush to recede. All I could think about was the knife pressed to my skin and I prayed to Satan that he wouldn't kill me.