‘A feather! There’s a feather, Lucifer!’ Brushing away his blood tears from his painful and blinded eyes, Kharon whispered. ‘What do I have to do, it’s not come out fully yet.’

‘Tear it out and quickly not to torture your weak eyes.’

Kharon pulled the disturbing feather out, Lucifer smirked and got the shirt from the floor, hiding his wings.

‘I’m sorry I got you blind again, but who would have helped me if it’s not you?’ he smiled, buttoning his shirt.

‘Who?’ the demon surprised. ‘Anyone! A half of the earth population and the whole hell dream to do the same. It’s honour, Lucifer.’

‘Certainly, it is. I have no doubts. The point is that those who know about my wings shining can be counted on my fingers. And there will be never enough specks of dust for fools. They will be gonna be blind, writhing with pain. What do you think it would be an honour for them when their eyes are burnt like with acid?’

Kharon smiled and lowered his head, Lucifer was having fun as usual.

‘What if it’s an honour for them, nevertheless? Would you let them suffer for their entire lives in blindness?’

‘Oh, my friend, do I look like a sadist? There’s always a deal for such cases. Conclude. Take. Disappear. Besides, in two minutes the one opens her eyes who’s in agony when she sees only your face. If you have something to ask, then ask.’

Kharon was looking at the long feather on the floor and he wasn’t smiling anymore. His face became gloomy, enveloped with seriousness.

‘Why did you give her witch abilities?’

‘If I hadn’t then how she would have been supposed to impressed me and called in the end? I can’t allow myself to come to her after all that nonsense she did, having read internet and book ravings. But I hope you bear no grudge against me, right?’

‘No. On the contrary, I’m looking forward to getting trips and diversity. Shall I tell her about her new abilities?’

‘No, my friend, I’d like you to let her have fun, too. I’m sure your mission is gonna be fascinating not only for you. I’m observing your family also. See you.’

Lucifer smiled and disappeared at the very second when Victoria got her lungs full of air, shrugged with terrible memories and opened her eyes.

There was semi-dark in the room. The curtains were closed thickly, and the sun sat behind the house anyway. Victoria was staring at a big wardrobe along the wall. She was staring at the mirror and wasn’t blinking, being afraid of someone coming out of there.

‘Kharon,’ she whispered his name which she believed in.

The girl saw a saviour and defender in the demon. She believed he would never let anyone hurt her.

Vic touched her forehead – there was a wet cold towel fell on the floor. Feeling sickness and headache, Vic sat on the bed, kept on staring at the mirror.

The door hand smoothly went down, her heart squeezed into a fist, and it took her breath away. The girl was waiting for something. Kharon came into the room and Vic threw herself into his arms. She was too weak, and she was about to fall when the man caught her up, looking at her scared eyes and the mask of horror over her face.

‘You’re still weak,’ he whispered, hiding her hair lock came out behind her ear.

‘What was that?’ Victoria asked in a sepulchral voice.

‘What’re you talking about?’

‘About the man.’

Kharon glanced in surprise at the girl, lying in his arms. A suspicious creeped into his mind what a man was there and why the demon didn’t see him. Holding Victoria in his arms Kharon sat down on the big bed, which size was more than standard one. The demon was examining her face in disarray, taking out by atoms threads impregnated with self-reproach, putting on the new feeling. The only thing he didn’t understand was how it was possible to have so extensive range of feelings?

‘With a loop on her neck. He was standing near the table then rapidly headed towards me. I was scared. He had so… empty and lifeless face. Didn’t you see him?’

Kharon nodded his head.

‘Why can I see them? What’s wrong with me? I’m insane, aren’t I? Oh, my dear.’

The girl put her cold palms on the warm, bristled cheeks of the silent man. She tried to feel every inch of his fabulous face, convincing herself of her more or less sane mind. Feeling his warmth running through her hands frozen with fear, she perceived it shoot at her capillaries, waking them up from sudden winter sleep, immersing them into a wonderful autumn evening. Vic touched his lips with hers. She closed her eyes. Here his warmth was…the fire which she had been looking for to get warm, understand that she was alive. No madness was left. Life was in full swing.

Kharon didn’t move but voluptuously answered the girl’s kiss. No, he didn’t turn into a sanctimonious person, he just fought and subdued his crazy feelings, he mocked his burning passion and desire to grab the ginger puny girl and despite of anything to demonstrate his many-thousand-year experience, do something unusual and unbelievable in the middle of human abyss of ordinary and banality.

But Kharon didn’t touch the girl with his fingertips. He was capable of waiting.

Victoria was getting deeper into the kiss, thinking that she was about to get her mind back but in fact she didn’t notice her losing her mind. The demon’s sensual lips played tricks with her mind. Her disobedient hands lasciviously and awkwardly tried to unbutton his shirt to touch his “divine” body. She wanted so much to feel a life streaming through his muscles into the black soul.

‘No, no, no… If you don’t stop me then I must do it…’ she whispered, embracing hard the petrified man.

‘Do you know how much strengths I need not to fall upon you and get known what to rape means by my own? I know only too well that you’re not gonna let me go further than your childish kisses. Tell me, by the way, why?

‘Ah…’

‘Wait, I’ll do it myself. Romanticism, right?’ he gave her a poisonous frowned look, buttoning his shirt. ‘We’re studying what romanticism means. I remember, dear, I really do.’

Kharon got up from the bed and added lighter, adjusting his hair and collar. Victoria closed her eyes and fell on the bed.

‘I’m so stupid…’ she said quiet.

‘I don’t think so.’

‘No, Kharon. There’s something wrong with me. If I’m not insane then I’m stupid.’

‘Your tea got cold, dear. Let me do a new one for you and you’ll say me your thoughts and sufferings as regards what exactly deprived you from saying “yes” to me. You did really want to say it. I heard you begging your stubbornness and it repeated about romanticism. You’ll say me in detail what I should be ready for while I’m advance studying the XXI century romanticism.’

Victoria hardly didn’t laugh when she was on the bed. She couldn’t still get over and understand that with no difficulty the demon penetrated her mind and absorbed all her thoughts and after it he threw them like lances into the girl hinting at “Look what your naughty mind was thinking of while your body was so irreproachable”.

‘You’re insufferable. Stop getting into my mind.’

‘Alas, dear, it’s impossible. I can hear your thoughts as clear as your voice.’

‘How can you distinguish them?’

‘Like linguists… by the con-text.’ Kharon smiled. ‘Moreover, if I took everything that you think, like a sign to act, we’d have already had something that could be described in more than a book. And some of your thoughts, I’m certainly sure, you’d never ask to release. Unfortunately…’

Vic sat on the edge of the bed, trying to understand how she felt. She seemed to have come to herself, but the memories of that man didn’t live her alone. Through the laughing and enjoyment, she was sending away the bad vision. Her all efforts were futile.

As soon as they came back to the kitchen, Victoria understood the man go nowhere.

‘Kharon’ Vic whispered, grabbed his hand.