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MICAH
THE GOLDEN SUN rises in the distance, finally breaking the consuming darkness. I’ve never felt a night so long in all of my existence. I breathe in a crisp breath of morning air, finding relief. The confliction I face is unlike anything I could’ve imagined. Dealing with mortal souls should be easy. Light or dark. Pure with grace or tainted by the evils fighting the Higher Power every second and moment of their forsaken existence. Never have I faced a soul such as the one I can see shining through the blinds. It’s the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen just like the woman who ruined it.
Beams of warm rays stretch toward the sky, illuminating the white clouds. It’s a breathtaking reminder of why I’m here, standing on the rooftop of the unholy apartment complex destroyed by the presence of those fallen from grace. I’ve never seen a soul comparable to the light of the sun, bringing a new beginning each morning like I’ve seen in the mortal the devils keep. How they found her first? I wish I could go back in time and figure out how my brethren and I could’ve failed.
We’ve been waiting for her pure soul to return to Earth for too many sunrises to remember. And the fact that the dark betrayers got to her first? My very being weeps. It’s why I couldn’t do what I should’ve done the moment I realized what had happened. It’s why I still can’t. Why I’m here. I don’t understand how or why I could’ve been given such an impossible test. My loyalty to the Higher Power shouldn’t be tested in such a way.
The light of the soul fades from the window, and I flap my wings and jump from the rooftop, gliding my way down. Just losing sight of the glow makes my essence ache. My boots touch the dry grass with a crunch. Strolling around the building to the back, I hop the wall and stand on the patio.
“Put this on.” Kase’s command burns through me, making me tense.
“Will it even cover my damn vagina?” Hearing Raven speak is one of the most melodious sounds in the universe, no matter what comes from her mouth. “It looks like a shirt.”
A throaty grumble reverberates through the air. “That doesn’t matter. Consider this your uniform for being my pretty angel-girl. It’ll stop the asshole from running at the sight of you. Our target has a hard-on for sexy little things, so unless you want to get hurt, put the fucking dress on. If you don’t, and I have to do it myself, I will burn your pile of crap and leave you with only lingerie.”
Shifting on my feet, I peek between the cracks of the partially opened blinds. Kase dangles a black dress from his fingers, swinging it back and forth in Raven’s face. She snatches the flouncy fabric and drops the sheet from around her body, triggering me to focus purely on her soul. The last time she caught me watching her, her mortal rational put her on guard, thinking I was invading her privacy. I wanted to explain and apologize, but she’s too far immersed in the darkness of demons that it’ll take time for her to see I’m not her enemy. I never wanted to be.
“Touch my stuff, and you’ll never get that tail anywhere near me,” Raven snaps, her soul swaying as she dresses in front of Kase.
I wish she wouldn’t.
His darkness grows as he unleashes his human façade enough to let his grotesque demonic form peek through. Flicking his tail at Raven, he whips her with the filthy appendage and drags her closer to him. His presence overpowers hers, and I squeeze my eyes shut, pained by losing sight of her soul to him.
“Enough, Kase,” Raven says, a musical laugh playing on her lips. “I want to get this over with. Any more distractions and you’ll end up summoning Lucian again. I can’t stand the thought of him hurting you.”
I open my eyes, displeasure coursing through me at her admission. How can she feel even an ounce of sympathy for the beasts who imprison her soul is beyond me. If she’s unfazed by their true bodies, I don’t know what else I can do to show her how misguided she is.
Raven stretches up on her tiptoes and kisses Kase, losing herself to his charm. The poor, naïve soul. She has no idea how much she’s being used. They play with her like the possession she is to them. If they cared even an ounce about anything besides their demonic needs and craving for power, they’d not ask her to do their bidding. From what it sounds like, they’re sending her to collect on a debt from someone who bartered with their soul.
“I’d face all the agony of Hell to fuck you senseless, angel-girl. It would be worth it.” Kase grins at her grimace. He feeds on the negative emotions he causes in her. Grabbing the front of his pants, he rubs his groin. “Leaving me like this is torture. More painful than Lucian’s wrath.”
She laughs at his audacious behavior. I wish her mind wasn’t closed to me, so I could listen to her thoughts. I yearn to know what she likes about his crude attitude. If I understand her better, perhaps it’ll be easier to gain her trust.
“Good. It serves you right,” she says, patting his chest. Stepping back, she tugs at the short hem of the tight dress and tugs it down, only to accentuate her cleavage. “I hope you regret the decision to make me wear this too.”
He has the nerve to whip her with his tail. “And they claim I’m the master of punishment.”
I stare as the two of them share a passionate kiss, and an unfamiliar emotion washes over me. I dislike how it tenses my muscles and forces me to clench my jaw. Turning away, I inhale a deep breath and stare at the cloudy sky.
“Please give me the guidance I seek,” I whisper, rubbing my hand over my cropped hair. “What is your plan?”
A door slams, interrupting my prayer to the Higher Power, and I launch into the air and hover above the rooftops. Bellowing laughter booms through the air from below as Dante and Kase circle Raven like the predators they are. Blush tints her cheeks, and she shakes her head at something Dante whispers. Smacking his chest, Raven keeps him from lifting up her dress and darts away. Her stilettos click on the pathway with her brisk pace, and I follow along above them.
Raven remains ahead of the devils until she reaches the parking lot of the complex. Tipping her head back, she looks up and shields her eyes from the sun. Our eyes meet, and she raises her middle finger at me. I wave and force my mouth to smile, hoping I look okay. Her fear bothers me unlike I could have ever imagined. Maybe it’s because of how she can face the rulers of Hell without an ounce of hesitation, or maybe it’s because of the new feelings she arouses in my essence, but either way, she’s pushed me into a territory I have no idea how to handle.
I fly higher, expecting her to inform her soul keepers of my presence, but she surprises me and turns her attention back to them, keeping her middle finger up while they laugh and tease her.
The three of them climb into an obnoxious bright red vehicle with Raven sitting on Dante’s lap in the two-seater. Kase sends white smoke through the air as he speeds from the lot, cutting off a minivan in the process. I soar across the sky, flapping my wings harder and faster, pushing me to keep up.
About a mile away from their apartment complex, Kase pulls to the curb and Dante flings his door open. Raven stumbles out of the vehicle. She tugs down her dress and tries to yell at them, but Kase speeds off, leaving her in a cloud of smoke. Coughing, she waves her hand to clear the air. I glide toward the ground and wait until she struts toward an alleyway to land.
Peering around the garbage littered street, I meander after Raven, ensuring two dozen feet of distance between us. I don’t shield myself from her, despite knowing she might react negatively. My need to watch over her and ask the Higher Power to help me protect her pushes me forward. The devils are either misguided to think that their influence on her soul will keep Raven out of danger or they lack any sort of consideration for her life because her soul is marked. It pains me that such a beautiful spirit will go to waste.
I turn the corner and crash into Raven. Grabbing her waist, I pull her into me, saving her from falling to the ground. Furrowing her brows, she glowers at me and scrambles away to put space between us.
“Why won’t you just leave me alone?” Raven asks, peering at the alleyway behind her. “You’re interrupting a job I must complete. If I don’t, my ass will get restrained to Dante’s bed again, and my shoulders still ache from last night.”
