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“I suspect she’s quite harmless outside of Hell’s darkness. She’s even already forgotten her attempt to hurt me.” Zade’s comment draws my attention away from the messy apartment and back to him.
My fingers rest against his pec without pinching him any longer, and now that he points it out, I feel ridiculous. Who the Hell pinches nipples like this except maybe brothers messing around and annoying each other. I’ve seen it happen with some neighborhood boys growing up.
“But she—”
“She what, Cassius?” I snap, pulling my hand away from Zade. I don’t know why I say his name, but it’s like my mind wants to ensure I don’t forget it. “Is one of Hell’s pawns? Maybe. But do you think I wanted to ever be put in this position? I was left no choice.”
Zade lets me go and stands up, rubbing his fingers over his nipple. I wish he’d put on a shirt or something, but I suspect the gashes whipping around his sides from his attack on Dante probably hurt. The same goes for the quieter angel staring at me from a few feet away.
“Mortals always have a choice.” Cassius straightens his back and narrows his violet eyes at me.
I’ve never seen a color anything like them. They look like sparkling amethyst stones against his paler complexion compared to his brethren. His tousled black hair hangs every which way, wind-blown but not affecting how attractive he is. My gaze travels over his broad shoulders and to the heavy black jacket he wears, hiding his body from my attention.
“You obviously know nothing,” I argue, getting the nerve to push to my feet. I hate feeling so small as they tower over me, but standing at my full height of five-seven doesn’t make much of a difference. “And to think, I assumed you were all knowing like whatever higher power you—”
Sliding a sword from a sheath in his jacket, Cassius sets it ablaze with the touch of his heavenly light. I lose my gall and scramble away. Panic tightens my chest at the fierce angel. He doesn’t look like the type to see any shades of gray in a situation—all or nothing sort of attitude—which reminds me of one of the reasons the devils jumped. They wanted away from that.
Cassius strides toward me, cornering me to the wall of the small studio apartment. I hit my back on the cool plaster and raise my arms protectively, trying to shield myself. Blinding light erupts through the room with the unfurling of his wings, and a bolt of electricity dances from one tip of his wings to the other. His smite mode supersedes how terrifying Micah was when we met—and maybe even Lucian, for that matter—and I can’t stop the silent prayer from escaping my mouth.
“God, help me,” I whisper, imagining Kase and Dante yelling at me for resorting to begging for mercy. Or for praying at all. I can’t help it though. Maybe it’s my soul’s way of trying to show this angel that he should save his smite for someone else.
“Come on, Cass. That’s enough. Look how you’ve frightened her. If she were completely consumed by Hell, she wouldn’t pray.” The quieter angel speaks up, coming up beside his brethren. “We’d have been able to take care of this problem as well.”
“Andre’s right,” Zade says, staring down at me like I’m the most pathetic being in the universe. “She is Micah’s mission, and we can’t intervene.”
Cassius scowls and swings the sword back. “But I can try.”
Fear paralyzes me, and I scream and squeeze my eyes shut as Cassius chops down his flaming sword at me. I expect to feel the worst pain in existence. I hold my breath and wait for the fires of Hell to shoot from the door to swallow me whole. What I don’t expect is for nothing to happen. No pain. No death. Yet I know Cassius stuck me with his flaming sword.
I flutter my eyes open and gasp at the sight of the flaming sword protruding from my chest. Cassius grumbles in agitation and jabs his sword into me over and over again like he expects it to hurt me eventually.
Throwing myself forward, I ram into Cassius’s legs, surprising him. I don’t know exactly how I manage to knock the angel onto his ass, but I don’t question the universe for granting me the capability of doing something so satisfying, and crawl up the angel’s body before planting my ass on his hard stomach.
“You asshole!” I shriek, clocking him in the face with my fist. “Why the fuck would you do that?”
Two strong arms grab me by my sides and drag me off of Cassius. I kick and buck my body, trying to break free. Spinning me around, Andre dangles me in front of him like an unruly child, but it doesn’t stop me from trying to punch him next.
“Settle down, little hellion. Fighting does no one any good. That is the devil’s way, and I won’t tolerate it, even if I have to restrain you like this until you settle down.” Andre remains expressionless with his words.
I huff a few deep breaths, wanting to test his threat, because really, how long can he actually hold me like this if I thrash enough? “Fuck you. Put me down!” The angel is delusional if he thinks I’m going to comply.
“I will when you settle down,” Andre says, doing nothing more than continuing to hang me in front of him with my feet almost a foot off the floor.
Annoyance grips me so tightly that I fight for another minute, screaming and swearing at the bastard angel like my words might corrupt him after a while. He silently stares at me, waiting with the patience of a saint until I give up, or at least, pretend to. I’m betting on the angel being gullible and naïve. If he thinks I’ll comply, he’ll let his guard down. I already know there is nothing I can truly do to escape him, but I can make him wish I would.
Andre puffs a breath through his mouth, his tropical fruit scent reminding me of the coconut shampoo I used to like until Joel started using it too, treating my belongings like they were free for all. But the scent coming from the angel twists my feelings. From now on, I won’t think of anyone except Andre with the fragrant scent.
I shake my head, knocking Joel from my mind completely. He deserves zero space in my head. So instead, I focus on Andre and imprint his essence into my being. I relax in his arms, letting the weirdly comforting emotions trickle through me. I know I shouldn’t feel content, but it’s like my soul recognizes he’s not truly a threat.
His deep brown eyes with gold rings flicker with heavenly light. He meets my stare with his own, not averting his eyes away from me. I inhale slow breaths, wondering if he can listen to my thoughts like Micah. If he can, he doesn’t say anything. But I realize despite not being able to read my mind, he’s peering at my soul. In this moment, I’m not sure I even exist as a mortal. His essence seeps into mine. It feels a lot like when I let Kase and Micah merge with me. The intimacy awakens a deep-seated part of me that leaves my heart racing.
Cassius and Zade close in around us, but with the way I find myself stuck in a staring contest with the unblinking angel, I know resisting any of this is pointless. So is fighting.
His expression breaks after another minute. Thick brows dip lower on his forehead in confusion as if he feels what I do. “Raven...” Hearing him whisper my name sends tingles all over me. “Your soul...” He can’t form coherent thoughts, his confusion obvious. He might not understand or believe it, but his essence calls to mine. He’s one of the angels that I need to break. Actually, the three of them might all be.
“What about it?” I search his face, waiting for him to drop me to run away.
But he doesn’t.
