AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Angels aren’t supposed to be running around, either,” he mused with a tilt of his head. “It doesn’t make much sense to have ‘Heaven-appointed’ ones that have never been in Heaven, yet here we are. The Grigori were once punished for sleeping around, which is, y’know, where all of us wolves came from, but apparently, them having hybrid kids nowadays is just fine. My theory is that God is either dead or sleeping while all of this happens, and the angels have just decided to sit around instead of interfere while reality’s rules fall apart.”
“So, he’s just doing whatever he wants because no one can stop him?”
“Basically. I think he still hassomethingto fear or he’d be even worse, but. Well.”
Even though I was reeling from that information, Ashe was casually distracted by the paintings again. “Now, existential threats aside…”
He made his way over to one particular painting, carefully took it off its hook, then presented it to me. “Can I have this one?”
For some reason, he’d picked one that was based off of a nightmare I’d had in Hell and whose imagery had haunted me until I’d painted it: a flayed, demonic, black skeleton surrounded by red-and-purple miasma that had tortured faces in it.
I let out a breath. “Be my guest,” I said with a sweeping hand gesture, because I’d been planning to burn that thing one day anyway.
“You’re my new favorite person, Mr. Sariel. Do you know that?”
The starry-eyed look on his face told me that he wasn’t exaggerating.
“Okay, but for real,” he said as he tucked the painting under one arm, then came over and picked the bundle off the ground with the other. “If I don’t get going with this stuff, Jack’s going to think I’m slacking off. Which I am, but he doesn’t need to know that. Let me know if you want anything in exchange later! See ya.”
Just as suddenly as he’d come, Ashe left. I definitely heard the front door of the storehouse loudly opening and closing this time.
Awww, Sariel. I think you made a friend.
Looking down at my long-dried paint and abandoned brush plus palette, I chuckled, shaking my head. What a world.
8
CUTE?
ARIA
Auren wasn’t crazy. I knew he wasn't. I’d have noticed if he were by now.
Nevertheless, seeing him standing beneath a tree while chattering with what seemed to be ahawkwas a bit unsettling.
After settling all the newcomers in, we’d all met up to discuss the new guard shifts and who would take what watch. I was relieving Auren first, then in a few hours, Sariel would relieve me, and so on and so forth.
My walk slowed as I approached Auren, though, trying to catch a hint of what he was telling the bird. Whatever it was, it seemed serious from the way his hands were braced on his hips and the scowl tilting his lips.
Unfortunately, the hawk must have noticed my approach, as it took off in a flurry of feathers and golden wings.
Auren groaned, arms folding across his chest, and then looked at me. I tried to mask all my concerns, gearing up for whatever crazy message he’d just delivered via animal magic, but instead, what came out of his mouth confused me even more.
“How do I get my mate to like me?”
It was such an innocent question for a man who ran the Resistance and had probably executed more people than I could count on two hands.
I laughed despite my best efforts, trying to contain it when he stiffened like I’d taken a swing at him.
“You’d be better off asking Sariel, since I hated him when we met,” I jokingly admitted. “I’m still not sure how he talked me into it.”
I was mostly kidding, but then Auren nodded like I’d given him the answers to the universe. It felt wrong to try and backtrack.
“Got it,” he said, seemingly in a hurry as he passed me. “Thank you, Aria.”
With that, he left me to it, heading back towards Sariel’s and my place.
Baffled by the encounter, I watched him go for a moment before shaking my head. I debated shooting a quick text to warn my mate, but it would be a funnier story if I didn’t, so I decided to walk the designated path like this had never happened.
