He looked at both the guys before swallowing and looking at me. He winced, like telling me was painful. “Lucifer is my father, Minx.”
She took a deep breath, steadying herself before she closed her eyes and slowly shook her head, clearly stunned. It only took her a second to figure out how she was feeling before she looked back at me. “Lucifer?”
I nodded.
She looked confused as hell. I would have laughed if it weren’t such a serious conversation. She opened and closed her mouth multiple times before finally landing on the question she wanted to ask the most, “Like, Lucifer, Lucifer?”
Now I did laugh, loudly. “Yes, Pup, the very same.”
She glared at me for laughing, but I wasn’t about to go easy on her just because she had a hard time believing that I was the son of the Devil. I’d been living with it my entire life, and it hadn’t been easy. I was expected to cause chaos and set fire to everything I touched, but I chose to only feed when necessary, barely surviving.
I sat up straighter against the coffee table, bringing my fingers to my bottom lip gently pulling on it. Anna’s eyes trailed my movement, heat flaring up in her eyes. Sure, I was the Devil’s son, but all that meant was that I learned what to do and what not to do from the very best manipulator. Annalise may think of me as a play toy, someone she could sexually control, but she had no idea what it took to get me to submit.
I’d have her begging in minutes. She’d be wet and purring my name in less time than it took to unclasp her bra.
I wanted to test her limits, see how much she could handle. I was the Devil’s son. Would she flirt with my madness or crumble against my mania?
I leaned forward until I was face-to-face with her. Once I had her where I wanted her, I whispered, “I’m the little Devil on your shoulder, telling the Angel to shut her trap. I’m the one whispering in your ear, tempting you to give me everything. I’m the one who’ll have your soul in the palm of my hands.”
She inhaled quietly before whispering, “I thought that good always beat evil, Quint.”
I took the bait. “Hmm, let’s test out that theory, baby. You bring the Angel and I’ll bring the Devil—we’ll see what happens when heaven and hell meet in the flesh.”
She let out a hard, bitter laugh.
Before my eyes, her entire demeanor changed. Gone was the light and funny Annalise that was relentlessly flirting with me twenty minutes ago, and in her place was a cold and callous woman who had a secret. Her smile was cocky, sexy. In fact, she looked like Lanier did when he was in his true form; all she was missing was her wings.
“So, what you’re all saying is that I’m an Angel and I’m supposed to be here on Earth doing good for the Humans? I’m supposed to find a random job and work it just because I was given wings and a title?” she asked incredulously. She didn’t let us answer before continuing, “Let me inform you all of something. I’m not your girl. I’m not who you’re obviously looking for. That ship sailed long ago.”
I looked to Lanier, confused. Where was she going with this?
“No, Annalise. It’s you. We…we feel you…” Cabe said, sounding just as confused. “And you have a scent, you’re Nephilim.”
“I don’t doubt that I’m who you were sent to find, but I’m doubting what you all say I am. I’m not an Angel.” She still had the private secret in her eyes. She wanted us to tell her differently.
So I did. “Yes, you are, Pup. You’re an Angel. You Transitioned in front of us last night; we saw it happen.”
“Well, this will be interesting then.” As she spoke, she shifted so that her feet were planted on the floor and her elbows rested on her knees. She looked down at me, up at Lanier, then over to Cabe before knocking the wind out of the room when she said, “Tell me, boys, what do you do when you’re an Angel who sold her soul to the Devil?”
I couldn’t handle anymore. When I agreed to listen to what they had to say, I knew it was going to be a lot of information, but I had no idea how much of it would be about me.
The first time I met the guys, in the alley, kept popping up in my head as I paced back and forth in the living room. Lanier was right. I had no idea what I was, and based on what they told me, I wasn’t going to like the rest of the information they had to give me. A fucking Angel.
After my startling question, no one said anything. Lanier sat back in his chair and looked down at his hands fisted in his lap, Quint started playing video games on the monstrous flat screen on the other side of the living room, like I hadn’t said anything at all, and Cabe was staring at me with a whole world of fear in his eyes—like I might shatter in front of him. Which was annoying.
I was serious though. I hated people, I hated Humans in general. People were vicious and mean. They took what they wanted without asking permission first, and I decided from a young age that I didn’t believe in God—The Maker. I didn’t believe in a being who would allow His children to get brutally beaten for half of their childhood. That was a cruel God.
I would rather believe in the Devil, someone who was unapologetic in the evil he committed. I could live with knowing that evil does what evil does. God is supposed to love and protect, but He never showed me either of those things.
“I need to get the fuck out of here,” I said to no one in particular.
Quint spoke up, not taking his eyes off the TV screen, “Where do you wanna go, princess pie? I can take you for a ride, all you gotta do is say the word. This dick will fuck the confusion right out of you.”
“For once, just shut up, Quint,” Lanier grumbled. “Annalise, can you just talk to us? We can help you.”
I laughed out a bitter sound. “Help me? You want me to ask you for help?”
“Who else would you ask?” Cabe supplied.
“Oh, I don’t know. Literally anyone else?” I squeaked. God, I actually squeaked. “You just told me that not only am I not Human but that I’m an Angel? Like a heavenly being that’s supposed to have a halo and be all pure and shit. Well, I’m sorry to disappoint, but I am most definitely not pure. I’m actually one hundred percent positive that Quint’s daddy has a nice spot in Hell waiting for me.”
I kept pacing, running my hand down my face as I walked. I probably looked like a hot fucking mess. I hadn’t even seen a mirror in this place. I hadn’t even fucking peed yet. Jesus Christ.
I paused my walking momentarily. “Let’s take a bigfoot sized step back for a moment. How are we talking about Angels like they’re real? That isn’t even possible, and I let you talk about it like it was!”
I was frustrated with myself for even contemplating this idea, but I only entertained it because I said I would. I told them I’d listen to what they had to say and then make my decision. Now that it was time to decide what it was that I believed, I wasn’t sure where to even start. It was like my brain just stopped functioning properly. Maybe I had brain damage? That would explain a whole lot.
I wasn’t normal, I figured that out long before this conversation, but an Angel? Like a real-life heavenly being? No, that was not possible. It couldn’t be possible.