“Stop reading the men of this world, Sebastian. I was being sarcastic. I wasn’t wanting you to actually find me another good guy,” she tells me as she opens the gate leading toward her home.
“I’m not good with sarcasm. I realized that while we were visiting the bar. I’ll need to work on that more.”
She chuckles. “Yeah, and here’s another thing you’ll need to work on. You’re going to be in a house with two demons. When they were on Earth, they were witches. They are everything you, as an angel, are against. Will you please be nice to them? They are not evil shits like other demons. They are my family.”
“I’m a guest in your home. I will do as I am told.” I’m not happy with the idea of living under the same roof with demons, but if it helps me on my assignment, I’ll do what is required of me.
“Excellent, the twins will be so thrilled.”
“Sarcasm?” I ask.
“Yep.”
“Caught it that time.”
“You’re getting better. Now, behave.”
Why she would feel the need to insist an angel behave is beyond me, but I gladly agree before following her into the house.
“YOU, BLASPHEMOUS DEMON from Hell! How dare you tell me what room to stay in!”
I’m not sure why, but each time one of the demon twins speaks to me, I find myself getting angrier than I should. I have always thought I was one of the more controlled angels in the heavens. Apparently, I have been fooling myself this entire time. The mere sight of the abominations makes me want to ignite my wrath.
“All I did was tell you which room was empty you asshole!”
The demon known as Darwen has quite the chip on her shoulder. The other, Arwen, seems to be the quieter of the two, for now.
“Enough!”
The roar which erupts from the Phoenix makes all of us stop the standoff taking place in her exquisite living room to look her way. The blackness of her eyes tells me she is angry. The power radiating from her leads me to believe she will easily blast us all from the room, not caring about the damage to her personal belongings, or to us.
“Sorry, Anala, but he’s being a jerk. You told me to show him to a room. When I tried, he got all holy and defensive. He needs to get the angelic chip off his shoulder.”
Perhaps I took offense when I shouldn’t have. The demon was merely doing her job. As am I. “Forgive me, Anala. It was my fault. I will work harder on my adjustments to these demon spawns.”
“This is going to be so much fun,” Arwen mutters from across the room. “It’s not like he really needs a room. He’s like the rest of us. He doesn’t need sleep.”
“No, he doesn’t, but do you want him perched in the corner staring at you all day?”
Anala’s question makes both demons look at me, then back to one another. With a simple head nod, Arwen decides it is her turn to take lead in this transitioning moment. “If you would like, I can show you to your room?”
I look to the Phoenix who is clearly not amused. To avoid more issues, I smile brightly, making both demons lurch back in fear. “That would be most appreciated.”
“Sebastian, take it easy with the smiling,” Anala interrupts as she moves toward me. “When you go big like that, it looks like your face is splitting in two. It’s freaky. Humans would have a panic attack.”
“Apologies, again. It’s been far too long since I’ve had to hide my true form. I will adjust. I’m sure of it.”
“I know you will,” she winks. “Until then, just run things by me before you do it. I’ll help you as much as I can.”
“Once he’s settled, we need to talk about that demon from last night.” Darwen moves toward Anala, her arms folded over her small, elderly frame. “You chose to meet with the angel today instead of dealing with the danger we are in. They made a clear threat, Anala. We can’t ignore it.”
I linger instead of following Arwen out of the room. Whether the demons want my help or not, allowing the vile beings in Hell to attack the Phoenix doesn’t sit well with me. I hold my hand up at the sister waiting to accompany me to let her know I’m interested in the current conversation.
“The angel says the time for the great battle is looming. The heavens aren’t ready to start this war, but they will if necessary. That means Hell is ready to initiate battle. That is why they are calling for me to join them.”
“I knew it,” Arwen whispers as she flies across the room quickly. She grabs several books from a shelf and begins feverishly flipping through pages.
“Nothing in those spell books will help us, Arwen. You don’t have a witch’s brew that will keep Hell from coming to Earth. If they plan on doing it, there’s no stopping it. That is, until they get here.”
“You plan on fighting.” My statement is simple enough. I know the words of war when I hear them.
“I’m not letting them destroy this world.”
“I don’t want to go back to the pit, Anala. You know what they’ll do to us there.” I can see the fear in Arwen’s eyes. Whatever she escaped in the pits of Hell has scarred her to the point of being terrified.
“You won’t. I told you that. The two of you can stay here, where it’s safe, until all this blows over. I’ll deal with it.”
“And I will help you.” I can’t pinpoint why I have decided to stand with the Phoenix, but something about her dedication to her home has lured me to her side.
“You’ll help me keep Armageddon from happening?”
“I was sent here to gauge which side you will fight on. I see it now, clear as the heavens, you choose the humans. That, I can stand behind. Them, I will help you protect. If we beat back Lucifer’s onslaught, the battle will not commence. You will have more time, and your home will be safe.”
“Thank you.”
“I may regret it when I return home, but for now, I believe the two of us should prepare for a war, Phoenix.”
“I agree,” she answers as a smile slips into place. I feel the coldness of it and wonder what I’ve gotten myself into. “Hell will meet my fury, and in the end, they’ll regret threatening me and my home.”
Chapter Seven
Anala
I must admit, the angel Sebastian is quite the warrior. Over the past week, the two of us have taken to the streets at night to find the demons as they claim their victims. Most of them have not been very forth coming with answers to our questions. The ones who resist, return to Hell at my hand. I know what I do to them is painful, and they will suffer in the pit for ages to recover. The ones who offer insight to what my mother and father have planned, well, the angel vanquishes them. From what I understand, it’s a much easier path to Hell than the one I give them.
According to the whispers muttered by the dying spawns, the Princes of Hell have been unleashed. These are Lucifer’s strongest warriors. Their goal is to bring pain and suffering to any being that crosses their path. Other than Lucifer himself, they are the only beings from Hell known to have killed an angel. This puts Sebastian in danger when he is not by my side. I have not faced a Prince myself but have no doubts it would be one Hell of a dance if it took place. They relish the idea of the fear they instill in celestial beings. I’m not celestial, therefore, I could give a damn less.