The silence between the four of them went on far longer than Alice was comfortable with. She trembled in Azrael’s arms, feeling the weight of what just happened crashing down on her. Azrael shifted, picking her up and standing with her in his arms.
“I will explain everything, but I need to deal with what just happened right now. I hope you understand. Please make yourselves comfortable,” he said, indicating the sofas with his head.
The girl nodded slowly, reaching out and grasping the man’s hand. Azrael strode into the bedroom with her, settling her down on the bed. He knelt before her, taking her hands in his.
“What is the Darkness?” she whispered.
“My Father’s wrath.”
“What do you mean?”
“It is a long story and one I will tell you, but not now. You need to listen to me very carefully. I think you are its vessel.”
“What?”
“The vessel for the Darkness.”
Her mind whirled with questions. How could she be a vessel? How could the Darkness take her? Why would God choose her for this? It made no sense. She’d never felt anything like that inside her before.
“That’s… I don’t understand.”
“The Darkness, Lucifer and I, we’re all connected. He created it to end everything.”
“Why would God want to destroy everything he created?”
He sighed, releasing one of her hands so he could run it through his hair.
“I don’t know the answer to that.”
“Do you think this is why I see you? Because I’m the Darkness.”
“You are not the Darkness. The Darkness is a separate entity. You are still linked to us because you are its vessel.”
How could she be linked to Azrael, Lucifer and the Darkness? She was a plain girl. Nothing special. And yet she wasn’t. She could see angels.
“It said you woke it… Is that because we slept together?”
“Perhaps… or maybe it was because I antagonised my Father.”
She raised an eyebrow.
Did you take me up to that cloud and have sex with me in full view of Heaven to piss him off?
“Yes and no.”
She folded her arms across her chest. Did he think that was going to fly with her? How could he think that was okay? She wasn’t a pawn for him to use as he pleased.
“Well, that just makes me feel a little used.”
His eyes flashed with concern.
“Alice, that was not my intention.”
He better have a damn good excuse for why the hell he did it.
“Then what was?”
He was silent for several moments before he looked away, his eyes full of regret.
“I can’t take you to Heaven. That is as close as I can get. I wanted it to be…”
“Be what?”
“Special for you.”
She stared at him, eyes wide. She hadn’t expected that to be his reasoning. Why would he want to take her to Heaven? Did he want her to see where he was from? His home?
“And the fact that it pissed off your dad?”
“I wish it hadn’t. I didn’t want this to happen.”
She reached out, cupping his face. His expression made her heart ache. He seemed so conflicted and yet apologetic all at the same time. How could she stay mad at him? Az might be many things, but he still cared for her.
“Special, huh? Do I really mean that much to you?”
He nodded, turning his face into her palm and placing a kiss on it.
“You see me,” he whispered. “After hundreds of years alone, you see me.”
Tears welled in her eyes. Despite none of this making sense and all of it being terrifying, Azrael still managed to render her speechless. Her heart threatened to burst from her chest. They saw each other.
“We should really see to our guests,” she said.
He reached up, pulling her down towards him. She curled up in his lap.
“We should, but I want to hold you first.”
She rested her head on his shoulder and settled a hand on his chest. His heart racing against her fingertips. She affected him. The human he’d kept because she intrigued him and now he desired and cared for her. If someone had told her she’d wind up having an angel want her only a few short weeks ago, she’d have told them they were insane.
You really do care about me.
“Yes.”
He buried his face in her hair.
“Even though I’m going to end the world?”
“You’re mine, Alice. Mine. The Darkness can’t have you.”
The possessiveness of his tone made her quite sure Azrael wouldn’t let her go without a fight. She wasn’t sure either of them could stop the Darkness taking over her. If he was right and she was the vessel, she would have no choice.
“You won’t bring the end,” he whispered. “That’s not your fate.”
He clutched her tighter. There were so many things he wasn’t telling her. She felt him holding back. She didn’t like these secrets, but now wasn’t the time to hassle him about it. They still had guests and she needed to process everything he’d told her.
“I should get dressed,” she said.
She gently pulled away. He got up, helping her to her feet. He waved a hand. When she looked down, she was in a t-shirt and jeans.
“I’m perfectly capable of doing that myself.”
He tugged on her hand.
“I want to take care of you.”
She raised an eyebrow but said nothing. If that’s what he wanted, she wouldn’t object. She followed him back out into the living room. Their guests were sitting together on one of the large sofas, their heads pressed together in low conversation.
“I apologise for the slight interruption,” Azrael said.
They looked up, eyes wide. Azrael tugged her over to the kitchen and made her sit at the breakfast bar. Another wave of the hand produced tea and muesli for her.
“Eat, please.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before moving away. She stared after him.
“Can I offer you a drink?” he asked their guests.
“Um, sure… Tea?” the girl said.
He sat down and with a flick of his wrist, a teapot along with cups, a little jug of milk, sugar and teaspoons appeared. Their two guests stared at the cups.
“As you may have gathered, I am Azrael and that is Alice.”
“Ella and Lukas,” the man said.
“You’re an Archangel?” Ella asked.
Azrael poured them out two cups of tea, which they took without question.
“Yes. I do not know what you know about me, but it has been centuries since I was in Heaven. Hence why I did not know about what they’d been doing.”
“I’m sorry, but what the hell was that about when we came in?” Lukas said, his eyes narrowing.
Alice snagged her bowl from the counter, turning in her seat so she could watch and eat at the same time.
“Do you know of the Darkness?”
“Yes, but we don’t know what it is. Ella’s mother merely told us it was coming one day and that we were created to stand in defence of humanity.”
“Who exactly created you?”
Ella looked at Lukas who nodded.
“Ariel and Beleth created me. They possessed two humans, imbued me with half of Lukas’ demon soul and placed an angel soul within me. It was only through my declaration of love that my angel soul split in half and was given to Lukas. You see, we share half of each other’s souls.”
Azrael looked haunted for a moment. Alice wondered if he knew who they were referring to. What they’d said about how they were created was a little insane. She didn’t think angels and demons worked together.
“Ariel… I see.”
“You knew her?”
“I did.”
Alice could see the light surrounding him dimming just a little. Who was this angel to him? She was sure Ariel must be an angel.
“Will you explain to us why there was black smoke coming out of your… companion?” Lukas asked.
“The Darkness is here. My father created it to end Heaven, Hell and Earth. Alice delivered its message to me. Lucifer and I have waited for this day to come since our exile from Heaven.”
“Lucifer, as in the Devil?” Ella asked.
“Yes.”
The two of them looked stumped for a moment. Alice put her bowl back on the counter, having finished, and took her mug with her. She sat next to Azrael. His hand curled around her waist. Heat radiated from his skin. She tried not to squirm. Thoughts of what they’d done up in the clouds threatened to surface. Thinking about it wouldn’t do when they had guests and this whole situation with the Darkness made everything so much more complicated.
“Can I ask why you wanted to meet us?” Lukas said.
“You were created to fight the Darkness. I wish to stop it from destroying everything.”
“Then you want our help?”
“In a sense.”
Alice knew how much he hated asking anyone for anything. It would grate on her angel.
Ella turned to Lukas.
“It’s what we were born to do. We were always going to need allies.”
“I know, sweetheart.”
Alice leant towards Azrael. She was worried about what they might do if they discovered she was the Darkness’ vessel. She hadn’t told him about the visions either. She knew now what she’d seen. The end. The scorched plains of Heaven, Earth and Hell.
“You are going to show me what you saw later, Alice. Don’t think you can keep such things from me.”
She turned to Azrael, startled by his sudden intrusion into her mind.
“Don’t do that,” she hissed. “Do you even understand the concept of privacy?”
“There is no privacy between you and I.”
“Well, there should be.”
“Do you want me to punish you again? Because I will not hesitate to tease you until you beg me to stop.”
Her face grew hot. She pressed hands to her cheeks, trying to stop the rising tide of her blush. Why did he have to say things like that? He knew exactly what it did to her.
That’s not fair.
“I do not play fair, or did you forget?”
She turned away, realising two sets of eyes were on them. Ella’s brow furrowed. Lukas looked as though he was suddenly realising that there was more to Alice’s relationship with the angel then meets the eye. She wanted the ground to swallow her up. What would they even think about her being with him?
“I have a question,” Ella said. “You understandably have a white aura. Why is Alice’s black?”
“You see auras?” Azrael asked.
“Yes, it’s something I’ve been able to do since I was a child, long before my full powers manifested. Humans don’t have auras, but she does.”
Alice tried not to flinch. How could they keep the fact that she was the vessel for the Darkness from the two of them?
“I can only offer you a theory. Alice is the Darkness’ messenger.”
“Its messenger?”
“Yes. As you saw, it doesn’t have a solid form.”
Ella and Lukas looked sceptical but didn’t comment further. Alice didn’t want them to put two and two together.
“I am not asking you to make a decision now. Merely warning you to be ready when the time comes,” Azrael said when the silence went on for too long.
“Okay, well, we should really be off,” Lukas said. “We’ll be in touch.”
Azrael nodded. He put a hand to his head, his expression becoming pained. He cursed under his breath. Alice put a hand on his arm.
“What’s wrong?”
“He is calling.”
“Who?”
“My Father.”
She stared at him. Why is God calling him now? He stood up and her arm fell. It clearly hurt him to have his father calling. She wanted to soothe away his pain, be there for him always.
“I need to go. I cannot answer him here in your presence.”
“What, why?”
“This is a conversation I should have alone if he wants to speak to me.”
He began walking away towards the lift. There were so many questions she had, but the most pressing couldn’t wait. Alice stood, almost tripping over the coffee table as she ran after him.
“Az,” she whispered, catching his arm. “What… What if He wants you to return home? What if He takes you away from me?”
He turned, his expression softening. He reached up, cupping her cheek.
“I have not fulfilled my purpose on Earth. No one is going to take me away from you. I am yours and you are mine. Do not forget that.”
He looked over her head at their two guests for a moment before he tugged her towards him. He tipped her face up with one hand.
“I’ll always come back to you,” he said, his voice low.
Her heart was in her mouth. She wasn’t quite sure if this was his way of reassuring her or if he really felt that strongly about the two of them. He leant down, his mouth brushing over hers. Her lips tingled.
“I trust you,” she whispered.
He pressed his mouth firmly on hers. She was a little embarrassed about him kissing her in front of Ella and Lukas, but his lips felt like nothing else. The world disappeared for the few moments they were locked together. His tongue swept into her mouth. Az wasn’t holding back one bit as he took his fill of her.
Will it ever not feel incredible to be kissed by him?
When he pulled away, she was breathless. He kissed her forehead before releasing her. He put a hand to his head again.
“Go,” she said. “I don’t like seeing you in pain.”
His lip quirked up at the side. He brushed her jaw one last time before he strode away to the lift. Their eyes met when he turned. There was a promise of what was to come when he returned.
I didn’t realise just how much he wants me. Damn, my face is on fire.
The doors closed, sealing him away from her. Her heart wrenched painfully.
She turned back to their guests. They both looked a little shell-shocked.
“Um… feel free to finish your drinks,” she said, walking back over towards the sofa.
“You and him are… a thing?” Ella asked.
Alice sat down, fidgeting with her hands. She didn’t like this business of God calling Azrael. It made her nervous. She wanted to be with her angel. Being separated from him for even a moment felt like an eternity.
It’s all so soon, but I feel as though we’re meant to be together.
“Um, you could say that.”
“I’ve heard of angels and humans before, but isn’t he like an Archangel?”
“He is.”
Ella eyed her for a moment before responding.
“Can I ask you what it’s like? I know we’re half angel, but we’re also still technically human so it’s not the same.”
Alice didn’t think her face could get any redder.
“Sweetheart, is that really appropriate?” Lukas asked, staring at her with wide eyes.
“It’s okay,” Alice said. “It’s not like being with a human or anything. He’s intense on every single level.”
Lukas shook his head, putting his hand on his girlfriend’s arm. She looked at Alice with a knowing smile.
“Well, we’ll be off then,” Lukas said. “It was nice to meet you. Ella has your number.”
Alice nodded at the two of them as they stood. She didn’t watch them walk away. After Ella’s questions, she wasn’t quite sure what to make of the two of them.
A few minutes later, the doors of the lift dinged and then she was alone. All her thoughts centred on her angel again.
What does God want with my Az?