Pure Soul Book 2

21. Azael

I keep looking around. The text I received from Cassiel says to meet her at the dunes. For as important as she made the message sound, how urgently she needed for me to meet her here, she’s not here... I’m confused and then I see her running towards me. She looks scared almost as though she’s running for her life. Then I see why! Someone is chasing after her. Belial is running full force straight for her. Cass sees me and begins to run even faster, falling into my arms when she’s in reach. “Stars up high she’s lost her ever freaking mind! She’s hell bent on killing me!” Taking her in my arms I push her behind my back to shield her from Belial.

“What in Satan’s name are you doing, Belial!” I shout as I see her come skidding to a halt in front of me. Looking like a hell hound as she’s breathing hard, seething in rage, pure unadulterated hatred dripping from her eyes as she glares at me.

Where Belial is standing with her back against the sun she looks like she’s engulfed in Hell Fire. The way the sun is setting, it hits against her back and her black iridescent wings that resemble those of a raven and are protruding from in between her shoulder blades, splaying outward looking like the flames of hell stretching towards the heavens. Cass has stepped out and away from me at this point so that she can look at Belial. Their eyes are locked on each other though Belial’s is a seething glare. “Your precious human is anything but human, little angel,” Belial spits out, animosity dripping with each word uttered. Her eyes bounce back and forth between me and Cass and then in mock surprise she gasps, placing a hand on her chest as she asks, “oh, what? Azael hasn’t told you... you don’t know who he really is? Aw, you pour innocent little thing. Why Aza here is a Fallen Angel sweetie,” she says in contempt. The maliciousness glints in her eyes as her scathing glare stays upon Cass.

I can see tears gathering in the corners of Cassiel’s blue eyes causing my soul to splinter. My mouth is open but I’m not able to force any words out in my defense. I’m shattering inside. The confusion and hurt in Cass’s eyes are unbearable. I’m finally able to get my brain to coordinate with my mouth when Belial begins to say more. “Oh yes, our dear lover-boy here has been playing you from the first moment you met him. He’s a Fallen angel whose ability to seduce beings is the reason he is part of our unit. Asmodeus had assigned him the job of seducing one of you angels to fall in love with him so that when he asked for the Astatine, whomever he seduced would be more than willing to hand it over. He was instructed to use whatever means necessary including pretending to be in love...”

My hands fisted at my sides, and I’ve clenched my jaw so tight that I feel my teeth could crack. My body is shaking with the hatred I’m holding inside me as I try to keep my composure. I want to walk up to the bitch and slap the fucking smirk as hard as I can right off her face! I watch as Casiel runs her hands through her hair and then she loses it for a second and shouts at Belial, “SHUT UP! Just shut up! You’re lying. This can’t be true!” Cass is shaking her head in disbelief and the floodgates open; the tears spill forth as she looks at me. “What is she talking about Aza? She’s not serious, is she?” My head falls in shame and my shirt becomes damp with tears that I didn’t know I was crying. “I’m sorry Cass. I was assigned to seduce you, sway you, make you fall in love with me so that I would be able to easily convince you to hand over the Astatine. I didn’t expect to fall in love with you, to find my true mate. I’m not that type of angel. My meaning on this earth is to cohabite with women. I’ve never fallen for another being; be it human or angel, before. Honestly, Asmodeus was in the process of getting me reassigned to another sector because he felt I was becoming unreliable in his unit.”

Her body is shaking as her anger bubbles over, her beautiful shimmering opalescent white wings break free from in between her shoulder blades, her armor spilling forth to encompass her and she falls into a fighting pose, sword raised above her head ready to lunge at me. Automatically I call forth my sword. I can see the moment she snaps, “NO ONE USES ME, AZA. NO ONE!” Cass shouts just before she charges towards me. I have seconds to react as I see her arch her sword up towards the sky and then in one fluid sweeping motion brings it down upon me. I’m pretty sure it is luck on my end to be able to block such a fierce blow. And though I was able to stop that swing, she moves back and lunges once more. She fakes out a thrust to my stomach and ends up slashing my upper thigh instead. Normally I don’t care if weapons draw blood upon my body however, this time the pain is burning through me like I’ve been lit on fire from inside me. I stare at the wound as I realize it hasn’t immediately begun to heal itself.

Natural reaction to being attacked is a counterattack and I raise my sword to bring it down on her. I don’t want to hurt her and at the last second reel in my anger as I crash against her shield. Using her shield, Cassiel shoves me away causing me to lose my balance and stumble, falling to my knees. Moments later I feel cold hard steel push through my skin, and I yell out in pain as I see her sword in my shoulder. Ripping the sword out of my flesh as she dances away from me, I can see her anger begin to ebb away. Her eyes flash and I see regret in her eyes for having brought pain to me. I toss my sword to the ground and plead with her. “I love you Cass; I don’t want to hurt you. You’re my true mate!” I watch her face as the emotions consume her. Confliction, hurt, anger, but above all, love. I know when she begins to lower her sword that she no longer wants to hurt me, and I breathe a sigh of relief only to look on in horror a second later as I see the glint of metal as a sword plunges through her chest. “NOOOO!” I shout out as I feel like my heart is being ripped in two.

I can’t move my eyes from watching the blood flow out of her as it pours forth covering her golden armor trailing to the bottom of it where the blood then pools before droplets of the crimson liquid begin to splash against the sand.