The Demon of Angels (Bk. 2)

MY HEART THRUMMED beneath my rib case, eyes locked on the door in front of me. Another knock sounded, louder and more persistent this time. Swallowing, I reached out for the round handle, then hesitated. I’ve done this a few times, reaching to open the front door, then pausing a moment later. I was unsure, unsteady with what I wanted to do. I did know, however, that I really needed to open the door before the fuming Demi Demon on the other knocked it down.

“Celeste, if you don’t open the door this instant I swear to God I’ll ram it down!”

The fiery redhead had been standing outside my door for a good five minutes, knocking on the hardwood. I knew she was there the second she stepped foot on my driveway. I sped downstairs but hesitated once I reached the front entrance.

Instead of obeying, I blurted the first words that flew to the forefront of my mind. “I don’t think God would appreciate you swearing at him.”

There was a moment’s pause after my unnecessary comment, and I could have sworn I heard a small chuckle, but it was brief enough that I could have imagined it.

A small sigh was heard from the other side of the door, then Hannah’s voice softened as she spoke her next words. “Just open the door, Celeste. We need to talk.”

With an emotional lump lodged in my throat, I turned the deadbolt, unlocked the door, and parted it open to a visibly frustrated, yet seemingly torn and tired redheaded Demi Demon.

“Hi.” I greeted, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth. I held on to the doorframe for my own support, afraid I’d stumble from emotional shock and drainage from seeing her for the first time in days. It was similar to staring at someone for the first time; unsure, hesitant, and different. Except this wasn’t the first time seeing Hannah face to face, but it was the first time seeing her for what she was. She wasn’t human, at least not completely. She was half Demon, half human.

Hannah gave me a small head nod. “Hey,” she greeted simply, a frown marring her freckled features. Clearing her throat, she crossed her arms over her chest. “We need to talk.”

Knowing it had been a long time coming, and irrevocably inevitable, I nodded. Moving out of the doorway, I motioned for Hannah to step through so we could talk. I swallowed back the guilt that roared its ugly head, knowing deep within my heart this talk should have happened sooner. Part of me, however, was still an emotional wreck.

Hannah took her place on the couch. I sat so my body would mirror her own a comfortable distance away, letting myself hesitantly relax into the soft felt fabric of the couch cushions.

For a few moments, neither of us spoke. Hannah rolled her hands in her land, contemplating where to start it seemed, while I stayed quiet and gnawed at my bottom lip from nerves. If someone had asked me why I was nervous in the first place, I wasn’t so sure I could give them a straight answer. All I would be able to manage out was that I just hoped this wouldn’t end in a fight, and possibly ending a life I couldn’t bare to see absent in my life.

After that thought, I knew it was true for the boys as well. While I was upset, there was no reason to be so crude with them. I wasn’t sure why it had taken me so long, or why I was so hesitant and afraid to speak to them, but I knew then that I wanted them in my life. I just wasn’t so sure at what cost, especially with my father hot on my ass.

“In order for you to understand, I need to go back to the beginning,” Hannah finally began. There was a slight waiver in her voice, igniting my interest but understanding all the same. I stayed quiet, letting the Demi Demon gather her thoughts before speaking.

“First is Zeke. He was born immortal like yourself, I assume.” Her brows furrowed as she studied me for a second, as if she knew I didn’t have access to my immortality for some strange reason. She would be correct, but I kept my mouth shut while she continued. “His mother was a purebred Hellhound and pretended to love his father. His father was a Guardian Angel, and he ended up falling in love with his mother rather quickly. As I’m sure you’re aware, their love was forbidden, especially for a Guardian. However, that love didn’t stop him, until he knew that she was only using him. Zeke’s mother wanted a weapon, she wasn’t in good standing with Demonic Royalty at the time, let alone Lucifer, so she had the crazed idea to create a weapon, and sell that weapon for her freedom in repayment of her debts, as well as forgiveness.”

When Zeke was five years old, his parents got into a fight, and unfortunately, his father still had love for his mate and it got him killed. She murdered him in their own home after tearing Zeke’s wings from his back, and leaving a message on their wall written in his father’s blood. His mother left quickly after, leaving Zeke to bleed out and to find his dead father and that message on the wall. After finding both, he went ballistic, blowing the house apart piece by piece then collapsing until the police were called, finding him unconscious. He quickly went into the foster system, hid what he was from his foster parents until he was old and smart enough to escape on his own. He met Noah and I shortly after, also leaving the foster system.”

I swallowed, barely processing the information and the disgusting things Zeke’s mother did before Hannah took a deep breath and continued on.

“My baby brother, Noah, is a purebred Hellhound as you know. I’m sure you figured that out from him being able to shift on command.”

I nodded aimlessly, knowing well that only purebreds could shift. Halfbreeds, as I assumed Hannah was, couldn’t shift, but still had majority of the same abilities as a purebred.

“What Noah told you the other day was mostly true. My father loved my human mother with all of his being. So when she had passed while giving birth to me, he went crazy. He slept around and eventually got another purebred pregnant. She gave birth to Noah, but she didn’t want him nor I in the picture anymore. She was a selfish Demon who wanted my father all to herself.” Hannah scoffed, rolling her eyes with a small shake of her head.

“My father abused Noah when we were toddlers and called him the Bastard Child. He would only stop when I begged him to and cried that he shouldn’t hurt him. He listened because I looked so much like my mother, and I was his little girl, but even then, it was hard.” The Demi Demon cleared her throat, eyes glassy and distant as she recalled the memories I’m sure she’s tried hard to forget.

My heart ached for them both, but I knew there was nothing I could do for them now. I wasn’t sure if that hurt more, or the former. Either way, any pain I’ve caused them set an ache deep within my heart I wanted to tear out and heal what I could. No child or family should ever go through something like that, but unfortunately my will didn’t make it the way.

“Long story short, Noah’s mother was a prostitute. In the end, she persuaded our father to put us into foster care. Simply put, he did just that, and we weren’t able to get out until I turned eighteen. Fortunately, our father wasn’t a complete lost cause; he had been storing money aside for me and I used it to buy us that house not too long ago.”

Hannah gestured to my left in the direction of their house. My eyes flickered behind her and through the glass windows, doing a slight double take when I saw the boys sitting on Noah’s doorsteps, talking amongst themselves. I stared longer than I’d ever admit, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the storm that was all encompassing within Zeke’s eyes.

“Evan doesn’t have much of brutal history like the rest of us.” Hannah’s voice startled me from my trance, a slight blush coloring my cheeks but thankfully I didn’t think she noticed. “Evan and his younger sister, Madelyn, we all call her Maddie, grew up in a more stable home with their grandparents. They never saw much of their Mom or their Dad, always busy with their duties, visiting for the holidays and all that, but they grew tired of it. Once Evan was sixteen, he and his sister left.”

I sat up straighter. “Where is she now?” I questioned, glancing out the windows as if I would see her randomly pop up. “I’ve never seen her around.”

Hannah snorted. “That’s because once Maddie met Evan’s new friends upon moving here, after having heard of a couple runaways–” she motioned to herself then the boys outside– “she quickly decided it wasn’t for her. She lives in the next town over, attending a private religious school. Evan visits her often, but never the other way around.”

I laughed lightly to myself. “I couldn’t possibly imagine why she wouldn’t want to stay,” I added drily.

The Demi Demon chuckled with a small shake of her head. “Yeahh,” she drawled. “Couldn’t possibly imagine why.”

We sat quietly like that for a few moments, smiling softly at ourselves, until someone else came to mind and I couldn’t hold back my question even if I wanted. “What about Morgan?”

Hannah’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline, lowering a second later when a devious smirk crossed her features. “What about her?” She taunted.

I rolled my eyes, ignoring her smug look. “I mean, what’s her story?”

“What’s her story or why is she so obsessed with Zeke?”

I snorted, unable to help myself then nodded. “Both.”

Hannah smiled at my reaction, taking a deep breath before the frown returned to her lips. “It’s honestly not a long story, in short, Zeke saved her life, so in a way she feels as if she owes him, but she’s twisting it into something romantic, but it isn’t reciprocated.” It was my turn to raise a brow, but it was dutifully ignored by the redhead. Hannah shook her head as if to further prove her point and what she was telling me was true. “Zeke doesn’t date, girl. He may have a fling here and there, but he’s never had a girlfriend before. You were pretty much the most serious woman he’s had in his entire life, and I’m not so sure you understand how big of a deal that is.”

Her words were like hammers against my heart. The organ aching as it beat heavily within my chest. However and involuntarily, my heart fluttered with relief at her words. I couldn’t help it then, tearing my eyes away from her and gazing out the window that overlooked her and Noah’s home. As if he felt my gaze on his head, Zeke whipped his around, our eyes clashing. There hadn’t been emotion the last time I looked within the storm, but now they were swarming with everything he felt, displaying it all for me to see. His anger and regret; sadness and hurt; the loneliness he’s felt since his early childhood, and finally, the intensity of what he felt for me. If his other emotions were the dark clouds and rainstorms, the ones directed toward me were the thunder and lighting raging within them. My throat clogged immediately, unprepared for what I saw, but I didn’t waiver or look away. I needed to see what he felt, to feel what he did since that night.

“Anyways,” Hannah’s voice managed to finally pull my gaze away, but barely. Zeke’s eyes were captivating in itself, and from past events, I knew I could get lost in them and drown within them forever if I let myself. “Morgan was also in foster care, but for not nearly as long as Zeke or my brother and I. But all the same, we kind of grew up together. Her parents were purebreds as well, but they just didn’t want her. She tried to escape the system once when she was younger, but it didn’t end well. She got caught, abused by her second and third foster family. It wasn’t until about a year and a half ago she managed to get adopted by a loving elder couple. They absolutely adore her and spoil the shit out of her. They even know our secret, but they keep it to themselves.

“They’re the only humans who know, but they’re also heavily guarded and kept safe by our pack. We love them and look up to them when we’re troubled, or just need to rant.” A ghost of a smile lit up Hannah’s features as she spoke about these people. In a way, I knew I could relate to that feeling with Michael and how he’s my support system, and the man in my life I look up to.

Swallowing the emotions, I shoved them back into the safe under lock in key in the back of my mind. “How do the boys feel about this whole situation?” My voice sounded small when I asked the question. I subconsciously gnawed on my lip while I waited patiently for her answer.

There was a long pause before she spoke, igniting my anxiety tenfold. “They’re torn in two,” she admitted. “Noah can’t get the image of your disgusted expression out of his head. Evan has been keeping to himself, but he hasn’t been sleeping well. Hel, none of us have, Zeke especially.”

Hannah let me process her statement, then continued. “I’ve never met anyone who loves more fiercely than those boys. We all have pretty lonely lives because of who and what we are, and what we’ve been through already in our short lives. But for some reason, when you showed up, we felt something shift, and started to grasp at the hope that maybe it would change.”

Hannah swallowed the obvious lump in her throat, her voice drifting off. I could see why the boys thought of Hannah as a mother-figure. She had to raise and protect her own little brother when she was a a mere child. Despite what she’s been through, she still smiled and accomplished what she could for them. I respected her all the more for it.

But now that nearly everything was out, I had to explain my side of the story, and make a decision I knew would change all of our lives. I just wasn’t sure my heart could take either decision I decided to make.