The Demon of Angels (Bk. 2)

“YOU LEFT HER!”

Voices roared in the distance, stirring me from the depths of unconsciousness. The darkness clouding my vision and mind held, paralyzing my body as if I were still senseless. My ears strained, breathing ragged while a sharp pain pinched my abdomen. Whatever had happened, I could feel my power slowly mending skin and snapping bones back together.

“I had no choice!” Another voice boomed within the room, pounding against my eardrums and closer than the last who’d spoken. “I can’t interfere, Ezekiel.” The male let a heartbreaking sigh release from their lips. “I won’t be able to return home if I do.” Recognition finally registered the voice as Michael; relief that he had returned sagged my tense shoulders. But that relief was short-lived.

Think about this next time you so much as disobey me, daughter.

Memories flooded my subconsciousness, drowning me in the horrors of my father’s brief visit: Hardin, Morgan’s cousin, crashing through my house doorway. Morgan flying through it moments later and slid over my kitchen counter. Threatening my father to leave, my father threatening me with my bleeding heart.

Noah.

A strangled cry burst free from my lips, silencing the room from any side chatter proceeding around me. My eyelids squeezed shut, the sleep paralysis easing its hold on my body as sobs wracked my chest at the loss of my best friend. My greatest fear, after just getting him back, became my reality.

“Celeste!” Worry etched within Zeke’s voice, footsteps padding softly across the flooring until his body heat surrounded mine in warmth. But I didn’t want it; I didn’t deserve the comfort.

My eyes fluttered, slowly parting but the tears overwhelming my vision blurred everything within sight. “Noah,” I sobbed, crumbling within myself at the pain that tore at my aching heart, at the loss. In that moment, I wanted to give in to my father so he couldn’t take anyone or anything else away from me.

Zeke gently parted the hair covering my face, cupping my cheeks in his hands until my eyes raised to his deep greys. His eyebrows were furrowed with worry, a deep frown curving the edges of his lips. “He’s sleeping, baby. You can see him soon,” he murmured, lowering his lips oh so gently to my forehead.

When he pulled away, my heart skipped as his words registered through my foggy brain. My mouth parted, shock rippling in waves through my mending body. “W-what?” I croaked.

The creased in Zeke’s forehead deepened as if he were confused by my own confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“He’s alive?” I asked with words scarcely above a whisper, barely audible. I felt multiple pairs on us as we conversed, but they were ignored as I stared at the Hybrid in front of me with a wide-open mouth.

Zeke nodded, the crease disappearing as his mouth did a one-eighty. “Yes. You saved his life, Celeste.”

The revelation struck me hard, nearly dragging my relief-stricken body back under the depths of deep sleep. My eyes fluttered. “Thank fuck,” I mumbled, another small sob cracking my vocal cords, slinging my arm over my forehead with heart-wrenching relief. I glanced over his shoulder for the Archangel, waiting for his scolding tone at my cursing, but he was no longer in the room, seemingly giving us some privacy.

Zeke chuckled. “That’s what I said.” There was a moment’s pause, and when I opened my eyes fully to meet his, what I saw nearly broke me again. The normal storm raging within his eyes was dark, eyes glassy as he cleared his throat. “But it nearly cost you your life,” he murmured softly, a forced smile tugging at his lips. It tore my chest open, and I vowed to myself then and there that I’d make sure those irises would never again fall so dark.

I bit my bottom lip, mulling over what I’d done. I knew the risks when I went after Noah, but if I had a choice between my life or any of theirs, I would willingly give mine without a second thought. “I know,” I whispered. Raising my arm, I rested the palm of my hand against Zeke’s cheek. “I was more than okay with my decision.”

A growl erupted deep within the Hybrid’s chest. “Never do that again.” Anger and fear flashed within his cold eyes, his voice cracking. “I just got you back; I’m not losing you again.”

His words made my heart flutter, as cheesy as it was, but fuck me if I didn’t adore each word. I couldn’t help the gentle smile that took over my lips, but the need to be a smartass over took any sappy response I could come up with. I patted his chest playfully, slowly rising to a seated position on the couch, wincing at the sharp sting in my side. “We’ll see.” The living room had been cleaned of the mess, but with a quick look over my shoulder, I took note of the large gaping hole where the front door once was. Frowning, I turned away from it, pushing back the memories of my grinning father as far back as they could go.

The Hybrid let a low growl of warning release from his throat. “You need to lay down; you’re still healing.”

“No,” I grumbled stubbornly. “I need to see Noah.” The deep ache in my chest wouldn’t relent until I saw he was alive and breathing with my own eyes. My gaze lifted to a frowning Evan, standing just behind Zeke with his arms crossed. “What?” I snipped.

“He’s right, Celeste,” he told me, brows creasing with worry. “I’m not sure what you did to yourself, but you saved Noah, and I’ll always be grateful for that–”

“So let me go see him,” I demanded. My forehead creased at my growing frustration.

Evan sighed, raising a palm. “Let me finish.” Hannah snickered, standing off and leaning against the wall that drew into the main hallway. Her eyes were puffy, but there was a light in her eye that hadn’t been there moments before Noah’s inevitable death. Evan continued. “You saved his life, yes, but you nearly killed yourself in the process. You managed to wrap yourself around him protectively, but that stake was still there. It wasn’t Noah who landed on the stake, it was you. It tore through half your abdomen. If we hadn’t called Maddie in time, or if Michael hadn’t shown back up, or if you hadn’t–”

I held my hand up, eyes softening at Evan’s distraught expression. This had taken a toll on him, that was evident now. It had taken a toll on everyone, and I was being selfish. They weren’t being bossy because I absolutely needed to lay down. They needed to see me heal with their own eyes, for their own sanity.

“I understand, Evan,” I whispered. “I’ll lay down.”

Zeke scoffed, rolling his eyes and mumbling under his breath that sounded something along the lines of me being an intolerable stubborn woman. I snorted softly in response and slowly lowered myself back on the couch. The pinch at my side responded to my movement with cruelty, but I tried my best to mask the pain from revealing itself on my face.

“Rest, Celeste,” Evan murmured, reaching over to tuck a strand of my hair out of my face. Zeke’s eyes followed his hand, eyeing it with narrowed eyes. Even with his own pack, and his family, he was protective over me. The independence within me roared, but my heart fluttered nonetheless. If being an overprotective teddy bear was a love language, that was his– in his own way.

I nodded, my eyes fluttering as sleep grasped me within its tight clutches. “Okay,” I mumbled. “Just a quick nap.” I breathed in deeply, relaxing into the couch cushions. My last thought before unconsciousness finally took hold was of Noah and how I had saved his life. Nearly costing me mine in the process.

I had no regrets.

──★──

“CELESTE, WAKE UP.”

A soft voice stirred me from my peaceful slumber, shoving the blissfulness I had been floating in far, far away. I grumbled the moment my eyes fluttered, then clamped them shut again, my mood immediately souring. Pulling the couch cushion over my head, I relaxed back into the comfort of its softness. “No,” I mumbled into the pillow.

Michael let out a small sigh of frustration. “Get up, please. Prom starts in an hour,” he argued, taunting me.

“I don’t care,” was my only response. A lie, of course, but I couldn’t bare to pull myself up from my comfortable position.

The Archangel let out an exasperated sigh, his footsteps padding away and letting me know he had walked from the living room. Once I was sure he was gone, I snuggled back into the couch with a satisfied grin. Sleep began to come for my sense once more but was brutally interrupted when new voices flooded the house.

Several pairs of footsteps padded their way through the open doorway, hardly being considerate of the amount of noise they were making.

Shit.

I groaned into the cushion, knowing exactly who was at my doorway. “Go away!” I moaned, burying myself deeper into my couch as if to somehow will myself invisable. I clutched my fists into the pillow tighter, but someone’s hot breath brushed against my fingers. Without consent, my body shivered. Spearmint, pine, and cologne filled my senses.

“Time for school, Princess. Wakey-wakey,” he purred. I knew full well there was a smug smirk on that entitled, ego maniac’s beautiful face. I had an odd feeling he was lowering his voice on purpose, doing funny things to my insides just to make me squirm.

It was working.

“Screw off,” I bit back.

Zeke growled at my refusal, and I smirked into my cushion. The Alpha did not like being disobeyed.

Sucks for you, big guy. I’m not meant to be put on a leash.

Evan’s voice cuts across the room. “I’ll pull you out of that couch.”

I instinctively pulled the pillow tighter. “Don’t you dare,” I groveled. There was a long pause, and my body tensed, waiting. After what seemed like a full minute had passed, my body slowly began to relax again.

Right when I let my body sink into the couch, my blanket was torn off of my body, and two pairs of hands latched on to my midsection. I let out a shriek as I was torn from the bed. Chuckles were released all around the room as I squirmed against the hands around my waist.

My eyes popped open and glared at anyone and everything within the vicinity of this attack, letting the gold seep through my irises. Arms circled around my chest, holding my arms against me. I started to kick with my legs, but Evan quickly latched on to them and held them still. Michael stood off to the side with my blanket, a smug look on his face. I could safely assume that it was Zeke who held me against him.

He tipped his head forward over my shoulder, his lips brushing against my ear. “Nice try, Princess, but the big dogs always win.” I let out a groan in frustration, letting my body go limp against them. Clearly, my stubbornness would only get me so far.

“Now that you’re awake,” Evan smirked, dropping my feet. Zeke didn’t let go of me just yet, and despite my stubbornness, I let him. “Hurry up and get around. Prom starts in an hour.”

Evan gave me a small wink while Michael was grinning from ear to ear. They both exited the living room, one to their room while the other left the house entirely. Probably to begin getting ready themselves.

“You have a serious case of bedhead, Celeste,” Zeke chuckled. He finally stepped away, walking around me. I flipped him the finger and flashed my hybrid eyes, glaring at him. Zeke mocks my eyes, sending his stupid grin my way with a wink before following Evan outside.

Dick.

I tipped my head back and let out an annoyed groan. Those boys were going to be the death of me, I was sure of it. We were just attacked by my father, the Death Scythe– and now there they were, barging into my house like they owned the place and demanding I get up for Prom of all things.

Stubborn beings; I adored them for it.