Page 2 of Consorting With The Enemy

What a cute smartass, he was.

I laughed and walked around him, eyeing him up and down with each step. Regardless of how hard I looked, there wasn’t a flaw on him to be found. “That isn’t exactly true, young one. I think you were simply trying to indulge in the wrong kind of debauchery. Why under the heavens, would you want to waste your time and energy on a man like Pontifex? Whether the mortal manages to copy the texts properly or doesn’t won’t affect the future of religion. It’s foolish if your Dark Lord believes something so trivial.”

He shrugged. “Perhaps. Perhaps not.” He acknowledged. “Why bring me here, angel? Don’t tell me you believe you possess the power to destroy me?” His eyes narrowed. “It would be a deadly mistake on your behalf.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his bold remark. I’d been living long before Lucifer revolted and was sent to the underworld. If this demon had been among us before that, I would have noticed. No, he was younger and less powerful than me.

“What do they call you?” He asked.

“Azazel.”

“I’m Ariel,” he answered.

“I don’t care what your name is,” I answered. “And I didn’t bring you here to fight either.” If I didn’t bring him here to fight, why in the hell or heavens had I brought him here?

I knew the answer but was afraid to admit it. I knew it was going to happen but liked to pretend it wouldn’t. I knew he was forbidden, something I shouldn’t crave, but knew I wouldn’t be able to live another day without tasting him.

I watched as he glanced around, probably expecting some sort of ambush. “Why I am here then?” He paused and added, “And again, my name is Ariel. You will care before you leave the pits tonight. You’ll never be able to forget me.”

Cute and arrogant—a deadly combination for my libido. “Doubtful,” I responded with a hint of my own arrogance. “You are a pretty one, little demon. Remove the remainder of your toga. I feel the urge to see if all of you is as perfect as the parts I can see.”

“Why in all things unholy would I do such a thing for you?”

“Because while I don’t intend to fight you, I am going to fuck you.” The words flew from my mouth before I had time to yank them back in. Suspecting I was about to break one of heaven’s cardinal rules was one thing. Saying it out loud was entirely different. Being here with the little demon felt dangerous and exciting—a walk on the wild side that I never thought I’d crave.

“But…but angels and demons don’t fuck.”

He was giving me an ‘out’. I should take it. I should flew straight back to the heavenly clouds and repent for my wicked thoughts. I should beg the Angel Master for forgiveness and mercy. So, so many things I should have done but, instead, I answered, “They do now. Toga off. Don’t make me tell you again, little demon.”

If I expected a fight from him, I was going to be disappointed. His wicked grin returned and his toga hit the ground. His eyes remained locked with mine as he dropped to the ground and positioned himself on his hands and knees, his plump ass high in the air begging for attention.

Fuck it all, I couldn’t deny either of us…especially me.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I made my way into Gabriel’s living room, I wasn’t surprised to see Julian, Valen, Nic, and Thibeau loitering around the spacious room. None of them were ever very far from Marchand or Gabriel’s side since our last battle. I wasn’t accustomed to this type of family unity—not since the death of my sister and my expulsion from the heavenly realm. My quest to locate Marchand had taken all my energy and time. Becoming accustomed to having Marchand’s makeshift army would take some getting used to. Looking around the room, I noted that this wasn’t even half the army of supernatural creatures that my nephew called friends and family. He had everything from witches to fairies supporting him. Vampires and familiars. Never in my existence would I have thought I would find myself surrounded by such creatures—unless it was during a battle.

Speaking of battles…

Just for the principle of it, I growled as I walked past Nic. Forgiving him for stripping Gabriel’slegislateurpowers when we’d needed them the most wasn’t something I found quite as easy to forget, much less to forgive, as the rest of the group. I made my way to the bar, poured myself a drink, and turned to face my new,unwantedfamily. “So, what’s this meeting for?” They liked to meet and make strategic plans more than anyone I’d ever encountered. If it kept Marchand safe, I was willing to go along for the ride, but that didn’t mean I had to like it.

Frowning, Nic asked, “Where’s Gabriel?”

“Undoing all the training I tried to accomplish this morning,” I answered dryly. When they all looked at me in confusion, I clarified by saying, “He’s playing with Marchand’s wings. They told me that we could start without them…so might as well start. They’ll probably be a while.”

I didn’t mean to sound like an asshole, but asshole was my go-to attitude, especially lately. Apparently being surrounded by men falling hopelessly in love with each other while I had no one to call my own turned me into an even bigger asshole than normal. Hell, I’d even tried flirting with Taylor, Nic’s familiar…although I hadn’t known what he was at the time. He was definitely beyond good-looking and exactly my type. Unfortunately, however, some little fairy already had his hooks in him.

“All righty, then. Maybe too much information,” Nic said.

“Definitely too much information,” Julian agreed. The vampire might have missed Marchand’s youth, but he’d stepped into the fatherly role like he’d been trained for it his incredibly long life.

“How about we focus?” Thibeau asked as he pulled Nic closer to him. “Run your thoughts by Az, Nic. See what he thinks the odds of success are.”

“Can you destroy Ari? Do you possess the strength?” Nic asked.

I’d truly hoped this wasn’t their plan. Ari was a threat to my nephew and needed to be…somewhere else. But the thoughts of having to destroy the demon that had managed to touch me in ways no other man or woman ever had, however, made me ill. Ari taking my nephew to hell and presenting him to the Demon Lord wasn’t an option either. If I was honest with myself, I would admit that I’d hoped Marchand and his new family would do the deed and then leave me to grieve silently with no one, especially Marchand, ever learning of my indiscretion.

Consorting with the enemy…how pathetic was that? Hell, as far as I knew, Marchand might not ever be able to forgive me if he learned the truth. I wasn’t even fucking sure I forgave myself.

“Yes, I believe I possess the strength, but it isn’t quite as simple as two blood-thirsty villains fighting it out to the death. Ari is an old demon, more powerful than most. He’s considered royalty in the underworld. He has the ability to disappear in a puff of smoke if he feels threatened during a battle. Defeating him could prove to be practically impossible.”

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