Page 91 of I Accidentally Summoned A Demon
Another man approached, clad in robes so bright they glowed against the dark church and his umber skin. He paused beside Gabriel, staring out into the snow at the couple. “That’s them?”
Gabriel nodded.
Kat and Nex started a snowball fight, and the man frowned while they chased each other and fell in the snow, laughing like two perfectly innocent people. “Are we sure?” He recognized Nex, but it couldn’t be.
“I’m sure.” Gabriel nodded. “You know the rules. We have to make an example of him, or more will do the same, thinking if he can get away with it, anyone can. He needs to be taught a lesson before he’s sent back to the underworld.”
The man’s eyebrows furrowed more each second he watched them. It didn’t seem right to tear them apart, to make them suffer when the aura they emitted was so bright it was easily recognizable.
Love.
“Is there no other—”
“I don’t make the rules, Melchizedek.” Gabriel smoothed the front of his white shirt. “I enforce them. I tried to pull her away from him so she wouldn’t be part of it, but she’s too attached. This is the only way. I don’t know why you’re even here. I’m handling it.”
Gabriel strode toward the front of the chapel to pray, but Melchizedek stayed by the window, his frown deepening.
“Don’t you know why I’m here?” Melchizedek asked. Gabriel stopped. “I’m here because a high-ranked demon is breaking the rules, and it was your turn to handle this kind of problem, and yet,” he glanced over his shoulder, “you haven’t. You usually work quickly, but you’ve spent more time on this incident than any other. Why is that, Gabriel? Why is it taking so long?”
“She’s stubborn.” Gabriel’s jaw clenched. “I was trying to be discreet, but it’s not working.”
“Is that really why?” Melchizedek turned to Gabriel. “Or is it because you doubt that what you were sent to do is right? You approach humans delicately, and yet from the beginning, you did not give this human the calmness you know how to give. It almost seems you intentionally drove her away. Why is that?”
Gabriel’s gaze fell to the cross on the pulpit, a physical representation of his duties and why he couldn’t let this go. Angels weren’t allowed to lie, and Gabriel was unwilling to admit he had doubts from the moment he first saw them together.
“Are you stalling?” Melchizedek asked. “You’ve given her more than enough reason to shy away from you. Is it because you think separating them is wrong? Because I’m beginning to think we need to handle this differently.”
“It doesn’t matter. If we don’t handle it, Uriel will. We both know that will be much more brutal. Our way won’t hurt as much,” he whispered, watching Kat and Nex play in the snow outside the church grounds. He’d never seen a human soften a demon like she’d softened Nex.
Normally, Kat would look back at the church because she loved the way the snow coated the steeple in white flakes, making the entire thing glimmer, but dodging Nex’s snowballs took priority. Nex was too focused on her to notice anything else. Kat slipped and almost fell, but Nex caught her before she hit the ground, making her giggle.
“Let me down,” she said.
“In the snow? Weren’t you complaining it’s too cold?”
She gave him a playful glare and loosened ice chunks from her hair. “You’ve covered me in snow anyway. It doesn’t matter.”
“Fine.” Nex lowered her into the snow, and she spread her arms and legs to make a snow angel.
She beamed up at the sky, breathing in the scent of crisp coldness only falling snow could create. Nex wasn’t one for wasting time staring at anything, but he could watch her lying in the snow like that forever. The white snow shimmered like it was covered in glitter.
Pure, like she was pure.
“Why don’t you make one with me?” Kat grinned as she made the snow angel.
“Very funny.”
“Aw, come on. It would be cute!” Kat spread her arms to make the wings bigger.
“I don’t need to make one, Katherine. I’ve got you.”
Kat smiled, flutters erupting in her stomach. “Okay, now I’m really cold.” She hopped up and rubbed her hands along her arms. “Let’s go home.”
“Home.” Nex nodded and wrapped his arm around her waist. Back in the underworld was supposed to be home, and while he missed his hounds, that place wasn’t home. His home was with Kat.
She shivered as they stepped inside the house. “I need to warm up before I can do anything.”
Nex smirked, shrugging off his coat. “I can help with that.”
