Page 55 of The Angel's Kiss
“Michael will take us.”
I laughed then, I couldn’t help it. “Oh, this is not going to be a fun field trip.”
“It’s not supposed to be.”
“What I mean is Michael and Azazel will be face-to-face.”
“Who saysthatwon’t be fun?” Darius said with a wink and I saw a glimpse of a side of my mentor I didn’t know existed. The part that seduced an angel, I was sure. Darius was never as stuck-up as the other Guardians I’d met. Well... save Terri, she was okay. Perhaps that was why I’d always felt more comfortable around him. He made me feel like I was normal whereas everyone else made me feel like an outcast. To put it plainly, Darius was just cool as hell.
***
Azazel had been lounging on the ground and when he heard us approaching, he rose and gathered himself.
Darius looked him up and down. “We meet again.”
“Let’s not make a habit of it,” Azazel shot back.
I pointed at him. “Behave,” I told him.
Azazel rolled his eyes but nodded.
“Are you still using conventional weapons?” Darius asked me.
“Yeah,” I shrugged. “They work. The magic forged in them is good.”
“Not on powerful demons. Those weapons Raina made won’t work on Baal. Why haven’t you bonded with Azazel?” Darius asked me.
“Yes, Rai, do tell,” Azazel said, and looked at me with a smugness that made me want to kick his shin.
“Because you’re an asshole, that’s why.”
Azazel smirked. “I have an asshole.” He leaned in close to my ear. “And I want you inside of it.”
I immediately felt heat rise to my face as it raced through my body and I shoved him back. “Stop it!”
Azazel laughed, then his gaze shifted to Darius, who was just looking at us with one eyebrow cocked.
“Ignore him,” I said.
“Gladly,” Darius replied, then sighed. “In any case, you must bond if you plan to be of any use as a Guardian, Rai. I can’t stress that enough.”
“Yeah, I know, I know,” I said, waving my hand. To be honest, I didn’t know if I could bond with Azazel. I wanted to, I knew that I needed to... but did I have the ability to?
Again, Darius gave me that contemplative look of his.
“What?”
“Nothing. I’m going to call Michael now,” Darius said, and then he did his thing. A second later, the Archangel, Michael, stood before us. The smile on his face as he looked at Darius transformed into a sneer as his gaze panned over to Azazel and then to me.
“What are these abominations doing here?” Michael asked.
“Wishing that I didn’t have to be in your sanctimonious presence,” Azazel snapped, not missing a beat.
“Perhaps then, you shouldn’t have killed three Guardians and their Champions.”
“Awww, but it was fun,” Azazel shot back.
A flaming sword shot from Michael’s hand just as a black and silver sword that looked wicked as hell materialized from Azazel’s hand. It glowed red as Michael’s glowed blue. I looked at Darius and he didn’t seem to be at all alarmed by the fact our Champions were about to go at it. Before I could say anything, the two attacked—or rather, they tried to. An invisible force exploded between them, sending both in separate directions. Their fierce swords disappeared as they sailed through the air. Michael floated to his feet, but Azazel landed hard on the ground, and then began to vomit. His face was screwed up as if he were in agony and he gripped his stomach.
