Page 13 of The Angel's Kiss
I was crying so hard, I found it difficult to catch my breath. This was just too much and I wanted to run away from it all and hide.
“I will give you today to gather yourself, Rai. But tomorrow, your new life begins,” Mr. Morris said, then he rose and walked to his desk and called for someone to come.
When the door opened, a teenage boy entered. “Andrew, take Rai back to his room, please.”
“Yes, Headmaster,” Andrew said.
I was still crying as I was taken back to my room. Even though I knew my family was alive, I felt like I’d lost them forever... because I had. I might as well be leaving their funeral, that was how I felt. That was how much pain I was in. All I wanted to do was lay on the bed and wish I’d never met Mr. Morris.
Chapter five
Azazel
The Promise of What's to Come
“This is him?” Iasked as I looked at the photo of a snot-nosed, twelve-year-old boy. He did have the most enchanting features I’d ever seen. From what I knew, Guardians were exotic in their beauty, but this boy was on another level to me. Turquoise eyes, mocha skin... but there was something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
“He is your future Guardian,” Terri said.
Over the past century, she had become my liaison, so to speak. Since I wasn’t allowed in their precious Guild, I was still kept abreast of information regarding the Guardians. At first, I didn’t care... hell, I still didn’t, but I did have an interest in the boy who was supposed to be my commander.
I sighed and tossed the photo on the table, then poured myself some brandy. I raised my eyebrows at Terri as a way of offering her some. She rolled her eyes, then nodded. I poured her a drink too, then sat back to indulge.
“So, when does he put a leash around my neck?”
“Excited to be at his beck and call?” Terri taunted.
I sneered. “Don’t play with me.”
She smiled and shrugged, then took a sip of the brandy. “Still cranky, I see. I told you a hundred years ago, you couldn’t avoid your destiny. At least, you’ve finally accepted it.”
It was true. I’d tried everything I could to break the curse that bound me to one of those self-righteous assholes, but couldn’t. I’d been an outcast since that night and had ended up killing more demons who sought to insult or attack me. I had to find my pleasure somehow and at least I could kill something, thus doing their side a great service.
“To answer your question, it’s hard to say. Rai—”
“Rai?” I asked, cutting her off.
She nodded. “His name is Rai Harrington. He was born on the twelfth of December and recently had his birthday. When he turned twelve, he got the First Awakening and began to see the visions. That’s what alerted us that he was ready to be trained.”
“So, how’s he taking to it?”
“It’s only been a week, hard to say. He’s still getting over the trauma of losing his family,” Terri said.
I shrugged. “Better that than having them tortured or possessed by demons.”
“You’d know.”
I gave her a crooked smile. “If I was my old self, I would have surely killed everyone but his mother, then made sure she was possessed by a demon. That way, his guard would be down. A quick slit of his throat would do the trick.”
“That’s wishful thinking. A demon can never breach the barrier of the Guild. Hence your exclusion,” Terri said.
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t see why an exception can’t be made for me. Aren’t I one of you anyway? Your holy essence flows through me to my utter dismay.”
“True, but you’re still a demon. Be glad I even come to visit you,” she said, then rose.
“Why not make him forget that he even had a family?” I tossed at her.
“No. He needs to deal with that pain in order to make him stronger. A Guardian has to grow from the sorrow of loss,” she said.
