Page 25 of The Angel's Kiss
“Stand up.”
I did and he hugged me. “Stay safe out there. Never underestimate your opponent. Use your best judgment and be yourself.”
I smiled. “Even if that means pissing people off?”
He laughed. “You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t.”
“Damn right,” I said. “You should see the weapons I had Raina make,” I said, bragging a little.
Darius frowned. “Weapons?”
I nodded. “Yeah. A sword and gun. For when I’m out hunting demons.”
He opened his mouth, but then closed it. “I see. Then you must be extra careful.”
“That’s my plan.”
The side door opened and Raina poked her head out. “It’s ready.”
I looked at Darius. “Wanna watch?”
“I’ve seen it done before. Like you said, I’m ancient. Have fun and don’t be a stranger. My number is in the phone, call me any time,” Darius said, then hugged me again.
I held on to him tightly. For twelve years, Darius had been my mentor, my father figure. This place had been my home and now I was leaving it for good. My heart felt heavy in my chest, tight too, but I didn’t want to cry.
Darius patted my back. “Remember my words, Rai.”
“Always,” I said. “Wait!” I called out before he could leave.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
I looked at Raina. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
She nodded, then went back inside.
I looked at Darius. “I had a really weird dream last night.”
He smiled. “Did you speak with Azazel?”
My eyes widened. “How did you know?”
“It’s the introduction dream we all get the night of our final Awakening.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about it?”
“Because then you may have stressed over it and not fallen asleep. You needed to have that dream, that connection. It’s part of your transition,” Darius said.
I smacked my lips because he was right. I would have drunk energy drinks to avoid meeting that damn demon in my dreams. “He... he wasn’t what I expected.”
Darius raised his eyebrows. “Oh? Really? What happened?”
“Well, for one thing, he was sitting on a bench as if he was enjoying the breeze and view. I thought demons didn’t care about things like that?”
“Azazel is no longer your typical demon. He has emotions now, Rai, and he’s spent over a century coming to terms with that. What else happened?”
So, he has feelings... didn’t they always have those? Like feeling happy when they killed babies? I just went on.
I shrugged. “Nothing you wouldn’t expect. I told him I could never accept him.”
