Page 39 of The Angel's Kiss
The Owner tapped the card with a slender finger. “This is you, Rai Harrington.”
Okay, how in the fuck did this dude know my damn name? “How did you—”
“An Owner must know what he knows about his customers to better serve them,” he said in that cryptic manner of his.
I decided to keep it moving. This dude obviously wasn’t human, but he wasn’t a demon either. I sensed that much. “Can you explain that card to me?” I asked, since it was so important for him to read my fortune.
“Right now, you are in the reversed version of this card. You have allowed your ego, stubbornness, and inability to adapt to the unforeseen to hinder your growth and opportunity.”
“Azazel?”
He nodded. “Your Champion, my dear Guardian is a part of you whether you want him to be or not. By refusing to trust him, to accept your feelings for him, you might as well cut off both of your arms. That is how defenseless you have left yourself.”
I frowned. “My feelings?”
He nodded. “I sense they run deep, so deep, they have rooted themselves within your soul.”
I scoffed. No way I felt that much for Azazel. I shook my head. “I disagree.”
“You must trust him and in what you share.”
“How can I ever trust a demon? Do you even know who he is?”
“Do you?” he shot back.
“He’s one of the demon Knights of the Round Court in the Hades Empire,” I said.
“Hewasone of them and has not been for quite some time.”
“He’s evil,” I added.
“He is indifferent, but he is learning.”
I huffed because I didn’t like how this guy had an answer for everything. “He’s been killing people for thousands of years. He’s the reason why so many humans have slaughtered each other,” I said, because I knew Azazel was the Demon of War.
The Owner nodded. “And that is what makes him such a valuable gift to you, Guardian. He isn’t an Archangel, which means your Champion will give you access to powers no other Guardian will ever possess. You must reverse your fortune if you have any hope of saving that girl.”
I lowered my head as I thought about what he said, then licked my lips. “How? How do I do that?”
“You must surrender completely. Let go of your bias, your hatred, your mistrust. But most of all, you must overcome your fear.”
“I'm not afraid of Azazel,” I protested.
The Owner shook his head. “Your fear of what will happen if you give him all of you and he gives you all of himself. Give in to him, Guardian Rai Harrington. Make that sacrifice to save yourselfandhim,” The Owner said. “So much depends on you doing that.”
I still didn’t fully understand what he meant, but regarding Azazel, I knew that I needed him. I had that much perspective. I nodded. “I will try,” I said.
“You must,” The Owner urged.
I nodded again, then rose. “Can I go now?”
The Owner nodded, then pointed to the item I held. “Oh, and the price will be a few strands of your hair and your Champion’s.”
“Why? What are you going to do with it?”
He smiled. “I’m simply a collector of rare valuables.”
“I don’t like you taking my hair,” I said.
