Page 6 of The Angel's Kiss
“It means you’re one of us now,” she said.
I scoffed. “The hell I am!”
“I’m sorry, do you have something else you need to be doing?” she mocked.
I opened my mouth to give her my usual wisecracks, but then changed my mind. The truth was that I didn’t. I’d been ready to give up everything back there and accept my death in order to end my existence that no longer had a purpose.
Her expression softened just a bit. “I don’t like that this has happened. You’re a demon and should have been killed tonight. But you are a Champion and soon, you will be called to your own Guardian when it is time. There is nothing you can do to stop the Calling or change your destiny. Consider this a gift and not a curse. A chance to redeem your soul.”
I laughed, but it wasn’t because I found what she’d said particularly humorous. “What makes you think my soul needs redeeming?”
“You’ve received the Angel’s Kiss. It doesn’t matter if you think your soul needs to be redeemed... you’ll have no choice,” she said.
I lifted my head to the stars in the sky and sighed. “So, it would seem the night I killed your Guardian, the real victory went to your side.”
She snorted. “That’s debatable. From what I see before me, I don’t understand why a demon was given such a coveted privilege. You’re not worthy.”
“Finally, we agree on something. I didn’t deserve this curse.”
“Oh, you lost me there. You do deserve to be stopped by any means,” she said with a chuckle. “You can’t kill anyone innocent. Your days as the Demon of War are over. Can you even convince them to kill each other?”
I remained silent because, for some reason, I hadn’t felt the motivation to do it since that terrible night. But now, I was curious to see if I could.
“Can you?” she asked.
“I haven’t tried... I’ll let you know,” I said sarcastically.
She shrugged. “I bet you can’t. You probably don’t even want to.”
I sneered because she was right.
Again, she chuckled as if she already knew the answer.
“But, how can I be the Champion if I can’t even kill anyone?” I said, getting back to the topic.
She rolled her eyes. “You're really stuck on that, aren’t you?”
“It’s fun to kill people,” I said with a smirk.
“You’ll be commanded by your Guardian and won’t be allowed to killinnocents.”
I gave a half-hearted laugh. “I’ve been alive long enough to witness God’s wrath where plenty of innocents died. Why be so hypocritical when it comes to his Guardians and Champions?”
She shrugged. “It just is. A Guardian’s job is to protect the people in the world from evil. A Champion’s job is the protect their Guardian. You’ll be called to fight for him or to become his weapons for battle. Until then, you won’t be able to harm whomever you want.” She smirked. “I bet it hurts, doesn’t it? Not being able to be a complete asshole.”
“It does,” I admitted, as there was no point in lying. She saw first-hand what happened to me when I tried.
“And to think, I was speaking figuratively.” She rose from the bench and turned to look down at me. “It is extra gratifying to know that it also hurts you literally. I hope you suffer every time you even think about killing someone innocent. I hope your body is wracked with pain if you try to live the life you once did. Let it be a constant reminder that you are on the road to redemption. A gift not many demons are afforded.”
“A gift, my ass,” I grumbled with a cocked brow and in my most menacing tone.
She nodded. “Yes, a gift.” She turned to walk away but paused. “Don’t bother to come to the Headquarters of the Celestial Guardians Guild. You will not be welcomed there.”
I smirked. “And here I was under the impression that I was one of you?”
“I shiver at the thought of what kind of Guardian will be born who is supposed to bond with the likes of you.”
I didn’t let her insults hurt me even though I found myself having... what humans called emotions. No insult had hurt me more than the ones that came from the three Empresses of the Hades Empire.
