Page 106 of Bellamy
Everyone gathered in the large parlor after breakfast. A piano sat in the corner and a fireplace jutted from the middle of the wall, the embers cold. Couches and armchairs were placed in front of it.
It was a place that had probably seen many grand parties back in the day, where humans wore their best attire and smoked expensive cigars while drinking champagne or brandy. Even witches held those customs. More than likely, it’d been a meeting place for the coven.
Bellamy and I sat together on the love seat while the two angels took the two armchairs. Clara and Simon sat on the couch, while Gray rooted himself on the rug. Mason sat behind him, his big arms around the smaller male. Alastair and the others remained standing.
“Asa was awakened last year,” Lazarus said, regarding Penemuel. “But you, Purah, Vepar, and Xaphan didn’t join his side until spring of this year. Why the wait? Why not join him from the start?”
“Simple.” Penemuel crossed one ankle over his knee. “None of us wished to follow him. Although powerful, Asa is young, immature, and lacks the skills to be a true leader. He’ll need years to harness his power and strengthen his character before he can ever truly conquer anything.”
I studied him. “Yet, you and the other three fallen angels came to the underworld and pledged your allegiance to him.” That day in the throne room, all of them had vowed to follow Asa. “Why the change of heart?”
Bellamy’s blue eyes met mine before flickering over to Penemuel. “Answer his question.”
“Because Belphegor called on us,” Penemuel said. “You fought by his side for many years, Phoenix. You know as well as I do how persuasive he can be. He told us of the war and revealed his plan to storm the celestial realm for Light Bringer. When he requested our aid, we accepted.”
“You didn’t fight in the celestial battle,” Alastair pointed out. “The other Fallen did, but not you.”
“Correct. Thousands of years living amongst mortals gave me time to think. Old grudges faded. I joined Belphegor without really considering the consequences. As I watched him collect innocent souls and use them to destroy the barrier of my former home, as I watched those angels I’d once considered brothers and sisters be slain in cold blood, I realized I didn’t share Belphegor’s vision. No amount of power was worth that price. So I left.”
“You said ‘Belphegor’s vision.’” Alastair’s gaze narrowed. “What about Asa? He’s the only one who can wield Light Bringer. He’s the one who wishes to bring humanity to its knees. Yet, it sounds as if you place him below Belphegor.”
“I do,” Penemuel answered.
His statement shocked me. I thought of Asa’s power… of how he could break someone’s neck with the snap of his fingers. With his cold, calculating red eyes and cruel smiles, his presence had always caused knots in my gut. Belphegor was tame in comparison.
Or maybe he was only better at hiding it.
“Then, it’s what we assumed.” Lazarus rubbed the back of his neck. Normally, the angel was stoic as fuck. The stresses of war were catching up to him. “Belphegor is the one pulling the strings.”
“Yep,” Castor added. “He’s using Asa like a puppet. Just like you’re using us as yours.”
“You’re not my puppets,” Lazarus denied.
Castor scoffed. “That’s news to me. You’ve been training us to fight in your war since we were kids. Turning us into your little weapons of mass destruction.”
“Enough, Cas,” Alastair said in a hard tone.
“Defending him as always, I see. Some things never change.”
Lazarus clenched his hand into a fist. “I will not deny my actions, Castor, nor will I apologize for them. I did what I needed to do. I always have.”
“Like killing my father?” Castor hissed, shoving from the wall. Kyo grabbed him by the wrist to stop his advance. “Belphegor is an evil bastard. So was Azazel. Bellamy’s dad was a prick too by the sound of it. But mine? He just wanted to be with his family. Lucifer promised him freedom once the war was over. Freedom to love me and my mother without you white-winged fuckers constantly trying to kill us. He was loving and kind. And you killed him right in front of me!”
Tears shone in the red-haired Nephilim’s eyes. Kyo kissed Castor’s shoulder, his eyes glassy too. As his bonded mate, he probably felt an echo of his sadness.
“I told you to leave before I killed him, did I not?” Lazarus asked in a calm tone. “You disobeyed my order. I never wished for you to see that.”
“Caim was the best of us,” Penemuel said. “Greedy, yet kind. He had a weakness for gold and jewels. But he loved taking those trinkets back to his wife. Necklaces, bracelets, things he could admire while she wore them. Once, he took a bar of gold, some priceless gems, and a melted-down celestial blade to the smith and paid for a dagger to be forged, just like the one his son loved to read about in his favorite bedtime story.”
Castor rested his hand on the weapon at his hip. A golden dagger. “You knew my father well?”
“I did.” Penemuel dropped his gaze to the unlit fire in the hearth. “Perhaps once this is over, I’ll share some stories with you.”
“If I allow you to live that long,” Lazarus said.
“Back to the threats, are we?” Penemuel sighed. “It can’t be helped, I suppose. As long as you follow Uriel, you’ll always be a prisoner to his will. You don’t have the ability to think for yourself.”
“You have news for us?” Alastair asked before Lazarus could respond. “The two of you can hash it out later, but you said time is of the essence. So stop wasting it.”
