He shook his head, but a half-hearted smile crossed his face. “You’re very strange. Not at all what I expected of a demon.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, Father.”
“You should. And I would welcome you into my flock, if not for the obvious reasons that’s not possible, of course.”
I smiled back at him, genuinely amused. “Thank you for that.”
“Still, Phin is opposite you in the most vital of ways. She isnot for you. Understand?”
I did. But given the circumstances, I wasn’t sure his assertion or my agreement even mattered. Never mind that he was entirely, fundamentally, wrong.
“I was very much like her once,” I said earnestly. “Not so different now, all things considered. Rest assured I have no interest in seeing her harmed.” Nothing could have been truer.
His gaze went somber. “I am entrusting you with her care,” he pleaded with me, hands pressed together in front of his chest. “I made a vow to keep her safe. If this is how I fulfill that promise, so be it, who am I to question the will of the divine?”
“You believe thedivinebrought me here?”
“How else could this have come to pass? A demon in my church? There’s no other explanation.” I didn’t dispute his assertion, because there certainly were forces beyond either of us that had brought me to this place.
“Then the divine also brought you an angel. One who is hunting her quite literally for her body. One you seem quite friendly with, all things considered.”
Father grimaced. “Sometimes my business is messy, I’ll admit. But I send her with you with my blessing. To ensure she’s valued, and not reduced to a… a function.”
“She will be safe with me,” I swore, a flare of heat going off behind my ribs.
Father Morton took my hand between his and held on tight, releasing me only when Phin returned with a small bag full of her worldly possessions and a tentative smile on her face.
And so, a covenant was struck between a man of the cloth and a demon over a Nephilim with violet eyes, and the demon absconded with her back to his domain to watch over and keep safe, for as long as she would allow it.
Amen.
Chapter 7
Phin
Iwas no stranger to traveling by portal, but it had been quite some time since I’d experienced it.
The last journey I’d taken through one had been with my father, our arrival back earth-side from Heaven. We’d been scheduled to return again in just a few short weeks, but instead, our earthly home had been destroyed, my parents had left me with Father Morton, and I hadn’t seen either of them since.
My stomach lurched as we stepped out of the device and into a vast hallway of doors.
“Welcome to the crossroads,” Tap said politely.
My eyes bounced from one doorway to another, and I couldn’t help marveling at the sheer number of them. Each was different than the one before it, if only by a tiny detail on the frame or the hue of the space within the passage itself. They seemed to go on forever down the corridor, rows upon rows of them side by side.
Another voice greeted us back from a short distance away, getting closer as it spoke. “No need for formalities, I’m not—” A man—another demon, this one with shoulder-length auburn hair, tan skin, and an abundance of freckles—came to an abrupt stop in front of us, eyes widening as he took me in. He finishedhis thought slowly. “A stranger.” He reached out a hand, an easy smile brightening his expression as he took me in. It was kind despite the fact that he had three sharp canines instead of just one on each side of his mouth. “Butyouare. Hello. I’m Seir.”
Tap shifted his stance as I accepted Seir’s offered hand and received a firm grip and solid shake in return. I simply stared at him, already regrettably beyond my daily capacity for responding to surprises with even a modicum of grace.
“Seir, this is Phin. She’s going to help get the deals library sorted.”
“Wonderful! Another assistant.” He hadn’t let go of my hand, and I struggled to keep steady as he pumped my arm up and down excitedly. “You’ll be well organized and able to actually relax in no time, Tap. This is excellent news.”
“That’s the hope.” Tap gestured for me to come forward after patting his brother’s shoulder, asking him wordlessly to release me.
“Sorry.” Seir laced his fingers together at his waist as though restraining himself, his friendly smile still in place.
“Phin, this is my brother, Seir. He’s actually around quite a lot lately. He’s the second demon I mentioned before.”
