She nods. “At the dead of night, when the clock strikes twelve. Light a candle and ring this bell three times,” she goes on to say.
My heart is racing. Could this be the miracle I’m looking for? That urge from my ancestors seems to push even harder for me to leave. But nothing will keep me from what I want.
Grabbing the bell, I press it to my chest.
“Keep the change,” I mumble as I turn to walk out with my new prized possession in my hands.
“A warning, Angelica Reynolds,” I pause when she calls out my name. A name I did not give her. I turn to face the old lady.
“Pay attention to the price of your desire. Nothing is given without a cost.”
Her words of warning once again tickle the flame of fear inside me. I look down at the glass case in my hands, once again debating if I should give this bell back.
“If you want to keep your man, you know what you need to do.” The voice in my head says.
“Okay.” My mind is made up. I quickly turn and rush out of the store. I no longer wanted to be in the presence of the old lady.
Climbing back into the car, I look down at the bell inside the glass case. Something tells me I hold the answer to my problems in my hands.
Later that night…
The apartment is silent. Romeo left for home hours ago. I sit cross-legged in the middle of my bedroom floor. A candle in front of me and the bell by my side. Staring at the clock on my nightstand, I wait. The moment the digital clock strikes twelve. I take a deep breath and light the candle. The flame flickers, giving off a dull warmth.
Sitting up straight, I grab the bell. Shutting my eyes, I ring it once, twice, and then three times. The thing makes a cracking sound, causing me to open my eyes. There is a large split in the bell that goes from the bottom to the head. Did I do something wrong?
Suddenly, the flame on the candle flickers as if it’s going to blow out. However, the orange flame roars up as if it’s about to touch the ceiling before it dies down and turns a bluish-purple color. I gasp at the sight.
Quickly climbing to my feet, not feeling as confident about my actions as before, I back away from the candle.
“Who the fuck are you?” a deep voice calls out behind me.
I nearly leap out of my skin as I turn around. Yet, I’m not brought any solace when I face the intruder in my room. One would think the man in front of me was attractive. He’s tall, towering over my 5’3” height, with golden tan skin that stretches over a lean build. He has a chiseled jaw that matches his square-shaped face.
Everything about him screamed sex appeal. However, his eyes are what makes the breath catch in my throat. They aren’t just dark; they are pitch black. His irises nearly bleeds into his pupils. Dark bushy brows sit low, giving him a menacing appearance.
When those sharp eyes cut down to the broken bell in my hand, a slow menacing smile lifts the corners of his lips.
He chuckles; the deep sound causes goose pimples to cover my arms. “I guess I am at your service, little human.”
Alarm bells ring out. The fact he just called me human lets me know this is not a man. I don’t know what the hell he is, but he isn’t human.
“What….” I swallow past the dryness in my throat. “What are you?”
He grins the most terrifying smile. His incisors look too long. Not as long as a vampire, but much longer than any normal person.
“I’m the angel of life,” he says, holding out his arms as if he’s some heavenly being.
Pressure lifts off my shoulders, and hope wraps me in its arms. “Are you really?”
He chuckles low and deadly. “Fuck no. I’m Raziel, and you summoned me.” He points to the broken bell still clutched in my hands. “I don’t know how you got that bell, but I don’t care. You caught me in a good mood, human. What can I do for you?”
I gulp. That part of me, the part embedded in me from my black ass ancestors, tells me to rebuke this demon and go pray. But my heart reminds me what’s at stake.
“My baby,” I whisper, glancing down before looking up at him. “The doctors say she’s not going to live. She’s all I have.”
His gaze narrows as he watches me silently.
“You’re lying,” he sneers.
