“You’re Kas’ brother?” I say, but Rainn—Michael—whatever his name is doesn’t say anything; he just continues glaring at Kas.
“She’s not my partner, you can let her go.”
“But you love her, you care for her. Do you remember my promise, sister?”
“I’m sick of this game, Michael. It’s been centuries. Why can’t you let this go?”
He laughs cruelly and shakes his head. “Let it go? One doesn’t simply forgive. There’s a reason why you were sent to Hell, Kasdeya. So what do you choose? I can let blondie walk away, but that means your little witch is in for a special treat.”
“Kas, go. I can handle myself.”
She shakes her head. “He’s an archangel. His power has only grown. Can you summon Lucifer?”
“Oh yes, let’s add another sibling I loathe into the mix.”
“Kas, go. I can handle this,” I tell her, but she shakes her head. “Go warn Asmo and your witch. I can handle this,” I say again because I can see the fear that Michael has instilled in her.
“Don’t be fucking stupid. Do you have a weapon?”
Yeah, my dagger…which is basically useless to Michael. I need something that can take down a fucking archangel.
“My dagger, what do you have?”
“Something stronger,” she says. We stay close, keeping our distance from Michael the best that we can. It’s all coming together now, why Kas is always running, and why she thought I should stay away from Lucifer all this time. She cares about protecting the ones she loves, and apparently, she is protecting them from her psychopathic archangel brother.
“I suggest you leave. Lucifer should be here any moment.”
“How unprogressive of you. Do you need a man to save you? I guess it’s unsurprising, you did fall for all my tricks. How pathetic.” He tosses the coin on the ground, and as soon as it’s near me, I feel confused, and that’s when time picks up. “You really thought an angel would be on your side? That I gave a single fuck about what happened to your twin?”
“Why did you toy with me for so long?” I ask, and he laughs.
“I suppose I’m a bit of a sadist. I never truly knew how much Kasdeya cared for you. But when the angels were talking about Lucifer’s mate and disrupting the hierarchy of Hell, I decided you were of no use. Clearly, my siblings in Heaven were unsuccessful. How predictably boring.”
He steps closer to me. I know that I can grab my necklace and call for Lucifer, but there’s a part of me that needs to prove myself. Kas is right next to me, her mouth in a hard line, trying to figure out our next move.
We can do this. I can do this.
I’m powerful, and Kas is strong.
I’m a fucking demon, and it’s about time this angel learns a goddamn lesson. It’s difficult, but the toe of my shoe is just able to touch the coin, and I kick it as hard as I can, but it’s not far enough. Fortunately, Kas takes the next step and kicks it into the black lake, the black sludge sucking it deep into its depths. As soon as it’s away from me, I feel instantly better.
“What the fuck was that thing?” I ask Kas.
“One of Michael’s favorite tricks, it makes you forget certain things and is used as a tracker.”
“Kas, I had that at the house,” she looks irritated but not concerned. I’m guessing she hadn’t brought Asmo or her witch to the house.
“I don’t need magical assistance, do I, Kasdeya? How many loved ones have I taken from you now?”
“Michael, this has to stop.”
“Like how you stopped?” he yells at her.
“It’s been centuries, Michael.”
“Not long enough for me to forget or to collect.”
“Just take me instead,” Kas says, pleading with her insane brother. His focus is completely on her as I step more off to the side, creating a trap where he’s between both of us.
