I wasreelingwith so much emotion.
The residual pain and fear I’d felt from living through Shem’s trauma warred with my own feelings of hatred and disgust for the monster that stood smugly before me.
“Of course, in time, he learned to resist the hand stimulation, so I needed to test his resilience. We learned that he loves having his prostate stroked. Filthy little thing. The sounds he made when I fucked him. Absolutelyvile.I never was able to truly cure him.”
I wasshaking.
My wings exploded from my back, and my knuckles cracked on my scepter as I ground my teeth together in rage.
Raziel eyed my black wings in consideration. “Of course, we learned later that the black feathers that sometimes manifested had nothing to do withsinper se but a natural predisposition to succumb to sinful activity. Still. The lessons were a necessary evil.”
My mouth parted, and I was so furious that I couldn’t even form words. My vision was vibrating, and if I could light this church on fire with nothing but a thought, I would.
The seraphim was grinning at me wickedly. “So you can see now why he should be returned to me. Why would you want to keep company with such a disgrace is beyond me. Give him back to me, Gabriel. I’m positive that in time, I can one day fix him.”
“Fixhim!? Youbrokehim! Possibly beyond fucking repair!”
“Nonsense. I made him who he is today.”
“You destroyed him! He can’t love me because he fucking hates himselfbecause of you!”
“Heshouldhate himself for his sinful attraction to men! Twomalesshould not lie together and enjoy it! Sex is for procreationalone.And even then, it should be treated with a clinical reverence worthy of God’s grace.”
“I’m going to fuckingkill you!”
I was flying through the air.
Raziel didn’t even try to evade me, and I soon learned why as I slammed into an invisible barrier that surrounded the podium with such force I felt my collarbone snap on impact.
I roared in pain and fury, drawing back my scepter with my good arm and slamming it into the strange barrier over and over again in a desperate attempt to get to my prey.
“Well. This is disappointing. I thought seeing the truth would help you understand how much Shemhazai needs my help. It seems you’re a disgusting sinner yourself.”
I wasn’t even listening to him. I was blindly beating my weapon into the hardened air that protected the seraphim, convincing myself each time that this next strike would be the one that did it.
Ares stepped out from behind the massive statue with a cruel smile on his face.
“It’s no use, demon. That’s my protective barrier. No one has broken through my defenses. Your little stick is useless here.”
I snarled and tore away from them, panting and out of breath. My collarbone knit back together, and I rolled my shoulder, working out the kinks angrily as I glared at my prey.
I pointed my scepter at Ares, putting all my hatred and fury directly into my promise to them.
“You’ll be first,” I hissed at Ares. “I will fucking end you for this.” I turned to the infuriatingly smug seraphim and pointed my scepter at him next.
“And when I get my hands on you, I’ll make what you did to Shemhazai look like a fuckingkindness. Myeyes will be the last you see before I force you to close yours forever.”
Raziel and Ares just laughed as I launched myself out of the church, still blind with rage and heartache.
I needed to get back home to him.
Back to my Shemhazai.
Alexa Play: Smother by Daughter
Ireturned to find the house in shambles and Shem even worse off.
He’d torn the place to shreds in his anxiety, and I found him on his knees on the kitchen floor, surrounded by torn-out drawers and broken furniture.
