They don’t ask me who I am.
“Why are you here?” I ask.
“We’re angels. We’ve been sent here to warn you and offer you a deal.”
A deal. Those two words echo in my head, a reminder of why I’m stuck here in the first place. Maybe their admission to being angels should placate me, but something about their presence keeps me agitated. It could be because that they’re supernatural beings and I’m a human, considering the similarity to how I felt when seeing Ambrose for the first time. I don’t feel that nervous humming beneath my skin with Ambrose anymore, but maybe it’s simply because I’ve become accustomed to his presence.
Speaking of… “I thought angels and demons weren’t separate entities.”
Samuel frowns. “What would make you think that?”
“I was told that it’s all part of mythology that derives from the existence of immortals, that you’re all collectively called Liminals, and the only difference is the powers that you have.” I avoid saying Ambrose’s name, though I’m not quite sure why.
He gives me a pitying look. “Ambrose told you that.” It’s not a question, but a statement. Still, he’s looking for confirmation.
I nod.
“It makes sense that he would try to convince you of that. He’s attempting to sway you, to give you some semblance of comfort because he does not want you to realize who you’ve made a bargain with. There is a reason that there are so many stories around these mountains that warn against making a deal with the devil.”
My heart sinks.There’s no way… “Are you telling me that Ambrose is the devil?”
“Not quite,” he answers with a chuckle, mindlessly fiddling with a small pocket watch at his waist. “But he may as well be. He’s taken the gift he’s been given and used it for evil instead of good. The difference between angels and demons is not in how we are created, but what we do with the gifts The Creator has given us.”
With each second that passes, each word that comes from his mouth, the panic in my chest grows. Is the situation I’ve found myself in even worse than I thought? Have I been consorting with someone much more evil than I had assumed?
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” I manage to ask despite the knot in my throat.
Samuel raises his hand, palm facing upward, and a ball of pure, white light grows before my eyes. I blink a few times to make sure I’m not hallucinating.
“Each of us is given a different set of powers. I was bestowed the gift of light. Elias here possesses the power of healing. Both are good, honorable abilities we have been entrusted with. Now think about it for a moment; What does Ambrose use his gift for? Manipulation, obscurity, trickery, and avoiding perception. Does that not say enough about his character?”
With every word he speaks, my heart sinks. It makessense that Ambrose would take advantage of my ignorance and use it to make himself seem less malevolent.
Not only have I been manipulated, but I was stupid enough to fall for it yet again. The other night, it had almost seemed like Ambrose and I had shared a moment of understanding, that some sort of companionship had passed between us, but how real can our connection be if it was all built on lies and trickery in the first place? I had allowed myself to forget how I got into this situation. I can’t let that happen again.
Still, I don’t trust these angels entirely. My gut is telling me to be cautious. “So what do you want from me? You said you wanted to warn me and offer me a deal.”
“Well, that depends on how much you know. Are you aware of how he maintains his immortality?”
“Yes, he told me. Is it different for you?” I can’t help but ask. Even despite the growing ache in my chest, curiosity wins over.
“It is not different.”
“How are you any better than him, then?”
“We are much more deliberate about the lives we take, only taking what we need, whereas he does so with reckless abandon. Ambrose enjoys the hunt, manipulating one’s emotions before taking everything away from them. It’s a game to him rather than an unfortunate necessity. But surely you know that by now.”
The words are a blade through my chest. It’s not like I didn’t know that’s what he was doing with me, so why does it still hurt so much? I’ve had weeks to come to terms with it.
But I suppose that no matter how much time you have to get over it, being betrayed by someone you thought would save you will always be devastating. Giving someone hopebefore breaking them is infinitely more vicious than simply hurting them from the start.
I need to be careful. I’ve started to let my guard down with Ambrose, though maybe that’s been part of his plan all along. Lull me into a false sense of security so I can continue to do his bidding.
When the angels realize I’m not going to respond, Samuel speaks again. The other man hasn’t spoken once.
“You asked what we want from you. All we need is information.”
“And what do I get in return?” I ask, although I’m hesitant to make any sort of deal with another supernatural being.
