“No. I’ve made up my mind. Nothing you say is going to change it. Is there anything else you want to tell me or that I need to know?”
He hesitated, and in that pause, I saw it. The flicker of relief. He didn’t want Di to go alone either.
“Be careful. The Starborns are monsters. Don’t trust anyone except the person I’ll send you to. I'll send the directions to you in a bit.”
“How will we know if we face a demon?” I wanted to test whether he would lie to me.
“You won’t know, especially if they are from a lower clan. However, I hope the Starborns won’t conceal their powers.”
I tilted my head, trying to gauge whether he was lying or genuinely believing his own words. Was he serious right now?
"You're kidding, right? That's how Di is supposed to know he's in danger?Hoping?"
You’ve got to be kidding me. Did he hear himself? Didn’t he hear how absurd it sounds?
“I can tell you more about them, but you won’t be able to sense them.”
“So, you’re sending Diablos on a suicide mission.”
He bowed his head and whispered barely audibly, “I don’t have any other choice.”
“Yeah. Angels never have a choice, do they?”
I got up from my seat before he could make more excuses. There was no point in continuing this conversation. Before I opened the door, I turned and looked at him. If I had to choose, I knew what choice I would make, so this was my only chance to say these words.
"Thank you. Thank you for raising me. And I'm really sorry I hit you, Dad. But if you ever try to hurt any of them, you'll have to go through me first."
I didn’t wait to see his reaction. I couldn’t bear to.
Passing the game room, I heard my brothers’ laughter. Yeah, I’d miss this. I’d miss them. All I could hope was that when this was over, I’d still have a some part of my family to come back to.
Chapter twelve
Diablos
What a life. One day, you’re living an ordinary human life. The next day, you find out angels and demons are real.
If I wasn’t stuck in a situation I never asked for, I’d be fangirling like crazy. I mean, it was still cool. I was a fantasy romance reader, after all. Though there was no romance in the fantasy or the reality of my life.
Sighing in disappointment, I took a sip of my coffee. My bags were packed. I had prepared a small suitcase and two backpacks. I didn't know what kind of situation we might end up in, what I'd need, or how long we'd be gone. Better to be prepared.
I still couldn’t believe Dagon was coming with me. What could have possibly possessed him? It was like he... cared. If I lookedpast the anger brewing inside me, I knew he still cared in his own twisted way, or at least I was hoping he did.
No, thinking about Dagon wasn’t productive for my last ordinary morning.
Flashes of bad things happening to my father and brothers while we were away hit me out of nowhere - a demon attack, my father lying in a pool of his own blood, a car accident. Bren lying on the cold pavement, choking on his blood, taking his last breath. Wild losing his mind when all of us were gone. Dagon’s unseeing eyes because he came with me and paid the price.
What if going after this object was the avalanche that brings death to everyone I love? What if I should’ve insisted Dagon stay behind?
My heart lodged itself in my throat. My hands trembled with the force of my fear. Shaking my head, I tried to pull away from these images. I tried repeatedly, but it felt like I was sinking further. The intrusive thoughts were an ocean. One after another, they came like waves, dragging me under.
Swallowing hard, I focused on my breath. I knew better than to fight the thoughts. They came when they pleased and left whenever they wanted. But that didn’t make it any easier. Every time they surfaced, they left a bit of my soul more broken than the time before.
My hands still shook as I twisted the cup six times. Then I took seven sips of my coffee, which wasn’t a good idea, but everything about me was upside down. Coffee was supposed to make people anxious. It calmed me down.
The house was quiet. No one had woken up yet, so no one saw my panic. I started feeling more like myself when I heard noise from King’s office. After hesitating for a small eternity, I decided to talk to him.
The door was slightly ajar, so I stepped in without knocking. He saw me before I could say anything, but now that I was here, I wanted to flee the room. Why did I even come?
