Page 14 of Angel I Am Not

He managed a shrug, folding his arms across his chest. “Apparently, only the history books will call me Prince of Darkness. Right, of course. Oh, and my mother.”

This was not the version of Dante I was expecting. Sure, he gave a powerful evil aura but he was so… down to Earth, cheeky, relatable.

Not. Supposed. To. Like. Evil.

But all that training was flying out the window with every moment I continued staring into the man’s expressive eyes. I didn’t have the hots for him or anything but the mere promise of darkness was almost too much to give up. I wanted access to the power that was rumbling around him, that evil aura that was starting to suffocate me with a possessive hold I never wanted to leave. A confidence I had never possessed.

Raphael once again cut the connection. “Dante, state your business with her. I will not leave her in your hands without a suitable path forward.”

The Devil just laughed. “Dear, I know you are not trying to state the terms of a deal you did not make but seeing as the prize I’ve won is so beautiful, I’m inclined to oblige your ridiculous request.”

Dear? My face warmed as I stared between them, nearly feeling like I was interrupting a reunion. The Devil had just called Raphael Dear and by God, the archangel was blushing. I wanted to squeal at this rather taboo scene but it would only ruin the moment.

Clearing my throat, I settled back in my seat, knowing that Dante’s entire persona was merely an act but it just made me more intrigued to find out who this man truly was. He was playing with Raphael and there was nothing that the archangel could do about it.

And just to push my luck, I leaned forward a little, catching Dante’s eye. He smirked at me and nodded. “What is it, sweet girl?”

“I would like one of those chai lattes with chocolate chips. With the creamy whip on top.”

Dante’s smile grew. “Did Raphael not offer to buy you a drink? Shameful, really. I’ll even throw in a little pie. Need to stay in your good graces before I lay down the rules.”

He stood and made his way to the counter as I grinned at Raphael, triumphant.

“It’s not a good thing, Ari. Dante doesn’t give anything away without a reason.”

I glanced toward the counter. “I asked for coffee, Raphael. I didn’t sign away another soul.”

His expression tightened. “You don’t need parchment for a promise to matter to him. Be precise with what you agree to.”

“Did I agree to anything?”

Raphael hesitated. “No.”

“Then he bought me a drink.”

The brokenness in his words told me that whatever had transpired between him and Dante was still running hot and heavy but the goddamn rules from above had likely squandered any chance of them taking it farther.

“Wait… have the others been making deals with him all this time?” Oh, I wanted to laugh so badly at the stupidity of these angels but I couldn’t, not with that pitiful expression on Raphael’s face. So, I just turned in my seat and faced forward, humming happily as I waited for my sugary drink.

It wouldn’t erase the fact that Dante was going to make some ridiculous demand in the next five seconds but at least I’d be hyped on sugar while he did it.

Ariuk

I regretted saying that Dante was going to make some ridiculous demand. It wasn’t ridiculous, it was downright absurd.

Raphael didn’t even understand half the words out of Dante’s mouth but I did. Having escaped one too many times to see how the humans lived, I had picked up on a thing or two. Not even the chocolatey goodness running down my throat could make this moment better.

“You want me to what?!” I hissed. Raphael nudged my shoulder, reminding me to behave but I had given up on playing the perfect angel. Jophiel thought that I would actually be okay with earning my place back in heaven even though I was here because of Uriel’s mistakes. Fuck that. It wasn’t right.

I would rather live in hell.

Dante was having too much fun with this, enjoying my shocked expression that was slowly morphing into pure rage. I had been taught for nearly thirty years that these emotions were of the Devil but I was lying to myself if I didn’t believe that this was my essence and my true feelings. He picked at the chocolate cake he had bought before smacking his lips together, eyes dancing at my expense. “It’s just a small thing. You have mentors in heaven but we do things a little different down below. We sent them to Earth to truly use their gifts. However they choose to do so is on them but when they return, they must be able to wield their essence on command.”

“You have practicals?” The only angels that were allowed to leave Heaven on a regular basis were archangels and the few that were tasked with gathering wandering souls. All of our lessons had always been in a special section of heaven, never on Earth where we would eventually one day be required to use our gifts and persuade humans that through divine intervention that Heaven and Hell was real, and that paradise awaited them if they would just believe in God.

The truth of the matter was much worse, not that I knew how it all worked. Gathering souls involved tricky tactics and smooth words—a process that I would have expected out of Dante rather than angels.

Dante frowned and glanced over at Raphael. “What have you all been doing up in Heaven? Everyone used to conduct their practical evaluations on Earth. Ah, of course. I must have ruined that little project. After all, to the little minions running paradise in the sky, Earth is evil.”