Dark Angel

by Heaton, Felicity

  “Talk?” She glared at him and muttered a spell beneath her breath, and Edward yelped and withdrew his hands. Tiny sparks of electricity leaped between his fingers as he shook them. “You want to talk? I want my books back.”

  Edward continued to stare at her, his dark gaze dropping to her exposed thigh every so often. She smoothed her dress over her legs and surprise rolled through her when Apollyon set her down on the couch beside him.

  He stood and faced Edward.

  Edward glared right back at him, his already dark eyes blackening further as he tipped his chin up and straightened his spine, trying to appear taller.

  Even then he fell short of Apollyon’s towering height, was forced to look up at him.

  Serenity sat very still, afraid of moving and breaking whatever battle of wills was happening between them. When neither looked as though they were going to back down or say anything, she rose from the seat and stepped between them.

  “We have nothing to talk about, Edward.” The confident edge to her voice pleased her.

  She had thought that it would shake and give away her rising nerves.

  She wasn’t sure what to do or what to say. Here was her big chance to look Edward in the eye and tell him what a bastard he had been to her by cheating on her and how she wanted him to suffer but she couldn’t find the strength to confront him, not even with Apollyon at her back.

  Edward stepped towards her, his dark look shifting to reveal a charming smile. She had fallen for that smile before and it wasn’t going to happen again. He had broken her heart, had betrayed her, and she would never forgive him for it, and she would never believe a word he said because of it.

  “I’ve never seen you like this, Serenity... so passionate... sensual... just talk to me. I was a fool, I made a mistake... I never realised just how good you were for me.” Edward reached out to her and she stared at his hand, her heart beating painfully against her ribs. “I want you back. I’ll give you your books and we’ll be good again.”

  Serenity looked into his eyes. He was being honest. She didn’t need a spell to see that. Why though? Why was he suddenly interested in her again when he hadn’t even looked back when she had dumped him for cheating on her?

  “Just talk to me.” Edward smiled. “I want you back... I’ll do anything.”

  The books he had stolen from her appeared in his hands.

  “You want these don’t you?” He held them out to her and she was tempted to reach for them.

  Cold crept through her when she sensed Apollyon step back, away from her, as though he thought she had already made her decision and was going to leave.

  Edward had cheated on her. He had betrayed her trust. He had hurt her so badly that she had asked for revenge and Apollyon had given it to her and so much more.

  He had fixed her heart.

  He had brought her smile back and made her feel alive again.

  Was that what Edward was seeing now? Were the feelings Apollyon had brought to life in her, the happiness and the passion, what he wanted from her? She couldn’t give that to him. He had never made her feel as Apollyon did.

  Serenity looked over her shoulder at Apollyon, right into his blue eyes, and saw his feelings in them. The same look shone in their depths that had been there earlier when they had been in the kitchen and he had said that he had been alone for too long. He didn’t want to be alone anymore.

  He wanted to be with her.

  It all seemed so impossible, so ridiculous, but she wanted to be with him too and she knew in her heart the reason why.

  She was falling for him.

  She was falling in love with an angel.

  CHAPTER 12

  Serenity felt like a bitch when she took a step towards Edward and Apollyon tensed behind her. She hadn’t meant to make him believe that she was going to leave him for the bastard stood before her.

  Victory flashed in Edward’s smile, but it was short lived.

  She placed her hands on the books he held and looked him right in the eyes as she teleported them away, leaving him empty handed.

  She kept her gaze locked on his and stepped back, until Apollyon’s body was against hers again. Relief washed through her, warmth that chased the cold that had been building in her heart away and reassured her as he wrapped his strong arms around her from behind, linking his hands over her chest, holding her flush against him, so close that she felt he wouldn’t let her go.

  She didn’t want him to.

  She wanted him to hold on to her forever.

  “I don’t love you anymore,” she said to Edward with all the conviction she felt in her heart and shook her head. “You’re a bastard and I hope you feel as lousy as I did.”

  She closed her eyes when Apollyon pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder.

  Edward cursed at her and Apollyon held her closer as she flinched away, expecting a direct hit with the spell behind his words but feeling nothing.

  Because of Apollyon?

  Could his power shield her from magic?

  She sought the comfort of his embrace and how safe it made her feel, and opened her eyes and cursed back at Edward with all of her heart. She wasn’t brave enough to curse him properly, condemning him as Apollyon would, but she did manage to work her way through several sexually transmitted diseases before she got the better of herself and stopped.

  Serenity coolly held Edward’s gaze. He glared at her, and then at Apollyon.

  “You did this to her,” he spat the words at Apollyon, his eyes dark with accusation. “You changed her.”

  “I only made her happy.” Apollyon pressed another light kiss to her shoulder. “It is all I want for her.”

  Edward’s eyes met hers again. “You think he loves you? I know his type, Serenity, and as soon as he’s bored with you, he’ll move on to someone better.”

  Serenity stepped out of Apollyon’s arms and up to Edward. He could curse her all he wanted, but she was damned if she was going to let him bad mouth Apollyon.

  “He is nothing like you.” She held his gaze, unafraid of the darkness in his eyes, feeling safe and strong with Apollyon so close to her.

  It was spiteful of Edward to say such things about Apollyon and to try to turn her against him and plant seeds of doubt into her head. Apollyon would never betray her. He had seen how much Edward had hurt her and had come to take her pain away, and at the same time had made her feel more loved than she ever had.

  Edward looked as though he was going to say something and then stormed away, heading back towards the table where his friends waited. The dark looks several of them sent her had her nerves rising again. Edward she could probably handle, but if his friends decided to fight in his corner, she wouldn’t be able to defend herself against their combined magic.

  Serenity turned, stepped into Apollyon’s waiting embrace and looked up at him. He placed his hands on her upper arms and then slid them around her, holding her close.

  “I think I hurt him enough. Let’s go home.” She plastered on a smile to cover her fear and waited for him to agree.

  Only he didn’t.

  He just stared down at her, and the longer he looked at her, the stronger the fear inside her grew.

  Because his eyes were changing.

  They were bluer than normal and the pale flecks began to brighten as she stared at them, until his eyes were almost glowing. His jaw tensed and he looked over her head towards Edward’s table.

  “Not yet,” he muttered and moved her aside.

  She placed herself in front of him again, arms outstretched to block his path. “What are you doing?”

  “Having my vengeance.” He looked down at her. “Do not worry. I will settle this in a mortal way and with mortal strength. My powers were limited the moment I decided to fight a human.”

  She still didn’t like the sound of that and she wasn’t about to let him get into a fight because of her. She had no doubt that he could best Edward in a fight done in a human way, but Edward wasn’t going to set asid
e his magic in order to let that happen. He would use spells against Apollyon.

  Apollyon evaded her when she tried to grab his arms and strode past her, heading straight for Edward on the other side of the low-lit club. Edward stood as Apollyon approached and Serenity hurried to keep up with him, darting through the waitresses and patrons.

  Before Edward could even finish standing, Apollyon launched his right fist at him, caught him hard across the jaw, and sent him crashing to the ground.

  Serenity gasped and stared at Edward, afraid that Apollyon had been wrong about his powers being limited. Edward groaned and rubbed his cheek as he pushed onto his feet.

  His eyes darkened, narrowing on Apollyon.

  She sensed the hum of magic rising around him and his friends. She had to do something.

  Panic lit her veins and she hastily called one of the books Edward had stolen back to her. The second it landed in her hands, she opened it, seeking one of the spells she had read in it. A defensive ward.

  Her hands shook as she quickly flipped pages, heart racing and mind spinning.

  Her eyes widened and she went back a few pages, slammed her finger against the page and uttered the words. The spell was beyond anything she had attempted before, and there was a high chance it was going to go terribly wrong, as most of her spells did, but she had to help Apollyon.

  Edward raised his left hand and a blue glow surrounded it, growing brighter by the second.

  When she whispered the last word, his focus snapped to her.

  Too late.

  The magic that had been gathering around his hand stuttered and died, locked down by the spell. She wobbled on her feet as all of her strength flowed out of her, drained by a combination of casting the spell and fear of messing things up and failing to protect Apollyon.

  She sank to her knees on the tacky floor.

  Apollyon looked back over his shoulder at her, concern written across his face, the brightness of his eyes fading as he turned towards her.

  Giving his back to Edward.

  Edward launched himself at Apollyon, who ducked out of reach of the punch, twisted at the waist to face him again and came back with a solid left of his own. Edward stumbled backwards and Apollyon advanced, his larger build making Edward look tiny in comparison.

  Apollyon’s wings blocked her view of his next attack. She didn’t want to watch but couldn’t tear her eyes away as they fought, both landing punches and grabbing at each other. Edward’s friends didn’t seem to know what to do either. They all stood to one side, crowded around the table, gazes darting between the fight and her. None of them looked inclined to attempt to use their magic to intervene. Were they afraid she would cast a spell on them next, stripping them of their powers for a few days?

  She didn’t have the strength left to cast another spell like that, was sure it would take days to recover her own magic too, but she wasn’t going to tell them that.

  She slowly gathered the strength to pull herself back onto her feet, because she didn’t want to think about what sort of disgusting things were on the floor beneath her. She clutched a nearby chair and hauled herself up as Apollyon dodged another blow. Edward made a low noise in his throat and followed with a second punch, and this one caught Apollyon on his chest.

  Which didn’t affect him in the slightest since it struck the armour hidden by his glamour, but it did have Edward cursing and grimacing as he clutched his hand.

  “You cheating son of a bitch,” Edward bit out.

  “Takes one to know one.” Apollyon advanced, his steps sure and measured, closing in on Edward.

  “What the fuck are you?” Edward backed off a step, sizing Apollyon up, and Apollyon must have done something that allowed him to see his true appearance, because all the colour suddenly drained from her ex’s face and his eyes widened, a flicker of fear dancing in them.

  Serenity turned towards the doors of the club when she sensed danger. Three burly men dressed in smart black clothing were coming at them fast. Security. She turned back in time to see Apollyon slam his right fist into Edward’s stomach, causing him to double up, and then strike him hard across the jaw with a left hook.

  Edward hit the dirty club floor and sprawled out, his face covered in gashes.

  “Stay away from Serenity,” Apollyon growled and loomed over Edward.

  The security team shoved past her, knocking her into the table, and grabbed Apollyon before she could reach him. Apollyon didn’t take his eyes off Edward as they dragged him towards the exit. Her gaze followed him and widened when she saw the blood and cuts on his face.

  Why had he fought Edward? She’d had her revenge and she had reclaimed the books Edward had taken. That was all she had wanted.

  Yes. All she had wanted.

  This bloody mess born of violence was what Apollyon had wanted. He had avenged her in his own way, as a warrior.

  Her eyes roamed back to Edward where he lay unconscious on the floor. They had both had their vengeance on Edward. She couldn’t be angry with Apollyon. He had only fought Edward because he felt something for her and had wanted to protect her, to make sure that Edward left her alone.

  He was braver than she was. In her heart, she had wanted to hurt Edward and punish him, and Apollyon had done that for her. As much as she didn’t like violence, she was glad that he had fought, because it had not only given her the closure she had needed, but it had made his feelings for her clear.

  Edward’s friends surrounded him as she turned away and walked towards the door, following Apollyon. Each step she took away from Edward lifted the clouds from her heart. Each step she took towards Apollyon filled it with light.

  The night was still warm when she stepped out of the club.

  Her eyes darted around, seeking Apollyon. He paced a short distance from the three men guarding the club door, taking long clipped strides along the pavement in front of a row of parked cars. She could sense his agitation and desire. He wasn’t satisfied. He had wanted the fight between him and Edward to last longer.

  He looked up as she approached and then turned away.

  The moment her hand came to rest on his shoulder, sliding over it, and she rounded him, he looked across at her. Her brow furrowed when she saw the cuts on his face. He hadn’t lied to her. Heaven had stripped him of his power when he had decided to attack an innocent mortal, leaving him with only human strength. That power was back now, flowing into her body through her hand where it rested on his warm bare skin.

  Serenity raised her other hand, cupped his cheek, and met his dark eyes. The low light stole the colour from his irises but something told her they were still lighter, full of burning energy as they had been in the club. She held his gaze and focused on him, on feeling his pain and where he had been hurt so she could fix it all. The spell she had cast on Edward had drained her, but she would use what little power she had left to take care of Apollyon.

  The cuts on his face slowly healed, leaving only blood behind.

  “Thank you.” Apollyon’s hand caught hers and he interlocked their fingers, holding them tightly.

  He walked a short distance with her and then stopped at the start of the square at the end of the Champs Elysees.

  “Do you want to talk to Edward?” he said in a low voice, so quiet that she thought she was hearing things until he looked at her, right into her eyes.

  “No.” She could see that it was a reach for reassurance and she faced him, took hold of his other hand and tried to give him what he needed. It was strange to have to reassure such a strong man but it was touching too. It made her realise that she wasn’t alone in her feelings. They were both afraid but knowing that they were in this together took away some of her fear. “I’ve had enough of revenge. It’s over. I just want to go home now.”

  He looked down at his feet, his expression distant. “Home.”

  Serenity looked there too. She knew what he was thinking and she didn’t want him to leave her. She trembled on the brink of asking him to stay, to re
main with her on Earth just as the other angels had done for the women they loved. He had proven himself loyal to his duty though and asking him to remain with her would probably be asking him to commit a great sacrifice.

  And what if he said no?

  She started when soft fingers touched her cheek, caressing the curve of her jaw.

  “I will come home with you tonight... if that is acceptable?” he whispered and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  Serenity closed her eyes and nodded. She drew back and her eyes met his.

  And tomorrow?

  She couldn’t bring herself to say it. The thought of him leaving weighed her down inside.

  How could she convince him to stay when she couldn’t find her voice to say the words?

  She wasn’t brave enough to admit her feelings, not after what had happened with Edward.

  He reached for her and paused, his entire body tensing, and suddenly turned to look back the way they had come. She looked there too, catching a glimpse of a silver-haired woman being ushered into a black limousine. Her gaze roamed back to Apollyon and her eyebrows dipped low as she found him still staring at her, something that looked like surprise filling his eyes.

  “Do you know her?” Serenity wanted to hear him say that he didn’t even when she could see that he did, because the woman was beautiful, ethereal in a way.

  Was she a female angel?

  Apollyon nodded slowly, distant from her.

  “Is she an angel?” Serenity watched the car as it pulled away. She hadn’t felt any power in the woman, not as she could in Apollyon. She didn’t even feel it when she fixed her focus on the car as it passed close to them.

  She felt magic.

  “There are no female angels,” he muttered, gaze following the car. “A witch… she was a witch.”

  “A witch? When you mentioned having met a witch before… was she the one?” She had felt magic in the vehicle, but she wasn’t sure it had come from the woman. She turned away as Apollyon nodded and focused on the car, but didn’t have the strength to cast a spell that would allow her to detect which of the people in the vehicle possessed magic. She paused as she went to look back at Apollyon. “Wait. Was a witch?”