Malevolent

chapter 18

A powerful gust swept past me, momentarily blinding me. As it cleared, I could see Dante again, but the sight of him made my heart ache.

Massive black wings had ripped through his back, shredding his black jacket. The tips of the razor sharp feathers were lit in crimson colored flames, sinister against the dark bones protruding beneath.

His wing structure resembled a bat's or a gargoyle's more than an angel's, sharp pointed and jagged at the edges; heartbreaking and lethal. His wings were a far cry from the graceful white pinions he likely once had in heaven. 

Yet Dante carried the imposing span of his dark wings like a crown, as if they were a prize he'd gained rather than a lingering echo of what he had lost.

The sight broke my heart, but I had no time to sink into pity as Dante smirked at me proudly, before shooting a feral dark gaze onto the woman beside me, her pink eyes shining unnaturally bright. 

     "Protect her with your life," Dante seethed, pointing one claw at me,  "because if anything happens to her..." his glare turned deadly, the threat clear in his demonic eyes. "I will rain down hellfire upon everything you hold dear, demon. Your torment will be legendary, even in the pits of hell." 

The unholy baritone of his voice sent a shudder down my spine.

The pink-eyed demon appeared to quail under his wolfish glare but nodded her head quickly in submission.

Satisfied, Dante dismissed her with a flick of his dark wing. 

Dante turned his attention back towards the crumbling entrance, bringing his wrists forward with a palpable amount of strength. Its force shifted everyone forward in unison.

My heart was hammering— he was controlling them like puppets. Were they escaped demons like him or demon possessed people under his control?

The entrance exploded open with a final thud, metal shards flew as dust plumed in the air. 

Squinting through it,  I could make out Cam, Alia, and other angels stepping inside.  

          "You really go all out, don't you?" Cam strode inside, his icy blue eyes scanning his surroundings. "Were the humans really necessary though?"

So they were humans, just demon-possessed. How the hell were the angels going to stop them without hurting them?

          "Was that trench-coat really necessary? Because if you're here to smother me with your teen angst, mission accomplished." Dante smirked, "And don't worry about these lowlifes. I'll let them go...after you let me leave with Amra and agree to never come after her again." 

Camael's eyes narrowed. "You know I can't allow that. Step aside, Dante."

"Why would that be?" Dante's own wicked eyes narrowed with hidden knowledge. "Would it be perhaps because she means more to you than you're letting on?"

What was that supposed to mean? Dante's statement utterly confused me, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something there. Camael had seemed familiar to me since the moment our eyes met.

I locked my gaze with Cam, waiting for his response, but he never met my eyes.

"Step aside." Cam repeated.

"Agree to never pursue us again." Dante pressed.

"Never." Camael said sternly.

Dante shrugged. "Can't blame a demon for trying..." He grinned. "Not that I ever needed your permission, I just wanted to see you beg." His eyes sparked to life, crimson and onyx colliding as he spoke next, "Guess I'll just have to kill you then and keep her."