Page 28 of Sinful Pride
“Abaddon, save me!” I yelled, and the demon’s eyes widened. He immediately sprang forward.
“You want this precious demon?” Gabriel said dramatically. “Then you have to stop us from stealing such a gem!”
The demon charged at the Archangel, but I was already being tossed up into a flying angel’s arms. All the jewelry on me rattled as I was swept away by Tirael, the traitor. I glared at him.
“I’m sorry, this is just a game,” he said, then dropped me from up high, making me instantly panic, only for another angel to catch me.
“This is your own fault. You were the one who told us you wanted to experience as many wedding traditions as possible,” Michael teased.
“I didn’t account for the bride-snatching tradition. And why am I the bride?” I sulked, but stopped struggling.
“I would love to try this with Abaddon. It would be so funny, but… Oh, shit!” Michael barely avoided the shadow suddenly hanging over us, predator’s wings spread wide. Michael bolted, but Abaddon gave chase. The Archangel might be swifter while flying straight, but there was a limited space on the island so when he had to circle back because of the magical barrier, Abaddon caught up to him.
“Raphael, a little help!”
With the healer distracting Abaddon, Michael was able to get away with me.
He took me to a clearing where a group of excited angels waited. He put me down on a beautiful throne-like chair. I fixed my clothing and cleaned off the invisible specks of dust, acting as if I always planned to end up here, and took a fetching pose waiting for my savior.
Abaddon appeared a while later. Disheveled, a bit crazed, but I was happy to notice a lack of blood on either him or Raphael. I did not want the repeat of the cave scene; someone losing a limb at my wedding wasn’t exactly how I wanted it to be remembered.
“I have come for my bride. Give him to me,” Abaddon said.
“I’m not going to just give him to you. You have to take him,” Michael grinned. “And for that you have to beat me…”
I could see my lover ready his claws, eager to beat the Archangel to a pulp.
“…beat me in a dance battle!” Michael finished quickly, sensing the danger. “Both of us get to pick a dance style, and the crowd will decide who won.”
“Dance with daggers,” Abaddon said immediately.
I was pretty sure he was a master of it, as I remembered him mentioning practicing this kind of dance with certain cultures during his travels on Earth. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one to know that tidbit, as Michael only nodded and an angel appeared with two sets of beautiful ceremonial daggers. As music flowed around us, so did Abaddon. His dance was a breathtaking marriage of fighting and the joy of moving your body to the rhythm. A dangerous little spectacle that made my heart pound at each glint of the bare blade so close to skin.
Michael wasn’t half bad himself. At least he knew how the dance should look, but he didn’t have the needed focus; his movements were too stiff, too by the book compared to my lover’s unrestrained and often improvised steps.
Abaddon won that round, and the crowd clapped.
“Well then, as you are so graceful, you surely won’t have a problem with ballet,” Michael made his choice.
I tried not to snicker as Abaddon was put in a tutu and ballet shoes. We didn’t really have time to make him dress in a complete costume, but I liked the touch of flamboyance the tutu gave. The Lord of Desolation sighed deeply and took the opening pose. Music from Swan Lake started playing, and I had the greatest time watching Michael and Abaddon trying to outdo each other, the two large men taking dainty steps.
I knew that ballet was one of the dance forms that was extremely hard to master and that ballet dancers were up there with the most hardcore gymnasts when it came to paying for their art in blood and sweat. But the truth still remained that ballet often looked pretty. Lofty. Delicate. And while you could argue the first description fit Abaddon, the other two did not. I loved the contrast.
When it came to choosing a winner, more of the crowd clapped for Michael. Yeah, objectively, he performed better, but I clapped much louder and harder for Abaddon because I was not impartial and I was proud of it. That was my lover, my soon-to-be husband, performing ballet for me! Michael seemed to understand my delight.
“I guess you won both rounds according to the most important person here, so I will have to let your bride go,” Michael moved aside with a swoop of his hand, leaving the path to me open.
Abaddon took the opening immediately and scooped me up in his arms.
“I can walk,” I grumbled.
“No. I will carry you everywhere. You’re not leaving my arms. I don’t trust that someone won’t steal you again.”
He was so precious I had to kiss his nose.
Abaddon
I thought after the whole bride snatching business we would be allowed to finally go to the site of the ceremony but alas we were not so lucky.