Page 47 of Sinful Pride
“Well, we can sit here and come up with a thousand different scenarios, or we can go ask him. I know which option I prefer.”
“Yes, yes, you are so clever,” I mocked half-heartedly. “To the Embassy then.”
We exited the restaurant together and sequestered ourselves in an abandoned corner. I cast a glamour that made humans not notice us, to be sure no one spotted the magic, and then we both vanished. The teleportation chamber at the Embassy made a little chime when we appeared. Usually either of us made a point of teleporting outside of the barrier and walking in through the main door to not disturb Tirael’s work, but this time I didn’t mind if he came to us.
To my concern, it was Hellion who approached us instead.
“Well, well, look who’s here. A little snake—”
“Spider.”
“A little centipede and a bird-brained angel,” Hellion sneered, crossing his arms.
I drew myself up, my brows furrowing. Hellion wasn’t the most pleasant of acquaintances, but usually he at least pretended to be polite and didn’t insult me outright.
“Sorry for disturbing you,” I demurred. “I just wanted to exchange a few words with Tirael.”
“Ha! No.” Hellion scoffed, his voice rising into a vicious hiss as he spoke. “I think you have already done enough damage a second time.”
I paled. Evidently, the situation was worse than we imagined.
“We didn’t mean to cause any distress to Tirael. That means it’s even more urgent that we speak with him,” I said.
“And what guarantee do I have that you won’t hurt him again?” Hellion demanded.
What could I say to convince him? Beelzebub responded while I was still racking my brain.
“We are trying,” he said in an unusually quiet tone. It sounded too small for his self-assured, boisterous frame. “We can’t really guarantee we won’t hurt him again, not when there are emotions involved. You know how unpredictable those can be, don’t you? You have fallen victim to feelings as well. So no, I can’t promise a utopia where Tirael never gets hurt. But I can promise you: I am trying my best to make this work. For once, I am not looking for prey, but for a symbiotic relationship. Please, let us see him.”
I don’t know what did it. The assurance that Beelzebub was looking for something mutually beneficial, the ‘please’, his tone… Either way, Hellion tilted his head back, looked at the ceiling as if he were praying for a second, sighed, then said, “I low-key hate you both, but you know who I don’t hate? Tirael. I wish all the best to that lovable little idiot, so I will give you two a last chance to make it right. Don’t you dare fuck it up. Got it? Or I will personally make sure you never see him again.”
I nodded solemnly, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Beelzebub doing the same. Hellion turned on his heel without a word and left the chamber. I took it as our cue to follow.
We were led upstairs to the right wing of the Embassy where the living quarters were located. I was familiar with the left wing where guest quarters were and any of the upper management of Hell and Heaven could stay if it was needed, but the right wing was guarded jealously, so it was my first time seeing it.
Hellion stopped in front of an unmarked mahogany door and knocked loudly.
“Yes?” Tirael peaked out and my heart clenched. He was disheveled, not in a manner of someone enjoying their leisure time, but like someone who took a day off because everything sucked.
Before the angel could spot us Hellion shoved his way in and closed the door right in our faces. A hushed conversation followed and a few minutes later Hellion opened the door and gave us a glare as he pushed past.
“Remember, Tirael, just shout and I will throw them out. I don’t care who they are and neither should you,” he called over his shoulder before he vanished around the corner.
Beelzebub
I waited to be invited in, which meant I prowled like a caged beast in front of the door. When it finally opened, I didn’t even spare a glance at Hellion or listen to his parting words. I only had eyes for Tirael.
The angel avoided the intensity of my stare and said nothing, just opened the door further. That silent invitation was enough for me to storm inside. Raphael followed a second later, sweet words on his tongue.
“Tirael, darling, it’s so good we can talk to you,” Raphael gushed.
“What’s going on?” I asked straight up because we needed to get to the bottom of this matter and I did not believe sweet nothings would solve anything. “You didn’t show up to our date. Either explain what the damned problem is, or say you are not interested in me and lie.”
I was a bit on edge. Waiting for an hour only for your date to not show up was a novel, humiliating experience for me, and one I didn’t want to repeat. I wasn’t built for the amount of self-reflection one could squeeze into an hour of helplessly waiting on a sidewalk.
“Yes, I am interested,” the angel said, but why was his tone so despondent? “I am interested in both of you, but the game you are playing is cruel. I didn’t mind the bet the first time, but doing it again and involving not only sex, but my feelings—that’s downright vicious.”
Something definitely inappropriate for the moment stirred in my gut at the sight of tears gathering in the corners of Tirael’s eyes.