Son of the Devil - Book I of The Higher Order

Chapter Sixteen: Angel With a Dark Side

Instinctively I knew that some of that anger that I was feeling wasn't mine but right now it didn't matter. Raziel was going to get what was coming to him either way. But before that happened, I needed answers.

I grabbed my brother's throat and called upon my strength as one of the divine, lifting him clear off the ground. I never show this type of violence because I was repulsed by the feeling of bloodlust, I hate doing this but I was also enjoying it at the same time. What kind of person was I becoming to enjoy hurting another living creature? My brother, no less. "Tell me what you did!" I growled low in my throat, checking my revulsion of my actions at the door. I couldn't let him know that I hated doing this but I also had a sneaking suspicion that he already knew. After all, Raziel was an expert at psychological magic.

"I purposefully smothered your lifemate bond with the Prince of Hell." Raziel whispered around my hand at his throat. I knew immediately that the surge of anger I felt was all my own. My newfound darker side was calling to me, begging me to snap his neck then and there but I still needed the bastard.

I think he sensed my suddenly murderous intent and he froze, knowing that the only way to save his life was to comply. "How do I reverse it?" I demanded, my hand clenching slightly around his neck. He knew I was threatening him, his grey eyes flashing with fear as he realized that I would end his life if he didn't tell me what I wanted to know.

Raziel clawed at my wrist as his wings flailed every which way and he struggled against my grip on his neck. I exerted my kinetic power over his body and instantly he stilled. I was usually loathe to manipulate flesh, it made me feel gross and it just wasn't nice in general. Every physical magic expert had been taught to use their magic on flesh and then been in the position where their own flesh was manipulated. It wasn't a fun experience, not to mention illegal.

Though he could no longer move, fear flashed brighter in his eyes. He now knew that I was willing to break my father's laws to get what I want. He didn't know how many or which ones, but murder was certainly at the top of my list if he didn't give me what I wanted. My power was scratching at the door, it wanted out, it wanted to take over. It had never done this before but I had a feeling that it could get what we needed if I let it out. So, I did.

I felt my eyes flame a blue that could burn flesh to ash with its presence, my wings thrashing behind me, creating an intimidating sight. It growled with enough strength to make the ground tremble beneath our feet, "listen closely, Secret Keeper, for I will only say this once. If you don't tell me what I need to know, I will start breaking things. Namely, every bone in your body." My lip pulled back in a quiet snarl, "how do I fix my lifemate bond?"

I released my bone-snapping grip on his neck just enough to allow him the air to breathe. He gasped, "You can't." That was clearly the wrong answer, "you can't because I don't know how!"

I tensed, every muscle in my body locked up. If God's designated Secret Keeper didn't know how to fix a broken lifemate bond than it was more than likely that no one did, which made it almost certain that said broken bond would never be restored. I clenched my grip severely, cutting off his air supply. Before I could completely choke him out, I released him and he slumped to the ground, gasping like a fish out of water.

I was about to fly away when a thought hit me. I placed the heel of my boot on Raziel's chest and asked, "why did you do this to me? To us?" My tone was considerably softer but also much deadlier, I wanted the truth the first go-around. I would not tolerate any lies from him.

"God's word is law. Father ordered me to do it and I followed his command, as always." Raziel explained as if it were common sense. He saw the look on my face and shook his head, "Lucifer, don't do anything stupid."

After all I had just done to him and now he was trying to protect me. I didn't understand Raziel, probably never would.

"All bad deeds are punished, every good deed is rewarded. No one can escape the balance of life, not mortals, not angels, not demons, or archangels, not even the Amortals. Father needs to know that he is not above everyone else and I should like to be the one to teach it to him." I said, unfurling my wings.

"And the archangels are dead because of it!" Raziel said, "why do you think they disappeared?" I paused, "they didn't! They were exterminated because they were too stubborn in their will to enforce the balance! If you follow them down that path, you will die as well!"

I arched an eyebrow, "so be it. I no longer have a lifemate and there is no way to fix our bond. Father may have ordered it, but you did this." I spat at him, disgust leaking into my voice, "you follow our father blindly and you don't see the wrongs he has committed while condemning others for the same crimes." Confusion and regret passed across his face. "And what's more is that you took away my chance to have someone that understands and accepts me for being who I am. I will never forget what you did, and I will never forgive you for it." I pulled back my fist and sent it flying into his face, giving him a black eye, if not breaking his eye socket, the red of his blood clouding his eye as the vessels broke under the force of the blow.

I could feel the sharp sting of tears behind my eyes. I unfurled my wings and was moments away from taking off when I heard him mutter something unintelligible. "What was that?" I snapped, when he didn't answer I grabbed his chin and forced him to look into my tear-stained, unforgiving gaze. "What did you just say?" I said it so quietly that I could barley hear it myself, even with my enhanced hearing. I was sick of seeing his face, of hearing his voice, of feeling his overall presence. I hated him with a burning passion, but he was my brother, so I couldn't kill him. I would remain true to my words, I would never forgive, nor will I forget what he took from me.

"I said, 'I am truly sorry'." Raziel repeated himself, barely louder than a whisper. His words set my anger aflame. He was sorry! Sorry for what he did! I no longer felt bad about what I did to him, he deserved that and more.

I snarled in a voice so menacing that I didn't even recognize myself, "you're sorry? Well, guess what, my dear brother? Sorry doesn't cut it. You're not worth the effort or the consequences killing you would ensue. But the next time you mess with me or my lifemate will be your last."

Raziel met my eyes and held my gaze, his grey eyes turning hard as he realized that I was deadly serious. "Then, I am sorry for causing you to loose your lifemate and I should like to rectify that," he put his hands together in a prayer position as his magic gathered and he whispered something incomprehensible before my memories came swarming back to me, then he finished, "but I am not sorry for this. Take her."

Two strong arms took hold of my wings and forced manacles onto my wrists. I knew they were Raziel's invention so I would not be able to break out of them. I was dragged into the air and flown back to the Community Hall. They pulled me past all the bewildered faces of the other angels and down into the dungeons, where they didn't hesitate to throw me into a cell.

"You motherfucker! When I get out of here, I will end you!" I shook the immortal steel bars, "do you hear me, Raziel? I will fucking end you!" Pain lanced up my arms but I ignored it as my power swirled inside me. "You're dead! You hear me? Dead!" I screeched, the bars rattling.

I barely heard Raziel's voice at the end of the dungeon corridor, "we can't leave her here, everyone is leaving, there is no one to guard her."

Then, to my utter surprise, I heard the voice of my father say, "then we take her with, after all, it won't take much to restrain her on the battlefront."