The Soul on Fire | Slow Updates

Chapter Twenty-Five

Asmodeus set Armaita down beside the heavenly pool, his strong arms flexing with the effort. Even now, when they were in dire straits, she couldn't help but admire his perfection.

"He won't come," Armaita said, her voice strained from exhaustion.

"He will." Asmodeus seemed convinced of that.

"You don't know him like I do," she argued, grimacing against another powerful contraction and lowering her head back into the soft, grassy bank. "In his eyes, I crossed a line when I became your queen. He's an angel of Heaven... he won't fraternize with me anymore."

Asmodeus brushed the tips of his short claws across her forehead, sweeping her hair away from her face. "You underestimate his love for you."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I think you overestimate it, my love. He told me he would not answer my call again, even when he will always love me."

This time, it was Asmodeus' turn to scowl. "He said this to you?"

She nodded, reaching for his hand and bringing it to her lips. "Yes. It's no use, Asmodeus. You might as well let me go."

He growled in fury. "Never. We didn't make it this far to have it all taken from us in the end. There is a solution to this problem and Barachiel will help us to find it. I don't care if I have to find a way to pass through Heaven's gates to make him cooperate."

She smiled at this, too weak to laugh. "That realm is closed off to us, my king. You know that."

"There are ways to break through even the most powerful wards in existence. You know I won't accept your death nor that of our child's. Now, let me concentrate so that I can contact Barachiel."

She relaxed into the bank, focusing on her breathing and getting through each wave of pain that overcame her. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it felt like an eternity. All the while, Charmeine's threat echoed in her mind.

Had she been telling the truth, or had she been lying in an attempt to make herself valuable to them in the end? How much of the ritual had she completed? Was her child's body truly connected to Lilith, and would Armaita herself perish by bringing said child into this world?

"Stop that," Asmodeus chided, a scolding gleam to his yellow eyes. "I can sense your unease. Stop thinking negatively."

Who was she kidding? If Asmodeus was this set on contacting Barachiel for help, then it must be true – all of it. He would not waste his time this way if he didn't believe there was truth to what Charmeine said.

That only made her want to panic more.

Once a human hour had nearly passed without any reply from Barachiel, Armaita took Asmodeus' hand in hers.

"It's okay, Asmodeus. I knew he wouldn't come."

He clutched her hand tightly, his face hardening into a deadly frown as he regarded her. "Don't."

She arched a brow in question. "Don't what?"

"Say whatever it is you're about to say. I will not give up on you, Armaita. Never."

She smiled wearily, exhaustion seeping into her very bones. She had been deep in thought for quite some time and thought that she might have found a solution to their problem, but she wasn't entirely sure.

"What are you thinking?" her king demanded.

She adjusted herself in the bank, using her elbows to sit up a little. Asmodeus slipped his thigh beneath her so she could rest her head against him like a pillow.