Daystar (55 page)

Whitney rolled her eyes over Michael’s hand.

YOU OBVIOUSLY NEED TO BE BROKEN.

Whitney shrugged.

MICHAEL, LAY WITH THIS ONE AND ABUSE HER UNTIL SHE CALLS FOR HIM.

Whitney gulped.
 
Michael hissed very quietly, but Whitney heard it.
 
She looked up at him.
 
Michael stared at the fire.
 
He slowly looked down at Whitney.
 
“I can hurt her other ways than that.”

HELION HAS BELIAL’S MEMORIES NOW.
 
HE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STAND HIS LOVE BEING TREATED AS HIS SISTER WAS.
 
IT WILL DRAW HIM FASTER THAN JUST HER PAIN.
 
HER DEGRADATION WILL DRIVE HIM MAD.

Whitney’s chest convulsed; she knew that to be true.

Michael looked at the fire.
 
“You wish me to do to her as Uriel did to Belial?”

YES.

Michael swallowed.
 
He clenched his jaw.
 
“I—”

WHY DO YOU DELAY?

“Can you not do this better?
 
You are greater than I, surely you could—”

NO, I DO NOT TAKE THAT FORM; I WILL NOT DEBASE MYSELF WITH A LESSER CREATION.
 
COMMENCE, MICHAEL.

Michael pressed her to the ground and stared at her, his hands shook.
 
Whitney pulled her wings in to cover her body.
 
He grabbed her wings and held them down with his own.
 
Whitney pleaded using her eyes.
 
He looked away.
 
“I—”

MICHAEL?

“I do not want to do this act.”
 
He said it quietly, barely above a whisper.

WHAT?

Michael trembled.
 
“When he…when he attacked Belial, Uriel damaged himself irrevocably.
 
In doing this to one who is defenseless, I too will be damaged that way.
 
I will kill her for you, I will rip her wings, break her bones, anything, but please do not make me break myself as well.”

YOU PUT YOURSELF ABOVE MY WILL?

Michael sagged.
 
“I—”

COMMENCE OR SUFFER.

Michael put his hand on Whitney’s leg.
 
He closed his eyes and pressed her legs apart.
 
Whitney cried into his hand.
 
Michael hissed at the sound of her voice.
 
He struggled with himself.
 
His muscles tensed, but he got no nearer to her.
 
He clutched at her skin, his body and mind warring.
 
He gasped.
 
“I do not mean to disobey, but I cannot.”
 
He bowed his head to the throne.
 
“I am sorry.”

Fire pierced Michael’s stomach and threw him off Whitney.
 
The flame flayed his skin down to the bone and tore through his wings.
 
Michael curled into a ball to protect himself, but it did no good.
 
The fire whip cut him until he went limp.

Blood ran into Michael’s eyes and over his lips.
 
His wings were bent backwards and missing feathers in patches.
 
He did not heal.

Whitney stared at Michael in horror.

REMAIN AS THIS FOR A TIME TO THINK ON YOUR DISOBEDIENCE.
 
AZRAEL, DO THIS.

Azrael stared at the sparkly lights in the sky.
 

AZRAEL?

Gabriel ran forward, bowed, and took Azrael’s hand.
 
He bowed to the throne a second time.
 
“I have need of Azrael for the project.”

The fire swirled around Gabriel’s face, not touching, but sensing.

FINE.

Gabriel glanced over to Michael and cringed.
 
He pulled Azrael away from the throne in a hurry.
 
Gabriel broke into a run once he was in the crowd of angels.
 
Azrael looked bewildered, but followed Gabriel obediently.

Ariel ran forward.
 
“I will do it.”

YOU ARE FEMALE.

Ariel flicked out talons.
 
“I can still do similar.”

FINE.

Ariel grinned and pounced on Whitney.
 
Ariel threw back one of Whitney’s wings and stabbed at Whitney’s face with her claws.
 
Her arm glanced aside.
 
She hissed and slashed at Whitney with both hands.
 
Again, she was thrown back.

Whitney gaped; she had done nothing to fend off the blows.

Samuel threw Ariel aside and punched at Whitney’s stomach.
 
He was launched back into the air with force equal to his blow.
 

Whitney jumped to her feet and stared at her hands.
 
“
Helion
.”

Ariel launched herself at Whitney.
 
Whitney let Ariel slam into her.
 
The girl was tossed back as if she hit an invisible barrier.
 
Whitney grinned.
 
Ariel came around for another try.
 
Whitney slammed a glass-covered fist into her face.
 
Ariel tumbled end over end.

STOP.

Ariel and Samuel paused.

The fire raced towards Whitney.
 
It ran into the same barrier and sheared off.

Whitney turned towards the fire.
 
“You cannot hurt me.”
 
She recalled Helion’s words.
 
“None of the hosts in Heaven can.
 
Ha!
”
 
She danced in a circle.
 
“You all suck and my boyfriend rocks!”
 
Whitney launched herself at Ariel and smashed a fist into her stomach.

The fire from the throne threw up a transparent barrier between Whitney and the angels.
 
Whitney tapped it, punched it, it would not give.
 
She shrugged.
 
“Fine, trap me, you still can’t hurt me.”
 
She walked along the edge leering at the angels on the outside.
 
“Cage the tiger, real brave aren’t you.”
 
She turned and noticed Michael was within her radius.
 
He groaned.
 
Whitney knelt over him.

Michael looked up at her, perceiving something other than his pain.
 
“He left me in here with
you?
 
Am I so quickly tossed aside after so much loyalty and obedience?
 
Am I that worthless now?”
 
He rested his head on the floor.
 
Skin flapped back exposing bone.
 
Michael closed his eyes.
 
If he had been cast aside, he no longer had a purpose; he had no reason to live.

Whitney leaned over him and saw part of his brain through his broken skull.
 
“
Gross
.”
 
She fanned the air with her hands.
 
“I haven’t taken first aid since high-school!
 
I’m sorry!
 
I don’t know what to do!”

Michael opened one blue eye.
 
“Kill me.”

“Kill you?”

The fire watched.
 
I DO NOT NEED AN ARCHANGEL THAT DOES NOT OBEY.
 
FEEL FREE TO KILL THIS ONE IF IT AMUSES YOU.

Whitney wrinkled her nose and turned to the fire.
 
“I wouldn’t have anyways, but you saying that really seals the deal.
 
If you want him dead, kill him yourself, lazy prick.”
 
She turned from the fire and leaned over Michael; she bit her lip and reached out trying to decide if she could help him.

Michael stared at the floor blankly.
 
His hair hung in limp bloody curls.
 
Whitney brought her hand near his face.
 
He snapped at her.
 
“Leave me alone or put me out of my misery.”
 
He was paralyzed by pain.

Whitney sat down and stared at him.
 
She looked at her hands and a coral needle formed between her fingers.
 
Whitney pulled at her hair and yanked out a few of the gossamer white strands.
 
She twisted them together, licked the ends, and threaded the needle.

Whitney touched Michael.
 
She pulled one of his cuts together and began to sew.
 
He lashed out at her, but the same force that blocked the others, repelled his attack.
 
She ignored him and closed the first of his wounds.
 
With each strand of hair that touched him, some of the pain leeched out of his skin.

Michael stopped struggling after a time and watched her work.
 
“If you heal me I will attempt to harm you in order to return to His favor.”

Whitney shrugged.
 
“You can try.”

“You are aiding your enemy.
 
Why?”

“You are not an enemy when you are too injured to fight me.”

Michael frowned.
 
“Why are you showing me kindness when I showed you none before?”

“You are a dick, while I am not.”
 
Whitney kept sewing.
 
“Besides what else am I supposed to do here?
 
I will go mad if I have to listen to the angels singing.
 
Your music sucks balls.”

Michael frowned.
 
“I suspect that was an insult of some kind.”

“It is.”
 
Whitney flicked her hand in the air and two stones appeared.
 
The rocks beat together, interrupting the heavenly song.
 
The guardian angels faltered, stopped singing, and gazed in confusion at the noise.
 

Whitney grinned and worked on Michael, leaving the stones to beat randomly, breaking up any attempt to use them as a beat.

***

Jegudiel hummed and made himself cocoa.
 
He loved cocoa and chocolate in general.
 
He stood in the kitchen, barefoot with corduroy pants on, his hair still damp from his shower.
 
He had managed to use all the hot water in the house, it had taken him awhile, but he had done it.
 
Jegudiel smiled.
 
He’d left his towels lying on the floor too.
 
See how they liked
that
one.

The front door opened and closed.

Jegudiel quietly set down his mug.
 
He peeked outside the kitchen.
 
Paimon and Furcas glared at one another.
 
Bean stood between them and looked up at the two, trying to smile.
 
She wore a pale pink dress and heels, her painted fingers dug into the purse Furcas had acquired for her.
 
Her hands shook, though she tried to hide it.
 

She spoke to her fathers and her voice was soft and light.
 
Jegudiel’s stomach twisted in knots.
 
Fear, anger, and affection all rolled up inside him.
 
He stared at his feet, trying to expel any feelings of fondness.
 
Child or not, she did not deserve any charity for her actions as repellant as they were.
 
His eyes rose up, catching on her figure.
 
He looked away, disgusted with himself.

Furcas saw Jegudiel first; he nodded in his direction.
 
Bean turned and met his eyes once before blushing and running for the stairs.
 
Furcas sighed and followed her up, pausing on the staircase to look to Jegudiel.
 
“Don’t go anywhere, please.”
 
He dashed upstairs to follow Bean into her room.

Jegudiel’s eyes flicked over to Paimon.
 
Paimon glared at Jegudiel as if he had killed Furcas and desecrated his corpse.
 
Jegudiel jumped back into the kitchen.
 
Paimon stalked in and kept walking until he had Jegudiel up against the wall.
 
Paimon pointed at his face.
 
“You are going to listen and do as I say.
 
Got it?”

“Yes, sir.”

Paimon’s entire body shook as his jaw worked to spit out his words, “Bean, she loves you,
treat her nice
.”
 
He fought with himself.
 
“Tell me how you feel about her
right now
.”

“I…”
 
Jegudiel stared at his feet.
 
He had been going over that this entire time.
 
“I don’t know.”

“Not good enough.”
 
Paimon leaned in until their noses almost touched.
 
“She’s confused about things enough as it is!
 
Figure out how you feel real damn quick and make it apparent to her.
 
If you don’t feel for her then let her know.
 
I don’t want you dragging this on if you are just going to hurt her.”