Page 64 of Touched By Death

As the door clicks shut, I look back at Amenadiel, wondering how the hell I found myself in this situation—alone with my father’s archenemy. They say blood runs thicker than water, but as I approach the desk where he stands with his hands in his pockets and a small curve to his lips—the physical similarities between us undeniable—I wonder what his ulterior motive is. I learned early on that my uncle does nothing out of goodwill. There’s always a plan where he is concerned.

“Before we enter through the veil,” I say, keeping my voice level. “Let’s get one thing straight. Aurelia is mine. I don’t care what games Genesis has played behind the scenes, how many hearts she’s caught in her web. Aurelia belongs to me. I will kill anyone who tries to challenge me.”

“You’re bonded by hellfire.” Amenadiel removes his hand from his pocket to knock his knuckles on the desk. “Nothing short of death will see that bond severed.”

My brows pull low as he holds my gaze unwaveringly. When he walks past me like a lazy cat on the prowl, I blurt, “Is that a threat?”

Wings trailing over the floor, he slowly spins around. “It’s a statement, Daemon. Take it as you will, pup.”

Snarling, I fist my hands while he turns to face me. There’s a time and place to be ruled by my instincts, and now is not the time. I need him in one piece to take me through the veil. And while I’m sure I could inflict some damage on my uncle, I’m not stupid. He’s ancient and harbors more power in his pinky than I do in my entire body. Unlike him, I’m not yet powerful enough to enter through cracks in the veil. But I meant it when I said I’d kill him if he decided to challenge me for Aurelia.

“What do we do now?” I ask, watching him closely, unable to shake the sense of distrust I feel around him.

“I need your flame.”

“Excuse me?” I scrunch up my face. “What the fuck?”

“I need your flame,” he repeats matter-of-factly, looking bored.

“What the fuck for?”

“Well, you’re not powerful enough to enter through the veil on your own, so we need to combine hellfire.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

I blink at my uncle. “No, you don’t. But it’s not that simple. It’s fucking dangerous, for starters. We can’t combine flames with just anyone.”

“Look…” He walks back over, crosses his arms, and leans his hip against the desk. “Do you want to save the girl or not?”

“Yeah, bu—”

“No fucking ‘buts.’ You either combine your flame with mine, or she stays lost.”

“Shit…” I run my hand through my hair. “Fuck, okay… What do I do?”

“So…” He straightens up and uncrosses his arms. “Cracks in the veil can rarely be seen, but they can be felt.”

“How?” I ask, intrigued.

Scanning his eyes across the room, Amenadiel mulls over the answer. “It’s hard to explain. Let’s call it a disturbance, or a weakness in the energy field.”

“That’s stupid.” I snort. “You don’t expect me to buy this shit, right?”

“I don’t care what you believe,” he replies. “When Aurelia escaped Eden, it created a crack in the veil when the gates opened. Why? Because Light and Dark are opposite forces. Think of it like a thunderstorm. What happens when the hot air collides with the cold air?” He mimics an explosion. “Boom.”

“Okay…” Impatient, I gesture for him to continue. “And then what?”

“The crack in the veil allowed me to enter Aurelia’s dreams and maneuver my way around the maze that’s her mind without her knowledge.”

“And how did you know about the crack? You said you sensed it?”

“I did,” he confirms. “The first time I laid eyes on her at the academy, when I descended the stairs, remember? I felt it then, and it made me curious.”

I stare at the dying flames in the fireplace, the heat warding off the cold nip in the air. Thoughts swirl in my head. “How come my father hasn’t entered through the crack?”

Amenadiel snorts a laugh. “Your father, while he likes to think he’s always a step ahead of the threats around him, is too blinded by power to notice much of anything.” His tongue darts out, and he looks at me for a brief moment before asking, “Are you ready?”

---