Page 9 of Viper

His woman was good.

Well … to an extent. She was a demon, after all.

“You had to have anticipated that they wouldn’t let you be,” Ophaniel added. “The Seven are considered sacred and heroic. You have tainted that image.”

Snorting, Viper crossed his legs at the ankles. “The Upperswill have tainted that image by spreading a bullshit story about how I fell to escape punishment for some kind of betrayal.” When Ophaniel didn’t deny the charge, Viper added, “They could have just told people the truth, that I fell willingly.”

“You know why they didn’t. It would have emboldened any celestials who might be considering falling—they all regard the Seven through awe-filled eyes. Ifyoudeem it acceptable to fall, then surely such a thing isn’t quite so bad. That would be the line of thinking some would have. The Uppers can’t allow that. And they can’t allow you to stay on Earth. They insist on you returning.”

“I don’t answer to them anymore. They really should have noticed that.”

“They’ll undo the curse if you return,” Ophaniel threw out. “They’ll even restore you to who, what, you once were.”

Like hell they would. The Uppers weren’t that merciful. And they liked to ‘make examples’ of those who demonstrated any form of rebellion.

The process of falling wasn’t as dramatic as humans would assume. It wasn’t a physical fall. It was a simple decision to leave the upper realm.

There was no dropping from the sky, no crashing to the Earth, no having stumps where their wings used to be. Not all angels actually had wings. But … leaving the realmdidhave consequences.

Angels and demons were similar in that they had a dualism to the soul. The entities within demons were cruel andpsychopathic, totally at contrast to the pure and innocent beings within angels. But that purity and innocence became warped and twisted from the fall—they were then dark and unfeeling, lost any grace they had, and only one thing made them feel alive. A thing they were cursed to forever need. Crave. Feed on.

Blood.

It was their punishment for ‘abandoning’ their people and home. And if you were one of the Seven archangels, your punishment would be so much worse.

Even if the higher-ups were to undo the curse, they’d still make an example of him so that no other archangels thought to repeat Viper’s actions. “There’s nothing they could offer me that would make me return. I would’ve thought they’d have clued in to that by now.”

“You cannot say that you’re enjoying life on Earth. Not when one or all of you have become so bored that you’re recklessly snatching humans, despite knowing that their disappearances will eventually attract attention.”

Viper felt his brows almost lift in surprise. For Ophaniel to know about the disappearances of the local humans, the Uppers must still be having Viper and his brothers watched. A disconcerting notion, considering they hadn’t sensed that they were being closely monitored. They usually did. “That has nothing to do with us.”

Ophaniel cast him a doubtful look. “Two of the missing women frequent your nightclub. One of the missing men is a regular here at the pool hall.”

“I’m aware of that.” He and his club were investigating the disappearances, since these humans were practically being plucked from the Black Saints’ metaphorical doorstep. “We don’t yet know who’s responsible, but we’ll find out.”

“You expect me to believe that it is a coincidence? That none of your brothers, caught up in bloodlust, have—”

“You can believe whatever you want. I don’t give a fuck. Fact is we have nothing to do with the disappearances.”

Ophaniel’s brow pinched. “You are saying that someone is counting on you taking the blame?”

Viper was more of the opinion that they were taunting him and his club, but he wasn’t yet sure. He didn’t really carewhythey were doing it, he just wanted it stopped. No one got to use his territory as their personal hunting ground.

“As I said, we’re looking into it. We’ll have our answers soon enough.” Viper pushed away from his desk. “Now … to be blunt … it’s time for you to fuck off.”

Ophaniel sighed. “You are far too stubborn.”

“It’s not a matter of being stubborn. It’s a matter of my being content where I am.”

“I will never believe you could be content being a walking leech. What are you holding out for? Why delay your return? If you’re expecting them to beg—”

“All I expect is for them to leave me and my brothers be. Nothing the Uppers ever say, do, or offer will tempt me to return. You be sure to communicate that,” he said, a silken menace woven around the words.

Exhaling heavily, Ophaniel stood. “Fine. But I will be surprised if this makes a difference. As I’ve already pointed out, they don’t care what you want. This is about so much more than just you. You’re a fool if you think otherwise.” With that, he teleported away.

Viper’s entity slumped its shoulders in disappointment. It had hoped to ‘play’ with the archangel a little. Mostly by slicing into his skin over and over. Yeah, the entity with whom Viper shared his soul was no one’s idea of pleasant.

“He’s right, you know,” said Omen, taking a slow step forward. “No amount of clear statements from you will make the Uppers back off. Your refusal will continue to fall on deaf ears.”

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