Page 14 of Demons & Damnation

It was toxic, lethal for any being that got in their way, and ultimately a habit that needed to end.

Now.

As the moon sat high above him, casting a silvery glow onto the earth around him, he picked out the faint sound of a heartbeat and footsteps from behind him. He knew instantly from the rhythm it was his brother, now all healed and back to brand new. He could have taken his head off but that wouldn’t have killed him. He’d done it before and quite clearly failed. The next day he’d been more than surprised when Balthazar reappeared at Lucifer’s side, who explained that demons are immortal, and only he can extinguish a soul, no one else.

Minutes later, Balthazar sat down on the damp grass next to his brother and let out a sigh. “Are you ok?”

Azazel shrugged his shoulders. “Of course.”

“I think we need to talk.”

Azazel turned his head and stared at his brother. “About?”

“About what you said before you snapped my neck.”

Azazel glanced down at the ground, sadness washing through him. He’d managed to keep that little secret to himself for two thousand years. “You heard what I said, Balthazar.”

“Cassia was pregnant? With my child?”

Azazel squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back a torrent of emotions that clawed at his heart to be set free, to be rid of the festering storm they stayed in, century after century. “I’d been away for months, Balthazar. It definitely wasn’t mine, was it?”

Balthazar looked away from his brother, processing this information. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

Azazel lifted his head and narrowed his eyes at him. “And what would that have gained exactly? You can’t go back and change anything, can you?”

“At least I could have had the chance to mourn the loss of my child.”

Azazel jumped to his feet and clenched his fists. “You amaze me. You really fucking do.”

“Why am I not allowed to have sad feelings about this as well, Azazel?” Balthazar stood up and forced his brother to make eye contact. “It’s not all about you.”

Azazel stabbed a finger into his brother’s chest. “You were the bad guy. Why do you get to feel sad?”

Balthazar sighed and stepped back. “It’s not like it was planned, Azazel. It was just an awful lapse in judgement, a moment of weakness. I don’t know what to say or do. My apologies aren’t good enough. I don’t know what you want from me.”

Azazel lowered his hand and turned his back on Balthazar. “Some loyalty, Balthazar. Look at what you’ve done to us this year. You’ve potentially set a course of events in motion that will be nothing but history repeating itself.” He turned around and glared at his brother, a streak of fire burning through his green eyes. “Only this time, now you’re getting your demi-soul, you’ll have me to worry about.”

---