Page 42 of Her Fallen Angel

"You think your submission makes you special?" I snarl, lashing out against this weakness she creates in me. "That it gives you power over me?"

"No." She steps closer despite my warning growl. "But your acceptance of it might."

The truth in her words hits like a physical blow. I turn away, unable to face the understanding in her eyes. She sees too much, this little human who kneels so beautifully for me. Who takes my darkness and transforms it into something sacred.

My fist connects with the wall, cracking the stone. Better to destroy something external than examine the war raging within me. But even as I try to push her away, my body betrays me, yearning for her touch, her warmth, her unwavering faith.

What is this human doing to me?

22

ARENWEN

The last rays of sunlight paint the courtyard in shades of amber and violet. I sink to my knees on the stone, the chill seeping through my thin dress. My daily ritual brings a measure of peace, even with my captor's looming presence nearby.

Kai is in the training ring not too far away. His wings flare as he goes through his motions, the scarred edges catching the dying light. He's been doing this more lately - finding excuses to linger while I pray.

"Sweet goddesses, grant me strength..." My voice carries through the evening air. From the corner of my eye, I catch the subtle shift in Kai's posture. His shoulders lose their rigid set, wings settling into a more relaxed position. He starts to slow.

I continue my prayer, but my focus wavers. I'm too busy wanting to watch him, his skilled body going through the motions. And while he stays focused on what he's doing, I sense his awareness of my every movement. A predator's instinct, wrapped in the pretense of disinterest.

"Guide my path through darkness..." My words falter as Kai stretches, his wings extending to their full span. The displaywould intimidate most, but I've grown accustomed to these subtle reminders of his power.

Each evening prayer follows this dance. He arrives under various pretexts -sharpening weapons, training, whatever it takes to get him near me. Yet his breathing always syncs with my devotions, tension bleeding from his frame as my prayers fill the silence.

"Blessed be your—" A cool breeze stirs my hair, and I tuck a wayward strand behind my ear. Kai's gaze flicks to me before sliding into another movement. But I've caught the way his eyes soften when he thinks I'm lost in prayer, how the cruel set of his mouth eases into something less harsh.

My next words come slower, deliberate. Not for any divine entity, but for the broken warrior who finds solace in my faith while denying his need for it. Sometimes I think this is the only time he listens to me.

"And I pray you give me the strength and devotion of my grandmother." Something I pray every day. "To follow in her steps and choose the right paths. To all the powers above, I pray."

As I start to stand, I notice Kai has stopped moving at all. Instead, he's staring at me. "Your grandmother." He cocks his head, studying me. "You mention her often."

I'm surprised by his question. But maybe I shouldn't be. We've been opening up to each other more and more. "Evangeline, my grandmother, is renowned in our faith. I could learn a lot about her."

"Tell me about her." His wings fold closer, creating a dark cocoon that blocks the cooling night air.

"She was so devout." I shift on my knees, remembering stories of her as I grew up. "She was a child when the orcs invaded Earth, and when all the others went below ground she refused. She held fast to her faith." I sigh, knowing this next partwill only give him reason to doubt me. "One day, she was taken by the gods - for her commitment. She was given a life away from the wretched planet that had turned its back on her."

Kai walks toward me, violet eyes gleaming in the gathering darkness. "And she survived through... prayer?" The usual mockery is absent from his tone.

"Her faith kept her safe." I nod. "And if the legends are believed, it gave her a way out of a terrible situation." Just like me, I don't add. "It gives the rest of us hope."

"Hope." He tests the word like an unfamiliar weapon. "What good is hope against steel and magic?"

"It's kept us all going. Through everything." I shrug. "I don't see why it can't be consider more powerful than anything else."

Kai closes the distance between us. Instead of looming over me as usual, he shifts to the side, looking at me like he's trying to understand. "Why do humans cling to beliefs that bring them pain?"

"Faith doesn't bring the pain. It helps us endure it." I meet his gaze. "My grandmother used to say even the darkest night holds stars, if you remember to look up." Or that's what I've heard.

"And you?" His voice roughens. "What do you see in your darkest night?"

"Purpose. Like she did." The words come steady despite my racing heart. "Each prayer is a reminder that suffering shapes us, but doesn't define us."

Kai falls silent, his expression unreadable in the deepening dusk. Questions spill from him as stars emerge overhead - about rituals, beliefs, the source of such conviction. For once, he listens without interrupting, without twisting my words into weapons.

And I wonder if he can feel all the changes happening between us, too.

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