Page 70 of Live Like Legends

“No. I’m not.”

He didn’t look surprised by my answer. “I’m not asking. She is already gone. You will not be following. Please come along.” He moved as if he was assuming we would follow him.

“I saidno. Dani would never put us in danger willingly. She isn’t the bad guy. She isn’t the monster you so clearly think she is.” I walked past my father and right up to Ariel. He watched me approach, a glint in his eye as if he enjoyed me defying him just so he could say more hateful things. “I am going there and I’m bringing her back.”

Ariel licked his lips and flashed me a cocky smile. “I think you are going to look back at his moment, Mr. Cassial, and consider that you could have made a better decision. That maybe what you wanted to believe isn’t what’s true. Maybe the girl warming your bed at night isn’t the person you thought and that she is simply a demon with immense power. She and her power should either be harnessed by the side of good or disposed of, which is likely what I should have done in the first place.” I flexed my fingers, feeling my molars grind together as I kept my mouth shut.

He kept going, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Or maybe the demons in Hell have just done everyone a favor and realized, likeyou said, that she won’t help them either, so they’ve disposed of her for me. You could be going straight to Hell to find her dead body, but hmm, maybe I should let you go and see that for yourself. You can wallow in the mistakes you’ve made and learn that you are putting all your efforts into the wrong things. Nicholas, trust me, when I say she isn’t worth it.”

All I knew was that I was vibrating with anger right before my fist connected with Ariel’s nose. He stumbled back, but I was already rearing back, slamming my knuckles against his nose again. His hands flew up to his face, shielding his bleeding nose. Morgan’s eyes widened, rushing over to him. I shook my hand, feeling the urge to hit him again and again, until his awful words ceased to exist. I was ready to hit lower this time, maybe in his stomach, or maybe even lower where it wouldreallyhurt. Ariel pulled one of his hands away, pushing past Morgan. “You ungrateful little…” He reached for me, but my father pushed me out of the way.

“That’s myson, Ariel. I would step away.”

Ariel nearly growled at him, pointing at his guards and then at me. “Seize him, now!”

They came charging at us and without our weapons, it was magic and hand to hand combat at the moment. One came up behind me and I brought my elbow back, hitting him right in the jaw. I shot out my light right in the eyes of another one. Elise slung out her tail, making a sweeping motion through a handful of them.

Garrett shielded Beetee as best he could as he expelled his own colorful magic at the sentries that came their way. He looked as if he was trying to keep her in check. And the look on her face told me she was mere moments away from shifting if she were given the okay. A large snake would be a distraction, but it would cause more problems than solve them. Reese pushed out his wings and headed for the sky while other sentriesdid the same, sending their light magic up at him. He sent his own down as well, but we were all on the same level when it came to our magic expertise, so it was a fight amongst equals.

My father fought off a sentry that barreled towards us, gripping him by the waist and swinging him over his body so that he collapsed on the ground in a defeated heap. Zane secured Natalia, but the High Priestess huffed out an exasperated sigh, pushing her hands out and a jolt of yellow and pink magic moved over all of us.

We all paused—motionless.

I couldn’t move my feet or my arms. Nothing hurt, but I was paralyzed. I could blink my eyes and move my mouth, but any motion in my joints and appendages were a lost cause. Natalia moved around the immovable sentries, stalking over to where me and my father were.

“Ariel this will not happen, not on my land, not in my home.” Natalia stood with her back straight, her arched eyebrows rising. “You willceasethis fighting.” She looked at the executive, waiting for him to speak.

Ariel narrowed his eyes at her but conceded. “Apologies. Of course.”

She looked skeptical as if she didn’t believe him. “Very well.”

She waved her hand eloquently; the feeling returned to my body almost instantly. She let Reese come back to the ground with a soft landing which by the look on his face, he greatly appreciated.

Ariel gave her a half smile as he stretched, his nose covered in blood and staining his suit. He brought his hand up and released a white-gold rope in my direction. It circled around me and in a matter of minutes I was being yanked over to him.

“Ariel! That’s my son!” My father yelled, heading for me. Ariel wiggled his fingers and suddenly my father’s wrists snapped together and gold electrifying circles encapsulated hiswrists. He couldn’t move them apart, no matter how hard he tried. It wasn’t just him either, it was everyone. Everyone except for the Enchanters.

Elise violently tried to escape hers, but to no avail. “The fuck is this?!” The sentries came up behind each and every one of them, shoving them to their knees. Almost like they were bowing.

Ariel rubbed his knuckles under his nose delicately. “Executives have been able to conjure up magic dampening skills for quite some time. Your precious Jonah didn’t want us using it anymore unless it was dire and had us reverting back to the manual ones. Same effect, just in my opinion, lesseventful.” I was finally all the way over to him as I strained against the roped restraints that circled my body. “I wanted you to come willingly Nicholas, but it looks as if we have come to a bit of déjà vu. I threatened to put you in the Ethereal Bastille once, didn’t I?”

“Ariel, you will let him go or…” Natalia had the trees rustling around her house and the gravel under us shook. Her fingers sparked different shades of colors.

“Your Highness….” Zane started but was quickly cut off by Ariel’s laughter.

The red-headed executive tutted. “He isnotyour charge, High Priestess. He may be your friend, on your land, but he is one ofmine. He is not an Enchanter, so you have no right to stop me. I do with him what I please. I have left your people free of my magical dampeners because I understand the rules. If you would like to harm me for simply disciplining an angel that worksforme, then so be it. I would hate for your people to have a tragic repeat of the past because their leader doesn’t know when to stand down, hmm.”

Garrett and Zane stomped over to where Natalia stood. Garrett opened his mouth before Zane had a chance. “You willnotspeak to her like that.”

“I am simply speaking facts. And by the look on her face, she understands what I’m saying.” Ariel looked her up and down.

Zane leaned down to be close to his face. “Donotthreaten her. You are not the highest executive. She ranks higher than you from where I stand. Shealwayswill.” He reached for me, but Ariel nodded over to Morgan to pull me away.

“Hmm, that may be, but the people see me as their leader, so for all intents and purposes that’s what I am. And like a good leader, angels that go rogue do not need special treatment, they need discipline.” The golden ropes evaporated, but the glowing cuffs surrounded my wrists and two sentries grabbed me by my elbows.

“You let him go, Ariel! Let him go!” My father pleaded and yelled, pushing off his knees and running for me, but a sentry got to him in record time and shoved him to the ground again.

Natalia looked lost, but Zane and Garrett stood by her side, yet they were giving me looks like they hadn’t lost faith in what we were all planning to do no more than thirty minutes ago.

---