Page 93 of Conflicted

The alarm bells were screaming now, warning me to retreat. “And this mission is?”

“It’s quite simple, Micah. A few hours ago, Emilio was brutally tortured and slaughtered. A demon by the name of Nox was spotted leaving the scene. Your mission is to track him down and execute him.”

I wasn’t sure what expression was on my face, but whatever it was, it had Gloria’s satisfied smirk deepening. “Is there an issue with our orders, Micah? A reason why you can’t do this? I can’t see why not. It’s well within your capabilities. You’ve carried out missions like this a thousand times before. It’s the perfect way for you to honour Heaven by demonstrating your continued loyalty.”

It was then that I realised exactly what this was. A trap.

Somehow, they knew who Nox was to me. What we were to each other. They wanted me to admit it, to argue that I couldn’t murder the man who was my fated mate.

I’d strayed too far from the path they’d set me on long ago. I’d betrayed my nature by falling in love with a demon.

Now, they wanted to punish me for that.

Nox’s words from the day of the disaster echoed in my mind. “Wake up, Micah. Stop doing what you’re told to, and do the right thing. The thing I know you want to do.”

My decision was made. My fate was sealed. I think it had been for a long time now.

I smiled at Gloria pleasantly. “There’s no problem at all. It’ll be my honour.”

21

Nox

The sun was low on the horizon while I waited for my fate to be fulfilled. I watched it touch the waves, casting ripples of pink and orange over the sea. It was calm.

Just like me.

I wasn’t scared. I wasn’t preparing to fight.

No. For the first time in my existence, I was completely at peace. I’d avenged my mate. A message had been sent to hopefully remind the higher-ups that they weren’t above judgement.

I’d even made sure I was spotted leaving the scene. I wanted them to know it was me. To know that an arch of Emilio’s stature could be bested by a mere demon.

Mostly though, I wanted to ensure there was no way it could be pinned on Micah. It wouldn’t take a genius to put the marks I’d left on Emilio’s back together with the punishments Micah had been sentenced to recently. I didn’t want them to think it had been him. For him to be made to suffer more than he already had.

To be honest, I’d expected to be caught within minutes. But when those minutes stretched into hours, I realised Ihad time to choose where I wanted to die. The place where I’d take my final breaths.

It had been an easy choice to make.

That was how I came to be experiencing my final sunset on Brighton beach. It’d been here that Micah and I had opened up to one another, peeling back the layers of armour to discover how alike we truly were.

With memories of him surrounding me, I wasn’t worried about the upcoming pain. I didn’t need to fear what was about to happen.

All I had to do was to focus on Micah.

He’ll be safe now. With me gone, there’s a chance he’ll find happiness.

I hoped that was true. I’d told him once that if the person I was in love with didn’t want me, I wouldn’t be gracious about it.

Looking back now, it was laughable really. That was back when I believed love to be selfish when, in reality, it was the complete opposite.

All I wanted was Micah’s happiness. If he found that with someone other than me, well…it wasn’t like I’d be here to see it.

He’d be happy. How I felt about it didn’t matter.

Besides, it wasn’t that he didn’t want me, he couldn’thaveme. They were two completely different things.

It was why this was for the best. This would be a clean break for Micah. Even though I knew this would likely hurt him in the short term, he’d get over me and find someone else. Someone he loved who loved him back. Someone who deserved him.

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