Page 56 of Fallen Angels

“Easy for you to say as you clearly don’t remember the situation, but it was horrible. And to see that same situation repeating itself now worries me.”

“That same situation isn’t repeating itself,” he argues. “Eilish isn’t Lamia.”

“You don’t know that!” I fire back at him.

“Even without my memories intact, I can promise you they aren’t the same. Eilish is measured and balanced by her angelic side. Lamia was pure demon. It’s like trying to compare apples and oranges.”

“Both are fruit,” I answer immediately.

Baron frowns at me. “You know what point I’m attempting to make, you stubborn bastard.”

“Regardless, I don’t trust Eilish and neither should the two of you. Dragan has somewhat regained his senses and he attempts to keep his distance from her.”

“He’s failing,” Baron interrupts.

“Regardless, he’s changed his tune about her, and I can’t fault him for that.” I take a deep breath and exhale it. “I can’t allow myself to fall into her trap just as you and Dragan have already. If anything, one of us needs to maintain his head in all of this.”

“Iammaintaining my head in this.”

“No, you’re not,” I argue but then quickly move on. “For all we know, our falling for her seductive trap could be part and parcel of her grand scheme of plans.”

“Grand plans?” Baron repeats, shaking his head. “One of these days you will get it into your thick skull that Eilish is just a girl. She’s angel and she’s Succubus, yes, but at the end of the day, she’s nothing more than scared and lonely. She’s just trying to find a place to belong.” He falls silent for a moment. “And the sooner you realize she belongs with us, the better.”

***

We reach the edge of the forest by nightfall. I share a glance with Baron and we step away from the tree line.

Eilish sniffles from behind me and I turn to see her wiping her eyes. I try my best to avoid asking what the hell Dragan said that upset her so much. I’m irritated that she’s become my problem. But, thus is the nature of being a leader, I suppose. You have to deal with everyone’s shit.

“What is it?” I ask finally. The truth is that I can’t stand her sniveling any longer. Better to meet the situation head on and diffuse it so I don’t have to continuously listen to her sniffling.

“I hate him,” she responds as she swipes her eyes with her sleeve and looks down at the ground as she kicks a small rock out of her path.

“No, you don’t hate him,” I argue.

“He’s just so… so… he goes from hot to cold and back to hot again in the blink of an eye! It’s like he changes his mind in an instant and it makes absolutely no sense to me!” she rails and I suddenly wish I were not playing the part of best friend. It is a part for which I am sorely unprepared. I imagine in these types of conversations, I am most usually playing the role of the offending party!

“Because he can’t decide what to do with you,” I respond with a shrug. It’s so obvious to me, I don’t understand why it’s not obvious to her. Women are considered the weaker sex for reason, I suppose.

“One moment he’s jealous of Revenant and me, and the next minute he’s distant and cold. One second he’s joking with me and the next he won’t look at me.”

“He has his reasons,” I respond.

“We all have our reasons,” she spits back at me, anger in her gaze. It’s not an expression I’m accustomed to seeing on her and it confuses me for a moment. I study her and find her flushing cheeks quite comely.

“Perhaps Dragan has more reasons than most,” I offer as I pull my gaze away from her. She truly is a stunning creature. Such a shame she houses a demon within that… curvy fortress. “He was held captive and used as a sex slave by the Succubae queen and her daughters.”

“I’m aware,” she grumbles.

I nod, feeling the need to drive home my point. As I glance down at her cleavage that protrudes over the top of her corset, I feel the need to drive other things home as well. “Years of seeing nothing but the ceiling of his bedroom as those… demons… ruled his realm and used his body in any way they deemed fit has changed his outlook.”

“I don’t know why I’m even discussing this with you,” she says as she turns her head and looks at the forest that neighbors the path on either side of us.

“Because I’m here,” I answer. “And I’m the only one you can talk to, save that foolish sprite.”

She shrugs. “I’m sure you agree with Dragan.”

It’s my turn to shrug. “I believe he’s playing his cards as close to his chest as he can and were I in his position, I would do the same.”

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