Page 49 of Wicked Angel
“Thank you,” I said, meaning it. “For everything. I don't think we would have made it out without you.”
He offered a tired smile. “All part of the service.” His expression sobered. “I'm sorry about your family, Ariella. And about Ezekiel. We'll find a way to help them.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Aspen squeezed my shoulder briefly, then murmured the words for a new portal. A moment later, he was gone, leaving Levi and me alone in the suddenly too-quiet warehouse.
Without a word, Levi marched to the office and crossed the magical door into his apartment.
I followed him and moved directly to the kitchen, where I wetted a clean cloth with warm water. “Let me see your wound,” I said, approaching Levi cautiously.
“Don't,” he said, his voice flat. “Just don't.”
“Levi—”
“I killed them, Ariella.” He finally turned to face me, his eyes dark with self-loathing. “Not in battle, not in self-defense. I tore them apart like animals. And that version of me … I enjoyed it.”
I swallowed hard, remembering the savage glee I'd glimpsed in those glowing eyes as Levi had rampaged through the angels' ranks. “You weren't yourself.”
“Wasn't I?” He laughed, a harsh, bitter sound. “I’m not so sure anymore, sweetheart. I thought I was rid of that creature. That I would never transform into it again.” Neither did I. “Perhaps that’s what I am, what I've always been, underneath it all.”
“No,” I said firmly, setting the cloth aside and stepping closer to him. “That's not all you are. You're more than your demonic nature, Levi. Just like I'm more than my angelic one.”
He shook his head, backing away from my approach. “You don't understand. I could have hurt you. I almost did.”
“But you didn't,” I reminded him. “Just like before. When it mattered, when I called to you, you came back. You controlled it.”
“Barely,” he whispered. “And what about next time? What if I can't pull back? What if I hurt you, or Lacey, or anyone else I—” He stopped abruptly, turning away again.
I closed the distance between us, gently placing my hand on his arm. “Look at me, Levi.”
Reluctantly, he did, his eyes meeting mine with a vulnerability I'd rarely seen in him.
“I'm not afraid of you,” I said softly. “I never have been, not really. Even when you were at your most demonic, even when you were trying to intimidate me… I saw more in you. I still do.”
His expression cracked, the carefully maintained facade of control shattering to reveal the raw pain beneath. “My father was like that,” he admitted, his voice barely audible. “Molraz. In the end, the demon consumed everything else. There was nothing left of whoever he'd been before. Just the monster.”
Understanding dawned. This wasn't just about what had happened in the clearing. This was about a fear Levi had carried for centuries—the fear of becoming like his father, of losing himself to the darkness within.
“You're not Molraz,” I said, sliding my hands up to frame his face, forcing him to maintain eye contact. “You're Levi. You're stubborn, and sarcastic, and sometimes infuriating. You're loyal to a fault, and braver than you'd ever admit. You're the demon who risked everything to save his sister, who stayed with me even when I tried to push you away, who makes me feel safe in a world that's falling apart.”
Tears shimmered in his eyes, though he blinked them back before they could fall. “Ariella…”
“I'm not going anywhere,” I promised. “No matter what happened today, no matter what might happen tomorrow. We're in this together, remember? To the end.”
He closed his eyes, his breathing ragged, and for a moment I thought he might pull away again. But instead, he drew me into his arms, holding me with a desperate intensity that spoke volumes.
I held him just as tightly, ignoring the pain from my wounds, focusing only on the solid warmth of him against me. We were both broken in our own ways, both scarred by pasts we couldn't escape. But in this moment, holding each other in the quiet aftermath of violence and fear, we were exactly what the other needed.
19
Morning light filteredthrough the blinds, casting golden stripes across the kitchen table where Levi and I sat with cups of coffee and untouched plates of breakfast. Neither of us had much appetite, the events of yesterday still weighing heavily on us both.
Last night, we surrendered to our wounds and visited the Great Eternity Hall, where Lacey healed us both. Though, Levi didn’t tell her about his transformation, and I stayed quiet about it, respecting his decision. When ready, he was going to tell her.
Now, I watched Levi over the rim of my mug, noting the tension in his shoulders, the distant look in his eyes. He hadn't mentioned his transformation since our conversation after returning to the apartment, but I could tell it was still foremost in his mind. The guilt and fear lingered in the careful way he moved, as if afraid of his own strength, his own nature.
As for me, my dreams had been haunted by images of Ezekiel’s form disappearing in front of my eyes, of my mother and sister trapped in Elysium, their fate uncertain. Mixed with those fears were echoes of the Reflecting Pool's magic, forcing me to relive the day I lost my wings over and over again. I'd woken twice during the night, drenched in sweat, and each time, Levi had been there, holding me until the panic subsided.
We were a fine pair—both broken in our own ways, both trying to hide how close we were to shattering completely.
