Page 208 of Crimson Promises
The bag over the masked figure disappeared as the first had. The bag seemed to have been a sort of concealment spell as the mystery figure's sweeping details came into view. My eyes were first drawn to the massive iridescent wings that cast long shadows across the dais. His scroll was ensconced neatly in his quiver. His hair was different than the last time I had seen him.
Only his caliph was missing. The Angel of Death never went anywhere without his signature weapon, yet here he was.
Creator of my nightmares. Architect of my misery. Producer of my wrath and killer of souls.
Azrael was finally at my mercy, and I was going to kill him.
The ominous voice made its presence known. “As you already know, the Vision Relic senses connections between those, some of love, passion, and desire, others of a more malevolent and violent nature. During The Great War, Azrael took away the only living entity you loved.”
“I very well fucking know,” I bit out.
“Since then, you have made decisions and taken steps to bring you to this moment. The relic has brought you the opportunity that you bartered your freedom for twenty-one years to seek revenge on The Originals, specifically Azrael himself.”
The world around me had fallen away. Blood pounded in my ears.
“You hold in your hand a type of dagger you seem familiar with, anilliciumdagger. This type of weapon is one of the only weapons able to kill demons. To be able to murder an archangel takes a different level of power. The dagger before you has not only been suffused with heavenly fire, but Chamuel himself has ingrained part of his own essence, making it possible for you to give Azrael the killing blow you have sought for so long."
My veins turned to ice.
"Your task, Bennett, is simple. Kill the Angel of Death with the weapon laid before you. Should you succeed in taking the life of the archangel, the weapon which you use to do it—theilliciumdagger before you—is yours for the keeping.”
A silence fell over the arena. An archangel had never been killed before. For all of his crimes, Lucifer was cast out of Heaven rather than murdered. The Almighty was trying to make an example of him, but the point remained none had ever been killed.
You would be the first.
I never forgot Azrael's words to Jos and me that day:“An example must be made for others who think they have a right to take up arms against The Originals.”
The dagger buzzed within my palm. How had I not noticed the amount of power concealed within it before? I closed my eyes.
Jos’s body sliced in two was all I could see behind my eyelids.
“Do it, Caelum, take the easy way out. Kill me undefended and vulnerable, like aman,” Azrael’s lips twisted in disgust.
I twirled the dagger slowly, making sure that Azrael noticed the glint and unmistakable craftsmanship, proving that this weapon was, in fact, capable of ending him, The Angel of Death. His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. His momentary bravo silenced.
How I relished that feeling.
“Perhaps it’s time for an example to be made of The Originals who believe they are above everyone else. For those who think they have the right to take a life, damn the consequences,” I said, the weapon in my hand making me feel bolder than I had any right to. “That the archangels are not above consequences—that they, too, must follow the rules.”
“We do not follow the rules, fallen angel. Wearethe rules. We create them, enforce them, and change them at our whim. How have you not realized that yet? We answer only to the Almighty. Separate from that, we are power itself.”
“Tell me, Azrael, how powerful do you feel right now? At my mercy.”
“Death is an old and familiar friend. If it is my time to be embraced beyond the veil, I welcome it.” He tilted his chin higher.
Unbelievable. Even with the threat of ending his life, he was unable to show remorse.
“Get it over with, Bennett. I dare you. The full might of Heaven’s forces will descend upon you worse than any battle you witnessed during The Great War.”
Every fiber of my being crackled with tension, and my grip on theilliciumdagger tightened. It was the tool that could fulfill my relentless quest for vengeance. I had spent years preparing for this moment, training, gathering allies, and seeking ways to tear apart the archangels—especially The Originals, who had destroyed my life and taken everyone I loved.
Here, standing before me, was the living embodiment of all that I had come to despise.
Azrael moved to take a step forward but looked like he hit a wall.Satisfying. It appeared the hooded figures were magically contained within a small perimeter. Lucifer hadn’t tried to test the confines of his prison but then I wouldn’t either if Aurora was finally admitting how she felt about me.
For so long, there was an emptiness that had consumed me since Jos’ death. I gave whatever I could to quench that thirst for retribution. It had given me nothing in return.
Theilliciumdagger trembled in my hand as I wrestled with my demons. A thousand memories of Jos, the laughter we had shared, and the visions we had dared to dream flashed before my eyes. The pain of his loss clawed at my chest, threatening to consume me.
