Page 70 of Galen
“Huh? I thought there were only seven deadly sins.”
“The eighth one is less known,” Galen said. “His name was Kallias, and he was the avatar of Melancholy.”
“What happened to him?”
Galen took a breath, held it, then blew it out. “He died long ago, before we defeated Lucifer and locked him away. Kallias fell in love with a mortal man named Elasus, a warrior from Laconia.”
I ran the name over in my head. “Sparta?”
He nodded. “Kallias met him on the battlefield. Demons were possessing humans and starting wars. We went to strike down the general leading the attack, which just so happened to be the army opposing the Spartans. I think it was love at first sight for them both. Their souls just connected. After a year together, Kallias performed the binding ritual, so that his Spartan would never grow old.”
“But then Elasus was killed?”
“A demon took off his head,” Galen said, his fist clenching. “Kallias dropped to his knees and screamed for his lover. We were all standing around him, feeling his heart break. And then he died too. The life left his eyes, and I felt a pain deep in my core, like something being ripped from me. I still feel that pain sometimes.”
“That’s horrible.” I pressed closer to him, wishing I could help take some of that pain away. “So after Kallias died, the rest of you decided to never bind your life forces with anyone?”
“Yes. Alastair nearly broke that vow once though,” Galen continued, his voice soft. “He fell in love with a man named Joseph.”
“What happened?”
When he looked at me, it was with sad eyes. “Joseph is currently in the hospital. Hospice care. He’s dying of cancer. Alastair visits him when he can, but it’s becoming too painful for him the more Joseph fades away.”
“Can Alastair not heal him?” I asked, putting a hand on my chest where I carried a gruesome scar. “You healed me.”
“Ibarelyhealed you,” he said. “If not for my brothers adding their powers as well, you would’ve died. Our powers have limits. We can’t bring anyone back from the dead, cure cancer, or heal most life-threatening wounds. Angels can. But not us. And believe me, we tried. When Joseph got his diagnosis, all seven of us tried to heal him to no avail.”
“That must’ve been a hard decision for Alastair to make,” I said. My view toward the blond warrior softened a bit. “Not performing the binding ritual on Joseph.”
“Our duty must always come first.” Galen returned his gaze to the sky. “Kallias’ death taught us that.”
“Has Phoenix or any of the other demons ever gone after Joseph?”
“A few times,” Galen answered. “But Joseph could more than take care of himself. Alastair taught him how to fight them off. It helped that he had combat training from his time as a Marine.”
“What about now?”
“Alastair placed anti-demon warding outside Joseph’s hospital room so they can’t find him. Phoenix isn’t interested in Joseph though. He despises us, but chasing down every human we’ve fucked or spent time with is a waste of time to him.”
I chewed my bottom lip. “Then why is he so set on me?”
“I don’t know. But don’t worry. You’ll go back to your life someday. I swear it.”
As we sat on the cliff overlooking the long stretch of ocean, my head on Galen’s shoulder and his comforting scent surrounding me, I tried to imagine going back to my old life. A life without him in it.
I couldn’t go back.
I didn’t want to.
Chapter Thirteen
Galen
I stared at the back of Simon’s head as he slept nestled in my arms. The early morning light came through the windows, though dark clouds gathered in the distance. A promise of the storm to come. The forecast said it was supposed to rain for the next three days.
The scent of rain already had hold of me though.
I buried my face in Simon’s soft hair, breathing him in. He calmed me, soothed the anger that always had me in its grip. And yet, I continued to fight my feelings for him.
