Page 29 of Deliver Us from Evil

Abaddon crossed his arms, resting them on the back of his neck as he gave a sideways glance over to Xaphan. "Seriously. Ever since she got here, you've been trying to find every excuse to be pissed at her. It's not as if she came here of her own free will."

I was waiting for Xaphan to spit more venom about how I was the cause of it, but instead he muttered something under his breath and looked away. That wasn't to say that I wasn't over his attitude, and trust me, I felt the unbridled urge to slap the shit out of him, but his beloved master could be facing dire consequences and that worried him. His feelings for Deimos were unprecedented, that much was obvious. I was curious to know more about it. What was it that made Xaphan so devoted to Deimos?

"It's unlikely that my brother will go to our father about this," Deimos spoke up. "Not right away. It's not his style. If anything, he may try to get to Antonia since he now knows she's mine."

I bit my tongue to stop myself from reminding him that I wasn't his. What was the point if he was going to ignore it?

Instead, I asked, "Do you think he'll attack me?"

"We won't let that happen." Apollyon said that so confidently, and both Helios and Abaddon uttered their agreement.

"I can't just rely on you guys for my protection forever. I want to at least be able to protect myself," I said.

I appreciated that they were certain about keeping me from harm’s way, but I was done having to rely on a man. I was starting to get some independence back, and I didn't want to let it go because of Orpheus.

"That's not a bad idea," Deimos agreed. "Helios, in between the basics, be sure to train her to use her magic for self-defense. Include some of the attack and defense spells in her lessons."

Wait, there were spells for fighting? Why did that excite me?

Deimos then looked to Apollyon and gave him a set of orders. "I want you and Solara to train her in hand-to-hand combat on the days Antonia won't be learning magic."

Apollyon's posture straightened, but his arm still had a firm hold around my waist. "It'd be my pleasure, my lord."

"I shouldn't have to tell you all that your protection detail on Antonia remains. I don't want her anywhere in this castle without one of you present with her."

"You want someone shadowing me? Isn't that a bit excessive?" I asked, not liking the idea that I'll never have privacy.

"I know it seems intrusive, but please bear with us. We'd rather make sure nothing happens to you than be careless."

Chapter13

Xaphan

For the love of all that was Hell, what did Master Deimos see in that witch? I couldn't stand it. After the meeting, I stormed back into my room, not bothering to talk to anyone. Once I was in my space and slammed the door behind me, I let out a feral roar that erupted my hellfire like a tidal wave. When the flames were snuffed out, I was standing in the middle of my room, nostrils flaring and fists shaking at my side.

I was pissed, I was hurting, and I was worried. For many reasons.

This whole thing with Antonia confused me. How was it that in a couple of days, she was able to charm her way into the hearts of Master Deimos and my legion brothers? They were all doting on her, including Apollyon who, until Antonia, only showed signs of protectiveness with Solara.

And the feeling was mutual from the look of things. There was no mistaking Antonia's affection for Helios, but she also seemed to get along with the others. I was the odd man out.

I scoffed at the idea of getting along with the witch. I didn't want to be around her, not while she had everyone else in the palm of her hand. She seemed to fit right in once she got her footing. Something I was never able to pull off. Maybe that was part of my problem. She had everyone's attention from the moment she woke up in one of the holding cells, whereas I became an outcast the second I moved into the Court of Wrath.

I knew I made a mistake coming here the moment I realized how different I looked in comparison to everyone else, and I wasn't talking about my tattoos. I didn't fit in. The only one who made me feel like they cared was Lord Deimos. He took one look at me and knew he had to have me in his bed.

How could I turn him down? I didn't want to.

But now he'd set his sights on someone else. A witch whose bloodline struck a chord with him.

If Antonia decided to surrender herself to Deimos, then chances were he’d dispose of me. He wouldn't have a use for me anymore, and it would shatter my unbeaten heart. But now that was the least of my concerns, because if Master Deimos caught wind of what I did, then the odds of him either killing me or sending me out on my ass was likely.

I huffed out a long sigh and went to open the glass door leading out to my balcony. Stepping outside, I took in the sultry air and the hot crimson skies. Resting my arms along the black metal railings, I looked down below at the stone courtyard where hobgoblins scattered about, and legions of hellhounds commenced with their daily training regimen. I sighed, wondering not for the first time if I'd done the right thing. Antonia was bad for Deimos, right? She was bad for the entire court.

But she protected me, not once, but twice.

That was something that'd been bugging me since the first time it happened. Why did she protect me? First against Helios, and then she stood in front of me thinking that Orpheus would attack me.

She had to have known that I didn't like her, and I had no doubt the guys told her about my relationship with Deimos, so why did she care enough to defend me?

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