Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

AZIEL

The following week was quiet. Almost too quiet. I expected more issues after that lesser demon was sent to the shop. But there were no more packages, no more soldiers casing Declan's shop, nothing. My hackles were up and when I asked Athena if I should be worried, she gave a non-committal answer. Which meant she couldn't tell me. She didn't want to change the outcome of whatever was coming.

Dante and I had a new routine after that weekend. He and Ollie hung out together after school at the park, Ollie supplying as much information as he had already. With his parents on vacation, it wasn't much, but Ollie also had a lot of friends and he could ask about their parents' jobs without anyone questioning him. Him helping Dante meant Dante could watch over him while Ollie got him information, to keep him safe. When I was done with what minor jobs were sent to me by my cousins, I met them at the park, usually around the same time that Declan showed up. He walked Ollie home with one of my friends shadowing him, while Dante and I went back to my apartment. From there, we teleported to Declan's apartment and spent the rest of the evening together .

We were prepping to leave to meet them when I noticed something new in Dante's backpack. I frowned, pulling out the little stuffed bear.

"What's this?"

Dante hadn't been paying attention, too busy looking for the homework he ‘lost' somehow. When he looked over his shoulder, his skin turned a deep burgundy as he blushed all the way to his hairline.

"N-Nothing!"

I raised an eyebrow, holding it above his head when he tried to snatch it from me. "It doesn't really seem like your thing. Did someone give it to you?"

He hopped, trying to grab the toy, a little growl in his throat. When he got too embarrassed, he sat on the edge of his bed and whimpered. Chuckling, I handed it back to him as I sat beside him. He was quiet for a few minutes before coming clean.

"A girl in my grade gave it to me. She said she wants to be friends…"

"And did you give her something back?" It was common among demon children to exchange trinkets to begin friendships. Dante sighed heavily.

"No. I can't figure out what to give her. I didn't have to give anything to Ollie."

I pursed my lips, fighting back a smirk. "Not true. You exchanged bruises."

It made him snort, but his face fell after a second. He looked up at me with a deep frown. "What do you think I should give her?"

It wasn't a question on whether he wanted to be her friend. He just didn't know how to initiate it. It gave me hope for him, but it also worried me. We could hide him making friends if their families were influential, but if this girl wasn't somehow able to offer him information, it might only put Dante in danger spending time with her.

Hoping to stall him until I could look into this girl, I lifted a shoulder. "It has to be something about you. Something you think is important. I can't answer that for you."

"What did you give your friends when you were young?"

A fond smile tugged at my lips. "Protection charms. Athena gave me one when I first met her and when I met my friends, I wanted to do the same. "

I'd given Declan and Ollie protection charms, too. Almost like I was offering my friendship, like I did when I was a kid. I hadn't thought about it before, but I liked the idea of it now.

Dante frowned at his lap, so I squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "It's okay if you can't think of something right away. Come on. We're going to be late."

He hopped off his bed, pulling his homework out from underneath his bed with a sheepish grin. We were just finishing packing up his bag when my phone rang. I answered it, dread filling my gut when my cousin spoke on the other end.

"Family meeting. Bring the boy," Iluz snarled.

He hung up before I could reply, and I let out a heavy sigh. "Fuck. Looks like we won't be going over tonight. That was Iluz. We have to go to a family meeting."

Dante looked disappointed, but when I put my hand on his shoulder, he shored up his resolve and lifted his chin. "I've got lots of information this week."

"Good. So do I. Offer as little as necessary and save the rest for later. Let's get this over with."

I texted Declan about the change of plans, and because I'm overcautious, I asked Callum to move them to his place for the night. The quiet week still made me uneasy, and I'd rather Declan and Ollie be with my friends than alone with wards.

I teleported Dante and me to my uncle's home, but my cousin was waiting for us and blocked us from going inside.

"Other Realm. The meeting is at our family home."

That surprised me. Once we crossed over, my uncle only ever went back to the family home to deal with enemies. I could never join because they didn't trust me. At most, during those events, they stationed me here in the human realm to guard my uncle's new home in his absence.

"Are you sure–"

Kaiser made an irritated noise, scowling at me. "Just hurry the hell up. You're going to make us late. "

Without much of a choice, I teleported Dante and me to the tear. He looked worried, he wasn't great at masking his emotions yet, so I kept my hand on his shoulder as I led him through. When we came out on the other side, a few soldiers were waiting for us like an escort. A sense of foreboding settled in my gut and I tightened my grip on Dante as they marched us to our family home. The same home I picked Dante up from all those months ago. Dante didn't look any happier about being here than I was and without my steady guidance, I knew he wouldn't be able to come closer.

Another layer of dread settled in my gut as we passed the dining room. When I was younger, that was where family meetings were held. This wasn't going to be a family meeting. I knew deep in my soul that this wasn't going to end well. Athena's vision was wrong.

We followed Kaiser to the basement, and the crowd parted as he moved to join my uncle. The entire family was there, and they all glared at us as we followed behind him. Kaiser stopped us with a dismissive wave at the front of the crowd, giving us a front row view of the man and woman tied up and kneeling on the concrete in front of my uncle. I couldn't see who they were by the backs of their heads, but I could make guesses based on the information I'd gathered recently. Attacking criminal humans who caused trouble was bad enough. Did he really think he'd get away with killing a politician and a CEO worth millions?

"Is that everybody?" Camus queried. He had a bland expression, like this was just another day for him, having two humans tied up at his feet.

Kaiser dipped his chin in acknowledgement. A smug look crossed my uncle's face before he turned to the family.

"Excellent. This is an auspicious day for us. When they look back on our history, they will mark this day as the beginning of our reign over the filth of humanity." He looked at the humans with disgust, but when he snapped his fingers, no one made a move toward them. Instead, pain blasted across the back of my head and hands grabbed me, shoving me to my knees next to them.

"But first, we need to address the traitors in our ranks. You see, Aziel, that lesser demon was a test. A test you failed. You are protecting that human. Care to tell the family why?"

Someone fisted my hair, yanking my head back, so that I was looking up at my uncle. He stood over me with a sneer, and I met his gaze without flinching. It didn't matter anymore. I wasn't going to survive this. I'd been working against this moment my whole life, but it finally caught up with me.

I wanted to resent Athena for giving me hope that I'd be free one day. I knew better. This was always going to happen in the end. But I couldn't hate her for giving me what little time I had with Declan. To be truly cared for, even if it was only for a week. I'd take that memory with me.

"Tell them, Aziel. Tell them you are not only demeaning yourself by fornicating with the scum of the realm, you are mating with one."

My eyes widened slightly. How did he–

"You aren't the only one with an oracle under your control. They saw you on your knees for that pathetic little human. But don't worry. He'll be joining you soon. And you," he turned slowly to look at Dante. He looked pissed, and I struggled against the hands holding me, needing to protect Dante. "You shameful little shit. I should've killed you, along with your mother. You were supposed to report on Aziel, to give us the ammo we needed to end him."

Stunned, I fought harder, getting far enough away to look over my shoulder at Dante. He didn't cower like I thought. He lifted his chin, glaring at his father.

"Aziel didn't do anything wrong! You're just mad because he's better than you!"

The second my uncle reached for him, my magic exploded, sending those trying to pin me sailing away. Fire covered my body, and I launched myself at Dante, my wings spread, giving us the lift we needed to get across the room. Putting myself between him and the family, I shifted lower, my stance defensive.

"You can punish me if you want, but he's a kid. He's your kid. I won't let you hurt him."

Camus scoffed. "He is no son of mine. Pathetic, just like his mother. Just like you." He chuckled, waving his hand lazily. "But sure. You can go first. Make sure Dante doesn't miss anything. He should see what will happen to him if he doesn't start following orders. Seize them."

They came at us in waves, all of them trying to either pin me or get to Dante. I never fought back before. I didn't have any illusions that I'd survive it. But I was going to fight to give Dante a chance to get away.

"Dante! Go! Fly out of here!"

I heard him sob behind me. I knew he was scared, but they were more interested in me than him. If he flew out the window, I could keep them from chasing him. I just needed him to go.

"Dante!"

"I-I can't!"

Gathering as much energy as I could, I sent it out in an explosion of power. It knocked them away long enough for me to look over my shoulder. Dante had tears streaming down his face, his face pale. Gripping his shoulder, I pleaded with him.

"Please, Dante. I need you to go."

"I can't… I can't fly…"