Pun intended.
Yet there was a difference between Wrath and Michael’s haunting beauty. Although Wrath still had that eerie perfection, he looked more rugged and real. His face showed emotion.
And Wrath had even shown sarcasm and dry humor. He was much more human than his archangel brother. Was that because he had fallen? And what was hiding beneath this beautiful facade? If demons openly wore their scars…where were the freaking scars?
I eyed him up and down, pursing my lips. “You expect me to believe that you are Wrath,” I said, deadpan, trying to get a better read on his power because Michael had almost scoured my mind clean with his aura.
The man smiled at my obvious doubt. “I am not used to repeating myself,” he mused, grinning wider.
I did not smile. “And what lies beneath?” I asked, gesturing at his body with my hand. Samael had been a monstrous demon covered in scales made of darkened coins, and Lilith had been an incredibly strong crocodile-demon hybrid.
He arched his eyebrows and gently pressed his fingers to his chest in mock embarrassment. “Well, that was forward of you. We are not even officially betrothed yet. I came here to propose, just like you asked Goodmen Legion.”
I blinked. “Wait. You…are the one wanting to propose to me?” I whispered, instantly hating myself for subconsciously eyeing him up and down in an approving manner. All that healthy male for me—
I mentally dumped a cold bucket of water over the errant thought.
His eyes twinkled appreciatively at my wandering eye. “I must admit that I’ve never done this before, and I find myself at a loss. Are you absolutely certain that a proposal is necessary for us to get married?” he asked me in an utterly serious tone.
Was it terrible that I instinctively wanted to coach him on exactly how to propose? Like seeing a lost puppy and instantly needing to care for it as if your whole life abruptly revolved around the dog you hadn’t known existed two seconds ago. It only took a fraction of a second for me to murder the thought, but I did have it. I would have liked to say that he was manipulating my mind with some demonic power.
But he wasn’t. He gave off no demonic aura that put truth to his claim.
And…I could sense the honesty in his question. He might be a devil and terrible, but he was genuinely annoyed with the whole proposal development. Which was fucking bonkers.
“Well, you can start off by not sending close to twenty demons to murder me. That would have been better,” I finally said, folding my arms.
He scratched at his stubble with a bemused frown. “I…see. I meant it as a compliment to your skills—so you could have a chance to impress me. I had no doubt of your victory,” he said, shrugging—and having absolutely no clue how misogynistic it had sounded. All I could do was stare at him in disbelief. “Our first introduction required…fanfare. Is that the right word? A grand display. That is what the YouTube showed me about marriage proposals.”
A laugh almost bubbled up at his mention of the YouTube, but I managed to squash it. I checked again on my mental defenses, wondering if he really had managed to brainwash me with those pecs of his. They weren’t as appealing as Ryuu’s muscles when he’d been chopping up all that wood—
I blushed, lowering my eyes at the errant thought. Get your shit together, girl! I chastised myself.
Wrath took my blush as encouragement and beamed happily, flashing his pearly white teeth. I held up a hand, shaking my head no to correct him. “My mind wandered. That was not what it looked like.”
His smile slipped and, for a fraction of a second, I thought I saw a flicker of blind rage flash in those icy blue eyes. But it was gone so swiftly that I couldn’t be sure I hadn’t projected his namesake onto him.
Maybe a change of topic would be safer.
“What about the rest of your crew?” I asked. “Are the rest of the Seven Sins like…you?” I asked, gesturing vaguely at him.
My question had an immediate impact. He curled his lips into a snarl and glared at me with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. “There are none like me,” he said in a frigid tone, his chest suddenly heaving.
No more Mr. Nice Guy.
30
I remained silent and completely motionless, hoping the storm in his eyes would blow over.
It did not blow over.
“I am finished playing these foolish games,” he snarled. “I am Wrath, First of the Seven. You are the White Rose. We will do great and terrible things together, so let’s just get married and forget this proposal nonsense,” he growled.
My eyes might have widened at his abrupt change in tone, but they practically popped out of my head when he echoed what Aphrodite had said right before I left Darling and Dear’s shop.
We could do great and terrible things together.
I knew my answer already, but did I really have the guts to say no, right here, right now? I needed to string him along and figure out why he was so transfixed on this idea of our marriage.
“Why, exactly, are you so fixated on marrying me?” I asked.
He grinned eagerly, his eyes growing distant. “Because of the prophecy, of course.”
I almost peed a little. If that was true, Michael’s decision to try and abduct me suddenly took on a whole new meaning. Wrath certainly believed it. “What prophecy?” I asked, hoping he would answer vaguely, proving that it was idle boasting or an outright lie to get him what he wanted.
Wrath cleared his throat, smiling wistfully before he took on a lecturing tone. “And the Seven shall come to the City of Fountains, where the First shall lay claim to the White Rose. Her love will rock the pillars of Heaven and rattle the foundations of Hell, burning away all that once was in a purifying bridge of Anghellian fire. Her Wrath will do great and terrible things,” he said, finishing.
He had emphasized the H sound in the word Anghellian with a proud smile. I’d never heard the term before, but that was the least of my concerns.
I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me, and my hands were shaking. Thankfully, Wrath was staring up at the sky, breathing in through his nostrils as if to embrace every sense available to him so that he could later recall this pivotal moment. I managed to get my hands to stop shaking so as not to alert him.
Some of his earlier comments suddenly took on deeper meaning, and it was obvious that he had bought into this prophecy wholesale. I needed to find ways to pick it apart—to cast doubts about its meaning.
Think! I told myself. I began to break the prophecy down in my mind.
It had referenced her wrath—which could have meant my own anger, or my partner who was named Wrath. I dismissed it for now.
The First shall lay claim to the White Rose could imply a competition rather than a guaranteed win for Wrath—as in, the first of the Seven brothers to catch my interest.
The only other thing I could think to use as salvation was that the prophecy hadn’t explicitly said that I got married. Although, I couldn’t think of any way to spin it at the moment.
I was now certain that my mother must have known about all of this. That was why she had tried to hide me. To keep me as far away from this crazy prophecy as possible.
Wrath finally turned to face me with a hungry smile, and I knew that the pleasant man from earlier had been a courtesy. He’d tried it my way, and it hadn’t worked as he’d intended. Now it was time to try his way.
“You will be my wife,” he said, determinedly.
I stared at him, frantically searching for the best way out. His hungry smile began to fade at my lack of response, and I felt myself panicking. I had to stall him. Buy time. My mind raced, reviewing the critiques I’d found and then weighing their chance at success. A different angle came to mind, and I pounced on it.
“The prophecy said her love,” I said hurriedly. His smile returned, and he nodded eagerly. I gathered my courage, hoping I would survive the crazy plan that was slowly materializing. I was in uncharted waters, but I had to keep paddling. I folded my arms stubbornly. “I a
m not the type of woman who can just fall in love. I must be…courted,” I said, choosing my words with exceeding care. His smile stretched wider.
“And what does courtship mean to you, Callie Penrose?” he asked, expectantly, seeing that his way was already working better. “Because courtship could mean me taking you with me right now. To take care of you properly where I know you will be safe.”
I realized that I would need to do more than merely cast doubt on the prophecy’s words. I needed to get inside his head because he was his own worst enemy. He was intelligent, but he was also emotional—it was in his freaking name. Wrath was bold, and everyone he met probably feared him. Which had to get boring after a while. He craved something new and exciting. It was why he’d broken out of Hell and come to Kansas City, after all—to have an adventure. A challenge. A prophecy.
So…I needed to be bold. Defiant. In control of myself. Independent. Wrath would crave those traits because they were qualities he never encountered. Luckily, I was pretty good at being a pain in the ass.
Of course, there was a chance that I would be wrong, and he would blow a fuse. But even if that happened, I was somewhat safe because he needed me—I was integral to his adventure.
I decided to call his bluff. I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “You can’t possibly be that stupid.”
His smile slipped and he stared at me without moving. For about ten whole seconds. “Go on,” he finally said, seeming to surprise himself with the words.
I obliged him, trying to hide the feeling of triumph I felt at accurately guessing his desires. “If it were as simple as kidnapping me and taking me for yourself, the prophecy wouldn’t have used the word love—which is a feeling that must be reciprocated and earned. That’s the challenge in it—to convince me to go along with a demon, voluntarily. Otherwise, there is no love, and there is no prophecy. So, make it worth my time, devil boy.”
His eyes danced with sudden excitement. “Devil boy,” he mused. “And what if I disagree with your analysis on the prophecy?” he said, circling around me as he studied me from head to toe.
It was time to flex, because he had a cat who ate the canary look on his face, making me suddenly relieved that I hadn’t tried to debate him on technicalities. Messing with his head on an emotional level seemed to have worked like a charm, though.
He’d complimented my prowess earlier. I could use that. I cleared my throat and shot him a wicked smile. “I’m an enigma. The daughter of a dark wizard and a nephilim, and my DNA is fused with a Beast. I am one of a new breed of Horsemen when there are already Four Horsemen. I am wanted by both Heaven and Hell—both want to reclaim and control their missing daughter. I was a Shepherd, yet I became the new Dracula and I now control the world’s vampires. I am, dare I say, quite formidable, you see.”
He smiled, delighting in the danger. “Ah. Then I should be quite terrified of my betrothed,” he murmured, circling behind me like a hungry panther.
I shook my head. “That’s just it. I have not said yes. You haven’t even asked, if we’re getting technical. And you seem like the kind of man who likes to get technical,” I said, swallowing the reflex bile that rose up into my throat.
He let out an animalistic growl from behind me.
And, for the first time, he let slip a bit of his power. I felt a solar flare of heat bloom against my back—so hot that I thought my hair had caught fire. It was gone a fraction of a second later, but it made my heart race and my fingers go numb. Confirmation received. Wrath was legit, and easily as powerful as Michael. Enough to kill me six times over if he so chose. Even if I tried using the Spear against him, I wasn’t sure it would do much harm. It was shockingly humbling.
I somehow managed to keep my composure rather than Shadow Walking to safety—because it would have only encouraged him to chase me. “The question is just a formality,” he argued.
I shrugged unconcernedly. “Are you willing to bet your prophecy on it? Because without me, you might as well go marry an actual white rose—the flower—and cross your fingers,” I said with a smirk.
31
Wrath stepped back into my peripheral vision and came to a halt, studying me with those icy eyes of his, trying to determine whether I was bluffing or if I truly did have a valid point. Whatever he saw on my face must have been convincing because I saw multiple personalities suddenly flit across his face in the blink of an eye—rage, fear, disbelief, and then forced calm. “You have no reason to cooperate with me—”
“I will do anything to protect the City of Fountains,” I interrupted him, speaking the truth.
His lips tugged into an eager smirk. “That is simple enough—”
“I was not finished,” I interrupted him again, scowling at him for good measure. He arched an incredulous eyebrow and then laughed. He motioned for me to proceed, folding his arms with an amused grin. “I need to meet your brothers. All of them. Privately.”
His humor shifted to suspicion and then anger. “That is a dangerous request. We do not all get along very well. They would try to do you harm. Private is not possible.”
“Private is required, Wrath. I can take care of myself in case you’ve forgotten. And I have the Spear.”
He scoffed. “The Spear is worthless against us. Go ahead and stab me with it if you doubt me.”
He spread his arms and calmly walked within striking distance, inviting me to test his claim. What if attempting it destroyed the Spear? Or allowed him to take it for himself? Finally, I shook my head. “I already had my suspicions about the Spear, otherwise the archangels would have killed me for it long ago.”
He lowered his arms and studied me thoughtfully, looking intrigued by my words rather than doubtful. I wasn’t sure what that meant, so I arched my eyebrow and showed him my resting bitch face.
Wrath smiled, nodding. “Princes of Hell can only be killed by Princes of Heaven,” he said, gauging my reaction. “Archangels can only be killed by archdemons. Opposites attract, and only opposites can negate the other.”
I saw a faint flicker of hesitation in his eyes, as if he’d briefly recalled a fact that contradicted his claim. Then he dismissed it with a faint grunt, shaking his head. Whatever it had been, his reaction told me that it had nothing to do with my current tool belt—not my Mask, my Seal, or my Spear.
So…what had it been? Why even think of it if it wasn’t viable?
Had he been thinking of Ryuu and his Angel Killer dark blade?
“You intrigue me, Callie Penrose,” he said, snapping me out of my thoughts. “I will admit that I was anticipating our union before I even met you, but now…I think I am quite madly in love with you. Your defiance is…” he trailed off, taking a deep inhale through his nose and then an exhale out of his mouth, “so refreshing! I truly look forward to seeing you again. And soon.”
With that, he bowed his head and then made his way towards the back of Darling and Dear’s shop. I followed his movements and noticed a black, gift wrapped box with a white bow on top sitting on the ground just outside the door. It hadn’t been there earlier. Wrath picked it up, drummed his fingers on the top, and then smiled at me. It was about the size of a Monopoly box.
“What is that?” I asked warily.
Wrath smiled. “You will find out soon enough, my beloved,” he said with a wink. “Do you recall where you first powered up your precious little Spear?”
I frowned, caught off guard by the question. “Yes.”
“Good. You will find one of my siblings there. He is not expecting you,” he added with a macabre grin. “You have my permission to murder him, of course. He’s been a pain in my side for quite some time. Remember that your typical weapons will be no match for one of the Seven, so I recommend sending one of your archangel friends. Michael is an obedient little guard dog. He won’t be missed.”
“Michael is not my friend. I made him quite upset this morning. In fact, he ran away.”
Wrath cocked his head curiously, obviously not having known this bit of new
s. “Is that so?” he mused.
I nodded. “He was upset about Samael and Lilith’s wedding, and he threatened to destroy my city if I consorted with anymore demons,” I said dryly. Then, realizing I didn’t want Wrath knowing about Ryuu’s ability to potentially kill archangels, I scrambled for an answer as to how I managed to make Michael flee. “I threatened to break the Spear if he didn’t back the fuck off.”
Wrath burst out laughing. “Well. That ought to do it.” His laughter slowly faded, and he stared deeply into my eyes. “You’ve obviously met Samael’s Daemons, judging by the ninjas my men killed.” I nodded. “What about Lilith’s pair? I heard they went missing,” he said in an overly casual tone.
My blood instant froze, but I managed to shrug with an annoyed groan. “Not you, too.”
He frowned. “What?” he asked in a dark tone.
I sighed. “Michael asked about them, too. He didn’t like my answer.”
“And what was your answer?”
“I. Don’t. Know.” I shrugged, disinterestedly. “I don’t see why anyone cares.”
He nodded slowly, reading my face. It was all I could do not to fidget under his scrutiny. “I think I would like to visit my dear siblings, your godparents. Congratulate them on their special day.”
I grunted. “You can just pump the brakes, devil boy. We’re not far enough into our courtship for you to meet them. I’ll pass on your regards,” I said, dryly.
A slow grin split his cheeks. “You intrigue me, White Rose. How about a goodbye kiss?”
I scowled. “How about no?”
He chuckled. “Worth a try. I look forward to hearing about your visit with my dear brother, White Rose. Don’t delay. I have a feeling that things will begin moving very quickly, soon. And I would prefer you meet the rest of my brothers without delay. So we can get down to the matter at hand.” He winked.
Anghellic: Feathers and Fire Book 8 Page 18
