“I guess that’s to be expected.”
They walked quietly for a few minutes, each sunken in their own thoughts.
“Why did you come here? You said I was the reason you came here.”
“Both Ben and I were… bored, with how our lives were all those months ago. We wanted to change things up and Ben picked this place. You were the first human he met. That kind of connection is what keeps us here.”
“I thought it was strange that he appeared out of nowhere. Can angels teleport?”
“Sadly, no. We can make it seem like we’re invisible, but it’s only altering how the human world sees us. We’re always on the physical plane. Most angels appear in their human form when they’re here, locking away their wings. It doesn’t always work out well when a human sees angelic wings—especially if they’re religious.”
“You know I was raised a Catholic.”
“I know. But being a Catholic isn’t just who you are. You might have been raised as one, but you’re also taught science. This country is much more down to earth than countries in the south; ‘seeing is believing’ is stronger here.”
“I think this is a good spot.” The trees were more dense here, and Nora didn’t see anyone around.
Danny nodded. “I want to give you a choice. I can show you only my wings, or my entire appearance.”
“Go big or go home.” Nora didn’t know what to expect, but she was tired of lies. She wanted to know everything.
Danny took off his coat and revealed his bare back.
Nora wanted to look away.
“No, you have to look. I don’t like ripping clothes, so this is just a precaution.”
Nora turned back and waited. Danny closed his eyes and focused. Small black feathers broke through his skin, clumped together, like a butterfly hatching from its cocoon. Sounds of snapping bones made her winch. It was as if his spine snapped into three parts. The wings grew bigger, with longer feathers unfolding at the tips.
She gasped and sank through her knees. Nora didn’t know what to think; the wings were beautiful and frightening at the same time. The feathers glistened like oil in the moon light, she couldn’t take her eyes of them. The extended wings were much bigger, the ones from the Halloween party were nothing compared to these. The trees were barely high enough to conceal them.
Danny folded his wings as his skin darkened into a grey colour. His hair lost its colour and its length, there was barely anything left.
Finally, Danny turned around and showed his face. Fear paralysed her as she looked into the blood-red eyes. They sucked her in, like Ben’s had at prom, but instead of a night sky of serenity, it was a pit filled with blood and fire. Desperation filled her, a fear so bad she wanted to die.
He didn’t look remotely the same. This Danny was skinny, his cheeks sunken into his face, his eyes expressed fear and doubt. His hands looked like claws with long fingernails and skinny fingers. He resembled one of the devils in renaissance paintings. All that was so beautiful about him was gone, except for his wings.
Her left hand covered her mouth, and she saw Danny lowering his gaze to the bracelet. In an instant Danny turned back to his normal self and ran away. He left Nora in the dark.
Chapter 28
Nora was having lunch again with her three friends when the whispers came from the hallway. They were back, the ‘brothers’, after not being at school for over a week.
She turned to Felicia, who looked annoyed. Nora quickly excused herself from the table without making a scene. Felicia nodded and Josy squeezed her hand for strength. Nora knew she wasn’t alone anymore. She had told her friends she fought with both of them because of the bet. The four now understood that it was them who tried to ruin their friendship, and that it wasn’t Felicia’s or Nora’s fault.
The two angels leaned against the lockers close to the exit, whispering to each other.
“Care to explain?” Nora sounded like her mother after she discovered the mess she and Michael usually made as kids.
“Wow, I wasn’t expecting you.” Ben jumped as he heard her voice. “We’ve only been here for two minutes. How did you know we were here?”
“Don’t underestimate teenage gossip. So, why are you here? Shouldn’t you be going to, wherever?” Nora had no intention of being nice to them.
“We… can’t,” Danny mumbled.
“I don’t care if you can’t go back to your plane of existence, but why come back here? You can be anywhere else in the world. You’re not wanted here.” Their presence annoyed her.
“I know, I wish I could change it. But it’s not that easy. The, ehm, circumstances of our bet keep us from calling it off. The consequences would be, mildly said, unwanted.”
“What’s that have to do with me?”
“You’re part of that consequence. That’s what the Devil told me.”
Nora noticed people walking towards their classes and checked her phone.
“I don’t have time for this now. You better explain when I come over to your house when I’m done here. Go home. There’s nothing for you here.”
Ben and Danny looked at each other. “Wouldn’t it be weird for us to come and go in less than half an hour? I mean, the teacher has already seen us.”
“Why do you care? It’s not like you’re actually following an education. You’re not even real students. Go away, now.” Her anger gave her power and confidence.
Both of them kept their mouths shut.
She motioned them to go and they followed her command. Ben looked back as they walked out the door, whispering something to Danny.
Nora didn’t care anymore. Maybe Matthew could help her make sense of it.
***
Three hours later, Nora rang the bell of the house she didn’t want to be in. Ben opened the door and let her in. Danny was sitting on the couch, but no sign of Matthew.
“Where’s Matthew?”
“He’s not here. He had an assignment.”
Nora felt her anger rise. This wasn’t what she wanted, but there was nothing she could do about it. Ben sat down next to her and gave her a cup of tea.
“You need to calm down. We could feel your negative vibrations through the walls.”
Nora ignored him and drank the tea. Chamomile, made to relax her.
“I know Danny showed you some things you weren’t supposed to see, but what’s done is done. You know I’m also an angel, but I’m still allowed into the Angelic City. They’ll probably kick me out when they learn about this.” Ben pressed his fingers against his forehead, as if he was trying to ease a headache. “That’s not your concern though.”
“I want to know more about this consequence you mentioned. How is the Devil going to punish me?” She looked at Danny.
“When we made the bet, we used blood of the Devil to seal the deal. The power of his blood ensures that we stick to our promise.” Danny at Nora. His face looked more like his angelic self; grey and hollow. “I didn’t know calling off the bet would affect you.”
“After I showed you, I went back to Hell. I sent Ben a message that the bet was off. I couldn’t do it, it felt wrong on so many levels.” Danny let out a big sigh. “The Devil came to me to ask the result of the bet, so I said ‘nothing’. I’ll skip what happened after that, but the Devil still demands what he was promised. If we, Ben or I, can’t give him that, it would be you.”
“What he means is, if you don’t pick one of us, he’ll take you,” Ben clarified.
“What? You mean I have to pick the one to be sacrificed to the Devil?” A shiver went down her spine. The thought of her deciding the Devil’s victim was too much.
“No, we won’t lose our lives. I’m not sure about you though.”
“Jeez, Ben. You’re scaring her.”
“No, you did that by showing your true self.” Ben stood up and started pacing around the room. “Look. We messed up, and I’m sorry about that. But you’re the only one who can fix it. We already agreed on the punishment and I don’t wa
nt you to be the Devil’s target.”
“You’re still punishing me by making me choose one of you. If I pick one, the other will lose something, right? And that’s entirely up to me.”
“It means one of us didn’t do what we said we would do.”
“No, that’s just your ego telling you that. Human matters aren’t as black and white. We’re more than just God’s pawns. You still don’t see that?”
“Ben, let it go. You’re not making it better.”
“So what should I do then, huh?” There was anger in his voice. Ben sighed.
“Shut up.” Nora’s voice was soft, but Ben heard her. He dropped to the ground and covered his head with his arms.
“I never wanted to hurt you, but everything I do ends up hurting you.” Ben let out a few tears.
“Don’t mind him. He’s been emotional since the day I showed myself to you.”
“At least he knows he was wrong. You don’t seem affected by any of this.”
“You can see my face, right? It’s not my human face. I’ve lost control over my appearance. That’s how much it affects me. At least he can still walk the street without everyone shying away.” Danny’s leg was twitching and his knuckles were white.
Nora hadn’t noticed how nervous he was. Between the three of them, Nora was the most relaxed.
She walked to the kitchen to get another cup of tea. She was lucky; the cannister was still on the counter. Nora pushed the button to reheat the water in the kettle. The near-boiling water was the only thing she heard.
The boys were quiet, both lost in thought. She felt sorry for them until she remembered it was her life they played with. She was the only one who could fix this mess, and she still didn’t know if she could answer their question. Who did she love more?
The kettle switched off as the water came to a boil. She poured the hot liquid in her cup and added a tea satchel. Instead of going back to the living room, she stared out of the front window. Across the street was a small creek and park. Children ran around without worries, while she was inside trying to make the hardest decision of her life.
There was Daniel, or Danny. The handsome blond god who seduced every girl at school without intent. A young man who went to church every week and who was still haunted by his last mission. He was a coward who ignored the problems right in front of him, but who she could depend on for advice.
And then there was Benjamin, or Ben. The moody dark-haired teenager who stole her first and second kiss. The one who actively tried to date her. His social skills were so bad that he ended up hurting her when he didn’t mean to. He was the one who had given her both butterflies in her stomach and nightmares.
They had both hurt her too much. There was no way she could feel love for either of them.
She closed her eyes and focused on the smell of chamomile. Her mind was empty for a second—a second of peace she welcomed.
Two hands rested on her shoulders, and she turned around to see who it was. Danny stood behind her with his human face.
“Look at them. So carefree. I was never a child, but I always enjoyed watching them play. Their existence seems so pure. It makes me wish I was human.” Danny squeezed her shoulders softly. “Nora, I’m truly sorry about all of this. I agreed to this bet out of selfishness. I wanted to go back to the human world and see if I could love again. The Devil overheard the conversation and told me to use his blood. He isn’t someone you could say no to. He wanted high stakes, but we thought the consequences would only be for one of us, and no human would be hurt. If I had kept the blood from Ben, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“Naive.” Nora didn’t want to be swayed by his words, but she couldn’t ignore them.
“Yes, we were. One of the rules in the Angelic City is that we can’t interact with humans unless it’s to save the life of one we’re assigned to. We are always on the outside, observing, which isn’t enough to understand how society works. How certain acts affect someone, or what the consequences are. The ripples go on much longer and reach much farther than I expected. An earthquake in South America will influence people here to hold a fundraiser. A terrorist attack in Asia will stop people from travelling there. It’s the emotions of love, fear, and hate that connect everyone on Earth.”
“At least you learned something.” Nora took a sip from her tea and felt her body relax again.
“Only because of you. If Felicia was the one we had to seduce, things would’ve been very different.”
Nora couldn’t help but laugh at the image of a love triangle between the three of them. Felicia would’ve dated them both at the same time, and they wouldn’t even know it. She would’ve played them, but she would’ve picked the one with the best physique as the winner.
“Danny.” Nora turned around. “Will you kiss me?”
Danny looked surprised. “What? Why?”
“Well, Ben kissed me twice and I want to know how you make me feel when we kiss. Maybe then I’ll know who to pick.” Nora put down the cup.
“No, I will not kiss you. A reaction to a kiss isn’t enough to show you what love is. It might be a spark, but a spark alone might not be enough to kindle a fire. I don’t think it’ll help you.” Danny looked away from Nora before continuing. “Also, that would be my first kiss.” A blush appeared on his cheeks.
Nora was both disappointed and relieved. He was right. It wasn’t what she needed.
“I know you will find your answer. I just hope it won’t be too long before you do. The Devil is losing patience.” He squeezed her shoulder again before heading back to the living room.
Nora grabbed her cup and followed him.
Ben was still sitting in the same position in front of the TV. “And? Did you two kiss?” A mumble came from underneath his arms, barely audible.
“No. I don’t use your methods,” Danny snapped at him.
Nora didn’t want to know how Ben knew. Angel powers were still new to her and it overwhelmed her. She spent the last two weeks trying to forget everything related to angels. She was tired.
“So, now what? Is there some sort of ceremony we need to do to end this?”
“You know who you’re going to pick?”
“No, but I want to know what to prepare for. Do I have to be clothed in nothing but a linen gown and dance under the moonlight chanting the name of my one true love?” Nora exaggerated, she knew, but she was scared. Most rites connected to the Devil or Satan involved blood, or a sacrifice which they had already confirmed was true.
“You’re overthinking it. I suspect saying I love you to that person would be enough.”
“I can’t say that.”
“Why not?”
“It’s too… I don’t want to say it to just anyone.”
“We’re not random strangers. We’ve been friends for nearly seven months.”
“I don’t even say it to my friends whom I’ve known for years. Time has nothing to do with it, my connection to them does. I don’t feel close enough to either of you to say it.”
“A woman with principles.” Ben sighed.
“If you have a problem with that, you should’ve picked someone else.” Nora was fed up with both of their attitudes. She put down her cup on the coffee table. “Fine. I’ll go. You don’t want to help me anyway.”
It hurt. She needed help, but neither of them gave her the support she needed. They abandoned her in a hole surrounded by death.
***
“Nora, you have to choose one of us.” Ben finally uncurled from his ball of self-pity. He grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving.
“Why? You don’t care about what I feel or think.” Nora pulled her arm from his grip.
“It’s not up to us anymore. If it was, I would’ve dismissed the bet a long time ago. You don’t deserve this.”
“You bet I don’t.” She hissed at him. All of her anger had returned in an instant.
“We were idiots who thought we could have some fun. To spice up our lives. But we didn’t think a
bout the consequences for everyone involved. We need an answer though.” Ben made it sound like an apology, but Nora knew it wasn’t. He was trying to justify it for himself rather than help Nora understand. His ego was still more important than she was.
“I’m not giving you an answer. It’s absurd. You two got yourself into this mess, so get yourself out.”
“The devil won’t have it. Only you can end this. I don’t know what he’ll do to make you answer.” Danny’s dry words hardly added to the conversation.
“Don’t forget he’s the Devil. He’s evil and will make you suffer. I don’t want you to go through that.” Ben began to sound more desperate.
“I really can’t believe you. You’ve been lying to me and using me all this time. You have both been a guardian angel to a human. You even became attached to one, so much that it got you sent to Hell. And neither of you realised that you could develop feelings for me? You don’t deserve to be angels. You’re even more selfish than human boys. Right now, I hate you both equally.”
“I would be okay if you picked the one you hate the least.”
“No, go to Hell.” Something snapped. Nora wasn’t one to swear, normally. It was the most honest she’s been in a long time, she spoke from her heart.
“Please, Nora. You’ll never have to see us again.” Ben begged her.
“I’m not playing your stupid game and I’ll make sure I won’t have to see you again, regardless. I’d rather die than give up my principles for either of you.” Nora headed for the door. Their selfishness was too much to handle. She meant what she said. If the Devil wanted her life, it’d save her from all of this. No guilt, no worries, no more men.
The room rumbled. Nora heard a deep sound, and the lights went out. A smell of sulphur greeted her and she gagged. Two red eyes appeared out of nowhere, with a white grin underneath, reminding her of the cheshire cat, until light came back.
Devil's Deal (Infernal Contracts Book 1) Page 20
