either.
“No, no. No way.” The sickness felt like someone punched him in the stomach right after eating a really big steak. Timothy ignored it. He shoved his body’s complaints aside, because this was too important. Jenny was too important. Thinking about nothing but breathing and protecting Jenny, Timothy didn’t care what happened in the next few minutes as long as he kept her safe.
“What?” Cordinox asked. A few feet from one wall sat a desk and leather office chair waited behind the mahogany. An unfolded laptop sat on the desk’s corner. The demon sounded curious even as fury rumbled through his chest.
“You can’t hurt her,” he said. He kept his voice down, eyes on Isis and Cordinox. He imagined his tendrils of shadow. He imagined them sharp, hoping instinct would protect him. It didn’t take much to kill Cipher. Timothy could only pray he would be able to take out these two demons. Itching doubts still lingered behind the promise to protect her.
“Of course not,” Cordinox said as he sat in his chair’s shining leather. The demon’s fingertips rested against one another. After another moment, he smiled with the confidence of a man who knew all of the variables and all of the answers.
“You’re not going to hurt her?” Timothy should have sounded confused, but his question came out skeptical.
“No.”
“You can trust him,” Isis promised.
“She’s an angel. You were at war with them. You’re supposed to be opposites.” Timothy didn’t know if he could believe them. More than that, he didn’t know if he could beat them. “She’s an angel. You’re supposed to fight.”
“What would you say if my goal is to protect her?” Cordinox asked.
“Why?”
“Angels are made of love, pure love for others, the kind of love that burns a demon. Now a sufficiently strong demon, someone such as Maria Despada—my principle competitor—is strong enough to eat this child’s soul, but I’m not. She knows how to protect herself from the angel fire, something neither I, nor any other demon in this valley, can do. She’d eat an angel’s soul and double in power. I can’t let that happen. Therefore it’s in my best interest to protect the angel and keep her out of my enemy’s hands.” Timothy still stared at the demon, one other question on his mind. But he didn’t need to ask because Cordinox gave the answer first, “And you’re wondering why we don’t just kill her. Open an angel’s soul, either because she figured out her abilities or if you cut her open, and there’d be a spiritual explosion. Call it the equivalent of a nuclear blast for demons. I’m not really looking to die in such a humiliating manner.”
“She can do that, and you won the war?”
Cordinox smiled like he knew something special. “Of course we won. Demons can do anything. We can eat babies or raise money for orphans. That gives us options. Angels won’t hurt others to win. We will. That’s the thing about an evil person. He can do both good and evil because he doesn’t care. A good person is confined to morality. And morality means limitations. Given that, we won. Flexibility is the key to any victory. That’s why they’re an endangered species.”
“So why’d you want to know where she lived? Why do you need more information on her?” he asked, hesitant he might still have to fight, that they wanted to imprison her.
“I want to make sure Despada’s forces don’t get to her. Now that leads us to the better question. Why are you so worried about her? Why would you care about some random girl?”
“I know her,” Timothy confessed.
“Really?”
“I do.” Timothy exhaled at the ceiling, “She goes to my school. We live in the same apartment complex.” Timothy tried to sound definitive, like that’s all there was too it. They were neighbors, nothing more.
And the demon heard right through it, “But there is more.”
“No.”
“Yes,” Cordinox said. “There’s a lot more. Even if
“No, no. No way.” The sickness felt like someone punched him in the stomach right after eating a really big steak. Timothy ignored it. He shoved his body’s complaints aside, because this was too important. Jenny was too important. Thinking about nothing but breathing and protecting Jenny, Timothy didn’t care what happened in the next few minutes as long as he kept her safe.
“What?” Cordinox asked. A few feet from one wall sat a desk and leather office chair waited behind the mahogany. An unfolded laptop sat on the desk’s corner. The demon sounded curious even as fury rumbled through his chest.
“You can’t hurt her,” he said. He kept his voice down, eyes on Isis and Cordinox. He imagined his tendrils of shadow. He imagined them sharp, hoping instinct would protect him. It didn’t take much to kill Cipher. Timothy could only pray he would be able to take out these two demons. Itching doubts still lingered behind the promise to protect her.
“Of course not,” Cordinox said as he sat in his chair’s shining leather. The demon’s fingertips rested against one another. After another moment, he smiled with the confidence of a man who knew all of the variables and all of the answers.
“You’re not going to hurt her?” Timothy should have sounded confused, but his question came out skeptical.
“No.”
“You can trust him,” Isis promised.
“She’s an angel. You were at war with them. You’re supposed to be opposites.” Timothy didn’t know if he could believe them. More than that, he didn’t know if he could beat them. “She’s an angel. You’re supposed to fight.”
“What would you say if my goal is to protect her?” Cordinox asked.
“Why?”
“Angels are made of love, pure love for others, the kind of love that burns a demon. Now a sufficiently strong demon, someone such as Maria Despada—my principle competitor—is strong enough to eat this child’s soul, but I’m not. She knows how to protect herself from the angel fire, something neither I, nor any other demon in this valley, can do. She’d eat an angel’s soul and double in power. I can’t let that happen. Therefore it’s in my best interest to protect the angel and keep her out of my enemy’s hands.” Timothy still stared at the demon, one other question on his mind. But he didn’t need to ask because Cordinox gave the answer first, “And you’re wondering why we don’t just kill her. Open an angel’s soul, either because she figured out her abilities or if you cut her open, and there’d be a spiritual explosion. Call it the equivalent of a nuclear blast for demons. I’m not really looking to die in such a humiliating manner.”
“She can do that, and you won the war?”
Cordinox smiled like he knew something special. “Of course we won. Demons can do anything. We can eat babies or raise money for orphans. That gives us options. Angels won’t hurt others to win. We will. That’s the thing about an evil person. He can do both good and evil because he doesn’t care. A good person is confined to morality. And morality means limitations. Given that, we won. Flexibility is the key to any victory. That’s why they’re an endangered species.”
“So why’d you want to know where she lived? Why do you need more information on her?” he asked, hesitant he might still have to fight, that they wanted to imprison her.
“I want to make sure Despada’s forces don’t get to her. Now that leads us to the better question. Why are you so worried about her? Why would you care about some random girl?”
“I know her,” Timothy confessed.
“Really?”
“I do.” Timothy exhaled at the ceiling, “She goes to my school. We live in the same apartment complex.” Timothy tried to sound definitive, like that’s all there was too it. They were neighbors, nothing more.
And the demon heard right through it, “But there is more.”
“No.”
“Yes,” Cordinox said. “There’s a lot more. Even if
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