Read Online Blood Redemption (Angel's Edge #3) by Vicki Keire - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Vicki Keire
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carafe of a dark red liquid I fervently hoped was wine.
“Yes,” I snapped, suddenly tired of Belial’s torments. “My brother was dying.” I took a sip of wine and toyed with a piece of bread to give me time to gather my thoughts. I had to be very careful here; my brother Logan meant more to me than almost anything, and I would do everything in my power to protect him. I couldn’t bring him to Belial’s attention, so I swallowed my wine and did my best to speak in a normal voice. “He had cancer, and though I didn’t know it at the time, it was terminal.”
Belial sneered. “Let me guess. Ethan’i’el first appeared to ‘safeguard’ his soul.”
I nodded very slightly. “He came for my brother,” I said hoarsely, remembering the events of what seemed like so very long ago. “He came to safeguard his soul until he… he…”
“You can say it,” Belial said, his voice surprisingly soft. “Until he died.”
Mutely, I nodded, tears filling my eyes. That had been such a horrible autumn, full of overwork and worry and death’s shadow. This time, when I reached for the wineglass, it was because I wanted it.
“And then?” Belial prompted, still sounding surprisingly gentle.
How to condense the events of those days into something Belial would understand? He had said he once had a wife… did that mean he understood such concepts as human love and sacrifice? How could I explain the first time I saw Ethan, that first touch that left me seared to my core? I couldn’t. I raised tear-bright eyes to lock gazes with a demon. “We love each other,” I said simply. “And it changed everything.”
It had, too. Ethan’i’el had become Ethan as he chose a human life with me over an eternity as a messenger of the Light.
“But your brother was still dying,” Belial said, crossing to sit right next to me at the small table. “Caspia, how did my brother save yours?”
Here it was―the question even I wasn’t sure I knew how to answer. “I don’t know,” I said, my face almost completely obscured by my dark hair. I barely spoke above a whisper. “Logan was dying. He was broken and bleeding, and there was nothing I could do.” Again I saw the accident, saw my brother’s body sprawled across the hood of the car. “And then Ethan was there. The light was leaving my brother’s eyes, and Ethan said, ‘Take mine,’ and suddenly Logan was breathing again. Whatever Light Ethan had, he gave to my brother that day.” I slumped away from the table. “And when I finally saw him again, he was human. Completely, fallibly human.” I took a long drink of wine. It burned the back of my throat and almost made me cough. “That’s all I know.”
I left out the part about Ethan being immune to all forms of magic. Belial hadn’t asked about the Immunes in Whitfield, and there was no way I was going to volunteer the information.
The demon nodded at me across the table. “Yes, of course. They stripped him of his powers and threw him out.” He snapped his gaze to mine, his face menacing again. “Where he found you waiting for him. Because you love him.”
I nodded feebly. There was no use denying it.
He shook his head, something like triumph shining in his eyes. “Foolish mortal. Love is the greatest weakness of all.”
Asheroth had said that to me once. But he, like Belial, was wrong. They both had to be wrong, or else all of this was futile.
“You said you would grant me one request,” I reminded him. “I told you what you wanted to know. Now it’s your turn.”
Belial settled back in his chair as if I’d just promised him a wonderful gift. “I suppose I did.” He almost looked like he was laughing at me. “Well? What will it be? A fortune in riches? Instant celebrity?” he saw my face and snorted. “Or, let me guess. Something different. Something noble. And boring, probably. Of course Ethan’i’el would choose a boring girl to fall in love with.”
I ignored his insults. This was it, my
“Yes,” I snapped, suddenly tired of Belial’s torments. “My brother was dying.” I took a sip of wine and toyed with a piece of bread to give me time to gather my thoughts. I had to be very careful here; my brother Logan meant more to me than almost anything, and I would do everything in my power to protect him. I couldn’t bring him to Belial’s attention, so I swallowed my wine and did my best to speak in a normal voice. “He had cancer, and though I didn’t know it at the time, it was terminal.”
Belial sneered. “Let me guess. Ethan’i’el first appeared to ‘safeguard’ his soul.”
I nodded very slightly. “He came for my brother,” I said hoarsely, remembering the events of what seemed like so very long ago. “He came to safeguard his soul until he… he…”
“You can say it,” Belial said, his voice surprisingly soft. “Until he died.”
Mutely, I nodded, tears filling my eyes. That had been such a horrible autumn, full of overwork and worry and death’s shadow. This time, when I reached for the wineglass, it was because I wanted it.
“And then?” Belial prompted, still sounding surprisingly gentle.
How to condense the events of those days into something Belial would understand? He had said he once had a wife… did that mean he understood such concepts as human love and sacrifice? How could I explain the first time I saw Ethan, that first touch that left me seared to my core? I couldn’t. I raised tear-bright eyes to lock gazes with a demon. “We love each other,” I said simply. “And it changed everything.”
It had, too. Ethan’i’el had become Ethan as he chose a human life with me over an eternity as a messenger of the Light.
“But your brother was still dying,” Belial said, crossing to sit right next to me at the small table. “Caspia, how did my brother save yours?”
Here it was―the question even I wasn’t sure I knew how to answer. “I don’t know,” I said, my face almost completely obscured by my dark hair. I barely spoke above a whisper. “Logan was dying. He was broken and bleeding, and there was nothing I could do.” Again I saw the accident, saw my brother’s body sprawled across the hood of the car. “And then Ethan was there. The light was leaving my brother’s eyes, and Ethan said, ‘Take mine,’ and suddenly Logan was breathing again. Whatever Light Ethan had, he gave to my brother that day.” I slumped away from the table. “And when I finally saw him again, he was human. Completely, fallibly human.” I took a long drink of wine. It burned the back of my throat and almost made me cough. “That’s all I know.”
I left out the part about Ethan being immune to all forms of magic. Belial hadn’t asked about the Immunes in Whitfield, and there was no way I was going to volunteer the information.
The demon nodded at me across the table. “Yes, of course. They stripped him of his powers and threw him out.” He snapped his gaze to mine, his face menacing again. “Where he found you waiting for him. Because you love him.”
I nodded feebly. There was no use denying it.
He shook his head, something like triumph shining in his eyes. “Foolish mortal. Love is the greatest weakness of all.”
Asheroth had said that to me once. But he, like Belial, was wrong. They both had to be wrong, or else all of this was futile.
“You said you would grant me one request,” I reminded him. “I told you what you wanted to know. Now it’s your turn.”
Belial settled back in his chair as if I’d just promised him a wonderful gift. “I suppose I did.” He almost looked like he was laughing at me. “Well? What will it be? A fortune in riches? Instant celebrity?” he saw my face and snorted. “Or, let me guess. Something different. Something noble. And boring, probably. Of course Ethan’i’el would choose a boring girl to fall in love with.”
I ignored his insults. This was it, my
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