“I do know him,” she said, pointing at Azazel accusingly. “I know what he is. I accepted that the day I asked him to be mine, and I’m not going to turn my back on him when he needs me, nor on you, or Lucifer.”
“He’s right, Melisande.” Tascius sounded pained, and not just from my fists in his face and throat. “I’m a danger to you.”
She swung around, glaring dangerously. “Don’t you dare take his side.”
“Oh, please do,” Azazel said silkily.
From the way Azazel looked about ready to take full shadow-form, his body wavering at the edges, I was going to have to be the one to settle this.
I strode forward and took her hands, folding up her fingers in mine.
“I know you love him, and I wouldn’t ask you not to help him,” I said, looking in her eyes. Her gaze flicked from mine and down to the blood drying on my mouth. “But at the very least, could you not get in between him and whatever he’s trying to kill at the moment?”
She snorted an angry little breath and used her sleeve to wipe away some of the blood on my face. “That’s… reasonable, I guess.”
She released me and stepped back, folding her arms over her chest the way she did when she was feeling defensive.
“Look, every single one of you is a danger to me in some way. Lucifer handed my ass to me without breaking a sweat. Tascius goes mad with rage. Belial could eat me in literally one bite. And you can’t claim to be any less of a danger,” she said to Azazel. “If you wanted to, you could open a door to some fucking nightmare dimension and shove me through.”
“I would never do that,” he said, his voice stiff.
“But can we know that?” she asked, parroting his earlier words. “If you tried to contact another entity and lost yourself again, would you know me? If the abyss opened up further and took over your soul completely, could you say beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would be in no danger from it?”
Azazel was silent, but his violet eyes burned furiously.
“I love you all not just in spite of your deadliness, but because of it. Every single one of you means more than my own life to me, and I wouldn’t turn my back on any of you, even if you were mad with bloodlust or no longer yourself. It is equal. You all chose me; I chose you, and no matter what you are, I will not run away from you.”
She stared at us all, clearly expecting some resistance, and getting none.
I was just floored by her admission. She loved us.
I caught Azazel’s eye, the softening in his harsh expression, and realized he was thinking the same thing. Tascius was staring at her, eyes wide.
“So… are we agreed?” she asked, eyeing us suspiciously. She didn’t even see that she’d just dropped a bomb on us.
I couldn’t fault Tascius for what he was if she’d chosen him. Hell, he’d been the first.
“We’re agreed,” I said cheerfully, breaking the tense silence. “Love you, too.”
“I love you, too,” Tascius said. Her mouth opened in astonishment, and I enjoyed watching the slide of emotions play on her features: surprise, confusion, and finally, understanding followed by embarrassment.
Azazel slid forward on his shadows, tipping up her chin. “I love you, stubborn little monster.” He kissed her, being careful of her bruised lip, and didn’t scowl until he drew back. “But next time I give you an order-”
“I will follow it to a T up until the moment I decide not to.” She looked flustered, cheeks red, but couldn’t hold back a smile.
Azazel rolled his eyes. “I expected no less.”
“You always get the problem students,” I added, striding past to the oracle’s body.
Azazel had neatly cut away her hands, leaving stumps behind. We had everything we needed: the mirror, the ebonite, her hands.
Tascius cast a dark look at the body, and I knew he was mulling over the oracle’s last taunts.
“Don’t take it to heart,” I heard Melisande say. “She didn’t know a damn thing. We’re not going to take predictions from a crazy lady who wanted to turn me into stew.”
Tascius just managed to wipe the grim look from his face. “Consider it forgotten.”
It was clear he was lying, but Melisande patted his arm reassuringly all the same.
“We’re flying,” Azazel said. He was already shimmering, extending a hand to Tascius. “The sooner we create the new sword, the sooner we finish this.”
Melisande glanced at him and sucked in her lip thoughtfully, then winced when she hit the bruise.
Whatever was on her mind, it was clearly not happy thoughts or confessions of adoration.
I took her hand, extending my wings. “Let’s go, love.”
She gave me a crooked smile. “You’re not going to let that go, are you?”
“Don’t tell me you’re embarrassed.”
“No, but…” She burst into the air next to me, drawing away just enough to give us both room to gain height. “I probably could’ve done it in a more romantic way. Maybe when we weren’t fighting.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” I caught a draft and soared after Azazel’s shadow, Melisande just above me. “Right after a brutal fistfight is the best time to confess your deepest, darkest feelings.”
“You would think that, wouldn’t you?” Her wry look was impossible to miss.
“Come on, you think kicking ass and taking names is the most romantic thing ever.”
“I’m glad you know me so well,” she said, catching an updraft and soaring higher.
I caught up easily, flying wingtip to wingtip. “So you’re telling me if I fought against you in your arena, you wouldn’t think it’s the sexiest thing ever?”
“That’s not what I’m saying at all,” she said, pink touching her cheekbones. “You do get me.”
“Good. Because as soon as they realize that they’re all going to want a turn.”
“You’re all welcome to take me on.” Melisande grinned at
