Page 9 of Tempting Azagoth (Angelic Shorts #1)
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AZAGOTH
T he next human proved uneventful. Or Azagoth was simply eager to return to his lamb. Little did she know, the apartment she rested in was merely a pocket dimension inside Hell. Two Earth days passed since he’d departed. One more and it’ll be a full moon cycle in Hell.
He didn’t want to be away from her that long.
Even an Earth day was too long.
And while he’d repeated the same routine of waiting in the living room for the next prince, Joseph Mercury, he deviated by not taking his time to consume the male’s pain. Joseph stumbled into his apartment, clothes askew and froze when he saw Azagoth in all his un-glamoured glory.
I may not take my time with this one but I’ll still enjoy it.
He grinned before transporting across the room in a blink. Joseph stumbled back but was too slow to stop Azagoth’s hands from locking around his head and twisting with all the supernatural strength in his grasp. The head came clean off and Azagoth stared down in a mixture of disgust and hunger.
I mean, one taste won’t hurt .
Shrugging at the mess he’d inadvertently made, he stooped down, clawing into the bloody stump and pulling out visceral and any organs he could get his hands on.
Noah fed his nonphysical needs. It’d be only fair for Joseph to sate his hunger for flesh.
Azagoth lifted his catch to his mouth, stretching his mouth wider than humanly possible, dropping the innards inside and gobbling it down with a contented purr. Another pleasure filled shudder wracked him, his wings flaring out.
Maybe I should cull cults more often. At this rate, I’ ll never go hungry.
He chuckled to himself, settling in to finish off every piece of Joseph until only bones remained.
DELILAH
Delilah didn’t know what to do with herself after Azagoth departed. The sunlight was slow to fade, and the apartment provided little in the way of amusement. She’d abandoned all thoughts of taking a bath until the Fallen Azagoth mentioned arrived. She’d worn holes in the floors with her pacing the length of the humble abode.
A knock was the only warning she got before the door swung open and the dark-haired Devil stepped through. She watched him enter, face tilted away from her and turned to close the door with equal parts fascination and trepidation. Ananiel provided her with a glimpse of what lurked beneath their outwardly pretty appearance.
However, when the Fallen wheeled around to face her, shock traveled through her. Two parallel lines ran down the Devil’s face, exposing gilded bone beneath the open cuts. It cut through his eyebrows and the corners of his lips. He didn’t offer a smile, peering at her with golden eyes swimming in a pool of black. Azagoth’s sclera possessed the normal white hers did.
Ramiel’s sclera was either absent or pitch dark. It was odd watching him blink at her, waiting for her reaction as he held a bundle of clothes in his arms. Clearing her throat, she gestured at them.
“Is that for me?” she asked, heat flushing her face. A long braid fell to Ramiel’s waist, and it shifted when he gave a nod, still not speaking.
“I’m Delilah,” she supplied, battling the awkwardness settling into the apartment. His head tilted, eyes never leaving hers.
“You’re his chosen,” he said in a deep voice. She didn’t know what a chosen was, and he spared her from asking. “He’s a prince of Hell and you’re in his domain,” his eyes stared at the shirt she wore, “wearing his clothes and being provided for by another prince.” He hefted the offering in question up.
“That means he’s choosing you to rule at his side. Azagoth never entertains company in his private rooms.” Boots thudded into the floor as Ramiel approached, holding the clothes toward Delilah to show his intent. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, princess Delilah,” he said, bowing when he reached her.
She stared at him, dumbfounded. Princess? Her? She shook her head.
“I don’t know the first thing about ruling creatures superior to me,” she gasped out, jerking away from Ramiel’s bowed torso. His chuckle teased her ears and soothed the tension snaking into her body.
“You’ll learn. And the first lesson is to quit thinking of us as superior but as equals. I wouldn’t be surprised if some tried to take advantage of that way of thinking. And it’d piss Azagoth right off so avoid the conflict by starting now. Here,” he said, shoving the clothes at her after rising from his bow.
Oh, she had so much to discuss with Azagoth when he returned , she thought, accepting the bundle of clothes.
How did my life get so upside down so quickly?
AZAGOTH
Wind buffeted Azagoth’s wings as he peered down curiously from his perch atop a building, his clawed feet hooking onto the ledge. Humans scuttled about below him and darkness shrouded the quickly emptying streets. But his eyes cut through the shadows easily, locking on Pharo Juno.
A prince that covets his sister. Do I kill him like the other two?
Azagoth tilted his head, attempting to find similarities between the two siblings. Pharo towered over most of the humans he passed, dark hair ruffling from the same wind trying to knock Azagoth from his precarious position. His wings spread wider, bracing him against nature’s force.
When his prey turned down an alley leading to an apartment building adjacent to the one Ananiel informed him Delilah resided in, he tensed in preparation to take flight.
Delilah’s brother had lived just a few feet away from her for months now. Azagoth wondered how many times their paths crossed and his lamb glanced at her brother, attempting to puzzle out where she knew him from.
Satan’s Chosen separated the men from the women. Unless their father gave his permission, Pharo wouldn’t have been allowed anywhere near his little sister. But it appeared he’d taken advantage of the male’s absence, stalking Azagoth’s lamb.
He leapt off the building, pulling shadows around him, rendering him nearly invisible to the naked eye. All they’d be able to see was more darkness cloaking the area, gliding along the sides of buildings.
The large expanse of feather and bone flapped once to keep him afloat, the wind doing the rest of the work, allowing him to follow his prey. The outside of Azagoth’s wings bore a hard coating, similar to armor, and the tips ended in sharp points. In battle, they acted as shield and weapon. But the inside of an angel’s wings was a glaring vulnerability.
Soft, downy feathers provided warmth when needed and allowed flight, but a well-aimed strike to the unarmored interior could cripple a celestial. Many battles happened while in the air because the inside was exposed the most.
Pharo glanced up, dispelling Azagoth’s musings. He didn’t have to worry about an aerial battle and the human didn’t have a weapon in his possession that could harm a Fallen. At least, Azagoth didn’t think the male did. He coasted closer, shifting his wings to allow him to land when the ground greeted him.
Delilah’s brother watched it all as if his own eyes could slice through the darkness to make out Azagoth’s shape. With a flick of his wrist, he commanded the shadows to dissipate until he and the human could peer into each other’s eyes. Azagoth cocked a brow at the male. Surprise and fear never appeared on his face. It remained stoic.
His eyes narrowed, wondering when the princeling had encountered a Fallen before.
“You're here to kill me, your eminence?” the other male called in a clear voice. It was as flat as his expression. It took Azagoth by surprise. The other two hadn’t behaved like Pharo at all. A suspicion wiggled in his mind.
“You watched her that night. At the diner.” It wasn’t a question. He saw his sister nearly get attacked and witnessed Azagoth’s interference.
Pharo gave a curt nod. He’d expected Azagoth to make an appearance, and he’d clearly made his peace with Death.
Where’s Azrael when I need him?
“Then you know why I’m here,” Azagoth said, prowling closer. Despite his command, shadows writhed around him, swirling across his body and choking the oxygen from the air. The Fallen didn’t need to breathe. But Pharo did. The human panted, some of his bravado faltering as his eyes tried to peer into the darkness that crawled toward him.
“Stay away from my lamb and we won’t have a problem, prince. Inform the rest of your cult. If one member steps out of line,” Azagoth’s mouth stretched wide, flashing his fangs, “I’ll devour you all. Understood?” He waited for the human to control his fear, even if it smelled delicious.
Pharo nodded, gulping air down as it got thinner. Satisfied, Azagoth bent his knees then jumped before spreading his wings wide, letting them flap and carry him toward his sweet Delilah.
I’m coming home, my little temptation.