End of Days (Penryn & the End of Days #3)(8)

‘What puny doctor? Doc?’

‘I ignored him. But now that I think of it, the little puke was probably right. Raphael has done nothing but make us both wingless.’

‘He’s not wingless.’

‘He will be.’ He gives a grim smile, exposing his bloody teeth.

I keep walking onto the porch. I’m almost at the door when he speaks again.

‘You’re in love with him, aren’t you?’ he rasps. ‘You think you’re so special. Special enough to catch an archangel’s love.’ He makes a dry, rattling noise that I think must be a laugh. ‘Do you know how many people have thought they could win his love over the centuries? That he’d be loyal to them just as they were loyal to him?’

I know I should ignore him. Nothing he says can be trusted – I know that – but curiosity burns through me anyway. I put my sister down at the open doorway.

‘Go back to your bed, Paige.’ After a little coaxing, she walks into the house.

I turn and lean on the porch railing. ‘What do you know about him?’

‘You want to know how many Daughters of Men he’s gone through? How many hearts do you think have shattered over Raphael, the great archangel?’

‘You’re telling me he’s a heartbreaker?’

‘I’m telling you he’s heartless.’

‘You’re going to tell me that he did you wrong? That you don’t deserve to be chained up like a rabid animal?’

‘He’s not a good guy, your angel. None of them are.’

‘Thanks for the warning.’ I turn to go back into the house.

‘You don’t believe me. I can show you.’ He says these words quietly like it doesn’t matter to him whether I believe him or not.

I pause at the doorstep.

‘I’m not a big fan of creepy guys offering to show me anything.’

‘That sword you carry around hidden under the stuffed animal,’ he says, ‘it can do more than just look shiny. It can show you things.’

I get goose bumps. How does he know?

‘I can show you what I experienced at the hands of that archangel you’re so enamored with. We just both need to be touching the sword.’

I turn back toward him. ‘I’m not stupid enough to give you my sword.’

‘You don’t need to give it to me. You can hold it while I just touch it.’

I look at him to see if there are any tricks. ‘Why should I risk losing my sword just to see if you’re telling the truth?’

‘There is no risk. The sword will not allow me to lift it or to take it from you.’ He’s talking to me like I’m an idiot. ‘It’ll be perfectly safe for you.’

I envision myself being in a memory trance within easy reach of Beliel. ‘Thanks, but no.’

‘Afraid?’

‘Not stupid.’

‘You can tie my hands, chain me, bag me, put me in a cage. Do whatever you like to ensure your safety from an old demon who can’t even get up on his own anymore. Once you do that, you know the sword won’t allow me to take it, so you’ll be perfectly safe.’

I stare at him, trying to see through his game.

‘Are you really afraid of me harming you?’ he asks. ‘Or maybe you just don’t want to know the truth about your precious archangel? He’s not what he seems. He’s a liar and a betrayer, and I can prove it. The sword won’t let me lie – it doesn’t pass on pretty words. Just memories.’

I hesitate. I should be turning around to leave, and he knows it. I should be ignoring everything he says.

But instead, I stand rooted to the porch. ‘You have your own agenda that has nothing to do with showing me the truth.’

‘Of course I do. Maybe you’ll let me go after you realize that he’s really the bad guy, not me.’

‘You’re the good guy now?’

Beliel’s voice turns cold. ‘Do you want to see it or not?’

I stand in the sunshine, looking at the beautiful view of the bay and the green hills beyond it. The sky is blue with only a few puffy clouds.

I should explore more of the island to see if there’s something here we could use. I should be coming up with a plan to get my sister better. I should be making myself useful instead of flirting with disaster.

But my dream keeps coming back to me. Could Beliel have been one of Raffe’s Watchers?

‘Were you . . . did you used to work with Raffe?’

‘You could say that. He used to be my commanding officer. There was a time when I would have done anything for him. Anything. That was before he betrayed me. Just like he’s going to do to you. It’s in his nature.’

‘I know you lied to my sister just for sport. I’m not a lonely, scared seven-year-old, so drop the evil manipulation act.’

‘Suit yourself, little Daughter of Man. You wouldn’t have believed what you saw anyway. You’re too loyal to the archangel to believe that he was the source of so much misery.’

I turn around and walk into the house. I check to see that Paige is sleeping in her room. I check the cupboards in the kitchen to take stock of the few cans of soup left by the men who were camped here before us.

While wandering around, the desire to see what Beliel is offering nags at me. Maybe he’ll show me something that brings me to my senses about Raffe. Maybe I’ll snap out of it and move on with my life – my life with other human beings, where I belong.