Wrath of the Fallen by Eve Archer

Chapter Twenty

Ella

All heads swiveled to Sara, who was glaring at Rami.

“My apologies,” Mastema said, not sounding the least bit sorry. “I thought the others were aware of the deal we made.”

“Deal?” Sara’s voice vibrated with what I recognized to be barely contained anger. I hadn’t been on the receiving end of her wrath very often, but I remembered what it felt like, and I did not envy Rami. Even the candles seemed to flicker higher as Sara shot daggers with her eyes.

“I wanted to tell you earlier, but there wasn’t an appropriate moment,” Rami said, his tone staying even and steady.

Sara crossed her arms and rapped her fingers against her bare skin, silent as she stared at him. My stomach churned, my one bite of sweetbreads threatening to come back up. It was never good when Sara got quiet.

“Mastema requires an exchange for his protection,” Rami explained, as the rest of us around the table seemed to hold our breath.

“And that exchange is you?”

Rami met her eyes and nodded. “I agreed to work in service of the demon prince for the period of one year.”

“But you’re an angel,” she said, her voice dropping as if Mastema and Caspiel couldn’t hear her. “How can you work with the leader of the demons?”

Rami smiled at her. “I’m a fallen angel, and I’m only working with him in a business capacity.”

Mastema cleared his throat. “I require Ramiel to assist me in building a legitimate business empire as the Fallen have done. I assure you, he will have no dealings with the demon underworld.” He chuckled. “I wouldn’t trust even a fallen angel with coordinating so much fear and unrest.”

“Well, that makes me feel loads better.” The sarcasm dripped from her words.

Rami’s eyes pleaded with her to understand. “There was no other way to keep Ella safe—or you. We need Mastema.”

“And he needs Rami,” Dominick said.

Sara swung her head toward him. “And you’re fine with your best friend sacrificing himself for you?”

A muscle in Dominick’s jaw tensed. So much for the cease-fire between my boyfriend and best friend. Sara was looking at him like she wanted to tear his head off.

“It was not my decision,” Dominick gritted out. “But, no, if you must know, I’m not fine with it. I wanted to wring his neck when he agreed to it.”

Sara let out a sound of surprise. “One thing we agree on, then.”

“I admit to being unaware that you were romantically involved with Ramiel,” Mastema said, giving Sara a look of abject remorse, which was clearly manufactured. “If I’d known—“

He let the words drift off, as if Rami’s personal feelings would have had any effect on his request. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

“We aren’t,” Sara said. “But that doesn’t mean I want him to be sold off to the Grand Poohbah of the demons.”

Mastema’s brow furrowed as he attempted to deduce if he’d just been insulted.

“I’ll be fine,” Rami said. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“That’s just what Ella said when she told me about meeting your buddy, here.” She jerked a thumb at Dominick. “So, forgive me for not believing you.”

I attempted to catch Sara’s eyes across the table and around the gilded arms of a candelabra, the melted wax dripping onto the gold in molten blobs. She wasn’t looking at me, though. Her gaze was locked on Rami as if he might disappear at any moment.

“So, that’s it? You’re going to run off and work for the demon prince for a year, and there’s nothing I can say to change your mind?”

Rami lowered his eyes.

“I assure you, he’ll enjoy the best that life has to offer,” Caspiel said with a wolfish grin. “If there’s one thing demons know how to do, it’s decadence.”

“No kidding,” Sara deadpanned.

“It’s only a year, Sara,” I said. “You know how time flies by.”

She turned slowly to look at me. “You knew about this, didn’t you?”

“Not really. I found out only a little while ago.” Now I wished that Dominick hadn’t told me when he’d come up to the room, and I’d been finding out at the same time as Sara. At least then she wouldn’t feel like the last to know. “Rami’s right. There was no good time to tell you.”

Her eyes glittered, and she jerked her gaze from me. “I don’t know what I’m so upset about. It’s not like I have any say in what goes on in the world of fallen angels and demons.” She braced her hands wide on the table and stood. “I’m only a human after all. I guess we don’t rate very high when everyone else is a demon or fallen angel,” she cut her eyes to me, “or daughter of an angel.”

“Sara, that’s not—“

“What? It’s the truth. I’ve been kidding myself by thinking that I belong in this world because you were here.” Her gaze held mine. “I thought that if my best friend could hack it with fallen angels, then I could, too. But you’re not just my best friend anymore, are you? You’re also the daughter of the fucking angel Gabriel.” She opened her arms wide. “You’re part of this crazy world, even though you never knew about it. But I’m not, and I never will be, because I’m a mortal, with no hint of an angel’s trace on me.”

Rami stood. “Sara—“

“I’m sorry to ruin your weird dinner party,” she said, pushing her chair back so quickly it flipped over, “but I need to be alone for a bit.”

With that, she stumbled from the dining room.

Rami gaped at the open door where she’d exited. “Should I go after her?”

“Not unless you’re willing to get your head bitten off,” I said, shaking my head. “She needs some time to cool down.”

“It’s too bad she is mortal.” Mastema’s eyes flashed. “She would make a superb demon.”

Dominick leveled a finger at him. “Hands off the human—both of them.”

Mastema lifted his wine glass and swirled the contents. “I have no intention of turning her.”

“That includes you.” Rami pinned Caspiel with a menacing gaze that was worthy of a demon. “Sara is off-limits.”

The handsome demon lifted an eyebrow lazily. “If you say so, but if I were you, I’d do a better job of staking my claim. I thought you Fallen were known for your ability to charm females.”

“The operative word is charm,” Rami said. “We don’t bewitch women like the incubi.”

Caspiel cocked his head. “Do you really think I need to bewitch anyone?”

Rami curled his hands into fists, but Dominick cleared his throat in warning.

Caspiel had a point. The tall demon looked nothing like anything I’d ever imagined of the evil creatures—then again, neither did Mastema—and he was as suave as he was handsome. It would take little for a woman to fall prey to his charms.

Not that Rami was anything to sneeze at, but I’d grown used to how attractive he was. As I glanced around the opulent table, I realized that I was sitting with three of the most devastatingly gorgeous men I’d ever seen—and none of them were actually men.