Divine Descent

Chapter Nineteen

"You look affright."

Samael sheds his suit coat and the velvet material shines against the pillars of his otherworldly palace. The walk back has been a quiet one, and I'm in no mood to confront the difficult circumstances I've placed myself in.

I'm irritated. I'm shocked. I'm overwhelmed.

And it's only been two days.

Samael is finding pleasure in my discomfort. "You ran off pretty quickly when Akan reached you. You know, it probably took him quite a while to find you with that limping. Where was your goodly compassion?"

Ignoring his teasing, I head for the stairs. "I'm guessing that's enough excitement for one day?"

He doesn't reply right away, but that doesn't prevent me from scaling.

"I made a mistake earlier, and I'm sorry."

"Whatever," I mutter, continuing on, my steps lagging.

There's echoing music coming from somewhere, but I haven't seen enough of this place to be able to locate where.

"Cassandra, I swear, I thought it would be a release for you. I thought it was something you wanted."

"To kill someone? To torture them?"

"They tortured you. They nearly killed you, more than once. I've watched you. I've seen the impact the foster system did to you. If I were you, I would have wanted to hurt them with my bare hands and I don't think that's a sign of evil. I think it would be justice."

Elijah said something like that once.

I tighten my hold on the railing as I turn to face him. "You say you've watched me since then? All my life?"

He nods from his place at the foot of the stairs. "Yes."

"You claim to love me, so tell me... how could you have watched me go through that and not intervened? And don't say it was for the greater good."

"But it was."

I point at him, grimacing. "And you wonder why I love him. He didn't ask. He didn't consider anything. Elijah promised he would make them pay. He promised that after less than a week of knowing me. He killed them for what they did expecting no praise, no acknowledgment in return. He didn't even tell me he'd done it. That is love, Samael."

"He didn't have worlds to balance. He didn't have gods to attune to or kingdoms to run. I wasn't allowed to intervene, to touch you... to try and make you love me like a regular man. I had to wait. There is an order to things, Cassandra! Even to our rule!"

I shake my head low as he moves up the steps.

"And for the record, I didn't make you. I begged for a companion and my brother created you for me, in the image of a woman I'd desire. I didn't reach into different jars and pluck out personalities and appearances. I just wanted someone worthy of divinity, and someone to make this endlessness just slightly more bearable."

"Why would he do that for you?"

"Because for it, I was willing to compromise space and time... the order of the universe."

Dubiously, I wait, watching him grow more and more passionate hanging on these words. He takes the last step to reach me, almost warily.

"I gave him a millennium of light in order to bring you into existence."

His eyes plead for me to understand as he removes his glove, taking my speechlessness for compliance. His fingers are reaching to graze my face when I hear a clearing throat.