Genesis: Falling Angel (14 page)

I still had one more question despite being stunned by his story. “That’s amazing, Noah. I had no idea. Then what did you dream?”

He bit his lip, tears in his eyes. “I dreamed about the moment I swore never to have contact with Ruth.” Before I could respond, he added, “I get to see her, sure, but I don’t get to speak with her or hold her or teach her anything. If I do, the phoenixes will shun her. Naomi had to be very persuasive in asking them to watch Ruth. This whole journey is my one chance to take her back and keep her in my care.”

Noah was right. Suddenly, my problems seemed insignificant. I placed my hand over his, and he looked at me in surprise. Noah was not truly a man. He was a creature who had been wronged. Maybe he was not one of God’s creatures, but I wanted to pretend for just a moment that he was just as perfect. Perhaps I could call him “friend.”

“Let’s go,” I said. He rose to his feet, helping me up. He offered his arm to me. I looped my arm through his. No, touching him was not strange and terrifying. It was not at all like Adrian’s lips on mine. I shook my head free of the thought and let Noah lead me to Flint.

Chapter 18
– Adrian

While searching for Gabrielle, I had to deal with just about every ridiculous thing that dwelled in Acedia. Let me elaborate on what I mean by “ridiculous.” First, I found out where the humans had all gone to. They were asleep in the tents and huts that made up the so-called city. Most had their faces twisted in agony from some horrible dream they’d never awaken from. Strange machines kept them alive, and I decided not to think about the process ever again. I guess it must’ve been pretty disgusting. There was something sad about how Flint treated his mortals. They were more like animals.

Was I so different, though? The people of Luxuria were constantly in some sort of haze. They were completely at the mercy of any supernatural being that wanted them. They were given pleasure and company, sure, but was that what they truly wanted? Was I truly just some monster? Is that the side Gabrielle ran from? Did she remember my wings, the way I had healed under Judas’ torments, or the way that I had leapt onto his back, wrapping the chain around his thick neck? Did a mortal guise not hide my true nature well enough?

I bumped into something. I didn’t turn to even glance at it, but it gripped my shoulder. “That was very rude of you.”

With a scowl, I turned to face the beautiful young woman before me. She wore tattered jeans and a torn blouse, but her face was very pretty. Her hair was long and black. Her eyes were bright green. Her skin was a little pale, but her lips were ruby red. I found myself speechless for a moment.

There was a foul stench in the air, but I couldn’t place it.

“Excuse me, Miss. I didn’t mean to,” I said. Hell, maybe I could have fun in the city after all.

“Are you Adrian?” she asked with a small smile.

Something about this struck me as wrong. “Yes,” I said slowly.

Her smile widened into a grin. “Do you find me pretty?”

I hesitated to answer. “Listen, I don’t know what you are, but I’m the lord of Luxuria. If you think I’m going to let some low-level demon beat me in a fight, you’re wrong.”

She frowned then. The stench grew stronger. “Do you find me pretty?” she repeated.

“Okay, okay. Yes, I find you pretty,” I said.

“How about now?”

Her eyes were rotting in the sockets. Slabs of flesh fell off of her. Her fingernails became long, yellow claws. The flesh around her mouth rotted to set it in a permanent grin. She reached for me and I took a step back. I should’ve known she was a snow-woman. Those spirits were nasty. They were supposedly young women who were abused by men in their lifetime, but still. They were disgusting.

I held her back, stifling vomit long enough to shove her away. For a rotting monster, she had some strength to her. I was about to deliver a punch right into that horrible, grinning face when Flint stepped in.

“Shoo,” he said in a bored voice, lazily gesturing for the woman to leave. She hissed at him, but complied, glaring at me.

“Why the hell did she attack
me
?” I demanded.

He shrugged. “Women hate you when they’re not drugged.”

Well, that stung a little. Just a little. “That’s not true,” I said stubbornly.

“Let’s use your little angel as an example. She probably hates you.”

What? “Why would she hate me?”

“You kissed her, didn’t you?”

Of course he knew. “That doesn’t mean she hates me.”

“What would you care, anyways?”

“I don’t.”

“Sure you don’t. That’s why you kissed her.”

“Maybe I was starving. I haven’t had a decent meal in a long time. Just werewolf blood, which tastes terrible,” I said.

“How did she look at you when you kissed her?”

I didn’t want to think about that. I didn’t meet his gaze. Let him think what he wants. The look of pure disgust on her face had been painful.

“She didn’t express anything good, did she? Adrian, you need to understand that no matter what you do, she will never return your feelings,” Flint said firmly.

Feelings? “That’s cute, Flint. Now, tell me, exactly what feelings should I have for her?”

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head lightly. “On your way out of my city and to Avaritia, there is a tavern located in the middle of nowhere. You would normally go directly past it, but this time you need to go there. There’s someone there that may clear things up a bit for you.”

At first, I was going to make some sarcastic retort. Then I saw Gabrielle approaching. Her arm was looped through Noah’s, which was more contact than I’d ever seen her have with a man. Noah was speaking about something, and she was laughing and smiling as though nothing had happened. Envy sprouted in my heart, and I heard Flint snicker.

Gabrielle looked at me, then. Her smile faded. A look of cold indifference came over her. She approached me with an almost proud air. “Are we ready to leave?”

I looked to Flint, who shrugged. “Yeah, I think we are.”

Noah looked at Flint angrily, but turned to leave anyways. Gabrielle ran up and grasped his hand, casting a strange look back at me. “What the hell is she doing?” I asked Flint.

“I’m not the expert on romance,” he said mockingly. “Then again, neither are you. I don’t think you’ve done anything with a woman outside of a bed.”

I growled lowly, and he laughed once more at his own joke. When I finally reached the entrance of the city, I found that Flint had left more supplies for us to tie to Noah. After mounting the dragon, Gabrielle put her arms around me as though touching me would disease her. Typically her head and chest were pressed to my back, but now she was leaning back slightly. This was going to be a long flight.

I told Noah about the tavern before the flight. It only took a few hours to reach the building. It looked like a run-down diner. In fact, it probably was. There were still traces of some old highway outside of the building. It wasn’t anything too marvelous to think or talk about. The only good news was the inn directly next to it. I could probably use a shower.

“What is this place?” Gabrielle asked.

“A tavern. Basically a demon hangout. Just stick close to me.”

Naturally, she clung to Noah. What was with those two?

I led them to the inn first, but none of us had to pay. The innkeeper, a bored-looking genie, recognized me immediately, though said nothing to clue Gabrielle into my true identity. Being a lord helped sometimes. Gabrielle took one room while Noah and I took another. Immediately after we were done showering and both getting dressed, I asked him, “What’s up with you and Gabrielle?”

He smiled slightly. “That’s between us, don’t you think?”

I imagined punching that stupid smile off his face. “No. She’s under my protection until I find Lilith. Anything going on between you two has to stop. Now.”

His smile became a smirk. “Jealous?” He leaned closer. “Maybe she actually likes when I kiss her.”

Before I could leap at him, the door opened. “Hey, Noah—”

Since neither of us had our shirts on, this was a bit awkward for
Gabrielle. The two of us just stared at her, and she stared back. A blush was slowly forming on her face. To my amusement, she seemed to have a hard time looking away from me. “I’m so sorry!” she blurted, slamming the door shut. Probably, she went to go pray.

The good thing about having a genie as an innkeeper was the fact that all of our clothes were good as new. He offered us actual wishes, but I quickly declined. No one should get involved with those crazy demons.

After a long silence, Gabrielle approached me. “Why are we still here?” she asked in a cold, clipped tone. I recognized that tone. It was common amongst the angels. It was complete indifference. It stung a bit, I admit.

I responded with the same coldness. “Flint told me I was supposed to meet someone here. I thought I would indulge him. Just relax, I’ve got this.”

She inched closer to Noah.

The moment we stepped into the tavern, I knew what Flint was trying to do. The place was full of demons of all shapes and sizes who eyed Gabrielle with hungry eyes. The place went silent. The music stopped. That is when I saw exactly who I was supposed to see. She was sitting on a barstool with a glass of what looked like wine. I knew better. From the squeamish look on Gabrielle’s face, so did she.

“Adrian!” the woman called, patting the seat next to her. “Come sit with me.”

I complied. Gabrielle and Noah were close behind. “Jessa,” I greeted.

Jessa smiled, showing off her fangs. I really hated vampires. The only times I slept with them were when I was absolutely desperate. “Were you looking for me? Come back for more?”

She was once beautiful to me, of course. She had short, blonde hair and blue eyes. Her figure was perfect. Her lips were full, her eyelashes long. Her skin was pale, which I was starting to find less attractive in comparison with Gabrielle’s tanned skin. J
essa was dressed a bit like a slut, though. There wasn’t much covering her skin. Vampires lacked modesty like most demons.

The grossest part about being with a vampire was the smell. They always smelled rotten. Even Gabrielle was wrinkling her nose slightly.

“Who’s that? Another one of your conquests?” Jessa asked, nodding to Gabrielle.

Oh, great. Flint really was trying to start something. “Jessa, this is Gabrielle. Gabrielle, this is Jessamine.”

Jessa scowled. I knew it hit a nerve when someone used her full name. She quickly replaced it with a sickly sweet smile. “Are you two together?”

I don’t know why she was asking that. Gabrielle was standing closer to Noah than me. Gabrielle shook her head sharply. I said, “No, we’re not. What makes you say that?”

“The way she’s watching you like a hawk,” Jessa said slowly, staring at Gabrielle with something that I didn’t catch.

“She thinks I’m doing something stupid, which I am. Do you need something?”

Jessa smiled. “I’m bored. Why don’t we finish this discussion in private?”

Was she seriously trying to get into my pants? With how hungry I was, I almost took her up on the offer. Gabrielle was standing right there, brow furrowed as if trying to decipher some secret code.

“That’s a little forward. It’s been a year or two.” More like fifteen, but she wouldn’t correct me. “My companions and I were just about to leave.”

“Companions?”

“Yeah, we’re on our way to Superbia. Personal business, you know.”

She nodded as if she understood. “Well, that’s too bad. “ She looked directly at Gabrielle. “What if she joined in?”

My heart nearly stopped. Gabrielle looked even more confused until Noah leaned down and whispered in her ear. Her face flushed with outrage. I looked back at Jessa. “No, she’s not interested. Look, we really have to get going.”

She looked to Gabrielle once more. “Virgin?”

Gabrielle snapped. “Of course I am! It is disgraceful of you to even say such things to Adrian or me. If that is all you want, then allow us to be on our way.” She turned to leave.

Jessa said, “If you want some tips, come and find me. You won’t be the only girl he’s been with.”

Gabrielle froze for only a moment, and then continued her walk to the door. Noah tapped my shoulder to get me to stand up and hurry after her. No one followed us outside, so we were alone. It was the first time we’d been alone since the kiss. It was silent, awkward.

“Jessa’s kind of a jerk,” I said, though “jerk” was too kind of a word.

“She said the strangest things. Why would she say such lies?” Gabrielle murmured, looking up at me.

I didn’t respond.

“So it’s true, then,” she whispered, fingers touching her lips. “She wasn’t lying. You’re the false one.”

“I never lied about my relationships. I just never talked about them.” “Relationships” was also too strong of a word.

“How many ‘relationships?’” she asked, emphasizing the last word.

This was where it would get even more awkward. “I lost count.”

She nodded, and for a moment I could’ve sworn that there were tears in her eyes. I took a step closer, and she took a step back. “Don’t come any closer,” she warned, though there was nothing to threaten me with.

“I feel tainted,” she said. “I feel disgusting. My lips are tainted by someone who has lain with so many. I do not know your intentions, but don’t think that you will take any more from me.”

“Gabrielle, I feel something for you. It’s not lust, I swear. I don’t want to ‘lie’ with you or whatever you angels call it.”

She scowled. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. “I am an angel, Adrian. Do you know what that means? Angels are the purest of all creatures. We are chaste, humble, abstaining, kind, diligent, patient, and charitable. Humans can be either virtuous or sinful. You have chosen to walk the path of the sinful.’

Anger burned in me. “You’re apparently self-righteous too. Who made you the judge of mortal sins? Did God give you that right? I have my virtues and my sins. Don’t think you can just fall to earth and start telling everyone what they’ve done wrong. Do you think I like being with so many women? Do you think I actually enjoy it anymore?”