“I’m a Dark—“
“If you say Dark One I’ll simply laugh.” Bannik’s smile was cruel. “Did you know, I was never meant to be in the US? It wasn’t my territory. Twelve of us were sent to the ends of the earth to watch. Only this time, we knew human emotion. Imagine the difficulty in watching, helping humans keep the peace…. and knowing nothing but fighting and war? My brother was never good at following the rules, and I learned soon after, when he refused to see me because of his shame, that I was tired of following them as well.” He shrugged. “It seems that warmth… agrees with me.”
“You’re like Sariel,” I said dumbly.
“I’m exactly like Sariel.” He shifted in his seat. “If Sariel hadn’t repented.” He paused. “And so are you.”
“What?”
“Ever wonder why the darkness calls?” His smug laughter was grating on my nerves, along with the way he spoke down to me like I was stupid. “It calls because it is in your nature. But by all means, sugarcoat your true identity and call yourself a Dark One… yet you are still the same as I.”
I licked my dry lips. “An Angel?”
“Hah!” He clapped his hands. “You amuse me.” He spun his large body around in the chair before slamming his hands down on the desk. “You. Are. Evil.” His teeth snapped and popped as his jaw clenched together. “Humans and Angels do create half breeds, beings so powerful that they are condemned to the earth. But the half breeds must even make a choice, serve their angelic fathers… or follow after the ones that are fallen. You call yourself a Dark One, but really? You’re half of a Fallen Angel… just waiting to turn into a Demon.”
I let out a little gasp of disbelief. “But, Demon are a race. They’re in the immortal book as a race that was created—”
“Goody,” he said dryly while blocking a yawn with his large hand. “Please continue, don’t let me interrupt.”
My head was spinning out of control.
I opened my mouth, but he silenced me by holding his hand in the air. “Keeping you in the dark has always been the plan. After all, what do you think would happen if the rest of the immortals discovered that most Demon had angelic powers?”
I shook my head. “Most Demon I’ve met are weak creatures who prey on humans.”
Bannik stood, towering over his desk as claws seeped out of fingernails. “Oh?”
Swallowing, I took a healthy step back.
“You sense it even now.” His eyes closed for a few seconds, and when they opened, they were black, soulless. “When Angels give up, break the rules, or decide not to say sorry…” His laughter was deep, empty. “They are suddenly unwanted, sent to the earth for the rest of their miserable existence, most of them were under the impression that they were like humans, without any sort of abilities. Until Sariel.”
“Sariel’s good,” I whispered.
“Sariel said sorry, but he was still punished, like the rest of us. Because of his mistake I will never again taste the air of heaven, or feel the warmth of the sun as it rises over the horizon. The earth no longer speaks to me. The mountains no longer sing in my presence, and when the moon makes its appearance it turns its face away in shame.” He lifted his hand into the air. “The tides pull away when I walk near the ocean, but I think,” His black eyes glistened, “The worst has to be the songs.”
I kept moving backward as he spoke, trying desperately to find the door knob.
“The melody of the earth as it tilts on its axis, the planets as they sing in their specific languages all joining together in the chorus of the universe.” He glared at me his black eyes locking in on mine, like a tractor beam pulling my feet toward him. “I can no longer hear the song of creation.”
“If it makes you feel better, I can’t hear it either.”
“Silly immortal, you hear it every day. Your human side is simply too busy ignoring it to pay attention, so busy with inconsistent emotional thoughts that, in the end, truly don’t matter. The worst part—” He laughed again. “—is walking by a human who by all means should hear the music, who hears it on a daily basis, and doesn’t appreciate its beauty. I’ve killed humans for less. I’ll continue to kill them in their ignorance.”
“And me?” I asked, “What about me?”
He grinned. “I no longer have any use for you.”
“So you’re going to kill me?”
“No.” He shrugged. “It seems I won’t need to, since you’ve cheerfully done the deed yourself. Killing your own mate, why, it seems the darkness truly has taken hold.”
“No!” I screamed, lunging for him. “I just slowed him down.”
“Oh, you slowed him down all right.” He cackled. “Even now his heart slows to the rhythm of death. What did you think? Immortality is a fickle thing, my dear. He’s your mate, your lives are interconnected in a very special way that I’m sure Sariel… omitted.”