Free The Human Side (The Demon Side Series) by Heaven Liegh Eldeen

wife’s safety, I stepped in, blocking a blow aimed at her head with my shield. As I did so, Abihail came under my arm, slicing Lucifer. As the blade grazed across his skin, a wound not only opened on his chest, but hers as well. Assuming he struck her, I went berserk. I flailed my sword in a blind rage, but my strikes barely grazed him as he danced around each swing.
    Tired of playing games, Michael had snuck up behind him and pierced his back when Abihail’s blood-curdling scream echoed over the clash of metal on metal. Spinning on my heels, I turned expecting to find her in the clutches of a traitor. Instead I found her alone on the ground, wounded and crying out in pain. I flashed to her side, pulling her into my lap to inspect her injuries, when again she cried out in agony. Terrified, I looked to Michael when it dawned on me. Every strike Lucifer received manifested on his twin sister, Abihail. To kill him would mean killing her.
    As much as I wanted him dead for what he had done, I wouldn’t risk Abihail’s life for the notch on my belt. Flashing to Michael, I stopped his blade from further penetrating Lucifer’s back as I called out for a stand down. My order to retreat may have saved my wife, but it allowed Lucifer, and a third of our ranks, to flee.
    We had lost many in the fight, but if it had not been for Abihail seeing Lucifer’s fall long before the rest of us, we might have lost more. For her perseverance despite meeting diversity, she had been given the job of her choosing. Her reputation restored, she took charge of a choir of Seraphim, whose sole purpose was to ensure fertility among humans.
    For listening to her and calling the troops, I’d been made a hero and the first leader of the Arches, which came with not only an impressive wing span, but the benefits beyond those of any Earthly king or queen.

 
     
    Chapter Eleven
     
     
    At a loss for an idea on how to undo the damage already caused, I did the one thing I knew how to do properly. Clutching my hands together, I prayed.
    “Father, have I not done enough yet?”
    “No, my son,” Father’s voice whispered in my head.
    “What am I to do now? John has forbidden me from seeing her. He is trying to doom me to a life on earth.”
    “Is he?”
    “Yes. He said it himself.”
    “If memory serves me right, John did not disobey me at every turn. John did not receive a choice to give up all of his principals for a chance at love. You made that choice without a thought about the consequences.”
    “I know he didn’t but…”
    “But what, my son? You push yourself into their lives with no regard for their feelings or safety. You play with the balance of our worlds as if it were nothing more than a game to you, and for what? Your own selfish pride? Can you blame John for being upset with you?”
    “No. That’s not what I meant. All that matters to me is finding out if I should wait for her. I must know if any part of her can feel anything for me. If we are not meant to be, then I will accept it and continue on my path, never bothering her again. Please tell me, Father.”
    “I cannot give you the answers you are seeking, Rahovart. Only you can. Be well, my son.”
    “Father, wait! Father? Father?”
    With communication shut down, I had been abandoned with my thoughts and no answers.
    The days leading to my return, I fantasized about all the good that would come of it. I would prove myself to Etta, which in turn would cause her to fall madly in love with me. She would forever be mine, and I hers. I would go home to resume my duties and visit her without fear of retribution. Every free moment I had would be spent with Etta. I truly believed we would live happily ever after.
    Between John and Tristan, those fantasies had gone up in smoke. With Tristan’s connection to the Divads, his smooth skin, perfect body, great looks, and money, how could I blame Etta for wanting him over my tall, lanky, moneyless, and cruel persona? Hell, I didn’t even