AZRIEL

CHAPTER EIGHT

AZRIEL

Celeste meeting Adeline made me glad that Adeline would have some company when I wasn't around. I could've guessed she'd prefer it over my company, and after all of this I wouldn't even blame her for it. My intimidating face and comments weren't making this easier for her.

When I, at five years old, had lost my mother - Celeste's family, in addition to my father stayed by my side. I was naive enough to believe that was the toughest experience I'd have to face as a young one, but I was wrong.

Never had I imagined I'd also watch my father being killed in front of my eyes.

Once my father had died and Celeste's family had abandoned her, we had stuck together from then onwards and vowed to be there for eachother whenever need be.

Celeste's voice snapped me back in to reality, "Can you stop daydreaming?" She waved a hand in front of my face.

"You're too talkative today," I mumbled, swatting her hand away. Messing with Celeste could be said to be one of my many hobbies.

"Cut the bullshit and go straight to the point - if you don't want to lose one of your legs, that is." Celeste warned, rolling her eyes at me with annoyance written all over her face.

Bloody hell. It wasn't even noon and I already had two sets of eyes rolling at me.

"Okay okay," I glanced towards Adeline, who surprisingly enough appeared to look quite awkward - perhaps intimidated by the situation even. I chose to brush it off, "I have chosen Adeline to fight for us in this upcoming war. Word came to me that she was a skilled archeress, and so I believe she is a useful piece to our military."

Celeste slowly turned to Adeline, an arched eyebrow raised high, "I'm surprised a fairy agreed to fight in an angel battle. What bargain did he make with you, Adeline?"

Adeline cleared her throat, her emerald eyes darting a quick glance towards me and I managed to pick up what looked like desperation or hesitancy in her gaze, "I..uh-"

"That doesn't matter, Celeste," I interjected, slightly stepping into the space between the two females in an attempt to separate them with my body, "What matters is that she will be fighting and requires the respective training for it, so she will remain in Velastille."

"You're telling me all this like I care," She knocked a sarcastic smile at me, but it didn't reach her eyes.

I didn't step down from glaring back at her with equal intensity, "I think you should. Especially since you will both be associates."

Celeste blinked a couple times in an attempt to register the information, then frowned - looking almost offended, "You're going to align me - a professional, who has been fighting since I was born, with a fairy girl who's amateur and probably hasn't even picked up a bow until last week? Are you being serious right now, Azriel?"

I waved a hand dismissively at her, turning my attention to my tunic. Picking at the dust particles which had collected on the suede material, I simply murmured, "If you knew better you wouldn't argue with my orders, Cel."

"Oh really?" She shot back, her tone laced with challenge, "What made you pick her, out of all of the scrawny fairy females dying to fight for us Velastillian fallen angels? Hm?"

I slipped my hands into my pockets and stood tall before her, "She has potential I don't see in anyone else. She can use her hands to her advantage and-"

"Is it?" She raised a skeptical eyebrow again and scowled at me with suspicious eyes, "To her advantage, you say?"

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "Before you say anything - no. Not in that way." Celeste knew better, I never mixed pleasure and work together. On top of it Adeline was a mortal - I already broke one of our rules by bringing her into our world, to touch her would be breaking another.