A/N (3/1/23): I skipped this chapter when publishing the following few chapters (so I went from 2 to 4). If confused why there was formerly a weird skip in time/action, that's why. My bad! Thanks for reading ❤️
***
I remain impassive. Cool. And that makes the angel squint.
"I said hands up."
"You did? Whoops. Distracted by the speargun." I deadpan, slowly lifting my hands, struggling to look away from him. Rage is bubbling. Rising. It's like bile in my throat, sour and hot. I picture fists through glass, warped reflections, blood in water, plates shattered, screaming couples, children cowering, animal snarls, all—
Licking my tongue like fire and smoke. I can't feel my fingertips. My skin's shuddering, scales rising. First, answers. I can do this the easy way and kill him now. Or leave him close to death.
All I need to do is stay calm.
"The fuck you want, angel? You're not supposed to be here."
"I can say the same about this...operation. No demons on Earth, except—"
"Conducting official demonic business that has been authorized by the Heavenly Inter-Religious Council. Yeah. I'm aware. No need to repeat the spiel." I say, cutting him off.
"Hell is nearly empty."
"Please...you're over-exaggerating. It's—"
"Nearly empty. Senior demons are gone. Lucifer's spreading his influence further on Earth. Here, across the Keys, in this hotel, God knows where else; and that's a problem. Chaos. So comply, or I will shoot and kill you right here, maid—" his voice rises. His grip on the gun tightens.
"Cleaning lady." I correct. Someone is yelling upstairs, voices muffled through the walls. Another voice. An angry couple.
"Excuse me?" the angel asks.
"You heard me—cleaning lady. I'm not a fucking maid." I say through gritted teeth, unable to stop the overflowing rage. The noise is pissing me off. Still yelling, still muffled.
"Sorry, cleaning lady." he mutters under his breath, rolling his eyes, before re-lifting the weapon. "Tell me what kind of demon you are. Show me your horns."
Every type of demon has their own style of horns. Ira demons, wrath demons—ours are angry, large, sharp, and angular. But I have only one.
"Ira." I say, focusing on my breathing. My voice is increasingly scratchy, smoky, rough. My bones are starting to stretch.
If I kill this angel, or at least incapacitate him, that'll be time off my sentence here.
"Calm down." he snaps, and I laugh, shaking my head. My mouth is too small for my teeth, which are stretching into fangs.
"You know that telling someone to calm down doesn't help anyone, right? But especially not a demon of wrath?"
He says nothing for a moment, blinking a few times. Did I make him falter? Already? Seriously?
"Yeah. Thought so. Now drop the gun or I'll eat you." I hiss.
"You won't—"
"What? Thought that demons didn't have bloodlust? You think it's some myth levied against my people? This one's real." I laugh. "Different lusts for different demons. Ira demons crave flesh, blood—"
He stares, halo glowing brighter, hands letting off light. He's readying himself for an attack. I feel myself continue to grow, scales coalescing over my skin.
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Paradise | ONC 2023
Romance"If I cannot move Heaven, then I will raise Hell. And I will do it for you. Again, again, and again." *** Iris Irai, a half-demon of wrath, is living in anything but paradise. She works as a cleaning lady at the Paradise Resort, a hotel in the Flori...
