Hell's Angel

Chapter 22: I Slap the Demon Prince

As I'm flying through the rain back to the castle it's beginning to be harder to tell whether the water streaming down my face is simply all rain or if it is mixing with my tears. I come to a stop in front of the castle gates and the guards let me in, recognizing me from earlier. I pass through the front doors and nearly bump into Blaze and Asher on the way in. Even through my depressing mood I manage to question why they're hanging out together, but I purse my lips and don't say anything about it for the time being.

"Aella! There you are," Blaze sighs, "We've been looking all over for you."

"Oh, sorry," I shrug, "I didn't realize it was getting late."

"Were you crying?" Asher looks over my face curiously.

"No," I shake my head a lie before forcing a smile, "Hey, is Salem still in a room somewhere?"

"Yeah," Blaze nods, "He's still in the same room that he locked himself up in several hours ago.

"He's down the right hall and the fourth door on the right if you want to find him," Asher says.

"Thanks," I sigh and walk off in that direction.

I head down the corridor and come to a wooden door with jewels around the frame. I knock on it a few times and get no response.

"Salem?" I call out, "Are you in there?"

A shuffling sound comes from inside his room and I frown. I jerk on the door handle and notice that the door is locked. I bang my fist on the door and scowl.

"Salem, let me in!" I shout.

The door whips open to reveal a very angry looking Salem. I walk past him and into his room and stare around at the black bed with aquamarine sheets and tall, black pillars holding up the canopy on the bed. My gaze moves over to the window that looks like a half circle and is latched shut by a golden handle and there's golden pieces of metal that swirl around and criss-cross on the window, making an elegant design. A loose, wooden floorboard the color of umber creaks beneath my foot as I walk into the center of the room and turn to face Salem, who follows me back inside after slamming the door shut.

"You're still mad," I sigh.

"I'm still mad? Of course I'm still mad!" Salem shouts before running a hand through his hair, "You knew that I'm a Devil and you didn't even tell me. Why?"

"Evangeline sent me to the Human Realm to look after you, but I decided to tell you that you're not a Devil because I knew that this would happen!" I shout back at him.

"That what would happen?" Salem narrows his eyes at me, "That I'd finally realize why I'm such a horrible person? Someone who can't keep people close to him? Someone not capable of ever having someone care about hi--"

I raise a hand and slap him across the face, hard. He looks at me with astonishment and my hand falls back down to my side as I scowl at him.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Salem! You're wrong, you're so wrong!" I clench my hands into fists and shout at him as he watches me with a stunned expression, "You are not a horrible person and I don't believe that you're capable of being one! And don't you dare say that someone can't care about you because I do and you're stupid if you don't see it! You're stupid for ever thinking that! Don't you see? I care about you just the way that you are, I don't care who you think you are or what you are, I care about you as a whole. Don't you ever second guess that."

"Aella--" Salem starts as his eyes lower to around my neck.

Little did I notice that during that entire time the jewel in my necklace began to glow even brighter than before and my determination to tell Salem that he's wrong powered me through the pain that I didn't know I was feeling. Now, however, it comes to me in waves.