With wings spread, allowing her to soar through the sky while the air wrapped around and kept her gliding didn't even compare to how she felt. If she had to put it into words, they were the closest she could come to describing the feeling she felt burst from her chest, spreading to every part of her body and buzzing with a life she didn't think she'd feel again.
The days didn't drag on, but they didn't fly by like they used to. Even if everyday she still woke to those good morning texts. Instead of the regular smiley face, Asmodeus had now begun to use the that winked. As if he needed anymore ways to make her fall for him already.
The one thing she avoided telling Asmodeus about was Uriel and how he made her feel. She didn't want to drag the conversations they had down by bringing that incident up. He hadn't done anything to her besides rile up a past she put behind her, inquiring why she didn't forgive and forget as the rumors had thought she would.
Maybe forgive so she could move on. But forget? There was no forgetting that. It still left an ache in her chest every time she was reminded of it, but it didn't hurt as much as it used to. She had Asmodeus now. Someone who was patient and never pushed her more than she wanted. He'd question, prod, and make her want more, but he wouldn't make the first move. He respected the space and time she needed, allowing her to choose if she proceeded or take that leap forward.
Her eyes drifted briefly to Wilfred, watching him work on the papers before him. She avoided talking to him about Uriel, against every bone in her body wanting to bring it up The topic always brought a chill down her spine, raising the hairs on the back of her neck and stopping before the words left her mouth.
"What is it?"
Realizing she still stared at him, lost in her thoughts she averted her gaze back to her desk. It was now or never before Sunday came rolling around again, and he tried to get them to hang out. Or something worse. "How did you meet Uriel?"
"Uriel?" Wilfred questioned, continuing his to work on the papers when she looked toward him. "We ran into each other at one of the local cafes. He told me he was new to the place and hadn't met many new people. I felt bad, considering I'm still in the same shoes as him, so we sat and talked for a while."
Wilfred was easygoing and commendable. He looked out for everyone, and she felt he would do it even if it cost him himself. She adored her Wilfred as much as she had Rachael and Max. "Can you promise me just to be careful around him?"
Wilfred stopped his work, eyes darting to hers with an expression that mixed too many emotions for her to pinpoint one itself. "Did something happen?"
"No." She shook her head. "I just... He made me feel uneasy when we talked. I don't know how to explain it. I just don't want something to happen to you if I didn't say anything."
His hazel eyes bore into her for a moment, seeming to search for something. "Maybe that was David. I did see him watching us from the back before he walked out."
She swore the church had been empty when they talked. Had she been mistaken? She didn't hear the doors close anytime during that moment. Was she so wrapped up in the sensation she felt she didn't notice? She couldn't put it past David to hide and watch her converse with two men, and that thought irked her more. He had no right to feel jealous or angry over anything she did.
"Maybe. Still, please-" a knock interrupted her at the door.
Turning in her chair, she recognized him immediately. The familiar blond hair that was unkempt, yet striking in a handsome way. Accompanied by the red eyes that bore into her from the threshold of her classroom.
She tilted her head, wondering what made Satan show up here. Her blood ran cold, fearing the worst. She sent a silent prayer up that nothing had happened. There was only so much she could handle, and this wasn't one of them.
"Excuse me, Savannah? I'm unsure if you remember me. I'm-" Satan glanced toward Wilfred briefly- "Day's brother." Something passed through his eyes she couldn't figure out. Though it didn't matter. She waited impatiently for the words that would leave her more broken than before.
"Yes." Her voice shook, making her clear her throat to come out clearer. "Please, come in. We were finishing up some work. What can I help you with?"
Satan barely nodded, stepping further into the room. "Can we talk in private?"
It felt unbelievably humid in the room. She could feel the sweat that traveled from her neck down. It formed a pool of it in her palm, and she gripped her russet orange dress to wipe it off without them knowing. "Yes. I'm sorry, Wilfred. I can take those papers home and finish them if you want."
"Oh, no. That's fine," Wilfred assured, standing as he gathered the papers on his desk. "I'll take them home. Are you okay? You look pale."
"I'm fine," she answered softly, putting a smile on her face against the pounding in her chest. She was afraid both men could hear it in the room. His face told her he didn't believe a word she said, but he didn't say anything else as he quietly put everything away and bid them goodnight, leaving the room.
Satan reached for the door, closing it with a soft click once Wilfred was gone. She flinched against the sound that reverberated in the room. He took two steps further into the room. His red eyes stared her down, scanning her figure. Her body felt hot under his gaze; though they weren't lustful, they felt criticizing, trying to find minuscule faults they could nitpick apart. Her dress wasn't short or enticing. It was a short-sleeved v-neck that didn't show anything she didn't want to be seen. Appropriate and modest, as she always was.
"Have you slept with my brother?"
Time had seemed to stop at his question. Her mind slowly processed the words she asked. Heat rose to her face without forcing it back down when it clicked, everything rushing to her. "E-excuse you?"
"Have you sle-"
Savannah narrowed her eyes at him. His red eyes didn't care how he questioned her or how she felt at the words he spoke. It took everything not to cower underneath his gaze and apologize for stepping across a boundary that had never been stated, but she locked her muscles, holding her head higher, and cut him off. "I know what you said. I don't know where it's your business if I did."
Satan's eyes narrowed, inspecting every inch of her with those blazing eyes that burned her skin. "I see. Of course, he wouldn't."
Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach.
You're not good enough.
Satan didn't say those words, but she could feel how he thought about her loud and clear. She knew she wasn't. She never thought she was and could tell firsthand how much Asmodeus's siblings didn't like her. However, she didn't suspect how much until that moment.
Swallowed the lump that blocked her throat, she forced the words she needed to say. Backing down wasn't an option. "Whatever superiority you have against me, your brother doesn't seem to care. That's what matters to me. Not what you or whatever your other brothers think of me. Asmodeus has been nothing but patient and considerate. He's told me about his past... flings, but I can tell..." Her voice drifted softer-the images of every interaction she had with Asmodeus. "I can tell how much he means what he says by every little action he does. So whatever you came here to say, it won't work."
Satan stood there in silence. The air between them grew denser each second as she waited for him to say something. His eyes gave nothing away, though she could see the doubtful gaze as he stared at her. "I had to know how much he meant to you. He called you his woman, and we had our doubts about you. He's never gotten close to anyone before."
Blood rushed past her ears her at Satan's words, yet her chest swelled that Asmodeus had called her his in front of them. He didn't care what they thought, only fueling the following words out of her mouth. "That's how you ask!? Instead of asking that, you ask if I've slept with him to know that."
"If I had asked that first, how would I know how truthful you were? A simple 'he means everything to me' or an 'I love him' would tell me nothing. Anger brings out those deep-rooted emotions everyone keeps hidden. Their true desires and ambitions."
He hadn't apologized, and that infuriated her more. Didn't mean they weren't true. There were countless women she had heard say those words, and it meant nothing but sugar-coated lies handed out and grasped onto by those who coveted that attention, not caring for the results.
It had barely been a week since the high from the night Asmodeus accepted her barely-there question about asking him out, and it was being poured over with molten lava. Sizzling every feeling to smithereens as if they were nothing. She'd been broken down before within less than what Satan left her with. She'd rekindle that feeling no matter what. She was done being doused over and over by the likes of people who thought they knew better than her. They weren't her, and they sure didn't know how or what she felt.
Her fingers curled at her sides. Raising her head, as she stared back at Satan with a stern expression. "That doesn't give you the right to waltz in here and walk over our feelings like they're nothing."
"I have nothing against you, Savannah. I'm just making sure my brother isn't crossing a line." Satan turned the second he was done speaking and opened the door, but stopped when her question filled the room.
"What line?" She questioned.
Satan glanced over his shoulder at her. Her breath caught in her throat, but he didn't say anything. He turned away, continuing to leave. She wanted to demand that he come back and explain what he meant, but the encounter was enough to burn out the flames that had flared to life earlier.
Exhaustion set in, leaving her with a mild headache and sore muscles. She rubbed the sides of her temples, rethinking the whole conversation until she let out a groan of frustration. She found no reason for Satan to appear and ask those questions other than their dislike for her. Their tastes in women had to out rival Asmodeus's if they felt that way.
۵
"He was just soo... ugh." Savannah threw out, hands raising up and over, trying to expel the frustration she felt.
"Is he hot?"
Savannah whipped her head to face Rachel, glaring at her friend. If they had a redeeming quality, Rachael was there to pick and prod at it thinking she could get more and make them better than they were. Savannah didn't see how that was possible. No one changed if they didn't want to, and she knew that firsthand.
Rachel shrugged. "What?"
A glass of wine and a warmer-than-needed bath had her call over her two friends to vent. It wasn't late, but the sun had set behind the buildings, casting an orange glow around the city she loved. Her first thought was calling Asmodeus, but she quickly dismissed it as her being emotional. She didn't want to be the one to wedge something between the two brothers-if all of them-because of her.
"He's got two legs and a dick. That's all she needs," Max added, smirking.
"And all you need is the dick."
Max continued to smirk, replying swiftly without missing a beat. "And don't you forget it."
"Oh my God, you two. Please stop," Savannah groaned, her head falling into her hands. She was more tired than before, and those two hadn't helped the issue.
"What's his name? Maybe I can find out something about him," Rachael prodded, glancing down at her nails that Savannah knew she wasn't really looking at.
"And do what, exactly?" Savannah questioned, eyes daring her friend to say what she thought.
Rachael pursed her lips, failing to hide the smile that spread. "Nothing big. Just look into his background and see if I can meet up with him."
"It's..." her voice grew quieter. "Satan."
"I'm sorry." Rachael chuckled humorlessly. "Did you just say, Satan? Isn't you're boyfriend's name Asmodeus?"
"No, kidding." Max threw his head back, laughing out loud. It filled the silence between them all and the atmosphere that grew thick.
"Holy shi-sorry," Rachael apologized through bits of laughter. It took her a moment longer to calm down enough to talk. "Their parents must have hated them. No wonder they're all grumpy pusses. Except for your boyfriend, of course. Cause if he were, you wouldn't be happy. And if he did that, I'd have to kill him."
Savannah covered her mouth when she failed to hold back her laughter, letting out a snort. "He's great. I still worry that he'll up and leave no matter what and go back on his word, but I also feel like those are only my worries, and he won't."
Rachael reached over, placing her hand on her arm and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Then don't worry about what his brothers say. Ignore that bastard." Rachael waved her hand dismissively. "And if he's the way you describe him, I doubt Asmodeus will do that, so try not to worry about it, Hun."
"You're golden, Anna. Especially if he's really one of the fallen." Max's eyes twinkled with jest.
Savannah threw a couch pillow in his face. She didn't need something like that in her life. Tragedy had struck it enough to last her until the day she drew her last breath, and she hoped it was when she had grey hair with wrinkles with her children and grandchildren around her.