Got To Love Me To Hate Me

 

Prologue: Rendering Promise

            “Time.” The death angel whispered to his freshly plucked, black feather. Then he blew it out of his hand and into the wind, which carried it into the four-year-olds bedroom window. The death angel had been waiting for this day for four years, the day he would take the little girl’s soul, for on the stroke of midnight, the child would turn four and he could carry out what was promised to his. All because the cowardly actions of the child’s father, the man was scared to die, he was afraid to find out what ventures in the afterlife, then again… who wouldn’t? It was the day the child was being born, and the death angel had come for the father’s soul. The man was terrified of the angel and tried to make a deal with him. Curious, the angel played along. The man promised the angel his daughter, the day she would turn four and in thus, secure his own well being.

            The angel was outraged and disgusted by the man’s cowardly antics, but someone had to go with the angel. The angel simply told him he would still come for the child if the man wanted to live that badly. Now, he was here to render the last part of the man’s punishment as he perched on the banister of the balcony, basking himself in moonlight. The death angel was tall, dark, and pale. His skin was a milky white and his hair was darker than the earth on its darkest hour. His eyes were the color of two little golden suns that blazed with power, his skin as pale as the moonlight.

            Black clothes was all the clothed him and complemented the matching pair of midnight colored black wings that were spread wide. In his right ear was the branding of an immortal; a silver earring that hung low and at the bottom had the symbol of a trapped star. Under his right wrist, was the concealed mark of a dark angel, the mark of a skull. He glanced at the sidewalk and smirked at the frozen dog. He was proud of his work, stopping all of time. Then he jumped onto the balcony and made his way into the child’s room, almost immediately he found where the child slept; in the back corner of the room. He glanced around the child’s room in disgust, obviously the father did not like the child, much less love her. He could smell the mildew coming off of the walls; he could see the black patches that decorated the room. Suddenly, he felt a ping of guilt in his chest, but immediately shook it off.

            Then a stirring noise made the death angel jump in surprise and his head instantly turned to the stirring child that wasn’t frozen. He stood immobilized in his place. Why wasn’t she frozen? The death angel had frozen all of time just for her. He had to if he wanted to take her soul, but she was immune to it. How quaint, the death angel thought as he made his way over to the time immune child as he folded his wings into his back. The child groaned, waking, “who are you?” she asked revealing deep, empty blue eyes. The death angel narrowed his eyes at the lack of meaning in her eyes, but stayed silent. The child glanced at the death angel in utter awe, “are you an angel?” she asked with a bright smile. The death angel growled in disgust at the question, making the child flinch. The death angel blinked in confusion and sighed, uncovering another unwanted truth. The father seemed to beat the child.

            “Are you an angel?” The child repeated. The death angel blinked in surprise, the child was bold and unafraid. He smirked.

            “What makes you think I’m angel?”The man asked using his deep, enticing voice that was laced with amusement.

            “Your wings!” the child smiled, “Every angel has wings!” the child proclaimed. The angel smiled softly at the child, he felt sorry for her.

            “Does every angel have black wings?” he asked her as his wings folded out making her smile brightly, awestruck.

            “You’re a shadow protector!” she yelled in excitement, “Finally, god has answered my prayers!” the child rejoiced. The angel tilted his head in confusion.

            “Your prayers?”

            “To help my daddy.” She answered with another smile. The angel glanced at her incredulously. She was totally selfless. She didn’t even seem to care that her father was beating her. Still, he shook his head at the childish antics and smiled, showing the child his sharpened k-9s.

            “I assure you child,” he spoke darkly; “I am no angel.” The smile on the child’s face disappeared and confusion replaced it. She reached forward to touch the man’s hand, and touched the man lightly, skimming the flesh of the man’s hand. He jerked his hand away and glared daggers at the child who seemed to be in pain at the moment. “What have you done?!” he bellowed at the child, making her cringe. It was strictly forbidden to for a mortal to touch an immortal, for it bound them together.

            “I’m sorry!” the child yelled in frantic fear. She repeated over and over her apologies to the man, who noticed the child’s fear, immediately calmed down his anger and sighed, taking a seat next to her. His ran his fingers through the dark depths of the abyss, he called his hair.

            “I apologize for scaring you, but like you, I was scared.” He explained. The child glanced at the angel in disbelief.

            “Why? How can an angel be scared?” the angel chuckled at her ignorance.

            “In my home,” he explained, “it’s against the rules to be touched by a mortal.” The child glanced at him. “You are a mortal.” He answered her. Then he flicked her in the forehead making her hold the exact spot.

            “But you touched me just now!” she pointed out in protest.

“Because the deed is already done. You are bound to me.” He groaned.

“What does that mean?”

“It means I’m screwed.” He groaned again. She cocked her head to the side and shrugged. He glanced over at her.

“Does that mean we’re friends now?” the child asked, the death angel chuckled.

“Most definitely.”

“I’m Blaire! Blaire Brace!” the child introduced.

“Nice to meet you Blaire, I’m Liam.”