Chapter 20: Commander

The door to the bedroom squeaked open and I threw the sheets over my head, pretending to be asleep. It's been hours since Genie and I had our argument. Angelo had left me alone like I had desired but something in the solidarity made me want to cry. There were many reasons why but for one, because of how much more complicated my life had become since meeting this...this otherworldly and angelic figure who had posed to be an ordinary man.

Everything I had thought I knew about my world—all the things I was certain of—was all a lie.

I didn't know anything.

Nothing was predictable anymore.

My mundane life had been flipped upside down.

Every single aspect of it had changed.

Down to my own very best friend.

That image I had of her before, carefree but just as dysfunctional as I was—equally flawed in a perfectly humane sense was gone.

She had been assigned to me.

Her affections towards me had been orchestrated from the very first encounter and something about that hit deeper than any brute force could.

My brows furrowed in confusion upon not hearing any retreating steps to my immobile body under the covers. It took another second before I heard an awfully intolerable voice.

"I can hear your heartbeats as loud as day to know you're not asleep, you look stupid trying to have me thinking otherwise."

I roared with frustration as I threw the shields off me and came face to face with a scowling Cupid.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could be asking you the same thing," he tsked, pointing towards the bed and no doubt regarding my little act of being asleep. "What are you doing?"

I didn't answer him, only glared at his ridiculously flawless face.

He smirked in realization. "Don't tell me you're really trying to play the role of the helpless, emotional human girl deserving of love? I'm sorry to break it to you, sweetheart but we've already seen that play. Spoiler alert; the ending made it so not worth watching."

My jaw dropped at his audacity.

"Are you talking to me?"

"Who else could I be talking to? Or about to be more specific. Surely, Angelo isn't here." The baby-faced man picked at his nails, remnants of what looked like...was that ash? It was an insubstantial black, fine powdered material that seemed to look like it. Now that I took a better look at him, he appeared disheveled, as if he had gone to work in fields or had a thing for lounging in the dirt all day long. Knowing how ignorant he was to all things, the latter was automatically favored.

"But we can't really expect him to be here with how he's probably regretting not taking your side against your human friend."

My eyes flickered to him quickly, away from his soiled attire, "You heard us?"

"It's hard not to when you guys were practically screaming the place down."

"We weren't that loud. Just admit that you were eavesdropping."

He smiled and it was indeed a fake one. "I can't stand you, do you know that?"

"Tell me something I don't know."

"But I am kind of glad you're back. Angelo has sacrificed a lot for you. To the point that it's immeasurable. It's only right that he gets to have his happily ever after...or whatever this is."

"Tell me about him—about what had happened. I know he said something about a war but he didn't give me the exact details of it." I implored quietly, sitting up in bed. As if that would make me seem more serious in listening to what he had to say.

He looked like he was debating whether or not to say anything, his skin suddenly gleaming an ice cold hue.

Immortally flushed Cupid became pale.

He swallowed, shaking too hard to dredge up speech. It was like the memories that resurfaced were too much for him to handle right now. "It was one of the most brutal wars in heaven's history, only that of God himself and Lucifer's taking precedence. After falling for a human made rounds to those of the heavenly courts, whether it be an archangel or official, it was a disaster. People were disappointed with Angelo. Thought him to be a fool to choose a mere human, with nothing to give to help in his governance of his world. After all, there were so many other beautiful angels who were there—women who would die to be given a glance from him much less bear his children. Consequently, a great bloodline. Angel to angel. How it should have been."

My hands rolled into loose fists by my sides without me knowing.

The thought of Angelo...breeding with those women deemed suitable for him made my blood curdle.

Something about those lines felt familiar but foreign at the same time.

The idea of not being a match.

It made me angry.

"Their opinions didn't end there. Fellow angels, archangels and even God himself warned Angelo not to have any relations with Elisabetta—you—but he rebelled, hiding in secret while seeing you but unfortunately there are eyes and ears everywhere. He was caught and forced to suffer a brutal punishment."

My skin pricked with heat and shame.

He was punished because of me...

For what we had.

"What was his punishment?"

He looked at me coldly. "It would be best if he told you that himself."

Flat, harsh words. With the threat of violence lingering beneath them.

I felt like I should hide away for the first time since facing Cupid.

Unknowingly, I had an inkling that the entire heavens probably blamed me for what Angelo had to endure.

"Is he popular there?" I winced at the inapposite word. It sounded like the new girl asking about the hot guy at her school she had transferred to. "I mean, is he important there? Does he have a particular title? It seems he has to because of the uproar our relationship caused. I have a feeling they wouldn't have cared so much if he were a low-leveled angel."

Cupid grinned at me like a sly fox.

"It's a relief to see that your brain still works the same when it comes to getting whatever information you desire. I came here to tease you about your temper tantrum but here you are being an opportunist and finding out what your lover won't tell you."

"He's not my lover."

His eyes flashed at the denial. "He always has been and always will be. You don't get a say in the matter unfortunately."

I glared at him.

What does he mean by that?

Ignoring my nasty stare, he continued on. "You're right. He's not some ordinary angel there. He's our Commander in Chief. One of the four archangels who were appointed to keep things in perfect harmony and balance." His eyes glimmered with pride when talking about his friend.

I would have teased him about it but I was too caught up on what he had just said. "Commander? Like, an army?"

He nodded.

My jaw dropped.

"That guy?" I pointed to the door. "The one who—" the one who had the time to dress up as the pizza delivery guy just to get my attention?

I swallowed my words, thinking carefully about defaming Angelo now that I knew of his high rank.

My eyes scoured the area, suddenly paranoid of whether anyone else was listening and waiting to hold me accountable for all my past actions.

Of course, Cupid took notice of it and burst out laughing.

"If I knew telling you about Angelo's identity would get you this scared I would have told you the moment we reunited."

"Shut up!"

He laughed even harder.

I sighed when I saw nothing out of the norm and took a look at him bent over and holding his stomach. "Yeah, laugh it up. It's not you who has to speak to a council of people who apparently hated your ass previously for being with their commander."

"No one hated you, Isbaelle. Jealous, there were many with that sentiment but nobody hated you."

Oddly, I felt a sense of relief hearing that.

"But they did hate how weak you were."

I shot him with the daggers from my eyes. "Say that again?"

He shrugged.

"It's true. You were a pretty, little weak thing."

"It's funny how I find you calling me pretty more repulsive than weak." I said with a silent shiver.

He rolled his eyes and looked down at his wrist as if there was a watch only visible to him.

"I have to go."

I felt a bit disappointed by that but said instead, "Thank God."

The handsome man scoffed.

"If there's anything you won't do is have someone else get the last word in."

He knew me too well it seemed.

Or should I say the past me?

God, this was frustrating.

Maybe I should just bed Angelo for the sake of not being so confused all the time.

When he saw there was nothing else to discuss, he gave me a nod of farewell. "I have some business to take care of. Let Angelo know I'll be back before sunset tomorrow."

"Tell him yourself. I'm sure you two can use some kind of telepathy trick seeing as you can knock me the fuck out whenever you want."

"Ah, that lovely coarse mouth of yours."

That was the last thing he said before he disappeared into thin air.

I sat there, shocked at what I'd just witnessed.

Would I ever get used to this change of lifestyle?

***

It's been so long since I've updated this book, I'm low key ashamed.

It's been almost a year and I've been so caught up with life and prioritizing my other series that I didn't even know that much time passed since touching this one. 🤭

Truthfully, I always thought of writing a chapter or two but every time I tried I always felt some type of pressure. This book is so precious to me— it sparked me out of my writer's block last year. I don't usually write fantasy/fiction books but I was so tired of writing the same genre that sitting down and thinking of nothing brought a huge change and boom—here comes this world I'm not well versed on exploring but doing it with you guys was so much fun.

I think that was biggest problem; losing the joy in writing something that's such an escape for you.

Thankfully, I've been sparked with inspiration lately so I neglected my other books to write a few chapters.

I feel like if I tell myself that I will finish this book, I'll get enough willpower and make time to do so 😅

Anyway, shoot me a vote so it can help to take the rankings of this book out of the dust and up and running again. Ily all for the goals we've reached and the love you've given to Angelo & Isabelle so far. 🖤